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25 THINGS by Dan Garner, says Karl Hasten, is
A sprawling, ambitious project with 25 songs. It paints a diverse sonic and lyrical landscape that showcases Garner¹s broad diversity of musical influences. At times displaying the perceptive intellect of a Leonard Cohen, at others, exposing a Warren Zevon playful slyness, 25 Things cooks up a gumbo that sacrifices stylistic continuity for an always surprising and satisfying eclectricity. On the opening cut, I Told You Before, Garner attempts to impart world-wizended wisdom to his children, and that lyrical maturity is masterfully counterbalanced with the raw musical energy of a proto-power punk music bed. This is a great device for luring the kids in to listen to the message with music they can relate to.
Garner moves from the energetic power of proto-punk to the realm of sensitive singer/songwriter with effortless ease. In You¹re So Beautiful he tells the object of his affections that you¹re so beautiful, you don¹t even know. This is a subtle but searing romantic line guaranteed to make a heart melt, right up there in a league with you had me at hello. On several notable cut like What Makes The World Go Round² someone Who Can and the unsentimentally nostalgic Bossier Strip, Garner slips into the smooth blues grooves indigenous to this area .
Garner is not only a prolific writer but a well-versed student of the musical history of this area and beyond. Given that talent, Garner references several genre and artists without sounding like he is copying any of them. His vocals do occasionally evoke early Dylan and Nick Drake, even Michael Franks here and there, but he never appears to be doing a cover. And, since he wrote all the songs on the CD, he has kept everything well within the range of his voice. There are some stand out guest stars on 25 Things, including guitarists Mark Griffith, Ron Johnson and Dave Green; background vocalists Cookie Garner and Amelia Blake and The Ever Ready Gospel Singers, to name a few. Ron Johnson¹s fluid, blistering lead work on Someone Who Can channels Stevie Ray Vaughn¹s swagger, and Dave Green adds an alternative and progressive fire to I Told You Before.
Sample Garner's latest at www.myspace.com/25things.
“This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life” ―David Foster Wallace, 2009
“Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship--be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles--is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It's the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It's been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness.
Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they're unconscious. They are default settings.
They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing.”
"Thought"
Made in France
Conceived 1895; carved 1901
Auguste Rodin, French, 1840 - 1917
Marble
"For Auguste Rodin, sculptural meaning always resided in the human form, and with Thought he explores the power of intellection, resident in the mind, to animate and transmute blind nature. This work was an experiment, as he once explained, an attempt to see if he could sculpt a head that seemed so alive as to give vitality to the stone from which it was made. Here a beautiful and subtly carved female head emerges from a jagged block of raw marble. Her chin still embedded in rock, the transformation is incomplete, however, and the dichotomy between inert matter and pulsing flesh remains tensely unresolved. Poignantly, the model for Thought was the talented sculptor Camille Claudel, who was Rodin's mistress at the time and his collaborator before their definitive rupture in the early 1890s. Christopher Riopelle, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 201."
www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/101812.html?mul...
Author: Bell, John.
Title: Wanderings of the human intellect; or, A new dictionary of the various sects.
Date: no date
Location & Publisher: Baltimore: Published by Fielding Lucas, Jr.
Dimensions:
Language: English
Click here to see the book in the Loyola online catalogue.
Click here to see all images from this book.
This image was photographed and uploaded as part of the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project (Loyola University Chicago)
Pastor Jim Reeve prays at Night of Hope in Los Angeles, CA April 25 2010.
Dr. Jim Reeve is a dynamic teacher and preacher of God’s Word. His delivery is marked by a unique blend of practical scholarship, humor and inspiration. Dr. Reeve’s messages challenge people’s intellect and touch their hearts. As the Senior and founding Pastor of Faith Community Church in Southern California, he pastors one of the most influential churches in the nation. Under his direction, Faith Community Church has grown from a handful of people in 1980 to over 10,000 in attendance every week. He received his BA from Hope International University and his MA and PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Reeve’s television ministry, Balanced Living, airs nationally and internationally. He and his wife Marguerite have been married 37 years; have three grown children, two daughters in law, and five grandchildren.
Balanced Living
Balanced Living television is an outreach ministry of Faith Community Church. See Dr. Jim Reeve each week as he presents the life-changing message of Jesus in a fresh and relevant way for today’s audiences. Check below for stations and show times in your area.
* KCAL channel 9 at 9 AM on Saturday in the Los Angeles area
Faith Community Church
1211 East Badillo Street
West Covina, CA 91790
Tel: (626) 858-8400
Fax: (626) 858-8412
Email: info@go2faith.com
Thursday, May 26. KYIV – Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Emerging Security Challenges Ambassador Sorin Dukaru, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for European Integration Mr. Ihor Dolhov took part in an official ceremony of start of Remediation hydrocarbon polluted military site unit 2788 Project under the NATO Science for Peace and Security program. The scientific developers presented the remediation equipment. “The unit where this project is launched is near civil buildings. The cleaning of ground waters will be useful for everyone. This equipment will be used at other facilities of Ukraine,” Ihor Dolhov stressed.
Ambassador Sorin Dukaru: This project is a result of synergy of intellect and knowledge in international cooperation.
“This project organized under the NATO Science for Peace and Security program is a result of synergy of intellect and knowledge in international cooperation. The clean water is a symbol of clean future,” Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Emerging Security Challenges Ambassador Sorin Dukaru said during official ceremony of start of Remediation hydrocarbon polluted military site unit 2788 Project.
У Києві заступник Генсекретаря НАТО та заступник Міністра оборони відкрили проект природовідновлювальних робіт за Програмою НАТО
26 травня, у Києві, за участю заступника Генерального секретаря НАТО з питань нових викликів безпеці Сорін Дукару та заступника Міністра оборони України з питань європейської інтеграції Ігоря Долгова відбулася урочиста церемонія започаткування практичних робіт у рамках проекту “Проведення природовідновлювальних робіт з локалізації та ліквідації нафтохімічного забруднення на території парку військової частини А2788” за Програмою НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки”. Захід відбувся на базі однієї з військових частин майже в центрі столиці.
Науковці – розробники проекту презентували роботу ремедіаційного обладнання. Зокрема, схему вилучення нафтопродуктів та забруднених підземних вод із геологічного середовища. При цьому наголошувалося, що в процесі застосовуються різні типи насосів, які в кінцевому результаті дають відокремлену викачку залишків нафтопродуктів та очищеної фільтрованої води.
– Військова частина, на базі якої стартує проект в рамках Програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” знаходиться недалеко від житлових будинків цивільних киян. Тому, внаслідок очищення грунтових вод користь буде усім. В подальшому обладнання для очищення буде використовуватися далі, на тих об’єктах України, які цього потребують, – зазначив Ігор Долгов. До речі, ще до призначення заступником Міністра оборони з питань європейської інтеграції, на посаді Голови Місії України при НАТО, Ігор Долгов опікувався цим проектом.
Він також підкреслив, що в Україні проблема очищення ґрунтових вод від залишків рідких нафтопродуктів існувала давно, адже у нашій державі небуло такого поєднаного процесу очищення. За сприянням програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” це стало можливим. Він побажав, що на майбутньому об’єкті буде враховано досвід робіт, й завдяки роботі талановитих науковців процес буде ще більш кращим, ефективнішим та економічно вигідним.
Сорін Дукару та Ігор Долгов перерізали символічну стрічку та дали старт проекту.
На завершення заходу відбулася передача повноважень українській стороні щодо реалізації практичної фази проекту та вручення відповідних сертифікатів НАТО.
“Презентований сьогодні проект – результат поєднання інтелекту й знань у міжнародній співпраці” – заступник Генсекретаря НАТО Сорін Дукару
– Проект очищення грунтових вод від залишків рідких нафтопродуктів на базі військової частини, що відбувається в рамках Програми НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки”, яскраво демонструє які чудові досягнення можуть стати результатом поєднання інтелекту й знань у міжнародній співпраці. У нього ще є символічне значення – та очищена вода, яка буде після проекту, символізує очищення бруду минулого й створення чистого майбутнього, – наголосив заступник Генерального секретаря НАТО з питань нових викликів безпеці Сорін Дукару під час урочистої церемонії започаткування практичних робіт у рамках проекту “Проведення природовідновлювальних робіт з локалізації та ліквідації нафтохімічного забруднення на території парку військової частини А2788”. Захід відбувся на базі однієї з військових частин Збройних Сил України майже в центрі столиці.
Сорін Дукару зазначив науковцям – розробникам проекту, що хоча НАТО пишається своєю роллю у проекті “Наука заради миру та безпеки”, це вони його створили, це їх дітище, яке несе користь людству.
Довідка. Програма НАТО “Наука заради миру та безпеки” (НМБ) є інструментом політики, спрямованої на поглиблення співпраці та діалогу з усіма партнерами на основі наукових досліджень та інновацій цивільного характеру, з метою сприяння досягненню ключових цілей Альянсу та розв’язання питань, що належать до пріоритетних галузей діалогу та співробітництва, визначених у новій політиці партнерства.
Пріоритети наукових досліджень пов’язані зі стратегічними завданнями НАТО і зосереджуються на проектах, що безпосередньо спрямовані на підтримку операцій НАТО, а також на тих, що сприяють захисту від тероризму та вирішенню питань щодо інших загроз безпеці. Дані проекти включають заходи, спрямовані: на виявлення вибухових речовин та пристроїв; фізичний захист від хімічних, біологічних, радіологічних та ядерних речовин; забезпечення готовності до надзвичайних ситуацій; кібер-захист та екологічної безпеку.
Започаткована у 1950-х роках як Наукова програма НАТО, Програма НМБ пропонує гранти на виконання проектів співпраці, проведення практичних семінарів та заходів підготовки, в яких беруть участь науковці з країн-членів та країн-партнерів НАТО.
