no-one to mirror back to me but nature.

 

♥

Sometimes we don’t realize just how much a doll has impacted our collection until several years into the future. That was certainly the case with my Moxie Girlz, which is one of the main reasons I felt it only fitting to rewrite this “My Story” passage on them. I never would have anticipated the way these Bratz look alikes would mold my dolly world when I first learned of their existence in 2011. But as I reflect on these past eight years as an adult doll collector, I can see how they were slowly leaving a mark on me, even in those early days. They started as the “Bratz imposters” who I dismissed….dolls I never intended to admire, buy, or pay any attention to. In the years I had stepped away from my dolly hobby, there had been a time when Bratz were almost erased. MGA designed Moxie Girlz as a substitute, but kept the line around even when Bratz had secured their place on the market again. Initially, I had a bad taste in my mouth for these “cheap” looking dolls, who lacked the sass and fierceness I so admired in Bratz. But in many ways, they mean almost as much to me, and without them, the course of my journey would have been altered. In short, I wouldn’t be the same collector if Moxie Girlz had not somehow weedled their way into my heart.

 

The first encounter I had with Moxie Girlz was most likely at the store. Back in 2011, I didn’t frequent doll aisles too often. In part, this was because of embarrassment. I felt deeply self conscious lurking around the toys, wondering if any passerby would notice that I was patently “too old” to be admiring the dolls. I mostly recall seeing Moxies at stores like Target and Toys ‘R’ Us. Colleen and I used to make jokes about their clone like vibe, and their babyish styling. But there were so many dolls to take in, ones that had not even been a thought when I was a kid. So compared to say Monster High, who notoriously enveloped toy aisles, it was rather effortless to overlook Moxie Girlz. My first true experience with Moxie Girlz outside the stores occurred at the flea market that fall. After several months of pursuing a box of Bratz dolls I had foolishly not purchased in the spring, I was finally reunited with the “Bratz Guy Bin.” In this lot of bedraggled, mutilated, and drawn on dollies, I found a pair of strange looking Bratz shoes. The peg holes were far too small for a full sized Bratz to wear. I assumed they must belong to Kidz, who had smaller legs, and therefore would likely have matching, tinier pegs. So I set aside these pink sneakers, expecting that one day I’d have at least a few Kidz dolls. A few weeks later, I ended up with my first Bratz Kidz in the “Craigslist #1” lot. Their arrival left me feeling even more perplexed about the sneakers, which apparently did not fit. It wasn’t until Colleen suggested it, that it occurred to me that these shoes were perhaps made for Moxie Girlz. This was confirmed rather quickly via eBay--I had “1st Edition” Lexa sneakers. These shoes sat around inside a random container of odd ball doll shoes for quite some time, as I was unsure what to do with them.

 

In June 2012, the very first Moxie Girlz doll joined my collection...or should I say Moxie Boyz! It was only a few short weeks after Dad passed away that May. On Father’s Day, his best friend, Jimmy, offered to take Colleen and me out to a massive outdoor flea market (which was a drive in movie theater by night). We spent hours upon hours walking through this enormous flea market, and as time wore on, we slowly acquired more and more treasures. There was a box of Bratz dolls that caught our attention. The seller offered to give us a bundle deal for the goods, so of course we pounced on it. However, there were two Moxie Girlz dolls who tagged along--Magic Snow Jaxson and Best Friends Avery. Jaxson admittedly stole the show. Even though I had never seriously considered Moxie Girlz dolls in the past, he won my heart before we were even home. That soft, fuzzy, flocked head, and his overall sweet demeanor were hard to ignore. Plus, little Jax still had his entire original ensemble on. It was so impeccably constructed, that it reminded me of the Bratz dolls I grew up with. He was very reminiscent of the Wintertime Wonderland line that I was so obsessed with as an eleven/twelve year old. Avery was not as enchanting--after identifying her, I concluded her hair had been substantially cut. It was also that coarse, gross fiber that I didn’t know how to take care of (which I later learned was nylon). Her outfit was also missing many components, which made poor Avery seem extra pitiful. Avery was tossed aside, and later given to a friend, along with those “1st Edition” Lexa shoes I mentioned previously. Jaxson however, well he was put on display WITH my Bratz! Not long after, Colleen encouraged me to purchase True Hope Jaxson, when were were at Toys ‘R’ Us getting his Cameron counterpart. He too had a spot reserved on my display, right alongside Cam.

 

For about two years, this is where the story remained stagnant. I was very much in love with my two Jaxson dolls, but that first experience with Avery had not been the best. Plus, I think in part I held off on giving the girls a chance, because I knew if I changed my mind later, I’d regret having given Avery away. I found myself for whatever reason looking up Moxie Girlz online around the start of the New Year in 2014. Specifically, I recall the day I found a collection video on Youtube. You may think that this video inspired me to collect Moxie Girlz because the dolls were so beautiful and highly spoken of. That would be a false assumption, in fact it was the opposite. The video, which I believe was deleted years ago, featured a girl going through her massive collection of Moxie Girlz. The dolls were in horrific shape...if SPOD (the “Society for the Protection of Dolls) was a real thing, the Moxie Girlz would have been removed from this home. I recall that they were in various states of undress, with wild hair. We aren’t just talking about unkempt tresses, no, we are talking about destroyed hair! Some dolls had oil put in their hair. Others had been colored all over on their beautiful face paint. As the girl went through each doll, she threw him/her brutally across the room, like they were garbage. My heart was broken...even though I was not too keen for Moxie Girlz, they surely deserved to be treated with more respect. I envisioned my beloved Jaxson dolls living in that home, and the horror was too much to bear. I showed Colleen the video, and she too felt it was our calling to finally buy Moxie Girlz. And so, we found ourselves at Toys ‘R’ Us that very afternoon, picking up the two True Hope dolls I “needed,” as well as Sportz Lexa and Fashion Surprise Sophina (who stole my heart).

 

What began as a collection as the result of pity and wanting to love these dolls, became so much more. I found myself lusting for more dolls after getting the initial four that day at TRU. There were faces from the video that had caught my attention, and I was dead set on acquiring my own. We went to countless stores in the area and rather far away, on the quest for Moxie Girlz. Online shopping was a large part of the creation of my collection too--I spent so much time scrolling every day for new deals on eBay for Moxie Girlz and extra clothes. My humble family grew at a fairly rapid rate. Not only was the number of dolls multiplying, but I also found myself having to do a considerable number of flat iron treatments regularly. That beastly nylon hair the dolls were most oftenly rooted with needed to be tamed. While I had been flat ironing for about two years at this point, I still had not honed my skill. Having to do so many dolls in consecutive sessions started to help me build this skill and perfect my technique. Dolls such as my “1st Edition” gals, Fashion Snaps Lexa, and my Best Friends pack were especially naughty clients who may have taken me an exceedingly long amount of time, but in the end were responsible for me learning the best way to flat iron hair. Speaking of my Best Friends pack, it should be noted that I did in fact later regret giving away my Avery. After losing a bid on eBay, I was fortunate enough to find a decently priced set on Amazon, along with the Fantasea Hair dolls. The more and more I delved into the world of Moxie GIrlz, the more passionate I became. I did not just fancy the “staple” dolls from earlier years, like the ones I had seen in that Youtube video. No, I was craving the dolls that were not even out yet, like the Camping Adventurez and the foreign exclusive Fantasea Hair dollies! There was not a Moxie Girlz doll I came across that didn’t worm her way into my heart. I still recall the day my heart leapt when I first saw the Baker dolls and Art Kellan at Toys ‘R’ Us. I made a point to stalk the trio until they went on sale. There were the oddball old dolls who turned up in clearance sections, like Pets Avery. I had a list of sets that I wanted to keep my eye out for, when they finally went on sale. When I would see that their prices had been slashed, I was quick to hop into the Jeep with Colleen and procure the dolls. This is what happened with the Cotton Candy Style girls and the Fashion Snaps/Fashion Surprise lines. Not only that, but the soft spot in my heart for Moxies often lead me to overpay for those that seemed doomed to an unlovable fate. For instance, the time we stumbled upon an $8 secondhand Magic Snow Kellan at an antique store. I knew her modern look would not appeal to other shoppers, and I just could not bear the thought of her rotting behind the glass case. For a girl who was so resistant to even so much as give Moxie Girlz a second glance a few years before, I had been transformed into a full blown addict!

 

I think with most of my collections, I go through a transitional time during the early days, when I make a point of tracking down dolls. Whether I shop on eBay, scope out local stores, or am just more willing to spend money on them at the flea market, it’s not all that uncommon for me to go on a binge of sorts. So what exactly makes my Moxie Girlz collection remarkable? I’ve learned something deeper through all the various doll types I collect. But I can honestly say that Moxie Girlz were one of the most transformative decisions I made, and I’m glad I procrastinated when it came to officially collecting them. 2014 was the year I started all over as a collector. 2011 was when I first reconnected with dolls, but everything felt so new and foreign, that I still was figuring out who I was as a collector. As I delved in the world of dolly social media in 2012 and 2013, I almost lost my identity entirely. I was influenced heavily by the words of others--I was sucked into a world of needless drama and constant complaining. I found myself second guessing every doll, finding flaws, and contemplating pruning my collection. The joy that my plastic friends once brought me in a time of need, was almost entirely erased. I could feel myself sinking further and further into this quicksand of negativity, and in an effort to save my hobby, I deleted my old Flickr in the fall of 2013. I decided to stay away from the internet, so the only voice I would hear would be my own. I wanted to form my own opinions, and discover dolls on my own terms. I was tired of feeling like nothing was good enough, tired of drowning in a sea of negativity. The whole reason I restarted my doll journey in 2011 was to find happiness and light in a world that was drenched in darkness. I wanted a distraction from my dad’s declining health, and from the weight of the uncertainty the future possessed. Taking a step back to focus on just myself was hands down the best decision I made throughout my doll collecting story. One of my first orders of business was to dabble with Moxie Girlz, a thought that deep down had resonated for quite some time, but I had kept hidden.

 

Moxie Girlz also inspired me to rekindle my creative side. I had experimented with handmade earrings, stands, and the occasional hair accessory in the past. But these “cheap” gals brought out so much potential, and made designing things for my dolls the most fun it had ever been. It all kicked off when I got three of my Bubble Bath Surprise dolls on sale one night at Toys ‘R’ Us and Wal-Mart. This set was not the kind I’d usually gravitate towards, what with the dolls low quality, molded glitter swimsuits. They also were packaged with pierced ears, but no jewelry. But believe it or not, the cheesy styling of the dolls inspired me more than any others had before. I found fabric flowers that matched their glitter swimsuits and made them the most bedazzled earrings I had to date. I realized that in a way, transforming these low quality friends was much like cleaning up a secondhand doll. A few homemade accessories truly revamped the three girls, and gave them a much more expensive image. This realization that all dolls had potential, even the “cheapest” seeming ones, revolutionized the way I approached purchasing dollies. Much like how my knowledge of treatments such as the flat iron, boil wash, and proper bathing gave me the ability to rescue dolls that I previously would have needed to leave behind, tapping into this inner creativity made every doll have possibilities. My handmade earring were no longer dainty and conservative. Instead, I unleashed myself and began to make whatever my heart desired, even if it was ever so gaudy and over sized. Not to mention that my Moxie Girlz motivated me to try new things. When I purchased my Baker and Art dolls in the spring/summer of 2014, I was struck with the idea to make them charms. I ended up purchasing some new polymer clay and tools, and even did a little research on techniques that would make the charms look more detailed. This opened the door for the invention of some of my favorite creations, like Hello My Name Is Raya’s cheeseburger earrings or Sleepover Party Sasha’s pizza charms! It felt like so many doors had just opened up for me, and I was reconnected to that twelve year old girl who used to spend hours making her American Girl dolls various accessories and decorating boxes for them.

 

The intention behind the existence of Moxie Girlz may have been to supplement Bratz when they were supposed to be removed from stores. While they do bear some resemblance and similarities to my bratty friends, the way Moxies have transformed my collection is entirely unique. Looking back, they’ve been around since almost the beginning of my adult doll journey, when I first found those shoes in “Bratz Guy Bin,” and when my two Jaxsons squirmed their way into my bedroom displays. But what I think of the most when it comes to these dolls, is how they redefined me as a collector. They were the first dolls that I decided to experiment with, having an open heart and no preconceived notions. I chose to not let other people’s complaints and shame towards this line change my decision to jump into the Moxie world. I embraced each and every Moxie Girlz doll I came across with wide open arms. By doing this, I allowed the creative energy to flow freely from my mind. My handmade earrings and hair accessories simply would not be the same today if it weren’t for my Moxies. I don’t know that my interest in accessorizing and sprucing up cheap, store bought dolls would be the same. Moxie Girlz made me wholeheartedly realize that it’s not about what doll you get, but about how you choose to treat him/her, and the love/effort you put forth. When I look at my displays, I see happy faces and feel the positivity and care I put into each and every one of my plastic friends. I also see a slight resemblance to Kid Kore Katie, one of the most notorious dolls from our childhood. I can even envision a world where Moxies were out when Colleen and I were growing up, and we would be fighting over who would get to play with them. In essence, Moxie Girlz are the reason I recaptured that magic within dolls--they restored the innocence that I had lost as an adult collector, who was far too critical and cynical towards these little creatures, and for that I am forever grateful.

