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First of a new class of solo explorer ships equipped with antimatter drives able to make interstellar transits, the Orion One was the vessel that made the first human transit of the hyperspatial leyline between Sol and Tau Ceti. Since this was the first ever human interstellar flight, Captain Michel Laval's Orion One has gone down in System history alongside other celebrated vessels like Naomi Chang's Antares 5 Marslander and Yuri Gagarin's Vostok-1 capsule.
The Federation government insisted on a new white and black livery to serve as a cautionary marking that Orion One was fitted with an antimatter power plant. The antimatter drive being necessary to reach the interstellar leylines' threshold velocity, the new colour scheme became associated with the ships and equipment of the new colony world in the Tau Ceti system, codenamed Futuro.
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Obviously, this is Futuron colours, but I still don't have any Futuron astronauts so it has a red-suited pilot. Even in Real World Classic Space sets, there was a brief overlap of a few sets that were like this before the Futuron faction really got up and running, and it makes sense for a Federation future history that there would be some sort of transitional period as well.
In developing a sort of vague overarching backstory for my version of the Classic Space universe, I feel a need to explain things like how the Futuron got their name. "Planet Futuro" was what I came up with, tying in to that history of Classic Space Federation worlds ending in -o (like the ice planet Krysto or Peter Reid and Tim Goddard's Panduro).
And I worked out how to make a ringed planet. Which was obvious in hindsight. It would have looked better if the rings were brown or tan, but I think black's the only colour I can currently make a complete ring in. Certainly not brown or tan.
And this creation marks my first use of the 1x1 round plate with handle. And what do I use it for? Attaching an antenna :P.
This moc was built for the second round of the 2017 bio-cup. The overarching theme was historical and my sub theme was western.
Another shot from my most recent Washington trip. I haven't seen a nice-looking cloud in a while here in LA, so here's my way of dreaming!
Taken in the wild backcountry of North Cascades National Park, Washington, about half an hour after sunset. These clouds were burning beautifully so long after sunset that I was able to shoot this long after the sun had gone down!
There are just a few spaces left in my one-afternoon seascape workshop with fellow landscape photographer Pete Wongkongkathep on Saturday, November 16. We will be shooting the beaches of Malibu, including sunset, and I'll be sharing a lot of my meteorology secrets in predicting when the year's most spectacular sunsets will occur as well as lots of post processing tips. More info and a link to sign up can be found on Pete's website at www.piriyaphoto.com/workshop/. Feel free to message me with any questions.
I'm still a college student, and this trip put me even further in debt. I really need some help. I have already received a few donations that have allowed me to fund a trip this November! (Thanks so, so much -- you guys know who you are!) Prints and a donate button are available on my website: www.landESCAPEphotography.com.
- Jeff
You can also follow my posts on Facebook.
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please, pretty please, don't use this copyrighted image without my permission. if you're interested in prints, licensing, or just being extra awesome, check out my profile.
P.S. Press "F" then "L" to make your wildest dreams come true :)
Many of the Metro stations in Washington DC were designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese and are examples of late-20th century modern architecture. With their heavy use of exposed concrete and repetitive design motifs, Metro stations display aspects of brutalist design. The stations also reflect the influence of Washington's neoclassical architecture in their overarching coffered ceiling vaults. Weese worked with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based lighting designer Bill Lam for the indirect lighting used throughout the system. All of Metro's original Brutalist stations are found in Downtown Washington, D.C. and neighboring urban corridors of Arlington, Virginia, with newer stations incorporating more cost-efficient designs.
Nimbin. Population 450.
Nimbin was a special place for the Bundjalung Aboriginal people as it was believed to be the home of sacred mystical small men who were the spiritual custodians of the mountains. The word meant “home to the little man”. When white pastoralists came the district became part of the Lismore station held by William Wilson – hence the naming
of the Wilson River. He held the lease until 1880 when the government sent surveyors in to survey virgin rainforest. The first white family arrived in 1882 followed by many more in 1883. Their first task was to clear land for a few pigs, cattle and vegetables. The Red Cedar and Hoop Pine were felled and then rolled into the Wilson River and floated down to the saw mills in Lismore. It was a tough life in this district. In 1903 one local block holder H Thornburn subdivided part of his property to create the village of Nimbin. Thornburn donated one block for a School of Arts (built 1904) and another for a Presbyterian Church. The first official school opened in 1906. The town grew quickly with a hotel, bakery, butchery, café, store, bank agency, Post Office and saw mill starting up within the first couple of years. The big boost to the town was the opening of a butter factory in 1908. Then the public buildings followed with Anglican and Presbyterian churches in 1909. A Methodist church followed in 1913 and a Catholic Church and school in 1918. A new Post Officer was built in 1914. The bank of N.S.W opened their first wooden bank in 1909 but this burnt down. The bank built a distinctive Art Deco wooden bank in 1919 and an E. S & A bank opened in 1922. The Freemason’s Hotel was erected in 1926 (it is now the Nimbin Hotel) and a wooden Masonic Lodge was erected in 1937. A Police Station was not built until 1934 but a police officer was stationed in the town from 1917. The main stays of the town economy were saw milling and butter production but apart from cattle, local farmers grew bananas, peas, beans and passionfruit. The Nimbin Dairy Cooperative amalgamated with Norco dairy in 1921. The factory closed in 1961 as cream could be fast trucked to Lismore.
The fortunes and direction of the town changed in 1973 when the Aquarius Foundation of the Australian Union of Students from Sydney University got permission to hold a bi-annual arts festival in Nimbin. The Aquarians opposed the War in Vietnam and wanted a freer and more humane world with peace, love and happiness. A Rainbow Café opened on the work site being prepared for the influx of a possible 5,000 university students. Volunteers did the work and artists came to prepare. The festival in May was successful and about 100 people stayed on to run the Rainbow Café, do their art and prepare for another festival. Several groups emerged to buy properties for cooperatives and the attraction of rural living and rainforest living blossomed amongst former city people. The hippy new comers built makeshift houses, prepared home crafts, and cared about environmental responsibility, communal living and loving, and in some cases, mind altering drugs. But life was not altogether free and each commune had its own rules which had to be obeyed as well as local and state laws. When the Lismore Council ordered illegal houses to be demolished the Nimbinites formed the district Homebuilders Association to fight the Council. In the end the Homebuilders won the right for multiple residences on one property. Then in 1979 a bigger opponent emerged – logging in the rainforests at Terania Creek. Conservation made national headlines, action groups were formed and the NSW government created new national parks like nearby Nightcap and reduced forest logging. Economically the new cooperatives promoted growth of Nimbin too. The Bush Co-Op began as a community organisation but it soon had food storage and wholesale distribution arms, mechanical, metal and woodworking shops, a media group and graphic art studios, theatre troupe and general design. At the same time independent artists, writers and musicians lived and worked in the town. Commercialism crept back into the new hippy world with markets, galleries and more festivals. But the overarching principles of living and caring for others and protecting the environment and living sustainably continued. Diversity was the key and new spiritual groups found a home at Nimbin too from Thai Buddhist groups to Indian Hindu philosophical ashrams to “born again” Christian groups. Not surprisingly Nimbin has an annual Mardi Grass and a world naked Bike Ride celebration amongst its annual festivals!
Just outside of Nimbin turn right into Stony Chute Road to see some granite boulders which are sacred place to the Bundjalung people and heritage listed. The lowest rock is called the cathedral, whilst the top level of rock is called the castle. The highest peak is named Lady Cunningham’s Needle. These granite dykes are evidence of old volcanic activity the basis of the rich fertile soils of the district.
There are receding arches and vaults in every direction in Salisbury Cathedral. There seem to be too many things to see in one visit.
Bochum
The Ruhr area ('Ruhrgebiet') is named after the river that borders it to the south and is the largest urban area in Germany with over five million people. It is mostly known as a densely-populated industrial area. By 1850 there were almost 300 coal mines in operation in the Ruhr area. The coal was exported or processed in coking ovens into coke, used in blast furnaces, producing iron and steel. Because of the industrial significance, it had been a target from the start of the war, yet "the organized defences and the large amount of industrial pollutants produced a semi-permanent smog or industrial haze that hampered accurate bombing". During World War II, the industry and cities in the Ruhr area were heavily bombed. The combination of the lack of historic city centres, which were burned to ashes, and (air) pollution has given the area and the cities a bad reputation. Especially because it is so close to the Netherlands, I thought it would be an interesting area to visit for a little trip. I have spent three nights at a campsite on the Ruhr and visited six cities.
With a population of 365,000 inhabitans, Bochum is the fourth largest city in the Ruhr area and the 16th largest city in Germany. Bochum was founded in the 9th century and was granted a town charter in 1321, yet it remained a small town until the 19th century. The establishment of the mining and the steel industry resulted in a steep population rise. Coals refined as coke needed for the steel production led to the emergence of coking plants. Bochum's growth at the end of the 19th century took place without any overarching planning. Therefore, no organized infrastructure could develop at first. Industrial settlements and company apartments were built at the colliery sites, while the established farms around the industrial sites continued to farm. In 1894 the first tram line went into operation.
During the Second World War, more than 30,000 people were used as slave labor in Bochum and Wattenscheid as part of the Nazi forced labor. The town centre of Bochum was a strategic target during the Oil Campaign. In 150 air raids on Bochum, over 1,300 bombs were dropped on Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. By the end of the war, 83% of Bochum had been destroyed. 70,000 citizens were homeless and at least 4,095 dead. Of Bochum's more than 90,000 homes, only 25,000 remained for the 170,000 citizens who survived the war, many by fleeing to other areas. Most of the remaining buildings were damaged, many with only one usable room.
The German Mining Museum in Bochum is one of the most visited museums in Germany with around 365,700 visitors per year (2012). It is the largest mining museum in the world, and a renowned research establishment for mining history.
Source: Wikipedia (edited)
Black card technique; 30s for foreground, 3s for sky. Single-exposure; not a blended/HDRI/GND-filtered image.
The brochure published and issued to celebrate the 68 years of 'independent' operation of the municipal transport undertaking in the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1969. It was written to commemorate the transfer of the department to the new Passenger Transport Authority and Executive - something the City Council had fought tooth and nail to prevent. This was not because they doubted the requirment for a more overarching strategy to an integrated transport plan for the Tyneside conurbation - indeed they had in 1967 created a combined Traffic, Highways and Transport Committee to try to integrate the approach within the city - but they objected to their own still profitable undertaking being transferred as the other major operations who played a major role in provision across the region, were excluded from operation by the PTE apart from South Shields CT that also joined in from 1 January 1970. I suspect it niggled more given they ran various cross-boundary and joint services. In 1974 when the new County was formed Sunderland's fleet and operations were added.
Anyhow, it happened and in the next decade Tyne & Wear PTE would, arguably, make a good fist of the integration as they not only built the first phase of the Metro but did introduce an integrated fares and route structure that was sadly swept away post-deregulation in 1985. The booklet shows the progression from trams to trolleybuses and buses - the former having only been finally scrapped in 1966. The Leyland Atlantean had become the standard vehicle from 1967 and they were early operators of the double door Alexander bodied type as seen here.
Bitonto, today a city of a population of about 55000, was probably founded by Greek settlers. Traces of a city wall dating to the 5th and 4th century BC were found. Later "Civitas Butuntinenses" became a self-governing Roman municipium,
During the 9th century, Bitonto successfully withstood a Saracen raid but got destroyed by Byzantine troops in 975. The Normans took over Apulia. In the 11th and 12th century. Under the rule of the Normans of Roger II of Sicily, William I of Sicily (aka William the Wicked) and William II of Sicily (aka William the Good), the city prospered and got new walls.
In 1227, Bitonto was the scene of ex-communication of Frederick II accused by pope Gregory IX of having come to terms with the sultan al-Malik al-Kamil.
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The Bitonto Cathedral, dedicated to San Valentino, was erected 1175/1200 in the centre of the city. The construction was probably influenced by the "Basilica of San Nicola" in Bari and was done in the typical "Apulian Romanesque" style.
It is proven that the bishopric existed in 1089, though the crypt of the cathedral has remains of a 5th-century church.
There are three portals. The central one has a double archivolt, adorned with animal and vegetable figures, on which stands an overarch, richly carved with acanthus leaves and surmounted by a pelican, a bird that symbolizes the generosity of the Church. The overarch is supported by a pair of stone griffins holding prey between the claws. The whole is in turn supported by columns resting on lions.
More photos at jarmofoto.zenfolio.com
Photo taken at Nordens Ark.
