Starring Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox. Directed by Andrew Marton.

youtu.be/vIevnwsLDW8

 

Paramount distributed this big-budget production by Security Pictures in the spring of 1965. Crack in the World (CW) was partially a sci-fi movie and partially a disaster movie. Like many of the disaster-genre that would follow, the destructive power of nature itself -- rather than a giant reptile -- is the monster. Solid actors, a decent budget and ample action make CW one of the mid-60s' big A-level sci-fi movies.

 

Synopsis

Project Inner Earth, headed by Dr. Steven Sorensen, plans to tap into the molten core of the earth to supply unlimited power for mankind. Their problem is that they've encountered an extremely tough shell around the core which no drill can penetrate. Sorensen wants to use a nuclear missile to punch through that shell. Dr. Ted Rampion is worried that the earth's crust is too fragile, due to all the previous nuclear weapons tests. Some complex back story about Steve's wife Maggie (a much younger woman) being Ted's former girlfriend clouds the issue. Steve finding out that he has a terminal illness clouds his judgement too. Steve convinces his bosses to let him fire the nuke and does so. All seems to have gone as planned. The magma wells up and everyone is pleased. That is, until massive earthquakes start wiping out towns and a giant rip in the earth's crust appears. To make matters worse, the rip lengthens steadily. If it goes all the way around the earth, it could break in half and disintegrate. Ted and his team plant another nuclear bomb in a pacific island volcano to stop the rip. This seems to succeed, but the rip turns back towards its origin. More earthquakes and destruction. Steve is a jerk to Maggie. Ted is heroic. Steve is almost too ill to continue. The project base is wracked with tremors. Ted and Maggie escape, but Steve remains behind to record events. The crack meets its origin point. A glowing ball of magma rises into the fiery night sky. Earth now has two moons. A squirrel comes out of hiding in a hole. Ted and Maggie hug for joy. The End.

  

CW is an action-packed disaster flick. Lava, landslides, train wrecks and lots and lots of explosions. Any 12-year-old boy cannot help but love this film.

 

CW is a strong example of the Nuclear Caution branch of Cold War morals. Man, recklessly misusing nukes, sets off a chain reaction (much like modern wars have been) which threaten to destroy the world as we know it. A "counter strike" of another nuke (in the volcano) averts total annihilation, but leaves millions dead and the earth scarred forever. All this makes for quite a blatant nuclear cautionary tale.

 

Sci-fi, as a genre, is hardly famous for strict scientific accuracy. Aliens who look perfectly human and speak English? Big monsters who can eat whole cities, yet never have to poop? But never mind. CW's flawed scientific premise is that the earth's crust is an integral shell. The integrity of this shell is what keeps the earth from flying apart due to centrifugal force. Of course, if that were true, us unattached humans ought to be flying off into space. But never mind. Knowledge of Plate Techtonics was not new in 1965, but it had not filtered down to the popular level yet. Modern viewers will scoff at CW. The earth has always had cracks in it, and works rather well that way. But, to non-scientists in the mid 60s, with a hard-shell view of the earth, the premise was more credible and pretty frightening.

 

Dr. Steve Sorensen fills the customary role of misguided (mad) scientist in several ways. He wants to do some beneficial deed for mankind, but miscalculates and causes destruction. In this case, it is nature (the earth) who becomes the monster. Per the customary role, poetic justice prevails. The monster kills the offending scientist for his haste or hubris. Once he's dead, and his sin atoned for, the rightful order is restored (lovers kiss and small furry animals emerge from their burrows)

 

Many a sci-fi movie has been hobbled with tangled drama. CW is no different. In the midst of the impending destruction of the earth, Steve can still be a petty jerk to his young wife. Maggie can still be conflicted over her less-cerebral lust for Ted. Ted can still show off his big biceps, etc. This seems quite reminiscent of Catwomen of the Moon, where upon meeting another race of beings who are openly hostile, the main characters obsess over who loves whom. Perhaps astute movie producers knew that their young audiences were likely still mired in that high-school drama mindset, in which who liked whom and who was being a jerk to whom, etc. was more important than anything -- even the destruction of the earth.

 

Movie goers of the early 60s would probably have "felt" that Ted and Maggie really belonged together anyhow. Kieron Moore and Janette Scott had starred together before CW, as lighthouse-bound husband and wife biologists in Day of the Triffids ('62): another Security Pictures film. They would team up again in Security Pictures' Bikini Paradise ('67) -- a comedy outside of this study's scope.

 

Bottom line? CW is a well done disaster flick with ample entertainment value. There is plenty of action and the special effects respectable enough. After a steady diet of ultra-low budget movies, CW plays like an epic blockbuster.Doomsday movies abound, but few are as offbeat as this one. It tells of a runaway fault line that threatens to circle the earth and crack it in two like an eggshell. Far-fetched? Yes. Good fun? You bet. The trouble begins after scientists explode an atomic bomb underground to tap an unlimited supply of geothermal energy. But instead they trigger a cataclysm. While the crack girdles the earth, there's time for romance and frantic 11th-hour attempts to save humanity. Dana Andrews heads the cast as Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a scientist in a control center monitoring the progress of the crack opened by the explosion. He and co-stars Janette Scott (Dr. Maggie Sorenson), Kieron Moore (Dr. Ted Rampion), and Alexander Knox (Sir Charles Eggerston) all perform capably as they attempt to forestall doomsday with crack-stopping schemes. Although Crack in the World is a B-movie, it has an intelligent script that relies more on judicious pacing and suspense-building than on special effects. Consequently, it is superior to so-so doomsday flicks such as Asteroid (1997), Meteorites (1998), Armageddon (1998), and Independence Day (1996). Experts in plate tectonics -- a science that studies the strata making up the earth's outer shell -- may pooh-pooh the plot as implausible. Then again, they just might enjoy seeing Mother Nature throw a tantrum.

 

It's the time of month when the moon is not destructive to the dark skies, so I organised a trip for my sky chasing group to Beachy Head.

 

Amazing views of the sea and South Downs landscape can be had here on the cliff tops. Steeped in history from the World War, we found some memorial monuments for the brave soldiers that died defending the coastal front. This particular memorial in my photo, is the remains of what used to be a watch tower.

 

The Milky was beautifully visible to the naked eye arching over our heads.

 

What surprised us was the fact we saw many Epsilon meteors that night and it wasn't even the peak. We saw so many meteors that it was a great puzzle as to why Epsilon is considered minor. My 3-hour timelapse caught 9.

 

This timelapse was photobombed constantly by one of our colleagues with a smartscope who was oblivious to the fact we were using the watch tower as our foreground subject and I was oblivious to her being there, lol. So, she and her bags have become unwitting "stars" of our timelapses!

 

Song: Nothern Lights by Stellardrone from their album, Between the Light.

stellardrone.bandcamp.com/track/northern-lights

 

Capture Details:

 

Lens: Samyang 12mm F2

Tripod: Slik 700dx

Camera: Canon M50

ISO: 1250

Shutter: 25 sec

450 frames

Interval: 1 sec between frames excluding exposure time, that's 3 hours 15mins real time.

 

Capture method: camera tethered to Iphone 12 using Shutter as an intervalometer and image monitoring.

 

Post: CR3 files converted to DNG with Adobe DNG converter. Assembled timelapse within Da Vinci global Camera Raw adjustments, curves, music track

Hurricane Sandy (also unofficially known as "Superstorm Sandy") was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Classified as the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba.[1] While it was a Category 2 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km)).[2][3] Estimates as of March 2014 assess damage to have been over $68 billion (2013 USD), a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina.[4] At least 286 people were killed along the path of the storm in seven countries.[5]

 

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas.[6] On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then[7] moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey, just to the northeast of Atlantic City, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.[1][8]

 

In Jamaica, winds left 70% of residents without electricity, blew roofs off buildings, killed one, and caused about $100 million (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy's outer bands brought flooding to Haiti, killing at least 54, causing food shortages, and leaving about 200,000 homeless; the hurricane also caused two deaths in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, one man was swept away by a swollen river. In Cuba, there was extensive coastal flooding and wind damage inland, destroying some 15,000 homes, killing 11, and causing $2 billion (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy caused two deaths and damage estimated at $700 million (2012 USD) in The Bahamas. In Canada, two were killed in Ontario and an estimated $100 million (2012 CAD) in damage was caused throughout Ontario and Quebec.[9]

 

In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city.[10][11] Damage in the United States amounted to $65 billion (2013 USD).[12]

 

coming/here/done

smith point day before sandy

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) technicians are working with state and local partners; businesses and residents to stop the spread of the spotted lanternfly* a destructive insect that feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental, and hardwood trees, including grapes, apples, walnut, and oak; a serious threat to the United States' agriculture and natural resources, such as in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 30, 2018. The pest damages plants as it sucks sap from branches, stems, and tree trunks. The repeated feedings leave the tree bark with dark scars. Spotted lanternfly also excretes a sticky fluid, which promotes mold growth and further weakens plants and puts our agriculture and forests at risk. Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly has no natural enemies in North America. it's free to multiply and ravage orchards, vineyards, and wooded areas. The invasive insect was first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014, and has now spread to several states, by people who accidentally move infested material or items containing egg masses. Most states are at risk of the pest. USDA and our state and local partners are working hard to stop the spread of this invasive pest. Look for signs of spotted lanternfly. Inspect your trees and plants for young spotted lanternfly, adults, and egg masses. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

  

*Adult spotted lanternflies are approximately 1 inch long and one-half inch wide, and they have large and visually striking wings. Their forewings are light brown with black spots at the front and a speckled band at the rear. Their hind wings are scarlet with black spots at the front and white and black bars at the rear. Their abdomen is yellow with black bars. Nymphs in their early stages of development appear black with white spots and turn to a red phase before becoming adults. Egg masses are yellowish-brown in color, covered with a gray, waxy coating prior to hatching. Look for nymphs, adults, and eggs on trees. The Tree of Heaven is the preferred tree. Spotted lanternfly lay their eggs on a variety of smooth surfaces. Look for egg masses (which are off-white to grey and textured patches) on tree bark, vehicles, buildings, and outdoor items.

  

Find it, report it!

 

Contact your State Department of Agriculture or the Extension specialist near you to report signs of spotted lanternfly. If possible, take a picture or capture the insect in alcohol.

  

Stop the Spread

 

Everyone can play a role in stopping the spread of spotted lanternfly

  

Remove and Destroy

 

Crush nymph and adult spotted lanternflies. Scrape egg masses into hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol.

  

For more information about the Spotted Lanternfly, please see www.aphis.usda.gov/hungrypests/slf

  

For more information about the Tree of Heaven, please see www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/tree-of-heaven.htm

   

Non-Destructive, Reversible MD to A-Mount Conversion

 

Lens side view

 

1. Original MD stainless steal mounting ring removed.

 

2. The flange of a T2-A mount adapter was turned on a lathe to reduce the flange thickness to 50/1000 of an inch. Four clear holes were drilled to match the four screws on the MD mount. The adapter was then stacked on top of the MD mount and fasten with the four screws This completes the MD to A mount conversion, which is non-destructive and reversible to MD mount.

Snapped during the recently concluded "Alarm Clock Tour" (destructive.....details to be found here .....in Hollywood and the Greater Mojave with the magnificent Qua.

 

_________

 

I shot this mini 'documentary' with one camera in one three hour period a few years ago with the intention of playing/learning digital editing. It's bumpy in lots of places but if you like cowboys, horses, Cajun music, blues and fellowship and lots of animals you might check it out.....these are my friends where I live (most of the time) in Agua Dulce, California.

  

Part THREE of "Father's Day":

 

www.vimeo.com/clip:151477

 

www.ifilm.com/myifilm/shadowplay/video/2830956?sublisting...

 

Sunset, chemtrails, the Moon and Jupiter.

 

Since 2014 I've been documenting the daily, destructive, poisonous chemtrail activity in the Dayton, Ohio area -- home of the notorious Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (visited by every important person on Earth, and even a few (fake) aliens ;-) -- and apparently from my photo and video documentation, Chemtrail Central. This area has been getting chemtrailed on a massive, daily basis and is being conducted, as they say, “in plain sight”. I've got over 15,000 high-resolution pictures already uploaded and available for free on Flickr, with thousands more on the way:

www.flickr.com/photos/133042043@N04/albums

Additional Chemtrail videos may be found on:

www.youtube.com/user/BlueRidgeParkway

Destructive water from recent flooding in Boulder County took out this road. In it's place a free flowing creek. It's not just here. 150 miles of roads in the county were originally impassable. Still many miles to go before life returns to normal for a lot of these residents and businesses. Mother Nature takes what belongs to her.

Spotted lanternflies free vines at Waltz Vineyard, thanks to winemaker Jan Waltz who worked with state and federal agencies to remove and keep the invasive spotted lanternflies (SLF) from eating the grape vines, on August 29, 2018, in Manheim, PA. The spotted lanternfly is a destructive insect that feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental, and hardwood trees, including grapes, apples, walnut, and oak; a serious threat to the United States' agriculture and natural resources. The pest damages plants as it sucks sap from branches, stems, and tree trunks. The repeated feedings leave the tree bark with dark scars. Spotted lanternfly also excretes a sticky fluid, which promotes mold growth and further weakens plants and puts our agriculture and forests at risk. Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly has no natural enemies in North America. it's free to multiply and ravage orchards, vineyards, and wooded areas. The invasive insect was first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014, and has now spread to several states, by people who accidentally move infested material or items containing egg masses.

 

Most states are at risk of the pest. USDA and our state and local partners are working hard to stop the spread of this invasive pest, but we need your help. Look for signs of spotted lanternfly.

 

Inspect trucks for egg masses before leaving parking lots or work sites. Scrape off any egg masses you find into rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. While parked, keep windows closed so hitchhiking nymphs and adults stay out. Make sure you also check other equipment being moved, like outdoor machinery, propane tanks, and shipping containers. If youâre a business owner, keep a close watch over your property. Park in areas away from the tree line. To capture nymphs and adults, you can wrap tree trunks with adhesive bands from May to August. You can also remove ailanthus trees, known as âThe Tree of Heaven.â These invasive weed trees are a favorite of spotted lanternflies. Most importantly, be vigilant to inspect both incoming and outgoing goods â and the containers and equipment that carry them â they could be carrying a hitching pest as well. In a quarantine area, you can get information on management controls at aphis.usda.gov/hungrypests/slf. If you do encounter spotted lanternfly eggs, nymphs, or adults outside of quarantined areas, report the sighting to your State Department of Agriculture. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

  

*Adult spotted lanternflies are approximately 1 inch long and one-half inch wide, and they have large and visually striking wings. Their forewings are light brown with black spots at the front and a speckled band at the rear. Their hind wings are scarlet with black spots at the front and white and black bars at the rear. Their abdomen is yellow with black bars. Nymphs in their early stages of development appear black with white spots and turn to a red phase before becoming adults. Egg masses are yellowish-brown in color, covered with a gray, waxy coating prior to hatching.

  

Find it, report it!

 

Contact your State Department of Agriculture or the Extension specialist near you to report signs of spotted lanternfly. If possible, take a picture or capture the insect in alcohol.

  

Stop the Spread

 

Everyone can play a role in stopping the spread of spotted lanternfly

  

Remove and Destroy

 

Crush nymph and adult spotted lanternflies. Scrape egg masses into hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol.

  

For more information about the Spotted Lanternfly, please see www.aphis.usda.gov/hungrypests/slf

  

For more information about the Tree of Heaven, please see www.nps.gov/shen/learn/nature/tree-of-heaven.htm

www.taylorchristianjones.com/blog

 

White Lightning 1600 above in octabox x2

White Lightning 1600 behind subjects x2

White Lightning 1600 behind backdrop x1

A mangled 65 Chevy Impala sits amongst the rubble..

Scanned from a Slide Transperancy purchased from a recent estate sale.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak and severe weather event that occurred on April 21, 1967, across the Upper Midwestern United States, in particular the Chicago area including the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was the most notable tornado outbreak of 1967 and one of the most notable to occur in the Chicago area. The outbreak produced numerous significant (F2+) tornadoes, among them eight alone in the U.S. state of Illinois, including one of just six[1] documented violent (F4–F5) tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area since the area was first settled.[2] The F4 tornado that struck Belvidere caused one of the highest tornado-related death tolls in a single school building and was featured in an episode of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories.

 

Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois

 

The third and final F4 tornado to affect Illinois this day was also the deadliest tornado of the entire outbreak. An intense super cell with a hook echo on weather radar first appeared about 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Joliet at 4:45 p.m. CDT. Later, at 5:15 p.m., an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau observed a rotating wall cloud about 10 miles (16 km) north of Joliet. Minutes later, severe thunderstorm winds blew out windows in a building, though no tornado or funnel cloud had yet occurred.[6] Near the Little Red Schoolhouse, in what is now the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, an observer first noted a funnel cloud to the south, moving east with hail up to .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter—but he was unable to report to the Weather Bureau as his telephone failed to give a dial tone.[6] At 5:24 p.m. CDT, a tornado touched down at the present-day campus of Moraine Valley Community College[4] and moved east-northeast, mainly at 70° heading.[5]

 

As it touched down, the tornado bent power poles and blew down small trees and vegetation, tossing dirt as it went. It then grew in size to 450 feet (150 yd) wide and entered Palos Hills, destroying about five buildings—including two frame homes and a brick home—and snapping trees.[6] Subsequently, the intensifying funnel severely damaged homes and a drive-in theater[4] in a half-block-wide area of the Chicago Ridge.[6]

 

Over the next six minutes, the tornado attained its maximum intensity as it tore a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) (60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) ground speed) swath of damage through Oak Lawn, Hometown, and Evergreen Park.[4] As it passed through the business district of Oak Lawn, the tornado leveled many homes that were built entirely of brick.[6]

 

In Oak Lawn, the tornado threw 25–40 vehicles from the intersection of Southwest Highway and W. 95th St. (US-12/20),[4] killing 16 people who were stuck in traffic during the rush hour.[3] Partly for that reason, this tornado ended up being the deadliest in the outbreak.[6] As it moved beyond Oak Lawn, the tornado weakened and widened as it caused lighter damage to vegetation, roofs, and garages. It finally moved offshore as a waterspout at Rainbow Beach, producing a wind gust up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at a water filtration plant on the lakefront shore.[6] In all, the tornado killed 33 people, including several children at the Oak Lawn roller skating rink,[7] and injured 1,000. It destroyed 152 homes and damaged 900, causing $50 million in damage. The destroyed buildings included a high school, grocery store, tavern, market, motel, drive-in theater, restaurant, numerous apartments, and two gas stations. Additionally, the tornado caused numerous fires in Oak Lawn which were quickly extinguished.[7]

 

After the destructive storms this week I wondered if my favourite old harbour had suffered any more damage.

 

Still...intact...!

The building on the left is the rear of the former Pat's Hobbies.

Scanned from a Slide Transperancy purchased from a recent estate sale.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak and severe weather event that occurred on April 21, 1967, across the Upper Midwestern United States, in particular the Chicago area including the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was the most notable tornado outbreak of 1967 and one of the most notable to occur in the Chicago area. The outbreak produced numerous significant (F2+) tornadoes, among them eight alone in the U.S. state of Illinois, including one of just six[1] documented violent (F4–F5) tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area since the area was first settled.[2] The F4 tornado that struck Belvidere caused one of the highest tornado-related death tolls in a single school building and was featured in an episode of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories.

 

Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois

 

The third and final F4 tornado to affect Illinois this day was also the deadliest tornado of the entire outbreak. An intense super cell with a hook echo on weather radar first appeared about 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Joliet at 4:45 p.m. CDT. Later, at 5:15 p.m., an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau observed a rotating wall cloud about 10 miles (16 km) north of Joliet. Minutes later, severe thunderstorm winds blew out windows in a building, though no tornado or funnel cloud had yet occurred.[6] Near the Little Red Schoolhouse, in what is now the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, an observer first noted a funnel cloud to the south, moving east with hail up to .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter—but he was unable to report to the Weather Bureau as his telephone failed to give a dial tone.[6] At 5:24 p.m. CDT, a tornado touched down at the present-day campus of Moraine Valley Community College[4] and moved east-northeast, mainly at 70° heading.[5]

 

As it touched down, the tornado bent power poles and blew down small trees and vegetation, tossing dirt as it went. It then grew in size to 450 feet (150 yd) wide and entered Palos Hills, destroying about five buildings—including two frame homes and a brick home—and snapping trees.[6] Subsequently, the intensifying funnel severely damaged homes and a drive-in theater[4] in a half-block-wide area of the Chicago Ridge.[6]

 

Over the next six minutes, the tornado attained its maximum intensity as it tore a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) (60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) ground speed) swath of damage through Oak Lawn, Hometown, and Evergreen Park.[4] As it passed through the business district of Oak Lawn, the tornado leveled many homes that were built entirely of brick.[6]

 

In Oak Lawn, the tornado threw 25–40 vehicles from the intersection of Southwest Highway and W. 95th St. (US-12/20),[4] killing 16 people who were stuck in traffic during the rush hour.[3] Partly for that reason, this tornado ended up being the deadliest in the outbreak.[6] As it moved beyond Oak Lawn, the tornado weakened and widened as it caused lighter damage to vegetation, roofs, and garages. It finally moved offshore as a waterspout at Rainbow Beach, producing a wind gust up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at a water filtration plant on the lakefront shore.[6] In all, the tornado killed 33 people, including several children at the Oak Lawn roller skating rink,[7] and injured 1,000. It destroyed 152 homes and damaged 900, causing $50 million in damage. The destroyed buildings included a high school, grocery store, tavern, market, motel, drive-in theater, restaurant, numerous apartments, and two gas stations. Additionally, the tornado caused numerous fires in Oak Lawn which were quickly extinguished.[7]

 

  

-- Page 18

 

"PIECE FOR THE WIND

 

Cut a painting up and let them be lost

in the wind.

 

1962 summer"

  

" PAINTING FOR THE SKIES

to Toshi Ichiyanagi

Drill a hole in the sky.

Cut out a paper the same size

as the hole.

Paste hair over the entire surface

of the paper.

Burn the paper.

The sky should be pure blue.

 

1962 summer"

  

"Yoko Ono performs her work CUT PIECE

at Carnegie Hall

Concept-art, where you can be an Artist, goes

further and involves with the audience as in Ono's CUT

PIECE, where each member of the audience is asked

to come up on the stage one at a time and remove the

performer's clothing with a large pair of tailor's

shears. The performer sits motionless through the

whole operation in a kneeling position until all the

clothing has been removed or everybody has had a

chance to cut, usually about an hour. In contrast to

the rest of the ceoncert which is usually filled with

restlessness in the audience, this piece always takes

place in complete silence, with periods of several

minutes elapsing before the next performer (member

of the audience) gets enough courage to come up on the

stage. Usually only one third of the audience performs

while the rest apparently consider the prospect."

  

-- Page 19

 

"Yoko Ono A + B Painting 1961

Almus Gallery, New York"

  

"Yoko Ono Painting to be Stepped On, 1961

Almus Gallery, New York"

   

-- Page 17

 

"Ono leads in a direction that might be called Concept-Art

   

INSTRUCTIVE AUTO-DESTRUCTION

    

THE FULL MOON hangs over the Lower East Side, its light

shines on paper-littered streets. In the daytime 2nd Avenue

is jammed with traffic and it's possible to look up through

the dust and heat at the sky and imagine what those few

seconds would be like before it came if eternity were to fit.

What an EVENT!

What is an Event and what does it have to do with Art?

Circa 1950: Yoko Ono is sitting around some-place

striking matches. She is observing the significance of a

natural act. Many matches later she finds that by lighting

a match and watching til it has gone out she is making

something that has a shorter existence than herself, and

by comparison is making her life longer.

When people are asked to observe the passage of time

they may feel ill at ease. Is this why we have a term like

auto-destruction? One of Yoko Ono's first events is

called LIGHTING PIECE: 'Light a match and watch

till it goes out.'

1961: her first one-man show in New York, in which

fifteen works were what she calls INSTRUCTUER;

'Something that emerged from instruction and yet not

quite emerged - not quite structured - never quite struc-

tured --- like an unfinished church with a sky ceiling.'

One of these works which was described by a critic as 'a

grimy unstrung canvas with a hole in it' is SMOKE

PAINTING: 'Light canvas or any finished painting with

a cigarettes at any time for any length of time. See the smoke

movement. The painting ends when the whole canvas is

gone.'* For Ono, paintings like Event do end: an ad-

ditional act in life; something to solve the temptation of

insanity.

Other works in her 1961 show were, PAINTING TO

BE STEPPED ON: 'Leave a piece of canvas or finished

painting on the floor or in the street.'* A + B PAINTING;

'Cut out a circle on canvas. A. Place a numeral figure, a

roman letter, or a katakanao on canvas B at an arbitrary

point. Place canvas A on canvas B and hang them together.

The figure on canvas B may show, may show partially, or

may not show. You may use old paintings, photographs, etc.

instead of blank canvases.'* PAINTING FOR THE

WIND: 'Make a hole. Leave it in the wind.'* PAINT-

ING TO SEE THE SKIES: 'Drill two holes into a can-

vas. Hang it where you can see the sky. (Change the place

of hanging. Try both the front and the rear windows, to

see if the skies are different.')* PAINTING TO LET

THE EVENING LIGHT GO THROUGH: 'Hang a

bottle behind a canvas. Place the canvas where the west

light comes in. The painting will exist when the bottle

creates a shadow on the canvas, or it does not have to

exist. The bottle may contain liquor, water, grasshoppers,

ants or singing insects, or it does not have to contain.'*

BLOOD PIECE: 'Use your blood to paint. Keep painting

until you faint (A). Keep painting until you die (B).'*

These and the others in the show were designed to be

done by anybody although at the time it was not apparent

to most observers and as well the works had been made by

Ono, they were regarded as going in one direction only:

purely auto-destructive. Actually all her paintings exist

in two phases. (1) The instruction phase; which may be

compared to a musical composition; written, copywritten,

distributed, and generally at large for anybody to make

(perform) and show (2) the existence of the particular

piece, which generally has some aspect which is in a state

of flux. Sometimes this may be only one-way, sometimes

it may be oscillating, or the piece may just need to be

refuelled, so to speak.

The one aspect which is considered so important in

most painting, the graphic element, or visual design, is

almost never stated except in the vaguest way as in A + B

PAINTING, and like a Swiss Patent, it is never clear

exactly how the formula goes. This is left up to the indi-

vidual who is to construct the work and how he feels about

such things. For the maker of the work and the audience

this opens up all sorts of possibilities. One is able to

observe certain relationships between art and life that are

usually overlooked in purely graphic art. Instead of saying

how the hell did he do that one might say why the hell do

I have to do that. The owner and/or maker of the painting

must continually come to grips with certain problems that

force him to consider what the concept of art is all about.

  

Recently, while the works of hers constructed by various

painters and sculptors were being collected in a gallery

for a show this coming fall, a piece was accidentally sold.

The piece WORD MACHINE #1 SKY MACHINE,

which produces a card with the word 'sky' on it when 25c

is deposited was acquired by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Scull. In

order to complete the sale in the case of this particular

piece it was necessary for Mr. Scull to sign a contract in

which he only received the right to possess the machine

but had to agree that serving of the machine would

remain the right of the maker and the maker would

receive 60% of the proceeds of the sake of 'sky' cards.

The pure iconism of the work is at question. It is a

machine, it has to be cleaned, repaired, cards replaced,

money extracted, in short, handled like crazy and the owner

and the maker have become involved in a continual

bureaucratic even in order to meet the terms of the con-

tract. Her original composition for this work states that

these machines should eventually replace all Coca-cola

and chewing gum machines, etc. everywhere. Immediately

there is a threat on these manmoth industies which have

always been auto-destructive in nature anyway - this

piece is a kind of a parody of them - and pocesses certain

interesting problems as the underworld usually controls

the vending machine operations here in New York. Is

there something wrong with a society that vends art in

machines instead of phosphate? Many agree that the coke

bottole has long been of better use and more valuable than

its contents anyway, and certain artists have even emulated

it in what has come to be known as Pop art.

Ono's work involves many facets and many roots that

are deeply traditional in Eastern and Western thought. In

the East there are traditions that have been obscured by

the advent of the West and one might hope that the reverse

may take place in the West: interbreeding considered

healthful. In Japan it was common and still is to a lesser

degree, to wrap one's lunch in a beautiful package -

intricately embossed gold foil was ideal (there are still

many things we don't know about food) - to contemplate

while eating in the woods; of course the wrapping would

be thrown away ... or for many people to gather with

the express purpose of observing the moon, without any

particular motive scientific or otherwise. This approach is

referred to as 'wabi and sabi' and it is considered that no

clear translation should be available.

In the West Ono relates to that arear referred to by Gene

Swenson as 'The Other Tradiotion'; Duchamp, Ernst,

Cage, Rauschenberg, Johns, etc., and it is interesting that

these men were attracted to her and attended her concerts

and events held in 1959-61 at her loft on Chambers St.

in New York before her return to Tokyo (at one point she

was close to Cage and tourned Japan with him in 1962, but

her music which has been described as 'music of the mind'

is diametrically opposed to his in philosophy and has no

audible sound in the conventional sense.)

