View allAll Photos Tagged Misunderstanding,
The Eighth Blade for "Pongtopia!" Has Arrived!
Courtesy of ChrisRWK.
Title: Slight Misunderstanding
Media: Mixed Media on Wood
Super Size Me Here!
Pongtopia!
A dynamic mix of the sport & art of table tennis
in the spirit of charity & education.
World-class players battle it out as one-of-a-kind painted
table-tennis tables & paddles go on sale to benefit Operation Design.
Presented by Brookfield Office Properties,
in partnership with SPiN Galactic.
Curated by Billi Kid.
Supported by Public Works Department.
How many times we have been in front of an art piece asking what the artist was trying to tell...sometimes the work does t tell us anything...points of view of conceptual art.
Miniature photography
my door is this beautiful blue. those are my favorite pair of blue jeans, that's my navy blue swim team shirt from high school, and those are my moccies. i love my moccies, everything that cheers me up I got to wear today.
i'm still a bit blue, but I've been getting some very much appreciated support from the flickr community. you guys are awesome and i would LOVE to thank you all for your continued support of me and my work. you guys rock and I cant imagine my life without doing this project or meeting you guys in person and online. <3
special thank you to Anna441 (sorry for the misunderstanding) for the pro account. I see a long distance flickr pen pal in the making. :)
thanks everyone, you guys rock!!!
project 365: day 238
Day 9. Today was hard, not because the photo of the day was hard (though I had a hard time finding inspiration), but because the day was emotionally hard. It kinda sucks when you fight with the people you love. You’re supposed to make each other happy, not angry, or sad. When the distance between people is so large and schedules don’t match, it is easy for misunderstandings to come up. Misunderstandings can escalate until you end up saying not-so-kind things to them. Or just blaming them for whatever the problem is. I never thought it would hit me so hard. I thought I had come up with countermeasures, ways of doing things differently so distance wasn’t so hard for us to cope with. It is quite obviously not working, and, well, that sucks. We’ll probably be okay. Still, I spent a crappy night, woke up angry and sad. Woke up late, too, so I’m just now publishing. Today’s probably gonna be a better day, though. Luckily for me “woke up angry and sad” is nothing that a nice cup of coffee can’t fix in the morning :)
Strobist Info
Today’s setup was quite simple. I used a Neweer VK 750-II at 1/64th power at 60cm away from the subject, at a 45º angle, camera right. That’s all
♫ Living is easy with eyes closed,
misunderstanding all you see.
Its getting hard to be someone
but it all works out,
it doesnt matter much to me...♫♫
2 sb-700 left and right of subject
sb-700 shot through umbrella Above subject
The best part after a fight, disagreement, or misunderstanding,
is making up! Whether a kiss, a hug or simply saying I'm sorry =))
"Paris, May 15, 1908: After several incidents with robbers and uninvited visitors, several jewellers and hotels have decided to use guardian robots for their and their guests' safety. Please cooperate with the guardians in order to avoid misunderstandings."
A series of AI-generated pictures of guardian robots, in different art styles.
To be continued.
Pictures made with Midjourney.
I'm always happy to accept invites to groups as long as I can see their content. Should I see "this group is not available to you", my pictures won't be made available to that group. Thanks for your understanding.
This is the second e-book I have completed. It is my favorite series and author. Now that it is getting close to the end of the alphabet, I am going to have to start reading the series over, in between other books I want to read. Here is the write-up about it:
Two dead men changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I’d never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.
The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He’d been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He’d been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone’s name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.
Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.
But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. “And just like that,” she says, “the lid to Pandora’s box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself.”
In this multilayered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.
W is for . . . wanderer . . . worthless . . . wronged . . .
W is for wasted.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707605-w-is-for-wasted
I wanted to get "X" the next in the series but haven't found it as a paperback yet, and the e-book was still more than I wanted to pay for. So now I am about 1/3 of the way through Janet Evanovich "One For The Money." I am liking it better now, but when I first started it at the end of January, I was having a hard time getting interested in it, because I like Sue Grafton's character so much. She is like a real person to me.
I have so many of you
in the times I sit and wish
you didn't exist- wish
you were not there-
Rarely is one of them
the self doesn't need
to be patted on the back,
or hugged,
or punched in the fucking face.
Soldier on after the armistace.
Keep marching toward emptiness.
Start drinking before the alarm
rings a frightening clang
unlike these sweet and gentle chimes wavering between the high
and low
pitch of damage in your ears.
What i notice about you
is that you are always
a great misunderstanding-
an untruth-
a mythology about yourself.
Get up and water the plants.
Italian postcard, 1940s. ASER (A. Scarmiglia Edizioni, Roma), No. 123. Could be for the film Giarabub (1942). Photo by Pesce.
Elio Steiner (1905 – 1965) was an Italian stage and screen actor, who peaked in the early 1930s in films such as La canzone dell'amore, Corte d'Assise and Pergolesi.
Elio Steiner was born in Stra on 9 March 1905 as the son of Francesco Steiner and Countess Elena Lupati. He devoted himself to the theater when still a teenager. Following his family when they moved to Rome in the first half of the 1920s, he had the opportunity to join, in 1925, the Teatro degli Indipendenti, directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia. Subsequently, he made his debut in silent cinema in 1927 in a short film (La chimera del biondo cavaliere), followed by the feature film La vena d'oro (1929), written and directed by Guglielmo Zorzi, who made him the protagonist opposite film diva Diana Karenne. At the end of the twenties, he was, therefore, a young protagonist of Italian silent cinema, among which Assunta Spina (Roberto Roberti, 1929) stood out, in which Rina De Liguoro and Febo Mari had the leads as Assunta and Michele.
But Steiner's real fame came in 1930 when, alongside Dria Paola and Isa Pola, he was the protagonist of the first Italian sound film: La canzone dell'amore, directed by Gennaro Righelli and shot at the Cines-Pittaluga studios and on location in Rome. Here, young Lucia (Paola), who has adopted the illegal baby of her mother (who has just died) and pretends to be the baby's mother herself, breaks off her engagement with Enrico (Steiner), a promising singer. Two years after, they meet again when she has become a worker in a record shop. Enrico is still in love with her. After a series of misunderstandings and rivalry by Enrico's other girlfriend Anna (Pola), a happy end follows.
In the early 1930s, Elio Steiner was one of the most popular Italian male actors together with Vittorio De Sica, Nino Besozzi, Gianfranco Giachetti, Sergio Tofano, Carlo Ninchi, and Mino Doro. After La canzone dell'amore, he immediately acted in a string of films, firstly in Corte d'Assise (Guido Brignone 1930), the first Italian sound film in the detective genre, starring Steiner himself as a reporter investigating a murder and costarring Marcella Albani and Lya Franca. This was followed by Stella del cinema (Mario Almirante, 1931), where the plot was rather an excuse to showcase the work and the talent at the Cines studios. After that followed e.g. the period piece melodrama Pergolesi (1932) by the same Guido Brignone, with Dria Paola and Livio Pavanelli, and Acqua cheta (1933) by Gero Zambuto, starring Gianfranco Giachetti.
In 1934 Elio Steiner temporarily returned to the theater to perform alongside Uberto Palmarini and Guglielmina Dondi in Caterina Sforza and then returned to the set to act in the films Pensaci, Giacomino! by Gennaro Righelli and based on a Pirandello play, and Giallo by Mario Camerini, both from 1936. Progressively Steiner, though, became overshadowed by emerging stars such as Amedeo Nazzari, Fosco Giachetti, Leonardo Cortese, Gino Cervi, Rossano Brazzi, and Raf Vallone, and lost his leading roles. Suffering from incipient baldness, he was increasingly employed in secondary roles, e.g. in Giarabub (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1942) about the Italian army besieged in a Libyan fortress by the Britains.
The day after 8 September 1943 he was among the most active in trying to reorganize the Republican film industry in Venice but the outcome was disappointing. Steiner only acted in one released film, Aeroporto (Piero Costa, 1944), mostly shot at Montecatini Terme. The film had only a limited release in early 1945. Steiner returned to the screen from 1946, first as the evil James Milligan in Giorgio Ferroni's Senza famiglia (1946), He was now confined to character roles. His career would continue with dignity until the end of the fifties, with parts in mostly forgotten films but also La signora senza camelie (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1953).
Sources: Italian Wikipedia, IMDB.
Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England the rocks began taking their shape roughly 320 million years ago, when water, grit, and sand washed down from Scotland and Norway to form the land of Yorkshire.
Brimham Rocks is a stunning spectacle on the Moors in North Yorkshire. But what makes these rock formations special? The natural spectacle was created by a river 100million years BEFORE the first dinosaurs walked the earth.
When was the rock idol at Brimham Rocks created?
In 1844, Druidic theories were strong enough for the Worcester Journal to publish a list of "British monuments, commonly called Druidical," to correct misunderstandings, including those by "antiquarian writers of celebrity." The list included the Rock Idol at Brimham Rocks.
BL Add MS 62925
Date c 1260
Title Psalter, Use of Sarum ('The Rutland Psalter')
Content Contents: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar, use of Sarum, with the feasts for each month in red, blue and gold, with small roundels of the labours of the month and the zodiac symbols.ff. 7r-v: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.ff. 8v-143r: Psalter, Use of Sarum.ff. 143r-155v: Canticles and Athanasian Creed.ff. 155v-159v: Litany and prayers to various saints.ff. 160r-168r: Office of the Dead.ff. 169r-190v: Added prayers and devotions.Decoration:The decoration in this volume is the work of four major artists and their assistants (see Morgan, ‘The Artists of the Rutland Psalter’, 1987). 7 full-page or partial-page miniatures in gold and colours (ff. 8v, 29r, 43r, 55r, 83v, 97v, 112v), 8 historiated initials (ff. 29v, 43v, 55v, 56r, 68v, 84r, 98r, 99v), and 1 major decorated initial (f. 113r). 24 calendar roundels of the signs of the zodiac and labours of the month (ff. 1r-6v). Diagram, volvelle compass (f. 7r). Minor initials, inhabited and decorated, and extensive bas-de-page figural scenes with men, grotesques, demons, animals, birds, dragons, and foliage; some scenes taken from bestiaries and the Marvels of the East. Partial borders, some with hybrids and grotesques, and line-fillers, some fully painted. Some decoration is unfinished (e.g. f. 28v, at the end of Psalm 25), and f. 68r, which is blank, was probably intended to contain a miniature preceding Psalm 68.Miniatures and major initials:f. 7r: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.f. 8v: full-page historiated initial ‘B’(eatus) of King David harping, and the Judgement of Solomon, amidst men in combat astride lions and dragons, with roundels containing scenes from Creation and men in combat, at the beginning of Psalm 1, with a curtain above.f. 29r: full-page miniature of the Anointing and Crowning of King David, with Christ above flanked by the Sun (marked as a Host) and Moon, before Psalm 26; pasted in on a separate piece of parchment. f. 29v: historiated initial ‘D’(ominus) of Christ healing the blind man, at the beginning of Psalm 26.f. 43r: full-page miniature of Balaam, riding an ass, meeting the Angel wielding a sword, before Psalm 38, with a curtain above. f. 43v: historiated initial ‘D’(ixi) of King David pointing to his mouth, with a youth pointing upwards, at the beginning of Psalm 38.f. 55r: full-page miniature of Saul threatening King David, before Psalm 51, with a curtain above.f. 55v: historiated initial ‘Q’(uid) of Saul and Ahimelech as a king about to behead a priest kneeling before an altar (a misunderstanding of Doeg killing Ahimelech), at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 56r: historiated initial ‘D’(ixit) of King David and the Fool, with God above, at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 68v: historiated initial ‘S’(alvum) of Christ holding a host, above Jonah being thrown from a boat to the whale below, at the beginning of Psalm 68. f. 83v: three-quarter page miniature of Jacob’s dream of the ladder, before Psalm 80, with a curtain above.f. 84r: historiated initial ‘E’(xultate) of Jacob wrestling with the angel, at the beginning of Psalm 80.f. 97v: half-page miniature of King David playing the organ, accompanied by youths with bellows and hurdy gurdy, before Psalm 97.f. 98r: historiated initial ‘C’(antate) of King David harping, accompanied by musicians, at the beginning of Psalm 97.f. 99v: historiated initial ‘D’(omine) of a king and queen kneeling before an altar, with Christ above with a sword in his mouth, at the beginning of Psalm 101. f. 112v: full-page miniature of Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists, before Psalm 109, with a curtain above.f. 113r: illuminated initial ‘D’(ixit), at the beginning of Psalm 109.
Languages Latin
Physical Description
Materials: Parchment codex.
Dimensions: 285 x 205 mm (text space: 185 x 135 mm).
Foliation: ff. 190 (+ 3 foliated parchment flyleaves at the beginning and 2 fragmentary parchment flyleaves at the end; f. i is a paste-down on the inside front cover and f. v is a paste-down on the inside back cover; f. 191 is a fragmentary foliated leaf).
Collation: i6 (f. 7 is a 15th century insertion); ii-xxiii8; xxiv8-2 (lacking leaves 7 & 8).
Script: Gothic (textualis quadrata).
Binding: Pre-1600 (between 1515 and 1530) blind-stamped binding with an armorial panel, gold-tooled spine, and two clasps (some of the original metalwork has been replaced and is boxed with the manuscript).
Ownership Origin: England (London?).The family of Edmund de Lacy, second Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1230, d. 1258): his obit added to the calendar for 24 May (f. 3r). Richard de Talbot, second Baron Talbot, of Irchingfield and Goodrich (b. c. 1306, d. 1356): his obit, 'Obitus dni Ric Talebot dni de Iirchenfeld et castri godr anno dni mccclvi', now erased, added to the calendar for 22 October (f. 5v). 'Umfrehay' with motto 'verray et secrete', inscribed between 1400 and 1499 (f. v and f. 168r, under erasure). William Vaux (b. c. 1410, d. 1460), Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1436) and MP for Northamptonshire (1442): his obit in added to the calendar for 10 November (f. 6r). Henry Gairstang (d. 1464): his obit added to the calendar for 12 September (f. 5r).John Hawghe, Justice of the Common Pleas (d. 1488/9): his obit added to the calendar for 14 March (f. 2r).John Clifton, Prior of Reading Abbey between 1486 and 1490: ex libris donation inscription, under erasure: ‘Iste liber est dono dompni Johannis Clifton prioris venerabilis monasterii de Radyng quem fieri alienaverit vel de eo fraudem fecerit anathema sit’ (f. iv verso). The Clunaic Abbey of Reading, Reading, Berkshire: given to the Abbey by John Clifton, 1490.Ethelbert Burdet, canon of Lincoln, 1565: his inscription, dated 2 October 1587 (f. ii recto). Bossewell (?): 17th century inscription (f. v). Waren (?): 17th century inscription (f. v).John Henry Manners, fifth Duke of Rutland (b. 1778, d. 1857): manuscript catalogue of Belvoir Castle Library 1825, pressmark 'C. 6. 5' (f. i). Purchased by the British Library from the trustees of the ninth Duke of Rutland's estate, through Christies, with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund, the Friends of the National Libraries, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the G. B. Shaw Fund, in December 1983.
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Laura Kendrick, ‘Making Sense of Marginalized Images in Manuscripts and Religious Architecture’, in A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe, ed. by Conrad Rudolph (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2006), pp. 286-88, fig. 13-2.
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www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=add_ms_62925
www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-rutland-psalter
blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/05/marginali-yeah-t...
These are the series of illustrations to newest story – The flight of the swan telling about Dannee’s struggle with keeping peace between her friend and one of her romantic flashbacks in the past.
Even while Skyrim being at state of fragile peace Dannee learns that not all fights are tied with something epic as she tries to out some order and peace between two of her closest friends who had big misunderstanding along with nasty quarrel. In attempt to make her friend Serana see things from her perspective Dannee dwells in her own past as well as helping Serana deal with terrible but unseen wounds of her darkest memories…
The first part – www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/433485/?
The second part of the story – www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/433486/?
Binding says that the property is "a three storey, jettied building with two tiny medieval windows high up in the east wall. The house has a chequered history. In 1346 the site was granted to the Abbot and Convent of Cleeve by Hugh Pero of Oaktrow and the house was probably built soon after. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was sold and in 1620 bough as 'the High House' by Robert Quirke of Minehead. First rented as dwellings, in 1781 the building was used as a malthouse. It has never been used by nuns and the name may just be a flight of eighteenth century fancy based on a misunderstanding of the terms of the original grant." www.exmoorher.co.uk/hbsmr-web/record.aspx?MSO9423-The-Nun...
"Dunster is one of the most popular places on Exmoor for visitors. It is a medieval village with an ancient castle, priory, dovecote, yarn market, inns, packhorse bridge and a mill. Since the decline of the woollen industry in the eighteenth century the village has been locked in a time warp.
Dunster Castle, once the home of the Luttrell family, is now owned by the National Trust.
With over 200 listed buildings Dunster is preserved so that generations to come can enjoy the historic qualities of this unique village. Situated in the sweeping hills of Exmoor National park Dunster provides the ideal base for your holiday in the South West of England.
