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University of Saskatchewan Huskies wide receiver Mitch Stevens #9 celebrates a touchdown during the first half as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies take on the University of Regina Rams in a on August 30th, 2013 at Potash Corp Park in Saskatoon, SK.
Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
273rd day of 2012. Sarah went out shopping with some work friends today. I stayed at home and tried to get my last essay done. In the end I got very little done and by late afternoon I was feeling rather dizzy with a bit of stomach pain.
So a quick shot of the full moon will have to do for today. We will see what tomorrow brings. I really need to get on with my essay as early as possible as it is my brothers 21st and we are going round my Mum's for dinner.
The light was so amazing on this day, and this fair was about the cutest thing ever. Once the official adult teams had finished having a go at tug-of-war, all the kids spontaneously jumped in the middle, picked up the rope and gave it a go themselves.
SEE MONSTER is a retired rig from the North Sea, transformed into one of the UK’s largest public art installations to inspire global conversations about reuse, renewables and the great British weather.
Voyaging from the far reaches of the North Sea, SEE MONSTER has endured blustery winds and roaring waves as it encircled the UK coast in search of a new home. After a lifetime weathering the stormy seas, the retired rig has been reborn at shore in the former 1930s lido, the Tropicana. Audiences from far and wide flocked to the beach to welcome SEE MONSTER, the wild beast that has never been seen before…
By the Autumn of 2022, having been transformed along its journey, the weather-beaten monster came alive in Weston-super-Mare, as a colossal manifestation of all it has witnessed along its journey around the turbulent coast. The reawakened entity is a joyous celebration of the great British weather and British eccentricity, presenting a new vision for what the monster could become. As a pioneer towards a greener future, SEE MONSTER explores the concept of inherited structures, be those physical, social, or environmental. What do we do with the structures we inherit? And what actions can they inspire?
guests will pass behind the thrashing cascade of a 10-metre waterfall, and under the shimmering scales into the cavernous underbelly of the beast…
With the opportunity to travel up and inside, you will pass behind the thrashing cascade of a 10-metre waterfall, and under the shimmering scales into the cavernous underbelly of the beast… Within the wild garden you will find hidden routes to explore the rehabilitated Monster, where embedded throughout will be new approaches to a more sustainable and greener future. You may find yourself engulfed within a playful collection of clouds. Whatever the weather, SEE MONSTER will encourage interaction and playfulness at the heart of Britain’s cultural cornerstone: creating the sense of children gleefully jumping in puddles, whilst adults grumble at drizzly grey skies and strangers bond over something mutually shared.
As a creation of new from old, the regeneration of the rig, transformed from its former life, will champion the role of reuse and creativity within our future.
SEE MONSTER is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. A once-in-a-lifetime celebration of creativity, taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and online from March to November 2022.
Scythes of the Emperor sergeants. I recently finished painting the infanry componant of a Scythes of the Emperor Battle Company (I'll upload some pics when I've done the last 4 Rhinos). I started the force 13 years ago! I had enough spare parts to make a couple of sergeants, so here they are. I got the yellow by painting three coats of white before painting the yellow, giving it an orange wash then neatening up the black before a very light dry-brush of white.
Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs University of Texas Longhorns Football Game, Saturday, October 27, 2018, Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK. Melissa Morales/OSU Athletics
Kartikeya (/ˌkɑrtɪˈkeɪjə/), also known as Skanda, Murugan and Subramaniyan, is the Hindu god of war. He is the commander-in-chief of the army of the devas (gods) and the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Murugan is often referred to as "Tamil Kadavul" (meaning "God of Tamils") and is worshiped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the Arupadaiveedu temples, located in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, Hindus as well as Buddhists revere the sacred historical Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna and Katirkāmam Temple situated deep south.[1] Hindus in Malaysia also pray to Lord Murugan at the Batu Caves and various temples where Thaipusam is celebrated with grandeur.
In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Kartikeya is known as Subrahmanya with a temple at Kukke Subramanya known for Sarpa shanti rites dedicated to Him and another famous temple at Ghati Subramanya also in Karnataka. In Bengal and Odisha, he is popularly known as Kartikeya (meaning 'son of Krittika').
Other names[edit]
Like most Hindu deities, Subrahmanya is known by many other names, including Senthil, Vēlaṇ, Kumāran (meaning 'prince or child or young one'), Swaminatha (meaning 'smart' or 'clever'), Saravaṇa, Arumugam or Shanmuga (meaning 'one with six faces'), Dandapani (meaning God with a Club), Guhan or Guruguha (meaning 'cave-dweller'), Subrahmanya, Kartikeya and Skanda (meaning 'that which is spilled or oozed).[3][4] He was also known as Mahasena and the Kadamba Dynasty kings worshiped him by this name.[5]
Vedas[edit]
The Atharva Veda describes Kumaran as 'Agnibhuh' because he is form of 'Agni' (Fire God) & Agni hold in his hand when kumaran born. The Satapatha Brahmana refers to him as the son of Rudra and the six faces of Rudra. The Taittiriya Aranyaka contains the Gayatri mantra for Shanmukha. The Chandogya Upanishad refers to Skanda as the "way that leads to wisdom". The Baudhayana Dharmasutra mentions Skanda as 'Mahasena' and 'Subrahmanya.' The Aranya Parva canto of the Mahabharata relates the legend of Kartikeya Skanda in considerable detail. The Skanda Purana is devoted to the narrative of Kartikeya.[6] The Upanishads also constantly make a reference to a Supreme Being called Guha, the indweller.
The first elaborate account of Kartikeya's origin occurs in the Mahabharata. In a complicated story, he is said to have been born from Agni and Svaha, after the latter impersonated the six of the seven wives of the Saptarishi (Seven Sages). The actual wives then become the Pleiades. Kartikeya is said to have been born to destroy the Asura Mahisha.[7] (In later mythology, Mahisha became the adversary of Durga.) Indra attacks Kartikeya as he sees the latter as a threat, until Shiva intervenes and makes Kartikeya the commander-in-chief of the army of the Devas. He is also married to Devasena, Indra's daughter. The origin of this marriage lies probably in the punning of 'Deva-sena-pati'. It can mean either lord of Devasena or Lord of the army (sena) of Devas. But according to Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, in his master work on Shiva[8] and other works, Kartikeya was married to Devasenā and that is on the ground of his name as Devasena's husband, Devasenāpati, misinterpreted as Deva-senāpati (Deva's general) that he was granted the title general and made the Deva's army general.[9]
Tolkappiyam, possibly the most ancient of the Tamil literature mentions him as "Seyon", the three other gods referred in Tolkappiyam are "Maayon", "Indhiran" and "Kotravai(see:Durga). Extant Sangam works, dated between the 3rd century BCE and 5th century CE glorified Murugan, "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent," as "the favoured god of the Tamils."[10] The Sangam poetry divided space and Tamil land into five allegorical areas (tinai) and according to the Tirumurugarruppatai ( c. 400–450 AD) attributed to the great Sangam poet Nakkiirar, Murugan was the presiding deity the Kurinci region (hilly area). (Tirumurugaruppatai is a deeply devotional poem included in the ten idylls (Pattupattu) of the age of the third Sangam). The other Sangam era works in Tamil that refer to Murugan in detail include the Paripaatal, the Akananuru and the Purananuru. One poem in the Paripaatal describes the veneration of Murugan thus:
"We implore thee not for boons of enjoyment or wealth,
But for thy grace beatific, love and virtuous deeds."