An ode to the psychological push-and-pull between warm and cool tones, where emotion and intellect visually collide.
fotografiert am 1. April 2007 in Ohr
Text der Inschrift:
"Frei ist der Geist und ohne Zwang der Glaube"
(free translated) "free is the intellect and without enforcement the faith"
"Mehrere Kirchengemeinden bilden zusammen einen Kirchenkreis (in der allgemeinen Verwaltung einem Landkreis vergleichbar), an dessen Spitze ein Superintendent (in zwei Kirchenkreisen mit dem Titel Propst) steht. Die Kirchenkreise sind ebenfalls Körperschaften des öffentlichen Rechts und haben als Organe den Kirchenkreistag, mit Kirchenkreistagsvorstand und den Kirchenkreisvorstand. Die Mitglieder des Kirchenkreistags werden von den jeweiligen Kirchenvorständen der Kirchengemeinden zum Ende des ersten Amtsjahres i. d. R. auf sechs Jahre bestimmt. Die Verwaltung der Kirchenkreise und ihrer Kirchengemeinden erfolgt im Kirchenkreisamt, geleitet durch den Kirchenkreisamtsleiter. Die Kirchenkreisämter sind teilweise für mehrere Kirchenkreise zuständig. Die Synode hat 2005 beschlossen, die Anzahl der Kirchenkreisämter zu halbieren. Derzeit gibt es etwa 40, in Zukunft soll dies auf max. 21 zurückgefahren werden. Dies wird zu einer Zentralisierung der Aufgaben führen." Quelle und weitere Informationen: Wikipedia: Ev.-Luth. Landeskirche Hannovers / Verwaltung der Landeskirche
Es gibt derzeit keinen Wikipediaartikel zum Dorf Ohr der Gemeinde Emmerthal nahe Hameln.
Weiterführende Links:
Flickr-Fotos St. Martinskirche
www.emmerthal.de/ -> Menüpunkt Die Gemeinde | Orts- und Straßenverzeichnis | Ohr mit Details zur Geschichte des Orts.
Die ev.-luth. Kirchengemeinde St. Martin Ohr ist Teil des Kirchenkreises Hameln-Pyrmont. Ebenso ist die Martinsgemeinde Mitglied des Ökumenischen Kirchenzentrums Hameln-Klein Berkel.
Kathy is a news anchor. She frequents Betty Jo's salon for her weekly perm. Men fear her icy stare and intimidating intellect.
MPs' EXPENSES: Tory MP David Willetts claimed £115 for 25 light bulbs
Formidable intellect he may be, but David 'Two Brains' Willetts struggles with changing a lightbulb.
The Tory innovation, universities and skills spokesman billed the taxpayer £115 plus VAT for workmen to replace 25 lightbulbs at his second home in West London.
Mr Willetts charged another £80 to 'change lights in bathroom,' on a £2,191.38 invoice for odd jobs that included cleaning a shower head.
Officials agreed to reimburse him for most of the work but cut over £1,000 from the bill, ruling out paying for a dog enclosure. and a shed base
Mr Willetts said the lights were faulty and needed to be seen by an electrician.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1180393/Tory-MP-David-Wi...
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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
intellect is like a major city
laden with concrete and metal
advanced modes of transportation
shining buildings and fenced-in parks
spirit is the mountains, forest
wilderness and vast countryside
that surrounds it
too many people live in the city
struggling day to day
for mere existence
most have forgotten
how to live off the land
they only experience nature
on class trips and short term vacations
for those that live in the country
cities are like amusement parks
with high prices and temporal satisfaction
at the end of the day
they are tired
ready to go home
to relieve their ringing ears
this is a photograph of my grandma (right) joanne and one of her very best friends. taken in the 1930's. i remember nothing of her except when i was four years old, it was my birthday and she had passed earlier that week but her package had arrived with a bright purple jumpsuit and a card saying she loves me. i wish i had more memories, but these old photographs will have to suffice. i have reason to believe she was an amazing woman, and i hope wherever she is now, that she's happy.
photo © by juliette e. lacour (or someone in the LaCour family), poem © by saul williams
"I think that the leaf of a tree, the meanest insect on which we trample, are in themselves arguments more conclusive than any which can be adduced that some vast intellect animates Infinity."
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.
Taken with a Canon 60D and a Tamaron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens.
How shall we live in these times?
How shall we respond to the awareness of what is happening in our world?
Perhaps the first step is to acknowledge honestly: we don’t know.
We may have our guidelines, our intentions, our beliefs about what is helpful and what is not. But do any of us see a clear path from the mess we’ve created on our planet to a peaceful sustainable world? No, we don’t.
We don’t, because we can’t. The process we’re involved in today is not one that the human
intellect is capable of penetrating. Like the dance of subatomic particles, it’s multidimensional, mysterious, and impossible for our minds to grasp.
Once we come to grips with this fact, we can let go of the crippling assumption that we should know what to do—or that, at the very least, someone should know. Since nobody does, this can leave us feeling panicky and overwhelmed.
I believe that solutions do exist to our problems.
But will we find them? That’s another question. As Einstein said, problems can never be resolved at the level at which they were created. The environmental crisis was caused by the human mind—or more accurately, by the ways in which we habitually use it. But problems created by the mind cannot be resolved by the mind.
We are used to turning to the mind for guidance, and when it can’t make out the path, we tend to feel hopeless. Yet if we can make peace with the fact that our mind is not in control of this journey, then we can open to the possibility of what some might call a miracle.
We usually think of miracles as events that contradict the laws of nature, as when Jesus turned water into wine.
But the kind of miracle I’m talking about here does not contradict nature. Rather, it’s guided by the intelligence of nature herself, who is the ultimate miracle worker.
Of course, life is a continuous miracle, in the face of which we can’t help but bow down in gratitude and awe. Yet among all the feats of natural magic, one of the most extraordinary is
surely the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies. You probably already know that when a caterpillar is ready to shape-shift, it forms a cocoon. But did you know that within that cocoon, it quite literally liquefies? It dies, and dissolves into a mass of separate cells.
Then, however, something truly amazing happens. Within that cellular goo, some of the old
caterpillar cells begin to mutate into what biology calls imaginal cells—imaginal, because they
carry within them the image of the butterfly-to-be. Nobody can predict which cells are going to transform, nor do we know what triggers the process.
Yet no sooner do the imaginal cells begin to appear than they come under attack from the old caterpillar cells. . . . Interestingly, the imaginal cells don’t even bother fighting back— they’re far too busy working on their crazy butterfly project. Nonetheless, in the end, they emerge victorious. Some die, but most survive, and continue on their way, driven by their overwhelming desire to experience life in a butterfly body.
Do they know how to go about accomplishing this? Absolutely not. They don’t have a clue.
But they do know how to attune themselves to nature’s intelligence, and let themselves be
guided by her. . . . And so, they connect, and together, they begin to weave the
matrix out of which one day a butterfly will emerge . . .
We too are imaginal cells, weavers of a new world.
Listening to the news, the idea of creating a peaceful, sustainable human civilization might seem like a mad fantasy. There are far too many challenges, all of them serious and potentially devastating. . . .
Yet like the imaginal cells, we too are many—far more than most of us realize. And in recent years, we too have been connecting, and have begun to weave the matrix of a new world. . . .
Imaginal cells aren’t given an instruction manual. Nobody tells them what to do. Rather, they are guided from within. We too, can only attune ourselves to the vast consciousness that created our cosmos by quieting ourselves, turning inwards, and listening.
I am not referring to meditation, although meditation certainly is a powerful tool for detaching from the mind. Rather, I am speaking, quite simply, of listening. Let us turn to the
source of guidance within, ask our questions, from the most mundane to the cosmic, and listen to the responses that rise up. . . .
Can we, like the imaginal cells, make ourselves available to serve as agents of nature’s infinite wisdom? If so, we may yet enable a planetary transformation no less miraculous than that of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
~ Jalaja Bonheim
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
St Oswald, Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Carrara marble monument to Penelope Boothby (1785-1791).
Daughter of Sir Brooke Boothby, Baronet & his wife Susannah.
By Thomas Banks (1735-1805), 1793.
The inscription is in four different languages - English, Latin, French & Italian, all of which Penelope spoke.
"She was in form and intellect most exquisite. The unfortunate parents ventured their all on this frail bark and the wreck was total.”
Thomas Banks (1735-1805) was apprenticed to a London mason, but also spent time working alongside the sculptor Peter Scheemakers (1691-1781). He enrolled in the life classes held at the St Martin's Lane Academy, and later at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1772 he became the first sculptor to win the Royal Academy's three-year travelling stipend, and went with his wife to Rome, where he eventually spent seven years. He specialised in ideal works, most of which were executed in Rome for British patrons, although he continued to produce similar work after his return to London. He was made a Royal Academician in 1786. Banks was one of the most original British Neo-classical sculptors, who dedicated his work to the antique spirit rather than to the fashionable classical style alone.
For more information see:-
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope_Boothby
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Brooke_Boothby,_6th_Baronet
St Oswald’s Church, Ashbourne
Grade I Listed
Early foundation. Present church is mainly Early English from circa 1220 but a few remnants of earlier Norman work survive and a Saxon cross shaft (part) in the south aisle. The church is believed to stand on the site of a pagan holy well, now thought to be concealed beneath tyre crossing. The tower and spire circa 1330. The spire, which has been rebuilt several times, has a height of 215ft. Perpendicular additions and alterations circa 1520. The battlements to the chancel were added by Sir G G Scott in 1878 and the church was restored by Cottingham earlier in the C19. Some fine monuments from C14, of which the most famous is probably the figure of Penelope Boothby 1791, by Thomas Banks. Some mediaeval glass remains. In 1644, the church was fired on by Parliamentarians and the marks are still visible in the west wall.
Nos 38, 40 and 72, together with Pegg's Almshouses, Owlfield's Almhouses, The Mansion, the Summerhouse and the cobbled pavements form a group with the parish Church of St Oswald and the churchyard gate piers, gates and walls.
