•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•

#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

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ℹ️8️⃣📞📲📳☎️♾💁‍♂️

ℹ️▶️⏯⏭↕️🔘https://youtu.be/bS5JnGBmghM

First of all; the #FBI does not have the clearance, to be in possession, of my nuclear codesz.

Load, Load, Load; you're too slow, #YouTube. And do you know what that means? It means that you are #Guilty of #HighTreason. &, do you know what that means? It means that you are #Executed by #FiringSquad.

Nope; your apology means nothing to me. It means, that you are still #Executed by #FiringSquad.

That's one☝️. Two✌️; I👆, told you💭💬📣🔊📢; I did not suggest to you – I told you, #YouTube; that I need 14-15,000 characters🔤🔡🔠🔢; &, you refused to comply. Therefore; you are shot🔫 to death – #Executed for #HighTreason, twice✌️👋😽💀😵.👀‍

Three3️⃣☘️; #JohnPaulMacIssac: I simply, or merely, tell💭💬📣🔊📢 the #FBI, to go & fuck themselves; & to eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵⚰️⚱️. 👀‍

☎️▶️⏯⏩⏭➡️🔀↕️🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVkhQQXEGE&feature=share

She asked me to cum⛲️💦💧🌊🎣🐟🔫 over, to #Steinway🎹🏭, in #Astoria👸; & then, after driving from #Pennsylvania #Pistolvania, she was on the #AOL_IM #AIM, w/ #JesseHenry. I told her that she was being rude; & she told me to go & fuck myself. So; I left, drove home🏡, & ate the cost💸 of travel. &, I went & fuckt myself. &; she was unhappy that I left; & she didn't get none. &; I don't really give a fuck. She can eat shit💩🚽, & die💀.👀‍❄️ @/#GregGutfeld #CarleyShimkus

#OliviaCampbellPatton #OliviaWildeNeeCockburne

🏰🏯🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

By the way; it is #Ceylon; do not offend me again. This is your first(ly)☝️, & only⏳⌛️ warning⚠️⛔️☣️☢️

#SAP_q / #SAR_Q, how-ever, not #SAP-q / #SAR-Q; #RobertCharles #THE_COMMODORES_CIRCLE.👀‍😾😠😤😡

‍👀😎⚠️⛔️☣️☢️🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program#:~:text=Special%20access%20programs%20%28SAPs%29%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Federal,that%20exceed%20those%20for%20regular%20%28collateral%29%20classified%20information.

☝️; there is no quick select, of 20,000+ images, on #iPhone, #Apple #TimCook. ✌️; there is no #conspicuous way to remove the #Slideslow option, on #iPhone, w/ your shitty, shitty musick selection. Therefore, I cannot turn it off. Oh, by the way; I cannot trash individual #AppCaches, neither, all of them, in a single tap. Take a wild guess what that means for you; all of you. #HighTreason = #Execution🔫 @ the #Gallows💀😵, or #Gibbet💀😵.👋👋👋

3️⃣; @/ #GregGutfeld‼️⚠️ : The #Saxophone🎷 is lame, gey, & any-person, who may believe it to be kool, or trendy, or even good; they may eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵.

4️⃣ By the way; #SullyErna; you're a bitch.👋💀

🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pj2y39_jc&feature=share

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It is nice to see #TulsiGabbard; @/#FoxNewsCorp.

#Owlephant

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#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

•———————————•

#EvanRachelWood-._•✏️📝✍️🔏🐧

--WRW

_.• ✍️🔏

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An Austrian soldier provides security as a Georgian convoy approaches during exercise Combined Resolve II at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, May 19, 2014. Combined Resolve II is a multinational decisive action training environment exercise occurring at the Joint Multinational Training Command’s Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr Training Areas that involves more than 4,000 participants from 15 partner nations. The intent of the exercise is to train and prepare a U.S. led multinational brigade to interoperate with multiple partner nations and execute unified land operations against a complex threat while improving the combat readiness of all participants. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. John Cress Jr.)

Aside from the beautifully executed cast glass corner blocks, note the detail where the wall meets the ground, as well as the garden wall.

The original was raw concrete, but in the northwest with the wet weather the block started accumulating a lot of moss. I might have been okay with that, but it probably would have led to a deterioration in the concrete block.

The owner's solution? He painted the building the same color as the Guggenheim museum. Great choice! Very Wrightian.

Home: William B. Tracy House & Garage, Normandy Park (Seattle), Washington by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1956

Google Maps: 18971 Edgecliff Drive, Normandy Park, WA

Stunningly executed flyover! The woman finished the National Anthem..and not even kidding, half or one second later, this guy was 800ft, full power above us..great job Coast Guard!!

•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•

#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•

ℹ️8️⃣📞📲📳☎️♾💁‍♂️

ℹ️▶️⏯⏭↕️🔘https://youtu.be/bS5JnGBmghM

First of all; the #FBI does not have the clearance, to be in possession, of my nuclear codesz.

Load, Load, Load; you're too slow, #YouTube. And do you know what that means? It means that you are #Guilty of #HighTreason. &, do you know what that means? It means that you are #Executed by #FiringSquad.

Nope; your apology means nothing to me. It means, that you are still #Executed by #FiringSquad.

That's one☝️. Two✌️; I👆, told you💭💬📣🔊📢; I did not suggest to you – I told you, #YouTube; that I need 14-15,000 characters🔤🔡🔠🔢; &, you refused to comply. Therefore; you are shot🔫 to death – #Executed for #HighTreason, twice✌️👋😽💀😵.👀‍

Three3️⃣☘️; #JohnPaulMacIssac: I simply, or merely, tell💭💬📣🔊📢 the #FBI, to go & fuck themselves; & to eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵⚰️⚱️. 👀‍

☎️▶️⏯⏩⏭➡️🔀↕️🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVkhQQXEGE&feature=share

She asked me to cum⛲️💦💧🌊🎣🐟🔫 over, to #Steinway🎹🏭, in #Astoria👸; & then, after driving from #Pennsylvania #Pistolvania, she was on the #AOL_IM #AIM, w/ #JesseHenry. I told her that she was being rude; & she told me to go & fuck myself. So; I left, drove home🏡, & ate the cost💸 of travel. &, I went & fuckt myself. &; she was unhappy that I left; & she didn't get none. &; I don't really give a fuck. She can eat shit💩🚽, & die💀.👀‍❄️ @/#GregGutfeld #CarleyShimkus

#OliviaCampbellPatton #OliviaWildeNeeCockburne

🏰🏯🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

By the way; it is #Ceylon; do not offend me again. This is your first(ly)☝️, & only⏳⌛️ warning⚠️⛔️☣️☢️

#SAP_q / #SAR_Q, how-ever, not #SAP-q / #SAR-Q; #RobertCharles #THE_COMMODORES_CIRCLE.👀‍😾😠😤😡

‍👀😎⚠️⛔️☣️☢️🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program#:~:text=Special%20access%20programs%20%28SAPs%29%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Federal,that%20exceed%20those%20for%20regular%20%28collateral%29%20classified%20information.

☝️; there is no quick select, of 20,000+ images, on #iPhone, #Apple #TimCook. ✌️; there is no #conspicuous way to remove the #Slideslow option, on #iPhone, w/ your shitty, shitty musick selection. Therefore, I cannot turn it off. Oh, by the way; I cannot trash individual #AppCaches, neither, all of them, in a single tap. Take a wild guess what that means for you; all of you. #HighTreason = #Execution🔫 @ the #Gallows💀😵, or #Gibbet💀😵.👋👋👋

3️⃣; @/ #GregGutfeld‼️⚠️ : The #Saxophone🎷 is lame, gey, & any-person, who may believe it to be kool, or trendy, or even good; they may eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵.

4️⃣ By the way; #SullyErna; you're a bitch.👋💀

🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pj2y39_jc&feature=share

•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•

It is nice to see #TulsiGabbard; @/#FoxNewsCorp.

#Owlephant

•———————————•

#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

•———————————•

#EvanRachelWood-._•✏️📝✍️🔏🐧

--WRW

_.• ✍️🔏

•-----------•----•💀•---•-------------•

3rd Regiment, Basic Camp Cadets executed Night Land Navigation June 27, during Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. Photo by: Madison Thompson

The Sun Vow, executed in 1899 by sculptor Herman Artkins MacNeil and cast in 1902, has adorned the lawn in front Montclair Art Museum since it first opened. he Sun Vow depicts a Native American rite of passage that MacNeil learned of during his travels. In the Sioux tribe, for a boy to become a man and accepted as a warrior, he must shoot an arrow directly into the sun. If the chieftain is blinded by the sun’s rays and cannot follow the arrow’s path, the boy passes the test. MacNeil created The Sun Vow to fulfill a requirement for his four-year Rinehart Scholarship at the American Academy in Rome.

Montclair Art Museum (MAM), at 3 South Mountain Avenue, is one of the few museums in the United States devoted to American art and Native American art forms, with a collection consisting of more than 12,000 works. Chartered in 1909, thanks to the donations of artwork and funding of its two founders, Montclair residents William T. Evans, civic leader and art collector, and heiress Florence Osgood Rand Lang, the Montclair Art Museum opened its doors in 1914. The Beaux Arts building was designed by architect Albert R. Ross, at the direction of museum trustee Michel Le Brun. As the collection has grown, so too has the building housing it. The museum underwent renovations in 1924, 1931 and 2000-2001. The recent renovation doubled the museum's square footage, with architectural firm Beyer Blinder Belle at the helm.

Anthony Cramer, one of fourteen people charged in civilian courts with aiding eight Nazi saboteurs who landed by submarine on U.S. shores In June 1942, is shown in a full frontal photograph after his arrest.

Cramer was aa close friend of Werner Thiel, one of eight German Nazi saboteurs who landed by U-boat on U.S. shores in June 1942.

Cramer was born in Allendorf, Germany in 1900 and served in the German army during World War I. He arrived in the United States in 1925 and became a naturalized citizen in 1936.

He was a member of the Friends of New Germany—the predecessor organization to the German-American Bund, a pro-Nazi organization.

While in the United States, Cramer worked as both an engineer and a mechanic in New York.

He had dinner with both Thiel and Edward Kerling, another of the saboteurs, while in New York. Thiel gave Cramer $3,670 for safekeeping which Cramer put in a safe deposit box.

Cramer was charged and convicted of treason in November 1942 and sentenced to forty-five years in prison plus a $10,000 fine.

While Cramer remained imprisoned, the case was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed his conviction on April 23, 1945 in a 5-4 decision.

Writing for the majority, Justice Robert H. Jackson said that the Constitution is clear in its definition of treason, limited to the waging of war, or giving material assistance to an enemy.

The prosecution and its witnesses could demonstrate only an association and not that Cramer had given "Aid and Comfort," as defined in Article Three. Jackson wrote that the jury had been given no evidence that Cramer had "even paid for their drinks." As such, the majority opinion held, the associations were insufficient to convict Cramer for treason, and the judgment of the Court of Appeals was reversed.

But Cramer’s legal troubles were not over. Minutes before the paperwork could reach the prison to release him, Cramer was indicted for violating the “Trading with the Enemy” act and a Presidential “freeze order” over Cramer’s safeguarding Thiel’s money.

Cramer pled guilty September 29, 1945 and was sentenced to six years in prison. The judge remarked that it would have been 10 years except that Cramer had already been in prison for over three years.

The eight Nazi saboteurs who landed in the U.S. in Florida and New York were almost immediately arrested after one of them, George Dasch, contacted the FBI and turned himself in.

The eight saboteurs were quickly convicted--six of whom were executed in August 1942, including Kerling and Thiel; one received a life sentence; and one received 30 years imprisonment following a Washington, D.C. military trial.

Fourteen other people, including Cramer, were charged with aiding the eight saboteurs. Cramer was charged with treason and the government sought the death penalty.

Of the others charged with aiding the saboteurs some received various prison terms, some had charges dropped, some were detained as enemy aliens and deported after the war ended.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmPiRmT4

The photographer is unknown. The image is believed to be a U.S. government photograph. It is housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

Greater Manchester Police have today, Thursday 15 March 2012, made arrests following the murder of a man in Rochdale.

In the early hours of this morning 22 warrants were executed at addresses in Moston, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Davyhulme, Urmston, Newton Heath, Blackley, Harpurhey, Beswick, Bolton and Hyde.

Eight men aged between 20 and 30 were arrested on suspicion of murder and violent disorder.

At about 2.40am on Sunday 25 December 2011, police were called to Sinclair's Bar on Drake Street, Rochdale, following reports of a large disturbance.

Officers attended and discovered a man had been stabbed.

John Lee Barrett, 31, was taken to hospital but died, Tuesday 27 December 2011.

A post mortem examination concluded he died from a stab wound to the back.

It is also believed he had been hit over the head with a glass or bottle.

Chief Superintendent John O'Hare said: "By conducting this operation, we have sent out a firm message to those who think they can travel across Greater Manchester and commit crime in other areas that we will catch up with them.

"We have demonstrated that if you commit crime as part of a pack, you will be arrested and dealt with as a pack.

"I would also reassure residents within the local communities that there will be an extra police presence in their area and if anyone has any concerns, please speak to your local officer.

"We are working very hard to ensure their neighbourhoods are safer and we will not tolerate offenders who think they can get away with their actions and break the law."

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Jackson from the Major Incident Team said "The warrants have been part of a lengthy and complicated investigation.

Hours of CCTV have been studied and the club has been forensically examined by a team of highly experienced officers.

"However, despite these warrants, the investigation is still ongoing and we are still keen to hear from anyone who was at Sinclair's Bar on the night of the attack.

"We have interviewed a number of people who have helped us piece together what may have happened in the early hours of Christmas Day but I would still urge others who we haven't spoken with to get in touch - your information could be vital.

"I would urge anyone who may have information about what happened that night to contact police on 0161 856 3691 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. The information you supply will be treated with the strictest of confidence."

For information about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.

www.gmp.police.uk

You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.

Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.

It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.

The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).

The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.

Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.

Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.

However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).

The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.

The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-

www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/

Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.

Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.

It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.

The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).

The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.

Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, afterall there are echoes of the gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.

Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.

However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, when all it's stained glass had been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).

The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.

The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days, but now charges an entry fee (a fix for recent financial worries; gone are the frequent days I used to wander around it in search of inspiration!)and sadly visitors are also encouraged to enter by the far end of the building, contrary to Spence's intentions.

For more see below:-

www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/

William Penhallow Henderson's Little Sister (The Chaperone), executed about 1916, shows what was once a common practice--a young woman accompanies an unmarried couple in order to head off any impropriety during their romantic walk. This painting has long been known as The Chaperone, but a different title in Henderson's handwriting was recently discovered on the back. This title, Little Sister adds another dimension to the painting's social dynamics.

The Denver Art Museum, a private, non-profit museum, is known for its collection of American Indian art. Its impressive collection of more than 68,000 works includes pieces from around the world including modern and contemporary art, European and American painting and sculpture, and pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial art. The museum was originally founded in 1893 as the Denver Artists Club. In 1918, it moved into galleries in the Denver City and County Building, and became the Denver Art Museum.

In 1971, the museum opened what is now known as the North Building, designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti and Denver-based James Sudler Associates. The seven-story structure, 210,000-square-foot building allowed the museum to display its collections under one roof for the first time. The Frederic C. Hamilton Building, designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind and Denver firm Davis Partnership Architects, opened on October 7, 2006 to accommodate the Denver Art Museum's growing collections and programs.

In the early hours of this morning (Wednesday 14 June), officers from Rochdale’s Neighbourhood Tasking Force alongside officers from GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit, executed five simultaneous warrants as part of GMP's neighbourhood day of action at addresses in Rochdale and Oldham targeting those suspected to be involved with a series of aggravated burglaries in Royton and Rochdale in May 2023.

Four men aged between 18 and 22 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and assisting an offender.

Police Sergeant Andy Toward of GMP’s Rochdale district, said: "Burglary is incredibly intrusive and disruptive to the lives of those who fall victim and we're committed to targeting offenders across Greater Manchester.

"Through partnership work with teams across GMP we have been able to intercept and arrest four suspects and they are currently in custody for questioning.

“I would stress that our work will only continue and go from strength to strength as we remain committed to preventing and reducing this type of offending and removing violence off the streets of Manchester.

"We hope this morning's action builds public trust and confidence that GMP is committed to investigating neighbourhood crimes whilst keeping communities safe. We really need your help to ensure Greater Manchester is safe for those who live and work here, if you have any concerns in your community, please let us know.”

Anyone with information that will help bring burglars and handlers of stolen goods to justice is encouraged to contact police either via the LiveChat or reporting function on our website or by calling 101.

You can also pass on information anonymously through CrimeStoppers by calling 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.

Bee In The Loop is your direct line to your GMP neighbourhood policing team - beeintheloop.co.uk.

Florida Av, Peaks Island, Portland, Maine in Casco Bay USA • Beautifully conceived and executed Occupy Wall Street themed graffiti at Battery Steele (1942), also known as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Battery Construction #102, a United States military fortification, completed in 1942 as part of World War II, it is located on 14 acres (5.7 ha) on the oceanside area of the island. It is named for Harry Lee Steele, who was a coastal artillery officer during World War I. It was built to protect Casco Bay, particularly Portland harbor, from Kennebunk to Popham Beach in Phippsburg. – from Wikipedia. ~ It's now one of thirteen island parcels owned and managed by the Peaks Island Land Preserve.

• Portland and the other harbors of southern Maine were terribly important ports. Civil War forts still dotted the islands around these harbors, but Portland now needed far more advanced fortifications to protect it from German attack.

