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The Lion of Saint Mark, representing the evangelist St Mark, pictured in the form of a winged lion is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Republic of Venice. It appears also in both merchant and military naval flags of the Italian Republic. The Lion of Saint Mark is also the symbol of the award of the Venice Film Festival, the "Golden Lion", and of the insurance company Assicurazioni Generali.
Other elements often included in depictions of the lion include a halo over his head, a book, and a sword in its paws.
Venetian tradition states that when St. Mark was traveling through Europe, he arrived at a lagoon in Venice, where an angel appeared to him and said "Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum." (May Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest.) This (possibly apocryphal) tradition was used as justification by Rustico da Torcello and Bon da Malamocco in 828 for stealing the remains of St. Mark from his grave in Alexandria, and moving them to Venice, where they were eventually interred in the Basilica of St. Mark.
St Mark, represented as a lion, is a typical Christian iconography derived from the prophetic visions contained in the verse of the Apocalypse of St John 4:7. The lion is one of the four living creatures described in the book as a place around the throne of the Almighty and they are chosen as symbols of the four evangelists. These "beings" were previously described by the prophet Ezekiel.
"Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way."
The voice of the one who cries in the wilderness: "Prepare Ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." (Gospel according to Mark 1:1–3)
The lion also symbolizes the power of the Evangelist's word, the wings symbolize the spiritual elevation, while the halo is the traditional Christian symbol of holiness.
However, the lion symbols express also the significance of majesty and power (drawn especially from the upward feline tail), while the book expresses the concepts of wisdom and peace and the halo gives an image of religious piety.
There are many symbolic interpretations with the possible combination of sword and book:
An open book is a symbol of the state's sovereignty (many depictions are of doges kneeling before such representation);
A closed book, however, is considered as a symbol of a delegated sovereignty, and hence the public courts;
An open book (and the sword on the ground is not visible) is popularly considered as a symbol of peace for the state of Venice, but this is not corroborated by any historical source;
A closed book and a drawn sword are popular but mistakenly considered as a symbol of the state in war;
Finally, an open book and a sword are considered as a symbol of public justice.
However, these interpretations are not universally accepted as the Republic of Venice (La Serenissima) never codified its symbols. Rare, but are presented, are also depictions of the lion without a book or a sword and sometimes without the halo (especially in a representation of a statue).
In some depictions the lion rests his front paws on the ground, often in cities with rivers or in ones close to water, indicating the Venetian balanced power on land and sea
The Venetian lion appears in two distinct forms. One is as a winged animal resting on water, to symbolise dominance over the seas, holding St. Mark’s Gospel under a front paw. You can see these mighty animals all round the Mediterranean, usually on top of a classical stone column.
The other form is known as the lion “in moleca”, in the form of a crab. Here the lion is depicted full-faced with its wings circled around the head resembling the claws of a crustacean. It is emerging from water, so that the lion “in moleca” is associated with the lagoon and the city, whereas the standing winged lion is thought to be more associated with Venetian territory around the Mediterranean.
Photographed at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Elmwood Wisconsin
One of these days we will get to Napier in New Zealand and feast on the art deco buildings there. In the meantime, I have to make do with the odd assortment found in towns throughout Australia. This is the Goondiwindi (remember how to pronounce it?) Council Chambers or Civic Centre in the town's main street and a lovely example of Art Deco from 1937. Even the clock is correct time - amazing that!
The Goondiwindi Civic Centre comprises the Town Council Chambers, Town Hall and a set of shops linked by a common facade, in the main street of Goondiwindi. The Centre was designed by architects George Frederick Addison and Herbert Stanley MacDonald and built by Thomas Charles Clarke in 1937, and opened by the then Minister for Health and Home Affairs, Mr Ned Hanlon, in 1938.
The Centre was built with the assistance of the Queensland Government, with a loan of £10,333 and a subsidy of £5,167. The rents received by the Council from the building covered the repayments due by the Council, and the loan was repaid by c. 1953.
The Centre replaced the existing Council buildings which were considered unsafe for public use and the School of Arts building which was also in a poor state of repair. The Centre was considered an outstanding structure in Goondiwindi, and demonstrated the interest in the steady improvement of the town displayed by previous Councils.
The Council Chambers were substantially altered internally and extended in 1987.
The Town Hall was used as a commercial cinema for a number of years from around 1950 until 1978 and has received intermittent use since then. A new community centre was constructed in Goondiwindi in 1990, which has substantially taken over the function of the Town Hall.
The facade linking the Council Chambers and Town Hall, including the shops, has not been substantially altered since its construction.
Many of you know I have a love affair with the lamps of Venice. Well, Venice. Fullstop. Here's some lovely lamps from this beautiful city...
A long exposure shot of the sunset at Neist Point. My favourite picture of my favourite location on the Isle of Skye. I was rewarded with this beautiful sunset on my third visit to the lighthouse (it pays to be stubborn!). This was a hard shot to take as the wind was incredibly strong and blowing in my face. I was struggling to keep the tripod steady and had to weigh it down with my hands (still got some movement in the image).
