View allAll Photos Tagged Pacified
A young tusker charges upon a tree to pacify its aggression during mating phase....he finally felled it down....spotted in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India
"Gentlemen, the NATO threat is looming. Our attempts to pacify them have failed. It's time to respond to their threats of force with our own actions. We have already met with Coalition and TEA officials, and they agree. We share a common enemy in NATO, and a common ally in the Banking Clan. With a common threat to group against, England may yet be united.
If we're all agreed, then it's time. We mobilize.
Send the word."
Press L, as this is so much better big on black!
The Sierra high country is timeless. These granite mountains, these meadows, and even this tree sentinel have been here longer than I've been alive and will be here much longer after I am gone. They stand day after day, month after month, year after year. Not waiting for anything, not expecting anything. No deadlines, no schedules, no Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays.
If you spend enough time in the mountains, you begin to tap into that endless cycle. The feeling of "having to do something" slips away, along with pressures, schedules, and responsibilities. I don't know anything quite so pacifying and relieving as connecting with the stillness of the mountains.
-----------------------------------
Tech notes on this photo
-----------------------------------
Nikon D7000
Tokina 12-24 f/4 at 12mm
ISO100
f/9 - Sharpest spot on my lens, still adequate for full DOF with my crop sensor
1 sec.
Shady White Balance
Lee soft 3-stop GND filter
Post-Processing
----------------------
In Raw Converter (Nikon Capture NX2)
- Processed single raw file twice, once for sky and once for the foreground and tree
- Global contrast for added pop
- Local brightness/contrast adjustments to brighten tree, enrich the sky, add contrast to granite
In Photoshop:
- Manual blend of two tiffs for master composite using an initial gradient mask, refined using a luminosity mask to paint in tree detail in the sky
- Selective sharpening of the granite, the tree, and the mountains
- Soft light burn / dodge layer, burned granite slightly
- Curves layer to add a little more saturation and oomph to sky
- Color balance layer to remove slight excess warm tint
All the best!
~Josh
A thousand-year-old tradition dating back to the Heian period, this Shinto ritual seeks to pacify the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane by delivering the message of his exoneration. The climax arrives when the doors of Houfu Tenmangu Shrine swing open, unleashing a torrent of white-clad men, the "hadakabō," who storm the hall. The spectacle of the massive, 500-kilogram oajirokoshi palanquin careening down the steps is nothing short of breathtaking. This is one of western Japan's most exhilarating and chaotic festivals.
Burton Agnes
Burton Agnes Hall
The Ghost - the below information is credited to the Burton Agnes Hall web site. With thanks.
The ghost of Katherine (Anne) Griffith, who died at Burton Agnes Hall in 1620, is reputed to have haunted the Queen's State Bedroom. Anne Griffith was the youngest of the three sisters whose portrait hangs in the Inner Hall, daughters of Sir Henry Griffith who built the Hall. The story is that Anne had watched the building of the new house and could talk and think of nothing else; it was to be the most beautiful house ever built. When it was almost finished Anne went one afternoon to visit the St. Quintins at Harpham about a mile away, but near St. John's Well was attacked and robbed by ruffians. She was brought home to Burton Agnes but was so badly hurt that she died a few days afterwards.
Sometimes delirious, sometimes sensible, she told her sisters that she would never rest unless part of her could remain in 'our beautiful home as long as it shall last'. She made them promise that when she was dead her head should be severed and preserved in the Hall forever, and to pacify her, the sisters agreed. However when Anne died, she was buried in the churchyard.
Then the ghost walked and scared the life out of everybody. Remembering Anne's dying words, the sisters took counsel with the vicar and eventually agreed that the grave should be opened. The skull was brought into the house and so long as it was undisturbed, the Hall was peaceful and untroubled. Many attempts have been made to get rid of it. Once it was thrown away, another time it was buried in the garden, but always the ghost walked with tremendous noise and upheaval. The skull is still in the house, built into one of the old walls, probably in the Great Hall. Nobody knows for sure just where it is but now she can watch over 'her beautiful home’
Thank you for your visit and your comments, they are greatly appreciated.
Excerpt from histoiresainteducanada.ca/en/le-sanctuaire-du-sacre-coeur...:
Father Joseph-Arthur Laporte was born in Saint-Paul de Joliette on August 15, 1857, the feast of the Assumption. He entered the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on August 25, 1879. The members of this community have a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it is through their contact that Father Laporte developed this devotion.
He left the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on July 28, 1886 and requested his incardination to the Bishop of Sherbrooke. He was admitted to the number of priests of the diocese by Bishop Antoine Racine, and appointed pastor of the parish of Sainte-Praxède de Bromptonville (1891-1902) from where he discovered the “mountain” that he would later call “Beauvoir”.
Eight kilometers north of Sherbrooke, a small mountain of one hundred and fifteen meters, still unnamed, had long attracted the attention of this great lover of nature. After many approaches to Mr. Émile Lessard, a farmer, he bought two hectares of land from him in 1915. He gave the name “Beauvoir” (beautiful to see) to this corner of paradise whose panoramic view enchanted him. He decided to build a small cottage, a house of six meters on a side surrounded by a gallery. In 1916 and 1917, he bought more land to enlarge his small domain.
And in 1920, he founded the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Beauvoir.
For years, Father Laporte has been fascinated by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He speaks of it tirelessly. So it is not surprising that the only decoration on the bare walls of his cottage is a lithograph, without much artistic pretension, of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.
In 1916, Father Laporte still dreamed of making Beauvoir a place where people would come to pray and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose devotion was spreading more and more throughout the country. He therefore decided to erect, not far from his cottage, a statue of the Sacred Heart. Measuring two meters in height, this statue, with its arms wide open, stands on a pedestal of field stones that farmers have faithfully transported on their carts.
The parish priest now invites his parishioners to come and taste the happiness that is his at the Sacred Heart…
As early as 1918, pilgrims began “the ascent of the Rosary”, a devotional practice that would have its heyday in the 1930s. On Sunday afternoons, pilgrims, starting from the main road, climbed to Beauvoir while reciting the rosary.
In 1933, at the request of the pilgrims, Father Pierre-Achille Bégin had a cross erected in front of the road leading to the Shrine. It is from this cross, still visible, that the pilgrimages to Beauvoir started. Along the way, wooden boards were set up on which were written the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. For Beauvoir, the erection of this cross gives all its meaning to the ascent of the rosary: it is the beginning of the ascent, it is the cross of the rosary that the lips kiss before murmuring the “Aves”, the first links of this long chain that leads the pilgrims to the very Love that awaits them at the Shrine.
In 1920, during a Holy Hour, he asked for a special favor from the Sacred Heart, with the promise of building a small chapel in Beauvoir if he was granted it. With the help of some local craftsmen, he had the promised little chapel built.
It is an architectural jewel that Abbé Laporte had built on the hill of Beauvoir.
But the Sacred Heart, never defeated in generosity, knows how to reward his servant by giving to vile materials a stamp of rustic elegance, to a humble and poor building, a beauty that escapes no one. And all those who come to pray in this rustic chapel find there a calm, a peace that penetrates deep into their souls and leaves them pacified. One can almost feel the loving presence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which bends down with tenderness over those who come to visit it.
The exterior of this chapel is reminiscent in many ways of some of the country chapels of France. The rustic walls, the rudimentary furnishings and the few decorations are not likely to satisfy the connoisseur of expensive works of art. It is poverty, destitution. The only decoration is a statue, a frame, two statuettes, a few ex-votos testifying to the goodness of the Sacred Heart, lanterns and old images of the Way of the Cross. But, near the tabernacle, how one can taste with love and peace the divine presence of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
On October 24, 1920, Bishop Larocque came to bless the little chapel. The next day, Father Laporte celebrated the first mass on Mount Beauvoir.
In the spring of 1921, his health inexorably deteriorated. Even though he was ill, he was taken to Beauvoir four or five more times. Then he had to give up returning to Beauvoir. He was hospitalized at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Hospital at the beginning of August. And on August 20, Father Laporte was finally able to meet face to face with the one who was the great love of his life.
The body of Father Laporte now rests in the crypt of the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste of which he was parish priest. However, on the west wall of the little chapel in Beauvoir, a commemorative plaque recalls the man who founded the Shrine and who continues to watch over its work from above.
Father Laporte had bequeathed the Beauvoir property to the diocese on the condition that he pay the remaining $3,500 debt. The diocese refused this bequest. Beauvoir thus reverted to the universal legatee, Miss Euphémie Charest, Father Laporte’s former housekeeper. She sold Beauvoir in 1923 to the executor of Father Laporte’s will, the notary Gédéon Bégin, for the price of the debt. This wealthy businessman used Beauvoir Hill as a summer vacation spot for his family.
From 1923 to 1929, Beauvoir fell into almost complete abandonment. Only a few lovers of the Sacred Heart would go up there privately to pray at the foot of the Sacred Heart statue. But at the end of July 1929, Father Pierre Achille Bégin, a retired priest and brother of the owner, accompanied by a few members of the family, came to visit Beauvoir. Although the buildings had been quite damaged by thieves and the weeds had invaded the area, the group was charmed by the landscape and decided to settle there for two weeks.
From then on, the Bégin family would come to spend a few weeks in Beauvoir during the summer vacations.
Without looking for signs, the good abbot knows how to recognize an invitation. First of all, together with his family members, he decided to restore the place and to revive the project of Father Laporte. Every year in June, he invites the people of the area for the triduum in preparation for the feast of the Sacred Heart. This is the highlight of the year.
Throughout the summer months, Father Bégin, surrounded by nephews and nieces, ensures for the pilgrims the mass every morning and the prayer at the Sacred Heart every evening as well as a Holy Hour every Thursday evening. Father Bégin, after Father Laporte, sought to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is in the small stone chapel that he spends most of his time in prayer and in welcoming the small groups of pilgrims who continue to climb the mountain. “All my desire is that in Beauvoir the Sacred Heart be particularly honored, praised and prayed to, and that He spread His greatest graces there.”
