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Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
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She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
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May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown Black Hair!
All the best on your Epic, Homeric, Heroic Odyssey into the Art of Photography from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in northeastern India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.
The word Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one". "Buddha" is also used as a title for the first awakened being in a Yuga era. In most Buddhist traditions, Siddhartha Gautama is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (Pali sammāsambuddha, Sanskrit samyaksaṃbuddha) of the present age. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement common in his region. He later taught throughout regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kosala.
Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later.
CONTENTS
HISTORICAL SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA
Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life. Most accept that he lived, taught and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era during the reign of Bimbisara, the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajasattu, who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain tirthankara. Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha's lifetime coincided with the flourishing of other influential śramaṇa schools of thoughts like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jainism, and Ajñana. It was also the age of influential thinkers like Mahavira, Pūraṇa Kassapa , Makkhali Gosāla, Ajita Kesakambalī, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, whose viewpoints the Buddha most certainly must have been acquainted with and influenced by. Indeed, Sariputta and Moggallāna, two of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, were formerly the foremost disciples of Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, the skeptic. There is also evidence to suggest that the two masters, Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta, were indeed historical figures and they most probably taught Buddha two different forms of meditative techniques. While the general sequence of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" is widely accepted, there is less consensus on the veracity of many details contained in traditional biographies.
The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. More recently his death is dated later, between 411 and 400 BCE, while at a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet been accepted by all historians.
The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhārtha Gautama was born into the Shakya clan, a community that was on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the northeastern Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BCE. It was either a small republic, in which case his father was an elected chieftain, or an oligarchy, in which case his father was an oligarch. According to the Buddhist tradition, Gautama was born in Lumbini, nowadays in modern-day Nepal, and raised in the Shakya capital of Kapilavastu, which may have been in either present day Tilaurakot, Nepal or Piprahwa, India. He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and died in Kushinagar.
No written records about Gautama have been found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One Edict of Asoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, commemorates the Emperor's pilgrimage to the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini. Another one of his edicts mentions several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era and which may be the precursors of the Pāli Canon. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts are the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, reported to have been found in or around Haḍḍa near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and now preserved in the British Library. They are written in the Gāndhārī language using the Kharosthi script on twenty-seven birch bark manuscripts and date from the first century BCE to the third century CE.
TRADITIONAL BIOGRAPHIES
BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES
The sources for the life of Siddhārtha Gautama are a variety of different, and sometimes conflicting, traditional biographies. These include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara Sūtra, Mahāvastu, and the Nidānakathā. Of these, the Buddhacarita is the earliest full biography, an epic poem written by the poet Aśvaghoṣa, and dating around the beginning of the 2nd century CE. The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography, a Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda biography dating to the 3rd century CE. The Mahāvastu from the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE. The Dharmaguptaka biography of the Buddha is the most exhaustive, and is entitled the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra, and various Chinese translations of this date between the 3rd and 6th century CE. The Nidānakathā is from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka and was composed in the 5th century by Buddhaghoṣa.
From canonical sources, the Jataka tales, the Mahapadana Sutta (DN 14), and the Achariyabhuta Sutta (MN 123) which include selective accounts that may be older, but are not full biographies. The Jātakas retell previous lives of Gautama as a bodhisattva, and the first collection of these can be dated among the earliest Buddhist texts. The Mahāpadāna Sutta and Achariyabhuta Sutta both recount miraculous events surrounding Gautama's birth, such as the bodhisattva's descent from the Tuṣita Heaven into his mother's womb.
NATURE OF TRADITIONAL DEPICTIONS
In the earliest Buddhists texts, the nikāyas and āgamas, the Buddha is not depicted as possessing omniscience (sabbaññu) nor is he depicted as being an eternal transcendent (lokottara) being. According to Bhikkhu Analayo, ideas of the Buddha's omniscience (along with an increasing tendency to deify him and his biography) are found only later, in the Mahayana sutras and later Pali commentaries or texts such as the Mahāvastu. In the Sandaka Sutta, the Buddha's disciple Ananda outlines an argument against the claims of teachers who say they are all knowing while in the Tevijjavacchagotta Sutta the Buddha himself states that he has never made a claim to being omniscient, instead he claimed to have the "higher knowledges" (abhijñā). The earliest biographical material from the Pali Nikayas focuses on the Buddha's life as a śramaṇa, his search for enlightenment under various teachers such as Alara Kalama and his forty five year career as a teacher.
Traditional biographies of Gautama generally include numerous miracles, omens, and supernatural events. The character of the Buddha in these traditional biographies is often that of a fully transcendent (Skt. lokottara) and perfected being who is unencumbered by the mundane world. In the Mahāvastu, over the course of many lives, Gautama is said to have developed supra-mundane abilities including: a painless birth conceived without intercourse; no need for sleep, food, medicine, or bathing, although engaging in such "in conformity with the world"; omniscience, and the ability to "suppress karma". Nevertheless, some of the more ordinary details of his life have been gathered from these traditional sources. In modern times there has been an attempt to form a secular understanding of Siddhārtha Gautama's life by omitting the traditional supernatural elements of his early biographies.
Andrew Skilton writes that the Buddha was never historically regarded by Buddhist traditions as being merely human:
It is important to stress that, despite modern Theravada teachings to the contrary (often a sop to skeptical Western pupils), he was never seen as being merely human. For instance, he is often described as having the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks or signs of a mahāpuruṣa, "superman"; the Buddha himself denied that he was either a man or a god; and in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta he states that he could live for an aeon were he asked to do so.The ancient Indians were generally unconcerned with chronologies, being more focused on philosophy. Buddhist texts reflect this tendency, providing a clearer picture of what Gautama may have taught than of the dates of the events in his life. These texts contain descriptions of the culture and daily life of ancient India which can be corroborated from the Jain scriptures, and make the Buddha's time the earliest period in Indian history for which significant accounts exist. British author Karen Armstrong writes that although there is very little information that can be considered historically sound, we can be reasonably confident that Siddhārtha Gautama did exist as a historical figure. Michael Carrithers goes a bit further by stating that the most general outline of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" must be true.
BIOGRAPHY
CONCEPTION AND BIRTH
The Buddhist tradition regards Lumbini, in present-day Nepal to be the birthplace of the Buddha. He grew up in Kapilavastu. The exact site of ancient Kapilavastu is unknown. It may have been either Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, present-day India, or Tilaurakot, present-day Nepal. Both places belonged to the Sakya territory, and are located only 15 miles apart from each other.
Gautama was born as a Kshatriya, the son of Śuddhodana, "an elected chief of the Shakya clan", whose capital was Kapilavastu, and who were later annexed by the growing Kingdom of Kosala during the Buddha's lifetime. Gautama was the family name. His mother, Maya (Māyādevī), Suddhodana's wife, was a Koliyan princess. Legend has it that, on the night Siddhartha was conceived, Queen Maya dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her right side, and ten months later Siddhartha was born. As was the Shakya tradition, when his mother Queen Maya became pregnant, she left Kapilvastu for her father's kingdom to give birth. However, her son is said to have been born on the way, at Lumbini, in a garden beneath a sal tree.
The day of the Buddha's birth is widely celebrated in Theravada countries as Vesak. Buddha's Birthday is called Buddha Purnima in Nepal and India as he is believed to have been born on a full moon day. Various sources hold that the Buddha's mother died at his birth, a few days or seven days later. The infant was given the name Siddhartha (Pāli: Siddhattha), meaning "he who achieves his aim". During the birth celebrations, the hermit seer Asita journeyed from his mountain abode and announced that the child would either become a great king (chakravartin) or a great sadhu. By traditional account, this occurred after Siddhartha placed his feet in Asita's hair and Asita examined the birthmarks. Suddhodana held a naming ceremony on the fifth day, and invited eight Brahmin scholars to read the future. All gave a dual prediction that the baby would either become a great king or a great holy man. Kondañña, the youngest, and later to be the first arhat other than the Buddha, was reputed to be the only one who unequivocally predicted that Siddhartha would become a Buddha.
While later tradition and legend characterized Śuddhodana as a hereditary monarch, the descendant of the Suryavansha (Solar dynasty) of Ikṣvāku (Pāli: Okkāka), many scholars think that Śuddhodana was the elected chief of a tribal confederacy.
Early texts suggest that Gautama was not familiar with the dominant religious teachings of his time until he left on his religious quest, which is said to have been motivated by existential concern for the human condition. The state of the Shakya clan was not a monarchy, and seems to have been structured either as an oligarchy, or as a form of republic. The more egalitarian gana-sangha form of government, as a political alternative to the strongly hierarchical kingdoms, may have influenced the development of the śramanic Jain and Buddhist sanghas, where monarchies tended toward Vedic Brahmanism.
EARLY LIFE AND MARRIAGE
Siddhartha was brought up by his mother's younger sister, Maha Pajapati. By tradition, he is said to have been destined by birth to the life of a prince, and had three palaces (for seasonal occupation) built for him. Although more recent scholarship doubts this status, his father, said to be King Śuddhodana, wishing for his son to be a great king, is said to have shielded him from religious teachings and from knowledge of human suffering.
When he reached the age of 16, his father reputedly arranged his marriage to a cousin of the same age named Yaśodharā (Pāli: Yasodharā). According to the traditional account, she gave birth to a son, named Rāhula. Siddhartha is said to have spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu. Although his father ensured that Siddhartha was provided with everything he could want or need, Buddhist scriptures say that the future Buddha felt that material wealth was not life's ultimate goal.
RENUNCIATION AND ASCETIC LIFE
At the age of 29, the popular biography continues, Siddhartha left his palace to meet his subjects. Despite his father's efforts to hide from him the sick, aged and suffering, Siddhartha was said to have seen an old man. When his charioteer Channa explained to him that all people grew old, the prince went on further trips beyond the palace. On these he encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. These depressed him, and he initially strove to overcome aging, sickness, and death by living the life of an ascetic.
Accompanied by Channa and riding his horse Kanthaka, Gautama quit his palace for the life of a mendicant. It's said that, "the horse's hooves were muffled by the gods" to prevent guards from knowing of his departure.
Gautama initially went to Rajagaha and began his ascetic life by begging for alms in the street. After King Bimbisara's men recognised Siddhartha and the king learned of his quest, Bimbisara offered Siddhartha the throne. Siddhartha rejected the offer, but promised to visit his kingdom of Magadha first, upon attaining enlightenment.
He left Rajagaha and practised under two hermit teachers of yogic meditation. After mastering the teachings of Alara Kalama (Skr. Ārāḍa Kālāma), he was asked by Kalama to succeed him. However, Gautama felt unsatisfied by the practice, and moved on to become a student of yoga with Udaka Ramaputta (Skr. Udraka Rāmaputra). With him he achieved high levels of meditative consciousness, and was again asked to succeed his teacher. But, once more, he was not satisfied, and again moved on.