In celebration of 60 years of LEGO brick, I was joined by 4 other builders Amy Cheng, Bobby Cheng, Joe Chan and Jared Chan to prepared this fascinating 8-tier celebration cake over the last 2 months. Each tier records important milestones/ key achievements of LEGO since 1950s, including Ole Kirk's House, LEGO House and many fan favourites. 60 mini-models have been created and I will share more about them in the next few days.
We are really excited to be presenting this one of a kind gift to our most treasured LEGO brick, come celebrate with us at Tsuen Wan Plaza in Hong Kong from 20/7 to 2/9 if you are around!
Jared Chan's Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/jaredchan
"Flight of Fancy" takes off at Gardens by the Marina Bay Singapore
A journey of discovery awaits 3 June to 21 July
Gardens by the Bay:
Some of the standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar on the island of Mainland in the Orkney archipelago.
Another part of “The Heart of Neolithic Orkney” UNESCO World Heritage site, this Neolithic henge and stone circle dates to somewhere between 2500BCE and 2000BCE. It’s very large–nearly 350 feet in diameter, with stones standing as tall as fifteen feet, making it the third largest stone circle in the British Isles.
Nikon D7000 w/Tokina 11-16mm @ 11.5mm, 1/500s @ ƒ/8, ISO100. I used Nik HDR Efex to tone-map the image to bring out some shadow detail, and a combination of Nik Viveza and Aperture to get the colors where I wanted them.
Field of wild radish growing beside this old farm in Lisbon, NH. USA. The sun was setting and made for some beautiful lighting on the field and house.
History of the Farm.
North of Lisbon village on Rte. 302, this structure is on the site of Lisbon’s Revolutionary War fort and is built around the fort’s blockhouse which was later used as the home and tavern of Samuel Young. A granary, gunhouse, and large barn were on the property at one time, and the fields were used for musters. The tavern was later owned and enlarged by Levi Cobleigh and known as the Young-Cobleigh Tavern and had a lovely ballroom. It is now a private home. Lisbon Area Historical Society — in Lisbon, NH.
I longed to make a MOC of my favorite OC anti-hero. And now, thanks to New Years which brought us Darth Vader, me and Demitsorou finally managed to tear almost all of our Bionicle sets apart to assemble him.
His weapon is supposed to be a baseball bat.
Crosspost on Tumblr: themugbearer.tumblr.com/post/136801782444/meet-kahlahnee-...
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If you like what I do and you want to see me create your OC, a favorite Bionicle Character, or something else, feel free to look up my Commission Info! I also now have a Patreon page, so please consider supporting!
*Copyright © 2010 Lélia Valduga, all rights reserved.
*Reprodução proibida. © Todos os direitos reservados.
*Imagem protegida pela Lei do Direito Autoral Nº 9.610 de 19/02/1998.
Acapulco (ou Acapulco de Juárez nome oficial) é uma cidade e porto mexicano localizado no estado de Guerrero, ao sudoeste do país. É cabeceira do município homônimo e um dos principais destinos turísticos do mundo. Sua baía semicircular foi batizada com o nome de Santa Lúcia, correspondente ao dia de seu descobrimento por navegantes espanhóis.
É o centro turístico mais importante do México e um dos mais importantes do mundo, dado o contexto natural paradisíaco, a nível do relevo, do clima e da própria vegetação tropical. O seu desenvolvimento económico é perfeitamente assente no turismo, com complexos turísticos, cinemas, grandes hotéis e centros de recreio que proporcionam uma boa qualidade de vida.
Fonte: Wikipedia
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Acapulco (Acapulco de Juarez or official name) is a city and port located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, southwest of the country. It is the head of the homonymous municipality and a major tourist destination in the world. Its semicircular bay was named after Santa Lucia, corresponding to the day of its discovery by Spanish navigators.
It is the most important tourist center in Mexico and one of the world's most important, given the context of natural paradise, the level of relief, climate and tropical vegetation itself. Its economic development is entirely based on tourism, tourist complexes, theaters, large hotels and recreational centers that provide a good quality of life.
"Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart."
Washington Irving (1783 – 1859)
"Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done..."
Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)
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* Lightbox: Best seen in larger size on black (click image above)
composite of the NASA image of the sun from the same day as the transit of venus I combined the NASA image with an image i shot of venus transiting the sun.
The scene of an act of sabotage during the Irish Civil War seems appropriate given world events this week! Long before the advent of drones dealing death from the sky, more mundane methods were used. Was the train destroyed in situ, or were they the victims of a mine set under the permanent way?
Photographers: J. Kilpatrick
Collection: Civil War Infrastructural Damages Photograph Collection
Date: 1922 Tuesday, 16 January 1923,
NLI Ref: NPA CW8
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
[...] The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, I shall to-day be uppermost [...]
-- Quote by Confucius
Taormina, Italy (July, 2005)
Carl Jung believed that dreams of fire heralded the process of psychological transformation. Just as the alchemists utilized fire to transform base metals into gold, fire symbolizes the catalyst for the inner transformation. Fire destroys, but it renews as well. It purges the decay of the past, but is also the giver of light and spiritual truth. It is the eternal flame in the temple of the soul. It is from the fire that the phoenix of hope arises.