Nordens Ark is a non-profit foundation with the overarching goal to provide a future for endagerede animals through; breeding and reintroduction programmes, research and information.
Bochum
The Ruhr area ('Ruhrgebiet') is named after the river that borders it to the south and is the largest urban area in Germany with over five million people. It is mostly known as a densely-populated industrial area. By 1850 there were almost 300 coal mines in operation in the Ruhr area. The coal was exported or processed in coking ovens into coke, used in blast furnaces, producing iron and steel. Because of the industrial significance, it had been a target from the start of the war, yet "the organized defences and the large amount of industrial pollutants produced a semi-permanent smog or industrial haze that hampered accurate bombing". During World War II, the industry and cities in the Ruhr area were heavily bombed. The combination of the lack of historic city centres, which were burned to ashes, and (air) pollution has given the area and the cities a bad reputation. Especially because it is so close to the Netherlands, I thought it would be an interesting area to visit for a little trip. I have spent three nights at a campsite on the Ruhr and visited six cities.
With a population of 365,000 inhabitans, Bochum is the fourth largest city in the Ruhr area and the 16th largest city in Germany. Bochum was founded in the 9th century and was granted a town charter in 1321, yet it remained a small town until the 19th century. The establishment of the mining and the steel industry resulted in a steep population rise. Coals refined as coke needed for the steel production led to the emergence of coking plants. Bochum's growth at the end of the 19th century took place without any overarching planning. Therefore, no organized infrastructure could develop at first. Industrial settlements and company apartments were built at the colliery sites, while the established farms around the industrial sites continued to farm. In 1894 the first tram line went into operation.
During the Second World War, more than 30,000 people were used as slave labor in Bochum and Wattenscheid as part of the Nazi forced labor. The town centre of Bochum was a strategic target during the Oil Campaign. In 150 air raids on Bochum, over 1,300 bombs were dropped on Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. By the end of the war, 83% of Bochum had been destroyed. 70,000 citizens were homeless and at least 4,095 dead. Of Bochum's more than 90,000 homes, only 25,000 remained for the 170,000 citizens who survived the war, many by fleeing to other areas. Most of the remaining buildings were damaged, many with only one usable room.
Source: Wikipedia (edited)
This building was constructed in the 1890s.
This moc was built for the second round of the 2017 bio-cup. The overarching theme was historical and my sub theme was western.
Nimbin. Population 450.
Nimbin was a special place for the Bundjalung Aboriginal people as it was believed to be the home of sacred mystical small men who were the spiritual custodians of the mountains. The word meant “home to the little man”. When white pastoralists came the district became part of the Lismore station held by William Wilson – hence the naming
of the Wilson River. He held the lease until 1880 when the government sent surveyors in to survey virgin rainforest. The first white family arrived in 1882 followed by many more in 1883. Their first task was to clear land for a few pigs, cattle and vegetables. The Red Cedar and Hoop Pine were felled and then rolled into the Wilson River and floated down to the saw mills in Lismore. It was a tough life in this district. In 1903 one local block holder H Thornburn subdivided part of his property to create the village of Nimbin. Thornburn donated one block for a School of Arts (built 1904) and another for a Presbyterian Church. The first official school opened in 1906. The town grew quickly with a hotel, bakery, butchery, café, store, bank agency, Post Office and saw mill starting up within the first couple of years. The big boost to the town was the opening of a butter factory in 1908. Then the public buildings followed with Anglican and Presbyterian churches in 1909. A Methodist church followed in 1913 and a Catholic Church and school in 1918. A new Post Officer was built in 1914. The bank of N.S.W opened their first wooden bank in 1909 but this burnt down. The bank built a distinctive Art Deco wooden bank in 1919 and an E. S & A bank opened in 1922. The Freemason’s Hotel was erected in 1926 (it is now the Nimbin Hotel) and a wooden Masonic Lodge was erected in 1937. A Police Station was not built until 1934 but a police officer was stationed in the town from 1917. The main stays of the town economy were saw milling and butter production but apart from cattle, local farmers grew bananas, peas, beans and passionfruit. The Nimbin Dairy Cooperative amalgamated with Norco dairy in 1921. The factory closed in 1961 as cream could be fast trucked to Lismore.
The fortunes and direction of the town changed in 1973 when the Aquarius Foundation of the Australian Union of Students from Sydney University got permission to hold a bi-annual arts festival in Nimbin. The Aquarians opposed the War in Vietnam and wanted a freer and more humane world with peace, love and happiness. A Rainbow Café opened on the work site being prepared for the influx of a possible 5,000 university students. Volunteers did the work and artists came to prepare. The festival in May was successful and about 100 people stayed on to run the Rainbow Café, do their art and prepare for another festival. Several groups emerged to buy properties for cooperatives and the attraction of rural living and rainforest living blossomed amongst former city people. The hippy new comers built makeshift houses, prepared home crafts, and cared about environmental responsibility, communal living and loving, and in some cases, mind altering drugs. But life was not altogether free and each commune had its own rules which had to be obeyed as well as local and state laws. When the Lismore Council ordered illegal houses to be demolished the Nimbinites formed the district Homebuilders Association to fight the Council. In the end the Homebuilders won the right for multiple residences on one property. Then in 1979 a bigger opponent emerged – logging in the rainforests at Terania Creek. Conservation made national headlines, action groups were formed and the NSW government created new national parks like nearby Nightcap and reduced forest logging. Economically the new cooperatives promoted growth of Nimbin too. The Bush Co-Op began as a community organisation but it soon had food storage and wholesale distribution arms, mechanical, metal and woodworking shops, a media group and graphic art studios, theatre troupe and general design. At the same time independent artists, writers and musicians lived and worked in the town. Commercialism crept back into the new hippy world with markets, galleries and more festivals. But the overarching principles of living and caring for others and protecting the environment and living sustainably continued. Diversity was the key and new spiritual groups found a home at Nimbin too from Thai Buddhist groups to Indian Hindu philosophical ashrams to “born again” Christian groups. Not surprisingly Nimbin has an annual Mardi Grass and a world naked Bike Ride celebration amongst its annual festivals!
Just outside of Nimbin turn right into Stony Chute Road to see some granite boulders which are sacred place to the Bundjalung people and heritage listed. The lowest rock is called the cathedral, whilst the top level of rock is called the castle. The highest peak is named Lady Cunningham’s Needle. These granite dykes are evidence of old volcanic activity the basis of the rich fertile soils of the district.
Many of the Metro stations in Washington DC were designed by Chicago architect Harry Weese and are examples of late-20th century modern architecture. With their heavy use of exposed concrete and repetitive design motifs, Metro stations display aspects of brutalist design. The stations also reflect the influence of Washington's neoclassical architecture in their overarching coffered ceiling vaults. Weese worked with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based lighting designer Bill Lam for the indirect lighting used throughout the system. All of Metro's original Brutalist stations are found in Downtown Washington, D.C. and neighboring urban corridors of Arlington, Virginia, with newer stations incorporating more cost-efficient designs.
Taken at the Roman Baths in Bath Spa, and processed with Photomatix HDR software just to bring out some of the colours, but not to destroy the tonal width. Such a wonderful place with an overarching sense of history just rising up in the steam, the ghosts of thousands of souls who walked this way centuries before.
Taken on a Nikon D90 w/12-24mm lens @ 12mm f/4.5 1/80
This moc was built for the second round of the 2017 bio-cup. The overarching theme was historical and my sub theme was western.
Hi all-I wanted to do another top ten list of films I loved from this past year. Of course, there will inevitably be more films from this year that I won’t get to see until they come to the theaters, which could be a few weeks from now but this still is, in my opinion, a pretty solid list. I am an avid independent film lover and happen to be lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has a whopping three movie theaters-Landmark Century Cinema in Lakeview, Alamo Draft House in Wrigleyville, and my favorite, The Music Box Theater on Southport Avenue. I try to see a couple of films a week (I have a friend who sees at least one a day so that’s really nothing). I also just subscribed to the Criterion Channel for the next year to watch even more films. Please feel free to share your favorite films of this year! I know living in American means I miss a lot of great films from other countries that I’d probably love! If you’d like to follow me on Letterboxd, here’s a link: letterboxd.com/Kirstiecat/
Fremont
Directed by Iranian director, Babak Jalali, this film features Afghan refugees now living in Fremont, California and even though it deals with some hardship and not being able to leave the past behind, it is actually rather light hearted in many aspects and not as heavy alone would expect. There’s a particular way that it shows the way the protagonist interacts with co-workers as well as her psychiatrist that I found interesting. I guess there are just some films that make you happy that films exist. I mean, static art (I.e. photography and paintings) has its place in the world and literature as well. However, there are some times that the human story cannot be contained in a static form because even though we can be thinking creatures, we can also be very active creatures. This film is a bit understated in the sense that the still moments carry some weight and the fact that it is only 90 minutes long makes you a little bit more focused on some of the scenes and the presence of the characters. Even the subtleties of facial expression seems to mean more meaning in certain moments. This film is funny in an understated way as well where you feel like it’s sort of hard to laugh but yet you can’t help but feel like there is humor in the desperate need to connect between humans, no matter where we come from in terms of our country of origin, religion, race, socioeconomic status, previous traumas , gender, or anything else really. There are so many things that can separate human beings, but yet we all desperately do not want to be alone at the end of the day, or at the very least at the end of some days. This film made me really love films and it also made me really love humans and I don’t actually know what else you can ask a film to do to be honest.
Just a note that, though I didn’t recognize any of the actors in this film, it was explained to me by a friend that Jeremy Allen White is actually pretty famous and is in the show The Bear. I liked him in this film.
The above still in the photo is also from Fremont as the protagonist’s job at her home made fortune cookie company becomes writing the fortunes inside.
Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet)
If you ever wondered what a Jim Jarmusch film might be liked if it was a bit more Finnish, look no farther than Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves! There is even a big nod to Jarmusch when the two main characters see The Dead Don’t Die at the cinema. This is an understated existential beauty Although this film definitely made me not want to visit Finland anytime soon, the mood was exactly what I love to see in a film. It takes time to really appreciate the way the scene is set up and the characters and getting into the mood and this film does that very effectively The wry humor of the Scandinavians is also spectacular to me. I also think it was super relevant in the moment that the overarching theme to accompany the drudgery of dead end jobs and crippling alcoholism is Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. The news reports on the radio seem too much to bear for the characters even if they are not overly dramatic in any scene. It’s a lurking reality monster that reminds us of what humans are capable of at our worst.
www.imdb.com/title/tt21027780/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Afire (Roter Himmel)
Christian Petzold’s Afire is an interesting character study with an over-arching theme about Climate Change. This film is very interesting from an American perspective, because there is a tenseness to some situations that does not lead the characters to explode or overreact, but there is still much held within, and the protagonist is not a very likable character at all. There’s also attention to the fact that we are in a point of possibly no return from global warming, and cannot possibly escape. This is looming over us much like a human being, who is so oblivious, that will destroy everyone in his own path for his own ego.
This film is very effective and has the kind of ending that definitely makes an impact.
A note also that the film begins with a song, “In My Mind” by the band Wallners (who I hadn’t heard of before the film) that I found so hypnotic I immediately found the album it was from, Prolog 1, bought it, and listened to it on repeat for several days so that it became my own cinematic adventure and soundtrack to my life.
Song link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lXjx89--5g
Film link:
www.imdb.com/title/tt26440619/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_...
American Fiction
If you think that David Foster Wallace is a genius, you should probably read a few books by Percival Everett. American Fiction is based on his novel, Erasure, and he was also an executive producer for the film. Everett is also quite a bit like our protagonist, Monk, because he’s a hyper intellectual (think Mensa level…or how does his skull fit a brain that large). If Everett was a white dude, you can bet that he’d be hailed as the second coming of Christ (also, by the way, not a white dude but boy you wouldn’t know it from all those depictions of him writhing on crosses, would you?) Instead, Everett is one of America’s treasures (truly the very best of us) and is yet one of our best kept secrets. Why? Therein lies the truth of American Fiction…the white gatekeepers only want to publish and hear a select amount of stereotyped stories about Black Lives. They also want to make sure that they don’t promote someone who makes them feel quite inadequate and dumb. Let’s face it, there’s an insidious motivation as these publishers try to insist that they just really want to promote diversity. They seem far more interested in an agenda that takes away the potential of Black humans.