What about painting of the mind? One of Ono's works

in her series 'imaginary paintings', is PAINTING TO BE

CONSTRUCTED IN YOUR HEAD: 'Imagine a flower

made of hard material such as gold, silver, stainless

steel, tin, marble, copper, etc. Imagine that the

pedals suddenly become soft like cotton or like living flesh.

In three hours prick all the petals. Save one and press it in a

book. In the margin of the page where the petal is pressed

note the derivation of the petal and the name of the petal.

At least eight hours should be spent in the construction

of the painting.'*

 

ANTHONY COX

New York City, July 4, 1966

   

For this special number of Art and Artists Yoko Ono

contributed the following: AUTO-DESTRUCTIVE

EVENTS; 1 - Dissapearing of snow, 2 - Thinking, 3 -

Dreaming, 4 - Waiting/not waiting, 5 - A wind, 6 -

Travel, 7 - Make wishknots in your head. Forget the

wish.

* reproduced by permission from Grapefruit, published by

Weltinnenraums Press, Box 186, NYC 14 USA."

   

Art and Artists

Volume One, Number Five

August 1966

Edited by Mario Amaya

London: Hansom Books, 1966

   

Private Collection of Mikihiko Hori

 

Finally, after 3 weeks of preparations, evacuation, clean-up, etc,, etc, all related to hurricane Irma's destructive path, I'm getting back to a more regular routine again, and I was able to shoot last weekend's NCAA football game between Toledo and Miami.

 

This is one of my favorite action shots from the series.

 

From the editorial caption:

September 23, 2017: Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Lawrence Cager (18) leaps as he reaches out to catch the ball in the end zone, challenged by Toledo Rockets cornerback Justin Clark (24), during the college football game between the Toledo Rockets and the Miami Hurricanes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami won 52-30.

 

More images in the Recent Events section of my website.

 

====

 

All my uploaded images are significantly reduced from the original high-res file, and adjusted for web display.

 

© Mario Houben. All Rights Reserved.

Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is strictly prohibited.

All my shown images are of my exclusive property, and are protected under International Copyright laws. Those images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or, in any way manipulated, without my written permission and use license.

 

If you wish to use or acquire any of my images, please contact me via Mario Houben | Photography - The Website

West of Cologne (Germany), taken inflight; one can clearly perceive the huge terraces cascading down to the "Brown Gold" and how the coal is being transported out of this surface mine. Slowly, this giant monster engulfs small villages that need to be relocated, changing the face of the environment forever. 17% of Germany's energy is still being generated through coal!

 

Here is a Google Map of this area, from "higher up":

www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/2191/Germany//Juelich_Hamb...

 

Says Wikipedia in German: "Die Gewinnung von Braunkohle im Tagebau ist mit einem immensen Flächenverbrauch verbunden. Um Lagerstätten, entsprechend dem Deutschen Bergrecht, möglichst vollständig hereingewinnen zu können, werden bisweilen ganze Dörfer umgesiedelt, was zu Konfliktpotenzial mit der Bevölkerung führen kann (siehe auch Liste abgebaggerter Ortschaften). Unter Umständen werden auch ökologisch wertvolle Gebiete zerstört."

 

Here's a very revealing, critical article about the destructive nature of mining in Hambach, albeit in German:

www.bund-nrw.de/themen_und_projekte/braunkohle/tagebaue_i...

Sakura Haruno (春野サクラ, Haruno Sakura) is a main character in the anime and manga series Naruto.

 

The name Haruno means "spring" and Sakura means "cherry blossom", which is cherished in Japan due to its beauty and almost tragically short life span (cherry blossoms have historically been associated with samurai). In Japanese, Haru no Sakura means "cherry blossom of spring", which may be an origin of the name.

 

In the June 2006 issue of the American version of Shonen Jump, Masashi Kishimoto (in the voice of Kakashi) stated that Sakura would make the best ninja instructor and that "she has flaws in her personality, like stalking Sasuke, but Sakura is the closest to being normal". Background

 

Sakura Haruno is a member of Kakashi Hatake's Team 7, originally consisting of herself, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha. Contrary to her teammates, Sakura did not experience any kind of tragedy during her childhood, however she was picked on. Because of this, she takes for granted things Naruto and Sasuke wish they had, most particularly a loving parent. Sakura's favorite foods are syrup-coated anko dumplings and umeboshi, with her least favorite being anything spicy. Her favorite phrases are "courage" (勇気, Yūki) and "Hell yeah!" (しゃーんなろー, Shannaro!; English TV "Cha!"). Sakura's parents have never been revealed in the manga or anime, however her mother's voice was heard in episode 3 of the anime, and again in 53. Personality

 

At the start of the series, Sakura has a deep infatuation for Sasuke, rooted primarily in his good looks, cunning, cool attitude, and prodigious talents. Because of this, many of Sakura's early appearances are dedicated to her continuing effort to win his affection. As time progressed, and she began to know Sasuke more as a teammate instead of the cool, mysterious boy she had a crush on, she both grew to care for him as a person who needed her and began to fear that he would eventually leave her in his quest for power. When Sasuke finally defects from Konoha, Sakura offers to join him in his self destructive quest for revenge rather than leave his side, an offer Sasuke refuses. She has since joined Naruto in his quest to bring Sasuke back, even adopting Naruto's notion to use force to bring him back to Konoha.

 

Sakura's relationship with Naruto Uzumaki, like with Sasuke, also changes throughout the series. Despite Naruto's crush on her, Sakura, as with the rest of the village, saw Naruto as a burden, and was less than enthusiastic at being assigned to the same team as him. Due to his attempts to win her heart, which in turn ruins her chances to win Sasuke's, Sakura viewed Naruto as a talentless idiot out to ruin her life. However, similar to Sasuke, as they spent more time together as teammates, Sakura came to realize that her initial view of Naruto was wrong. When Sasuke defected from Konoha, she turns to Naruto believing him to be the only one able to bring Sasuke back. As such Naruto would in turn dedicate his next mission and 2½ years of training to fulfill this promise, and better himself to fight the Akatsuki. After the failed Retrieval mission, Sakura resolves that she will be there for Naruto from now on. By Part II, when she learns the extent of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's relationship with Naruto, and the Akatsuki's goal to capture Naruto she has grown a desire to protect Naruto herself. Yamato has seen that Sakura feels something more for Naruto, however he was interrupted by a waking Naruto and said to Sakura: "It's not what you do for Naruto that counts, but the strength of your feelings. Hmph, Sakura, I can tell just by looking at you...In reality you"[1] Yamato was not the only one to realize Sakura's feelings for Naruto, Sai has also brought up the subject before on their way to retrieve Sasuke. Subconsciously, Sakura seems to be continually drawing herself closer to Naruto.

 

Within Sakura resides "Inner Sakura," a manifestation of her inner emotions.Inner Sakura represents Sakura's actual opinion on things when she outwardly displays something opposite. Inner Sakura's appearances are typically marked by an exclamation of "Shānnarō!" (しゃーんなろー). The phrase has no literal meaning, but is usually translated as "Hell yeah!", "Hell no!", or "Damn it!", depending on the situation. The English anime, for censorship reasons replaced the aforementioned phrases with a forceful "Cha!" Inner Sakura is unique as it is in a way a second will within Sakura's mind. When the Mind Body Switch Technique was used on her, Inner Sakura was able to repel the user from her body, suggesting that inner Sakura is a split personality, as Sakura comments she is a girl with "two minds". Although she appears quite frequently at the start of the series, Inner Sakura all but disappears midway through Part I, and rarely appears in Part II. The reason behind this is that she no longer needs to hide her true feelings or reactions behind a fake smile, finally allowing herself to truly say whats on her mind. However, because Inner Sakura usually possessed somewhat violent reaction to things, Sakura is prone to violent outbursts which is not helped by a her chakra- enhanced strength.

 

As a ninja Sakura felt as though she was in the background, not being able to help anybody. Then in the chunin exams she made a resolution not to let anybody down and to be in the front line instead of falling behind. She kept this resolution when she asked Tsunade if she could become her apprentice after the mission to retrieve Sasuke failed in order to make herself better as a ninja and a person. After training hard for two and a half years she has finally been able to pull her own weight and creating a strong desire to protect her comrades. She has made herself stronger through her training with and still won't give up on saving Sasuke and Naruto. While Sakura does have a very strong personality in her, she also has a softer side.

 

Another large part of Sakura's personality has to do with her friendship and rivalry with Ino Yamanaka. During her early years in the Academy, Sakura was frequently bullied by others due to her large forehead. To try and combat this, Sakura used her bangs to hide her forehead, fueling the other kids' teasing by indicating she was sensitive about it. Ino Yamanaka, realizing this, gave Sakura a ribbon to accent her face and help Sakura overcome her phobia about her forehead. As such, the two became good friends and Sakura was in time able to develop her own unique personality thanks to Ino. Despite this, Sakura felt she was living in Ino's shadow and longed to be able to prove herself as Ino's equal. When it later became clear that both were infatuated with Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura ended their friendship so that the two could properly compete for Sasuke's affection, thus beginning a bitter rivalry between the two.

 

Later, during the Chunin exams the two rekindle their friendship after fighting on equal levels but still consistently argue over guys. They mainly fight over Sasuke. Appearence

 

Sakura is said to be very attractive, as shown by Naruto and Lee's crush on her. She has bright pink hair and green eyes. Masashi Kishimoto has stated in an interview that Sakura was supposed to be "cute", but has also said that, because of his inexperiance in drawing female characters, she was "far from cute" at the beginning of the series. He and his staff agreed that she's become cuter through the series.

 

Sakura's outfit has changed in the series. At the beginning, Sakura wore a red dress, that bears strong resemblance to a Chinese qipao dress, with white circular designs (possibly her clan symbol), the traditional dark blue forehead protector which she used to accent her face, and dark green shorts. The shorts became shorter and tighter as the series progressed in order to show Sakura was becoming more active. Sakura aquired a new outfit during the timeskip consisting of tight black shorts, the heeled sandals Tsunade and Shizune wear(knee-high), and a light-colored pinkish apron. (Notably, Rin is also depicted wearing this apron.) Her forehead protector has changed to red in color. She was also designed with the same basic red top as in Part I. She now also wears black gloves and pinkish elbow protectors with this outfit.

 

Another notable trait of Sakura's appearence is her hair. At the series start, Sakura's hair was grown very long. (When she was young, there was a rumor that Sasuke Uchiha was attracted to girls with long hair.) After Sakura was forced to protect the unconscious bodies of Sasuke and Naruto after their battle with Orochimaru, Kin Tsuchi grabbed Sakura's hair and taunted her for paying more attention to her appearance than practicing her jutsu. Kin kept Sakura captive, holding her tightly by the hair and forcing her to watch Zaku attack Sasuke. This caused Sakura to cut her hair to release Kin's hold on her, and determinedly attacking Team Dosu with a new goal of surpassing her teammates. Sakura kept her new, shoulder-length hair style for the rest of the series. Survival Test arc

 

Upon being assigned as a member of Team 7, Sakura spent much her time trying to appeal to Sasuke despite the fact that Sasuke had no interest in her and had a habit of belittling her. All the while, Naruto tried to appeal to Sakura, despite the fact that she had no interest in him and degraded him whenever given the opportunity. As such, when Kakashi administered a test on the three to see if they would be allowed to become Genin, Sakura preoccupied herself with following Sasuke instead of helping Naruto. After Kakashi lectured Sakura for this as well as Naruto and Sasuke for their respective faults, Sakura realized that if they are to become Genin, they would need to work as a team, even if that meant breaking the rules. This revelation having been the goal of the test, Kakashi passed the three, Team 7 being the first group to have ever passed his test. Wave Country arc

 

When Team 7 set out on their first mission to the Land of Waves, Sakura was left in charge of protecting Tazuna while Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi fought the enemy. When Sasuke appeared to have died in battle, Sakura violated Shinobi Rule #25 of not showing any kind of emotions by crying for Sasuke's loss even as she recited it. When Sasuke turned out to have only been in a death-trance, Sakura was relieved that he was alive. Once their mission was completed, Team 7 returned to Konoha In the preliminary matches of the exam, Sakura was pitted against Ino. After Sakura and Ino exchanged insults, Ino followed Sakura's earlier example and cut her hair, leading Sakura to believe that Ino had lost her mind. In actuality, Ino cut her hair to help her in battle; by sending chakra into her cut hair, Ino was able to tie Sakura in place, allowing her slow moving Mind Body Switch Technique to have no difficulties in finding its target. After taking control of Sakura's body, Ino tried to force Sakura to forfeit, though Inner Sakura stopped Ino before she could do so and forced Ino from her body. With both girls exhausted from the amount of effort they'd been putting into their fight, Ino and Sakura charged at each other to deal final blows. Striking each other simultaneously, both were knocked out, leading to a draw. As the two recovered, Ino and Sakura began to rekindle their friendship.

 

Survival Test arc

 

Upon being assigned as a member of Team 7, Sakura spent much her time trying to appeal to Sasuke despite the fact that Sasuke had no interest in her and had a habit of belittling her. All the while, Naruto tried to appeal to Sakura, despite the fact that she had no interest in him and degraded him whenever given the opportunity. As such, when Kakashi administered a test on the three to see if they would be allowed to become Genin, Sakura preoccupied herself with following Sasuke instead of helping Naruto. After Kakashi lectured Sakura for this as well as Naruto and Sasuke for their respective faults, Sakura realized that if they are to become Genin, they would need to work as a team, even if that meant breaking the rules. This revelation having been the goal of the test, Kakashi passed the three, Team 7 being the first group to have ever passed his test.

[edit] Wave Country arc

 

When Team 7 set out on their first mission to the Land of Waves, Sakura was left in charge of protecting Tazuna while Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi fought the enemy. When Sasuke appeared to have died in battle, Sakura violated Shinobi Rule #25 of not showing any kind of emotions by crying for Sasuke's loss even as she recited it. When Sasuke turned out to have only been in a death-trance, Sakura was relieved that he was alive. Once their mission was completed, Team 7 returned to Konoha.

[edit] Chunin Exam arc

 

During the written portion of the Chunin Exams, Sakura was one of the few Genin capable of answering the test's questions without cheating. Realizing that Naruto wasn't smart enough to answer the questions correctly or think of cheating, Sakura contemplated disqualifying Team 7 so that Naruto didn't need to. She thought about Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage, and she smiled and said that she didn't want his dream to die. When Naruto proclaimed that he won't back down from the test, Sakura decided against it, and Team 7 passed.

 

Soon after the start of the second phase of the Chunin Exams, Team 7 was attacked by Orochimaru. Although Naruto and Sasuke did their best to defeat Orochimaru, both were rendered unconscious and Sakura was left to take care of them. When they were attacked by a group of Sound Genin sent by Orochimaru to kill Sasuke, Sakura tried to defeat them with some traps she had preprepared, though the group easily avoided her efforts. Just as the Sound Genin were about to turn their attention to Sakura, Rock Lee came to her rescue, determined to protect Sakura at all costs. Despite using techniques he was forbidden to use, Lee was defeated and the Sound Genin again turned their attention to Sakura. Kin Tsuchi immobilized Sakura by grabbing her hair, scolding her for putting more effort in her looks than her abilities as a ninja. Distraught that people were always fighting for her because she couldn't fight for herself, Sakura resolved to better herself as a ninja. Cutting off her hair to release herself from Kin's grasp, Sakura did what she could to fend off the Sound Genin, even going so far as biting to make sure that she couldn't be easily repelled. This display spurred Ino and her team into coming to Sakura's aid, allowing the latter to rest. An unconscious Sasuke re-awakened after receiving Orochimaru's cursed mark, and asked Sakura who injured her. Quickly overcome by his new cursed mark, he began a violent rampage on the sound nins who were present. Frightened by his new behavior, a tearful Sakura rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around him, begging him to stop. Her tearful words and embrace got through to him, and his cursed seal quickly receded.

Sakura fighting Ino during her preliminary match

Sakura fighting Ino during her preliminary match

 

In the preliminary matches of the exam, Sakura was pitted against Ino. After Sakura and Ino exchanged insults, Ino followed Sakura's earlier example and cut her hair, leading Sakura to believe that Ino had lost her mind. In actuality, Ino cut her hair to help her in battle; by sending chakra into her cut hair, Ino was able to tie Sakura in place, allowing her slow moving Mind Body Switch Technique to have no difficulties in finding its target. After taking control of Sakura's body, Ino tried to force Sakura to forfeit, though Inner Sakura stopped Ino before she could do so and forced Ino from her body. With both girls exhausted from the amount of effort they'd been putting into their fight, Ino and Sakura charged at each other to deal final blows. Striking each other simultaneously, both were knocked out, leading to a draw. As the two recovered, Ino and Sakura began to rekindle their friendship.

 

When the invasion of Konoha began, Sakura was one of the few Genin present who was able to repel the sleep inducing Genjutsu, in large part due to her control over her own chakra. Because of this, Sakura was assigned by Kakashi to wake Naruto so that they could follow Sasuke. Upon catching up with Sasuke, Sakura protected him from Gaara's attacks, though Gaara used his sand to immobilize her. As the sand slowly suffocated Sakura, Naruto fought to defeat Gaara, determined to save her. He succeeded, and Sakura was freed. Sasuke Retrieval arc

 

When Sasuke attempted to abandon Konoha so that he could go to Orochimaru for power, Sakura met him at the village's exit. Realizing what he was trying to do, Sakura did what she could to stop him. She admitted that he always acted like he hated her and revealed that he rarely spoke to her. Hastily, she professed her love for him and offering to help him in his quest for power, so long as she could be with him. Sasuke then turned to her, smirking, and told her that she was annoying. To Sasuke, Sakura had not changed from their first day as a team and still failed to understand what loneliness is. Sakura threatened to scream and alert the village of his betrayal, and Sasuke, apparently affected in some way by her concern, gave her a simple "thank you" before knocking her unconscious and leaving the village.

 

When Naruto set out the next day to retrieve Sasuke, Sakura begged for him to bring Sasuke back, believing Naruto to be the only person who could get through to Sasuke. Naruto, looking at the crying Sakura, promised her that he would bring Sasuke back, making it his promise to her for a lifetime. Naruto assured her that he understood her pain, reminding Sakura of what she had said to Naruto (while he was impersonating Sasuke) near the beginning of the series. This brought more tears as Sakura realized that Naruto knew how she felt and how he was always there for her and would always be there.

 

After Naruto failed to bring Sasuke back and lies in a hospital bed, he apologized to Sakura for failing to bring back Sasuke and asserted that he will definitely keep his promise. Sakura regarded Naruto and saw his injuries and determination. She thought about how little she had done. Inspired by Naruto's determination, she replied that next time they would retrieve Sasuke together and would be there for him from now on, then asked Tsunade to become her apprentice, a request to which Tsunade happily accepted. Part ||

 

After Naruto's 2½ year training Sakura was one of the villagers to greet him. She flirtingly asked him if she looked any different, though in complete ignorance to her reason, remarked she looked exactly the same. Not long afterwards she displayed some of what she gained from her training with Tsunade when she punched Naruto for attempting to reveal a new perverted technique that was designed to put the Sexy Technique to shame. Kakashi would gather the two remaining members of Team Kakashi together for another bell test, in which Naruto and Sakura had to work together to retrieve the bells. Again Sakura shocked Naruto, and Kakashi as well by displaying her excellent chakra-enhanced strength. But even then it wasn't enough to slow down Kakashi. It was only Naruto's plan to spoil the latest entry of Jiraiya's book did they manage to get past Kakashi's Sharingan. Rescue Gaara arc

 

When Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki, Team 7 was sent to help in rescuing him. After arriving in Sunagakure, Sakura was sent in immediately to help save Kankuro. Just in the nick of time Sakura used a highly advanced technique to save him and used the poison she extracted to make three antidotes. As Team 7 set out to pursue Gaara's captors, they were joined by Chiyo. After finding Gaara, Sakura and Chiyo battled an Akatsuki member Sasori, while Naruto and Kakashi follow his partner, Deidara. By guiding her as a puppet, Chiyo was able to help Sakura in avoiding Sasori's poisoned attacks, allowing Sakura to use her superior strength to destroy Sasori's puppets. As the battle progressed Sasori summoned a puppet of the Third Kazekage, which could create iron sand, and Sakura's strength was really put to the test. While fighting the Third Kazekage puppet, Sakura began to pick up on Sasori's movements and dodging his attacks. Even Chiyo was impressed with how quickly Sakura picked up on Sasori's attacks and stated that Sakura was doing well without her help. Sakura was able to destroy the Kazekage puppet by feigning unconsciousness and then using her insane strength to destroy the puppet when Sasori moved the puppet in to insure the kill. After this, Sakura displayed her considerable Taijutsu skills by destroying many of the puppets in Sasori's Performance of a Hundred Puppets Technique while Chiyo was busy controlling her Ten Puppet Collection of Chikamatsu Technique. When Sasori tried to kill Chiyo, Sakura used herself as a human shield and was stabbed to protect her, giving Chiyo the opportunity to stab Sasori through the heart. Even as Sasori stabbed her through the stomach Sakura began healing her wounds while the sword was still in her body. Despite her healing ability, Sakura's wound was too great and she didn't have enough chakra to heal herself fully. Chiyo used her Resurrection Technique on Sakura but because Sakura was not dead yet, Chiyo didn't have to give all of her life-energy to complete the resurrection. Before Sasori died, he rewards Sakura for her survival by telling her of a spy within Orochimaru's ranks that he was scheduled to meet in ten days from that day. As Chiyo surrendered the rest of her energy to perform the Resurrection technique to save Gaara, she said to Sakura not to give her life for an old woman and that someday she would surpass her master as a female ninja. Team 7 returned to Konoha, and now had an opportunity to find Sasuke with Sakura's newfound information. Sasuke and Sai arc

Sakura's alternate outfit in Part II

Sakura's alternate outfit in Part II

 

After returning to Konoha, Kakashi was left bedridden, leaving Yamato to lead in his stead. Sai was also added to the team as Sasuke's replacement, though Sai's insults towards his predecessor caused conflict amongst the team. The meeting with the spy turned out to be a trap and Naruto was left heavily injured in his battle with Orochimaru. Sakura was simply shocked by Naruto's transformation and remembered how all that Naruto was doing is to keep his promise to her. When Kabuto commented on how this is now a fight between monsters and not shinobi, Sakura tightly placed her hand over her heart and ran after Naruto trying to stop and save him, but Naruto in his four-tailed form attacked Sakura with a single swipe of his tail, causing the poison from the demon fox's chakra to harm her, but Kabuto healed her, saying that they both want to get rid of the Akatsuki. After Yamato supressed the demon fox's chakra from Naruto, which made him unconscious, Sakura healed his wounds, asking Yamato if there was anything else she could learn to be of more use in protecting Naruto. Yamato realized that Sakura wanted to be there for Naruto, so he reminded her that its the strength of her feelings for Naruto that counts. While Yamato was going to suggest that she felt something more for him, Naruto woke up before he could finish. After the group navigated their way to Orochimaru's hideout, they found Sasuke after much searching of the lair. Uninterested in returning to Konoha, Sasuke attacked the team, and Sakura did what she could to stop him. Despite their efforts, Sasuke managed to escape, and Team 7 returned to Konoha. Seeing Naruto devastated by his escape, she promised to get stronger along side him, in which she helped Naruto to get out of his sudden stage of depression. Fire Temple Filler arc

 

While watching Naruto continue his training and helping out by making him food pills, Sakura was ordered to go to the Fire Temple with her team. When their guide to the temple was late, Sakura joined Yamato in searching for him. After finding Chiriku, the leader of the Fire Temple, Sakura and Yamato found Naruto fighting against a young monk named Sora.

 

At the Fire Temple Sakura and her team were told about near-extinct Twelve Ninja Guardian and how one of deceased member's corpse was stolen. She found it very selfish six of the members were will to start a pointless war against Konoha simply to further their power in the Fire Country. Sakura and her team later went in pursuit of three other Ninja guardian corpses. Unfortunately, Sakura and the others found themselves trapped in a giant rock canyon. Inside, Sakura was seperated from her team and attacked by a giant spider. She fortunately was saved by Sai. She and Sai then went to find Naruto, who was at the mercy of Fuka's soul absorbing power (although Sakura furiously thought Naruto was making out with the enemy).

 

Later during the attack on Konoha, Sakura did her part as medical ninja, healing all injured people she came across until she was told to aid Asuma at the power plant. There she discovered that the four lightning chakra users of the Ninja Guardians were resurrected to use the dreaded Limelight jutsu. She was then orderd by Asuma to stop one of the four. She was intercepted by Fuen who trapped her in a unique Genjutsu. However, Sakura had already analyzed Fuen's attack patterns and deviced a counter-manuever. She then tricked Fuen into revealing herself, allowing Sakura to strike her hard. She then ridiculed Fuen for not knowing her own limitations before finishing her off with a ground crushing punch, causing Fuen's defensive barrier around Konoha to disappear.

 

After discovering that her intended Ninja Guardian target turned into dirt, she rushed back to help Asuma. There she found that Sora was infused with some of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra and was being controlled by it. While wanting to help, Naruto told Sakura to stay back. After Naruto managed to save Sora, Sakura immediately went to work healing Naruto. Sakura came to Team 10's aid in their fight against Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. Because Shikamaru Nara was separated from the rest of the group, Sai and Sakura were sent as backup for him, though upon arrival they found that Shikamaru had already defeated his opponent. Having not taken part in the battle, Sakura returned to Konoha with the others, and later healed the damage to Naruto's arm from the use of his new jutsu. Later, Sakura joined Naruto and Sai at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Naruto had diffuculty eating and Sakura remembers touching words Naruto said to her. Based on this she offered to feed him. Naruto becomes greatly excited by this. Then Sai started feeding him instead to which Naruto furiously reminded Sai that if he should try that again he should be aware of the intimate moment Sakura and him were having.

Sakura heals Naruto's broken arm (because of the RasenShuriken).

Sakura heals Naruto's broken arm (because of the RasenShuriken).

 

As they left they encounter Konohamaru (in anime, alongside with Udon and Moegi), who demonstrated some of his newly created perverted jutsu for Naruto, who having not grown out of his perversion, reacted in a way similar to Jiraiya. Although she berated Naruto and Konohamaru for their practice of creating perverted jutsu, she fell prey to Konohamaru's Sexy: Double Knockout Guys Technique, which took the form of a naked Sasuke and Sai in a suggestive embrace and reacted like Naruto did. Shocked at how she reacted, she tried to dismiss her outburst, but the others were unbelieving. Three Tails Arrival Filler Arc

 

Sakura, Sai, and Yamato are ready to go and back up Kakashi and the others, but they're waiting for Naruto, which is taking too long because he's training with Gamakichi and Gantetsu. Eventually, she loses her patience and retrieves him herself.

 

Later, Sakura and the rest of her team find that the area Team 8 is located in has been surrounded by crystal. She stands back and watches in amazement that at Naruto's new synchronizing jutsu with Gamatatsu that demolishes it. Hunt for Uchiha

 

When news reached Konoha that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru and left Otogakure, Sakura and Naruto were the first to join Kakashi's 8-Man Squad and began the hunt. During her search, she barely missed a member of Sasuke's Team Hawk, Karin, and followed Deidara's suicide explosion to regroup. When Kiba caught Sasuke's scent, the group followed until they encountered Deidara's former partner, Tobi. Post Hunt for Uchiha

 

Sakura was present when Jiraiya's death was revealed to Naruto. Naruto then blamed his death on Tsunade, which Kakashi scolded him for his disrespect. Naruto stormed off and Sakura asked him where he was going but was stopped by Tsunade who told her to give Naruto time to deal with Jiraiya's death. Afterwards, she then tried to convince Shikamaru to help Tsunade figure out Jiraiya's code. Later, when Naruto was pestering Tsunade about the autopsy reports, Sakura told Naruto about the delicacy of the autopsies and mentioned that since Shizune was leading it, it would go fast. As Naruto was about to go pester her to speed it up, Sakura declared she'd never forgive him if he bugged Shizune. Sakura was then shocked to hear Naruto announce that he will avenge Jiraiya and that he refuses to wait around. Sakura, trying to help Tsunade and Naruto in any way she could, was then assigned with Shikamaru and [Shiho]] to figure out what the code meant and how it could unlock a way to defeat the mysterious Pain. Invasion of Pain arc

 

After hearing an explosion from the Code-breakers department, Shikamaru and Sakura headed towards the location. She then killed Pain's huge centipede summon with a single punch, by which other ninja were impressed. She went over to the girl who would've been crushed by the centipede and healed her knee. Iruka came over and told her what was going on, to which she was shocked that the Akatsuki would attack directly. Sakura then headed towards Konoha Hospital to treat the injured, which was starting to fill up. While at the hospital, Sakura was having trouble healing the amount of patients flowing in. After Pain unleashes Shinra Tensei, Sakura was saved by Katsuyu only to see the devastation of what Pain's jutsu had done to Konoha. Shocked and stunned, Sakura cried as she called for Naruto's return. Naruto returned moments later and Sakura was helped by a member of the Hyuga clan to see what was happening. She was relieved, happy, and greatly impressed by what the Hyuga told her about Naruto. Sakura later heals Tsunade while telling her she did great. Abilities

 

At the start of the series, Sakura's only defining characteristic is her intelligence, largely due to her interest in memorizing things and the taking of quizzes while in the Academy. Because of this, Sakura has shown to have very keen talent for observation and analyzing. Through this, she can easily see through most deceptions and misdirections an opponent may use on her.