Nikkor 50mm ƒ1.8
Strobist: AB800 with Softlighter II. Triggered by Cybersync.
Or, more appropriately, surface of the sunflower. The happy, shiny, giant-faced sunflower from yesterday? Who could've crushed me with his rampant sunflowerness? This is part of that sunflower, or maybe one of his humongous brethren. Hard to say. The mob of them beat me so bad, I have gaps in my memory. And whenever I see a sunflower approaching down the street, I pee myself, just a little tiny itty bitty bit.
United States of America (USAF , 89th AW-PAG Andrews AFB ) VC-25A (B747-200B) 92-0009
"Airforce-One" arriving with President Donald J Trump for the NATO summit of heads of state the days after. Very last light of the day and weather was dreadfull throughout the day.
BRU, 10-July-2018
The delivery of the UK's first new F-35B was made on 19 July 2012 at Fort Worth, Texas, for flight trials by the RAF and Royal Navy.
The F-35 Lightning units of the RAF and the Fleet Air Arm will be organised under a single administrative structure called the Lightning Force, which will form part of Air Command.
617 Squadron (The Dambusters), is the first operational British F-35 unit and was equipped at RAF Marham during summer 2018 with the type.
Changing Images of Man is a 1974 report (revised in 1982) by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International). This report can be summed up like this:
You have two options: your future can either be 1984 or the Brave New World.
“We have met the enemy and he is us!” We must reform the way we conceptualize the nature of mankind. Indeed, the mind (and body) is a human biocomputer, with programs and coding that can be analyzed, hacked, and altered. Our concepts of free will, freedom, and consciousness must be cast off for man to attain a peaceful, rational, and humane society in the future.
Changing images of man has a double meaning: man’s image has changed throughout history, and man’s image can be changed (manipulated). If we apply this idea to the present, what would be man’s image? Today, man’s image is one of transition. Since we are in the digital age, man’s image would reflect the digital world. Man looks into his screen, and his screen reflects back his digital world. Man’s image is being tokenized into the digital world. His image is becoming digitalized. His image is going to transition into transhumanism (merging man with the digital world). So man’s future image will be one of transhumanism. He will be a techno-slave. Indeed, the image of man is currently being manipulated toward the goals of the elite.
This report warns that our society is heading towards friendly fascism. This form of fascism “will come under the slogans of democracy.” It will be a “techno-urban fascism,” a “friendly sort of totalitarianism.” This is what this friendly fascism will look like: they will use military surveillance technologies to aid the police; they will use behavior-changing drugs and indoctrination in schools; they will attempt to manage the news; they will use personality screening and maintain files on pre-delinquent children, via coordination with school administrations and local, state, and federal authorities; they will use interconnected computer systems to collect peoples personal data like: employment records, criminal records, tax status, credit, insurance, and information about education.
What is their solution to this friendly fascism? They want, instead, to introduce a friendly fascism that has a shiny spiritual veneer. They want man to “evolve” to a higher consciousness, a super consciousness, which lies at the boundary between the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind. This evolution of consciousness will be a personal, spiritual, social, and cultural evolution. They want people to tap into this consciousness through their dream states. They want them to evolve into a hivemind, where they can telepathically communicate with one another. This could possibly be achieved through mystical experiences, psychic phenomena, esoteric ideas, occult practices, hypnotism, self-hypnotism, meditation, yoga, psychotherapy, psychology, psychochemical drugs, electrocranial stimulation, and cybernetics. “I think that cybernetics is the biggest bite out of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge that mankind has taken in the last 2000 years.”
This evolved man will see the inequality of the poorer nations. He will willingly give up his comfortable lifestyle. He will lower his living standards. He will share his wealth with the rest of the world. Men will collectively work together to accomplish equality (communism). And if they refuse to give up their wealth, they will be forced to give it up. This evolution is Gnostic in nature; it reminds me of Karl Marx, with his idea of man evolving into the socialist man/communist man. Out of this evolution will come a new system, a “new socialism,” which will be influenced by Freemasonry. “In ‘true Freemasonry’ there is one lodge, the universe-and one brotherhood, everything that exists. Each person has the ‘privilege of labor,’ of joining with the ‘Great Architect’ in building more noble structures and thus serving in the divine plan.”
The architects of this scheme must convince the masses that the earth has limited resources, which they term the “new scarcity.” They must convince the people that the earth is being overpopulated (today, climate change is the big scare they are pushing). With these supposed problems, man must be convinced that he needs to collectively band together. The architects of this scam must bring in a new economic and ecological system (known today as stakeholder capitalism and the green economy). To introduce this alternative way of life, they will introduce “behavior controls that would deprive the individual of freedoms” (which is known today as a social credit score system).