This film adeptly handles multiple complex issues simultaneously: Alzheimer’s Disease, homophobia, death of a loved one, financial problems, and a whole lot of identity crisis. And, in an experimental fiction twist, you don’t really know what is even happening and you start to lose your own grip on the situation. Jeffrey Wright is absolutely fantastic and I loved the way they film the scene when he’s writing his alternative book to see if it sells (at the time, it’s titled My Pafology). Issa Rae is also fantastic and the cast overall really works in a dynamic and heartfelt way. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if American Fiction gets a few Oscar nominations.
It’s also worth mentioning that director Cord Jefferson wrote 25 episodes of one of my favorite T.V. Shows of all time, The Good Place. I should really re-watch that.
But first, let’s all read a few Percival Everett books!
Film link:
www.imdb.com/title/tt23561236/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Percival Everett on Wiki:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival_Everett
Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d'une chute)
There were a couple of really big things that I liked about this film. The female protagonist who is the mother of this film and the accused has a very interesting personality, and I think there are several ways that this film explores the difference between French culture and German culture. I also thought it was very interesting how captivating the storyline was even for me, considering that I do not really like courtroom dramas at all. That being said, as this film progresses, and the blurring between the facts, and the fiction that the author has written herself before the fall, become more and more complex, you realize something… Basically, as the film went on, I noticed that I cared less about whether or not this wife had murdered her husband and increasingly cared about her child’s perspective and wanting him to have the happy ending whether or not his mother murdered the father.
For music fans, Jehnny Beth of Savages has a pretty key role in this film and does a wonderful job. She’s definitely more understated than she is on stage but she’s a fantastic actress. See a couple photos back for a shot of her crowdsurfing when she played a show at The Metro in Chicago
www.imdb.com/title/tt17009710/
Past Lives
I was also impressed by this director (Celine Song's) debut and her apparently non traditional way of directing the cast to isolate the male characters, Teo Yoo and John Magaro and increase the tension between them. Greta Lee is fantastic as always and you really get a sense of the nostalgia she feels for a time and place in her life and the understanding that maybe she wasn't ready to leave so young but now that she has established her life in New York, things have changed. Song alluded to the fact that this was based somewhat on her own personal experience during the live stream of the question and answer I saw, which was quite insightful.
Ultimately, it had me wondering if we can ever truly leave our former selves behind, though.
www.imdb.com/title/tt13238346/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
All of Us Strangers
I haven’t yet read the story this is based on (Strangers by Taichi Yamada) so, in some ways, I don’t even want to rate this yet, but I do think that this film is a very original and creative one that effectively leaves the viewer with quite a spooky feeling. There are definite elements of afterlife mixing with experimental fiction and stellar performances by both Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. Andrew Haigh is a relatively young direction who likely has many great films up his sleeve if this is any indication. The mood of this film really creeps up on you!
Also note that I saw this in Chicago on Saturday night at the Music Box and there was a line three blocks down and around the corner 15 minutes before the film! I never know which films are going to be popular but I am glad this one has some fans!
www.imdb.com/title/tt21192142/
A Thousand and One Nights
This is an impressive directorial debut for A.V. Rockwell. The acting in this film was spectacular all around and it really showed the racism of NYC policies throughout the years and the human hardships caused as well as the failure to protect its vulnerable children. All the while, it's both a character study and a way to view the relationships in a family enduring these struggles.
www.imdb.com/title/tt12427158/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Quiz Lady
I gained immense pleasure out of watching this film. Directed by Jessica Yu, it features Aakwafina in an atypical role where she plays the very rigid routine character who has watched the same Quiz Show for many years and knows many facts about a multitude of topics but doesn’t have a great deal of social interaction skills. She’s paired with her sister, played by Sandra Oh, who also plays an unusual character for her a sort of free wheeling kind of human who says things like “I’m no longer in her life plan” and is quintessential California anything goes mentality. She’s a lovable hot mess, basically. This dynamic and their relationships is really well delineated as they come together after their mother goes missing from a long term care facility. There are also a lot of cute dogs in this film. I laughed harder at this film than any others I saw this year! Jason Schwartzman and Will Ferrell also do a great job in their roles.
www.imdb.com/title/tt13405810/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_...
The Crime is Mine (Mon Crime)
This is a very smart and funny feminist French farce! It feels like the film goes by very quickly and it is very engaging. I often dislike Period Pieces but this one is very successful in terms of the style and design, as well as the plot and storyline. The characters are also very likable and the writing is oh so engaging and clever!
www.imdb.com/title/tt20330434/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Honorable Mentions:
They Cloned Tyrone
Many of these ideas have been explored before, but it never hurts to have another stylish well done film delving into how white supremacy has destroyed communities and in a very interesting science-fiction way. I cannot give this film a perfect score because there are a couple of holes in the plot, but the framing, and nods to other cinema is well done, and I enjoyed the acting as well.
www.imdb.com/title/tt9873892/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Polite Society
I loved this film stylistically, especially, and the female power and energy of it. I also really liked director Nida Manzoor’s series: We are Lady Parts and I think if you like that series then you will probably also enjoy this film. The choreography was especially impressive for the fight scenes and I liked the way the one sister was on a mission to save the other from her evil fiancé. This is fast paced and sometimes furious in a good way!
www.imdb.com/title/tt18257464/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_...
Asteroid City
This is the only film I saw this year in the theater twice (!) Though, mainly that is because I went and saw it when it first came out and then a friend of mine wanted to see it on her birthday. Wes Anderson is, in my mind, associated with really fantastic set designs and an existential milieu that permeates the characters and this is no exception. I’m not sure if the black and white scenes intermixed with the color scenes really worked for me but it was an interesting stylistic choice and the color palette for the non black and white scenes was really quite vivid. The best scenes of this film are the ones involving the three daughters, who steal the show. There are adolescent geniuses and some big named adult actors, too, that I'm sure people enjoyed seeing but it's those girls that I really cherished. Also, Tilda Swinton still never ages.
www.imdb.com/title/tt14230388/
Eileen
The moral of the story is don’t call a woman ordinary or they will wreck you! Also, we women don’t need men and we certainly don’t need cops. Also, most people are capable of evil. I read the novel this is based on by Otessa Moshfegh far too many years ago (I believe it was 2017 that I read it, which is literally like 1,500 books ago) but I do remember being just as jarred by it as the film succeeds in doing.
www.imdb.com/title/tt5198890/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Next Goal Wins
This is fun and it has a really nice trans rights angle to it. I am really not into sports, but I did like the characters in the sense of culture of the American Samoa peoples. You can always count on director Taika Waititi to have an interesting take on things. Also, I think this may have been the first film I’ve ever seen with Michael Fassbender in it. I’m totally serious.
www.imdb.com/title/tt10767052/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
A note: there are hundreds…maybe thousands…maybe even millions (!!!) of blogs and reviews posted for mainstream films. I’m not going to do that here because those films don’t really need more press and also I tend to avoid them. I find them a little too predictable and clichéd most of the time and involving a ton of product placement as well. That being said, the more mainstream films I liked this year included Dumb Money (These hedge fund nihilists have gotten away with far too much for too long and the US government has abandoned most of its citizens), The Marvels (that cat Goose is fantastic and picturing Samuel L. Jackson as the cat whisperer on set his fellow cast members described him as makes my day!), and Godzilla Minus One (Godzilla is really just a big angry kitty!)
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Films that came out this year in America that I loved but came out the previous year or 2021 in their countries of origin:
The Shape of Things to Come: (Tiempos Futuros)
One of my favorite films that I’ve watched this year. It was featured at the Latino film festival in Chicago with the Director and I was really astounded by how it balanced a grittiness of, for example, the film Brazil, with a modern magical realism. Very inventive and creative film and it seems like it was also a little personal for the Director. Very highly recommended. From Peru!
www.imdb.com/title/tt6408760/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0...
Return to Seoul (Retour à Séoul)
Davy Chou handles issues of adoption and identity, of the transcultural experiences and language barriers very well. Although I could not really relate as well to what the protagonist of this film was going through, I really enjoyed the storyline, the acting, the cinematography, and overall it was very well done. It balances plot and the character study particularly well! It also gives quite a bit of insight into modern culture in South Korea and some history on adoption. Last, Park Ji-Min’s acting is fantastic.
www.imdb.com/title/tt19719836/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_...
Chile ’76 (1976)
I cannot even describe the emotional tension well for this film except to say perhaps a good way to explain it is that it made wrapping up boots seem so incredibly intense that I felt like I was gasping at one point over just this! This film really captures what it might have been like to live under Pinochet and Chile at this time but it is very well done and it leaves just enough out to make you feel like one of the people who is alive with just part or a fraction of the information needed
www.imdb.com/title/tt19758012/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_2_nm_...
15 Ways to Kill Your Neighbor (Petite Fleur)
This is another film that I saw at the Latino film festival in Chicago, this spring and it was very farcical and funny. There are some scenes of violence, but because of the campiness of the film, it is not too difficult to take. I really liked the sense of being disoriented, as this Argentinian protagonist felt moving to France. There’s a really interesting history of psychopaths, loving hi end stereo equipment yet the neighbor who loves this is the one that is actually the victim over and over again for an interesting twist. You cannot take this film too seriously because it is absurd but it is definitely worth watching and does have a really great entertainment value. Preposterous and fantastic!
www.imdb.com/title/tt10940736/
Rodéo:
This was a very intense film. Done a little bit closer to documentary style featuring a subculture in the suburbs of Paris, who build up trick motorcycles and race illegally, and are not very welcoming to the female protagonist of the film. It is also a little bit about survival of the fittest and nihilism, and willing to do anything to get a head for the thrill of the race. I really did not understand or like any of the characters in this film and yet I found it quite fascinating, especially as a character study. I was lucky enough to see this film at the Music Box with director Lola Quivoron present all the way from France!
www.imdb.com/title/tt19719940/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_...
98 Seconds Without a Shadow (98 segundos sin sombra)
This was a very creative and moving film from Bolivia! I highly enjoyed and felt connected to this protagonist and the intersection of spirituality and imagining your future. I also saw this at the Latino Film Festival this past spring with the director Juan Pablo Richter present and there were a few audience members from Bolivia who had such a sweet and heartfelt reaction to the film that really made the viewing special.
L’Immensita
It’s strange, but I actually really liked the opening sequence of this film better than the rest of this film. There’s something about the whimsical way that the music flows and the table is set. Unfortunately, most of this film relates to a failed marriage and infidelity, as well as a father, who does not understand that his child does not identify with their biological gender. For most of the film, I felt the trapped feeling of what it was like, and may still be like to be in a horrible marriage, and to be labeled mentally ill when you do not conform, both in Italy and here in the 1970s. Also, it is worth mentioning that it is very unbelievable that anybody would cheat on Penelope Cruz.
www.imdb.com/title/tt13051724/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
I’m a big fan of Murakami and found this drifting poetic adaptation of a few of his stories quite thoughtful and beautiful!
**All photos are copyrighted**
I've been keeping a mental list of the best books I've read this year. I'm only about 20 pages into Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts, but I've already gone ahead and slapped it on there, certain, admiring.
I really have no idea how to describe this book in concise terms. It's not like anything I've ever read. In an overarching way, I wonder where exactly we're headed, but page by page there are ideas, wrenchingly thoughtful ways of considering the world that I get so lost in, I don't care where we go so long as I can go slowly and take it all in. It's graceful and deep and precise and poetic. I've been dog-earing almost every page.
Commentary.
Opposite the footpath to Juniper Top, on the
back-slope of Box Hill, there is this considerable flight of steps.
It climbs steeply up to Juniper Woodland and White Down
from Headley Lane near the village of Mickleham.
It is a veritable ecological tunnel, overarched by
Chalk-loving flora including:
Yew, Wild Clematis, Beech and, predictably, Juniper.
As Sir David Attenborough recently reminded us,
in his television series, “The Wild Isles,”
85% of the Chalk ecosystem, in the world,
is to be found here in the British Isles.
So, we must keep it as special as it is beautiful!
This moc was built for the second round of the 2017 bio-cup. The overarching theme was historical and my sub theme was western.
sounds:
Please : Right Click and select "Open link in new tab"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT_Uf4hq-fk
The Books - "Smells Like Content"
Most of all, the world is a place where parts of wholes are described
within an overarching paradigm of clarity and accuracy.
The context in which makes possible an underlying
sense of the way it all fits together,
despite our collective tendency not to conceive of it as such.
photorealism
The Red Road flats in Glasgow were demolished this Sunday. The demolition didn’t go very well. Two of the towers were left only partially demolished, endangering the locals. It should have been a fitting end to a housing scheme characterised as symbolic of civic stupidity.
But it wasn’t. The classic Glaswegian supercilious shrug was ruined by the controversy over the Commonwealth Games.