 

The origins of this church coming into existence started with Augustus the Strong being told by the Pope that in order to be recognized as the King of Poland, the August had to convert to Catholicism. So August built this catholic church in Dresden satisfy that "requirement". The insides of the church are not nearly as adorned as the Protestant/Lutheran counterparts in Germany, or even the Frauenkirche a few blocks away in downtown Dresden. Taking substantial damage in WWII, the Hofkirche is mostly restored to its formal glory. It is a vision of beauty during the day, but things go to another level at night, enjoy!

Church of St George the Martyr, Newbold Pacey, Warwickshire

The village was in existence prior to being mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Survey. It derives its present name from the ancient family of the Paceys, to whom it formerly belonged in 13c and 14c.

The former church built in 11c - 12c , www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/8HMZ16 was given to the Yorkshire Priory of St. Oswald of Nostell by Eytrop son of the Domesday tenant Humphrey, and confirmed by his son Eytrop. The latter's grandson Robert Hastang in 1221 disputed the charter which the prior produced and said that it was made after his grandfather's seal had been stolen out of a chest in the church of Leamington Hastings; Robert later confirmed the prior's right to the advowson. In 1344 Nostell sold the church to Queen's College, Oxford the vicar they presented being made responsible for the upkeep of the chancel and ornaments. It was united in 1932 with Moreton Morrell and continues in the gift of Queen's College

After possibly a period of plague the villagers moved from around the church to the northern hamlet of Ashorne

The original church burnt down in 1880 and was rebuilt 1880-2 by J L Pearson. It now consists of a chancel, south organ-chamber and vestry, nave, south transept, south aisle, and a north porch / saddleback tower.

Two reset 12c doorways survive from the original church.

The font and fittings date from after the rebuilding , but monuments of 17c were rescued from the old church, including one to Edward Carew & his infant daughter of 1668 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/1a35Tu & lord of the manor William Little 1834 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/44v880

There are four bells of 1707.

 

Samuel Gibbons in his 1830 will left £100, the interest to be distributed on St. Thomas's Day amongst the poor families in the parish.

Lord of the manor William Little d1834 left to the owner of his mansion house and the vicar £400, the income to be similarly distributed.

John Little by his 1873 will gave to the successive owners of his house at Newbold Pacey and the vicar £400, the income to be distributed on St. Thomas's Day among six of the eldest and most necessitous poor resident in the parish

Mrs. Catherine Carter in her 1848 will gave £40 to the vicar and churchwardens, the income to be applied in the purchase of flannel to be distributed on 21st December. amongst poor widows of the parish.

 

Wings Over Dallas 2017. "Fifi" is one of only two flying in existence.

Sakharibazar, Old Dhaka, 2011

 

Normal people with extraordinary lifestyles

Along with smile and the gloomy, here life has its own rhyme, has its own colour.

Time passed by, humanity changed along with its history...

But these people remained here tolerating the hardest truth of existences

..........its their story of extraordinary existences.

 

Sakharibazar, Old Dhaka. A very interesting place for all of us to visit. Culture and customs of old Dhaka are the tribute to the ancient history of Bangladesh. Peoples still living in 100 years old building from generations after generations. With the reflection of their religious beauty Old Dhaka attracts peoples from here and abroad.

 

Shakhari Bazaar is one of the oldest mohallas (a traditional neighbourhood) in Puran Dhaka (Old Dhaka), located near the intersection of Islampur Road and Nawabpur Road;the two main arteries of the old city and only a block away from the Buriganga River. Shakhari Bazaar stretches along a narrow lane, lined with thin slices of richly decorated brick buildings, built during the late Mughal or Colonial period. Despite rampant modifications, accretion, extension over time, even redevelopment, many still bear the testimony of a rich tradition.

 

Shakhari Bazaar is the manifestation of the irrational policies, lack of adequate development control rules and distorted legal framework, all of which have left their indelible mark on this precious little mohalla that shares a long history of more than 400 years with Dhaka city itself.The history of Shakhari Bazaar goes back to the pre-Mughal days if not earlier. The first mention of Puran Dhaka can be found in the writings of Mirza Nathan, the general turned historian, who traveled with Subahdar Islam Khan. He mentioned Puran Dhaka, as the area between Dholai Khal and Buriganga river covering Shakhari Bazaar, Tanti Bazaar, Bangla Bazaar, Lakhsmi Bazaar, Bangla Bazaar, Kamar Nagar, Sutar Nagar, Goala Nagar, etc. Each mohalla belonged to separate communities depending on their craft and trade. The influences of the Mughal vocabulary in the planning of the spaces are literally evident in the use of Persian names to identify different spaces..

EXIF Details: Camera:: Canon EOS 600D || Lens:: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II || Shutter Speed:: 1/30 || Aperture:: f 8 || ISO:: 200 || Focal Length:: 49mm

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5oO0PT_-Ao

 

The telos of labor is the end of labor.

أَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰانِ الرَّجِيْمِ

 

I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitaan, Al Mudill, the one who misleads with his whispers, Al Maghwi, who seduces with his deception.

 

بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِیمِ

 

In the Name of Allah,

The First without a first before Him, The Last without a last behind Him,

The Entirely Merciful, The Especiall Merciful

 

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِینَ

 

all kinds of praise and appreciation,

encompassing all types of the characteristics of all kinds of those utterings of praise in words, in deeds, in states and dialogues,

are only and only for Allah Worthy in His Own Essence and His Attributes,

who is The Lord of all the worlds,

 

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ

 

The One whose Essence is All Encompassing of all things in existence with Grace Ever- Expansive and according to the Vastness of His Mercy and the Abundance of His Lutf, Affection and His Ra’fat, Gentleness.

 

ٱلرَّحِیمِ

 

The One who raises compassionately,

who nourishes according to the expansiveness of His Limitless Mercy based on the nature of Tauheed

and makes one reach towards the Abode of the One-ness of His Essence

after one lifts the preoccupations (and concerns) that created hurdles from the focus on His One-ness

and after one rejects the connections that prevent steadfastness in His One-ness and absorbing the adornment in it.

 

مَـٰلِكِ یَوۡمِ ٱلدِّینِ

 

The Master of the Day of Resurrection which is prepared for reward or punishment,

 

إِیَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ

 

You Alone we worship without the idols of hopes and expectations of others in our hearts

 

وَإِیَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِینُ

 

and You Alone we ask for help without which there is no power to endure.

 

ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِیمَ

 

Guide us to the Straight Path which brings us to Your One-ness,

 

صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِینَ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ

 

the path of those You have bestowed (Your) Favors upon

from the Prophets and the truthful one and the martyrs and the ones who rise to battle with their desires and the ones who ready their nafs, selves, to reform and make up for the deficiencies of their previous state,

 

غَیۡرِ ٱلۡمَغۡضُوبِ عَلَیۡهِمۡ

 

not of those who earned Your Wrath upon themselves

 

وَلَا ٱلضَّاۤلِّینَ

 

and not of those who refuse to accept guidance.

 

آمين

 

May Allah make us of those whose burdens are light and whose wishes are few by His Special Favour and His Special Bounty, Ameen!

  

‏وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَنَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفْسُهُۥ ۖ

 

And certainly We created man and We know what his self whispers to him

Surah Qaf, Verse 16

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa: And overall…

 

Laqad khalaqna al insaana: indeed we created Man and We made him appear from the hidden-ness of nothingness.

 

Wa: And We…

 

Na’alamu: We know him from that point…

 

Ma tuwaswisu: (as to) what whispers and makes up a rambling story…

 

Bihi nafsohu: from his own self and sways his heart (from that point) until now from those kinds of delusions and false imaginings and those things that descend upon him as animalistic desires and those thoughts that are imprisoned by the chains of rituals and shackles of inherent habits that are inherited as a result of useless ponderings which are mixed with unthinking paranoia.

 

Contents

 

Preface 13 Begin! 17 The Push and the Pull 19 Shaitaan and Me 23 The Nafs Mutma’inna 27 The Ones who know their Lord 33 The First Jolt 37 The Diseases of the Heart 41 The Nature of Blessings and Trials 47 Shaan 53 The Belly of the Whale 65 The Façade of my Obedience 69 The Shirrk in my Heart 75 The Fire of Possibilities 81 My Master’s Wrath and Mercy 89 The Necessity of Fear 103 Patience is Beautiful 121 What is a Dua 131 They Feel no Fear or Grief 143 The Layering of Generosity 151 Akhlaq and Imam Ghazali 161 The Seed of Tauba 169 Forgiveness 183

 

يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

ابْنَ آدَمَ،

اطْلُبْنِي تَجدني، فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَنِي وجَدْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ،

وَإِنْ فُتُّكَ فَاتَكَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ،

وَأَنَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

 

Says Allah Ta’ala:

“O Children of Adam (as)!

Seek me and you will find me.

So if you find Me, you will find everything.

And if you miss this seeking, you will lose everything.

And I should be most beloved to you of all things.”

 

Preface

 

فَإِذَا قَرَأۡتَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ فَٱسۡتَعِذۡ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِیمِ

 

So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in Allah from the Shaitaan, the accursed.

Surah An Nahl, Verse 98

 

Exegesis of all verses from the Tafseer e Jilani by the Master of all Masters, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra):

 

And overall good deeds give fruit to a life beautiful and meaningful. In fact the most superb of these deeds is the recitation of the Quran, full of of Ma’arif, Divine Recognitions and Haqaiq, Divine Realities and Mukashafaat, Divine Unveilings and Mushahadaat, Divine Witnessing, resulting from the traveling on the Path of Tauheed, the One-ness of Allah and Irfaan, knowing His Essence.

 

Fa ida qara’at al Quran: So when you read the Quran i.e. you made the intention of reading it, O Qari, O reciter, seeker of the unveiling of the depth of its secrets and its ambiguous signs…

 

Fasta’id: then seek refuge and invoke, first of all…

 

Billahi: Allah, Al Mutajalli, The One who unveils, by the attribute of speech, which makes others helpless before it, Al Hafeed, The Protector of His Sincere Servants from everything in useless sins and disobedience…

 

Min: (which occur) due to doubts and paranoia…

 

Ash Shaitaan ar rajeem: from Shaitaan the accursed one, Al Matrood, the one expelled and the one made distant from the court of the Presence of Allah Azzo Jal with the stoning of the effects of the attributes of Allah’s Wrath and (seek refuge) from his misconceptions and rationalizations which are the armies of desire and forgetfulness and false imaginings and hallucinations thrilling which persuade different kinds of hopes and lust.

 

A Question of Truth

 

I’ve been thinking about this piece in starts and stops for months. To escape the coldest month in Lahore I headed to Karachi to give it readable form at the end of December. I was writing it to mark the month of Rajab in which Maula Ali (as) is born, which would begin on the 23rd of January if the new moon appeared.

 

I included this section, a preface, for the first time to make a single suggestion to my reader. To answer a question that Ghaus Pak (ra) continually asks his readers in his magnificent exegesis of the Quran, the Tafseer e Jilani. Although most scholars yield that it is but a translation.

 

For an exegesis by him, if it were to include all Divine Secrets that have been unveiled for him, might take up all the pages of all the trees only in describing what just the first Surah, Al Fateha, contains, which, incidentally, is also a preface. For the Quran.

 

The question being; Where do you lie in this? For truth is not on a spectrum, he says. It is absolute. We, however, as infallible beings exist in shades of darkness and pendulum between it and falsehood. Whether a single line or thought or image is retained or everything is entirely forgotten, the intention of the read must be singular, fulfilled with a simple question: Where do I lie in this?

 

For the time, the Quran attests, in this world that seems so absolute is not only short. It isn’t even an hour!

 

فَٱصۡبِرۡ كَمَا صَبَرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلۡعَزۡمِ مِنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَلَا تَسۡتَعۡجِل لَّهُمۡۚ

كَأَنَّهُمۡ یَوۡمَ یَرَوۡنَ مَا یُوعَدُونَ لَمۡ یَلۡبَثُوۤا۟ إِلَّا سَاعَةࣰ مِّن نَّهَارِۭۚ

 

So be patient, as had patience those of determination of the Messengers, and (do) not seek to hasten for them punishment.