According to the Tamil devotional work, Thiruppugazh, "Murugan never hesitates to come to the aid of a devotee when called upon in piety or distress". In another work, Thirumurukkarrupatai, he is described as a god of eternal youth;
His face shines a myriad rays light and removes the darkness from this world.[11]
The references to Murugan can be traced back to the first millennium BCE. There are references to Murugan in Kautilya's Arthashastra, in the works of Patanjali, in Kalidasa's epic poem the Kumarasambhavam. The Kushanas, who governed from what is today Peshawar, and the Yaudheyas, a republican clan in the Punjab, struck coins bearing the image of Skanda. The deity was venerated also by the Ikshvakus, an Andhra dynasty, and the Guptas.[6] The worship of Kumāra was one of the six principal sects of Hinduism at the time of Adi Shankara. The Shanmata system propagated by him included this sect. In many Shiva and Devi temples of Tamil Nadu, Murugan is installed on the left of the main deity. The story of His birth goesas follows:
Sati immolated herself in a pyre as her father King Daksha had insulted Shiva, her Lord. She was reborn as Parvathi or Uma, daughter of the King of Himalayas, Himavan. She then married her Lord Shiva. The Devas were under onslaught from the Asuras whose leader was Soorapadman. He had been granted boons that only Lord Shiva or his seed could kill him. Fearless he vanquished the Devas and made them his slaves. The Devas ran to Vishnu for help who told them that it was merely their fault for attending Daksha's yagna, without the presence of Lord Shiva. After this, they ran to Shiva for help. Shiva decided to take action against Soorapadman's increasing conceit. He frowned and his third eye- the eye of knowledge- started releasing sparks. These were six sparks in total. Agni had the responsibility to take them to Saravana Lake. As he was carrying them, the sparks were growing hotter and hotter that even the Lord of Fire could not withstand the heat. Soon after Murugan was born on a lotus in the Saravana Lake with six faces, giving him the name Arumukan. Lord Shiva and Parvati visited and tears of joy started flowing as they witnessed the most handsome child. Shiva and Parvathi gave the responsibility of taking care of Muruga to the six Krittika sisters. Muruga grew up to be a handsome, intelligent, powerful, clever youth. All the Devas applauded at their saviour, who had finally come to release them from their woes. Murugan became the supreme general of the demi-gods, then escorted the devas and led the army of the devas to victory against the asuras.
Though slightly varying versions occur in the Puranas, they broadly follow the same pattern. By this period, the identification of Shiva/Rudra with Agni, that can be traced back to the Vedas and Brahmanas, had clearly made Kartikeya the son of Shiva.[citation needed]
The Skanda Purana narrates that Shiva first wed Dakshayani (also named Sati), the first incarnation of Adi Shakthi the granddaughter of Brahma, and the daughter of Daksha. Daksha was a Vishnu devotee and never liked Shiva, who symbolized destruction of evil, detachment, and who lives a simple life . Daksha publicly insults Shiva in a Yagna ceremony, and Dakshayani immolates herself. The Yagna is destroyed by Shiva's avatar Virabhadra. Virabhadra broke the sacrificial vessels, polluted the offerings, insulted the priests and finally cut off Daksha's head, trampled on Indra, broke the staff of Yama, scattered the gods on every side; then he returned to Kailash.[12] Taraka believed that, because Shiva is an ascetic and his earlier marriage was conducted with great difficulty, his remarriage was out of the question, hence his boon of being killed by Shiva's son alone would give him invincibility.
The Devas manage to get Shiva married to Parvati (who was Dakshayani, reborn), by making Manmatha (also known as Kama), the God of love awaken him from his penance, but Manmatha incurred the Lord's wrath indicated by the opening his third eye – "Netri Kann", and being destroyed and resurrected. Shiva hands over his effulgence of the third eye used to destroy Manmatha to Agni, as he alone is capable of handling it until it becomes the desired offspring. But even Agni, tortured by its heat, hands it over to Ganga who in turn deposits it in a lake in a forest of reeds (sharavanam). Then Goddess Parvati, took the form of this water body as she alone is capable of taming the Tejas of Shiva, her consort. . The child is finally born in this forest (vana) with six faces: eesanam, sathpurusham, vamadevam, agoram, sathyojatham and adhomugam. He is first spotted and cared for by six women representing the Pleiades — Kritika in Sanskrit. He thus gets named Kartikeya. As a young lad, he destroys Tarakasur. He is also called Kumara (Tamil and Sanskrit for "youth")
Historically, God Kartikeya was immensely popular in the Indian subcontinent. One of the major Puranas, the Skanda Purana is dedicated to him. In the Bhagavad-Gita (Ch.10, Verse 24), Krishna, while explaining his omnipresence, names the most perfect being, mortal or divine, in each of several categories. While doing so, he says: "Among generals, I am Skanda, the lord of war."
Kartikeya's presence in the religious and cultural sphere can be seen at least from the Gupta age. Two of the Gupta kings, Kumaragupta and Skandagupta, were named after him. He is seen in the Gupta sculptures and in the temples of Ellora and Elephanta. As the commander of the divine armies, he became the patron of the ruling classes. His youth, beauty and bravery was much celebrated in Sanskrit works like the Kathasaritsagara. Kalidasa made the birth of Kumara the subject of a lyrical epic, the Kumaarasambhavam. In ancient India, Kartikeya was also regarded as the patron deity of thieves, as may be inferred from the Mrichchakatikam, a Sanskrit play by Shudraka, and in the Vetala-panchvimshati, a medieval collection of tales. This association is linked to the fact that Kartikeya had dug through the Krauncha mountain to kill Taraka and his brothers (in the Mrichchakatikam, Sarivilaka prays to him before tunnelling into the hero's house).