Siddhartha and a group of five companions led by Kaundinya are then said to have set out to take their austerities even further. They tried to find enlightenment through deprivation of worldly goods, including food, practising self-mortification. After nearly starving himself to death by restricting his food intake to around a leaf or nut per day, he collapsed in a river while bathing and almost drowned. Siddhartha was rescued by a village girl named Sujata and she gave him some payasam (a pudding made from milk and jaggery) after which Siddhartha got back some energy. Siddhartha began to reconsider his path. Then, he remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's ploughing. He attained a concentrated and focused state that was blissful and refreshing, the jhāna.
AWAKENING
According to the early Buddhist texts, after realizing that meditative dhyana was the right path to awakening, but that extreme asceticism didn't work, Gautama discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way - a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification, or the Noble Eightfold Path, as was identified and described by the Buddha in his first discourse, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. In a famous incident, after becoming starved and weakened, he is said to have accepted milk and rice pudding from a village girl named Sujata. Such was his emaciated appearance that she wrongly believed him to be a spirit that had granted her a wish.
Following this incident, Gautama was famously seated under a pipal tree - now known as the Bodhi tree - in Bodh Gaya, India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth. Kaundinya and four other companions, believing that he had abandoned his search and become undisciplined, left. After a reputed 49 days of meditation, at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment. According to some traditions, this occurred in approximately the fifth lunar month, while, according to others, it was in the twelfth month. From that time, Gautama was known to his followers as the Buddha or "Awakened One" ("Buddha" is also sometimes translated as "The Enlightened One").
According to Buddhism, at the time of his awakening he realized complete insight into the cause of suffering, and the steps necessary to eliminate it. These discoveries became known as the "Four Noble Truths", which are at the heart of Buddhist teaching. Through mastery of these truths, a state of supreme liberation, or Nirvana, is believed to be possible for any being. The Buddha described Nirvāna as the perfect peace of a mind that's free from ignorance, greed, hatred and other afflictive states, or "defilements" (kilesas). Nirvana is also regarded as the "end of the world", in that no personal identity or boundaries of the mind remain. In such a state, a being is said to possess the Ten Characteristics, belonging to every Buddha.
According to a story in the Āyācana Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya VI.1) - a scripture found in the Pāli and other canons - immediately after his awakening, the Buddha debated whether or not he should teach the Dharma to others. He was concerned that humans were so overpowered by ignorance, greed and hatred that they could never recognise the path, which is subtle, deep and hard to grasp. However, in the story, Brahmā Sahampati convinced him, arguing that at least some will understand it. The Buddha relented, and agreed to teach.
FORMATION OF THE SANGHA
After his awakening, the Buddha met Taphussa and Bhallika — two merchant brothers from the city of Balkh in what is currently Afghanistan - who became his first lay disciples. It is said that each was given hairs from his head, which are now claimed to be enshrined as relics in the Shwe Dagon Temple in Rangoon, Burma. The Buddha intended to visit Asita, and his former teachers, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, to explain his findings, but they had already died.
He then travelled to the Deer Park near Varanasi (Benares) in northern India, where he set in motion what Buddhists call the Wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon to the five companions with whom he had sought enlightenment. Together with him, they formed the first saṅgha: the company of Buddhist monks.
All five become arahants, and within the first two months, with the conversion of Yasa and fifty four of his friends, the number of such arahants is said to have grown to 60. The conversion of three brothers named Kassapa followed, with their reputed 200, 300 and 500 disciples, respectively. This swelled the sangha to more than 1,000.
TRAVELS AND TEACHING
For the remaining 45 years of his life, the Buddha is said to have traveled in the Gangetic Plain, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and southern Nepal, teaching a diverse range of people: from nobles to servants, murderers such as Angulimala, and cannibals such as Alavaka. Although the Buddha's language remains unknown, it's likely that he taught in one or more of a variety of closely related Middle Indo-Aryan dialects, of which Pali may be a standardization.
The sangha traveled through the subcontinent, expounding the dharma. This continued throughout the year, except during the four months of the Vāsanā rainy season when ascetics of all religions rarely traveled. One reason was that it was more difficult to do so without causing harm to animal life. At this time of year, the sangha would retreat to monasteries, public parks or forests, where people would come to them.
The first vassana was spent at Varanasi when the sangha was formed. After this, the Buddha kept a promise to travel to Rajagaha, capital of Magadha, to visit King Bimbisara. During this visit, Sariputta and Maudgalyayana were converted by Assaji, one of the first five disciples, after which they were to become the Buddha's two foremost followers. The Buddha spent the next three seasons at Veluvana Bamboo Grove monastery in Rajagaha, capital of Magadha.
Upon hearing of his son's awakening, Suddhodana sent, over a period, ten delegations to ask him to return to Kapilavastu. On the first nine occasions, the delegates failed to deliver the message, and instead joined the sangha to become arahants. The tenth delegation, led by Kaludayi, a childhood friend of Gautama's (who also became an arahant), however, delivered the message.
Now two years after his awakening, the Buddha agreed to return, and made a two-month journey by foot to Kapilavastu, teaching the dharma as he went. At his return, the royal palace prepared a midday meal, but the sangha was making an alms round in Kapilavastu. Hearing this, Suddhodana approached his son, the Buddha, saying:
"Ours is the warrior lineage of Mahamassata, and not a single warrior has gone seeking alms."
The Buddha is said to have replied:
"That is not the custom of your royal lineage. But it is the custom of my Buddha lineage. Several thousands of Buddhas have gone by seeking alms."
Buddhist texts say that Suddhodana invited the sangha into the palace for the meal, followed by a dharma talk. After this he is said to have become a sotapanna. During the visit, many members of the royal family joined the sangha. The Buddha's cousins Ananda and Anuruddha became two of his five chief disciples. At the age of seven, his son Rahula also joined, and became one of his ten chief disciples. His half-brother Nanda also joined and became an arahant.
Of the Buddha's disciples, Sariputta, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and Anuruddha are believed to have been the five closest to him. His ten foremost disciples were reputedly completed by the quintet of Upali, Subhoti, Rahula, Mahakaccana and Punna.
In the fifth vassana, the Buddha was staying at Mahavana near Vesali when he heard news of the impending death of his father. He is said to have gone to Suddhodana and taught the dharma, after which his father became an arahant.The king's death and cremation was to inspire the creation of an order of nuns. Buddhist texts record that the Buddha was reluctant to ordain women. His foster mother Maha Pajapati, for example, approached him, asking to join the sangha, but he refused. Maha Pajapati, however, was so intent on the path of awakening that she led a group of royal Sakyan and Koliyan ladies, which followed the sangha on a long journey to Rajagaha. In time, after Ananda championed their cause, the Buddha is said to have reconsidered and, five years after the formation of the sangha, agreed to the ordination of women as nuns. He reasoned that males and females had an equal capacity for awakening. But he gave women additional rules (Vinaya) to follow.
MAHAPARINIRVANA
According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali canon, at the age of 80, the Buddha announced that he would soon reach Parinirvana, or the final deathless state, and abandon his earthly body. After this, the Buddha ate his last meal, which he had received as an offering from a blacksmith named Cunda. Falling violently ill, Buddha instructed his attendant Ānanda to convince Cunda that the meal eaten at his place had nothing to do with his passing and that his meal would be a source of the greatest merit as it provided the last meal for a Buddha. Mettanando and Von Hinüber argue that the Buddha died of mesenteric infarction, a symptom of old age, rather than food poisoning. The precise contents of the Buddha's final meal are not clear, due to variant scriptural traditions and ambiguity over the translation of certain significant terms; the Theravada tradition generally believes that the Buddha was offered some kind of pork, while the Mahayana tradition believes that the Buddha consumed some sort of truffle or other mushroom. These may reflect the different traditional views on Buddhist vegetarianism and the precepts for monks and nuns.
Waley suggests that Theravadin's would take suukaramaddava (the contents of the Buddha's last meal), which can translate as pig-soft, to mean soft flesh of a pig. However, he also states that pig-soft could mean "pig's soft-food", that is, after Neumann, a soft food favoured by pigs, assumed to be a truffle. He argues (also after Neumann) that as Pali Buddhism was developed in an area remote to the Buddha's death, the existence of other plants with suukara- (pig) as part of their names and that "(p)lant names tend to be local and dialectical" could easily indicate that suukaramaddava was a type of plant whose local name was unknown to those in the Pali regions. Specifically, local writers knew more about their flora than Theravadin commentator Buddhaghosa who lived hundreds of years and kilometres remote in time and space from the events described. Unaware of an alternate meaning and with no Theravadin prohibition against eating animal flesh, Theravadins would not have questioned the Buddha eating meat and interpreted the term accordingly.
Ananda protested the Buddha's decision to enter Parinirvana in the abandoned jungles of Kuśināra (present-day Kushinagar, India) of the Malla kingdom. The Buddha, however, is said to have reminded Ananda how Kushinara was a land once ruled by a righteous wheel-turning king that resounded with joy:
44. Kusavati, Ananda, resounded unceasingly day and night with ten sounds - the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the rattling of chariots, the beating of drums and tabours, music and song, cheers, the clapping of hands, and cries of "Eat, drink, and be merry!"
The Buddha then asked all the attendant Bhikkhus to clarify any doubts or questions they had. They had none. According to Buddhist scriptures, he then finally entered Parinirvana. The Buddha's final words are reported to have been: "All composite things (Saṅkhāra) are perishable. Strive for your own liberation with diligence" (Pali: 'vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā'). His body was cremated and the relics were placed in monuments or stupas, some of which are believed to have survived until the present. For example, The Temple of the Tooth or "Dalada Maligawa" in Sri Lanka is the place where what some believe to be the relic of the right tooth of Buddha is kept at present.
According to the Pāli historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, the Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa, the coronation of Emperor Aśoka (Pāli: Asoka) is 218 years after the death of the Buddha. According to two textual records in Chinese (十八部論 and 部執異論), the coronation of Emperor Aśoka is 116 years after the death of the Buddha. Therefore, the time of Buddha's passing is either 486 BCE according to Theravāda record or 383 BCE according to Mahayana record. However, the actual date traditionally accepted as the date of the Buddha's death in Theravāda countries is 544 or 545 BCE, because the reign of Emperor Aśoka was traditionally reckoned to be about 60 years earlier than current estimates. In Burmese Buddhist tradition, the date of the Buddha's death is 13 May 544 BCE. whereas in Thai tradition it is 11 March 545 BCE.
At his death, the Buddha is famously believed to have told his disciples to follow no leader. Mahakasyapa was chosen by the sangha to be the chairman of the First Buddhist Council, with the two chief disciples Maudgalyayana and Sariputta having died before the Buddha.