So Peaks Island became home to over eight hundred soldiers. Concrete bunkers and observation posts are everywhere. On the far side of the Island are two huge abandoned gun turrets separated by several hundred feet of underground tunnel. Each held a monster 16-inch naval gun. The guns were test-fired only once. Their blasts broke windows all over the island and the recoil, transmitted through rock, caused small earthquakes. After the war, an Islander ran into a German U-boat captain who said he'd spent the war looking at Peaks Island -- through a periscope. … Invasive bittersweet vines, once planted as camouflage, now grow over that history. – From a report of a visit to the Island by John H. Lienhard.

☞ On October 20, 2005, the National Park Service added this structure and site to the National Register of Historic Places (#05001176).

• GeoHack: 43°39′32″N 70°10′50″W.

In 1730 in paris the young jean-baptiste lemoyne and his ailing father, Jean-Louis Lemoyne, signed the contract to execute a bronze equestrian statue of Louis　XV for the Place Royale at Bordeaux.1 Despite a notorious casting disaster, Jean-Baptiste brought the work to completion in 1743. He went on to execute a monument to the king in Rennes (unveiled in 1754) and the presentation model for another at Rouen (cast in 1772).2 Louis　was so well satisfied by these public celebrations of his reign that he ordered the sculptor to portray him in busts regularly, which Lemoyne did, until the king’s death, in 1774. Art historian Antoine-Nicolas Dézallier d’Argenville’s claim that these were made every three or four years reflects the widely held perception of many courtiers at the time that Lemoyne was the king’s portrait sculptor of choice. 3 In 1768 the king’s adviser on the arts, Charles-Nicolas Cochin, observed in a letter to the marquis de Marigny that Lemoyne was "the only artist who is now free to model after the King and who, consequently, is able to represent him as he actually is, with the greatest fidelity." 4 The sculptor had unusual freedom of access to the monarch for several decades. In all probability he sketched Louis —  ​although few drawings for finished busts survive —  and certainly he modeled him in clay. 5 The artist’s familiarity with the royal features is reflected in this confident representation of the king.

Six busts of Louis by Lemoyne are listed in the records of the Administration of Royal Buildings (Direction des Bâtiments) but only two examples in marble are known today, one in a private collection in Paris, signed and dated 1749, and this one, also signed and dated, in the Museum.6 They are similar in format —  the king wears a cuirass crossed by a sash and turns sharply to his left —  but the Metropolitan’s bust is enlivened by a Rococo swirl of drapery. A comparison of the 1749 bust with this one, carved eight years later, reveals the qualities that led the king to favor Lemoyne. In both, Louis projects authority and wears the trappings of power —  armor, a cordon with the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the medal of the Order of the Holy Spirit (Saint-Esprit) pinned to his cloak —  and in both there is an ease to the way he carries himself. In the earlier characterization he is thinner and more alert. The later one shows that with the passage of time his body filled out and he became more relaxed. His hair is tied back simply with a bow, his shirt drapes casually around his neck, and he withholds his gaze from the viewer in a manner that might seem modest were he not so clearly a person of power. The flourish of his cloak, partially covering the socle, recalls that most commanding of French royal portraits, Gianlorenzo Bernini’s flamboyant bust of Louis　XIV (Versailles), but Lemoyne sought to characterize the monarch as approachable, as if seen by an intimate. One’s eye is drawn to the sheen of the crinkled silk sash, the nubbly embroidery of the Order of Saint-Esprit, and the smoothly combed hair. Rather than dazzling us with the effects of a state portrait, Lemoyne has produced a bust that engages us with closely observed textures, including the fleshy cheeks, slightly sagging eyelids, and wrinkled neck of a man of forty-seven years.

The warmth of character conveyed must have appealed to the king’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, since she owned this bust as well as the one of 1749. It is likely that this bust, which was delivered on December 10, 1757, to Champs, a château Pompadour had rented, is the one exhibited at the Paris Salon earlier the same year. 7 Following her death, in 1764, the king bought it and presented it to Charles-François de Laverdy, his controller general of finances. There also exists a replica, lacking the inscription, in the collection of the duc de Luynes at the Château de Dampierre, which is thought to be of sufficiently high quality to have come from Lemoyne’s atelier

English Civil War Society: London 2015

King executed in London's Whitehall on January 30 1649 after bloody war between royalists and parliamentarians, fathers, sons, brothers

Ugolino and His Sons, modeled ca. 1860–61, executed in marble 1865–67

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827–1875)

Saint-Béat marble

H. 77 in. (195.6 cm)

Signed (incised in script at right front facet of base): Jbte Carpeaux./Rome 1860; (incised at right end facet of base) JBTE CARPEAUX ROMA 1860

Purchase, Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation Inc. Gift and Charles Ulrick and Josephine Bay Foundation Inc. Gift, and Fletcher Fund, 1967 (67.250)

Dante's Divine Comedy has always enjoyed favor in the plastic arts. Ugolino, the character that galvanized peoples' fantasies and fears during the second half of the nineteenth century, appears in Canto 33 of the Inferno. This intensely Romantic sculpture derives from the passage in which Dante describes the imprisonment in 1288 and subsequent death by starvation of the Pisan count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his offspring. Carpeaux depicts the moment when Ugolino, condemned to die of starvation, yields to the temptation to devour his children and grandchildren, who cry out to him:

But when to our somber cell was thrown

A slender ray, and each face was lit

I saw in each the aspect of my own,

For very grief both of my hands I bit,

And suddenly from the floor arising they,

Thinking my hunger was the cause of it,

Exclaimed: Father eat thou of us, and stay

Our suffering: thou didst our being dress

In this sad flesh; now strip it all away.

Carpeaux's visionary composition reflects his reverence for Michelangelo, as well as his own painstaking concern with anatomical realism. Ugolino and His Sons was completed in plaster in 1861, the last year of his residence at the French Academy in Rome. A sensation in Rome, it brought Carpeaux many commissions. Upon his return to France, Ugolino was cast in bronze at the order of the French Ministry of Fine Arts and exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1863. Later it was moved to the gardens of the Tuilieries, where it was displayed as a pendant to a bronze of the Laocoön. This marble version was executed by the practitioner Bernard under Carpeaux's supervision and completed in time for the Universal Exposition at Paris in 1867. The date inscribed on the marble refers to the original plaster model's completion.

www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/carp/ho_67.250.htm

Helmut Leiner, one of fourteen people charged in civilian courts with aiding eight Nazi saboteurs who landed by submarine on U.S. shores In July 1942, is shown in a full frontal photograph after his arrest.

Helmut Leiner was a close friend of Edward John Kerling, the leader of a group of German Nazi saboteurs who landed by U-boat near Jacksonville, Florida on June 17, 1942.

Leiner had been approved by the German High Command as a secret contact for the saboteurs in the United States.

Kerling contacted Leiner in New York City immediately after arriving in the United States and Leiner assisted him in making other contacts in the area. Leiner changed large American bills into smaller denominations and brought Kerling up to speed on travel regulations.

Leiner was born in Germany in August 1909 and first arrived in the U.S. in 1929. He was a member of the Nazi Party in Germany and associated with the German American Bund-a pro-Nazi organization in the U.S.

While in Germany he received the golden insignia, emblematic of pioneer service with the Nazi party.

Leiner worked as a gardener in the United States and was not a citizen. At the time of his arrest he was living in Astoria, Queens, New York.

The eight Nazi saboteurs who landed in the U.S. in Florida and New York were almost immediately arrested after one of them, George Dasch, contacted the FBI and turned himself in.

The eight saboteurs were quickly convicted--six of whom were executed in August 1942, including Kerling; one received a life sentence; and one received 30 years imprisonment following a Washington, D.C. military trial.

Fourteen other people, including Leiner, were charged with aiding the eight saboteurs. Leiner was charged with treason and the government was seeking the death penalty.

However Leiner was acquitted by the Judge John W. Clancy of treason on technical grounds November 30, 1942.

The government quickly moved to detain Leiner as an enemy alien for the duration of the war. They brought new charges against Leiner in 1943. Leiner in turn pled guilty to the lesser charge of trading with the enemy June 18, 1943 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Of the others charged with aiding the saboteurs some received various prison terms, some had charges dropped, some were detained as enemy aliens and deported after the war ended.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmPiRmT4

The photographer is unknown. The image is believed to be a U.S. government photograph. It is housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

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#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

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ℹ️8️⃣📞📲📳☎️♾💁‍♂️

ℹ️▶️⏯⏭↕️🔘https://youtu.be/bS5JnGBmghM

First of all; the #FBI does not have the clearance, to be in possession, of my nuclear codesz.

Load, Load, Load; you're too slow, #YouTube. And do you know what that means? It means that you are #Guilty of #HighTreason. &, do you know what that means? It means that you are #Executed by #FiringSquad.

Nope; your apology means nothing to me. It means, that you are still #Executed by #FiringSquad.

That's one☝️. Two✌️; I👆, told you💭💬📣🔊📢; I did not suggest to you – I told you, #YouTube; that I need 14-15,000 characters🔤🔡🔠🔢; &, you refused to comply. Therefore; you are shot🔫 to death – #Executed for #HighTreason, twice✌️👋😽💀😵.👀‍

Three3️⃣☘️; #JohnPaulMacIssac: I simply, or merely, tell💭💬📣🔊📢 the #FBI, to go & fuck themselves; & to eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵⚰️⚱️. 👀‍

☎️▶️⏯⏩⏭➡️🔀↕️🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qKVkhQQXEGE&feature=share

She asked me to cum⛲️💦💧🌊🎣🐟🔫 over, to #Steinway🎹🏭, in #Astoria👸; & then, after driving from #Pennsylvania #Pistolvania, she was on the #AOL_IM #AIM, w/ #JesseHenry. I told her that she was being rude; & she told me to go & fuck myself. So; I left, drove home🏡, & ate the cost💸 of travel. &, I went & fuckt myself. &; she was unhappy that I left; & she didn't get none. &; I don't really give a fuck. She can eat shit💩🚽, & die💀.👀‍❄️ @/#GregGutfeld #CarleyShimkus

#OliviaCampbellPatton #OliviaWildeNeeCockburne

🏰🏯🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigiriya

By the way; it is #Ceylon; do not offend me again. This is your first(ly)☝️, & only⏳⌛️ warning⚠️⛔️☣️☢️

#SAP_q / #SAR_Q, how-ever, not #SAP-q / #SAR-Q; #RobertCharles #THE_COMMODORES_CIRCLE.👀‍😾😠😤😡

‍👀😎⚠️⛔️☣️☢️🔘https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_access_program#:~:text=Special%20access%20programs%20%28SAPs%29%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Federal,that%20exceed%20those%20for%20regular%20%28collateral%29%20classified%20information.

☝️; there is no quick select, of 20,000+ images, on #iPhone, #Apple #TimCook. ✌️; there is no #conspicuous way to remove the #Slideslow option, on #iPhone, w/ your shitty, shitty musick selection. Therefore, I cannot turn it off. Oh, by the way; I cannot trash individual #AppCaches, neither, all of them, in a single tap. Take a wild guess what that means for you; all of you. #HighTreason = #Execution🔫 @ the #Gallows💀😵, or #Gibbet💀😵.👋👋👋

3️⃣; @/ #GregGutfeld‼️⚠️ : The #Saxophone🎷 is lame, gey, & any-person, who may believe it to be kool, or trendy, or even good; they may eat shit💩🚽, & die💀😵.

4️⃣ By the way; #SullyErna; you're a bitch.👋💀

🔘https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R8pj2y39_jc&feature=share

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It is nice to see #TulsiGabbard; @/#FoxNewsCorp.

#Owlephant

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#ELDER_SCROLL_OF_MNEM_0.0♾😻

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#EvanRachelWood-._•✏️📝✍️🔏🐧

--WRW

_.• ✍️🔏

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Harry Jaques (real name Andreus Heinrich Jans), one of fourteen people charged in civilian courts with aiding eight Nazi saboteurs who landed by submarine on U.S. shores In June 1942, is shown in a mugshot after his arrest.

A Washington Star photo editor has placed an X over the left image.

Jaques was born in Germany and entered the United States in 1924 by jumping the ship on which he was a seaman. His wife, Emma, entered the United States a year later. The Jaques lived in Chicago.

The Jaques were the first persons contacted by Herman Neubauer after his landing on U.S. shores by U-boat. The Jaques admitted that Neubauer explained to them that he had returned to the U.S. on a secret mission for the German Nazi government and prevailed on them to conceal the sum of $3,600 in $50 bills which Neubauer brought with him from Germany.

The FBI recovered the money in a coffee jar taken from the Jaques home.

Neubauer and five others that landed on U.S. shores were executed in August 1942. One of the group was given 30 years imprisonment while the other received a life sentence. Both of those who were not executed had their sentences commuted in 1948 and were deported to the U.S. zone in Germany.

The saboteurs were unable to carry out any of their plans because one of them informed on the mission to the FBI.

The Jacques were never tried for their alleged crimes, but were held as enemy aliens until the end of the war and deported to the U.S. zone in Germany.

The Jacques were among 14 people arrested for aiding the eight saboteurs. Some of these 14 initially received the death penalty, but it was overturned on appeal. Some received lengthy prison sentences, some received lesser prison sentences while some were held as enemy aliens and deported after World War II ended.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsmPiRmT4

The photographer is unknown. The image is believed to be a U.S. government photograph. It is housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

Arbour Hill is an inner city area of Dublin, on the Northside of the River Liffey, in the Dublin 7 postal district. Arbour Hill, the road of the same name, runs west from Blackhall Place in Stoneybatter, and separates Collins Barracks, now part of the National Museum of Ireland, to the south from Arbour Hill Prison to the north, whose graveyard includes the burial plot of the signatories of the Easter Proclamation that began the 1916 Rising.

The military cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the executed leaders of the insurrection of 1916. Among those buried there are Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Major John Mc Bride. The leaders were executed in Kilmainham and then their bodies were transported to Arbour Hill, where they were buried.

The graves are located under a low mound on a terrace of Wicklow granite in what was once the old prison yard. The gravesite is surrounded by a limestone wall on which their names are inscribed in Irish and English. On the prison wall opposite the gravesite is a plaque with the names of other people who gave their lives in 1916.

The adjoining Church of the Sacred Heart, which is the prison chapel for Arbour Hill prison, is maintained by the Department of Defence. At the rear of the church lies the old cemetery, where lie the remains of British military personnel who died in the Dublin area in the 19th and early 20th century.

A doorway beside the 1916 memorial gives access to the Irish United Nations Veterans Association house and memorial garden.

Created in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century by Melbourne stained glass manufacturer Ferguson and Urie, the Saint Peter stained glass window may be found on the left hand side of the nave, in the eastern wall, when approaching the altar of Christ Church Brunswick.

Saint Peter was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is often called the Prince of the Apostles. Jesus promised Peter a special place in his church. He is commonly identified as the first Bishop of Rome and the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Roman Church. Dressed in papal vestments, he holds in his left hand an open book, whilst in his right hand, his most commonly recognised symbols; the Keys to Heaven, in this case executed in silver and gold. Traditionally he is portrayed with a white beard, however in this window he has a brown beard.

This window was erected by James Grice, eldest son of pastoralist, businessman, philanthropist and churchman Richard Grice. Richard was born on October the 30th 1813 in Cumberland, England. The son of William Grice and his wife Sarah, née Parke. he was born into a family who ran a private family bank in Cumberland, built on generations of his family who had begun as farmers in the area before becoming successful businessmen in Cumberland. Richard attended Walker's School in Whitehaven, and gained farming experience on one of his family's properties. However, in his mid twenties, Richard felt that his future did not lie in England, so he set sail to Australia in 1839. He arrived at Adelaide in September 1839 with shepherds and a business partner named Benjamin Heape. They did not stay in Adelaide, and journeyed east to Melbourne where Richard and Benjamin set up an importing and exporting business. Richard decided to explore the idea of pastoral opportunities in the Western District where he successfully raised and bred sheep, going on to become one of the most successful pastoralists in Australia. He expanded his pastoral holdings into Queensland. In 1844 Richard married the daughter of James Hibberson, Anne Lavinia. In 1847 they did a Grand Tour of Europe and then settled in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. They had twelve children. Benjamin returned to England in 1852, so Richard entered into a partnership with Mr. T. J. Sumner, who had worked as a clerk within the original firm. Mr. Sumner's eldest daughter married Richard's son James, and the firm became known as Grice, Sumner & Co. The business flourished and by the mid 1870s the firm held vast grazing properties in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. Richard died at his home in Fitzroy on November the 4th 1882, survived by his wife and by three sons and four daughters.

Christ Church, built almost on the corner of Glenlyon Road and Brunswick Street in Brunswick, is a picturesque slice of Italy in inner city Melbourne. With its elegant proportions, warm yellow stuccoed facade and stylish Romanesque campanile, the church would not look out of place sitting atop a rise in Tuscany, or being the centre of an old walled town. This idea is further enhanced when the single bell rings from the campanile, calling worshipers to prayer.

Christ Church has been constructed in a cruciform plan with a detached campanile. Although not originally intended as such, at its completion, the church became an excellent example of "Villa Rustica" architecture in Australia. Like other churches around the inner city during the boom and bust eras of the mid Nineteenth Century as Melbourne became an established city, the building was built in stages between 1857 and 1875 as money became available to extend and better what was already in existence. Christ Church was dedicated in 1857 when the nave, designed by architects Purchas and Swyer, was completed. The transepts, chancel and vestry were completed between 1863 and 1864 to the designs created by the architects' firm Smith and Watts. The Romanesque style campanile was also designed by Smith and Watts and it completed between 1870 and 1871. A third architect, Frederick Wyatt, was employed to design the apse which was completed in 1875.