However, Kartikeya's popularity in North India receded from the Middle Ages onwards, and his worship is today virtually unknown except in parts of Haryana. There is a very famous temple dedicated to Him in the town of Pehowa in Haryana and this temple is very well known in the adjoining areas, especially because women are not allowed anywhere close to it. Women stay away from this temple in Pehowa town of Haryana because this shrine celebrates the Brahmachari form of Kartikeya. Reminders of former devotions to him include a temple at Achaleshwar, near Batala in Punjab, and another temple of Skanda atop the Parvati hill in Pune, Maharashtra. Another vestige of his former popularity can be seen in Bengal and Odisha, where he is worshipped during the Durga Puja festivities alongside Durga. Lord Subramanya is the major deity among the Hindus of northern Kerala. Lord Subramanya is worshipped with utmost devotion in districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the state of Karnataka. Rituals like nagaradhane are unique to this region.Temples[edit]
The main temples of Murugan are located in Tamil Nadu and other parts of south India. They include the Aru Padaiveedu (six abodes) — Thiruchendur, Swamimalai, Pazhamudircholai, Thirupparangunram, Palani (Pazhani), Thiruthani and other important shrines like Mayilam, Sikkal, Marudamalai, Kundrathur, Vadapalani, Kandakottam, Thiruporur, Vallakottai, Vayalur, Thirumalaikoil, Pachaimalai and Pavalamalai near Gobichettipalayam. Malai Mandir, a prominent and popular temple complex in Delhi, is one of the few dedicated to Murugan in all of North India apart from the Pehowa temple in Haryana.There are many temples dedicated to Lord Subramanya in Kerala. Amongst them are Atiyambur Sri Subramanya Temple in Kanhangad Kasaragod, Payyannur Subramanya Swamy temple in Payyanur, Panmana Subramanya Swamy temple in Panmana and the Subramanya temple in Haripad. There is a temple in Skandagiri, Secunderabad and one in Bikkavolu, East Godavari district in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka there is the Kukke Subramanya Temple where Lord Murugan is worshiped as the Lord of the serpents. Aaslesha Bali, Sarpa Samskara with nagapathista samarpa are major prayers here. There is a temple called Malai Mandir in South Delhi. Malai means hill in Tamil. Mandir means temple in Hindi.
The key temples in Sri Lanka include the sylvan shrine in Kataragama / (Kadirgamam) or Kathirkamam in the deep south, the temple in Tirukovil in the east, the shrine in Embekke in the Kandyan region and the famed Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna. There are several temples dedicated to Lord Murugan in Malaysia, the most famous being the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur. There is a 42.7-m-high statue of Lord Murugan at the entrance to the Batu Caves, which is the largest Lord Murugan statue in the world. Sri Thandayuthapani Temple in Tank Road, Singapore is a major Hindu temple where each year the Thaipusam festival takes place with devotees of Lord Muruga carrying Kavadis seeking penance and blessings of the Lord.
In the United Kingdom, Highgate Hill Murugan temple is one of the oldest and most famous. In London, Sri Murugan Temple in Manor park is a well-known temple. In Midlands, Leicester Shri Siva Murugan Temple[20] is gaining popularity recently. Skanda Vale[21] in West Wales was founded by Guruji, a Tamil devotee of Subramaniam, and its primary deity is Lord Murugan. In Australia, Sydney Murugan temple in Parramatta (Mays Hill), Perth Bala Muruguan temple in Mandogalup and Kundrathu Kumaran temple in Rockbank, Melbourne are major Hindu temples for all Australian Hindus and Murugan devotees. In New Zealand, there is a Thirumurugan Temple in Auckland and a Kurinji Kumaran Temple in Wellington, both dedicated to Lord Murugan. In the USA, Shiva Murugan Temple[22] in Concord, Northern California and Murugan Temple of North America[23] in Maryland, Washington DC region are popular. In Toronto, Canada, Canada Kanthasamy Temple is known amongst many Hindus in Canada. In Dollard-des-Ormeaux, a suburb of the city of Montreal in Canada, there is a monumental temple of Murugan. The Sri Sivasubramaniar Temple, located in the Sihl Valley in Adliswil, is the most famous and largest Hindu temple in Switzerland.[24]
Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns, Christ plant, Christ thorn) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaciae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. It is suspected that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Christ. It is also found in Kerala, India. There is a tale stating that there were Jews living in Kerala and they brought the Christ thorn plant from Israel to India.
Source: Wikipedia
Hundreds of guests and local officials turned out for the official announcement of the 2020 Frida Kahlo Exhibition coming to the Cleve Carney Gallery at the College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center. The 26-piece collection, on loan from the Museo Dolores Olmedo, is the largest private collection of Kahlo’s works.
The events of the second day of the 140th Annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, being held at Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, May/June 2014.
General Assembly 2014 is the 140th national meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Canada. Commissioners from across the nation arrived to perform the work of the church government.
The Presbyterian Record is the national magazine of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Since 2000, it has been published by the Presbyterian Record Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that is financially and editorially independent of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
For more information on the Presbyterian Record, including subscriptions, please check out our website at: www.presbyterianrecord.ca
The large mannerist fresco of the Martyrdom of St Lawrence (1565-8) is by Bronzino. It shows a lot of flesh but remarkably no exposed genitals. According to legend, St Lawrence, who was one of the deacons of Rome, was roasted alive on a gridiron in AD258.
For more information on the San Lorenzo complex in Florence see Church of San Francesco (including basilica, old sacristy, and crypt), the Medici Chapels (including the Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy) and the Laurentian Medici Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana designed by Michelangelo).
A full-frame vertical shot of a richly decorated Baroque altar or shrine within the Wallfahrtsbasilika St. Georg in Walldürn, Germany. The altar is constructed with dark and reddish-brown marble, adorned with elaborate gold leaf ornamentation. It features four prominent fluted columns supporting a curved, ornate canopy with a sunburst motif at its apex. Three white statues of religious figures, likely saints, stand on the altar base. The central figure holds a staff and a book, while the figures on either side also hold religious symbols. In front of the statues, there are small potted green plants and two white candles in gold candelabra. A small framed icon of the Madonna and Child is visible below the sunburst. The background shows the church's interior walls with subtle decorative patterns and a window on the right allowing natural light. In the foreground, a polished wooden floor with a herringbone pattern is visible, with a single potted plant on it.