On the Day when they see what they are promised, it will seem they remained not except an hour of a day (in the world).

Surah Ahqaf, Verse 35

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

And after that you heard O Akmal Ar Rusul, O Messenger who perfects Messenger-hood (salutations and greetings upon you who is entrusted with The Revelation by your Lord and Master), the outcome of the state of denial of truth by the ones who are insistent upon their insolence and stubborn-ness…

 

Fasbir: then be patient, O Akmal Ar Rusul (salutations and greetings upon you and your family by your Lord who makes you His Nur), upon bearing the charge of the message and the exhaustion of preaching and the sufferings from the people, strayed and the misguided…

 

Kama sabara: the way they were patient upon these types of hurdles…

 

Ulol azmi mir Rasool: the Messengers, with unwavering determination, Al Azimeena, the ones resolute upon these things and upon the preaching of the Message with steadfastness, sincere and with solid firmness, so that they make clear for the people the Path of Tauheed, Allah’s One-ness and instruct towards the way of steadfastness and guidance.

 

Wa la tasta’jil lahum: And do not hasten to seek the torment for these deniers i.e. the stubborn ones from the Quresh, with the coming of punishment which is promised to them. For indeed, it will come upon them certainly in its own time…

 

Ka annahum youma yarouna ma yu’adoona: on the Day they will see in the Hereafter which they are being promised of, this punishment from the heights of intensity and scariness and the extreme-ness of its duration so they will recall…

Lab yalbathu: they didn’t stay in the world…

 

Illa sa’atan: for more than an hour…

 

Min naharin: of a day meaning that they will think of the time they stayed in this world as less and they will imagine that compared to the length of the Day of Judgement, it was only an hour or even less than that.

 

The question I ask now is not if I am a Mo’min, a believer or a Kafir, a denier of truth or ungrateful but when?

 

When do I remember my Lord and His Beloved (salutations and greetings upon him who is distinguished among creatures by His Lord) and become a zakir and when am I ghafil, the one who forgets them completely? And most importantly, why?

  

Begin!

 

‏قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَسِرِينَ ‎

 

Both of them, Hazrat Adam (as) and Amma Hawwa (as)) said,

"Our Lord we have wronged ourselves, and if not You forgive [for] us and have mercy (on) us, surely, we will be among the losers."

Surah Al Araaf, Verse 23

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Qalaa: They both invoked, beseeching in humility, admitting that lapse from them…

 

Rabbana: O One who raised us upon grace according to Your Fazl, Bounty and Jood, Generosity…

 

Dallamnaa anfusana: we transgressed upon our own selves by following the enemy (Shaitaan)…

 

Wa illam taghfir lana: and if You do not forgive us and the excesses from us…

 

Wa: and do not…

 

Tarhamna: have mercy upon us by Your Fazl, Favour…

 

Lanaku nanna min al khasireen: we will become amongst the losers, the ones in the greatest loss.

 

Woe upon you!

 

You claim to have knowledge and (yet) find happiness the way the ignorant find happiness and are angry like they are angry.

Your happiness with the world and your inclination towards Creation will make you forget wisdom and harden your heart.

The Mo’min is only happy with Allah and nobody except Him.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) in Al Fath Ar Rabbani

 

Al Mulhim – The Only One who inspires!

 

Recently in my reading of the Tafseer e Jilani I came across new Asma al Husna, the Beautiful Names of Allah Subhanahu from Ghaus Pak (ra). I was swayed by the effect of the sound itself. Mulhim.

 

Allah Al Haqq, The Only Truth, inspires and His Beloved (O my Lord who raises only kindly, send blessings and salutations upon him and his family) is the Mulham, the one upon whose heart came the inspiration of the Quran. Then as Al Qasim, he distributed them and he distributes them even today.

  

The Push and the Pull

 

أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

 

Prayed the Prophet Ayub (as);

“Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful.”

Surah Al Anbiya, Verse 83

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Anni massani ad durru: Indeed adversity has touched me, O Lord, far away have gone those close to me and my relatives and all the ones who were affectionate with me…

 

Wa anta: and You are The One remaining who is still for me Merciful and Affectionate for indeed You are…

 

Arham ar Rahimeen: the Most Merciful of the merciful so come to me suddenly with Your Lutf, Kindness because I have no strength and no patience after this and surely his suffering had reached its heights.

 

In my most recent trip to Damascus I had not been reading any of my books on Tasawuff, Islamic Spirituality. Only New Yorkers. That was a first. Whenever I had gone to Medina Sharif or Iraq or India for ziaraat, I had taken books with me specifically to read there in particular places. Here my state was swoon-like. I had brought the books but I never opened them. In the first few days of my being in Sham an experience began to stand out.

 

Each day I would have breakfast on the balcony outside my room. It was quiet and after I ate, I went to the roof-top terrace to lie or sit on a couch that was also a swing. Mostly I would listen to music and stare at the sky. The colours had captivated my heart the first time and it clearly remained besotted.

 

One thing was always the same; the shade would be darkest above me, the blues in their range from powder to midnight, getting lighter and lighter, until my eyes came upon Qasiyoun. It was like only one mountain existed in the world. The one where 123,000 Prophets were buried. I would climb to no-go areas of the hotel to capture it from new vantage points. In the end I just started closing my eyes mid-stare, making them my camera. Everything about Damascus felt intense for me.

 

After the third day, I had started doing something that initially seemed like it was inadvertent. A specific memory would pop into my head and then I would replay it. It was recent, not remarkable but not insignificant either. Like a Youtube or Tiktok video, I would watch the memory in my head at almost exactly the same time.

 

Then for the rest of the day I forgot it along with my entire existence, becoming only a visitor in Paradise. Damascus has been titled such originally by Nabi Kareem (salutations and greetings upon his every utterance that comes only through His Lord God). Therefore it does not allow for lost moments. It’s Paradise! There was no before or after. I was only present.

On the 6th or 7th day I was made to realize something. It was as if someone asked me, “Why do you think this exact same thing every morning?”

 

I thought about it. The replay didn’t evoke any emotion in me. There was no sadness which normally the past carries. There was no joy attached to it in the future. Certainly no anxiety. I had just created a habit for no reason. In a matter of a week that habit was like a shackle in that the new found ritual had its grip on me.

 

At first I thought the awareness of my act came to me because for no reason I was losing the moment. Albeit willingly. But it turned out to be more than that.

 

A month later in Lahore, I would read a paragraph and Ghaus Pak (ra) would explain to me what was happening in Sham. The push and the pull that a human being creates:

 

“The Sahib e Imaan, the person of faith, and iqaan, certainty, and ma’rifat, recognition of the Divine, is in unity with people in their qalb, the station of that Divine Recognition in the heart and in their batin, the inner being, Allah’s Secret within Man.

He reaches a state (through that unity) such that he cannot push away any harm from his being and he cannot pull any benefit towards it. He lies before Allah such that he is powerless with no strength. When this state is made correct for him, then everything becomes goodness as it comes towards Him (no matter what it is).”

 

The words were not applicable to me and perhaps never would be in that I was the furthest thing away from being a Sahib e Imaan. Still, they shed light for me on what I had been doing in Damascus. I was pulling in a memory myself. The only reason I had even able to come to that conclusion was that no emotion had been attached to it.

 

If there were, the emotion would have formed the usual trap of justification for the thought to exist, for my being allowed it. For me to dwell in it, repeat it. I would have felt entitled to think about it. But there wasn’t a feeling that it evoked. There wasn’t a feeling that was its root. Or its consequence for that matter. It was simply a pull into my present from my world. My own pull!

 

Obviously then I was forced to consider the inverse. I must also be pushing out what naturally was in my present. If I didn’t like it, if it made me feel badly, then I pushed emotions and people attached to those emotions attached to my heart away. It was always and only at the insistence of the nafs, the base self, the ego, which in its haste for fulfillment of desire never knew what the correct desire for it was.

 

‏وَيَدْعُ ٱلْإِنسَنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلْخَيْرِ ۖ

وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَنُ عَجُولًۭا ‎

 

And human beings pray for things that are wrong (as often) as they pray for things that (they think) are good. And human beings are ever hasty.

Surah Al Isra’a, Verse 17

 

Tafseer e Jilani:

 

Wa: And overall, amongst the behaviour that is disliked, worldly and ugly…

 

Yad ul insaana: Man prays, being hasty (in his inner and outer being)…

 

Bi sharre: for that which is not good for him, so comes along, with that (prayer), that which he does not know about its evilness and its harmful consequences.

 

Dua’ahu bilkhair: (while he is) liking that which he is asking for as if it is good for him, due to his hastiness.

 

Wa kanal insaano: In Man’s nature is created haste (for himself) and he demands haste from others about that which he is inclined towards, even though it is detrimental for him.

What I did do in Damascus every time I went to the hallowed shrines of Bibi Ruqayya (as) or Sheikh ul Akbar (ra) or to the section in the Ommayyad Mosque where the Ras Mubarik of Imam Hassan (as) was placed, was to open the Quran to a random page and read the two that faced me, side by side. I don’t know when I starting doing that. I had never done it anywhere else before. Translating the Tafseer e Jilani for two years now had created a nisbat, an association, for me with the Divine Book. If I didn’t read it I missed it.

 

I would take a picture of the pages for safe-keeping. Before I opened the Quran, I would also recite a prayer. It was the prayer I had learnt for when one did an istakhara, asking a question from the Quran for guidance in a state of confusion. The prayer was the same but I didn’t move to the 7th page and the 7th verse to seek any answer. Still each time it felt like I was being told something. When nine times out of 10, one similarity started to appear in the text I was taken aback.

  

Shaitaan and Me

 

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ

 

Said the Messenger of Allah (salutations and greetings upon made the Imam of mercy by His Lord),

“The world is a prison for the believer.”

 

Al Fath Ar Rabbani: “The world is a prison for the Mo’min. Thus when he will forget that prison, only then will he gain freedom for it.”

 

The common denominator had become a reference to Shaitaan. To him not bowing, to him refusing Allah’s Command, to him being the only one going against His Order to prostrate before the Prophet Adam (as) when all the angels submitted to it. I had heard in a lecture once that Hazrat Gibrael (as) who was chosen as the Arch Angel and the one who brought the revelations to all the Messengers, that was his jaza, reward, for having been the first one to fulfill that Divine Command.

 

The text reappearing was along these lines and therefore naturally disturbing:

 

قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسۡجُدَ إِذۡ أَمَرۡتُكَۖ

قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَیۡرࣱ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِی مِن نَّارࣲ وَخَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن طِینࣲ

 

Allah said, "What prevented you that you didn’t prostrate when I commanded you?"

 

Shaitaan said, "I am better than him.

You created me from fire and You created him from clay."

Surah Al Araaf, Verse 12

 

I ended up calling Qari Sahib from there. He sent me the tafseer of Ghaus Pak (ra) and we read it. On my return to Lahore, it was the first verse we translated.

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Qala: Allah Subhanahu said, revealing what was always true in His Knowledge and which was being hidden by Iblis, his wicked nature…

 

Ma mana’ka: what prevented you O Iblis…

 

Alla tasjuda: that you didn’t prostrate before My Khalifa, Vice-Regent…

 

Id amartuka: when I commanded you with your companions (the angels)?

 

Qala: Iblis replied in his answer in accordance with his false essence and corrupt desires…

 

Ana khairun minhu: I am better than him and superior.

Khalaqtani min naar: You created me from fire, lit…

 

Wa khalaqtahu min teen: and you created him from clay, dark, dirty. And it is not good to humiliate the superior before the one made worthy (just a little while ago).

 

The same notion had appeared in another verse as well. The meaning, as I discovered, had an entirely different implication. Hence it made me realize something I had never thought as a possibility for myself. Even though it’s the trap that most of us, supposedly seeking to better ourselves, fall in.

 

A trap entered precisely because of “goodness.”

 

قَالَ یَـٰۤإِبۡلِیسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسۡجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقۡتُ بِیَدَیَّۖ

أَسۡتَكۡبَرۡتَ أَمۡ كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡعَالِی

 

He said, "O Iblis! What prevented you from prostrating before the one whom I created with My Hands?

Are you too arrogant or are you of the exalted ones?"

He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay."

Surah Sad, Verse 76

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then when at the time Iblis refused his, the Prophet Adam’s (as) obedience and his honouring, even though the Command came from Allah and was compulsory…

 

Qala: He, Subhanahu, said, with anger at him, calling out to him, asking him the reason for his refusal…

 

Ya Iblis: O Iblis, Al Mustakbir, the one whose desire for pride overcame the Command, the one who turned away from Our Order…

 

Ma manaka an tasjud: what prevented you for prostrating i.e. what was the thing that stopped you from the prostration of honouring…

 

Lama khalaqtu bi yadihi: the one who I created by My Hand and to whom I gave form by My Authority in accordance with My Form and with the perfection of My Strength and Control so he could be My Mirror and be able for My Friendship and My Vice-regency?