In the quest for a London Olympics-style opening extravaganza, it was suggested that the demolition of the hated Red Road flats could be carried out in a floodlit ceremony. This would symbolise the end of the old decaying city, and the birth of new Glasgow.
As soon as it was announced, the plan was met with howls of protest and online petitions. The argument against was convoluted: the flats should not being blown up as entertainment, but rather the demolition should be “dignified”. The truth, long hidden, was that a lot of people liked the flats. They liked what they symbolised. They had enjoyed living there. This outpouring was very was unexpected. The flats were bad. They had always been a byword for overarching civic ambition and stupidity.
A botched demolition: the fall of Glasgow's Red Road towers – in pictures
View gallery
Almost as soon as the first residents moved in, the flats were controversial. Stories abounded about ridiculous mistakes in the design. The fire exit at the top could only be accessed through someone’s back door. There was no community, no shops, no playgrounds. Clear sightlines in the corridors made them perfect for drug dealing. The lifts weren’t big enough for a coffin, so undertakers had to stand dead people upright to get them downstairs. They were not popular.
When the first phase of demolitions in the Red Road occurred in 2012 the roar from the crowd was triumphant – you can hear it on the YouTube footage.
Reporting from the flats for BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, I was given a tour by the caretaker. The people living there at the time were refugees, many with applications pending. We were welcomed into the homes of families, some from Iraq, some from Somalia. They liked the flats. The houses were all sparsely furnished and immaculate. What was startling was the generous size of the rooms. If current new housing is indeed, as the land economist AW Evans calls it, all Rabbit Hutches on Postage Stamps, these were of a very different generation. Many people who lived in the flats loved them, were happy there, raised families. Compared to the stock they replaced, with crumbling walls and outside toilets, for many people the flats were a wonderful improvement.
I love the purplish blossom and the overarching shadow in this composition. Nature's subtleties and surprises!
The Bauhinia Tree is also called the Orchid Tree. Imagine looking out your back door and seeing a tree simply covered with these glorious blossoms!
I love the delicate creamy stamens on their rosy filaments and the play of light and shadow they create on the pink and rose veins of its petals.
In Brazil, a Bauhinia known as pata de vaca ("the foot of the cow") has a leaf shaped like a cow's cleft hoof. Known to Brazilians as "vegetable insulin," this herb's greatest strength is its ability to balance blood sugar levels. Friendly to those coping with hyperglycemia (excessively high blood glucose levels), pata de vaca also helps combat polyuria, the frequent urination that often plagues diabetics. Possessing antibacterial, antifungal and anticandida properties, this green medicine cleanses the blood of these unwanted disease-causing agents. Pata de vaca has also earned a reputation as a reliable remedy for snakebites and several skin conditions.
Bauhinia blakeana, Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Fabaceae
Biscayne Park, FL
In April 2016, South African artist William Kentridge unveiled “Triumphs and Laments,” a 550-meter (~1,804 feet) frieze along the embankment of Rome’s Tiber River. The project, first conceived 14 years ago, is sponsored by Tevereterno, an organization working to revitalize Rome’s riverfront both physically and artistically (previous works include a series of projections by Jenny Holzer). Kentridge’s frieze will be shaped using a technique called “reverse graffiti,” in which large, figurative stencils will be placed on the Tiber’s embankment and the wall then power-washed around them. The resulting images will be fashioned from dirt and accumulated pollution, and will disappear as the surrounding stone slowly becomes soiled again.
In Rome, commanding themes of human history appear in massive dimensions: religion in Vatican City, empire and hubris in the Colosseum, and the intersection of art and patronage in the Sistine Chapel, among many other examples. It’s a natural location for monumental works of art, a place where the colossal is the norm. Kentridge’s work often touches on similarly big, overarching human subjects, including oppression, joy, and resilience; his style seems a natural fit with Rome’s milieu.
Based on charcoal drawings of the frieze’s figures, which are on view in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and videos on the Tevereterno website, “Triumphs and Laments” tackles Roman history and culture in all its brutality and glamour. Kentridge’s drawings, which will appear in more boldly outlined, simplified forms when converted to stencils, include scenes of war, kings, victory, mythology, and devastation.
Vilnius is an outstanding example of a medieval foundation which exercised a profound influence on architectural and cultural developments in a wide area of Eastern Europe over several centuries. In the townscape and the rich diversity of buildings that it preserves, Vilnius is an exceptional illustration of a central European town that evolved organically over five centuries.
The historic buildings are in Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical styles (with some later additions). Some 40% of them are adjudged to be of the highest category of architectural and historical importance. They constitute a townscape of great diversity and yet at the same time one in which there is an overarching harmony.
Nimbin. Population 450.
Nimbin was a special place for the Bundjalung Aboriginal people as it was believed to be the home of sacred mystical small men who were the spiritual custodians of the mountains. The word meant “home to the little man”. When white pastoralists came the district became part of the Lismore station held by William Wilson – hence the naming
of the Wilson River. He held the lease until 1880 when the government sent surveyors in to survey virgin rainforest. The first white family arrived in 1882 followed by many more in 1883. Their first task was to clear land for a few pigs, cattle and vegetables. The Red Cedar and Hoop Pine were felled and then rolled into the Wilson River and floated down to the saw mills in Lismore. It was a tough life in this district. In 1903 one local block holder H Thornburn subdivided part of his property to create the village of Nimbin. Thornburn donated one block for a School of Arts (built 1904) and another for a Presbyterian Church. The first official school opened in 1906. The town grew quickly with a hotel, bakery, butchery, café, store, bank agency, Post Office and saw mill starting up within the first couple of years. The big boost to the town was the opening of a butter factory in 1908. Then the public buildings followed with Anglican and Presbyterian churches in 1909. A Methodist church followed in 1913 and a Catholic Church and school in 1918. A new Post Officer was built in 1914. The bank of N.S.W opened their first wooden bank in 1909 but this burnt down. The bank built a distinctive Art Deco wooden bank in 1919 and an E. S & A bank opened in 1922. The Freemason’s Hotel was erected in 1926 (it is now the Nimbin Hotel) and a wooden Masonic Lodge was erected in 1937. A Police Station was not built until 1934 but a police officer was stationed in the town from 1917. The main stays of the town economy were saw milling and butter production but apart from cattle, local farmers grew bananas, peas, beans and passionfruit. The Nimbin Dairy Cooperative amalgamated with Norco dairy in 1921. The factory closed in 1961 as cream could be fast trucked to Lismore.
The fortunes and direction of the town changed in 1973 when the Aquarius Foundation of the Australian Union of Students from Sydney University got permission to hold a bi-annual arts festival in Nimbin. The Aquarians opposed the War in Vietnam and wanted a freer and more humane world with peace, love and happiness. A Rainbow Café opened on the work site being prepared for the influx of a possible 5,000 university students. Volunteers did the work and artists came to prepare. The festival in May was successful and about 100 people stayed on to run the Rainbow Café, do their art and prepare for another festival. Several groups emerged to buy properties for cooperatives and the attraction of rural living and rainforest living blossomed amongst former city people. The hippy new comers built makeshift houses, prepared home crafts, and cared about environmental responsibility, communal living and loving, and in some cases, mind altering drugs. But life was not altogether free and each commune had its own rules which had to be obeyed as well as local and state laws. When the Lismore Council ordered illegal houses to be demolished the Nimbinites formed the district Homebuilders Association to fight the Council. In the end the Homebuilders won the right for multiple residences on one property. Then in 1979 a bigger opponent emerged – logging in the rainforests at Terania Creek. Conservation made national headlines, action groups were formed and the NSW government created new national parks like nearby Nightcap and reduced forest logging. Economically the new cooperatives promoted growth of Nimbin too. The Bush Co-Op began as a community organisation but it soon had food storage and wholesale distribution arms, mechanical, metal and woodworking shops, a media group and graphic art studios, theatre troupe and general design. At the same time independent artists, writers and musicians lived and worked in the town. Commercialism crept back into the new hippy world with markets, galleries and more festivals. But the overarching principles of living and caring for others and protecting the environment and living sustainably continued. Diversity was the key and new spiritual groups found a home at Nimbin too from Thai Buddhist groups to Indian Hindu philosophical ashrams to “born again” Christian groups. Not surprisingly Nimbin has an annual Mardi Grass and a world naked Bike Ride celebration amongst its annual festivals!
Just outside of Nimbin turn right into Stony Chute Road to see some granite boulders which are sacred place to the Bundjalung people and heritage listed. The lowest rock is called the cathedral, whilst the top level of rock is called the castle. The highest peak is named Lady Cunningham’s Needle. These granite dykes are evidence of old volcanic activity the basis of the rich fertile soils of the district.
Deryn and I had a late flight so needed to kill a few hours in the morning. We walked up from Dulwich and entered what must be one of the strangest museums. The Horniman houses an eclectic collection of objects with no real theme holding them together. Preserved bugs and butterflies are within reach of voodoo shrines, musical instruments and Hindu and Buddhist figurines. The history of how the museum came into being, below, perhaps explains this mix.
Still it’s much loved and still attracts attendees and during our visit hundreds of tiny kids lining up for the dinosaur exhibition. It also proved a rich seam for amateur photographers! As my photography collection too lacks a theme I had no restrictions in capturing some these treasures.
“Frederick John Horniman, Victorian tea trader and philanthropist, began collecting objects, specimens and artefacts 'illustrating natural history and the arts and handicrafts of various peoples of the world' from around 1860. His overarching mission was to 'bring the world to Forest Hill' and educate and enrich the lives of the local community.
His travels took him to far flung destinations such as Egypt, Sri Lanka, Burma, China, Japan, Canada and the United States collecting objects which 'either appealed to his own fancy or that seemed to him likely to interest and inform those who had not had the opportunity to visit distant lands'. Mr Horniman’s interest as a collector was well known and many travellers approached him with specimens and curiosities.
By the late nineteenth century, these 'natural, industrial and artistic spoils had accumulated to such an extent that he gave up the whole house to the collections'.
His wife is reported to have said 'either the collection goes or we do'. With that, the family moved to Surrey Mount.”
Built 1910 - 1911 .... Constructed by - Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company of Darlington, England .... The Queen Street Bridge in Toronto carries vehicles and Toronto Transit Commission / TTC streetcars along Queen Street East and across the Don River. It is an example of a Pratt truss bridge. The art work on the bridge is by Eldon Garnet, the phrase "this river I step in is not the river I stand in", taken from the philosophy of Heraclitus, is inscribed in large letters overarching the road ....