Opening day of the Port Townsend WA boating season was celebrated Saturday, May 3rd, 2014. The opening day parade was hosted by the Point Wilson Sail and Power Squadron. pointwilson.org/
Here, the 101-year old historic schooner ADVENTURESS sails past the crowd watching from the piers on Port Townsend Bay as the parade begins. soundexp.org/
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is proud of our long and supportive relationship with Sound Experience and the Schooner ADVENTURESS. Over the years, students at the School have built the Schooner's sails, her interior bunks, her deckhouse as well as crewing on the schooner.
The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is located in Port Hadlock WA and is an accredited, non-profit vocational school. You can find us on the web at www.nwboatschool.org .
Our mission is to teach and preserve the fine art of traditional and contemporary wooden boatbuilding and maritime crafts.
We build both commissioned and speculative boats to US Coast Guard standards while teaching adult students the traditional wood and wood composite boatbuilding skills they will need to work in the marine trades.
We sell our boats to help support the School. Please feel free to give us a call should you like to discuss our building a boat for you.
You can reach us via e-mail at info@nwboatschool.org or by calling us at 360-385-4948.
The Sixty-Second Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of WIPO Member States took place from October 4-8, 2021, in hybrid form – with delegates and observers attending physically in Geneva, Switzerland, and via remote participation from around the world.
Copyright: WIPO. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License.
Self-guided tour of the special exhibit, "Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island, Lunch at the Stars Café & Caravaggio exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum.
Obverse: Bust of Philip I right, laureate, draped, and cuirassed IMPMIVLPHILIPPVSAVG R/ Aequitas, standing left, holds cornucopia and scales. AEQVITASAVGG in field: S C
Credit Line
Anonymous gift in memory of Zoë Wilbour (1864–1885)
Roman, Imperial Period, A.D. 244–249
Mint
Rome
Dimensions
Diameter: 31 mm. Weight: 20.38 gm.
Accession Number
35.254
Medium or Technique
Bronze
Pillar of Shame in Hong Kong
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_of_Shame
The Pillar of Shame (Chinese: 國殤之柱; Jyutping: gwok3 soeng1 zi1 cyu5; pinyin: Guóshāng zhī Zhù; lit. 'martyrs' pillar') in Hong Kong was a copper sculpture, first erected in Victoria Park in 1997 to mark the eighth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The statue depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies to symbolize those who died in the government crackdown. On the base of the statue, the history and pictures of the massacre are carved in and engraved into the base, in both English and Chinese, are the words "The Tiananmen Massacre", "June 4th 1989" and "The old cannot kill the young forever."
The Pillar was first exhibited at the Candlelight Vigil in commemoration of the eighth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests on 3 June 1997. Following the vigil on the night of 4 June 1997, local university students fought for a place to permanently home the statue. After scuffles with the police and controversy with the university leadership, at 3 a.m. students succeeded in moving the 2-tonne statue onto the podium of the Haking Wong Building at the University of Hong Kong, however the pieces were not assembled due to concerns that the floor was not strong enough. The Pillar was re-erected at the same place on 16 June 1997.
During the following months, the Pillar was exhibited at the following universities:
•Chinese University of Hong Kong from 28 September 1997
•Lingnan College from 2 November 1997
•Hong Kong Baptist University from 29 November 1997
•Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 23 January 1998
•Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 1 March 1998
•City University of Hong Kong from 29 March 1998.
On 31 May 1998, the ninth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, the sculpture was returned to Victoria Park where a candlelit vigil was held. On the morning before the vigil, a self-professed artist splashed two buckets of red paint onto the Pillar, claiming that "the blood of people is also my blood."
On 24 and 25 September 1998, The Hong Kong University Students' Union (HKUSU) held a general polling on a motion to home the Pillar of Shame at the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis. The students' motion was carried, when 1,629 out of 2,190 voted to support, and the Pillar was moved onto the Haking Wong Podium again on 3 December 1998. It was again exhibited at the 10th anniversary candlelit vigil of the Massacre in 1999 at Victoria Park. Without the university authorities' endorsement, the Pillar was moved back to the Haking Wong podium after the anniversary,[6][7] where it has remained on display; a silent tribute is held by HKUSU and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China in May every year.
On 30 April 2008, the Pillar of Shame was painted orange as part of the project The Color Orange, to raise awareness about human rights in China. As the sculptor Galschiøt was denied access to Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China painted the Pillar without his participation.
Dispute over potential removal in October 2021
In October 2021 the University of Hong Kong, represented by law firm Mayer Brown, formally requested that the statue be removed, although they did not cite any specific reason for the request. The university released a statement claiming that the statue belonged to "an external organization" which had publicly announced its disbandment – referring to the Hong Kong Alliance – and that it had written to the Alliance based on the "latest risk assessment and legal advice" to request the removal. Galschiøt said that he was "shocked" when hearing the news about the potential removal and that he, who considered himself as remaining the owner of the statue, had never been contacted by the university in the matter. He urged HKU to allow the statue to remain, saying that it would help the world to remember the peaceful demonstrators who "were killed for expressing their wishes for political participation". He said that he hoped to "be able to transport the sculpture out of Hong Kong under orderly conditions", and that any damage to the statue would be the university's responsibility. On 15 October, Mayer Brown announced that it would no longer be representing the university in the matter of the statue, while retaining it as a client. The move came days after intense pressure, including by an open letter penned by 28 civil society groups, as well as by overseas intellectuals.
Demolition of the statue in December 2021
According to media accounts in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong blockaded the Pillar of Shame and the surrounding area on 22 December 2021. Near midnight, the university sent security guards and workers to the site, prepared trucks with cranes for its demolition, and the security guards blocked journalists from approaching and attempted to stop media outlets filming. By daylight on 23 December 2021, the statue had disappeared. The university stated that the statue would be put into storage, reportedly in Kadoorie Centre. Galschiøt expressed his shock in a public message the same day, referring to Hong Kong as a lawless place and announcing that he would claim compensation if it wasn't returned to him. By 24 December 2021, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Lingnan University had followed suit regarding the 4th June memorials on their campus.
Following the removal, Galschiøt received over 40 inquiries about making copies of the statue. He decided to relinquish his right to commercial exclusivity, so that anyone can make a copy, provided that all profits are given to the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement. In May 2022, a replica was installed at the University of Oslo, scheduled to be on display about a month.