 

However, as she has focus so much on her book studies, it had greatly affected her physical performance. While in the academy, she excelled in basic practice of Ninjutsu and kunoichi training, her prowess on the actual field of combat was much weaker. Her stamina and fighting skills were below average. However, as the series continue Sakura’s abilities grows as she becomes the apprentice to Tsunade. Chakra Control

 

Soon after the start of her first mission, however, Sakura discovers that she has an excellent control over her chakra, and as such she has an innate ability to use jutsu to their maximum efficiency without wasting any chakra. While this particular ability is never put to great use in Part I. In the fight against Ino during the Chunin preliminaries, she was able to create two clones, which confused Ino, send chakra to her feet for bursts of speed, and attack Ino at pin-point timing.

 

Her chakra control becomes a focal point of Sakura's fighting style in Part II, as it helps her control chakra to her fists to reduce things to rubble by a simple punch.

[edit] Substitution and Clone Timing

 

Sakura is a well-accomplished user of the substitution technique, and her timing for it is quite advanced. During the fight against the three Sound Genin during the Forest of Death arc, she managed to pull over two substitution techniques, and timily attacks Zaku with a kunai. Her substitution technique seems to be the only technique, along with the Clone Technique, she was able to perform during the whole Chunin Exam arc. In the Fight against Ino Sakura was able to create two clones to confuse Ino and attacking her at perfect timing. Later, in the fight against Kabuto, she uses a perfectly timed substitution technique to run at Kabuto with a bunch of kunai, which wasn't that effective.

[edit] Medical Techniques and Strategical Analysis

 

Sakura's natural control of her chakra has been taken to new heights over the time skip, an ability utilized to its fullest by the training she has done with Tsunade. With her excellent chakra control, Sakura has turned into an excellent combat Medical-nin, and has shown herself to be able to heal fatal injuries with relatively little effort even when more experienced medics would deem it a lost cause. In her training to become a Medic-nin, Sakura has also acquired the ability to pick up on an enemy's movements in a short period of time as a good field medic needs to be able to survive a battle and avoid injury if he or she is to fulfill his or her purpose and heal other members of his or her team. This ability allows her to predict what attack an opponent will use seconds before an attack and then dodge it quickly and easily.

[edit] Taijutsu and Genjutsu

 

In close combat, Sakura's Taijutsu skills has gained tremendous growth thanks to Tsunade's constant battle drillings to better protect herself should she find it impossible to avoid battle. To further aid her in that situation, she can rely on the super strength taught to her by Tsunade. By building up and releasing her chakra with precise timing, Sakura can easily decimate any obstacle and turn it to rubble. An opponent struck by her full strength can suffer from anything ranging from instant death, broken bones, ruptured organs, or any other wound associated with intense blunt force trauma, depending on how much chakra Sakura puts into the kick or punch. Over time and through repeated use, Sakura has become able to use this strength instinctively and does not need to put any effort into using it. She has also shown to become more agile which was shown when she had to fight Sasori with his 100 puppets along with Chiyo. This mixed with ability to learn enemies attack patterns make her hard to hit. Furthermore, her strength, coupled with her medical expertise, and the beauty she gains over the time skip has caused many to see Sakura as another Tsunade (Jiraiya himself notes this while Naruto thinks that Sakura has gotten even more violent than before). Many believe that she will surpass Tsunade as a female ninja because she has all of the previously mentioned abilities and, unlike Tsunade, she is a natural Genjutsu user and has the potential to master many high level techniques.

[edit] Inner Sakura and Cha-Combo

 

Throughout the video games, "Inner Sakura" becomes a technique due to Sakura's lack of jutsu. Even in the anime, it shows Sakura gaining monstrous strength while her inner-self appears, exclaiming "Cha!" or "Hell Yeah!", which also creates the "Cha-Combo", which is a combo attack of Sakura attacking the enemy or enemies multiple times. Furthermore, Sakura is given combo attacks like "Fairy Tale Destruction" with Naruto, in which Naruto does something rude, and Sakura tries to punch him and misses, attacking the enemy instead. In most video games, Sakura is given techniques that are not shown in the anime or in the manga. Ino is the only other person who has encountered Inner Sakura due to her mind transfer jutsu. Ino was amazed and says that Sakura has two spirits. This may be taken literally or it may just be a multiple personality which enables Sakura to better resist mind transfer jutsu.

 

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www.oilchaplaincy.com/piper/

 

July 2008 - Before the destructive floods of 2010.

Anyway, just a reminder, the Ikarian mountain stream *livadas* go drier and drier after June. Though I guess city folks don't care much about that detail. It's beautiful and fresh enough compared to the streets of the city in the summer.

 

Also check out my blog article about wild swimming:

Κολυμπότρυπες ☺ στην Ικαρία

Plumer planned to capture Gheluvelt Plateau in four steps, with an interval of six days between each to allow time to bring forward artillery and supplies, a faster tempo of operations than that envisaged by Gough in the planning before 31 July.[Each step was to have even more limited geographical objectives, with infantry units attacking on narrower fronts in greater depth. The previous practice of attacking the first objective with two battalions and the following objectives with a battalion each, was reversed in view of the greater density of German defensive positions the further the attack penetrated. Double the medium and heavy artillery was available than that used on 31 July. The method would ensure that more infantry was on tactically advantageous ground, having had time to consolidate and regain contact with their artillery, before they received German counter-attacks. The British began a desultory bombardment on 31 August and also sought to neutralize the German batteries with gas in the days before the attack, including gas attacks on the three evenings before the assault. Aircraft were to be used for systematic air observation of German troop movements to and on the battlefield, to avoid the failures of previous battles where too few aircraft had been burdened with too many duties in bad weather.

Like the attack of 31 July, nine British divisions from four corps were to participate on a front of approximately 10,000 yards. In late August destructive fire by the heaviest artillery began on German strongpoints and counter-battery began early in September, although hampered by poor visibility.

 

Elastic defence had been rejected by the Fourth Army Chief of Staff, Major-General von Lossberg, who believed that a tactical withdrawal by trench garrisons would disoganise the counter-attacking reserves, leading to the loss of the sector concerned and danger to flanking units. Lossberg ordered the front line of sentry groups (Postengraben) to be held rigidly; British attacks would exhaust themselves and then be repulsed by local German reserves or Eingreif divisions if needed. Lossberg also judged that there was little prospect of British attacks being delayed by their need to move artillery forward and build supply routes. The British had a huge mass of artillery and the infrastructure necessary to supply it with ammunition, much of it built opposite Flandern I in the period between the attack at Messines and 31 July.

Lossberg's methods had succeeded on the front of XIX Corps in 31 July and against II Corps on the Gheluvelt Plateau on 31 July and during August, although the counter-attacks had been stopped in their turn by British artillery fire, when they reached areas where observation and communications between British infantry and artillery had been restored.[18] Ludendorff later wrote that losses in the August battles had been unexpectedly high.[32] The pause in British operations in early September helped to mislead the Germans. General von Kuhl (Chief of Staff, Army Group Crown Prince Rupprecht) doubted that the offensive had ended but by 13 September had changed his mind. Despite Kuhl urging caution, two divisions, thirteen heavy batteries and twelve field batteries of artillery, three fighter squadrons and four other air force units were transferred from the German Fourth Army.[33] In the area about to be attacked, the Fourth Army had six ground-holding divisions backed by three Eingref divisions and 750 guns.

 

Second Army

The 19th Division in IX Corps covered the southern defensive flank of the attack front against the German 9th Reserve and 207th divisions, on a 1,600 yards (1,500 m) front from the Comines canal to Groenenburg Farm on the west slope of the Bassevillebeek valley. The six attacking battalions of the 58th Brigade on the right and the 57th Brigade on the left and their supporting battalions had a difficult approach. The 58th brigade battalions had to make their way through the obstructions of Opaque Wood and Imperfect Copse and then at midnight it began to rain until 5:00 a.m.. Zero hour was decided according to the weather and the time of 5:40 a.m. was passed forward at 1:45 a.m. so all ranks had to lie quiet in the rain for more than three hours. Around dawn a heavy mist formed and at 5:40 a.m. the barrage began. On the right the short advance to the first objective (red line) was met with opposition from dug-outs south-west of Hessian Wood, Jarrocks Farm, Pioneer House and a small wood nearby. Heavy machine-gun fire was also encountered from Hollebeke Château and the railway embankment. The right battalion reached the objective on time but the two to the left had many casualties and lost touch with their flanking units and the barrage, until the pause on the red line (first objective) allowed them to reorganise, mop-up and regain touch with units which had lost direction. The third battalion on the left was still held up by Hessian Wood so a defensive flank was formed facing north.[35]

The 57th Brigade advanced to the red line with slight opposition on the right while the two battalions on the left had to cross an extremely boggy area which slowed them and stopped them from keeping up with the barrage. The delay resulted in them being caught by machine-gun fire from dug-outs near Top House while bunched up because of the heavy going. The red line (second objective) which here was little different to the first objective (green line) was reached and two platoons from each attacking company moved up ready to advance to the blue line (second objective) which began at 6:24 a.m. The second and final lines (red and blue) were contiguous on the right from Hessian Wood but the Germans defending the wood were still fighting when the advance was due to resume. Two companies of the right hand battalion had advanced after suffering many losses and then a platoon went to assist the centre battalion. A number of dug-outs were cleared 50 prisoners taken which enabled the centre battalion to get into the north end of the wood and gain touch with the left-hand battalion in the south-western corner. On the front of the 57th Brigade opposition at Wood Farm and Belgian Wood was overrun by a bayonet charge and the blue line (third objective) reached on time. During this advance machine-gun sections and a battalion liaison detachment of the 39th Division pushed forward to North Farm, which was captured with four machine-guns and 29 prisoners. At 8:10 a.m. the protective barrage lifted 200 yards (180 m) and patrols were sent forward to establish outposts and to clear the area of remaining German troops; Moat Farm and Funny Farm being mopped-up. Consolidation was begun despite machine-gun fre from Hollebeke Château, the green line (first objective) was dug-in and posts forward to the blue line (final objective) defended in depth by posts. A German counter-attack was attempted at 7:30 a.m. and "annihilated" by small-arms and artillery fire.[36]

In X Corps to the north the 39th Division on the right prolonged the southern defensive flank, from Groenenburg Farm northwards down the slope to the Bassevillebeek. The division suffered badly from German fire as it advanced 800 yards (730 m) to its objective, from hidden dug-outs in the area further north, which had already stopped the 41st Division. When the division reached its objective it swung back its left flank to link with the right hand brigade of 41st Division.[37] The main attack was made by X Corps and 1st Anzac Corps on a 4,000 yards (3,700 m) front on the Gheluvelt plateau. Steady pressure by the 47th Division had advanced the British front line near Inverness Copse a considerable distance, during the pause in large operations in early September, which made better jumping-off positions for the attack by I Anzac Corps.[21] The four divisions advanced behind a creeping barrage of unprecedented weight. The increased amount of artillery allowed the heavy guns to place two belts of fire beyond the two from the field artillery; a machine-gun barrage in the middle made five belts of fire, each 200 yards (180 m) deep in front of the infantry.[38] The creeping barrage started quickly, lifting 50 yards (46 m) every two minutes and this allowed the British infantry to surprise the German outpost garrisons while the Germans were still in their shelters, by looming out of the mist; after four lifts, the barrage slowed to 100 yards (91 m) every six minutes. Most German troops encountered were so stunned by the bombardment that they were incapable of resistance and surrendered immediately, despite few of the concrete pill-boxes and Mebu shelters being destroyed by the British artillery. In the few areas where the German defenders were capable of resisting, they inflicted heavy losses but were quickly outflanked in the mist. The new system of local reserves allowed the British to maintain momentum despite local checks.[39]

The 41st Division had to advance across the Bassevillebeek valley against the right of the German 9th Division and the left of the Bavarian Ersatz Division to capture Tower Hamlets spur. The advance was hampered by overnight rain, which affected the valley more than the plateau to the north. Fire from camouflaged German machine-gun nests in the valley caused confusion and delay in the British infantry and the barrage was lost. The Bassevillebeek stream in the valley was eventually crossed, with the 122nd Brigade struggling forward and the 124th brigade held up near the British front line, by numerous machine-guns in the Quadrilateral, fortifications in three ruined cottages inside a digging 400 by 100 yards (370 m × 91 m) at the south end of the spur. The Quadrilateral commanded the western approach to the spur and the rise north to the pill-boxes at Tower Hamlets. The left hand brigade of the division reached the third objective and threw back its right flank to the brigade on the right, which had advanced just beyond the second objective and then joined the left flank of 39th Division. Despite the failure to capture Tower Hamlets and parts of the two leading battalions of 124th brigade running away before being rallied, two dead and three wounded battalion commanders, the division defeated all German counter-attacks during the day.[40]

The 23rd Division was held up for a short time by a German strong point in Dumbarton Wood, which had been missed by the barrage and caused many casualties. Despite the delay and the difficulty of navigating through clouds of dust and smoke, caused by the barrage and the marshy ground north of Dumbarton Lake, the first objective was reached a few minutes after the barrage and consolidated along the source of the Bassevillebeek. 69th Brigade on the left managed to get through Inverness Copse but German troops emerged from cover and fired on the troops behind, as they moved up to attack the second objective, causing severe losses before they were killed or captured. The troops who had been severely reduced in numbers, following on through the copse, were still able to capture a line of German fortifications along Menin Road, north of the hamlet of Kantinje Cabaret. Of four tanks attached for the attack along Menin Road, one bogged early and the infantry advance was too swift for the other three tanks to keep up. One tank was knocked out on the road and the other two carried ammunition and equipment to the troops at the final objective.

The 1st Australian Division on the right of I Anzac Corps, advanced on a 1,000 yards front north of the Menin Road, with its right aimed at Fitzclarence Farm against part of the Bavarian Ersatz Division and most of the 121st Division. The Australians passed through Glencorse Wood, which had changed hands twice in August, quickly suppressing German resistance. The Germans at Fitzclarence Farm were kept under cover by rifle grenade fire, while other groups got behind and rushed the garrison, taking 41 prisoners. Infiltration was also used against German machine-gunners in concrete shelters in the sunken road in the north of the wood, who had caused many casualties. Close reserves worked behind the shelters and fought their way in and killed or captured the garrison. Nonne Bosschen was crossed by moving along the edges of shell craters, the second objective along the west edge of Polygon Wood being reached on time at 7:45 a.m. The Wilhelm (third) Line pill-boxes and Mebu shelters[Note 3] were captured quickly, while the German defenders were dazed by the bombardment and unable to resist.[43] Few accounts survive from the Bavarian Ersatz Division companies holding the ground either side of the Menin road, as they were quickly overwhelmed by the 23rd and 1st Australian divisions. Machine-gun fire was heard from the Albrecht (second) Line at 8:30 a.m. but by 9:00 a.m. the British were well on the way to the Wilhelm (third) Line.[44]

The 2nd Australian Division attacked with two brigades, one either side of the Westhoek – Zonnebeke road, against the German 121st Division, down the Hanebeek valley to the near bank. The German outpost garrisons were surprised and overrun. On the far side of the stream the advance overwhelmed the Germans who mostly surrendered en masse. Visibility began to improve to 200–300 yards (180–270 m) and on breasting the rise, machine-guns in Albert and Iron Cross redoubts in the Wilhelm (third) Line on Anzac House spur, the next rise to the east, were blinded by smoke grenades and the garrisons ran off. Further to the left, Anzac House, an important German artillery observation post overlooking the Steenbeek valley to the north, was captured as the garrison tried to engage the Australians by moving their machine-guns outside. As the divisions on the Gheluvelt plateau reached their second objective at 7:45 a.m. a breeze blew away the mist and revealed the magnitude of their achievement. The British had carried the defences which had held them up through August and had gained observation all the way to Broodseinde.[45]

No German counter-attacks were mounted in the two hours that the British spent consolidating the second objective, as the creeping barrage stood for fourteen minutes in front of the second objective, then advanced 2,000 yards (1,800 m) before returning to the new British front line and then advancing again to lead the British troops to the third objective. German counter-attacks were stopped before they reached the new British outposts. The German artillery only managed to fire a disjointed and sparse barrage, which did little to obstruct the troops ready to advance to the third objective as they moved up but snipers and long-range machine-gun fire began to harass the troops consolidating the second objective. Local operations were mounted to stop sniping, using the methods that had been so successful earlier in the morning, leading to Black Watch Corner at the south-west of Polygon Wood and Garter Point east of Anzac House and other strong-points being captured.[46]

At 9:53 a.m. the barrage resumed its forward movement towards the third objective, another 300–400 yards (270–370 m) away. The 23rd Division had to fight forward through pill-boxes hidden in ruined cottages along the Menin Road, concrete shelters in Veldhoek and a hedgerow in front of it, before the German garrisons retreated. The left brigade was held up by a dozen pill-boxes in the Wilhelm (third) Line until noon, which caused the division many losses but the ground at the final objective proved to be dry enough for the troops to dig in.[47] The two Australian divisions reached the third objective in half an hour, finding the Germans in those strongpoints not subdued during the halt on the second objective as stunned as those met earlier in the day. Strafing by eight German aircraft, (one of which was shot down by ground fire) and some shelling by German artillery caused minor losses as the Australian divisions consolidated captured trenches and shell holes in their new front line.[47]

Fifth Army[edit source | editbeta]

  

Frezenberg Ridge, September–October 1917.

The British Fifth Army attacked on the left of the Second Army, V Corps on the right to capture the Wilhelm (third) Line, XVIII Corps in the centre, to finish the capture of the line from Schuler Farm to Langemarck and then advance 500–800 yards (460–730 m) east towards Poelcappelle; XIV Corps formed the northern flank with 20th Division. V Corps had more field guns than the I Anzac Corps to the right and fewer heavy guns so only three barrage belts were possible. A creeping barrage by 18-pdr field guns was to move at the same speed as that of the Second Army. 18-pdr and 4.5-inch howitzer fire were to comb the area in front of the creeping barrage, from 100–400 yards (91–370 m) deep and a neutralizing barrage by 6-inch howitzers and 60-pdr guns was to sweep ground 450–1,200 yards (410–1,100 m) in front of the creeping barrage. Artillery not needed for counter-battery fire was to put standing barrages on the most dangerous German positions, like Hills 37 and 40 and the German assembly areas in the dips behind Zonnebeke and Gravenstafel.[48]

9th and 55th Divisions of V Corps were to attack on fronts of 1,800 yards (1,600 m) over ground held by the right of the German 121st Division and the 2nd Guards Reserve Division, which had also changed hands twice in August. The large numbers of strong-points, pill-boxes and fortified farms east of the Hanebeek and Steenbeek streams were mostly intact, despite numerous attempts to smash them with artillery fire. The artillery brought to the Ypres salient in September went to the Second Army so the Fifth Army adopted a new infantry formation, where moppers-up were reorganised into small groups of up to half a platoon, moving with the leading assault waves to capture specific strong-points and then garrison them. XVIII Corps adopted the same practice, which became standard in the Fifth Army soon after the battle.[49]

The 9th Division was confronted by the morass of the Hanebeek valley, where the stream had been choked by frequent bombardment and turned into a swamp and water-filled shell-holes. Both brigades sent two battalions forward to the first objective and leap-frogged two more through them to take the final objective. Hanebeek Wood on the right was barraged with smoke and high-explosive shell rather than shrapnel, except for a lane along which a company was able to move behind the wood. When the artillery fire moved beyond the wood it was rushed from both directions and captured with fifty prisoners and four machine-guns. The South African Brigade on the left did the same thing at Borry Farm. In the mist the strong points were easily overrun except for four pill-boxes around Potsdam House, which were eventually attacked on three sides and captured, after inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers. Delays caused by machine-gun nests dug in along the Ypres–Roulers railway did not stop the division reaching the first objective as the barrage began to creep forward again at 7:08 a.m.[50] At 7:08 a.m. when the 9th Division began the advance to the final objective, the right hand brigade found only minor opposition. The South African Brigade on the left was badly hit by German machine-gun fire from Hill 37, as delays to the 55th Division meant that it was well short of the hill. The South Africans managed to capture Bremen Redoubt and Waterend House in the Zonnebeek valley and extend a defensive flank back to the first objective.[51]

To the north of 9th Division the 55th Division began the day understrength, after the losses of 31 July. Replacements had arrived slowly and 1,000 soldiers were left out of the battle having arrived too late to be trained for the attack. German artillery and machine-gun fire from Reserve Regiment 91 of the 2nd Guards Reserve Division hit the infantry with intense fire as the attack began. The mist worked to the Germans' advantage in this part of the front, because the depleted British units missed several German strong points and dug-outs, from which the Germans were able to stop the British support waves from moving up. The advanced troops realising this either halted or turned back and lost the barrage. The difficulties of the division were made worse at 7:08 a.m. when the scheduled advance to the final objective coincided with the dispersal of the mist. Reserves were pushed forward around 10:00 a.m. from 166th Brigade, which allowed the 165th and 164th Brigades to take the first objective around Gallipoli Farm and the Schuler Galleries in front of Schuler Farm by mid-day. Fighting at Hill 35 continued and the Germans regained Hill 37 with a counter-attack. Machine-guns were placed in the Schuler Galleries and nine were dug in near Keir Farm, which were able to stop German counter-attacks from making any more progress. In the afternoon the rest of the reserve brigade was able to capture Hills 35 and 37, which dominated the Zonnebeke spur. The right of the division established touch with the 9th Division but the centre and left of 55th Division were 500 yards (460 m) short of the final objective.[52]

XVIII Corps was to advance onto the Gravenstafel and Poelcappelle spurs, held by the German 36th Division since 8 September. The divisions had to assemble east of the Steenbeek between St Julien and Langemarck in low ground which was still muddy and full of flooded shell-holes despite the better weather. The 58th Division objective was 1,000 yards (910 m) ahead, among German strong points on the west end of Gravenstafel spur. As a frontal attack here had failed, the division feinted with its right brigade, while the left brigade made the real attack from the flank. The feint captured Winnipeg cross-roads, as the main attack by three battalions one behind the other, captured Vancouver Farm, Keerselaere and Hubner Farm. The next two battalions passed through and turned right half way up the spur, to reach Wurst Farm on a tactically vital part of the spur at the same time as the barrage. Nearly 300 prisoners and fifty machine-guns were taken and outposts were established to the left overlooking the Stroombeek valley. The division ascribed the success to the excellence of their training, an excellent creeping barrage and smoke shell, which had thickened the mist and blinded the German defenders and that gas shell barrages on the German reinforcement routes had depressed German morale.[53]

51st Division further north, had the same task on Poelcappelle spur. The division advanced with one brigade on a 1,400 yards (1,300 m) front. The Germans in the Wilhelm (third) Line were ready for them and fought until they were almost annihilated in new machine-gun nests that they had dug in front of their front line, which had avoided the worst of the artillery bombardment. The division was able to reach the final objective in sight of Poelcappelle village. By these advances XVIII Corps got observation of Poelcappelle and up the Lekkerboterbeek and Lauterbeek valleys, the capture of which allowed British artillery to move forward of the Steenbeek.[54]

20th Division on the right of XIV Corps, had to form the northern defensive flank of the offensive, on a front of 1,400 yards (1,300 m) from Poelcappelle spur to the Ypres – Staden railway. Two brigades attacked with two battalions each. The German Wilhelm (third) Line, here known as Eagle trench, was held as determinedly as that part in the 51st Division sector ("Pheasant trench") despite a bombardment from Livens Projectors (which fell behind the German trench and illuminated the British infantry as they advanced). By the end of the day the division was still short of the first objective, except on the left next to the railway.[55]

The British offensive had captured most of the German outpost zones to a depth of about 1,500 yards (1,400 m). As the ground was captured it was prepared for defence, in anticipation of counter-attacks by the German Eingreif divisions. Captured German machine-gun nests and strong points were garrisoned and wired with German barbed wire found in the area. The final objective became the outpost zone and the second objective the main line of resistance, a chain of irregular posts using shell-holes concealed by folds of the ground and reverse slopes, avoiding trenches which attracted German shell fire. Communication between the infantry and artillery was established with runners, messenger dogs and pigeons. Wireless transmitters and power buzzers were set up at brigade headquarters and artillery observation posts, one for each artillery group. Engineer and pioneer units began to dig in telephone lines, which took until the afternoon of 21 September.[56]

Air operations[edit source | editbeta]

  

Hannover CL.II

Observing and reporting on German counter-attack movements was made a duty for all aircraft and patrol areas were given to II and V Brigades and the Ninth Wing to patrol. "Hostile Tactical Maps" were issued, showing German assembly points and the likely routes to them and towards the front line. II Brigade covered the Second Army front east to the Roulers–Menin railway. The area was divided into three sectors, each with a counter-attack patrol of two fighters, maintained for eight hours after "zero-hour", flying below 500 feet and using the special maps, to attack any German units they caught on the move and to drive off German low-flying aircraft. On return they were to telephone a report direct to the Second Army Report Centre at Locre, similar arrangements being made for the Fifth Army. Ninth Wing aircraft were to patrol at low altitude east of Zarren–Oostnieukerke–Menin beginning two hours after the start of the attack, to harass German reinforcements. Corps squadrons were to maintain counter-attack patrols on their Corps fronts, calling for immediate artillery fire and warning British infantry by smoke signal. Not all of these measures were possible on the day due to the weather, because it had rained on 19 September and was misty next morning. Air operations commenced as soon as the mist cleared at 8.00 a.m.[23] German aircraft attempting to intervene during the battle suffered from the presence of anti-aircraft guns near the front line, a Lewis gunner of a pioneer battalion in the 19th Division, shooting down a German aircraft in flames at 1:30 p.m.; the feat was repeated next day and several German formations were broken up by ground fire.[57]

German Fourth Army counter-attacks[edit source | editbeta]

  

Reproduction of captured German trench map, 20 Sept 1917.

During the British infantry advances, German artillery managed a considerable amount of counter-battery fire, particularly from Zillebeke to Vebrandenmolen but this was not enough to stop the British artillery heavily bombarding German reserve battalions of the ground-holding (Stellungsdivisionen) divisions as they made futile attempts to counter-attack between 10:00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. At 1:48 p.m. the British standing barrage in front of the new line ended. Air reconnaissance from zero hour by a contact aeroplane over each Corps area, to observe the progress of the British infantry and one counter-attack observation machine watching for German counter-attacks, revealed German Eingreif units advancing from Flandern III at Menin, Moorslede and Westroosebeek. During the day 394 wireless messages were received from British observation aircraft, about a third resulting in immediate artillery fire.[58]

After 3.00 p.m. approximately three German infantry battalions were reported north of the Menin Road moving up the Reutelbeek valley towards Polderhoek, a similar force with field artillery was seen moving west towards I Anzac Corps at Polygon Wood and Anzac spur and another was observed, descending from the Poelcappelle spur at Westroosebeek towards positions held by the Fifth Army. These troops were the leading regiments of three Eingreif divisions, 16th Bavarian from Gheluwe, 236th Division from Moorslede and 234th Division from Oostniewkirke. The 16th Bavarian Division counter-attack plan "Get Closer" (Näher heran) had been ordered at 5:15 a.m. By 9:00 a.m. the division advanced towards the area between Polygon Wood and Inverness Copse.[59] British medium and heavy artillery fired on the German units, which were forced to deploy and advance from cover. After considerable delay the survivors reached British machine-gun range as their artillery support overshot the British positions. Visibility was still exceptionally good, with the sun behind the British who were easily able to see all movement in front of them on the Gheluvelt plateau. The German force moving up the Reutelbeek valley into the area of 23rd and 1st Australian divisions was watched by the infantry for an hour, when at 7:02 p.m. a field artillery and machine-gun barrage fell on the Germans for an hour, stopping all movement towards the British positions, "16th Bavarian Division was a high quality formation, but all the skill and dash in the world stood no chance in the face of the torrent of fire the British artillery could bring to bear at the critical points".[60]

A similar barrage for forty minutes in front of 2nd Australian division on a regiment of the 236th Division advancing from Molenaarelsthoek and downhill from Broodseinde, stopped the counter-attack long before it came within range of the Australian infantry. On the southern edge of the plateau, German troops dribbling forward in the 39th Division area managed to reinforce the garrison at Tower Hamlets, then tried twice to advance to the Bassevillebeek and were "smashed" by artillery and machine-gun fire.[61]

In the Fifth Army area, from 800 yards (730 m) south of the Ypres – Roulers railway, north to the Ypres – Staden railway, many Germans were seen moving west down Passchendaele ridge around 5:30 p.m. into the area held by the 55th, 58th and 51st divisions. In the 58th Division area fire was opened on the Germans after half an hour, which forced the Germans to deploy into open order. When the Germans were 150 yards (140 m) from the first British strong point, the British defensive barrage arrived with such force that the German infantry "stampeded". No Germans were seen in the area until night when patrols occupied an outpost. On the 55th Division front "an extraordinarily gallant" German counter-attack by the 459th Reserve Regiment (236th Division) from Gravenstafel, on Hill 37 through Reserve Regiment 91, was stopped by artillery and enfilade fire by machine-guns at Keir Farm and Schuler Galleries.[62] A German attack down Poelcappelle spur at 5:30 p.m. towards the 51st Division had much better artillery support and although stopped in the area of the Lekkerboterbeek by 7:00 p.m., pushed the British left back to Pheasant trench (Wilhelm Line) before the British counter-attacked, pushing the Germans back to the line of the first objective, 600 yards (550 m) short of the final objective. By nightfall the German Eingreif divisions had been defeated.[63][Note 4] The British Official History records that the counter-attack divisions had been held back, waiting for another British advance.[66]

Aftermath[edit source | editbeta]

 

Casualties[edit source | editbeta]

British casualties 20–25 September are given by the British Official Historian as 20,255; 3,148 being killed, the 19th Division lost 1,933 casualties.[67] 3,243 prisoners were taken with "very heavy" losses of killed or wounded inflicted on the German defenders.[68][Note 5] The Official Historian's calculations of German losses have been severely criticised ever since.[70]

Subsequent operations[edit source | editbeta]

Minor attacks took place after 20 September as both sides jockeyed for position and reorganised their defences. In the Second Army area on 21 September, a 41st Division brigade attacked towards Bassevillbeek Copse, through extremely boggy ground by short rushes and consolidated posts on the Bassevillebeek. Several German counter-attacks in the afternoon were repulsed and at 7:00 p.m. a much larger German attack was dispersed by artillery and small-arms fire.[71] In the evening a German attack was made on Hill 37 against the 55th Division, taking some ground behind a heavy barrage, until a British counter-attack restored the position by 9:15 p.m. A German raid on posts of the 8th Division (II Corps) next day failed and in the X Corps area the 23rd Division and the 1st Australian Division (I Anzac Corps) re-took the front line. In the XVIII Corps area the 58th Division held Stroppe Farm and in the evening the 51st Division repulsed a big German attack from Poelcappelle with artillery and small-arms fire. The 20th Division repulsed a German attack at 6.30 a.m., then attacked Eagle Trench from both ends and captured it, despite fierce German resistance.[72] Crown Prince Rupprecht wrote in his diary for 23 and 24 September that the Germans could not allow the British to remain in control of the higher ground around Zonnebeke or the Gheluvelt Plateau and that counter-strokes during the next enemy attack must reach their objectives. The Fourth Army lacked reserves and needed time to meet another attack.[73]

A bigger German attack on 25 September, on a 1,800 yards (1,600 m) front, from the Menin Road to Polygon Wood, began as the 23rd Division was being relieved by the 33rd Division. A German bombardment from 20 heavy and 44 field batteries (nearly four times the usual amount for a German division) began at 5:15 a.m., part of which fell short onto the German infantry of two 50th Reserve Division regiments, which fell back until the bombardment began its creep towards the British positions. The German infantry advanced in the morning mist, either side of the Reutelbeek as the artillery boxed the British position opposite, which isolated it from its supports and prevented supplies of ammunition from being brought to the front line.[74] The German attack made little progress on the British right, lost direction in the gloom and veered north, joined with the German battalion there and reached Black Watch Corner, at the south-western extremity of Polygon Wood, which was lost during the Battle of Polygon Wood next day.[75]

Notes

What is FGM?