Listing NGR: SK1763146443
Sarah Palin opens mouth to change feet. After yanking down her bulls-eye "target democrats" web graphic, Palin offered to pray for the victims of an anti-government madman. She forgot to apologize for saturating her end of the political discourse with gun imagery, calls for "second amendment remedies," and thinly veiled incitements to violence.
History
The John Rogers who bought Riverhill in 1840 was an only child, with a modest fortune, and a fine intellect. He became a classics scholar, a scientist and a friend of Charles Darwin. He was one of the first members of the Royal Horticultural Society and a patron of the plant collectors of the day.
He chose Riverhill because its sheltered situation offered an ideal lime free hillside where he could hope to establish newly introduced trees and shrubs. From his garden notebook, it can be seen that planting started in 1842. Subsequent generations, continued the planting and in 1910 Colonel John Middleton Rogers created what is now known as ‘The Wood Garden’ a fine collection of Japanese Maples, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. His wife, the infamous Muriel, created many additions including the now hidden Rock Gardens.
Until the beginning of the 2nd World War, eight full time gardeners kept Riverhill looking immaculate. Since the war years, however, a shortage of manpower and a lack of money has meant that the garden was allowed to deteriorate, with many parts of the original planting lost to everyday use and visitors.
Today, four generations of the Rogers family live at Riverhill,
The estate is managed by Edward Rogers (Great-great-great-grandson of the John Rogers who bought Riverhill in 1840) and his wife, Sarah.
Moral strength and a keen intellect enabled Franklin (Peter) Fleeks, the son of former slaves, to excel as a teacher and direct his children and many pupils to attain higher education and positions of leadership. A college graduate, Fleeks taught in various Houston County Schools for 52 years. He donated land for the Gudeblye School Building in 1908. Farmer, businessman, and beloved educator, Fleeks was buried in Hopewell where he lived his entire life. (1994) (Marker No. 11202)
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
The road to romance is covered with roadkill hearts and solitary love.
Much time can go with us taking the same tedious activities that get us the same lousy outcomes over and over. How can one get the alternate desires popping?
Just look at more appealing parts of them and fill your soul with adoring caring reflections. Special ladies will have a great time during the consideration!
Speaking of looks, dress adequately each time you hit the road. Primary looks are all judgment skills in action! That is valid for both genders.
Puzzled at having nothing to express yourself? Listen painstakingly for small details as you both talk. a great opportunity for meeting 95% of qualified ladies is showing interest in their passions. A good share of the best connections occurred amid chance experiences at the daily normal transport bus stop.
Complete Article:
Lapis Lazuli expands the intellect, wisdom, and leadership qualities, as well as helping in legal matters that arise.
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
The real story comes from a love-source
that cannot be understood with intellect, but
known only as a person is known.
-----Coleman Barks
Presidential Candidate 總統候選人
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TianLiang Maa
~ a Taiwanese social reformer, philosopher, photographer and film director
“Touching Fairness and Justice”
馬天亮
~ 臺灣的社會改革者，哲學家，攝影師，和電影導演
《感動的公平與正義》
TianLiang Maa, alternative spelling: Tianliang Ma, also known as Theophilus Raynsford Mann; Ma, Tianliang; Chinese: 馬天亮; 马天亮.
SUMMARY
TianLiang Maa is a naturalist, occultist, Buddhist and Taoist. In 1982, Maa developed a technique for abstract photography, applied “Rayonism” into photographic works. Maa staged 32 individual, extraordinary exhibitions around Taiwan, who was the first exhibitor around Formosa. Maa’s works is the beginning of modernization in the modern abstract arts in the world. At the University of Oxford, Maa’s attractive topic was “A View of Architectural History: Towns through the Ages from Winchester through London Arrived at Oxford in England”; also an author at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan in the United States; an alumnus from Christ Church College at the University of Oxford in England, the University of Glamorgan in Wales, and National Taiwan University in Taipei on Taiwan. Maa’s works have been quoted by the scholars many times, making Maa one of the highly cited technological, artistic, and managing public administrators in the academia. Maa was listed in “Taiwan Who’s Who In Business” © 1984, 1987, 1989 Harvard Management Service.
Early Life and Record of Genealogy
TianLiang Maa possesses both Taiwanese and German surnames from birth. Usually, whenever anyone asks Maa about where he comes from, he would reply “Formosa” as he grew up and was educated in the Far East and lives in Taiwanese and Japanese lifestyles. Moreover, he often teaches and educates younger generations based on the methods of the Far Eastern teaching he experienced when he was young, though he does not oppose the Western ways of teaching and thinking. Maa takes great pride in his roots, which go back 150 years (since 1864); Maa’s ancestry originates and creates generations, and prepares younger generations to succeed their personality and ethical standards and integrity.
Education in Taiwan and a Brief of Latest Generation of History in Taiwan / Formosa
In 1980, Maa obtained his postgraduate certificate from the Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering of National Taiwan University in Taipei; successfully completed another graduate studies in Information dBase III Plus and Taiwanese Traditional Chinese Mandarin Information System at National Sun Yat-Sen University in Kaohsiung in 1989.
In history, the Portuguese explorers discovered and called the island (Taiwan), “Formosa” (meaning “Beautiful Island”) in 1590. They are non-Chinese people; it was long a Chinese and Japanese pirate base. Fighting continued, between its original inhabitants of Taiwanese and the Chinese settlers, into the 19th century. In 1894-95 first Sino-Japanese War that ended in Manchus of the Qing (Ching) dynasty defeat, the late Manchu Qing Government forced to cede Formosa to Japan. This result was made by the Treaty of Shomonoseki in 1895 and remained under Japanese control until the end of the Second World War. Early on, Taiwan was conquered by the Qing in 1683 and for the first time became part of older China dynasty. However, today, the home country of Maa’s origin has around 165 institutions (93 universities) of higher education, which now has one of the best-educated populations in Asia. Among the major public (state) ones are the National Taiwan University (NTU) at Taipei, and National Sun Yat-Sen University (NSYSU) at Kaohsiung. NSYSU is also called National Chun-Shan University; according to Times Higher Education 2010-2011, NSYSU ranks as the 3rd university in Taiwan, 21st in Asia, and 163rd worldwide. National Taiwan University is ranked 51 to 60 ranks on Times Higher Education World University Rankings - Top Universities by Reputation 2013, the United Kingdom (see www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/...); King's College London (KCL) (21st in the world and 6th in Europe in the 2010, QS World University Rankings), the University of London, and University of Southern California (is one of the world's leading private research universities, located in the heart of Los Angeles), afterward.
Backing to Maa’s early school-time of Taiwan Provincial Kaohsiung Industrial Senior High School (Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Industrial High school), the professional technical education, which is equivalent to Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level in the United Kingdom; China Electronic Engineering College, the distance learning programme, which is in equivalence as UK’s Diploma of Higher Education / Undergraduate Diploma (as an Associate Degree in the United States). An additional, his middle education was taught by the Kaohsiung Municipal Chihjh (Ci Sian) Junior High School; and Kaohsiung Municipal San Min Elementary School was his first school in Taiwan.
Early Career
In 1989, Maa instituted Maa’s Office of Electrical Engineer, he settled himself in electrical technology and industries as a chief engineer in his early years. He put his professional and precise knowledge to good account in business management. A formal business management with business relationship established to provide for regular services, dealings, and other commercial transactions and deed. He had many customers having a business and credit relationship with his firm then he was a successful engineer.
Study Abroad and Immigration into the United Kingdom
In 1998, Maa studied abroad when he arrived in Great Britain; he studied at School of Built Environment, the University of Glamorgan (Prifysgol Morgannwg) in Merthyr Tydfil, Pontypridd, Wales for a master of science in real estate appraisal. Until the summer of 2000, Maa completed an academic course on “Towns through the Ages” from Christ Church College at the University of Oxford (is ranked the 2nd place worldwide on The Times Higher Education, World University Rankings 2012-2013
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/...) in England. Afterward, Maa immigrated into the United Kingdom in the early year of 2004.
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS
Maa is a naturalist; he trusts spiritual naturalism and naturalistic spirituality, which teaches that “the unknown” created this wonderful world. “The unknown” arranged the nature with its law so that everything in nature is kept balanced and in order. However, human beings failed to control themselves, deliberately went against the law of nature, and resulted in disasters, which we deserved. He also is an occultist, a Taoist, and a Buddhist; but in Britain, he frequently goes to Christian and Catholic churches, where he makes friends with pastors and fathers as well as churchgoers. In his mind, he recognizes “Belief is truth held in the mind; faith is a fire in the heart”. He is always a freethinker, does not accept traditional, social, and religious teaching, but based on his ideas: a thought or conception that potentially and actually exists in his mind as a product of mental activity - his opinion, conviction, and principle. If people have not come across eastern classics and philosophy, we are afraid that people would never understand TianLiang Maa. People cannot judge an eastern philosopher based on western ways of thinking. He studies I Ching discovering eastern classics of ancient origin consisting of 64 interrelated hexagrams along with commentaries. The hexagrams embody Taoist philosophy by describing all nature and human endeavour in terms of the interaction of yin and yang, and the classics may be consulted as an oracle.
Back in the 1990s when Maa just arrived at England, he had been offered places to do Ph.D. and LL.M. degrees (degree in Law and Politics of the European Union) by several western professors in the Great Britain. He has met all the requirements for postgraduate admissions to study at UK’s universities.
During his time at Oxford, he learnt a lot of British culture and folk-custom while carrying out research with many British and Western professors, experts, and archaeologists. This proves that Maa understands various aspects in British society, culture, and lifestyles. Of course, he does not fully understand about the perspectives of thinking of a typical British. For example, what would be the most valuable in life for a British person? What would a British want to gain from life? What is the goal in life for a British? Is it fortune or a lover? Alternatively, perhaps honour? On the other hand, maybe being able to travel around the world and see the world?
FAIRNESS and JUSTICE
As TianLiang Maa’s (馬天亮) saying are:
“Touching Fairness and Justice”
Feel good about themselves, but do not know the sufferings of the people...
Who can get easy life like them?