The Outer Border is and explanation
of Dimensionality from the ground up:
this is a consistent and evolving theme in Laffoley's works,
with
left column explaining potentials of TIME
and right column explaining the dimensions of SPACE
In the Upper Middle Section:
we have the
Keeper of the Gateway Between Universes and Polarities
and an explanation of the Conscious Dynamics
Inside the Event-Horizon
-also laid-out in a left/right Space/Time polarity chart
with the everpresent AXIS MUNDI or ORIGIN LINE
in the CENTER as ZERO-POINT
of Ineffable & TOTAL TRANSCENDENCE
Below this:
we have the BLACK HOLE ACCRETION DISK
where space & time are both stretched and compacted
into the SINGULARITY POINT
The Row Across the Bottom
Explains the Positive Light-Cone of the Expanding Universe
and the Negative Dark-Torus of the Unifying Inner-verse
In Homage to:
H.G.Wells, Oswald Spengler, Heisenberg, Heigel, P.C.W. Davies, Claude Bragdon, Teilhard De Chardin, Giusto Di Manabuoi
Web Sites for more info:
The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville", (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈkaθar])) is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula.[1] The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.[2]
Savannah and the War of Independence (1776-83.)
During the War of Independence Savannah was divided between Loyalists (to England) and the Patriots or Revolutionaries. But many Georgians were more worried about Indian attacks than the trade wars and other matters of difference with the British whom they thought would defend them. They also worried about possible attacks from the Spanish in neighbouring Florida. Georgia had in fact first been settled to provide a buffer for Sth Carolina from possible Spanish attacks! Savannah was soon embroiled in the War of Independence. In March 1776 the British attacked Savannah in the so called Battle of the Rice Boats when dozens of small rice boats were confiscated and their cargoes taken for supplies for British troops near Boston. Once the British had their prize they sailed off and left the port of Savannah alone. On December 28th 1778 the British attacked Savannah again and took control of the city. In September 1779 a fleet of 25 French ships working in conjunction with General George Washington arrived on the Savannah coast to re-take the city for the Americans. In October the pro American troops fought the British but lost. Casualties for the “Americans” were high and included Count Casimir Pulaski who died leading his troops for the Americans. In the closing days of the War of Independence the British evacuated Savannah voluntarily in July 1782 and the Americans returned. Loyalists fled to Florida or the British West Indian islands.
I Dream Of Jeannie set. They had a few singles, Alice from Brady Bunch was a memorable one. I passed on them and now regret not picking it up. They weren’t even on shelves when I went to Target yesterday.
With gloom and doom still churning away out there, thought some golden lips with stars might dispel that. Lips featured on Makeupbee.com and Sugarpill FB page. Yay!
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This is my first portrait photography portfolio. It is a combination of portraits shot amongst plants.
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho, a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India
The name Khajuraho, ancient "Kharjuravahaka", is derived from the Sanskrit words kharjura = date palm and vahaka = "one who carries". Locals living in the Khajuraho village always knew about and kept up the temples as best as they could. They were pointed out to the English in the late 19th century when the jungles had taken a toll on the monuments.In the 19th century, British engineer T.S. Burt arrived in the area, followed by General Alexander Cunningham. Cunningham put Khajuraho on the world map when he explored the site on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India and described what he found in glowing terms. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India.[wiki]
A guided walking tour of Vieux Lyon. The tour would take around an hour.
The Vieux Lyon (English: Old Lyon) is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon in the 5th arrondissement of Lyon.
This zone is served by the metro line D
In 1954, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites. Covering an area of 424 hectares at the foot of the Fourvière hill, it is one of Europe’s most extensive Renaissance neighborhoods. There are three distinct sections: Saint Jean, Saint Paul and Saint Georges.
The Saint Jean quarter: in the Middle Ages, this was the focus of political and religious power. The Cathedral of St Jean, seat of the Primate of Gaul, a title still conferred upon the archbishop of Lyon, is a good example of Gothic architecture. The Manecanterie adjoining the cathedral is one of Lyon's few extant Romanesque buildings. Formerly a choir school, it now houses the museum of the cathedral’s treasures. Saint Jean is also home to the Museum of Miniatures and Film Sets, located in a building that was the Golden Cross Inn in the 15th century.
The Saint-Paul section: in the 15th and 16th centuries predominately Italian banker-merchants moved into sumptuous urban residences here called hôtels particuliers. The Hôtel Bullioud and the Hôtel de Gadagne are two magnificent examples and the latter now houses the Lyon Historical Museum and the International Puppet Museum. The Loge du Change stands as testimony to the period when trade fairs made the city wealthy. The Saint Paul church with its Romanesque lantern tower and its spectacular spire mark the section’s northern extremity.
The Saint Georges section: silk weavers settled here beginning in the 16th century before moving to the Croix Rousse hill in the 19th century. In 1844, the architect Pierre Bossan rebuilt the St George's Church on the banks of the Saônein a neo-Gothic style. In the Middle Ages, when there were only a few parallel streets between the hill and the Saône, the first traboules were built. Derived from the Latin trans-ambulare, meaning to pass through, traboules are corridors through buildings and their courtyards, connecting one street directly with another. Visitors can discover an architectural heritage of galleries and spiral staircases in these secret passageways, as unexpected as they are unique.
On Rue Saint-Jean.
cardboard cutout - Les plus beaux T-shirts de Lyon sont ici
The most beautiful T-shirts of Lyon are here
Unfortunately never went back past there to get one!
The south side of the 400 block of E. Monroe looking toward the west.
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For more photos of Springfield, check out my "Springfield, Illinois" (Collection):
Springfield, Illinois
Would you like to see more of Central Illinois beyond the Capital City? Here are my collections and sets relating to the middle section of the Land of Lincoln:
Central Illinois (excluding Springfield)
All Things Political
All About Abe (Lincoln)
And for locations beyond Central Illinois, look here:
Beyond Cenral Illinois
Lastly, here are a few more "topical" sets that may be of interest to you:
Vintage Cars & Trucks - Junkers to Classic Collectibles
Things that are Abandoned, Neglected, Weathered, or Rusty
Small Town Churches
Everything Wheaten (as in Wheaten Terriers)
Thank you for visiting my photostream - myoldpostcards
Legends tell, that in 490, 492 and 493 the archangel Michael appeared to a shepherd and a bishop in front of a grotto. Archangel Michael instructing them to convert that cave into a Christian church. This grotto became the site of many pilgrimages since the early Middle Ages. It is said, that this is the oldest shrine in Western Europe
When the Lombards successfully conquered southern Italy end of the 6th century, King Grimoald in 662 passed on the region to his son, Romuald I, who renovated the sanctuary and encouraged its use as a pilgrimage site. It got very popular for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and as well for pilgrims who had followed the Via Francigena to Rome and then continued to the grotto. Many Popes have been here, but as well Bridget of Sweden, Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Matilda of Tuscany, Otto III...