 

Female Genital Mutilation (often referred to as FGM) is a destructive operation, during which the female genitals are partly or entirely removed or injured with the goals of inhibiting a woman’s sexual feelings. Most often the mutilation is performed before puberty, often on girls between the age of four and eight, but recently it is increasingly performed on nurslings who are only a couple of days, weeks or months old.

 

Where does FGM happen?

 

Female Genital Mutilation happens primarily in Africa, in particular in North-Eastern, Eastern and Western Africa. However, it also takes place in the Middle East, in South-East Asia – and also among immigrants in Europe. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 150 million women are affected by FGM world-wide. In Europe, the number of mutilated women or girls and women threatened by FGM amounts up to 500,000.

 

What different types of FGM are there?

 

The WHO differentiates between four different types of Female Genital Mutilation:

 

1. Excision of the clitoris prepuce (“Sunna-circumcision”) and of the clitoris or parts thereof.

 

2. Excision of the clitoris prepuce, the clitoris and the inner lips or parts thereof.

 

3. Type 1 and 2 are the most common types of FGM: eighty percent of the affected women have gone through these procedures.

 

4. Excision of part of or all of the external genitals (“infibulation”, also referred to as “Pharaonic Circumcision”). Afterwards the remaining parts of the outer lips are sewn together leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual flow.

 

5. The scar need to be opened before intercourse or giving birth, which causes additional pain.

 

6. Infibulation is mainly spread in the Horn of Africa and its neighbouring areas – in Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea, as well as in the northern part of Sudan and in the southern part of Egypt. It is the most severe form of FGM and affects 15 percent of the women.

 

7. Pricking, piercing, cutting or stretching of the clitoris or the labia, also burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping of the vaginal opening or the introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina in order to tighten it. Plus: any other procedure, which injures or circumcises the female genitalia.

 

Who performs FGM?

 

FGM is usually performed by professional circumcisers, women who are enjoying a high reputation in their societies. It is also performed by traditional midwives and occasionally by healers, barbers or nurses or doctors trained in Western medicine. The procedure is usually performed without anaesthetic and under catastrophic hygienic circumstances. Knives, scissors, razor blades or pieces of broken glass are used as instruments among others.

 

Prevalence and legal status

 

The Waris Dirie Foundation has put together a collection of data on the estimated prevalence of female genital mutilation and the current legal situation concerning FGM in a selection of countries where FGM is practiced. The table combines data from the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Department of State, FGM Network, WADI, The Interparliamentary Union (IPU) and several national studies and surveys. You can download the table here.

Rama (/ˈrɑːmə/; Sanskrit: राम Rāma) also known as Raghava, is the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, and a king of Ayodhya. Rama is also the protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana, which narrates his idealistic ideas and his greatness. Rama is one of the many popular figures and deities in Hinduism, specifically Vaishnavism and Vaishnava religious scriptures in South and Southeast Asia. Along with Krishna, Rama is considered to be one of the most important avatars of Vishnu. In a few Rama-centric sects, he is considered the Supreme Being, rather than an avatar.

 

Born as the eldest son of Kausalya and Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya, Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama, literally the Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue. His wife Sita is considered by Hindus to be an avatar of Lakshmi and the embodiment of perfect womanhood.

 

Rama's life and journey is one of adherence to dharma despite harsh tests and obstacles and many pains of life and time. For the sake of his father's honour, Rama abandons his claim to Ayodhaya's throne to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forest. His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana decide to join him, and all three spend the fourteen years in exile together. While in exile, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the Rakshasa monarch of Lanka. After a long and arduous search, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife. Having completed his exile, Rama returns to be crowned king in Ayodhya and eventually becomes emperor, rules with happiness, peace, duty, prosperity and justice - a period known as Ram Rajya.

The legend of Rama is deeply influential and popular in the societies of the Indian subcontinent and across South East Asia. Rama is revered for his unending compassion, courage and devotion to religious values and duty.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The name Rama appears repeatedly in Hindu scriptures. Besides the name of the protagonist of the Ramayana (subject of the current article), the name is also given to other heroes including Parashu-Rama (Bhargava Rama) and Balarama (Bala-Rama).

 

In the Vishnu sahasranama, Rama is the 394th name of Vishnu. In the interpretation of Adi Shankara's commentary, translated by Swami Tapasyananda of the Ramakrishna Mission, Rama has two meanings: the supreme Brahman who is the eternally blissful spiritual Self in whom yogis delight, or the One (i.e., Vishnu) who out of His own will assumed the enchanting form of Rama, the son of Dasaratha.

 

Other names of Rama include Ramavijaya (Javanese), Phreah Ream (Khmer), Phra Ram (Lao and Thai), Megat Seri Rama (Malay), Raja Bantugan (Maranao) and Ramar (Tamil).

 

The greatness of chanting of Rama's name is mentioned in the Ramacharitamanasa.

 

In Sanskrit, the word Rama (राम) means 'charming'. The name is commonly given to male in India and Nepal.

 

Some of the popular names of Rama are:

 

Rama - charming

Ramachandra - Rama with a moon Raghava - descendent of Raghu

Siyaavar - husband of Sita

Ayodhyapati - king of Ayodhya

Dashrathaputra - son of Dasharatha

Maryada-Purushottam - best ideal man

Shriram

Dashrathi - Son of King Dashrath

 

SOURCES

The primary source of the life and journey of Rama is the epic Ramayana as composed by the Rishi Valmiki. The Vishnu Purana also recounts Rama as Vishnu's seventh avatar, and in the Bhagavata Purana, ninth skandha, adhyayas 10 & 11, the story of the Ramayana is again recounted in brief up to and including the slaying of Ravana and Prince Rama's return to Ayodhya. Additionally, the tales of Rama are reverently spoken of in the Mahabharata. The earliest documentation of Ram is in the Buddhist text of Dasharatha Jataka.

 

Composition of Ramayana in its current form is usually dated to 7th - 4th Century BCE. However, other scriptures in Sanskrit also reflect the life of Ramayana. The followers of Madhvacharya believe that an older version of the Ramayana, the mula-Ramayana, previously existed. They consider it to have been more authoritative than the version by Valmiki. Another important shortened version of the epic in Sanskrit is the Adhyatma Ramayana. The seventh century CE Sanskrit "Bhatti's Poem" Bhaṭṭikāvya of Bhatti who lived in Gujarat, is a retelling of the epic that simultaneously illustrates the grammatical examples for Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as the major figures of speech and the Prakrit language.

 

Versions of the Ramayana exist in most major Indian languages; examples that elaborate on the life, deeds and divine philosophies of Rama include the epic poem Ramavataram by the 12th-century poet Kambar in Tamil, and Ramcharitmanas, a Hindi version of the Ramayana by the 16th-century saint, Tulsidas. Contemporary versions of the Ramayana include Sri Ramayana Darshanam by Kuvempu in Kannada and Ramayana Kalpavruksham by Viswanatha Satyanarayana in Telugu, both of which have been awarded the Jnanpith Award. The epic has transformed across the diverse regions of India, which boast their own unique languages and cultural traditions.

 

The essential tale of Rama has also spread across Southeast Asia, and evolved into unique renditions of the epic – incorporating local history, folktales, religious values as well as unique features from the languages and literary discourse. The Kakawin Ramayana of Java, Indonesia, the Ramakavaca of Bali, Hikayat Seri Rama of Malaysia, Maradia Lawana of the Philippines, Ramakien of Thailand (which calls him Phra Ram) are great works with many unique characteristics and differences in accounts and portrayals of the legend of Rama. The legends of Rama are witnessed in elaborate illustration at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in Bangkok. The national epic of Myanmar, Yama Zatdaw is essentially the Burmese Ramayana, where Rama is named Yama. In the Reamker of Cambodia, Rama is known as Preah Ream. In the Phra Lak Phra Lam of Laos, Gautama Buddha is regarded as an incarnation of Rama.

 

The mythological sources propose that Rama was born about 1.2 million years ago, during the Treta Yuga, age that lasted 1,296,000 years and his birthday Rama Navami is celebrated in the month of April/May To the Valmiki Ramayana, Rama was born in Ayodhya, India, on 9th day (now celebrated across India as Ram Navami) of Chaitra lunar month (March–April), when Moon and Jupiter were rising in the east in Cancer sign and four other planets (Sun, Mars, Saturn, Venus) were exalted in their exaltation signs. Based on these star alignments, a few astrologers claimed to have calculated the exact date of birth of Lord Rama as 10 January 5114 BC between 12 noon and 1pm.

Childhood

 

BIRTH AS AN AVATAR

The Ramayana speaks of how the earth goddess Bhudevi, came to the creator-god Brahma begging to be rescued from evil kings who were plundering her resources and destroying life through bloody wars and evil conduct. The deva (gods) also came to Brahma fearful of the rule of Ravana, the ten-headed rakshasa emperor of Lanka. Ravana had overpowered the devas and now ruled the heavens, the earth and the netherworlds. Although a powerful and noble monarch, he was also arrogant, destructive and a patron of evil doers. He had boons that gave him immense strength and was invulnerable to all living and celestial beings, except man and animals.

 

Brahma, Bhumidevi and the other gods requested Vishnu, the Preserver, to intervene and free the Earth from Ravana's tyrannical rule. Vishnu promised to kill Ravana by incarnating as a man – the eldest son of Kosala's king Dasharatha. According to the Ramayana, king Dasharata remained childless for a long time and finally decided to perform a putrakameshti yaga under the supervision of the royal priest. During the ritual, Prajapati arose from the sacrificial fire and gave a vessel of sacred potion to Dasharata for distribution to his three wives. The three queens drank the divine potion and conceived four sons: Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Goddess Lakshmi took birth as Sita in order to accompany her consort Vishnu and was found by king Janaka of Mithila while he was ploughing a field. Vishnu's eternal companion, the Shesha is said to have incarnated as Lakshmana to stay at his Lord's side on earth. Throughout his life, no one, except a few select sages (among which are included Vasishta, Sharabhanga, Agastya and Vishwamitra) know of his destiny. Rama is continually revered by the many sages he encounters through his life, but only the most learned and exalted know of his true identity. At the end of the war between Rama and Ravana, just as Sita passes her Agni pariskha, Brahma, Indra and the gods, the celestial sages and Shiva appear out of the sky. They affirm Sita's purity and ask him to end this terrible test. Thanking the avatar for delivering the universe from the grips of evil, they reveal Rama's divine identity upon the culmination of his mission.

 

Other scriptures provide other reasons for the avatar. The chastity of Vrinda, wife of the demon Jalandhara, that protects the life of her husband is destroyed by Vishnu by deceit so that Shiva can slay the demon. She curses Vishnu to be born on earth and that in this birth of his, his wife's (Lakshmi as Sita) purity and chastity will be a question in his mind throughout his life and he will be separated from her and live with sadness and grief.

 

Another legend narrates that Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vishnu, were cursed by the Four Kumaras to be born on earth three lives; Vishnu took avatars each time to free them of their earthy existence. They as born as Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna, who are both killed by Rama. Also, due to a boon, Kashyapa and Aditi are born as the parents of Rama, Dasharatha and Kausalya. In another version, Svayambhuva Manu and his wife Satarupa are blessed to be born as Rama's parents.

 

Another tale says that the sage Narada cursed Vishnu to be born on earth as a king, to be helped by monkeys and suffer separation from his wife. Narada also curses Jaya and Vijaya to be born as the demon brothers.

 

INITIATION OF THE AVATAR

Sage Vishwamitra takes the two princes, Rama and Lakshmana, to his ashram, as he needs Rama's help in slaying several Rakshasas that have been harassing him and several other sages living in the area. Rama's first encounter is with a Rakshasi named Taataka, who is a celestial nymph cursed to take the form of a demoness. Vishwamitra explains that she has polluted much of the habitat where the sages reside and there will not be any contentment until she is destroyed. Rama has some reservations about killing a woman, but since Taataka poses such a big threat to the Rishis and he is expected to follow their word, he fights with Taataka and kills her with an arrow. After her death, the surrounding forest becomes greener and cleaner. Vishwamitra presents Rama with several astras and sastras (divine weapons) that will be of use to him in the future, and Rama masters the knowledge of all the weapons and their uses. Vishwamitra then tells Rama and Lakshmana that soon, he along with some of his disciples, will perform a yagna for seven days and nights that will be of great benefit to the world, and the two princes must keep close watch for the two sons of Taadaka, Mareecha and Subahu, who will try to defile the yagna at all costs. The princes therefore keep a strong vigil for all of the days, and on the seventh day they spot Maricha and Subahu coming with a whole host of Raakshasas ready to pour bones and blood into the fire. Rama points his bow at the two, and with one arrow kills Subahu, and with the other arrow flings Mareecha thousands of miles away into the ocean. Rama deals with the rest of the demons. The yagna is completed successfully

 

Rama also frees Ahalya, the wife of Gautama Maharishi, from a curse. She was cursed to turn into stone by her husband after a displeasing incident. However, the dust on Rama's feet touched the stone and turned it back into a woman again. Gautama Maharishi was gratified that everything was back to normal again.

 

Sage Vishwamitra then takes the two princes to the Swayamvara a wedding ceremony for Sita. The challenge is to string the bow of Shiva (Pinaka) and shoot an arrow from it. This task is considered impossible for any ordinary king or living being, as this is the personal weapon of Shiva, more powerful, holy and of divine creation than conceivable. While attempting to string the bow, Rama breaks it in two. This feat of strength spreads his fame across the worlds and seals his marriage to Sita, celebrated as Vivaha Panchami.

After Rama weds Sita and the entire royal family and the Ayodhya army begin their journey back, the great rishi Parashurama (Bhargava Rama) appears before them, having descended from his mountainous hermitage. Parashurama is an extremely powerful rishi, responsible for killing all of the world's tyrannical and oppressive emperors and kings 21 times. He is the sixth Avatara of Vishnu, and finds it unbelievable that anybody could break the bow of Shiva. Considering himself to still be the most powerful warrior-rishi on earth, he brings with them the bow of Vishnu (Saranga), and intends to challenge Rama to prove his strength by stringing it, and then fighting a battle with him to prove superiority. Although the entire Ayodhya army is forestalled by his mystical power, Rama is himself angered. He respectfully bows to Parashurama, and within a twinkling of an eyelid snatches the bow of Vishnu, (that is his own, an example of irony here) strings it, places an arrow and points it straight at the challenger's heart. Rama asks Parashurama what he will give as a target to the arrow. At this point, Parashurama feels himself devoid of the tremendous mystical energy he possessed for so long. He realizes that Rama is Vishnu incarnate, his successor and definitely his superior. He accepts Rama's superiority, devotes his tapasya to him, pays homage to Rama and promises to return to his hermitage and leave the world of men.Rama then shoots the arrow up into the sky with Vishnu's bow, performing a feat true to his supreme, divine nature with his natural weapon. His overpowering of Parashurama and using the supreme weapon with incredible ease and perfection dazzle the spectators and his relatives, but no one save Parashurama and Vasishta associate this with his true identity. It is said that the Rama's arrow is still flying across space, across time and across all of the universe. The day it will return to earth, it is said, it will bring the end of the world. Others say that the flying arrow destroys all evil on earth to uphold dharma and righteousness.

 

DHARMA OF EXILE

King Dasaratha announces to Ayodhya that he plans to crown Rama, his eldest child the Yuvaraja (crown prince). While the news is welcomed by everyone in the kingdom, the mind of queen Kaikeyi is poisoned by her wicked maid-servant, Manthara. Kaikeyi, who is initially pleased for Rama, is made to fear for the safety and future of her son Bharata. Fearing that Rama would ignore or possibly victimize his younger brother for the sake of power, Kaikeyi demands that Dasaratha banish Rama to a forest exile for fourteen years, and that Bharata be crowned in Rama's place. She had been granted two boons by the king when she had saved his life a long time ago in battle, and the queen now used them to serve her purpose. The king's court and the people are outraged at this turn of events. Dasaratha loved and cherished Rama dearly, and is in personal turmoil. Completely estranged now from his younger wife, he abhors the prospect of separation from Rama. But Rama realizes that the king must not break a solemn promise at any time, and neither should a son disobey his father's command. Sita joins her husband in exile despite his discouraging her, as it is her duty and out of love for Rama that she must be at his side at all times. His younger brother Lakshmana also immediately decides to join Rama rather than remain in the city. As he leaves for exile, the people of Ayodhya are deeply saddened and angered at Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha's heart is broken and he collapses and dies during the night of the sixth day, unable to bear the agony of separation from Rama. Despite the reasoning of Vashistha and the pleas of his brothers, Rama refuses to return. Although horrified at the news of his father's death, Rama finds it impossible that he should break his dead father's word. Rama does not bear any anger towards Kaikeyi, believing firmly in the power of destiny. According to the explanation of the classic, this exile actually presents Rama the opportunity to confront Ravana and his evil empire.

 

RAMA AND SITA

Rama and Sita are the protagonists in one of the most famous[peacock term] love stories of all time. Described as being deeply in love, Sita and Rama are theologically understood as Incarnations of Lakshmi and Vishnu respectively. When Rama is banished from the kingdom, he attempts to convince Sita not to join him in a potentially dangerous and certainly arduous existence in the jungle, but Sita rejects this. When Rama orders her in his capacity as husband, Sita rejects it, asserting that it was an essential duty of a wife to be at her husband's side come good or ill. Rama in turn is assiduously protective and caring for Sita throughout the exile.

 

When Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, both Sita and Rama undergo great personal hardships during their separation. Sita protects her chastity assiduously, and survives over a year in captivity on the strength of her love and attention to religious values and duty. She is completely unfettered in her resolve despite Ravana's courting, cajoling and threats. Meanwhile, Rama, not knowing who had kidnapped Sita or where was she taken, often succumbs to despair and tears, denouncing himself for failing to defend her and agonizing over her safety and pain. Sita knows that it is in Rama's destiny to fight to rescue her (she refuses to be rescued thus by Hanuman, who discovers her), but is deeply anxious for his safety and fearful of Ravana's power.

 

The 'Wedding of Rama and Sita' concerns two entities coming together to form a whole. An Indian marriage forges an alliance not only between two people, but also two families. The marriage of Sita and Rama creates an alliance between two people, two families, and two kingdoms: Mithila, home of Sita, and Kosala, home of Rama. Furthermore, Rama's marriage to Sita on earth parallels the celestial union of Vishnu and Lakshmi; each deity took birth on earth, and so when Rama marries Sita, he is actually reuniting with his divine consort Lakshmi, Goddess of Good Fortune, who brings prosperity to Kosala. At an allegorical level, the union of Rama and Sita represents the relationship between God and the devotee, with Rama as the beloved divine king and Sita as his devotee. Finally, at a societal level, the dance drama brings together north and south Indian dance traditions.

 

AGNI PARIKSHA

Lord Rama sent a messenger to Ravana that said, "Come to me and I will forgive you," before he slays Ravana. After Rama slays Ravana and wins the war, Sita wants to come before him in the state which over a year's imprisonment had reduced her to, but Rama arranges for Sita to be bathed and given beautiful garments before they are re-united. But even as Sita comes before him in great excitement and happiness,the society starts doubting Sita's purity so Rama decided to prove that his Sita is still pure and chaste in front of the society, so he tells her that she has to give Agni pariksha. At this sudden turn of events, all the vanaras, rakshasas, Sugriva, Hanuman and Lakshmana are deeply shocked.

Sita begs Lakshmana to build her a pyre upon which she could end her life, as she could not live without Rama. At this point, Lakshmana is angered at Rama for the first time in his life, but following Rama's nod, he builds a pyre for Sita. At the great shock and sorrow of the watchers, Sita sits into the flames. But to their astonishment and wonder, she is completely unharmed. Instead, she glows radiantly from the centre of the pyre. But the gods headed by Brahma and Shiva appear, reveal Rama's and Sita's true identity and requests that Rama take Sita back as she is truly pure. Rama replies that he had never doubted her purity for a second, but, the people of the world would not have accepted or honoured her as a queen or a woman if she had not passed this Agni pariksha before the eyes of hundreds. Agni would destroy the impure and sinful, but not touch the pure and innocent, irrespective of Parvati's/Adishakti's curse on him. There is a version of Tulsidas's Ramacharitamanasa, which is popular, which states that Rama had Sita under the protection of Agni God. After Sita was released it was necessary to bring her out of security of Agni god.[50] This finds echo in the sthala purana of Tirupathi. Another version of this, used in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, was that Rama had known Sita was going to be abducted by Ravana ahead of time. So he entrusted her to Agni, the god of fire. Rama did this so that he, who in reality was Vishnu, could kill Ravana. Sita, in turn, left behind a "shadow", or twin-like version of herself behind. The "shadow" Sita had been abducted by Ravana. Therefore, the lila of Agni Pariksha was to retrieve the genuine Sita from the temporary care of Agni Deva. Rama explains this to Lakshmana before the "Pariksha" is done. This version has also been written in the Ram Charit Manas.

 

SITAS´S EXILE

In the Uttara Kanda, Rama banishes his wife Sita, even as she is pregnant, asking Lakshmana to deliver her safely to the forest. He does so after receiving word that some of his subjects in Ayodhya believed that Sita was unfit due to her long captivity in Ravana's city. As a king is expected to uphold moral principles, Rama reluctantly banished Sita in order to uphold his duty. Sita took refuge under the noble sage Valmiki.

 

A legend by Rishi Agastya in the epic states that Vishnu in a previous age had been cursed by Rishi Bhrigu, whose wife had been killed by Vishnu for sheltering his enemies escaping from battle. The Rishi condemns Vishnu to be denied for a long age the companionship of his soul mate, just as Vishnu, had deprived the Rishi of his loving wife. Thus Rama, Vishnu's incarnation, must live the rest of his life without Sita.

 

Many Hindus, such as the followers of Sri Vaishnavism, consider this entire section of the Ramayana to be interpolated, and thus they do not accept the authenticity of this story claiming that Sita was banished. An alternate narration of Ramayana does not state it so. It says that Sita later lived in her father's kingdom of Mithila with her sons Lava and Kusha as per the North Indian (especially in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) custom that children be brought up in their nanihal, or maternal grandmother's place. Sita and her sons later live in Valmiki's ashram for the boys' education and military training. As per Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, both the princes grew extremely intelligent and strong under Rishi Valmiki's tutelage.

 

CHILDREN

According to legend, Kusha and Lava are the twin sons of Lord Rama and Sita. Born in the forest after the banishment of Sita from Ayodhya, the twins were educated and trained in military skills as their mother took refuge in Sage Valmiki's ashram, located in a forest on the banks of the River Tamsa.

 

As Rama performed the Ashvamedha Yajna, a horse strayed into their forest, Rama sent Hanuman to retrieve the horses. Rama's sons Luv and Kush captured the horses. Hanuman, seeing Luv and Kush recognised that they were the son's of Rama. He let them capture him and tie him up. There Hanuman started meditating on the name Rama. Worried Rama sent his brothers to look for the horses. As they saw Hanuman tied up and two boys guarding him, they thought that the two boy had stolen the horses. So Ramas brothers started attacking Luv and Kush. Although Rama's brothers should have won, but Luv and Kush defeated them all, knocking them unconscious. Luv and Kush were protected by Hanuman. Then Rama himself went looking for the horses fearing that Hanuman and his brothers had been attacked. On his way there, Rama intuitively knew that Luv and Kush were his sons and purposely slept on his chariot to delay tension and confrontation with his sons as he knew it would be inappropriate for a father to fight his sons. Upon reaching the battlefield, the sage Valmiki interrupted the potential battle between father and sons by explaining to Rama that Luv and Kush were his sons. A familial reunion took place.

 

When Devi Sita found out that Lava and Kusha had defeated Ayodhya's forces, she proudly revealed their/her identity. Rama desired Sita and his sons to live with him in his kingdom but as this took place, the general population of the kingdom resented Sita from returning. In response, Sita forsaked her like and sought final refuge in the arms of her mother Bhumidevi, the Goddess Mother Earth and ultimately returned to Rama in the form of Vishnu in Vishnu's abode - indicating that forced separation from her beloved husband is only limited in life on earth compared to her eternal union with her beloved in life after death.

 

LATER LIFE

Rama's reign is known as the Rama Rajya which lasted for 11,000 years. During this period, people were healthy, holy, satisfied and lived with complete peace and harmony. There was no evil, no wars, no natural calamity and no diseases. Rama ruled the whole earth without using military force as all kings submitted themselves to him. His brothers Bharata and Shatrughna settled in their later lives. Bharata, with the help of his uncle Yudhajita, conquered the eastern land of the Gandharvas and ruled it. Shatrughna slew the Asura Lavana and founded the city of Mathura. Rama acquired a rare gem from Rishi Agastya which entombed the powers of the gods Indra, Varuna, Yama and Kubera, which helped the king rule efficiently. After his reign, Rama and his brothers and his allies peacefully left the earth on the river Sarayu abandoning their mortal bodies. Valmiki Ramayana mentions an abode named Santanaka invested with all spiritual qualities and located beyond Brahmaloka, which was attained by all followers of Rama, after Rama along with his brothers, entered into Vaishnava potency. Lava and Kusha ruled Kosala and continued the solar race.

 

MARYADA PURUSHOTTAMA

As a person, Rama personifies the characteristics of an ideal person (purushottama) who is to be emulated. He had within him all the desirable virtues that any individual would seek to aspire, and he fulfils all his moral obligations (maryada). Rama's purity and piety in his intentions and actions inspires affection and devotion for him from a variety of characters from different backgrounds. For example, he gave up his rightful claim to the throne, and agreed to go into exile for fourteen years, to fulfill the vow that his father had given to Kaikeyi, one of King Dashratha's wives. This is in spite of the fact that Kaikeyi's son, Bharat, begged him to return to Ayodhya and said that he did not want to rule in place of Rama. But Rama considered his dharma as a son above that of his own birthright and his life's ambition. For such supreme sacrifices, and many other qualities, Rama is considered a maryada purushottamor the best of upholders of Dharma, a basically human but exemplary figure Some of his ideals are as follows: 1. At the time when it was normal for kings to have more than one wife, Rama gave the ideal of having a single wife. In Balakanda of Valmiki Ramayana it is written that Rama and Sita resided in each other's heart.

