A red sky at night, a shepherds delight as the proverb says.

Just messing around with textures

 

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© Copyright 2013 Philip Hunter, All Rights Reserved.

 

You do NOT have the right to copy, reproduced, download, or exploit any of my images without my permission.

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www.vividvista.co.uk

Véhicule : HEULIEZ BUS GX 327 GNV

Identification : 2714 (BM-839-NL)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

Dépôt : Dépôt de Bastide-Niel

 

Réseau : TBM (Bordeaux Métropole)

Ligne : Citeis 45

Voiture : 4505

Destination : BOULIAC Centre Commercial

 

Suite à des travaux Rue Raymond Lavigne, la Citeis 45 était déviée par l'Allée Jean Giono. Cet itinéraire deviendra définitif, avec la création d'un nouvel arrêt ("Nuyens") en remplacement de celui de l'autre rue ("Sabarots").

 

16/09/2019 15:35

Allée Jean Giono ; F-33 BORDEAUX

Exploitant : STIVO

Réseau : STIVO

Ligne : 34

Lieu : Croix Saint-Jacques (Jouy-le-Moutier, F-95)

Lien TC Infos : tc-infos.fr/vehicule/8349

Exploitant : CAB Solution

Réseau : Navette Substitution SNCF Île-de-France

Ligne : Navette Transilien J

Lieu : Gare d'Argenteuil (Argenteuil, F-95)

Lien TC Infos : tc-infos.fr/id/36803

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 12 GNV

Identification : 10175 (CC-466-HZ)

Exploitant : Keolis Lille

Unité : Wattrelos

 

Réseau : TRANSPOLE (Métropole Européenne de Lille)

Ligne : n.c.

Voiture : n.c.

Destination : n.c.

 

11/11/2017 14:37

Place Victor Hassebroucq ; F-59 TOURCOING

This is a shell that I borrowed from my sister to exploit. Because the shell was so thin I wanted to backlight it and bring out its translucent qualities.

 

Lighting stuff: I placed the shell on a mirror because I wanted the added dimension that the reflection provides. Back lighting was done with a YN560 in a Rogue grid behind and to camera right. The main light was a YN560-III in a 24 inch softbox in front and at camera left pointing towards the center of the shell. Both strobes in manual mode were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N.

 

I find sea shells to be beautiful objects from nature, and have photographed quite a few of them over the years. Other shells that I have photographed are in my creatively named Shells album. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157626043932290

The Imperial Hotel, a striking two storey brick hotel in the main Street of Ravenswood, is one of a handful of buildings which survive from this once important mining town. Constructed in 1901 for James Delaney and run by members of this family for most of the twentieth century, it is evidence of Ravenswood's prosperity during its boom period.

 

The discovery of several important goldfields in Queensland in the nineteenth century formed a major component in the development of the North.. The need to access and exploit gold finds determined the path of railways, the establishment of related industries and commerce and the location of settlements. Some of these were short lived 'rushes', where tent and shanty townships disappeared almost as quickly as they rose. Other settlements based on goldfields became established towns with government and civic buildings, shops and family homes and survived as such. A few became important centres, only to fade away as gold yields fell. Ravenswood was one of these.

 

The area was first settled by Europeans following the establishment of Bowen in 1861. Pastoral runs were soon set up in the hinterland, including the area on which the Ravenswood field was to develop. Gold had been found in north Queensland at Star River in 1865 and this triggered further exploration. Gold was found at Merri Merriwa, the run on which the town of Ravenswood stands, in 1867, although it was reported as being on the adjoining property of Ravenswood, the name by which the field was always known. The first claim made was the 'Perseverance', later to be known as the 'Donnybrook' mine. This has a connection with the Imperial since the success of the mine is said to have provided James Delaney with the capital with which to build the hotel.

 

Much of the gold initially found was in a triangle in and around three dry creeks which soon formed the focus for a tent and shanty settlement. Ravenswood gold was in reefs and a small battery was first set up in 1869, followed by the Lady Marian Mill in 1870. The settlement was also surveyed at this time, but by then the goldfield itself and the buildings and streets already established had shaped the town and the survey merely formalised what was already in place. This can still be seen clearly in the irregularity of the major streets. Ravenswood was gazetted as a town in 1871 and at this time it had 30 hotels and a population of about 1000.

 

It was also beginning to have problems as gold at deeper levels proved to be finely distributed in ore containing other minerals and was difficult to separate either by mechanical or chemical means. This required greater capital to fund various technologies for extraction. Many miners left for other fields, such as Charters Towers, discovered in 1871 and which quickly overtook Ravenswood as a gold producer and as the most important inland North Queensland town. Despite this, Ravenswood continued to prosper due to a steady, though reduced, production of gold, the discovery of silver at nearby Totley in 1878 and as a commercial centre. Shanties were replaced by sawn timber buildings and as single miners left, more families moved in. The stability of the town was assisted by linking of Ravenswood to the Townsville/Charters Towers railway line in 1884. In this year the Ravenswood Gold Company was formed and experimented with better means to process local ore. In 1899 the New Ravenswood Company was formed by A.L. Wilson who raised overseas capital, reopened old mines and used modern methods to rework tailings more efficiently. The shareholders recouped their investment in the first two years and this drew world-wide interest. It was the beginning of Ravenswood's most prosperous period.

 

In 1900 James Delaney applied for a licence for a new 18 bedroom hotel. He had been the licensee of the Commercial Hotel since 1896 when he married Anne Browne, possibly a connection of the owner of the town's most prominent hostelry, Browne's Ravenswood Hotel. The site purchased by Delaney was separated from Browne's by only 2 shops and he opened his splendid two storey Imperial Hotel in early 1901. On the night of the 18 April, 1901, the Imperial burned to the ground taking with it the whole block of buildings, with the exception of Browne's hotel, which had been protected by a brick wall. The damage was estimated at £20,000. The wall had possibly been erected as a firewall as both the Ravenswood Hotel and the shops Browne owned alongside it were timber, as were virtually all of the buildings in Ravenswood. Closely built timber structures and the lack of an adequate water supply for fire fighting made it possible for fires to race along a block until reaching a gap which acted as a fire break, a fact underlined by a similar fire on the opposite side of the street only three months later. The owners agreed to use the same architect, Eaton, Bates and Polin, to redesign the whole block and tenders were called in early May 1901. The shops between the Ravenswood and the Imperial were replaced by 'Browne's Buildings', Trehearn built a new shop for his former tenant, James Tait & Co. and the bakery and Commercial Hotel, both owned by the Estate of Michael Franzman, were replaced by 3 shops.

 

Ravenswood had produced bricks since its early years and a team of bricklayers is thought to have already been on the field, brought in by A.L. Wilson to rebuild mining structures such as chimneys. It is said that bricks were brought in from Townsville, but these may have been the cream face bricks applied in bands as a feature of the new buildings and seen to striking effect on the Imperial, which became the centrepiece of two rows of handsome shops.

 

Delaney died in July 1902 but had already made the hotel over the his wife in 1901. The Delaney's had four daughters, Mary Ellen (1896), Kathleen (1898), Teresa (1899) and Johanna (1901) who at the time of his death were aged between six years and eleven months. In the early years Mrs Delaney appears to have employed a manager, but in 1906 took over the management herself, pending a proposed transfer of the license. In the event, she continued to run the hotel, assisted by her daughters as they grew up.

 

The population of Ravenswood peaked in 1903 at 4700 but after 1908 the town began to decline. As time went by the cost of extraction grew as returns lessened and Wilson lost money searching for 'mother' lodes at deep levels and began to lay off miners. A strike in 1912 dragged out for eight months causing hardship and although judgement eventually favoured the miners, Wilson could no longer afford to employ many of them. The decline of the Ravenswood mines continued with the outbreak of war in 1914 increasing costs and disruptions to the labour supply. Buildings began to be sold for removal and in 1916 rail services were cut. In 1917 the New Ravenswood Company closed.

 

In the 1920s most of the buildings in Ravenswood were moved away, but the Imperial, being a brick building, could not be moved and continued to trade. Ravenswood Shire ceased to exist in 1929 and was absorbed into Dalrymple Shire. In 1930 Ravenswood became the first Queensland town to lose its railway connection. A small revival occurred during the 1930s and a shaft was sunk next to the hotel, but most gold was gained by applying more modern extraction processes to known sites. This did not make much difference to the life of the town and by the 1960s it had reached its lowest ebb with a population of about 70. At this point, tourists began to take an interest in the town, studies were made of the buildings and work began to conserve them. In the 1980s the whole town was listed by the Australian Heritage Commission and the National Trust of Queensland. In 1987 Carpentaria Gold Ltd opened a new open cut mine using modern heap leaching processes.

 

Throughout the difficult times in Ravenswood, the hotel continued to trade. Anne Delaney died in 1968 and the hotel was then run by Teresa (Tessa) who died in 1980 and Jo who died in 1989. The hotel then passed to Mary (Maisie), the only married daughter, and her three daughters, Kathleen having died early. In 1994 it was sold to local owners and still operates as a hotel. Ravenswood's two hotels have helped to maintain an economic life in the town and continue to offer accommodation and recreational facilities.

 

The buildings which flanked the hotel have been demolished, the last bay of Browne's Buildings within recent years, so the hotel now stands alone. The new owners have redecorated some of the bedrooms on the first floor and have removed some of the dining room furniture into storage to create a pool room at the front of the hotel.

 

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

Exploits River Grand Falls Windsor,NL

The legendary exploits of the huntsman are forever enshrined in his memory.

 

Entry to the CCCX contest for the Medieval Architectural Detail category.

 

More detailed pictures available here.

  

Exploitant : Alcis Groupe

Réseau : Tarnbus

Lieu : Paradisier (Saint-Pierre-la-Mer, F-11)

Lien TC Infos : tc-infos.fr/id/30645

Rosia Poieni

Exploitant : Keolis Argenteuil Boucles de Seine

Réseau : IDF Mobilités – Argenteuil – Boucles de Seine

Lieu : Gare de Sartrouville (Sartrouville, F-78)

Lien TC Infos : tc-infos.fr/vehicule/35132

Robinson’s Shaft came to prominence around 1900-8, when it became the principal shaft of the South Crofty mine. However, it crops up on a plan from 1833 so it took nearly 70 years for it to take centre stage.

 

The turning point came in 1900, when they had to deepen the shaft to exploit the tin deposits in that part of the South Crofty mine. This involved a series of colossal engineering feats. The first of which was the construction of a winding engine, finished by 1901. Next came the installation of a pumping engine, which started in 1903. They then began the usual act of building the engine house and engine in tandem. By 1908, they’d completed the pumping engine, which allowed the shaft to be sunk to 205 fathoms. By 1910, they could mine to 238 fathoms, that’s 1428 feet or 435 metres - higher than Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall.

 

With the pumping-engine in place, the rest of the development around the shaft proceeded over the following 3-4 years. The layout was dictated by the way the different functions served the shaft, so what might appear to be a random cluster was in fact a highly organised working entity. The other early development at the shaft was the introduction of electric power, which astonishingly, seems to have taken place as early as 1910-11.

 

By 1967 the South Crofty mine had been reconfigured, so that the shaft at Robinson’s was used for lifting men and equipment, whilst ore was lifted at the nearby new Cook’s Shaft. The result of the changes of the 50s and 60s is that the site as seen today is essentially the product of two phases: its original development in 1900-11, when it became the major shaft in the South Crofty complex with all the typical functions of a tin mining site, and its modernisation in 1955-65 when it was adapted to play a subsidiary role in that complex.

 

The pumping engine at Robinson’s Shaft is a gloriously well-preserved example of a Cornish engine. It worked at this site between 1903 and 1955.