© All Rights Reserved Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
The Oswestry Division of British Railways Western Region was the administrative area that covered the bulk of the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth line from nationalisation up until late 1962, and was centred around the former Cambrian Railways lines with some add on’s such as Aberystwyth to Pencader, Talyllyn Junction to Pontsticill Junction and Oswestry to Gobowen, amounting to 320 miles of railway with 90 signal boxes, 141 stations and halts, employing nearly 1000 men and women including the carriage and locomotive works at Oswestry itself. There were just over 100 steam locomotives stationed at 12 different engine sheds in the district in 1947. East of Buttington Junction to Shrewsbury was in the Chester Division, as was the line from Barmouth Junction to Ruabon. Each section of line had what was called a “working timetable” that showed a list of all planned train movements including passenger, freight and light engine movements; the travelling public only saw the published passenger train timetable. The working timetable amounted to a bible and was a point of reference for all railway employees, including detail on were signal boxes where, the maximum load certain types of engines could be loaded to over sections of the line, gradients, speed restrictions etc. The summer 1959 edition we use as a source here amounted to 91 pages – just for the Oswestry Division. The railway in Mid Wales in 1959 was still steam-operated, and the summer of 1959 was the penultimate summer of the use of the class 90xx 4-4-0’s: essentially a 1930’s rebuild of a Victorian design. The Moat Lane Junction to Brecon section was almost exclusively run by 46XXX series: modern 2-6-0’s built-in Swindon to an Ivatt LMS design, though some other BR Standard types were seen it was still a predominantly an ex-GWR fleet in operation. The passenger rolling stock was no older than from the mid-1930s, and quite often the premier trains used new BR Mk 1 stock. However, the timetable and working practices were still similar to the past, with little thought about relevance to the modern world. The area was not selected for any of the trials of DMU’s or diesel railbuses, and no early allocation of diesel's or DMU’s were seen at this point, apart from one daily working from Bangor to Pwllheli. The mid and late ’50s were, in fact, a time of growing passenger numbers on the railway, and paid holidays taken in the UK were a big factor in this for seaside lines. Overcrowding was not unknown on Summer Saturdays, despite numerous long-length trains. 1955 had seen the launch of the Modernisation Plan and the replacement of all steam engines promised by 1975; what wasn’t so apparent was any plan or timescale on individual lines. This was left to the Region concerned, and future analysis showed there to be a gap in what the quantities of DMU’s and diesels planned would cover. We know now that the British Transport Commission had been working on a secret plan of branch line closures since the late 1940s, though there was no overarching strategic objective apart from hunting down and eradicating hopelessly uneconomic parts; however with Modernisation underway there was the promise of reduced operating costs and attracting increased business. It was all rather woolly. However, on the ground especially on Summer Saturdays, the lines had never been busier... Think of yourself at that small Mediterranean airport that sees an influx of several large jets arrive once a week, unload and then load up again. The Oswestry Division was something like that, in parts anyway, except that the carriages stayed all week from Saturday PM to the following Saturday AM. There were 19 additional departures to destinations off the Cambrian from the coastal stations. Talerddig slightly edged it as the preferred route, and the destinations were evenly split between the North West, London and the West Midlands, along with the solitary single extra train going south of Aberystwyth. The summer of 1959 was clearly the heyday of Butlin’s at Penychain with no fewer than 11 of the additional trains serving it, 4 starting from there. The Butlin’s camp was started before World War 2, but used as a Naval training base during hostilities; afterwards, it opened in 1947 along with Penychain station with two long platforms, and the line between Afon Wen and Penychain was doubled. to cope with the traffic. It was planned as a rail-served facility. Barmouth was served by 10 extra trains, Tywyn by 5 and Aberystwyth by 4.The arriving extra trains roughly mirrored the departing pattern and whereas the departures were predominately AM the arrivals would be PM. There is plenty of photographic evidence from the time, so we know that train lengths were fairly long and can deduce that the capacity provided by these extra trains would be 9000- 9500 seats each way a week, which equated to roughly a quarter of million seats in the season. One of the big criticisms of the traffic survey carried out barely 18 months after the summer 59 season ended, was that it failed to take into account the seasonal variation and that the infamous usage maps in the Reshaping report were an under-representation of many lines’ true usage figures. It’s highly unlikely that the railway would be providing 19 extra-long length trains if they weren’t used. Normal service trains also ran with extra carriages in the summer months and the North-Western part of the Division saw additional weekday tourist trains – the Radio Land Cruises. However, some parts of the Oswestry Division saw little or no extra summer Saturday traffic: only one train ran south of Aberystwyth, just one of the Manchester trains was routed north of Welshpool and via Oswestry and Whitchurch, and there was nothing at all along the Mid Wales line to Brecon.
Normal weekday train movements (both directions combined) for freight and passenger trains for each section of the Division. It can be seen that there was much variation and often having a connecting line with trains running from it over a further few miles produced a greater traffic density. The north-west saw the greatest density of passenger traffic, as it benefitted from through trains from the London Midland Region to Pwllheli and Portmadoc, in addition to Western Region services and the Radio Land Cruises. Of course, it had a swelled up population with the extra holidaymakers all arriving by train in situ to cater for. Freight traffic was at its densest around the Oswestry area; traffic in the south of the Division both West and East was noticeably much lighter. The two signal boxes at Oswestry were open 24 hours to cater for 108 train movements. In contrast, the section from Llanidloes to Builth Wells saw just 10 movements. Oswestry was the HQ of the Division and very much a hub for local passenger services and freight. It is noticeable how the volume of freight trains gradually decreases from Gobowen as the Cambrian mainline is followed from Oswestry to Aberystwyth. In total Oswestry had 42 freight train movements a day versus 8 for Aberystwyth! In the far south freight movements equalled or bettered passenger train movements south of Lampeter, and from Talyllyn Junction to Pontsticill Junction. In the North, the section between Buttington Junction and Llanymynech saw equal numbers. It should be noted that there was no mention of any freight arrivals or departures at Afon Wen from the Caernarfon line though terminating and starting LMR passenger trains are shown. Also, no traces of any movements from the Neath and Brecon line are shown.
Bear in mind when comparing train numbers with today the lesser demand for travel and also the effect of running pick up goods trains on line capacity, for instance, the 0515 pick up freight from Oswestry took until 1130 to reach Machynlleth and that’s with running non stop to Welshpool! Numbers only tell part of the story of movement of trainload freight was few and far between: two milk trains that came up from Carmarthen, one to Aberaeron and one to Pont Llanio and return, a daily Ammonia tank train from Hereford to Dowlais Central and back, a daily coal train direct from the Hafod Colliery near Wrexham to Oswestry and the ballast trains to the Nantmawr Quarries. The bulk of freight was done by Class K unfitted pick-up freight trains, some of which skipped stops along the mainline only serving towns. Many of the village stations were only served by one freight train a day in each direction.
Mail trains were a big feature of the timetable. The 03.15 am from Whitchurch to Aberystwyth was met at Welshpool by the 03.48 am from Shrewsbury and connected into the 0545 Moat Lane Junction to Builth Wells and 0640 Machynlleth to Pwllheli. In the reverse direction, the 1800 Aberystwyth to Whitchurch was connected into by the 16.05 pm from Pwllheli and the 17.08 pm from Brecon; at Welshpool, it connected
with the 20.55 pm to Shrewsbury. Mail also came in and out over the Lampeter, Bala and Caernarfon routes.
The only A-Class passenger working on a weekday was, of course, the Cambrian Coast Express, the UP service departing Aberystwyth at 11.45 am on weekdays. It had through carriages added to it at Dovey Junction from the 09.55 am from Pwllheli. It reached Shrewsbury at 14.42 pm but with no connection from the Mid Wales line or toward Oswestry at Welshpool. The DOWN service was the 10.10 am from
Paddington departing Shrewsbury at 13. 26 pm arriving Aberystwyth 1605. Through carriages were detached at Machynlleth and added to the 15.40 pm to Pwllheli. Again there was no connection from Oswestry but it did connect into the 14.45 pm Moat Lane Junction to Brecon service.
Pre Grouping operating practices? The Brecon and Merthyr Railway was something a misnomer as it soon realised that it wouldn’t have a monopoly on traffic from Brecon. It turned itself into a Valleys mineral line running across industrialised Dowlais and into the Rhymney Valley and on to Newport
docks. Its passenger services were secondary considerations, the all stations Brecon to Newport service was chronically slow and didn’t go where people wanted to (Cardiff), but just followed the B&M main line: 36 years after the grouping and 4 years after Cardiff was made the capital of Wales. Trains from further north terminated at Brecon, as they did in Cambrian days. Trains from Carmarthen terminated at Aberystwyth, The LMR trains ran into Pwllheli but Western Region trains terminated there and ventured no further north. Perhaps having the division mirror the old Cambrian Railways boundaries encouraged the old ways to linger. Of the 7 northbound weekday trains from Newtown, 3 still went toward Oswestry at Welshpool, one without a Shrewsbury connection. Was it the Cambrian Railways mainline or Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth? Having a manned signal box on average every 3.5 miles tells its own story as to operating costs: at least 180 signalmen plus reliefs would have been needed just to pull the levers every day. A train travelling from Moat Lane to Brecon despite the sparseness of traffic still passed by 15 signal boxes. There were 12 manned stations between Aberystwyth and Pencader alone. Having passing loops and points every couple of miles also affected journey times on single-track lines. The UP Cambrian Coast Express managed Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury in just under 3 hours, with just 5 station stops but 20 token exchanges for single track sections. All stop's passenger trains could take nearly three and a half hours. The bitter complaint that the timetable south of Llanidloes was all but useless is borne out by the difficulties a traveller from Newtown would face to get to South Wales. Catching the Aberystwyth mail train from Newtown at 05. 16 am and alighting Moat Lane Junction at 05.23 am he made a connection into the 05.45 am to Builth Wells which arrived at 07, 10 am There he would face a two-hour wait until 09. 10 am and the train to Three Cocks Junction, arriving there at 10.04 am in time to connect with the 09. 02 am from Hereford to Brecon departing 10. 08 am arriving Brecon 10.44 am The train to Newport was at 12. 15 pm and that didn’t get to Pontsticill Junction till 13.15 pm! In contrast, he could be in Aberystwyth for 07.05 am and connecting with the 07. 15 am for Carmarthen which arrived there at 09.23 am. Pwllheli was possible by 09.40 am using the 06.40 am from Machynlleth. Heading off in the other direction the 06.53 am departure (06.40 am ex Llanidloes) would see him in Whitchurch by 09.00 am Wrexham could be reached by 09.25 am either via Ellesmere or Gobowen at 08.24 am via Oswestry, but he would have to wait until 07.40 am (06. 35am ex Machynlleth) for a through train to Shrewsbury arriving 09.0 am .
Oswestry allocated BR Standard 4MT No 75020 piloted by 2251 Class 0-6-0 No 2281 from Machynlleth shed, raise the echoes as they approach the summit of Talerddig with an Aberystwyth to Manchester London Road service 17th August 1957. Neg 483
NORFOLK, Virginia – A week-long, large-scale gang enforcement operation, labeled “Operation Washout” wrapped up on Aug. 8, resulting in 32 arrests of alleged violent offenders and fugitives.
The U.S. Marshals Service led multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working around the clock Aug. 6-8, concentrating their efforts primarily on known gang members wanted in the greater Norfolk area. Many arrests were of suspected gang members or associates. Additional state and federal prosecutions are pending on those arrested where drug, gun or other crime evidence was seized during or subsequent to the person’s arrest.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s national fugitive initiative known as Operation Washout is deployed to communities to bring immediate relief from violent, gang-related crime. The collaborative law enforcement effort is focused on targeting and arresting violent fugitives wanted for high-profile crimes such as homicide, felony assault, and sexual assault, illegal possession of firearms, illegal drug distribution, robbery, and arson.
Since 2010, the USMS has led more than 70 counter-gang operations which have resulted in more than 8,000 arrests and the seizure of more than 1,800 illegal firearms. For the last 10 years, the overarching goal of the USMS nationwide Operation Triple Beam and Washout initiative has been to bring relief to the residents of communities by strategically and actively pursuing gang members and criminals most responsible for the worst crime and violence in those communities.
Photo By: Dave Oney / US Marshals
Asahi Pentax | 50mm f2 | Ektar 100
Part of a series that I think came out quite well. No message, or overarching theme, just twenty minutes of me idly taking pictures while the other interns went about their work.
Nimbin. Population 450.
Nimbin was a special place for the Bundjalung Aboriginal people as it was believed to be the home of sacred mystical small men who were the spiritual custodians of the mountains. The word meant “home to the little man”. When white pastoralists came the district became part of the Lismore station held by William Wilson – hence the naming
of the Wilson River. He held the lease until 1880 when the government sent surveyors in to survey virgin rainforest. The first white family arrived in 1882 followed by many more in 1883. Their first task was to clear land for a few pigs, cattle and vegetables. The Red Cedar and Hoop Pine were felled and then rolled into the Wilson River and floated down to the saw mills in Lismore. It was a tough life in this district. In 1903 one local block holder H Thornburn subdivided part of his property to create the village of Nimbin. Thornburn donated one block for a School of Arts (built 1904) and another for a Presbyterian Church. The first official school opened in 1906. The town grew quickly with a hotel, bakery, butchery, café, store, bank agency, Post Office and saw mill starting up within the first couple of years. The big boost to the town was the opening of a butter factory in 1908. Then the public buildings followed with Anglican and Presbyterian churches in 1909. A Methodist church followed in 1913 and a Catholic Church and school in 1918. A new Post Officer was built in 1914. The bank of N.S.W opened their first wooden bank in 1909 but this burnt down. The bank built a distinctive Art Deco wooden bank in 1919 and an E. S & A bank opened in 1922. The Freemason’s Hotel was erected in 1926 (it is now the Nimbin Hotel) and a wooden Masonic Lodge was erected in 1937. A Police Station was not built until 1934 but a police officer was stationed in the town from 1917. The main stays of the town economy were saw milling and butter production but apart from cattle, local farmers grew bananas, peas, beans and passionfruit. The Nimbin Dairy Cooperative amalgamated with Norco dairy in 1921. The factory closed in 1961 as cream could be fast trucked to Lismore.