 

2. Rama always followed his promise at any cost. In fact, he went to forest to make his father's promise to Kaikeyi true. Another instance was when, he had promised the Spirit of Time that during their conversation, if anyone was to intrude, Rama would have pronounce an instant death sentence upon the individual. They were intruded upon by his beloved younger brother Lakshmana, and to keep his part of the promise, pronounced the death sentence. There are many examples of Rama's promises which he kept. Most important are the promise to sages to save their lives from Rakshasas, getting back Sugreeva's kingdom, making Vibhishana the king of Lanka.

 

3. Excellent friend: Rama had very touching relations with his friends irrespective of their status. Some of his friends are Nishada-raja Guha, King of Nishaadas (a caste whose profession was hunting the birds), Sugreeva (the Vanara king) and Vibhishana a Rakshasa.

 

4. Even towards his enemies, Rama showed great nobility and virtue. To gather information about the enemy army's strengths and weaknesses, Ravana sent two of his spies, Suka and Sarana, to the Vanara camps. Disguised as Vanaras they blended into the enemy camp, but Vibhishana saw through their deceit. The duo sought Rama's protection when the monkey warriors thrashed them. Rama gave them refuge. He then asked them what their mission was and whether they fulfilled it. After listening to them, he sent for a Vanara to give them a proper tour of all the Vanara camps and give them all the information they desired about the major soldiers and their strengths. He then told the spies to give this message to Ravana. "Tomorrow morning, I will destroy all of Lanka. Keep all sides of your palace well defended and be ready with all of your men by sunrise." The spies were greatly astonished with Rama's charisma, courage, and adherence to the codes of war. After Rama gave them leave, they knew that their king was bound to lose against this virtuous and courageous man. When Ravana first fought with Rama, Rama defeated him to such an extent that Ravana lost his charioteer, horses, chariot, flag, weapons and armor. Though the situation was at his advantage, Rama instead praised Ravana for a great fight that day, and asked him to retire and take rest, as he must be quite tired. Ravana was greatly embarrassed at this, but he was also gratified that Rama saved his life, and this led him to consider for a moment whether to retreat and give Sita back...

 

COMPANIONS

Even as Rama is the ideal conception of manhood, he is often aided and complemented in different situations by the characteristics by those who accompany him. They serve Rama devotedly, at great personal risk and sacrifice.

 

BHARATA AND LAKSHMANA

Absent when Rama is exiled, upon his return Bharata is appalled to learn of the events. And even though Kaikeyi had done all this for his benefit, Bharata is angered at the suggestion that he should take Ayodhya's throne. Denouncing his mother, Bharata proclaims to the city that he would go to the forest to fetch Rama back, and would serve out his term of exile himself. Although initially resentful and suspicious, the people of Ayodhya hail Bharata's selfless nature and courageous act. Despite his fervent pleas to return, Rama asserts that he must stay in the forest to keep his father's word. He orders Bharata to perform his duty as king of Ayodhya, especially important after Dasaratha's death, and orders Shatrughna to support and serve him. Returning saddened to the city, Bharata refuses to wear the crown or sit on the throne. Instead, he places the slippers of Rama that he had taken back with him on the throne, and rules Ayodhya assiduously keeping Rama's beliefs and values in mind. When Rama finally returns, Bharata runs personally to welcome him back. Bharata is hailed for his devotion to his elder brother and dharma, distinguished from Lakshmana as he is left on his own for fourteen years. But he unfailingly denies self-interest throughout this time, ruling the kingdom only in Rama's name. Vasishtha proclaims that no one had better learnt dharma than Bharata, and for this piety he forms an essential part of the conception of perfect manhood, of the Seventh Avatara of Vishnu. Shatrughna's role to Bharata is akin to that of Lakshmana to Rama. Believed to be one-quarter of Vishnu incarnated, or as the incarnation of his eternal companion, Ananta Sesha, Lakshmana is always at Rama's side. Although unconstrained by Dasaratha's promise to Kaikeyi, Lakshmana resists Rama's arguments and accompanies him and Sita into the forest. During the years of exile, Lakshmana constantly serves Rama and Sita – building huts, standing guard and finding new routes. When Sita is kidnapped, Rama blazes with his divine power and in his immense rage, expresses the desire to destroy all creation. Lakshmana prays and pleads for Rama to calm himself, and despite the shock of the moment and the promise of travails to come, begin an arduous but systematic search for Sita. During times when the search is proving fruitless and Rama fears for Sita, and expresses despair in his grief and loneliness, Lakshmana encourages him, providing hope and solace.When Rama in his despair fears that Sugriva has forgotten his promise to help him trace Sita, Lakshmana goes to Kishkindha to remind the complacent monarch of his promise to help. Lakshmana twangs the bow inside the hall quaking the entire building and threatens to destroy Sugriva and the monkey kingdom with his own divine power. Lakshmana is unable to tolerate Sugriva breaking his vow to Rama while enjoying material and sensual pleasures while Rama suffers alone. It is only through the diplomatic intervention of Queen Tara, Sugriva's wife, that Lakshmana is pacified. Tara then scolds and galvanises Sugriva into honoring his promise to Rama. Sugriva and Rama are then reconciled with the help of Lakshmana and Tara. Sugriva sends the monkey hoards to find the location of Sita and lead the monkey army into battle against the demonic forces of Ravana.Lakshmana is uniquely responsible for slaying Indrajit, the invincible son of Ravana who had humiliated Indra and the devas, and outwitted the brothers and the Vanaras on several occasions. Rishi Agastya later points out that this victory was the turning point of the conflict. Rama is often overcome with emotion and deep affection for Lakshmana, acknowledging how important and crucial Lakshmana's love and support was for him. He also trusts Lakshmana to carry out difficult orders – Lakshmana was asked to take Sita to the ashrama of Valmiki, where she was to spend her exile. Lakshmana's deep love for Rama, his unconditional service and sacrifice, as well as qualities of practical judgment and clear-headedness make him Rama's superior in certain situations and perspectives. Lakshmana symbolizes a man's duty to his family, brothers and friends, and forms an essential part of the conception of ideal manhood, that Rama primarily embodies.

 

JATAYU, HANUMAN AND VIBHEESHNA

When Rama and Lakshmana begin the desperate search to discover where Sita had been taken, after traversing a distance in many directions, they come across the magical eagle Jatayu, who is dying. They discover from Jatayu that a rakshasa was flying away with a crying, struggling Sita towards the south. Jatayu had flown to the rescue of Sita, but owing to his age and the rakshasa's power, had been defeated. With this, Jatayu dies in Rama's arms. Rama is overcome with love and affection for the bird which sacrificed its own life for Sita, and the rage of his death returns to him in the climactic battle with Ravana.Rama's only allies in the struggle to find Sita are the Vanaras of Kishkindha. Finding a terrified Sugriva being hunted by his own brother, king Vali, Rama promises to kill Vali and free Sugriva of the terror and the unjust charge of plotting to murder Vali. The two swear everlasting friendship over sacred fire. Rama's natural piety and compassion, his sense of justice and duty, as well as his courage despite great personal suffering after Sita's kidnapping inspire devotion from the Vanaras and Sugriva, but especially Hanuman, Sugriva's minister. Devoted to Rama, Hanuman exerts himself greatly over the search for Sita. He is the first to discover that Sita was taken to Lanka, and volunteers to use his divine gifts in a dangerous reconnaissance of Lanka, where he is to verify Sita's presence. Hanuman hands Rama's ring to Sita, as a mark of Rama's love and his imminent intention of rescuing her. Though captured, he candidly delivers Rama's message to Ravana to immediately release Sita, and when his tail is burned, he flies and sets Lanka on fire. When Lakshmana is struck down and near death and Rama overcome with love and concern for his brother, Hanuman flies to the Himalayas on the urgent mission to fetch the sanjeevani medicinal herbs, bringing the entire mountain to Lanka so that no time is lost in saving Lakshmana. The Vanaras fight the rakshasas, completely devoted to Rama's cause. They angrily dismiss Ravana's efforts to create international divisions within their army when he suggested that Rama considered them, monkeys, as mere animals. At the end of the war, Indra restores life to the millions of fallen Vanaras.Before the onset of war, rakshasa prince Vibheeshana, Ravana's youngest brother comes to join Rama. Although he loves his brother and Lanka, he fails in repeated efforts to make Ravana follow religious values and return Sita. Vibheeshana believes that Ravana's arrogance and callousness will cause the destruction of Lanka, which is a gross violation of a king's duty, and that Ravana's actions have only propagated evil. Vibheeshana refuses to defend the evil of Ravana's ways and inspired by Rama's compassion and piety, leaves Lanka to join the Vanara Army. His knowledge of rakshasa ways and Ravana's mind help Rama and the Vanaras overcome black magic and mystical weapons. At the end of the war, Rama crowns Vibheeshana as the king of Lanka. Vibheeshana, and to a greater extent Hanuman, embody the perfect devotee in the wider conception of perfect manhood.

 

RAMA IN WAR

When Rama is thirteen years old, he and his brother Lakshmana are taken by Vishwamitra to the forests, with the purpose of killing rakshasas who are wrecking the tapasya and sacrifices of brahmins. When asked to slay the demoness, Rama demurs, considering it sinful to kill a woman. But Vishwamitra explains that evil has no gender. Rama replies that "My father asked me to follow your orders, I will obey them even if it is a sin". Rama proceeds to slay Tadaka, a cursed yaksha demoness. The killing of Tadaka liberates the yaksha soul who was cursed for a sin, and had to adopt a rakshasi's body. It restores the purity of the sacrifices of the brahmins who live nearby, and protects the animals who live in the forest, and travelers. Rama and Lakshmana are taught the advanced military arts and given the knowledge of all celestial weapons by Vishwamitra. The main purpose of Vishwamitra's exursion is to conduct his yagna without interruption from two evil demons, Maricha and Subahu sons of Tadaka. Rama and Lakshmana guard the sacrifice, and when the two demons appear, Rama shoots an arrow named Manava Astra that carries Maricha across the lands and into the ocean, but does not kill him. Rama and his brother then proceed to kill Subahu and accompanying demons. Rama explains to Lakshmana that leaving Maricha alive was an act of compassion, but the others did not heed the point and chose to attack. During the forest exile, sages plead for protection and help against evil rakshasas who spoil their sacrifices and religious activities and terrorize them. Many rakshasas had even killed and eaten sages and innocent people. At Janasthana, Rama uses his exceptional prowess to single-handedly kill over fourteen thousand demon hordes led by the powerful Khara, who is a cousin of Ravana and Dushana . . .

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for further reading go to Rama (2)

What is FGM?

 

Female Genital Mutilation (often referred to as FGM) is a destructive operation, during which the female genitals are partly or entirely removed or injured with the goals of inhibiting a woman’s sexual feelings. Most often the mutilation is performed before puberty, often on girls between the age of four and eight, but recently it is increasingly performed on nurslings who are only a couple of days, weeks or months old.

 

Where does FGM happen?

 

Female Genital Mutilation happens primarily in Africa, in particular in North-Eastern, Eastern and Western Africa. However, it also takes place in the Middle East, in South-East Asia – and also among immigrants in Europe. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 150 million women are affected by FGM world-wide. In Europe, the number of mutilated women or girls and women threatened by FGM amounts up to 500,000.

 

What different types of FGM are there?

 

The WHO differentiates between four different types of Female Genital Mutilation:

 

1. Excision of the clitoris prepuce (“Sunna-circumcision”) and of the clitoris or parts thereof.

 

2. Excision of the clitoris prepuce, the clitoris and the inner lips or parts thereof.

 

3. Type 1 and 2 are the most common types of FGM: eighty percent of the affected women have gone through these procedures.

 

4. Excision of part of or all of the external genitals (“infibulation”, also referred to as “Pharaonic Circumcision”). Afterwards the remaining parts of the outer lips are sewn together leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual flow.

 

5. The scar need to be opened before intercourse or giving birth, which causes additional pain.

 

6. Infibulation is mainly spread in the Horn of Africa and its neighbouring areas – in Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea, as well as in the northern part of Sudan and in the southern part of Egypt. It is the most severe form of FGM and affects 15 percent of the women.

 

7. Pricking, piercing, cutting or stretching of the clitoris or the labia, also burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping of the vaginal opening or the introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina in order to tighten it. Plus: any other procedure, which injures or circumcises the female genitalia.

 

Who performs FGM?

 

FGM is usually performed by professional circumcisers, women who are enjoying a high reputation in their societies. It is also performed by traditional midwives and occasionally by healers, barbers or nurses or doctors trained in Western medicine. The procedure is usually performed without anaesthetic and under catastrophic hygienic circumstances. Knives, scissors, razor blades or pieces of broken glass are used as instruments among others.

 

Prevalence and legal status

 

The Waris Dirie Foundation has put together a collection of data on the estimated prevalence of female genital mutilation and the current legal situation concerning FGM in a selection of countries where FGM is practiced. The table combines data from the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Department of State, FGM Network, WADI, The Interparliamentary Union (IPU) and several national studies and surveys. You can download the table here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Misfits Music's Friday Night Fights! In partner with Starlight Music, Misfits Incorporated brings you the brawl of the decade! In one corner we have the sizzling hot drummer of Jem and the Holograms! She's calénté, and will put the smack down if provoked: Raya Alonso! And her opponent originates from England and plays a wicked sax! She claims to be close friends with the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as a key musical collaborator with Mick Jagger, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson! She's destructive, she's inconsiderate, and she'll do whatever's necessary to get what she wants: The unpredictable, Jetta Burns! While there were no KO's in “The Talent Search”, a physical altercation transpired after Jetta paid off a group of back alley thugs to destroy Raya's father's nursery, followed by strict instructions for her goons to report back to her with proof! The following day at Misfits Music, Jetta—knowing that Raya would be present—decided to decorate her hair with a black orchid from the scene of the crime! As Raya argued with Eric, she was approached by the Brit and recognized the flower she wore as her father's! Then, all at once, their two worlds collided when Raya swung her hand at her face to bust her on the eye, but pulled her downward by her hair instead! The blood-curdling screams of England's import were heard throughout the building as she sank her nails into Raya's hand in an attempt to relieve the pressure from her grip, but the force was just too strong and Raya snatched her around with her fist, then set her hand free along with a small pile of Jetta's hair that dropped to the floor! Since their violent brawl, the two have kept their distance from each other, although Raya, Jem and the Holograms have extended help to Jetta and the Misfits on more than one occasion! It takes a considerable amount of effort to balance the scales with kindness towards a hostile individual, and this is primarily why Raya refuses to be in the same room as Jetta, let alone the same town! The crude saxophonist is no stranger to foul gameplay and, in fact, considers the tactic as her second trade! Though it wasn't exactly planned, she spared no mercy when she stole Kimber's diary after the keyboardist misplaced it while enjoying a little sunshine on Venice Beach, then relinquished possession to Pizzazz who removed a few scathing excerpts and mailed them to Jerrica and the remaining Holograms! Roxy was next in line to receive the book, and she did her one better by delivering the remainder of the diary to a sleazy publisher at Cool Trash Magazine who printed her intimate secrets in his rag-mag for the world to see! Approximately one week later, she proudly stood by when Pizzazz paired with Clash to turn Jem's fans against her by impersonation her! Then she jumped in knee-deep with her sorority sisters in a similar incident that involved Jem's greatest fan, a millionaire named Prescott Wentworth, and replied to his ad in the newspaper offering a cash award to anyone who could supply him with information about the wealthy musician's real identity! Jetta, Roxy and Stormer presumed that their plan was just another devious scheme, but Pizzazz considered him the key to destroying Jem's career, and that was enough for her to scoot straight over to his mansion with a promise to get the goods on pop's pink princess! At the climax of their scam, Prescott became agitated and asked to call it all off, which didn't go over well with Jetta and Roxy who both locked him inside his own closet, while Pizzazz continued with her mission to ruin Jem! Weeks later, in an isolated incident, Jetta went too damn far when she assaulted Video Montgomery while at her parent's home, in Mulberry, Florida! A good stretch of time passed when Raya, Jem and the Holograms decided to welcome the Misfits aboard their train during their charity concert tour in Arizona! Once they settled in, the hardcore headbangers showed their appreciation by starting a wild food fight with each other! Then, after suffering the wrath of Rio, they snuck into a stowaway room where they proceeded to damage the band's instruments with Pizzazz sticking her gum in between the keys of Kimber's keyboard, Roxy pulling loose the strings on Shana's guitar, Stormer unscrewing the head grill of Jem's microphone...and Jetta banging Raya's drumsticks against the wall and cracking them in half! An hour later, the train pulled into Masonville, New Mexico, and parked on the tracks for the concert. Around that time, the Misfits' appetite for destruction grew intensely by the minute, and sabotaging a few instruments just wouldn't do, so they made their way to the motor unit where Roxy and Stormer used their strength to pull the break on the control stand, sending the runaway train plowing down the track! As Jem and the Holograms bounced around from corner to corner in their dressing room, Jetta struggled to release her foot from between the floor break, in which case she almost broke her ankle! It didn't matter when or where, Raya was always witness to Jetta's insulting behavior, and allowed the voracious raven to push her only so far before reacting. By early ‘88, their two-year feud began to fizzle, and they made some progress when they proved to their peers that they were able to at least coexist with each other in “A Father Should Be.” So who knows?! Maybe there's hope for a truce yet!

 

Carmen “Raya” Alonso, Cali's talented percussionist, is the fifth equation to the Holograms, and one of the most desirable Latinas in the music business! Sweet and fine as a tall glass of Cabernet wine, Raya's not exactly vain, but she is fully aware of her beauty and it's very clear from head to toe! This Spanish top model is particular with many things, most importantly when it comes to her hair, which shines in a candy-coated pink hue and is swept over to the side—a very famous ‘80s hairstyle, I might add! Mami's makeup is as beautiful as the Seven Seas, with a tidal wave of dark blue “La Isla Bonita” eyeshadow on her eyelids, a flow of aqua blue “Caribbean Queen” metallic shadow to the inner sections, around the tear ducts and along her bottom lash lines, and finally ending with a huge splash of light blue “Spanish Lullaby” eyeshadow just above her creases, colliding with a wash of light pink “Hot Evening Fiesta” highlighter under her brown eyebrows, covering both brow bones! Raya can't live without her signature blue “Mysterious Skies” eyeliner and “Blue Jean” mascara to surround her grayish/blue eyes, and that's the perfect color to accent her Hispanic skin tone! She also lives for her “In the Heat of the Night” blush, and after painting her lips with “Pink Seashell” lipstick, she goes over the edge with her pink “Conga” lipgloss! There's an irresistible attraction to her entire outfit! Ms. Alonso is WERKIN' her shiny pink/aqua blue sleeveless jacket, matching aqua blue miniskirt and bowtie! She's also wearing a glittering yellow belt with matching high heels—such a playful color, and it looks great for a pair of pumps! When she steps on the scene, one of the first things you'll notice are her pair of gold hoop earrings as they swing back 'n forth—they're jingling, baby, so go 'head, baby! Ok, now, her shirt and tights are extremely important to me, and I'm amazed at how they look! The floral print on her outfit has a vintage appeal that I find so adorable! Each flower bursts with a rainbow of colors ranging from pink to peach, orange, yellow, red and turquoise/aqua blue, all of which are imprinted on top white elastic fabric! What's most interesting is that the style doesn't look outdated at all! I have to say that the second I heard that she was going to join the collection I hit the ceiling, BUT, at the same time I felt worried that the appearance of her clothes would come across as too immature for a refined fashion doll! Her look was perfect for 1986/1987, but this is 2014, and if you were to ask me to place my bets on the success of her clothing beforehand I would have refused! It appears that the Design Team had everything under control, thus the finished product of this doll and her grand slam attire! And ditto on her spectacular drum kit! Carmen was born to dazzle audiences with her gift for performing, and she's able to do just that with her pair of white drumsticks that are customized to match her white/pink/yellow drum throne, the white/pink bass drum w/ “JEM” logo, and both cymbal stands! Inside is Pop Scene Magazine's March ‘87 “Music Issue” of Starlight Music's talent search—a small memento to remind herself of how far she's come, her life goals and accomplishments! Because I'm part Spanish myself, I really do feel a connection with this doll, a connection that's shared with Régine Césaire's beauty and sophistication, and Shana Elmsford's African American heritage! So I'm feeling the love over here from Integrity Toys lol. Raya Alonso, their Latina sista, has completely changed the game, and can now floss in style with her two homegirls and her bandmates!

 

By chance, the Misfits entered inside a local nightclub to begin their search for a new member to add to their group. As soon as they stepped through the entrance they stumbled upon London's pop band the Tinkerbillys on stage dodging bottles of booze, cans of soda, and a wave of profanity from a room full of unsatisfied audience members! When the garbage cleared away, this woman was the last one standing! Her remarkable display of resilience caught the eye of Pizzazz who was impressed by her spunk and style, so she stuck around for the remainder of the year, eventually engraving her name in the Misfits with her spiked heel and raising the bar sky high with the brash, cool sounds of her saxophone! Eric Raymond said it best when he revealed to the press that “England's loss” was “America's gain!” Sheila “Jetta” Burns—queen of brass wind instruments—has demonstrated that she's worthy of worldwide notoriety, and having a uniquely rare appearance sure helps! Jetta's black hair is probably the most recognizable feature minus the silver tinsel that she had for her retro edition—suits me just fine anyway! She's an incarnation of her former mold. So was it necessary to add the silver to her hair? Not at all! Again, like Raya, it's ok to upgrade features or leave out certain things that were feasible to achieve with our ‘80s (Elementary School) collection! Some things work, and some things are better left in the past! When it comes right down to it, the black color and fullness of her hair plays well off her Japan skin tone, and the widow's peak and length are what signify her importance to the Misfits and the doll collection! Jetta has sharp black eyebrows that are noticeable from a distance and give her a punk-rocked edge! I LOVE THEM! She keeps it punk-esque with her makeup, too, not giving two s***s when applying white shimmering “Rockin' Matriarch” highlighter to her brow bones, and metallic silver eyeshadow in “Sparxxxle” to her eyelids! The frisky feline takes it a slither further by smudging the silver shadow under her bottom lash lines as a way to paralyze those who dare to gaze into her purple eyes! She said to hell with any chance for a contemporary approach to the rest of her eye makeup, and went ahead and broke all the rules instead with a double sweep of black and gray dust in “Smokin' Mirrors” and dragged it upward towards her eyebrows! ‘80s glam never looked so motherf**kin' good as it does on Ms. Burns, and she'll set it off on anyone who says otherwise! Much fun was had when she attacked her eyes with a triple beating of dark cosmetics, beginning with a razor sharp wing of black “Daredevil” liquid liner across her eyelids, a scratch of eyeliner traveling along her bottom lash lines with her black “Night Vision” eye pencil, and a heavy application of “Centipede” mascara! She's also chosen to brighten up her face by whisking a slight amount of “Rage and Romance” rouge on her cheeks. Jetta had her favorite “Breakfast and Bordeaux” lipstick, her “Noir Starlet” lipgloss and “Cheers to the Bloody Night” nail polish imported from England, since it would have been impossible to find it here in the States! The colors sit really well against her skin tone and project a cinematic-like quality to the overall black tones! In similar fashion to her retro version, the Design Team painted her signature white zigzag across her forehead, this time with glittery silver, and it's more perfect in size and position! Things get REAL INTERESTING as we venture lower to her outfit where circles morph into blots of animal print pattern and straighten out into parallel lines—barely falls short of an amusement park ride! This wild tigress moves with cat-like precision while wearing her silver poncho with its snakeskin pattern and black fringe that hangs along the edges! The fashionable garment attaches to a shiny black top that's covered with small and large white polka dots, and her miniskirt is created the same material and circular shapes. To further state her claim as a rebel, Jetta has decided to tie a long white belt with cow print around her waist! Cow print?! That's a very daring move, even for the ‘80s! And those shiny black and white striped pair of pants that she's wearing are to die for! Jetta was lucky in the sense that she was given a glittery black pair of heels with a new design along the opening, unlike her bandmates Pizzazz and Stormer who are still wearing average heels with a curved opening! Accessories are always icing on the cake with the Jem line, and Jetta's are considered the icing, sprinkles and cherry on top! She's a Misfit through and through—no arguments there—but she still has her own identity which is why she insists on wearing her own personal pair of tiny yellow tear-shaped earrings with a silver base. However, to show comradeship with her girls, the musician decided to wear two spiked black chrome bracelets around her wrists, one medium, the other large, and identical to Pizzazz, Roxy and Stormer. My favorite item is her black chrome saxophone with a black strap! WOOOW! The luster that coats this sax is breathtaking—easily one of the greatest instruments created in the doll line! A cardboard cutout “poster” that reads “Tinkerbillys” was a cute touch and finalizes her set! About an hour before that disastrous night of disorderly anarchy at the nightclub, upstairs at Misfits Music, Roxy exclaimed she didn't need a “four way” split after learning about Eric's plan to expand the band. Since that day, Jetta has shown that she's about a whole lot more than just money, and that she's totally deserving of her position as the fourth Misfit! A serious handful in the show, Jetta without a doubt tests my nerves, but, as a fashion doll, she's ALL THAT and then some!

 

It's important not to sweat the small things in life, and to forgive and forget if/when needed—a lesson that was taught early on in Raya's upbringing! It's also true that family is most important, and once you cross that fine line of disrespect, well, then there are certain things you just can't come back from! Jetta's far from naive; she knows that an apology is in order, though it wouldn't matter because, at this point, it would take a miracle to mend fences between these two! For now, the thunder is clapping and the cyclone is still spinning out of control with no apparent end in sight! ⚡️

David Choe the 36 year old American painter, muralist, graffiti artist and graphic novelist of Korean descent, having achieved success with his "dirty style" figure paintings comprising raw, frenetic works which combine themes of desire, degradation, and exaltation; has been the subject of an article on The Daily Beast by Lizzie Crocker titled ‘Facebook Artist David Choe Launches New Gig With Porn Star Asa Akira’. Crocker states “A year after David Choe became the most surprising multimillionaire to emerge from Facebook’s IPO, the bad-boy graffiti artist is making the publicity rounds with a new pornographic podcast featuring porn star Asa Akira. ...Tits, ass, and goblins. Bare-chested chicks straddling hellhounds. Perverse imagery has long permeated graffiti artist David Choe’s work, including the infamous murals he spray-painted at Facebook’s first headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. The company’s then president, Sean Parker, allegedly told Choe to “go crazy and draw as many giant ‘cocks’” on the walls as he wanted. Choe was paid for the job in Facebook stock, which was valued at $200 million when the social media behemoth went public last February. …A year later, Choe is opening up about his new gig with porn star Asa Akira: DVDASA … The first two episodes of DVDASA feature comedian Yoshi Obayashi as a special guest, though Choe hopes to lure actors, rap artists, and other “legitimate people” into the podcast studio… He claims he created the podcast as a forum to voice personal transgressions and divulge bizarre fetishes and fantasies. “When you talk about everything openly, it’s hell on your personal relationships,” he says. “It’s weird, because it feels good and yet it’s also really self-destructive. But [Asa and I] have already figured out that we’re self-destructive people anyway, so it’s like, fuck it.” Inspired by Lizzie Crocker, The Daily Beast ow.ly/hYBSx Image source Facebook ow.ly/hYBS8

What is FGM?

 

Female Genital Mutilation (often referred to as FGM) is a destructive operation, during which the female genitals are partly or entirely removed or injured with the goals of inhibiting a woman’s sexual feelings. Most often the mutilation is performed before puberty, often on girls between the age of four and eight, but recently it is increasingly performed on nurslings who are only a couple of days, weeks or months old.

 

Where does FGM happen?

 

Female Genital Mutilation happens primarily in Africa, in particular in North-Eastern, Eastern and Western Africa. However, it also takes place in the Middle East, in South-East Asia – and also among immigrants in Europe. According to estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 150 million women are affected by FGM world-wide. In Europe, the number of mutilated women or girls and women threatened by FGM amounts up to 500,000.

 

What different types of FGM are there?

 

The WHO differentiates between four different types of Female Genital Mutilation:

 

1. Excision of the clitoris prepuce (“Sunna-circumcision”) and of the clitoris or parts thereof.

 

2. Excision of the clitoris prepuce, the clitoris and the inner lips or parts thereof.

 

3. Type 1 and 2 are the most common types of FGM: eighty percent of the affected women have gone through these procedures.

 

4. Excision of part of or all of the external genitals (“infibulation”, also referred to as “Pharaonic Circumcision”). Afterwards the remaining parts of the outer lips are sewn together leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual flow.

 

5. The scar need to be opened before intercourse or giving birth, which causes additional pain.

 

6. Infibulation is mainly spread in the Horn of Africa and its neighbouring areas – in Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea, as well as in the northern part of Sudan and in the southern part of Egypt. It is the most severe form of FGM and affects 15 percent of the women.

 

7. Pricking, piercing, cutting or stretching of the clitoris or the labia, also burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping of the vaginal opening or the introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina in order to tighten it. Plus: any other procedure, which injures or circumcises the female genitalia.

 

Who performs FGM?

 

FGM is usually performed by professional circumcisers, women who are enjoying a high reputation in their societies. It is also performed by traditional midwives and occasionally by healers, barbers or nurses or doctors trained in Western medicine. The procedure is usually performed without anaesthetic and under catastrophic hygienic circumstances. Knives, scissors, razor blades or pieces of broken glass are used as instruments among others.