Built in Italianate style with overture characteristics of classical Italian country house designs, Christ Church is one of the few examples of what has been coined "Villa Rustica" architecture in Victoria.

Slipping through the front door at the bottom of the campanile, the rich smell of incense from mass envelops visitors. As soon as the double doors which lead into the church proper close behind you, the church provides a quiet refuge from the busy intersection of Glenlyon Road and Brunswick Street outside, and it is quite easy to forget that cars and trams pass by just a few metres away. Walking up the aisle of the nave of Christ Church, light pours over the original wooden pews with their hand embroidered cushions through sets of luminescent stained glass windows by Melbourne manufacturers, Ferguson and Urie, Mathieson and Gibson and Brooks Robinson and Company. A set of fourteen windows from the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century by Ferguson and Urie depicting different saints are especially beautiful, filled with painted glass panes which are as vivid now as when they were created more than one hundred years ago. The floors are still the original dark, richly polished boards that generations of worshipers have walked over since they were first laid. The east transept houses the Lady Chapel, whilst the west transept is consumed by the magnificent 1972 Roger H. Pogson organ built of cedar with tin piping. This replaced the original 1889 Alfred Fuller organ. Beautifully executed carved rood figures watch over the chancel from high, perhaps admiring the marble altar.

Albert Purchas, born in 1825 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, was a prominent Nineteenth Century architect who achieved great success for himself in Melbourne. Born to parents Robert Whittlesey Purchas and Marianne Guyon, he migrated to Australia in 1851 to establish himself in the then quickly expanding city of Melbourne, where he set up a small architect's firm in Little Collins Street. He also offered surveying services. His first major building was constructing the mansion "Berkeley Hall" in St Kilda on Princes Street in 1854. The house still exists today. Two years after migrating, Albert designed the layout of the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton. It was the first "garden cemetery" in Victoria, and his curvilinear design is still in existence, unaltered, today. In 1854, Albert married Eliza Anne Sawyer (1825 - 1869) in St Kilda. The couple had ten children over their marriage, including a son, Robert, who followed in his father's footsteps as an architect. Albert's brother-in-law, Charles Sawyer joined him in the partnership of Purchas and Sawyer, which existed from 1856 until 1862 in Queens Street. The firm produced more than 140 houses, churches, offices and cemetery buildings including: the nave and transepts of Christ Church St Kilda between 1854 and 1857, "Glenara Homestead"in Bulla in 1857, the Melbourne Savings Bank on the corner of Flinders Lane and Market Street (now demolished) between 1857 and 1858, the Geelong branch of the Bank of Australasia in Malop Street between 1859 and 1860, and Beck's Imperial Hotel in Castlemaine in 1861. When the firm broke up, Albert returned to Little Collins Street, and the best known building he designed during this period was St. George's Presbyterian Church in East St Kilda between 1877 and 1880. The church's tall polychomatic brick bell tower is still a local landmark, even in the times of high rise architecture and development, and St, George's itself is said to be one of his most striking church designs. Socially, Albert was vice president of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects for many years, before becoming president in 1887. He was also an inventor and philanthropist. Albert died in 1909 at his home in Kew, a wealthy widower and much loved father.

The stained glass firm of Ferguson and Urie was established by Scots James Ferguson (1818 – 1894), James Urie (1828 – 1890) and John Lamb Lyon (1836 – 1916). They were the first known makers of stained glass in Australia. Until the early 1860s, window glass in Melbourne had been clear or plain coloured, and nearly all was imported, but new churches and elaborate buildings created a demand for pictorial windows. The three Scotsmen set up Ferguson and Urie in 1862 and the business thrived until 1899, when it ceased operation, with only John Lamb Lyon left alive. Ferguson and Urie was the most successful Nineteenth Century Australian stained glass window making company. Among their earliest works were a Shakespeare window for the Haymarket Theatre in Bourke Street, a memorial window to Prince Albert in Holy Trinity, Kew, and a set of Apostles for the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church. Their palatial Gothic Revival office building stood at 283 Collins Street from 1875. Ironically, their last major commission, a window depicting “labour”, was installed in the old Melbourne Stock Exchange in Collins Street in 1893 on the eve of the bank crash. Their windows can be found throughout the older suburbs of Melbourne and across provincial Victoria.

Fresco (plural frescos or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly-laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The word fresco (Italian: affresco) is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.

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A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.

Some wall paintings are painted on large canvases, which are then attached to the wall (e.g., with marouflage). Whether these works can be accurately called "murals" is a subject of some controversy in the art world, but the technique has been in common use since the late 19th century.

HISTORY

Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France (around 30,000 BC). Many ancient murals have survived in Egyptian tombs (around 3150 BC), the Minoan palaces (Middle period III of the Neopalatial period, 1700-1600 BC) and in Pompeii (around 100 BC - AD 79).

During the Middle Ages murals were usually executed on dry plaster (secco). In Italy, circa 1300, the technique of painting of frescos on wet plaster was reintroduced and led to a significant increase in the quality of mural painting.

In modern times, the term became more well-known with the Mexican "muralista" art movement (Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros, or José Orozco). There are many different styles and techniques. The best-known is probably fresco, which uses water-soluble paints with a damp lime wash, a rapid use of the resulting mixture over a large surface, and often in parts (but with a sense of the whole). The colors lighten as they dry. The marouflage method has also been used for millennia.

Murals today are painted in a variety of ways, using oil or water-based media. The styles can vary from abstract to trompe-l'œil (a French term for "fool" or "trick the eye"). Initiated by the works of mural artists like Graham Rust or Rainer Maria Latzke in the 1980s, trompe-l'oeil painting has experienced a renaissance in private and public buildings in Europe. Today, the beauty of a wall mural has become much more widely available with a technique whereby a painting or photographic image is transferred to poster paper or canvas which is then pasted to a wall surface (see wallpaper, Frescography) to give the effect of either a hand-painted mural or realistic scene.

TECHNIQUE

In the history of mural several methods have been used:

A fresco painting, from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco ("fresh"), describes a method in which the paint is applied on plaster on walls or ceilings. The buon fresco technique consists of painting in pigment mixed with water on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster. The pigment is then absorbed by the wet plaster; after a number of hours, the plaster dries and reacts with the air: it is this chemical reaction which fixes the pigment particles in the plaster. After this the painting stays for a long time up to centuries in fresh and brilliant colors.

Fresco-secco painting is done on dry plaster (secco is "dry" in Italian). The pigments thus require a binding medium, such as egg (tempera), glue or oil to attach the pigment to the wall.

Mezzo-fresco is painted on nearly-dry plaster, and was defined by the sixteenth-century author Ignazio Pozzo as "firm enough not to take a thumb-print" so that the pigment only penetrates slightly into the plaster. By the end of the sixteenth century this had largely displaced the buon fresco method, and was used by painters such as Gianbattista Tiepolo or Michelangelo. This technique had, in reduced form, the advantages of a secco work.

MATERIAL

In Greco-Roman times, mostly encaustic colors applied in a cold state were used.

Tempera painting is one of the oldest known methods in mural painting. In tempera, the pigments are bound in an albuminous medium such as egg yolk or egg white diluted in water.

In 16th-century Europe, oil painting on canvas arose as an easier method for mural painting. The advantage was that the artwork could be completed in the artist’s studio and later transported to its destination and there attached to the wall or ceiling. Oil paint can be said to be the least satisfactory medium for murals because of its lack of brilliance in colour. Also the pigments are yellowed by the binder or are more easily affected by atmospheric conditions. The canvas itself is more subject to rapid deterioration than a plaster ground. Different muralists tend to become experts in their preferred medium and application, whether that be oil paints, emulsion or acrylic paints applied by brush, roller or airbrush/aerosols. Clients will often ask for a particular style and the artist may adjust to the appropriate technique.

A consultation usually leads to a detailed design and layout of the proposed mural with a price quote that the client approves before the muralist starts on the work. The area to be painted can be gridded to match the design allowing the image to be scaled accurately step by step. In some cases the design is projected straight onto the wall and traced with pencil before painting begins. Some muralists will paint directly without any prior sketching, preferring the spontaneous technique.

Once completed the mural can be given coats of varnish or protective acrylic glaze to protect the work from UV rays and surface damage.

As an alternative to a hand-painted or airbrushed mural, digitally printed murals can also be applied to surfaces. Already existing murals can be photographed and then be reproduced in near-to-original quality.

The disadvantages of pre-fabricated murals and decals are that they are often mass-produced and lack the allure and exclusivity of an original artwork. They are often not fitted to the individual wall sizes of the client and their personal ideas or wishes can not be added to the mural as it progresses. The Frescography technique, a digital manufacturing method (CAM) invented by Rainer Maria Latzke addresses some of the personalisation and size restrictions.

Digital techniques are commonly used in advertisements. A "wallscape" is a large advertisement on or attached to the outside wall of a building. Wallscapes can be painted directly on the wall as a mural, or printed on vinyl and securely attached to the wall in the manner of a billboard. Although not strictly classed as murals, large scale printed media are often referred to as such. Advertising murals were traditionally painted onto buildings and shops by sign-writers, later as large scale poster billboards.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MURALS

Murals are important in that they bring art into the public sphere. Due to the size, cost, and work involved in creating a mural, muralists must often be commissioned by a sponsor. Often it is the local government or a business, but many murals have been paid for with grants of patronage. For artists, their work gets a wide audience who otherwise might not set foot in an art gallery. A city benefits by the beauty of a work of art.

Murals can be a relatively effective tool of social emancipation or achieving a political goal. Murals have sometimes been created against the law, or have been commissioned by local bars and coffeeshops. Often, the visual effects are an enticement to attract public attention to social issues. State-sponsored public art expressions, particularly murals, are often used by totalitarian regimes as a tool of mass-control and propaganda. However, despite the propagandist character of that works, some of them still have an artistic value.

Murals can have a dramatic impact whether consciously or subconsciously on the attitudes of passers by, when they are added to areas where people live and work. It can also be argued that the presence of large, public murals can add aesthetic improvement to the daily lives of residents or that of employees at a corporate venue.

Other world-famous murals can be found in Mexico, New York, Philadelphia, Belfast, Derry, Los Angeles, Nicaragua, Cuba and in India. They have functioned as an important means of communication for members of socially, ethnically and racially divided communities in times of conflict. They also proved to be an effective tool in establishing a dialogue and hence solving the cleavage in the long run. The Indian state Kerala has exclusive murals. These Kerala mural painting are on walls of Hindu temples. They can be dated from 9th century AD.

The San Bartolo murals of the Maya civilization in Guatemala, are the oldest example of this art in Mesoamerica and are dated at 300 BC.

Many rural towns have begun using murals to create tourist attractions in order to boost economic income. Colquitt, Georgia is one such town. Colquitt was chosen to host the 2010 Global Mural Conference. The town has more than twelve murals completed, and will host the Conference along with Dothan, Alabama, and Blakely, Georgia. In the summer of 2010, Colquitt will begin work on their Icon Mural.

WIKIPEDIA

This beautifully decorated orthodox church is situated up a hill in Lagoydi, Kos

We are given special permission to access the off-limits upper floor (nobody has access for the last 2000 years until now) of the church from where I'm able to get some beautiful views of the stunning frescoes and unravel an ancient secret.

This is the Gospel of Mark. Not any "Gospel according to Mark" but the first original manuscript that Mark actually wrote back in the year 70AD when the Jewish War was raging, and the Roman under the command of Titus had just devastated the Second Temple in Jerusalem and in the process kick started the Jewish Diaspora. St Paul had been executed in Rome 2 years back. This is literally an eye-witness account of Jesus's life and all the narratives described in the bible. Mark's Gospel is by and large the earliest of the 4 Gospels of the new testament that was written in view of his stylistic and theological writings. This is the time when Christianity is still in its infancy embryonic stage.

According to a reliable ancient Q source (2-source hypothesis, synoptic problem), Mark initially intended to have it written in Aramaic which Jesus spoke in his sermons during his ministry. However, he changes his mind at the last minute and writes in Greek instead, in order to reach out to the majority Greek speaking gentiles in Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean region. Unlike the earliest known fragmentary Gospel of Mark in existence which dates to the third century AD, this one is a near complete first century AD document. The exact date of completion of the book was clearly inscribed along with Mark's autograph in chapter 23:04. This manuscript contained the original resurrection narrative beyond Mark 16:8 of the canonical bible. (16:9-20 extract material from later Gospel tradition in Matthew/Luke/John as well as embellishments from medieval scribes)

It is a highly sought-after ancient Christian scripture that was presumably lost for 2000 years. Scholars all over the world have been desperately looking for it since antiquity but failed.

This is the first Gospel from which all other Gospels are based on, including the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Luke/Act and John which form the essential part of the New Testament of 27books.

The only biblical authoritative scriptures that predate it are the epistles of Paul which he wrote some 2 decades earlier. However, Paul (formerly Saul) does not describe the life of Jesus, he only accounts for his death, resurrection and his divine teachings. The reason why Paul is not interested in the historical flesh and blood Jesus is because that was associated with Judaism in which Jesus was believed to be the Messiah. He came to earth to liberate the Jewish people. However, his messianic activities caught the attention of the Roman authorities which viewed him as a political agitator. He was arrested charged with political subversion and subsequently crucified. (the gospels however were written in such a way as to discount any Romans involvement, the Jews were the ones that were responsible for Jesus death instead) For Judaism, once the Messiah is killed, that signal the end of his potentials. The leader is gone forever as Jews don't believe Jesus would return as a divine figure continuing in his fight for liberation as nobody is divine in Judaism. Paul wanted to drive on his notion with the historical failure in leadership is utterly wipe out and create a brand new theology which put Jesus as a divine figure. Paul is not a disciple of Jesus during his lifetime. In fact Paul is a prosecutor of the early followers of Jesus's movement. (known as The Way and subsequently evolved into a religious movement known as Ebionites)

Paul became a believer after his visionary encounter with Jesus during his journey to Damascus to arrest Jesus followers shortly after Jesus' crucifixion. To him, the divine Jesus provides him with the best and the most accurate information from heaven than the historical earthy Jesus which is sometimes hard to understand. Therefore, he should be the one to convey Jesus's teaching and not his close disciples. Inarguably, besides Jesus himself Paul (despite not knowing Jesus in person) is the most important figure in the foundation of proto-orthodoxy which eventually evolved into the present day Christianity. His contributions, religious conviction and bearing is phenomenal. The images we see today about Jesus, from Hollywood movies to Renaissance paintings are drawn from the 4 gospels which above all, Paul's idea. We do not know how Jesus looks like, let alone his biography. That's simply we do not have any written records from the people who knew him well and the early church, such as the Jerusalem Church which James, the brother of Jesus took over after Jesus' passing.

Mark's manuscript is of paramount significance to biblical scholars which specialize in the field of textual criticism. The writings of this gospel would provide the foundation to gauge the accuracy of the rest of the scriptures. We could then make very accurate comparisons and correct much of the known textual discrepancies and variants found in our existing collection of ancient manuscripts numbering in the thousands. (Greek - 5800, Latin - >10,000 and >9000 various other ancient languages such as Syriac, Slavic, Gothic, Ethiopic, Coptic and Armenian.) The numbers would grow as new discoveries are made. (ie the Nag Hammadi library which a series of gnostic gospels dated to the first half of the second century have been discovered in 1945 in Egypt. Among which is the Gospel of Thomas, written in Coptic. It contains 114 sayings of Jesus. Some which are not found in the canonical gospels. According to Thomas (twin brother of Jesus Didymus Judas Thomas ), there is no virgin birth and salvation does not come in the form of resurrection but rather through the deep understanding of the secret teachings of Jesus himself (it says "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death." However, for obvious reasons, nobody understood a single word he said as nobody remains alive since then). Nevertheless, it has provided a refreshing insight to the still-evolving teaching of Christ practice by the numerous sects of early Christianity. One of these Judeo-Christian sect which do not believe in the resurrected Christ fabricated the twin story. The paradox provided a framework for their crucified messiah to continue fighting for liberation for their followers.

We knew a fair bit about the gnostic gospels from the works of Christian historian Eusebius in the fourth century.. He was a compelling opponent to the non-orthodox teachings. In his works he mentioned the gospel of Thomas, gospel of Philip etc. It is not until the modern times that we get to see the actual copy of these non-canonical works thru' archeological discoveries. Incidentally, the gnostic works are certainly not composed by the apostles of Jesus as it was claimed. They are dated to the late second and third century. All of the apostles are long gone already.

There are numerous debates on the accuracy of the Bible relating to the transmission process which resulted in the contradiction of texts being found. However, the concept is crystal clear, if one takes it as a book of faith there is absolutely no reason to doubt its authenticity. Since it is an authoritative scripture, it is God's true words regardless.

However, in the quest for historical knowledge it's desirable to seek hard evidence to account for the narratives which invariably put us in a collision course with theological ideologies.

The answer is simple, there is not a single shred of archaeological remains ever found relating to any of the bible narratives. Except for the discovery of Pilate Stone in 1961 which confirms the existence of one of the major actors in the trial narrative (Jesus judge, Pontivs Pilativs) That though, does not historically proved that the trial actually took place as described in all of the 4 gospels or Jesus actually existed. Ironically, that also does not mean any of the biblical events did not take place.