The new village map for the historic Dunster village on Exmoor National Park highlights, walks, historic buildings, shops, hotels, museums and Dunster Castle. Visitors may also pick up a free copy of the map at the Exmoor National Park Centre on Dunster Steep. The village is open all year round and accessible by car or steam train and there’s a free vintage bus from Dunster station to the village on Bank Holidays (Sunday and Monday) during 2016. For more details of this service contact Dunster Station." www.dunsterstation.co.uk
Please. Read it. Especially Italian people.
Most motorway carriageways comprise a main running surface, with a hard shoulder along one edge, and a median or central reservation separating it from the other carriageway along the other edge. The hard shoulder is generally provided for use only in emergencies, such as breakdowns. However, parts of the M42 and M6 in the West Midlands (UK) have a system (Active Traffic Management) whereby a small section of the hard shoulder can be used as an extra lane during busy periods. This system is controlled with electronic signage also responsible for Variable Speed Limits and general lane closures/other warnings, as the section is under a lower limit during congestion-necessitated hard shoulder running (50 or 60 MPH dependent on location, vs 70 MPH usually), and any breakdown or accident in the hard shoulder area requires prompt re-closure of the lane to normal traffic. Sections where ATM is installed have "emergency refuges" provided every few hundred metres (resembling a small layby about long enough to hold a single articulated lorry, with an emergency phone) which are considered sufficient to deal with the occasional "soft" breakdown or punctured tyre experienced by more reliable modern vehicles. However, vehicles do still become stranded on the hard-shoulder running lane, either through misunderstanding or inability to reach a refuge.
The nearside edge (the edge up against the hard shoulder) of the running surface is marked with a solid white line, or in Ireland, a solid yellow line. The offside edge of the running surface (the edge nearest to the median) is marked with a solid white line. The running surface is divided into lanes by white dashed lines. In ATM sections in the UK, the hard shoulder line is not textured because it is frequently used as a running lane.
In the United Kingdom and in Ireland the lanes in a given direction are numbered sequentially from the nearside (hard shoulder), such as lane 1, lane 2, lane 3, etc.
The lane closest to the hard shoulder is generally intended for normal steady driving, while the other lane or lanes, those closer to the median, are intended for overtaking or passing slower-moving vehicles. Vehicles are expected to use the nearside-most lane that is clear, gravitating back towards the "nearside" lane even if already travelling at the speed limit. However, staying in lane to pass a moderately well-spaced line of significantly slower vehicles is permitted in preference to continually swerving between lanes. In concert with this, the British Highway Code states that vehicles must pass on the right, unless in heavy traffic or when the vehicle is turning left. Similar rules apply on German autobahns and in some other countries. In heavy traffic, it might be acceptable to cruise in any lane, and to pass slower vehicles on either side, to avoid continual lane changes.
Australia (traffic on left) is unique in that lane discipline is virtually unenforced. This results in overtaking on either side being routine and not punished. It is common for drivers to cruise in the right (fast) lane without yielding over to the slower lane to allow faster vehicles to pass.
BL Add MS 62925
Date c 1260
Title Psalter, Use of Sarum ('The Rutland Psalter')
Content Contents: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar, use of Sarum, with the feasts for each month in red, blue and gold, with small roundels of the labours of the month and the zodiac symbols.ff. 7r-v: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.ff. 8v-143r: Psalter, Use of Sarum.ff. 143r-155v: Canticles and Athanasian Creed.ff. 155v-159v: Litany and prayers to various saints.ff. 160r-168r: Office of the Dead.ff. 169r-190v: Added prayers and devotions.Decoration:The decoration in this volume is the work of four major artists and their assistants (see Morgan, ‘The Artists of the Rutland Psalter’, 1987). 7 full-page or partial-page miniatures in gold and colours (ff. 8v, 29r, 43r, 55r, 83v, 97v, 112v), 8 historiated initials (ff. 29v, 43v, 55v, 56r, 68v, 84r, 98r, 99v), and 1 major decorated initial (f. 113r). 24 calendar roundels of the signs of the zodiac and labours of the month (ff. 1r-6v). Diagram, volvelle compass (f. 7r). Minor initials, inhabited and decorated, and extensive bas-de-page figural scenes with men, grotesques, demons, animals, birds, dragons, and foliage; some scenes taken from bestiaries and the Marvels of the East. Partial borders, some with hybrids and grotesques, and line-fillers, some fully painted. Some decoration is unfinished (e.g. f. 28v, at the end of Psalm 25), and f. 68r, which is blank, was probably intended to contain a miniature preceding Psalm 68.Miniatures and major initials:f. 7r: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.f. 8v: full-page historiated initial ‘B’(eatus) of King David harping, and the Judgement of Solomon, amidst men in combat astride lions and dragons, with roundels containing scenes from Creation and men in combat, at the beginning of Psalm 1, with a curtain above.f. 29r: full-page miniature of the Anointing and Crowning of King David, with Christ above flanked by the Sun (marked as a Host) and Moon, before Psalm 26; pasted in on a separate piece of parchment. f. 29v: historiated initial ‘D’(ominus) of Christ healing the blind man, at the beginning of Psalm 26.f. 43r: full-page miniature of Balaam, riding an ass, meeting the Angel wielding a sword, before Psalm 38, with a curtain above. f. 43v: historiated initial ‘D’(ixi) of King David pointing to his mouth, with a youth pointing upwards, at the beginning of Psalm 38.f. 55r: full-page miniature of Saul threatening King David, before Psalm 51, with a curtain above.f. 55v: historiated initial ‘Q’(uid) of Saul and Ahimelech as a king about to behead a priest kneeling before an altar (a misunderstanding of Doeg killing Ahimelech), at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 56r: historiated initial ‘D’(ixit) of King David and the Fool, with God above, at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 68v: historiated initial ‘S’(alvum) of Christ holding a host, above Jonah being thrown from a boat to the whale below, at the beginning of Psalm 68. f. 83v: three-quarter page miniature of Jacob’s dream of the ladder, before Psalm 80, with a curtain above.f. 84r: historiated initial ‘E’(xultate) of Jacob wrestling with the angel, at the beginning of Psalm 80.f. 97v: half-page miniature of King David playing the organ, accompanied by youths with bellows and hurdy gurdy, before Psalm 97.f. 98r: historiated initial ‘C’(antate) of King David harping, accompanied by musicians, at the beginning of Psalm 97.f. 99v: historiated initial ‘D’(omine) of a king and queen kneeling before an altar, with Christ above with a sword in his mouth, at the beginning of Psalm 101. f. 112v: full-page miniature of Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists, before Psalm 109, with a curtain above.f. 113r: illuminated initial ‘D’(ixit), at the beginning of Psalm 109.
Languages Latin
Physical Description
Materials: Parchment codex.
Dimensions: 285 x 205 mm (text space: 185 x 135 mm).
Foliation: ff. 190 (+ 3 foliated parchment flyleaves at the beginning and 2 fragmentary parchment flyleaves at the end; f. i is a paste-down on the inside front cover and f. v is a paste-down on the inside back cover; f. 191 is a fragmentary foliated leaf).
Collation: i6 (f. 7 is a 15th century insertion); ii-xxiii8; xxiv8-2 (lacking leaves 7 & 8).
Script: Gothic (textualis quadrata).
Binding: Pre-1600 (between 1515 and 1530) blind-stamped binding with an armorial panel, gold-tooled spine, and two clasps (some of the original metalwork has been replaced and is boxed with the manuscript).
Ownership Origin: England (London?).The family of Edmund de Lacy, second Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1230, d. 1258): his obit added to the calendar for 24 May (f. 3r). Richard de Talbot, second Baron Talbot, of Irchingfield and Goodrich (b. c. 1306, d. 1356): his obit, 'Obitus dni Ric Talebot dni de Iirchenfeld et castri godr anno dni mccclvi', now erased, added to the calendar for 22 October (f. 5v). 'Umfrehay' with motto 'verray et secrete', inscribed between 1400 and 1499 (f. v and f. 168r, under erasure). William Vaux (b. c. 1410, d. 1460), Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1436) and MP for Northamptonshire (1442): his obit in added to the calendar for 10 November (f. 6r). Henry Gairstang (d. 1464): his obit added to the calendar for 12 September (f. 5r).John Hawghe, Justice of the Common Pleas (d. 1488/9): his obit added to the calendar for 14 March (f. 2r).John Clifton, Prior of Reading Abbey between 1486 and 1490: ex libris donation inscription, under erasure: ‘Iste liber est dono dompni Johannis Clifton prioris venerabilis monasterii de Radyng quem fieri alienaverit vel de eo fraudem fecerit anathema sit’ (f. iv verso). The Clunaic Abbey of Reading, Reading, Berkshire: given to the Abbey by John Clifton, 1490.Ethelbert Burdet, canon of Lincoln, 1565: his inscription, dated 2 October 1587 (f. ii recto). Bossewell (?): 17th century inscription (f. v). Waren (?): 17th century inscription (f. v).John Henry Manners, fifth Duke of Rutland (b. 1778, d. 1857): manuscript catalogue of Belvoir Castle Library 1825, pressmark 'C. 6. 5' (f. i). Purchased by the British Library from the trustees of the ninth Duke of Rutland's estate, through Christies, with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund, the Friends of the National Libraries, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the G. B. Shaw Fund, in December 1983.
Bibliography
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Lucy Freeman Sandler, ‘A Series of Marginal Illustrations in the Rutland Psalter’, Marsyas: Studies in the History of Art 8 (1959), pp. 70-74.
Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Réveils et Prodiges, le Gothique Fantastique (Paris : A. Colin, 1960), pp. 147, 150-52, 321, figs. 34, 36, 37, 38a, 38c, 11b.
M. Schapiro, 'An Illuminated English Psalter of the Early Thirteenth Century', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, XXIII (1960), pp. 180, 184, pl. 24e.
R. Horlbeck, 'The Vault Paintings of Salisbury Cathedral', Archaeological Journal, CXVII (1962), p. 119.
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Neil R. Ker, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain (London: Royal Historical Society, 1964), pp. 155, 295.
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Lilian M. C. Randall, 'Humour and Fantasy in the Margins of an English Book of Hours', Apollo, 84 (1966), pp. 487-88.
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Howard Helsinger, ‘Images on the Beatus Page of Some Medieval Psalters,’ The Art Bulletin 53, no. 2 (June 1971), pp. 161-76 (p. 171).
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John Block Friedman, The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1981), pp. 139-40, figs. 40a, 40b.
Lucy Freeman Sandler, 'Reflections on the Construction of Hybrids in English Gothic Marginal Illustration', in Art the Ape of Nature: Studies in Honor of H.W. Janson, ed. by Moshe Barasch and others (New York: H. N. Abrams, 1981), pp. 54-55, 65, no. 38, fig. 7.
Kerstin Rodin, Räven Predikar för Gässen: en studie av ett ordspråk I senmedeltida ikonografi (Uppsala: Upsalla universitet, 1983), pp. 47, 52, fig. 12.
Susann Palmer, ‘Origin of the Hurdy-Gurdy: A Few Comments’, The Galpin Society Journal 36 (March 1983), pp. 129-31.
Derek Howard Turner, 'The Rutland Psalter', National Art-Collections Fund Review (1984), pp. 94-97.
Nigel Morgan, 'The Artists of the Rutland Psalter', British Library Journal, 13, no. 2 (Autumn 1987), pp. 159-85.
Andrew G. Watson and Neil R. Ker, Medieval Libraries of Great Britain: Supplement to the Second Edition (London: Royal Historical Society, 1987), [Reading, formerly Belvoir, Duke of Rutland].
Nigel Morgan, Early Gothic Manuscripts (II) 1250-1285, Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles, 4 (London: Harvey Miller, 1988), no. 112.
Adelaide Bennett, 'A Book Designed for a Noblewoman’, in Medieval Book Production: Assessing the Evidence: Proceedings of the Second Conference of The Seminar in the History of the Book to 1500, Oxford, July 1988, ed. by Linda L. Brownrigg, (Los Altos Hills, California: Anderson-Lovelace, 1990), pp. 1163-181 (p. 1181).
Claire Donovan, The de Brailes Hours: Shaping the Book of Hours in Thirteenth-Century Oxford (London, British Library, 1991), p. 203. no. 24.
Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art (London: Reaktion, 1992), pl. 6.
Janet Backhouse, The Illuminated Page: Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting in the British Library (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997), no. 64.
Alan Coates, English Medieval Books: The Reading Abbey Collections from Foundation to Dispersal (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999), p. 161 no. 94.
John Higgitt, The Murthly Hours: Devotion, Literacy and Luxury in Paris, England and the Gaelic West (London: British Library, 2000), pp. 81, 154.
Lucy Freeman Sandler, ‘The Images of Words in English Gothic Psalters’, in Studies in the Illustration of the Psalter, ed. by Brendan Cassidy and Rosemary Muir Wright (Stamford: Shaun Tyas, 2000), pp. 67-86 (p. 76, 77).
Alixe Bovey, Monsters and Grotesques in Medieval Manuscripts (London: British Library, 2002) p. 51, fig. 43.
Debra Higgs Strickland, Saracens, Demons, & Jews: Making Monsters in Medieval Art (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003), fig. 17, 55, 59.
Paul Binski, Becket’s Crown: Art and Imagination in Gothic England 1170-1300 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004), pl. 211.
F. O. Büttner, ‘Der illuminierte Psalter im Westen’, in The Illuminated Psalter: Studies in the Content, Purpose and Placement of its Images, ed. by F. O. Büttner, (Belgium: Brepols, 2004), pp. 1-106 (pp. 17, 20).
Alison Stones, 'The Full-Page Miniatures of the Psalter-Hours New York, PML, ms M.729: Progamme and Patron', in The Illuminated Psalter: Studies in the Content, Purpose and Placement of its Images, ed. by F. O. Büttner, (Belgium: Brepols, 2004), pp. 281-307 (p. 297, no. 19).
The Cambridge Illuminations: Ten Centuries of Book Production in the Medieval West, ed. by Paul Binski and Stella Panayotova (London: Harvey Miller, 2005), p. 112.
Nigel Morgan, 'The Trinity Apocalypse: Style, Dating and Place of Production', in The Trinity Apocalypse (Trinity College Cambridge, MS R.16.2) (London: British Library, 2005), pp. 23-43 (pp. 26, 28, 30, figs 22-23).
Treasures of the British Library, ed. by Nicolas Barker and others (London: British Library, 2005), p. 261.
Laura Kendrick, ‘Making Sense of Marginalized Images in Manuscripts and Religious Architecture’, in A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe, ed. by Conrad Rudolph (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2006), pp. 286-88, fig. 13-2.
Asa Simon Mittman, Maps and Monsters in Medieval England (New York: Routledge, 2006), fig. 5.5.
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Scot McKendrick and Kathleen Doyle, Bible Manuscripts (London: British Library, 2007), p. 109, fig. 96.
Margaret Scott, Medieval Dress & Fashion (London: British Library, 2007), pl. 36.
Lucy Freeman Sandler, Studies in Manuscript Illumination, 1200-1400 (London: Pindar Press, 2008).
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www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=add_ms_62925
www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-rutland-psalter
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Clarence Square Park Area - Spadina Avenue, Toronto
"'Human' is a song by alternative rock band The Killers, and was released as the first single from the band's third studio album Day & Age. The song was leaked onto YouTube on September 21, 2008, a day before it was scheduled to be played for the first time on Zane Lowe's evening show on BBC Radio 1. It began receiving airplay on September 22, 2008, with a digital release on September 30, 2008. It became the third song by the band to enter the top 5 of the UK singles chart. It was their first top ten hit in the Netherlands (peaking at #2). The song was released on a 7-inch picture disc throughout the world in various dates in November, with a B-side entitled 'A Crippling Blow'.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine's Smoking Section, Brandon Flowers described 'Human' as 'Johnny Cash meets the Pet Shop Boys'. Flowers stated that the song was created with Stuart Price during their work with him on the Sawdust album, and has changed very little since then. He confessed to not putting it on Sawdust as 'it was too good'.
The cover art for the single is a portrait of the band's guitarist Dave Keuning, and is one of the four portraits drawn by Paul Normansell for the album.
On November 25, 2008, the song was available as downloadable content for the game Guitar Hero World Tour.
This track has also been remixed by popular trance DJs Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten.
An interview in The Observer newspaper stated that the track 'is a cross between New Order and Bruce Springsteen - that should please fans of 'Mr. Brightside'.' Chris Williams of Billboard gave a positive review, echoing The Observer's description of 'merging a Boss-like melody over a New Order-injected rave-up.' He also praised the song for 'stretching the soundscape of alternative rock, which has increasingly become difficult to differentiate between mainstream rock'. Music Radar complimented the song in their review of Day & Age, saying 'A gentle, phased, clicky guitar riff opens this gorgeous nod to the gentle side of '80s new wave.' Caryn Ganz with Rolling Stone gave the tune three-and-a-half stars, calling it 'delicious.'