 

Astakbarta: Did you desire to become arrogant against the obedience of Our Command and following Our Order…

 

Am kunta: or you considered yourself…

 

Min A’lieen: of the exalted ones, Al Mutafawwaqeena, the ones made higher than you, so much so that your nafs, egoistic self, has made you such that you cannot surrender before Allah and be obedient to Him?

 

Here Qari Sahib paused to point out two things. One, understanding the verb astakbara. Form 7. It wasn’t just pride. It was a false sense of pride that didn’t even exist in reality. It was a farce and a façade. It was in fact a delusion of pride. The arrogant person thought they were better than others and it was a false belief. For indeed in every case, they weren’t better.

 

Two, the question was being posed in multiple choice. Are you in an assumed state of arrogance? Or do you think you belong to the ones that I, Subhanahu, have chosen as the exalted? The difference was tremendous and I feared Iblis’ answer.

 

قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَیۡرࣱ مِّنۡهُ خَلَقۡتَنِی مِن نَّارࣲ وَخَلَقۡتَهُۥ مِن طِینࣲ

 

He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and You created him from clay."

Surah Sad, Verse 76

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

And after the accursed one heard this from Subhanahu, such an address, consisting of all kinds of wrath…

 

Qala: he said, the accursed one, after choosing the second option for the refusal…

 

Ana khairun minhu: I am better than him in form and physical element because…

 

Khalaqtani: You created me by the Perfection of Your Authority…

 

Min naar: from fire and it is the better particle and it is higher in value and place…

 

Wa khalaqtahu min teen: and You created him from clay and it is the lower particle and it is not valuable and it is of a lower place. And the command of prostration for the higher and better before the lower and worthless is not suitable and not according to Your Solid Wisdom.

 

In Damascus I couldn’t wholly ignore the repeat appearances of the mention of Shaitaan but I did forget about them. Once back home I was forced to consider the nightmarish possibility; Could Iblis and I have something in common? I always thought he was the misguider, I the misguided. He was the perpetrator, I was the victim. How could we be the same?

The answer started to come slowly. In Sham I was all alone.

 

Life was blissful. When I reached Lahore, I had to start meeting others. The humans! This time though I became acutely aware of the push and the pull and what was governing them. Feelings of affection for them caused me to reach out and search for them. The pull. If I found them to be absent, my disappointment turned into heartache leaving me wishing I would never see them again. The push!

 

In neither scenario did I even say or do anything outright in terms of expressing myself to the other. The whole thing was happening in my head but unlike Damascus, the feelings invoked were not neutral. They were undeniably sharp.

I had started re-reading Ghaus Pak’s (ra) sermons. He explained where my hypocrisy lay thus bringing the matter away from the “other” and squarely back upon my own self.

  

The Nafs Mutma’inna

 

رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ

إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ

 

"Our Lord Perfect for us our light and grant forgiveness to us.

Indeed, You are over every thing All-Powerful."

Surah At Tahreem , Verse 8

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then when the people of faith who have different kind of noor, light, according to what is clear and what is hidden depending upon their deeds and their natural capabilities…

 

Yaquloona: they say, calling out in prayer…

 

Rabbana: O Our Lord who raised us upon guidance and consciousness!

 

Atmim lana noorana: Perfect for us our light by gracing us and by bestowing additional favour upon us…

 

Waghfir lana: and forgive us our sins i.e. hide our selves from the flaws that our eyes will see (of our own selves so we don’t see them).

 

Innaka: Indeed, you, according to Your Generosity…

 

Ala kulle shay’an Qadeer: over everything, which enters in the encompassing of Your Great Knowledge and Your Will…

 

The words in Al Fath Ar Rabbani applied to me in the context of my living life alone, cut off from the world in a mainstream sense. Hours of each day passed with two teachers. One for study, the other for play. I went to see my Aunt in the afternoon. My day started around 8am and ended close to 4pm. That was it. I hardly saw anyone else.

 

Hence I was under the illusion that my hermit-like life was rendering me zuhd, spiritual detachment, from the world. I was about to find out that it was not.

 

Al Fath Ar Rabbani:

 

“Your seclusion is not correct because seclusion has to be empty of everything as far as the qalb, the heart within the heart, is concerned. The batin, the inner self, Allah’s Secret within you, has to be empty so that it can be free, without the world and the Hereafter and nothing except Allah Al Haqq Azzo Jal.

 

And this has been the only way for the Prophets and Messengers and the Auliya, the Friends of God and the Saliheen, the ones who try to reform themselves, from before. Persuading towards good deeds and stopping people from what is forbidden is better than a thousand worshippers in seclusion.

 

Lower the gaze of the eyes of your nafs, the base self, control it and make it return so this eye does not become the reason for its destruction. Until the time that the nafs becomes obedient to the qalb, the station of Divine Recognition and the batin, surrendering in unity to the two, not disobeying their instructions and agreeing with them and there should not be any difference between it and them.

 

The nafs should command what they command and forbid what they both forbid and choose what they chose. So at that point then, the nafs becomes Mutmainna, contented, and in agreement upon a single requirement and a single goal. When the nafs reaches this state, then it becomes deserving of some relief from its striving.

 

So don’t find fault with Allah about what He decides…”

 

I read each word carefully and I read the paragraphs again and again. My self-proclaimed zuhd was a lie. I got that. But it was another line that captivated me. My Master had revealed what would allow for “relief in the striving” for the nafs. It would come from an alignment with the qalb and the batin. The cherry on the cake that he had thrown on so casually was in fact an extraordinary revelation:

 

An ordinary person, could in moments, in this world, and not just in the Hereafter or on the Day of Judgement, but in this world, feel what it is like for the nafs to be Mutma’inna. The third and most exalted state of the nafs, one that I had learnt only the Prophets and the Friends of God were in. My revolting nafs could also be Mutma’inna!

 

That is when I realized why Damascus was in reality Paradise. Why I felt a state of elation there that never subsided. Not for a split second. I never felt tired, there was no exhaustion. In that land called Sham, my nafs would naturally and effortlessly become perfectly aligned with my qalb and batin. Hence, I didn’t read. There was no need. The reading was a seeking. I had already arrived! I barely prayed. There is no sala’t in Paradise. I just walked in streets all day long, listening to house pounding in my head, feeding the hungry.

 

At the shrines I would just look at people and stare at the walls and ceilings, reading the ahadith and verses written on them. I gave money to whoever I could. It was the exact opposite experience of ritualistic worship that occupied me in any other place I visited. No wonder I couldn’t get enough of it. Barely would I be checking out of the hotel that I would be planning my return.

 

It was no coincidence that dome after venerate dome had the verse inscribed in them that attested to my state.

 

یَـٰۤأَیَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفۡسُ ٱلۡمُطۡمَىِٕنَّةُ

 

"O soul! who is satisfied,

 

ٱرۡجِعِیۤ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِیَةࣰ مَّرۡضِیَّةࣰ

 

Return to your Lord well pleased, and pleasing.

Surah Al Fajr, Verse 89-90

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then pointed Subhanahu towards the beautiful states of the people of bestowing and blessings on the Day i.e. the Mo’mineen, the believers who are the Mu’qineen, those who possess inner certainty, who collect the provisions from this world for the Hereafter and are attributed with taqwa, the mindfulness of Allah.

 

And they did not go against the Command of their Lord their whole lives and did not follow their desires and they remained steadfast and they purified their nafs, selves, by what happened to them from the Commands of the Divine.

And overall they were never restless in happiness or in adversity and they did not care about difficulty or ease so then on that Day it will be said to them:

 

Ya ayyatuhan nafsu mutmainna: O contented self, which is set upon, steadfast on the station of Raza, the Pleasure of Allah and tasleem, surrender to Him…

 

Irja’i ila Rabbik: return to your Lord and ascend upon the way which you came down from…

 

Radiyatan: contented, being characterized by pleasure the way you were pleased upon Allah’s Commands in the life in this world…

 

Mardiyatan: well pleased, accepted, most honoured in the sight of Allah.

 

And after that you returned to this mentioned way…

 

Fadkhuli fi: then enter in the group…

 

I’badi: of My Servants who reached towards the Kunf Jawari, My Enclosure and Protection and were able to attain the Maqad Sidqin, the Seat of Special Nearness to the Sovereign Lord of Truth. And overall:

 

Udkhuli Jannati: Enter My Heaven i.e. the Paradise of My One-ness and rest in the seclusion of the Lahoot, the Realm of Nur, Divine Light.

 

Prayer by Ghaus Pak (ra): May Allah make us of the ones addressed by this address, this address which is pure. Indeed, He is Al Mulhim, the One who is the Only Inspirer, towards good and He has the Best Abode.

 

Al Mulhim!

 

A month later, the Quran itself attested to Damascus being the place where the possibility of that nafs existed and was promised. For it was where Allah Subhanahu sent His Khaleel, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) when he was exiled from his family, his clan, his country. When he was all alone, the only believer on Earth.

 

The verse was a personal favourite. I had loved reciting it in Mecca when I walked from the hotel to the haram. I looked it up recently only because I was curious about what the tafseer of yahdeeni, My Lord, He will guide me, was. The last thing I expected was what it revealed.

 

وَقَالَ إِنِّی ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّی سَیَهۡدِینِ

 

And he said, "Indeed, I am going to my Lord, He will guide me.

Surah As Saffat, Verse 99

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

And after he left, His Close Friend, the Prophet Ibrahim (as) (the blessings of Ar Rahman upon him and His Salam), when he chose exile and exit from them by the Inspiration and Revelation of Allah upon him…

 

Wa: so that is why…

 

Qala: he declared when he left…

 

Inni dahibun illa Rabbi: indeed, I am going to my Lord and towards His Kunf, Guardianship, His Protection and His Jawar, Safeguarding and his Expansive Mercy…

 

Sayahdini: so He guides me by His Lutf, Kindness, towards the place that makes it possible for me to focus on Him in it and where my heart will feel contentment so he went to Sham by the inspiration of Allah to him and he made his home in that place Al Muqadissa, pure.

 

When I was translating the tafseer of the verse and the word Sham appeared, I had looked up at Qari Sahib with astonishment unprecedented. Then I had gotten up from my chair and gone down in sajda on the floor. Damascus was where the heart felt contentment and where Allah Subhanahu inspired His Beloved Servant to go and that is where he was promised focus on Him. Effortlessly!

 

Subhan Allah times a billion doesn’t cut it in terms of how the verse makes me feel in terms of boundless joy!

 

It is what made me start paying close attention to what my nafs was doing in Lahore. I discovered that it listened to the qalb and batin at least, thank Heavens. Probably just staring at them. Previously it would sprint in the other direction before they could get a word out. Maybe it was deaf and didn’t even hear their call. Maybe it was blind so it didn’t even see them.

 

For eons before that, I’m certain it forgot they even existed.

But I knew one thing with certainty. I was no longer turning my back to them. If I didn’t move towards them, I didn’t move away either. Lucky for me they possessed the Attributes of the Divine. They were Sabir, patient and Lateef, subtle, Barr, kind and Haleem, extremely sensitive and understanding of the state of the other, not hasty to punish.

 

And yet for most of my life, my nafs had turned its back to them!

  

The Ones who know their Lord

 

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ

 

Said the Messenger of Allah (salutations and greetings upon him and his family who are the key to blessings from their Lord),

 

“The world is a prison for the believer.”

 

“The world is a prison for the Mo’min. Thus when he will forget that prison, only then will he gain freedom for it.”

 

Those who attain to faith are in that prison (of the world) while those who gain Ma’rifa, Recognition of Allah Subhanahu, are in a state of intoxication.

 

Therefore they are entirely unaware of that prison because indeed, their Lord has made them sip the Drink of His Love for Him, and the Drink of His Affection for Him, and the Drink of His Desire for Him and the Drink of obliviousness from Creation and they are only mindful of Him so they became detached from the prison and its inmates.”

 

Ghaus Pak (ra)

 

The qalb and the batin, they were like the Arif, the one who knows his Lord. He is different from the Mo’min. He only believes in Him.

 

Al Fath Ar Rabbani:

 

“It is narrated by some Friends of Allah who say, ‘No one laughs at the Fasiq, the defiantly disobedient, except the Arif.’

Yes it is true, the Arif enjoins towards goodness and forbids evil and bears his pain and no one has power to do this except the Arifoon of Allah Azzo Jal, where as the Zahid, the ones detached from the world and its occupants and Ubaad, the worshippers and Muridoon, the followers, cannot do this – (they cannot) enjoin towards goodness, forbid the evil and (they cannot) bear the pain of the Fasiq, the one who sins openly.”