In fact, very few would leave behind an archeological trail for people to uncover thousands of years later.

All cross reference to the major characters and events in the bible came from implicit and sometimes controversial writings by ancient historians such as Josephus, Tacitus etc.. All being said, we don't need any sort of contemporary evidence for the bible, which is regarded as a "certified true copy" from God.

But the bottom line is that the bible is written by a long line of fallible human scribes and not solely by God himself. Invariably, there are mistakes made, lots of them. Humans have evolved to be imperfect and particularly have an inherent natural talent of lying through the teeth to fulfil polysized theological ideas and political agendas.

The arguments go on and on and probably would, for another 2 thousand years.

Perhaps God wants to keep it that way to make things interesting for us. He has no desire to reveal his plan just yet.

Fact : The bible shown above is dated 1938AD. (Jenny's hand, though, is not:) ) so it's just a couple of decades old instead of 2000 years old. The 4 Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John In order of the sequence in which they are written) of the New Testaments are in fact anonymous. The true authors remain unknown to this day (wish I know who wrote them). They are assigned with the names as we know today sometimes in the second century AD by Apostolic church fathers. One hypothesis suggests that each of the Gospel is not written by one single person and instead is composed by a collection of documents written by a community of people. That is to say eg the Gospel of Mark is written by a community of people that knew Mark who is their leader and decisively write down his teachings and thoughts over a period of time. The same formula is applied to the rest of the Gospels.

Why 4 Gospels instead of other numbers? By theological reasoning, Christians believe in the 4 corners of the Earth and that would be the most plausible outcome. The book of Acts is neatly separated from the Gospel of Luke (same author) to form a separate book by itself.

Why Mark, Matthew, Luke and John and not somebody else?

Well, by reasonable means, we know that Peter and Paul are the original founders of Christianity in Rome. Peter is said to be the Apostle to the Jews and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Both wanted a fair share of the pie. Matthew (tax collector) and John(son of Zebedee) are believed to be the close followers of Jesus. Mark was said to be the disciple of Peter and Luke was a disciple and also a personal physician of Paul. So now we have 2 close followers of Jesus and 2 close followers of Jesus followers. Voila ! now we have the 4 names, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. That is the most probable reason to how the names came to be associated with the Gospels that we know today.

The gospel narrative, though, is either fictitious or partially hypothesized with available information gathered from various sources. For most part of the writings however, is based on my personal understanding of various published articles currently in circulation and partly from my own imaginations.

Side dish :

Have you ever wondered what BC and AD stand for? These 2 terms are indispensable when it comes to establishing historical timeline or merely describing an historical event. I use them all the time. BC is Before Christ and AD is Anno Domini (year of our Lord). The idea was devised by a Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century AD to standardise how we record time so that Easter celebration can be synchronised all over the Roman empire. Before that, people were using different time measurements based on certain important dates. The Greeks used the year 776 BC (first Olympic game) while the Roman used 753 BC (the founding of their city) as their baseline. That led to confusion in historical dates recording and misjudgement of the calendar. In addition, and most importantly, the minute inconsistency in the natural celestial movement of the earth resulted in a compounded error in the calendar which shows up over a long period of time. The idea is to use the birth of Jesus as the standard baseline. Therefore 1 AD means 1 year after Jesus was born and 1BC indicates 1 year before Jesus was born. Jesus was conceptually born in 0BC even though the concept of 0 did not exist in Roman numerals. Despite that, our calendar had been adjusted a couple of times over the last 2000 years due to the described astronomical phenomenon. Nonetheless, the solution had provided us with a nice fix to a range of major date-related problems.

This system was accepted and used for more than 1500 years until scholars discovered a major flaw. According to the New Testament Documents, Jesus was born just before Herod the Great died. Herod died in 4BC based on rock solid historical records so Jesus (unfortunately we have no historical records of any kind or any collaborative evidence of his birth, everything we know about him came from the Christian Bible) have to be born in around 6BC because the Bible mentioned that Herod ordered all baby boys up to 2 years of age to be killed out of fear that his kingly position would be threaten. (the evaluation is based on the account given in Matthew’s Gospel. However, Luke’s account would lead us to another set of dates which falls on 6AD. Nonetheless, such discrepancies would be logically accepted (at least by myself) due to the fact that the Gospels were written decades after Jesus. The accounts were not straight history, they were written from a theological standpoint. Therefore the exact dates do not really matter)

As such, it would be confusing to explain Jesus was born 6 years Before Christ (ie born 6 years before he was born). In order to get around the confusion, BC was changed to BCE- Before Common Era and AD became CE-Common Era. In that case, the terms Before Christ/Anno Domini could then be removed from the equation along with the confusion. Another important point to take note is that all Christian elements (Before Christ, year of our Lord) can be safely jettisoned from the context to evade potential religious bias.

In a nutshell, the year remains the same only BC is now BCE and AD is now CE.

eg The Roman dictator, Julia Cesar was stabbed to death in 44BC, which is 44BCE. Tiberius Caesar Augustus, the second Roman emperor died in 37AD, is now 37CE.

Which year Jesus was born

Over the decades, scholars have been debating exactly when Jesus was born. However, there is no definitive answer for it. The date would depend on which camp you’re in. From a religious standpoint, he has to be born in the year '0' in the current context. After all, our calendar is based on the idea of Jesus’ Birth. However, there is no such thing as ‘0’ year as it was not invented just yet. In Roman context, the year 1BC would follow by 1AD, which denote Before Christ and Anno Domini respectively. The calendar system was conceptualized in the 6th century CE and it’s known to have a discrepancy of a couple of years. As we now realize, Jesus was most likely born in the BC period. Which also means Jesus was born before he was born. That becomes a thorny issue. To reconcile that, the term BC is changed to BCE (before common era) and AD changed to CE(common era). Another advantage of this naming convention is that by doing so, it removes the Christian element (Christ) from the equation thus making it more neutral, avoiding any religious misinterpretation. In fact, the Jews have been using the dating system for a while already.

Well, now if we look at it through the lens of History, things get far more complex but nevertheless interesting.

Everything we know about Jesus came from the Gospels. However, the Birth narrative is only found in Matthew and Luke Gospels. Ironically, there are contradictions on the dates as we soon see.

In order to draw any reasonable conclusion, we first must have some insights as to what actually happened during this particular time frame in the region. Let’s see what history has to offer and use the data to establish a timeline upon which we'll superimpose the Gospel dates and try to make sense out of it.

In 63BCE, Roman Legions led by General Pompey captured Palestine and renamed it Judea. At that point in time, Rome was not yet an empire, it was still a republic dominated by 3 Roman leaders battling for power. Namely, Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar. Crassus was killed in action in 53BCE (good for the other 2 guys) which leaves Pompey to battle it out with Julius Caesar. Pompey was assassinated in 48BCE (good news for Caesar)

Caesar then became the sole ruler (dictator) of Rome. However, the celebration didn’t last long. In 44BCE he was in turn assassinated. Caesar’s adopted Son Octavian took over power but he was not alone. Another 2 guys also wanted to have a share of the pie. Namely Lepidus and Mark Anthony (Queen Cleopatra’s lover). In 36BCE, Lepidus fell out of power leaving Mark Anthony and Octavian to battle it out. Octavian defeated Mark Anthony in the famous sea battle at Actium in 31BCE sending Mark and Cleopatra to Heaven.

In 27BCE, Octavian declared himself the First Emperor of Rome (Augustus) and Rome became an Empire. His reign lasted for 40 years dying in 14CE. He was then succeeded by his adopted son Tiberius who reigned for 22 years dying in 37CE. These are well attested, undisputed historical dates. We can then use them as reference points for our chronology.

After Pompey captured Jerusalem, he put Hyrcanus (local Jewish ruler) in charge. Later, Mark Anthony installed Herod the Great as King of the Jews and ruled Jerusalem from 37BCE. This is verified by references found in Josephus' works as well as Roman records. Josephus also mentioned that Herold’s conquest of Jerusalem was 27 years after Pompey’s conquest of Jerusalem. That helps to pinpoint the date to be 37BCE as well. This particular year is crucial for calculating Jesus’ birth.

Josephus states that Herold dies 34 years after conquering Jerusalem which brings us to 4BCE. He also mentioned Herod died during the Passover season and shortly after a lunar eclipse. That date is confirmed with astronomical reference as the only lunar eclipse that had occurred around that time period. Josephus was spot-on.

After the passing of Herod, one of his sons named Archelaus continued to rule the area. However, he fell out of favor with Augustus and eventually was deposed in 6CE. From then on, Judea was no longer ruled by local Jewish kings and instead by Roman governors/prefect. The first 4 are relatively unknown in history but the fifth one had made his way into the greatest story ever told. His name is Pontius Pilate, the man mentioned in the Bible that sent Jesus to the cross. He governed from 26CE to 36CE, one year before Emperor Tiberius Died.

Now we turn our attention back to the Bible. The Birth narrative is only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. First let’s look at what Matthew has to say. According to Matthew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem during when Herod the Great was king. So, Jesus must have been born before the year 4BCE because this was when Herod died. After Jesus is born, some wise men(Magi) from the east visit Herod and tell him that they have come to worship a newly born king of the Jews. Herod told them to look for them in Bethlehem and report back to him of the exact location after they've found the child on the pretext that he too wishes to worship the new king. However, the Magi head straight home after they found the little Jesus. Herod was mad after learning that he was tricked and became paranoid thinking that his throne is threatened and ordered all male children 2 years old or younger to be killed. Jesus and his parents then escaped to Egypt. Herod dies shortly. After which, his son Archelaus takes over. Jesus and his parents then return to Nazareth.

Ironically, Matthew doesn’t tell us how much time passed between the birth of Jesus and the visit from the wise men. Herod ordered all male children 2 years old or younger to be killed, so the assumption that it could have been as much as 2 years. Which means the typical nativity scene (showing 3 Magi) is just an embellishment to the birth story. According to Matthew's narrative, there's no mention of the number of wise men and almost certainly no wise men were present at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Retrospectively, Jesus must be born between 4BCE and 6BCE.

According to Luke, Jesus was born during a time when Quirinus was the governor of Syria and during a census. According to Roman historical data, both info from Luke’s Gospel were credible enough. There was indeed a man called Quirinus. He was the governor of Syria at that time. So, when Augustus deposed Archelaus in 6CE, he sent Quirinus over from nearby Syria (Syria was already a Roman province) to conduct a census for taxation purposes. However, it was not a census for the entire empire and neither did it require people to return to their hometown as mentioned in Luke’s narrative. In Luke's account, no wise men are mentioned.

So, according to Matthew, Jesus was born before the year 4BCE (according to most scholars, Jesus was born in 6BCE.) but according to Luke, Jesus was born sometime around 6CE. How do we reconcile such contradictions? In my opinion, we can't and we don’t need to.

To me, the main point is that the Bible is written to make theological points and not to record literal history. Secondly, the Gospels were written by different individuals in different parts of the Roman empire decades after Jesus’ death. Their writings were based largely on a chain of oral traditions transmitted over a period of time and to some extent influenced by the local culture, belief and literature. Even though the Bible is an authoritative text inspired by God supposedly true in every word, it has come to be written by human scribes. Inevitably, there are discrepancies simply because humans do make mistakes and on top of that, their writings are governed by a string of political and religious influences and motivations.

End

Extracts from the Gospels :

Matthew 2:1–23

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now hafter Jesus was born in iBethlehem of Judea jin the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men1 from kthe east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born lking of the Jews? For we saw mhis star when it rose2 and have come to nworship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where othe Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 p“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will qshepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, rthey offered him gifts, sgold and tfrankincense and umyrrh. 12 And vbeing warned win a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, xan angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. yThis was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, z“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 aThen was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 b“A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they care no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for dthose who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and ebeing warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called fNazareth, gso that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

LUKE 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

My interpretation on John 8 : 1-11 adulterous woman

Jesus wrote on the ground

Probably read as :

I knew you guys committed the adultery with the woman(you guys should be stoned to death too)

Jesus then said to the priests

Whoever did not commit any sin cast the first stone and they all ran away as fast as their legs could carry them.

Jesus then turned to the woman and tell her not to sin again.

If Jesus said go ahead and stone her he violate his own teachings (forgiveness)

If he let her go he violate the Torah

@Kos Island, Greece (9.9.2019AD)

Bury St Edmunds Cathedral for most of its existence was simply the parish church of St James until the foundation of the new diocese of St Edmundsbury in 1914 when it was raised to cathedral status, one of the many new dioceses formed in the early 20th century that elevated existing parish churches to diocesan rank rather than purpose building a new cathedral. Many of these 'parish church cathedrals' sit slightly awkwardly with their new status, lacking in the scale and grandeur that befits such a title, but of all of them Bury St Edmunds has been adapted to its new role the most successfully, with in my opinion the most beautiful results.

The medieval church consisted of the present nave, built in 1503-51 under master mason John Wastell, with an earlier chancel that was entirely rebuilt in 1711 and again in 1870. Originally it would have seemed a fairly minor building at the entrance to the monastic precinct, overshadowed by the enormous abbey church that once stood immediately behind it. The absence of this magnificent church since the Dissolution and the scant remains of this vast edifice always sully my visits here with a sense of grievous loss, had history been kinder it would have served as the cathedral here instead and likely be celebrated as one of the grandest in the country.

The church never had a tower of its own since the adjacent Norman tower of the Abbey gateway served the role of a detached campanile perfectly. It is an impressive piece of Romanesque architecture and one of the best preserved 12th century towers in the country.

Upon being raised to cathedral status in 1914 the building underwent no immediate structural changes but plans were made to consider how best to transform a fairly ordinary church into a worthy cathedral. This task was appointed to architect Stephen Dykes Bower and work began in 1959 to extend the building dramatically. Between 1963-1970 the entire Victorian chancel was demolished and replaced with a much grander vision of a lofty new choir and shallow transepts, remarkably all executed in traditional Gothic style in order to harmonize with the medieval nave. It is incredible to think that this was done in the 1960s, a period in which church and cathedral buildings were otherwise constructed in the most self consciously modern forms ever seen, with delicate neo-medieval masonry in place of brick and concrete.

The new crossing of transepts and choir however remained crowned by the stump of a tower for the remainder of the century as funds were not available to finish Dykes Bower's complete vision of a lantern tower over the crossing: this was only realised at the beginning of the 21st century, aided by a legacy left in the architect's will and some subtle design changes under his successor as architect Hugh Matthews. The transformation from church to cathedral was finally completed in 2005 with most satisfactory results. A stunning fan-vault was installed within the new tower in 2010, an exquisite finishing touch.

Whilst it isn't a large building by cathedral standards its newer parts do much to give it the shape and dignity of one. This is especially apparent within, where the cruciform eastern limb draws the eye. The interior is enlivened by much colour, with the ceilings of Dykes Bower's choir and transepts adorned with rich displays of stencilling, whilst the nave ceiling (a Victorian replacement for the medieval one) was redecorated in similarly lively colours in the 1980s which helps to unify the old and new parts of the church.

Few fittings or features remain from the medieval period, most of the furnishings being Victorian or more recent, but one window in the south aisle retains a rich display of early 16th century stained glass, very much Renaissance in style. The remaining glass is nearly all Victorian, some of the windows in the new choir having been transferred from the previous chancel.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral is not filled with the monuments and fittings that make other great churches so rewarding to linger in but it is a real architectural delight and cannot fail to uplift the spirit.

stedscathedral.org/visit/

Ricky a été exécuté en 1992. Malgré son état mental, le Gouverneur de l'Arkansas Bill Clinton a fait un exemple de lui, pendant sa campagne présidentiel de 1992.

Pour son dernier repas, Ricky laissa son dessert de côté et dit à ses gardiens, je le garde pour plus tard...

Il semble que Bill Clinton voulait montrer qu'il était capable d'être dur et voulais aussi faire oublier le scandale sexuel avec lequel il était au prise. Il avait eu une affaire avec Gennifer Flowers alors c'était un moyen de faire diversion.

Ricky was executed in 1992.Despite Rector's mental state, then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton made a point of returning to Arkansas to oversee Rector's January 24, 1992 execution during the 1992 U.S. Presidential campaign.

For his last meal, he left the pecan pie on the side, telling the guards who came to take him to the execution chamber that he was saving it for later.

Bill Clinton wanted to show to people that he was tough and he was in a sexual scandal, he had a affairs with Gennifer Flowers, so the execution was maybe a diversion.

The Angel Troubling the Pool, depicting John 5: 2-24, was executed by Cottier & Co. of London in 1878. Trinity's stained glass collection is one of the finest in the nation with examples from most of the major American and European stained glass stuios of the nineteenth century. With the exception of one window, the church contained only clear glass windows at tits consecration. Twenty four figurative windows followed within five years. Today thirty-six windows line the walls of Trinity church, including four designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris and another four designed by John La Farge, who used a revolutionary style of layering opalescent glass.

Trinity Church, at 206 Clarendon Street, was built from 1873 to 1876 by Henry Hobson Richardson. The Episcopal parish, founded in 1733, originally worshipped on Summer Street until it was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1872. Under the direction of Rector Phillips Brooks, Hobson was commissioned to design a replacement in Copley Square. Trinity Church helped establish Richardson's reputation, becoming the birthplace and archetype of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower.

The building's plan is a modified Greek Cross with four arms extending outwards from the central towner, which stands 211 ft tall. Situated in Copley Square, which was originally a mud flat, Trinity rests on some 4500 wooden piles, each driven through 30 feet of gravel fill, silt, and clay, and constantly wetted by a pump so they do not rot if exposed to air. Its interior murals, which cover over 21,500 square feet were completed entirely by American artists. Richardson and Brooks decided that a richly colored interior was essential and turned to an at the time unknown John La Farge.