'Human' was voted the Best Song of 2008 by the readers of Rolling Stone.
Initially there was confusion and debate over the line 'Are we human, or are we dancer?' in the song's chorus. Debate raged across the internet over whether the lyrics said 'denser' or 'dancer', a misunderstanding which invoked conflicting interpretations of the song's meaning. Entertainment Weekly's Pop Watch section called this line the 'silliest lyrics of the week'. They were puzzled by the interpretation, stating 'most dancers are generally human'. On the band's official website, the biography section states that Flowers is singing 'Are we human, or are we dancer?' and also says that the lyrics were inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson, where he stated America was raising 'a generation of dancers'. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Flowers said that he was irritated over the confusion about the lyrics and also that fans were unhappy with the song's dance beat: 'It's supposed to be a dance song, [the beat] goes with the chorus...If you can't put that together, you're an idiot. I just don't get why there's a confusion about it.'" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_(The_Killers_song)
I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord
Are we human or are we denser?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we denser?
Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could
And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go
Are we human or are we denser?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we denser?
Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
Let me know, is your heart still beating?
Are we human or are we denser?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
You've gotta let me know
Are we human or are we denser?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we denser?
Are we human or are we denser?
Are we human or are we denser?
BL Add MS 62925
Date c 1260
Title Psalter, Use of Sarum ('The Rutland Psalter')
Content Contents: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar, use of Sarum, with the feasts for each month in red, blue and gold, with small roundels of the labours of the month and the zodiac symbols.ff. 7r-v: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.ff. 8v-143r: Psalter, Use of Sarum.ff. 143r-155v: Canticles and Athanasian Creed.ff. 155v-159v: Litany and prayers to various saints.ff. 160r-168r: Office of the Dead.ff. 169r-190v: Added prayers and devotions.Decoration:The decoration in this volume is the work of four major artists and their assistants (see Morgan, ‘The Artists of the Rutland Psalter’, 1987). 7 full-page or partial-page miniatures in gold and colours (ff. 8v, 29r, 43r, 55r, 83v, 97v, 112v), 8 historiated initials (ff. 29v, 43v, 55v, 56r, 68v, 84r, 98r, 99v), and 1 major decorated initial (f. 113r). 24 calendar roundels of the signs of the zodiac and labours of the month (ff. 1r-6v). Diagram, volvelle compass (f. 7r). Minor initials, inhabited and decorated, and extensive bas-de-page figural scenes with men, grotesques, demons, animals, birds, dragons, and foliage; some scenes taken from bestiaries and the Marvels of the East. Partial borders, some with hybrids and grotesques, and line-fillers, some fully painted. Some decoration is unfinished (e.g. f. 28v, at the end of Psalm 25), and f. 68r, which is blank, was probably intended to contain a miniature preceding Psalm 68.Miniatures and major initials:f. 7r: Volvelle compass, 15th century insertion.f. 8v: full-page historiated initial ‘B’(eatus) of King David harping, and the Judgement of Solomon, amidst men in combat astride lions and dragons, with roundels containing scenes from Creation and men in combat, at the beginning of Psalm 1, with a curtain above.f. 29r: full-page miniature of the Anointing and Crowning of King David, with Christ above flanked by the Sun (marked as a Host) and Moon, before Psalm 26; pasted in on a separate piece of parchment. f. 29v: historiated initial ‘D’(ominus) of Christ healing the blind man, at the beginning of Psalm 26.f. 43r: full-page miniature of Balaam, riding an ass, meeting the Angel wielding a sword, before Psalm 38, with a curtain above. f. 43v: historiated initial ‘D’(ixi) of King David pointing to his mouth, with a youth pointing upwards, at the beginning of Psalm 38.f. 55r: full-page miniature of Saul threatening King David, before Psalm 51, with a curtain above.f. 55v: historiated initial ‘Q’(uid) of Saul and Ahimelech as a king about to behead a priest kneeling before an altar (a misunderstanding of Doeg killing Ahimelech), at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 56r: historiated initial ‘D’(ixit) of King David and the Fool, with God above, at the beginning of Psalm 51.f. 68v: historiated initial ‘S’(alvum) of Christ holding a host, above Jonah being thrown from a boat to the whale below, at the beginning of Psalm 68. f. 83v: three-quarter page miniature of Jacob’s dream of the ladder, before Psalm 80, with a curtain above.f. 84r: historiated initial ‘E’(xultate) of Jacob wrestling with the angel, at the beginning of Psalm 80.f. 97v: half-page miniature of King David playing the organ, accompanied by youths with bellows and hurdy gurdy, before Psalm 97.f. 98r: historiated initial ‘C’(antate) of King David harping, accompanied by musicians, at the beginning of Psalm 97.f. 99v: historiated initial ‘D’(omine) of a king and queen kneeling before an altar, with Christ above with a sword in his mouth, at the beginning of Psalm 101. f. 112v: full-page miniature of Christ in Majesty, surrounded by the four symbols of the Evangelists, before Psalm 109, with a curtain above.f. 113r: illuminated initial ‘D’(ixit), at the beginning of Psalm 109.
Languages Latin
Physical Description
Materials: Parchment codex.
Dimensions: 285 x 205 mm (text space: 185 x 135 mm).
Foliation: ff. 190 (+ 3 foliated parchment flyleaves at the beginning and 2 fragmentary parchment flyleaves at the end; f. i is a paste-down on the inside front cover and f. v is a paste-down on the inside back cover; f. 191 is a fragmentary foliated leaf).
Collation: i6 (f. 7 is a 15th century insertion); ii-xxiii8; xxiv8-2 (lacking leaves 7 & 8).
Script: Gothic (textualis quadrata).
Binding: Pre-1600 (between 1515 and 1530) blind-stamped binding with an armorial panel, gold-tooled spine, and two clasps (some of the original metalwork has been replaced and is boxed with the manuscript).
Ownership Origin: England (London?).The family of Edmund de Lacy, second Earl of Lincoln (b. c. 1230, d. 1258): his obit added to the calendar for 24 May (f. 3r). Richard de Talbot, second Baron Talbot, of Irchingfield and Goodrich (b. c. 1306, d. 1356): his obit, 'Obitus dni Ric Talebot dni de Iirchenfeld et castri godr anno dni mccclvi', now erased, added to the calendar for 22 October (f. 5v). 'Umfrehay' with motto 'verray et secrete', inscribed between 1400 and 1499 (f. v and f. 168r, under erasure). William Vaux (b. c. 1410, d. 1460), Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1436) and MP for Northamptonshire (1442): his obit in added to the calendar for 10 November (f. 6r). Henry Gairstang (d. 1464): his obit added to the calendar for 12 September (f. 5r).John Hawghe, Justice of the Common Pleas (d. 1488/9): his obit added to the calendar for 14 March (f. 2r).John Clifton, Prior of Reading Abbey between 1486 and 1490: ex libris donation inscription, under erasure: ‘Iste liber est dono dompni Johannis Clifton prioris venerabilis monasterii de Radyng quem fieri alienaverit vel de eo fraudem fecerit anathema sit’ (f. iv verso). The Clunaic Abbey of Reading, Reading, Berkshire: given to the Abbey by John Clifton, 1490.Ethelbert Burdet, canon of Lincoln, 1565: his inscription, dated 2 October 1587 (f. ii recto). Bossewell (?): 17th century inscription (f. v). Waren (?): 17th century inscription (f. v).John Henry Manners, fifth Duke of Rutland (b. 1778, d. 1857): manuscript catalogue of Belvoir Castle Library 1825, pressmark 'C. 6. 5' (f. i). Purchased by the British Library from the trustees of the ninth Duke of Rutland's estate, through Christies, with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund, the Friends of the National Libraries, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the G. B. Shaw Fund, in December 1983.
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A few things:
My camera battery died right after taking this photo. To me, this photo is bad.
Today was also bad. Today was bad, because of a terrible case of miscommunication and misunderstanding, which is not an interesting story, so I'll refrain from that.
By the end of today, I had begun listening to a podcast I've never tried before. It made me laugh and I really enjoyed it.
In conclusion, I just had this thought: I took a bad photo on a bad day, which coincidentally ended up being of my earbuds and in the end, it represented something much deeper to me, by mistake. A convenient mistake, because even though the camera's battery is now recharged, I am exhausted and have no energy for pictures!
Oh, this rant has been full of irony.
PS-congratulations to you and I, Pavla for completing two whole weeks!👏
Gateway Camp Verse
(Pin1) Ging1 Mahn4
Isaiah 62:10
What Dale instructed about going out of our way to treat the Mainland Chinese well resonated within me. To be sure, just as the Koreans have gone out of their way to bless me so I must step out to bless and to love my Mainland brethren.
After the first meeting, Ed and I wandered off campus and found inside a shopping mall a cha chaan teng where we had a late-night snack. And hardly had we tucked into our meals when in walked several dozen volunteers, all locals, who were overcome, it seemed, by the same munchies that infected Ed and me. It’s surprising how such a primal urge, at such a time, drives everyone to no less than the same, impossibly far location.
I thus far have met so many people that, had I not brought along my iPod, I would have already lost track of the multitudinous names flying around like fireflies at night, sparkling luminously one moment and then disappearing the next. And this is only the beginning: more and more people will arrive both today and tomorrow so I had better stay awake, alert, and writing.
I am working with a partner who really challenges me, and indeed that is why I chose to work with him. From the first words that came streaming out of his mouth, I knew he would be a special one, and as if to conifrm my conjecture, indeed, the more he spoke, the more confused I became. The challenge, I have realized after much ruminating, isn’t so much the pace of his speech as his choice of words, which fall outside a normal lexical range; that is, at least with me, when he talks, he doesn’t use familiar collocations to communicate; besides, he has an uncanny Tin Shui Wai accent; those, along with his amazing resistance to Chinglish, which impresses me, by the way, have made our communication tedious, since I am bombarded by peculiar lexical constructions that I generally never encounter in Cantonese conversation and must therefore stop our flow to clarify his speech. It’s too bad that he doesn’t speak English as I would love to hear how he structures ideas in my native language to determine whether or not this strange lexis has spilled over into his other modes of communication.
Regardless, in being with him, I have learned to be patient, and if I am truly to walk away from resentment, I must continue rather to engage him than to keep him at arm’s length. It helps us, then, that he is a congenial fellow, prone more to expressing love, much in the same way that I do by warmly grabbing a forearm or a shoulder, than to venting his frustration, which with me could certainly be great. He is verily a good guy, and so long as the Lord keeps him — I am sure Daddy will — Tin Shui Wai, that small patch of concrete moon colony, is in capable, faithful human hands.
Sau2 muhn6 je2
Mihng6 dihng6
Kyuhn4 lihk6
Lihk6 leuhng6
Chong3 yi3 adjective
Chong3 jouh6 verb
Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
I cried this morning when I read these words, because they are true, and comfort my soul as water to a dry, parched land. However many times I’ve lamented this place and its people, I am still inextricably tied to this rock, per God’s will for my life; and God really is faithful in providing a way out not from this place but from these spiritual hindrances. These past few days, what with communication failures and fatigue setting in, I could have more easily give into my rationality, in defense of my weaknesses, than resisted this bait of satan. Thank God, hence, for the words which are like fuel for the refiner’s fire that burns up all my expectations, my pride and my flesh. I can survive, nay, rejoice, indeed, because of God, who, in me, day by day teaches me to suffer long with a smile.
This is what the gateway is all about, I believe: jumping head-first out of my comfort zone to confront the nations, for my brothers and sisters and I must face each other if we are to raise the banners together. Battling through enemy strongholds of mistrust ad resentment, we demolish carnal thoughts and dig deep in the Spirit for the unity that shall overcome as much language as culture; God, after all, is bigger, even, than the battlefield. In these ways can my brethren and I love each other as ourselves, as we shall be one in the Father, with audacious power and boldness laying hands on His kingdom which advances, in this kairos moment, over all of China, including, no doubt, Hong Kong. No longer will there be curses thrown upon the nations; but rather the river of life will flow through the city, and the leaves of the tree on each side of the river will be for the healing of the nations.
1) Welcoming the Father
2) Unifying the body
3) Partnering with the Chinese
4) Serving the city
5) Supporting the Chinese
Isaac and I have worked quite hard this morning, putting up signs all over campus, and as if to reward me for my assiduity, he offered to buy me a drink, an offer which I took up. Indeed, this man’s care and concern for others, genuine, doubtlessly, fills me with joy, for, to be sure, the joy of the lord is his strength. My friend is indefatigable, always encouraging and never slighting, no matter the circumstances, rain (that has happened a lot today) or shine. Praise God!
Much like my relationship with Isaac, my relationships with my other team members have improved considerably since, even, this morning’s briefing during which, the code-switching, happening too fast and too furiously for my comfort, vexed me so terribly that if Isaac had not put a generous arm around my shoulder immediately afterwards, I surely would have blown my top in frustration at the perplexing language option. Thankfully, my team and I settled our language arrangements: Isaac, Dorcas and I will intractably speak Cantonese to each other whereas my other group mates and I will use English with as little code-switching as possible; and I, along with Ed, no doubt, am satisfied. It’s best to avoid misunderstandings.
Lihng4 Mahn4 (soul)
Sihng4 jeung2
Muhng6 Seung2 (dreams)
The Lord’s mercies are new everyday. Just now, during the morning rally, by His Spirit, hundreds of brothers and sisters received a new anointing, to be spiritual mothers and fathers of a new generation so as to minister to the next. This outpouring of the Spirit was sudden, and so captivated me that when the call came to reap, I rushed to the front to ask my father for this anointing, and naturally, my life was transformed. In the same way, the pastor called up a new generation of spiritual children to receive the love, care and support of these new parents; and likewise, so many young men and women heeded this call that verily, the pit in front of the stage was soon awash in hugs and tears between generations that, once lost, were now found. Indeed, no sooner did these people embrace their father than Dad immediately swept them up in his strong arms and showered them with audacious encouragement and support. Praise God!
An Outburst
I was angry this morning during our team time. I temporarily lost my ability to be merciful and to live in God’s grace. When my team leader began to address me in English, yet again, I couldn’t help but berate him for doing so when Cantonese, I argued, would be a more economical medium of delivery. And then I compounded this already incendiary situation by ranting about the hypocrisy of Hong Kong being a gateway to China but not a gateway into its own neighborhoods teeming with Chinese people, 97% of whom, according to one of the pastors at this camp, do not know the Lord Jesus. Cantonese will matter, I posit, if anyone dares to take on the onerous mission in this vexing place.
To be sure, even my brother announced that language was a prohibitive barrier to closer relationships with these local people, and therefore, since he neither speaks Cantonese nor is going to give learning the language a go, he is relegated to the outer walls of the gates into Hong Kong.
In hindsight, I thought I cared enough about God’s purposes for me in Hong Kong, but I realize now that I still care a lot about myself, and resentment. Though I have prayed and declared boldly that God is bigger than language and culture, I know I don’t believe it; and that’s upsetting. For the time being, I don’t verily believe in my heart that I can have deeper, closer relationships with Chinese people without the benefit of language and culture, patterns of action.
OK. This is actually an opportune start for my spiritual parentship, for now I have an opportunity to put aside my very compelling arguments for the necessity of language and culture in deep and close relationships, these conclusions born out of my reason, and to step out in faith, to trust in the Lord who, I pray, will show me deep and close relationships sans language and culture, and with whom my deep and close relationship shall obviously be the key to this victory.
I’m thinking about events at this camp that heretofore demonstrated loving relationships without language and culture, and I recalled two acts: the first happened yesterday when I spontaneously joined a line of ushers to high-five and to cheer the audience as they flooded out of the auditorium, the morning rally having scarcely finished; and the second, this was my meeting Yao, a man from the Ivory Coast, whom I befriended in those first, fleeting, if not frantic moments before the opening rally on Friday evening. That encounter was immediate and sudden, neither words nor habits needed; Yao and I simply high-fived, hugged and sat beside each other; and wow, that was terrific companionship — praise God!
Finally, however hard my diatribe may have struck my team members’ hearts, my merciful group mates still forgave me, not only on an personal level, but also, as I had sought forgiveness on behalf of all foreigners who have ever cursed locals or stood passively outside the gateway, on a corporate level, thereby releasing countless non-Chinese people into the freedom of these Hong Kong people’s forgiveness; just as brothers and sisters had so recently been reconciled to each other in my church, so local and non-local people have received the others’ freedom of forgiveness; more than a homecoming, that, indeed, is a breakthrough.
In listening to this morning’s sermon, I hear such verses as I know God is speaking to me through His word. 2Corinthians 4:16-18, this scripture in particular carries a buoyant, hopeful currency in my heart. My spirit soaks in this divine revelation as a sponge soaks in water and thus becomes malleable, able to be formed and shaped according to its holder’s will: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Disagreeable
I don’t know why my brother and I undermine each others’ comments; why we no more know consensus than the deaf music. Our interactions have been especially abrasive recently since we have spent so much time together without the benefit of our other brother to act as a natural, vociferous buffer; and as a result we argue like pieces of sand paper being rubbed against flesh, which inevitably leads to significant soreness. I feel sore now.
