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Plaque explaining the heritage building, the main building of the former Marine Police headquarters. It reads The Main Building of the Former Marine Police Headquarters
"...Graceful... and even Palatial..." wrote the China Mail, 20th September 1884, of this building -- designed as the residence of the third-ranking government official as well as the base for the "Water" Police.
The Main Building, Victorian Colonial Neo-Classical in style, was built in the early 1880s. It was originally only two storeys with three-storeyed towers on the southeast and southwest corners. The existing top floor was added in the early 1920s.
The three-storeyed corner towers contained married living quarters. The southwest tower was the quarters for the Commander of the Marine Police and the southeast tower was designed to be the residence of the Captain Superintendent of Police, Walter Deane. It had an independent entrance on the eastern side of the building leading to the Superintendent's office and to his drawing room and dining room on the first floor. A tunnel passageway or service corridor led to a separate and self-contained kitchen and servants' quarters. For the building between these two towers, most of the rooms were barracks and duty rooms. The central portion of the ground level served as a control room. The one-storeyed outbuildings at the rear contained the bathhouses, stores and coolie quarters. Another storey was added on these outbuildings in the early 1920s.
No steel or steel reinforcing was used in the original main building. Loose granite blocks served as foundation for brick shear walls and timber joists floors and roofs. The entire ground floor (except for the cells) of the original main building of the Marine Police Headquarters was elevated approximately 3 to 4 feet above ground and airflow along these spaces was facilitated via small openings functioning as ventilation portals located on the exterior of all sides of the building. These ventilation portals kept the building suitably "aired" and prevented the decay of the timber floor joists. The airflow also cooled down the interior of the building in the hot and humid summers. High windows and ceilings designed in a time before modern power lighting and air conditioning also facilitated cool breezes in the summer months. Together, the raised floor, the tall windows and the high ceilings formed a precursor to a green design which is now emulated as supportive of a sustainable lifestyle.
Lichtenstein meets Boccioni
'Wham!' (1963)
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-97).
Magna on Canvas.
'Whaam!' is based on an image from 'All American Men of War' published by DC comics in 1962. Throughout the 1960s, Lichtenstein frequently drew on commercial art sources such as comic images or advertisements, attracted by the way highly emotional subject matter could be depicted using detached techniques. Transferring this to a painting context, Lichtenstein could present powerfully charged scenes in an impersonal manner, leaving the viewer to decipher meanings for themselves. Although he was careful to retain the character of his source, Lichtenstein also explored the formal qualities of commercial imagery and techniques. In these works as in 'Whaam!', he adapted and developed the original composition to produce an intensely stylised painting.
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913)
Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916)
Bronze sculpture, cast 1972
Boccioni's work was in plaster, never cast into bronze in his lifetime. This cast was made in 1972.
In the early years of the twentieth century, industrialisation swept across Italy. The Futurist movement was founded by writers and artists such as Umberto Boccioni, who enthused about new inventions such as cars and electricity. In Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, the figure is aerodynamically deformed by speed. Boccioni exaggerated the body''s dynamism so that it embodied the urge towards progress. The sculpture may reflect ideas of the mechanised body that appeared in Futurist writings, as well as the ''superman'' envisaged by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
[Tate website]
Vysehrad Cemetery is the graveyard attached to the Basilica of Saint Peter & Saint Paul in Vysehrad (notes at the end about the Vysehrad complex).
The complex is over a thousand years old, but the cemetery was only established in 1869, which explains the newness of the headstones. It's an active cemetery, though it seems pretty packed walking around. As noted below, this could basically be seen as the Czech pantheon, given the number of notable Czechs interred here from the arts, letters, and medicine.
Among those you'll find here (that non-Czechs may recognize, by name or contribution) are: Jan Neruda (a poet, and the man from whom Pablo Neruda took his pen name), Antonin Dvorak (composer of the New World Symphony), Josef & Karel Capek (brothers, Josef created the word "robot" and Karel used it in his play R.U.R., which introduced the word to the world), Karel Ancerl (conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra), Hana Maskova (1968 bronze medalist in Olympic figure skating), and Jan Evangelista Purkyne (who, in 1839, coined the term "protoplasm"). There are many others of note, and very ornate headstones -- hence this large set. I don't intend to slight anyone, so feel free to do some research on your own if you wish.
Vysehrad is a pretty neat place to visit in Prague, in my opinion -- especially if you want to relax away from tourists.
It has a combination of things that make it wonderful for me. Its history, its current use, its location (and views it affords), and what's left on site -- taken individually, warrant a visit in my world. Collectively? Winner.
We'll start with what Vysehrad was, which involves local beliefs and legends. The (unproven) thought is that this is the original site of Prague, founded by Duke Krok in...who knows what year? Duke Krok is a myth, though may have been real. And since he's a myth, his daughters, too, are mythical. One of them is Libuse, who has a "bath" here, and she can be found in some architecture around town. I recall seeing her on a building on Karlova.
Duke Kroc was the first duke of the Czech people. Princess Libuse, the youngest (and wisest) of his three daughters later became queen and married a ploughman named Premysl, founding the Premyslid dynasty (interesting...she's royalty, he's a commoner, yet the dynasty is named for him because he's a man...yea for sexism?). The three sisters had special powers (one a healer, one a magician, and Libuse could predict the future). She prophesied the founding of Prague in the 8th century. So believe the Czechs.
What does history tell us? Well, this fortress-castle has been here for a thousand years give or take. Precise origin dates are unknown (or I can't seem to find them). One of the buildings here -- St. Martin's Chapel -- is known to have been built sometime between 1060-1090, so we can say it's conservatively a thousand years old.
Part of the fun of the legend that could support its continuing existence is its location high on a bluff directly overlooking the Vltava River. It was a perfect place to build a defensive fortress, that eventually became a royal castle. As the city grew, and Prague Castle was built, Vysehrad's importance waned.
The two castles competed (kind of) for two centuries to be the most important in Prague. The heyday for Vysehrad was in the late 11th century (when St. Martin's Chapel was built). Vratislaus II, the first king of Bohemia (until him, all were dukes or duchesses) moved his seat of power here from Prague Castle, at which point the original Vysehrad fortress received a major upgrade: a new palatial home, a church, a chapter house.