From the portico, steps lead down to the grotto. Since centuries pilgrims have used these steps. Even now with electric light, it looks very mystic. All the walls are covered with names, carved in by the many pilgrims.
The grotto is not the only cave here. More caves and stairs (below the grotto) can be reached via the museum. Here is a wide collection of carved graffiti.
A walk around the stunning French village of Roussillon in the Vaucluse.
This is the village of Roussillon in The Luberon. Famous for the yellow ochre stone that is here.
This was my favourite of all the villages I saw.
Roussillon is another village lying alongside the Luberon. Set on an ochre hill, the village has taken on the colours of the soil beneath it. The village top and its epaces and sites; footpaths lead to the various parts of the ancient sulphur and fiery-coloured deposits amidst the scented pine woods.
Situated at the foot of the plateau of Vaucluse, Roussillon is ranked among the most beautiful villages in France. Dominating the valley of Calavon, its houses are crowded together on a spur eroded by ravines and ochre quarries. From the summit to which the dwellings cling, the panorama extends from the mountain chain of Luberon in the south to the mountains of Vaucluse in the north. Between the horizon and the village, the nearby countryside with its coloured soil is covered with woods, vineyards, orchards and cornfields.
The deep ochres used in the construction of this hilltop community are stunning. No other village looks so warm and rich, so harmonious and inviting. It hues come from at least 17 shades of ochre discovered in and around the village, notably in he dramatic former quarries along the Sentier des Ochres. The quarries are to the east of the village.
Taken from DK Eyewitness Travel: Provence & The Cote D'Azur
Down this side is Place Camille Mathieu.
Camille Matthieu was mayor of Roussillon from 1892 to 1941.
They have "super loos" down here.
A door.
Image Taken at the University of Kansas Jayhawks vs Oklahoma State University Cowboys Football Game, Saturday, October 11, 2014, Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS
Trithemis aurora.
Was amazed to see such a colour. This guy just stayed on and gave me a lot of time to photograph him.
William Kentridge, The Refusal of Time, 2012. 5-channel video with sound, 30 min., with megaphones and breathing machine (‘elephant’). A collaboration with Philip Miller, Catherine Meyburgh, and Peter Galison. Collection of Ishikawa Collection (Okayama). Installation view, Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 Prelude [Exhibition] William Kentridge: The Refusal of Time, former Rissei Elementary School, Kyoto, Japan, 2014. Photo by Kunihiro Shikata, courtesy of Parasophia Office. © William Kentridge
ウィリアム・ケントリッジ《時間の抵抗》2012 5チャンネルビデオ、サウンド、メガフォン、呼吸する機械（木製の可動式装置）のインスタレーション（再生時間30分） コラボレーション：フィリップ・ミラー、キャサリン・マイバーグ、ピーター・ギャリソン 石川コレクション（岡山）蔵 「PARASOPHIA: 京都国際現代芸術祭2015 プレイベント［作品展示］ウィリアム・ケントリッジ《時間の抵抗》」（2014）元・立誠小学校（京都市中京区）展示風景 写真：四方邦熈 提供：京都国際現代芸術祭組織委員会事務局（PARASOPHIA事務局） © William Kentridge
Cropredy has ancient origins, a chapel in the church is dedicated to St Fremund, an anglo-saxon saint thought to be the son of King Offa. It's name combines the Old English croppe or hill and ridig, a small stream. The village is only a few miles from Banbury, in hilly country along the banks of the River Cherwell. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries Cropredy belonged the Bishop of Lincoln. More recently Brasenose College, Oxford, has become a significant landlord giving it's name to the local pub.
Dramatic changes to centuries of agrarian life were heralded by the excavation of the Oxford canal which runs alongside the Cherwell south-east of the church. This busy waterway was superseded by the Great Western railway, the village even had it's own station until 1956.
Unusually Cropredy retains the ringing of the curfew bell, in Medieval times this was a signal to return home and 'cover their fires'. Roger Lupton local priest between 1487 and 1528 was so lost in dense fog that he could only find his way from nearby Chacombe by the ringing of Cropredy's bells. He founded a fund in gratitude which paid for the daily winding of the clock and tolling the bell morning, noon and night. The bell is still rung Tuesday and Thursday nights for five minutes after eight O'clock.
The village is best known for the Civil War 'Battle of Cropredy Bridge'. A rare Royalist victory at a time when the Parliamentary forces were in the ascendancy. In June 1644 the King slipped out of Oxford to avoid two Roundhead armies which were rapidly approaching. At this point the Earl of Essex chose to lead his army south and relieve the siege of Lyme Regis leaving Sir William Waller to pursue the King with half of the men. Waller shadowed the Royal army to Worcester only for the King to double back towards Banbury where the Parliamentary commander saw an opportunity to split the Royal forces which were strung out along the Daventry road. Waller's artillery crossed Cropredy bridge but were too far ahead of the infantry and were overrun. Fierce fighting followed but neither side achieved a significant advantage and a chance of capturing the King was lost. As children we were told stories of a phantom drummer boy.
Cropredy's most prominent claim to fame is their music festival founded when Fairport Convention played the village fete in 1976. Cropredy Music Festival grew from these modest beginnings and now attracts over 20,000 music fans every year.
St. Mary the Virgin is an impressive building constructed from the local rust-coloured ironstone. While part of the wall of the south aisle has been dated to c1050 the present church begins in the 13th century with significant 14th and 15th century additions. The south wall has two tomb recesses thought to be built for Simon de Cropredy and his son c1200. The church has an interesting 13th century parish chest and the chapel dedicated to the anglo-saxon saint Fremund has two 15th century screens, one of which has the initials AD which may stand for Alice Danvers. The nave arcading, tower and choir arches are Perpendicular in style with no capitals and continuous moulding from ground level. The tower is early 15th century with the belfry and parapets added 80 years later, There are eight bells, six from the late 17th century, two added in 2007 called Fairport and Villager. Fragments of a Doom survive above the chancel arch. The church has a 17th century pulpit and a rare pre-reformation eagle lectern which is said to have been hidden in the river before the Battle of Cropredy where it lost one of it's lion feet. The beak has a slot for collecting 'Peter's Pence'. There is a beautiful 15th century head of the Virgin Mary in stained glass which was found in the churchyard. There are two fonts, one Norman and one Victorian. In the tower is a magnificent clock by John Moore of Clerkenwell dated 1831.