I think back to my outburst this morning and can appreciate my role in this evening’s embarrassing outcome; I am certainly not without fault, for I choose these days not only to venture my opinions but to do so passionately, if not emotionally. People consequently who otherwise are phlegmatic at best are put in a discomfiting position by my impassioned pleas. Besides, I recall Interrupting my brother prolifically, which understandably would not make him a happy camper; just as a hyperactive child doesn’t know when to stop pestering his sibling, so I don’t know nowadays when to hold my tongue. Indeed, I would rather not respond at all to my brother, even after he has fired off his rejoinder, than to strike him down in mid-speech.
In view of this latest incident, I have resolved to take the former course of action. To be sure, I simply stopped our petty dispute about a stupid basketball game by, awkward as it was, taking out my book and perusing it as fixedly as my tattered mind would allow. I will try my best to stay away from my brother for a spell, to create physical and spiritual space between us, so hopefully, in this way at least one of us will be able to come to his senses about this matter; better yet, now would be an opportune time for our father in his mercy to reveal to us the fault lines in our flesh so that we could surrender these tremulous spots in our soul, crucifying them to the father for our healing and the redemption of our relationship. I will pray about this.
…Praise God. If I had not separated myself from my brother’s presence, I wouldn’t have been sitting at that bench at the exact moment when Isaac came over to me in a plaintive mood. Obviously upset, he had been so recently wronged, he lamented on the verge of tears. And at that, mercy swept over my countenance, for my brother felt as aggrieved as I did earlier; and this appointment, per God’s unfailing, obstinate love, had at last come for me, convicting me to be very, very agreeable, sympathetic and kind to my fellow long-suffering brother. In this instance, thank God, language did not matter so much as empathy, carrying each others’ burdens and thus fulfilling the rule of Christ. We prayed and blessed each other in Jesus’ name, and then boldly went forward into the rally.
I suspect the enemy has infiltrated our team what with my outbursts and Isaac’s failing out as evidence. My group mates and I must be more vigilant in prayer and in digging deep into the Father’s word if we are to overcome the spies in our camp that have planted incendiary devices in our mouths and in our hearts. We certainly need such encouragement as the Lord provides for the edification and encouragement of each other, even more so, in fact, in the face of adversity, despite our fatigue and other physical ills that befall us like a hail of arrows. In faith, I’m sure, faith will see us through; and per what the pastors exhorted at the rally, we will become as if the smooth stone in David’s sling, ready to fly into the air to crush the Goliath in this world.
Sihng4 jauh6 achievement
Ngwuih misunderstanding
Nggaai2 to misunderstand
Yuhn4 leuhng6 forgive
Gaan2syun2 chosen
The Security Guard
At the morning rally, a security guard left an indelible impression on my heart what with her showing of unconditional support and her proffering of words of encouragement, which like a waterfall fell in force and power over my friends and me. To my amazement, I first saw her out of the corner of my eye stepping out of her role as a security guard to pray as a spiritual parent to two spiritual children during the morning rally’s prayer time; there she was, clad in her blue uniform, laying hands on those weeping kids; finally, I had witnessed someone courageous enough to step out of that rule of law, her boundary in Hong Kong, to be bound to that which is ethereal, the rule of Christ to carry each others’ burdens. Later, as the audience passed through the exit, I had time to confirm her love for the Lord and at that, we broke into a torrent of encouragement and followed this with a flurry of picture-taking. Indeed, never have I stumbled upon such good will from a dragon security guard in HK so I am hopeful, therefore, that this is but the the start of a greater movement within that particular demon-worshipping core, that at this time, God is opening up the heavenly armory and placing his prayer warriors inside that particular stronghold in Hong Kong to demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and placing in its stead a profusion of love, gentleness and kindness. I look forward to the day when wisdom, and not languid stares, shall emanate from all the people who man the facilities in these universities.
Reconciliation
This is special. No sooner had Isaac and I stepped into the auditorium than we heard the plaintive cry of the mainland Chinese on the stage forgiving the Hong Kong people for their trespasses against their brethren from the north. A flurry of hugs, replete with a few tears, ensued. That was, as Dale announced from the stage, a delicious moment. Jesus must have been breaking out the good champagne in heaven for a rousing celebration in view of this victory.
Sex Talk – Part One
The kids finally received the sex talk this morning; a fiery pastor delivered the message which was as much shocking as informative; and gasps and wincing abounded in the audience.
While I have recently heard the sex talk at the men’s retreat, and have furthermore by God’s grace been inoculated against this particular area of struggle, it was nonetheless refreshing to hear the news, as shocking and as sensational as it was. I am willing, in addition, to believe that some of the atrocious acts that the pastor referenced, such as gruesome abortions and bizarre sexual acts, are more prevalent than my reason will believe, because my scope is limited by experience, but as the Father witnesses everything, if the Spirit has convicted this man and has told him that the world is heading closer and closer into the mouth of Jezebel in this way, I accept this. In fact, believing this is important if I am to be a good spiritual parent who will not only protect but educate the new generation from the prowling enemy that lurks these days, even, in our computers.
Prayer
The Holy Spirit fell over me this morning during my group’s team time. He convicted me to pray in Cantonese for the first time, and so I did without fear, those Chinese words pouring out of me as if perfume from an alabaster jar. Praise God: he is good; and this was the moment I have been waiting for.
I think about what happened, and am amazed at the Father’s favor; despite my critiques against this culture, and in spite of my recent lamentations, the Lord, ever faithfully, provided a way out under which I could stand and by which I could be protected from the bait of Satan. Little did I know that the escape route would, in fact, ironically, direct me to the very thing that heretofore has stood as an obstruction, a spiritual roadblock, in my mind.
A missionary on the stage just spoke into my life when she said about her experience learning Putonghua in China: the difficult part was not learning the language but learning to love those people as Jesus loves them. This will always be my mission, no matter where I am.
Keuhng4 jong3
Lai1 hei2 (pull up)
In the afternoon, my team had a reconciliation meeting during which, in small groups, each team member at last was given an opportunity to share alternately their joys and struggles. At that time, though having staved off an open rebuke for several days, I could no longer hold back this challenge to my small group: to step out in faith to be a gateway to the nations; and second, per the morning’s message, to on their guard against the sexually explicit, insidious media. I laid out my argument with much cogency, and such a response as I saw fit knocked my group mates into a stupor, because they certainly didn’t have much to say afterwards.
Oscillate between…and…
Vacillate…
Equivocated
Prevaricate
Sex Talk – Part Two
1) Jesus came to show us the Father; John1:18
2) Grace First, Truth Second; John 1:24:25; 16-18
Pahn4 mohng6 (hope)
Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Then lay hands.
Dale and I are men who have shared similar struggles. His testimony is riveting.
Suddenly, I realized that this rally is, in fact, a continuation of yesterday morning’s sex talk, because we ended the previous rally praying more against the shame of abortion than against personal sexual immorality. Notionally, what is being discussed will enable people to really experience the love of the Father such that to change permanently our behavior. So when we are tempted:
1) Call for help; Romans 10:13
2) Escape Plan; 1Corinthians 10:13
Remember not to stand and rebuke the enemy with your own strength; move physically from the situation.
3) Run Away; 2Timothy 2:22
4) Into the Father’s Arms; Hebrews 4:14
I like this talk. This might be the first time that these young people get straight sex talk from their leaders; and there is no better time than now for these young people to break through in this particular area of struggle, just as the young men of SP broke through these obstinate barriers during our men’s retreat.
5) Confess and be Healed; James 5:16
I hope these young people find faithful accountability brothers and sisters in this service.
6) Walk in Transparent Accountable Relationships; 1John 1:7
7) Resist the Enemy; James 4:7
The transparent orange/green ants can glow in the sun like little gems. Their complex social behaviour and ability to combine forces (literally) in order to pull large leaves together to weave a nest is awe inspiring.
This major worker usues all its body language to make clear that it will defend what’s behind it by all means. The raised green abdomes, the wide stance, and the fully open jaws leave no room for misunderstanding. Behind it seemed to have been a kind of transfer station where something is passed mouth to mouth to the workers dedicated to a new nest project.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Oecophylla
Species: Oecophylla smaragdina
Common names: Green ant, Green tree ant, Weaver ant
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System of a Frown
No-one's gonna save us now, no-one...
and where would you expect us to go, anyway?
when those bombs of the heart explode on empty shells
such a fine balancing act if ever there was one
a hole in sky covers me with blind faith
for all to see in the hell-venting platitude
a kingdom that's come so far, and yet so unclear
does it lie to our mind, out of time under alarming graith
liars, winners, honest weepers, losers, and silent speakers
who owns the keepsake that lies in wake
for the soul out all night who-knows-where
our unconcerned screams have returned as ghostly seekers
of the forest of so many hidden selves
forgotten walkways of bygone charters
and terror ways of terra cotta-hued mystery
steeping feet treat the mind to vistas revealing the truth of ourselves
this way, that way, anywhichway springs to the unseasonable thought
of fiery expanse at no cost to the refinement of public grace
sipping moods through a straw of thirst-quenching sobriety
the heroine of good health has a flirtatious rapport with our hurts so distraught
entwining hands with the secret desire of survivals desperate quest
passions stardom caresses the concealed passage of loving ways
medicinally sowing the thrust of recovering displays
tripping the barbed wire no-man's-land of peace-loving-angels profusely acquiesced
where am I coming from? it's where everyone's been, or going...
un shirking the dialect of life's bloody and sodden misunderstandings
frequently held in contempt, it takes on a new role in freedom's court
balancing laws of emotional gravity in a world that believes our weight in gold is always worth bestowing.
by anglia24
16h00: 21/05/2008
©2008anglia24
All day's traveling... now is the time to sit and take a nap.
You can follow my works on 500px to: 500px.com/joramhuyben
Today I witnessed three things: A refugee from Gambia, a brutal brawl and police aggression.
At 9 o’clock I met this man, named Lamin from Gambia before a petrol station near the pickup office for refugees (it is called LEA) and we had a little chat.
Lamin told me that out of difficulties with his father and no option to find any work. You may remember what Mnebni from Kosovo so: “No work, no money, no food.” So Lamin came here to us and he misses his mother very badly.
Lamin had this warmth that I could sense. He was desperate, yes. But also full of hope. And love for his mother. We talked about 5 or 10 minutes and Lamin agreed that I could take some photographs.
~
Suddenly, while we were talking a group of about 20 refugees ran to the petrol station you can see in the background. Two of three man chasing the others had big, white clubs in their hands hammering down the others.
I was quite shocked, but Lamin stayed very cool. I didn’t know what to do, because the mob soon disappeared. We ended our conversation, as at least 5 police cars drove by to chase the attackers and 3 stopped at the petrol station.
I wished Lamin the very best and he went on. I packed my camera in my bag.
~
But as I started to walk back to the car, 30 meters away I saw 3 policemen around a refugee and one of the officers yelled at him, while gripping the boy very hard at his jacket and shaking him hard, too.
I thought I was dreaming. This could not be true.
I had to look twice to get that it was Lamin they had. Three police officers around the boy I just talked to. And they were in a bad, aggressive state of mind, I could see that.
I went there as fast as I could and told the policemen that I was with Lamin and that we both witnessed the brawl and that he didn’t have anything to do with it. The officer asked who I was and why I was there in a very unfriendly tone.
In the meantime, they had let go of him. At least.
~
So I went to another officer and told him that I was a witness and that I could identify the attackers. And that I was confused about how Lamin was treated.
This officer noted my information (+ my address and stuff). He said that maybe the aggressive police officer acted out of self-protection.
I managed to talk to Lamin in the meantime. He was confused. I asked him, if he’d be okay. Lamin didn’t have his (three) papers anymore. The police had confiscated them.
I saw those papers earlier and they were everything he had. With his picture, name and status on them. With addresses where he had to go.
So I asked other police officers (at that time there were at least 10 of them at the petrol station), if Lamin could get his papers back and why he was treated in such a bad manner.
One of them said that Lemin refused to show is ID card. Of course! Lamin has no ID card! He is a refugee! Adding to that: Lamin doesn’t speak German and understands English only a little bit.
The officer continued that “this was a misunderstanding, but not our problem”.
"So this is his problem?" I asked, pointing toward Lamin. The police officer was getting a bit angry. I asked if someone could apologize to Lamin. The only thing what I heard was again:
“This is not our problem”.
~
I went to Lamin, asking if he was okay. He was not. He had tears rolling down his cheeks. I looked him in the eyes and said that I was sorry, that I should have protected him and that there was a misunderstanding with the police. And that he surely would get his papers back.
He nodded, but his eyes were filled with tears. Short after that a police officer came back with the papers. Lamin was still confused about what happened.
Lamin had to go the pickup office and I wished him the best for his life. I still feel sorry for what happened.
Lamin, even now, Welcome to Germany. May you be safe and never, ever be treated like this again. May you find people that can protect you and help you grow into the man you want to be.
This is a photograph from last autumn, but the same tree is now starting to shed these golden leaves again. Beyond the wall are the shops of Clevedon's Hill Road. Tuesday 18th November 2014.
Agfachrome CT100
Pentax SP1000
Takumar 55mm lens
Epson V600 scanner
Evidence of Autumn is a song by Genesis, and featured as the B-side of the single Misunderstanding in September 1980.
Hygieia & Cupid [1837] -
Bertel Thorvaldsen -
Nysø, Thorvaldsen Museum
It is a misunderstanding of the identity of the little boy, seen in antique representations at the feet of Goddess Hygieia, who always takes a nap to interpret this winged boy as "Eros", "Cupid" or "Amor".
Hypnos is the god of sleep and sleep was considered as one mean of healing among others.
Day Twenty One:
We can't have you laying there not being on the job when there's still so much more productive things we could be doing with you. This world will not permit such inactivity when you more able comrades are still toiling. Death is no excuse. Do you not still have all your appendages? Are you not still able bodied? It is merely that spark of motivation you lack. Something that with the right words when the starts are aligned perfectly shall provide.
Ah yes the mystic tools now bestowed with the power to grant such life and I use the term life very loosely. Come join the party of the worker. One that shall keep you working even should you drop dead for you did sell your soul to the company store. Not only that but in this socialish utopia we are creating we must all play our parts.
You want to get some sort of benefit from all this? But you are. It may not appear so but working you reanimated corpse till it is nothing but dust will make a worthwhile contribution. It's is nothing that those of us at the top would not do ourselves if there were a top. We are all equal. Some of us may seem more equal than others but that a mere misunderstanding of the nature of things. We may keep going and going our lives being extended into an eternity but worry not for we will find a place of great reverence for your dusty bones.
After all we'll always need egg timers.
Once Sir Joseph of Baeth learnt of Lenfald's separation, he feared that Djorn and Roger were in danger on their way to Garheim. This fear was realized when he received a note stating that the traveling duo had in fact been captured at the Lenfald-Loreos border and were being held for ransom at the old Garhim embassy; roughly ten miles north along the western coast. At this same time Joseph had received an order to go fishing in Lenfald in order to spy on the province. Figuring this was a perfect time to do so, he proceeded to hire a crew, pack his wares and fishing rods, and load up the Rogue Spur for the rescue of Roger and Djorn.....
Several weeks had passed since their departure from Dalmunatha. It took time for Joseph to sail far enough south in order to steer clear of the Magic Isles and plot a very careful course through the Sea of Despair to reach the safer coasts of the Western side of Roawia. Upon arrival to the cliffs that held the old Garhim embassy, its banners changed to the colors of Lenfald, Joseph told his crew to prepare to be boarded with weapons at the ready- if they had previously kicked the Garhims out of the embassy, who knows what they would do to them as Loreesis.
Surprisingly enough however, Sir Joseph and his crew were met with open arms as they docked to the old embassy with dock hands helping to immediately unload the sea-wary contents of their journey. Djorn and Roger were waiting along the lookout just above the docks holding on to two beautiful women each with giant grins on their faces. Standing next to them was a Lenfel knight with a light grey beard and swept back hair, wearing black lapels, noting him as a higher lord. He yelled out, "What ho Sir Joseph! How thee fare on this fine day?! Did thy winds give you quick course to mighty Lenfald?!"
Not sure if this was a ruse or sincere question Joseph knew to keep his tongue witty and his sword close for this encounter. He called back to the lord,
"Greetings noble Lenfel! The winds were sure in helping us get 'ere at the best pace it could!" He began to walk up the stairs to talk to the noble more clearly, "I dont think we have had the pleasure of acquaintance, I am Sir Joseph of Baeth, merchant and knight of Loreos. I was requested to come rescue my two colleagues here, who seem to have both made themselves rather comfortable. I feel I have brought more than enough gold and treasure to negotiate with for their immediate release. Exactly who do I have the pleasure of doing business with my lord?"