 

The engine was designed by Captain Samuel Grose, a pupil of Richard Trevithick, and was built by Sandys Vivian and Co. at the Copperhouse Foundry, one of the two major engineering works at Hayle. Apart from its state of preservation, and the fact that it continued to work until the 1950s, another claim to fame of this engine is that it experienced being moved no less than four times:

 

first erected at the Wheal Alfred mine near Hayle, where it worked 1855-64

 

moved to Wheal Abraham near Crowan, when it worked 1865-75

 

after a period of idleness moved to Tregurtha Downs mine near Marazion, where it worked 1883-95/1899- 1902 (the gap being because of the collapse of tin pieces in the mid-1890s)

 

re-erected for the final time at Robinson’s Shaft in 1903

 

If you think of shifting a house, bricks, mortar and all, you might begin to understand the complexity of this operation. Despite all these moves the engine as seen today is essentially as it was first built in 1854-5

 

Robinson’s Engine stopped working at 1.15pm on 1 May 1955, the last Cornish Engine to work on a Cornish Mine.

 

Robinson’s Engine is currently undergoing more restoration work (it’s a bit like painting the Forth Bridge), but you can still go on guided tours to see this magnificent engine and talk to our restoration team about the processes involved along with all the blood, sweat and tears. Once restored, the engine will run again using a hydraulic system. We believe in protecting the environment and we use renewable energy across Heartlands, so for now, the engine will not be run on steam.

 

for Sight and Sound to match

 

youtu.be/5B0srsB0n3g

youtu.be/p0kjGOOZZog

 

Go-Go for a wild ride with the action girls! Russ Meyer, the king of exploitation, directs this lurid thrill-ride starring Tura Satana, Haji, and Lori Williams as a trio of dancers who turn to murder and mayhem on a road trip from hell. Varla is well-endowed, beautiful, physically powerful, savvy and conniving. She lives for kicks, but she's also got a serious mad on for the world, and anyone who crosses her finds out the hard way. Her job as a go-go dancer, supplemented by a part time career in petty crime has afforded her a sleek and fast sports car, which she enjoys riding in the desert with her fellow dancers. One of them, Rosie, has a crush on Varla, which she happily encourages, even if Varla is really more interested in the control it gives her over Rosie than in Rosie herself. The other dancer, Billie, is a little harder for Varla to manage, but Billie isn't bright enough to outmaneuver Varla.

 

When the little gang run into a square drag racer, he winds up getting into a fight with Varla, losing of course. Varla makes sure he never talks back again, then kidnaps his girlfriend and makes a run for it. BIllie and Rosie tag along, and they soon become involved in intrigue with an old letch in the desert rumored to have a stash of cash hidden away somewhere. When Varla starts to lose control of the situation, things (again) become violent, leading to a revved-up climax! Three strippers seeking thrills encounter a young couple in the desert. After dispatching the boyfriend, they take the girl hostage and begin scheming on a crippled old man living with his two sons in the desert, reputedly hiding a tidy sum of cash. They become houseguests of the old man and try and seduce the sons in an attempt to locate the money, not realizing that the old man has a few sinister intentions of his own.

synopsis

Exploitation maven Russ Meyer created a cult classic with this turbo-charged action film. Three curvaceous go-go dancers in a cool sports car go on a desert crime spree, led by Varla (the amazing Tura Satana), a busty, nasty woman dressed entirely in black. Varla's lesbian moll, Rosie (Haji) -- who has an extremely overwrought accent -- and reluctant bimbo Billie (Lori Williams) are along for the ride. When they meet a naïve young couple, Tommy and Linda (Ray Barlow and Sue Bernard), Varla challenges the man to a race then kills him by breaking his back. They take Linda hostage and drive to a house owned by a crippled old lecher (Stuart Lancaster) and his muscular but retarded son, Vegetable (Dennis Busch). Varla discovers that the old man has money hidden on the property, so the girls try to find it. Meanwhile, Vegetable's perverted father tries to trick him into assaulting one of the girls as he watches, but his other son (Paul Trinka) finally shows up to save the day. A great deal of bloodshed, campy catfighting, and funny dialogue fills the bulk of this fast-paced comic book of a movie.

Born 1946 Quebec,Canada

Passed on 2013

Birth Name - Barbarella Catton Nickname - Haji

Haji was a Cando-American actress renowned for starring in Russ Meyer's sexploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), in which she made her theatrical film debut. Barbarella Catton was born in Quebec City, Quebec on January 24, 1946, and at the age of 14, began dancing topless. The renamed Haji caught the eye of cinema's "King Leer" while performing as an exotic dancer.

He also cast her as one of three go-go dancers who turn into avenging furies in "Pussycat", which was her theatrical film debut as it was released before Motor Psycho (1965). She also appeared in Meyer's potboiler Good Morning... and Goodbye! (1967), his big budget Hollywood sextravaganza Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), and his cartoonish amalgamation of sex and violence, Supervixens (1975).

Haji died on August 10, 2013 at the age of 67.

Was a fervent supporter of animal rights and environmentalism. Interviewed in the book "Invasion of the B-Girls" by Jewel Shepard. Began as an exotic dancer. Moved to California at the age of fourteen and was discovered by filmmaker Russ Meyer performing in a topless bar. Her only child, a daughter she had at age 15, is named Cerlette. Haji was of British and Filipino descent, and her nickname was bestowed on her by an uncle. Was a friend and co-star of former stripper and long-time Russ Meyer paramour Kitten Natividad.

Haji, an Actress Featured in Cult Films by Russ Meyer, Dies at 67

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK

Published: August 17, 2013

Haji, a voluptuous actress who played one of three homicidal go-go dancers in Russ Meyer’s 1965 cult film “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” died on Aug. 9 in Southern California. She was 67.

Her death was confirmed by the dancer and actress Kitten Natividad, a friend, who said she did not know the cause. She said Haji had high blood pressure and heart problems in recent years and was taken to a hospital after falling ill at a restaurant in Newport Beach.Haji, a brunette of Filipino and British descent, met Meyer, the celebrated B-movie director, in the mid-1960s while she worked in a strip club in California. He cast her as the lead in his biker movie “Motorpsycho” (1965) even though she had no acting experience.Later that year Haji appeared in “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” the tale of three dancers who beat a young man to death, kidnap his girlfriend and flee into the desert. She played the lesbian paramour of the lead character, Varla, played by Tura Satana. The film has acquired a devoted following and has been embraced by the filmmakers John Waters and Quentin Tarantino and even some feminists, including the film critic B. Ruby Rich, who praised it in The Village Voice as a “female fantasy.”“You just didn’t see women taking over and beating up men in those days,” Haji said in an interview posted on Russ Meyer’s Ultravixens, a Web site devoted to Meyer, who died in 2004, and his films. “Russ did something no one else had the imagination to do. And he was smart to use three bodied-up women, so whether the picture’s good or not, you still sort of stare at it.”Haji played a scantily clad bartender in Meyer’s “Supervixens” in 1975 and appeared in “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” the story of an all-woman rock band’s descent into debauchery. It was the first of Meyer’s films produced by a mainstream studio. She also acted in John Cassavetes’s gritty drama “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” in 1976.

Haji was born in Quebec on Jan. 24, 1946. Ms. Natividad said that Haji’s last name at birth was Catton, and that she thought her given name was Cerlette. (The name Haji, she said, was a nickname given to her by an uncle.) Haji left school before finishing the sixth grade and began stripping at 14. She had a daughter, also named Cerlette, at 15. She lived in Oxnard, Calif. Her survivors include her daughter and a granddaughter. Haji’s last screen role was in the 2003 comedy “Killer Drag Queens on Dope.”

www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/haji-an-actress-featured-...;

 

Exploits River, NL,Canada

The exploitation rights for this text are the property of the Vienna Tourist Board. This text may be reprinted free of charge until further notice, even partially and in edited form. Forward sample copy to: Vienna Tourist Board, Media Management, Invalidenstraße 6, 1030 Vienna; media.rel@wien.info. All information in this text without guarantee.

Author: Andreas Nierhaus, Curator of Architecture/Wien Museum

Last updated January 2014

Architecture in Vienna

Vienna's 2,000-year history is present in a unique density in the cityscape. The layout of the center dates back to the Roman city and medieval road network. Romanesque and Gothic churches characterize the streets and squares as well as palaces and mansions of the baroque city of residence. The ring road is an expression of the modern city of the 19th century, in the 20th century extensive housing developments set accents in the outer districts. Currently, large-scale urban development measures are implemented; distinctive buildings of international star architects complement the silhouette of the city.

Due to its function as residence of the emperor and European power center, Vienna for centuries stood in the focus of international attention, but it was well aware of that too. As a result, developed an outstanding building culture, and still today on a worldwide scale only a few cities can come up with a comparable density of high-quality architecture. For several years now, Vienna has increased its efforts to connect with its historical highlights and is drawing attention to itself with some spectacular new buildings. The fastest growing city in the German-speaking world today most of all in residential construction is setting standards. Constants of the Viennese architecture are respect for existing structures, the palpability of historical layers and the dialogue between old and new.

Culmination of medieval architecture: the Stephansdom

The oldest architectural landmark of the city is St. Stephen's Cathedral. Under the rule of the Habsburgs, defining the face of the city from the late 13th century until 1918 in a decisive way, the cathedral was upgraded into the sacral monument of the political ambitions of the ruling house. The 1433 completed, 137 meters high southern tower, by the Viennese people affectionately named "Steffl", is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture in Europe. For decades he was the tallest stone structure in Europe, until today he is the undisputed center of the city.

The baroque residence

Vienna's ascension into the ranks of the great European capitals began in Baroque. Among the most important architects are Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. Outside the city walls arose a chain of summer palaces, including the garden Palais Schwarzenberg (1697-1704) as well as the Upper and Lower Belvedere of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1714-22). Among the most important city palaces are the Winter Palace of Prince Eugene (1695-1724, now a branch of the Belvedere) and the Palais Daun-Kinsky (auction house in Kinsky 1713-19). The emperor himself the Hofburg had complemented by buildings such as the Imperial Library (1722-26) and the Winter Riding School (1729-34). More important, however, for the Habsburgs was the foundation of churches and monasteries. Thus arose before the city walls Fischer von Erlach's Karlskirche (1714-39), which with its formal and thematic complex show façade belongs to the major works of European Baroque. In colored interior rooms like that of St. Peter's Church (1701-22), the contemporary efforts for the synthesis of architecture, painting and sculpture becomes visible.

Upgrading into metropolis: the ring road time (Ringstraßenzeit)

Since the Baroque, reflections on extension of the hopelessly overcrowed city were made, but only Emperor Franz Joseph ordered in 1857 the demolition of the fortifications and the connection of the inner city with the suburbs. 1865, the Ring Road was opened. It is as the most important boulevard of Europe an architectural and in terms of urban development achievement of the highest rank. The original building structure is almost completely preserved and thus conveys the authentic image of a metropolis of the 19th century. The public representational buildings speak, reflecting accurately the historicism, by their style: The Greek Antique forms of Theophil Hansen's Parliament (1871-83) stood for democracy, the Renaissance of the by Heinrich Ferstel built University (1873-84) for the flourishing of humanism, the Gothic of the Town Hall (1872-83) by Friedrich Schmidt for the medieval civic pride.

Dominating remained the buildings of the imperial family: Eduard van der Nüll's and August Sicardsburg's Opera House (1863-69), Gottfried Semper's and Carl Hasenauer's Burgtheater (1874-88), their Museum of Art History and Museum of Natural History (1871-91) and the Neue (New) Hofburg (1881-1918 ). At the same time the ring road was the preferred residential area of mostly Jewish haute bourgeoisie. With luxurious palaces the families Ephrussi, Epstein or Todesco made it clear that they had taken over the cultural leadership role in Viennese society. In the framework of the World Exhibition of 1873, the new Vienna presented itself an international audience. At the ring road many hotels were opened, among them the Hotel Imperial and today's Palais Hansen Kempinski.