Growth continued, but only for a short time. Vratislaus's son, Duke Sobeslav (I'm not sure why he was duke, if his dad was king) moved the royal seat right on back to Prague Castle.
The death knell for Vysehrad (as a royal residence) came when Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (yeah, the same one for whom Charles Bridge is named) renovated Prague Castle to its current dimensions. Vysehrad was abandoned. However, Charles did renew the fortifications with new gates, a royal palace (though never official seat of government), and started repairing the basilica. This was early 14th century. About a hundred years later in 1420 at the start of the Hussite War, Vysehrad was rancasked. And again, a few decades later. Finally, Vysehrad was left to ruin...
...Until the Austrians came along. Austria-Hungary gained Czech lands as a prize of the Thirty Years' War, remodeling it as a baroque fortress, to use as a training center for their troops.
The main building that dominated Vysehrad (to this day) is the Basilica of St. Peter & St. Paul. It's pretty big. Hard to miss, for sure. Like St. Martin's Chapel, it was also (originally) built in the 11th century. Unlike little St. Martin's, though, the big fella was remodeled in the late 1300s and, again, by the Austrians in 1885 & 1887. It's now a neo-Gothic church. Also dating to this baroque renovation are the Tabor and Leopold gates.
So...what do you get when come to Vysehrad now? A city park, really. It's free to come and go (though I think going inside the church may cost a little money).
The bastion walls are fantastic to take a walk around and enjoy panoramic views of every part of the city, the river, the bridges, just to reflect on the here and now, and the past. The bastions are big enough, and long enough, that you can take some time to just do that alone. There are also benches if you want to relax and enjoy the view.
Inside the fortress walls, you'll find mostly wooded land (thanks to its having been abandoned) with the aforementioned church and chapel, plus some other historic recreations, a few trails, and...well, all around, pleasant places to be. There are a handful of statues around the grounds, including Good King Wenceslaus, and Princess Libuse.
Being as that it's a church -- and a large one -- there's also a church cemetery attached directly to the side and back of it. Creatively, it's called "Vysehrad Cemetery."
As far as cemeteries go, I've been to many, and this one has some of the most interesting headstones I've seen. Not only that, as far as Czechs go, this could almost be their Pantheon. While royalty are buried elsewhere (Prague Castle, for starters), the literati all seem to be buried here -- except Kafka. He's in the New Jewish Cemetery. And, not every famous Czech is buried here, of course, but quite a few prominent ones from arts and letters are taking their dirt naps here. At the end of the day, this is a big, beautiful public park, well worth a visit, and the locals love it. This seems to be one of the places they come to celebrate New Year's Eve. I love that it's not overrun by tourists, though hope that anyone who has read this can make it there and see for yourself.
This explains some of the fluidity in the movement of members of the black community back and forth across the Detroit River to ensure their freedom.
Munch's painting shows four female figures, from virgin youth at left to aged figure at the right. Why it's titled "Three Stages," while it clearly depicts 4 figures -- I cannot explain. Munch Museet (18 August, 2019)
This historical marker explains the interesting history and sad demise of a one-time beautiful mansion built for very wealthy businessman Harlow Higinbotham in Joliet Townshio in 1894.
A woman tries to explain the passing of former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew to her son as they visit a tribute memorial outside the Istana palace in Singapore March 23, 2015. Lee passed away on early Monday morning aged 91. Photo by Tim Chong
Stanley Madison, president of the Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation, explains a map showing the area around Lyles Stations in the late 1800s and the locations of early Black colonies nearby to Stephanie Mitchell, Indiana NRCS district conservationist. The preservation corporation recently enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to build a high tunnel and pollinator area, which will be used as education resources. (Indiana NRCS photo by Brandon O'Connor)
13/03/2023, Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Islas Canarias, Spain.
Bear with me, while I explain how these Scottish truck drivers found themselves delivering equipment to an oil drilling ship here at Las Palmas.
Since the the oil price plunge of 2014-2016 - the biggest drop in oil prices in modern history - primarily caused by an oversupply in the market, most oil majors and prospectors found themselves in an uneconomically viable situation.
Over capacity in oil production and especially in oil exploratory drilling forced many of the mega expensive drilling ships to have their drilling contracts forestalled, or at the end of their existing contracts to find no new work.
These ships were being contracted at wild, but necessary prices of up to $500,000 per day, due to huge mortgages on the ships and their initial building costs.
(I believe the most expensive example's building cost was the Billion dollar plus 'Stena Icemax'. See here: flic.kr/p/RZ5QJr )
So, much oil exploration work was being undertaken on the West African coast, and across the Atlantic, offshore Brazil.
As the drilling ships became unemployed, the necessity of finding a suitable, large, deep-water port to keep them safely moored in, and with a pleasant climate to prevent corrosion and humidity damage, and that is where Las Palmas found itself to be the ideal location, at the 'crossroads' of the Atlantic.
In addition, the port has long established and experienced shipyards with specialist engineers and technicians.
The port quickly found itself in great demand for the laid up ships, and as an economic boost, there were lucrative mooring fees, tug requirements, stores, and large engineering projects to be had.
The drilling ships (& oil rigs) require ongoing maintenance and often, modifications to suit each specific drilling contract, both before and after completion.
The 'northern oil capital of Europe' is Aberdeen in Scotland and thus, specialist knowhow, equipment and hauliers are based there.
The result being a regular stream of heavy duty trucks, not least those of Grampian Continental haulage, picking up and delivering equipment to the ships, from all over Europe.
A former, regular driver, and Las Palmas visitor, for Grampian was Rab Lawrence, a well known contributor to Flickr, and a sometime correspondent of mine, although our paths never directly crossed.
Here are a few of his compatriots waiting to have their truck loads discharged, before having to catch the circa 36 hour ferry back to Huelva, or Cadiz, in southern Spain.
We crossed paths on Kingston's K&P rail trail on a beautiful sunny day. She was hiking north and I was riding south on my bicycle. She paused for me to ask about her hike. Meet Sam.
She explained she was on a 4 day hike from Kingston to the town of Verona (30 km). No stranger to hiking, she said she spends many of her vacations on hiking trails and a 4 day hike is no big deal.