Cropredy is just off the Daventry road a few miles from Banbury about an hour from Stratford-upon-Avon.
20180813-FS-ShastaTrinity-PRW-057 USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore greets Brian Dahle, Assemblyman for District 1 in California. While the haze and the smell of smoke still linger heavily in the air USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with Redding city officials, regional lawmakers, business owners and community residents at a local restaurant for a roundtable discussion about living within Wildland Urban Interface and the economic and community impacts from the Carr Fire, Aug. 13, 2018. Moderating the meeting was Brian Dahle, Assemblyman for District 1, and in attendance were Redding Mayor Kristen Schreder, Ted Gaines, State Senator, Shasta County supervisors, Redding City council members, USDA Forest Service, CAL FIRE, local law enforcement and media. The wildfire ignited July 23 on National Park Service land in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and has burned 207,162 acres as it continues to burn north into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. As of the secretaries visit it is 65 percent contained and there has been three firefighter fatalities. (USDA Forest Service photo by Paul Wade)
The visit and guided tour of Poblet Monastery.
Monks still lives in this monastery. It was restored in the 20th century, having been ruined in the 19th century. There are tombs here of the Kings and Queens of Aragon.
The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet (Catalan: Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Poblet) is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the foot of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia (Spain). It was founded by Cistercian monks from France on lands conquered from the Moors. The main architect was Arnau Bargués.
This monastery was the first of three sister monasteries, known as the Cistercian triangle, that helped consolidate power in Catalonia in the 12th century. (The other two are Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus.)
Poblet was one of the two royal pantheons of the kings of the Crown of Aragon since James I of Aragon (along with Monastery of San Juan de la Peña). Some of the most important royal sepulchres have alabaster statues that lie over the tomb. The kings have lion sculptures at their feet, while the queens have dogs.
Peter IV of Aragon (1319 – 1387) made it a condition, under solemn oath at the moment of crowning, that all the Aragonese kings be buried there. Only Ferdinand II of Aragon broke the oath, after his kingdom had been merged with the Kingdom of Castile, and was buried in Granada.
The High Church
Arranged in the form of a Latin cross. It contains the tombs of the Kings of Aragon and their wives. Dates to the 14th century.
Tombs of the King's of Aragon
Tomb of Martin the Human
Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann, one of the winners of the 2014 European Citizen's Prize, were presented with their medal of honour at an award ceremony which took place at the Brú Ború theatre, Cashel, Co. Tipperary on Saturday 24th January 2015. This prize is awarded by the European Parliament to citizens or organisations having contributed to promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens of the Member States; or to facilitating cross border or transnational cooperation contributing to the strengthening of a European spirit. Comhaltas were nominated for the prize by Sinn Féin MEPs Martina Anderson, Lynn Boylan, Matt Carthy and Liadh Ní Riada.
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Enrico Caruso’s ascendancy coincided with the dawn of the twentieth century, when the world of opera was moving away from the contrived bel canto (“beautiful singing”) style, with its emphasis on artifice and vibrato, to a verismo (“realism”) approach. The warmth and sincerity of his voice—and personality— shone in this more natural style and set the standard for contemporary greats like Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras. Through his exploitation of the nascent phonograph industry, Caruso is also largely responsible for the sweeping interest in opera of the 1910s and ’20s. And for this, Stanley Jackson wrote in his book Caruso, he may never be rivaled, for later tenors could not hope to find themselves in a similarly fortuitous position and thus would most certainly “find it more difficult to win such universal affection as the bubbly, warm-hearted little Neapolitan whose voice soared and sobbed from the first wheezy phonographs to bring a new magic into countless lives.”
Born in Naples, Italy, in 1873, the third of seven children (early sources erroneously state that he was the 18th of 21), Caruso was raised in squalor. His birthplace, according to Jackson, was a “two-storeyed house, flaky with peeling stucco, [accommodating] several families, who shared a solitary cold-water tap on the landing, and like every other dwelling in that locality it lacked indoor sanitation.” As a boy, Caruso received very little formal education; his only training in a social setting came from his church choir, where he displayed a pure voice and a keen memory for songs. More often than not, however, he skipped choir practice to sing with street minstrels for café patrons.
At the age of ten Caruso began working a variety of menial jobs—mechanic, jute weaver—but his passion for singing often led him back to the streets. Eight years later, an aspiring baritone named Eduardo Missiano heard Caruso singing by a local swimming pool. Impressed, Missiano took Caruso to his voice teacher, Guglielmo Vergine. Vergine on hearing Caruso, compared the tenor’s voice to “the wind whistling through the chimney,” Michael Scott recounted in The Great Caruso. Although he disliked Caruso’s Neapolitan café style, flashy gestures, and unrefined and unrestrained vocalizing, Vergine finally agreed to accept Caruso as his student. But “the lessons ended after three years,” John Kobler wrote in American Heritage, “and Caruso’s formal musical training thereafter remained almost as meager as his scholastic education. He could read a score only with difficulty. He played no musical instrument. He sang largely by ear.”
On March 15, 1895, Caruso made his professional debut in L’Amico Francesco, a now-forgotten opera by an amateur composer. He was not an immediate sensation.
For the Record…
Bom Errico Caruso (adopted more formal Enrico for stage), February 27 (some sources say 25), 1873, in Naples, Italy; died of pneumonia and peritonitis in 1921 in Naples; son of Marcellino (a mechanic) and Anna (Baldini) Caruso; married Dorothy Park Benjamin, 1918; children: Gloria; (with Ada Giachetti) Rodolfo, Enrico Jr. Education: Studied voice with Guglielmo Vergine, 1891-94, and Vincenzo Lombardi, 1896-97.
Worked as laborer, including jobs as mechanic and jute weaver, beginning c. 1883; debuted in L’Amico Francesco at Teatro Nuovo, Naples, 1894; expanded repertoire to include La Traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, and Faust, among others; first sang Canio in I Pagliacci, 1896, and Rodolfo in La Bohème, 1897; debuted in La Bohème at La Scala, Milan, 1899; performed internationally, including appearances in Moscow, Buenos Aries, Monte Carlo, and London, beginning in 1899; made first recordings, 1902; debuted in U.S. at Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 1903. Appeared in silent films My Cousin and A Splendid Romance, 1918; subject of fictional film biography The Great Caruso, 1950.