Laboratory of modernity: Vienna around 1900

Otto Wagner's Postal Savings Bank (1903-06) was one of the last buildings in the Ring road area Otto Wagner's Postal Savings Bank (1903-06), which with it façade, liberated of ornament, and only decorated with "functional" aluminum buttons and the glass banking hall now is one of the icons of modern architecture. Like no other stood Otto Wagner for the dawn into the 20th century: His Metropolitan Railway buildings made ​​the public transport of the city a topic of architecture, the church of the Psychiatric hospital at Steinhofgründe (1904-07) is considered the first modern church.

With his consistent focus on the function of a building ("Something impractical can not be beautiful"), Wagner marked a whole generation of architects and made Vienna the laboratory of modernity: in addition to Joseph Maria Olbrich, the builder of the Secession (1897-98) and Josef Hoffmann, the architect of the at the western outskirts located Purkersdorf Sanatorium (1904) and founder of the Vienna Workshop (Wiener Werkstätte, 1903) is mainly to mention Adolf Loos, with the Loos House at the square Michaelerplatz (1909-11) making architectural history. The extravagant marble cladding of the business zone stands in maximal contrast, derived from the building function, to the unadorned facade above, whereby its "nudity" became even more obvious - a provocation, as well as his culture-critical texts ("Ornament and Crime"), with which he had greatest impact on the architecture of the 20th century. Public contracts Loos remained denied. His major works therefore include villas, apartment facilities and premises as the still in original state preserved Tailor salon Knize at Graben (1910-13) and the restored Loos Bar (1908-09) near the Kärntner Straße (passageway Kärntner Durchgang).

Between the Wars: International Modern Age and social housing

After the collapse of the monarchy in 1918, Vienna became capital of the newly formed small country of Austria. In the heart of the city, the architects Theiss & Jaksch built 1931-32 the first skyscraper in Vienna as an exclusive residential address (Herrengasse - alley 6-8). To combat the housing shortage for the general population, the social democratic city government in a globally unique building program within a few years 60,000 apartments in hundreds of apartment buildings throughout the city area had built, including the famous Karl Marx-Hof by Karl Ehn (1925-30). An alternative to the multi-storey buildings with the 1932 opened International Werkbundsiedlung was presented, which was attended by 31 architects from Austria, Germany, France, Holland and the USA and showed models for affordable housing in greenfield areas. With buildings of Adolf Loos, André Lurçat, Richard Neutra, Gerrit Rietveld, the Werkbundsiedlung, which currently is being restored at great expense, is one of the most important documents of modern architecture in Austria.

Modernism was also expressed in significant Villa buildings: The House Beer (1929-31) by Josef Frank exemplifies the refined Wiener living culture of the interwar period, while the house Stonborough-Wittgenstein (1926-28, today Bulgarian Cultural Institute), built by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein together with the architect Paul Engelmann for his sister Margarete, by its aesthetic radicalism and mathematical rigor represents a special case within contemporary architecture.

Expulsion, war and reconstruction

After the "Anschluss (Annexation)" to the German Reich in 1938, numerous Jewish builders, architects (female and male ones), who had been largely responsible for the high level of Viennese architecture, have been expelled from Austria. During the Nazi era, Vienna remained largely unaffected by structural transformations, apart from the six flak towers built for air defense of Friedrich Tamms (1942-45), made ​​of solid reinforced concrete which today are present as memorials in the cityscape.

The years after the end of World War II were characterized by the reconstruction of the by bombs heavily damaged city. The architecture of those times was marked by aesthetic pragmatism, but also by the attempt to connect with the period before 1938 and pick up on current international trends. Among the most important buildings of the 1950s are Roland Rainer's City Hall (1952-58), the by Oswald Haerdtl erected Wien Museum at Karlsplatz (1954-59) and the 21er Haus of Karl Schwanzer (1958-62).

The youngsters come

Since the 1960s, a young generation was looking for alternatives to the moderate modernism of the reconstruction years. With visionary designs, conceptual, experimental and above all temporary architectures, interventions and installations, Raimund Abraham, Günther Domenig, Eilfried Huth, Hans Hollein, Walter Pichler and the groups Coop Himmelb(l)au, Haus-Rucker-Co and Missing Link rapidly got international attention. Although for the time being it was more designed than built, was the influence on the postmodern and deconstructivist trends of the 1970s and 1980s also outside Austria great. Hollein's futuristic "Retti" candle shop at Charcoal Market/Kohlmarkt (1964-65) and Domenig's biomorphic building of the Central Savings Bank in Favoriten (10th district of Vienna - 1975-79) are among the earliest examples, later Hollein's Haas-Haus (1985-90), the loft conversion Falkestraße (1987/88) by Coop Himmelb(l)au or Domenig's T Center (2002-04) were added. Especially Domenig, Hollein, Coop Himmelb(l)au and the architects Ortner & Ortner (ancient members of Haus-Rucker-Co) ​​by orders from abroad the new Austrian and Viennese architecture made a fixed international concept.

MuseumQuarter and Gasometer

Since the 1980s, the focus of building in Vienna lies on the compaction of the historic urban fabric that now as urban habitat of high quality no longer is put in question. Among the internationally best known projects is the by Ortner & Ortner planned MuseumsQuartier in the former imperial stables (competition 1987, 1998-2001), which with institutions such as the MUMOK - Museum of Modern Art Foundation Ludwig, the Leopold Museum, the Kunsthalle Wien, the Architecture Center Vienna and the Zoom Children's Museum on a wordwide scale is under the largest cultural complexes. After controversies in the planning phase, here an architectural compromise between old and new has been achieved at the end, whose success as an urban stage with four million visitors (2012) is overwhelming.

The dialogue between old and new, which has to stand on the agenda of building culture of a city that is so strongly influenced by history, also features the reconstruction of the Gasometer in Simmering by Coop Himmelb(l)au, Wilhelm Holzbauer, Jean Nouvel and Manfred Wehdorn (1999-2001). Here was not only created new housing, but also a historical industrial monument reinterpreted into a signal in the urban development area.

New Neighborhood

In recent years, the major railway stations and their surroundings moved into the focus of planning. Here not only necessary infrastructural measures were taken, but at the same time opened up spacious inner-city residential areas and business districts. Among the prestigious projects are included the construction of the new Vienna Central Station, started in 2010 with the surrounding office towers of the Quartier Belvedere and the residential and school buildings of the Midsummer quarter (Sonnwendviertel). Europe's largest wooden tower invites here for a spectacular view to the construction site and the entire city. On the site of the former North Station are currently being built 10,000 homes and 20,000 jobs, on that of the Aspangbahn station is being built at Europe's greatest Passive House settlement "Euro Gate", the area of ​​the North Western Railway Station is expected to be developed from 2020 for living and working. The largest currently under construction residential project but can be found in the north-eastern outskirts, where in Seaside Town Aspern till 2028 living and working space for 40,000 people will be created.

In one of the "green lungs" of Vienna, the Prater, 2013, the WU campus was opened for the largest University of Economics of Europe. Around the central square spectacular buildings of an international architect team from Great Britain, Japan, Spain and Austria are gathered that seem to lead a sometimes very loud conversation about the status quo of contemporary architecture (Hitoshi Abe, BUSarchitektur, Peter Cook, Zaha Hadid, NO MAD Arquitectos, Carme Pinós).

Flying high

International is also the number of architects who have inscribed themselves in the last few years with high-rise buildings in the skyline of Vienna and make St. Stephen's a not always unproblematic competition. Visible from afar is Massimiliano Fuksas' 138 and 127 meters high elegant Twin Tower at Wienerberg (1999-2001). The monolithic, 75-meter-high tower of the Hotel Sofitel at the Danube Canal by Jean Nouvel (2007-10), on the other hand, reacts to the particular urban situation and stages in its top floor new perspectives to the historical center on the other side.

Also at the water stands Dominique Perrault's DC Tower (2010-13) in the Danube City - those high-rise city, in which since the start of construction in 1996, the expansion of the city north of the Danube is condensed symbolically. Even in this environment, the slim and at the same time striking vertically folded tower of Perrault is beyond all known dimensions; from its Sky Bar, from spring 2014 on you are able to enjoy the highest view of Vienna. With 250 meters, the tower is the tallest building of Austria and almost twice as high as the St. Stephen's Cathedral. Vienna, thus, has acquired a new architectural landmark which cannot be overlooked - whether it also has the potential to become a landmark of the new Vienna, only time will tell. The architectural history of Vienna, where European history is presence and new buildings enter into an exciting and not always conflict-free dialogue with a great and outstanding architectural heritage, in any case has yet to offer exciting chapters.

Dedicated to all these unfortunate Child labor in the May Day (International Workers' Day).

 

Bangladesh – a country where child labor is used more than anywhere else. child labor in Bangladesh is more than 12 percent of the total labor force. The exploitation of child labor in most cases due to the fact that even those parents who wish to send their children to school, often can not afford it. As a result, children are sent to work in fields, factories and even in the mines.They work 12 hours a day and receive for their work only 100 taka ($ 1.5) per day.

Stop Child labor

Billboards can be interesting, fun, or artistic. They tend to reflect our popular culture. BUT ... Does this billboard for Calvin Klein Jeans, on Houston Street in New York City, constitute youth exploitation in advertising? This model looks a bit young to me. You be the judge. Post your comments below.

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

 

www.esoterika.org/dotclear/index.php?2003/04/19/20-mademo...

 

LE NORMAND ou LENORMAND MARIE-ANNE (1772-1843)

 

Marie-Anne Le Normand, plus connue sous le nom de «Mademoiselle Lenormand», est sans doute la voyante la plus célèbre des temps modernes...

 

Cette popularité, elle la doit à un jeu de cartomancie, pourtant apocryphe, plus qu’à ses écrits – quelque quatorze ouvrages aujourd’hui largement oubliés – dans lesquels elle raconte ses songes et ses visions, et se vante de rencontres prestigieuses, pour la plupart douteuses. Son sens de la publicité, jusque dans la mort, et la prolixité de ses biographes, prompts à broder de nouveaux exploits, ont fait d’elle un personnage assez éloigné de la réalité.

 

Marie-Anne-Adélaïde Le Normand est née à Alençon le 27 mai 1772, seconde fille de Jean-Louis Le Normand, mort l’année suivante, et d’Anne-Marie Gilbert, qui devait mourir cinq ans plus tard. Devenue orpheline, l’enfant est mise en pension chez les sœurs, d’abord chez les Bénédictines, puis chez les Visitandines, où elle se sent déjà des dons de voyance. À l’âge de 11 ans, elle est placée en apprentissage chez une couturière. En 1786, elle s’installe à Paris où son père adoptif vient d’ouvrir un magasin. Elle fréquente peut-être alors son compatriote Jacques-René Hébert. L’année suivante, elle est arrêtée pour pratique magique, mais n’est pas poursuivie. Une tradition que rien ne permet de confirmer prétend qu’elle se rend ensuite à Londres et qu’elle y pratique l’astrologie, gagnant suffisamment d’argent pour rentrer enrichie (à 18 ans!) à... Alençon l’année suivante (1790). Revenue à Paris, Marie-Anne Le Normand devient lectrice de d’Armeval de La Saussotte, personnage assez trouble et libertin. Attirée par le théâtre, elle connaît ses premiers succès de voyante dans le milieu des acteurs, qu’elle fréquente en tentant d’y placer les pièces qu’elle écrit (mais dont il ne reste rien). Elle s’installe alors rue de Tournon, où elle prétendra plus tard avoir accueilli quelques visiteurs huppés, dont le comte de Provence (futur Louis XVIII), Fouché, encore inconnu, Camille Desmoulins, Robespierre et même Bonaparte! La présence d’un club jacobin au 8, rue de Tournon lui a probablement amené une clientèle de politiques.

 

En réalité, les activités de Marie-Anne Le Normand paraissent avoir été moins glorieuses. Elle fait à ce moment-là la connaissance d’une tireuse de cartes et de son acolyte, un garçon boulanger; devenue leur associée en 1793, elle rend des oracles déguisée en «Américaine». Mais un client mécontent, conventionnel, la fait arrêter pour charlatanisme, avec ses comparses; incarcérées à Saint-Martin, les deux femmes sont condamnées solidairement à dix livres d’amende comme «diseuses de bonne aventure». Toujours surveillée par la police, qui la soupçonne de s’acoquiner avec des «ennemis du peuple», Marie-Anne Le Normand est à nouveau arrêtée le 17 juin 1794 et enfermée à la prison de la Force. Thermidor la libérera.