I asked where she overnights and she pulled out what looked like a government topographical map and explained there are spots along the trail that allow hikers to camp. (I have never noticed them.) She said she has a carefully planned itinerary and is carrying all her food, along with her camping gear, in her heavy-looking backpack. "It's only heavy because this is day 1. As I eat the food, it will get lighter and lighter."
When I asked Sam if I could make a portrait of her for my Human Family photo project, she enthusiastically agreed. "I'd be happy to, if, in exchange, you take a photo of me with my camera too. Fair enough?" The deal was struck and the photos were taken.
Sam is 35 and lives in Kingston, but explained she grew up in Canada's Maritime Provinces. When I asked what she does when she's not hiking, she didn't know where to start. "I've been a cook, done helicopter maintenance, I'm an artist, and I'm a caretaker for Belle Island, among other things." When I said, "So, you're a Sam of all trades" she replied "Pretty much."
Sam was friendly but had a serious, somewhat no-nonsense manner. Her message to the project is "People are too attached to technology and screens and not attached enough to each other and nature." She noted that her cell phone is her accommodation to the age of technology. She said she takes lots of nature photos with her phone and showed me a beautiful close-up of an owl. "That was actually taken just with this phone."
Sam was really pleased with the photos I had taken and gave me her email so I can send them. She was most appreciative of my taking a portrait on her phone.
I said I was glad we had met and she said she was too. As she disappeared down the trail, I turned back to get a photo of her en route toward Verona.
Thank you, Sam, for participating in my photo project. You are my 941st submission to The Human Family Group.
You can see more street portraits of strangers and read their stories by visiting The Human Family.
Cadet Nancy Gomez, Greenbelt, Md., Dickinson College, translates the brief on what it means when the primary parachute of a Basic Parachute Course is deployed to explain the mechanics of the parachute and bridge the language barrier between the American cadets and the Peruvian Airborne instructors on May 30, 2017 at the Peruvian Airborne School.
Amanda explains... "Umm... What kinda name is that?!" Black Spider exclaims. "Don't make fun of him. He could be listening right now..." Amanda replies... "Jeez, this bozo sounds nuts." Rick Flag states. "What did I just say, Flag?!" Amanda replies... Suddenly, two people jump at the team!
~Scarecrow
Scientist explaining points to IITA scientists in a session during R4D Week 2009 at IITA Ibadan, Nigeria. (file name: R4D_WK_091)
Photo citation: Ted Auch, FracTracker Alliance, 2020.
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A friend of mine is Armenian, has conducted tours of Armenian sites in Armenia, Turkey, and Syria on his vacation, and could retire in Armenia. Every guidebook describes this as Georgian but he's convinced it's Armenian as he and his friends found part of a surviving Armenian inscription on a wall of the church. [Update: The description to this video on Youtube refers to an "inscription in the Georgian and Armenian language placed at the entrance to the chapel" which dates from 1006. See it at the 2:25 min. pt.: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsPkodsJ5RE More on this point below.] He explained that after WWI a number of abandoned Armenian churches in E. Turkey were claimed by Georgians or Turks to be Georgian. The guidebooks don't say much about its history, the LP only that it was built in the 8th cent., enlarged in the 11th, and that it's "spectacularly sited" and "wonderful". (It's a beauty, there's a fresco on the ceiling under that conical dome with 4 chariots driven above clouds round the edge of the circle, below a blue sky with stars and angels. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishkhani#/media/File:Ishkhan_Monast... [More re this fresco below]). Fodors says it was built in the 10th cent. and Berlitz that it was "once the seat of a Georgian bishropric", that a section's now used as a mosque, and that it has the same plan as Osk Vank, the largest Georgian church in the area, built /b/ 958 and 966 by Prince David who became "King David the Great [and] made Georgia a dominant power in the Caucasus" for a time. So ... I don't know.
- Update: Wikipedia has more to say now. "The name Ishkhani derives from the word Իշխան, Ishkhan, “Prince” in Armenian. ... The earliest reference to the monastery is found in 'The Life of Grigol Khandzteli', a Georgian manuscript dating from 951 which is now kept in Jerusalem. It recounts that Saba, a nephew and follower of the priest Gregory of Khandzta, founded a monastery on the site of an earlier church built by [the Armenian] Catholicos Nerses III Ishkhanetsi (641-661), a native of the village of Ishkhan, which had a tetraconch plan (a central dome with 4 apses radiating to the cardinal points) and which was damaged in the Arab invasions of the 7th cent. 5 Georgian inscriptions within the church and on the southern facade commemorate 5 restorations from 917 to 1032. One ascribes the foundation of the church to Bagrat III. [As it was "constructed in stages /b/ the 8th and 11th cent.s, it ranks amongst the oldest extant Georgian sacred architecture." {RG}] ... The monastery had been one of the 5 patriarchates of Tao-Klarjeti and its church functioned as a cathedral until the 17th cent. It was used as the headquarters for Ottoman officers during the Russo-Turkish War in the 19th cent., while its west arm was converted into a mosque and remained so until 1983." (Wikipedia)
- The church is domed, cruciform, with outer dimensions of 35 x 20.7 m.s. The amazing central cupola, 42 m.s high, entirely intact and similar to that at Öşvank, seemed to float on 4 free-standing piers, each 2 m.s in diameter (as the roof had fallen in. But I've read it's been faithfully resurrected in a recent restoration.) The eastern cross-arm extends with an apse with a unique arrangement (or unique in Georgian churches, not in ancient Armenian churches): a horseshoe-shaped arcade with arches resting on 8 columns, each with a unique capital, opens onto a rectangular ambulatory. www.360cities.net/image/georgische-kirche1-ishan-ostanato... That apse, "the oldest surviving portion of the bldg., was modelled after the church at Bana" (RG. See my next photo, and see below.) 2-story pastophoria, used to store priestly vestments, etc., flank the apse.