 

Prevalence and legal status

 

The Waris Dirie Foundation has put together a collection of data on the estimated prevalence of female genital mutilation and the current legal situation concerning FGM in a selection of countries where FGM is practiced. The table combines data from the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Department of State, FGM Network, WADI, The Interparliamentary Union (IPU) and several national studies and surveys. You can download the table here.

Zerenopsis lepida is a very destructive Cycad pest in South Africa. This is a pinned specimen from a collection. This specific specimen was reared from egg till this size and then became part of a reference collection that will be used to identify larval individuals of this species in future.

 

This image is a focus stack composed of 16 separate images.

It's only 4 hours to go until Tropical cyclone "Marcia" Category 5 with heavy destructive winds hit's the mid northern shores of Queensland. Hervey bay will get it's fair share of this tropical storm but i'm sure we will remain safe.

Queensland......beautiful one day........Perfect the next!! lol

 

Photo taken at Gatakers bay, Pt vernon, Hervey bay, Queensland, Australia.

-- Page 18

 

"PIECE FOR THE WIND

 

Cut a painting up and let them be lost

in the wind.

 

1962 summer"

    

-- Page 17

  

"Ono leads in a direction that might be called Concept-Art

   

INSTRUCTIVE AUTO-DESTRUCTION

    

THE FULL MOON hangs over the Lower East Side, its light

shines on paper-littered streets. In the daytime 2nd Avenue

is jammed with traffic and it's possible to look up through

the dust and heat at the sky and imagine what those few

seconds would be like before it came if eternity were to fit.

What an EVENT!

What is an Event and what does it have to do with Art?

Circa 1950: Yoko Ono is sitting around some-place

striking matches. She is observing the significance of a

natural act. Many matches later she finds that by lighting

a match and watching til it has gone out she is making

something that has a shorter existence than herself, and

by comparison is making her life longer.

When people are asked to observe the passage of time

they may feel ill at ease. Is this why we have a term like

auto-destruction? One of Yoko Ono's first events is

called LIGHTING PIECE: 'Light a match and watch

till it goes out.'

1961: her first one-man show in New York, in which

fifteen works were what she calls INSTRUCTUER;

'Something that emerged from instruction and yet not

quite emerged - not quite structured - never quite struc-

tured --- like an unfinished church with a sky ceiling.'

One of these works which was described by a critic as 'a

grimy unstrung canvas with a hole in it' is SMOKE

PAINTING: 'Light canvas or any finished painting with

a cigarettes at any time for any length of time. See the smoke

movement. The painting ends when the whole canvas is

gone.'* For Ono, paintings like Event do end: an ad-

ditional act in life; something to solve the temptation of

insanity.

Other works in her 1961 show were, PAINTING TO

BE STEPPED ON: 'Leave a piece of canvas or finished

painting on the floor or in the street.'* A + B PAINTING;

'Cut out a circle on canvas. A. Place a numeral figure, a

roman letter, or a katakanao on canvas B at an arbitrary

point. Place canvas A on canvas B and hang them together.

The figure on canvas B may show, may show partially, or

may not show. You may use old paintings, photographs, etc.

instead of blank canvases.'* PAINTING FOR THE

WIND: 'Make a hole. Leave it in the wind.'* PAINT-

ING TO SEE THE SKIES: 'Drill two holes into a can-

vas. Hang it where you can see the sky. (Change the place

of hanging. Try both the front and the rear windows, to

see if the skies are different.')* PAINTING TO LET

THE EVENING LIGHT GO THROUGH: 'Hang a

bottle behind a canvas. Place the canvas where the west

light comes in. The painting will exist when the bottle

creates a shadow on the canvas, or it does not have to

exist. The bottle may contain liquor, water, grasshoppers,

ants or singing insects, or it does not have to contain.'*

BLOOD PIECE: 'Use your blood to paint. Keep painting

until you faint (A). Keep painting until you die (B).'*

These and the others in the show were designed to be

done by anybody although at the time it was not apparent

to most observers and as well the works had been made by

Ono, they were regarded as going in one direction only:

purely auto-destructive. Actually all her paintings exist

in two phases. (1) The instruction phase; which may be

compared to a musical composition; written, copywritten,

distributed, and generally at large for anybody to make

(perform) and show (2) the existence of the particular

piece, which generally has some aspect which is in a state

of flux. Sometimes this may be only one-way, sometimes

it may be oscillating, or the piece may just need to be

refuelled, so to speak.

The one aspect which is considered so important in

most painting, the graphic element, or visual design, is

almost never stated except in the vaguest way as in A + B

PAINTING, and like a Swiss Patent, it is never clear

exactly how the formula goes. This is left up to the indi-

vidual who is to construct the work and how he feels about

such things. For the maker of the work and the audience

this opens up all sorts of possibilities. One is able to

observe certain relationships between art and life that are

usually overlooked in purely graphic art. Instead of saying

how the hell did he do that one might say why the hell do

I have to do that. The owner and/or maker of the painting

must continually come to grips with certain problems that

force him to consider what the concept of art is all about.

  

Recently, while the works of hers constructed by various

painters and sculptors were being collected in a gallery

for a show this coming fall, a piece was accidentally sold.

The piece WORD MACHINE #1 SKY MACHINE,

which produces a card with the word 'sky' on it when 25c

is deposited was acquired by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Scull. In

order to complete the sale in the case of this particular

piece it was necessary for Mr. Scull to sign a contract in

which he only received the right to possess the machine

but had to agree that serving of the machine would

remain the right of the maker and the maker would

receive 60% of the proceeds of the sake of 'sky' cards.

The pure iconism of the work is at question. It is a

machine, it has to be cleaned, repaired, cards replaced,

money extracted, in short, handled like crazy and the owner

and the maker have become involved in a continual

bureaucratic even in order to meet the terms of the con-

tract. Her original composition for this work states that

these machines should eventually replace all Coca-cola

and chewing gum machines, etc. everywhere. Immediately

there is a threat on these manmoth industies which have

always been auto-destructive in nature anyway - this

piece is a kind of a parody of them - and pocesses certain

interesting problems as the underworld usually controls

the vending machine operations here in New York. Is

there something wrong with a society that vends art in

machines instead of phosphate? Many agree that the coke

bottole has long been of better use and more valuable than

its contents anyway, and certain artists have even emulated

it in what has come to be known as Pop art.

Ono's work involves many facets and many roots that

are deeply traditional in Eastern and Western thought. In

the East there are traditions that have been obscured by

the advent of the West and one might hope that the reverse

may take place in the West: interbreeding considered

healthful. In Japan it was common and still is to a lesser

degree, to wrap one's lunch in a beautiful package -

intricately embossed gold foil was ideal (there are still

many things we don't know about food) - to contemplate

while eating in the woods; of course the wrapping would

be thrown away ... or for many people to gather with

the express purpose of observing the moon, without any

particular motive scientific or otherwise. This approach is

referred to as 'wabi and sabi' and it is considered that no

clear translation should be available.

In the West Ono relates to that arear referred to by Gene

Swenson as 'The Other Tradiotion'; Duchamp, Ernst,

Cage, Rauschenberg, Johns, etc., and it is interesting that

these men were attracted to her and attended her concerts

and events held in 1959-61 at her loft on Chambers St.

in New York before her return to Tokyo (at one point she

was close to Cage and tourned Japan with him in 1962, but

her music which has been described as 'music of the mind'

is diametrically opposed to his in philosophy and has no

audible sound in the conventional sense.)

What about painting of the mind? One of Ono's works

in her series 'imaginary paintings', is PAINTING TO BE

CONSTRUCTED IN YOUR HEAD: 'Imagine a flower

made of hard material such as gold, silver, stainless

steel, tin, marble, copper, etc. Imagine that the

pedals suddenly become soft like cotton or like living flesh.

In three hours prick all the petals. Save one and press it in a

book. In the margin of the page where the petal is pressed

note the derivation of the petal and the name of the petal.

At least eight hours should be spent in the construction

of the painting.'*

 

ANTHONY COX

New York City, July 4, 1966

   

For this special number of Art and Artists Yoko Ono

contributed the following: AUTO-DESTRUCTIVE

EVENTS; 1 - Dissapearing of snow, 2 - Thinking, 3 -

Dreaming, 4 - Waiting/not waiting, 5 - A wind, 6 -

Travel, 7 - Make wishknots in your head. Forget the

wish.

* reproduced by permission from Grapefruit, published by

Weltinnenraums Press, Box 186, NYC 14 USA."

   

Art and Artists

Volume One, Number Five

August 1966

Edited by Mario Amaya

London: Hansom Books, 1966

   

Private Collection of Mikihiko Hori

  

Nutria are an invasive species, they are a giant South American aquatic rodent introduced into Louisiana for hunting and they have been making their way North. They are extremely destructive to wet lands and have few predators. We've notified the city about this one in our lake but they've not done anything about it.

THE EASTERN GRAY/EASTERN GREY SQUIRREL (SCIURUS CAROLINENSIS)

  

By Paul Williams

  

The Grey (or Gray) squirrel, you either love 'em or you hate 'em. Cute and fluffy little funsters or destructive critters who ruin trees, kill bird chicks and trees and damage our homes... oh and it's their fault we lost our native Red squirrels as well!

  

OK

  

I get it and I see both sides of the story of course. For my part, I am a nature, wildlife and landscape photographer who prefers the company of animals and natural beauty to fellow humans who are systematically plundering Mother Earth's resources and killing off her beautiful creatures at an alarming rate! I believe there is a natural order of things, creatures kill other creatures to survive, they adapt to situations and when mankind encroaches on their territory to make a fast buck, those animals sometimes adapt to survive and the order changes. That is the balance of nature which is ever changing and affected by us..... the dumbest of the great apes. Some species are driven out by others, some may be destined to become extinct, the fittest will survive, and sometime a species will need intervention and help from mankind in order to survive... usually as a direct consequence of mankind's own actions in destroying the animal kingdom's natural habitat of course.

  

I adore these little fellas and at almost sixty years old, I never grew up knowing red squirrels at all. I've seen reds in Scotland and black squirrels in Stanley Park on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, but in my beloved home country of England I have always known and loved the cute little Greys. They visit my garden and give me hours, days, weeks of happiness and wonderful photographic opportunities, and I see them in Parks and forests all around me, so it's time to offer up an insight into the Grey squirrel, much loved, much hated... a sort of Marmite rodent if you will.

  

WHAT EXACTLY IS A SQUIRREL?

  

The word 'Squirrel', was first recorded in 1327 and hails from the Anglo-Norman word 'Esquirel', from old French 'Escurel', which was a reflex for the Latin word 'Sciurus'.The Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is also known as the Eastern Grey squirrel or simply grey squirrel depending on the region of the world it is found. It is a tree squirrel, of the squirrel family Sciuridae including over one hundred arboreal species native to all continents of the world other than Antarctica and Oceania. Tree squirrels live mostly in trees, apart from the flying squirrel. The best known genus is Sciurus, containing most of the bushy tailed squirrels which are found in Europe, North America, temperate Asia as well as central and south America.

  

The scientific classification for the Eastern Grey is:

 

KINGDOM: ANIMALIA PHYLUM: CHORDATA CLASS: MAMMALIA ORDER: RODENTIA FAMILY: SCIURIDAE GENUS: SCIURUS SUBGENUS: SCIURUS SPECIES: SCIURUS CAROLINENSIS

  

They were first noted by German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist, and malacologist - Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788.

  

A mammal and rodent, predominantly herbivorous they are none the less an omnivore with a life span of between two and ten years. They can grow to 70cm in length and weigh up to 8kg. There are more than two hundred and sixty species of worldwide squirrel, the smallest being the African pygmy squirrel at just 10cm in length, whereas the Indian giant squirrel is three feet long! The oldest fossil of a squirrel, Hesperopetes, dates back to the late Eocene epoch period Chadronian period of 40-35 million years ago. The tree squirrels rotate their ankles by 180 degrees, so that the hind paws pointy backwards gripping tree bark which enables them to descend a tree headfirst.

  

Originally native to Eastern and Midwestern United States of America, they were first introduced into the United Kingdom in 1876 in Henbury Park, Macclesfield in Cheshire when Victorian banker Thomas V. Brocklehurst released a pair of Greys that he brought back from a business trip to America after their attraction as pets had waned. Victorians had a penchant for collecting exotic animals and birds of the world, but trends came and went and subsequently animals were simply discarded into the wilderness. There are early records of greys released near Denbighshire in north Wales from private collections. Later introduced to several regions in the UK, they quickly settled and spread, colonizing an area of three hundred miles in a quarter of a century between Argyll and Stirlingshire in Scotland.

  

Introductions of the Greys between 1902 and 1929 (the year of the last recorded introduction), included: Regent’s Park in London, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire, Devon, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Hampshire. Grey Squirrels spread into Gloucestershire and eastern Wiltshire with animals coming directly from the United States or from Woburn. One hundred greys were released in Richmond Park in Surrey in 1902, Ninety one into Regent’s Park between 1905 and 1907 and a further ten New Jersey imported greys were introduced into Woburn Park in Bedfordshire.

  

Predators include hawks, weasels, raccoons, bobcats, foxes, domestic and feral cats, snakes, owls, and dogs, African harrier-hawks in Africa and... oh yes, Mankind pretty much everywhere who despise, mistreat, cull or eat it .

  

FACTS, MYTHS AND THAT POXY PARAPOX!

  

The massive decline in native red squirrels blamed upon the spread of the invasive greys has always been perhaps a little harsh as reds were already in a steep decline due to loss of habitat and disease and thus the greys simply took over the areas where the reds were dwindling. It's also a fact that reds were also seen as a plague, branded as pests who killed birds and damaged trees and the culling of reds almost brought them to the brink of extinction. Licenses to kill reds could still be obtained up until the seventies!

  

Reds suffered at the hands of mankind thanks to a combination of agricultural deforestation also linked with war and fuel needs which caused extinction in Southern Scotland and Ireland by the early eighteenth century, way before greys had been introduced. Harsh winters killed off the less hardy red population in the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

  

Greys are more adept at finding food and adapting to locations and environments, but also carry the squirrel poxvirus (SQPV) which although not particularly harmful to them, is a serious infection for the reds.

  

Parapox in red squirrels causes swollen lesions around the mouth, eyes, ears and nose also the front paws and sometimes genitals and skin ulcers and kills a red within fifteen days. There is no definitive correlation between the spread of the virus and the spread of the Greys, it actually arrived in several areas before the greys began to colonize there. An epidemic virus was observed in Red squirrels from at least 1900 with isolation attempts failing, and the first case of Parapox in the UK was in 1980 in the county of Norfolk. Greys cannot transmit the virus to reds via saliva or faeces, but reds can between each other from bodily secretions and at animal feeders in gardens. The transmission from greys to reds is though to come from parasites. Eight to ten per cent of reds survive the virus, and there is some evidence that reds are slowly building an evolved resistance.

  

Greys are seen as pests to forest land, stripping bark from trees during May and June, and are also capable of destroying household bins, water pipes, causing roof damage not to mention taking eggs and killing young chicks of ground nesting and songbird populations. They also take from bird feeders and there is a whole industry for creating squirrel proof feeders these days.

  

THE CULLING OF GREY SQUIRRELS

  

Grey squirrels have limited legal protection and can be legally controlled all year round by a variety of methods including shooting and trapping. Methods of trapping and killing include Drey poking and shooting, Tunnel trapping using spring traps set in accordance with BASC’s trapping pest mammals code of practice. They can also be shot using a shotgun or powerful air rifle or up until September 30th 2014 poisoned by Warfarin (Now outlawed).

  

Whilst professional trapping and extermination is hopefully done as humanely as possible, there have been cases, many of them where cost savings have been gained by battering the squirrels to death! Grey squirrels are trapped in ghastly metal contraptions for hours and hours, wearing themselves out frantically trying to escape by gnawing at the metals bars. They bite the floor and scratch at them with their claws and do not get a moments peace or rest through absolute fear. Once the traps are retrieved, each squirrel, terrified will be thrown into a sack and smacked on the head countless times with a blunt instrument. When a mother is slaughtered, her babies who are totally dependent on her, will die a slow death of thirst and starvation.

  

There is an argument for the control of Greys on many grounds but also a counter argument that Culling does not work, and has not on countless times where, once a population of greys have been culled, the nearest group will move back in and claim the land. The university of Bristol concluded that there was little evidence that culling greys to save red squirrels was effective, and that perhaps finding a way of boosting red squirrel immunity to the poxvirus or planting areas of yew trees where reds are known to thrive and spending money on research into positive moves might be a better option.

  

In Ireland, the re-introduction of the Pine marten, a species made extinct originally by the very same land owners who also wish to do the same to the grey squirrel, has seen the rapid demise of the grey and the reintroduction of the native reds. Red squirrels are smaller and more nimble than their grey counterparts, and as such can get to the very ends of tree branches where neither the pine martins, nor more importantly the heavier greys can, thus surviving and thriving. As a result in Ireland, the grey squirrel population has crashed in approximately 9,000 km2 of its former range and the reds has become common once more after a thirty year absence... oh and Pine Martens are protected again!

  

In Scotland, Pine Martens exist in areas where Red squirrels thrive, and greys do not. So perhaps there is a lesson here, as in England where there are no pine martens, the greys are prolific breeders. So there is an argument against the barbarity of shooting and poisoning greys, and if, as so many believe, the greys MUST be controlled, how about a more humane and natural method that nature intended.. with re-introduction of predators. Just a thought!

  

So a few facts and figures on the greys and to wrap up, from a purely personal perspective I love these little guys, as I do almost every creature in nature other than those eight legged beasties that shall not be named and for which I have a deep and powerful phobia that borders on paranoia!

  

I could no more harm an animal deliberately than eat a McDonald's McRib (Once saw how they are made and let me just say... eeeuuuuuwwwww!!).

  

They are small, cute, cuddly, furry, they photograph beautifully, have great personality and make me smile.

 

They trust me enough to take food from my hand in parks, and I can't bare the though of ugly, hairy land owners sticking a shotgun in their face and blowing them away! I appreciate they can be a pest, a problem, a menace, that their PR managers might have a bit of a problem winning you over when they flay small chicks alive on your lawn or decimate the songbird population by stealing their eggs....

 

and perhaps there is a need to keep the population under control and try and re-establish the red population.....

  

Yep I get that....

  

I just hope we can solve the problem more humanely to create a peaceful coexistence of the reds and greys in different areas. A man can dream can't he.

  

Paul Williams June 18th 2021

©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams).

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Five metres, at 13:34pm on Monday 9th January 2023, off the Mall and Horse Guards Road within the grounds of St James's Park in Central London, one of the Royal parks of London situated in South West London.

  

Here we see, Sciurus Carolinensis (Eastern Gray Squirrel or Grey Squirrel), a tree squirrel native to North America and first introduced to the UK in the 1870's. Though it was largely responsible for the decimation of our own native red squirrel population, those are now on the increase and found in certain parts of the UK including Scotland. The Greys are still an ecologically essential natural forester regenerator.

  

Nikon D850 Single-lens reflex digital camera F Mount with FX CMOS 35.9mm x 23.9mm Image sensor 46.89 Million total pixels Focal length 250mm Shutter speed: 1/250s Aperture f/6.3 iso400 Hand held with no Tamron vibration control set Image area Full Frame FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L 45.4Million pixels (8256 x 5504) 14 bit uncompressed AF-C Priority Selection: Release Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Matrix metering Active D-Lighting: Auto Vignette control: ON Normal White balance on: Auto1, 0, 0 Normal (4680k) Colour space: Adobe RGB Picture control: (SD) Standard (Sharpening +3) High ISO Noise Reduction NR: Normal

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 95mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup. Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.

  

LATITUDE: N 51d 30m 5.40s

LONGITUDE: W 0d 8m 13.70s

ALTITUDE: 5.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 65.6MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 39.80MB

     

PROCESSING POWER:

  

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.21 (8/12/2022) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (16/01/20) LF 1.00 Nikon Codec Full version 1.31.2 (09/11/2021)

  

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with Windows 10 Home edition AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. My Passport USB 3.0 2TB portable desktop hard drive. Nikon NX STUDIO 64bit Version 1.2.2 (08/12/2022). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.16.0 (08/12/2022). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

 

INDIAN OCEAN (Nov. 6, 2015) U.S. Marine Sgt. Taylor Harris performs maintenance on an MV-22B Osprey in the hangar bay of the USS Essex (LHD 2). Harris is a non-destructive inspection technician with Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 161 (Reinforced), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Marines with the MEU’s aviation combat element work together to ensure the aircraft are in good condition and safe to fly. The 15th MEU is currently deployed in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to promote regional stability and security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Anna Albrecht/Released)

Hurricane Sandy (also unofficially known as "Superstorm Sandy") was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Classified as the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba.[1] While it was a Category 2 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km)).[2][3] Estimates as of March 2014 assess damage to have been over $68 billion (2013 USD), a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina.[4] At least 286 people were killed along the path of the storm in seven countries.[5]

 

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas.[6] On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then[7] moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey, just to the northeast of Atlantic City, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.[1][8]

 

In Jamaica, winds left 70% of residents without electricity, blew roofs off buildings, killed one, and caused about $100 million (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy's outer bands brought flooding to Haiti, killing at least 54, causing food shortages, and leaving about 200,000 homeless; the hurricane also caused two deaths in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, one man was swept away by a swollen river. In Cuba, there was extensive coastal flooding and wind damage inland, destroying some 15,000 homes, killing 11, and causing $2 billion (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy caused two deaths and damage estimated at $700 million (2012 USD) in The Bahamas. In Canada, two were killed in Ontario and an estimated $100 million (2012 CAD) in damage was caused throughout Ontario and Quebec.[9]

 

In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city.[10][11] Damage in the United States amounted to $65 billion (2013 USD).[12]

 

coming/here/done

 

east islip wait to get gas

Money devices created by mankind to magnify the power of humans to do mostly egregious, destructive acts such as wage war and exploit natural resources in order to make nations powerful and a few rich. This illuminating history is told by Niall Ferguson, a Scotsman and a Harvard professor, who despite all the terrible mismanagement and failure he must relate, still believes that such a capitalistic money system is the best way to distribute resources, at least preferable to feudalism or central planning. So many assumptions are made about this system being for the greater good of society that reading the book was as tricky as wading through an issue of The Economist.

 

The author was favorably interviewed on NPR and his mission to educate people about our financial system seen as an honorable one, which was why Catherine bought the book. And given how so much of this history is being extrapolated to fuel conspiracy theories it is good to know the actual sequence of events. For instance, conspiracy theorists claim that the Rothschild family is so powerful today that they control not only banks, but numerous heads of state in an effort to create a New World Order designed to enslave citizens of the Western world. This is about as useful as claiming that Bill Gates created Windows to control PC users and thus the world. Wickipedia notes that the Rothchild conspiracy story was used by the Nazi's to generate anti-semitism.

 

The financial roots of anti-semitism goes back to the beginning of the story of money. Ferguson gives an explanation of how usury (loaning money at interest) was considered a sin by the old testament (though nothing is said about why that was the case). Jews were restrained by the sin of usury, but were allowed to loan money at interest to strangers, i.e. Christians. Money owed became synonymous with the outsider, and thus the hated other. Already money was making adversaries of the family of man.

 

At the time of Napoleon there were two systems of increasing the money supply—steal it through the plundering of an enemy or go into debt. The British prevailed because they invented bonds to allow governments to borrow from their citizens, force them, in some cases, to buy bonds, but apparently didn't force them to keep them. Along with bonds came traders to bet on the likelihood of that bond being paid off. The Rothschilds bet cunningly on the outcome of wars, thus the family also became associated with the ability to wage war. Bond markets set interest rates for the economy as a whole. Thus countries failing in some way are twice punished by investors wishing to get rid of its bonds which then causes interest rates to rise making money more expensive to borrow. This is how the bond market comes to control the decisions politicians make i.e. cut state spending or spend more.

 

Conspiracy theory claims that governments create financial crisis to scare the populace into accepting increased government power by, for instance, allowing governments to create a central bank which gives them even more control. I had wondered about this, but history shows that central banks were created early in the game by the Dutch in 1609 to insure currency stability and a way to exchange the many different currencies. Local banks betting on the solvency of a local industry i.e. agriculture would see their fortunes rise and fall with every crop failure. This kept people closely associated with their local resources which is a good thing for protecting the Commons, cultivating resilient seed stock and diversity of crops and industry per Vandana Shiva's Earth Democracy, but not a good thing at all for investors. And it is for the benefit of investors that lots of money must be created and made ever ready.

 

Conspiracy theorists do not seem to find fault with the creation of Corporate Companies with their many rights of personhood and none of responsibility. That territory is left to the Leftists. Ferguson describes the Company as another component of the ascent of money due to its power to raise enormous sums of money for private ventures. These ventures were mostly about financing ocean voyages to bring back booty from abroad. Which led to colonialism and the use of military to enforce British law overseas. Thus imperialism to protect investors from foreigners defaulting on their loans and thus not upholding their end of the business agreement. British law also forced opium on the Chinese market where opium was illegal. Fergusson does not find fault with the ascent of money for having financed such injustice, but seems to lament the rise of revolt in colonialized countries. After all, these countries benefited from such development as they would never have seen otherwise. Fergusson does make a point of comparing the current globalization to the colonial era.

 

Investment in corporations created stock markets and thus the volatility of stock market bubbles which caused international financial system meltdown when they burst. Fergusson attempts to explain why mismanagement on the part of government monetary policy made things worse, but he excuses the creation of bubbles in the first place as part of the territory of investor enthusiasm. He does mention that "only the Soviet Union, with its autarkic, planned economy, was unaffected". New word: autarkic. Fergusson does not concern himself with discussion of pros and cons of the Soviet System.

 

He does, however, shed much light on the creation of the welfare state as a form of risk management afforded by the government as opposed to private insurance. The encompassing, cradle to grave, government care covering health, education and everything else, he notes, is exemplified by the Japanese who were driven by a need to ensure a supply of healthy soldiers during WWII. Post-war the population was then persuaded to be as productive as possible which brought Japan the international success it has enjoyed. The same welfare system was the downfall of Britain, he laments, because a culture of individualism just did not indoctrinate the Brits with a desire to be productive and they were inclined "to game the system". (They wanted to be artists and activists protesting nukes while living off the dole.) Capitalism he notes, needs the carrot of serious wealth and the stick of serious hardship to force people to make capitalism work as it's supposed to.

 

The author brings us up to date on all the latest financial instruments and how hedge funds hedged themselves into oblivion with all their fancy foolproof equations. The only problem is people and their irrational human behavior he seems to conclude, never once considering that systems foster certain societal behaviors and keep people from engaging in such greed as is inevitable when enormous wealth is possible. While fear and feelings of insecurity cause people to wreck the marvelous capitalist system, destroying banks with bank runs and markets with panic. Much text is devoted to what governments should have done with proper monetary policy to control these panics and failures because, after all, a proper relationship between government policy and market shenanigans is what is key to the success of this system.

 

Much text is also devoted to countering complaints from the Left that monetary policies of the World Bank and IMF caused countries to eat their own in order to join the party of globalization. He also takes on the story of Chile. Fergusson is clearly on the side of Milton Friedman and his Chicago boys having brought financial stability and therefore democracy to Chile while Marxist policies had failed to rescue the welfare state, plagued as it was with sky high inflation.

 

The story of money seems inevitably to be a vehicle for an author's agenda. In this book it is done with a combination of moral relativity and the sin of omission. Nothing is said of the impact of greed on the environment, only that the industrial revolution could not have happened without an expanded supply of money. And though it is admitted that war cannot happen without financing this is not a problem that a man of finance need concern himself.

 

I have a firmer grasp, now, of the components of this complex financial machine, but it would seem that this is one of those complex systems of modern society that is beginning to offer diminishing returns.

CAPE MAY — Celebrate the beauty of spring during Cape May’s 22nd annual Spring Celebration sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC).

Experience this National Historic Landmark City’s charm and discover its fresh flavors, dramatic architecture and lively culture during the 10-day springtime celebration from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, May 7.

Step back in time with costumed characters during Cape May Time Capsule Trolley Tour, enjoy seven plated chocolate desserts during the Chocolate Lovers Feast, and learn about the destructive storms of recent history at a new exhibit at the Carroll Gallery. Enjoy lunch or afternoon tea at the newly reopened Carriage House Café & Tearoom, stop by crafts and collectibles shows, step inside Cape May’s private residences on a Private Homes Tour, hear spooky stories on a ghost tour and more.

Cape May’s 22nd Annual Spring Celebration features a tempting selection of food and wine events:

Enjoy the 2017 season reopening of Cape May’s Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Gracious, yet casual, dining awaits with a café menu that includes signature sandwiches, salads and tea sandwiches, as well as homemade soups and quiche, plus the popular Classic Tea Luncheon and Afternoon Tea featuring loose tea service and specialty teas from the House of Tea in Philadelphia. The Carriage House Café & Tearoom reopens for the season April 28. Spring hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. through June 15. The Carriage House Café & Tearoom is open daily from June 16 through Oct. 31 (except Aug. 5 and Sept. 16). Parking is free.