Historic house at Ft. Reno in El Reno, Oklahoma. Fort Reno began as a military camp in 1874 in the Indian Wars Era. It was established at the insistence of Agent John Miles at the Darlington Indian Agency, to pacify and protect the Cheyenne’s & Arapahos there. Troops from the 10th Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) were dispatched from Fort Sill, but, because of other Indian unrest, were detained at the nearby Wichita Agency at present day Anadarko. The military “Camp Near the Cheyenne Agency” for Darlington was then set up for 19 months by soldiers from the 5th Infantry and 6th Cavalry from Forts Dodge and Leavenworth under Lt. Col. Thomas Neil.
Fort Reno has a long and diverse history from its inception during the Indian Wars to its service during the Oklahoma Land Run. During WW2 Fort Reno was used at a Remounting station and a German Prisoners of War Camp.
Not for sale.
Pacifying landscape of Russian village at dawn, with river, houses and tall trees.
Made with brushes and palette knife.
Black Cat
"A ghost, though invisible, still is like a place
your sight can knock on, echoing; but here
within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze
will be absorbed and utterly disappear:
just as a raving madman, when nothing else
can ease him, charges into his dark night
howling, pounds on the padded wall, and feels
the rage being taken in and pacified.
She seems to hide all looks that have ever fallen
into her, so that, like an audience,
she can look them over, menacing and sullen,
and curl to sleep with them. But all at once
as if awakened, she turns her face to yours;
and with a shock, you see yourself, tiny,
inside the golden amber of her eyeballs
suspended, like a prehistoric fly. " - Rilke
The once lawless border counties were "pacified" (euphemism alert) under the unified monarchy and the Hanoverians and the big towns like Kelso, Jedburgh and Melrose are a delight, showing considerable civic pride.
This is the town hall in Kelso
Hasselblad 500 cm
ILford XP2
"Cold comes with The Void."
The Eye of the Behemoth is the standard armor support for The Void's infantry.
It is seen here pacifying the suburbs of a small town in B18 that has been bombed beforehand. The tank's standard camouflage is designed for natural/suburban winter landscapes. As Squadron 777 imperturbably progresses through the ruins, the Medic's preeminent task is to spray Serum on their victims, adding them to the Void's manpower.
Armor pictures with specifications: flic.kr/p/2jjDBDU
Built for DA4 www.flickr.com/groups/14677828@N25/
Please like and comment!
another sacrificial offering to PSoPaD, just to keep him fed and pacified, I am not taking any responsibility for this one, in fact I distance myself from it and pretend it wasn't me who took it, I choose to forget this sorry affair and move on
but not to waste pixels totally I think we could enjoy some nice ( in a non-nice way) Swans tune which would be right at home in the pictured setting,
enjoy!
Raphael (1483-1520) - Giulio Romano (1499-1546) and workshot - The Fire in the Borgo (1514) - Room Fire in the Borgo- Raphael Rooms - Vatican Museums
La scena mostra il miracoloso spegnimento dell'incendio divampato nel Borgo grazie all'intervento di Leone IV. La scena, impostata su violenti gruppi asimmetrici, alludeva al ruolo pacificatore del pontefice, ed alla sua attività per spegnere i conflitti tra le potenze cristiane.
A sinistra trova spazio anche la citazione colta di Enea che trasporta sulle spalle il padre Anchise, al fianco del figlioletto Ascanio e della nutrice Caieta: allusione agli interessi letterari del papa.
The scene shows the miraculous extinguishing of the fire that broke out in the village thanks to the intervention of Leo IV. The scene, set on violent asymmetrical groups, alluded to the pacifying role of the pontiff, and to his activity to extinguish conflicts between the Christian powers.
To the left is given to the erudite quotation of Aeneas carrying on his shoulders his father Anchises, alongside son Ascanio, and the nurse Caieta allusion to literary interests of the pope.
In the tenth century, Masakado led a rebellion and declared himself the new emperor of Japan. The actual emperor responded by putting a bounty on his head and, two months later, Masakado was killed in battle. His decapitated head was put on display in Kyoto as a warning to other would-be rebels.
Masakado's head did not decompose. Three months later, it still looked fresh and alive. One night, the head began to glow, and it lifted into the air and flew off in the direction of the village of Shibasaki (present-day Otemachi), Masakado's hometown. The villagers took the head, cleaned it and buried it at the Kanda Myojin shrine.
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the grave and the adjacent Finance Ministry Building. The ministry decided to rebuild on the site of the former grave, but this turned out to be a mistake. The Finance Minister, Seiji Hayami, died and thirteen other officials met similar fates over the next two years. Many workers became ill or were injured in mysterious accidents. The ministry removed the structure they had been building and began annual purification rituals to pacify Masakado's spirit.
In 1945, following World War Two, the US forces occupying Tokyo decided to build a parking lot over the grave. Once again, workers met with a series of suspicious accidents.
In 1961, Japan regained control of the site and the parking lot was removed. The burial site was once more dedicated to Masakado. When new buildings were constructed next to the burial site, however, workers again fell ill. In an attempt to calm the spirit, representatives from local businesses started to pray at the burial site on the 1st and 15th of each month.
In 1987, a string of freak accidents occurred during the filming of Teito Monogatari, a film in which a character attempts to awaken Taira no Masakado's spirit. To prevent accidents on set, it is now common practice for TV and movie producers to pay their respects at the Masakado's burial site before including him in their productions.
Otemachi has grown into a throughly modern centre of journalism and finance and yet, surrounded as it is by skyscrapers on all sides, this little stone monument to a rebel samurai remains and will likely continue to remain because no one wants to anger Makasado's spirit again.
Excerpt from histoiresainteducanada.ca/en/le-sanctuaire-du-sacre-coeur...:
Father Joseph-Arthur Laporte was born in Saint-Paul de Joliette on August 15, 1857, the feast of the Assumption. He entered the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on August 25, 1879. The members of this community have a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it is through their contact that Father Laporte developed this devotion.
He left the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on July 28, 1886 and requested his incardination to the Bishop of Sherbrooke. He was admitted to the number of priests of the diocese by Bishop Antoine Racine, and appointed pastor of the parish of Sainte-Praxède de Bromptonville (1891-1902) from where he discovered the “mountain” that he would later call “Beauvoir”.
Eight kilometers north of Sherbrooke, a small mountain of one hundred and fifteen meters, still unnamed, had long attracted the attention of this great lover of nature. After many approaches to Mr. Émile Lessard, a farmer, he bought two hectares of land from him in 1915. He gave the name “Beauvoir” (beautiful to see) to this corner of paradise whose panoramic view enchanted him. He decided to build a small cottage, a house of six meters on a side surrounded by a gallery. In 1916 and 1917, he bought more land to enlarge his small domain.
And in 1920, he founded the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Beauvoir.
For years, Father Laporte has been fascinated by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He speaks of it tirelessly. So it is not surprising that the only decoration on the bare walls of his cottage is a lithograph, without much artistic pretension, of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.
In 1916, Father Laporte still dreamed of making Beauvoir a place where people would come to pray and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose devotion was spreading more and more throughout the country. He therefore decided to erect, not far from his cottage, a statue of the Sacred Heart. Measuring two meters in height, this statue, with its arms wide open, stands on a pedestal of field stones that farmers have faithfully transported on their carts.
The parish priest now invites his parishioners to come and taste the happiness that is his at the Sacred Heart…
As early as 1918, pilgrims began “the ascent of the Rosary”, a devotional practice that would have its heyday in the 1930s. On Sunday afternoons, pilgrims, starting from the main road, climbed to Beauvoir while reciting the rosary.
In 1933, at the request of the pilgrims, Father Pierre-Achille Bégin had a cross erected in front of the road leading to the Shrine. It is from this cross, still visible, that the pilgrimages to Beauvoir started. Along the way, wooden boards were set up on which were written the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. For Beauvoir, the erection of this cross gives all its meaning to the ascent of the rosary: it is the beginning of the ascent, it is the cross of the rosary that the lips kiss before murmuring the “Aves”, the first links of this long chain that leads the pilgrims to the very Love that awaits them at the Shrine.
In 1920, during a Holy Hour, he asked for a special favor from the Sacred Heart, with the promise of building a small chapel in Beauvoir if he was granted it. With the help of some local craftsmen, he had the promised little chapel built.
It is an architectural jewel that Abbé Laporte had built on the hill of Beauvoir.
But the Sacred Heart, never defeated in generosity, knows how to reward his servant by giving to vile materials a stamp of rustic elegance, to a humble and poor building, a beauty that escapes no one. And all those who come to pray in this rustic chapel find there a calm, a peace that penetrates deep into their souls and leaves them pacified. One can almost feel the loving presence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which bends down with tenderness over those who come to visit it.
The exterior of this chapel is reminiscent in many ways of some of the country chapels of France. The rustic walls, the rudimentary furnishings and the few decorations are not likely to satisfy the connoisseur of expensive works of art. It is poverty, destitution. The only decoration is a statue, a frame, two statuettes, a few ex-votos testifying to the goodness of the Sacred Heart, lanterns and old images of the Way of the Cross. But, near the tabernacle, how one can taste with love and peace the divine presence of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
On October 24, 1920, Bishop Larocque came to bless the little chapel. The next day, Father Laporte celebrated the first mass on Mount Beauvoir.
In the spring of 1921, his health inexorably deteriorated. Even though he was ill, he was taken to Beauvoir four or five more times. Then he had to give up returning to Beauvoir. He was hospitalized at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Hospital at the beginning of August. And on August 20, Father Laporte was finally able to meet face to face with the one who was the great love of his life.
The body of Father Laporte now rests in the crypt of the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste of which he was parish priest. However, on the west wall of the little chapel in Beauvoir, a commemorative plaque recalls the man who founded the Shrine and who continues to watch over its work from above.
Father Laporte had bequeathed the Beauvoir property to the diocese on the condition that he pay the remaining $3,500 debt. The diocese refused this bequest. Beauvoir thus reverted to the universal legatee, Miss Euphémie Charest, Father Laporte’s former housekeeper. She sold Beauvoir in 1923 to the executor of Father Laporte’s will, the notary Gédéon Bégin, for the price of the debt. This wealthy businessman used Beauvoir Hill as a summer vacation spot for his family.