While in the Buddha's days he was addressed by the very respected titles Buddha, Shākyamuni, Shākyasimha, Bhante and Bho, he was known after his parinirvana as Arihant, Bhagavā/Bhagavat/Bhagwān, Mahāvira, Jina/Jinendra, Sāstr, Sugata, and most popularly in scriptures as Tathāgata.
BUDDHA AND VEDAS
Buddha's teachings deny the authority of the Vedas and consequently [at least atheistic] Buddhism is generally viewed as a nāstika school (heterodox, literally "It is not so") from the perspective of orthodox Hinduism.
RELICS
After his death, Buddha's cremation relics were divided amongst 8 royal families and his disciples; centuries later they would be enshrined by King Ashoka into 84,000 stupas. Many supernatural legends surround the history of alleged relics as they accompanied the spread of Buddhism and gave legitimacy to rulers.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
An extensive and colorful physical description of the Buddha has been laid down in scriptures. A kshatriya by birth, he had military training in his upbringing, and by Shakyan tradition was required to pass tests to demonstrate his worthiness as a warrior in order to marry. He had a strong enough body to be noticed by one of the kings and was asked to join his army as a general. He is also believed by Buddhists to have "the 32 Signs of the Great Man".
The Brahmin Sonadanda described him as "handsome, good-looking, and pleasing to the eye, with a most beautiful complexion. He has a godlike form and countenance, he is by no means unattractive." (D, I:115)
"It is wonderful, truly marvellous, how serene is the good Gotama's appearance, how clear and radiant his complexion, just as the golden jujube in autumn is clear and radiant, just as a palm-tree fruit just loosened from the stalk is clear and radiant, just as an adornment of red gold wrought in a crucible by a skilled goldsmith, deftly beaten and laid on a yellow-cloth shines, blazes and glitters, even so, the good Gotama's senses are calmed, his complexion is clear and radiant." (A, I:181)
A disciple named Vakkali, who later became an arahant, was so obsessed by the Buddha's physical presence that the Buddha is said to have felt impelled to tell him to desist, and to have reminded him that he should know the Buddha through the Dhamma and not through physical appearances.
Although there are no extant representations of the Buddha in human form until around the 1st century CE (see Buddhist art), descriptions of the physical characteristics of fully enlightened buddhas are attributed to the Buddha in the Digha Nikaya's Lakkhaṇa Sutta (D, I:142). In addition, the Buddha's physical appearance is described by Yasodhara to their son Rahula upon the Buddha's first post-Enlightenment return to his former princely palace in the non-canonical Pali devotional hymn, Narasīha Gāthā ("The Lion of Men").
Among the 32 main characteristics it is mentioned that Buddha has blue eyes.
NINE VIRTUES
Recollection of nine virtues attributed to the Buddha is a common Buddhist meditation and devotional practice called Buddhānusmṛti. The nine virtues are also among the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects. The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka, and include:
- Buddho – Awakened
- Sammasambuddho – Perfectly self-awakened
- Vijja-carana-sampano – Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct.
- Sugato – Well-gone or Well-spoken.
- Lokavidu – Wise in the knowledge of the many worlds.
- Anuttaro Purisa-damma-sarathi – Unexcelled trainer of untrained people.
- Satthadeva-Manussanam – Teacher of gods and humans.
- Bhagavathi – The Blessed one
- Araham – Worthy of homage. An Arahant is "one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge."
TEACHINGS
TRACING THE OLDEST TEACHINGS
Information of the oldest teachings may be obtained by analysis of the oldest texts. One method to obtain information on the oldest core of Buddhism is to compare the oldest extant versions of the Theravadin Pali Canon and other texts. The reliability of these sources, and the possibility to draw out a core of oldest teachings, is a matter of dispute. According to Vetter, inconsistencies remain, and other methods must be applied to resolve those inconsistencies.
According to Schmithausen, three positions held by scholars of Buddhism can be distinguished:
"Stress on the fundamental homogeneity and substantial authenticity of at least a considerable part of the Nikayic materials;"
"Scepticism with regard to the possibility of retrieving the doctrine of earliest Buddhism;"
"Cautious optimism in this respect."
DHYANA AND INSIGHT
A core problem in the study of early Buddhism is the relation between dhyana and insight. Schmithausen, in his often-cited article On some Aspects of Descriptions or Theories of 'Liberating Insight' and 'Enlightenment' in Early Buddhism notes that the mention of the four noble truths as constituting "liberating insight", which is attained after mastering the Rupa Jhanas, is a later addition to texts such as Majjhima Nikaya 36
CORE TEACHINGS
According to Tilmann Vetter, the core of earliest Buddhism is the practice of dhyāna. Bronkhorst agrees that dhyana was a Buddhist invention, whereas Norman notes that "the Buddha's way to release [...] was by means of meditative practices." Discriminating insight into transiency as a separate path to liberation was a later development.
According to the Mahāsaccakasutta, from the fourth jhana the Buddha gained bodhi. Yet, it is not clear what he was awakened to. "Liberating insight" is a later addition to this text, and reflects a later development and understanding in early Buddhism. The mentioning of the four truths as constituting "liberating insight" introduces a logical problem, since the four truths depict a linear path of practice, the knowledge of which is in itself not depicted as being liberating:
[T]hey do not teach that one is released by knowing the four noble truths, but by practicing the fourth noble truth, the eightfold path, which culminates in right samadhi.
Although "Nibbāna" (Sanskrit: Nirvāna) is the common term for the desired goal of this practice, many other terms can be found throughout the Nikayas, which are not specified.
According to Vetter, the description of the Buddhist path may initially have been as simple as the term "the middle way". In time, this short description was elaborated, resulting in the description of the eightfold path.
According to both Bronkhorst and Anderson, the four truths became a substitution for prajna, or "liberating insight", in the suttas in those texts where "liberating insight" was preceded by the four jhanas. According to Bronkhorst, the four truths may not have been formulated in earliest Buddhism, and did not serve in earliest Buddhism as a description of "liberating insight". Gotama's teachings may have been personal, "adjusted to the need of each person."
The three marks of existence may reflect Upanishadic or other influences. K.R. Norman supposes that these terms were already in use at the Buddha's time, and were familiar to his listeners.
The Brahma-vihara was in origin probably a brahmanic term; but its usage may have been common to the Sramana traditions.
LATER DEVELOPMENTS
In time, "liberating insight" became an essential feature of the Buddhist tradition. The following teachings, which are commonly seen as essential to Buddhism, are later formulations which form part of the explanatory framework of this "liberating insight":
- The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an ingrained part of existence; that the origin of suffering is craving for sensuality, acquisition of identity, and fear of annihilation; that suffering can be ended; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to accomplish this;
- The Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration;
- Dependent origination: the mind creates suffering as a natural product of a complex process.
OTHER RELIGIONS
Some Hindus regard Gautama as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. The Buddha is also regarded as a prophet by the Ahmadiyya Muslims and a Manifestation of God in the Bahá'í Faith. Some early Chinese Taoist-Buddhists thought the Buddha to be a reincarnation of Lao Tzu.
The Christian Saint Josaphat is based on the Buddha. The name comes from the Sanskrit Bodhisattva via Arabic Būdhasaf and Georgian Iodasaph. The only story in which St. Josaphat appears, Barlaam and Josaphat, is based on the life of the Buddha. Josaphat was included in earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology (feast day 27 November) — though not in the Roman Missal — and in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgical calendar (26 August).
Disciples of the Cao Đài religion worship the Buddha as a major religious teacher. His image can be found in both their Holy See and on the home altar. He is revealed during communication with Divine Beings as son of their Supreme Being (God the Father) together with other major religious teachers and founders like Jesus, Laozi, and Confucius.
In the ancient Gnostic sect of Manichaeism the Buddha is listed among the prophets who preached the word of God before Mani.
WIKIPEDIA
Those who do not live in Scotland may be unaware that this YES sign indicates an affirmative response to the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?".
In a referendum to be held on 18 September 2014 this issue will be decided by those who are registered to vote in Scotland.
In my view, the underlying belief of those on the YES side is that it is right and proper for a nation to aspire to govern itself, that it may experience difficulties in doing so but in working through those difficulties it will develop the maturity required to hold its head high in the community of nations. The YES side believes that now is the time to "grasp the thistle".
The NO side appears to hold the view either (i) that a 'mature nation' status is not worth working for or (ii) that, while it might be desirable to become a mature nation, the inevitable difficulties could not be overcome.
I listened live to the 2 hours and 40 minutes of this parliamentary debate and thought that Mike Russell's ten minute winding-up speech (transcript below) characterised by its positive approach, exemplified that contrast with the negative approach of his opponents during that debate.
THE PARLIAMENT OF SCOTS (12 AUGUST 2014)
DEBATE ON THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES OF INDEPENDENCE
WINDING UP SPEECH FROM MIKE RUSSELL
Official report:-
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Thank you. I call Michael Russell to wind up the debate. Cabinet secretary, you have until 5 o’clock.
16:49
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell):
Let me give the chamber a revelation: I think that on the evidence of this afternoon’s debate there are no votes in this chamber that are up for grabs in the referendum and that it is pretty clear that there are no undecideds on these benches.
However, there might be some undecideds watching at home. I suspect that they might well have turned off by now, particularly after Jenny Marra’s speech, but if they are still watching I suggest to them that, if they are trying to come to a judgment on the basis of this debate—there are people in the gallery who might want to make such a judgment—they should do so on the basis of what has been the positive view and what has been the negative view.
Look at the positive view that all my colleagues in the chamber have expressed and at the endless, destructive negativity that we have heard from Labour, the Liberals and the Tories.
I will start with the clearest view of the currency issue. As ever, the First Minister got it right in the chamber last week. I will repeat his exact words. He said:
“It is our pound, and we are keeping it.”
There are no ifs and no buts. That is the guarantee. That is plan A to Z. For the benefit of those who are still trying to frighten people out of what is theirs—people such as Mr Henry, who asserted that Scots will not be able to buy food or go on holiday after independence, and Mr Fraser, who tellingly referred—
Hugh Henry:
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Michael Russell:
No, I will not. I am sorry; one contribution from Mr Henry in an afternoon is more than enough.
Mr Fraser referred to the currency belonging to someone else, which was very interesting. I will repeat what the First Minister said so that there can be no doubt. He said:
“It is our pound, and we are keeping it.”—[Official Report, 7 August 2014; c 33159.]
Hugh Henry:
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Mr Russell has just made a statement in which he attributed words to me that I did not say. Is it in order for members to fabricate words that were not said during the debate and attribute them to other members? [Interruption.]
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Order, please. What members say in their speeches is entirely up to them. It is not for me to decide what they should and should not say. However, the Official Report undoubtedly shows every word that has been said in the chamber.