 

En octobre 1797 (vendémiaire an VI), elle fonde un journal, Le Mot à l’oreille, ou le Don Quichotte des dames, dont elle se dit «propriétaire-rédactrice». Rien de divinatoire là-dedans: cette modeste gazette enfile les banalités, nouvelles, rumeurs («on-dit»), scènes de rue sur le vif, décisions du Conseil des Cinq-Cents. Mais Mademoiselle Le Normand était démangée par la passion d’écrire. Son adresse est alors 115, rue de Tournon, faubourg Saint-Germain. Le Mot à l’oreille n’alla pas au-delà de huit numéros. La vraie notoriété vient avec l’Empire. Marie-Anne est-elle alors, comme elle l’a prétendu dans les Mémoires historiques et secrets de l’impératrice Joséphine (Paris, chez l’auteur, 1820), la confidente de Joséphine? On peut en douter quand on sait le jugement sans appel formulé par les historiens sur ce document entièrement apocryphe. Mais les rapports de police le disent: «la demoiselle Le Normand demeurant rue de Tournon fait journellement des dupes»; elle se dit «cousine de Charlotte Corday ... tenant un bureau d’écrivain public pour couvrir ses manœuvres» (rapport de septembre 1804). Nombre de célébrités parisiennes la consultent, tels Talleyrand, Madame de Sta‘l, Talma, et même Metternich qui lui rend visite en mars 1808. Cette célébrité lui vaut des ennemis. D’autant plus que Mademoiselle Le Normand est royaliste et s’en cache à peine. Le 11 décembre 1809, elle est arrêtée, pour être relâchée douze jours plus tard. Douze jours longuement et complaisamment narrés dans Les Souvenirs prophétiques d’une sibylle sur les causes secrètes de son arrestation le 11 décembre 1809 qu’elle publie en 1814. La clientèle continue pourtant d’affluer, sa popularité est au zénith. Depuis 1810, Marie-Anne Le Normand possède aussi une librairie rue du Petit-Lion-Saint-Sulpice (actuelle rue Saint-Sulpice). Elle y vendra essentiellement ses propres livres, tous publiés à compte d’auteur.

 

Le retour des Bourbons apporte à Mademoiselle Le Normand une nouvelle clientèle. La «sibylle» polémique volontiers dans la presse, qui l’accuse d’être une «sorcière». Les échotiers et les publicistes la brocardent. Elle se justifie, parlant de ses «horoscopes» et de son «génie». Elle se lance dans l’écriture de livres pour y raconter ses souvenirs ou ceux de personnages importants qu’elle dit avoir rencontrés. Ainsi paraissent successivement Les Souvenirs prophétiques d’une sibylle (1814), Anniversaire de la mort de l’impératrice Joséphine (1815), La Sibylle au tombeau de Louis XVI (1816), Les Oracles sibyllins, ou la suite des souvenirs prophétiques (1817).

 

En octobre 1818, Mademoiselle Le Normand décide de se rendre en grand équipage à Aix-la-Chapelle où les souverains de la Sainte-Alliance (tsar, roi de Prusse, empereur) tiennent congrès. Après quelques péripéties à la frontière, elle arrive à Aix, où elle retrouve les têtes couronnées qui la consultent depuis longtemps. Puis elle se rend à Bruxelles où elle est accueillie avec ferveur. Ces aventures donnent matière à un nouveau livre: La Sibylle au congrès d’Aix-la-Chapelle, suivi d’un coup d’œil sur celui de Carlsbad, ouvrage faisant suite aux Oracles sibyllins, avec des notes politiques, historiques, philosophiques, cabalistiques, etc., etc., qui paraît en 1819. En 1820, la publication contestée des Mémoires historiques et secrets de l’impératrice Joséphine, Marie-Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, première épouse de Napoléon Bonaparte fait scandale. Le livre sera réédité en 1827, traduit en allemand en 1822, en suédois en 1831, puis en anglais aux États-Unis en 1847 assurant sans doute la popularité de l’auteur très largement au-delà de nos frontières. La presse ridiculise pourtant à nouveau Marie-Anne Le Normand. Humiliée, elle décide de partir et choisit de se rendre à Bruxelles où elle s’installe en mars 1821. La police la surveille, elle déménage, puis est arrêtée en avril, accusée d’escroquerie. Finalement, après plusieurs interrogatoires et perquisitions, un procès se tient devant le tribunal correctionnel de Louvain. L’accusée est populaire, la presse s’en mêle, le public est nombreux. L’accusation de sorcellerie est en filigrane. Marie-Anne Le Normand est condamnée aux dépens et invitée à quitter la Belgique. D’août à octobre 1821, elle séjourne dans le Nord de la France où elle consulte. Revenue à Paris, elle se lance dans la préparation d’un torrent de livres, à commencer par le récit de ses aventures en Belgique: Souvenirs de la Belgique: cent jours d’infortunes, ou le procès mémorable, avec des notes historiques et politiques, qui paraît en octobre 1822. Suivent quelque sept ouvrages «historiques» où sont convoquées les mânes de Louis XVIII, qui vient de mourir, d’Alexandre Ier de Russie, ou encore L’Ombre de Henri IV au palais d’Orléans (1831). En 1833, Mademoiselle Le Normand prend un peu vite le parti de la duchesse de Berry, alors discréditée par ses tentatives rocambolesques de restauration légitimiste. La «sibylle» paraît moins inspirée: elle ne publiera plus de livre. Pourtant son nom continue de susciter des vocations: on ne compte plus les voyantes qui se disent – abusivement – ses élèves. Un peu oubliée, elle meurt le 25 juin 1843. Son enterrement à Paris en grande cérémonie baroque (gigantesque catafalque, pleureuses, église toute tendue de blanc) en présence d’une foule nombreuse provoque les sarcasmes des journaux.

 

Aussitôt, «biographes» et imitatrices se multiplient: trois récits assez fantaisistes de la vie de Mademoiselle Le Normand paraissent avant la fin de l’année, rapidement suivis par «vérités» et «souvenirs authentiques» dus à des thuriféraires improvisés. Les grands dictionnaires biographiques du moment, tels que la Nouvelle Biographie générale du Dr Hoefer et la Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne de L.-G. Michaud, la font entrer dans leur panthéon sans délai. Dès 1845, paraît en cinq petits volumes un Grand Jeu de société et pratiques secrètes de Mlle Le Normand entièrement apocryphe, préparé par une «Mme la comtesse de ***» qui se dit disciple de la sibylle et qui n’est sans doute que Mme Breteau, femme d’un éditeur peu scrupuleux. Le jeu de 54 cartes qui y est joint, devenu depuis un classique de la cartomancie et parfois présenté comme un «tarot», n’en est pas moins aux antipodes de ce que nous savons des méthodes et des thèmes ressassés par Marie-Anne Le Normand. Cette réputation de cartomancienne a même franchi les frontières, au point qu’un petit jeu de société à 36 cartes né en Allemagne, au style très germanique, est rebaptisé «Petit Lenormand».

 

Malgré sa passion d’écrire et ses nombreux ouvrages, Mademoiselle Le Normand n’a laissé ni théorie ni méthode pratique. Souvenirs arrangés et «prophéties» rétrospectives constituent l’essentiel de son témoignage; mais son sens très moderne de la communication lui vaut une postérité sans égal.

(vu dans Esotérika)

I am starting to develop a reputation around here for my ill thought out exploits, and so I considered hard before posting my adventures associated with shooting this tranquil looking scene.

 

I've been wanting to get to the ocean with my two 8X ND filters and shoot some really real long exposures, and since a fellow flickr friend Jason came down this week to the bay area I thought this would be a great opportunity to show him one of my favorite beaches along the north bay. When we arrived, the sun was just beginning to set and so I quickly headed towards the south end of the cove while Jason stayed in the mid section of the beach.

 

There was a lot of spray coming off the waves, and there was one storm cell just a little off throwing some moisture our way. This combination proved to be bad for shooting long exposures. At length I decided to take shelter behind this rock and try my hand at getting something, which as you can see worked well.

 

But the stacks at the south end were calling to me, so I climbed the hillside and found my way down to a small hidden portion of beach surrounded by cliffs. I planted my tripod into the sand and found the spray to be three times as bad. To top it off, sneaker waves would happen every now and then, causing me to take my camera up mid shot, to protect it from the oncoming surge. By the time I gave up, I was soaked. I decided to walk along the cliff strewn shoreline… bad idea… the waves caught me waist deep several times and I wondered aloud about my sanity in so choosing this rout as I held all my camera equipment over my head as the waves were bashing along the cliffs directly to my right.

 

The hot bath I took at home two hours later didn't even warm me. I'm still kind of feeling chilled.

  

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Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is a widely worshipped deity in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.

 

Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

 

Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

 

ETYMOLOGY AND OTHER NAMES

Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.

 

The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati, a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana; having the face of an elephant).

 

Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).

 

A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai. A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".

 

In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare.

 

In Sri Lanka, in the North-Central and North Western areas with predominantly Buddhist population, Ganesha is known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo, while in other Singhala Buddhist areas he is known as Gana deviyo.

 

ICONOGRAPHY

Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.

 

Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century. The 13th century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900–1200, after Ganesha had been well-established as an independent deity with his own sect. This example features some of Ganesha's common iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973–1200 by Paul Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue is dated c. 12th century by Pratapaditya Pal. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. This statue has four arms, which is common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the 7th century. Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a pasha (noose) in the other upper arm.

 

The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha. In one modern form, the only variation from these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra). The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is a very popular theme.

 

COMMON ATTRIBUTES

Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.

 

Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other being broken. Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk. The importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta. Ganesha's protruding belly appears as a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries). This feature is so important that, according to the Mudgala Purana, two different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally, Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly). Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his belly. The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs) of the past, present, and future are present in him. The number of Ganesha's arms varies; his best-known forms have between two and sixteen arms. Many depictions of Ganesha feature four arms, which is mentioned in Puranic sources and codified as a standard form in some iconographic texts. His earliest images had two arms. Forms with 14 and 20 arms appeared in Central India during the 9th and the 10th centuries. The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms. According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the serpent Vasuki around his neck. Other depictions of snakes include use as a sacred thread wrapped around the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne. Upon Ganesha's forehead may be a third eye or the Shaivite sectarian mark , which consists of three horizontal lines. The Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark as well as a crescent moon on the forehead. A distinct form of Ganesha called Bhalachandra includes that iconographic element. Ganesha is often described as red in color. Specific colors are associated with certain forms. Many examples of color associations with specific meditation forms are prescribed in the Sritattvanidhi, a treatise on Hindu iconography. For example, white is associated with his representations as Heramba-Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati Who Releases from Bondage). Ekadanta-Ganapati is visualized as blue during meditation in that form.

 

VAHANAS

The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha uses a mouse (shrew) in five of them, a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata, and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja. Mohotkata uses a lion, Mayūreśvara uses a peacock, Dhumraketu uses a horse, and Gajanana uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock.

 

Ganesha is often shown riding on or attended by a mouse, shrew or rat. Martin-Dubost says that the rat began to appear as the principal vehicle in sculptures of Ganesha in central and western India during the 7th century; the rat was always placed close to his feet. The mouse as a mount first appears in written sources in the Matsya Purana and later in the Brahmananda Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses it as his vehicle in his last incarnation. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa includes a meditation verse on Ganesha that describes the mouse appearing on his flag. The names Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner) appear in the Ganesha Sahasranama.

 

The mouse is interpreted in several ways. According to Grimes, "Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati's mouse, do so negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire". Along these lines, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who wish to overcome desires and be less selfish. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a menace to crops. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing). It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that needed to be overcome. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence. Martin-Dubost notes a view that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret places.