The fortunes and direction of the town changed in 1973 when the Aquarius Foundation of the Australian Union of Students from Sydney University got permission to hold a bi-annual arts festival in Nimbin. The Aquarians opposed the War in Vietnam and wanted a freer and more humane world with peace, love and happiness. A Rainbow Café opened on the work site being prepared for the influx of a possible 5,000 university students. Volunteers did the work and artists came to prepare. The festival in May was successful and about 100 people stayed on to run the Rainbow Café, do their art and prepare for another festival. Several groups emerged to buy properties for cooperatives and the attraction of rural living and rainforest living blossomed amongst former city people. The hippy new comers built makeshift houses, prepared home crafts, and cared about environmental responsibility, communal living and loving, and in some cases, mind altering drugs. But life was not altogether free and each commune had its own rules which had to be obeyed as well as local and state laws. When the Lismore Council ordered illegal houses to be demolished the Nimbinites formed the district Homebuilders Association to fight the Council. In the end the Homebuilders won the right for multiple residences on one property. Then in 1979 a bigger opponent emerged – logging in the rainforests at Terania Creek. Conservation made national headlines, action groups were formed and the NSW government created new national parks like nearby Nightcap and reduced forest logging. Economically the new cooperatives promoted growth of Nimbin too. The Bush Co-Op began as a community organisation but it soon had food storage and wholesale distribution arms, mechanical, metal and woodworking shops, a media group and graphic art studios, theatre troupe and general design. At the same time independent artists, writers and musicians lived and worked in the town. Commercialism crept back into the new hippy world with markets, galleries and more festivals. But the overarching principles of living and caring for others and protecting the environment and living sustainably continued. Diversity was the key and new spiritual groups found a home at Nimbin too from Thai Buddhist groups to Indian Hindu philosophical ashrams to “born again” Christian groups. Not surprisingly Nimbin has an annual Mardi Grass and a world naked Bike Ride celebration amongst its annual festivals!
Just outside of Nimbin turn right into Stony Chute Road to see some granite boulders which are sacred place to the Bundjalung people and heritage listed. The lowest rock is called the cathedral, whilst the top level of rock is called the castle. The highest peak is named Lady Cunningham’s Needle. These granite dykes are evidence of old volcanic activity the basis of the rich fertile soils of the district.
Asahi Pentax | 50mm f2 | Ektar 100
Part of a series that I think came out quite well. No message, or overarching theme, just twenty minutes of me idly taking pictures while the other interns went about their work.
Tyler S. Grant (b. 1995)
“More often than not, the circumstances of life seem to happen when we least expect; at least, that’s the way it felt upon the genesis of Resplendent Light. Commissioned by a school in Concord, Massachusetts, it was suggested to me to use Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as a source of inspiration for this serene and introspective work. Anyone who has read Walden knows that
one of the prominent overarching tones is ‘reflection.’ I had just sketched the first few melodic ideas for the work when I received the horrific news that my grandfather had passed away after a long battle with heart disease. While we knew that his health condition was declining we were unaware just how fast the disease would compromise his stability. Upon the death of a loved one, one can’t help but become immersed in self-reflection—reflecting on my own life, my heritage and the lives of those around me. Much like the way Thoreau chose to distance himself from the rest of the world in order to reflect, I spent several weeks blocking out the noise of our perpetually loud world to focus on these reflective thoughts.”
—Program note by Tyler S. Grant
C-5 CU BOULDER COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി, kathakaḷi; Sanskrit: कथाकळिः, kathākaḷiḥ) is a stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's present day state of Kerala during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.
HISTORY
Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.
Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called 'Manipravaalam'), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience.
As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.
Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam.
KATHAKALI PLAYS
Traditionally there are 101 classical Kathakali stories, though the commonly staged among them these days total less than one-third that number. Almost all of them were initially composed to last a whole night. Nowadays, there is increasing popularity for concise, or oftener select, versions of stories so as the performance lasts not more than three to four hours from evening. Thus, many stories find stage presentation in parts rather than totality. And the selection is based on criteria like choreographical beauty, thematic relevance/popularity or their melodramatic elements. Kathakali is a classical art form, but it can be appreciated also by novices—all contributed by the elegant looks of its character, their abstract movement and its synchronisation with the musical notes and rhythmic beats. And, in any case, the folk elements too continue to exist. For better appreciation, perhaps, it is still good to have an idea of the story being enacted.
The most popular stories enacted are Nalacharitham (a story from the Mahabharata), Duryodhana Vadham (focusing on the Mahabharata war after profiling the build-up to it), Kalyanasougandhikam, (the story of Bhima going to get flowers for his wife Panchali), Keechakavadham (another story of Bhima and Panchali, but this time during their stint in disguise), Kiratham (Arjuna and Lord Shiva's fight, from the Mahabharata), Karnashapatham (another story from the Mahabharata), Nizhalkuthu and Bhadrakalivijayam authored by Pannisseri Nanu Pillai. Also staged frequently include stories like Kuchelavrittam, Santanagopalam, Balivijayam, Dakshayagam, Rugminiswayamvaram, Kalakeyavadham, Kirmeeravadham, Bakavadham, Poothanamoksham, Subhadraharanam, Balivadham, Rugmangadacharitam, Ravanolbhavam, Narakasuravadham, Uttaraswayamvaram, Harishchandracharitam, Kacha-Devayani and Kamsavadham.
Recently, as part of attempts to further popularise the art, stories from other cultures and mythologies, such as those of Mary Magdalene from the Bible, Homer's Iliad, and William Shakespeare's King Lear and Julius Caesar besides Goethe's Faust too have been adapted into Kathakali scripts and on to its stage. Synopsis of 37 kathakali stories are available in kathakalinews.com.
MUSIC
The language of the songs used for Kathakali is Manipravalam. Though most of the songs are set in ragas based on the microtone-heavy Carnatic music, there is a distinct style of plain-note rendition, which is known as the Sopanam style. This typically Kerala style of rendition takes its roots from the temple songs which used to be sung (continues even now at several temples) at the time when Kathakali was born.
As with the acting style, Kathakali music also has singers from the northern and southern schools. The northern style has largely been groomed by Kerala Kalamandalam in the 20th century. Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, an overarching Kathakali musician of those times, was a product of the institute. His prominent disciples include Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, Kalamandalam P.G. Radhakrishnan, Rama Varrier, Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri, Tirur Nambissan, Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri, Kalamandalam Hyderali, Kalamandalam Haridas, Subramanian, Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan and Kalamandalam Bhavadasan. The other prominent musicians of the north feature Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi, Kottakkal Parameswaran Namboodiri, Kottakkal P.D. Narayanan Namboodiri, Kottakkal Narayanan, Kalamandalam Anantha NarayananKalamandalam Sreekumar Palanad Divakaran, Kalanilayam Rajendran, Kolathappilli Narayanan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Narayanan Embranthiri, Kottakkal Madhu, Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Harish and Kalamandalam Vinod. In the south, some of whom are equally popular in the north these days, include Pathiyur Sankarankutty. Southerner musicians of the older generation include Cherthala Thankappa Panikker, Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai, Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thanneermukkam Viswambharan and Mudakkal Gopinathan.
PERFORMANCE
Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in early morning. Nowadays it isn't difficult to see performances as short as three hours or fewer. Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till the neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to provide sole light when the plays used to be performed inside temples, palaces or abodes houses of nobles and aristocrats. Enactment of a play by actors takes place to the accompaniment of music (geetha) and instruments (vadya). The percussion instruments used are chenda, maddalam (both of which underwent revolutionary changes in their aesthetics with the contributions of Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval and Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval) and, at times, edakka. In addition, the singers (the lead singer is called “ponnani” and his follower is called “singidi”) use chengila (gong made of bell metal, which can be struck with a wooden stick) and ilathalam (a pair of cymbals). The lead singer in some sense uses the Chengala to conduct the Vadyam and Geetha components, just as a conductor uses his wand in western classical music. A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak but use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing instead of dialogue (but for a couple of rare characters).
ACTING
A Kathakali actor uses immense concentration, skill and physical stamina, gained from regimented training based on Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala, to prepare for his demanding role. The training can often last for 8–10 years, and is intensive. In Kathakali, the story is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (called mudras or hand gestures) and by facial expressions (rasas) and bodily movements. The expressions are derived from Natyashastra (the tome that deals with the science of expressions) and are classified into nine as in most Indian classical art forms. Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements.
There are 24 basic mudras—the permutation and combination of which would add up a chunk of the hand gestures in vogue today. Each can again can be classified into 'Samaana-mudras'(one mudra symbolising two entities) or misra-mudras (both the hands are used to show these mudras). The mudras are a form of sign language used to tell the story.
The main facial expressions of a Kathakali artist are the 'navarasams' (Navarasas in anglicised form) (literal translation: Nine Tastes, but more loosely translated as nine feelings or expressions) which are Sringaram (amour), Hasyam (ridicule, humour), Bhayanakam (fear), Karunam (pathos), Roudram (anger, wrath), Veeram (valour), Beebhatsam (disgust), Adbhutam (wonder, amazement), Shantam (tranquility, peace). The link at the end of the page gives more details on Navarasas.
One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. Most often, the make-up can be classified into five basic sets namely Pachcha, Kathi, Kari, Thaadi, and Minukku. The differences between these sets lie in the predominant colours that are applied on the face. Pachcha (meaning green) has green as the dominant colour and is used to portray noble male characters who are said to have a mixture of "Satvik" (pious) and "Rajasik" (dark; Rajas = darkness) nature. Rajasik characters having an evil streak ("tamasic"= evil) -- all the same they are anti-heroes in the play (such as the demon king Ravana) -- and portrayed with streaks of red in a green-painted face. Excessively evil characters such as demons (totally tamasic) have a predominantly red make-up and a red beard. They are called Red Beard (Red Beard). Tamasic characters such as uncivilised hunters and woodsmen are represented with a predominantly black make-up base and a black beard and are called black beard (meaning black beard). Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces and this semi-realistic category forms the fifth class. In addition, there are modifications of the five basic sets described above such as Vella Thadi (white beard) used to depict Hanuman (the Monkey-God) and Pazhuppu, which is majorly used for Lord Shiva and Balabhadra.
NOTABLE TRAINING CENTRES & MASTERS
Kathakali artistes need assiduous grooming for almost a decade's time, and most masters are products of accomplished institutions that give a minimum training course of half-a-dozen years. The leading Kathakali schools (some of them started during the pre-Independent era India) are Kerala Kalamandalam (located in Cheruthuruthy near Shoranur), PSV Natya Sangham (located in Kottakal near Kozhikode), Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy (or Gandhi Seva Sadan located in Perur near Ottappalam in Palakkad), Unnayi Varier Smaraka Kalanilayam (located in Irinjalakuda south of Thrissur), Margi in Thiruvananthapuram, Muthappan Kaliyogam at Parassinikkadavu in Kannur district and RLV School at Tripunithura off Kochi and Kalabharathi at Pakalkkuri near Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Sandarshan Kathakali Kendram in Ambalapuzha and Vellinazhi Nanu Nair Smaraka Kalakendra in Kuruvattor. Outside Kerala, Kathakali is being taught at the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi, Santiniketan at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, Kalakshetra in Chennai and Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad among others. PadmaSree Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai mostly known as 'Guru Chengannur'was running a traditional Gurukula Style approach to propagate Kathakali.
‘Guru Chengannur” is ever renowned as the Sovereign Guru of Kathakali. His precision in using symbols, gestures and steps were highest in the field of Kathakali. Guru Chegannur's kaththi vesham, especially the portrayal of Duryodhana enthralled the audience every time he performed. A master of the art, he found immense happiness and satisfaction in the success and recognition of his disciples.
Senior Kathakali exponents of today include Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Gopi, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, Kottakkal Krishnankutty Nair, Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, FACT Padmanabhan, Kottakkal Chandrasekharan, Margi Vijayakumar, Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair, Vazhenkada Vijayan, Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai, Kalamandalam Kuttan, Mayyanad Kesavan Namboodiri, Mathur Govindan Kutty, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Chavara Parukutty, Thonnakkal Peethambaran, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Kalanilayam Gopalakrishnan, Chirakkara Madhavankutty, Sadanam K. Harikumaran, Thalavadi Aravindan, Kalanilayam Balakrishnan, Pariyanampatta Divakaran, Kottakkal Kesavan, Kalanilayam Gopi and Kudamaloor Muralikrishnan. The late titan actor-dancers of Kathakali's modern age (say, since the 1930s) include Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Chandu Panicker, Thakazhi Guru Kunchu Kurup, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, Kavalappara Narayanan Nair, Kurichi Kunhan Panikkar, Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair, Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Mankulam Vishnu Namboodiri, Oyur Kochu Govinda Pillai, Vellinezhi Nanu Nair, Padma Shri Kavungal Chathunni Panikkar, Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, Kottakkal Sivaraman, Kannan Pattali, Pallippuram Gopalan Nair, Haripad Ramakrishna Pillai, Champakkulam Pachu Pillai, Chennithala Chellappan Pillai, Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker, and Vaikkom Karunakaran.