“Thanks to this initiative (the Green Economy Initiative) and the work of other agencies, ‘green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication’ was placed on the 2012 Rio+20 agenda and was acknowledged as a tool for achieving sustainable development.” – United Nations
“A crisis is often the catalyst for the redrawing of one’s preferred map.” A “crisis-oriented transformation” is likely to transform a culture rapidly. We saw some of this during COVID, which greatly affected our society and economy. People accepted a soft form of authoritarianism and the loss of freedoms. During COVID, they pushed vaccine passports. This mimicked Digital IDs. The unvaccinated could not go to certain places, because they didn’t have vaccine passports. The Canadian truckers had their bank accounts frozen. Those with alternative views were censored. These things mimicked a social credit score system with rewards and punishments. Society failed to think critically, thus proving that it was ready for the next step of the plan. Therefore, politicians touted the start of the Great Reset—a plan to build back better. So now we are in a transition period, a transition into a new economic order. As a result, we are being steered towards a major economic crisis. This “crisis-oriented transformation” will bring us into their new system. This system will use digital biometric IDs, CBDCs, and social credit scores.
The elites see multinational corporations as the “most effective mechanisms for husbanding the earth’s resources and optimizing their use for human benefit.” Giving multinational corporations the earth’s resources will supposedly lead to an “equitable sharing of the earth’s resources.” They will pressure corporations to help with the social engineering of society. The methods they will use to get corporations on board resemble those of a corporate social credit score system like ESGs. They will prod corporations, particularly multinational corporations, to shift their goals to line up with those of the (hijacked) public institutions. Indeed, the public institutions will be tools of indoctrination (today, these institutions promote things like DEI). They plan to use “corporations, foundations, political agencies, and voluntary associations” to help with the implementation of their plans. Today, this is called public–private partnerships. They will use networks at the local, regional, national, and world levels. This way, it will be quicker and easier for them to implement their new world order goals. They expect rapid social change, economic decline, and social disruption as they implement their new technocratic socialist order.
“We would thus hope not for a handful, but for a thousand heroes, ten thousand heroes-who will create a future image of what humankind can be.” They need an army of social(ist) justice warriors to bring about change. “The needed transformation cannot occur without both personal and institutional change.” This correlates with the left’s “long march through the institutions.”
They also want to experiment with a variety of family structures. They want to turn the family into “an extended unit,” which will provide “a larger source of meaning and significance.” So basically, the collective (government, schools, neighbors, and society) will raise your children in this new collectivist utopia. This extended family will be a “source of education,” and “a unit for work.” They want to “foster a period of experimentation and tolerance for diverse alternatives, both in life styles and in social institutions.” They also want to use “new experimental curricula.” Today, we have new experimental curricula such as critical race theory and queer theory.
They want the world’s population to embrace this new order. Their end goal is the Brave New World. In reality, those who refuse this new order will live out 1984, and those who accept it will live out the Brave New World. Though, as they admit, no transition will go smoothly. Everyone is going to feel some pain, and in a worst-case scenario, a lot of pain.
The Bible warns us about the Antichrist. Those who refuse the Mark of the Beast won’t be able to buy or sell, and they will be tracked down by the authorities. These people will experience the hell of 1984. But those who take the Mark of the Beast will evolve into transhumans, and they will experience the bliss of the Brave New World. They will be on a high, stimulated by soma frequencies. Thus, they will blissfully worship the Beast. They will evolve to a super consciousness; they will become one with the Beast.
God created man with a soul and free will. Those who accept the Mark of the Beast will lose their free will, because technology will control their allegiance and love for the Beast. Their free will is gonna be controlled by the Beast system. Never again will they have the free will to repent and turn to Jesus Christ. They will give up their free will; they will forfeit their own souls.
Revelation 14:9-11 “A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the Beast and his Image, and takes the Mark on his forehead or his hand, that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the Beast and his Image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the Mark of his name.’”
Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
After over one thousand days into the Saudi bombing of Yemen, which is almost entirely UK/US equipped and supported, the first large protest takes place in London of a few hundred people outside Downing Street.
[ Just in case anyone is interested I have attached a link to my research on British crimes in and against Yemen since the bombardment of Aden in 1839. Use the following url and scroll down the list of countries alphabetically for Yemen - roguenation.org/choose-by-country/ ]
They are outraged that the British government is not just rolling out the red carpet for one of the most brutal family dictatorships in the Middle East, but also quite deliberately facilitating and aiding the Saudi terror bombing of civilian targets in Yemen, including numerous schools and hospitals, in the full knowledge that this will only exacerbate the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Since the war in Yemen started the UK has exported over £4.6 billion worth of arms, including Typhoon and Tornado aircraft as well as weaponry and Paveway IV bombs which have been used with appalling consequences in Yemen. We have even been training the Saudi air force.
The same day as the protest against the welcoming of Mohammad bin Salman at Downing Street, the British corporate owned mainstream media embarked on a massive campaign to whitewash the crown prince who has become Saudi Arabia's feared absolute ruler and who's corrupt regime has a cosy relationship with many of Britain's biggest businesses.
The deaths of tens of thousands in Yemen was, several newspapers claimed, of little or no importance in comparison to the prince's reforming zeal. The decision to allow women to drive and the reintroduction of cinemas was highlighted as the evidence that this was a regime Britain could and should support economically and diplomatically. That the Saudi government has just launched a brutal purge of political opponents and the country's Shia minotiry was not considered important or relevant.