Michael Russell:
I am sure that Mr Henry will reflect on that when he looks at what he has said about me and my writings. I am sure that he will think about that carefully. Mr Henry’s words speak for themselves, as does his depressing demeanour.
The debate has been one of great contrasts. I go back to positivity and negativity. My friend Mr Swinney talked about ambition, achievement, resources, potential and raising the eyes of Scotland to what can be achieved. In my area of special interest, he talked about the need for transformative childcare and the world-leading position of Scottish higher education. What was the result? [Interruption.]
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Order, please.
Michael Russell:
The result was that, 10 minutes in, Mr Rennie gave the knee-jerk plan B its first outing. Mr Brown then leapt back in. Project fear was in there working hard.
The other side of the unionist coin then showed itself. It was quite stunning. Alex Johnstone chuntered on from a sedentary position about the fact that everything that was mentioned was a product of the wonderful union, but he was interrupted by Jenny Marra, who said that everything was the result of the failed SNP. There we have it: that is a contrast. Labour hates the SNP more than anybody else, and the Tories love the union more than anything else. Neither of those is a prescription for a safe future.
Believing that a Labour Government will remove weapons of mass destruction is also not a prescription for a safe future. There is no evidence for that whatsoever. How else are we to get rid of weapons of mass destruction, except by independence? That is the reality.
It was telling that, when Mr Swinney mentioned Trident and what we need to do, the reaction from Labour and the Tories and even from the sole Lib Dem who was there was derision. They want to put bombs before bairns and Trident before teachers. That is their shame.
Let me carry on.
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab):
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Michael Russell:
No, I will not take an intervention. I am sorry.
The reality of the debate was shown clearly. It was about that negative view. Nothing could be done. We had to ask what that was about. Maureen Watt got it 100 per cent right. She analysed the debate early on. The great fear that exists in project fear is the could-should-must progression. If any member on the Labour benches could admit that Scotland could be independent—I will come to Elaine Murray in a moment, as she did that momentarily—the whole fantasy will collapse.
The reason why it collapses is that that leads to the argument that Scotland should be independent, which is the argument that my colleagues made this afternoon. It goes a step further to the argument that Scotland must be independent.
The biggest illustration of that was given by Malcolm Chisholm. Yet again, I was saddened by a speech by Malcolm Chisholm. I have admiration and time for Malcolm Chisholm; he is laughing, but I do. I do not think that he and I differ very much in some of the things that we want to see, but here is the difference. [Interruption.]
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick):
Order.
Michael Russell:
Labour members want to laugh at this, because it is beginning to strike home.
The difference is that I and my colleagues have a plan for how to achieve those things. We know how poverty can be eliminated in Scotland. We know—
Iain Gray:
Will the minister give way?
Michael Russell:
No—I want to finish my point.
I know that it is annoying to Iain Gray, but the truth of the matter is that it is possible to have a plan to change Scotland and to do those things. We can set out with those intentions and we can work hard to meet them, or we can—as Labour members would have us do—simply keep our fingers crossed that we get a Labour Government that could possibly pursue the things that they want to see in Scotland rather than the things that Ed Balls and Miliband want to see south of the border. I say to Malcolm Chisholm that that is not a plan: that is keeping your fingers crossed and putting party before principle.
Malcolm Chisholm:
The cabinet secretary may have a plan, but the whole point of all the Labour speeches has been to point out that it is not a plan that can be delivered without an economic foundation. Before he gives us any more claptrap about the negativity of Labour members, will he reflect on the fact that by far the biggest and most disgraceful scare of the referendum campaign is what the yes side is saying about the NHS? [Interruption.]
The Presiding Officer:
Order! Order!
Michael Russell:
How interesting. Mr Chisholm is being wildly applauded by Jackson Carlaw, who—
The Presiding Officer:
Sit down, Mr Russell.
That is quite enough. There is far too much heckling and far too much noise. The minister is speaking, so allow him to do so. This is a Parliament; it is not a public meeting or a hustings. There are people in Scotland who are listening to the debate. Make it worthy of them.
Michael Russell:
Why was Jackson Carlaw—the person who got so agitated about the issue of the NHS last week—applauding so much? Because we have hit the nail on the head. If the financial power lies outside Scotland, the decision on the priorities of Scotland and how to deliver those priorities will always lie outside Scotland, too. For every £100 by which expenditure is reduced south of the border through privatisation of the health service—privatisation that was started by Labour—£10 is lost from the Scottish budget.
Neil Findlay:
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Michael Russell:
No.
For every £100 that is removed from public expenditure through privatisation of higher education south of the border, we lose £10. That is the reality. That is the nub of the debate. We can choose to make our decisions in Scotland, to take our responsibilities in Scotland and to have opportunities in Scotland, or we can always dance to someone else’s tune.
Malcolm Chisholm wants to see the progress in Scotland that I want to see. I repeat what I said earlier: the SNP has the plan to do that. It puts its confidence—[Interruption.] We can hear the Tories laughing; we can always hear the Tories laughing when the people of Scotland want to progress.
Here is the choice: we can say to the people of Scotland, “Take responsibility, and then you will have the opportunity to change this country for the better”; or we can tell them to listen to those who will not accept the reality and who will always keep their fingers crossed that England votes the same way that they do. Those voices will always disappoint and let down the people of Scotland. That has got to stop.
The lesson this afternoon is entirely clear: there is a jobs plan for an independent Scotland, there is a finance plan for an independent Scotland, there is a currency plan for an independent Scotland and there is a plan to make an independent Scotland the country that it could and should be. The people who stand in the way of that are this unholy alliance between Labour and the Tories.
The Presiding Officer:
You need to finish, cabinet secretary.
Michael Russell:
They are the people who have plenty of ambition for their political parties and none for their country. [Applause.]
The Presiding Officer:
Order.
That concludes the debate on the economic opportunities of independence.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUNDAY TIMES - 21st September 2014
Michael Russell
In a sense I have been campaigning for independence across Scotland not just in the last four weeks but for forty years. But I don't think I have ever had such an emotional political experience as last Saturday standing in the Station Square in Oban listening to Dougie Maclean sing his anthem of Scottishness, Caledonia.
It didn't matter that someone had forgotten to bring an extension lead, so there was no power for the microphone. It was irrelevant that an early sea mist, now burning off, had prevented the First Minister from making a helicopter campaign stop and equally irrelevant was the stretch limo with a huge "NO thanks" logo tied round it ( one of the bizzarest sights of the campaign) that kept cruising past. Dougie sang and 250 people - young and old, from all parties but mostly none, sang along with a quiet intensity that brought tears to my eyes and to eyes of many others.
That event started a whole day of remarkable activities - a car cavalcade of more than sixty vehicles that wound its way across Mid Argyll with so many participants that a church hall in Lochgilphead had to be commandeered to feed them, a flash mob of dancers and musicians on a green beside the sea and finally a laser show lighting up a huge YES sign on the island of Kerrera in the bay facing the town.
This was politics, but not as I have known it. YES Scotland started out as an umbrella organisation and ended up as a mass movement . It's creativity and energy was replicated not just across my constituency - in Dunoon, in Campbeltown, in Rothesay, in Lochgoilhead, on Islay and on Mull - but across the whole of Scotland in a diverse, multi layered movement that demanded and will go on demanding not only attention but also real change.
Although Thursday night delivered a bitter blow to many of those who had invested so much of themselves in that movement I do not think it will go away. Indeed it must not go away. It's commitment, enthusiasm and vigour are needed as never before if Scotland is to move forward united.
It is this movement that can really test the will of politicians to deliver the new dispensation that the Westminster parties promised in the final days of the campaign and it is this movement that can press an agenda that is focussed on outcomes which benefit and empower real people not just the political classes.
As Alex Salmond said on Friday in his moving resignation statement, holding Westminster to account for the delivery of its new promises has to be done by the whole of Scotland and that process needs to be lead by citizens themselves. If it changes and benefits all the parts of the present UK so much the better as long as that not an excuse for endless delay.
I have undertaken more than sixty public meetings in Argyll & Bute over the past nine months. One of the biggest took place on Ardrishaig the night before the Dougie MacLean event at which I shared a platform with Professor Allan MacInnes and Lesley Riddoch, both longstanding friends. Lesley spoke about this new politics too and was given a standing ovation by the over capacity crowd jammed into a tiny church hall. That enthusiasm reflected growing demand for a different set of priorities and a changed way of doing things - bottom up not top down.
That is what independence is but it's core values - fairness, equity, hope, opportunity, equality, justice - go well beyond the the 1.6 million who chose that option. Lots of voters on both sides were sending a message about the need for those things that cannot now be ignored.
That is why the "faster, safer and better" change offered in the 3 UK leaders Daily Record "Vow" was in the end persuasive for so many. They disagreed on the means but not on the ends.
So that is also why the SNP as the Scottish Government has to be an active part of the process now being outlined by the UK Government. We must heed the urgings of those we have worked with and take part in a constructive, urgent and focussed process to decide on the range of powers required and accelerate their introduction whilst ensuring that they are devolved further into communities and made capable of adaptation to local need and local direction.
That will not be easy for anyone but it is the essential next step - a step demanded by Thursday's result and which can also act as a unifying mechanism. We can help make a new Team Scotland and learn from it though it will be a Team Scotland weakened when not led by Alex Salmond, to whom the whole country owes an enormous political debt.
I am undoubtedly still a nationalist and I want to see independence. But this referendum campaign, undertaken in an Indian summer of warm sunshine amongst the most beautiful scenery in the world, criss crossing sea lochs, sailing to islands and motoring amongst mountains, has taught me a great deal.
A passionate desire for a better country is shared by many of our fellow citizens, young and old inside and outside conventional politics. A different set of priorities and policies - some already introduced by an SNP Government over the past 7 years - is possible. Alienation from politics and society isn't inevitable because inspiration casts out indifference. Decisions are better when made with people, not for them.
I have had the great pleasure of an invigorating campaign in Dalmally and Dunoon, on Luing and Lismore, through Glendaruel (where I live) and Glen Barr and by the shores of Loch Etive and Loch Riddon. The conclusion of those journeys was not the one I hoped for a month ago when the Sunday Times asked me to contribute at the end of the campaign. But the people have spoken and when that happens politicians have to listen - wherever they are.
So the friend who gave me that ancient sculpty to play with has been playing around in mesh with making something similar to that but cleaner and crisper, to go with what we expect anymore of objects in SL.
I have a question: let's say he and I came up with like 12-20 textures to put on the box here, perhaps different textures on the chopsticks or the tabletop- would you be interested in playing a gacha that had various versions of this end table in it?