 

I paused. The Zahid and Abid and Mureed were all highly evolved states. But in any given point, they could lose their patience and temper with the Fasiq. They could be judgemental and vengeful. I was about to be told why. It was related to deficiency in akhlaq!

 

“And why would they not have mercy on the disobedient when they are in actual, upon the place of rahma, mercy and the station of tauba, repentance and uzr, pardon (so they are able to accept that repentance and pardon them).

 

The Arif, his akhlaq, manners, are the Ettiquettes of Allah Azzo Jal so the Arif strives in freeing the neck of the sinner from the grip of Satan and his nafs and desires. When one of you sees their child imprisoned in the hand of the kafir, the denier of truth, does he not struggle to free him? Such is the Arif.

All of Creation is like a family of children. The Arif addresses them by a tongue full of wisdom…”

 

Then Ghaus Pak (ra) quoted the following verse and I translated his tafseer of it:

 

‏ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ

 

Call to the Way of your Lord with the wisdom and the instruction that is beautiful.

Surah An Nahl, Verse 125

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then pointed Allah Subhanahu towards the perfecting of honouring His Beloved (salutations of peace be upon the one given the highest station by his Lord) and the majesty of his rank and the discipline of his etiquette and completing his wisdom and Messengerhood and and making for everyone his kindness and his mercy as the gathering of kindness for all and sufficient for all Creation because he is sent in totality as mercy, Rahma, and he is the seal of the Prophethood and Messengerhood and the completer of the matter of religion and its perfection because the reason behind making the religion and the descent of the Books of Revelation and sending the Messengers, it is only to manifest his rank and his station, which is the inviting to the Essence of Tauheed, Tauheed Az Zaati.

 

And when this becomes clear, the Essence of One-ness, Tauheed e Zaati, is completed and perfected, so that’s why He revealed the verse in his honour, ٱلۡیَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِینَكُمۡ, Today I have perfected your religion for you, Surah Al Maidah - Verse 3 and this is almost the last verse revealed in the Quran and Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him and his family) said: بُعِثْتُ لِاُتَمِّمَ مَکَارِمَ الْاَخْلَاق “I have been sent to perfect good character.”

 

So Subhanahu said addressing him giving him a special rank close to Him and honouring him:

 

Udu’: Call, Ya Akmal Ar Rusul, O Messenger who perfects the Messengers (salutations and greetings upon your ranks and the ranks bestowed upon your blessed family by your Lord)…

 

Ila sabeeli Rabbika: to the Way of your Lord i.e. towards the Way of the Tauheed, the One-ness of your Lord, who instructed you to the ascension of His Blessings and guided you to the perfection of His Dignity, (call) all Creation and all worshippers…

 

Bil hikmati: with wisdom, utmost which is for their hearts which are hard from following, (the following) which is inherited and unchanging for them from their previous generations,

1.(it is a wisdom) which cleanses their selves from the conceited stubbornness of egoism of ignorance lodged in them,

2.which (that wisdom) will empty them from the idea of fully controlling (others) and overpowering them,

3. (it will remove) the ignorance which invokes in them different kinds of symptoms of the nafs, ego, layered in them from their being human,

4.(this wisdom) removes all kinds of doubts and imaginations that arise from the (everyday) sources of our routines,

5. (a wisdom) convincing and suitable for the real nature which Mankind has been set upon the hope that they will consider and become aware of the demands of their foundation and nature…

 

Wal mauwadatil hasana: and (call all Creation and all worshippers) with a refined exaltation which they have inherited to awaken them from the nodding off of heedlessness and the sleep of forgetfulness.

The outcome for them (from this wisdom and refined exaltation) is love and bliss towards their Lord who gave them origin and created them.

1.It propels them towards the tastes of spirituality everlasting and forever, continuing eternally without disappearance and disconnect,

 

2.making them feel repelled from that which is upon them as disability

 

3.and (repelled from) the shackles of incapacity which have the taste of paranoia, vanishing and ending, resulting in different kinds of sufferings and sadness and regret.

 

Al Fath Ar Rabbani (cont’d):

 

… All of Creation is like a family of children. The Arif addresses them by a tongue full of wisdom, then has mercy upon them because they are informed of certain knowledge so he sees the work of Allah Al Haqq Azzol Jal in them. He sees through the door of wisdom and knowledge, how destiny and fate are unfolding, but he keeps it hidden.

 

The Arif talks to them, Creation, with wisdom which is what is either commanded (by Allah Azzo Jal) and (what is) forbidden. He does not mention the knowledge because it is a secret.”

I had never before read the qualities of the Arif. My heart ached with the envy that they possessed softness and mercy at all times for all people, regardless of why they were and what they did. 24/7 – only kindness emerged from them.

 

The reasons were two: One, their manners and character were perfect, perfected for them by their Lord, for they were set upon His Own Akhlaq. That standard was first bestowed to His Beloved (salutations and greetings upon his blessed being and his family by The One who gives them the highest rank in Creation). Two, they could see the destiny of the person, where they were going to crash and why they were going to burn.

 

Subhan Allah!

 

All I felt was ill-will in the false imaginings that were the root of possibilities. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

 

Continued on: www.flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/52652388955/in/datepos...

 

happiness is like this bubble..you can't hold it ,just can enjoy unless it totally disappears, you want it to stay, but you know, it won't...

4 times the fun ^_^

Biennalist

Biennalist is an Art Format commenting on active biennials and managed cultural events through artworks.Biennalist takes the thematics of the biennales and similar events like festivals and conferences seriously, questioning the established structures of the staged art events in order to contribute to the debate, which they wish to generate.

  

About artist Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Geoffroy

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Room_(art)

  

www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html

  

www.colonel.dk/

  

Biennalist :

Biennalist is an Art Format commenting on active biennials and managed cultural events through artworks.Biennalist takes the thematics of the biennales and similar events like festivals and conferences seriously, questioning the established structures of the staged art events in order to contribute to the debate, which they wish to generate.

-------------------------------------------

links about Biennalist :

 

Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Geoffroy

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Room_(art)

 

www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html

 

www.colonel.dk/

 

—--Biennale from wikipedia —--

 

The Venice International Film Festival is part of the Venice Biennale. The famous Golden Lion is awarded to the best film screening at the competition.

Biennale (Italian: [bi.enˈnaːle]), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popularised by Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895. Since the 1990s, the terms "biennale" and "biennial" have been interchangeably used in a more generic way - to signify a large-scale international survey show of contemporary art that recurs at regular intervals but not necessarily biannual (such as triennials, Documenta, Skulptur Projekte Münster).[1] The phrase has also been used for other artistic events, such as the "Biennale de Paris", "Kochi-Muziris Biennale", Berlinale (for the Berlin International Film Festival) and Viennale (for Vienna's international film festival).

Characteristics[edit]

According to author Federica Martini, what is at stake in contemporary biennales is the diplomatic/international relations potential as well as urban regeneration plans. Besides being mainly focused on the present (the “here and now” where the cultural event takes place and their effect of "spectacularisation of the everyday"), because of their site-specificity cultural events may refer back to,[who?] produce or frame the history of the site and communities' collective memory.[2]

 

The Great Exhibition in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851, the first attempt to condense the representation of the world within a unitary exhibition space.

A strong and influent symbol of biennales and of large-scale international exhibitions in general is the Crystal Palace, the gigantic and futuristic London architecture that hosted the Great Exhibition in 1851. According to philosopher Peter Sloterdijk,[3][page needed] the Crystal Palace is the first attempt to condense the representation of the world in a unitary exhibition space, where the main exhibit is society itself in an a-historical, spectacular condition. The Crystal Palace main motives were the affirmation of British economic and national leadership and the creation of moments of spectacle. In this respect, 19th century World fairs provided a visual crystallization of colonial culture and were, at the same time, forerunners of contemporary theme parks.

The Venice Biennale as an archetype[edit]

 

The structure of the Venice Biennale in 2005 with an international exhibition and the national pavilions.

The Venice Biennale, a periodical large-scale cultural event founded in 1895, served as an archetype of the biennales. Meant to become a World Fair focused on contemporary art, the Venice Biennale used as a pretext the wedding anniversary of the Italian king and followed up to several national exhibitions organised after Italy unification in 1861. The Biennale immediately put forth issues of city marketing, cultural tourism and urban regeneration, as it was meant to reposition Venice on the international cultural map after the crisis due to the end of the Grand Tour model and the weakening of the Venetian school of painting. Furthermore, the Gardens where the Biennale takes place were an abandoned city area that needed to be re-functionalised. In cultural terms, the Biennale was meant to provide on a biennial basis a platform for discussing contemporary art practices that were not represented in fine arts museums at the time. The early Biennale model already included some key points that are still constitutive of large-scale international art exhibitions today: a mix of city marketing, internationalism, gentrification issues and destination culture, and the spectacular, large scale of the event.

Biennials after the 1990s[edit]

The situation of biennials has changed in the contemporary context: while at its origin in 1895 Venice was a unique cultural event, but since the 1990s hundreds of biennials have been organized across the globe. Given the ephemeral and irregular nature of some biennials, there is little consensus on the exact number of biennials in existence at any given time.[citation needed] Furthermore, while Venice was a unique agent in the presentation of contemporary art, since the 1960s several museums devoted to contemporary art are exhibiting the contemporary scene on a regular basis. Another point of difference concerns 19th century internationalism in the arts, that was brought into question by post-colonial debates and criticism of the contemporary art “ethnic marketing”, and also challenged the Venetian and World Fair’s national representation system. As a consequence of this, Eurocentric tendency to implode the whole word in an exhibition space, which characterises both the Crystal Palace and the Venice Biennale, is affected by the expansion of the artistic geographical map to scenes traditionally considered as marginal. The birth of the Havana Biennial in 1984 is widely considered an important counterpoint to the Venetian model for its prioritization of artists working in the Global South and curatorial rejection of the national pavilion model.

International biennales[edit]

In the term's most commonly used context of major recurrent art exhibitions:

Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, South Australia

Asian Art Biennale, in Taichung, Taiwan (National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts)

Athens Biennale, in Athens, Greece

Bienal de Arte Paiz, in Guatemala City, Guatemala[4]

Arts in Marrakech (AiM) International Biennale (Arts in Marrakech Festival)

Bamako Encounters, a biennale of photography in Mali

Bat-Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism

Beijing Biennale

Berlin Biennale (contemporary art biennale, to be distinguished from Berlinale, which is a film festival)

Bergen Assembly (triennial for contemporary art in Bergen, Norway)www.bergenassembly.no

Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China

Bienal de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Biënnale van België, Biennial of Belgium, Belgium

BiennaleOnline Online biennial exhibition of contemporary art from the most promising emerging artists.

Biennial of Hawaii Artists

Biennale de la Biche, the smallest biennale in the world held at deserted island near Guadeloupe, French overseas region[5][6]

Biwako Biennale [ja], in Shiga, Japan

La Biennale de Montreal

Biennale of Luanda : Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace,[7] Angola

Boom Festival, international music and culture festival in Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal

Bucharest Biennale in Bucharest, Romania

Bushwick Biennial, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York

Canakkale Biennial, in Canakkale, Turkey

Cerveira International Art Biennial, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal [8]

Changwon Sculpture Biennale in Changwon, South Korea

Dakar Biennale, also called Dak'Art, biennale in Dakar, Senegal

Documenta, contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany

Estuaire (biennale), biennale in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, France

EVA International, biennial in Limerick, Republic of Ireland

Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art, in Gothenburg, Sweden[9]

Greater Taipei Contemporary Art Biennial, in Taipei, Taiwan

Gwangju Biennale, Asia's first and most prestigious contemporary art biennale

Havana biennial, in Havana, Cuba

Helsinki Biennial, in Helsinki, Finland

Herzliya Biennial For Contemporary Art, in Herzliya, Israel

Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, in Incheon, South Korea

Iowa Biennial, in Iowa, USA

Istanbul Biennial, in Istanbul, Turkey

International Roaming Biennial of Tehran, in Tehran and Istanbul

Jakarta Biennale, in Jakarta, Indonesia

Jerusalem Biennale, in Jerusalem, Israel

Jogja Biennale, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Karachi Biennale, in Karachi, Pakistan

Keelung Harbor Biennale, in Keelung, Taiwan

Kochi-Muziris Biennale, largest art exhibition in India, in Kochi, Kerala, India

Kortrijk Design Biennale Interieur, in Kortrijk, Belgium

Kobe Biennale, in Japan

Kuandu Biennale, in Taipei, Taiwan

Lagos Biennial, in Lagos, Nigeria[10]

Light Art Biennale Austria, in Austria

Liverpool Biennial, in Liverpool, UK

Lofoten International Art Festival [no] (LIAF), on the Lofoten archipelago, Norway[11]