Awards: Order of the Commendatore of the Crown of Italy; Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honor; Order of the Crown Eagle of Prussia; honorary captain of the New York City Police Department.
His vocal range was limited; he often had to transpose the musical score down a halftone since he had trouble in the upper register, especially hitting high C. But impresarios who heard Caruso recognized his innate gift and cast him in significant productions such as Faust, Rigoletto, and La Traviata. With stage experience and brief training with another vocal teacher, Vincenzo Lombardo, the singer made steady progress, refining the natural beauty of his voice.
“Who Has Sent You to Me? God?”
In 1897, studying for the part of Rodolpho in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, Caruso went to the composer’s villa to secure Puccini’s consent of his interpretation. As told by author Jackson, after Caruso sang a few measures of the first-act aria, “Che gelida manima,” Puccini “swivelled in his chair and murmured in amazement, ’Who has sent you to me? God?’”
Caruso’s instrument was “a voice of the South, full of warmth, charm, and lusciousness,” described a commentator of the era who was quoted in Howard Greenfeld’s book Caruso. But what truly set Caruso apart—from his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors—was his ability to eliminate the space between singer and listener, to intensify “the emotional effects upon his audience,” testified American Heritage contributor Kobler. “His vocalized feelings, variously spiritual, earthy, carnal, seemed to resonate within the hearer’s body. Rosa Ponselle, the American soprano who made her debut opposite Caruso, called it “a voice that loves you.’”
And his timbre was matched by sheer power; at the height of his career, Caruso gave concerts in venues as large as New York City’s Yankee Stadium without microphones and was clearly heard by all. Still, he reached his greatest audience, across both distance and time, through the small, recorded medium of the phonograph. “Few performers deserve . . . recognition more than Caruso,” David Hamilton proclaimed in the New York Times. “[His] records made him the universal model for later generations of tenors, while his reputation played a major role in establishing the phonograph socially and economically.”
Recording Pioneer
Caruso made his first recording on April 11, 1902, in a hotel suite in Milan, Italy. Over the remaining 19 years of his life he made an additional 488 recordings, almost all for the Victor label. He earned more than two million dollars from recording alone, the company almost twice that. But, most important, his recordings brought grand opera to the uninitiated. Millions cried along with his version of Canio’s sobbing “Vesti la giubba,” from/Pagliacci. The development of the American opera audience from a rarefied community at the turn of the century to a diverse populace in modern times can be directly attributed to Caruso’s recordings.
But Caruso’s allure was not solely the result of his singing. “Quick to laughter and to tears, amorous, buffoonish,... speaking a comically fractured English, round and paunchy, Caruso presented an image that appealed enormously to multitudes of ordinary Americans,” Kobler pointed out. Indeed, his offstage behavior was as interesting to the public as that of his onstage personas. He had numerous affairs with women, which often ended in court. He had an 11-year relationship, beginning in 1897, with soprano Ada Giachetti, who had left her husband and son for the much younger tenor. She bore Caruso two sons, then ran off with the family chauffeur. Three years later, Giachetti sued Caruso for attempting to damage her career and for theft of her jewelry. The suit was eventually dismissed.
Offstage Shenanigans
Caruso was not exonerated, however, in what became known as the “Monkey House Case.” On November 16, 1906, Caruso went to the Monkey House in the Central Park Zoo, one of his favorite retreats in his adopted hometown of New York City. There a young woman accused him of pinching her bottom. A policeman on the scene immediately took Caruso—confused and sobbing—to jail. The woman failed to appear at the consequent trial, and police were unable to produce any witnesses other than the arresting officer, who turned out to have been best man at the accuser’s wedding. The judge found Caruso guilty of disorderly conduct and fined him ten dollars. The public, for its part, though initially unsure of Caruso’s innocence, soon returned to its thunderous approval of his performances.
Despite these episodes, Caruso’s life outside the theater was not entirely tumultuous. His marriage to Dorothy Park Benjamin in 1918 was happy and secure. His celebrated earnings allowed him to collect art, stamps, and coins. His clothing and furnishings were luxurious. He ate with gusto. And he was extremely generous. A gifted caricaturist, Caruso often gave drawings away. He would fill his pockets with gold coins and shower stagehands with them at the end of Christmastime productions. He also supported many family members, gave numerous charity concerts, and helped raise millions of dollars for the Allied cause during World War I. This remarkable man even paid his taxes early. “If I wait, something might happen to me, then it would be hard to collect,” Caruso reasoned, as recounted by Kobler. “Now I pay, then if something happen to me the money belongs to the United States, and that is good.”
Caruso’s expansive approach to life, however, rendered his own short. Constant recording and performance demands and the singer’s unchecked appetites took their toll on his health; he died in Naples, in 1921, from pneumonia and peritonitis. He was 48 years old. “Caruso may have been a greater master of comedy than tragedy,” Great Caruso author Scott wrote, “yet there was no levity in his approach to his art, for as each year passed and he became an ever more celebrated singer, his fame—ably demonstrated by frequent new issues of ever improving records—made increasing demands of him. In those last years he rode a tiger.”
Selected discography
Enrico Caruso: 21 Favorite Arias, RCA, 1987.
Enrico Caruso, Pearl, 1988.
Enrico Caruso in Arias, Duets, and Songs, Supraphon, 1988.
Caruso in Opera, Nimbus, 1989.
Caruso in Song, Nimbus, 1990.
The Compíete Caruso, BMG Classics, 1990.
Enrico Caruso in Opera: Early New York Recordings (1904-06), Conifer, 1990.
The Caruso Edition: Volume 1 (1902-1908), Pearl, 1991.
The Caruso Edition: Volume 2 (1908-1912), Pearl, 1991.
The Caruso Edition: Volume 3 (1912-1916), Pearl, 1991.
The Caruso Edition: Volume 4 (1916-1921),, Pearl, 1991.
Caruso in Ensemble, Nimbus, 1992.
Addio Mia Bella Napoli, Replay/Qualiton, 1993.
Sources
Books
Caruso, Enrico, Jr., and Andrew Farkas, Enrico Caruso: My Father and My Family, Amadeus Press, 1990.
Greenfeld, Howard, Caruso, Putnam, 1983.
Jackson, Stanley, Caruso, Stein & Day, 1972.
Scott, Michael, The Great Caruso, Knopf, 1988.
Periodicals
American Heritage, February/March 1984.
Economist, March 9, 1991.
New Republic, August 8, 1988.
New York Times, January 6, 1991.
—Rob Nagel
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