Be frank, by all means, and I *do* intend to ask someone Asian-American to make sure any commentary that's intended as glib isn't coming off as racist. I'd like this thing to just be cute, rather than appalling to anyone.
The question "Who would win in a fight, a pirate ship or a modern Naval vessel" will be answered in just a few moments.. my money is on the one with the helicopter on the back...
______________________
Leonard: What's wrong?
Penny: Well, Howard and Christy are...kind of hooking up in my bedroom.
Leonard: Are you sure?
Penny: Look, I grew up on a farm. From what I heard, they're either having sex, or Howard's caught in a milking machine.
--"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
Post a pic of yourself and answer the questions! Tagged by the truly quite, quite wonderful Hej!
1: What are you wearing?
Tights, a dress and me spectacles! (Oh and pants and bra obv!)
2: Something about you that nobody ever knew?
I believe in fairies like really believe in them!
3: Biggest phobias?
Spiders, amphibians, fish, birds, touching rubbish
4: How tall are you?
Five foot 6 and a half!
5: Ever been in love?
Yes and it scared and excited me in equal measure!
6: Any tattoos that you want?
I want a bow on my wrist coloured pink and the words Deo Volente (God willing) somewhere
7: Any piercings that you want?
No, I dont think so although I sometimes wish I had a nose stud
8: Makeouts or cuddling?
Both! Greedy aint I?
9: Shoe size?
Size 7 clown feet
10: Favorite bands?
The Doors, Joy Division, Black Sabbath, The Who, Fleetwood Mac
11: Something you miss?
I miss various peoples
12: Favorite song?
Oh golly gosh it changes regularly but I really like Golden Brown by the Stranglers and have done for ages I have a top 10 but I wont bore you with that!
13: How old are you?
29 on the cusp of 30!
14: Zodiac sign?
Capricorn
15: Hair Color?
Mousey Brown
16: Favorite Quote?
"Whoever saves one life save the world entire"
17: Favorite singer?
Jim Morrison
18: Favorite colour?
Pink it makes the boys wink dontcha know?!
19: Loud music or soft?
I like my music LOUD!
20: Where do you go when you're sad?
I retreat to my bed or I go to my best friends flat
21: How long does it take you to shower?
We dont have a shower so I bathe!
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
I prefer as much sleep as possible so anywhere between 20 minutes and my own personal best of 2 minutes!
23: Ever been in a physical fight?
No! I dont even know how to punch! Sad eh? But that doesnt mean I wont fiercely protect my and my loved ones honour!
24: Turn on?
Being caressed, Hair, laughter, geeks, friendliness, sense of humour, certain aftershaves, being challenged
25: Turn off?
Fuckwits, snobbery, monobrows, smelly breath
26: The reason I joined Flickr?
Blythe
27: Fears?
Dyeing alone, never finding love, being hurt by people, never having a baby
28: Last thing that made you cry?
A man, the same man it always is!
29: Last time you cried?
Last week
30: Meaning behind your url:
I dont have one but my flickr name comes from the fact my most overused phrase is Oh my God so I made my username oh my Blythe!
31: Last book you read?
The Hunger Games
32: Last song you listened to?
Starships by Nicki Minaj I love singing the rap part out loud!
33: Last show you watched?
The Big Bang Theory I am in love with Leonard
34: Last person you talked to?
My sister
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
He's my best friend
36: Favorite food?
Chinese
37: Place you want to visit?
New Zealand, Tokyo and New York
38: Last place you were?
Brighton
39: Do you have a crush?
Oh blime loads! Main ones are Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner, Johnny Depp and Ralph Fiennes
40: Last time you kissed someone?
I kiss people all the time ie friends etc it depends what kind of kiss this question refers too!
41: Last time you were insulted and what was it?
My brother in law said I was a bum beard
42: What color underwear are you wearing?
Leopard print
43: What color shirt are you wearing?
I'm wearing a grey dress
44: Are you tired?
Hell to the yeah!
45: Wearing any bracelets?
No
46: Last sport you played?
Ha ha Sport!
47: Last song you sang?
Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix
48: Last prank call you remember doing?
I'm rubbish at pranks!
49: Last time you hung out with anyone?
Last night with my sis and friend Meg..
50: Do you consider yourself to be approachable?
I like to think so!
1. Alexandra, 2. { For the love of italian food ,,, 3. Nower Hill Green drinking fountain, 4. Black & White, 5. Johnny_depp, 6. Caipiroska strawberry, 7. Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, 8. Tiramisu, 9. RICH & POWERFUL, 10. funny how you never forget a friend's laugh..., 11. Unique Beauty, 12. Thank you sunshinecity!
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Here's how..
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste the html into your blog or Flickr stream (the easiest way is to copy the URLs and then head over to the fd's flickr toys mosaic maker ).
The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.
Extrait d'oeuvres présente à l'exposition "Question Tag" organisée du 12 au 23/02/10 pendant le festival Hip Opsession à Nantes
There is no divide, no controversy or confusion. This is the food of the Gods and anyone who says otherwise is courting contradiction for its own sake.
The program collects films that are asking the same questions: What was here before? And how can you show it if it’s not there anymore? When and how did absence turn into presence? Does it always do that?
It also connects places in East and West, New York, Berlin and Warsaw. Shanghai and Venice. Not only through images, but also through the people who made the films (and are in them): For them, 1984 had been fiction and 1989 a reality. They are from a generation that has been producing images and sounds before and after the Berlin Wall, in East and West, until today.
Program runtime is 62 minutes.
a-b-city by Dieter Hormel and Brigitte Bühler
BRD 1985, 8 minutes, digital projection
Accompanied by a score using music of Pere Ubu and Einstürzende Neubauten, a-b-city revolves around West-Berlin’s psychodelic atmosphere. Brigitte Bühler and Dieter Hormel, who were renown for their fast paced and skillfully edited Super-8 clips, mix TV images and time-lapse shots of nightly streets, drifting clouds, and a men continuously jumping in front of the Berlin Wall, bringing about an impression of the enclosed city that constantly shifts between ecstasis and depression. (Text: Florian Wüst)
Haunt No. 1-3 by Niklas Goldbach
2007, 2 minutes, digital projection
Haunt No. 1, Video Loop, 35 sec., Stereo
Assistance: Daniel Reuter
Haunt No. 2, Video Loop, 28 sec., Stereo
Assistance: Viktor Neumann
Haunt No. 3, Video Loop, 36 sec., Stereo
Assistance: Viktor Neumann
The video triptych focuses on the historical background and the future of up to now abandoned places in Berlin’s former working-class district Prenzlauer Berg where the gentrification process is almost accomplished.
5 lessons and 9 questions about Chinatown by Shelly Silver
USA, 2009, 10 minutes, digital projection
You live somewhere, walk down the same street 50, 100, 10,000 times, each time taking in fragments, but never fully registering THE PLACE. Years, decades go by and you continue,unseeing, possibly unseen. A building comes down, and before the next one is up you ask yourself ‘what used to be there?’ You are only vaguely aware of the district’s shifting patterns and the sense that, since the 19th century, wave after wave of inhabitants have moved through and transformed these alleyways, tenements, stoops and shops.
10 square blocks, past, present, future, time, light, movement, immigration, exclusion, gentrification, racism, history, China, America, 3 languages, 13 voices, 152 years, 17,820 frames, 9 minutes, 54 seconds, 9 questions, 5 lessons, Chinatown.
View Excerpt
Former East/Former West by Shelly Silver
USA, 1994, excerpt 10-15 minutes digital projection
Made up of hundreds of street interviews done in Berlin two years after the Reunification, FORMER EAST/FORMER WEST is a vital, surprisingly open, and at times disturbing documentary. Silver questions the very notion of a shared language, focusing on changing definitions of words for political and economic systems – democracy, freedom, capitalism, socialism, nationality and history.
Magnetic [eye] Berlin by Gunter Krüger
Germany, 2007 / 08, excerpt 10 minutes, digital projection
Since 1997, Gunter Krüger has been archiving media fragments which he finds on the street – broken audiotapes, scraps of VHS and discarded compact discs. At the location he records additional filmic notes.
In the second part of the “Magnetic [eye]” series, “Magnetic [eye] Berlin”, a selection of media fragments forms a portrait of his living space. The film is designed as a generative structure, i.e. there is no final version.
In 2007 and 2008, three different playlists were made, each varying in both the selection of the media fragments as well as their compilation. By integrating new modules, new playlists with predefined running times can be created for each screening.
Nullpanorama by Martin Ebner
Germany, 2003, 1 minute, digital projection
The ascent and decent of an advertiser’s captive balloon over the roofs of the capital.
Proprio Aperto by Judith Hopf, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Florian Zeyfang
Germany / USA, 2005, 6 minutes, digital projection
The single channel video and installation work PROPRIO APERTO, which was first presented in February 2005 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago in the exhibition, “Universal Experience: Art, Life and the Tourist’s Eye,” shows a walk taken through the giardini, the grounds of the Venice Biennale, in winter.
The conversations that took place there among Judith Hopf, Natascha Sadr-Hadhighian and Florian Zeyfang result in a text that circles around landscapes of ruin, ghosts and the Dasein in cultural hegemony. The images — actually photographs — are presented in slow pans, and the various levels of destruction of the pavilion come more and more into the center.
The tone of voice and language congenially conveys the suitably contemplative mood during the walk, which carries over to the spectator.
The Rooms (excerpt) by Tim Blue and Paul Rowley
USA 2010, 5 minutes, digital projection
With rich sound design and diverse formats, THE ROOMS is an experimental study of an abandoned world that somehow continues to operate. This excerpt feautures the HAU 1 / Hebbel am Ufer, a historical theater in Berlin, that turned into a cultural space for contemporary experimental and innovative theater and performance art (HAU 1).
We will be strong in our weakness. Notes from the first congress of the Jewish Renaissance in Poland.Performance by Yael Bartana with Susanne Sachsse and Slawomir Sierakowski
Israel/Netherlands/Poland, 2010, 15 minutes, digital video projection
Jewish Renaissance movement in Poland, Tel-Aviv/Amsterdam/Warsaw
Stefanie Schulte Strathaus is a film and video curator who lives and works in Berlin. She is Co-Director of Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art (with Milena Gregor and Birgit Kohler) and Member of the selection committee of the Berlinale Forum and founding director of Forum Expanded, a new section of the Berlin International Film Festival which negotiates the boundaries of cinema. Her curatorial work comprises numerous film programs, retrospectives and exhibitions, among them Michael Snow, Guy Maddin, Heinz Emigholz, Birgit Hein, Ulrike Ottinger, Stephen Dwoskin and many others. She recently co-curated (with Susanne Sachsse and Marc Siegel) LIVE FILM! JACK SMITH! Five Flaming Days in A Rented World (October 2009).