- In 966, the interior walls of the church were painted with frescoes, but apart from the cupola, little remains. (The LP writes cryptically that whole walls were covered in blue frescoes in the 1980s.) The “Ascension of the Cross” in the ceiling of the cupola depicts a bejeweled cross in a white, moon-like circle carried by 4 flying angels on a background of vibrant, dark blue (lapis lazurite) with specks of white, a starry night sky. 4 2-wheeled chariots drawn by 4 winged horses and driven by a standing figure are at each axis just above the rim, depicting 'the Vision of Zechariah' (Book of Zechariah, 6:1-6) in the Old Testament. A Georgian inscription above each chariot indicates the colours of the horses; red, black, white and dappled (see below). (Neither my photo nor any I've seen does it any justice, but I'll scan mine anyway. What a thing to find and see in the open, and exposed for so many centuries.)
- 8 figures identified as prophets by some scholars alternate with 8 windows in the blind arcade of the drum and stand below angels in circular niches holding scepters. During restoration in 1032, their heads were replaced by round openings [? See 3 in this shot]. A female figure dressed in blue, carrying a diadem and holding a model of a church in her hand is visible on the intrado of the NW window. This has been interpreted by scholars as a depiction of either the Cappadocian Ste. Nino, who converted the Georgians to Christianity, or the first Christian queen of Georgia or a personification of the church itself.
- 22 geometric and floral motifs are employed in the sculptural decoration of the church. Animals and legendary creatures are depicted within the geometric patterns.
- The exterior walls of the church and the drum are decorated with blind arcades (seen here). The conícal roof of the cupola is covered with alternating rows of dark red and grey coloured glazed tiles (again, seen here).
- A Georgian inscription at the entrance to the chapel (from 1006) states that King Gurgen I dedicated it to the Holy Mother of God. Vaulted with a single nave, an apse and 2 windows, its outer dimensions are 10.3 x 5.7 m.s. (all Wikipedia)
- A famous, solid-gold processional cross found here in the 19th cent. is on display today in the state museum of Georgia in Tbilisi. (Bradt)
- From 'the Book of Zechariah': 6. Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses [or 'grizzled and bay horses'] - strong steeds. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel answered and said unto me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.”
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=_106IfO6Kc0
- As to that Armenian inscription, recall that a monastery had been founded here in the mid-7th cent. by an 'exiled' [LP] Armenian bishop before it was rebuilt several times by Georgians. Could my friend have found an Armenian inscription that's older than the several other Georgian inscriptions? Was the first (Armenian) church entirely replaced by the Georgians, or have elements survived such as the arcaded apse, "modelled after the church at Bana", which in turn is similar to ancient Zvartnots (see my next photo. The best evidence suggests that the famous Bana church was Armenian. I suspect the said apse at Ishan and its columns date from Nerses III Ishkhanetsi's 7th cent. Armenian church.) Did Ishkhani / Ishkhan serve both local Georgian and Armenian communities? That would be consistent, if so, with the placement in 1006 of a bilingual inscription above the entrance to the chapel. "Alongside the row of the church fathers, on the north and south walls of the bema, a medallion was depicted above the arches leading from the chancel apse to the sides; ... The medallion had an 8-line asomtavruli inscription on the right. ... [Another] medallion on the north wall had long been lost (Ek’vt’ime T’aq’aishvili presumed the presence of the image of Queen Akhshen of Armenia here); a 7-line Armenian inscription was depicted on the left of this medallion." arthistory.tsu.ge/murals/painting/ishkhani-murals-of-the-...
- It was a 7 km.-long slog up a steep, twisty road from the D060 to the green mountain oasis of İşhan (Turkish) or Ishkhani (Armenian) or Ishkhan (Georgian), with no traffic. But views of the almost barren, steeply eroded mtn.s to the south, east and west in the early evening light were compensation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_pJ5AuGHnI The road passed a cemetery near the top. The RG writes that that "road up, not recommended for those suffering from vertigo, weaves a lonely course through a heavily eroded, lifeless moonscape, which makes it all the more surprising when you arrive at the church and its surrounding apple, mulberry, and walnut groves. This is charming İşhan village, which despite its beauty seems to be in near-terminal decline. Since the 1980s, when its school had over 130 students, that number has dwindled to 11." (RG, 2013 edition) www.google.com/maps/place/Ishkhani/@40.7855434,41.7304097...
- On my arrival in the village, I headed for the church, explored it some, took some photos, said Wow, and then, somewhere, spoke with a group of young local guys and either one kindly offered to put me up for the night or I made the request with an offer to pay and he kindly accepted. I slept the night in a spartan room in a separate building near his house but on his property. I said my thank yous the next morning and headed back to the church to explore it further and take photos in the morning light. Again, this was my favourite of the churches I toured in Turkey o/s Istanbul. It's exotic, unusual, ancient but well-preserved, immense, and the most spectacularly-situated temple that I can recall touring. It was bright but cool with plenty of shade (see the trees here), and that wonderful blue and silver dome-ceiling fresco, in particular the 4 chariots, is a treasure.
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=Haij8ALJppc
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaXgXlxQU2Y
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOT26lCqUiU
- The Rough Guide has a good write-up re this ancient Georgian kingdom.:
"Georgians have lived in the valleys of the Coruh, Tortum, Kura and Berta rivers, now in NE Turkey, since the Bronze Age. Like the neighbouring Armenians, they were among the first Near Eastern nations [is the Caucasus in the Near East?] to be evangelized, and were converted rapidly to Christianity by St. Nino of Cappadocia in the mid-4th cent. Unlike the Armenians, they never broke with the Orthodox Patriarchate in Constantinople, and maintained good relations with Byzantium.
- An effective Georgian state only entered the local stage in the 9th cent., under the auspices of the Bagratid dynasty. This clan contributed rulers to both the Georgian and Armenian lines, hence the partial overlap in the medieval history of the 2 kingdoms. They claimed direct descent from David and Bathsheba, which explains a preponderance of kings named David, a coat of arms laden with Old Testament symbols, and curiously Judaic stars of David embossed on many of their churches.