In 2007, Trinity Church was ranked #25 on the AIA 150 America's Favorite Architecture list.

Trinity Church National Register #70000733 (1970)

Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio

•Designer: Designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, Siena 1439-1501 Siena)

•Maker: Executed under the supervision of Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, Siena 1439-1501 Siena)

•Maker: Executed in the workshop of Giuliano da Maiano (Italian, Maiano 1432-1490 Naples)

•Maker: and Benedetto da Maiano (Italian, Maiano 1442-1497 Florence)

•Date: ca. 1478-1782

•Culture: Italian, Gubbio

•Medium: Walnut, beech, rosewood, oak and fruitwoods in walnut base

•Dimensions:

oHeight: 15 ft. 10 15/16 in. (485 cm)

oWidth: 16 ft. 11 15/16 in. (518 cm)

oDepth: 12 ft. 7 3/16 in. (384 cm)

•Classification: Woodwork

•Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1939

•Accession Number: 39.153

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 501.

This detail is from a study, (or studiolo), intended for meditation and study. Its walls are carried out in a wood-inlay technique known as intarsia. The latticework doors of the cabinets, shown open or partly closed, indicate the contemporary interest in linear perspective. The cabinets display objects reflecting Duke Federico’s wide-ranging artistic and scientific interests, and the depictions of books recall his extensive library. Emblems of the Montefeltro are also represented. This room may have been designed by Francesco di Giorgio (1439-1502) and was executed by Giuliano da Majano (1432-1490). A similar room, in situ, was made for the duke’s palace at Urbino.

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

•Inscription:

oLatin inscription in elegiac couplets in frieze: ASPICIS AETERNOS VENERANDAE MATRIS ALUMNOS // DOCTRINA EXCELSOS INGENIOQUE VIROS // UT NUDA CERVICE CADANT ANTE //.. // .. GENU // IUSTITIAM PIETAS VINCIT REVERENDA NEC ULLUM // POENITET ALTRICI SUCCUBUISSE SUAE.

oTranslation: (“You see the eternal nurselings of the venerable mother // Men pre-eminent in learning and genius, // How they fall with bared neck before // …… // ………………………………………………knee. // Honored loyalty prevails over justice, and no one // Repents having yielded to his foster mother.”)

Provenance

Duke Federico da Montefeltr, Palazzo Ducale, Gubbio, Italy (ca. 1479-1482); Prince Filippo Massimo Lancellotti, Frascati (from 1874); Lancelotti family, Frascati (until 1937; sold to Adolph Loewi, Venice); [Adolph Loewi, Venice (1937-1939; sold to MMA)]

Timeline of Art History

•Essays

oCollecting for the Kunstkammer

oDomestic Art in Renaissance Italy

oRenaissance Organs

•Timelines

oFlorence and Central Italy, 1400-1600 A.D.

MetPublications

oVermeer and the Delft School

oPeriod Rooms in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oPainting Words, Sculpting Language: Creative Writing Activities at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oOne Met. Many Worlds.

oMusical Instruments: Highlights of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 4, The Renaissance in Italy and Spain

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Spanish)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Russian)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Portuguese)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Korean)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Japanese)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Italian)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (German)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (French)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Chinese)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide (Arabic)

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide

oThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide

oMasterpieces of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oMasterpieces of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

o“The Liberal Arts Studiolo from the Ducal Palace at Gubbio”: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 53, no. 4 (Spring, 1996)

oGuide to The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oThe Gubbio Studiolo and Its Conservation. Vol. 2, Italian Renaissance Intarsia and the Conservation of the Gubbio Studiolo

oThe Gubbio Studiolo and Its Conservation. Vol. 1, Federico da Montefeltro’s Palace at Gubbio and Its Studiolo

o“Carpaccio’s Young Knight in a Landscape: Christian Champion and Guardian of Liberty”: Metropolitan Museum Journal, v. 18 (1983)

oThe Artist Project: What Artists See When They Look At Art

oThe Artist Project

oThe Art of Renaissance Europe: A Resource for Educators

oThe Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

oArt and Love in Renaissance Italy

Floor Tiles (Set of 350)

•Factory: San Marco Laterizi di Noale Pottery

•Date: 1995

•Culture: Italian, Venice

•Medium: Earthenware

•Dimensions:

oHeight: 10¾ in. sq. (27.3 cm. sq.)

oWidth: 1¼ in. thick (3.2 cm. thick)

•Classification: Ceramics-Pottery

•Credit Line: Purchase, Anonymous Gift, 1996

•Accession Number: Inst.1996.1.1–.350

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 501.

Provenance

Made by San Marco Laterizi di Noale as reproductions of original tiles in the Ducal Palace in Gubbio

Timeline of Art History

•Timelines

oItalian Peninsula, 1900 A.D.-Present

Three people have been arrested after early morning warrants were executed in Manchester.

Earlier this morning (Friday 29 November 2019), officers executed warrants at two addresses in Cheetham Hill and made three arrests in relation to an ongoing firearms investigation.

The action comes after GMP launched a dedicated operation – codenamed Heamus - earlier in the month. The operation is set to tackle a dispute between two local crime groups, following a series of firearms discharges which have taken place since the beginning of September 2019.

Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “Following this morning’s direct action, we have three people in custody and I would like to thank those officers who have worked extremely hard as part of this ongoing operation and who are committed to keeping the people of Cheetham Hill safe.

“Whilst we believe that these incidents have been targeted, we understand and appreciate how concerned local residents may be and as a result of this have set up this dedicated operation. We want to reassure those who feel affected that we are doing all that we can and stress that we are treating these incidents as an absolute priority.

“This is a complex investigation, which brings its own challenges and whilst we have made arrests, we are continuing to appeal for the public’s help. We believe that answers lie within the community and would urge anyone with information to get in touch. Whether you want to speak to us directly, or whether you’d prefer to talk to Crimestoppers anonymously, please do so if you think you can assist our enquiries with even the smallest piece of information.

“We will continue to work closely with partners in order to disrupt this kind of activity and I hope that this morning’s action demonstrates that are working hard in order to prevent any further incidents and protect those in our communities.

“This type of criminal behaviour is reckless and dangerous- it will not be tolerated on our streets.”

Anyone with information should call 0161 856 1146, quoting incident number 2348 of 18/11/19. Reports can also be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Chair of Saint Peter is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica, enclosed in a gilt bronze casing that was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and executed 1647-53.

The chair of a bishop is a cathedra. The cathedra in Saint Peter's Basilica was once used by the popes. It was therefore often thought to have been used by Saint Peter himself, but was in fact a gift from Charles the Bald to the Pope in 875.

Like many medieval reliquaries it takes the form of the relic it protects, in this case a chair. Symbolically, the chair Bernini designed had no earthly counterpart in actual contemporary furnishings: it is formed entirely of scrolling members, enclosing a coved panel where the upholstery pattern is rendered as a low relief of Christ giving the keys to Peter. Large angelic figures flank an openwork panel beneath a highly realistic bronze seat cushion, vividly empty: the relic is encased within. The cathedra is lofted on splayed scrolling bars that appear to be effortlessly supported by four over-lifesize bronze Doctors of the Church. The cathedra appears to hover over the altar in the basilica's apse, lit by a central tinted window through which light streams, illuminating the gilded glory of sunrays and sculpted clouds that surrounds the window. Like Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa, this is a definitive fusion[3] of the Baroque arts, unifying sculpture and richly polychrome architecture and manipulating effects of light.

Jesus' words to Peter in Matthew 16:18–19, "You are Peter, and upon this Rock, I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. To you have I entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven", are inscribed in Latin in the apse, within which is placed Bernini's monument enclosing the wooden chair, both of which are seen as symbolic of the authority of the Bishop of Rome as Vicar of Christ and successor of Saint Peter.

Early martyrologies indicate that two liturgical feasts were celebrated in Rome, centuries before the time of Charles the Bald, in honour of earlier chairs associated with Saint Peter, one of which was kept in the baptismal chapel of Saint Peter's Basilica, the other at the catacomb of Priscilla. The dates of these celebrations were January 18 and February 22. No surviving chair has been identified with either of these chairs. The feasts thus became associated with an abstract understanding of the "Chair of Peter", which by synecdoche signifies the episcopal office of the Pope as Bishop of Rome, an office considered to have been first held by Saint Peter, and thus extended to the diocese, the See of Rome. Though both feasts were originally associated with Saint Peter's stay in Rome, the ninth-century form of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum associated the January 18 feast with his stay in Rome, and the February 22 feast with his stay at Antioch.

The two feasts were included in the Tridentine Calendar with the rank of Double, which Pope Clement VIII raised in 1604 to the newly invented rank of Greater Double. In the year 1960 Pope John XXIII removed from the General Roman Calendar eight feast days that were second feasts of a single saint or mystery: one of them was the January 18 feast of the Chair of Peter.[5] The February 22 celebration became a Second-Class Feast. This calendar was incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal of Pope John XXIII, whose continued use as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite is authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum In the new classification introduced in 1969 the February 22 celebration appears in the Roman Calendar with the rank of Feast. Those traditionalist Catholics who do not accept the changes made by Pope John XXIII continue to celebrate both feast days: "St Peter's Chair at Rome" on January 18 and the "Chair of St Peter at Antioch" on February 22.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_of_Saint_Peter

House built 1882, designed by Edmund Wright, sold 1914 to Marist Brothers for Sacred Heart College, a Catholic Boys school. Sale of contents Jun 1915 listed entrance hall, drawing room, ballroom, library, breakfast room, dining room, billiard room, sitting room, 11 bedrooms, sewing room, bathrooms and more.

“There is now on view in the window of Messrs. E. S. Wigg & Sons' premises, in Rundle-street, a beautifully executed perspective in pen and ink, drawn by Mr. J. S. Beaver, of a residence designed and being built at Somerton, near Brighton, for Mr. J. F. Cudmore.” [Register 9 Feb 1882]

“The house of 30 rooms was renowned for its woodwork and beautiful fittings. The stained-glass windows at the entrance hall depicted the Cudmore coat of arms. Entertaining was run on a lavish scale, and visitors to the house will remember the beautiful stained windows in the ballroom which represented the seasons of the year. Many of the rooms had walls of embossed oak leaves, and the Marshall Wood statuary, the wonderful pictures and china, and rare old silver kept connoisseurs in a state of rapture. The entrance hall was remarkable for its Italian tiles, and beautiful parquetry floored most of the rooms.” [The Mail 15 Dec 1928]

“the Chief Secretary received a letter from Mr. J. F. Cudmore, of Glenelg, of which the following is a copy:— ‘In view of the prospect of war with Russia, I beg to offer the Government without cost the use of my house, Paringa HalL New Glenelg, as a military hospital should such be required, and I am also prepared without expense to the Government to provide such furniture and bedding as may be found necessary. I would call the attention of the Government to the fact that the position of my house, the number of rooms, and the appointments (which include hot and cold water baths), would render it in every way suitable for the purposes above mentioned, as would also the fact of its having a tower and flagstaff, from which observations could be made and signals given.’” [Register 29 Apr 1885]

“CUDMORE.-On the 17th August at Paringa Hall, Somerton, Glenelg, James Francis beloved husband of Margaret Cudmore, aged 74 years.” [Register 19 Aug 1912]

“The death occurred on Saturday of Mr. J. F. Cudmore, of Paringa Hall, Brighton road, Somerton, at the age of 74 years. The deceased was one of the leading pastoralists of South Australia, and his activities extended to the other States. His father (the late Mr. D. Cudmore) originally came out from England to Tasmania to join a cousin, who was attached to a regiment of British troops there, but subsequently decided to settle on the mainland of Australia. He chartered a vessel to cross over to South Australia, and on the voyage the late Mr. J. F. Cudmore was born. The father started a brewery at Kapunda, but not long afterwards took up sheepfarming at Yongala Station. The son was educated at Sevenhills College, in the Clare district. About 1859 he crossed the River Murray, and became the occupier of Paringa Station, opposite to Renmark. In 1863 he proceeded to Brisbane, bought sheep there, travelled them along the coast to Rockhampton, and then out into Central Queensland in search of another pastoral holding. The flock was shorn en route. . . a few years later he ventured into Queensland again, started Gooyea Station, and next the Milo and Welford Downs, in South-Western Queensland. As time went on he became interested in land in Central Queensland, and took up Tara Station, with several of his sons. He established his home at Paringa Hall about 30 years ago. When the Western Australian gold rush occurred he was early on the Coolgardie field with a camel party, and erected what was believed to be the first crusher there. . . He has left six sons and four [five] daughters. The sons are Mr. K. Cudmore (Brisbane manager for Goldsbrough, Mort, & Co.), Dr. A. M. Cudmore (of Adelaide), Messrs. J. K. and D. C. Cudmore (of Tara), T. C. Cudmore (of near Blackall), and R. M. Cudmore (of Adelaide).” [Register 19 Aug 1912]

“CUDMORE.—On the 1st December, at Paringa Hall, New Glenelg, Margaret, widow of the late J. F. Cudmore.” [Register 2 Dec 1912]

“Mrs. Cudmore, widow of Mr. J. F. Cudmore, died at her residence, Paringa Hall, New Glenelg, on Sunday. Her husband, who for some years was one of the leading pastoralists in South Australia, besides being interested in squatting pursuits in the other States, died on August 17 last. Six sons and five daughters are left.” [Advertiser 3 Dec 1912]

“For Sale. . . Paringa Hall. The well-known residence of the late J. F. Cudmore, situated in 10 Acres of Grounds, with complete Stables, Outhouses, &c, and 7 Acres of adjoining Land, with Cottage.” [Register 20 Nov 1913]

“The purchase of Paringa Hall by the Marist Brothers of Sacred Heart College, Semaphore, demonstrates the great interest taken in educational extension by the educational authorities of the Roman Catholic faith; and in their latest possession, which cost originally £30,000 to build. Paringa College will be one of the most ornate educational institutions in the Commonwealth. When originally constructed by Mr. J. F. Cudmore, the question of expense was not allowed to enter into the minds of builder or architects, and one large set of stained glass windows alone cost 300 guineas. The upstair portion, surrounded by spacious balconies, will form the living quarters for the students and guardians, whilst the ground floor will be utilised for chapel, class, and living room.” [Advertiser 6 Jun 1914]

“Messrs. Theodore Bruce & Co.. auctioneers, wish to draw special attention to the fact that the furniture at Paringa Hall, as advertised in the auction columns, is of the highest quality throughout, having been manufactured to order by Walker and Sons, the well-known English manufacturers. The marble statuary and bronzes are also worthy of special mention, being works of art of the best quality. Included in the statuary are exceptionally fine examples by Marshall Wood, the world-famed sculptor.” [The Mail 13 Jun 1914]

The tale of the little wooden puppet named Pinocchio has interested Dine for much of his life. Dine has executed drawings, sculptures, and paintings of Pinocchio, making the wooden boy come to life through his creations, much like Pinocchio’s fictional creator Geppetto. Standing atop a flat bronze cart with four wheels, Pinocchio proclaims his boyhood with outstretched arms in the sculpture Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels. Instead of focusing on the evils of lying, as Pinocchio’s frequent fibs and the moral of the story seem to suggest, Dine instead emphasizes the marvel of an inanimate object coming to life. Although his sculptures and paintings may appear to be simply lighthearted works of Pop art, Dine’s pieces contain several layers of meaning that instill a sense of wonder in the viewer.

Jim Dine was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1935. He grew up working in his family's hardware store, and the tools that fascinated him there as a child would later appear in his art.

Dine attended the University of Cincinnati, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University in 1957. In 1959 he moved to New York City, where he collaborated with artists to create "happenings," or performance art. Dine's paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures often examine ordinary objects. In the 1970s, Dine made a series of paintings of an empty bathrobe, which he said looked like him. He has also used the image of a heart repeatedly in his work, turning it into his own personal icon.

Dine's work can be found in museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Saint Louis Art Museum; the Montreal Museum of Art, Quebec, Canada; the Moderna Musset, Stockholm, Sweden; and the Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia. His work has also been exhibited in over one hundred solo exhibitions in galleries and museums, such as the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Gallery Beaubourg, Paris, France; and Wildenstein, Tokyo, Japan.

J'ai l'âge du tueur qui, son forfait accompli vers vingt ans, peine incompressible de sûreté pour trente ans exécutée, serait sur le point de rejoindre Romand dans son cloître de Fontgombault à planter des carottes digitales dans le jardin de curé des moines illettrés en algorithmes, vierges de toute notion de codage.

La route de la vie s'est réduite à un sentier en pointillé sur la carte IGN aux racines abîmées, acides animés, comme le tampon de rappel d'un même schéma temporel sur nos passeports, goulet d'étranglement inscrit sur un parchemin qui récapitule nos itinéraires balisés.

Telle une pesée de l'âme anticipée, son banal prototype sec, les plumes de faucons volent dans l'air, dans un flash, on saisit d'un coup Thot et Ammout saliver devant l'introduction de quelques uns de nos empêchements mauvais.

L'accusé est comme à la parade, il connaît par cœur son dossier.

Pas une radiographie ne fut laissée derrière, les rayons X sourient pour lui à califourchon sur le fléau.