What is profile of modern society?
What type and style is truly solemn for this society identify?
Where “the characterization” is? Who can see? Did you see it?
《感動的公平與正義》
自我感覺良好, 不知民間疾苦...
誰能得到安逸的生活如同他們一樣？
這是個什麼樣子的社會？
這個社會認定什麼樣的類型和風格是真正莊重的?
「特徵」在那裡？誰可以看到？你看到了嗎？
Jurisprudence and Political Philosophy and Perspectives
Maa ever studied judicial review and governmental action, the impact of law and legal techniques, constitutional mechanisms for the protection of basic rights, and ensuring the integrity of commercial activity, the impact of law and legal techniques on government, policymaking, and administration, as well as the creation of markets. He tries to understand these critical trends in the political development of modern state. Maa will combine both theoretical and empirical approaches, and the conditions for democratic transition and the nature of state development in the ‘post-industrial’ era of globalisation and economic integration.
According as Maa’s legal experiences, he comprehend that “the knowledge of the law is like a deep well, out of which each man draught according to the strength of his understanding”, and, law and arbitrary power are in eternal enmity. He is also sure law and institutions are constantly tending to gravitate like clocks; they must be occasionally cleansed, and wound up, and set to true time.
The government issues a decree - an authoritative order having the force of law, which charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the administering of its functions. Any of the officials promulgate a law or put into practice relating to the government charged with the execution and administration of the nation's laws then they announce and carry out the creation of any order or new policy that will be responsible for the people.
Maa had knowledge in connexion with construction law; he also understands architectural arts, and as well learnt the forms by combining materials and parts include as an integral part concerning modern construct. I ever built urban buildings and rural architecture in different styles under new housing and building projects by the governmental administration and construction corporations.
Right now, Maa studies the problems caused by ethnic disputes and human armed conflicts in the modern society resulted code of mixed civil and criminal procedure. He wishes an agreement or a treaty to end human hostilities - the absence of war and other hostilities around the world. The interrelation and arrangement of freedom from quarrels and disagreement become harmonious relations living in peace with each other. Actually, erect peace in more friendly ways of making friendships for modern human society is comfortable in my ideal. It is like building monolithic architecture: houses and buildings for the people. Maa would like to do “something beautiful for `the unknown`”.
In the ethnic disagreement and armed conflicts as concerning the poor people and children notwithstanding they live through a bad environment on any of poor or crowded village or town in a particular manner - lived frugally. However, after years of industrialisation as a more educated population, becomes more aware of global plenum, continuing to be alive. Environmental groups are increasing and lobbing government will legislate to stop bad environmental and social practices. The establishments of human rights’ wide and untiring efforts will be alleviated people’s suffering. And as well the poor people shall meet and debate sustainable development and for a concerted government led action towards sustainability is an example that the younger generation are concerned for the future. It shall be making the younger easier for their life and make better on their lives, and help them to build a better future.
In present world, Maa really knows the full meanings of “Fundamental Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for the People”. He thinks ethics is the moral code governing the daily conduct of the individual toward those about him / her. It represents those rules or principles by which men and women live and work in a spirit of mutual confidence and service. Without going into the question of how an ethical code was formulated or why anybody should obey it, we can look at the matter in a common-sense fashion with reference to its influence upon our legal affairs. In brief, from the law point of view, a reputable ethical code embodies the qualities of accuracy, dependability, fair play, sound judgement, and service. It is based upon honesty.
No person can have an ethical code that concerns him / her alone. Living in society, as he / she must, a person encounters others whose rights must be respected as well as his / her own. An honest regard for the rights of others is an essential element of any decent code of ethics, and one that anyone must observe if anybody intends to follow that code. After all, ethics is not something apart from human beings. Indeed, there is no such thing apart from our actions and us. It is the duty, therefore, of every man and woman in legal affairs to see that his daily associations with others are truly in conformity with the plain meaning of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not barratry, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not receive illegal fee and the rest”.
The knowledge Maa has, in connection with legal affairs, was usually come from his precious experiences of his past over ten year’s law and political careers. In an interval regarded as a distinct period of 1980s, he studied mixed civil and crime, and the code of mixed civil and criminal procedure for the problems caused by ethnic disputes and human armed conflicts in the modern society. He was especially one who maintains the language and customs of the group, and social security in Taiwan.
Since 30 July of 1988, Maa settled himself in law as a chief executive and scrivener at Central Legal, Real Estate, and Accounting Services Office; it is in the equivalent to a solicitor of the United Kingdom. The Office provided full legal, accounting, real estate, and commercial services to the public. He did his job as a person legally appointed by another to act as his or her agent in the transaction of business, specifically one qualified and licensed to act for plaintiffs and defendants in legal proceedings and affairs. Over and above Maa was a chairman and executive consultant at Taiwan Credit Information Company®, founded in 1994. The company offered services to the public in response to need and demand in the area of credit information.
Maa had excellent experiences in political and law work was pertaining to mixed civil and crime, the code of mixed civil and criminal procedure, construction, and commercial law abroad. The experiences of legal services related to the rights of private individuals and legal proceedings concerning these rights as distinguished. In the criminal proceedings, he did many cases for the defendants. Although an act committed or omitted in violation of a law forbidding or commanding it and for which punishment is imposed upon conviction; but he also laid legal claim, required as useful, just, proper, or necessary to the defendants under the human rights in the meantime. This provision ensures to the defendant a real voice in the subject.
The men whose judgement we respect are those who do not allow prejudices, preferences, or personalities to influence their decisions. Profit and self-aggrandisement are likewise ignored in their determination to reach an equitable and fair settlement. What are the basic principles upon which good judgement is founded? A keen intellect, a normal emotionally, a through understanding of human nature, experience of law work, sincerity, and integrity.
Developed a Technique for Abstract Photography and Abstractionist
In 1982, Maa developed a technique for abstractive photography, which applied “rayonism” to the photographic works. In November of 1984, Maa was 26-year-old, he instructed many professors and students of National Taiwan Normal University in photography of abstract impressionism and rayonnisme in Taipei, Taiwan. The word “rayonnisme” is French for rayonism - a style of abstract painting developed in 1911 in Russia.
Photographic Exhibitions
TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) Photographic Exhibition of “Rayonnisme / Rayonism” Tour - Invitational Exhibition of Taiwan 1983-84.
一九八三〜八四年中華民國臺灣 馬天亮攝影巡迴邀請展
TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) Photographic Exhibition of Rayonnisme / Rayonism (32 individual exhibitions) 1983~1985.
馬天亮『光影』攝影特展（個人展32場）1983〜1985年.
Maa staged 32 individual, extraordinary exhibitions and annual special exhibitions on photography of abstractive image and Rayonnisme around Taiwan / Formosa. Maa was the first exhibitor around the country. All of the invited displays were by the Chinese Government, cultural and artistic organisations, and sponsors. Maa’s earliest exhibition took place in the National Taiwan Arts Education Institute (Museum) on 19 December 1983 when Maa was 25 years old; Maa was the youngest exhibitor in the history of the Institute in any solo exhibitions. The Institute that was opened in March 1957, kept a collection of Maa’s work. It is currently updating the Institute’s internal organisation and strengthening co-operation with leading institutes and museums around the world. Meanwhile, it widened the institute’s scope to increase its emphasis on Taiwan’ regional culture and folk arts.
Modernization in the Modern Abstract Arts of Taiwan
Maa’s works is the beginning of modernization in the modern abstract arts of Taiwan, China and greater Chinese society in the world. The use of “modernisation” as a concept that is opposed to “Traditional” of “Conservative” ideas began with the approach of the 20th century. It spreads rapidly through academic circles, and was broadly accepted as a means to reform society. Chinese Manchu Qing (Ching) dynasty’s first steps toward modernisation began in the Tung-chih era (1862-1874) with the “Self-Empowerment Movement”. During the late 19th century, as late Manchu dynasty was confronted on all sides by foreign aggression, voices throughout society debated the most effective means to reform and strengthen the country. Some advocated “combining the best of East and West”, while others went so far as to call for “complete Westernisation”. Taiwan was at the centre of these waves of reform. Faced with direct threats against the island by foreign enemies, the Chinese Ching dynasty court took special steps to push Taiwan’s modernisation.
In a role just like that of a gardener wanting to create a rich and fertile environment for the seeds of culture, one in which Maa may sprout, grow and bloom. Maa aims to provide an educational stimulus for society by introducing his works - Maa can express the neo-romantic spirit deftly from various creations and supporting international artistic exchanges. Maa believes that the first step in creating such a new and independent state is the real emergence of culture and arts, for which the art and science of designing and erecting buildings, and fine arts (including photography and motion picture) of the civilization is a good measurement of success. For the foreseeable future, Maa should be continuing to forge ahead, working diligently and unceasingly towards its mission of raising China and Formosa / Taiwan’s culture in his spare time.
Became an Author and a Scholar
In 1980, TianLiang Maa completed his first book - scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”, also named: “Hun Yun : Jin Qi Tu Rui” 電影原著《魂韻》(衿契吐蕊) then Maa was at the age of 22. In 1983, The General Library of the University of California, Berkeley in the United States of America, collected and kept Maa’s writings - scenario original 「魂韻 : 衿契吐蕊」“Hun Yun : jin qi tu rui”, included a musical composition of his own – “Sonate Nr. 1 C-dur op. 3 für Klavier (piano)”, composed on 3rd April 1977 then Maa was 18 years old. The works were published in 1980; the theme was based on “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”. Another masterpiece was an Album of Academic Work for News Publication “TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) Photographic Exhibition of Rayonnisme / Rayonism”, published in 1985. The Hathi Trust Digital Library, the University of Michigan also collected and kept Maa’s writings.