 

ASSOCIATIONS

 

OBSTACLES

Ganesha is Vighneshvara or Vighnaraja or Vighnaharta (Marathi), the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He is popularly worshipped as a remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked. Paul Courtright says that "his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation."

 

Krishan notes that some of Ganesha's names reflect shadings of multiple roles that have evolved over time. Dhavalikar ascribes the quick ascension of Ganesha in the Hindu pantheon, and the emergence of the Ganapatyas, to this shift in emphasis from vighnakartā (obstacle-creator) to vighnahartā (obstacle-averter). However, both functions continue to be vital to his character.

 

BUDDHI (KNOWLEDGE)

Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha, especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya. This name also appears in a list of 21 names at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama that Ganesha says are especially important. The word priya can mean "fond of", and in a marital context it can mean "lover" or "husband", so the name may mean either "Fond of Intelligence" or "Buddhi's Husband".

 

AUM

Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum, also spelled Om. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Aum is his form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa attests to this association. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as follows:

 

(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vāyu]. You are the sun [Sūrya] and the moon [Chandrama]. You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this).

 

Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the shape of Aum in the Devanāgarī and Tamil scripts.

 

FIRST CHAKRA

According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra, called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation". The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows: "[O Ganesha,] You continually dwell in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine [mūlādhāra cakra]." Thus, Ganesha has a permanent abode in every being at the Muladhara. Ganesha holds, supports and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life".

 

FAMILY AND CONSORTS

Though Ganesha is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Puranic myths give different versions about his birth. In some he was created by Parvati, in another he was created by Shiva and Parvati, in another he appeared mysteriously and was discovered by Shiva and Parvati or he was born from the elephant headed goddess Malini after she drank Parvati's bath water that had been thrown in the river.

 

The family includes his brother the war god Kartikeya, who is also called Subramanya, Skanda, Murugan and other names. Regional differences dictate the order of their births. In northern India, Skanda is generally said to be the elder, while in the south, Ganesha is considered the first born. In northern India, Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about 600 CE, when worship of him declined significantly in northern India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose. Several stories tell of sibling rivalry between the brothers and may reflect sectarian tensions.

 

Ganesha's marital status, the subject of considerable scholarly review, varies widely in mythological stories. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacari. This view is common in southern India and parts of northern India. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses, said to be Ganesha's wives. He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi). Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati or Śarda (particularly in Maharashtra). He is also associated with the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly prevalent in the Bengal region, links Ganesha with the banana tree, Kala Bo.

 

The Shiva Purana says that Ganesha had begotten two sons: Kşema (prosperity) and Lābha (profit). In northern Indian variants of this story, the sons are often said to be Śubha (auspiciouness) and Lābha. The 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa shows Ganesha married to Riddhi and Siddhi and having a daughter named Santoshi Ma, the goddess of satisfaction. This story has no Puranic basis, but Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen cite Santoshi Ma's cult as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.

 

WOSHIP AND FESTIVALS

Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions; especially at the beginning of ventures such as buying a vehicle or starting a business. K.N. Somayaji says, "there can hardly be a [Hindu] home [in India] which does not house an idol of Ganapati. [..] Ganapati, being the most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the country". Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity.

 

Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity, and Hindus of all denominations invoke him at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies. Dancers and musicians, particularly in southern India, begin performances of arts such as the Bharatnatyam dance with a prayer to Ganesha. Mantras such as Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah (Om, salutation to the Illustrious Ganesha) are often used. One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Salutation to the Lord of Hosts).

 

Devotees offer Ganesha sweets such as modaka and small sweet balls (laddus). He is often shown carrying a bowl of sweets, called a modakapātra. Because of his identification with the color red, he is often worshipped with red sandalwood paste (raktacandana) or red flowers. Dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other materials are also used in his worship.

 

Festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vināyaka chaturthī in the śuklapakṣa (the fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of bhādrapada (August/September) and the Gaṇeśa jayanti (Gaṇeśa's birthday) celebrated on the cathurthī of the śuklapakṣa (fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of māgha (January/February)."

 

GANESH CHATURTI

An annual festival honours Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesha Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival begins with people bringing in clay idols of Ganesha, symbolising Ganesha's visit. The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (murtis) of Ganesha are immersed in the most convenient body of water. Some families have a tradition of immersion on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, or 7th day. In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event. He did so "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra. Because of Ganesha's wide appeal as "the god for Everyman", Tilak chose him as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and he established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra. The festival also assumes huge proportions in Mumbai, Pune, and in the surrounding belt of Ashtavinayaka temples.

 

TEMPLES

In Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper. In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which the Ashtavinayak (lit. "eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known. Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend. The eight shrines are: Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.

 

There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following: Kanipakam in Chittoor; the Jambukeśvara Temple at Tiruchirapalli; at Rameshvaram and Suchindram in Tamil Nadu; at Malliyur, Kottarakara, Pazhavangadi, Kasargod in Kerala, Hampi, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.

 

T. A. Gopinatha notes, "Every village however small has its own image of Vighneśvara (Vigneshvara) with or without a temple to house it in. At entrances of villages and forts, below pīpaḹa (Sacred fig) trees [...], in a niche [...] in temples of Viṣṇu (Vishnu) as well as Śiva (Shiva) and also in separate shrines specially constructed in Śiva temples [...]; the figure of Vighneśvara is invariably seen." Ganesha temples have also been built outside of India, including southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka shrines in the Kathmandu valley), and in several western countries.

 

RISE TO PROMINENCE

 

FIRST APEARANCE

Ganesha appeared in his classic form as a clearly recognizable deity with well-defined iconographic attributes in the early 4th to 5th centuries. Shanti Lal Nagar says that the earliest known iconic image of Ganesha is in the niche of the Shiva temple at Bhumra, which has been dated to the Gupta period. His independent cult appeared by about the 10th century. Narain summarizes the controversy between devotees and academics regarding the development of Ganesha as follows:

 

What is inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaņeśa on the historical scene. His antecedents are not clear. His wide acceptance and popularity, which transcend sectarian and territorial limits, are indeed amazing. On the one hand there is the pious belief of the orthodox devotees in Gaņeśa's Vedic origins and in the Purāṇic explanations contained in the confusing, but nonetheless interesting, mythology. On the other hand there are doubts about the existence of the idea and the icon of this deity" before the fourth to fifth century A.D. ... [I]n my opinion, indeed there is no convincing evidence of the existence of this divinity prior to the fifth century.

 

POSSIBLE INFLUENCES

Courtright reviews various speculative theories about the early history of Ganesha, including supposed tribal traditions and animal cults, and dismisses all of them in this way:

 

In the post 600 BC period there is evidence of people and places named after the animal. The motif appears on coins and sculptures.

 

Thapan's book on the development of Ganesha devotes a chapter to speculations about the role elephants had in early India but concludes that, "although by the second century CE the elephant-headed yakṣa form exists it cannot be presumed to represent Gaṇapati-Vināyaka. There is no evidence of a deity by this name having an elephant or elephant-headed form at this early stage. Gaṇapati-Vināyaka had yet to make his debut."

 

One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with the four Vinayakas (Vināyakas). In Hindu mythology, the Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties but who were easily propitiated. The name Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. Krishan is one of the academics who accepts this view, stating flatly of Ganesha, "He is a non-vedic god. His origin is to be traced to the four Vināyakas, evil spirits, of the Mānavagŗhyasūtra (7th–4th century BCE) who cause various types of evil and suffering". Depictions of elephant-headed human figures, which some identify with Ganesha, appear in Indian art and coinage as early as the 2nd century. According to Ellawala, the elephant-headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-Christian era.

 

A metal plate depiction of Ganesha had been discovered in 1993, in Iran, it dated back to 1,200 BCE. Another one was discovered much before, in Lorestan Province of Iran.

 

First Ganesha's terracotta images are from 1st century CE found in Ter, Pal, Verrapuram and Chandraketugarh. These figures are small, with elephant head, two arms, and chubby physique. The earliest Ganesha icons in stone were carved in Mathura during Kushan times (2nd-3rd centuries CE).

 

VEDIC AND EPIC LITERATURE

The title "Leader of the group" (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) occurs twice in the Rig Veda, but in neither case does it refer to the modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV 2.23.1 as a title for Brahmanaspati, according to commentators. While this verse doubtless refers to Brahmanaspati, it was later adopted for worship of Ganesha and is still used today. In rejecting any claim that this passage is evidence of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, Ludo Rocher says that it "clearly refers to Bṛhaspati—who is the deity of the hymn—and Bṛhaspati only". Equally clearly, the second passage (RV 10.112.9) refers to Indra, who is given the epithet 'gaṇapati', translated "Lord of the companies (of the Maruts)." However, Rocher notes that the more recent Ganapatya literature often quotes the Rigvedic verses to give Vedic respectability to Ganesha .

 

Two verses in texts belonging to Black Yajurveda, Maitrāyaṇīya Saṃhitā (2.9.1) and Taittirīya Āraṇyaka (10.1), appeal to a deity as "the tusked one" (Dantiḥ), "elephant-faced" (Hastimukha), and "with a curved trunk" (Vakratuņḍa). These names are suggestive of Ganesha, and the 14th century commentator Sayana explicitly establishes this identification. The description of Dantin, possessing a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and holding a corn-sheaf, a sugar cane, and a club, is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin". However, Krishan considers these hymns to be post-Vedic additions. Thapan reports that these passages are "generally considered to have been interpolated". Dhavalikar says, "the references to the elephant-headed deity in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā have been proven to be very late interpolations, and thus are not very helpful for determining the early formation of the deity".

 

Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature that is dated to the Vedic period. A late interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata says that the sage Vyasa (Vyāsa) asked Ganesha to serve as his scribe to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him. Ganesha agreed but only on condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, that is, without pausing. The sage agreed, but found that to get any rest he needed to recite very complex passages so Ganesha would have to ask for clarifications. The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the editors of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is relegated to a footnote in an appendix. The story of Ganesha acting as the scribe occurs in 37 of the 59 manuscripts consulted during preparation of the critical edition. Ganesha's association with mental agility and learning is one reason he is shown as scribe for Vyāsa's dictation of the Mahabharata in this interpolation. Richard L. Brown dates the story to the 8th century, and Moriz Winternitz concludes that it was known as early as c. 900, but it was not added to the Mahabharata some 150 years later. Winternitz also notes that a distinctive feature in South Indian manuscripts of the Mahabharata is their omission of this Ganesha legend. The term vināyaka is found in some recensions of the Śāntiparva and Anuśāsanaparva that are regarded as interpolations. A reference to Vighnakartṛīṇām ("Creator of Obstacles") in Vanaparva is also believed to be an interpolation and does not appear in the critical edition.

 

PURANIC PERIOD

Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Puranic corpus. Brown notes while the Puranas "defy precise chronological ordering", the more detailed narratives of Ganesha's life are in the late texts, c. 600–1300. Yuvraj Krishan says that the Puranic myths about the birth of Ganesha and how he acquired an elephant's head are in the later Puranas, which were composed from c. 600 onwards. He elaborates on the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the earlier Puranas, such as the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, are later interpolations made during the 7th to 10th centuries.

 

In his survey of Ganesha's rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher notes that:

 

Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous stories surrounding Gaṇeśa concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three: his birth and parenthood, his elephant head, and his single tusk. Other incidents are touched on in the texts, but to a far lesser extent.

 

Ganesha's rise to prominence was codified in the 9th century, when he was formally included as one of the five primary deities of Smartism. The 9th-century philosopher Adi Shankara popularized the "worship of the five forms" (Panchayatana puja) system among orthodox Brahmins of the Smarta tradition. This worship practice invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, and Surya. Adi Shankara instituted the tradition primarily to unite the principal deities of these five major sects on an equal status. This formalized the role of Ganesha as a complementary deity.