From 1923 to 1929, Beauvoir fell into almost complete abandonment. Only a few lovers of the Sacred Heart would go up there privately to pray at the foot of the Sacred Heart statue. But at the end of July 1929, Father Pierre Achille Bégin, a retired priest and brother of the owner, accompanied by a few members of the family, came to visit Beauvoir. Although the buildings had been quite damaged by thieves and the weeds had invaded the area, the group was charmed by the landscape and decided to settle there for two weeks.
From then on, the Bégin family would come to spend a few weeks in Beauvoir during the summer vacations.
Without looking for signs, the good abbot knows how to recognize an invitation. First of all, together with his family members, he decided to restore the place and to revive the project of Father Laporte. Every year in June, he invites the people of the area for the triduum in preparation for the feast of the Sacred Heart. This is the highlight of the year.
Throughout the summer months, Father Bégin, surrounded by nephews and nieces, ensures for the pilgrims the mass every morning and the prayer at the Sacred Heart every evening as well as a Holy Hour every Thursday evening. Father Bégin, after Father Laporte, sought to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is in the small stone chapel that he spends most of his time in prayer and in welcoming the small groups of pilgrims who continue to climb the mountain. “All my desire is that in Beauvoir the Sacred Heart be particularly honored, praised and prayed to, and that He spread His greatest graces there.”
Excerpt from histoiresainteducanada.ca/en/le-sanctuaire-du-sacre-coeur...:
Father Joseph-Arthur Laporte was born in Saint-Paul de Joliette on August 15, 1857, the feast of the Assumption. He entered the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on August 25, 1879. The members of this community have a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it is through their contact that Father Laporte developed this devotion.
He left the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on July 28, 1886 and requested his incardination to the Bishop of Sherbrooke. He was admitted to the number of priests of the diocese by Bishop Antoine Racine, and appointed pastor of the parish of Sainte-Praxède de Bromptonville (1891-1902) from where he discovered the “mountain” that he would later call “Beauvoir”.
Eight kilometers north of Sherbrooke, a small mountain of one hundred and fifteen meters, still unnamed, had long attracted the attention of this great lover of nature. After many approaches to Mr. Émile Lessard, a farmer, he bought two hectares of land from him in 1915. He gave the name “Beauvoir” (beautiful to see) to this corner of paradise whose panoramic view enchanted him. He decided to build a small cottage, a house of six meters on a side surrounded by a gallery. In 1916 and 1917, he bought more land to enlarge his small domain.
And in 1920, he founded the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Beauvoir.
For years, Father Laporte has been fascinated by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He speaks of it tirelessly. So it is not surprising that the only decoration on the bare walls of his cottage is a lithograph, without much artistic pretension, of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.
In 1916, Father Laporte still dreamed of making Beauvoir a place where people would come to pray and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose devotion was spreading more and more throughout the country. He therefore decided to erect, not far from his cottage, a statue of the Sacred Heart. Measuring two meters in height, this statue, with its arms wide open, stands on a pedestal of field stones that farmers have faithfully transported on their carts.
The parish priest now invites his parishioners to come and taste the happiness that is his at the Sacred Heart…
As early as 1918, pilgrims began “the ascent of the Rosary”, a devotional practice that would have its heyday in the 1930s. On Sunday afternoons, pilgrims, starting from the main road, climbed to Beauvoir while reciting the rosary.
In 1933, at the request of the pilgrims, Father Pierre-Achille Bégin had a cross erected in front of the road leading to the Shrine. It is from this cross, still visible, that the pilgrimages to Beauvoir started. Along the way, wooden boards were set up on which were written the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. For Beauvoir, the erection of this cross gives all its meaning to the ascent of the rosary: it is the beginning of the ascent, it is the cross of the rosary that the lips kiss before murmuring the “Aves”, the first links of this long chain that leads the pilgrims to the very Love that awaits them at the Shrine.
In 1920, during a Holy Hour, he asked for a special favor from the Sacred Heart, with the promise of building a small chapel in Beauvoir if he was granted it. With the help of some local craftsmen, he had the promised little chapel built.
It is an architectural jewel that Abbé Laporte had built on the hill of Beauvoir.
But the Sacred Heart, never defeated in generosity, knows how to reward his servant by giving to vile materials a stamp of rustic elegance, to a humble and poor building, a beauty that escapes no one. And all those who come to pray in this rustic chapel find there a calm, a peace that penetrates deep into their souls and leaves them pacified. One can almost feel the loving presence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which bends down with tenderness over those who come to visit it.
The exterior of this chapel is reminiscent in many ways of some of the country chapels of France. The rustic walls, the rudimentary furnishings and the few decorations are not likely to satisfy the connoisseur of expensive works of art. It is poverty, destitution. The only decoration is a statue, a frame, two statuettes, a few ex-votos testifying to the goodness of the Sacred Heart, lanterns and old images of the Way of the Cross. But, near the tabernacle, how one can taste with love and peace the divine presence of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
On October 24, 1920, Bishop Larocque came to bless the little chapel. The next day, Father Laporte celebrated the first mass on Mount Beauvoir.
In the spring of 1921, his health inexorably deteriorated. Even though he was ill, he was taken to Beauvoir four or five more times. Then he had to give up returning to Beauvoir. He was hospitalized at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Hospital at the beginning of August. And on August 20, Father Laporte was finally able to meet face to face with the one who was the great love of his life.
The body of Father Laporte now rests in the crypt of the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste of which he was parish priest. However, on the west wall of the little chapel in Beauvoir, a commemorative plaque recalls the man who founded the Shrine and who continues to watch over its work from above.
Father Laporte had bequeathed the Beauvoir property to the diocese on the condition that he pay the remaining $3,500 debt. The diocese refused this bequest. Beauvoir thus reverted to the universal legatee, Miss Euphémie Charest, Father Laporte’s former housekeeper. She sold Beauvoir in 1923 to the executor of Father Laporte’s will, the notary Gédéon Bégin, for the price of the debt. This wealthy businessman used Beauvoir Hill as a summer vacation spot for his family.
From 1923 to 1929, Beauvoir fell into almost complete abandonment. Only a few lovers of the Sacred Heart would go up there privately to pray at the foot of the Sacred Heart statue. But at the end of July 1929, Father Pierre Achille Bégin, a retired priest and brother of the owner, accompanied by a few members of the family, came to visit Beauvoir. Although the buildings had been quite damaged by thieves and the weeds had invaded the area, the group was charmed by the landscape and decided to settle there for two weeks.
From then on, the Bégin family would come to spend a few weeks in Beauvoir during the summer vacations.
Without looking for signs, the good abbot knows how to recognize an invitation. First of all, together with his family members, he decided to restore the place and to revive the project of Father Laporte. Every year in June, he invites the people of the area for the triduum in preparation for the feast of the Sacred Heart. This is the highlight of the year.
Throughout the summer months, Father Bégin, surrounded by nephews and nieces, ensures for the pilgrims the mass every morning and the prayer at the Sacred Heart every evening as well as a Holy Hour every Thursday evening. Father Bégin, after Father Laporte, sought to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is in the small stone chapel that he spends most of his time in prayer and in welcoming the small groups of pilgrims who continue to climb the mountain. “All my desire is that in Beauvoir the Sacred Heart be particularly honored, praised and prayed to, and that He spread His greatest graces there.”
The castle was built on the remnants of earlier Byzantine era and Roman era fortifications. After the area was pacified under the Ottoman Empire, the castle ceased to be purely defensive, and numerous villas were built inside the walls during the 19th century.
Please see more; Turkey, Ephesus, Kusadasi and Alanya 🌞
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It is hard when traveling the west coast of Scotland these days, to appreciate just how much travel has changed over time. These days, new roads and bridges, usually funded by the EEC, make travel so much easier than it was, even just a few decades ago. The great fiords or sea-lochs that were the highways of the ancient chieftains in their galleys (a form of transport that has not entirely disappeared it would seem!), became barriers when roads were pushed north into the Highlands (usually for the purpose of pacifying the natives!). While the ferries that sprung up to carry travelers across the lochs in time became a hindrance too, they also provided much charm to unhurried West Highland travel.
Not so many years ago, travelers going north from Kyle of Lochalsh and Plockton (which is just visible in the distance in this photograph), soon found their way blocked by the waters of Loch Carron, the south shore of which is precipitous, and as the next village on the route, Lochcarron, is on the north shore, a ferry ran across the narrowest part of the loch, here at Strome. (A road has now been built along the south shore, so the ferry no longer operates) Not only was Strome a key crossing point, its position at the neck of the loch also made is the key point in days gone by, for controlling who came and went. And that is why they built a castle here!
A thousand-year-old tradition dating back to the Heian period, this Shinto ritual seeks to pacify the spirit of Sugawara no Michizane by delivering the message of his exoneration. The climax arrives when the doors of Houfu Tenmangu Shrine swing open, unleashing a torrent of white-clad men, the "hadakabō," who storm the hall. The spectacle of the massive, 500-kilogram oajirokoshi palanquin careening down the steps is nothing short of breathtaking. This is one of western Japan's most exhilarating and chaotic festivals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRwwYWlbP2U
Finished with my woman 'cause she couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time
All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy,
Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify
Can you help me occupy my brain?
Oh yeah
I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find,
I can't see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind
Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I can not feel and love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could but (it's/I'm) too late
Black Sabbath
[Non è mai troppo tardi per godersi la vita...]
DO NOT use my pictures without my written permission, these images are under copyright. Contact me if you want to buy or use them. CarloAlessio77© All rights reserved
Ion Mystical World - Mystic Candles - Part I by Daniel Arrhakis (2018)
Candles symbolize light and in many mystical movements the wax symbolizes the body and the light, the spirit. Its use is widespread in many religions,creeds, cerimonies and cultures.
In Ancient Greece candles were offered to the gods of the Underworld as well as to those of fertility.
In Buddhism an ancient teaching says that "thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared". Candles are an age old traditional part of Buddhist rituals. In conjunction with incense and flowers, candles are placed in front of Buddhist shrines or statues and images of the Buddha as a mark of respect. They are often accompanied by offerings of food and drink. The light of the burning candle flame represents the light of the Buddha's teachings, the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Candles symbolizes light in the darkness and symbolizes the holy illumination of the spirit of truth and Purification. In Judaism the holiday Hanukkah is the 'Festival of Lights', and a candle is lit for each of the 8 nights. Used to ward off evil spirits, life safe as long as candle burns.