If you delight over a good whodunit, you’ll enjoy Murder Mystery Dinners at Aleathea’s Restaurant at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean Street. Join the Impromptu Players as they set the scene for the original mystery, “Marriage and Other Crimes” and enjoy a four-course dinner as you contemplate the clues, interact with the cast and help solve the mystery as it unfolds on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person.

It’s a bountiful feast for chocolate lovers! Enjoy seven plated courses of delicious chocolate desserts and hear how each was created from the chef who prepared it during the popular Chocolate Lovers Feast at The Blue Rose Inn. This is a limited event so reserve early. The Blue Rose Inn, 653 Washington St. Saturday, April 29 at 1 p.m. Admission is $40.

See the interiors of select Cape May properties on the Chocolate Tasting Tour, a self-guided tour that includes a mouth-watering chocolate treat at each stop. This tour celebrates the variety of ways that chocolate desserts are delicious and Cape May properties are beautiful, on Saturday, May 6, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $20 adults, $15 children (ages 3-12).

What was under all those layers of Victorian garments? Discover what proper ladies and gentlemen wore in this overview (or underview?) of Victorian undergarments during Show Us Your Undies Brunch & Fashion Show at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Grand Oak Plantation will show you what shaped the fashionable Victorian lady; you’ll even see what the proper gentleman had to cope with to dress for the day. Saturday, May 6 at 10 a.m. Admission is $25, which includes fashion show and brunch.

Discover Cape May’s “other” side during tours that focus on the paranormal or the odd or strange; hear haunting tales and discover the bizarre side of the nation’s first seaside resort and maybe even experience an actual ghost or two:

Board a MAC trolley for the Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tour, a 30-minute evening ride through the streets of Cape May. The paranormal findings of Cape May’s popular psychic medium and ghost writer Craig McManus come alive as your trolley guide tells of McManus’ supernatural findings. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children (ages 3-12). Tours are offered on Fridays, April 28 and May 5 and Saturdays, April 29 and May 6. Times vary.

Get into the spirit of things on a guided tour of the historic (some say haunted) Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., during Historic Haunts House Tours offered Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 7:45 p.m. There you will visit a home séance room of the 1890s and learn of the Victorians’ fascination with spiritualism along with today’s methods of “ghost hunting.” Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children (ages 3-12). Take the Historic Haunts Combo Tour and combine the Ghosts of Cape May trolley tour with a visit to the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May’s original “haunted” house. Admission is $22 for adults and $14 for children (ages 3-12). Tours are offered Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 7:15 p.m.

Take a trolley tour through parts of West Cape May to the Cape May Lighthouse and hear tales of ghostly activity along the way during the Ghosts of the Lighthouse Trolley Tour on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 8 p.m. Meet the Lighthouse Keeper who will relate a ghostly tale inside the Cape May Light and climb the 199 steps to the top. Admission is $22 for adults and $14 for children (ages 3-12).

Headless photography? Electric corsets? Coffin torpedoes? Explore some of the strange beliefs, superstitions, oddities, fads, curiosities and mysteries from the end of the 19th century — the Victorian era — during Cape Mayhem Trolley Tour, a 30-minute trolley tour through the gaslit streets of Cape May. Hear stories from Cape May’s history that are bizarre, unexplained or just downright weird. Offered on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $12 adults, $8 children (ages 3-12).

A National Historic Landmark City and one of “America’s 20 Prettiest Towns,” Cape May is the perfect place to step back into a gentler era and explore the city’s magnificent Victorian architecture and seaside beauty:

Experience Cape May’s history up close, through the eyes of those who lived it during the Cape May Time Capsule Trolley Tour. Meet characters from the past who visited, lived and worked in Cape May, as your trolley travels through town. Costumed historical interpreters bring to life 200 years of the town’s history. Offered at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 6. Admission is $35 and includes a box lunch with tea sandwiches.

Hunt for unique hand-made crafts and delightful collectibles at Spring Celebration Crafts & Collectibles at the Physick Estate shows on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., becomes an outdoor marketplace as vendors from throughout the Northeast display their wares. Family-friendly activities include bubbles, games, and historic characters. New in 2017! Eatwell Food Truck will offer delectables to munch on. Admission is free and free parking is available.

Take advantage of the rare opportunity to see inside some of Cape May’s fine private residences on the Spring Festival Private Homes Tour, Saturdays, April 29 and May 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy touring a variety of interesting homes from the Victorian era to the 21st century that are not normally open to the public. Tickets are limited, so purchase early. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children (ages 3-12).

The new theme for guided tours of the Emlen Physick Estate, “Let’s Go Shopping! Victorian Consumer Culture” begins April 28. Learn about shopping during the Victorian era and hear about where Dr. Emlen Physick and his mother might have gone to purchase necessities and luxuries for his 1879 mansion. The new theme will run through April 2018 (except during the holiday season). Tours are offered year-round and admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children (ages 3-12). Tours can also be combined with trolley tours of Cape May’s Historic District. Meet with the good doctor, Dr. Physick himself, when “The Dr. is In” on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Estate.

Stroll Dr. Physick’s neighborhood on tree-lined Washington Street and hear about the families who lived there and the architecture of the homes during Dr. Physick’s Neighborhood Walking Tour. Explore one of Cape May's great mysteries - why the Doctor chose to live in this area of Cape May. Offered on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 11:15 a.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for children (ages 3-12). Enjoy lunch anytime from noon to 4 p.m. along with your walk on Dr. Physick’s Neighborhood Walking Tour & Café Combo, at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Admission is $20 and includes lunch and the tour.

New in 2017! Climb aboard Cape May’s newest trolley tour to hear tales of the Underground Railroad in Cape May during the Underground Railroad Trolley Tour. Hear how, fleeing their chains in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, African American slaves braved strong currents and stormy seas, guided by the beacon at the Cape May Lighthouse. Hear how legendary anti-slavery fighter, Harriet Tubman, walked these streets, as did businessman and former slave, Stephen Smith, whose railroad cars carried hundreds to freedom. Offered on Saturday, April 29 at 2:15 p.m. Co-presented by the Center for Community Arts (CCA) and the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities.

At the southernmost tip of New Jersey, Cape May is especially vulnerable to the elements. Hurricanes, Nor’easters and blizzards have all left the city with a flood of memories and haunting images of utter devastation. Images taken after the Storm of 1962, which devastated the Cape May beachfront and boardwalk and caused catastrophic flooding throughout Cape May County will be featured in a new exhibit, “Cape May’s Stormy Past: From the Pages of The First Resort” that opens Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Carroll Gallery in the Carriage House of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Admission is free. Friday, April 28 through Monday, Oct. 9. Open daily; times vary.

Learn about and tour a historic bed & breakfast inn on the Angel of the Sea Guided Tour. Inn staff guide you on this tour of the first floor, porches and exteriors including the history of the building. Offered Tuesdays through Thursdays, beginning May 2 at 12:15 p.m. Admission is $8.

Board the Cape May Whale Watcher for a sightseeing cruise around the island of Cape May. On the Around Cape Island Cruise, guests can view the majestic Victorian architecture and enjoy tales of local heroes, legends and history. The cruise is offered April 29-30 and May 3-7 at 10 a.m. during Spring Celebration. Admission is $30 for adults and $20 for children (ages 7-12). Purchase tickets in advance at the Washington Street Mall information Booth or at the Hill House office at the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Co-sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) and the Cape May Whale Watcher.

Climb the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse up the 199 steps to the watch gallery for a panoramic view of the Jersey Cape and Atlantic Ocean. For those who choose not to climb, the Oil House contains a fully-accessible Visitors' Orientation Center and a Museum Shop stocked with maritime accessories and lighthouse memorabilia. Open Saturday and Sunday, beginning April 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tower admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children (ages 3-12).

Visit the World War II Tower Lookout Museum and Memorial (Fire Control Tower No. 23) on Sunset Boulevard, New Jersey’s last freestanding World War II tower, part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. Visitors can climb to the 6th floor spotting gallery while reliving the homeland defense efforts during World War II. The ground floor of the tower is fully accessible. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children (ages 3-12). (One child free with paying adult).

And, a week after Spring Celebration…Come to Cape May to celebrate Mother’s Day under the tent at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom with brunch and enjoy live jazz from The Great American Songbook during Jazz Brunch at the Estate for Mother’s Day, featuring the Herb Moore Duo. Sunday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is $30 and parking is free at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Advance reservations strongly recommended.

To purchase tickets or for more information about these events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278. Tickets may also be purchased for many of these events online at MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. Purchase tickets in person by visiting the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. during regular business hours, or during hours of operation at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth, Washington Street Mall at Ocean St., Cape May.

The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. For information about restaurants, accommodations and shopping, call the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May at 609-884-5508. For information about historic accommodations, contact Cape May Historic Accommodations at www.capemaylodging.com.

 

Hickory Cove NP

Katherine "Katie" Power can convert matter into raw energy. She severs the molecular bonds of any matter (solid, liquid or gas) that she can touch with her hands.

 

The process releases the matter’s potential energy, which Katie absorbs into her body.

 

When Katie absorbs enough energy, her body will radiate a bright golden light.

 

Blasts and healing factor

 

Katie can expel the absorbed energy from her body at will. When she does so, it erupts from her chest in the form of concussive blasts of energy. She has nicknamed them “Power Balls” due to their spherical shape.

 

The destructive power of each blast is proportional to the amount of energy Katie has at hand. Under normal circumstances, she can bring down a building with multiple balls.

 

Her most powerful blast rendered Kurse unconscious.

 

Finally, Katie’s body heals at an increased rate. She can recover from broken bones within days and has a high degree of immunity to disease. With concentration, Katie can increase her healing rate exponentially.

 

Paraphernalia

 

Katie wears a special uniform, created by the smart-ship Friday. It is stored “Elsewhere” until she commands it to materialize.

 

The costume protects her from temperature extremes, is highly resistant to tearing and has a transmitter within it that allows her to communicate with Friday.

 

The costume also has pockets which are actually apertures into an adjacent dimension, other realms of existence that are not our universe. Katie can store and retrieve objects from the pockets which clearly should not be able to fit within them. The maximum carry capacity of the pockets is unknown.

 

Description

 

Katie is an extremely cute and adorable six year old, with long strawberry blonde hair and bright, inquisitive blue eyes.

 

Katie almost always wears her long hair in two tightly braided pigtails. She has a “cute as a button” nose, and a dynamite smile. She’s of average height and weight for her age group.

 

A pair of silver ridged boots complete her costume. The boots are reminiscent of those an astronaut may wear.

 

Personality

 

In many ways, Katie is a typical six year old. At any given moment, she can be: kind, generous, excited, loud, sensitive, jealous, bratty, possessive, selfish, insensitive, etc..

 

However, there are several aspects of her personality that differentiate her from her peers.

 

Katie is exceptionally brave. She is capable of acting in situations that would leave the average adult frozen in fear. Regardless of how scared she may be, Katie will always act when an innocent is in danger.

 

She is also strongly assertive, and has a clear idea of what’s right and wrong in the world. She will not allow anyone (siblings or not) to control her actions, and has resolved to never use her powers to kill a living being.

 

Katie is also exceptionally bright. Outside of her unusual understanding of the physical sciences, she’s bright enough to recognize that she is very cute. She uses this advantage constantly for things as simple as getting out of punishments from her parents, to getting other heroes to reveal their secret identities to her.

 

With the barest of efforts, she has endeared herself to New York City heroes including: Wolverine (James Howlett), Thor (Thor Odinson), Cloak (Tyrone Johnson) and Dagger (Tandy Bowen), and Spider-Man (Peter Parker).

 

Quotes

 

“I want my MOMMY ! I WANT TO GO HOME !”

 

“I can disintegrate stuff ! WATCH ! Dagger, are you watching me ?”

 

“GET AWAY from my SISTER !”

 

“It’s MINE ! Give it back ! The tooth fairy gave me it when we were out in space ! It means I’m the most SPECIAL one …”

 

“See, Franklin ? See ? My Energizer power’s the best… I can disintegrate stuff and fire Power Balls…”

 

“Mister Spidey, is it true that all superheroes have to eat all their Brussels sprouts like my big sister Julie says ?”

 

“I… guess… when he gave us his powers and told us to save our world…. he meant this one too… even if it is full of crummy Snarks !”

 

Profile

 

Real Name: Katherine “Katie” Power.

Known Relatives: James Power (Father), Margaret Power (Mother), Jack Power (Brother), Julie Power (Sister), Alexander Power (Brother), Roy Craig (Grandfather).

Group Affiliation: Power Pack.

Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA.

Height: 3’7″ (1.09m). Weight: 41 lbs. (18 Kg.).

Eyes: Blue. Hair: Strawberry Blonde.

 

Power Pack Origin

 

Long ago the Kymellians destroyed their homeworld attempting to generate energy via a matter/anti-matter conversion, causing a cataclysmic chain reaction.

 

When Aelfyre "Whitey" Whitemane, a Kymellian studying humanity by tapping into mankind's transmissions and computer network, learned a human scientist, Dr. James Power, was about to test the same process on Earth, he felt he had to intervene in spite of his race's non-interference laws.

 

He sent a signal to his people requesting permission, but it was intercepted by the warlike Snarks (slang for the race translated to English as Z^nrx or Sn^rx), who sent ships to steal the process. They shot down Whitey's Smartship Friday, though not before he managed to remotely wipe Power's computers, leaving James the only person who knew the process.

 

The aerial battle was witnessed from the Powers' beachfront house by Katie, James' youngest daughter, but the rest of the family believed her sighting to be shooting stars.

 

Hoping for more stellar displays, the Power children-Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie-slept out on the porch; that night Katie spotted Friday floating in the sea, and they went to have a closer look.

 

Jack and Julie returned home to get their parents, but as they neared the house they saw the Snarks capturing James and Margaret Power. The children tried to stop the aliens, but were about to be killed when Whitey intervened.

 

Though he saved the kids, Whitey was badly wounded, and the Snarks escaped with the two adults. Before he expired, Whitey transferred his ability to control aspects of energy, mass, acceleration, and gravity to the children.

 

At Jack's suggestion they each chose super-hero names: Alex became Gee, able to control gravity; as Lightspeed, Julie could fly and left a trail of rainbow light; Katie became Energizer, able to convert physical objects to energy, then absorb and discharge it as destructive bolts; while Jack's ability to become cloud-like and later tiny and super-dense made him Mass Master (failing to appreciate that, perhaps due to human/Kymellian variation, he altered his density and volume, not his mass).

 

Friday provided them with unstable molecule costumes, and they dubbed themselves Power Pack.

 

They saved the world from annihilation by destroying their father's prototype conversion device, but his boss Carmody recognized them, assuming them to be mutants.

 

They rescued their parents from the Snarks, whose interrogation methods had destroyed portions of their father's memories, leaving him unable to recreate his process.

 

Carmody reported them to the government, but his anti-mutant obsession and attempts to harm them backfired; a mutant detector marked them as human, and after Carmody endangered the children, Dr. Power quit, taking a job in New York.

 

Within days of arriving in the Big Apple, Power Pack encountered Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger, Dragon-Man, and Marina, as well as enduring the travails of starting new schools and making new friends.

 

They encountered the Morlocks and the X-Men in the sewers, being briefly kidnapped and brainwashed to replace Annalee's dead children. Carmody returned, using a Project: PEGASUS surplus battlesuit to become the Bogeyman, but was warned off by the children's new friends, the Asgardian Warriors Three.

 

Shortly after this, Franklin Richards, son of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, began to see Power Pack in prophetic dreams, while on Snarkworld Whitey's cousin Kofi learned that High Snark Jakal was heading to Earth to steal the children's abilities, hoping to use them to become the next Emperor.

 

Kofi raced to warn them, but was shot down, crashing near the Statue of Liberty. Franklin encountered the Power children in Central Park and led them to the injured Kymellian, but they were ambushed by Jakal. Assisted by Franklin and Kofi, they defeated him, and Franklin joined Power Pack as Tattletale.

 

Soon after they met the Beyonder during his super-hero phase, and fought Kurse after he hospitalized their mother, later assisting Thor and Beta Ray Bill in defeating the dark elf.

 

Next they stopped demons hoping to gain power to overthrow their ruler Magik (Illyana Rasputin), from sacrificing Katie, while Magik's teammate Mirage used her Valkyrie powers to keep Death from claiming Margaret Power.

 

Jakal's mother Maraud kidnapped the Power children and Kofi, taking them to Snarkworld, with Franklin pursuing in Friday.

 

Jakal stole the Pack's powers, and tried to kill Snark Emperor Bhadsha, but Franklin and an escaped Kofi rescued him. Meanwhile the transferred powers proved too much for Jakal, and they reverted back, but not to the original owners.

 

Alex gained the energy powers as Destroyer; Julie, the mass powers, becoming Molecula; Katie, the flight, to become Starstreak, while Jack became Counterweight with the gravity powers.

 

Jakal, his brain failing, allowed the dying Bhadsha's mind to be transferred into his healthy body.

 

Power Pack returned to Earth to be reunited with their worried parents, who learned of their unusual friends, but not their powers, at this juncture.

 

Soon after this, Power Pack fought Sabretooth during the Marauders massacre of the Morlocks and helped X-Factor rescue Leech and Caliban.

 

They met the Avengers and Fantastic Four, and Mr. and Mrs. Power befriended Franklin's superpowered parents.

 

Over the next few weeks Power Pack fought the drug dealing gang Trash and their employer, the Garbage Man, adventured with Madcap, stopped Master Mold from killing Franklin, and fought alongside X-Factor against the Horsemen of Apocalypse, preventing his ship from crashing into the Statue of Liberty.

 

They saved the young mutant Rebecca Littlehale from her out-of-control teleportation powers, but later she was kidnapped by the Bogeyman, who tried to sell her and Starstreak to the demon N'Astirh.

 

Though he was stopped by Power Pack and the New Mutants, he soon returned, transformed by N'Astirh into a demon, and attacked the Power family during Inferno, when demons invaded New York.

 

To save their parents, the children were forced to reveal their powers; Margaret and James seemed unable to cope with the revelation, so the New Mutant Mirage convinced them the superpowered children were illusions she had generated to fool the Bogeyman.

 

In the following months the Pack met Dakota North and the Punisher, and Katie fell into an extra-dimensional pocket of her costume, ending up in Elsewhere, the realm from which the costumes were cleaned and transported.

 

Then they visited the artificial Kymellian homeworld, where they met Force 4, Kymellian heroes, and learned that Kofi's father Yrik had brainwashed their parents to ensure the children's abilities could remain secret; it was this conditioning that had caused the adverse reactions when the powers were revealed.

 

Angered, Power Pack and Kofi ran away, just before Maraud attacked Kymellia. Meanwhile, Power Pack encountered Numinus, cosmic embodiment of the wonders of the universe, and learned she intended them to save the Kymellians from stagnation and extinction.

 

Returning to Kymellia, they ran into Maraud and were forced to transfer their powers to her, but when she broke her promise not to attack Kymellia again, they wrested them back.

 

Julie regained the flight powers, as Lightspeed; while Jack, Alex and Katie took the Destroyer, Mass Master, and Counterweight powers and names, respectively. They defeated Maraud, and the Kymellians moved from their artificial world to a verdant new planet, rejecting excessive technology.

 

The Kymellian Technocrat, unhappy with this, kidnapped the Power adults and replaced them with artificial duplicates at an unspecified point soon after, planning to extract the matter/anti-matter process from James Power's mind.

 

He hoped to use this to destroy the new homeworld and force his race back to an artificial one. Alex began to suspect the switch so he was also replaced.

 

Back on Earth Power Pack fought Typhoid Mary and prevented Mysterio from frightening everyone out of their apartment building.

 

"Alex" began to lose his hair, his form reverting to its true appearance. Power Pack battled the son of the Star-Stalker alongside Galactus' herald Nova (Frankie Raye), an Elan child, and a fireproof tramp called Raymond.

 

Seeing the battle on TV, "Margaret Power" had a breakdown, while "James" finally learned his children's secret. Soon after, "Alex" transformed physically into a Kymellian.

 

Mr. Fantastic tried to return him to normal, but an attack by the Red Ghost and his Super Apes interrupted the attempt. With "Margaret" catatonic and "Alex" stuck in his alien form, the Power family traveled the world looking for a cure, meeting Excalibur in Britain and the "Monster from the Lost Lagoon" family in the Caribbean.

 

Unable to find help on Earth, they flew to Kymellia, where Power Pack learned of the substitutions, and defeated both the Technocrat and Maraud. They switched powers around again, finally ending up with each having their original powers, and the reunited Power family returned to Earth.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: Katie Power

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First appearance: Power Pack #1 (Aug 1984)

 

Created by: Louise Simonson (Writer)

June Brigman (Artist)

 

* Alex Power seen here!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/53157840259/

 

Jack Power seen here!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/53108536747/

 

Julie Power seen here!

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/53126198308/

 

(File: Z7A3480-SEfPro).

 

A couple of minutes after this was captured, the storm hit and flipped my glider up and backwards, slamming it down and probably writing it off due to the damage sustained. it was one of four gliders treated similarly.

so destructive and cold hearted.

Starring Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox. Directed by Andrew Marton.

youtu.be/vIevnwsLDW8

 

Paramount distributed this big-budget production by Security Pictures in the spring of 1965. Crack in the World (CW) was partially a sci-fi movie and partially a disaster movie. Like many of the disaster-genre that would follow, the destructive power of nature itself -- rather than a giant reptile -- is the monster. Solid actors, a decent budget and ample action make CW one of the mid-60s' big A-level sci-fi movies.

 

Synopsis

Project Inner Earth, headed by Dr. Steven Sorensen, plans to tap into the molten core of the earth to supply unlimited power for mankind. Their problem is that they've encountered an extremely tough shell around the core which no drill can penetrate. Sorensen wants to use a nuclear missile to punch through that shell. Dr. Ted Rampion is worried that the earth's crust is too fragile, due to all the previous nuclear weapons tests. Some complex back story about Steve's wife Maggie (a much younger woman) being Ted's former girlfriend clouds the issue. Steve finding out that he has a terminal illness clouds his judgement too. Steve convinces his bosses to let him fire the nuke and does so. All seems to have gone as planned. The magma wells up and everyone is pleased. That is, until massive earthquakes start wiping out towns and a giant rip in the earth's crust appears. To make matters worse, the rip lengthens steadily. If it goes all the way around the earth, it could break in half and disintegrate. Ted and his team plant another nuclear bomb in a pacific island volcano to stop the rip. This seems to succeed, but the rip turns back towards its origin. More earthquakes and destruction. Steve is a jerk to Maggie. Ted is heroic. Steve is almost too ill to continue. The project base is wracked with tremors. Ted and Maggie escape, but Steve remains behind to record events. The crack meets its origin point. A glowing ball of magma rises into the fiery night sky. Earth now has two moons. A squirrel comes out of hiding in a hole. Ted and Maggie hug for joy. The End.

  

CW is an action-packed disaster flick. Lava, landslides, train wrecks and lots and lots of explosions. Any 12-year-old boy cannot help but love this film.

 

CW is a strong example of the Nuclear Caution branch of Cold War morals. Man, recklessly misusing nukes, sets off a chain reaction (much like modern wars have been) which threaten to destroy the world as we know it. A "counter strike" of another nuke (in the volcano) averts total annihilation, but leaves millions dead and the earth scarred forever. All this makes for quite a blatant nuclear cautionary tale.

 

Sci-fi, as a genre, is hardly famous for strict scientific accuracy. Aliens who look perfectly human and speak English? Big monsters who can eat whole cities, yet never have to poop? But never mind. CW's flawed scientific premise is that the earth's crust is an integral shell. The integrity of this shell is what keeps the earth from flying apart due to centrifugal force. Of course, if that were true, us unattached humans ought to be flying off into space. But never mind. Knowledge of Plate Techtonics was not new in 1965, but it had not filtered down to the popular level yet. Modern viewers will scoff at CW. The earth has always had cracks in it, and works rather well that way. But, to non-scientists in the mid 60s, with a hard-shell view of the earth, the premise was more credible and pretty frightening.

 

Dr. Steve Sorensen fills the customary role of misguided (mad) scientist in several ways. He wants to do some beneficial deed for mankind, but miscalculates and causes destruction. In this case, it is nature (the earth) who becomes the monster. Per the customary role, poetic justice prevails. The monster kills the offending scientist for his haste or hubris. Once he's dead, and his sin atoned for, the rightful order is restored (lovers kiss and small furry animals emerge from their burrows)

 

Many a sci-fi movie has been hobbled with tangled drama. CW is no different. In the midst of the impending destruction of the earth, Steve can still be a petty jerk to his young wife. Maggie can still be conflicted over her less-cerebral lust for Ted. Ted can still show off his big biceps, etc. This seems quite reminiscent of Catwomen of the Moon, where upon meeting another race of beings who are openly hostile, the main characters obsess over who loves whom. Perhaps astute movie producers knew that their young audiences were likely still mired in that high-school drama mindset, in which who liked whom and who was being a jerk to whom, etc. was more important than anything -- even the destruction of the earth.

 

Movie goers of the early 60s would probably have "felt" that Ted and Maggie really belonged together anyhow. Kieron Moore and Janette Scott had starred together before CW, as lighthouse-bound husband and wife biologists in Day of the Triffids ('62): another Security Pictures film. They would team up again in Security Pictures' Bikini Paradise ('67) -- a comedy outside of this study's scope.

 

Bottom line? CW is a well done disaster flick with ample entertainment value. There is plenty of action and the special effects respectable enough. After a steady diet of ultra-low budget movies, CW plays like an epic blockbuster.Doomsday movies abound, but few are as offbeat as this one. It tells of a runaway fault line that threatens to circle the earth and crack it in two like an eggshell. Far-fetched? Yes. Good fun? You bet. The trouble begins after scientists explode an atomic bomb underground to tap an unlimited supply of geothermal energy. But instead they trigger a cataclysm. While the crack girdles the earth, there's time for romance and frantic 11th-hour attempts to save humanity. Dana Andrews heads the cast as Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a scientist in a control center monitoring the progress of the crack opened by the explosion. He and co-stars Janette Scott (Dr. Maggie Sorenson), Kieron Moore (Dr. Ted Rampion), and Alexander Knox (Sir Charles Eggerston) all perform capably as they attempt to forestall doomsday with crack-stopping schemes. Although Crack in the World is a B-movie, it has an intelligent script that relies more on judicious pacing and suspense-building than on special effects. Consequently, it is superior to so-so doomsday flicks such as Asteroid (1997), Meteorites (1998), Armageddon (1998), and Independence Day (1996). Experts in plate tectonics -- a science that studies the strata making up the earth's outer shell -- may pooh-pooh the plot as implausible. Then again, they just might enjoy seeing Mother Nature throw a tantrum.

 

Starring Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox. Directed by Andrew Marton.

youtu.be/vIevnwsLDW8

 

Paramount distributed this big-budget production by Security Pictures in the spring of 1965. Crack in the World (CW) was partially a sci-fi movie and partially a disaster movie. Like many of the disaster-genre that would follow, the destructive power of nature itself -- rather than a giant reptile -- is the monster. Solid actors, a decent budget and ample action make CW one of the mid-60s' big A-level sci-fi movies.

 

Synopsis

Project Inner Earth, headed by Dr. Steven Sorensen, plans to tap into the molten core of the earth to supply unlimited power for mankind. Their problem is that they've encountered an extremely tough shell around the core which no drill can penetrate. Sorensen wants to use a nuclear missile to punch through that shell. Dr. Ted Rampion is worried that the earth's crust is too fragile, due to all the previous nuclear weapons tests. Some complex back story about Steve's wife Maggie (a much younger woman) being Ted's former girlfriend clouds the issue. Steve finding out that he has a terminal illness clouds his judgement too. Steve convinces his bosses to let him fire the nuke and does so. All seems to have gone as planned. The magma wells up and everyone is pleased. That is, until massive earthquakes start wiping out towns and a giant rip in the earth's crust appears. To make matters worse, the rip lengthens steadily. If it goes all the way around the earth, it could break in half and disintegrate. Ted and his team plant another nuclear bomb in a pacific island volcano to stop the rip. This seems to succeed, but the rip turns back towards its origin. More earthquakes and destruction. Steve is a jerk to Maggie. Ted is heroic. Steve is almost too ill to continue. The project base is wracked with tremors. Ted and Maggie escape, but Steve remains behind to record events. The crack meets its origin point. A glowing ball of magma rises into the fiery night sky. Earth now has two moons. A squirrel comes out of hiding in a hole. Ted and Maggie hug for joy. The End.

  

CW is an action-packed disaster flick. Lava, landslides, train wrecks and lots and lots of explosions. Any 12-year-old boy cannot help but love this film.

 

CW is a strong example of the Nuclear Caution branch of Cold War morals. Man, recklessly misusing nukes, sets off a chain reaction (much like modern wars have been) which threaten to destroy the world as we know it. A "counter strike" of another nuke (in the volcano) averts total annihilation, but leaves millions dead and the earth scarred forever. All this makes for quite a blatant nuclear cautionary tale.

 

Sci-fi, as a genre, is hardly famous for strict scientific accuracy. Aliens who look perfectly human and speak English? Big monsters who can eat whole cities, yet never have to poop? But never mind. CW's flawed scientific premise is that the earth's crust is an integral shell. The integrity of this shell is what keeps the earth from flying apart due to centrifugal force. Of course, if that were true, us unattached humans ought to be flying off into space. But never mind. Knowledge of Plate Techtonics was not new in 1965, but it had not filtered down to the popular level yet. Modern viewers will scoff at CW. The earth has always had cracks in it, and works rather well that way. But, to non-scientists in the mid 60s, with a hard-shell view of the earth, the premise was more credible and pretty frightening.