Authorship
Maa’s articles and writings were published in more than 200 different kinds of domestic and foreign magazines, newspapers, and periodicals, in the period between May of 1972 and 1990s. It was all started when Maa was just 13-year-old. Many of which have been very influential. These have been quoted by Western and Eastern scholars many times in the last few years, making Maa one of the highly cited technological, artistic, and managing public administrators in the world in the late 20th and early 21st century. The Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan had registered Maa’s professional writings and given him two certificates of copyright. The numbers are 33080 and 33081 on 4th July of 1985; and Taiwan’s Gazette of The Presidential Office issue No. 4499, featured his writings on 4th September 1985.
Became an Academic and Film Director
Today, Maa is a professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, and a photographer, film director, and computer engineer now live and work in London.
Director Works:
FILMS:
Experimental Film “New Image for the Spring” © 1982
Documentary Film “Rayonnisme” © 2011
“The Soul's Sentimentalizing” of the feature film is based on the scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing” (preparation)
FASHION SHOWS:
New Image for the Spring of Shapely Models International © 1982
High Lights on the Summer and Fall Fashion of Shapely Models Int’l © 1982
ART EXHIBITIONS:
The Cadillac Club International Fine Arts Exhibition © 1981
The Cinematic & Photographic Arts Salon and the Hall of the Arts, Pegasus Academy of Arts © 1981
Musician Work:
MUSIC COMPOSITION:
Sonate Nr. 1 C-dur op. 3 für Klavier (piano) © 1977, © 1980, © 1981, © 1983, the theme was based on “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”.
PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS:
Portrait and Landscape in France © 2000
Portrait and Landscape in Scotland © 2001
Portrait and Landscape in England © 2009
Portrait at Queen Mary, University of London © 2010
Rayonism of London © 2011
Portrait at The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom © 2011
Snowy London © 2012
Portrait at King's College London © 2013
BOOKS:
Scenario Original「魂韻」(衿契吐蕊) “Hun yun: jin qi tu rui” © December 1980, © 1981, © 1983 (Date of First Publication: 31 December 1980, Second Edition on 29 July 1981, Date of Revision: Revised Edition on 8 May 1983), Languages: Chinese (traditional), and English language.
“Album of the Cadillac Club International Fine Arts Exhibition” © 1981
“Album of the Cinematic & Photographic Arts Salon and the Hall of the Arts, Pegasus Academy of Arts” © 1981
“Album of New Image for the Spring of Shapely Models International” © 1982
“Album of High Lights on the Summer and Fall Fashion of Shapely Models Int’l” © 1982
“Romantic Carol” © 1982
Album of Academic Work for News Publication: “TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) Photographic Exhibitions of Rayonnisme” © May 1985
新聞出版之學術著作專輯「馬天亮『光影』“Rayonism” 攝影展」© May 1985
New version of scenario original “The Soul's Sentimentalizing” (to be published)
「曾經輝煌到頂天立地」 “The Indomitable Spirit Was Brilliant to Upright” (individual biography, to be published)
“My Life, My History, and My Love” (based on a legend, to be published, a film scenario will be developed later)
「感動的公平與正義」“Touching Fairness and Justice” (political science and social studies, to be published)
Research Interests:
University of Oxford
Research Studies in Archaeology:
Maa’s attractive topic was “A View of Architectural History: Towns through the Ages from Winchester through London Arrived at Oxford in England”.
National Taiwan University
Graduate Certificate,
Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering:
Maa’s monograph of seminar was “Applied the sequence control in the electric power distribution engineering”.
University of Glamorgan
M.Sc. Course,
Master of Science in Real Estate Appraisal:
Maa’s thesis - major subject, with relevant construction law was “The Assignment is under Economics of Construction Management in Architecture”.
National Sun Yat-Sen University
Postgraduate Certificate,
Postgraduate Studies in Computing:
Maa’s required subject was Information dBase III Plus and Taiwanese Traditional Mandarin Chinese Information System. He combined academic course work and practical laboratory sessions in “Applied Mandarin Phonetic Symbols into Traditional Taiwanese Personal Computer and Its Information System”.
Associations:
Since 1980, a member of Chinese Taipei Film Archive (CTFA, National Film Archive, Taiwan; founded in 1978), The Motion Picture Foundation, R.O.C. (member of Fédération Internationale des Archives du Film, FIAF; The International Federation of Film Archives was founded in Paris in 1938 by the British Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Cinémathèque Française and the Reichsfilmarchiv in Berlin.)
Commissioner of the cinema, photography, radio, and television committee of The Culture and Arts Association (Chinese Writers and Artists Association) of Taiwan ever since September 1983.
Classic member, the membership is equivalent to a doctorate membership of the Chinese Institute of Electrical Engineering since 23 March 1984.
On 15 March 1989, Maa promoted and founded the Consortium Juridical Person Mr. TianLiang Maa Social Benefit Foundation 財團法人馬天亮先生社會公益基金會 in Taiwan. near.archives.gov.tw/cgi-bin/near2/nph-redirect?rname=tre...
Classic member, the membership is equal to a professor or associate professor of The Chinese Institute of Engineers since 30 September 1991.
Honours:
Listed on ‘Taiwan Who’s Who In Business’, © 1984, © 1987, and © 1989 Harvard Management Service.
中華民國企業名人錄編纂委員會, 哈佛企業管理顧問公司.
On 26 August 1985, Maa was awarded a professional certificate of the Outdoor Artistry Activities issued by Education Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, Taiwan. He acquired awards and certificates of honour about twenty times from National Taiwan Arts Education Center (Museum) on 24 December 1983; Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center on 17 March 1984, Kaohsiung Cultural Center, Taipei Cultural Center (Taipei Municipal Social Education Hall); and Taiwan Province Government, Taipei City Government, Kaohsiung City Government, and many cultural centres and art galleries, and so on.
Careers:
Honorary Professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, 7 June 2012 to present; Professor at Space Time Life Research Academy, 1 September 2011 to 1 June 2012 in London, United Kingdom:
Academia,
Teaching and Research:
business management and consultant, political philosophy, Chinese classics, Chinese humanities, modern Chinese language and literature, photography (portrait, fashion, commercial, digital, architectural, abstract photography), visual arts and film production.
教學與研究：
企業管理及顧問、政治哲學、中華經典 (古典漢學、文學、藝術、語言) 、中華人文、中華現代語言與文學、攝影 (人像、時裝、商業、數位/數碼、建築、抽象攝影) ，視覺藝術和影片製作。
Consultant and Translator at Eternal Life Consultants of Immigration and Translations Services, 10 March 2004 to present in London, United Kingdom:
consultants of immigration, translations, and legal services.
永生移民顧問翻譯服務社的移民諮詢顧問和翻譯：
移民事務，翻譯和法律服務。
Computer Hardware & Networking Engineer at Maa Office of Electrical Engineer, 8 March 2004 to present in London, United Kingdom:
Computer Engineering and Network Services. Repairing of Motherboards, Monitors, Power Supplies, CD-ROM Drives; UPS, Hard Disk Drives, H.D.D Data Recovery; BIOS Programming, and all types of Computer Hardware and Software Solutions.
計算機工程和網絡服務。維修主機板，顯示器，電源供應器，光碟機/光盘驱动器，不斷電系統，硬碟/硬盘，硬盤數據恢復，基本輸入輸出系統編程，以及所有類型的電腦/計算機硬體/硬件和軟體/軟件解決方案。
Film Director & Photographer at Photographer and Film Director (Shapely), 2 April 2007 to present in London, United Kingdom:
1) Photo, Video and Film Production; 2) Graphic Design, Web Design, Social Networking, Social Media and Advertising; 3) Architectural Design and Interior Design.
www.facebook.com/filmshapely/info
Reformer and Philosopher at Taiwanese Social Reformer and Philosopher, 7 April 2012 (location: Los Angeles, California) to present in London, United Kingdom:
Social Reform in Taiwan
www.facebook.com/twreform/info
《魂韻》(衿契吐蕊) - 馬天亮22歲寫的電影原著。TianLiang Maa (Theophilus Raynsford Mann) wrote “Hun Yun” (Jin Qi Tu Rui), scenario original “The Soul’s Sentimentalizing” © 1980, 1981, 1983, was at the age of 22.
Website
mtltwp.pixnet.net/album/set/1265174
photo.roodo.com/photos/mtltwp/albums/small/100469.html
www.facebook.com/hunyun22/info
Sonate Nr. 1 C-dur op. 3 für Klavier (piano) by Theophilus Raynsford Mann (TianLiang Maa 馬天亮) © 1977, © 1980, © 1981, © 1983. The Sonate composed on 3rd April 1977 then Maa was 18-year-old. The work was published in 1980; the theme was based on “The Soul's Sentimentalizing”.
Website
www.facebook.com/sonate1c/info
LINKS:
University of California, Berkeley
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berkeley.worldcat.org/title/hun-yun/oclc/813684284?refere...
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University of Michigan
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WorldCat® Identities
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National Yang Ming University 國立陽明大學
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National Taiwan University of Science and Technology 國立臺灣科技大學
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國家圖書館 期刊文獻資訊網, 臺灣期刊論文索引
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聲音藝術的審美角度, 大學雜誌, 天然
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為文化中心把脈, 幼獅文藝
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科學家與守財奴, 中國地方自治
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画像検索
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Japan Photos and Pictures
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University of California, Berkeley period
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University of Michigan period
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University of Oxford period
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University of Glamorgan period
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University of Huddersfield period
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German
www.wer-ist.org/person/Jin_Mann
www.pediatr.org.tw/DB/News/file/1913-1.pdf
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"That's no moon, that's a spaceship!"
- Capt. A. Guinness, UNS Falcon, on first sighting the High Prosperity, 2255
No intellect-built object in the known galaxy is as large as a Salvation Worldship. Not even the largest category 5 Arthonid nest can rival the sheer mass of these gargantuan constructs. First sighted in 2255 by a Sol Expeditionary Fleet, the exact age of the Salvations is unknown but believed to be at least several centuries based on long range laser carbon-dating.