Her texts have been published in Frauen und Film, The Moving Image, Texte zur Kunst, Ästhetik & Kommunikation, Schriftenreihe Kinemathek as well as in various festival and exhibition catalogues. She is the editor of: Kinemathekheft Nr. 93: Germaine Dulac (with Sabine Nessel and Heide Schlüpmann), Berlin 2002; “The Memo Book. Films, Videos and Installations by Matthias Müller”, Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2005; “The Primal Scene: Christine Noll Brinckmann. Films and Texts”, Berlin: arsenal edition, 2008; “Who says concrete doesn’t burn, have you tried? West Berlin Film in the ’80s” (with Florian Wüst), Berlin: arsenal edition, 2008. www.arsenal-berlin.de
Paul Rowley was born 1971 in Dublin. He has worked for more than ten years as a filmmaker and visual artist.
His critically acclaimed feature documentary Seaview, which he co-directed with Nicky Gogan, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and has toured festivals internationally since.
Together with David Phillips, Paul completed a collection of films to accompany a live performance of John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes, premiered at The Stone in New York in collaboration with pianist Emily Manzo. They recently completed a 60 screen permanent video installation in the international terminal at LAX airport.
Paul was artist in residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida with Gillian Wearing, and has received many awards from the Irish Arts Council for his work since 1997. He was a fellow at the Macdowell Artist Colony in New Hampshire, and the Bogliasco Foundation, Italy. He was awarded a residency at the Experimental Television Center in New York, which led to a grant from NYCSA, the New York State Council for the Arts. He lives in Dublin and Brooklyn.
See also www.condensate.net and www.stillfilms.org
Shelly Silver is a New York based artist utilizing video, film and photography. Her work, which spans a wide range of subject matter and genres, explores the personal and societal relations that connect and restrict us; the indirect routes of pleasure and desire; the stories that are told about us and the stories we construct about ourselves.
Silver’s work has been exhibited and broadcast widely throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Screenings and installations have been mounted by venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Yokohama Museum, the Pompidou Center, the Kyoto Museum, the London Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Museo Reina Sofia, and the London, Singapore, New York, Moscow, and Berlin film festivals. Her work has been broadcast on BBC/England, PBS/USA, Arte, Planete/Europe, RTE/Ireland, SWR/Germany, and Atenor/Spain. Silver’s numerous fellowships and grants include awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, the DAAD, the Jerome Foundation, the Japan Foundation and Anonymous was a Woman. She is based in New York where she is an Associate Professor of Visual Arts in the School of the Arts, Columbia University.
For my Reezday I made new Versions of party of my old Burlesque Series.
for questions ask me
inworld second life
LadyRosabella Resident
There is no question in my mind about the purpose of this unusual obelisk.... My next photo will erase any doubt you may have about UFOs when I reveal their official landing strip!
Easy question... Which saguaro is the oldest?
Actually, they're all (only eight are visible here, but there are twelve in this group) thought to be the same age. This is just a case where a couple of feet made all the difference in terms of being able to collect the most water or getting the right amount of sunshine or sufficient protection from the cold.
Seen on the Garwood Trail in Saguaro National Park.
I'm going to enter this image in a show. I can't decide which crop I like better - this one or the one in the comment section. Feedback and constructive criticism from everyone is helpful & welcome!
The Birth of Venus: Sony A7 R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3
Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography! & Hero's Odyssey Mythology Fine Art! :)
New Instagram! instagram.com/45surf
New Instagram!
instagram.com/johnnyrangermccoy
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Blonde Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown / Black Hair!
And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:
Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!
The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).
Follow me on facebook!
www.facebook.com/45surfAchillesOdysseyMythology
Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!
Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
New 500px!
500px.com/herosodysseymythology
Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)
She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!
May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
All the best on your Epic, Homeric, Heroic Odyssey into the Art of Photography from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Dynamic Dimensions Theory's First Law and equation: The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c: dx4/dt=ic.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johny Ranger McCoy!
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3
For the past year, I have posted shots of Kent churches on Twitter than on a churchcrawling group on FB, and in the course of that year, I have come to realise that some churches I recorded better than others, and some of the early one, were mostly dreadful wide angle shots.
So, one by one, I plan to go back and reshoot them.
St Mary was one. It was closed on All Hallow's Eve last year, but on Saturday last month, we dropped off some prints to be framed in the town, and a short walk along Strand Street is St Mary.
It was open for an art shot, but that was OK, as I wanted to snap the memorials and details.
Today, St Mary is used as a community resource. It has a stage, and the nave either used for the audience or an exhibition space.
Around the walls are many fine memorials and details to look at and ponder over.
Sandwich had three parish churches, two are now redundant, but both St Mary and St Peter have survived to be assets for the town.
As they should be.
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An extraordinary barn of a church - one of two in the town cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust. That it was a large Norman church is without question - see the responds at the west end of the nave. Like the other two churches in Sandwich, St Mary's probably also had a central tower, the collapse of which (like St Peter's) caused havoc to the building. Rebuilding here took a rather rare form with the building losing its south arcade; having a new north arcade built of wood; and a new roof to cover the whole! By the 20th century the church was surplus to requirements and was threatened with demolition. However local supporters, encouraged by the doyen of ecclesiologists, Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, saved it. Now used for concerts it is open to visitors and has much of interest. In the north aisle are 18th century pews saved from Gopsall Hall in Leicestershire. The chancel contains a rare banner stave locker for the poles used to carry banners in medieval street processions. Nearby is an example of two pieces of stone being joined together with a dowel made from animal bone. The glass in the east window is scratched with the names of the glaziers who have repaired it on numerous occasions!
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Sandwich+2
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THE town of Sandwich is situated on the north-east confines of this county, about two miles from the sea, and adjoining to the harbour of its own name, through which the river Stour flows northward into the sea at Pepperness. It is one of the principal cinque ports, the liberty of which extends over it, and it is within the jurisdiction of the justices of its own corporation.
Sandwich had in antient time several members appertaining to it, (fn. 1) called the antient members of the port of Sandwich; these were Fordwich, Reculver, Sarre, Stonar, and Deal; but in the later charters, the members mentioned are Fordwich incorporated, and the non-corporated members of Deal, Walmer, Ramsgate, Stonar, Sarre, all in this county, and Brightlingsea, in Sussex; but of late years, Deal, Walmer, and Stonar, have been taken from it; Deal, by having been in 1699 incorporated with the charter of a separate jurisdiction, in the bounds of which Walmer is included; and Stonar having been, by a late decision of the court of king's bench in 1773, adjudged to be within the jurisdiction of the county at large.
The first origin of this port was owing to the decay of that of Richborough, as will be further noticed hereafter. It was at first called Lundenwic, from its being the entrance to the port of London, for so it was, on the sea coast, and it retained this name until the supplanting of the Saxons by the Danes, when it acquired from its sandy situation a new name, being from thenceforward called Sandwic, in old Latin, Sabulovicum, that is, the sandy town, and in process of time, by the change of language, Sandwich.
Where this town now stands, is supposed, in the time of the Romans, and before the decay of the haven, or Portus Rutupinus, to have been covered with that water, which formed the bay of it, which was so large that it is said to have extended far beyond this place, on the one side almost to Ramsgate cliffs, and on the other near five miles in width, over the whole of that flat of land, on which Stonar and Sandwich too, were afterwards built, and extending from thence up to the æstuary, which then flowed up between the Isle of Thanet and the main land of this county.
During the time of the Saxons, the haven and port of Richborough, the most frequented of any in this part of Britain, began to decay, and swarve up, the sea by degrees entirely deserting it at this place, but still leaving sufficient to form a large and commodious one at Sandwich, which in process of time, became in like manner, the usual resort for shipping, and arose a Flourishing harbour in its stead; from which time the Saxon fleets, as well as those of the Danes, are said by the historians of those times, to sail for the port of Sandwich; and there to lie at different times, and no further mention is made of that of Richborough, which being thus destroyed, Sandwich became the port of general resort; which, as well as the building of this town, seems to have taken place, however, some while after the establishment of the Saxons in Britain, and the first time that is found of the name of Sandwich being mentioned and occurring as a port, is in the life of St. Wilfred, archbishop of York, written by Eddius Stephanus; in which it is said, he and his company, prosper in portum Sandwich, atque suaviter pervenerunt, happily and pleasantly arrived in the harbour of Sandwich, which happened about the year 665, or 666, some what more than 200 years after the arrival of the Saxons in Britain. During the time of the Danes insesting this kingdom, several of their principal transactions happened at this place, (fn. 2) and the port of it became so much frequented, that the author of queen Emma's life stiles it the most noted of all the English ports; Sandwich qui est omnium Anglorum portuum famosissimus.
FROM THE TIME of the origin of the town of Sandwich, the property of it was vested in the several kings who reigned over this country, and continued so till king Ethelred, in the year 979, gave it, as the lands of his inheritance, to Christ-church, in Canterbury, free from all secular service and fiscal tribute, except the repelling invasions, and the repairing of bridges and castles. (fn. 3) After which king Canute, having obtained the kingdom, finished the building of this town, and having all parts and places in the realm at his disposal, as coming to the possession of it by conquest, by his charter in the year 1023, gave, or rather restored the port of Sandwich, with the profits of the water of it, on both sides of the stream, for the support of that church, and the sustenance of the monks there.
Soon after this, the town of Sandwich increased greatly in size and inhabitants, and on account of the commodity and use of its haven, and the service done by the shipping belonging to it, was of such estimation, that it was made one of the principal cinque ports; and in king Edward the Confessor's days it contained three hundred and seven houses, and was an hundred within itself; and it continued increasing, as appears by the description of it, in the survey of Domesday, taken in the 15th year of the Conqueror's reign, anno 1080, in which it is thus entered, under the title of the lands of the archbishop:
Sandwice lies in its own proper hundred. This borough the archbishop holds, and it is of the clothing of the monks, and yields the like service to the king as Dover; and this the men of that borough testify, that before king Edward gave the same to the Holy Trinity, it paid to the king fisteen pounds. At the time of King Edward's death it was not put to ferme. When the archbishop received it, it paid forty pounds of ferme, and forty thousand herrings to the food of the monks. In the year in which this description was made, Sanuuic paid fifty pounds of ferme, & Herrings as above. In the time of king Edward the Confessor there were there three hundred and seven mansions tenanted, now there are seventy six more, that is together three hundred and eighty three.
And under the title of the bishop of Baieux's lands, as follows, under the description of the manor of Gollesberge:
In Estrei hundred, in Sandunic, the archbishop has thirty two houses, with plats of land belonging to this manor,(viz. Gollesberge) and they pay forty-two shil lings and eight pence, and Adeluuold has one yoke, which is worth ten shillings.