 

Dr. Steve Sorensen fills the customary role of misguided (mad) scientist in several ways. He wants to do some beneficial deed for mankind, but miscalculates and causes destruction. In this case, it is nature (the earth) who becomes the monster. Per the customary role, poetic justice prevails. The monster kills the offending scientist for his haste or hubris. Once he's dead, and his sin atoned for, the rightful order is restored (lovers kiss and small furry animals emerge from their burrows)

 

Many a sci-fi movie has been hobbled with tangled drama. CW is no different. In the midst of the impending destruction of the earth, Steve can still be a petty jerk to his young wife. Maggie can still be conflicted over her less-cerebral lust for Ted. Ted can still show off his big biceps, etc. This seems quite reminiscent of Catwomen of the Moon, where upon meeting another race of beings who are openly hostile, the main characters obsess over who loves whom. Perhaps astute movie producers knew that their young audiences were likely still mired in that high-school drama mindset, in which who liked whom and who was being a jerk to whom, etc. was more important than anything -- even the destruction of the earth.

 

Movie goers of the early 60s would probably have "felt" that Ted and Maggie really belonged together anyhow. Kieron Moore and Janette Scott had starred together before CW, as lighthouse-bound husband and wife biologists in Day of the Triffids ('62): another Security Pictures film. They would team up again in Security Pictures' Bikini Paradise ('67) -- a comedy outside of this study's scope.

 

Bottom line? CW is a well done disaster flick with ample entertainment value. There is plenty of action and the special effects respectable enough. After a steady diet of ultra-low budget movies, CW plays like an epic blockbuster.Doomsday movies abound, but few are as offbeat as this one. It tells of a runaway fault line that threatens to circle the earth and crack it in two like an eggshell. Far-fetched? Yes. Good fun? You bet. The trouble begins after scientists explode an atomic bomb underground to tap an unlimited supply of geothermal energy. But instead they trigger a cataclysm. While the crack girdles the earth, there's time for romance and frantic 11th-hour attempts to save humanity. Dana Andrews heads the cast as Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a scientist in a control center monitoring the progress of the crack opened by the explosion. He and co-stars Janette Scott (Dr. Maggie Sorenson), Kieron Moore (Dr. Ted Rampion), and Alexander Knox (Sir Charles Eggerston) all perform capably as they attempt to forestall doomsday with crack-stopping schemes. Although Crack in the World is a B-movie, it has an intelligent script that relies more on judicious pacing and suspense-building than on special effects. Consequently, it is superior to so-so doomsday flicks such as Asteroid (1997), Meteorites (1998), Armageddon (1998), and Independence Day (1996). Experts in plate tectonics -- a science that studies the strata making up the earth's outer shell -- may pooh-pooh the plot as implausible. Then again, they just might enjoy seeing Mother Nature throw a tantrum.

 

I correctly forecast single costliest natural disaster ever world wide in great detail.

  

On the evening of June 15, 1896, the northeast coast of Hondo, the main island of Japan, was struck by a great earthquake wave (tsunami), which was more destructive of life and property than any earthquake convulsion of this century in that empire. The whole coastline of the San-Riku, the three provinces of Rikuzen, Rikuchu, and Rikuoku, from the island of Kinkwazan, 38° 20' north, northward for 175 miles, was laid waste by a great wave moving from the east and south, that varied in recorded height from 10 to 50 feet. A few survivors, who saw it advancing in the darkness, report its height as 80 to 100 feet. With a difference of but thirty minutes in time between the southern and northern points, it struck the San-Riku coast and in a trice obliterated towns and villages, killed 26,975 people out of the original population, and grievously wounded the 5,390 survivors. It washed away and wrecked 9,313 houses, stranded some 300 larger craft—steamers, schooners, and junks—and crushed or carried away 10,000 fishing boats, destroying property to the value of six million yen. Thousands of acres of arable land were turned to wastes, projecting rocks offshore were broken, overturned, or moved hundreds of yards, shallows and bars were formed, and in some localities the entire shoreline was changed.

  

They were all seafaring communities along this coast strip and the fisheries were the chief industry. The shipment of sea products to the great ports was the main connection with the outer world. A high mountain range bars communication with the trunk railway line of the island, and this picturesque, fiord-cut coast is so remote and so isolated that only two foreigners had been seen in the region in ten years, with the exception of the French mission priest, Father Raspail, who lost his life in the flood. With telegraph offices, instruments, and operators carried away, word came slowly to Tokyo, and with 50 to 100 miles of mountain roads between the nearest railway station and the seacoast aid was long in reaching the wretched survivors. When adequate idea of the calamity reached the capital and the cities, men-of-war, soldiers, sappers, surgeons, and nurses were quickly dispatched, and public sympathy found expression in contributions through the different newspapers, amounting to more than 250,000 yen, for the relief of the injured. The Japanese journalist and photographer were quickly on their way, and the vernacular press soon fed the public full of horrors, yet the first to reach the scene of the disaster was an American missionary, the Rev. Rothesay Miller, who made the usual three days' trip over the mountains in less than a day and a half on his American bicycle.

 

There were old traditions of such earthquake waves on this coast, one of two centuries ago doing some damage, and a tsunami of forty years ago and a lesser one of 1892 flooding the streets of Kamaishi and driving people to upper floors and the roofs of their houses. The barometer gave no warning, no indication of any unusual conditions on June 15, and the occurrence of thirteen light earthquake shocks during the day excited no comment. Rain had fallen in the morning and afternoon, and with a temperature of 80° to 90° the damp atmosphere was very oppressive. The villagers on that remote coast adhered to the old calendar in observing their local fêtes and holidays, and on that fifth day of the fifth moon had been celebrating the Girls' Festival. Rain had driven them indoors with the darkness, and nearly all were in their houses at eight o'clock, when, with a rumbling as of heavy cannonading out at sea, a roar, and the crash and crackling of timbers, they were suddenly engulfed in the swirling waters. Only a few survivors on all that length of coast saw the advancing wave, one of them telling that the water first receded some 600 yards from ghastly white sands and then the Wave stood like a black wall 80 feet in height, with phosphorescent lights gleaming along its crest. Others, hearing a distant roar, saw a dark shadow seaward and ran to high ground, crying "Tsunami! tsunami!" Some who ran to the upper stories of their houses for safety were drowned, crushed, or imprisoned there, only a few breaking through the roofs or escaping after the water subsided.

 

Shallow water and outlying islands broke the force of the wave in some places, and in long, narrow inlets or fiords the giant roller was broken into two, three, and even six waves, that crashed upon the shore in succession. Ships and junks were carried one and two miles inland, left on hilltops, treetops, and in the midst of fields uninjured or mixed up with the ruins of houses, the rest engulfed or swept seaward. Where the wave entered a fiord or bay it bore everything along to the head of the ravine or valley and left the mass of debris in a heap at the end. Where the coast was low and faced the open ocean the wave washed in and, retreating, carried everything back with it. Many survivors, swept away by the waters, were cast ashore on outlying islands, or seized bits of wreckage and kept afloat. On the open coast the wave came and withdrew within five minutes, while in long inlets the waters boiled and surged for nearly a half hour before subsiding. The best swimmers were helpless in the first swirl of water, and nearly all the bodies recovered were frightfully battered and mutilated, rolled over and driven against rocks, struck by and crushed between timbers. The force of the wave cut down groves of large pine trees to short stumps, snapped thick granite posts of temple gates and carried the stone cross-beams 309 yards away. Many people were lost through running back to save others or to save their valuables.

  

One loyal schoolmaster carried the emperor's portrait to a place of safety before seeking out his own family. A half-demented soldier, retired since the late war and continually brooding on a possible attack by the enemy, became convinced that the first cannonading sound was from a hostile fleet, and, seizing his sword, ran down to the beach to meet the foe. One village officer, mistaking the sound of crashing timbers for crackling flames, ran to high ground to see where the fire was, and thus saved his life. Another village officer, living on the edge of a hill, heard the crash and slid his screens open to look upon foaming waters nearly level with his veranda. In a moment the waters disappeared, leaving a black, empty level where the populous village had been a few minutes before. Four women clung to one man, seeking to escape to high ground, and their combined weight resisting the force of the receding wave they were all saved. The only survivors of another village were eight men who had been playing the game of "go" in a hillside temple. Eight children floated away and left on high ground were believed to be the only survivors of one village, until one hundred people were found who had been borne across and stranded on the opposite shores of their bay. One hundred and fifty people were found cast away on one island offshore. From two large villages on one bay only thirty young men survived, hardy, muscular young fishermen and powerful swimmers, yet in other places the strongest perished, and the aged and infirm, cripples, and tiny children were miraculously preserved. The wave flooded the cells of Okachi prison and the jailers broke the bolts and let the 195 convicts free. Only two convicts attempted to escape, the others waiting in good order until marched to the high ground by their keepers. The good Père Raspail had just reached Kamaishi from his all-day walk of 50 miles over the mountains and entered his inn, when his assistant called to him from the street. The priest came to the veranda, but in an instant the water was upon him. He was seen later, swimming, but evidently was struck by timbers or swept out to sea, as his body has not been recovered. Japanese men-of-war cruised for a week off Kamaishi, recovering bodies daily. The Japanese system of census enumeration is so complete and minute that the name of every person who lost his life was soon known, and the Official Gazette was able to state that out of a population of 6,529 at Kamaishi 4,985 were lost and 500 injured, while 953 dwellings and 867 warehouses and other structures were destroyed or carried away, and 176 ships carried inland or swept out and lost.

 

The survivors were so stunned with the appalling disaster that few could do anything for themselves or others. With houses, nets, and fishing-boats carried away and the fish retreating to further and deeper waters, starvation faced them, and, the great heat continuing while so many bodies were strewn along shore and imprisoned in ruins, the atmosphere fast became poisonous. The north-coast people are opposed to cremation and insisted on earth burial, which delayed the disposal of the dead and augmented the danger of pestilence. Disinfectants were sent in quantity, and the work of recovery and burial was so pressing that soldiers were put to it after all available coolies had been impressed. The Red Cross Society, with its hospitals and nurses, had difficulty in caring for all the wounded, the greater number of whom, besides requiring surgical aid, were suffering from pneumonia and internal inflammations consequent upon their long exposure in wet clothing without shelter and from the brine, fish oil, and sand breathed in and swallowed while in the first tumult of waters. Besides the generous relief fund subscribed by the people, the government has made large assignments from its available funds and sent stores of provisions, clothing, tools, etc., to the 60,000 homeless, ruined, bereaved, and starving people of the San-Riku coast.

 

The wave was plainly felt two hours later on the shores of the island of Yesso, 200 miles north of the center of disturbance on the San-Riku coast, the water advancing 80 feet beyond high-tide mark on the beach at Hakodate. Eight hours later there was a great disturbance of the waters on the shores of the Bonin islands, more than 700 miles southward, the water rising three or four feet and retreating violently. Six hours later, on the shores of Kaui, the most northern of the Hawaiian islands, distant 3,390 miles, the waters receded violently and washed on shore in a wave some inches above the normal height.

 

The plainest inference has been that the great wave was the result of an eruption, explosion, or other disturbance in the bed of the sea, 500 or 600 miles off the San-Riku coast. The most popular theory is that it resulted from the caving-in of some part of the wall or bed of the great "Tuscarora Deep," one of the greatest depressions of the ocean bed in the world, discovered in 1874 by the present Rear-Admiral Belknap, U. S. N., while in command of the U. S. S. Tuscarora, engaged in deep-sea surveys.

 

The "Tuscarora Deep" is nearly five and one-third statute miles in depth, being exceeded, so far as known, only by the still more profound depths discovered last year in the South Pacific by Commander A. F. Balfour, of the British Navy.

 

That disturbances were taking place in this tremendous abyss was again suggested at six o'clock on the morning of July 4, when the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's mail steamer Empress of Japan, sailing directly over it in a smooth sea, was shaken as if a propeller blade had been lost or the ship had struck an obstruction. Every one was roused by the peculiar shock, but no visible explanation was furnished. The destructive wave and this incident together should stimulate further investigation of this dangerous, bottomless pit of the Pacific ocean, which owes its discovery to United States explorers by deep-sea soundings.

Hurricane Sandy (also unofficially known as "Superstorm Sandy") was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Classified as the eighteenth named storm, tenth hurricane and second major hurricane of the year, Sandy was a Category 3 storm at its peak intensity when it made landfall in Cuba.[1] While it was a Category 2 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,800 km)).[2][3] Estimates as of March 2014 assess damage to have been over $68 billion (2013 USD), a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina.[4] At least 286 people were killed along the path of the storm in seven countries.[5]

 

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, re-emerged a few hours later into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas.[6] On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then[7] moved ashore near Brigantine, New Jersey, just to the northeast of Atlantic City, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.[1][8]

 

In Jamaica, winds left 70% of residents without electricity, blew roofs off buildings, killed one, and caused about $100 million (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy's outer bands brought flooding to Haiti, killing at least 54, causing food shortages, and leaving about 200,000 homeless; the hurricane also caused two deaths in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, one man was swept away by a swollen river. In Cuba, there was extensive coastal flooding and wind damage inland, destroying some 15,000 homes, killing 11, and causing $2 billion (2012 USD) in damage. Sandy caused two deaths and damage estimated at $700 million (2012 USD) in The Bahamas. In Canada, two were killed in Ontario and an estimated $100 million (2012 CAD) in damage was caused throughout Ontario and Quebec.[9]

 

In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm surge hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city.[10][11] Damage in the United States amounted to $65 billion (2013 USD).[12]

 

coming/here/done

 

Oak Lawn High School. Scanned from a Slide Transperancy purchased from a recent estate sale.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak and severe weather event that occurred on April 21, 1967, across the Upper Midwestern United States, in particular the Chicago area including the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was the most notable tornado outbreak of 1967 and one of the most notable to occur in the Chicago area. The outbreak produced numerous significant (F2+) tornadoes, among them eight alone in the U.S. state of Illinois, including one of just six[1] documented violent (F4–F5) tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area since the area was first settled.[2] The F4 tornado that struck Belvidere caused one of the highest tornado-related death tolls in a single school building and was featured in an episode of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories.

 

Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois

 

The third and final F4 tornado to affect Illinois this day was also the deadliest tornado of the entire outbreak. An intense super cell with a hook echo on weather radar first appeared about 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Joliet at 4:45 p.m. CDT. Later, at 5:15 p.m., an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau observed a rotating wall cloud about 10 miles (16 km) north of Joliet. Minutes later, severe thunderstorm winds blew out windows in a building, though no tornado or funnel cloud had yet occurred.[6] Near the Little Red Schoolhouse, in what is now the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, an observer first noted a funnel cloud to the south, moving east with hail up to .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter—but he was unable to report to the Weather Bureau as his telephone failed to give a dial tone.[6] At 5:24 p.m. CDT, a tornado touched down at the present-day campus of Moraine Valley Community College[4] and moved east-northeast, mainly at 70° heading.[5]

 

As it touched down, the tornado bent power poles and blew down small trees and vegetation, tossing dirt as it went. It then grew in size to 450 feet (150 yd) wide and entered Palos Hills, destroying about five buildings—including two frame homes and a brick home—and snapping trees.[6] Subsequently, the intensifying funnel severely damaged homes and a drive-in theater[4] in a half-block-wide area of the Chicago Ridge.[6]

 

Over the next six minutes, the tornado attained its maximum intensity as it tore a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) (60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) ground speed) swath of damage through Oak Lawn, Hometown, and Evergreen Park.[4] As it passed through the business district of Oak Lawn, the tornado leveled many homes that were built entirely of brick.[6]

 

In Oak Lawn, the tornado threw 25–40 vehicles from the intersection of Southwest Highway and W. 95th St. (US-12/20),[4] killing 16 people who were stuck in traffic during the rush hour.[3] Partly for that reason, this tornado ended up being the deadliest in the outbreak.[6] As it moved beyond Oak Lawn, the tornado weakened and widened as it caused lighter damage to vegetation, roofs, and garages. It finally moved offshore as a waterspout at Rainbow Beach, producing a wind gust up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at a water filtration plant on the lakefront shore.[6] In all, the tornado killed 33 people, including several children at the Oak Lawn roller skating rink,[7] and injured 1,000. It destroyed 152 homes and damaged 900, causing $50 million in damage. The destroyed buildings included a high school, grocery store, tavern, market, motel, drive-in theater, restaurant, numerous apartments, and two gas stations. Additionally, the tornado caused numerous fires in Oak Lawn which were quickly extinguished.[7]

 

Scanned from a Slide Transperancy purchased from a recent estate sale.

 

Buses damages during an April 21st Tornado in 1967.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak and severe weather event that occurred on April 21, 1967, across the Upper Midwestern United States, in particular the Chicago area including the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was the most notable tornado outbreak of 1967 and one of the most notable to occur in the Chicago area. The outbreak produced numerous significant (F2+) tornadoes, among them eight alone in the U.S. state of Illinois, including one of just six[1] documented violent (F4–F5) tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area since the area was first settled.[2] The F4 tornado that struck Belvidere caused one of the highest tornado-related death tolls in a single school building and was featured in an episode of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories.

 

Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois

 

The third and final F4 tornado to affect Illinois this day was also the deadliest tornado of the entire outbreak. An intense super cell with a hook echo on weather radar first appeared about 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Joliet at 4:45 p.m. CDT. Later, at 5:15 p.m., an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau observed a rotating wall cloud about 10 miles (16 km) north of Joliet. Minutes later, severe thunderstorm winds blew out windows in a building, though no tornado or funnel cloud had yet occurred.[6] Near the Little Red Schoolhouse, in what is now the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, an observer first noted a funnel cloud to the south, moving east with hail up to .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter—but he was unable to report to the Weather Bureau as his telephone failed to give a dial tone.[6] At 5:24 p.m. CDT, a tornado touched down at the present-day campus of Moraine Valley Community College[4] and moved east-northeast, mainly at 70° heading.[5]

 

As it touched down, the tornado bent power poles and blew down small trees and vegetation, tossing dirt as it went. It then grew in size to 450 feet (150 yd) wide and entered Palos Hills, destroying about five buildings—including two frame homes and a brick home—and snapping trees.[6] Subsequently, the intensifying funnel severely damaged homes and a drive-in theater[4] in a half-block-wide area of the Chicago Ridge.[6]

 

Over the next six minutes, the tornado attained its maximum intensity as it tore a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) (60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) ground speed) swath of damage through Oak Lawn, Hometown, and Evergreen Park.[4] As it passed through the business district of Oak Lawn, the tornado leveled many homes that were built entirely of brick.[6]

 

In Oak Lawn, the tornado threw 25–40 vehicles from the intersection of Southwest Highway and W. 95th St. (US-12/20),[4] killing 16 people who were stuck in traffic during the rush hour.[3] Partly for that reason, this tornado ended up being the deadliest in the outbreak.[6] As it moved beyond Oak Lawn, the tornado weakened and widened as it caused lighter damage to vegetation, roofs, and garages. It finally moved offshore as a waterspout at Rainbow Beach, producing a wind gust up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at a water filtration plant on the lakefront shore.[6] In all, the tornado killed 33 people, including several children at the Oak Lawn roller skating rink,[7] and injured 1,000. It destroyed 152 homes and damaged 900, causing $50 million in damage. The destroyed buildings included a high school, grocery store, tavern, market, motel, drive-in theater, restaurant, numerous apartments, and two gas stations. Additionally, the tornado caused numerous fires in Oak Lawn which were quickly extinguished.[7]

 

Cultures of a destructive mold called Phomopsis strains that infect both crop and noncrop plants.

 

One of the species of this genus, Phomopsis viticola, cause a plant disease called phomopsis or dead-arm. Usually, infections begin during early growth stages in spring. This affects leaves, fruit, rachises, and shoots of a plant.

 

This disease causes the formation of lesions on shoots, leaves, and rachises, but also can cause fruit rot.

 

It causes significant economic damage to grape vines.

 

Another Phomopsis species, P. juniperovora, infects junipers, and is a particularly important pest of seedlings and juvenile plants in the nursery industry.

 

www.microbeworld.org

 

Photo Credit: Scott Bauer, USDA

Oak Lawn High School..Scanned from a Slide Transperancy purchased from a recent estate sale.

  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak was a destructive tornado outbreak and severe weather event that occurred on April 21, 1967, across the Upper Midwestern United States, in particular the Chicago area including the towns of Belvidere and Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was the most notable tornado outbreak of 1967 and one of the most notable to occur in the Chicago area. The outbreak produced numerous significant (F2+) tornadoes, among them eight alone in the U.S. state of Illinois, including one of just six[1] documented violent (F4–F5) tornadoes in the Chicago metropolitan area since the area was first settled.[2] The F4 tornado that struck Belvidere caused one of the highest tornado-related death tolls in a single school building and was featured in an episode of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories.

 

Oak Lawn–Evergreen Park–Chicago South Side, Illinois

 

The third and final F4 tornado to affect Illinois this day was also the deadliest tornado of the entire outbreak. An intense super cell with a hook echo on weather radar first appeared about 18 miles (29 km) west-northwest of Joliet at 4:45 p.m. CDT. Later, at 5:15 p.m., an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau observed a rotating wall cloud about 10 miles (16 km) north of Joliet. Minutes later, severe thunderstorm winds blew out windows in a building, though no tornado or funnel cloud had yet occurred.[6] Near the Little Red Schoolhouse, in what is now the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, an observer first noted a funnel cloud to the south, moving east with hail up to .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter—but he was unable to report to the Weather Bureau as his telephone failed to give a dial tone.[6] At 5:24 p.m. CDT, a tornado touched down at the present-day campus of Moraine Valley Community College[4] and moved east-northeast, mainly at 70° heading.[5]

 

As it touched down, the tornado bent power poles and blew down small trees and vegetation, tossing dirt as it went. It then grew in size to 450 feet (150 yd) wide and entered Palos Hills, destroying about five buildings—including two frame homes and a brick home—and snapping trees.[6] Subsequently, the intensifying funnel severely damaged homes and a drive-in theater[4] in a half-block-wide area of the Chicago Ridge.[6]

 

Over the next six minutes, the tornado attained its maximum intensity as it tore a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) (60-mile-per-hour (97 km/h) ground speed) swath of damage through Oak Lawn, Hometown, and Evergreen Park.[4] As it passed through the business district of Oak Lawn, the tornado leveled many homes that were built entirely of brick.[6]

 

In Oak Lawn, the tornado threw 25–40 vehicles from the intersection of Southwest Highway and W. 95th St. (US-12/20),[4] killing 16 people who were stuck in traffic during the rush hour.[3] Partly for that reason, this tornado ended up being the deadliest in the outbreak.[6] As it moved beyond Oak Lawn, the tornado weakened and widened as it caused lighter damage to vegetation, roofs, and garages. It finally moved offshore as a waterspout at Rainbow Beach, producing a wind gust up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) at a water filtration plant on the lakefront shore.[6] In all, the tornado killed 33 people, including several children at the Oak Lawn roller skating rink,[7] and injured 1,000. It destroyed 152 homes and damaged 900, causing $50 million in damage. The destroyed buildings included a high school, grocery store, tavern, market, motel, drive-in theater, restaurant, numerous apartments, and two gas stations. Additionally, the tornado caused numerous fires in Oak Lawn which were quickly extinguished.[7]

 

Starring Dana Andrews, Janette Scott, Kieron Moore and Alexander Knox. Directed by Andrew Marton.

youtu.be/vIevnwsLDW8

 

Paramount distributed this big-budget production by Security Pictures in the spring of 1965. Crack in the World (CW) was partially a sci-fi movie and partially a disaster movie. Like many of the disaster-genre that would follow, the destructive power of nature itself -- rather than a giant reptile -- is the monster. Solid actors, a decent budget and ample action make CW one of the mid-60s' big A-level sci-fi movies.

 

Synopsis

Project Inner Earth, headed by Dr. Steven Sorensen, plans to tap into the molten core of the earth to supply unlimited power for mankind. Their problem is that they've encountered an extremely tough shell around the core which no drill can penetrate. Sorensen wants to use a nuclear missile to punch through that shell. Dr. Ted Rampion is worried that the earth's crust is too fragile, due to all the previous nuclear weapons tests. Some complex back story about Steve's wife Maggie (a much younger woman) being Ted's former girlfriend clouds the issue. Steve finding out that he has a terminal illness clouds his judgement too. Steve convinces his bosses to let him fire the nuke and does so. All seems to have gone as planned. The magma wells up and everyone is pleased. That is, until massive earthquakes start wiping out towns and a giant rip in the earth's crust appears. To make matters worse, the rip lengthens steadily. If it goes all the way around the earth, it could break in half and disintegrate. Ted and his team plant another nuclear bomb in a pacific island volcano to stop the rip. This seems to succeed, but the rip turns back towards its origin. More earthquakes and destruction. Steve is a jerk to Maggie. Ted is heroic. Steve is almost too ill to continue. The project base is wracked with tremors. Ted and Maggie escape, but Steve remains behind to record events. The crack meets its origin point. A glowing ball of magma rises into the fiery night sky. Earth now has two moons. A squirrel comes out of hiding in a hole. Ted and Maggie hug for joy. The End.

  

CW is an action-packed disaster flick. Lava, landslides, train wrecks and lots and lots of explosions. Any 12-year-old boy cannot help but love this film.

 

CW is a strong example of the Nuclear Caution branch of Cold War morals. Man, recklessly misusing nukes, sets off a chain reaction (much like modern wars have been) which threaten to destroy the world as we know it. A "counter strike" of another nuke (in the volcano) averts total annihilation, but leaves millions dead and the earth scarred forever. All this makes for quite a blatant nuclear cautionary tale.

 

Sci-fi, as a genre, is hardly famous for strict scientific accuracy. Aliens who look perfectly human and speak English? Big monsters who can eat whole cities, yet never have to poop? But never mind. CW's flawed scientific premise is that the earth's crust is an integral shell. The integrity of this shell is what keeps the earth from flying apart due to centrifugal force. Of course, if that were true, us unattached humans ought to be flying off into space. But never mind. Knowledge of Plate Techtonics was not new in 1965, but it had not filtered down to the popular level yet. Modern viewers will scoff at CW. The earth has always had cracks in it, and works rather well that way. But, to non-scientists in the mid 60s, with a hard-shell view of the earth, the premise was more credible and pretty frightening.

 

Dr. Steve Sorensen fills the customary role of misguided (mad) scientist in several ways. He wants to do some beneficial deed for mankind, but miscalculates and causes destruction. In this case, it is nature (the earth) who becomes the monster. Per the customary role, poetic justice prevails. The monster kills the offending scientist for his haste or hubris. Once he's dead, and his sin atoned for, the rightful order is restored (lovers kiss and small furry animals emerge from their burrows)

 

Many a sci-fi movie has been hobbled with tangled drama. CW is no different. In the midst of the impending destruction of the earth, Steve can still be a petty jerk to his young wife. Maggie can still be conflicted over her less-cerebral lust for Ted. Ted can still show off his big biceps, etc. This seems quite reminiscent of Catwomen of the Moon, where upon meeting another race of beings who are openly hostile, the main characters obsess over who loves whom. Perhaps astute movie producers knew that their young audiences were likely still mired in that high-school drama mindset, in which who liked whom and who was being a jerk to whom, etc. was more important than anything -- even the destruction of the earth.

 

Movie goers of the early 60s would probably have "felt" that Ted and Maggie really belonged together anyhow. Kieron Moore and Janette Scott had starred together before CW, as lighthouse-bound husband and wife biologists in Day of the Triffids ('62): another Security Pictures film. They would team up again in Security Pictures' Bikini Paradise ('67) -- a comedy outside of this study's scope.

 

Bottom line? CW is a well done disaster flick with ample entertainment value. There is plenty of action and the special effects respectable enough. After a steady diet of ultra-low budget movies, CW plays like an epic blockbuster.Doomsday movies abound, but few are as offbeat as this one. It tells of a runaway fault line that threatens to circle the earth and crack it in two like an eggshell. Far-fetched? Yes. Good fun? You bet. The trouble begins after scientists explode an atomic bomb underground to tap an unlimited supply of geothermal energy. But instead they trigger a cataclysm. While the crack girdles the earth, there's time for romance and frantic 11th-hour attempts to save humanity. Dana Andrews heads the cast as Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a scientist in a control center monitoring the progress of the crack opened by the explosion. He and co-stars Janette Scott (Dr. Maggie Sorenson), Kieron Moore (Dr. Ted Rampion), and Alexander Knox (Sir Charles Eggerston) all perform capably as they attempt to forestall doomsday with crack-stopping schemes. Although Crack in the World is a B-movie, it has an intelligent script that relies more on judicious pacing and suspense-building than on special effects. Consequently, it is superior to so-so doomsday flicks such as Asteroid (1997), Meteorites (1998), Armageddon (1998), and Independence Day (1996). Experts in plate tectonics -- a science that studies the strata making up the earth's outer shell -- may pooh-pooh the plot as implausible. Then again, they just might enjoy seeing Mother Nature throw a tantrum.