Manifesta, European Biennale of contemporary art in different European cities

Mediations Biennale, in Poznań, Poland

Melbourne International Biennial 1999

Mediterranean Biennale in Sakhnin 2013

MOMENTA Biennale de l'image [fr] (formerly known as Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal), in Montreal, Canada

MOMENTUM [no], in Moss, Norway[12]

Moscow Biennale, in Moscow, Russia

Munich Biennale, new opera and music-theatre in even-numbered years

Mykonos Biennale

Nakanojo Biennale[13]

NGV Triennial, contemporary art exhibition held every three years at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

October Salon – Belgrade Biennale [sr], organised by the Cultural Center of Belgrade [sr], in Belgrade, Serbia[14]

OSTEN Biennial of Drawing Skopje, North Macedonia[15]

Biennale de Paris

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA), in Riga, Latvia[16]

São Paulo Art Biennial, in São Paulo, Brazil

SCAPE Public Art Christchurch Biennial in Christchurch, New Zealand[17]

Prospect New Orleans

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism

Sequences, in Reykjavík, Iceland[18]

Shanghai Biennale

Sharjah Biennale, in Sharjah, UAE

Singapore Biennale, held in various locations across the city-state island of Singapore

Screen City Biennial, in Stavanger, Norway

Biennale of Sydney

Taipei Biennale, in Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan Arts Biennale, in Taichung, Taiwan (National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts)

Taiwan Film Biennale, in Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art [el], in Thessaloniki, Greece[19]

Dream city, produced by ART Rue Association in Tunisia

Vancouver Biennale

Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) in the Philippines [20]

Venice Biennale, in Venice, Italy, which includes:

Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art

Venice Biennale of Architecture

Venice Film Festival

Vladivostok biennale of Visual Arts, in Vladivostok, Russia

Whitney Biennial, hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City, NY, USA

Web Biennial, produced with teams from Athens, Berlin and Istanbul.

West Africa Architecture Biennale,[21] Virtual in Lagos, Nigeria.

WRO Biennale, in Wrocław, Poland[22]

Music Biennale Zagreb

[SHIFT:ibpcpa] The International Biennale of Performance, Collaborative and Participatory Arts, Nomadic, International, Scotland, UK.

 

—---Venice Biennale from wikipedia —

 

The Venice Biennale (/ˌbiːɛˈnɑːleɪ, -li/; Italian: La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation.[2][3][4] The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of its kind. The main exhibition held in Castello, in the halls of the Arsenale and Biennale Gardens, alternates between art and architecture (hence the name biennale; biennial).[5][6][7] The other events hosted by the Foundation—spanning theatre, music, and dance—are held annually in various parts of Venice, whereas the Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido.[8]

Organization[edit]

Art Biennale

Art Biennale

International Art Exhibition

1895

Even-numbered years (since 2022)

Venice Biennale of Architecture

International Architecture Exhibition

1980

Odd-numbered years (since 2021)

Biennale Musica

International Festival of Contemporary Music

1930

Annually (Sep/Oct)

Biennale Teatro

International Theatre Festival

1934

Annually (Jul/Aug)

Venice Film Festival

Venice International Film Festival

1932

Annually (Aug/Sep)

Venice Dance Biennale

International Festival of Contemporary Dance

1999

Annually (June; biennially 2010–16)

  

International Kids' Carnival

2009

Annually (during Carnevale)

  

History

1895–1947

On April 19, 1893, the Venetian City Council passed a resolution to set up an biennial exhibition of Italian Art ("Esposizione biennale artistica nazionale") to celebrate the silver anniversary of King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy.[11]

A year later, the council decreed "to adopt a 'by invitation' system; to reserve a section of the Exhibition for foreign artists too; to admit works by uninvited Italian artists, as selected by a jury."[12]

The first Biennale, "I Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte della Città di Venezia (1st International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice)" (although originally scheduled for April 22, 1894) was opened on April 30, 1895, by the Italian King and Queen, Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia. The first exhibition was seen by 224,000 visitors.

The event became increasingly international in the first decades of the 20th century: from 1907 on, several countries installed national pavilions at the exhibition, with the first being from Belgium. In 1910 the first internationally well-known artists were displayed: a room dedicated to Gustav Klimt, a one-man show for Renoir, a retrospective of Courbet. A work by Picasso "Family of Saltimbanques" was removed from the Spanish salon in the central Palazzo because it was feared that its novelty might shock the public. By 1914 seven pavilions had been established: Belgium (1907), Hungary (1909), Germany (1909), Great Britain (1909), France (1912), and Russia (1914).

During World War I, the 1916 and 1918 events were cancelled.[13] In 1920 the post of mayor of Venice and president of the Biennale was split. The new secretary general, Vittorio Pica brought about the first presence of avant-garde art, notably Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

1922 saw an exhibition of sculpture by African artists. Between the two World Wars, many important modern artists had their work exhibited there. In 1928 the Istituto Storico d'Arte Contemporanea (Historical Institute of Contemporary Art) opened, which was the first nucleus of archival collections of the Biennale. In 1930 its name was changed into Historical Archive of Contemporary Art.

In 1930, the Biennale was transformed into an Ente Autonomo (Autonomous Board) by Royal Decree with law no. 33 of 13-1-1930. Subsequently, the control of the Biennale passed from the Venice city council to the national Fascist government under Benito Mussolini. This brought on a restructuring, an associated financial boost, as well as a new president, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata. Three entirely new events were established, including the Biennale Musica in 1930, also referred to as International Festival of Contemporary Music; the Venice Film Festival in 1932, which they claim as the first film festival in history,[14] also referred to as Venice International Film Festival; and the Biennale Theatro in 1934, also referred to as International Theatre Festival.

In 1933 the Biennale organized an exhibition of Italian art abroad. From 1938, Grand Prizes were awarded in the art exhibition section.

During World War II, the activities of the Biennale were interrupted: 1942 saw the last edition of the events. The Film Festival restarted in 1946, the Music and Theatre festivals were resumed in 1947, and the Art Exhibition in 1948.[15]

1948–1973[edit]

The Art Biennale was resumed in 1948 with a major exhibition of a recapitulatory nature. The Secretary General, art historian Rodolfo Pallucchini, started with the Impressionists and many protagonists of contemporary art including Chagall, Klee, Braque, Delvaux, Ensor, and Magritte, as well as a retrospective of Picasso's work. Peggy Guggenheim was invited to exhibit her collection, later to be permanently housed at Ca' Venier dei Leoni.

1949 saw the beginning of renewed attention to avant-garde movements in European—and later worldwide—movements in contemporary art. Abstract expressionism was introduced in the 1950s, and the Biennale is credited with importing Pop Art into the canon of art history by awarding the top prize to Robert Rauschenberg in 1964.[16] From 1948 to 1972, Italian architect Carlo Scarpa did a series of remarkable interventions in the Biennale's exhibition spaces.

In 1954 the island San Giorgio Maggiore provided the venue for the first Japanese Noh theatre shows in Europe. 1956 saw the selection of films following an artistic selection and no longer based upon the designation of the participating country. The 1957 Golden Lion went to Satyajit Ray's Aparajito which introduced Indian cinema to the West.

1962 included Arte Informale at the Art Exhibition with Jean Fautrier, Hans Hartung, Emilio Vedova, and Pietro Consagra. The 1964 Art Exhibition introduced continental Europe to Pop Art (The Independent Group had been founded in Britain in 1952). The American Robert Rauschenberg was the first American artist to win the Gran Premio, and the youngest to date.

The student protests of 1968 also marked a crisis for the Biennale. Student protests hindered the opening of the Biennale. A resulting period of institutional changes opened and ending with a new Statute in 1973. In 1969, following the protests, the Grand Prizes were abandoned. These resumed in 1980 for the Mostra del Cinema and in 1986 for the Art Exhibition.[17]

In 1972, for the first time, a theme was adopted by the Biennale, called "Opera o comportamento" ("Work or Behaviour").

Starting from 1973 the Music Festival was no longer held annually. During the year in which the Mostra del Cinema was not held, there was a series of "Giornate del cinema italiano" (Days of Italian Cinema) promoted by sectorial bodies in campo Santa Margherita, in Venice.[18]

1974–1998[edit]

1974 saw the start of the four-year presidency of Carlo Ripa di Meana. The International Art Exhibition was not held (until it was resumed in 1976). Theatre and cinema events were held in October 1974 and 1975 under the title Libertà per il Cile (Freedom for Chile)—a major cultural protest against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

On 15 November 1977, the so-called Dissident Biennale (in reference to the dissident movement in the USSR) opened. Because of the ensuing controversies within the Italian left wing parties, president Ripa di Meana resigned at the end of the year.[19]

In 1979 the new presidency of Giuseppe Galasso (1979-1982) began. The principle was laid down whereby each of the artistic sectors was to have a permanent director to organise its activity.

In 1980, the Architecture section of the Biennale was set up. The director, Paolo Portoghesi, opened the Corderie dell'Arsenale to the public for the first time. At the Mostra del Cinema, the awards were brought back into being (between 1969 and 1979, the editions were non-competitive). In 1980, Achille Bonito Oliva and Harald Szeemann introduced "Aperto", a section of the exhibition designed to explore emerging art. Italian art historian Giovanni Carandente directed the 1988 and 1990 editions. A three-year gap was left afterwards to make sure that the 1995 edition would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Biennale.[13]

The 1993 edition was directed by Achille Bonito Oliva. In 1995, Jean Clair was appointed to be the Biennale's first non-Italian director of visual arts[20] while Germano Celant served as director in 1997.

For the Centenary in 1995, the Biennale promoted events in every sector of its activity: the 34th Festival del Teatro, the 46th art exhibition, the 46th Festival di Musica, the 52nd Mostra del Cinema.[21]

1999–present[edit]

In 1999 and 2001, Harald Szeemann directed two editions in a row (48th & 49th) bringing in a larger representation of artists from Asia and Eastern Europe and more young artists than usual and expanded the show into several newly restored spaces of the Arsenale.

In 1999 a new sector was created for live shows: DMT (Dance Music Theatre).

The 50th edition, 2003, directed by Francesco Bonami, had a record number of seven co-curators involved, including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Catherine David, Igor Zabel, Hou Hanru and Massimiliano Gioni.

The 51st edition of the Biennale opened in June 2005, curated, for the first time by two women, Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez. De Corral organized "The Experience of Art" which included 41 artists, from past masters to younger figures. Rosa Martinez took over the Arsenale with "Always a Little Further." Drawing on "the myth of the romantic traveler" her exhibition involved 49 artists, ranging from the elegant to the profane.

In 2007, Robert Storr became the first director from the United States to curate the Biennale (the 52nd), with a show entitled Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense.

Swedish curator Daniel Birnbaum was artistic director of the 2009 edition entitled "Fare Mondi // Making Worlds".

The 2011 edition was curated by Swiss curator Bice Curiger entitled "ILLUMInazioni – ILLUMInations".

The Biennale in 2013 was curated by the Italian Massimiliano Gioni. His title and theme, Il Palazzo Enciclopedico / The Encyclopedic Palace, was adopted from an architectural model by the self-taught Italian-American artist Marino Auriti. Auriti's work, The Encyclopedic Palace of the World was lent by the American Folk Art Museum and exhibited in the first room of the Arsenale for the duration of the biennale. For Gioni, Auriti's work, "meant to house all worldly knowledge, bringing together the greatest discoveries of the human race, from the wheel to the satellite," provided an analogous figure for the "biennale model itself...based on the impossible desire to concentrate the infinite worlds of contemporary art in a single place: a task that now seems as dizzyingly absurd as Auriti's dream."[22]

Curator Okwui Enwezor was responsible for the 2015 edition.[23] He was the first African-born curator of the biennial. As a catalyst for imagining different ways of imagining multiple desires and futures Enwezor commissioned special projects and programs throughout the Biennale in the Giardini. This included a Creative Time Summit, e-flux journal's SUPERCOMMUNITY, Gulf Labor Coalition, The Invisible Borders Trans-African Project and Abounaddara.[24][25]

The 2017 Biennale, titled Viva Arte Viva, was directed by French curator Christine Macel who called it an "exhibition inspired by humanism".[26] German artist Franz Erhard Walter won the Golden Lion for best artist, while Carolee Schneemann was awarded a posthumous Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.[27]

The 2019 Biennale, titled May You Live In Interesting Times, was directed by American-born curator Ralph Rugoff.[28]

The 2022 edition was curated by Italian curator Cecilia Alemani entitled "The Milk of Dreams" after a book by British-born Mexican surrealist painter Leonora Carrington.[29]

The Biennale has an attendance today of over 500,000 visitors.[30][31][32]

Role in the art market[edit]

When the Venice Biennale was founded in 1895, one of its main goals was to establish a new market for contemporary art. Between 1942 and 1968 a sales office assisted artists in finding clients and selling their work,[33] a service for which it charged 10% commission. Sales remained an intrinsic part of the biennale until 1968, when a sales ban was enacted. An important practical reason why the focus on non-commodities has failed to decouple Venice from the market is that the biennale itself lacks the funds to produce, ship and install these large-scale works. Therefore, the financial involvement of dealers is widely regarded as indispensable;[16] as they regularly front the funding for production of ambitious projects.[34] Furthermore, every other year the Venice Biennale coincides with nearby Art Basel, the world's prime commercial fair for modern and contemporary art. Numerous galleries with artists on show in Venice usually bring work by the same artists to Basel.[35]

Central Pavilion and Arsenale[edit]

The formal Biennale is based at a park, the Giardini. The Giardini includes a large exhibition hall that houses a themed exhibition curated by the Biennale's director.