These houses, with all the liberties which the bishop of Baieux had in Sandwich, had been given by him to Christ-church, in Canterbury, and confirmed to it in the year 1075, by his brother the Conqueror. (fn. 4)
Afterwards king Henry II. granted to the monks the full enjoyment of all those liberties and customs in Sandwich, which they had in the time of king Henry his grandfather, that is, the port and toll, and all maritime customs in this port, on both sides of the water, that is, from Eadburgate unto Merksflete, and the small boat to ferry across it, and that no one should have any right there except them and their servants.
The town, by these continued privileges, and the advantages it derived from the great resort to the port, increased much in wealth and number of inhabitants; and notwithstanding, in the year 1217, anno 2 king Henry III. great part of the town was burnt by the French, yet the damage seems soon to have been recompenced by the savors bestowed on it by the several kings, in consideration of the services it had continually afforded, in the shipping of this port, to the nation. The first example of royal favor, being shewn by the last-mentioned king, was in his 11th year, who not only confirmed the customs before granted, but added the further grant of a market to this town and port, (fn. 5) and in his 13th year granted the custom of taking twopence for each cask of wine received into it.
After which, the prior and convent of Christ-church, in the 18th year of King Edward I. gave up in exchange for other lands elsewhere, to his queen Eleanor, all their rights, possessions, and privileges here, excepting their houses and keys, and a free passage in the
haven, in the small boat, called the vere boat, (fn. 6) and free liberty for themselves and their tenants to buy and sell toll free, which the king confirmed that year; and as a favor to the town, he placed the staple for wool in it for some time.
The exception above-mentioned, was afterwards found to be so very prejudicial, as well as inconvenient, that king Edward III. in his 38th year, gave them other lands in Essex, in exchange for all their rights, privileges, and possessions, in this town and port. After which king Richard II. in his first year, removed the staple for wool from Queenborough, where it had been for some time, hither.
During the whole of this period from the time of the conquest, this port continued the general rendezvous of the royal sleets, and was as constantly visted by the several monarchs, who frequently embarked and returned again hither from France; the consequence of which was, that the town became so flourishing, that it had increased to between eight and nine hundred houses inhabited, divided into three parishes; and there were of good and able mariners, belonging to the navy of it, above the number of 1500; so that when there was occasion at any time, the mayors of it, on the receipt of the king's letters, furnished, at the town's charges, to the seas, fifteen sail of armed ships of war, which were of such continued annoyance to the French, that they in return made it a constant object of their revenge. Accordingly, in the 16th year of king Henry VI. they landed here and plundered the greatest part of the inhabitants, as they did again in the 35th year of it; but but this not answering the whole of their purpose, Charles VIII. king of France, to destroy it entirely, sent hither four thousand men, who landing in the night, after a long and bloody conflict gained possession of the town, and having wasted it with fire and sword, slew the greatest part of the inhabitants; and to add to these misfortunes it was again ransacked by the earl of Warwick, in the same reign.
To preserve the town from such disasters in future, king Edward IV. new walled, ditched, and fortifield it with bulwarks, and gave besides, for the support of them, one hundred pounds yearly out of the customhouse here; which, together with the industry and efforts of the merchants, who frequented this haven, the goodness of which, in any storm or contrary wind, when they were in danger from the breakers, or the Goodwin Sands, afforded them a safe retreat; in a very short time restored it again to a flourishing state, infomuch, that before the end of that reign, the clear yearly receipt of the customs here to that king, amounted to above the sum of 16 or 17,000l. (fn. 7) and the town had ninety five ships belonging to it, and above fifteen hundred sailors.
But this sunshine of prosperity lasted no long time afterwards, for in king Henry VII.'s time, the river Stour, or as it was at this place antiently called, the Wantsume, continued to decay so fast, as to leave on each side at low water, a considerable quantity of salts, which induced cardinal archbishop Moreton, who had most part of the adjoining lands belonging to his bishopric, for his own private advantage, to inclose and wall them in, near and about Sarre; which example was followed from time to time, by several owners of the lands adjoining, by which means the water was deprived of its usual course, and the haven felt the loss of it by a hasty decay. Notwithstanding which, so late as the first year of king Richard III. ships failed up this haven as high as Richborough, for that year, as ap pears by the corporation books of Sandwich, the mayor ordered a Spanish ship, lying on the outside of Richborough, to be removed. (fn. 8)
"Leland, who wrote in the reign of Henry VIII. gives the following description of Sandwich, as it was in his time. "Sandwich, on the farther side of the ryver of Sture, is neatly welle walled, where the town stonddeth most in jeopardy of enemies. The residew of the town is diched and mudde waulled. There be yn the town iiii principal gates, iii paroche chyrches, of the which sum suppose that St. Maries was sumtyme a nunnery. Ther is a place of White Freres, and an hospistal withowt the town, fyrst ordened for maryners desesid and hurt. There is a place where monkes of Christ-church did resort, when they were lords of the towne. The caryke that was sonke in the haven, in pope Paulus tyme, did much hurt to the haven and gether a great bank. The grounde self from Sandwich to the heaven, and inward to the land, is caullid Sanded bay".
The sinking of this great ship of pope Paul IV. in the very mouth of the haven, by which the waters had not their free course as before, from the sand and mud gathering round about it, together with the innings of the lands on each side the stream, had such a fatal effect towards the decay of the haven, that in the time of king Edward VI. it was in a manner destroyed and lost, and the navy and mariners dwindled to almost nothing, and the houses then inhabited in this town did not exceed two hundred, the inhabitants of which were greatly impoverished; the yearly customs of the town, by reason of the insufficiency of the haven, were so desicient, that there was scarcely enough arising from it to satisfy the customer his fee. This occasioned two several commissions to be granted, one in the 2d year of that reign, and another in the 2d year of queen Eli zabeth, to examine the state of the haven, and make a return of it; in consequence of the first of which, a new cut was begun by one John Rogers, which, however, was soon left in an untinished state, though there are evident traces of what was done towards making this canal still remaining, on the grounds between the town and Sandowne castle; and in consequence of the second, other representations and reports were made, one of which was, that the intended cut would be useless, and of no good effect.
Whether these different reports where the occasion that no further progress was made towards this work, and the restoration of this haven, or the very great expence it was estimated at, and the great difficulty of raising so large a sum, being 10,000l which the queen at that time could no ways spare, but so it was, that nothing further was done in it.
¶The haven being thus abandoned by the queen, and becoming almost useless, excepting to vessels of the small burthen before mentioned, the town itself would before long have become impoverished and fallen wholly to decay, had it not been most singularly preserved, and raised again, in some measure, to great wealth and prosperity, occasioned by the persecution for religion in Brabant and Flanders, which communicated to all the Protestant parts of Europe, the paper, silk, woollen, and other valuable manufactures of Flanders and France, almost peculiar at that time to those countries, and till then, in vain attempted elsewhere; the manufacturers of them came in bodies up to London, and afterwards chose their situations, with great judgment, distributing themselves, with the queen's licence, through England, so as not to interfere too much with one another. The workers in sayes, baize, and flannel in particular, fixed themselves here, at Sandwich, at the mouth of a haven, by which they might have an easy communication with the metropolis, and other parts of this kingdom, and afforded them like wife an easy export to the continent. These manufacturers applied accordingly to the queen, for her protection and licence; for which purpose, in the third year of her reign, she caused letters patent to be passed, directed to the mayor, &c. to give liberty to such of them, as should be approved of by the archbishop, and bishop of London, to inhabit here for the purpose of exercising those manufactures, which had not been used before in England, or for shishing in the seas, not exceeding the number of twenty-five house holders, accounting to every household not above twelve persons, and there to exercise their trade, and have as many servants as were necessary for carrying them on, not exceeding the number above mentioned; these immediately repaired to Sandwich, to the number, men, women, and children, of four hundred and six persons; of which, eight only were masters in the trade. A body of gardeners likewife discovered the nature of the soil about Sandwich to be exceedingly favourable to the growth of all esculent plants, and fixed themselves here, to the great advantage of this town, by the increase of inhabitants, the employment of the poor, and the money which circulated; the landholders like wife had the great advantage of their rents being considerably increased, and the money paid by the town and neighbourhood for vegetables, instead of being sent from hence for the purchase of them, remained within the bounds of it. The vegetables grew here in great perfection, but much of them was conveyed at an easy expence, by water carriage, to London, and from thence dispersed over different parts of the kingdom.
These strangers, by their industry and prudent conduct, notwithstanding the obstructions they met with, from the jealousy of the native tradesmen, and the avarice of the corporation, very soon rose to a flourishing condition.
There were formerly THREE PAROCHIAL CHURCHES in this town, and a church or chapel likewise, supposed by some to have been parochial, dedicated to St. Jacob, which has been long since demolished; but the three former churches, being those of St. Mary, St. Peter, and St. Clement, Still remain; an account of all which will be given separately.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH stands in a low situation in Strand street, on the northern part of the town. The original church, built in the time of the Saxons, is said to have been demolished by the Danes, and to have been afterwards rebuilt by queen Emma, which building was burnt down by the French, and it was not long afterwards again rebuilt; notwithstanding which, it appears to have become dilapidated and in a most ruinous state in the time of king Henry VI. for in the 2d year of that reign, anno 1448, part of the steeple fell, in consequence of which it underwent a thorough repair, and then consisted of two isles and the nave; the latter was terminated by the high chancel, and the south isle by St. Laurence's chancel. It however, fell down again on April 25, 1667, and brought down with it most of the church; the western wall, portions of the south isle and its chancel only remaining; and though the church itself was soon afterwards rebuilt, as at present, yet it does not appear that any steeple was built till the year 1718, when the present low one was raised upon the south porch, and one bell put up in it. Before this, there were five small bells, which about the year 1639, had been formed out of three larger ones; the above five bells were sold, for the faculty had been obtained in 1669, to fell the useless timber and the bells, towards the rebuilding of the church, and they were sold, as it is said, to the parish of Eleham.
In an antient bead-roll of this church, there is mention made of John and William Condy, the first beginners of the foundation of the chantry of that name in this church; of Thomas Loueryk and his wife, who founded the chapel of our Lady, at the east head of it; and of the three windows of the north side of the church; of Thomas Elys and Margaret his wife, and Sir Thomas Rolling, vicar of this church, of whose goods was made the west window of it, and who made the vicarage of the parish more than it was before; and besides these, of several other benefactors to the windows and other parts of it. And there were divers other gifts made to this church, for its reparation, and for obits, and other religious services performed in it, as appears by the evidences belonging to it.
The inventory of the silver and jewels, belonging to the church before the reformation, sufficiently shew the costliness of the utensils belonging to it, and the riches of it. The silver, according to the inventory made of them, amounting to 724 ounces; and the habits of the ministers to officiate in it, the linen and books, were answerable to the rest belonging to it.