 

SCRIPTURES

Once Ganesha was accepted as one of the five principal deities of Brahmanism, some Brahmins (brāhmaṇas) chose to worship Ganesha as their principal deity. They developed the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana.

 

The date of composition for the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana - and their dating relative to one another - has sparked academic debate. Both works were developed over time and contain age-layered strata. Anita Thapan reviews comments about dating and provides her own judgement. "It seems likely that the core of the Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries", she says, "but was later interpolated." Lawrence W. Preston considers the most reasonable date for the Ganesha Purana to be between 1100 and 1400, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned by the text.

 

R.C. Hazra suggests that the Mudgala Purana is older than the Ganesha Purana, which he dates between 1100 and 1400. However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative dating and concludes that the Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts concerned with Ganesha. She bases her reasoning on the fact that, among other internal evidence, the Mudgala Purana specifically mentions the Ganesha Purana as one of the four Puranas (the Brahma, the Brahmanda, the Ganesha, and the Mudgala Puranas) which deal at length with Ganesha. While the kernel of the text must be old, it was interpolated until the 17th and 18th centuries as the worship of Ganapati became more important in certain regions. Another highly regarded scripture, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably composed during the 16th or 17th centuries.

 

BEYOND INDIA AND HINDUISM

Commercial and cultural contacts extended India's influence in western and southeast Asia. Ganesha is one of a number of Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.

 

Ganesha was particularly worshipped by traders and merchants, who went out of India for commercial ventures. From approximately the 10th century onwards, new networks of exchange developed including the formation of trade guilds and a resurgence of money circulation. During this time, Ganesha became the principal deity associated with traders. The earliest inscription invoking Ganesha before any other deity is associated with the merchant community.

 

Hindus migrated to Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture, including Ganesha, with them. Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries. The forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo show specific regional influences. The spread of Hindu culture to southeast Asia established Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side, and mutual influences can be seen in the iconography of Ganesha in the region. In Thailand, Cambodia, and among the Hindu classes of the Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was mainly thought of as a remover of obstacles. Today in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success.

 

Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. Examples of sculptures from the 5th to the 7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the region.

 

Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet. In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is popular; he has five heads and rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, (Shiva) a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, and sometimes dancing. Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531. In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten, the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.

 

The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention the worship of Ganesha. However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera. Jain connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections. The earliest known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century. A 15th-century Jain text lists procedures for the installation of Ganapati images. Images of Ganesha appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

 

WIKIPEDIA

"Exploitation of the deep leads, which was complicated and costly, required capital to fund the shaft sinking and underground tunnelling, the infrastructure of poppet heads, machinery, equipment, steam engine houses, puddling machines, water pumps and sluice apparatus, and the employment of miners and support workers."

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 18 GNV

Identification : 2632 (BD-167-KT)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

 

Réseau : TBM (Bordeaux Métropole)

Dépôt : Centre d'Exploitation du Lac (CEL)

Ligne : 14 NAVETTE RELAIS TRAM C

Voiture : 1418

Destination : LE BOUSCAT Place Ravezies

 

Du Lundi 15 au Jeudi 25 Avril 2019, 2 phases d'interruptions se sont succédé sur la ligne Tram C, pour que les équipes de maintenance effectuent des travaux sur les voies.

Durant la première phase, la ligne était coupée entre les stations "Grand Parc" et "Gare Saint-Jean". Lors de la seconde phase, l'interruption a été réduite à la section de "Quinconces" à "Gare Saint-Jean".

 

17/04/2019 17:26

Allée de Bristol ; Bordeaux

Véhicule : IRISBUS Agora L GNV

Identification : 2278 (DD-352-KR)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

Réseau : TBM (Bordeaux Métropole)

Dépôt : Centre d'Exploitation du Lac (CEL)

Ligne : 14 NAVETTE RELAIS TRAM C

Voiture : 1411

Destination : LE BOUSCAT Place Ravezies

 

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 18 GNV

Identification : 2601 (BC-416-WN)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

 

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 18 GNV

Identification : 2667 (n.c.)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

 

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 18 GNV

Identification : 2666 (n.c.)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

 

Du Lundi 15 au Jeudi 25 Avril 2019, 2 phases d'interruptions se sont succédé sur la ligne Tram C, pour que les équipes de maintenance effectuent des travaux sur les voies.

Durant la première phase, la ligne était coupée entre les stations "Grand Parc" et "Gare Saint-Jean". Lors de la seconde phase, l'interruption a été réduite à la section de "Quinconces" à "Gare Saint-Jean".

 

17/04/2019 15:56

Allée de Bristol ; Bordeaux

HMS Exploit is one of the 14 Archer-class patrol vessels that form the Coastal Forces Squadron. Versatile and able to operate in confined waters she conducts many roles including Maritime Security, Support to NATO Operations and assisting in the training of future Warfare Officers of the Royal Navy.

 

Taken with a Nikon D90

Véhicule : IRISBUS IVECO Citelis 18 GNV

Identification : 2629 (BD-035-KT)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

Dépôt : Centre d'Exploitation du Lac (CEL)

 

Réseau : TBM (Bordeaux Métropole)

Ligne : 18 NAVETTE SPÉCIALE TOP14

Voiture : 1812

Destination : Stade Matmut Atlantique

 

À l'occasion d'un match de rugby pour le TOP14 au Stade Matmut Atlantique, TBM a mis en place des Navettes Spéciales. La première est la Navette habituelle entre Brandenburg Tram B et le Stade, exploitée par Keolis Bordeaux Métropole en bus articulés. La seconde est une Navette spéciale pour l'occasion entre le Parking P8 Blanquefort et le Stade, exploitée par Keolis Gironde en bus standard.

 

09/06/2019 16:30

Avenue de la Jallere ; F-33 BORDEAUX

Processed with VSCOcam with a6 preset

Exploitant : Cars Hourtoule

Réseau : SQY Terre d'Innovations

Ligne : 10

Lieu : Gare de Plaisir – Grignon (Plaisir, F-78)

Lien TC Infos : tc-infos.fr/id/41511

Police and partner agencies have been focusing on young people who run away or go missing from home and those that may exploit them during a week of action that began across Greater Manchester on Monday 14 March.

 

The focus of the campaign during this year’s week of action has been raising awareness around the strong link between child sexual exploitation and children who go missing.

 

Going missing can mean bunking off school, staying out overnight, or running away from home for a few days or longer. Whatever the context, the reality is that 95% children at risk from child sexual exploitation have gone missing at least once.

 

GMP Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: “The statistics speak for themselves – there is a clear correlation between young people at risk of child sexual exploitation and their inclination to run away or go missing.

 

“More often than not, the young people who do run away do so regularly. This not only places a significant strain on policing but also increases the chances of that person coming to harm.

 

“Young people are often unaware of the dangers that are posed when they stay away from home without telling anyone and we urge them to keep in touch somehow, whether that’s through a friend, relative or anyone you trust.

 

“If you have concerns about your child’s whereabouts or don’t know where they are, please contact the police. With our partners in Project Phoenix we are doing all we can to work with these young people to get to the root of the problem, and keep them safe.

 

“Child sexual exploitation is a horrific crime and we will continue to work hard to both locate and protect those vulnerable to abuse, working with missing children on their return to break the cycle. Officers are patrolling around the clock, and will take robust action to tackle anyone who seeks to exploit these young people.”

 

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “Greater Manchester is leading the fight against child sexual exploitation. We’re engaging with local people to raise awareness of the abuse and how to spot the signs, and partner agencies are working together to tackle the issue, bring perpetrators to justice, and provide much-needed support to victims and those at risk, including children who run away or go missing.

 

“Child sexual exploitation is child sex abuse, plain and simple. We must come down heavily on those who exploit and manipulate vulnerable children for their own sexual pleasure, and arm our young people with the means to keep safe and recognise unhealthy, abusive relationships.”

 

Paul Maher, Greater Manchester Area Manager at The Children’s Society, which works with children and young people who go missing or are at risk of going missing, said: “Children and young people who go missing are among the most vulnerable children in our society.

 

“Some may be running from neglect and abuse, family breakdown or drug and alcohol misuse by their parents - while others go missing under the influence of predatory adults seeking to exploit them.

 

“Whatever the reason for them going missing, we know these children are at particular risk of being sexually exploited or falling victim to other types of harm. Our research has shown that around a quarter are either hurt or harmed in some way.

 

“That is why it is vital they receive more support at an early stage to help address the issues that cause them to go missing and protect them from the risks of sexual exploitation or becoming a victim of other crimes.”

 

The week of activity is the latest from Project Phoenix’s ‘It’s Not Okay’ campaign, and will be publicising resources and support related to child sexual exploitation.

 

‘It’s Not Okay’ was created as part of Project Phoenix, the Greater Manchester response to tackling child sexual exploitation - a collaboration of public and third sector partners throughout Greater Manchester working together to protect young people.

 

Since the campaign launched in September 2014, public awareness and understanding of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester has increased considerably amongst young people and parents and carers, as well as professionals.

 

In the 18 months since the launch of the ‘It’s Not Okay’ campaign, Project Phoenix has undertaken substantial work with schools, healthcare providers and support services to ensure that vulnerable young people are helped at every stage - from prevention through to support and rehabilitation.

 

Regular weeks of awareness-raising have included direct engagement with young people and those who care for them; police targeting and disruption, dedicated days of publicity focusing on key trends and close collaboration across Greater Manchester authorities means that hundreds more young people are being identified, educated and safeguarded than ever before. Visit www.itsnotokay.co.uk to find out more.

 

For more information about Policing in Greater Manchester please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

To report crime call police on 101 the national non-emergency number.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

Antisocial personality disorder signs and symptoms may include:

 

Disregard for right and wrong

Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others

Being callous, cynical and disrespectful of others

Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or personal pleasure

Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated

Problems with the law, including criminal behavior

Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty

Impulsiveness

Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence

Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others

Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behavior with no regard for the safety of self or others

Abusive relationships

Failure to consider the negative consequences of behavior

Being consistently irresponsible and repeatedly failing to fulfill work or financial obligations

 

Mayo Clinic

Those of you who follow my exploits on Flickr will have noticed my recent enthusiasm for the little or sometimes gigantic fluffy things that happily float above us on a daily basis mostly unnoticed. Imagine my delight then when I spotted this developing on my journey back home the other day. The sun was setting directly ahead as I travelled west and as the road veered I caught sight of this awsome glow starting to radiate over the hills of West Carmarthenshire. Don't you just love nature!!!

  

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Comments/Invites are always appreciated, but please do not place Multiple Invites, Flickriver Badges or Animated badges with comments. They may be deleted.

  

Best seen on Black, press "L" Then on a PC press F11 for full screen view, or view in Fluidr (use link below).

 

K_D_B on fluidr

  

All my images are © All Rights Reserved, and must not be used in any form whatsoever, on or in any type of media without my expressed permission.

They said if I add some cute animals to my pictures I'd get more likes. Lets put this to the test! :D

Véhicule : MERCEDES-BENZ O560 Intouro €5

Identification : 23 (DL-974-NC)

Exploitant : ASTG Adventour (Groupe ASTT)

 

Réseau : n.a.

Dépôt : Bazas

Ligne : n.a.

Service : Substitutions SNCF

Destination : n.c.

 

Du Jeudi 5 au Dimanche 8 Mai 2016, la circulation des trains était interrompue entre la Gare Saint-Jean à Bordeaux et la Gare de Libourne. Il s'agit de ce que la SNCF appelle une « Opération Coup de Poing » (OCP), qui a duré 111 heures avec des équipes se relayant jour et nuit pour assurer les travaux. Ces travaux, en prévision de la mise en service de la LGV Sud-Europe-Atlantique en 2017, ont permis de créer 2 voies de circulation supplémentaires, pour un total de 4 voies au Nord de Bordeaux.

 

06/05/2016 18:30

Gare de Libourne ; Libourne

Fotos del Tour of Chaos 2014 organizado por la gente del Resurrection Fest para REVOLVER España

 

También podeis seguir mi trabajo en facebook!