Se faire une gueule d'atmosphère, pour la détendre, l'homme joue ses derniers instants à la surface de la société, il lui faut à tout prix entraîner sous l'eau, une fois encore, ceux de sa victime, cette bouée négative, apprendre aux jurés à nager dans le grand bassin des remous chlorés de sa gestuelle de désespéré, à le saisir par les moignons de ses épaules de mannequin de piscine, au sourire de benêt, comme lui conseilla son avocat, MNS musclé des prétoires.

La Justice n'intube jamais les prévenus à bout de souffle, s'en remet toujours à un reste de liquidité orale qui leur coule de la bouche, c'est à mettre à son honneur.

Devant ce libérable qui commence un reste de nouvelle non-vie, non sans me le demander, que vais-je faire du reste de la mienne ?

Ma vie de commentateur ne m'attendra pas, il me faudra poster, poster, poster encore, jusqu'à la fin des temps d'écran à moi et vous impartis.

Cela ne m'avait pas fait la même chose lorsque de plus jeunes sélectionnés de l'équipe de France de foot attirèrent sur le banc, ou dans les tribunes, les joueurs de ma génération reléguée.

Ton pouce fugue sur la branche de gui de ta naissance, écrase les baies de houx, s'en macule.

Fossoyeur par destination, puisqu'il préféra, en lâche homme rempli de dédain, laisser les intempéries et les animaux fouisseurs faire leur oeuvre dans un ravin de la montagne.

Ces tueurs de petite série bénéficient d'un genre de prime au sortant.

Ils sortent des personnes, ici un jeune militaire, là une enfant (petite Lucy d'Ethiopie - copie de ses acides énucléés, dispersés dans la nuit à tiroirs, aube fracturée -, pour le monstre ami des canidés), du monde de la vie, munis d'un permis de tuer, avec tous les visas psychotiques sur la page, timbres dûment oblitérés par le vide spirituel qui se fit un douillet nid d'araignées dans le plafond appelé à délimiter le champ de son activité mentale.

Le sort en est jeté, va-t-on savoir le fin fond des choses, le procès qui nous est promis peut-il être considéré comme une course de côte ?

Les journalistes ressortent leur vélo, les avocats leurs patins ou trottinettes, les commentateurs de blog leur lubrifiant, pour des posts qui défilent à la chaîne devant l'écran d'un jour qui fut moins noir.

On ne sait plus qui est Jésus, Pilate ou Barabbas dans cette procession de têtes qui baignent dans le bac à fonderie des médias.

Alfred Jarry, et son jury, délibèrent.

Obscénité - certains observateurs de la chose judiciaire parlèrent de pornoviolence -, oui, et je pense que l'écrivain qui décrivit l'assassinat de sang froid d'un pauvre type du Kansas, ainsi que de toute sa famille, un ancien dévoué à la cause rooseveltienne du New Deal, aujourd'hui récent blaireau redneck - de ces nouveaux riches céréaliers à leur compte, ô, l'horreur -, n'était pas sans éprouver sur lui-même la fascination que lui tendaient, en clignant des yeux, les deux tueurs.

Les parents se sentent dans l'obligation de réagir devant le vivant tableau d'un criminel qui habilement présente de lui-même sur un plateau les micro-poids d'une biographie fantôme censés rééquilibrer la balance.

Stupide guerre d'icône, qui se comprend du côté de la partie civile.

Ce Guermantes à jamais de petite fille, brusquement coupé du récit du monde humain, de toutes les promesses déjà portées à l'état de floraison, fut rejeté dans le vide cinétique de l'homme Lelandais, ce metteur en scène d'un crime dont il refuse l'exact minutage des images dans la salle de montage du tribunal.

Pour reprendre les mots sévères du juge-acteur André Wilms qui vient de mourir : n'importe quel clampin est capable de se faire un film.

Photographies et peinture de Maëlys brandies par les parents (Éric Zemmour choisit de n’avoir aucun recul sur la créativité des mères et des pères en ce qui concerne cette presque poésie authentiquement populaire au moment du vote pour le prénom des enfants, la jurisprudence du Kevin et de l’influence des soap-operas américains n’étant plus la clé pour la comprendre, je me rappelle aussi que Klemperer, dans son LTI, avait noté une recrudescence des petits noms nordiques dans l’Allemagne, dès 1933), enfant effigiée, font aussi bouclier contre le plastronnage de l’accusé – coq en box, mêmê si sa pâte est ultra-compacte -, pourtant réduit à un croquis de peintre de cour d’assise.

Des images pieusement muettes, chaînons manquants, dont la famille resoude les fontanelles écrasées, éternels retours de l’écho des petites victimes de Dutroux, sur l’écorce de l'écran d’un faible sonar qui rendit sourds, aveugles, et fous, les intouchables gendarmes de Liège.

Before the accession of Charles I of Naples (Charles of Anjou) to the throne in 1266, the capital of the Kingdom of Naples was Palermo. There was a royal residence in Naples, at the Castel Capuano. However, when the capital was moved to Naples, Charles ordered a new castle, not far from the sea, built to house the court. Works, directed by French architects, began in 1279 and were completed three years later.

Due to the War of the Sicilian Vespers, the new fortress remained uninhabited until 1285, when Charles died and was succeeded by his son, Charles II. Castel Nuovo soon became the nucleus of the historical center of the city, and was often the site of famous events. For example, on December 13, 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned as pope in a hall of the castle. Eleven days later, Boniface VIII was elected pope here by the cardinal collegium and immediately moved to Rome to avoid the Angevin authority.

Inside the Barons' Hall with its high, vaulted ceiling

Under king Robert (reigned from 1309), the castle was enlarged and embellished, becoming a centre of patronage of art. In 1347 Castel Nuovo was sacked by the army of Louis I of Hungary, and had to be heavily restored after the return of queen Joanna I. The new works permitted the queen to resist the Hungarian siege during Louis' second expedition. The castle was besieged numerous times in the following years, and was the official residence of King Ladislaus from 1399. It decayed under his sister Joanna II.

Under the Aragonese dynasty, begun by Alfonso V in 1442, the fortress was updated to resist the new artillery. A famous triumphal arch, designed by Francesco Laurana, was added to the main gate to celebrate Alfonso's entrance in Naples. The decoration was executed by the sculptors Pere Johan and Guillem Sagrera, called by Alfonso from Catalonia.

In a hall of the castle the famous Barons conspiracy against King Ferdinand I, Alfonso's son, occurred. The King had invited the barons for a feast; but, at a certain point, he had the garrison close all the hall's doors and all the barons were arrested and later executed. The Barons' Hall was the seat of the Council of the commune of Naples until 2006.

After the fierce sack of Naples by Charles VIII of France's soldiers in 1494, the Kingdom was annexed by Spain, and the castle was reduced from residence to an important military fortress. It was the temporary residence of the Spanish kings during their visits in the city, such as that of Charles V in 1535. The castle was again used as a residence by Charles III and later on by Duke Stefano Di Conza. The last restoration of Castel Nuovo occurred in 1823

The Shot at Dawn Memorial can be seen near Alrewas in Staffordshire in an area which is first touched by the dawn light in remembrance of the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for a variety of believed offences including cowardice and desertion during World War I

The statue of a young blindfolded soldier is modelled on the likeness of Private Herbert Burden, 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who lied about his age in order to enlist and who was shot for desertion in 1915 at Ypres aged 17.

His name and the names of those others who suffered the same fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the wooden stakes arranged behind him .

This 8.5 foot white concrete statue was created by the artist Andy De Comyn and was unveiled by Mrs Gertrude Harris, on 21st June 2001.

Source The National Memorial guide book, United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials, and Wikipedia

@hollydazecoffeyyy executing, well, that wave. She also just placed 3rd in the France WQS and 2nd in the pro junior riding an EPS/Epoxy #punkeybrewster we built for her | #gurfing #goodthings

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Caryn Scrimgeour "The Silent Scream" 2016

From: www.everard-read-capetown.co.za/artist/CARYN_SCRIMGEOUR/b...

Caryn Scrimgeour was born in Johannesburg in 1970 and has lived in Cape Town since 1972. In 1991 she graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a B.A in Fine Art.

Scrimgeour’s subject matter is chosen from commonplace objects that surround her. Delicate chinaware, glassware and insects are combined with common trinkets and knick-knacks and portrayed against a backdrop of richly patterned fabric in a way that is reminiscent of 17th century Dutch still life painting.

Objects that are fragile and precious are juxtaposed with mundane items, which in turn are elevated to the same level of importance. Her works are filled with symbolism, and the place settings consequently ‘become representative of major events which have impacted my life over the past ten years, but which are also events that most women will experience in the course of their lives, in one form or another.’ The objects in these paintings are easily recognisable, familiar and often nostalgic, making the images highly accessible to the viewer. Even the use of symbols and images drawn from other cultures and societies serve to entice rather than alienate the viewer

Caryn explains, ‘The constantly changing positions of the knives and forks are indicative of the inconsistency and fluctuation of what we see as sacred or fundamental to our core beliefs…For instance, an empty place setting, symbolises a loss of self, emptiness and missed opportunities.’

The images are elevated from that of traditional still-life by the use of aerial perspective which forces a shift in our viewpoint and the way in which we interpret the objects. At the same time it creates an almost abstract interplay between the objects and the patterns, creating a contemporary context for a very traditional genre.

Caryn Scrimgeour’s paintings are obsessively immaculate. Few artists can boast the fanatical attention to detail that she exhibits and the extraordinary command of her palette that enables her to wring out a crystal clear luminosity from tubes of oil paint. It is these qualities, coupled with her flair for fabric design and eye for curious bric-a-brac, that enable her to transform seemingly banal table settings into sweeping, post-modern, epic dramas that play out through the domestic debris of our lives. The absence of humans , aside from the odd reflection in a knife (of the artist peering down), makes these works all the more poignant, as do the unlikely protagonists: the harlequin collection of single pieces of china and cutlery ( the last remnants of grandma’s proud collection); the lavishly painted cigarette butt; the burnt match; the half full glass of wine; the cocktail umbrella; the Disney paper serviette… These are Vanitas paintings , but not in the Catholic, finger-wagging manner of the 16th and 17th centuries, but rather in a way that seems apt for our age: they hint gently at the fragility and transitoriness of the human construct. Similarly the fragments recorded are mini-monuments to the human desire to endure in the face of futility, and, the foolhardiness of trying.

The plan, which came pretty close to being executed perfectly.

I did this in Excel, with the spreadsheet cells sized to equal one inch in scale. Yes, it is scary.

Basically, when we started to think about redoing the bathroom we were torn between the subway-tile retro look and the modern look of tiny blue glass tiles. I struggled to think of how they could come together (and a very-high-end D.C. design house basically told me they couldn't come together, and that we should think of neutral colors for resale value!). Finally, I saw a photo in a magazine that showed subway tiles as wainscoting and 1-inch-by-1-inch tiles above that. I wish I had saved the picture -- the idea was much more in the earth-tone vein, but it made things click for me.

I'm very proud of this design, though I admit that it's a shameless mishmash of periods. The subway tile and the mosaic floor and the Art Deco sconces and maybe the schoolhouse pendant are sorta 1920s. The kneewall of glass block is sorta '50s-cum-'80s. The blue glass is late '90s. The towel bars are contemporary, and the vanity is that Restoration Hardware retro "apothecary" look, which may or may not have existed in any decade previous to the 1990s. The sink is a simple drop-in, and the faucets will be retro in their own way, with cross-style handles. Polished chrome is the metal choice throughout.

The shower hardware is British and traditional, with a rain head that is traditional in its own way while also being rather current.

BUFFALO, NY-- A New York Army National Guard humvee enters the Masten Avenue Armory here to be ready to be used to aid civil authorities on Wednesday, June 8, following a snow storm which hit the Buffalo area on June 7 at the same time intense cold affected the northeastern United States. The New York National Guard mobilized more than 260 Army and Air National Guard service members to be prepared to help at the direction of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (U.S. National Guard Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Lloyd, 107th Airlift Wing/ Released)

The Sanctury of the St Kilda Presbyterian Church features three beautiful 1880s Ferguson and Urie stained glass windows; Faith on the left, Charity in the middle and Hope on the right. All are executed in iridescent reds, yellows, greens and blues, to reflect the colour palate used in other Ferguson and Urie windows elsewhere around the church.

Built on the crest of a hill in a prominent position overlooking St Kilda and the bay is the grand St Kilda Presbyterian Church.

The St Kilda Presbyterian Church's interior is cool, spacious and lofty, with high ceilings of tongue and groove boards laid diagonally, and a large apse whose ceiling was once painted with golden star stenciling. The bluestone walls are so thick that the sounds of the busy intersection of Barkley Street and Alma Road barely permeate the church's interior, and it is easy to forget that you are in such a noisy inner Melbourne suburb. The cedar pews of the church are divided by two grand aisles which feature tall cast iron columns with Corinthian capitals. At the rear of the building towards Alma Road there are twin porches and a narthex with a staircase that leads to the rear gallery where the choir sang from. It apparently once housed an organ by William Anderson, but the space today is used as an office and Bible study area. The current impressive Fincham and Hobday organ from 1892 sits in the north-east corner of the church. It cost £1030.00 to acquire and install. The church is flooded with light, even on an overcast day with a powerful thunder storm brewing (as the weather was on my visit). The reason for such light is because of the very large Gothic windows, many of which are filled with quarry glass by Ferguson and Urie featuring geometric tracery with coloured borders. The church also features stained glass windows designed by Ferguson and Urie, including the impressive rose window, British stained glass artist Ernest Richard Suffling, Brooks, Robinson and Company Glass Merchants, Mathieson and Gibson of Melbourne and one by Australian stained glass artist Napier Waller.

Opened in 1886, the St Kilda Presbyterian church was designed by the architects firm of Wilson and Beswicke, a business founded in 1881 by Ralph Wilson and John Beswicke (1847 - 1925) when they became partners for a short period. The church is constructed of bluestone with freestone dressings and designed in typical Victorian Gothic style. The foundation stone, which may be found on the Alma Road facade, was laid by the Governor of Victoria Sir Henry Barkly on 27 January. When it was built, the St Kilda Presbyterian Church was surrounded by large properties with grand mansions built upon them, so the congregation were largely very affluent and wished for a place of worship that reflected its stature not only in location atop a hill, but in size and grandeur.

The exterior facades of the church on Barkley Street and Alma Road are dominated by a magnificent tower topped by an imposing tower. The location of the church and the height of the tower made the spire a landmark for mariners sailing into Melbourne's port. The tower features corner pinnacles and round spaces for the insertion of a clock, which never took place. Common Victorian Gothic architectural features of the St Kilda Presbyterian Church include complex bar tracery over the windows, wall buttresses which identify structural bays, gabled roof vents, parapeted gables and excellent stone masonry across the entire structure.

I am very grateful to the Reverend Paul Lee for allowing me the opportunity to photograph the interior of the St Kilda Presbyterian Church so extensively.

The architects Wilson and Beswicke were also responsible for the Brighton, Dandenong, Essendon, Hawthorn and Malvern Town Halls and the Brisbane Wesleyan Church on the corner of Albert and Ann Streets. They also designed shops in the inner Melbourne suburbs of Auburn and Fitzroy. They also designed several individual houses, including "Tudor House" in Williamstown, "Tudor Lodge" in Hawthorn and "Rotha" in Hawthorn, the latter of which is where John Beswicke lived.

The stained glass firm of Ferguson and Urie was established by Scots James Ferguson (1818 – 1894), James Urie (1828 – 1890) and John Lamb Lyon (1836 – 1916). They were the first known makers of stained glass in Australia. Until the early 1860s, window glass in Melbourne had been clear or plain coloured, and nearly all was imported, but new churches and elaborate buildings created a demand for pictorial windows. The three Scotsmen set up Ferguson and Urie in 1862 and the business thrived until 1899, when it ceased operation, with only John Lamb Lyon left alive. Ferguson and Urie was the most successful Nineteenth Century Australian stained glass window making company. Among their earliest works were a Shakespeare window for the Haymarket Theatre in Bourke Street, a memorial window to Prince Albert in Holy Trinity, Kew, and a set of Apostles for the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church. Their palatial Gothic Revival office building stood at 283 Collins Street from 1875. Ironically, their last major commission, a window depicting “labour”, was installed in the old Melbourne Stock Exchange in Collins Street in 1893 on the eve of the bank crash. Their windows can be found throughout the older suburbs of Melbourne and across provincial Victoria.

Maybe this in poor taste to show such a picture on Flickr, but these are still hanging on the walls of the now closed Missouri State Penitentiary. The picture taken by wife's friend couldn't be taken straight on due to being in a narrow hallway. The picture contains the person's name, age, date of execution and what they were convicted of..... mostly Murder 1. With all the privacy rules installed in society, it is a wonder that they can be openly displayed to tour groups. There is one woman in the group and she and her friend were executed at the same time in a dual execution for the Greenlease murder and kidnapping.