- Ashot I Kuropalates began the first stages of territorial expansion and of the construction of churches in the area, under the guidance of the monk Gregory Khantzeli [or of Khandzta]. Ashot's descendants included David 'the Great' Magistros of Oltu, as well as Bagrat III, who in 1008 succeeded in unifying the various Georgian principalities into one kingdom. The Selcuks arrived in 1064, ravaging Georgia and all of eastern Anatolia, but as soon as they turned to confront the Crusaders a Bagratid revival began. David the Restorer managed to expel the Selcuks by 1125, moved the Bagratid court to newly captured Tbilisi, then reunited the various feuding principalities ruled by minor Bagratid warlords.
- Under the rule of David's great grandfather Tamara, medieval Georgia acquired its greatest extent and prestige, controlling most of modern Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the ancestral Georgian valleys. A formidable military strategist and shrewd diplomat, the queen displayed a humanity and tolerance unusual for the era. [Some in Iran might dispute this. The Georgians under Tamara massaced Muslims in Ardabil and in the NW, although in revenge for the preceding, infamous Selcuk Turkish massacre of Armenians and Georgians at Ani.] Many churches and monasteries were repaired or re-endowed under Tamara; despite being a woman and a non-Muslim, her name still elicits respect from local Turks. (This Turkish vlogger refers to her with respect on a tour of the former Georgian church at Parkhali in this vlog: www.youtube.com/watch?v=85gsyuMr5UU and refers to the church in the caption as 'Queen Tamara's treasure.' But the construction of that church predates Tamara's reign [1184-1213] by > 200 yrs.)
- Following the death of Tamara, the Georgian kingdom began a slow but steady decline, effectively partitioned /b/ the Ottoman and Persian empires. The rise of Imperial Russia signaled the end of any viable Georgian state, and the last semi-independent king effectively surrendered to Catherine the Great in 1783.
- These early Bagratid monastic churches all date from before the move NE to the Caucusus proper, and most are sited amidst oases at the heads of remote valleys. The Georgians borrowed many of the architectural features of Armenian churches. It takes a trained eye to distinguish the two styles, although generally the Georgians rarely attempted the rotundas or multi-lobed domed squares beloved of the Armenians.
- Almost all of these churches have suffered damage from dynamite and pick-axe wielding treasure hunters, as the locals have an unshakeable conviction that all the Christians who left the are in 1923 secreted precious items in or under their churches in the mistaken belief that they'd eventually be able to return." (All RG, 2013)
- The following is from an article written by Irene Giviashvili www.atinati.com/news/6388a71b7103640043fa3670 (I'll have to splice it into the RG 's write-up above sometime to reduce any repetition.)
- "Tao-Klarjeti is a general name coined in the academic language of the 19th cent. to define medieval Georgian heritage, movable and immovable, related to the “Georgian Kingdom” or the “Kingdom of Kartvelians”. Their Kingdom included the provinces of Erusheti, Artaani, Samtskhe, Shavsheti, Tao, Kola, and Klarjeti, which primarily comprised the basin of the River Chorokhi (Çoruh) and the headwaters of the River Mtkvari (Kura). Today it corresponds to the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan, and partially Kars in NE Turkiye. The Kingdom was split into two branches: the Klarjeti and the Tao, thus gaining the name the “Tao-Klarjeti Kingdom”. The millennial reign of the Bagrationi dynasty began in this region, but its history dates back to the very roots of the Georgian nation. The Georgian Chronicles provide a list of the oldest Georgian cities established by Kartlos, the mythical founder of the nation, and his descendants. Among the most ancient are the major cities of the region: the fortified city of Tukharisi in Klarjeti, Tsunda, and Artaani in Javakheti. Tao-Klarjeti played a much more important role in the history of Georgia than merely as another province. This is where the idea of a United Georgian state was born and executed, long before the first united army of the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Iberia and Colchis (western Georgia) was formed. The 11th-cent. chronicler Leonti Mroveli recounts how in the 3rd cent. BC, King Parnavaz of Iberia resolved to confront the Eastern Roman Empire. He was joined in this campaign by the Colchians and Ossetians, and the site of the battle was a place named Huri (the city of demons), which at that time had already been abandoned. The rock-cut complex near the modern Altas (an old Huri, Ardahan) still bears the name “Nakalakoi” ('abandoned city' in Georgian), and most likely witnessed this story. The first church for the newly-Christianized Iberia was built here in the village of Erusheti, in Artaani, by Byzantine masons traveling to Mtskheta. When the newly converted Iberian King Mirian sent a mission to Constantinople, Constantine rewarded the Georgian King with holy relics and sent masons to build churches. The first episcopates were formed here in Klarjeti at Ahiza and Mere, followed by the first monastery at Opiza, all of which were established during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 5th cent.
- During the era of Arab domination in eastern Georgia, which began in @ 640, Erismtavari Ashot Bagrationi (786 - 826) left Tbilisi and moved to the periphery, to the SW provinces of the country that bordered Byzantium. Accordingly, at the end of the 9th cent., a new principality was founded with its royal residence in Artanuji (Ardanuç, Turkiye). The area’s topography, featuring high plateaus and deep canyons, offered fertile farmland and easily defensible positions. Surrounded by the Islamic World while sharing a border with the Byzantine Empire, the Bagrationi Kings played a crucial role in changing the political and cultural landscape of the region.
- The Georgians of Tao-Klarjeti brought monasticism to a new level, particularly through the activities of Father Grigol Khantsteli (Gregory of Khantsta), who established new monasteries and restored old ones. These produced books, the finest masterpieces of metalwork, and were rich in icons and liturgical objects. The Georgian Chronicles state that “Klarjeti was protected by a rocky environment,” and it appears that such a location provided not only physical, but also spiritual tranquility for its inhabitants. In the mid-10th cent., leadership was taken up by the Tao branch of the Kingdom. King David III reigned with spectacular success from 958 to 1001, dramatically altering Georgian history with his diplomatic, military, political, economic, educational, and cultural achievements. The monasteries that were founded or redeveloped during his reign (Khakhuli, Oshki, Otkhta Eklesia and Parkhali) came to define the very borders of the Kingdom.
- Located at a geographical and cultural crossroads, and also owing to the political, religious, and cultural ideology of the Georgians of Tao-Klarjeti, the country became an integral part of and an active player in the regional changes that were occurring in the Caucasus and Anatolia. The religious centers in Tao-Klarjeti became points of transmission for cultural exchanges among Christian centers, as well as between the Christian and Islamic Worlds. At the same time, the fortifications that created a kind of grid of massive fortresses and small watchtowers served as a powerful barrier against political expansion.