You can also follow me on facebook!

 

www.facebook.com/#!/JavierBragadoPhotography

 

O en Twitter!!

 

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Pont de Bir-Hakeim

 

La première version de l'ouvrage, une passerelle métallique piétonnière nommée passerelle de Passy, datait de l'exposition universelle de 1878.

Suite à un concours organisé en 1902, il a été reconstruit en 1905, sous la direction de Louis Biette, construit par Daydé & Pillé, et décoré par Camille-Jean Formigé, architecte de la Ville de Paris.

Il a été rebaptisé en 1948, en souvenir de la bataille de Bir Hakeim (livrée par le général Kœnig et les Forces françaises libres (FFL) en Libye en 1942).

 

Il présente de nombreuses caractéristiques :

une partie centrale de 12 mètres est en porte-à-faux ;

il a 2 étages : un pour les piétons et les voitures et un viaduc au-dessus qui laisse passer la ligne 6 du métro ;

le viaduc ferroviaire est supporté par des colonnades métalliques, sauf au débouché de l’île des Cygnes, où il repose sur une arche en maçonnerie ;

le viaduc ferroviaire est horizontal, alors que la voie routière est en descente de la rive gauche vers la rive droite, ce qui fait que l'écart entre les deux voies n'est pas constant ;

une piste cyclable chemine sous le viaduc ferroviaire, des escaliers au milieu du pont permettent de passer sur l'île des Cygnes, longue promenade qui mène au pont de Grenelle et à la réplique de la statue de la Liberté ;

une plaque commémorative rappelle les exploits de la première brigade des Forces françaises libres lors de la bataille de Bir Hakeim, du 27 mai au 11 juin 1942.

Il est orné de quatre statues monumentales en pierre en bas-relief situées sur l'arche centrale du viaduc au niveau de l’île aux Cygnes :

La Science et Le Travail de Jules Coutan en amont ;

L'Électricité et Le Commerce de Jean-Antoine Injalbert en aval.

Du côté amont, au niveau de la chaussée, la statue La France renaissante, de Holger Wederkinch, fut offerte par la colonie danoise de Paris en 1930.

Les piles sont ornées de deux groupes statuaires de Gustave Michel étroitement imbriqués dans la charpente : les Nautes, équipés d'accessoires maritimes (filet, bouée, voile, etc.), qui attachent un blason de la ville de Paris à la pile, et les forgerons-riveurs, qui fixent un blason RF à la pile. Ces groupes sont reproduits à l'identique sur les deux bras de la Seine, en amont et en aval (soit quatre reproductions de chaque groupe).

_____________________________

The first version of this bridge, a pedestrian metallic footbridge named footbridge of Passy, dated the World Fair of 1878.

Further to a competition organized in 1902, it was reconstructed in 1905, supervised by Louis Biette, built by Daydé and Plundered, and decorated by Camille-Jean Formigé, architect of the City of Paris.

It was renamed in 1948, in memory of the battle of Bir Hakeim (delivered by general Kœnig and Forces françaises libres (FFL) in Libya in 1942).

It presents numerous characteristics:

A central part of 12 meters is in an awkward position;

It has 2 floors: one for the pedestrians and cars and a viaduct above which allows to pass the line 6 of the subway;

The railroad viaduct is supported by metallic colonnades, so as the outlet of the island of Swans, where it bases on an arc in masonry;

The railroad viaduct is horizontal, while the highway is in descent of the left bank towards the right bank, what makes that the distance between both ways is not constant;

A cycle track walks under the railroad viaduct, my view show it very well (lol)

Staircases in the middle of the bridge(deck) allow to pass on the island of Swans, long walk which leads to the bridge(deck) of Grenelle and to the replica of the statue of Liberty;

A commemorative tablet reminds the exploits of the first brigade of Free French Forces during the battle of Bir Hakeim, from May 27th till June 11th, 1942.

It is decorated with four stone monumental statues in bas-relief situated on the central arc of the viaduct at the level of the island in Swans:

The Science and The Work of Jules Coutan upstream

The Electricity and The Business of Jean-Antoine Injalbert downstream.

Of the upstream side, at the level of the road, the statue returning France, of Holger Wederkinch, was offered by the Danish colony(summer camp) of Paris in 1930.

Piles are decorated with two statuary groups of Gustave Michel strictly imbricated in the skeleton: Nautes, equipped with maritime accessories (net, buoy, veil(sail), etc.), which attach a blazon of the city of Paris to the pile, and the smiths - riveurs, which fix a blazon RF to the pile. These groups are reproduced as before on both arms of the Seine, upstream and downstream (that is four reproductions of every group).

 

Clic ! - See it in large - Clic !

 

CaméraSony DSLR-A850

HDR - 7 Raw - With 0,5 ev assembled with PS5

Ouverturef/16.0

Longueur focale20 mm

Vitesse ISO100

Détection du degré d'exposition+0.7 EV

  

Thanks to all for visits and faves

   

[My GETTY Images @] [My MOST FAVE on Flickriver] [My RECENT on Fluidr] [My STREAM on Darckr]

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Here is a couple of images from a shoot I did earlier this week to help a friend with her graded unit which is a campaign against sexual exploitation. The shoot itself as a disaster! Pushed for time with them being late and me having work later in the night we only got about 20 minutes shooting time and right at the beginning a light blew over in the wind luckily only the reflector crumpled in and the light was still working. Glad I managed to pull a few good shots from it though. :)

Véhicule : IRISBUS Agora L GNV

Identification : 2292 (DD-448-KR)

Exploitant : Keolis Bordeaux Métropole

Dépôt : Centre d'Exploitation du Lac (CEL)

 

Réseau : TBM (Bordeaux Métropole)

Ligne : Lianes 2

Voiture : 0201

Destination : n.c.

 

Ligne déviée suite à des travaux de voirie.

 

17/04/2019 16:40

Allée de Bristol ; F-33 BORDEAUX

HMS Exploit on its way up the River Thames yesterday: it moored at Tilbury landing stage just beyond this.

HMS Exploit is one of 14 "Archer" class patrol vessels and in based at Portsmouth. It has a crew of 5. It was commissioned in 1988 and built in the UK.

The recent commemorations of the Dunkirk evacuations were marked by a fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships sailing from Ramsgate to Dunkirk last week: they are returning this week. The were accompanied by a number of Navy patrol vessels (7, I believe) and I imagine HMS Exploit was one of these. Another was further down the river a I shot this (I left when it began to rain...). I'd been hoping to see any of the Little Ships which were returning but wasn't successful.

The Little Ships were private vessels that sailed from Ramsgate across the channel to help in the evacuation of over 300,000 Allied troops. There were over 800 Little Ships. One of the owners of a surviving vessel made the point that, with the passage of time, the Little Ships themselves are our last link with an extraordinary episode from a terrible time. I love to see them, whatever the reason.

(Just visible behind the greenery across the river: 3 tower blocks, masked by smoke from a fire a short distance up river).

 

[IMG_2227a]

Flota/Fleet: Guaguas Municipales (BT1)

 

Carrocería/Bodywork: Wagon Union VOV

 

Chassis: MAN SD200

 

Lote/Batch info: 1/1 - 4 total (BT1-BT4)

 

Matricula/Plate: GC-6441-CL

 

Longitud/Length: 2m

 

Servicio/Service: 2000 - 2010

 

Info (SP): Cuando el concepto de guagua turística llego a Las Palmas, lo hizo de la mano de Guaguas Municipales. Concretamente se adquirieron 4 unidades de dos pisos del mercado aleman, y se trato de unidades MAN Wagon SD200 que comenzaron su vida util en Alemania en 1984 (concretamente en la empresa BVG donde tenian la numeración 3308, 3319, 3367 & 3382). Sin embargo tras perder el contrato de explotación de las rutas turísticas a la empresa City Sightseeing en 2010, se procedió a retirar estas unidades de circulación. Se desconoce que ocurrió con ellas.

 

Info (EN): When the concept of a tourist bus arrived in Las Palmas it was brought by Guaguas Municipales. Specifically they purchased 4 MAN WagonSD200 double-decker buses from the German market. These units had beed serving in the Berlin-based BVG, where they served as 3308, 3319, 3367 and 3382 since 1984. Nevertheless after losing the contract to exploit these routes to the City Sightseeing company in 2010 it was decided for these to be withdrawn from service. It is unknown what occurred to them after that.

Ex bus de l’exploitant Transdev STRAV.

 

Réseau : Val d’Yerres – Val de Seine.

Ranting and raving by society rejected

He stood all alone one of the exploited

A life of public service was once suggested

20 years of education for him had been invested

Standing for election the polls he contested

The electorate in him could not be interested

With his interest in expenses more than vested

A recount at least was what he requested

  

..................... Copyright (c) Rodney Harrison 2014

Le château de Pomponne

L’histoire du lieu débute officiellement vers 1107 avec Hugues de Pomponne qui s’oppose au roi de France Louis le Gros. Ce sont les premiers documents historiques dont nous avons trace.

Ancien point de passage obligé sur la Marne, d’abord à gué puis franchissement par pont, l’agglomération de Pomponne se développe autour de ce lieu de passage et donne naissance à une seigneurie qui se traduit par l’implantation d’une vaste propriété avec en son centre un château appelé Château de Pomponne en 1176 mais il s’agit d’une forteresse.

En 1489 L’officier des armées Martin Courtin reçoit, de Louis XII, en récompense de ses services, la seigneurie de Pomponne alors rattachée à la couronne. 3 générations de Courtin se succèdent sans interruption et donnent une des plus grande puissance et expansion à la terre de Pomponne.

Marie Courtin porta la seigneurie à Nicolas de Haqueville par mariage les Haqueville conservant le titre de seigneur de Pomponne jusqu’en 1619.

Grace à cette famille, le domaine sera de nouveau considérablement agrandi vers 1530. Ils achètent une foule de petites propriétés avoisinant le château, en particulier celle de MENYON qui était enclavée dans le parc et s’étendait de l’église jusqu’à l’allée de Bordeaux. Son annexion amena la destruction de beaucoup d’habitations, diminua singulièrement la population du village auquel elle supprima le chemin le plus direct pour se rendre à Bordeaux, Forest ou Monjay.

Le dernier Hacqueville décède sans enfant et c’est sa demi sœur Catherine de la Borderie qui en hérite et l’apporte en dote à son époux Robert Arnauld d’Antilly en 1613.

Le château fut alors reconstruit en 1663 par Robert à la place qu’il occupe aujourd’hui, l’ancien étant plus proche de la mairie, à l’extrémité du parterre actuel. Des fossés sont creusés et des ponts-levis construits. Robert fait également tracer les allées et les avenues du petit parc et des jardins d’après les dessins de Le Notre.

Il ordonne ensuite la clôture du grand parc et obtient par traité avec les habitants de Pomponne le passage sur leur terre des tuyaux de la grand fontaine et du miroir qui captent toutes les sources des environs et desservent en eau les bassins aménagés par son ordre.

Il complète toutes ces transformations en faisant construire en 1670 contre l’église une maison pour le maître d’école.

 

Son fils Simond Arnauld (1618-1699), diplomate, ministre et secrétaire d'état aux affaires étrangères, bien en cour au début du règne de Louis XIV, fut disgracié en 1662 à la chute de Fouquet dont il était l’ami. On dit qu’il avait contre lui Colbert et Louvois. Revenu en grâce, il obtint d’ériger la seigneurie de Pomponne en marquisat en 1682, à la grande joie de son amie Mme de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné, dont on sait qu'elle visita à plusieurs reprise M. de Pomponne en son château.

En 1676, il obtient la modification du chemin de Paris à Lagny qui a pour but d’enclaver l’ancienne route dans le domaine, de démolir les maisons longeant le parc et de l’affranchir de toute servitude désagréable.

En 1679 il bâtit une arcade qui partant du parc allait rejoindre la rue Maquereau pour suivre ensuite l’allée d’ormes plantées par lui le long de la marne. En 1681 construction d’une chapelle particulière à côté du château et en 1682 le marquis de Pomponne achète la terre de Bordeaux.