Initiated in 1980, the Aperto began as a fringe event for younger artists and artists of a national origin not represented by the permanent national pavilions. This is usually staged in the Arsenale and has become part of the formal biennale programme. In 1995 there was no Aperto so a number of participating countries hired venues to show exhibitions of emerging artists. From 1999, both the international exhibition and the Aperto were held as one exhibition, held both at the Central Pavilion and the Arsenale. Also in 1999, a $1 million renovation transformed the Arsenale area into a cluster of renovated shipyards, sheds and warehouses, more than doubling the Arsenale's exhibition space of previous years.[36]

A special edition of the 54th Biennale was held at Padiglione Italia of Torino Esposizioni – Sala Nervi (December 2011 – February 2012) for the 150th Anniversary of Italian Unification. The event was directed by Vittorio Sgarbi

 

View On Black

 

Why can't we co-exist with animals on this planet? Tigers are on the brink of extinction. There are only between 5,000 and 7,400 tigers left in the wild and the number keeps shrinking. Of the 8 species of tigers, only 5 are still in existence today. Once they are gone, they will be gone forever. What would life be like if we couldn't show our children and our grandchildren the beauty of these animals? It would be a great tragedy.

 

I am a sucker for animals. This little tiger lives in Sydney Zoo and he was soooo beautiful, i couldn't not take pictures. It didn't quite turn out how i intended but i might i kind of like it anyway.

   

The sea is the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. Jules Verne

Nikon Df - Zeiss ZF.2 135mm f/2 APO-Sonnar - Press "L" for large view

Here life is quite different than we know about life…… Life here has no color as we always knew…..life here has no song as we always heard…..Here life means to add some moment to carry on….Here life means to manage a chance to stay alive……Life here always looking for an opportunity for maintaining existence....

 

They are homeless, as river takes away their home and dream....

 

Captured from Dhaka University

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The old castle, a Scheduled Monument, was built possibly on the site of an earlier fort in the late 16th early 17th century by George 5th Earl of Caithness (1582-1643). It seems the castle was in existence in 1623 when James I commissioned Sir Robert Gordon to enter Caithness with an armed force. The 7th Earl died in the castle in 1698 but it is reported that the castle was ruinous in 1700 and in 1726 as being in repair with 'at the side of it a convenient house lately built'. The estate was purchased by Sir William Sinclair, 2nd Baronet of Dunbeath early in the 18th century and in 1752 Keiss became his family seat.

 

The current house was built about 1755 but had to be sold in 1765 because of financial difficulties to the Sinclairs of Ulbster. This Category B Listed Baronial mansion was altered to its current form on the instructions of Col. K Macleay by David Bryce in 1860, during which it was extended in the Scottish baronial style. It was then sold to the Duke of Portland in 1866. Also included in the listing is the Walled garden to the NE of the house and the gate lodge and gate piers with cast-iron carriage gates installed in the 1860 alterations.

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Bell XP-68A owed its existence to the manufacturer’s rather disappointing outcome of its first jet fighter design, the XP-59A Airacomet. The Airacomet was a twin jet-engined fighter aircraft, designed and built during World War II after Major General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold became aware of the United Kingdom's jet program when he attended a demonstration of the Gloster E.28/39 in April 1941. He requested, and was given, the plans for the aircraft's powerplant, the Power Jets W.1, which he took back to the U.S. He also arranged for an example of the engine, the Whittle W.1X turbojet, to be flown to the U.S., along with drawings for the more powerful W.2B/23 engine and a small team of Power Jets engineers. On 4 September 1941, he offered the U.S. company General Electric a contract to produce an American version of the engine, which subsequently became the General Electric I-A. On the following day, he approached Lawrence Dale Bell, head of Bell Aircraft Corporation, to build a fighter to utilize it. As a disinformation tactic, the USAAF gave the project the designation "P-59A", to suggest it was a development of the unrelated, canceled Bell XP-59 fighter project. The P-59A was the first design fighter to have its turbojet engine and air inlet nacelles integrated within the main fuselage. The jet aircraft’s design was finalized on 9 January 1942 and the first prototype flew in October of the same year.

 

The following 13 service test YP-59As had a more powerful engine than their predecessor, the General Electric J31, but the improvement in performance was negligible, with top speed increased by only 5 mph and a slight reduction in the time they could be used before an overhaul was needed. One of these aircraft, the third YP-59A, was supplied to the Royal Air Force, in exchange for the first production Gloster Meteor I for evaluation and flight-offs with domestic alternatives.

British pilots found that the YP-59A compared very unfavorably with the jets that they were already flying. The United States Army Air Forces were not impressed by its performance either and cancelled the contract when fewer than half of the originally ordered aircraft had been produced. No P-59s entered combat, but the type paved the way for the next design generation of U.S. turbojet-powered aircraft and helped to develop appropriate maintenance structures and procedures.

 

In the meantime, a new, more powerful jet engine had been developed in Great Britain, the Halford H-1, which became later better known as the De Havilland Goblin. It was another centrifugal compressor design, but it produced almost twice as much thrust as the XP-59A’s J31 engines. Impressed by the British Gloster Meteor during the USAAF tests at Muroc Dry Lake - performance-wise as well as by the aircraft’s simplicity and ruggedness - Bell reacted promptly and proposed an alternative fighter with wing-mounted engine nacelles, since the XP-59A’s layout had proven to be aerodynamically sub-optimal and unsuited for the installation of H-1 engines. In order to save development time and because the aircraft was rather regarded as a proof-of-concept demonstrator instead of a true fighter prototype, the new aircraft was structurally based on Bell’s current piston-engine P-63 “Kingcobra”. The proposal was accepted and, in order to maintain secrecy, the new jet aircraft inherited once more a designation of a recently cancelled project, this time from the Vultee XP-68 “Tornado” fighter. Similar to the Airacomet two years before, just a simple “A” suffix was added.

 

Bell’s development contract covered only three XP-68A aircraft. The H-1 units were directly imported from Great Britain in secrecy, suspended in the bomb bays of B-24 Liberator bombers. A pair of these engines was mounted in mid-wing nacelles, very similar to the Gloster Meteor’s arrangement. The tailplane was given a 5° dihedral to move it out of the engine exhaust. In order to bear the new engines and their power, the wing main spars were strengthened and the main landing gear wells were moved towards the aircraft’s centerline, effectively narrowing track width. The landing gear wells now occupied the space of the former radiator ducts for the P-63’s omitted Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V12 engine. Its former compartment behind the cockpit was used for a new fuel tank and test equipment. Having lost the propeller and its long drive shaft, the nose section was also redesigned: the front fuselage became deeper and the additional space there was used for another fuel tank in front of the cockpit and a bigger weapon bay. Different armament arrangements were envisioned, one of each was to be tested on the three prototypes: one machine would be armed with six 0.5” machine guns, another with four 20mm Hispano M2 cannon, and the third with two 37mm M10 cannon and two 0.5” machine guns. Provisions for a ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb were made, but this was never fitted on any of the prototypes. Additional hardpoints under the outer wings for smaller bombs or unguided missiles followed the same fate.

 

The three XP-68As were built at Bell’s Atlanta plant in the course of early 1944 and semi-officially christened “Airagator”. After their clandestine transfer to Muroc Dry Lake for flight tests and evaluations, the machines were quickly nicknamed “Barrelcobra” by the test staff – not only because of the characteristic shape of the engine nacelles, but also due to the sheer weight of the machines and their resulting sluggish handling on the ground and in the air. “Cadillac” was another nickname, due to the very soft acceleration through the new jet engines and the lack of vibrations that were typical for piston-engine- and propeller-driven aircraft.

 

Due to the structural reinforcements and modifications, the XP-68A had become a heavy aircraft with an empty weight of 4 tons and a MTOW of almost 8 tons – the same as the big P-47 Thunderbolt piston fighter, while the P-63 had an MTOW of only 10,700 lb (4,900 kg). The result was, among other flaws, a very long take-off distance, especially in the hot desert climate of the Mojave Desert (which precluded any external ordnance) and an inherent unwillingness to change direction, its turning radius was immense. More than once the brakes overheated during landing, so that extra water cooling for the main landing gear was retrofitted.

Once in the air, the aircraft proved to be quite fast – as long as it was flying in a straight line, though. Only the roll characteristics were acceptable, but flying the XP-68A remained hazardous, esp. after the loss of one of the H-1s engines: This resulted in heavily asymmetrical propulsion, making the XP-68A hard to control at all and prone to spin in level flight.

 

After trials and direct comparison, the XP-68A turned out not to be as fast and, even worse, much less agile than the Meteor Mk III (the RAF’s then current, operational fighter version), which even had weaker Derwent engines. The operational range was insufficient, too, esp. in regard of the planned Pacific theatre of operations, and the high overall weight precluded any considerable external load like drop tanks.

However, compared with the XP-59A, the XP-68A was a considerable step forward, but it had become quickly clear that the XP-68A and its outfit-a-propeller-design-with jet-engines approach did not bear the potential for any service fighter development: it was already outdated when the prototypes were starting their test program. No further XP-68A was ordered or built, and the three prototypes fulfilled their test and evaluation program until May 1945. During these tests, the first prototype was lost on the ground due to an engine fire. After the program’s completion, the two remaining machines were handed over to the US Navy and used for research at the NATC Patuxent River Test Centre, where they were operated until 1949 and finally scrapped.

  

General characteristics.

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 9 in (10.36 m)

Wingspan: 38 ft 4 in (11.7 m)

Height: 13 ft (3.96 m)

Wing area: 248 sq ft (23 m²)

Empty weight: 8,799 lb (3,995 kg)

Loaded weight: 15,138 lb (6,873 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 17,246 lb (7,830 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Halford H-1 (De Havilland Goblin) turbojets, rated at 3,500 lbf (15.6 kN) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 559 mph (900 km/h)

Range: 500 mi (444 nmi, 805 km)

Service ceiling: 37,565 ft (11,450 m)

Rate of climb: 3.930 ft/min (20 m/s)

Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft² (218.97 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.45

Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)

 

Armament:

4× Hispano M2 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds

One ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb

6× 60 lb (30 kg) rockets or 2× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs under the outer wings

  

The kit and its assembly:

This whiffy Kingcobra conversion was spawned by a post by fellow user nighthunter in January 2019 at whatifmodelers.com about a potential jet-powered variant. In found the idea charming, since the XP-59 had turned out to be a dud and the Gloster Meteor had been tested by the USAAF. Why not combine both into a fictional, late WWII Bell prototype?

The basic idea was simple: take a P-63 and add a Meteor’s engine nacelles, while keeping the Kingcobra’s original proportions. This sounds pretty easy but was more challenging than the first look at the outcome might suggest.

 

The donor kits are a vintage Airfix 1:72 Gloster Meteor Mk.III, since it has the proper, small nacelles, and an Eastern Express P-63 Kingcobra. The latter looked promising, since this kit comes with very good surface and cockpit details (even with a clear dashboard) as well as parts for several P-63 variants, including the A, C and even the exotic “pinball” manned target version. However, anything comes at a price, and the kit’s low price point is compensated by soft plastic (which turned out to be hard to sand), some flash and mediocre fit of any of the major components like fuselage halves, the wings or the clear parts. It feels a lot like a typical short-run kit. Nevertheless, I feel inclined to build another one in a more conventional fashion some day.

 

Work started with the H-1 nacelles, which had to be cut out from the Meteor wings. Since they come OOB only with a well-visible vertical plate and a main wing spar dummy in the air intake, I added some fine mesh to the plate – normally, you can see directly onto the engine behind the wing spar. Another issue was the fact that the Meteor’s wings are much thicker and deeper than the P-63s, so that lots of PSR work was necessary.