The symbolism of light also has always played an important part in Christian thought.
The Acts of the Apostles mentions the lighting of several lamps and candles during the services in the time of the Apostles. This reference to the large number of candles signifies that they were not used simply for lighting, but for their spiritual significance.
The Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council decreed that in the Orthodox Church, the holy Icons and relics, the Cross of Christ, and the Holy gospel were to be honored by incense and the lighting of candles; and the Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica (15th Century) wrote that candles are also lit before the Icons of the Saints, for the sake of their good deeds that shine in this world.
The use of candles is seen as a sign of love for Christ Crucified and Dead, showing their faith in His radiant Resurrection. The candles, by their burning, remind one of the perpetual Light which in the Kingdom of Heaven makes glad the souls of the righteous who have pleased God.
They are present in Holy Baptism when three candles are lit before the baptismal font as a sign that the Baptism is accomplished in the Name of the Holy Trinity.
At the Sacrament of Holy Unction, seven candles are lit around the vessel of Holy Oil as a sign of the grace-bestowing action of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
And when the body of a deceased person is brought in the church, four candles are placed about the coffin to form a cross to show that the deceased was a Christian and their use symbolizes also a sign that the deceased's soul has left this world and entered the Kingdom of Heaven the Perpetual Light of God.
In Ion Mystical World candle lighting represent a ray of hope where there is nothing but darkness, enlightenment, or a search for truth. A moment for a prayer, for knowledge and guidance in our path. They are important at night and in dark places for light the darkness but also for protect us from the "Shadows".
We don't have the symbolism of Evil like in many religions or creeds we prefer call them "Shadows", many times formless which are manifested by cold temperatures, unpleasant smells or heavy shadows that make the environment uncomfortable. Often they are indirectly manifested by impure thoughts, sudden manifestations of mood or even feelings of hatred, anger, envy or revenge.
In any case the presence of a candle (of any color) gives us light but also illuminates our spirit and comforts us with its warmth, leading us to contemplation, interiorize and to reflect on our own desires, acts, fears and feelings. They helps to clean the environment, bring light to our thoughts and pacify our spirit by pushing away the shadows.
Sit a quiet peaceful room and light a candle. Now stare deep into the burning flame of the candle and focus on it; don't let your vision of the candle flame become blurred.
Keep staring at the candle’s burning flame do not be distracted and try to interpret the visions and thoughts you are receiving, if you prefer close your eyes and keep up with prayers and memories of your beloved ones or beautiful moments of your life; all good feelings help on this process of introspection and analysis but also of enlightenment.
Candle meditation thus acts as a powerful way of focusing your concentration.
Try to build up your experience of candle meditation from 5 minutes a day to 20 minutes and do this over several months.
Excerpt from histoiresainteducanada.ca/en/le-sanctuaire-du-sacre-coeur...:
Father Joseph-Arthur Laporte was born in Saint-Paul de Joliette on August 15, 1857, the feast of the Assumption. He entered the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on August 25, 1879. The members of this community have a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it is through their contact that Father Laporte developed this devotion.
He left the community of the Clerics of Saint-Viateur on July 28, 1886 and requested his incardination to the Bishop of Sherbrooke. He was admitted to the number of priests of the diocese by Bishop Antoine Racine, and appointed pastor of the parish of Sainte-Praxède de Bromptonville (1891-1902) from where he discovered the “mountain” that he would later call “Beauvoir”.
Eight kilometers north of Sherbrooke, a small mountain of one hundred and fifteen meters, still unnamed, had long attracted the attention of this great lover of nature. After many approaches to Mr. Émile Lessard, a farmer, he bought two hectares of land from him in 1915. He gave the name “Beauvoir” (beautiful to see) to this corner of paradise whose panoramic view enchanted him. He decided to build a small cottage, a house of six meters on a side surrounded by a gallery. In 1916 and 1917, he bought more land to enlarge his small domain.
And in 1920, he founded the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Beauvoir.
For years, Father Laporte has been fascinated by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He speaks of it tirelessly. So it is not surprising that the only decoration on the bare walls of his cottage is a lithograph, without much artistic pretension, of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre.
In 1916, Father Laporte still dreamed of making Beauvoir a place where people would come to pray and celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose devotion was spreading more and more throughout the country. He therefore decided to erect, not far from his cottage, a statue of the Sacred Heart. Measuring two meters in height, this statue, with its arms wide open, stands on a pedestal of field stones that farmers have faithfully transported on their carts.
The parish priest now invites his parishioners to come and taste the happiness that is his at the Sacred Heart…
As early as 1918, pilgrims began “the ascent of the Rosary”, a devotional practice that would have its heyday in the 1930s. On Sunday afternoons, pilgrims, starting from the main road, climbed to Beauvoir while reciting the rosary.
In 1933, at the request of the pilgrims, Father Pierre-Achille Bégin had a cross erected in front of the road leading to the Shrine. It is from this cross, still visible, that the pilgrimages to Beauvoir started. Along the way, wooden boards were set up on which were written the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. For Beauvoir, the erection of this cross gives all its meaning to the ascent of the rosary: it is the beginning of the ascent, it is the cross of the rosary that the lips kiss before murmuring the “Aves”, the first links of this long chain that leads the pilgrims to the very Love that awaits them at the Shrine.
In 1920, during a Holy Hour, he asked for a special favor from the Sacred Heart, with the promise of building a small chapel in Beauvoir if he was granted it. With the help of some local craftsmen, he had the promised little chapel built.
It is an architectural jewel that Abbé Laporte had built on the hill of Beauvoir.
But the Sacred Heart, never defeated in generosity, knows how to reward his servant by giving to vile materials a stamp of rustic elegance, to a humble and poor building, a beauty that escapes no one. And all those who come to pray in this rustic chapel find there a calm, a peace that penetrates deep into their souls and leaves them pacified. One can almost feel the loving presence of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which bends down with tenderness over those who come to visit it.
The exterior of this chapel is reminiscent in many ways of some of the country chapels of France. The rustic walls, the rudimentary furnishings and the few decorations are not likely to satisfy the connoisseur of expensive works of art. It is poverty, destitution. The only decoration is a statue, a frame, two statuettes, a few ex-votos testifying to the goodness of the Sacred Heart, lanterns and old images of the Way of the Cross. But, near the tabernacle, how one can taste with love and peace the divine presence of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
On October 24, 1920, Bishop Larocque came to bless the little chapel. The next day, Father Laporte celebrated the first mass on Mount Beauvoir.
In the spring of 1921, his health inexorably deteriorated. Even though he was ill, he was taken to Beauvoir four or five more times. Then he had to give up returning to Beauvoir. He was hospitalized at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Hospital at the beginning of August. And on August 20, Father Laporte was finally able to meet face to face with the one who was the great love of his life.
The body of Father Laporte now rests in the crypt of the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste of which he was parish priest. However, on the west wall of the little chapel in Beauvoir, a commemorative plaque recalls the man who founded the Shrine and who continues to watch over its work from above.
Father Laporte had bequeathed the Beauvoir property to the diocese on the condition that he pay the remaining $3,500 debt. The diocese refused this bequest. Beauvoir thus reverted to the universal legatee, Miss Euphémie Charest, Father Laporte’s former housekeeper. She sold Beauvoir in 1923 to the executor of Father Laporte’s will, the notary Gédéon Bégin, for the price of the debt. This wealthy businessman used Beauvoir Hill as a summer vacation spot for his family.
From 1923 to 1929, Beauvoir fell into almost complete abandonment. Only a few lovers of the Sacred Heart would go up there privately to pray at the foot of the Sacred Heart statue. But at the end of July 1929, Father Pierre Achille Bégin, a retired priest and brother of the owner, accompanied by a few members of the family, came to visit Beauvoir. Although the buildings had been quite damaged by thieves and the weeds had invaded the area, the group was charmed by the landscape and decided to settle there for two weeks.
From then on, the Bégin family would come to spend a few weeks in Beauvoir during the summer vacations.
Without looking for signs, the good abbot knows how to recognize an invitation. First of all, together with his family members, he decided to restore the place and to revive the project of Father Laporte. Every year in June, he invites the people of the area for the triduum in preparation for the feast of the Sacred Heart. This is the highlight of the year.
Throughout the summer months, Father Bégin, surrounded by nephews and nieces, ensures for the pilgrims the mass every morning and the prayer at the Sacred Heart every evening as well as a Holy Hour every Thursday evening. Father Bégin, after Father Laporte, sought to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart. It is in the small stone chapel that he spends most of his time in prayer and in welcoming the small groups of pilgrims who continue to climb the mountain. “All my desire is that in Beauvoir the Sacred Heart be particularly honored, praised and prayed to, and that He spread His greatest graces there.”
Amy and Vance are miffed I haven't finished their story yet so I tried to pacify them with a romantic Valentine 'moment' ...
it's a "fill the blanks" one, just to pacify PaD ghost, busy week-end of handy work so not much vigor left for photoing things, rain aka drizzle doesn't help either,
having shot these candles and watching Beth's show I thought wouldn't it be grand if I could pass these candles to her to put on her piano instead of fake ones..
candles aside the show is great on Beth's scale and outstanding on normal people's scale, just the right balance of insane, mental and crazy with light infusion of the bestest female vocal out there this side of century.
if you know Beth you wanna see this, if you don't know Beth and love music you wanna see this and you are likely to be changed. or not. either way is fine. but why waste a good chance of being changed?
Prince: "sacred is a prayer that asks for nothing"
Beth: "I wish I knew how to pray
Without words in the way"
Just wondering what our objective is, Lieutenant."
"Bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy, install a regime loyal to the Emperor and eradicate the hostiles."