Not since Hitler instigated a purge of his paramilitary SA in 1934, has the British press gone so far out of its way to praise a murderous dictator. Then Hitler was lauded as a moderating influence on the Nazi party. This was a deception carefully cultivated by Hitler's minister of propaganda Jozef Goebbels. Today the Saudi dictatorship have also become highly skilled in developing a propaganda campaign of which Goebbels would have been envious and the British Spectator magazine has even honoured MBS, a standard shortening of the Saudi tyrant's name, with the title "Prince of PR.."
MBS clearly understands that images of dead and dying children in Yemen could cost him dearly, so he has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the British media and public, buying numerous pages of advertising in multiple newspapers, but especially in The Financial Times, so crucial in influencing Britain's business elite. Similarly billboards went up across London lauding Bin Salman as a "great reformer."
For anyone who might feel even partially persuaded by the media attempt to whitewash the Saudi regime, try and imagine how the media would react in another similar situation. Let us suppose Iran, which has been introducing extensive reforms and is now far more democratic than Saudi Arabia which makes no pretence at holding elections, had been bombing Israeli civilians for three years killing tens of thousands. Let us suppose the British government now not only welcomes the Iranian leader to visit London, but promises to continue supplying British aircraft and bombs to Iran in the full knowledge that this would mean that more Israeli schools and hospitals would be bombed and that a large part of the Israeli population could die from cholera and famine. Would the British media be so supportive then ? Of course, not, they would almost certainly demand military action against Iran. The very opposite of what they are doing now !
Surveys conducted by the Yemen Data Project, a group of academics, human rights and national security experts, showed that as of 2016 at least one third of all Saudi air strikes had hit civilian targets with the United Nations estimating in 2017 that 5,000 civilians had been killed by the Saudi bombing. The predictable indirect consequences of the bombing however have been even more catastrophic.
Britain continues to be complicit in one of the worst war crimes of the twenty first century by supplying the aircraft and weapons and the diplomatic support for Saudi Arabia's three year bombing campaign. This together with a tight blockade on basic imports of food, fuel and other essentials has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis with 76% of the population in need of humanitarian aid and 8.4 million at risk of famine, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. Additionally, over one million Yemenis have now contracted cholera while a recent outbreak of diphtheria is spreading rapidly.
While British media outlets focus on alleged Iranian violations of the arms embargo on Yemen, there is a deafening silence on the devastating role played by British aircraft and weapons, with the government granting arms export licenses worth £1.12 billion to Saudi Arabia during 2017 alone.
View of Sydney shot from a weather station on top of the Mathews building at the University of New South Wales, Kensington. Shot taken by the Climate Change Research Centre (ccrc.unsw.edu.au) at 2016 Jul 15 01:23.
The unicameral Parliament of Singapore is the legislature of Singapore with the President as its head. It currently consists of 84 Members of Parliament. Based on the concept of parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, it is supreme over all other government institutions and may change or repeal with a majority vote any legislation passed by previous parliaments. The maximum term of any one Parliament of Singapore is five years, after which a parliamentary election must be held within three months of the dissolution of Parliament.
The Parliament originally met at the Old Parliament House from 1955 through 1999. In 1999, Parliament moved into a new facility; the main building is newly constructed and the rear building is the Former Attorney's General Chambers.
Tristan of Woodspire was born into a wealthy family, his father the lord of the town Woodspire knew that a strong leader was needed for the future so he came up with the perfect plan for his son Tristan to become the perfect leader. Tristan was raised in their home until he turned 3, on his 3rd birthday he was given to Sir Argonboth a fierce warrior who was to raise and train Tristan for the next 12 years. Together they left Woodspire and headed north to the Spearheads where they would train and live. Tristans father Lord Baltorn’s aim was for Tristan to be raised in hell so that he would have already experienced and to overcome the struggle to surviv. When they arrived there Sir Argonboth began training him immediately. By the age of 8 Tristan had become a capable warrior and by the age of 15 he had become an expert warrior trained in many forms of armed and unarmed combat. After he turned 15 they both returned to Woodspire where he was reunited with his family. Though his training was not complete, Tristan continued to be trained in combat but now began to be mentored in leadership by his father. This continued for the next 3 years. When he turned 18 the final part of his training was a 3 year journey which he was to go on alone. In those 3 years he travelled all around Roawia experiencing life in Lenfald , Loreos and The outlaw region. During this time Tristan experienced many different cultures and picked up many different fighting styles he also fought outlaws, beasts, rouge knights and many other adversaries. After those 3 years Tristan returned to Woodspire, now his training was complete. Tristan now age 21 was given a band of men and women warriors for him to lead as a trial, Tristan and his men are have served Garheim well and two years later Jhirian Eindrik having heard of Tristan’s tasked him with protecting the border from any threats. Tristan started to expand his group which he called the Order of the Blue Spire, he is always on the lookout for men and women to join the Blue Spire for protecting Garheim is an important duty that requires a lot of soldiers. Currently living in Woodspire which is the headquarters of the Blue Spire Tristan has no idea that there is a threat coming that even him and his men will not be able to repel.