 

Simply cutting the P-63 OOB wings up and inserting the Meteor nacelles was also not possible: the P-63 has a very wide main landing gear, due to the ventral radiators and oil coolers, which were originally buried in the wing roots and under the piston engine. The only solution: move the complete landing gear (including the wells) inward, so that the nacelles could be placed as close as possible to the fuselage in a mid-span position. Furthermore, the - now useless - radiator openings had to disappear, resulting in a major redesign of the wing root sections. All of this became a major surgery task, followed by similarly messy work on the outer wings during the integration of the Meteor nacelles. LOTS of PSR, even though the outcome looks surprisingly plausible and balanced.

 

Work on the fuselage started in parallel. It was built mainly OOB, using the optional ventral fin for a P-63C. The exhaust stubs as well as the dorsal carburetor intake had to disappear (the latter made easy thanks to suitable optional parts for the manned target version). Since the P-63 had a conventional low stabilizer arrangement (unlike the Meteor with its cruciform tail), I gave them a slight dihedral to move them out of the engine efflux, a trick Sukhoi engineers did on the Su-11 prototype with afterburner engines in 1947, too.

 

Furthermore, the whole nose ahead of the cockpit was heavily re-designed, because I wanted the “new” aircraft to lose its propeller heritage and the P-63’s round and rather pointed nose. Somewhat inspired by the P-59 and the P-80, I omitted the propeller parts altogether and re-sculpted the nose with 2C putty, creating a deeper shape with a tall, oval diameter, so that the lower fuselage line was horizontally extended forward. In a profile view the aircraft now looks much more massive and P-80esque. The front landing gear was retained, just its side walls were extended downwards with the help of 0.5mm styrene sheet material, so that the original stance could be kept. Lots of lead in the nose ensured that the model would properly stand on its three wheels.

 

Once the rhinoplasty was done I drilled four holes into the nose and used hollow steel needles as gun barrels, with a look reminiscent of the Douglas A-20G.

Adding the (perfectly) clear parts of the canopy as a final assembly step also turned out to be a major fight against the elements.

  

Painting and markings:

With an USAAF WWII prototype in mind, there were only two options: either an NMF machine, or a camouflage in Olive Drab and Neutral Grey. I went for the latter and used Tamiya XF-62 for the upper surfaces and Humbrol 156 (Dark Camouflage Grey) underneath. The kit received a light black ink wash and some post shading in order to emphasize panels. A little dry-brushing with silver around the leading edges and the cockpit was done, too.

 

The cockpit interior became chromate green (I used Humbrol 150, Forest Green) while the landing gear wells were painted with zinc chromate yellow (Humbrol 81). The landing gear itself was painted in aluminum (Humbrol 56).

Markings/decals became minimal, puzzled together from various sources – only some “Stars and Bars” insignia and the serial number.

  

Somehow this conversion ended up looking a lot like the contemporary Soviet Sukhoi Su-9 and -11 (Samolyet K and LK) jet fighter prototype – unintentionally, though. But I am happy with the outcome – the P-63 ancestry is there, and the Meteor engines are recognizable, too. But everything blends into each other well, the whole affair looks very balanced and believable. This is IMHO furthermore emphasized by the simple paint scheme. A jet-powered Kingcobra? Why not…?

"my existence is not yet me" Jean-Luc Godard

 

"моё существование, это еще не я" жан-люк годар

On display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia. This is the only one of this type still in existence. www.flickr.com/photos/keleivis/2486873398/

 

This is an Ar 234 B-2 bomber variant carrying Werknummer (manufacturer's serial number) 140312, and was one of nine Ar 234s surrendered to British forces at Sola Airfield near Stavanger, Norway. The aircraft had been operating with 9. Staffel III./Kampfgeschwader 76 (later reorganised as Einsatzstaffel) during the final weeks of the war, having operated previously with the 8th squadron, carrying the full-four-character Geschwaderkennung military code of "F1+GS" on the fuselage sides.

 

This aircraft and three others were collected by the famous "Watson's Whizzers" of the USAAF to be shipped back to the United States for flight testing. Two aircraft were given freely but a further two had been traded to Watson by Eric "Winkle" Brown (test pilot and CO of the Enemy Aircraft Flight at the RAE) in exchange for an interview with Hermann Göring who was then being held by the Americans.

 

The aircraft was flown from Sola to Cherbourg, France on 24 June 1945 where it joined 34 other advanced German aircraft shipped back to the U.S. aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Reaper. Reaper departed from Cherbourg on 20 July, arriving at Newark, New Jersey eight days later. Upon arrival two of the Ar 234s were reassembled (including 140312) and flown by USAAF pilots to Freeman Field, Indiana for testing and evaluation. 140312 was assigned the foreign equipment number FE-1010. The fate of the second Ar 234 flown to Freeman Field remains a mystery. One of the remaining two was reassembled by the United States Navy at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for testing, but was found to be in unflyable condition and was scrapped. (Very substantial remains were in evidence at Pax River as late as 1976, so it is not known if they were disposed of after this date.)

 

After receiving new engines, radio and oxygen equipment, 140312 was transferred to Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio and delivered to the Accelerated Service Test Maintenance Squadron (ASTMS) of the Flight Test Division in July 1946. Flight testing was completed on 16 October 1946 though the aircraft remained at Wright Field until 1947. It was then transferred to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois, and remained there until 1 May 1949 when it, and several other aircraft stored at the airport were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. During the early 1950s the Ar 234 was moved to the Smithsonian's Paul Garber Restoration Facility at Suitland, Maryland for storage and eventual restoration.

 

The Smithsonian began restoration of 140312 in 1984 and completed it in February 1989. All paint had been stripped from the aircraft before the Smithsonian received it, so the aircraft was painted with the markings of an aircraft of 8./KG 76, the first operational unit to fly the "Blitz". The restored aircraft was first displayed at the Smithsonian's main museum building in downtown Washington D.C. in 1993 as part of a display titled "Wonder Weapon? The Arado Ar 234". In 2005 it became one of the first aircraft moved to the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport. Today, 140312 is displayed next to the last surviving Dornier Do 335, an aircraft that had accompanied it on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Reaper over 60 years earlier.

 

This aircraft is displayed with a pair of Hellmuth Walter designed, liquid-fuelled RATO units mounted under its wings. These RATO units may be the only surviving examples to be mounted on an aircraft.

Another item for Project Themeory; tintable heart shaped tanning decals.

 

Looking through old photos. Canon D60, Sigma 28-70

A man said to the universe:

"Sir I exist!"

"However," replied the universe,

"The fact has not created in me

A sense of obligation."

 

~Stephen Crane

 

My brother.

Digital double exposure.

 

View large on black.

 

© Lauren Bishop 2010

_______________________________

 

More at my art site: rsmithings.com

_______________________________

 

Human form arising from a holly leaf photographed in place on the steps to my house's front porch overlayed in a floating manner atop a reflected view of cobblestone pavers original to my city.

 

Adding colour to my life is perhaps the best way to describe the effect on me when I became Jojo. No more boring clothes or seemingly like everyone else it would seem that need to hide the fact that I like sex and being sexy. As Christopher I felt like I was trapped in some sort of cage and it led to poor self-esteem as I didn't like myself as what I could see was not the real me or the dreams in my head. I never thought there would be a way but thankfully the times changed and at last I was able to step out into the sunshine and now I am trangendered enough to be happy..

Otago, New Zealand

Close up of door, boots, umbrellas and, of course, gnomes

Fiercely they pierce out from the earth that contains them. Once a pier along the shores of Gamble Bay, all that remains are the tattered ends, the last reminder of their existence. With each passing tide, they fade from view; one day to be no more.

 

Kitsap Forest & Bay Project is a community-wide effort to conserve nearly 7,000 acres of forest and 1.8 miles of shoreline on the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington’s Puget Sound. With Port Gamble Bay at its heart, the land has been used to grow trees and produce lumber since 1853.

 

The landowner, Pope Resources – a timber company, wants to move out of this urbanizing region at the tip of Hood Canal. Recognizing the value of their lands for public recreation, wildlife habitat and cultural sustenance, the company has given the community an incredible opportunity to determine the land’s future.

 

But, time is running out . . . the community’s option to purchase the land expires in March 2013, with a possible extension to March 2014. At that time, Pope Resources will pursue other options for disposing of its land.

 

If you'd like to see this in a higher resolution, please visit my website. Thanks for looking!

 

Copyright © 2012 Damon D. Edwards, All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal.

We gave this poor mouse a nice send off and a grave to mark his existence

Palermo is a city in Insular Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.The city was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz. The present name is derived from the Greek Panoremus meaning 'always fit for landing in'. Palermo became part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. From 827 to 1071 it was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when it first became a capital. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo became capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually it would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.The population of Palermo urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 855,285, while its metropolitan area is the fifth most populated in Italy with around 1.2 million people. In the central area, the city has a population of around 650,000 people. The inhabitants are known as Palermitans or, poetically, panormiti. The languages spoken by its inhabitants are the Italian language and the Sicilian language, in its Palermitan variation.Palermo is Sicily's cultural, economic and touristic capital. It is a city rich in history, culture, art, music and food. Numerous tourists are attracted to the city for its good Mediterranean weather, its renowned gastronomy and restaurants, its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque churches, palaces and buildings, and its nightlife and music. Palermo is the main Sicilian industrial and commercial center: the main industrial sectors include tourism, services, commerce and agriculture. Palermo currently has an international airport, and a significant underground economy. In fact, for cultural, artistic and economic reasons, Palermo was one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and is now among the top tourist destinations in both Italy and Europe. The city is also going through careful redevelopment, preparing to become one of the major cities of the Euro-Mediterranean area.Roman Catholicism is highly important in Palermitan culture. The patron saint of the city is Saint Rosalia. Her feast day on July 15 is perhaps the biggest social event in the city. The area attracts significant numbers of tourists each year and is widely known for its colourful fruit, vegetable and fish market at the heart of Palermo, known as the Vucciria.

 

Palermo è un comune italiano di 654 987 abitanti, capoluogo della provincia di Palermo e della Regione Siciliana.È il quinto comune italiano per popolazione dopo Roma, Milano, Napoli e Torino e trentunesimo a livello europeo, nonché il principale centro urbano della Sicilia e dell'Italia insulare. L'area metropolitana di Palermo, che comprende il capoluogo ed altri 26 comuni, conta una popolazione di 1.041.314 abitanti.Estesa lungo l'omonimo golfo nel Mar Tirreno e adagiata sulla pianura della Conca d'Oro, così chiamata per via delle colorazioni tipiche degli agrumi che un tempo dominavano il paesaggio, è circondata completamente da una cinta muraria naturale: i monti di Palermo. Il tessuto urbano è diviso dal fiume Oreto che scorre nella sua omonima vallata.Fondata come città-porto dai Fenici intorno al 734 a.C., è stata sempre un nodo culturale e commerciale fra occidente e Asia, dunque uno strategico luogo di transito al centro del Mediterraneo. Possiede una storia millenaria che le ha regalato un notevole patrimonio artistico ed architettonico che spazia dai resti delle mura puniche per giungere a ville in stile liberty, passando dalle residenze in stile arabo-normanno, alle chiese barocche ed ai teatri neoclassici. Per ragioni culturali, artistiche ed economiche è stata tra le maggiori città del Mediterraneo ed oggi è fra le principali mete turistiche del mezzogiorno italiano e tra le maggiori mete crocieristiche.Fu capitale, dal 1160 al 1816, del Regno di Sicilia, e seconda città per importanza del Regno delle Due Sicilie fino al 1861. È sede dell'Assemblea regionale siciliana, dell'Università degli Studi e della principale arcidiocesi regionale.

 

Font : Wikipedia

Voigtländer Bessa R2M with Apo Lanthar 90mm F3.5, Agfa CT precisa 100

 

Part of the series "Night". Working mainly in darkness, I build up the light, applying it precisely. The landscape takes on a fuller existence, brought on by the coalescence of light and exhibits a sense of “hyper-reality,” yet at the same time has a certain quietness and beauty. All of my images are created using light painting, in this case using a battery powered 20"x10" LED panel.

 

Feel free to use these original photographs for personal use as your iPad wallpaper. Contact me if you'd like to use them for anything else.

 

You can see more about my process on my blog at:

Harold Ross Fine Art Photography Blog

Commerce Square, Lisbon, Portugal

25/09/2011; I saw the quote: "In Iran I was a psychiatrist. My existence stopped when I arrived in Sandholm." while relaxing at the quay of Islands Brygge.

 

Then this guy, that appeared as if he could be an immigrant, sat down on a bench, and that alone topped it all off, so I initially thought. Until this boat with that Danish flag came sailing by, to make the contrast between the native Danish and the immigrants even bigger.

 

I love it when all the pieces of the puzzle get together every now and then, especially when they make you think about one and another.

As seen in SOMA, San Francisco