Kathakali is still hugely a male domain but, since the 1970s, females too have made entry into the art form on a recognisable scale. The central Kerala temple town of Tripunithura has, in fact, a ladies troupe (with members belonging to several part of the state) that performs Kathakali, by and large in Travancore.
KATHAKALI STYLES
Known as Sampradäyaṃ(Malayalam: സമ്പ്രദായം); these are leading Kathakali styles that differ from each other in subtleties like choreographic profile, position of hand gestures and stress on dance than drama and vice versa. Some of the major original kathakali styles included:
Vettathu Sampradayam
Kalladikkodan Sampradyam
Kaplingadu Sampradayam
Of late, these have narrowed down to the northern (Kalluvazhi) and southern (Thekkan) styles. It was largely developed by the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1881-1949) that is implemented in Kerala Kalamandalam (though it has also a department that teaches the southern style), Sadanam, RLV and Kottakkal. Margi has its training largely based on the Thekkan style, known for its stress on drama and part-realistic techniques. Kalanilayam, effectively, churns out students with a mix of both styles.
OTHER FORMS OD DANCE & OFFSHOOTS
Kerala Natanam is a kind of dance form, partly based on Kathakali techniques and aesthetics, developed and stylised by the late dancer Guru Gopinath in the mid-20th century. Kathakali also finds portrayal in Malayalam feature films like Vanaprastham, Parinayam, Marattam, and Rangam. Besides documentary films have also been shot on Kathakali artistes like Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Kottakkal Sivaraman.
As for fictional literature, Kathakali finds mention in several Malayalam short stories like Karmen (by N.S. Madhavan) and novels like Keshabharam (by P.V. Sreevalsan). Even the Indo-Anglian work like Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning The God of Small Things has a chapter on Kathakali, while, of late, Anita Nair's novel, Mistress, is entirely wrapped in the ethos of Kathakali.
Similar musical theater is popular in Kasaragod and the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, viz. Yakshagana. Though Yakshagana resembles Kathakali in terms of its costume and makeup to an extent, Yakshagana is markedly different from Kathakali as it involves dialogues and method acting also the narration is in Kannada, wherein philosophical debates are also possible within framework of the character. As per records the art form of Yakshagana was already rooted and well established at the time of Sri Manavedan Raja. There is possibilities of its significant influence in formation of Kathakkali as the troupe of performers of "Krishnanattam" designed the basic costume of the art form already established in other parts of south India including Males playing the female roles (until more recently).
Kottayam thamburan's way of presenting kathakali was later known as Kalladikkoden sambradayam. Chathu Paniker,the introducer of Kallikkoden Sambrathayam, stayed in Kottayam for five years with Kottayam Thamburan's residence and practiced Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam. Then he returned to his home place. After a short period Chathu Paniker reached Pulapatta as instructed by Kuthiravattath nair. That was around the year ME 865. Many deciples from Kadathanadu, Kurumbra nadu, Vettathu nadu, Palakkadu and Perumpadappu studied kathakali(Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam ) By that time Chathu Paniker was an old man. Some years later he died from Pulapatta.
NOTED KATHAKALI VILLAGES & BELTS
There are certain pockets in Kerala that have given birth to many Kathakali artistes over the years. If they can be called Kathakali villages (or some of them, these days, towns), here are some of them: Vellinezhi, Kuruvattoor, Karalmanna, Cherpulassery, Kothachira, peringode, sreekrishnapuram Kongad and Ottapalam in Palakkad district, Vazhenkada in Malappuram district, Thichur or Tichoor, Guruvayur, Thiruvilwamala and Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, Tripunithura, Edappally, Thekkan Chittoor in Ernakulam district and Kuttanad, Harippad belt in Alappuzha district besides places in and around Thiruvanathapuram in south Travancore and Payyannur in north Malabar.
AWARDS FOR KATHAKALI ARTISTS
Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees - Kathakali (1956–2005)
Nambeesan Smaraka Awards—For artistic performances related kathakali{1992-2008}
KATHAKALI ATTAMS (ELAKI ATTAMS)
Attams or more specifically "elaki attams" are sequences of acting within a story acted out with the help of mudras without support from vocal music. The actor has the freedom to change the script to suit his own individual preferences. The actor will be supported ably by Chenda, Maddalam, and Elathalam (compulsory), Chengila (not very compulsory).
The following are only some examples. 'Kailasa Udharanam' and 'Tapas Attam' are very important attams and these are described at the end. Two of the many references are Kathakali Prakaram, pages 95 to 142 by Pannisheri Nanu Pillai and Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal by Chavara Appukuttan Pillai.
VANA VARNANA: BHIMA IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKA
Modern man looks at the forest, indeed the birthplace of primates, with a certain wonder and a certain respect. Kathakali characters are no exception.
When Pandavas were living in the forest, one day, a flower, not seen before, wafted by the wind, comes and falls at the feet of Panchali. Exhilarated by its beauty and smell, Panchali asks Bhima to bring her more such flowers. To her pleasure Bhima is ready to go at once. But Panchali asks him what he shall do for food and drink on the way. Bhima thinks and says "Food and Drink! Oh, this side glance (look) of yours. This look of longing. This look of anticipation. The very thought fills me up. I don't need any food and drink at all. Let me go." He takes his mace and off he goes. Ulsaham (enthusiasm) is his Sdhayi Bhavam (permanent feature).
"Let me go at once in search of this flower," says Bhima. "The scented wind is blowing from the southern side. Let me go that way." After walking some distance he sees a huge mountain called Gandhamadana and three ways. He decides to take the middle one which goes over the mountain. After going further "The forest is getting thicker. Big trees, big branches in all directions. The forest looks like a huge dark vessel into which even light can not penetrate. This is my (Bhima's) way. Nothing can hinder me." So saying he pulls down many trees. Sometimes he shatters the trees with his mace. Suddenly he sees an elephant. "Oh! Elephant." He describes it. Its trunk. Sharp ears.
The itching sensation in the body. It takes some mud and throws on the body. Oh good. Then it sucks water and throws on the body. Somewhat better. Slowly it starts dosing even though alert at times. A very huge python is approaching steadily. Suddenly it catches hold of the elephant's hind leg. The elephant wakes up and tries to disengage the python. The python pulls to one side. The elephant kicks and drags to the other side. This goes on for some time. Bhima looks to the other side where a hungry lion is looking for food. It comes running and strikes the elephants head and eats part of the brain and goes off. The python completes the rest. "Oh my god, how ruthless!" says Bhima and proceeds on his way.
UDYANA VARNANA: NALA IN NALACHARITHAM SECOND DAY
Descriptions of gardens are found in most dance forms of India and abroad. These are also common in Kathakali.
Newly married Nala and Damayanthi are walking in the garden. When Nala was lovingly looking at Damayanthi a flower falls on her. Nala is overjoyed and thinks that this is a kindness nature has shown on his wife. Nala says "On seeing the arrival of their queen, the trees and climbers are showing happiness by dropping flowers on you." He tells her, "See that tree. When I used to be alone the tree used to hug the climber and seemingly laugh at my condition." Then he looks at the tree and says, "Dear Tree, look at me now. See how fortunate I am with my beautiful wife."
Both wander about. A bumblebee flies towards Damayanthi. Immediately Nala protects her face with a kerchief. He looks at the bee and then at Damayanthi. He says, "On seeing your face the bee thought it was a flower and came to drink the nectar." Nala and Damayanthi listen to the sounds coming out of the garden. Damayanti says, "It appears that the whole garden is thrilled. The flowers are blooming and smiling. Cuckoos are singing and the bees are dancing. Gentle winds are blowing and rubbing against our bodies. How beautiful the whole garden looks." Then Nala says that the sun is going down and it is time for them to go back and takes her away.
SHABDA VARNANA: HANUMAN IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKAM
While Bhima goes in search of the flower, here Hanuman is sitting doing Tapas with mind concentrated on Sri Rama.
When he hears the terrible noises made by Bhima in the forest he feels disturbed in doing his Tapas. He thinks "What is the reason for this?" Then the sounds become bigger. "What is this?" He thinks, "The sounds are getting bigger. Such a terrible noise. Is the sea coming up thinking that the time is ripe for the great deluge (Pralaya). Birds are flying helter-skelter. Trees look shocked. Even Kali Yuga is not here. Then what is it? Are mountains quarreling with each other? No, That can't be it. Indra had cut off the wings of mountains so that they don't quarrel. Is the sea changing its position? No it can't be. The sea has promised it will not change its position again. It can't break the promise." Hanuman starts looking for clues. "I see elephants and lions running in fear of somebody. Oh a huge man is coming this way. Oh, a hero is coming. He is pulling out trees and throwing it here and there. Okay. Let him come near, We will see."
THANDEDATTAM: RAVANA IN BALI VADHAM
After his theranottam Ravana is seen sitting on a stool. He says to himself "I am enjoying a lot of happiness. What is the reason for this?" Thinks. "Yes I know it. I did Tapas to Brahma and received all necessary boons. Afterwards I won all ten directions. I also defeated my elder brother Vaishravana. Then I lifted Kailas mountain when Siva and Parvathi were having a misunderstanding. Parvathi got frightened and embraced Siva in fear. Siva was so happy he gave a divine sword called Chandrahasa. Now the whole world is afraid of me. That is why I am enjoying so much happiness." He goes and sits on the stool. He looks far away. "Who is coming from a distance. he is coming fast. Oh, it is Akamba. Okay. Let me find out what news he has for me."
ASHRAMA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KIRATHAM
Arjuna wants to do Tapas to Lord Siva and he is looking a suitable place in the Himalayan slopes. He comes to place where there is an ashram. Arjuna looks closely at the place. "Oh. What a beautiful place this is. A small river in which a very pure water is flowing. Some hermits are taking baths in the river. Some hermits are standing in the water and doing Tapsas. Some are facing the Sun. Some are standing in between five fires." Arjuna salutes the hermits from far. He says to himself "Look at this young one of a deer. It is looking for its mother. It seems to be hungry and thirsty. Nearby a female tiger is feeding its young ones. The little deer goes towards the tigress and pushes the young tiger cubs aside and starts drinking milk from the tigress. The tigress looks lovingly at the young deer and even licks its body as if it were its own child. How beautiful. How fulfilling."
Again he looks "Here on this side a mongoose and a serpent forgetting their enmity are hugging each other. This place is really strange and made divine by saints and hermits. Let me start my Tapas somewhere nearby."
A sloka called "Shikhini Shalabha" can be selected instead of the above if time permits.
AN ATTAM BASED ON A SLOKA
Sansrit slokas are sometimes shown in mudras and it has a pleasing and exhilarating effect. Different actors use slokas as per his own taste and liking. However, the slokas are taught to students during their training period. An example is given below.
Kusumo Kusumolpatti Shrooyathena Chathushyathe
Bale thava Mukhambuje Pashya Neelolpaladwayam
Meaning a flower blooming inside another flower is not known to history. But, my dear, in your lotus like face are seen two blue Neelolpala flowers (eyes).
A CONVERSATION BASED ON A SLOKA
Sanskrit slokas can also be used to express an intent. One such example is a sloka used by Arjuna addressed to Mathali the charioteer in Kalakeya Vadham. Sloka:
Pitha: Kushalee Mama hritha Bhujaam
Naatha Sachee Vallabha:
Maatha: kim nu Pralomacha Kushalinee
Soonurjayanthasthayo
Preethim va Kushchate Thadikshnavidhow
Cheta Samutkanuthe
Sutha: tvam Radhamashu Chodaya vayam
Dharmadivam Mathala
Meaning: The husband of Indrani and the lord of gods my father - Is he in good health? His son Jayantha - Is he strictly following the commands of his father? Oh, I am impatient to see all of them.
SWARGA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KELAKEYA VADHAM
Arjuna goes to heaven on the invitation of his father, Indra. After taking permission from Indrani he goes out to see all the places in Swarga. First he sees a building, his father's palace. It is so huge with four entrances. It is made of materials superior to gold and jewels of the world. Then he goes ahead and sees Iravatha. Here he describes it as a huge elephant with four horns. He is afraid to touch it. Then he thinks that animals in Swarga can't be cruel like in the world and so thinking he goes and touches and salutes Iravatha. He describes the churning of the white sea by gods and demons with many details and how Iravatha also came out of the white sea due to this churning.