"It's their planet; we're the hostiles.CORPORAL HAN SOLO AND LIEUTENANT BOLANDIN DURING THE MIMBAN CAMPAIGN
The Imperial Army, also known as the Imperial Forces or Imperial ground forces, was the land-based branch of the Galactic Empire's military. As the ultimate evolution of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Imperial Army swiftly asserted dominance throughout the galaxy, making use of highly trained soldiers, mechanized walkers, and overwhelming numbers. The Imperial Army worked in tandem with the forces of the Imperial Navy, relying on the numerous fleets to transport legions of troopers across the far reaches of the galaxy. The most common soldiers of the Empire's ground forces were known as Imperial Army troopers, the core infantry of the army tasked with establishing Imperial regimes and pacifying troublesome worlds. As the Imperials reinforced their grip on the galaxy, these units were gradually phased out in favor of stormtroopers, elite shock troops fanatically loyal to the Emperor himself.
This morning Midnight was very vocal and agitated. He woke me up and then kept coming to my room and carrying on. Raphael got quite angry with and growled this high pitch agitated sound at him. I eventually got up, I needed to just rest, because I'm still sick, but in the end I got up and let the cats into the yard. Midnight was drooling a bit, and still quite restless, and agitated, pacing the yard. I inspected his mouth and found he has one very sore tooth, a top back tooth. He already lost half his teeth last year during dental surgery, and the vet said the others will go but they only were just starting to show signs of dissolving on the gum line, and he wanted to leave Midnight with some teeth. It hasn't lasted long. Poor little guy. I gave him some pain killer and all the cats an early dinner, moreso just to pacify Midnight. He was content and he was bathing himself in the sun. He remained content till this evening, and I had to be firm with him, he comes to me crying, I don't know what to do. He wants to go out but I really don't think he knows what he wants. He's just agitated. Hopefully tomorrow the pain killer will have worked it's way into his system and stopped a lot of the pain. He is booked in for dental surgery on Friday.
I got stressed thinking about this, it means I have to drive him to the vet far away, and it's hard on me even when I'm well to do the long drive.
I just want the cats well and happy, but it's one thing after another. I'm pretty sure the 2012 poisonings affected all the cats teeth. Most of them have undergone dental surgery in the last year or so.
Raphael (1483-1520) - Giulio Romano (1499-1546) and workshot - The Fire in the Borgo (1514) - Room Fire in the Borgo- Raphael Rooms - Vatican Museums
La scena mostra il miracoloso spegnimento dell'incendio divampato nel Borgo grazie all'intervento di Leone IV. La scena, impostata su violenti gruppi asimmetrici, alludeva al ruolo pacificatore del pontefice, ed alla sua attività per spegnere i conflitti tra le potenze cristiane.
A sinistra trova spazio anche la citazione colta di Enea che trasporta sulle spalle il padre Anchise, al fianco del figlioletto Ascanio e della nutrice Caieta: allusione agli interessi letterari del papa.
The scene shows the miraculous extinguishing of the fire that broke out in the village thanks to the intervention of Leo IV. The scene, set on violent asymmetrical groups, alluded to the pacifying role of the pontiff, and to his activity to extinguish conflicts between the Christian powers.
To the left is given to the erudite quotation of Aeneas carrying on his shoulders his father Anchises, alongside son Ascanio, and the nurse Caieta allusion to literary interests of the pope.
Dr is a fixture of our little village centre. He walks up and down the main street now and then in full "Dr Lecter meets ninja meets Shaolin monk" getup. With Dr's mask always on, another white mask strapped to his belt, in long ninja / Shaolin monk looking robe, with a long sword , Japanese style, under his belt. He looks convincing.
I've been thinking to get a pic of him for some time .. but I was scared .. ok strike that .. let's call it cautious.
Today I saw him and tried to steal a shot from some distance, he saw me and gestured not too. Who am I to argue with Dr Lecter?
I still managed a shot but pretended I knew nothing about anything and walked away from him. Only to hear behind my back "hey, I couldn't help but notice you took a snap of me?" He looked mildly pissed off. And pissed off Hannibal Lecter , even mildly so, is not what you want to face.
I offered to delete and reassured him I meant no offense. He said no, don't delete, what are you? a photographer or something? I reassured him I am no professional, hobby that's all, that seemed to have pacified him. I said I wanted a shot as he looked interesting and that sealed the deal , even monsters are vain, or are they especially so? We exchanged some niceties and I ended up taking his portrait.
And I live to see another day after staring Dr Lecter right into his face.
and this one sure needs a soundtrack and what could be more fitting to Dr's portrait than this sparkling gem from the one and only:
(guitar solo , all 3.5 minutes of it, starts at about 5 min, I sooo wish I could see Frank and Prince, two greatest guitar magicians, to have a solo off , too bad both are dead as a dodo :-( )
I waited for so long
Outside myself
You see I was pretenting
To be someone else
I was longing to see
Who I wanted to be
And I've been waiting on my own
I've been waiting for too long
Not strong enough to be with you
And I've been making up my world
I've been painting it with gold
Not strong enough to see you
I irrigate illusions
Then let them grow
How can I pacify myself?
And let go
And I run wild to see
Who I turned out to be
But it was too cold
In my world
(Too Long, Yael Naim)
Q - Quirky Style
Wacky. Kooky. Offbeat. This theme is all about embracing your doll’s eccentric and playful side. Show us that your doll isn’t afraid to be unconventional with her fashion, décor, and/or attitude. Does your doll have a favorite whimsical summer dress with a bold fruit print and matching purse? Does your doll have a funky lip shaped sofa and colorful Andy Warhol pop-art wall décor in his/her swanky apartment? Perhaps your doll wears oversized bows and multi-colored pompoms in her hair to express her zany personality. Or maybe your doll’s modeling in a tongue-in-cheek photoshoot with outlandish props to emphasize her quirkiness. How you choose to approach this theme is entirely up to you. Just be sure it’s a little bit odd, a little bit charming, and a whole lot of fun.
Second in my series inspired by Melanie Martinez 'Cry Baby' album. For these photos, I was especially inspired by the track 'Pacify Her', which you can watch here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u14-QBPzSE
I think Rayna makes a perfect 'Basic B*tch'. Connie don't look!
As Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton and Melanie Martinez all said: all the best poeple are crazy!
“Mad Matter: "Have I gone mad?"
Alice: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
The Hmong/Mong people (RPA: Hmoob/Moob, Nyiakeng Puachue: "", Pahawh Hmong: "" Hmong pronunciation: [ʰmɔ́ŋ]) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group living mainly in southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. They have been members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) since 2007. In China they are classified as a subgroup of the Miao people.
During the first and Second Indochina Wars, France and the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited thousands of Hmong people in Laos to fight against forces from North and South Vietnam and the communist Pathet Lao insurgents. This CIA operation is known as the Secret War.
HISTORY OF HMONG
The Hmong traditions and legends indicate that they originated near the Yellow River region of China. According to linguist Martha Ratliff, there is linguistic evidence to suggest that they have occupied some of the same areas of southern China for over 8,000 years. Evidence from mitochondrial DNA in Hmong–Mien–speaking populations supports the southern origins of maternal lineages even further back in time, although it has been shown that Hmong-speaking populations had comparatively more contact with northern East Asians than had the Mien.
The ancient town of Zhuolu is considered to be the birthplace of the widely proclaimed legendary Hmong king, Chi You. Today, a statue of Chi You has been erected in the town. The author of the Guoyu, authored in the 4th to 5th century, considered Chi You’s Jiu Li tribe to be related to the ancient ancestors of the Hmong, the San-Miao people.
In 2011, White Hmong DNA was sampled and found to contain 7.84% D-M15 and 6%N(Tat) DNA. The researchers posited a genetic relationship between Hmong-Mien peoples and Mon-Khmer people groups dating to the Last Glacial Maximum approximately 15-18,000 years ago.
Conflict between the Hmong of southern China and newly arrived Han settlers increased during the 18th century under repressive economic and cultural reforms imposed by the Qing dynasty. This led to armed conflict and large-scale migrations well into the late 19th century, the period during which many Hmong people emigrated to Southeast Asia. The migration process had begun as early as the late-17th century, however, before the time of major social unrest, when small groups went in search of better agricultural opportunities.
The Hmong people were subjected to persecution and genocide by the Qing dynasty government. Kim Lacy Rogers wrote: "In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while the Hmong lived in south-western China, their Manchu overlords had labeled them 'Miao' ('barbarian' or 'savage') and targeted them for genocide when they defied being humiliated, oppressed, and enslaved."
Since 1949, the Miao people (Chinese: 苗族; pinyin: miáo zú) has been an official term for one of the 55 official minority groups recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China. The Miao live mainly in southern China, in the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei. According to the 2000 censuses, the number of 'Miao' in China was estimated to be about 9.6 million. The Miao nationality includes Hmong people as well as other culturally and linguistically related ethnic groups who do not call themselves Hmong. These include the Hmu, Kho (Qho) Xiong, and A Hmao. The White Miao (Bai Miao) and Green Miao (Qing Miao) are Hmong groups.
HMONG CLANS OF HAN ORIGN
A number of Miao lineage clans are also believed to have been founded by Chinese men who had married Miao women. These distinct Chinese-descended clans practice Chinese burial customs instead of Hmong style burials. In Sichuan, they were known as "Chinese Hmong" ("Hmong Sua"). The Hmong were instructed in military tactics by fugitive Chinese rebels.
Chinese men who had married into Hmong clans have established several Hmong clans. Chinese "surname groups" are comparable to the Hmong clans which are patrilineal, and practice exogamy. Hmong women married Han Chinese men who pacified the Ah rebels who were fighting against the Ming dynasty, and founded the Wang clan among the Hmong in Gongxian county, of Sichuan's Yibin district. Hmong women who married Chinese men founded a Xem clan in a Hmong village among Northern Thailand's Hmong. Lauj clan in Northern Thailand is another example of a clan created through Han and Hmong intermarriage. A Han Chinese with the family name of Deng found another Hmong clan there as well.
Jiangxi Han Chinese have held a claim as the forefathers of the southeast Guizhou Miao. Children were born to the many Miao women who had married Han Chinese soldiers in Taijiang before the second half of the 19th century. The Hmong Tian clan in Sizhou began in the seventh century as a migrant Han Chinese clan.
Non-Han women such as the Miao became wives of Han soldiers. These soldiers fought against the Miao rebellions during the Qing and Ming dynasties and at that time Han women were not available. The origin of the Tunbao people can be traced to the Ming dynasty, when the Hongwu Emperor sent 300,000 Han Chinese male soldiers in 1381 to conquer Yunnan and the men married Yao and Miao women.