At this, the "captured" duo had begun laughing while the noble wrapped an arm around the confused Joseph and gave out a hearty laugh too. Gathering himself, the high lord finally spoke to Joseph, "Nay Sir Joseph! Yer friends aren't our prisoners! Why they have been great fun in our little castle! That note was written just to scare ye to get yer booty out here sooner! Twas a big misunderstanding that has happened since the separation of Lenfald from the nations of Roawia. Thou first think we kicked out the Garhims from their embassy, tis a false accusation- all the occupants left when Garheim was in most dire trouble with the Queen's soldiers. We took up residence because we didnt want them damn filthy Dragon soldiers to find and take root in this abandoned outpost.."
He turned and gestured to Roger and Djorn, "And the capturing of these two twas a complete accident, I had not yet returned from the council meeting so when word of our separation began to incorrectly spread- the local militias deemed it best to start building a wall and patrolling the Lorseesi-Lenfel border which is where your companions were taken. Our most sincere apologies for this mistake, we do not request any form of ransom and if you'd like you can set up a booth in the courtyard and sell thy wares! Stay awhile and let thy crew rest from your long journey! Im sure many 'ere would love to buy some gems and trinkets! AH I almost forgot the pleasantries, I am Lord Jon of House Dragmar.'
Surprised at this revelation and indeed tired from his journey here, Joseph was still suspicious of this Lord Jon and those Lenfels around him. He decided it would be best to accept the invitation and let the crew rest for a few days so he could dig a bit deeper into the mystery that Lenfald had become... He accepted the high lord's apology and invitation to set up shop and rest for a couple days. He finished by giving a sly grin and asking a single question, "So Lord Jon, I have heard that Lenfald's western shores are home to some of the best fishing the realm has ever seen! I just so happen to have my fishing rods with me, would you be up for a spot of fishing tomorrow?"
The old Lenfel replied, "Well of course we have the world's best fishing! I will take you up on that offer Sir Joseph! Tomorrow at mid morning we shall fish!"
.......
It was summertime in Roawia and like the other nations, Lenfald's denizens were enjoying this time of peace. This gave the old embassy a very festive feel. Merchants were selling their wares, people were milling about and talking, children were laughing; jesters juggled and told jokes, the men were having fun practicing their archery and sword skills. Roger had met a cute baker so while he managed Joseph's booth, he allowed her to sell bread to hungry customers. Djorn was off of his shift so he resumed courting the fair ladies he had previously been seen with.
The Garhims had set up a rather good system of agriculture here so many were tending and harvesting the varieties of produce and food that was growing around the castle though the guard presence was quite large for such a small outpost...Joseph noticed this.
Just a few meters down from the dock that held the Rogue Spur was a wooden outlook that jutted out over the cliffs, a perfect spot for fishing. It was here that Lord Jon and Sir Joseph had cast out their lines and began to wait for something to bite.
"Ahhh... a lovely day ain't it Lord Jon?" Asked Joseph. Slipping the objective of spying to Roger and Djorn late in the night, he knew that the information the three could collect would be valuable to his Areani allies. Joseph had also given the Lord some of his strongest Loreesi ale at breakfast to loosen him up before their little fishing excursion.
"Yes, tis a great day after all Sir Joseph! Nothing quite like men of stature relishing in the simple enjoyments of the commoners."
Looking away, Joseph rolled his eyes and nodded. "Aye milord, tis always a surreal experience. Tell thee, what dost thou think of Lenfald's separation from the Roawia?"
"Not much to be honest with ya lad. Everyone be a little tenser with being afraid of how the other nations will react, but we will all get along in the end Im sure. I will tell ya what Joseph, I dont give much trust to them Loreesi or Garhim diplomats and politicians. Tis the tried and true men of Roawia, those who work its land and seas that I trust the most. Men like you lad... I will tell you this though my new friend, something you'd like to hear but cannot tell anyone..."
He leaned in close to Joseph, so close Joseph could smell the Loreesi ale on the high lord's breath.
"I heard something remarkable has happened that gives reason for the sudden movements of Lenfald's ships-- the reason why there wasn't a vessel stationed here upon your arrival. There are trusted rumors that us Lenfel's have discovered something." He pointed out to the sea, "Something out there...-"
His sentence was cut off by Joseph being startled by the sudden jerking of his fishing line. "AHA! I believe I caught me a fish!" He yelled as he pulled up a medium sized fish.
Broke from his drunken trance, Lord Jon exclaimed, "Oi! That is a fine lookin fish me boy! Let us cook it up and get more of that fancy ale of yours!"
__________________________
First off, sorry for the rather long story! But it is needed for the continuation of Sir Joseph of Baeth's story which will probably be shorter in upcoming installments.
(Also, apologies for the kind of crappy pics- my actual camera isnt working and my light box didnt fit this size MOC so a lot of photoshop was used in the first pic so sorry about that.)
Secondly, Wow! This was a big entry to both the Loreos Local Challenge LCXXII and the second Journeyman task of the Merchants guild!
This was originally apart of a display last year for a local Lego event here in the Northern Colorado area but I never got around to posting it as life got in the way and I wasn't sure how to incorporate this into my character's story at the time. The base had been sitting around while the original castle was taken down to build something for my next Merchants Guild task.
It was really my first attempt at building an actual castle for once and since it was intended for a display- I wanted an open area for easy viewing while keeping the castle modular so that is why it doesnt really have a keep or anything. But after my quick redux I think it turned out quite well!
If you've made it this far thanks so much for viewing! It's good to be actively building again and there is still quite a bit in store! :)
Before you condemn an entire nation, The Faroe Islands, please read this. As a Faroese citizen I feel I have to shed some light on the whale hunt, as the there is a massive flood of misinformation and misunderstanding uncritically flourishing in the social medias as we speak. Every day I experience people calling me and the people of my country: Imbeciles, barbarians, primitive savages, evil, idiots, psychopaths, scum of the earth and comparisons to Anders Breivik, the nazis and ISIS being mentioned every day…which must be considered a brilliant idea, if your goal is to start a healthy debate and winning people over ;) And the reason for all this hatred? Well, the Faroese just happen to be foreigners of differing cultures than their own.
The argument usually starts out like this:
“You can’t hide behind traditions you brain dead monsters!!! What you are doing is sick!!!”
In which I reply: Whale hunting in the Faroe Islands is no more a tradition than hunting sheep, fish or birds. If you want to use "tradition" as an argument, then this is what it all boils down to:The Faroese have a tradition of being in touch with nature, facing their own food and eating. That's our tradition.
Another part of our "tradition" is to not practice species-ism, as we don't regard the life of a pilot whale as superior to that of a sheep ora pig. They're all equal.
and then it goes:
“ I don’t give a shit about your traditions anyway. You’re killing our oceans and hunting and endangered animal making it go extinct… have you no soul?”
No, the pilot whale is not endangered and we actually have statistics going back a millennium, which makes it the one of the best documented hunts in world history. And as scientific studies have shown on several occasions the hunt is sustainable and the pilot whale is in no way endangered.
“ Never mind that! You inbreed retards kill these beautiful animals only for fun, a rite of passage and for money! You disgust me!”
Well, as explained earlier, the whale hunt is nothing else than a source of food for us, and in no way killed for fun or a rite of passage, and just so happens to be non commercial.
When a school of pilot whales has been beached and killed, the catch is distributed. The distribution of the meat and blubber is regulated by law, in which it is stipulated that the district administrator, the foremen of the hunt and others with certain official responsibilities each receive a defined share.
The distribution is based on solidarity and has its roots all the way back to the earliest pilot whale hunts in the Faroes. The aim is to distribute shares as equitably as possible and for free.
On two islands, Sandoy and Suðuroy, the catch is only distributed among the local residents and not between those who participate in the hunt. This means that all who live in the area receive an equal share of the catch.
“ Yadda yadda… you barbaric monster. You cause endless suffering with your killings!!!”
Well, in The Faroes we keep improving our way of killing the pilot whale in collaboration with vets making sure the kill is as fast and humane a spossible.
If mønustingarin is being used, then the kill is over in seconds. Which compared to other whale hunts is second to none, and mind you that the whales mentioned the Faroese only kill pilot whales:
* The killing of a fin whale average is 16 minutes and a maximum of 60minutes, and the risk of losing the whale is 21%.
* The minke has an average of 5 minutes when using harpoons, and 25minutes when using rifles.
* The Humpback whale has an average of 17 minutes
* In Denmark 3.000 - 10.000 endangered whales die by drowning in fishing nets every year, which is a long and painful death.
... and keep in mind that the whales live a free life in the open as compared to the mass produced caged animals living under terrible circumstances.
“ You just don’t get it do you? You are breaking international laws! You are both mass murderers and criminals!”
Well, in order to get meat on the table an animal has to die... and yes, blood is a part of that, and that's why the pictures look that dramatic, but imagine bringing cattle or pig slaughterhouses to the ocean... yup the sea would indeed turn red? And as you all know meat doesn’t magically pop up in the supermarket. And no we aren’t doing anything illegal. And no we’re not part of the EU. And as for criminal acts here is a list of criminal acts from the Sea Shepherd organization:
- The main man, Paul Watson, is wanted by interpol for criminal acts.
- In 1986, Sea Shepherd carried out an action against the Icelandic whaling station in Hvalfjoerdur and sank two Icelandic whaling vessels in Reykjavik harbour by opening their sea valves.
- in December 1992, Sea Shepherd sank the vessel Ny broena in port.
- Sea Shepherd claimed to have sank the Taiwanese drift net ship Jiang Haiin port in Taiwan and to have rammed and disabled four other Asian drift net ships.
- a Canadian court ordered Watson and his former ship, the Cleveland Armory, to pay a total of US$ 35,000 for ramming a Cuban fishing vessel off the coast of Newfoundland in June 1993.
- in January 1994 the group severely damaged the whaling ship Senet in the Norwegian port of Gressvik.
“Don’t care! You are a fucking caveman, so you probably won’t know, but we are actually in 2015!!! Wake up and educate yourself! You murderers have an acute need to get civilized!!”
Well, here are some statistics in order to put things into perspective. 56 BILLION aka.56.000.000.000 farmed animals are killed every year by humans. More than 3,000 animals die every second in slaughterhouses around the world, but yet the world condemns the killing of 140 pilot whales who have lived in the open all their life and were killed within seconds.
And as an anti Faroe Islands person from England wrote: “We have regulated abattoirs and think it's pretty safe to say that our standard of humane slaughter is exceptionally higher than yours” – Dan Kavanagh.
Well let’s have a look shall we: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVGR1N2Pl00
If the animal cruelty going on in these animal farms are what you call civilized together with genetically modified food sprayed with pesticides and wrapped in plastic, then I’m actually quite ok with being uncivilized.
As Vice journalists Ed Ou and Elise Coker put it in an interview: "...Those who oppose the grind often say the Faroese don’t need whale when they have access to resources from the rest of the world, but this suggestion that the Faroese should exclusively rely on outside sustenance strikes many as unfair and even somewhat ironic in light of the urban movement to eat local foods.
“ Well anyways I hope you die from mercury poisoning!”
Well, if I die from mercury poisoning the whales are definitely gonna die,as they are heavily contaminated, and if you are seriously concerned about saving the pilot whales and keeping the oceans healthy, then your death wish for the Faroese is a lot more directed against the pilot whale, so careful what you wish for.
The Faroese people are merely the symptom and not the cause. If you want to make a difference fight the cause, as the whales won’t have much time left on this planet if the mercury levels keep rising.
If you want sources for any of this information, just ask and I'll give it to you, and if you want a view on the matter from an outsider, then here's a documentary and a blog from Vice and Ted: blog.ted.com/a-ted-fellows-documentary-on-whale.../
These are the series of illustrations to newest story – The flight of the swan telling about Dannee’s struggle with keeping peace between her friend and one of her romantic flashbacks in the past.
Even while Skyrim being at state of fragile peace Dannee learns that not all fights are tied with something epic as she tries to out some order and peace between two of her closest friends who had big misunderstanding along with nasty quarrel. In attempt to make her friend Serana see things from her perspective Dannee dwells in her own past as well as helping Serana deal with terrible but unseen wounds of her darkest memories…
The first part – www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/433485/?
The second part of the story – www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/433486/?
Baddesley Clinton is not one the grandest of houses, nor is it filled with rare works of art, but having been owned by one family, the Ferrers, since the 16th century and maintained largely intact and original, it is a rare example of the average early-modern home of the lesser gentry. Unlike such mansions as nearby Coughton Court, Baddesley Clinton is relatively small, even cozy, and one can easily imagine the life of the people who lived here. It is best known for being the home of the Jesuit Henry Garnet for almost 14 years, and the existence of several priest hides conceived and built by Nicholas Owen.
The Clintons settled here in the thirteenth century, when it was called just Baddesley, and added their name to the place. They were responsible for the digging of the moat that you see above. It was eventually sold in 1438 to John Brome, a wealthy lawyer, and the Bromes built most of the east and west sides of the house.
John Brome was the Under Treasurer of England but a Lancastrian, and when Henry VI was deposed in 1461 by the Yorkist claimant Edward IV, Brome lost all of his court appointments. He later quarreled with John Herthill, Steward to Richard "the Kingmaker", Earl of Warwick, and Herthill murdered him in 1468 on the porch of the Whitefriars Church in London. Brome's second son, Nicholas, who inherited the estate, eventually avenged his father's murder by killing Herthill in 1471.
Nicholas Brome seems to have had a taste for violence. According to Henry Ferrers, a later owner of the house, it was soon after inheriting Baddesley Clinton that Nicholas 'slew the minister of Baddesley Church findinge him in his plor (parlour) chockinge his wife under ye chinne, and to expiatt these bloody offenses and crimes he built the steeple and raysed the church body ten foote higher". He was pardoned for this killing by both the King and the Pope. Nicholas seems also to have developed a taste for building, and is thought to have been responsible for the building of much of the earliest part of the house. Baddesley Clinton passed into the hands of the Ferrers family in 1517, through the marriage of Nicholas Brome's daughter, Constance, to Sir Edward Ferrers.
The most interesting of the Ferrers is Henry Ferrers (1549-1633), the great-grandson of Sir Edward Ferrers, and contemporary with the times of the Gunpowder Plot. He inherited the property in 1564, and lived through the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I and James I, dying in the reign of Charles I. He carried out extensive building, including the wing that contains the Great Hall, as well as adding the Great Parlour above the existing entranceway. He also installed much oak paneling and mantels that are still there as well.
Henry Ferrers was an antiquarian, and spent a lifetime collecting historical information, much of which was later used by Sir William Dugdale in the 'Antiquities of Warwickshire'. This interest of his can be seen by the enormous amount of heraldic glass and devices throughout the house. He was trained in the law, and admitted to the Middle Temple in 1572. He may also have served a term as an MP for Cirencester in 1593.
After the death of Henry Ferrers, the fortunes of the Ferrers family fluctuated through periods of heavy taxation such as during the Civil War and in the early eighteenth century, followed by attempts by some generations to maintain and improve the property in better times. The last Ferrers in the direct male line, Marmion Edward Ferrers (1813-1884), was so poor that Lady Chatterton, the aunt of his wife Rebecca, and her husband, Edward Heneage Deering, had to come and live with him to share the expense. These two were only married because of a misunderstanding. It is said that Deering came to Lady Chatterly to ask permission to pay address to her niece, but she thought it was a proposal to her, and accepted. Deering, although she was old enough to be his mother, was too chivalrous to set the story straight!
The estate passed down through Marmion Edward Ferrer's nephew through several relatives, and it was Mr. Thomas Ferrers-Walker who eventually sold the house to the Government, after which it became part of the National Trust. The Ferrers Archive is kept at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Henry Ferrers was also a devout Catholic, but a cautious one and was never convicted for recusancy. He must have been aware of the activities of the Vaux sisters, who rented the house from him in the 1590's in order to secretly shelter Father Henry Garnet and other priests, and to be able to conduct catholic services. Soon after they rented the house, Anne Vaux had Nicholas Owen build secret hiding places, including one created out of the sewer and the moat.
A spectacular raid on Baddesley in October 1591 was recorded both by Father John Gerard in his Autobiography of an Elizabethan, and also by Father Henry Garnet in a letter to his Jesuit superior, Aquaviva. Several priests, including Garnet and Gerard, as well as lay assistants had risen early and were preparing to leave the house, when it was surrounded and all the approach roads blocked by pursuviants. The stable-boys, knowing that so many horses saddled and ready to go would be suspicious, armed themselves with farm implements and blocked the pursuviants attempt at violent entry. This bought some time for those inside the house, as the pursuviants had to resort to requests, and led them to believe that the lady of the house had not yet arisen. Those outside had to wait patiently, albeit not quietly, while those inside were quickly hiding away the priests, Catholic vestments, and all other signs of the presence of a Catholic priest, including the overturning of their mattresses so that the pursuviants could not feel the warmth.
The priests stood in the hiding place in the moat, ankle-deep in cold water for over four hours while the pursuviants tore through the house, although their attempts at intimidation seemed to have far outweighed their skills in searching. Anne Vaux said "here was a searcher pounding the walls in unbelievable fury, there another shifting side-tables, turning over beds. Yet, when any of them touched with their hand or foot the actual place where some sacred object was hidden, he paid not the slightest attention to the most obvious evidence of a contrivance."