Well this is my Character for the LCC group hope you like it, I will have a photo of the Blue Spires banner later
*EXPLORED! #421*
*much* better large
“If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
[I spent my evening with my best friend, jumping in unison, playing in the water fully clothed, and picking flowers. Isn't she the most beautiful little thing? Love her so much!
Also, this piece is very much inspired by The Lost Boys of Peter Pan.]
An HDR representation of Eastern Washington's impressive summer sunset from the campus of my alma mater, Washington State University.
Catch me on facebook (I refer to it as the book of face):
One of the first things I saw was this amazing creation with its huge truck wheels - towing a caravan! I got chatting to Mark the owner who told me he'd made a thumbnail sketch and then built it himself in three months out of the most unlikely collection of parts. He certainly nailed the proportions and stance and it all tied together perfectly. To be able to design and build your own car just blows my socks off.
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click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The cult of the three holy martyr brothers Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino is widespread in almost all of Eastern Sicily since the early Middle Ages, the news we have on the life and martyrdom of the three brothers are contained in a document written by a Basilian monk , his own name Basilio, whose manuscript is in the Vatican Library, with the number 1591; the manuscript reports that the three saints suffered the persecution of Valerian and martyrdom in 253; the three brothers were born in Vaste, in the province of Lecce, were arrested (and later martyred) for having professed the Christian religion using their noble influence, as their parents, Vitale and Beatrice had previously done, who were also they barbarously martyred for professing their religious beliefs; the three brothers, after having undergone several trials throughout the central-southern territory of Italy, since no one wanted to condemn them with a definitive sentence as belonging to one of the most important families of the empire, were brought to Taormina by Tertullo, a young Roman patrician and head of the island, who, failing to detach them from their creed, sent them to Lentini; during the journey, the group stopped in two places, here the villages of Sant'Alfio and Trecastagni were born, then they reached Catania and were imprisoned here, finally they were taken to Lentini, where they died through atrocious tortures. Before undergoing martyrdom, they were intercessors of miraculous works, Tecla and Giustina were two young countesses, among them cousins, Tecla for more than six years suffered from a severe form of paralysis in the legs, while Giustina was blind in one eye, they learning of miraculous healings that occurred through their intercession during their forced journey from Rome to Lentini, they turned to them, receiving healing. On the day of their torture they were handcuffed and whipped in the streets of the city, exposed naked and barefoot to the ridicule of the people: Alfio's tongue was ripped off (he became the patron saint of the Mutes), Philadelphus was burned on a grill, Cirino was thrown in a cauldron of boiling pitch. The villages of Sant’Alfio and Trecastagni, on the slopes of Etna, and of Lentini, commemorate the three Saints Brothers with very heartfelt and participatory traditional feast. The photographic story that I present here was made this year 2022 on the occasion of the feast held on May 10 in the Etnean village of Trecastagni (the name Trecastagni seems to derive from the Latin "tres casti agni" that is "three chaste lambs", but not everyone agrees on this etymology; the feast is celebrated on May 10, as their martyrdom took place on this day in 253 , Alfio was twenty-two years and seven months old, Philadelphus twenty-one, Cirino nineteen and eight months). The feast and the procession celebrated in Trecastagni have much in common with the one celebrated, always in honor of the Three Holy Brothers, in the town of Sant'Alfio (see my previous photographic story), even if in Trecastagni there is something larger and more varied; in the late afternoon on May 9, a competition of pyrotechnic games begins, which will be the thunderous background sound until late at night, in the night between On 9th and 10th the so-called "naked" arrive, who are not naked, they arrive, out of devotion, from the most varied and even distant localities, they are dressed in red shorts and a red strip on the chest, sometimes they are bare-chested, others, with a white T-shirt, they are barefoot, sometimes they wear woolen socks, they carry a large lighted candle on their shoulders, having arrived inside the Sanctuary, in front of the cell where the Three Brothers are still enclosed, the devotees tired from the long journey, recover their strength, indulging in an emotional invocation "face to face", mentioning only the name of Alfio (as representative of all three brothers); the morning of the 10th is a day of great celebration, sellers of fresh and very fragrant garlic can be seen along the streets, there are stalls selling products of all kinds, from food, to various objects, such as hats, shoes or clothes, characteristic tambourines Sicilians with sacred images printed on them; the carts arrive in the parade, the "Sicilian" ones painted with battle scenes between the brave Paladins against the ferocious Saracens, but there are also the carts that once served to transport people and/or things; a visit inside the Sanctuary will reveal the presence of objects possessed by “miracled” people and left as a gift as testimony (busts, corrective corsets, sticks, crutches, letters of thanks), there are “ex voto” in wax, reproducing the miraculously healed organs such as arms, heads, legs, there are "ex votos" in silver, also reproducing the miraculously healed organs, there are "ex votos" in the form of oil paintings, on wooden or metal plates, with the names of the "miracled" and the scenes that describe what happened (from the most ancient ones, where falls from horses or overturned carts are often painted, to then make way for more recent tragedies, with accidents caused by motor vehicles; episodes of war; surgery). Before 1.00 pm the so-called "unveiled" takes place, from the cell of the Sanctuary, in which the Three Holy Brothers were imprisoned for almost a year, They are exposed with great emotion of those present; the "rail" on which the statues will be brought down is prepared with great skill, to thus take their place on the float. At 1.00 pm sharp the vara leaves the Sanctuary, amidst the ovation of all the faithful who have come in large numbers from many centres, near and far, thus begins the exciting and moving rite (some children cry, frightened) with children being shown to the Three Holy Brothers, some of them very young, taken by the expert hands of the devotees present on the vara, thus invoke their benevolence and protection. The vara then moves towards the outskirts of the town, with great effort on the part of the shooters, who use two large ropes to pull it, they have to overcome a steep climb, then the vara at 3.00 pm enters the Mother Church, at 06.00 pm the vara follow another well-established itinerary. With the octave of the feast, on May 17, the festivities end, the Saints will remain unveiled until the first Sunday of June, after which they will be locked up again in their cell, until the following year.