A sa mort, son fils Nicolas Arnauld lui succède et fait bâtir l’école de pomponne en 1729 et dès lors, très en avance sur son temps, l’école est gratuite à Pomponne pour les filles et les garçons.

En 1756 les jardins sont modifiés.

En 1759 les terres et le marquisat sont vendus au marquis de Brou puis l’ensemble est cédé à M. Huvelin de Baviller qui commença la restauration du château, mort subitement, la propriété fut de nouveau vendue à M. Le Bas de Courmont qui entame des travaux et rachète à peu près toutes les terres alors concédées lors des successions difficiles. En 1794 il est guillotiné.

En 1821, sa veuve vend la propriété à M. Louis Dreux qui, à la demande de son fils Edouard Dreux (1803-1878), qui souhaitait s’installer à Pomponne, la remet en état. Il élargit la rue vieille (actuelle rue Louis Dreux, la plus ancienne de Pomponne) en 1830; Restaure l’église et la rend au culte en 1835.

En 1852, il rachète les jardins, les potagers et dépendances de l’ancienne ferme située à droite de l’avenue du Mail qui étaient devenues propriétés particulières. Il détruit la maison de maître et les bâtiments de la ferme et fait planter le jardin anglais.

 

En reconstruisant les murs, balustres et parapets du château on a trouvé une grande quantité de médailles portant millésimes 1663 qui indiquent la date à peu près certaine du château actuel.

 

Les allemands occupent le château en 1870, le pillent et dégradent le mobilier.

En 1871 Edouard Dreux répare les dégats et fait exhumer 30 soldats prussiens. Un mausolé leur a été élevé dans le cimetière communal.

A sa mort, son gendre M. Albert Dumez réalise les parterres et le château d’eau qui sont la reproduction en plus grand des cascades de Saint-Cloud dont l’architecte Hottot Saint-Ange s’inspira.

Les eaux vives ruissellent par les trop pleins, des jets d’eau jaillissent à chaque niveau par des faces de monstres allégoriques. A l’époque l’ensemble est ouvert au public lors de certaines festivités et tous les 2e dimanche de septembre.

L’esplanade circulaire qui fermait le parc vers l’Est, au-delà du miroir et à laquelle on parvenait par deux rampes douces en forme de fer à cheval est transformée. Les jardins sont reconstitués à l’aide de documents anciens dans un pastiche de style classique. Le parc est le seul de son espèce dans toute l’Ile-de-France.

 

Pendant la guerre de 14-18 Mme Dreux veuve Dumez fonde une ambulance de 35 lits à ses frais, hébergeant surtout des grands blessés convalescents, qui fonctionnera jusqu’en 1919.

En 1918 le château servi de lieu de réunion au grand quartier général de la 2 bataille de la Marne. Clémenceau, Foch, Pétain et Gouraud, des généraux anglais et américains y ont élaboré les plans qui devaient conduite à la victoire finale. Une plaque commémorant ces réunions historiques fut enlevée par les allemands pendant l’occupation du château de 1940 à 1944.

Au décès de Mme Dumez, en 1942, la propriété est vendue. Le nouveau propriétaire M. Doriol, un industriel, exploite le bois du parc tandis que le château et les jardins, acheté par l’état en 1945 sont affectés au ministère de l’intérieur qui abrite la caserne de la compagnie républicaine (CRS4).

 

Le 5 juillet 1943 l’ensemble du château et des jardins est inscrit à l’inventaire supplémentaire des monuments historiques.

 

Aujourd’hui, l’alimentation en eau des bassins est à reprendre, ainsi que les conduites et pompes élévatrices.

Le Bassin des enfants est à recréer, le bassin octogonal est à réhabiliter. Les jardins à arbres à replanter.

Isfandiyâr's fifth exploit - he kills the sîmurgh

Shahnama de Firdawsi

Copenhagen, David Collection

Miniature from a copy of Firdawsi’s Shahnama.

‘Isfandiyar’s Fifth Ordeal; He Must Slay the Simurgh’

www.davidmus.dk/?culture=en-us

youtu.be/p0kjGOOZZog

 

Go-Go for a wild ride with the action girls! Russ Meyer, the king of exploitation, directs this lurid thrill-ride starring Tura Satana, Haji, and Lori Williams as a trio of dancers who turn to murder and mayhem on a road trip from hell. Varla is well-endowed, beautiful, physically powerful, savvy and conniving. She lives for kicks, but she's also got a serious mad on for the world, and anyone who crosses her finds out the hard way. Her job as a go-go dancer, supplemented by a part time career in petty crime has afforded her a sleek and fast sports car, which she enjoys riding in the desert with her fellow dancers. One of them, Rosie, has a crush on Varla, which she happily encourages, even if Varla is really more interested in the control it gives her over Rosie than in Rosie herself. The other dancer, Billie, is a little harder for Varla to manage, but Billie isn't bright enough to outmaneuver Varla.

 

When the little gang run into a square drag racer, he winds up getting into a fight with Varla, losing of course. Varla makes sure he never talks back again, then kidnaps his girlfriend and makes a run for it. BIllie and Rosie tag along, and they soon become involved in intrigue with an old letch in the desert rumored to have a stash of cash hidden away somewhere. When Varla starts to lose control of the situation, things (again) become violent, leading to a revved-up climax! Three strippers seeking thrills encounter a young couple in the desert. After dispatching the boyfriend, they take the girl hostage and begin scheming on a crippled old man living with his two sons in the desert, reputedly hiding a tidy sum of cash. They become houseguests of the old man and try and seduce the sons in an attempt to locate the money, not realizing that the old man has a few sinister intentions of his own.

synopsis

Exploitation maven Russ Meyer created a cult classic with this turbo-charged action film. Three curvaceous go-go dancers in a cool sports car go on a desert crime spree, led by Varla (the amazing Tura Satana), a busty, nasty woman dressed entirely in black. Varla's lesbian moll, Rosie (Haji) -- who has an extremely overwrought accent -- and reluctant bimbo Billie (Lori Williams) are along for the ride. When they meet a naïve young couple, Tommy and Linda (Ray Barlow and Sue Bernard), Varla challenges the man to a race then kills him by breaking his back. They take Linda hostage and drive to a house owned by a crippled old lecher (Stuart Lancaster) and his muscular but retarded son, Vegetable (Dennis Busch). Varla discovers that the old man has money hidden on the property, so the girls try to find it. Meanwhile, Vegetable's perverted father tries to trick him into assaulting one of the girls as he watches, but his other son (Paul Trinka) finally shows up to save the day. A great deal of bloodshed, campy catfighting, and funny dialogue fills the bulk of this fast-paced comic book of a movie.

Born 1946 Quebec,Canada

Passed on 2013

Birth Name - Barbarella Catton Nickname - Haji

Haji was a Cando-American actress renowned for starring in Russ Meyer's sexploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), in which she made her theatrical film debut. Barbarella Catton was born in Quebec City, Quebec on January 24, 1946, and at the age of 14, began dancing topless. The renamed Haji caught the eye of cinema's "King Leer" while performing as an exotic dancer.

He also cast her as one of three go-go dancers who turn into avenging furies in "Pussycat", which was her theatrical film debut as it was released before Motor Psycho (1965). She also appeared in Meyer's potboiler Good Morning... and Goodbye! (1967), his big budget Hollywood sextravaganza Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), and his cartoonish amalgamation of sex and violence, Supervixens (1975).

Haji died on August 10, 2013 at the age of 67.

Was a fervent supporter of animal rights and environmentalism. Interviewed in the book "Invasion of the B-Girls" by Jewel Shepard. Began as an exotic dancer. Moved to California at the age of fourteen and was discovered by filmmaker Russ Meyer performing in a topless bar. Her only child, a daughter she had at age 15, is named Cerlette. Haji was of British and Filipino descent, and her nickname was bestowed on her by an uncle. Was a friend and co-star of former stripper and long-time Russ Meyer paramour Kitten Natividad.

Haji, an Actress Featured in Cult Films by Russ Meyer, Dies at 67

By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK

Published: August 17, 2013

Haji, a voluptuous actress who played one of three homicidal go-go dancers in Russ Meyer’s 1965 cult film “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” died on Aug. 9 in Southern California. She was 67.

Her death was confirmed by the dancer and actress Kitten Natividad, a friend, who said she did not know the cause. She said Haji had high blood pressure and heart problems in recent years and was taken to a hospital after falling ill at a restaurant in Newport Beach.Haji, a brunette of Filipino and British descent, met Meyer, the celebrated B-movie director, in the mid-1960s while she worked in a strip club in California. He cast her as the lead in his biker movie “Motorpsycho” (1965) even though she had no acting experience.Later that year Haji appeared in “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” the tale of three dancers who beat a young man to death, kidnap his girlfriend and flee into the desert. She played the lesbian paramour of the lead character, Varla, played by Tura Satana. The film has acquired a devoted following and has been embraced by the filmmakers John Waters and Quentin Tarantino and even some feminists, including the film critic B. Ruby Rich, who praised it in The Village Voice as a “female fantasy.”“You just didn’t see women taking over and beating up men in those days,” Haji said in an interview posted on Russ Meyer’s Ultravixens, a Web site devoted to Meyer, who died in 2004, and his films. “Russ did something no one else had the imagination to do. And he was smart to use three bodied-up women, so whether the picture’s good or not, you still sort of stare at it.”Haji played a scantily clad bartender in Meyer’s “Supervixens” in 1975 and appeared in “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” the story of an all-woman rock band’s descent into debauchery. It was the first of Meyer’s films produced by a mainstream studio. She also acted in John Cassavetes’s gritty drama “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” in 1976.

Haji was born in Quebec on Jan. 24, 1946. Ms. Natividad said that Haji’s last name at birth was Catton, and that she thought her given name was Cerlette. (The name Haji, she said, was a nickname given to her by an uncle.) Haji left school before finishing the sixth grade and began stripping at 14. She had a daughter, also named Cerlette, at 15. She lived in Oxnard, Calif. Her survivors include her daughter and a granddaughter. Haji’s last screen role was in the 2003 comedy “Killer Drag Queens on Dope.”

www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/haji-an-actress-featured-...;

 

Le puits Rodolphe est l'une des principales mines appartenant aux mines de potasse d'Alsace, situé sur les communes d'Ungersheim et Pulversheim dans la région française du Grand Est.

 

Il a exploité de la potasse entre 1913 et 1976 et fait 711 mètres de profondeur. Après la fermeture de la mine, le site reste désaffecté pendant dix ans. En 1987, le site est acquis par l’Écomusée, et le Conseil général du Haut-Rhin. En 1994 est créée l'association Le Groupe Rodolphe afin de préserver ce site chargé d'histoire et de commencer des travaux de rénovation. Au début du XXIe siècle, tous les bâtiments se trouvent dans un état de conservation acceptable, certains ayant été restaurés où étant en cours de restauration.

 

L'exploitation minière du Carreau Rodolphe employait 1000 personnes à près de 1000 mètres sous terre pour récupérer un précieux minerai déposé par la mer il y a des millions d'années... Elle a pris fin en 1976.

Depuis, le Carreau Rodolphe est devenu un site monumental témoin de la gloire passée de l'industrie minière de la potasse en Alsace.

Situé au coeur de la principale zone touristique du Bassin Potassique avec l’Ecomusée et le Bioscope, le site minier du Carreau Rodolphe, propriété du Conseil Général du Haut-Rhin, est un des exemples rares de grands ensembles industriels cohérents, complets, qui permet de faire comprendre comment vivait cette industrie à l’image d’un gigantesque organisme.

L’Association «Groupe Rodolphe», présente sur le site depuis plus de 15 ans, peut présenter aujourd’hui un ensemble de machines, de chantiers et de bâtiments à l’architecture monumentale hérités de la société des Mines de Kali Sainte-Thérèse.