The searchers turned up nothing, and eventually left after being paid off by Anne Vaux with twelve gold pieces. As Gerard later said, "Yes, that is the pitiful lot of Catholics when men come with a warrant ... it is the Catholics, not the men who send them, who have to pay. As if it were not enough to suffer, they have to pay for their suffering."
You can still inspect these hiding places today, and we must say they are not for those who are claustrophobic or faint of heart. Until you actually see them, it is hard to imagine the cramped, damp, dark and tomb-like conditions these priests endured.
The first of these is a lath and plaster hutch in the roof above a closet off the bedroom in the gatehouse block. It measures six feet three inches by four feet, and is three feet nine inches high. It contains two wooden benches and is lined with fine hair-plaster.
In the corner of the kitchen, where a garderobe once existed, you can see through to the medieval drain where the hiding place used by Father Gerard and Father Garnet was located. At the time, this could only be accessed through the garderobe shaft in the floor of the Sacristy above. A hiding space beneath the floor of the Library was accessed through the fireplace in the Great Parlour, and can now be viewed from the Moat Room. It was in the Library Room that Nicholas Brome was said to have murdered the priest, and it is reputed to be haunted.
For an excellent account of the priest holes and the work of Nicholas Owen at Baddesley Clinton, the article Elizabethan Priest Holes : III - East Anglia, Baddesley Clinton, Hindlip by Michael Hodgetts, and published in Recusant History, is a must read.
The house itself consists almost entirely of building done by either the Bromes in the fifteenth century or by Henry Ferrers in the sixteenth, and although much repair and alteration work has been carried out inside the house, the panelling, fireplaces and heraldic glass throughout the house all date from the work of Henry Ferrers.
Originally quadrangular in shape, the property today consists of only three blocks, the east including the gatehouse and the Great Parlour, the south containing the Hall, and the west containing the kitchen. The gatehouse and kitchen wing are of grey sandstone, whereas the Hall, which was reconstructed in the 18th century, is of brick.
The crenellated gatehouse is one of the house's most interesting features. The lower part with the gun ports was built by Nicholas Brome in the late fifteenth century, and is thought originally to have had a drawbridge. The upper part was re-formed by Henry Ferrers to accommodate the Great Parlour. The brick bridge was built in the early eighteenth century, and the crenelations added in the nineteenth century. The massive carved oak door in the gatehouse leading through to the courtyard dates from Nicholas Brome.
The present owners are still undertaking restoration work to enable all the documented priest hides and trapdoors to be made available for viewing, this work includes part of the moat tunnel complex that is presently plugged in order to prevent midges from penetrating into the Sacristy and bedrooms
Baddesley Clinton, although still a private dwelling was sold to the Government and passed to the National Trust in 1980 and opened to the public in 1982.
The above was copied from "The gunpowder plot" website.
Great to place to visit. If only there had been some sun!
Copyright © 2013 by Ian J MacDonald. Permission required for any use. All rights reserved
Pen and ink on paper
Archeology and ancient sources suggest that the ancient Celts revered certain natural places. These were perhaps regarded as places that connected the living world to that of gods, the underworld, the dead, or were places with healing properties such as hot springs.
I have been fascinated by this subject for years and have devoured many books about the archeology and culture of these people. However I am also always left with a feeling that the artifacts and studies are sterile and out of context. This isn't to imply that there is anything missing in modern archeology, in fact the goal is to reconstruct and understand the past as fully as possible. Barry Cunliffe, in his books about the ancient Celts suggests that the they didn't make art for art's sake. In "The Ancient Celts" he shows a pair of forged fire dogs with bull's heads on them and profoundly relates that this imagery was not merely artistic but had meaning to them that was as obvious as modern religious symbols would mean to us - the crucifix for example. I can imagine archeologists thousands of years in the future unearthing a richly adorned crucifix, without an image of Christ on it and concluding that it is an artistic pair of crossed sticks - but having no idea of the extensive body of meaning implied by that crucifix. This is what I mean when I say the artifacts seem sterile and out of context.
In these pictures I am attempting to mentally recreate their world and see it as much as is possible in the eyes of the ancient people. This is naturally impossible since as time marches on our knowledge and control of the world has grown far beyond what they could have ever imagined. Like a genie, new knowledge cannot be un-discovered, as many people wish could happen.
The world in pre-Roman and pre-Christian eras was a small, uncertain and a violent place. Diseases, disasters, invading bands and armies came seemingly out of nowhere and struck ferociously. Knowledge has provided us an unparallelled amount of certainty in our lives, but until recently a spate of bad weather could mean mass starvation - something that still occurs in places in the modern world. I religions probably arise formed from our insatiable desire to connect events with reason. Coupled with the ability to have abstract thought this powerful adaptation has made humans one of the most powerful forces on earth.
Religions provided some explanation and feeling of control over the world. Some authors have noted connections between ancient Indo-European religions originating in India and Iran, that are often nowadays associated with Yoga and meditation. I often see the Gundestrup cauldron held up as an example as their is a horned deity, similar to depictions of Cunernos,sitting in the lotus position, possibly meditating and holding a torc and snake - a symbol also associated with Eastern religions. It seems plausible to me that many tenets of European religions could have originated from ancient Indo-European society, but I hesitate to take this comparison too far as meditation and quiet introspection are features of many religions including Christianity. Christianity similarly contains elements of many ancient Pagan religions but it is only murky shadows of them. Besides we really have no firsthand description of even the most basic tenets of their religions, only reconstructions based on archeology and some ancient writings which contain considerable amounts of bias and misunderstanding. I believe the local conditions and experiences shaped their religions which would account for the huge variety of deities that have been uncovered through archeology.
As a reflection of the world around them, Celtic deities appear to be fearsome beings with fickle personalities. We'll never know for sure, but forgiveness and fairness do not seem to be their main attributes. A personal relationship with the deities also does not appear to be likely either. These were deities that affected the world and meted out harsh retribution for...tbc
Care must be used when using the word "natural" as it comes loaded with modern implications. Natural means things that occurred naturally such springs, bogs water bodies, mountains, caves etc... In modern parlance "natural" means closer to the land, organic, environmentally aware and so on. This modern meaning of natural cannot be applied to the ancient Celts as the whole world was "natural" and everyone was more connected to the land and weather and the cycles of nature as a means of survival. There was no other alternative to that world. Imposing the modern meaning on them reduces them to the stereotypical "noble savage" or barbarians just as the ancient Roman writers often did intentionally (e.g. Caesar ) or not (e.g. Pliny and Tacitus).
In these pictures I have tried to get into the head of the ancient Celts and depict their holy places without relying on the cliches, stereotypes, and misinformation - e.g. Stonehenges and scrolling knot work, white-robed druids praying to the sun etc... I imagine that sacred places evolved for reasons, perhaps long lost to the ancient Celts. I also envision that sacred places were subtle and perhaps not noticeable until you were on top of them. A foreigner might never recognize them.
I don't believe we can ever see the world as ancient people did, or anyone in the past for that matter. Knowledge is like a genie - once it is out it cannot be put back and the world cannot be experienced as it was before, no matter how hard one tries. Ancient writers have described "fearsome" wooden idols standing in dark groves. Ancient writers also seemed to highlight the most lurid aspects of these ancient religions, although all societies practiced animal and human sacrifice. The Romans describe the Celts ...and all barbarians....as spooky and superstitious but Romans were no less spooky or superstitious. They were the conquerors wrote the history, and found their Celtic superstitions to be strange and creepy and theirs moral and right.
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Was this photo from the same game - Jacques Plante, Tom Johnson and Frank Mahovlich at the Gardens. LINK - www.newspapers.com/article/the-leader-post-jacque-plante-...
I am leaning that it was Cesare Maniago in nets on the photo above - the game took place on - 31 October 1962 - with the Habs' and Cesare Maniago winning the game 4-3 - LINKS to two photos from the game - Red Kelly, Frank Mahovlich and Cesare Maniago at Maple Leaf Gardens - Leafs Lost 4-3 - www.newspapers.com/article/the-hamilton-spectator-red-kel... and Leafs' George Armstrong (C) Pumps one Past Habs' Cesare Maniago - www.newspapers.com/article/the-windsor-star-leafs-george-...
Who is the Goalie for the Canadiens in this photo? Jacques Plante, Charlie Hodge and Cesare Maniago all wore jersey (#1) for the Montreal Canadiens, despite playing on the same team, because Plante wore the number first and was the established starter, while Hodge wore (#1) when he occasionally played, often as a backup or when Plante was injured. The Canadiens retired Plante's (#1) in 1995, further solidifying its association with him. While it's unusual for two players on the same team to wear the same number, this was the situation with Plante and Hodge. Plante was the established (#1), and Hodge wore the number when he played, but the number was primarily associated with Plante.
Jacques Plante was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the New York Rangers on June 4, 1963. He was traded along with Phil Goyette and Don Marshall in exchange for Gump Worsley, Dave Balon, Leon Rochefort, and Len Ronson. This trade ended Plante's tenure with the Canadiens, a team he had played for since 1952.
After starting 60-61 with the Royals, Charlie Hodge got his first long spell in the NHL, playing 30 games between late Nov and early February but Plante’s return to health meant he spent another two full seasons in the minors before Plante was traded and he got the starters job for 63-64.
1959-60 SEASON
Jacques Plante GP - 69
Charlie Hodge GP- 1
1960-61 SEASON
Jacques Plante GP - 40
Charlie Hodge GP- 30
1961-62 SEASON
Jacques Plante GP - 70
Charlie Hodge GP- 0
1962-63 SEASON
Jacques Plante GP - 56
Charlie Hodge GP- 0
Cesare Maniago GP - 14 - he played 31 Oct 1962 in Maple Leaf Gardens winning the game - 4-3 - LINK - hockeygoalies.org/bio/maniago.html
Ernie Wakely GP - 1
Tom Johnson's (#10 in the photo with the "A") time with the Canadiens ended after a facial injury during the 1962-63 season damaged his eye muscles; he was left unprotected in the 1963 NHL Intraleague Draft and was claimed by the Bruins. Two years later, a nerve injury to his leg as the result of a skate cut led to his retirement.
During the 1960s, the Toronto Maple Leafs wore their dark blue jerseys at home. The team switched to wearing white jerseys for home games in 1970.
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Francis William Mahovlich CM (born January 10, 1938) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a former Liberal Senator in the Canadian Senate. He played on six Stanley Cup-winning teams and is an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Mahovlich was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. Mahovlich was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. His brother Peter also played in the NHL. His nickname is "The Big M".
He joined the Leafs in 1957 and was a 20-goal scorer in his first season, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in what was otherwise a rough season with the last-place Leafs. During the off-season, he took courses at Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario. At the same time, Punch Imlach was hired to run the Leafs and soon became head coach and general manager.
In the 1960–61 season, Imlach put Mahovlich on a line with Red Kelly and Bob Nevin. The three immediately clicked and were the team's top three scorers that year, led by Mahovlich's 48 goals—a Leaf record that would stand for 21 years. The following season, the Leafs won the Stanley Cup, and repeated as champions in 1963 and 1964. Mahovlich led the team in goals scored in all three seasons.
Initially, Mahovlich and Imlach got along well, but their relationship deteriorated after winning the 1962 Stanley Cup, particularly when Mahovlich's contract was up for renewal at the end of the 1962 season. He felt the Leafs gave him a low-ball offer and walked out on the team during training camp in September. Red Burnett at the Toronto Star described the situation as a "cold war" between Imlach and Mahovlich.
At that time, the National Hockey League All-Star Game was played at the beginning of the season, and during a reception in Toronto attended by team executives in the days before the 1962 game, Chicago Black Hawks owner James D. Norris offered the Leafs $1 million for Mahovlich. He believed he had an agreement with Leafs co-owner Harold Ballard and paid $1,000 as a deposit with the balance to be delivered by cheque the next morning. The next day, the Leafs gave Mahovlich the money he had been asking for and told the Black Hawks that their apparent agreement the night before had been a misunderstanding. The Leafs returned the $1,000 deposit. The Black Hawks accused the Leafs of reneging on a deal. Conn Smythe, at this point a minority shareholder in the Leafs, was adamant that the deal should be rejected. Mahovlich eventually spoke out publicly and reaffirmed his commitment to the Leafs.
Mahovlich also had a rocky relationship with fans at Maple Leaf Gardens and was often booed at home games. Imlach—who mispronounced Mahovlich's name for years—became a constant critic and, under pressure from fans and management, Mahovlich was admitted to Toronto General Hospital in November 1964, suffering from what was publicly described as "constant fatigue" but diagnosed as acute depression. Mahovlich was flooded with well-wishes from fans during his time off. He returned to the lineup a month later and was still able to lead the Leafs in scoring in the 1964–65 season, despite missing 11 games. Mahovlich led the Leafs in scoring again in the 1965–66 season.
The Leafs won the Stanley Cup in the 1966–67 season, with Mahovlich having his lowest-scoring year in seven seasons. Early into the next season, Mahovlich was again admitted to hospital, although this time it was acknowledged publicly as depression and tension. "Mahovlich is a sensitive, easily-bruised individual," wrote Milt Dunnell in a page-one story in the Toronto Star.
Mahovlich was part of a six-player blockbuster transaction in which he was traded along with Pete Stemkowski and Garry Unger from the Maple Leafs to the Detroit Red Wings for Norm Ullman, Paul Henderson and Floyd Smith on March 4, 1968. The Maple Leafs and Red Wings were in fifth and sixth place respectively at the bottom of the East Division standings. He had 19 goals and 17 assists in 50 games that season and was the leading goalscorer in Maple Leafs franchise history with 296 at the time of the deal. He joined a Red Wings team that also featured his younger brother Pete. He said in a press conference announcing the trade, "Business is business and if I can't please them here, maybe I'll be able to please them there."
LINK to video - Frank Mahovlich won Stanley Cup six times - www.youtube.com/watch?v=js-ux2nMiTE
LINK to video - The Frank Mahovlich vs. Punch Imlach Feud: How the "Big M" was Nearly Driven to Madness. - www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_dsYp5hBOU
Madurai - Meenakshi Temple
Lots of people from all rank have the daily habit to pass a moment in the Meenakshi Temple for a pray, the temple is the center point of the city and the center point in the life of many in Madurai.
Taken in the Butterhall, I call it like that, the man was standing in front of the Hanuman God.
Hinduism is often seen as a religion of 400 million gods. A misunderstanding of the symbolism of the Hindu Pantheon, Hindus worship the nameless and formless Supreme Reality by various names and forms. The many gods and goddesses of Hinduism symbolize the different aspects of one Reality, God's actual nature of diversity manifested in his different aspects by all the gods. Symbolism in Hinduism plays a bigger role then in any other religion.
2006-02-12
Canon EOS 5D ,Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
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Imogen is a slightly re-worked version of Shakespeare's Cymbeline. This is not one of Shakespeare's best, there isn't a great soliloquy and its yet another plot based on silly misunderstandings. However the production by this company was excellent.
Surprised by the huge outcry, Indiana's governor, Mike Pence, said that people were misunderstanding the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And he and the state's Republicans quickly moved to clarify and protect the rights of the LGBT community. But why were they so clueless to begin with?
This is the real question, not just about this issue but about women's rights, immigration, the poor (Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood, as if eating a better diet doesn't matter), and the GOP's relentless opposition to anything "Obama," not on merit but just because it's "Obama."
The American people are starting to get tired of this: certainly liberals and progressives, but also moderates. Soon, the GOP will find its only supporters are its base. And that won't win elections and, more importantly, that won't work to better the country.
This poster isn't just about Indiana's "big mistake." It's to reiterate "united we stand, divided we fall." Ironically, this is the official motto of Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell's home state of Kentucky. He would be wise to remember and live by the motto of the people he represents.
We are all American. And it's time we start acting like it.
See all the posters from the Chamomile Tea Party! Digital high res downloads are free here. Other options are available. And join our Facebook group.
KV Dream Fashion Agency
Ava Jhamin - Official KV Blogger
KV WINTER FASHION MONTH
✿¸.•❤•.❀OUTFIT✿¸.•❤•.❀
DA
"Sam Outfit i"
Let your classy inner biker babe out. This great biker jacket, matching pants, and shoes will let you roar into anyplace with style and attention getting colors of black and red.
K.V. Dream Fashion Agency is organizing the "KV Winter Fashion Month".
The event will take place from the 1st to the 30th of October.
In the frame of this big event we have 3 different events linked to each other:
1) KV Winter Fashion Month – Gacha
2) KV Winter Fashion Month – Shopping Way
3) KV Winter Fashion Month - Haute Couture
Each designer can decide to join only one event or all 3.
The event will be advertised on:
- Inovare Magazine;
- Versus Magazine;
- ModelSL Magazine;
- Kingdoom Style Magazine
- 63 blogs
- KV FaceBook and Flickr Pages
- KV Website
ABOUT SPONSORS:
We will link a Photo Contest to the event, prizes and rewards will be on KV Dream Fashion Agency.