Populated by the Vaxtrans, a reclusive and secretive alien race, Worldships are entirely self-sufficient, able to produce their own substenance, fuel, atmosphere and industry. From what little information is available, it appears Worldships were built a long time ago to escape the Enemy, who had destroyed (or overtaken, depending on the translation) the Vaxtran homeworld. Since that time, the Vaxtrans have wandered space on their great ships, trading precious metals in exchange for technology.
While Worldships, whose exact number is unknown, are vast, they are also very crude. Metal-penetrating radar imaging has revealed that Worldships are built from the center out, their size increasing as more and more components are added to them over the years. Newer modules are simply welded over older ones, scrap metal stripped and fused in haphazard ways to various sections to augment armour. Generally speaking, the front of a Worldship is a giant mass of armour, behind which is storage, followed by industrial and recreational areas. Behind these are the living quarters for the ships' population, often numbering in the millions, followed by the multiple power cores and ending with the engines.
This crude building technique is indicative of the Vaxtrans' lack of sophisticated technology. They have no shields powerful enough to cover an entire Worldship, so only critical areas are given coverage. Their space-fold FTL drives, while incredibly fast, take weeks of dedicated charging to power, and are inherently dangerous. The Plentiful Bounty was torn apart by the forces of a space-fold in 2317. True to form, two other Worldships, the High Prosperity and the Infinite Unity salvaged and repurposed the pieces.
While armed with many low-yield plasma cannons and large-bore coilguns, the sheer size of a Salvation Worldship reduces the effective concentration of these weapons, leaving Worldships vulnerable to attack.
While many nations will defend Worldships, as the Sol Union Navy did during the New Paris War, many others see Worldships as juicy targets. The Vaxtrans appear to be a doomed race, cursed to wander the stars, their only hope of salvation a planetary presence which their collective trauma and tradition will never allow.
I am first and foremost a citizen of Sri Lanka. I don’t carry labels of race or religion or any other label. I would say quite simply that I have grown up with the philosophy that I am probably, a kind of a citizen of the world.
I don’t subscribe to any particular philosophy; I have no fanaticism; I have no communism. I believe there should be a united Sri Lanka. I believe that all our peoples can live together, they did live together. I think they must in the future learn to live together after this trauma is over. We have four major religions in the country. Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity.
All these religions exist very peacefully. They get on very well. I see no reason why the major races in the country, the Tamils and Sinhalese cannot again build a relationship of confidence and trust. That is my belief. That is what I wished for and in working for that, I will not be deterred by having some labels pinned on me.
The above excerpt of an interview with the Japanese National Television (NHK), in September 2004 by the late Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Kadirgamar, perhaps best encapsulates that great man’s visionary idealism and his aspiration for a Sri Lanka, devoid of conflict and at peace with itself.
A Sri Lanka where children grow up to be adults and die of natural causes; Where every mother does not have to worry whether her child will return home from school; where every spouse does not live in suspense until the breadwinner comes home in the evening; where every journey carries with it the risk of being shredded to pieces by a suicide bomber; where the country and our people prosper in the natural course of events. Kadirgamar aspired to such a future and we must all make this our goal.
July 1983 was indubitably a period of trial and tribulation, not merely for the hundreds of Tamils who lost their lives and means of livelihood, their life savings looted and properties burnt to the ground by marauding mobs, but to the vast majority of peace loving Sinhalese and Muslim people, who had to watch with horror and shock at the unfolding carnage, even as the law enforcement machinery of the Government of the day simply stood petrified.
It was a time that we have struggled to erase from our memory but we continue to be confronted by the ghosts of that event. Unfortunately, those who seek to besmirch the good name of the country continue to highlight those grey shadows, not for any constructive purpose, but to drag the country back and its people down. It is the strongest argument for them, even after twenty five years, while the vast majority of the people in Sri Lanka wish to move on and let time heal the wounds.
Dr. Nallai Nallainayagam, a former Sri Lankan civil servant, now resident in Canada wrote to a Sri Lankan newspaper last month, on his personal experience of the riots. I was deeply touched by his complete absence of rancour and his sense of equanimity in sharing his thoughts. I believe, that it is fitting that I quote from his article. Dr. Nallainayagam, narrating his experience had this to say: “The riots brought out the worst and the best of human traits.
Some neighbours who have lived in harmony and peace for a long time turned informants, guiding the mobs towards Tamil homes. At the same time, many Sinhalese and Muslims, both neighbours and strangers, risked their lives to protect the lives of Tamils by hiding them in their homes and feeding them till they could be taken to safety. My family sought refuge in the house of a very close Sinhalese friend and was well looked after for more than two weeks due to the kindness and the generosity of this family and friends in the Muslim community.
We have no words to thank them for their bravery and kind heartedness”. This was not an isolated or unusual story. It was repeated over and over again across the island. But what we are always reminded of is the worst excesses that occurred and not of the numerous heart-warming stories such as these. Since then, despite the many provocations by the LTTE, the Sinhalese and the Muslims have not responded with violence. Since 1983, terrorist violence unleashed by the LTTE has claimed the lives of thousands of our people belonging to all communities, be they civilians or soldiers.
The cream of our political leadership and intelligentsia have fallen victim to the ruthless killing spree of the Tigers— President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and Ranjan Wijeratne come to one’s mind. Tamil politicians and intellectuals who were perceived to show the slightest dissent were not spared either; starting with the Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah in 1975 to A. Amirthalingam and V. Yogeswaran in the early 1990s, and more recently T. Maheswaran, the LTTE has systematically and mercilessly eliminated virtually any form of alternative political voice of the Tamil community.
The sole exception perhaps is Minister Douglas Devananda, truly a living miracle, having survived numerous attempts on his life, for daring to challenge the hegemony that the LTTE seeks to impose on the Tamil people. Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, Dr. Rajini Thiranagama, Ms. Maheshwari Velayutham, Kethesh Loganathan and a number of human rights activists, who spoke out against the brutalities committed by the LTTE, were not so lucky.
I wonder whether there is any other country in the world where atrocities such as those perpetrated by the LTTE at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy or at the Sacred Bo Tree in Anuradhapura or at the mosque at Kaththankudy would not have given rise to uncontrollable passions. We need not search far to see how lesser infractions have given rise to raging fires of communal violence. I believe that the vast majority of our people are decent human beings and it is to their eternal credit that they have resisted these provocations.
Dr. Nallainayagam went on to describe with a degree of wistfulness, the pain of leaving his motherland. In his words, he says: “It was, therefore, a painful decision for my wife and me as we were leaving two good jobs, the country that we loved very much and many close friends who had enriched our lives over the years.”
Dr. Lakshman Abeyagunawardene, a medical doctor wrote about his personal experience of those dark days, to another Sri Lankan newspaper last month, which I feel, I ought to share with you. He wrote: “The Black July of 1983 was a time when most Sinhala people too went through untold misery, distress and mental agony. The homes of many Tamil friends were going up in flames.
In the days that followed the racial riots, innocent Tamils irrespective of their social standing, were all incarcerated in refugee camps. Every morning, for almost a month, I went out visiting refugee camps with a stock of drugs and other medical needs. In a hangar at the Ratmalana airport, I met a refugee doctor with whom I had enjoyed a drink at his plush home just a week before the riots broke out.
The speed with which the balance of racial harmony was ruptured surprised many. But one needs to remember the constant prodding, the repeated provocations and the unnecessarily threatening attitudes, including the senseless murder of Jaffna Mayor, Duraiappah, and the blatant killing of 13 soldiers, all of which contributed to what happened in July. We must learn our lesson. We must understand the background to avoid a situation of this nature again. We must remember to heed the danger signs and be sensitive to what is not acceptable in the future.
It is never likely that the majority of Sri Lankans will agree to a partition of their land. This would apply equally to the Muslims who are scattered throughout the country, the Tamils, 54 per cent of whom have chosen to live in the South, mostly in Colombo and the Sinhalese who used to constitute over 2 per cent of the population of Jaffna, sadly they are no longer there. The Muslims who used to inhabit Jaffna are still in refugee camps.
Once we acknowledge the basic sentiment that the country is not going to be divided, then we need to address the issue of living in it together as equals - with equal rights, equal privileges and equal dignity. As Lakshman Kadirgamar so eloquently said, we have lived together for centuries. We must be able to do so now.
We need to move forward - we will undoubtedly remember the pain, we also must look to the future. Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga made a public apology on behalf of the nation to the victims of the July ‘83 riots in July 2004 on its 21st anniversary.
Her Government also took action to compensate the families who lost their loved ones, or whose properties were looted or destroyed in the riots. While monetary compensation will not bring back the innocent lives that were lost; it is a sentiment that is probably shared across the entire racial patchwork that in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, our future lies not in perpetually scratching the old wound but in applying the soothing balm of compassion and looking to the future.
No nation can march forward wearing sackcloth and ashes. We have many examples from around the world where the worst memories have been laid to rest for the common good. Germany and Japan, which have risen like the mythical Phoenix, which have risen literally from the ashes and rubble of the Second World War, shedding their pre-war ideologies and policies, which had caused colossal loss of life, unspeakable atrocities committed by man against man, unimaginable destruction of properties, not only in the lands that they invaded, but also to their own people.
Both Germany and Japan have reconciled with the nations that bombed them to shreds, towards the end of the war. There is no bitterness among those people. Today, these two nations, Japan and Germany are the second and third leading economies of the world respectively, and models of democracy and good governance, worthy of emulation.
They collaborate closely with the powers that opposed them during the war. Germany which had a history of endless conflict with France is today a member of the European Union with its former adversary. Both countries have prospered in the process. Today they are talking of common foreign policies and common rapid deployment forces.
Similarly, I strongly believe that the moment of truth has arrived for Sri Lanka. As you are all aware, our valiant security forces last year succeeded in evicting the LTTE completely from the Eastern Province, which paved the way for the restoration of civil administration and democracy, after a lapse of almost two decades.
The LTTE left behind vast stocks of arms and ammunition, including sophisticated suicide boats as they retreated. On 10th March this year, the Tamil Makkal Vidudalai Pulikal (TMVP) a break away faction of the LTTE, which embraced the democratic mainstream after renouncing terrorism and violence, contested the Local Government elections in the Batticoloa district and made a virtual clean sweep of all the local bodies. The public endorsement of the TMVP was further manifested at the ensuing elections two months later to the Eastern Provincial Council.