Il culto dei tre fratelli santi martiri Alfio, Filadelfo e Cirino è molto diffuso in quasi tutta la Sicilia Orientale fin dall'alto medioevo, le notizie che possediamo sulla vita e sul martirio dei tre fratelli, sono contenute in un documento scritto da un monaco basiliano, di nome proprio Basilio, il cui manoscritto si trova nella Biblioteca Vaticana, col numero 1591; il manoscritto riporta che i tre Santi hanno subito il la persecuzione di Valeriano ed il martirio nel 253; i tre fratelli nacquero a Vaste, in provincia di Lecce, vennero arrestati (ed in seguito martirizzati) per aver professato la religione cristiana utilizzando la loro influenza nobile, come avevano fatto in precedenza i loro genitori, Vitale e Beatrice, i quali furono anch’essi barbaramente martirizzati per aver professato il loro credo religioso; i tre fratelli, dopo aver subito parecchi processi per tutto il territorio centro-meridionale d'Italia, visto che nessuno voleva condannarli con una sentenza definitiva in quanto appartenenti ad una delle famiglie più importanti dell’impero, furono portati a Taormina da Tertullo, giovane patrizio romano e Preside dell'isola, il quale non riuscendo a scostarli dal loro credo li inviò a Lentini; durante il tragitto, il gruppo si fermò in due luoghi, qui in seguito nacquero i paesi di Sant'Alfio e Trecastagni, poi giunsero a Catania e qui furono rinchiusi in carcere, infine furono condotti a Lentini, dove trovarono la morte mediante atroci supplizi. Prima di subire il martirio, essi furono intercessori di opere miracolose, Tecla e Giustina erano due giovani contesse, tra loro cugine, Tecla da più di sei anni soffriva di una grave forma di paralisi alle gambe, mentre Giustina era cieca in un occhio, esse venendo a conoscenza di guarigioni miracolose avvenute per loro intercessione durante il loro tragitto forzato da Roma a Lentini, si rivolsero a loro, ricevendo la guarigione. Il giorno del loro supplizio furono ammanettati e frustati per le vie della città, esposti nudi e scalzi allo scherno del popolo: ad Alfio venne strappata la lingua (divenne così il Santo protettore dei Muti), Filadelfo fu bruciato su di una graticola, Cirino fu gettato in una caldaia di pece bollente. I paesi di Sant’Alfio e di Trecastagni, alle pendici dell’Etna, e di Lentini, ricordano i tre Santi Fratelli con delle feste tradizionali molto sentite e partecipate. Il racconto fotografico che qui presento, è stato realizzato quest’anno 2022, in occasione della festa che si tiene il 10 maggio nel paese etneo di Trecastagni (il nome Trecastagni sembra derivare dal latino “tres casti agni” cioè “tre casti agnelli”, ma non tutti sono d’accordo su questa etimologia; la festa si celebra il 10 maggio, in quanto in tale giorno del 253 avvenne il loro martirio, Alfio aveva ventidue anni e sette mesi, Filadelfo ventuno, Cirino diciannove e otto mesi). La festa e la processione che si celebrano a Trecastagni hanno molto in comune con quella celebrata, sempre in onore dei Tre Santi Fratelli, nel paese di Sant’Alfio (vedi il mio precedente racconto fotografico), anche se a Trecastagni si assiste a qualcosa di più grande e variegato; nel pomeriggio inoltrato del 9 maggio inizia una gara di giochi pirotecnici, che farà da fragoroso sottofondo fino a notte inoltrata, nella notte tra il 9 ed il 10 arrivano i cosiddetti “nudi”, che poi nudi non sono, essi arrivano, per devozione, dalle più svariate ed anche lontane località, sono vestiti con pantaloncini ed una fascia sul petto rossi, a volte sono a petto nudo, altre, con una magliettina bianca, sono scalzi, a volte indossano calze di lana, portano in spalla un grosso cero acceso, arrivati dentro al Santuario, davanti alla cella dove ancora sono racchiusi i Tre Fratelli, i devoti stanchi per il lungo viaggio, recuperano le loro forze, lasciandosi andare ad un emozionante invocazione “a tu per tu”, nominando solo il nome di Alfio (come rappresentante di tutti e tre i fratelli); la mattina del 10 è giorno di gran festa, si vedono venditori di aglio fresco e profumatissimo lungo le strade, ci sono bancarelle che vendono prodotti di ogni genere, da quelli alimentari, ad oggetti svariati, come cappelli, scarpe o vestiti, caratteristici i tamburelli siciliani con sopra stampate immagini sacre; arrivano i carretti in sfilata, quelli “Siciliani” dipinti con scene di battaglie tra i prodi Paladini contro