The presence of women presiding over weddings was a feature noted in "Southeast Asian" marriages, such as in 1667 when a Miao woman in Yunnan married a Chinese official. In Yunnan, a Miao chief's daughter married a scholar in the 1600s who wrote that she could read, write, and listen in Chinese and read Chinese classics.
The Sichuan Hmong village of Wangwu was visited by Nicholas Tapp who wrote that the "clan ancestral origin legend" of the Wang Hmong clan, had said that there were several intermarriages with Han Chinese and possibly one of these was their ancestor Wang Wu; there were two types of Hmong, "cooked", who sided with Chinese, and "raw", who rebelled against the Chinese. The Chinese were supported by the Wang Hmong clan. A Hmong woman was married by the non-Hmong Wang Wu according to The Story of the Ha Kings in Wangwu village.
CULTURE
Hmong people have their own terms for their subcultural divisions. Hmong Der (Hmoob Dawb), and Hmong Leng (Hmoob Leeg) are the terms for two of the largest groups in the United States and Southeast Asia. These subgroups are also known as the White Hmong, and Blue or Green Hmong, respectively. These names originate from the color and designs of women's dresses in each respective group, with the White Hmong distinguished by the white dresses women wear on special occasions, and the Blue/Green Hmong by the blue batiked dresses that the women wear. The name and pronunciation "Hmong" is exclusively used by the White Hmong to refer to themselves, and many dictionaries use only the White Hmong dialect.
In the Romanized Popular Alphabet, developed in the 1950s in Laos, these terms are written Hmoob Dawb (White Hmong) and Hmoob Leeg (Green Hmong). The final consonants indicate with which of the eight lexical tones the word is pronounced.
White Hmong and Green Hmong speak mutually intelligible dialects of the Hmong language, with some differences in pronunciation and vocabulary. One of the most characteristic differences is the use of the voiceless /m̥/ in White Hmong, indicated by a preceding "H" in Romanized Popular Alphabet. Voiceless nasals are not found in the Green Hmong dialect. Hmong groups are often named after the dominant colors or patterns of their traditional clothing, style of head-dress, or the provinces from which they come.
VIETNAM AND LAOS
The Hmong groups in Vietnam and Laos, from the 18th century to the present day, are known as Black Hmong (Hmoob Dub), Striped Hmong (Hmoob Txaij), White Hmong (Hmoob Dawb), Hmong Leng (Hmoob Leeg) and Green Hmong (Hmoob Ntsuab). In other places in Asia, groups are also known as Black Hmong (Hmoob Dub or Hmong Dou), Striped Hmong (Hmoob Txaij or Hmoob Quas Npab), Hmong Shi, Hmong Pe, Hmong Pua, and Hmong Xau, Hmong Xanh (Green Hmong), Hmong Do (Red Hmong), Na Mieo and various other subgroups. These include the Flower Hmong or the Variegated Hmong (Hmong Lenh or Hmong Hoa), so named because of their bright, colorful embroidery work (called pa ndau or paj ntaub, literally "flower cloth").
NOMENCLATURE
CHINA
Usage of the term "Miao" (苗) in Chinese documents dates back to the Shi Ji (1st century BC) and the Zhan Guo Ce (late Western Han Dynasty). During this time, it was generally applied to people of the southern regions thought to be descendants of the San Miao kingdom (dated to around the 3rd millennium BC.) The term does not appear again until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), by which time it had taken on the connotation of "barbarian." Being a variation of Nanman, it was used to refer to one kind of indigenous people in the southern China who had not been assimilated into Han culture. During this time, references to Unfamiliar (生 Sheng) and Familiar (熟 Shu) Miao appear, referring to level of assimilation and political cooperation of the two groups. Not until the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) do more finely grained distinctions appear in writing. Even then, discerning which ethnic groups are included in various classifications can be problematic.
This inconsistent usage of "Miao" makes it difficult to say for sure if Hmong and Mong people are always included in these historical writings. Christian Culas and Jean Michaud note: "In all these early accounts, then, until roughly the middle of the 19th century, there is perpetual confusion about the exact identity of the population groups designated by the term Miao. We should, therefore, be cautious with respect to the historical value of any early associations."
Linguistic evidence, however, places Hmong and Mong people in the same regions of southern China that they inhabit today for at least the past 2,000 years. By the mid-18th century, classifications become specific enough that it is easier to identify references to Hmong and Mong people.
The term 'Miao' is used today by the Chinese government to denote a group of linguistically and culturally related people (including the Hmong, Hmu, Kho Xiong, and A Hmao). The Hmong and Miao of China today believe they are one people with cultural and linguistic affiliations that transcend oceans and national boundaries. The educated elites of the two groups maintain close transnational contacts with one another.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
In Southeast Asia, Hmong people are referred to by other names, including: Vietnamese: Mèo, Mông or H'Mông; Lao: ແມ້ວ (Maew) or ມົ້ງ (Mong); Thai: แม้ว (Maew) or ม้ง (Mong); Burmese: မုံလူမျိုး (mun lu-myo). The xenonym, "Mèo", and variants thereof, are considered highly derogatory by some Hmong people in the USA.
A recent DNA research in Thailand found that Hmong paternal lineage is quite different from those lu Mien and other Southeast Asian tribes. The Hmong-Mien (HM) and Sino-Tibetan (ST) speaking groups are known as hill tribes in Thailand; they were the subject of the first studies to show an impact of patrilocality vs. matrilocality on patterns of mitochondrial (mt) DNA vs. male-specific portion of the Y chromosome (MSY) variation. However, HM and ST groups have not been studied in as much detail as other Thai groups; here we report and analyze 234 partial MSY sequences (∼2.3 mB) and 416 complete mtDNA sequences from 14 populations that, when combined with our previous published data, provides the largest dataset yet for the hill tribes. We find a striking difference between Hmong and IuMien (Mien-speaking) groups: the Hmong are genetically different from both the IuMien and all other Thai groups, whereas the IuMien are genetically more similar to other linguistic groups than to the Hmong. In general, we find less of an impact of patrilocality vs. matrilocality on patterns of mtDNA vs. MSY variation than previous studies. However, there is a dramatic difference in the frequency of MSY and mtDNA lineages of Northeast Asian (NEA) origin vs. Southeast Asian (SEA) origin in HM vs. ST groups: HM groups have high frequencies of NEA MSY lineages but lower frequencies of NEA mtDNA lineages, while ST groups show the opposite. A potential explanation is that the ancestors of Thai HM groups were patrilocal, while the ancestors of Thai ST groups were matrilocal. Overall, these results attest to the impact of cultural practices on patterns of mtDNA vs. MSY variation.
HMONG/MONG CONTROVERSY
When Western authors came in contact with Hmong people, beginning in the 18th century, they referred to them in writing by ethnonyms assigned by the Chinese (i.e., Miao, or variants). This practice continued into the 20th century. Even ethnographers studying the Hmong people in Southeast Asia often referred to them as Meo, a corruption of Miao applied by Thai and Lao people to the Hmong. Although "Meo" was an official term, it was often used as an insult against the Hmong people, and it is considered to be derogatory.
The issue came to a head during the passage of California State Assembly Bill (AB) 78, in the 2003–2004 season. Introduced by Doua Vu and Assembly Member Sarah Reyes, District 31 (Fresno), the bill encouraged changes in secondary education curriculum to include information about the Secret War and the role of Hmong people in the war. Furthermore, the bill called for the use of oral histories and first-hand accounts from Hmong people who had participated in the war and who were caught up in the aftermath. Originally, the language of the bill mentioned only "Hmong" people, intending to include the entire community. Several Mong Leng activists, led by Dr. Paoze Thao (Professor of Linguistics and Education at California State University, Monterey Bay), drew attention to the problems associated with omitting "Mong" from the language of the bill. They noted that despite nearly equal numbers of Hmong Der and Mong Leng in the United States, resources are disproportionately directed toward the Hmong Der community. This includes not only scholarly research but also the translation of materials, potentially including the curriculum proposed by the bill. Despite these arguments, "Mong" was not added to the bill. In the version that passed the assembly, "Hmong" was replaced by "Southeast Asians", a more broadly inclusive term.
Dr. Paoze Thao and some others feel strongly that "Hmong" can refer to only Hmong Der people and does not include "Mong" Leng people. He feels that the usage of "Hmong" about both groups perpetuates the marginalization of Mong Leng language and culture. Thus, he advocates the usage of both "Hmong" and "Mong" when referring to the entire ethnic group. Other scholars, including anthropologist Dr. Gary Yia Lee (a Hmong Der person), suggest that "Hmong" has been used for the past 30 years to refer to the entire community and that the inclusion of Mong Leng people is understood. Some argue that such distinctions create unnecessary divisions within the global community and will only confuse non-Hmong and Mong people trying to learn more about Hmong and Mong history and culture.
As a compromise alternative, multiple iterations of "Hmong" are proposed. A Hmong theologian, Rev. Dr. Paul Joseph T. Khamdy Yang has proposed the term “HMong” to encompass both the Hmong and Mong community by capitalizing the H and the M. The ethnologist Jacques Lemoine has also begun to use the term (H)mong when referring to the entirety of the Hmong and Mong community.
HMONG, MONG AND MIAO
Some non-Chinese Hmong advocate that the term Hmong be used not only for designating their dialect group but also for the other Miao groups living in China. They generally claim that the word "Miao" or "Meo" is a derogatory term, with connotations of barbarism, that probably should not be used at all. The term was later adopted by Tai-speaking groups in Southeast Asia where it took on especially insulting associations for Hmong people despite its official status.
In modern China, the term "Miao" does not carry these negative associations and people of the various sub-groups that constitute this officially recognized nationality freely identify themselves as Miao or Chinese, typically reserving more specific ethnonyms for intra-ethnic communication. During the struggle for political recognition after 1949, it was members of these ethnic minorities who campaigned for identification under the umbrella term "Miao"—taking advantage of its familiarity and associations of historical political oppression.