- The importance of Tao-Klarjeti declined once the center of the united Georgian Kingdom moved first to Kutaisi (ca. 1000), and finally to Tbilisi (1122), although its cultural impact was diffused around the rest of Georgia. The historic Georgian provinces of Tao-Klarjeti were taken first by Ottoman Turkey in the 16th century, and ultimately by the Turkish Republic according to the Kars treaty of 1923.
- Evidence of the cultural and political importance of the area is seen in the ruins of more than a hundred churches, chapels, bridges, and fortifications.
● The preserved architectural monuments date from the 9-11th cc. There is a wide variety of architectural plans and their rendering. These include cross-domed churches, circular buildings, basilicas, and hall churches – modest in size but greatest in number.
● Almost all the churches were constructed with stones and mortar; there are very few examples of the use of brick.
● The use of stone made the development of sculpture possible, and the churches are richly decorated with geometric, floral ornamentations, and figurative reliefs.
● Inscriptions were applied liberally, giving accounts of the building processes as well as naming the donors and royal patrons; the masons’ initials are a common feature too.
● Most of the grand churches are part of monastic complexes that also include several small churches and chapels, large refectories, and various other monastic buildings.
● Almost all the larger churches have special spaces reserved for royalty and bishops.
● Most of the monuments have been preserved in their authentic original state. Only a few have undergone minor alterations."
- Caucasian history is a soup of tangled webs which comes through in this article in 'Caucusus Plus' reviewing Georgian heritage and history in northern modern Armenia.: kavkazplus.com/en/news.php?id=16049#.ZFZYraDMLrc Here's another from the same site: "Does Georgia persist because of the Armenians?", a rebuttal to a claim made by an Armenian TV presenter.: kavkazplus.com/en/news.php?id=11050#.ZFZ7DqDMLrc (That kavkazplus.com site has some surprisingly anti-Armenian articles. Some are a bit edgy and strange. I hesitate to include these links to those articles, which I'll review again later.) And here's an article from 2011 re a week-long visit to Georgia by "[Armenian] Catholicos Garegin II, which the [Apostolic] church hopes will help resolve disputes with the Georgian government and Georgian Orthodox Church over the country's Armenian religious heritage." www.rferl.org/a/armenia_church_leader_on_landmark_visit_t...
- Sufficiently sufficed with my tourism at İşhan/Ishkhan that morning, I took a long, pensive walk back down those 7 vertiginous km.s to the D060 with time for cogitation. Turning left, I then hiked further east through more of the best scenery I'd seen and would see that whole trip. (I took a photo towards the east down that road /b/ soaring canyon walls that I'll upload sometime.) My destination was the city of Kars ("one of the ancient Armenian capitals, after Artashat, Tigranakert, Vagharshapat and Dvin"). I followed the D060 alongside the Oltu stream east to the village of Coşkunlar where both the hwy. and the stream turn right (south), and then down to the T-junction with the D955 passing 2 ruined kales just east of the rd. not far north of that junction, Erkek kalesi (Mens' castle) www.castles.nl/erkek-castle and Kizkalesi (Girls' castle, not to be confused with the famous Crusader castle of the same name in the Mediterranean), only @ 300 m.s apart north to south, forming a defensive system in a valley where two rivers meet. Of the 2, Kizkalesi is the more dramatically sited, with an upper castle perched on a rocky ridge below a lower castle, "an eerie site, in keeping with the surreal landscape, where craggy gorges alternate with reddish bluffs (Bradt)," and was a miss. (It was right by the road.) I recall neither. (?)
- The city of Oltu was 15-20 clicks off route (detouring SW down the D955), 30-40 there and back, but it's home to the huge, well-preserved Oltu kalesi (the inner bailey really). Built by the Urartians @ 1,000 B.C., it "was of some importance in the Roman and Byzantine periods, and was occupied by Selcuks and Genoese colonists before falling to the Ottomans in the 16th cent" (LP) who would use it as a caravanserai. There's also an impressive Russian Orthodox church (1885-'90) on the other side of town which was a defunct fixer-upper in 2000, and now has a new steeple and a golden dome at the back end that looks just like a Gellhorn pessary. That church was built in part with early medieval masonry cannibalized from the awesome Bana cathedral (see the next photo), partially blown up by the Russians in the Russian-Turkish war. The city's best-known for the 'black amber' or jet mined nearby for prayer beads, etc. So that town might've been a miss.
- Living the good life directly beneath Oltu kalesi: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsZ-3uCLctw .
- I then turned to head east again on the D060 (the D955 becomes the D060 at that junction) and caught a lift soon enough on a long-distance coach heading to Kars. (It's a rare event when a coach driver will stop for a hitch-hiker; the hitching in Eastern Turkey was that good, offsetting the lack of traffic.) I was heading to Kars in style when only 15 clicks or less further east I caught sight of an impressive round ruined construction not too far north of the road (@ 700 m.s) and had to apologize and ask the driver to stop again. It was a lucky thing, for that round pile was the impressive and architecturally influential Bana or Banak cathedral (Georgian Orthodox, originally Armenian Apostolic, 7th cent., reconstructed or renovated in the late 9th to early 10th). www.google.com/maps/place/Bana+Cathedral/@40.6676853,42.2... (See the next photo.)
A group of actors who have experienced trauma because of ongoing violence in South Sudan are using their dramatic skills to explain the role of the United Nations Mission in the country to other internally displaced people living in protected sites.
The Bomduong Kon Drama Group is made up of residents from the UN protection site in Juba. They recently performed at an awareness-raising workshop organized by UNMISS, keeping the audience informed, entertained, and erupting in laughter during in a short skit carrying important messages about the organization’s mandate to protect civilians and build durable peace.
“We came together as a group and put forward ideas on how best the community can understand the UNMISS mandate in a simple way. We wanted them to understand what UNMISS is really doing in South Sudan,” said Char James Kim, the director of the drama group.