i feroci Saraceni, ma ci sono anche i carretti che una volta servivano per il trasporto di persone e/o cose; una visita dentro il Santuario rivelerà la presenza di oggetti posseduti da persone “miracolate” e lasciate in dono come testimonianza (busti, corpetti correttivi, bastoni, stampelle, lettere di ringraziamento), ci sono “ex voto” in cera, con arti miracolati e guariti, come braccia, teste, gambe, ci sono “ex voto” in argento, anch’essi riproducenti gli organi miracolati, ci sono "ex voto" in forma di dipinti ad olio, su tavole in legno o metalliche, con sopra i nomi dei “miracolati” e le scene che descrivono quanto accaduto (da quelle più antiche, ove spesso sono dipinte le cadute da cavallo od i carretti ribaltatisi, per poi lasciare posto a tragedie più recenti, con gli incidenti causati dai mezzi a motore; episodi di guerra; interventi chirurgici). Prima delle ore 13,00 avviene la cosiddetta “svelata”, la cella del Santuario, nella quale i Tre Santi Fratelli sono stati rinchiusi per quasi un anno, vengono esposti con grande commozione dei presenti; si prepara con grande perizia “il binario” sul quale le statue verranno fatte scendere, per prendere così posto sulla vara (il fercolo). Alle 13,00 in punto la vara esce dal Santuario, in mezzo all’ovazione di tutti i fedeli giunti numerosissimi da tantissimi centri, vicini e lontani, inizia così il rito emozionante e commovente (qualche bambino piange, spaventato) della presentazione dei bimbi messi al cospetto dei Tre Santi Fratelli, alcuni in tenerissima età, presi dalle mani espertissime dei devoti presenti sulla vara, si invoca in tal modo la loro benevolenza e protezione. La vara successivamente si sposta verso la periferia del paese, con gran fatica da parte dei tiratori, che utilizzano due grossi canapi per tirarla, essi devono vincere una ripida salita, la vara alle ore 15,00 entra così nella Chiesa Madre, alle ore 18,00 la vara fuoriesce, per percorre un altro itinerario ben stabilito. Con l’ottava della festa, il 17 maggio, i festeggiamenti terminano, i Santi rimarranno svelati fino alla prima domenica di giugno, dopo verranno rinchiusi nuovamente nella loro cella, fino all’anno successivo.
Maid of Ace: Anna Coral Elliott (guitar), Alison Cara Elliott (vocals, guitar), Dora Sandoval (bass), and Abby Charlotte Elliot (drums). The all sisters Punk band from Hastings, England playing live at the Punk & Disorderly festival in the Astra, Berlin, 22.04.18, Sänger, Sängerin, Gitarist, Gitraristin, Schlagzeuger, Schlagzeugerin, Bassist, bassistin, bass player, singer, guitar player
photos of this series goo.gl/fQj9wO
OLDENBURG - Grundschule / primary school (Eßkamp) / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/ngAi7d
OLDENBURG - Youth Club Ofenerdiek / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/g8r9of
OLDENBURG - Rudolf-Diesel Straße / Burmesterstraße / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/ZsI9AI
OLDENBURG - Warehouse Logemann / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/b0Y4sS
OLDENBURG - Sportshall TuS Bloherfelde / Graffiti, Street Art: tinyurl.com/ycftt9gl
OLDENBURG - an verschiedenen Plätzen / at different locations / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/7e1fkZ
OLDENBURG - Metal Wall - Stedinger Str., Drielaker 'Str. / Graffiti, Street Art: tinyurl.com/y7w3kfh5
OLDENBURG - Bridge Gallery / bridges near the city center - Brücken in Innenstadtnähe / Graffiti, Street Art: t1p.de/3ngz
OLDENBURG - UTKIEK : the old landfill / alte Mülldeponie / Graffiti, Street Art: goo.gl/qcHfkz
` OLDENBURG ´ - is an independent city in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany.
Population 165.000 ( Dec. 31. 2015 ) ( Metropolitan Region `Bremen / Oldenburg´ 2.4 million people )
The slightly morbid charm of an old hall in Oldenburg !
The softness of the yellow Lilly looks so wonderful "Against The Black of The Water"
The spectrum of colors in the pond was something to behold. The camera was busy capturing a piece of time I can visit on Wintery days to remind me of the warmth of summers past.
Dark Side Of The City ~ Paris ~ MjYj
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Carrying an unusual variation of the Intercity livery without any branding and very small numbers, 47470 stands alongside Bath Road's running shed on 28th June 1991.
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