Contemporary transnational interactions between Hmong in the West and Miao groups in China, following the 1975 Hmong diaspora, have led to the development of a global Hmong identity that includes linguistically and culturally related minorities in China that previously had no ethnic affiliation. Scholarly and commercial exchanges, increasingly communicated via the Internet, have also resulted in an exchange of terminology, including Hmu and A Hmao people identifying as Hmong and, to a lesser extent, Hmong people accepting the designation "Miao," within the context of China. Such realignments of identity, while largely the concern of economically elite community leaders reflects a trend towards the interchangeability of the terms "Hmong" and "Miao.
DIASPORA
Roughly 95% of the Hmong live in Asia. Linguistic data show that the Hmong of the Peninsula stem from the Miao of southern China as one among a set of ethnic groups belonging to the Hmong–Mien language family. Linguistically and culturally speaking, the Hmong and the other sub-groups of the Miao have little in common.
Vietnam, where their presence is attested from the late 18th century onwards and characterized with both assimilation, cooperation and hostility, is likely to be the first Indochinese country into which the Hmong migrated. During the colonization of 'Tonkin' (north Vietnam) between 1883 and 1954, a number of Hmong decided to join the Vietnamese Nationalists and Communists, while many Christianized Hmong sided with the French. After the Viet Minh victory, numerous pro-French Hmong had to fall back to Laos and South Vietnam.
At the 2019 national census, there were 1,393,547 Hmong living in Vietnam, the vast majority of them in the north of the country. The traditional trade in coffin wood with China and the cultivation of the Opium Poppy – both prohibited only in 1993 in Vietnam – long guaranteed a regular cash income. Today, converting to cash cropping is the main economic activity. As in China and Laos, there is a certain degree of participation of Hmong in the local and regional administration. In the late 1990s, several thousands of Hmong started moving to the Central Highlands and some crossed the border into Cambodia, constituting the first attested presence of Hmong settlers in that country.
In 2015, the Hmong in Laos numbered 595,028. Hmong settlement there is nearly as ancient as in Vietnam. After decades of distant relations with the Lao kingdoms, closer relations between the French military and some Hmong on the Xieng Khouang plateau were set up after World War II. There, a particular rivalry between members of the Lo and Ly clans developed into open enmity, also affecting those connected with them by kinship. Clan leaders took opposite sides and as a consequence, several thousand Hmong participated in the fighting against the Pathet Lao Communists, while perhaps as many were enrolled in the People's Liberation Army. As in Vietnam, numerous Hmong in Laos also genuinely tried to avoid getting involved in the conflict in spite of the extremely difficult material conditions under which they lived during wartime.
After the 1975 Communist victory, thousands of Hmong from Laos had to seek refuge abroad (see Laos below). Approximately 30 percent of the Hmong left, although the only concrete figure we have is that of 116,000 Hmong from Laos and Vietnam together seeking refuge in Thailand up to 1990.
In 2002 the Hmong in Thailand numbered 151,080. The presence of Hmong settlements there is documented from the end of the 19th century. Initially, the Siamese paid little attention to them. But in the early 1950s, the state suddenly took a number of initiatives aimed at establishing links. Decolonization and nationalism were gaining momentum in the Peninsula and wars of independence were raging. Armed opposition to the state in northern Thailand, triggered by outside influence, started in 1967 while here again, much Hmong refused to take sides in the conflict. Communist guerrilla warfare stopped by 1982 as a result of an international concurrence of events that rendered it pointless. Priority is since given by the Thai state to sedentarizing the mountain population, introducing commercially viable agricultural techniques and national education, with the aim of integrating these non-Tai animists within the national identity.
Myanmar most likely includes a modest number of Hmong (perhaps around 2,500) but no reliable census has been conducted there recently.
As result of refugee movements in the wake of the Indochina Wars (1946–1975), in particular, in Laos, the largest Hmong community to settle outside Asia went to the United States where approximately 100,000 individuals had already arrived by 1990. By the same date, 10,000 Hmong had migrated to France, including 1,400 in French Guyana. Canada admitted 900 individuals, while another 360 went to Australia, 260 to China, and 250 to Argentina. Over the following years and until the definitive closure of the last refugee camps in Thailand in 1998, additional numbers of Hmong have left Asia, but the definitive figures are still to be produced.
In the rest of the world, where about 5% of the world Hmong population now lives, the United States is home to the largest Hmong population. The 2008 Census counted 171,316 people solely of Hmong ancestry, and 221,948 persons of at least partial Hmong ancestry. Other countries with significant populations include:
France: 15,000
Australia: 2,000
French Guiana: 1,500
Canada: 835
Argentina: 600
The Hmong population within the United States is centered in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota) and California.
HMONG IN VIETNAM
Hmongs in Vietnam today are perceived very differently between various political organizations and changed throughout times. The Hmongs of Vietnam are a small minority and because of this, their loyalty toward the Vietnamese state has also been under question. Nonetheless, most Hmongs in Vietnam are fiercely loyal to the Vietnamese state, regardless of the current ideologies of the government with only those minorities supportive of Hmong resistance in Laos and Cambodia. These are mostly Christian Hmongs who have fallen under target and poverty strike by alienation of both three Indochinese governments, since there has been no Hmong armed separatism in the country. The Hmongs in Vietnam also receive cultural and political promotion from the government alike. This unique feature distanced Vietnamese Hmongs from Laotian Hmongs, as their Laotian cousins are strongly anti-Vietnamese.
LAOS
U.S. AND LAOTIAN CIVIL WAR
In the early 1960s, partially as a result of the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Special Activities Division began to recruit, train and lead the indigenous Hmong people in Laos to fight against North Vietnamese Army divisions invading Laos during the Vietnam War. This "Secret Army" was organized into various mobile regiments and divisions, including various Special Guerrilla Units, all of whom were led by General Vang Pao. An estimated sixty-percent (60%) of Hmong men in Laos joined up.
While Hmong soldiers were known to assist the North Vietnamese in many situations, Hmong soldiers were also recognized for serving in combat against the NVA and the Pathet Lao, helping block Hanoi's Ho Chi Minh trail inside Laos and rescuing downed American pilots. Though their role was generally kept secret in the early stages of the conflict, they made great sacrifices to help the U.S.
Thousands of economic and political refugees have resettled in Western countries in two separate waves. The first wave resettled in the late 1970s, mostly in the United States, after the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao takeovers of the pro-US governments in South Vietnam and Laos respectively. The Lao Veterans of America, and Lao Veterans of America Institute, helped to assist in the resettlement of many Laotian and Hmong refugees and asylum seekers in the United States, especially former Hmong veterans and their family members who served in the "U.S. Secret Army" in Laos during the Vietnam War.
HMONG LAO RESISTANCE
For many years, the Neo Hom resistance and political movement played a key role in resistance to the Vietnam People's Army in Laos following the U.S. withdrawal in 1975. Vang Pao played a significant role in this movement. Additionally, a spiritual leader Zong Zoua Her, as well as other Hmong leaders, including Pa Kao Her or Pa Khao Her, rallied some of their followers in an additional factionalized guerrilla resistance movement called ChaoFa (RPA: Cob Fab, Pahawh Hmong: ChaoFaPahawh.png). These events led to the yellow rain controversy when the United States accused the Soviet Union of supplying and using chemical weapons in this conflict.
Small groups of Hmong people, many of the second or third generation descendants of former CIA soldiers, remain internally displaced in remote parts of Laos, in fear of government reprisals. Faced with continuing military operations against them by the government and a scarcity of food, some groups have begun coming out of hiding, while others have sought asylum in Thailand and other countries. Hmongs in Laos, in particularly, develop a stronger and deeper anti-Vietnamese sentiment than its Vietnamese Hmong cousins, due to historic persecution perpetrated by the Vietnamese against them.
CONTROVERSY OVER REPATRIATION
In June 1991, after talks with the UNHCR and the Thai government, Laos agreed to the repatriation of over 60,000 Lao refugees living in Thailand, including tens of thousands of Hmong people. Very few of the Lao refugees, however, were willing to return voluntarily. Pressure to resettle the refugees grew as the Thai government worked to close its remaining refugee camps. While some Hmong people returned to Laos voluntarily, with development assistance from UNHCR, coercive measures and forced repatriation was used to send thousands of Hmong back to the communist regime they had fled. Of those Hmong who did return to Laos, some quickly escaped back to Thailand, describing discrimination and brutal treatment at the hands of Lao authorities.
In the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, The Center for Public Policy Analysis, a non-governmental public policy research organization, and its Executive Director, Philip Smith, played a key role in raising awareness in the U.S. Congress and policy making circles in Washington, D.C. about the plight of the Hmong and Laotian refugees in Thailand and Laos. The CPPA, backed by a bipartisan coalition of Members of the U.S. Congress as well as human rights organizations, conducted numerous research missions to the Hmong and Laotian refugee camps along the Mekong River in Thailand, as well as the Buddhist temple of Wat Tham Krabok.
Amnesty International, the Lao Veterans of America, Inc., the United League for Democracy in Laos, Inc., Lao Human Rights Council, Inc. (led by Dr. Pobzeb Vang Vang Pobzeb, and later Vaughn Vang) and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights organizations joined the opposition to forced repatriation.
Although some accusations of forced repatriation were denied, thousands of Hmong people refused to return to Laos. In 1996, as the deadline for the closure of Thai refugee camps approached, and under mounting political pressure, the U.S. agreed to resettle Hmong refugees who passed a new screening process. Around 5,000 Hmong people who were not resettled at the time of the camp closures sought asylum at Wat Tham Krabok, a Buddhist monastery in central Thailand where more than 10,000 Hmong refugees were already living. The Thai government attempted to repatriate these refugees, but the Wat Tham Krabok Hmong refused to leave and the Lao government refused to accept them, claiming they were involved in the illegal drug trade and were of non-Lao origin.
In 2003, following threats of forcible removal by the Thai government, the U.S., in a significant victory for the Hmong, agreed to accept 15,000 of the refugees. Several thousand Hmong people, fearing forced repatriation to Laos if they were not accepted for resettlement in the U.S., fled the camp to live elsewhere within Thailand where a sizable Hmong population has been present since the 19th century.
In 2004 and 2005, thousands of Hmong fled from the jungles of Laos to a temporary refugee camp in the Thai province of Phetchabun.