It is perhaps an irony of fate that a former child soldier of the LTTE, Sivanathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan), commanding the majority support of the people of the Province was elected the Chief Minister. In a deeply moving statement, Chief Minister Chandrakanthan made during an address to well-wishers from “Samasevaya”, the first ever peace group to meet him at the Provincial Council Secretariat in Trincomalee earlier this month, he said: “ We (the LTTE) in hiding, were starving in Maduru Oya sometime ago.
A young Sinhala woman carrying an infant brought me food and drink. I inquired from her about her husband and she said the LTTE killed him. Her reply made me speechless. Her husband was killed by the LTTE and she was still offering the terrorists, food and drink. It was then that I decided to giveup terrorism.”
Ven. Walpola Piyananda Thera, the Sangha Nayaka of USA commenting on the transformation of a terror master into a humane person, all due to the single act of human kindness and compassion of a Sinhalese woman who had lost her husband at the hands of LTTE terrorists, had this to say: “In my view, this is the true spirit of Sri Lanka, the land, where for centuries - in spite of 400 years of colonial domination - people from diverse cultures, races and religions co-existed in peace and harmony. I am happy to welcome Chief Minister Chandrakanthan to the leadership of our reunited Sri Lanka, and I feel certain that he will fulfil his duties for the benefit of the entire country.
If this Chief Minister’s heart was touched by the Sinhala widow who reached out and offered him food, I suggest that we allow all our hearts to be filled with compassion and forgiveness. As I have often stated, it is time to put the past behind us and go forward together, creating a new and stronger Sri Lanka for the good of all.”
There is a clear message here. Terrorism and violence is not the answer to political disenchantment - certainly not in a democracy. The world has said “no” to terrorism in no uncertain terms. Thirteen UN conventions and many a Security Council resolution have affirmed this stance. Terrorism has been denounced in no uncertain terms by almost all regional organisations.
The SAARC leaders did not mince their words at the recently held Summit in Colombo. There is no political cause or vainglorious individual dream that would justify the violent shattering of a child’s smile. As Chief Minister Chandrakanthan has opted to do, our task is to make our democracy work. Our democracy has had, and will have, many a fault. Our task is to make it work and ensure that all of our people will have a dignified future in our country.
Elections by themselves will not solve our problems. We must be constantly vigilant. Above all, there must be adequate funding for our democratic institutions to work.
Happily, the government has allocated over 20 billion rupees for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Province. Vast efforts are being made to repair the roads, restore educational and medical facilities and re-establish the economy. The international community has begun to contribute substantially to these efforts. Their involvement is further endorsement of our own efforts to eradicate terrorism and give our people a brighter future.
The example of Chief Minister Chandrakanthan is a clear unambiguous message to all those misguided youth, whose minds have been unfortunately poisoned by the racist and fascist ideology of the LTTE, and are still engaged in a futile and violent struggle against the Sri Lankan State, unable to see reason, eschew violence and terrorism and enter the path of democracy.
I am particularly troubled and saddened at the fate of the thousands of young children, who have been brainwashed into sacrificing their lives for a hopelessly lost cause. Everyday the security forces keep advancing towards their goal.
Every minute the flower of Tamil youth is being flung at the roaring furnace of violent confrontation to satisfy the whims of an individual and snuffed out in mosquito infested jungles.
I do hope the remarkable transformation of a former child soldier into the Chief Executive of the Eastern Province will have a salutary effect in the minds of these lost children.
The Government has already initiated several projects for the rehabilitation of all LTTE surrendees, especially child combatants, which include intensive psychological counselling, literacy and numeracy skills for those who have been deprived of formal education, and vocational training, in order to ensure that they could be re-integrated into civil society, with gainful employment and live as law abiding citizens of the country.
If July 1983 is considered as the black mark on our nation’s good name, then August 12 would surely rank as one of its darkest days. It was on August 12, 2005 that Sri Lanka lost not only her Foreign Minister, but a veritable national treasure, when an LTTE assassin felled Lakshman Kadirgamar in cold blood.
This great son of our soil did yeoman service to the nation, fighting a heroic battle, armed only with his brilliant intellect and superb understanding of the world, nailed the canards and false propaganda carried out relentlessly by the LTTE and its extensive international network. His ready wit and inimitable turn of phrase, not only impressed any audience, but was put to good use to silence veteran hard boiled journalists.
To a question posed by the interviewer in a “Hardtalk” program on the BBC in March 2005, a few months before his assassination, his reply I would like to quote:
Question: “By your own admission, you are at the top of the Tamil Tiger hit list. How do you feel as an ethnic Tamil, yourself to be reviled by the group?”
Foreign Minister Kadirgamar, in his characteristic style and unruffled demeanour, gave the following reply:
“Well, see it is like this; at birth I was given a label. If having been given that label the LTTE, nobody else, wants me to accept and approve everything that they do, the suicide bombers, the child soldiers, the political assassinations, the extortion of ordinary people, if being opposed to all that makes me traitor which is what they call me sometimes, I am absolutely delighted to accept that appellation. I do it with pleasure.”
Lakshman Kadirgamar was a hero in his lifetime. He stood tall and brave, defending the interests of his motherland and in this noble endeavour, he paid the supreme sacrifice. Even though the LTTE finally succeeded in killing the man, who was their implacable foe, the philosophy that he espoused and the vision for Sri Lanka that he so cherished is immortal, and cannot be destroyed. Although the man was killed, his dream lives on - hundreds will brave the odds to achieve that goal.
Nation building is no easy task. It is too important and onerous to be left solely in the hands of the Government. It cannot be willed by the Government for it to materialise, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of the hat. It requires the participation of all stakeholders of the nation, above all else, the commitment of all sections of the people.
It requires tons of patience, painstaking and persistent efforts to overcome the innumerable obstacles strewn along the path, a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, the ability to co-exist peacefully with people who belong to a different community professing a different religion or speaking a different tongue or hailing from a different social class.
This would mean that we should rise above all these artificial barriers that have hitherto divided us, and embrace the spirit of our nation and celebrate the diversity of the various cultures and religions that have so enriched our island home.
The greatest tribute that we Sri Lankans can pay to this outstanding patriot is to break free from the prisons that we have ourselves built, that have trapped us into thinking along parochial and insular lines, which have stultified the growth and development of our small but great nation.
We have no time to waste simply by basking on our past glory; nor on rekindling old animosities, the roots of which lie deep in our colonial past or even beyond. The past is gone. We should look towards the future with optimism and courage and move forward as one nation.
I believe SLUNA can and I hope will take up the challenge to reach out, particularly to our compatriots in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. They too could, and in fact should, be legitimate stakeholders of the new Sri Lanka that we all should build together, devoid of conflict, as one nation and one people.
(Based on the speech made by the Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona at the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of the Sri Lanka United National Association (SLUNA) in Toronto, Canada on 30 August 2008)
This is the entrance to Beihai Park in Beijing. It's a beautiful lake with a small islet and surrounding garden. The White Dagoba is the centerpiece and climbing the stairs to the top gives a reasonable view of the Forbidden City to the south east.
For more pictures of Beihai Park and for ideas on ways to improve your travel photography, check out Postcard Intellect .
For more information on our visit to Kiev and to learn how to take pictures like these, please visit Postcard Intellect
The Ginger Cat enjoying the basket of Fang the dog.
(Photo: Elsie Esq - see more of his photos at www.flickr.com/photos/elsie/)
Embassy of Brazil in London on January 20th, 2012
This event was hosted by UKTI and Intellect and focused on the trading opportunities existing between the UK and Brazil in the hi-tech sector. The slides I used during my own presentation can be found here:
An ode to the psychological push-and-pull between warm and cool tones, where emotion and intellect visually collide.
GWILDOR: HEROIC CREATOR OF THE COSMIC KEY
REAL NAME: GWILDOR
A Vejulian Gwitthrol Troll from Tundaria, Gwildor stood out among his clan for his great intellect and curiosity. Sent to study in Eternos, he attended Grimhammer University and studied under many great Eternian inventors, archeologists and magicians. Settling in a small village near Pelleezeea, Gwildor lived a solitary lifeuntil he created his greatest invention, the Cosmic Key, a device that could harness Universal Energy to open portals in space. Combined with the Magic of Central Tower, the Key could also be used to move through time itself. Hunted for his creation, Gwildor was forced to activate the Cosmic Key to escape to Earth! Eventually faking is own death, he traveled forward in time to a period when Temporal Travel was protected by powerful agents and his life would no longer be in constant danger.
Featured on Life In Plastic: nerditis.com/2014/12/26/life-in-plastic-toy-review-gwildo...
Born in a nation with both unwritten rules and codified laws that prevented blacks from achieving their potential, William Thaddeus Coleman broke those rules and helped tear out those laws during a life defined by the word "achievement." Coleman's resume is sprinkled with firsts in the legal, corporate, and government sectors. Through strength of character, this man of great intellect and judgment reached his potential. His many accomplishments were acknowledged by President Bill Clinton when he awarded Coleman the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995.
William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. was born in the Germantown district of Philadelphia on July 7, 1920. He was the second of three children born to William Thaddeus and Laura Beatrice Mason Coleman. He married Lovida Hardin, a Boston University graduate and daughter of a New Orleans physician, on February 10, 1945. The couple had three children: William T. III, Lovida H. Jr., and Hardin L. Coleman.
Coleman was born into a middle-class family that counted six generations of teachers and Episcopal ministers on one side of the family, and numerous social workers on the other. His father, William T. Coleman Sr., was the director of the Quaker-supported Germantown boys club for 40 years. Through his father and other family members, young William met some of the country's greatest black leaders, including W. E. B. Du Bois and Thurgood Marshall. From the time he was 10- or 12-years old he dreamed of becoming a lawyer, and would spend vacation days slipping into courtrooms trying to absorb as much as he could.