“To convince a human brain is not easy; you have to convince them inside the heart and the mind and to make that easy they should see something live, they should see it from a local person living with them,” said Char James Kim.
“This is why we chose to do a play, to make it easy for a child and the elderly to fully understand the UN mandate.”
The workshop was run by UNMISS’ Communication and Public Information Section. The Mission’s Head of Outreach, Hiroyuki Saito, said that it was very important for residents of the UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites to better understand all aspects of the organization’s work.
“We wanted to explain what is really going on at the POC sites, concretely, so that there is no misunderstanding between UNMISS and the people who live here,” said Hiroyuki Saito.
There were also presentations at the workshop by UNMISS’ Gender Unit on the serious problem of gender-based violence, the role of UN Police and Force Protection within the sites.
There are currently over 38,000 civilians living in the UN protection sites in Juba.
Photo: UNMISS / Amanda Voisard
The Romans explained the origin of their city through the myth of Romulus and Remus. According to Roman mythology, the twins were thrown into the river Tiber in Italy. Rescued by a she-wolf who nursed them, were created later by a couple of pastors. Adults return to town of Alba Longa and gain land to found a new city for Rome
hello! its been forever and i can explain my absence because although i have been wearing excellent outfits, my new school schedule doesn't permit me the time to document them! i have fridays off, however, so here i am!
visiting with a few friends and running general errands. hopefully you'll see me back again soon!
navy sheer-ish top: gap on super sale
vintage plaid wool ralph lauren shorts: salvation army
black opaque tights: gap
red loafer-ish flats: salvation army
necklace with gold pharaoh head pendant: consignment shop in poughkeepsie
via Facebook ift.tt/2guyk3C I've been trying to explain this to you for years. The simple wisdom of the nyc slice. #nyc
"ESP Explained" I started with a drawing I found in a 1930s "How to Draw" booklet. Using grids, I re-drew the figure to size onto illustration board. I framed it with ink inside a black ink frame, adding the inked ESP arrows and boxes representing sending & receiving. I used a goache to shade the cityscape gray. I used a "blower brush" with ink to create the coarse black texture inside the framed image. Yes, I used frisking paper to cover the figure. The two radiating boxes were hand drawn with ink. Digital colors and impossible shading were added last.
yet another leg picture...im thinking if i get enough i just make a huge leg collage
explaination: i had to paint my legs for a campfire, i was a red train
She said: she can't fall down ..she can open her arms
... "I have fun with him" she said... From the top.. she can see the birds..
SASEBO, Japan (April 19, 2018) - Capt. Tom Shultz, commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20), explains well deck operations to members of the Japanese Ministry of Defense Joint Staff College (JSC) during a tour of Green Bay, April 19, 2019. Green Bay, part of Commander Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11, is operating in the region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a lethal ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anaid Banuelos Rodriguez) 190419-N-DX072-1044
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Photo citation: Jana Moreno, 2020. Video courtesy of FracTracker Alliance.
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Over winter break my family and I visited one of the most amazing states in the country, Hawaii. As we toured around the island of O’ahu we came across a crater known as Hanauma Bay. The tour guide, “Cousin Paul”, explained to us that this beautiful place was covered in coral reefs, thus making it one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island. With three million tourists visiting the bay per year and the use of dynamite in 1956 to clear portions of the reef for telephone poles, it is beginning to deteriorate. Due to suffering from much overuse and abuse, tourists looking to snorkel around the reef are given rules and regulations that they must follow in order to help preserve it. “Cousin Paul” told us that many tourists don’t follow the rules and pointed to snorkelers who were standing on the reef and trying to touch different organisms.
In the movie “Home” it is mentioned that, “corals are born from the marriage of algae and shells. Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but they provide a habitat for thousands of species of fish, mollusks, and algae. The equilibrium of every ocean depends on it.” Coral reefs are also mentioned in chapter 12 of the textbook Essential Environment not only for showing biodiversity but also as a shoreline protector and a photosynthesis performer. It goes into detail about how important coral reefs are for the environment and how they are experiencing an alarming decline worldwide mainly through “coral bleaching”, partially due to ultraviolet radiation, and “ocean acidification”. Delicate reefs require lots of light and oxygen along with clear water, low nutrients, and a stable salt content. Unfortunately, due to all these needs, human activities such as deforestation, fishing, pollution, careless recreation and nutrient runoff.
With deforestation, rainwater runs off into the ocean carrying various natural elements and different kinds of toxins that adds to the sediment forming in the ocean. Fertilizer runs off into the water bringing more nutrients into the ocean. The fertilizer increases the growth of certain plants due to high levels of nitrogen. The plants that grow with the high levels of nitrogen cause a reduction of diversity. This can lead to algal blooms that can smother parts of coral reefs. Algae block the sunlight required for the coral to complete photosynthesis. This problem is occurring in the Caribbean, Florida Keys, Thailand, and Australia. The coral reefs of Hawaii have not seen this problem yet, but if they aren’t in human’s minds during particular activities the reefs will bare more destruction.
An African Oradour...
Barlonyo (also Bar Lonyo, meaning "field of wealth" in Luo) is a village in northern Uganda near Lira town. Here follows the text of the remembrance book for the massacre of 2014, made by residents themselves.
The survivors perform regularly an re-enactment of what happened in their village. The pictures were made in November 2016, at the same time while the International Criminal Court (ICC) was starting the trials of the main suspect of the massacre, former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen.
THIS MEMORY BOOK IS BASED ON DOCUMENTATIONS OF THE MASSACRE CONDUCTED BY THE JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION PROJECT (JRP), IN ADDITION TO FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS HELD BY COLLABORATIVE TRANSITIONS AFRICA (CTA).
CTA CONTRIBUTES TO BUILDING LASTING PEACE AFTER VIOLENT CONFLICT IN AFRICA BY AIDING INNOVATIVE, LOCAL, INITIATIVES AND IDEAS OF SURVIVORS TO HELP THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES COPE AND RECOVER.
FOR ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS, PLEASE SEE CTA WEBSITE WWW.CTAFRICA.ORG
Barlonyo martyr village
Before the War
Since 1986, a civil war has taken place between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Before the war the Langi people of Lira district and the people of Barlonyo made a living by farming and taking care of the livestock.