He walks on and sees his father's (Indra's) horse. It is described as being white and its mane is sizzling like the waves of the white sea from which it came. He touches and salutes the horse also. Then he goes to see the river of the sky (or milky way). He sees many birds by this river and how the birds fly and play is shown.
Then he sees the heavenly ladies. Some are collecting flowers, and one of them comes late and asks for some flowers for making garland. The others refuse. She goes to the Kalpa Vriksha and says "please give me some flowers." Immediately a shower of flowers occurs which she collects in her clothes and goes to make garlands chiding the others. "See... I also got flowers." After this he sees the music and dance of the heavenly ladies. First it starts with the adjustments of instruments Thamburu, Mridangam, Veena. Then the actual music starts along with the striking of cymbals. Then two or three types of dances are shown. Then comes juggling of balls. It is described by a sloka thus:
Ekopi Thraya Iva Bhathi Kandukoyam
Kanthayaa: Karathala Raktharaktha:
Abhrastho Nayanamareechi Neelaneelo
Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'. Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called ), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience. As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.
Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to
Bhumau Talcharana Naghamshu Gaurgaura:
Meaning One ball looks like three balls. When it is in the hands of the juggler, it takes the redness of the hands, when it goes up it takes the blueness of the eyes, when it strikes the ground it becomes white from the whiteness of the leg nails. Once a juggled ball falls down. Then she, the juggler, somehow manages to proceed and remarks "See.. how I can do it".
At one time a garment slips from a lady's body and she adjusts the cloth showing shameful shyness (Lajja). Then the ladies go in for a Kummi dance. As Arjuna was enjoying this dance, suddenly somebody calls him. Arjuna feels scared. "Oh God, where am I?" he says and beats a hasty retreat.
TAPAS ATTAM: RAVANA IN RAVANA ULBHAVAM
[Background: Mali, Sumali and Malyavan were three brothers ruling Sri Lanka. During a war between them and Indra, Indra requested help from Lord Vishnu and as a consequence Lord Vishnu killed Mali. Sumali and Malyavan escaped to Patala. Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali. She wandered in the forest. She belong three boys through a great sage called Vishravassu. (Vishravassu had an earlier son called Vaishravana who became the richest among all people.) The eldest boy of Kaikasi was Ravana followed by Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.]
SCENE 1
When Ravana was a young boy (Kutti Ravana vesham), one day he was sleeping on his mothers lap in a place called madhuvanam. At that time Kaikasi sees Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (mythical aeroplane). She thinks “Oh, that is Vaishravana, technically a brother of my son who is sleeping on my lap. He is rich and strong. My son is so poor and weak. While thinking thus a drop of tear from her eyes drops on Ravana’s face. Ravana suddenly wakes up and sees his mother crying. When he knew the reason he could not bear it. He says he is going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that he will be strong and rich.
SCENE 2
(The tapas itself is shown as a part of autobiographical narration of adult ravana)
Ravana (adult Ravana, not kutti Ravana) is sitting on a stool. He thinks “Why am I so happy? How did I become so rich and strong? Oh yes. It is because of the tapas I did. What made me do the tapas? When I was a young boy, one day I was sleeping on my mother’s lap in a place called Madhuvanam. A drop of tear from her eyes falls on my face. I asked her why she was crying. She said she saw Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (plane). She told me Vaishravan was a brother of mine now flying in a plane. He is rich and strong. I am so poor and weak. When I heard this comparison between me and my brother, I could not bear it. I am going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that I will be strong and rich.
I made five different types of fires (while doing tapas gods are approached through Agni the god of fire). Then I started my tapas. I asked my brothers to stand guard and also keep the fires burning. Then I fully concentrated on tapas. Time passed but Brahma did not appear. I looked. Why is Brahma not appearing? I doubled my concentration. Time passed. Brahma is not appearing. Still not appearing? I cut one of my heads and put it in the fire. Waited, Brahma did not come. One more head rolls. Still no Brahma comes. Heads roll and roll. No Brahma. Only one head is left. First I thought of stopping my tapas. But no! Never! That will be an insult to me and my family. It is better to die than stop. Also when I die Brahma will be judged as being partial. With great determination I swung the sword at my last neck, when, lo and behold, suddenly Brahma appeared and caught my hand. I looked at him with still un-subsided, but gradually subsiding anger. Brahma asked me what boons I wanted. I asked for a boon that I should win all the worlds and have all the wealth and fame and that I should not be killed except by man. I also asked him to give boons for my brothers.
In the next scene Ravana asks Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana what boons they got. Unfortunately Kumbhakarna’s tongue got twisted while asking for boon and he got ‘sleep’ instead of becoming the ‘king of gods’. Ravana laughed it off. As for Vibhishana, he being a bhaktha of Vishnu, asked for Vishnu’s blessings and got it. Ravana laughs it off and also decides to conquer all the worlds and starts preparing his grand army for the big conquest of the worlds.
[This method of presentation with a peculiar sequence has a tremendous dramatic affect. The main actor redoes a small part of what happened to kutti Ravana vesham, and this gives a view of the high contrast between the boy and the man Ravana. Similarly the presence of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana in the subsequent scene offers a good smile on the face of the viewer at the end of the play.]
KAILASA UDDHARANAM: RAVANA IN BALI VIJAYAM
[Background and Previous scene: After receiving the boons, and widening his kingdom in all directions, Ravana lives in Sri Lanka with great pomp and splendor. One day he sees Saint Narada approaching his palace singing songs in praise of him ‘Jaya jaya Ravana, Lanka Pathe’. Happily he receives Narada and seats him next to him. After telling Narada about the victory of his son Indrajith on Indra, Ravana tells Narada “Now there is nobody on earth or other worlds who can fight with me”. To this Narada replies “ Very true indeed, but there is one huge monkey called Bali who says he can defeat you. He even said that you are just like a blade of grass to him. Well let him say what he wants. You are unbeatable.” Then Narada says ‘let us go there and see him’. Both decide to go. But Ravana takes his famous sword called “Chandrahasam”. Then Narada asks the history of this sword. Ravana’s Attam Starts.]
Ravana says “I received this sword from Lord Siva. It happened thus. Once when I was conquering new places and expanding my empire I happened to be going across the Kailasa mountain. The plane got stuck on the mountain unable to move forward. I got down from the plane and looked at the mountain. (Looks from one end to the other first horizontally and then vertically.) So huge it was. Then I decided to lift it with my bare hand and keep it aside and move forward. I started sticking my hands under it one by one. Then I tried to lift it. It doesn’t move. I put more force and more force. It moved just a bit. I pushed harder and harder, slowly it started moving then again and again and it moved easily. Then I lifted it up with my hands and started juggling it (exaggeration evident).
“At that particular time Lord Siva was quarreling with his wife Parvathi. Why did they fight? The story is as follows. Parvathi had gone for enjoying swimming and bathing in some beautiful pond. At that time Siva opened his jata (disheveled long hair) and called Ganga for some entertainment after asking Ganapathi and Subramania to go for some errands. Somehow becoming suspicious, right at that time, Parvathi came back in a hurry with wet clothes and saw Siva with Ganga. Siva was wondering what to do and it was at that time that Ravana started lifting the Kailasa. When Kailasa started shaking Parvathi got scared and ran to Siva and hugged him. So the quarrel ended and Siva was happy. “As a reward Siva called me and gave me this famous Chandrahasa sword.”
Then Narada and Ravana leave to meet Bali. Ravana wanted to take the sword along with him, but Narada suggested that the sword is not required for teaching a lesson to Bali who is after all an unarmed monkey.
WIKIPEDIA
While researching the architect of my former house, I discovered that Evandro Pinto Silva designed this mammoth structure, the Regional Labor Court, Tenth Region, with his familiar arches.
www.researchgate.net/publication/318746229_THE_PRESERVATI...
Poem.
Quintessentially Scotland, wrapped in a burnt amber autumnal cloak.
Lochan islet overarched by the noble, native Scots Pine.
Rosehips, gorse and sapling silver birch frame a breathless stillness and combine to form the archetypal landscape of Caledonia.
A perfect moment of utter calm where time ceases and beauty overwhelms.
How rare.
How special.
How therapeutic
to mind, body and soul.
From: www.magazine.utoronto.ca/photo-of-the-week/flight-iii/
Liat’s creative vision can be described as a space where the eerie and the beautiful are intertwined. “Flight III” is the last image in her levitation series, but it is characteristic of her overarching style, which often bears elements of magic and a surreal aesthetic. “I like heightening moments in time by making my photos something more than reality,” says Liat.
The usage of vibrant colours in the natural scenery, coupled with the hint of a smile from the woman, help create illusory feelings of serenity and peace. The woman’s identity is unknown, but there is an aura of familiarity around her – we’ve seen her before.
“In an age where photography is becoming increasingly accessible, I feel that many people, including myself, become desensitized,” she says. “Photos are everywhere and every image begins to look the same.”
One defining stylistic feature of Liat’s photography is the transformation of the familiar into the strange. To add an element of subtle distortion to the image, she decided to erase the most human element from the woman’s face – the eyes. With this vital human component stripped from the woman’s visage, the welcoming smile becomes sinister, the calm skies appear ominous and even the trees seem to exhibit disturbing movement.
“For me, the theoretical concept of death is manifested in these subtle elements of ugliness – even in an image that exhales life,” she says. The final piece magnificently depicts the intermingling of life and death, beauty and the grotesque, and reality and fantasy.
Bochum
The Ruhr area ('Ruhrgebiet') is named after the river that borders it to the south and is the largest urban area in Germany with over five million people. It is mostly known as a densely-populated industrial area. By 1850 there were almost 300 coal mines in operation in the Ruhr area. The coal was exported or processed in coking ovens into coke, used in blast furnaces, producing iron and steel. Because of the industrial significance, it had been a target from the start of the war, yet "the organized defences and the large amount of industrial pollutants produced a semi-permanent smog or industrial haze that hampered accurate bombing". During World War II, the industry and cities in the Ruhr area were heavily bombed. The combination of the lack of historic city centres, which were burned to ashes, and (air) pollution has given the area and the cities a bad reputation. Especially because it is so close to the Netherlands, I thought it would be an interesting area to visit for a little trip. I have spent three nights at a campsite on the Ruhr and visited six cities.
With a population of 365,000 inhabitans, Bochum is the fourth largest city in the Ruhr area and the 16th largest city in Germany. Bochum was founded in the 9th century and was granted a town charter in 1321, yet it remained a small town until the 19th century. The establishment of the mining and the steel industry resulted in a steep population rise. Coals refined as coke needed for the steel production led to the emergence of coking plants. Bochum's growth at the end of the 19th century took place without any overarching planning. Therefore, no organized infrastructure could develop at first. Industrial settlements and company apartments were built at the colliery sites, while the established farms around the industrial sites continued to farm. In 1894 the first tram line went into operation.
During the Second World War, more than 30,000 people were used as slave labor in Bochum and Wattenscheid as part of the Nazi forced labor. The town centre of Bochum was a strategic target during the Oil Campaign. In 150 air raids on Bochum, over 1,300 bombs were dropped on Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. By the end of the war, 83% of Bochum had been destroyed. 70,000 citizens were homeless and at least 4,095 dead. Of Bochum's more than 90,000 homes, only 25,000 remained for the 170,000 citizens who survived the war, many by fleeing to other areas. Most of the remaining buildings were damaged, many with only one usable room.
Source: Wikipedia (edited)
The Rathaus (city hall) of Bochum was constructed between 1926 and 1931.
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Wattenscheid is a district of the independent city of Bochum since 1975, and was an independent city in the central Ruhr area from 1926 to 1974. The district currently has a population of 73,000. Wattenscheid was founded around 900 and received city rights in 1426. During the period of industrialization, mining accelerated the city's development, among other things with the influx of workers. Around 1855, around 1,000 men were employed in six mines, and around 1900 there were already over 10,000 miners in eight mines. In total there were 328 deaths from the bombings in World War II. Mainly living space was destroyed. The war damage in Wattenscheid was not insignificant, but significantly less than in other cities in the Ruhr area.
Poem.
Quintessentially Scotland, wrapped in a burnt amber autumnal cloak.
Lochan islet overarched by the noble, native Scots Pine.
Rosehips, gorse and sapling silver birch frame a breathless stillness and combine to form the archetypal landscape of Caledonia.
A perfect moment of utter calm where time ceases and beauty overwhelms.
How rare.
How special.
How therapeutic
to mind, body and soul.