1) KV Winter Fashion Month – Gacha (maximum 32 designers)
We require each designer to create exclusive WINTER THEMED MESH ITEMS (we highly discourage the usage of system clothes in this section of the event).
A Gacha Event will only be successful if the items will be high quality, something customers will want to collect.
So we ask to all designers to create great and unique items.
Due to the nature of the Gacha, items have to be transf/no copy, so the customers can trade doubles. The customers will be allowed to use the KV Dream Fashion Agency Group (in world) to trade their doubles.
Each designer will have 2 Gacha machines and they will cost 500$L each.
The vendors required to have AT LEAST 6 items in the machine - the number and ratio of rares is at the designer's discretion.
All prims must fit within the assigned vendor space. One machine per vendor.
We ask the designers to sell the items at a low price, so the customers will be tempted to collect them all.
We kindly ask to the designers, who never joined a Gacha event, to search information about how it works.
We will explain you how to use the script.
KV Dream Fashion Agency will accept the first 32 applications, so first come first serve.
2) KV Winter Fashion Month – Shopping Way (maximum 22 designers)
Is a glamorous, WINTER THEMED street sale.
Each designer will get a stand located in the avenues of the KV sim in which you can rez 3 vendors:
- 2 exclusive items (both clothing and accessories are welcome)
- 1 non-exclusive item as long as it's winter themed.
All items will be sold at a discounted promotional price so we would ask you not to exceed the prices listed below:
1) Accessories:
- skin: 200$L
- poses: 30$L each
- make-up: 50$L
- jewelry/accessories/poses: 70$L
- "ORIGINAL MESH" shoes: 150$L
- " NON ORIGINAL MESH" shoes: 70$L
2) CLOTHES
- "ORIGINAL MESH" lingerie: 130$L
- "ORIGINAL MESH" casual dress: 150$L
- "ORIGINAL MESH" formal dress: 190 L
- "NON ORIGINAL MESH" lingerie: 50$L
- "NON ORIGINAL MESH" casual dress: 70$L
- "NON ORIGINAL MESH" formal dress: 130$L
** The ITEMS are considered "ORIGINAL MESH" if you created the model yourself on a 3D software (Blender, Maya, etc).
The ITEMS aren't "ORIGINAL MESH", if you bought full perms item from another creator.
We ask you to provide DEMOS for a better shopping experience.
We won't ask you a joining fee but we require that the vendors will have a 20% split with KV*.
KV Key:
KVDreamFashion Resident : 79d128e5-597e-4fa6-b678-99a2048c11ca
* We strongly suggest you to use your own split script, so that you have full control over it.
We will organize a fashion show to promote your items and advertise the event and your brand with it.
We will select the items that better fit the winter theme for the show..
The Fashion Show will be the 6th of October at 1.00pm SLT.
KV Dream Fashion Agency will accept the first 22 designers, who send the application form.
3) KV Summer Fashion Month - Haute Couture
(maximum 15 designers)
We require each designer to create 1 exclusive WINTER THEMED MESH ITEMS (we highly discourage the usage of system clothes in this section of the event).
The item will be hosted into a special shop in KV Sim.
We ask you to keep the prices of this exclusive creation between 100 and 500 L$ (you can sell it at full price at the end of the event) and to provide DEMO for a better shopping experience.
We won't ask you a joining fee but we require that the vendors will have a 30% split with KV*.
KV Key:
KVDreamFashion Resident : 79d128e5-597e-4fa6-b678-99a2048c11ca
* We strongly suggest you to use your own split script, so that you have full control over it.
We will organize a fashion show to promote your items and advertise the event and your brand with it.
The Fashion Show will be the 8th of October at 1.00pm SLT.
KV Dream Fashion Agency will accept the first 15 designers who will return the application note, correctly filled in.
If you wish to join all the sections, please fill all the applications.
The designers can, of course, sell their exclusive items with full prices in their mainstores/Marketplace at the end of the event (after the 30th of October).
We would ask you to provide your bloggers with the SLURL to the KV sim to add to their posts, along with dates and infos about the event.
KV SLURLS is the following:
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brimstone%20Island/39/211/35
KV will provide a list of bloggers too from its selected group to help you spread the voice and enhance your sales and our traffic.
KV Dream Fashion Agency invites all the designers to pay attention to the deadlines to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.
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Best regard
The owners of K.V. Dream Fashion Agency, sim
Katiuscia Vollmar
JuanSebastian Menges
Ets Zessinthal
Ora Ohara
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A Ga-Matoran sent to Karzahni over a misunderstanding, she was transformed into a form similar to a Nui-Jaga. Horrified by her new appearance, she tried to escape, which only bought her brutal beatings by Karzahni. She was only rescued when she was brought off the island the Onu-Matoran Geryn, and since then they have become inseperable.
. . . No, this is not a photo. Like all the other pictures in this style, it`s an artwork of my original photos
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Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി, kathakaḷi; Sanskrit: कथाकळिः, kathākaḷiḥ) is a stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's present day state of Kerala during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.
HISTORY
Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.
Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called 'Manipravaalam'), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience.
As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.
Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam.
KATHAKALI PLAYS
Traditionally there are 101 classical Kathakali stories, though the commonly staged among them these days total less than one-third that number. Almost all of them were initially composed to last a whole night. Nowadays, there is increasing popularity for concise, or oftener select, versions of stories so as the performance lasts not more than three to four hours from evening. Thus, many stories find stage presentation in parts rather than totality. And the selection is based on criteria like choreographical beauty, thematic relevance/popularity or their melodramatic elements. Kathakali is a classical art form, but it can be appreciated also by novices—all contributed by the elegant looks of its character, their abstract movement and its synchronisation with the musical notes and rhythmic beats. And, in any case, the folk elements too continue to exist. For better appreciation, perhaps, it is still good to have an idea of the story being enacted.
The most popular stories enacted are Nalacharitham (a story from the Mahabharata), Duryodhana Vadham (focusing on the Mahabharata war after profiling the build-up to it), Kalyanasougandhikam, (the story of Bhima going to get flowers for his wife Panchali), Keechakavadham (another story of Bhima and Panchali, but this time during their stint in disguise), Kiratham (Arjuna and Lord Shiva's fight, from the Mahabharata), Karnashapatham (another story from the Mahabharata), Nizhalkuthu and Bhadrakalivijayam authored by Pannisseri Nanu Pillai. Also staged frequently include stories like Kuchelavrittam, Santanagopalam, Balivijayam, Dakshayagam, Rugminiswayamvaram, Kalakeyavadham, Kirmeeravadham, Bakavadham, Poothanamoksham, Subhadraharanam, Balivadham, Rugmangadacharitam, Ravanolbhavam, Narakasuravadham, Uttaraswayamvaram, Harishchandracharitam, Kacha-Devayani and Kamsavadham.
Recently, as part of attempts to further popularise the art, stories from other cultures and mythologies, such as those of Mary Magdalene from the Bible, Homer's Iliad, and William Shakespeare's King Lear and Julius Caesar besides Goethe's Faust too have been adapted into Kathakali scripts and on to its stage. Synopsis of 37 kathakali stories are available in kathakalinews.com.
MUSIC
The language of the songs used for Kathakali is Manipravalam. Though most of the songs are set in ragas based on the microtone-heavy Carnatic music, there is a distinct style of plain-note rendition, which is known as the Sopanam style. This typically Kerala style of rendition takes its roots from the temple songs which used to be sung (continues even now at several temples) at the time when Kathakali was born.
As with the acting style, Kathakali music also has singers from the northern and southern schools. The northern style has largely been groomed by Kerala Kalamandalam in the 20th century. Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, an overarching Kathakali musician of those times, was a product of the institute. His prominent disciples include Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, Kalamandalam P.G. Radhakrishnan, Rama Varrier, Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri, Tirur Nambissan, Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri, Kalamandalam Hyderali, Kalamandalam Haridas, Subramanian, Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan and Kalamandalam Bhavadasan. The other prominent musicians of the north feature Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi, Kottakkal Parameswaran Namboodiri, Kottakkal P.D. Narayanan Namboodiri, Kottakkal Narayanan, Kalamandalam Anantha NarayananKalamandalam Sreekumar Palanad Divakaran, Kalanilayam Rajendran, Kolathappilli Narayanan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Narayanan Embranthiri, Kottakkal Madhu, Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Harish and Kalamandalam Vinod. In the south, some of whom are equally popular in the north these days, include Pathiyur Sankarankutty. Southerner musicians of the older generation include Cherthala Thankappa Panikker, Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai, Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thanneermukkam Viswambharan and Mudakkal Gopinathan.
PERFORMANCE
Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in early morning. Nowadays it isn't difficult to see performances as short as three hours or fewer. Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till the neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to provide sole light when the plays used to be performed inside temples, palaces or abodes houses of nobles and aristocrats. Enactment of a play by actors takes place to the accompaniment of music (geetha) and instruments (vadya). The percussion instruments used are chenda, maddalam (both of which underwent revolutionary changes in their aesthetics with the contributions of Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval and Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval) and, at times, edakka. In addition, the singers (the lead singer is called “ponnani” and his follower is called “singidi”) use chengila (gong made of bell metal, which can be struck with a wooden stick) and ilathalam (a pair of cymbals). The lead singer in some sense uses the Chengala to conduct the Vadyam and Geetha components, just as a conductor uses his wand in western classical music. A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak but use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing instead of dialogue (but for a couple of rare characters).
ACTING
A Kathakali actor uses immense concentration, skill and physical stamina, gained from regimented training based on Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala, to prepare for his demanding role. The training can often last for 8–10 years, and is intensive. In Kathakali, the story is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (called mudras or hand gestures) and by facial expressions (rasas) and bodily movements. The expressions are derived from Natyashastra (the tome that deals with the science of expressions) and are classified into nine as in most Indian classical art forms. Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements.
There are 24 basic mudras—the permutation and combination of which would add up a chunk of the hand gestures in vogue today. Each can again can be classified into 'Samaana-mudras'(one mudra symbolising two entities) or misra-mudras (both the hands are used to show these mudras). The mudras are a form of sign language used to tell the story.
The main facial expressions of a Kathakali artist are the 'navarasams' (Navarasas in anglicised form) (literal translation: Nine Tastes, but more loosely translated as nine feelings or expressions) which are Sringaram (amour), Hasyam (ridicule, humour), Bhayanakam (fear), Karunam (pathos), Roudram (anger, wrath), Veeram (valour), Beebhatsam (disgust), Adbhutam (wonder, amazement), Shantam (tranquility, peace). The link at the end of the page gives more details on Navarasas.
One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. Most often, the make-up can be classified into five basic sets namely Pachcha, Kathi, Kari, Thaadi, and Minukku. The differences between these sets lie in the predominant colours that are applied on the face. Pachcha (meaning green) has green as the dominant colour and is used to portray noble male characters who are said to have a mixture of "Satvik" (pious) and "Rajasik" (dark; Rajas = darkness) nature. Rajasik characters having an evil streak ("tamasic"= evil) -- all the same they are anti-heroes in the play (such as the demon king Ravana) -- and portrayed with streaks of red in a green-painted face. Excessively evil characters such as demons (totally tamasic) have a predominantly red make-up and a red beard. They are called Red Beard (Red Beard). Tamasic characters such as uncivilised hunters and woodsmen are represented with a predominantly black make-up base and a black beard and are called black beard (meaning black beard). Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces and this semi-realistic category forms the fifth class. In addition, there are modifications of the five basic sets described above such as Vella Thadi (white beard) used to depict Hanuman (the Monkey-God) and Pazhuppu, which is majorly used for Lord Shiva and Balabhadra.
NOTABLE TRAINING CENTRES & MASTERS
Kathakali artistes need assiduous grooming for almost a decade's time, and most masters are products of accomplished institutions that give a minimum training course of half-a-dozen years. The leading Kathakali schools (some of them started during the pre-Independent era India) are Kerala Kalamandalam (located in Cheruthuruthy near Shoranur), PSV Natya Sangham (located in Kottakal near Kozhikode), Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy (or Gandhi Seva Sadan located in Perur near Ottappalam in Palakkad), Unnayi Varier Smaraka Kalanilayam (located in Irinjalakuda south of Thrissur), Margi in Thiruvananthapuram, Muthappan Kaliyogam at Parassinikkadavu in Kannur district and RLV School at Tripunithura off Kochi and Kalabharathi at Pakalkkuri near Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Sandarshan Kathakali Kendram in Ambalapuzha and Vellinazhi Nanu Nair Smaraka Kalakendra in Kuruvattor. Outside Kerala, Kathakali is being taught at the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi, Santiniketan at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, Kalakshetra in Chennai and Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad among others. PadmaSree Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai mostly known as 'Guru Chengannur'was running a traditional Gurukula Style approach to propagate Kathakali.
‘Guru Chengannur” is ever renowned as the Sovereign Guru of Kathakali. His precision in using symbols, gestures and steps were highest in the field of Kathakali. Guru Chegannur's kaththi vesham, especially the portrayal of Duryodhana enthralled the audience every time he performed. A master of the art, he found immense happiness and satisfaction in the success and recognition of his disciples.
Senior Kathakali exponents of today include Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Gopi, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, Kottakkal Krishnankutty Nair, Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, FACT Padmanabhan, Kottakkal Chandrasekharan, Margi Vijayakumar, Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair, Vazhenkada Vijayan, Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai, Kalamandalam Kuttan, Mayyanad Kesavan Namboodiri, Mathur Govindan Kutty, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Chavara Parukutty, Thonnakkal Peethambaran, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Kalanilayam Gopalakrishnan, Chirakkara Madhavankutty, Sadanam K. Harikumaran, Thalavadi Aravindan, Kalanilayam Balakrishnan, Pariyanampatta Divakaran, Kottakkal Kesavan, Kalanilayam Gopi and Kudamaloor Muralikrishnan. The late titan actor-dancers of Kathakali's modern age (say, since the 1930s) include Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Chandu Panicker, Thakazhi Guru Kunchu Kurup, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, Kavalappara Narayanan Nair, Kurichi Kunhan Panikkar, Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair, Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Mankulam Vishnu Namboodiri, Oyur Kochu Govinda Pillai, Vellinezhi Nanu Nair, Padma Shri Kavungal Chathunni Panikkar, Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, Kottakkal Sivaraman, Kannan Pattali, Pallippuram Gopalan Nair, Haripad Ramakrishna Pillai, Champakkulam Pachu Pillai, Chennithala Chellappan Pillai, Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker, and Vaikkom Karunakaran.
Kathakali is still hugely a male domain but, since the 1970s, females too have made entry into the art form on a recognisable scale. The central Kerala temple town of Tripunithura has, in fact, a ladies troupe (with members belonging to several part of the state) that performs Kathakali, by and large in Travancore.
KATHAKALI STYLES
Known as Sampradäyaṃ(Malayalam: സമ്പ്രദായം); these are leading Kathakali styles that differ from each other in subtleties like choreographic profile, position of hand gestures and stress on dance than drama and vice versa. Some of the major original kathakali styles included:
Vettathu Sampradayam
Kalladikkodan Sampradyam
Kaplingadu Sampradayam
Of late, these have narrowed down to the northern (Kalluvazhi) and southern (Thekkan) styles. It was largely developed by the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1881-1949) that is implemented in Kerala Kalamandalam (though it has also a department that teaches the southern style), Sadanam, RLV and Kottakkal. Margi has its training largely based on the Thekkan style, known for its stress on drama and part-realistic techniques. Kalanilayam, effectively, churns out students with a mix of both styles.
OTHER FORMS OD DANCE & OFFSHOOTS
Kerala Natanam is a kind of dance form, partly based on Kathakali techniques and aesthetics, developed and stylised by the late dancer Guru Gopinath in the mid-20th century. Kathakali also finds portrayal in Malayalam feature films like Vanaprastham, Parinayam, Marattam, and Rangam. Besides documentary films have also been shot on Kathakali artistes like Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Kottakkal Sivaraman.
As for fictional literature, Kathakali finds mention in several Malayalam short stories like Karmen (by N.S. Madhavan) and novels like Keshabharam (by P.V. Sreevalsan). Even the Indo-Anglian work like Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning The God of Small Things has a chapter on Kathakali, while, of late, Anita Nair's novel, Mistress, is entirely wrapped in the ethos of Kathakali.
Similar musical theater is popular in Kasaragod and the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, viz. Yakshagana. Though Yakshagana resembles Kathakali in terms of its costume and makeup to an extent, Yakshagana is markedly different from Kathakali as it involves dialogues and method acting also the narration is in Kannada, wherein philosophical debates are also possible within framework of the character. As per records the art form of Yakshagana was already rooted and well established at the time of Sri Manavedan Raja. There is possibilities of its significant influence in formation of Kathakkali as the troupe of performers of "Krishnanattam" designed the basic costume of the art form already established in other parts of south India including Males playing the female roles (until more recently).