Barlonyo means “place of wealth”; a piece of land where people can be wealthy with hard work. Previously, life around Barlonyo was characterized by hunting, fishing, traditional dances and storytelling, and the cultivation of crops, small businesses and cattle rearing,
The civil war lead to the creation of displacement camps in Lira and disrupted their way of life.
After a government offensive called “Operation Iron Fist” in late 2002, Lira district became even more insecure. The LRA began attacking civilians in Lira district and as a result, nearby civilians in Lira voluntarily created Barlonyo camp between September and November 2002. Barlonyo is 26 km north of Lira town and sits next to the River Moroto.
In the afternoon of 21 February 2004, over 300 people were murdered in less than three hours and thousands were displaced to neighbouring camps.
This book is to remember and honour the lives of those who were killed and affected by the massacre. It is also meant to recognize how Barlonyo has moved forward after the massacre, and to memorialize their story so the next generation in Barlonyo does not allow such an atrocity to happen again.
Timeline of massacre events:
Times are approximated based on eye-witness testimony
5:00 pm
300 LRA gather in the fields outside of Barlonyo to receive attack instructions from Okot Odhiambo. According to one soldier who participated in the raid, Odhiambo told the LRA soldiers: “I have received order from the high command of the LRA. You are to kill every living Thing. Kill the old people, kill the adults, kill the government soldiers, and abduct all the young children and boys.”
Several civilians spot the rebels and try to alert the camp. The LRA becomes suspicious of the civilians who had run Back to the camp and they started to shoot in their direction. The rebels fired an RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) toward the detach. At this time one person is shot.
5:30 pm
The LRA, headed by 7 fighters, splits into 3 groups. One group attacks the militia detach and sets it on fire. 28 soldiers and some of the family members were in the barracks and all were killed in the attack. The groupe attacking the detach then continues on the main camp.
The camp residents did not realize that the detach was being attacked and were doing activities such as bathing, cooking, drinking and playing cards when the LRA arrived. The other two groups surrounded the main camp and begin massacring civilians and abducting others. There were over 300 LRA rebels with 100 guns, a bomb, two J2s, Ak-47 and clubs and sticks. A small gap of fighters on the western side of the camp allows some civilians, Amuka and LDU to escape. Some hide in the bushes and others run to Ogur.
7:30 pm
After the massacre was over Odhiambo blew his whistle, gathered the rebels under a tree, and tied all of the new abductees to the tree. At least 24 people were kidnapped and taken to carry looted goods or serve in the rank and file of the LRA. They marched their captives, most laden with heavy food stuffs and luggage to the river Moroto (3 km away).
8:30 pm
Several people struggled to cross the deep river and were punished for their caution. One woman spilled millet as she stumbled, and was promptly chopped to death with a panga. Twenty people were killed by the LRA at the River Moroto by smashing their heads and stabbing them with bayonets. The group carries on into Okwang.
By the end of the massacre over 300 residents of Barlonyo were shot, mutilated with pangas, beaten to death with sticks or pierced with bayonets. Many others were burned to death after following instructions to enter their homes. Those who tried to escape were killed. No one was spared and after only three hours, the LRA retreated from the camp.
Remembering the dead:
There is a cement mass grave and memorial statue commemorating the massacre of Barlonyo camp. As seen above, the official government record claims that only 121 were massacred at Barlonyo even though the death toll was over 300 people according to community members and the camp commanders list. The actual number can never be known, as many lost were young children or left no one to account for them.
Every year a prayer ceremony takes place on 21 February to remember the massacre. Representatives from the government attend and the entire community comes together to pray for the massacre victims: “The prayer ceremonies are good because people from other places come together. It makes them know people love them, council them, it makes them normal.”
Some survivors hold on to some of the possessions of los friends and family members as a way of remembering them. For those who did not have their hut burned down, objects such as ID cards, cooking pots, and clothing are a way to remember their lost loved ones.
A group of Barlonyo community members performs dramatic performances about the massacre to both visitors and the people of Barlonyo. The performances are done by a local youth group as a way of bringing people together and coping with the massacre. “It makes them remember what happened here. It helps them with their trauma… It’s not just for the sake of playing but bringing people together.”
As the Barlonyo community moves on after the massacre, men and women are worried about poverty, hunger and sickness in their daily lives. One Barlonyo resident said: “We ne3ed institutions at Barlonyo to remember. Hospitals, security, education, better memorials.”
Not only can institutions serve as a memorial to the massacre, but they can help the Barlonyo community recover from their experiences and flourish in the aftermath of the civil war. The needs described on the next page were based on a series of conversations with the people of Barlonyo.
. Boreholes – we need more water, the stream is dirty
.Children with disabilities needs to be able to go to school
. A better health centre
. “Churches, schools, youth centres”
. Support for the EVI’s remaining in Barlonyo
.Sensitization centers/programs
.Agriculture projects that increase productivity
. “Repair the roads”
.Income generations activities
.Graves were not cemented properly
.We need a fence to protect the memorials
.”A child cannot afford the cost of books.”
.Compensation for the killed should come from the government
.”NGOs and the government should supply these things.”
Today the people of Barlonyo are returning to their ancestral homes. They focus on cultivating their gardens, providing for their families, and educating their children.
Without fulfilling community need, like provision of hospitals and schools, the community will continue to face many challenges. “We want our children to know the impact of the massacre.”
“It is important to remember the past while also looking towards prospects for the future. The Barlonyo community needs to remember their past while having the opportunity top provide for the next generation of Barlonyo. The task before Barlonyo today is to thrive in the villages while giving respect to the loved ones they have lost. Many people explained the importance of memory to them as a way for the children to know their ancestors, as well as a lesson so that a tragedy like Barlonyo never happens again.
It is becoming so that they cannot remember really… We need to remember the massacre and to give it to our children so that they can remember our beloved ancestors.
It is with this spirit of remembrance alongside the need to move forward that characterizes Barlonyo and the aftermath of the massacre today.”
Survivors of the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency in Lira District have appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold part of the trials of former Joseph Kony's LRA commander Dominic Ongwen at Barlonyo site where the rebels reportedly massacred 300 people in 2004