The Orchard Beach Bathhouse and Promenade, which since 1936 has served as the major waterfront recreation complex for Bronx residents, is an outstanding example of the federally-funded public works projects executed during the Great Depression of the

1930s. Located in Pelham Bay Park and fronting on Long Island Sound, Orchard Beach was constructed in 1934-37 during the administration of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Park Department Commissioner Robert Moses with funds obtained largely from the Works Progress Administration. Planned on a massive scale, its construction required a major landfill and a mile-long seawall to connect Hunter Island to the mainland, creating an entirely new, artificial landscape. Designed by a talented staff supervised by the well- known architect Aymar Embury II and the noted landscape architects Gilmore D. Clarke and Michael Rapuano, the facility contains a bathhouse in a Modern Classical style and a wide promenade, the plan of which was influenced by Beaux-Arts principles. The concrete, brick, and limestone bathhouse, embellished with tile and terrazzo finishes, features two monumental colonnades that radiate outward from a raised central terrace. The crescent-shaped promenade, which follows the curve of the beach, is paved with hexagonal blocks and edged by cast-iron railings evoking a nautical motif. Situated on the promenade are Moderne style concession and supply buildings, park benches, drinking fountains, and modernistic lamp posts. The original and creative use made of these materials and forms, and the careful siting of the facility, make it a distinguished, individual design. Orchard Beach, a major accomplishment of engineering and architecture, and New York City's most ambitious park project of the New Deal, is recognized as being among the most remarkable public recreational facilities ever constructed in the United States.

History of the Site1

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

The drive to acquire new parkland for the citizens of the City of New York began with FrederickLaw Olmsted, who was the chief of the Park Department's Bureau of Design and Superintendence in the 1870s. His vision for the developing the Bronx included a system of parks and parkways, with roads following the existing topography rather than a rigid grid system as in Manhattan. City officials rejected his recommendations and dismissed him in 1877. However, his ideas were not forgotten. John Mullaly, editor of the New York Herald Tribune, rallied public enthusiasm for the plan. In 1881, New York Park Association was formed. It was made up of many of the City's leading businessmen and professionals, such as Charles L. Tiffany, Gustav Schwab, Jordan L. Mott, Egbert L. Viele, and H.B. Claflin. They proposed creating new public parkland by preserving large tracts of open land in rural areas that were newly annexed or soon-to-be-annexed to the City. The Association was unsuccessful, however, in persuading the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen to authorize a commission to oversee the selection of new parkland, so they took their case to the New York State Legislature. Despite much political opposition, the Legislature created the Park Commission in 1883. It proposed three large parks: Pelham Bay, Bronx, and Van Cortlandt, and three smaller parks: Crotona, Claremont, and Saint Mary's.

New York City government officials opposed the purchase of these lands because of the cost of acquisition; they were especially hostile toward Pelham Bay Park because the land was still located beyond city limits. After much debate and a series of court cases, all of the parks, including the embattled Pelham Bay Park, were secured for the City by 1887. Not only would there be thousands of acres of new parkland, but also a system of parkways - the Pelham, Mosholu, Claremont and Crotona Parkways - which would serve as green linkages between the great parks. Pelham Bay Park, the largest tract of land purchased under the bill, officially became the City's first public seaside park, as well as its largest park,on December 12, 1888. The City consolidated several estates to create Pelham Bay Park, including lands belonging to the Hunter, Furman, Edgar, Lorillard, Morris, Stinard, Marshall, LeRoy, and Delancey families. The park's largely natural acreage was virtually ready-made parkland, requiring only the construction of roads and walks.

During the late nineteenth century, the Bronx Park Department leased some former estate buildings to various organizations, such as the Jacob Riis Settlement. One of these, the Bartow-Pell Mansion is a designated New York City Landmark. Several others were either demolished or converted into hotels and restaurants. By the 1930s, virtually all of them had been demolished. The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum, however, remains and is a designated New York City Landmark. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the City began to lease land in the park to campers, who constructed tents and small bungalows on Hunters Island. When it became overcrowded, another camp was opened on Rodman's Neck in 1905. Orchard Beach was named for the numerous orchards behind it. Orchard Beach eventually grew into a summer colony of more than 300 tents and bungalows, with wooden locker rooms and bathhouses. In 1912, about 2,000 people occupied the beach on summer weekdays and 5,000 a day on weekends. Boating and fishing were also popular activities within the park, and the renowned film maker, D.W. Griffith used the park's islands as the setting for several early silent movies. By the late 1920s, urbanization had reached the areas bordering the park and the facilities were becoming overcrowded and run-down. Vandalism was rampant and sanitation was poor. The press began to decry the monopolization of the park by the leaseholders, who were mainly Tammany Hall insiders who paid nominal sums for their leases, and then sub-leased the sites at much higher rates. In 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, the City obtained funds to construct improvements at Orchard Beach from the Civil Works Administration (CWA), one of the pre-New Deal Federal relief programs set up to combat unemployment. The hastily prepared changes to Orchard Beach were ill- conceived and poorly built.

An improperly designed breakwater and retaining wall, intended to expand the beach area, instead eroded the beach and caused flooding at high tide. The old unsanitary wooden bathhouses were replaced with poorly-ventilated and unattractive bathhouses built of paving blocks, and the beach was blanketed with uninviting, gray New England sand. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States in 1932 in the middle of the Great Depression that followed the stock market crash in 1929. Roosevelt promised to rebuild confidence in American capitalism and to improve the nation's standard of living by creating an economic program of unprecedented public spending on social programs and construction projects, known as the New Deal. New York City had been especially hard hit by the economic downturn,4 and its citizens, also hoping for change, elected Fiorello LaGuardia to the mayoralty of New York City in 1933 under a reform-minded "fusion" ticket. He chose New York State Park Commissioner, Robert Moses, a champion of reform politics, as New York City’s new Park Commissioner. The new mayor's success in securing a lion's share of monies made available by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Moses' superb management skills and his ability to attract talented designers and engineers to his staff, resulted in profound physical changes in the environment of New York City. The recreation of Orchard Beach, beginning in 1934, was one of the most ambitious and successful projects undertaken by Moses with funds largely provided by the WPA.

Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert Moses and the New Deal5

Fiorello H. La Guardia became the ninety-ninth mayor of the City of New York in January 1934, as an anti-Tammany Hall reform candidate. A maverick Republican and a five-term congressman from East Harlem, LaGuardia won the 1933 mayoral election on a "fusion" ticket, after losing the 1929 mayoral race on the Republican line. The Fusion Conference Committee at first considered Robert Moses, another Republican, who was appointed Chairman of the New York State Council of Parks in 1924 by his political mentor, Governor Alfred E. Smith, a Tammany Hall Democrat from New York City. However, the committee decided against Moses because of his association with Smith, and chose LaGuardia instead. At the time, Moses was a popular public figure with a reputation as a progressive and as the builder of great parks and parkways, such as Jones Beach and the Northern State Parkway on Long Island. His endorsement of LaGuardia during the campaign was considered instrumental in securing a victory for LaGuardia. As a reward, the mayor-elect invited Moses to join his future administration within a week of the election. Moses accepted the position of Commissioner of Parks on the condition that the existing five independent Park Departments, one for each borough, be consolidated into one with himself as the sole Commissioner, and that the Park Commissioner's authority include control of the City's parkways.

He also demanded that he be appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Triborough Bridge Authority, which was then building the bridge of that name, and that a new agency, the Marine Parkway Authority, which would build a bridge to the Rockaways, be created with himself at the helm. Already in charge of the Long Island State Park Commission, the New York State Council of Parks, the Jones Beach State Park Authority, and the Bethpage State Park Authority, Moses would then be in control of all existing and proposed parks and parkways in the New York metropolitan region, with the exception of areas outside of New York State. Moses began to assess the state of the City's parks and to plan for the future as soon as LaGuardia announced his intention to appoint him as Commissioner of Parks. According to one source: "Immediately after the election he wrote out, on a single piece of paper, a plan for putting 80,000 men to work on 1,700 relief projects."

Moses hired a consulting engineer and three assistant engineers to survey every park and parkway in the City. It was completed by the time he took office in mid-January 1934. When Moses took over the Park Department, it was already employing 69,000 relief workers with a total monthly payroll of eight million dollars provided by the federal Civil Works Administration and the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration (TERA). However, Moses found the men to be ill- equipped and inadequately supervised, and thought that many of the construction projects had been poorly designed. Included among these was the earlier Orchard Beach reconstruction, which Moses considered to be an unacceptable design for such a grand site. He immediately began to revamp the entire operation of the Park Department and established a Division of Design at the Arsenal in Central Park. The staff was to be headed up by experienced professionals drawn mainly from his State agencies. They were a talented staff of young architects, landscape architects and engineers. Some of them had worked on the designs for Long Island's highly acclaimed parks, including Jones Beach, which is considered one of Moses' greatest accomplishments. His staff also included a number of well-known designers, among them architect Aymar Embury II and Gilmore D. Clarke, a landscape architect and civil engineer.

The Department needed to immediately begin producing plans and blueprints, so that the growing force of relief workers could be assigned to worthwhile projects. Within a week, Moses managed to persuade CWA officials to drop some of the regulations governing the hiring of staff and to relax its spending limits on project planning, allowing him to hire 600 architects, engineers and draftsmen at salaries above CWA wage guidelines. By the first of February, they were busily producing designs and blueprints. The Division of Design was organized in the following manner: a topographical unit of about 400 surveyors and draftsmen, a landscape architecture unit of about sixty people, an architecture unit made up of sixty architects and draftsmen, and an engineering unit of about fifty. Smaller units included an Arboricultural Department and an Inspection Department. All the work in the Division of Design was under the direct supervision of the Park Engineer, who was aided and advised by a Consulting Architect, a Consulting Landscape Architect, and a Consulting Engineer.7 All new projects began in the topographical unit, where a complete survey of the land was prepared. It then moved on to the landscaping unit, where the basic concept for the design was developed. Next, the three units: landscape, architecture, and engineering, collaborated to produce the final design and all the necessary construction documents.

The Park Engineer and his aides had to approve all the designs. Moses himself sometimes stepped in to revise or overrule a design, especially on the larger, more visible projects. Moses' superior management ability and political savvy allowed him to move projects along very quickly and to produce concrete results, gaining for him much public admiration. However, his personal demeanor, described as stubborn and arrogant, offended many and made him many enemies. He was known to sometimes fire people on the spot, and for no apparent reason. At times, he disregarded the legitimate authority of other governmental agencies. Once, when the Department of Plant and Structures refused to suspend a ferry service that used a terminal in the path of constructing the Triborough Bridge approach road, Moses had his men demolish the terminal while the boat was on the other side of the river. He feuded with President Franklin D. Roosevelt for years, even while Washington was pouring millions of dollars into Moses' own Park Department. His later battles with and subsequent triumphs over community groups opposed to the routing of the Gowanus and the Cross-Bronx Expressways through their neighborhoods are now legendary. To many he was a master builder; to others he was a spoiled bully; and he seemingly always had his way. In the summer of 1934, however, Robert Moses was a hero. Hundreds of projects, covering virtually every City neighborhood, had been completed. Structures were repainted, tennis courts resurfaced, and lawns reseeded. Hundreds of new construction projects were either underway or being designed.8 Among the projects being drawn up at the time was the new Orchard Beach.

The Design and Construction of Orchard Beach11

Orchard Beach and the entirety of Pelham Bay Park, geologically the southernmost extension of the jagged New England coastline and the most complex natural environment within New York City, sit on a foundation of Hartland bedrock. This bedrock underlies Long Island Sound, which had been a river until it was flooded at the end of the last ice age, 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind large boulders and a mixture of rocks, gouging out small coves in the bedrock, thus forming an irregular coastline. Glacial boulders in the Pelham Bay Park area include the Gray Mare Rock on Hunter Island and Mishow Rock at the north end of Orchard Beach. Left behind by the floodwaters were a series of salt and fresh water marshes, estuaries, coves, bays, inlets, islands, peninsulas, forests, uplands and meadows. At the time when Pelham Bay Park was acquired by the City, large urban parks were generally thought of as being pleasure grounds mainly for passive recreation and for the quiet contemplation of nature. Most parks, Pelham Bay Park among them, were preserved in their natural states or, like Central Park, landscaped to take advantage of the natural topography.

By 1930, all that had changed and, led by the thinking of Robert Moses, such parks came to be seen as vast recreational facilities for the urban masses. The value of the landscape was no longer just in the appreciation of nature, but rather in their potential for the placement within them of recreational facilities. Thus, the natural landscape could be manipulated and altered at will, as was the situation in Pelham Bay Park for the construction of Orchard Beach. The natural beauty of its shallow bays and rocky islands, gave way to a grandiose reshaping into an artificial landscape created with seawalls and landfills, a method of environmental manipulation known as land reclamation. Robert Moses was known to have been an avid swimmer who resided near the ocean in Babylon, Long Island. Thus, he took a special interest in the design and construction of the bathing and swimming facilities, such as Jones Beach, Orchard Beach and Riis Park, as well as the neighborhood swimming pools. Moses was said to have spent a lot of time at the Orchard Beach site, imagining about how best to remake the facility. After thinking of the concept for the new beach, he took his designers on a tour of the area, relaying his ideas to them.

The setting for Moses' vision of a new Orchard Beach was the easternmost area of the park fronting on Pelham Bay, a protected basin on Long Island Sound. Surrounding the bay are parts of Rodman Neck, a wooded peninsula on the Bronx mainland extending southward into Eastchester Bay; two large islands, Hunters and City Islands; and three smaller islands, the Twin Islands and High Island. Separating Rodman Neck from Hunters Island was a shallow inlet called LeRoy Bay. Moses' scheme consisted of creating a gigantic recreation area with a mile-long beach, a wide promenade, a large bathhouse including viewing terraces and concessions, picnic groves, game areas, playgrounds, and a parking field for several thousand cars. He instructed his designers to be imaginative, as they had been at Jones Beach, to make the new facility fit visually into the Pelham Bay Park environment. According to one account, it was Moses who first suggested the use of a colonnade at the site, citing the verticality of the site's wooded, hilly backdrop. To accomplish these plans, all the existing buildings on the site, including the private bungalow colony and the newly completed beach improvements, had to be demolished and Hunters Island had to be connected to Rodman Neck by filling in LeRoy Bay. On February 27, 1934, Moses publicly announced his plans for Orchard Beach, envisioning the proposed improvements to be similar to those made earlier at Jones Beach.

He described Orchard Beach in its current state as a "monstrosity," criticizing the poor design of the recently constructed seawall and bathhouses and accusing the Tammany-connected campers of "monopolizing" the beach. He vowed to open the beach to all the public. During the next couple of months, while the Division of Design was preparing the preliminary plans, Moses was engaged in a legal battle to evict the campers from the beach. By mid-May 1934, the courts decided that the City had the right to break the campers' leases, clearing the way for the project. The very next day, the Division of Design released the chart of development for Orchard Beach, showing a configuration of two smaller curving beaches, rather than the one large crescent-shaped beach that was eventually built.12 Soon thereafter, the bungalow colony was demolished. Over the course of the next year, the design for the facility was revised and fine-tuned, with the final design officially being released to the public in July of 1935. The published rendering showed a layout and design that was very close to what was eventually to be built: a curving beach and promenade with a concave plaza framed by two curving colonnades, joined at the center by a large terrace. Spreading out beside each colonnade were large, open-air locker rooms that were more expansive than what was actually built. Behind the bathhouse stretched a long tree-lined mall with a parking lot on one side and groves on the other.

Robert A. Caro credits Moses with the idea to use a colonnade in the design of the bath house, but not specifically for suggesting its concave plan.13 It is known, however, that the plan of the bath house was revised from convex to concave between Spring 1934 and Summer 1935. At about the same time, a competition was conducted to redesign the Palais du Trocadero, an art museum and theater across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The winning scheme by the architects J. Carlu, L. Boileau and L. Azema was a classically-influenced design consisting of a concave plan facing the river, featuring two wings joined by a raised central terrace in an arrangement very similar to the bath house at Orchard Beach. Furthermore, the curving wings were constructed of white stone and have vertically arranged windows flanked by tall pilasters. The curving colonnades at Orchard Beach produce a similar effect. The design for the Trocadero was widely published at the time. Embury and his design team may have been influenced by its design in their scheme for Orchard Beach. Landfill operations at the site began in early 1935, and problems immediately arose concerning the quality of the fill. Commissioner Moses planned to use sand only, but was pressured by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to use municipal waste provided by the Department of Sanitation in an apparent cost saving measure.14

Since the seawalls needed to hold back the fill were only partially built, refuse began washing out into Pelham Bay and Long Island Sound, polluting the coastline for miles around.15 The work was stopped, and Moses demanded that the Department of Sanitation clean up the mess. It had become clear that municipal waste was not a suitable fill material for the site, so Moses appealed to the Board to immediately appropriate $500,000 for 1,700,000 cubic yards of sand needed to complete the fill operation, so that the beach could open for the 1936 season.16 The main seawall, on the east side of the site facing Long Island Sound, was built by placing boulders and large rocks in a mile- long, crescent-shaped pile to created the curve of the beach. The wall is twenty-five feet wide at the floor of the bay and rises twenty-one feet, tapering to a point above high tide. A somewhat smaller seawall was constructed on the west side of the beach, creating a lagoon on the back bay behind Hunter Island. A total of 4,000,000 cubic yards of landfill was deposited, most of it dredged from Jamaica Bay and Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Barges carried the sand to the site, discharging it into hydraulic pumps, which then deposited it a rate of 4,000 cubic yards per day.

Approximately 115 acres of dry land were created in this manner. Schematic drawings of the bathhouse facility and related buildings were made by the Division of Design during 1935 and the working drawings were produced and revised over the course of several months beginning in late 1935 through early 1937, with production peaking in Spring 1936. The construction of the facility would be phased over the course of two years to permit the reopening of the beach for the 1936 season. The plan was to first complete a part of the southern section of the beach, a piece of the south bath house, and a small parking area in 1936, while work continued on the rest of the site. The pace of construction accelerated greatly in Spring 1936 in anticipation of opening the facility that summer. Some 4,000 relief workers funded through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were being bused to the site every day from the I.R.T. Pelham Bay station.17 The crews were able to complete a remarkable amount of work in the three months prior to the opening of the beach in late July. Roads were laid, the temporary parking lot built, 250,000 cubic yards of sand were deposited on the beach, and one of the six bath house units was completed. To accomplish all this, crews worked for twenty-four hours a day in three shifts. Nevertheless, the opening was delayed for one week due to a shortage of available heavy equipment needed to deliver sand from Rockaway Inlet in Queens. On July 25, 1936, the partially built facility was opened with much fanfare.