The European Union, UNHCHR, and international groups have since spoken out about the forced repatriation.
ALLEGED PLOT TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERMENT OF LAOS
On 4 June 2007, as part of an investigation labeled "Operation Tarnished Eagle," warrants were issued by U.S. federal courts ordering the arrest of Vang Pao and nine others for plotting to overthrow the government of Laos in violation of the federal Neutrality Acts and for multiple weapons charges. The federal charges allege that members of the group inspected weapons, including AK-47s, smoke grenades, and Stinger missiles, with the intent of purchasing them and smuggling them into Thailand in June 2007 where they were intended to be used by Hmong resistance forces in Laos. The one non-Hmong person of the nine arrested, Harrison Jack, a 1968 West Point graduate and retired Army infantry officer, allegedly attempted to recruit Special Operations veterans to act as mercenaries.
In an effort to obtain the weapons, Jack allegedly met unknowingly with undercover U.S. federal agents posing as weapons dealers, which prompted the issuance of the warrants as part of a long-running investigation into the activities of the U.S.-based Hmong leadership and its supporters.
On 15 June, the defendants were indicted by a grand jury and a warrant was also issued for the arrest of an 11th man, allegedly involved in the plot. Simultaneous raids of the defendants' homes and work locations, involving over 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials, were conducted in approximately 15 cities in Central and Southern California in the US.
Multiple protest rallies in support of the suspects, designed to raise awareness of the treatment of Hmong peoples in the jungles of Laos, took place in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alaska, and several of Vang Pao's high-level supporters in the U.S. criticized the California court that issued the arrest warrants, arguing that Vang is a historically important American ally and a valued leader of U.S. and foreign-based Hmong. However, calls for then Californian Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and then President George W. Bush to pardon the defendants were not answered, presumably pending a conclusion of the large and then still-ongoing federal investigation.
On 18 September 2009, the US federal government dropped all charges against Vang Pao, announcing in a release that the federal government was permitted to consider "the probable sentence or other consequences if the person is convicted." On 10 January 2011, after Vang Pao's death, the federal government dropped all charges against the remaining defendants saying, "Based on the totality of the circumstances in the case, the government believes, as a discretionary matter, that continued prosecution of defendants is no longer warranted," according to court documents.
THAILAND
The Hmong presence in Thailand dates back, according to most authors, to the turn of the 20th century when families migrated from China through Laos and Burma. A relatively small population, they still settled dozens of villages and hamlets throughout the northern provinces. The Hmong were then registered by the state as the Meo hill tribe. Then, more Hmong migrated from Laos to Thailand following the victory of the Pathet Lao in 1975. While some ended up in refugee camps, others settled in mountainous areas among more ancient Hill Tribes.
AMERICAS
Many Hmong refugees resettled in the United States after the Vietnam War. Beginning in December 1975, the first Hmong refugees arrived in the U.S., mainly from refugee camps in Thailand; however, only 3,466 were granted asylum at that time under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975. In May 1976, another 11,000 were allowed to enter the United States, and by 1978 some 30,000 Hmong people had immigrated. This first wave was made up predominantly of men directly associated with General Vang Pao's secret army. It was not until the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980 that families were able to enter the U.S., becoming the second wave of Hmong immigrants. Hmong families scattered across all 50 states but most found their way to each other, building large communities in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, 260,073 Hmong people reside in the United States the majority of whom live in California (91,224), Minnesota (66,181), and Wisconsin (49,240), an increase from 186,310 in 2000. Of them, 247,595 or 95.2% are Hmong alone, and the remaining 12,478 are mixed Hmong with some other ethnicity or race. The vast majority of part-Hmong are under 10 years old.
The Hmong people, who are a distinct ethnic group with ancient roots and ancestry in China, began settling in Minnesota in 1975. The Hmong came to Minnesota as refugees from the destructive wars that had ravaged and taken place in their homelands in Laos. Today, there are 150,000 Hmong in the U.S. states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California. More than 66,000 Hmong reside in Minnesota with the majority living in the St. Paul area. The Twin Cities metro is home to the largest concentration of Hmong in America. For decades, the Hmong have not only made a profound impact on their adopted home in Minnesota, but the Hmong culture has collaborated with the community to document this remarkable story by collecting images, artifacts, oral histories, sharing stories, and by publishing articles and books on the Hmong experience.
In terms of cities and towns, the largest Hmong-American community is in St. Paul (29,662), followed by Fresno (24,328), Sacramento (16,676), Milwaukee (10,245), and Minneapolis (7,512).
There are smaller Hmong communities scattered across the United States, including those in Minnesota (Rochester, Mankato, Duluth) Michigan (Detroit and Warren); Anchorage, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Washington; North Carolina (Charlotte, Morganton); South Carolina (Spartanburg); Georgia (Auburn, Duluth, Monroe, Atlanta, and Winder); Florida (Tampa Bay); Wisconsin (Madison, Eau Claire, Appleton, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, La Crosse, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Wausau); Aurora, Illinois; Kansas City, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Missoula, Montana; Des Moines, Iowa; Springfield, Missouri; Arkansas, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island.
Canada's small Hmong population is mostly concentrated within the province of Ontario. Kitchener, Ontario has 515 residents of Hmong descent, and has a Hmong church.
There is also a small community of several thousand Hmong who migrated to French Guiana in the late 1970s and early 1980s, that can be mainly found in the Hmong villages of Javouhey (1200 individuals) and Cacao (950 individuals).
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
Some Laos- and Vietnam-based Hmong Animists and Christians, including Protestant and Catholic believers, have been subjected to military attacks, police arrest, imprisonment, forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture on anti-religious grounds.
The deportation of Zoua Yang and her 27 children from Thailand in December 19, 2005 after the group was arrested attending a Christian church in Ban Kho Noi, Phetchabun Province, Thailand, where upon arrival back in Laos, Ms. Yang and her children were detained, after which the whereabouts of much of the family are still unknown.
For example, in 2013, a Hmong Christian pastor, Vam Ngaij Vaj (Va Ngai Vang), was beaten to death by police and security forces. In February 2014, in Hanoi, Vietnamese government officials refused to allow medical treatment for a Hmong Christian leader, Duong Van Minh, who was suffering from a serious kidney illness. In 2011, Vietnam People's Army troops were used to crush a peaceful demonstration by Hmong Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical Christian believers who gathered in Dien Bien Province and the Dien Bien Phu area of northwestern Vietnam, according to Philip Smith of the Center for Public Policy Analysis, independent journalists and others.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has documented official and ongoing religious persecution, religious freedom violations against the Laotian and Hmong people in both Laos and Vietnam by the governments. In April 2011, the Center for Public Policy Analysis also researched and documented cases of Hmong Christians being attacked and summarily executed, including four Lao Hmong Christians.
WIKIPEDIA
In 2004 Banksy produced a provocative work featuring Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse merrily holding a terrified, naked girl’s hands on each side. The image of the girl was reproduced from a photograph of a napalm bombing of a Vietnamese village in 1972, which provoked worldwide horror and condemnation at the conduct of the war. The work was originally made on cartridge paper and has been exhibited internationally.
This satirical work is an attack on the consumerism that occupies the attention of the American people and keeps them blind to the way their foreign policy is conducted. It also points to how consumerism keeps the population blind to more pressing concerns generally. History provides numerous examples of populations that have been pacified with entertainment to distract them from social injustices. Banksy also invites the observer to ponder the commercialization of war itself, which is now a multi-billion dollar industry with very powerful corporate lobbies. Peace, love and empathy for fellow human beings are the sustenance of life, and these things cannot be bought.
In Portuguese:
Do inglês Banksy, cujos traços com spray são os mais valiosos no mercado de arte, há duas telas pequenas com toda a ironia que lhe é característica. Uma delas traz a garotinha vietnamita atingida por uma bomba de napalm de mãos dadas com Ronald McDonald e Mickey.
Parede valiosa: para que os grafites de Banksy sejam vendidos, pedaços de parede são removidos cuidadosamente por restauradores e colocados em uma nova estrutura. Chegam a custar mais de 1 milhão de reais.
UPDATE : Watch the timelapse here.
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(or is it suns? LOL!)
Today's sunrise at the Symphony Pool, KLCC. Not much of colour or "cotton candy" clouds so i don't know how my timelapse here is going to turn out. But at least i got this double sunbursts image, my last (and the only bracketed) shot before i packed up and pacify my growling tummy :D
HDR | 8 exposures
Nikon D600 | Tamron 17-35mm @ 17mm
Aperture : f/13 | ISO Speed : 50 | Shutter Speed : 1/640s - 1/5s
View my Most Interesting In Flickriver.
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HDR/DRI/Timelapse personal / group workshop is available upon request. PM me for details :)
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The Erling is Si-BORED industries' newest in combat readiness drones. Following the previous success of the more compact Titan series drones, the Erling series uses a larger skeletal frame for non urban combat.
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"Where autumn comes with fresh air
where flower glows like gold on sunlight
where children are lively as fairies, play on their pacifying gardens of paradise........"
Fairy of a fertile land - Dabashis Chanda
60 Years of Pather Panchali - A tribute to a great film
Beautiful Bengal, India
Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) is a 1955 Bengali drama film directed by Satyajit Ray and based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name. The first film in the Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali is Ray's directorial debut and depicts the childhood of the protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga......
One of the most fundamental reasons for taking up photography as a hobby, besides my immense love for Nature, is my inner psychological need for serenity, tranquility and calmness ... I meet all those indispensable and soul pacifying conditions not only during photoshooting time, but during processing time as well, in front of my computer and my full HD monitor ,,,
One may come across this exquisite landscape at the area of Stavroupoli at Xanthi, North Greece ,,, An area that is a must for any photography lover to visit and to visually absorb ....
EXIF: NIKON D90 with NIKON Nikkor 18 - 55 lens, manual mode, f 8, automatic focusing, Focal Length 18 mm, ISO 200, use of ND HOYA X 2 filter, manual exposure mode, cloudy weather adjusted white balance, center weighted average metering mode, shutter speed adjusted to 1/80 s, no tripod, flash didn't go off, HDR made by only one original shot accurately conveying the moment's exact lighting conditions to the viewer ...