Coleman attended a racially segregated elementary school before entering Germantown High School, which was all white save for a contingent of seven token black students. An incident at the high school summed up the sort of racism that was a constant in that day. When he tried joining the all-white swimming team, he was suspended from school. Later, school officials reinstated him but cut the sport until he graduated.
Though Coleman earned excellent grades in high school, they were attained in an atmosphere of bigotry in which he was not encouraged by his teachers. Racism existed in higher education as well, but did not prevent him from persevering and excelling. He received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. To fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, he entered the Harvard Law School in 1941.
World War II prevented Coleman from gaining his degree promptly, but gave him some valuable on-the-job training instead. In 1943 he dropped out of law school to join the U.S. Army Air Corps. Although he had completed but a single year of legal studies, he was assigned as defense counsel in 18 court-martial proceedings. Of those, he won 16 acquittals, with one of the two convictions later reversed.
After the war, Coleman returned to Harvard. He became the first black ever to serve on the board of editors of the Harvard Law Review. It was there that he first met a student named Elliot Richardson, with whom he would cross paths throughout his career. In 1946 he earned his LL.B. degree magna cum laude, graduating at the top of his class. As a Langdell Fellow, he stayed on at Harvard for an additional year of study.
Coleman was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1947 and quickly garnered a position as law secretary to Judge Herbert F. Goodrich of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. After several months in that job, he left it for an even more prestigious position. In 1948 he became a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter, becoming the first black to serve in that capacity for the nation's highest court.
One of the other clerks in Frankfurter's office was Richardson. They soon became good friends, regularly arriving early to read poetry together for an hour (they preferred W. H. Auden and Shakespeare) before getting their official duties underway. Their friendship lasted long beyond their stay there, with Richardson becoming godfather to Coleman's daughter.
After Coleman's clerkship ended in 1949, the young attorney was made an associate at the eminent New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison. While there, he was approached by Thurgood Marshall, the founder and head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (NAACP-LDF). Marshall told Coleman that he was working on cases that the NAACP hoped would lead to the end of segregation and asked Coleman to volunteer his help. Coleman was up to the challenge. "I would work at Paul, Weiss from nine to six and then go to L.D.E.F. `til 10 or 11 and then back to Paul, Weiss," he was quoted as saying later in a New York Times article. "On weekends, I would work with him (Marshall) again." They became good friends, with Coleman becoming the future Supreme Court justice's personal lawyer.
An opportunity for Coleman to return to Philadelphia arose three years later. District attorney and future Philadelphia mayor Richardson Dilworth offered him a spot on his staff. Sensing that he would just be the city's token black associate district attorney, Coleman turned him down. When Dilworth came back with an invitation to join his prominent Philadelphia law firm, Dilworth, Paxon, Kalish, Levy and Green, Coleman accepted. In so doing, he became the first black in the history of Philadelphia to join a white firm.
WORKS IN CIVIL RIGHTS
Coleman continued to work in civil rights on his own time. The five cases he worked for the NAACP during that period led to the historic Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ended school segregation. Coleman, in fact, was coauthor of the brief presented to the court in the case. In the coming years he would defend freedom riders and other civil rights workers in cases throughout the South. He also served as co-counsel on the landmark case, McLaughlin v. Florida (1964), which established the constitutionality of interracial marriages.
At Dilworth, Paxon, he specialized in corporate and antitrust litigation, gaining recognition for his expertise in transportation law. Philadelphia and Cincinnati were among the cities he represented in mass transit and labor matters. He would go on to serve as special counsel and negotiator for both the Philadelphia and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authorities. He became a partner at the firm in 1966; soon after, his election to senior partner was reflected in the name change to Dilworth, Paxon, Kalish, Levy and Coleman.
In 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked Coleman, a longtime Republican, to serve on the President's Commission on Employment Policy, which dealt with increasing minority hiring in the government. It was the first of several presidential commissions on which Coleman would serve over the next two decades for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.
Coleman's knack for high finance and his understanding of labor issues were key to his being courted to join the boards of many corporations. He accepted the invitations of Penn Mutual Life Insurance, First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust, the Philadelphia Electric Company, and the Western Savings Fund Society. As he gained prominence, his board memberships took on a more national character, including Pan American World Airways, the Rand Corporation, and the American Stock Exchange.
In 1964 Coleman was named senior consultant and assistant counsel to the Warren Commission, which was charged with investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was as a member of that body that Coleman first met Congressman Representative Gerald R. Ford, the future president.
The next year, Coleman represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in litigation against Philadelphia's Girard College, a segregated institution. Similar attempts made in the mid-to-late 1950s to end the racially biased policies at the college had ended in defeat. This time, with Coleman in charge, the commonwealth won.
In 1971, four years after Thurgood Marshall had been elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court, Coleman was elected president of the NAACP-LDF. He also served on the boards of a number of educational, charitable, and service agencies, including the National Civil Service League, the Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard University, and the Metropolitan Opera.
In the midst of the Watergate scandal in 1973, Elliot Richardson, now the U.S. attorney general, offered Coleman the opportunity to become Watergate special prosecutor. Coleman, who had been a member of President Nixon's National Commission on Productivity and the successful Phase II Price Commission (1971--72), turned his friend down. In fact, he reportedly advised the president to resign rather than face impeachment, and is on record as being in favor of allowing a president to destroy tapes and documents prior to leaving office.
BECOMES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
Early in 1975, Coleman received a call from President Ford concerning the vacant secretary of transportation post. Coleman had been offered full-time government appointments several times previously, but had always declined. He enjoyed working in the private sector and felt he could be more effective there. Besides, taking a position in the federal government also meant resigning from his law partnership and corporate directorships, taking a sizeable pay cut and selling his transportation stocks. Nevertheless, he decided to do the courteous thing, which was to meet with the president and hear him out.
To Coleman's astonishment, Ford's sincerity and the challenge of the job offered were enough to sway him to accept. He became the second black ever to hold a cabinet-level position (the first was Robert C. Waver as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1966--68 under Lyndon B. Johnson).
As secretary of transportation, he took over the fourth- largest department in the government, with a budget exceeded only by those of the Departments of Defense and Health, Education and Welfare. Established just nine years earlier, the department was facing major problems in several of the areas over which it had jurisdiction. The nation's railroads, mass transit and federal highway systems, and international airlines all had crises that needed to be addressed.
In an interview with the magazine Black Enterprise for June of 1975, Coleman said that his first concern was that: I would like to leave Washington with the same reputation for integrity that I had when I came here. Secondly, I hope I can leave Washington with the reputation of having helped to guide and put together a very important department, of having gathered around me a lot of very good people who made tremendous gains in solving the problems in the areas you mentioned.
Coleman made it his first priority to develop a comprehensive national transportation policy, something the American government had never really attempted before. Coleman was instrumental in creating the 53-page study A Statement of National Transportation Policy, which he sent to Congress in September of 1975. Rather than a list of possible solutions, the document contained general principles that he felt should guide the government's decision-making process.
Coleman's ability to influence the problems facing transportation in this county, however, proved modest during his short, two-year tenure. As a fiscally responsible member of a Republican administration, Coleman tried to make the various transportation sectors less reliant on tax-supported assistance. Instead, he favored imposing user fees on those who use the majority of an industry's services. However, the Democratic Congress kept appropriations high and, in some cases, even doubled the recommendations sent down from the White House. Though no one called his integrity into question, his efforts went unappreciated, although they may have helped set the stage for the Reagan Revolution four years later.
Upon his resignation when President Carter took office, Coleman opted for a return to the private sector. He stayed in the capital to become head of a 32-lawyer Washington office of O'Melveny & Myers, a large Los Angeles-based firm. By the early 1980s, he was earning $500,000 or more a year for representing major companies including Ford, IBM, and the Insurance Company of North America. He also returned to corporate boardrooms, serving on nine boards of directors. He remained active in civil rights, arguing cases, writing an occasional editorial, and continuing his affiliation with the NAACP.
On September 29, 1995, Coleman received the highest honor given to civilians, the Presidential Medal of Freedom , awarded to individual Americans for distinguished civilian service. President Clinton said, "I can honestly say, if you are looking for an example of constancy, consistency, disciplined devotion to the things that make this country a great place, you have no further to look than William Coleman, Jr." Clinton first met Coleman at Yale Law School, where he roomed for a year with Coleman's son, William T. Coleman III.
When Coleman's long-time friend and colleague Thurgood Marshall died in 1993, Coleman was one of four speakers at the funeral. Four years later, Coleman was honored with the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award of the NAACP-LDF. In addition to serving as the fund's president in the early 1970s, he later became chairman and long served in that capacity.
Coleman is a short, stocky man with a jowly face and high forehead. He wears rather large spectacles and dresses impeccably. He has been, or continues as, a member of numerous organizations and clubs, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Arbitration Association.
Coleman is important as a public servant and civil rights and corporate lawyer. His work to end school segregation with the landmark decision in 1954 enshrined him in the annals of U.S. history.
He has huge talent and an intellect to match. He's also famous for not suffering fools gladly, which could make this conversation a test for both of us. Please welcome Russell Crowe.
(c) ABC TV/Zapruder's other films
In his ... gardens ... Noguchi achieved subtle ... syntheses of nature with the man-made, fusing organic and geometric, balancing intuition with intellect. 'California Scenario' seamlessly integrates them. ... it is an enclosed space adjacent to an office building, 'California Scenario' appears open and spacious; the proportional relationship of the asymmetric pyramid to the smaller rocks and plants creates a sense of vastness and scale beyond the actual dimensions of the garden. Local desert stones unify this environment in color and texture. The channel of water running through the center contrasts with, and enhances, the viewer's awareness of the surrounding dryness. The pronounced individuality of elements of the Beinecke courtyard has here matured into a cohesive whole; sculpture and environment are one.
From the catalogue 'Isamu Noguchi: Master Sculptor', by Valerie Fletcher, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.