As planned, the temporary facility included part of the south section of the permanent bathhouse containing shower and locker space for about 2,300 people, a beach with a capacity for 35,000 bathers, and parking for 2,000 cars. The festivities were attended by 10,000 people. Several dignitaries were present, including Mayor LaGuardia, Commissioner Moses, Bronx Borough President James J. Lyons, and federal Public Works Administrator Victor L. Ridder. Also in attendance was George Mand of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, who was cheered by the crowd when he labeled the beach "The Riviera of New York City." The celebration culminated in a fireworks show with a ninety foot display in which the words "Orchard Beach" were spelled out in fiery letters.18 On opening day, the larger part of the bath house, including the colonnade consisted only of its steel frame, and the facility, including much of the promenade and most of the beach and parking lot, was more than a year away from completion. Construction took place all summer long while the temporary beach and bath house remained open to the public. Work at Orchard Beach continued at a frenzied pace during the following winter, and when the beach reopened to little fanfare for the 1937 summer season, bathers were treated to a modern shorefront facility, which included a classically-inspired bath house building with an 180-degree panorama of Long Island Sound. Crews were, however, still on hand putting the finishing touches on the bathhouse, and the seawall, promenade, parking area and mall were not completely done until the next summer.

The completed facility boasted a mile-long beach, 200 feet wide at high tide, with a capacity of 100,000 bathers, bath house facilities for 7,000 people, a forty -five acre parking lot for 8,000 cars, and a mile-long, fifty-foot wide promenade. In addition to having showers, lockers and lavatories, the one- thousand by two-hundred foot bath house building included spacious waiting rooms, flower-lined ramps, administrative offices, reception areas, first aid stations, concessions spaces, a large cafeteria, an upstairs restaurant, storage areas, a boiler room, and a laboratory for testing water quality. The upper terrace of the bath house featured a large decorative fountain (removed in 1941), while the lower terrace had a dance floor and a bandstand (also now removed). Four utility and storage buildings, one story in height and constructed of brick, were built in pairs along the promenade, about a thousand feet to the north and to the south of the bath house. Eighteen lifeguard stations on the beach protected the bathers. The facility also included a large park area with picnic groves, baseball diamonds, football fields, tennis courts and children's play areas. Nearby a sewerage disposal plant and a large incinerator were constructed. There were also a water treatment plant, an incinerator, and a bus terminal large enough to hold twenty buses at a time. The natural vegetation of Rodman Neck and Hunter's Island was preserved, consisting mainly of chestnut, oak, hickory, black locust and black cherry trees. The newly created land was landscaped with flower beds, shrubbery and sod, along with a variety of trees, including poplars, oaks and elms.

Planters for flowers, shrubs and small trees were installed on the upper terrace, while the lower terrace was planted with trees. The facility, which was open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer season, was expected to generate nearly $175,000 per year in gross revenue, with an operating cost of approximately $134,000. While no charge was imposed for admission to the beach itself, it cost fifty cents to enter the dressing rooms and the fee for renting a locker was fifteen cents for children and a quarter for adults. Other fees included bathing suit rentals for one dollar including a fifty cent deposit, thirty-five cents for towel rentals including a fifteen cent deposit, and parking fees of a quarter for cars and motorcycles, and fifty cents for buses. A large staff was necessary to operate the facility, including a general supervisor of operations with two assistants, a stenographer and typist, nurses, watchmen, gardeners, laborers, ticket agents, engineers, mechanics, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and numerous attendants, lifeguards and clerks. Although the new Orchard Beach was generally considered a great success by the public and the press, several problems arose during it first year of operation. Rowdy behavior at the facility became a major concern, resulting in the opening of a special Orchard Beach Court at the nearby 45th Precinct Station House. A hurricane in 1938 caused $50,000 in damage to the facility, including $10,000 worth to the bath house. The cost of operating and maintaining the vast facility was higher than the original estimates, and Robert Moses complained to Mayor LaGuardia that the current operating fund for Orchard Beach and Riis Park did not allow for the proper maintenance of these facilities.19 He threatened to not open the beaches that summer without the necessary personnel. Water pollution caused by sewage discharges from City Island was another problem. Only after Moses threatened to close the beach permanently did the Board of Estimate approved $250,000 for the construction of a treatment plant on City Island. Traffic jams caused by the crowds on weekends affected nearby neighborhoods, especially the residents and businesses of City Island.

Subsequent History20

In 1938, just one year after completing it, the city began planning a substantial expansion of the popular Orchard Beach facility. The proposal called for expanding the locker rooms and for extending the beach and promenade northward to the Twin Islands. The first phase to be carried out was a 150 foot extension to the south locker room in 1939, which was built using materials and detailing that matched the original design. The stone fountain, removed from the upper terrace in 1941, was replaced by the present pavement featuring a compass motif. The rest of the work was delayed by material and manpower shortages during the Second World War. 21 Construction resumed in 1945 with the enlargement of the north locker room in a more simplified design than the original. In 1946-47, work on the beach and promenade extension got underway. The seawall and landfill were extended northward connecting Hunter and the Twin Islands, permitting the promenade to be lengthened by 1,200 feet and creating seven new acres of beach. Prior to this, the bathing area ended at the inlet that separated Twin Island from Hunter Island. The new section of promenade was paved with hexagonal blocks to match the existing, and the original fencing, lamp posts and benches were replicated for the new section. Two new jetties at either end of the beach were constructed to break the strong tides and to prevent the beach's sand from being washed away.

Also, the brick utility buildings on the promenade were altered for the installation of concessions. A number of alterations occurred in the 1950s. In 1952, new concession windows were added under the stairs leading from the upper to the lower terraces. Following a series of severe storms that damaged the beach, the north jetty was enlarged in 1955, and new beach sand was deposited. In 1962, a brick comfort station and concession building was constructed on the promenade, 2,800 feet north of the bath house. During the middle and late 1960s, the windows and doors were restored and new lockers were installed. Following that, however, came an extended period of neglect lasting through the 1970s. A proposal to replace the north locker room with a theater was rejected in 1974. By 1980, Orchard Beach had become a rundown facility with a reputation for being unsanitary and unsafe. Beginning in 1980, the Parks Department began planning for the rehabilitation of Orchard Beach to coincide with its fiftieth anniversary in 1986. Over $1,000,000 was spent on a variety of work, the most noticeable of which is the replacement of the original steel doors to the cafeteria with new aluminum units. However, the rehabilitation was not complete. Many parts of the bath house, including the north locker room, remain closed to the public.

The Architecture and Site of the Orchard Beach Bathhouse and Promenade

The New Deal construction projects within New York City, such as Orchard Beach, were a part of a national trend which included similar projects undertaken by various governmental agencies, ranging from the vast Tennessee Valley Authority to small cities and towns. Urban projects built with WPA funding often possessed similar qualities from region to region, partly because the difficult economic climate dictated the use of inexpensive building materials, but also because the programs provided employment opportunities for a generation of young architects and engineers who were committed to modernism. For example, the bathhouse and waterfront facilities at Aquatic Park in San Francisco are similar in plan and appearance to the public pool and beachfront projects being built at about the same time in New York City. The California facility, with its streamlined, concrete facade and steel-framed windows, bears a striking resemblance to the facade added in 1936 with WPA funds to the bathhouse at Jacob Riis Park in Queens. Influenced by Beaux-Arts planning principles, the architecture of the Orchard Beach bathhouse is a simple and restrained interpretation of classical styles, while the promenade features streamlined Moderne characteristics employing nautical motifs. Like the public pools and other waterfront projects built in New York City by Robert Moses during the New Deal, Orchard Beach used inexpensive materials, particularly concrete, red brick, and asphalt paving, in its construction. However, the original and creative use made of these modest materials by Moses' talented design teams and the careful siting of each project makes every one of them a distinguished, individual design, as much related to their specific environment and needs as to one another

The south aisle in Skálholt Cathedral is dominated by Gerður Helgadóttir's abstract high modernist stained glass. The glass was executed by the German firm, Oidtmann from Linnich in Northrhine-Westphalia, who also led the 2018 repair and restoration of the windows.

Skálholt Cathedral (Skálholtsdómkirkja) is a church of the national Church of Iceland, a Lutheran body. It was designed by Hörður Bjarnason, the building master of the Icelandic state, with the intention of marrying is modern styles to the architectural patterns of ancient cathedrals. Built from 1956-63, it was completely renovated inside and out in 2022-3.

Skálholt was the capital of Iceland for around 750 years, and Skálholt Cathedral was the original seat of the Bishops of Iceland. The current building is the tenth church to stand on the site. The first was built in the very early 11th Century, after Icelanders converted to Christianity; it became a Cathedral in 1056 when Ísleifur Gissurarson became the first Bishop of Iceland.

In the Middle Ages, Skálholtsstaður grew greatly in spiritual and secular terms and soon became one of the most populated places in the country. In 1630, the whole place burned down and many cultural and historical values were lost—although another cathedral was built on the site. All the local buildings, except the cathedral, collapsed in the earthquakes connected with the devastating 1784 Laki fissure eruption, which led to a famine which killed at least a fifth of the Icelandic population. Following this, and the See was moved to Reykjavík, and the 1650 cathedral was demolished, but a smaller church was built in its place.

The government, in co-operation with the church, organised a festival in Skálholt in 1956 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the consecration of the first bishop; the cornerstone of the present cathedral was laid in the same year by Bishop Sigurbjörn Einarsson, after the Icelandic parliament, the Alþing, agreed to build it. The new cathedral was completed in 1963. Many of the furnishings were given by other Nordic churches.

The cathedral contains a total of 25 stained glass windows made by Gerður Helgadóttir. They are designed in an abstract manner and depict Christian symbolism and some of the medieval bishops of Skálholt. The altarpiece is the work of Nína Tryggvadóttir and depicts Christ coming into the cathedral with the landscape behind depicting Iceland. The pulpit dates from the 17th century and is the one used by Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson in 1650.

This description incorporates text from the skalholt.is website and the English Wikipedia.

Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.

Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.

It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.

The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).

The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.

Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, afterall there are echoes of the gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.

Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.

However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, when all it's stained glass had been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).

The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.

The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days, but now charges an entry fee (a fix for recent financial worries; gone are the frequent days I used to wander around it in search of inspiration!)and sadly visitors are also encouraged to enter by the far end of the building, contrary to Spence's intentions.

For more see below:-

www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/

My C-3PO broke, plus some bad orders of stromtroopers on the net. And this happened.

PRIMORDIAL LANDSCAPES

Even our parks are manicured. Everything is designed and executed by humans. They resemble exhibitions, rather than Nature. More concrete than greenery.

Talking of concrete; what do we see when we walk down a road? Buildings, roads, bridges, passages, pavements, billboards, shop windows, vehicles of every size and type. When we look up, airplanes passing over. Concrete, metal, glass, etc.

When was the last time we wetted our feet and hands on a natural beach? I do not mean the fake beaches of holiday villages, nor the concrete docks alongside the piers, but beaches in the real sense. Where beaches are shaped by waves, where moss dance slowly, where the sound of the sea tingle our ears?

When was the last time we climbed on a real rock? When was the last time we sat on real earth?

The stars are obscured by the city lights, we cannot see them. We erased them all.

But there were mountains, seas, rivers, deserts, even before we existed on this planet. Who knows how it looked? Now we have to search for primordial landscapes in other planets.

Perhaps we can see their traces if we look carefully at trees. Perhaps barks of the remaining trees contain records of the past. We may see them if we look carefully and close enough.

Now let us look a little more carefully, a little closer; can we spot ourselves in those primordial landscapes?

The sign says: The orderly SS officer who was on duty in this room often executed the sentences of Gestapo summary court.

-----

Block 11 was known as the "Death Block." It served several functions, of which the most important was its role as the central camp jail. Male and female prisoners from all parts of the camp complex were held in this building. Most of these people were suspected by the camp Gestapo of involvement in clandestine activities: attempting to escape, organizing mutinies, and maintaining contacts with the outside world.

Poles from outside the camp who had been arrested for rendering aid to prisoners were imprisoned here too. Following brutal interrogations, they were in most cases sentenced to death by shooting. In the early years of the camp the penal unit and re-education unit were also held in this block. The prisoners of the penal unit, to which almost all the Jewish men and Polish priests held in the camp at that time were sent on arrival, were assigned the most back-breaking work; most of them died.

For some time the block also held the special unit of prisoners employed to burn the bodies of the dead.

From 1943 on, police detainees were also held here. These were Poles from the area under the jurisdiction of the Gestapo in Katowice who were suspected of involvement in the resistance movement. They would be held here awaiting sentence from a special German summary court. Usually the penalty was death.

In the basement, known as the bunker, were punishment cells where the SS confined prisoners regarded as guilty of violating camp regulations. In 1941 prisoners sentenced to death by starvation were held here.

Over the period 3-5 September 1941, the SS carried out experiments in the basement with Zyklon B in preparation for the mass murder of Jews; 600 Soviet POWs and 250 Polish political prisoners, selected from the camp infirmary as human guinea pigs for this experiment, were murdered here in this way.

This bronze sculptural bust of George Moscone, located in San Francisco City Hall, was executed by sculptor Spero Anargyros. George Richard Moscone (1929-1978) served as the 37th mayor of San Francisco, from January 1976 until his assassination along with Harvey Milk at the hands of Dan White in City Hall in 1978. As mayor, he prevented the San Francisco Giants from leaving for Toronto and was appointed large numbers of women, gays and racial minorities to city commissions. Prior to his running for mayor, he served in the California State Senate as Majority Leader.

The following is inscribed on the plaque below:

San Francisco is an extraordinary city because its people have learned to live together with one another, to respect each other, and to work with each other for the future of their community. That's the strength and the beauty of this city - and it's the reason why the citizens who live here are the luckiest people in the world. -Mayor George Moscone

San Francisco City Hall, at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, was built from 1913-1915 by architect Arthur Brown, Jr., replacing an building destroyed during the 1906 Earthquake. The vast Beaux-Arts French Renaissance building covers over 500,000 square feet over two full blocks and features the fifth largest dome in the world, rising 301-feet, 5.5-inches from the curb--13-feet, 7¾-inches higher than the U.S. Capitol.

The exterior is made of gray granite from the foothills of the Sierra. The interior is lavishly finished in California marble, Indiana sandstone and Manchurian oak. The dome, owing to Mansart's Les Invalides, has a diameter of 86-feet at its springing line and was originally covered with gold leaf gilded copper, but has since been restored with gold leaf on a special paint. Below the dome is the defining architectural element--the Rotunda and Great staircase, an open stairwell bookended by two-storied loggia on the north and south, extending from the second to the top of the third story and articulated with Giant Corinthian half columns. The stairs lead to the Board of Supervisors chamber, and opposite it is the office of the Mayor.

President Warren G. Harding lay in state at City Hall after dying of a heart attack at the Palace Hotel in 1923. Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were married at City Hall in 1954. Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated there in 1978, by former Supervisor Dan White. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 damaged the structure, and twisted the dome four inches (102 mm) on its base. Afterwards work was undertaken to render City Hall earthquake resistant through a base isolation system.

Greater Manchester Police have today, Thursday 15 March 2012, made arrests following the murder of a man in Rochdale.

In the early hours of this morning 22 warrants were executed at addresses in Moston, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Davyhulme, Urmston, Newton Heath, Blackley, Harpurhey, Beswick, Bolton and Hyde.

Eight men aged between 20 and 30 were arrested on suspicion of murder and violent disorder.

At about 2.40am on Sunday 25 December 2011, police were called to Sinclair's Bar on Drake Street, Rochdale, following reports of a large disturbance.

Officers attended and discovered a man had been stabbed.

John Lee Barrett, 31, was taken to hospital but died, Tuesday 27 December 2011.

A post mortem examination concluded he died from a stab wound to the back.

It is also believed he had been hit over the head with a glass or bottle.

Chief Superintendent John O'Hare said: "By conducting this operation, we have sent out a firm message to those who think they can travel across Greater Manchester and commit crime in other areas that we will catch up with them.

"We have demonstrated that if you commit crime as part of a pack, you will be arrested and dealt with as a pack.

"I would also reassure residents within the local communities that there will be an extra police presence in their area and if anyone has any concerns, please speak to your local officer.

"We are working very hard to ensure their neighbourhoods are safer and we will not tolerate offenders who think they can get away with their actions and break the law."

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Jackson from the Major Incident Team said "The warrants have been part of a lengthy and complicated investigation.

Hours of CCTV have been studied and the club has been forensically examined by a team of highly experienced officers.

"However, despite these warrants, the investigation is still ongoing and we are still keen to hear from anyone who was at Sinclair's Bar on the night of the attack.

"We have interviewed a number of people who have helped us piece together what may have happened in the early hours of Christmas Day but I would still urge others who we haven't spoken with to get in touch - your information could be vital.

"I would urge anyone who may have information about what happened that night to contact police on 0161 856 3691 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. The information you supply will be treated with the strictest of confidence."

For information about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.

www.gmp.police.uk

You should call 101, the new national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.