Kottayam thamburan's way of presenting kathakali was later known as Kalladikkoden sambradayam. Chathu Paniker,the introducer of Kallikkoden Sambrathayam, stayed in Kottayam for five years with Kottayam Thamburan's residence and practiced Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam. Then he returned to his home place. After a short period Chathu Paniker reached Pulapatta as instructed by Kuthiravattath nair. That was around the year ME 865. Many deciples from Kadathanadu, Kurumbra nadu, Vettathu nadu, Palakkadu and Perumpadappu studied kathakali(Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam ) By that time Chathu Paniker was an old man. Some years later he died from Pulapatta.
NOTED KATHAKALI VILLAGES & BELTS
There are certain pockets in Kerala that have given birth to many Kathakali artistes over the years. If they can be called Kathakali villages (or some of them, these days, towns), here are some of them: Vellinezhi, Kuruvattoor, Karalmanna, Cherpulassery, Kothachira, peringode, sreekrishnapuram Kongad and Ottapalam in Palakkad district, Vazhenkada in Malappuram district, Thichur or Tichoor, Guruvayur, Thiruvilwamala and Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, Tripunithura, Edappally, Thekkan Chittoor in Ernakulam district and Kuttanad, Harippad belt in Alappuzha district besides places in and around Thiruvanathapuram in south Travancore and Payyannur in north Malabar.
AWARDS FOR KATHAKALI ARTISTS
Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees - Kathakali (1956–2005)
Nambeesan Smaraka Awards—For artistic performances related kathakali{1992-2008}
KATHAKALI ATTAMS (ELAKI ATTAMS)
Attams or more specifically "elaki attams" are sequences of acting within a story acted out with the help of mudras without support from vocal music. The actor has the freedom to change the script to suit his own individual preferences. The actor will be supported ably by Chenda, Maddalam, and Elathalam (compulsory), Chengila (not very compulsory).
The following are only some examples. 'Kailasa Udharanam' and 'Tapas Attam' are very important attams and these are described at the end. Two of the many references are Kathakali Prakaram, pages 95 to 142 by Pannisheri Nanu Pillai and Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal by Chavara Appukuttan Pillai.
VANA VARNANA: BHIMA IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKA
Modern man looks at the forest, indeed the birthplace of primates, with a certain wonder and a certain respect. Kathakali characters are no exception.
When Pandavas were living in the forest, one day, a flower, not seen before, wafted by the wind, comes and falls at the feet of Panchali. Exhilarated by its beauty and smell, Panchali asks Bhima to bring her more such flowers. To her pleasure Bhima is ready to go at once. But Panchali asks him what he shall do for food and drink on the way. Bhima thinks and says "Food and Drink! Oh, this side glance (look) of yours. This look of longing. This look of anticipation. The very thought fills me up. I don't need any food and drink at all. Let me go." He takes his mace and off he goes. Ulsaham (enthusiasm) is his Sdhayi Bhavam (permanent feature).
"Let me go at once in search of this flower," says Bhima. "The scented wind is blowing from the southern side. Let me go that way." After walking some distance he sees a huge mountain called Gandhamadana and three ways. He decides to take the middle one which goes over the mountain. After going further "The forest is getting thicker. Big trees, big branches in all directions. The forest looks like a huge dark vessel into which even light can not penetrate. This is my (Bhima's) way. Nothing can hinder me." So saying he pulls down many trees. Sometimes he shatters the trees with his mace. Suddenly he sees an elephant. "Oh! Elephant." He describes it. Its trunk. Sharp ears.
The itching sensation in the body. It takes some mud and throws on the body. Oh good. Then it sucks water and throws on the body. Somewhat better. Slowly it starts dosing even though alert at times. A very huge python is approaching steadily. Suddenly it catches hold of the elephant's hind leg. The elephant wakes up and tries to disengage the python. The python pulls to one side. The elephant kicks and drags to the other side. This goes on for some time. Bhima looks to the other side where a hungry lion is looking for food. It comes running and strikes the elephants head and eats part of the brain and goes off. The python completes the rest. "Oh my god, how ruthless!" says Bhima and proceeds on his way.
UDYANA VARNANA: NALA IN NALACHARITHAM SECOND DAY
Descriptions of gardens are found in most dance forms of India and abroad. These are also common in Kathakali.
Newly married Nala and Damayanthi are walking in the garden. When Nala was lovingly looking at Damayanthi a flower falls on her. Nala is overjoyed and thinks that this is a kindness nature has shown on his wife. Nala says "On seeing the arrival of their queen, the trees and climbers are showing happiness by dropping flowers on you." He tells her, "See that tree. When I used to be alone the tree used to hug the climber and seemingly laugh at my condition." Then he looks at the tree and says, "Dear Tree, look at me now. See how fortunate I am with my beautiful wife."
Both wander about. A bumblebee flies towards Damayanthi. Immediately Nala protects her face with a kerchief. He looks at the bee and then at Damayanthi. He says, "On seeing your face the bee thought it was a flower and came to drink the nectar." Nala and Damayanthi listen to the sounds coming out of the garden. Damayanti says, "It appears that the whole garden is thrilled. The flowers are blooming and smiling. Cuckoos are singing and the bees are dancing. Gentle winds are blowing and rubbing against our bodies. How beautiful the whole garden looks." Then Nala says that the sun is going down and it is time for them to go back and takes her away.
SHABDA VARNANA: HANUMAN IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKAM
While Bhima goes in search of the flower, here Hanuman is sitting doing Tapas with mind concentrated on Sri Rama.
When he hears the terrible noises made by Bhima in the forest he feels disturbed in doing his Tapas. He thinks "What is the reason for this?" Then the sounds become bigger. "What is this?" He thinks, "The sounds are getting bigger. Such a terrible noise. Is the sea coming up thinking that the time is ripe for the great deluge (Pralaya). Birds are flying helter-skelter. Trees look shocked. Even Kali Yuga is not here. Then what is it? Are mountains quarreling with each other? No, That can't be it. Indra had cut off the wings of mountains so that they don't quarrel. Is the sea changing its position? No it can't be. The sea has promised it will not change its position again. It can't break the promise." Hanuman starts looking for clues. "I see elephants and lions running in fear of somebody. Oh a huge man is coming this way. Oh, a hero is coming. He is pulling out trees and throwing it here and there. Okay. Let him come near, We will see."
THANDEDATTAM: RAVANA IN BALI VADHAM
After his theranottam Ravana is seen sitting on a stool. He says to himself "I am enjoying a lot of happiness. What is the reason for this?" Thinks. "Yes I know it. I did Tapas to Brahma and received all necessary boons. Afterwards I won all ten directions. I also defeated my elder brother Vaishravana. Then I lifted Kailas mountain when Siva and Parvathi were having a misunderstanding. Parvathi got frightened and embraced Siva in fear. Siva was so happy he gave a divine sword called Chandrahasa. Now the whole world is afraid of me. That is why I am enjoying so much happiness." He goes and sits on the stool. He looks far away. "Who is coming from a distance. he is coming fast. Oh, it is Akamba. Okay. Let me find out what news he has for me."
ASHRAMA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KIRATHAM
Arjuna wants to do Tapas to Lord Siva and he is looking a suitable place in the Himalayan slopes. He comes to place where there is an ashram. Arjuna looks closely at the place. "Oh. What a beautiful place this is. A small river in which a very pure water is flowing. Some hermits are taking baths in the river. Some hermits are standing in the water and doing Tapsas. Some are facing the Sun. Some are standing in between five fires." Arjuna salutes the hermits from far. He says to himself "Look at this young one of a deer. It is looking for its mother. It seems to be hungry and thirsty. Nearby a female tiger is feeding its young ones. The little deer goes towards the tigress and pushes the young tiger cubs aside and starts drinking milk from the tigress. The tigress looks lovingly at the young deer and even licks its body as if it were its own child. How beautiful. How fulfilling."
Again he looks "Here on this side a mongoose and a serpent forgetting their enmity are hugging each other. This place is really strange and made divine by saints and hermits. Let me start my Tapas somewhere nearby."
A sloka called "Shikhini Shalabha" can be selected instead of the above if time permits.
AN ATTAM BASED ON A SLOKA
Sansrit slokas are sometimes shown in mudras and it has a pleasing and exhilarating effect. Different actors use slokas as per his own taste and liking. However, the slokas are taught to students during their training period. An example is given below.
Kusumo Kusumolpatti Shrooyathena Chathushyathe
Bale thava Mukhambuje Pashya Neelolpaladwayam
Meaning a flower blooming inside another flower is not known to history. But, my dear, in your lotus like face are seen two blue Neelolpala flowers (eyes).
A CONVERSATION BASED ON A SLOKA
Sanskrit slokas can also be used to express an intent. One such example is a sloka used by Arjuna addressed to Mathali the charioteer in Kalakeya Vadham. Sloka:
Pitha: Kushalee Mama hritha Bhujaam
Naatha Sachee Vallabha:
Maatha: kim nu Pralomacha Kushalinee
Soonurjayanthasthayo
Preethim va Kushchate Thadikshnavidhow
Cheta Samutkanuthe
Sutha: tvam Radhamashu Chodaya vayam
Dharmadivam Mathala
Meaning: The husband of Indrani and the lord of gods my father - Is he in good health? His son Jayantha - Is he strictly following the commands of his father? Oh, I am impatient to see all of them.
SWARGA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KELAKEYA VADHAM
Arjuna goes to heaven on the invitation of his father, Indra. After taking permission from Indrani he goes out to see all the places in Swarga. First he sees a building, his father's palace. It is so huge with four entrances. It is made of materials superior to gold and jewels of the world. Then he goes ahead and sees Iravatha. Here he describes it as a huge elephant with four horns. He is afraid to touch it. Then he thinks that animals in Swarga can't be cruel like in the world and so thinking he goes and touches and salutes Iravatha. He describes the churning of the white sea by gods and demons with many details and how Iravatha also came out of the white sea due to this churning.
He walks on and sees his father's (Indra's) horse. It is described as being white and its mane is sizzling like the waves of the white sea from which it came. He touches and salutes the horse also. Then he goes to see the river of the sky (or milky way). He sees many birds by this river and how the birds fly and play is shown.
Then he sees the heavenly ladies. Some are collecting flowers, and one of them comes late and asks for some flowers for making garland. The others refuse. She goes to the Kalpa Vriksha and says "please give me some flowers." Immediately a shower of flowers occurs which she collects in her clothes and goes to make garlands chiding the others. "See... I also got flowers." After this he sees the music and dance of the heavenly ladies. First it starts with the adjustments of instruments Thamburu, Mridangam, Veena. Then the actual music starts along with the striking of cymbals. Then two or three types of dances are shown. Then comes juggling of balls. It is described by a sloka thus:
Ekopi Thraya Iva Bhathi Kandukoyam
Kanthayaa: Karathala Raktharaktha:
Abhrastho Nayanamareechi Neelaneelo
Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'. Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called ), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience. As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.
Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to
Bhumau Talcharana Naghamshu Gaurgaura:
Meaning One ball looks like three balls. When it is in the hands of the juggler, it takes the redness of the hands, when it goes up it takes the blueness of the eyes, when it strikes the ground it becomes white from the whiteness of the leg nails. Once a juggled ball falls down. Then she, the juggler, somehow manages to proceed and remarks "See.. how I can do it".
At one time a garment slips from a lady's body and she adjusts the cloth showing shameful shyness (Lajja). Then the ladies go in for a Kummi dance. As Arjuna was enjoying this dance, suddenly somebody calls him. Arjuna feels scared. "Oh God, where am I?" he says and beats a hasty retreat.
TAPAS ATTAM: RAVANA IN RAVANA ULBHAVAM
[Background: Mali, Sumali and Malyavan were three brothers ruling Sri Lanka. During a war between them and Indra, Indra requested help from Lord Vishnu and as a consequence Lord Vishnu killed Mali. Sumali and Malyavan escaped to Patala. Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali. She wandered in the forest. She belong three boys through a great sage called Vishravassu. (Vishravassu had an earlier son called Vaishravana who became the richest among all people.) The eldest boy of Kaikasi was Ravana followed by Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.]
SCENE 1
When Ravana was a young boy (Kutti Ravana vesham), one day he was sleeping on his mothers lap in a place called madhuvanam. At that time Kaikasi sees Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (mythical aeroplane). She thinks “Oh, that is Vaishravana, technically a brother of my son who is sleeping on my lap. He is rich and strong. My son is so poor and weak. While thinking thus a drop of tear from her eyes drops on Ravana’s face. Ravana suddenly wakes up and sees his mother crying. When he knew the reason he could not bear it. He says he is going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that he will be strong and rich.
SCENE 2
(The tapas itself is shown as a part of autobiographical narration of adult ravana)
Ravana (adult Ravana, not kutti Ravana) is sitting on a stool. He thinks “Why am I so happy? How did I become so rich and strong? Oh yes. It is because of the tapas I did. What made me do the tapas? When I was a young boy, one day I was sleeping on my mother’s lap in a place called Madhuvanam. A drop of tear from her eyes falls on my face. I asked her why she was crying. She said she saw Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (plane). She told me Vaishravan was a brother of mine now flying in a plane. He is rich and strong. I am so poor and weak. When I heard this comparison between me and my brother, I could not bear it. I am going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that I will be strong and rich.
I made five different types of fires (while doing tapas gods are approached through Agni the god of fire). Then I started my tapas. I asked my brothers to stand guard and also keep the fires burning. Then I fully concentrated on tapas. Time passed but Brahma did not appear. I looked. Why is Brahma not appearing? I doubled my concentration. Time passed. Brahma is not appearing. Still not appearing? I cut one of my heads and put it in the fire. Waited, Brahma did not come. One more head rolls. Still no Brahma comes. Heads roll and roll. No Brahma. Only one head is left. First I thought of stopping my tapas. But no! Never! That will be an insult to me and my family. It is better to die than stop. Also when I die Brahma will be judged as being partial. With great determination I swung the sword at my last neck, when, lo and behold, suddenly Brahma appeared and caught my hand. I looked at him with still un-subsided, but gradually subsiding anger. Brahma asked me what boons I wanted. I asked for a boon that I should win all the worlds and have all the wealth and fame and that I should not be killed except by man. I also asked him to give boons for my brothers.
In the next scene Ravana asks Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana what boons they got. Unfortunately Kumbhakarna’s tongue got twisted while asking for boon and he got ‘sleep’ instead of becoming the ‘king of gods’. Ravana laughed it off. As for Vibhishana, he being a bhaktha of Vishnu, asked for Vishnu’s blessings and got it. Ravana laughs it off and also decides to conquer all the worlds and starts preparing his grand army for the big conquest of the worlds.
[This method of presentation with a peculiar sequence has a tremendous dramatic affect. The main actor redoes a small part of what happened to kutti Ravana vesham, and this gives a view of the high contrast between the boy and the man Ravana. Similarly the presence of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana in the subsequent scene offers a good smile on the face of the viewer at the end of the play.]
KAILASA UDDHARANAM: RAVANA IN BALI VIJAYAM
[Background and Previous scene: After receiving the boons, and widening his kingdom in all directions, Ravana lives in Sri Lanka with great pomp and splendor. One day he sees Saint Narada approaching his palace singing songs in praise of him ‘Jaya jaya Ravana, Lanka Pathe’. Happily he receives Narada and seats him next to him. After telling Narada about the victory of his son Indrajith on Indra, Ravana tells Narada “Now there is nobody on earth or other worlds who can fight with me”. To this Narada replies “ Very true indeed, but there is one huge monkey called Bali who says he can defeat you. He even said that you are just like a blade of grass to him. Well let him say what he wants. You are unbeatable.” Then Narada says ‘let us go there and see him’. Both decide to go. But Ravana takes his famous sword called “Chandrahasam”. Then Narada asks the history of this sword. Ravana’s Attam Starts.]
Ravana says “I received this sword from Lord Siva. It happened thus. Once when I was conquering new places and expanding my empire I happened to be going across the Kailasa mountain. The plane got stuck on the mountain unable to move forward. I got down from the plane and looked at the mountain. (Looks from one end to the other first horizontally and then vertically.) So huge it was. Then I decided to lift it with my bare hand and keep it aside and move forward. I started sticking my hands under it one by one. Then I tried to lift it. It doesn’t move. I put more force and more force. It moved just a bit. I pushed harder and harder, slowly it started moving then again and again and it moved easily. Then I lifted it up with my hands and started juggling it (exaggeration evident).
“At that particular time Lord Siva was quarreling with his wife Parvathi. Why did they fight? The story is as follows. Parvathi had gone for enjoying swimming and bathing in some beautiful pond. At that time Siva opened his jata (disheveled long hair) and called Ganga for some entertainment after asking Ganapathi and Subramania to go for some errands. Somehow becoming suspicious, right at that time, Parvathi came back in a hurry with wet clothes and saw Siva with Ganga. Siva was wondering what to do and it was at that time that Ravana started lifting the Kailasa. When Kailasa started shaking Parvathi got scared and ran to Siva and hugged him. So the quarrel ended and Siva was happy. “As a reward Siva called me and gave me this famous Chandrahasa sword.”
Then Narada and Ravana leave to meet Bali. Ravana wanted to take the sword along with him, but Narada suggested that the sword is not required for teaching a lesson to Bali who is after all an unarmed monkey.
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