The present church of St. Mary consists of a north isle, and the nave, at the end of which is the chancel, which has an ascent of three steps on each side; between which entrances are the mayor's seat and other pews. The altar piece, table, and rails, are of wainscot and very ornamental. The sont is at the west end of the nave, it is a stone bason, having eight faces changed alternately with plain shields and roses, in quaterfoils; on the shaft are the letters cw. II. RS. DE. IC. POD. 1662.
In this church are numbers of monuments and inscriptions, all which are printed in Mr. Boys's Collections, P. 319, the whole too numerous to mention here, but among others at the west end of the nave, are memorials of the Smiths and Verriers. In the south space are memorials for the Petleys and for the Whites. In the middle space, on an old stone, are the remains of a cross story, resting on a dog or lion, and the remains of an inscription with this date, I. M. CCC. XXX. In the north isle are three grave-stones, on a rise above the pavement, with inscriptions shewing, that underneath is a vault, in which lie many of the family of Hayward, formerly mayors of this town; arms, Argent, on a pale, sable, three crescents of the field, In the chancel is a large stone, robbed of its brasses, which formerly commerated the deaths of Roger Manwood and his family; the place where it lies was formerly St. Laurence chancel. In the chancel is a monument of stone much defaced; on it are the figures of a manand woman kneeling, in a praying posture, for Abraham Rutton, formerly mayor, and Susan his wife, by whom he had seven sons and six daughters. He died in 1608; and for his descendant the Rev. John Rutton, obt. 1763, rector of this parish. Against the south wall, is a handsome monument of marble, with these arms, Argent, five chevronels, sable, and per pale, azure and gules, a lion rampant, argent; and an inscription for several of the family of Hougham. Against the same wall a tablet, for Mary, wife of Joseph Stewart, esq. obt. 1775; arms, Argent, a lion rampant, gules, over all, a bend raguled, or. Over the south door, a marble monument for Richard Solly, gent. thrice mayor, obt. 1731; and Anna his wife, daughter of John Crickett, gent, by whom he had ten sons and three daughters; arms, Azure, a chevron, party per pale, or, and gules, between three soles, naient, argent. At the west end of the nave is an altar tomb, with an inscription, shewing, that in a vault underneath, lie several of the Cricketts; another altar tomb, with an inscription, for several of the Nowells; arms, Three covered cups. By the gallery stairs, on an altar tomb, an inscription for Tho. Danson, preacher, of this town, who died 1764; on a raised monument of brick, an inscription, for several of the name of Jordan; this stands close before, and hides the altar part of a monument, under an arch in the north wall, to the memory of Sir William Loverick, of Ash, and dame Emma his wife, the daughter of Sir John Septvans, of that parish, who are said to have been the principal repairers, or builders of this church, after it had been burnt by the French, and were buried in king Henry IV.'s reign; on an adjoining tomb an inscription for the Maundys.
There are stones, pointing out the entrances into the vaults of Solly and Stewart, and there are inscriptions on a board, commemorating the benefactions of John Dekewer, esq. Solomon Hougham, gent. Sir Henry Furnese, bart. and Mr. Peter Jarvis.
Several names appear on the stones, on the outside of the east and north walls of the chancel. Sir Edward Ringely, of Knolton, was buried in Jesus chapel, in this church, on the left side of the altar. In the 35th of king Henry VIII. William, lord Clinton, is said to have been interred under a gilded arch in the south wall of this church, which arch was walled up in king Edward VI.'s reign, but it was visible some time afterwards in the church yard, perhaps it may be the same projectioin that now appears there, on the south side of the chancel. William Condie, who founded the chantry, afterwards called by his name, in this church, was likewife interred, together with his wife, in the south isle of the old church, near the lord Clinton's tomb; but there is nothing now to point out precisely the situation of their remains, nor those of Thomas Manwood, gent. who died in king Henry VIII.'s time and was buried under the belfry. Stephen Perot was buried likewise in this church in 1570.
There are several altar tombs in the church-yard, one of which is for the family of Dekewer; arms, Vert, on a cross, engrailed, or, five fleurs de lis, sable; in the first and fourth quarters, a caltrop, argent; in the second and third quarters, a lion rampant, of the last.
An anchoress had her cell at the east end of this church in the 20th year of king Henry VIII.
At a small distance south-west of St. Mary's church, was a church or chapel, dedicated to St. facob, supposed by many to have been a parochial church; there is nothing lest now to point out the situation of the building, the cemetery remains and is used occasionally as a burial place, for the use of St. Mary's parish. This church-yard seems to have got into lay hands at the suppression, for in 1578, it was enfeoffed by Edward Wood, to certain persons, for the necessary uses of the parish. The trust was renewed in 1604 and 1649. At the south-west corner was an hermitage, the residence of an hermit. The last hermit in it was John Steward, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, who was afterwards vicar of St. Mary's church, whose duty it was to minister to strangers and the poor, to bury the dead, and pray for the people in the chapel, which was destroyed, as well as others of the like sort, in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign. Great part of this building was standing at the latter end of Edward VI.'s reign; there was in it a brotherhood of St. Catherine, consisting of both brothers and sisters, which was benesitted by the will of John Wynchelse, of Sandwich. It appears that this church or chapel was under the management of the officers of St. Mary's parish, and that the building had been repaired in the years 1445 and 1478.
The church of St. Mary is a vicarage, the patronage of which has ever been part of the possessions of the archdeaconry of Canterbury, to whom the appropriation of the church likewise formerly belonged; it did so in the 8th year of king Richard II. anno 1384, when on the taxation of the spiritualities and temporalities ecclesiastic, in this diocese, the church of St. Mary's appropriated to the archdeacon, was valued at eight pounds, and the vicarage was valued at only four pounds, and on account of the smallness of it, was not taxed to the tenth. (fn. 47) The vicarage is valued in the king's books, in king Henry VIII.'s reign, at 8l. 1s. since which time, and it should seem during the reign of queen Elizabeth, the great tithes, or appropriate parsonage of this church, were given up by the archdeacon to the vicarage, so that the vicar has been since intitled to both great and small tithes within the bounds of this parish, which induced several of the incumbents to stile themselves rectors, but certainly wrong, for it is still a vicarage, the vicars of which are entitled to the receipt and possession of the great tithes, by grant from the appropriator.
¶In 1588 here were 385 communicants, and it was valued at forty pounds per annum. In 1640 here were the same number of communicants, and it was valued at sixty-eight pounds. It is now a discharged living, of the clear yearly value of forty pounds. It has been augmented by the governors of queen Anne's bounty, the greater part of the money from which has been laid out in the purchase of marsh land in Wood. nesborough. At present the vicar receives the tithes of about eighty-four acres of land. There were great disputes formerly, between the appropriators of Eastry and the vicars of St. Mary's, respecting the tithes of a small district of land called Puttock's downe; but the decisions were constantly against the vicars of St. Mary's, and the tithes now belong to Word, a chapel of ease to Eastry.
Besides the ordinary small tithes, the vicar of this parish, as well as the incumbents of the two other parishes in Sandwich, collect from every house a certain sum, under the denomination of dues; this payment is said to be a composition for all the house, gardens, barns, and stables, according to custom, since the 12th year of queen Elizabeth; and the vicar of St. Mary's receives besides, 6s. 8d. annually, under the denomination of tithe of the old Crane.
In 1776 there were one hundred and sixty-eight houses in this parish, and six hundred and fourteen inhabitants; and the rents of it were in 1787, according to the pound rate, at rack rents towards the poor, upwards of 3,500l. per annum.
www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp152-216#h2-...
Our Trooper looked around and decided he just had to know...
Being a teacher I have heard just about every question there is to ask. I think this is do to the fact that I encourage my students to ask questions; regardless of how silly or ridiculous they may seem.
Today is a day for them. Today is National Ask a Stupid Question Day!
Enjoy!
This is an Alternative Version for one of my daily shots of 365 Days of Clones.
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Visit our troopers at www.365DaysofClones.com.
Mercredi 15 octobre, Nicolas Sarkozy se rendait à Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire où il a pu échanger avec les habitants d'Indre-et-Loire, dans le cadre de la campagne pour la présidence de l'UMP. Après un discours d'introduction, il a répondu aux questions de la salle mais aussi à celles des internautes. De nombreux sujets ont ainsi pu être abordés, de la défense au nucléaire en passant par la politique internationale, l'éducation et l'économie.
CREDIT : VALENTE - DALIPHARD / E PRESS PHOTO
Okay, so I found this random tag, so I decided to answer the questions.
1) What is your fave color? Black. I'm so weird.
2) What is your dream? To invent a time machine so I could go back and live in the 19th century. My other dream is to meet all my favorite celebrities.
3) Who is your biggest idol? Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, Florence Welch, Noel Fielding, Dan Howell, Kate Bush, Phil Lester, Adele, Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Delia Smith, there's a lot.
4) What is your fave food? Chocolate cream pie. And basically any kind of candy.
5) What's so special about you? I have fluffy hair.
6) What is your pet(s)? I have multiple cats, a dog, and a fish.
7) What are your fave songs? Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, Jane Austen Is My Homegirl by The Cast of Pretty Darn Funny, Mouthwash, Paris, and Mariella, all by Kate Nash, and Electric Feel by MGMT.
8) If you were deserted on an island what would you want to have with you? My books.
9) If you could eat something for the rest of your life what would it be? Food.
10) What's something weird you want to eat? Food.
11) If you were a animal what would you be? A cat... or a goat.
12) What is your Lucky number? 21
13) What's your favorite thing to drink? Tea or Sprite. Love them both equally.
14) What's your fave store to shop at? The American Girl Place.
15) Who is your celeb crush? I don't really have one, but I would marry Noel Fielding, Dan Howell, or Phil Lester in a heartbeat. Just saying.
16) Who have you known for a long time? My friends... and family.
17) What in your life could you never live without? Books, the internet, YouTube
18) Do you have a girl friend/ boy friend? No.
19) If you could change your name to anything what would it be? Catherine.
If you want to be tagged, tag yourself. That's what I did.
Answering any questions you may have, post them here :)
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For a while now it has been very difficult to find the time to reply to all of the comments made on my photos as I did in the past. The main problem being time and the fact that there are so many photos and the amount of followers are always increasing and has now reached a point that has me snowed under.
However, I have been reading all of your comments, and with the new Flickr app it has made it difficult to get back to them to reply, especially where questions were asked, so please use this upload as a central place for now, if you have questions that can't go unanswered!
xx
-Tawney
The Steinhof Church (also: Church of St. Leopold) was built in 1904-1907, designed by Otto Wagner, and is considered one of the most important buildings of the Vienna Art Nouveau. The Roman Catholic church building is located on the grounds of "Social Medical Center Baumgartnerhöhe" in the 14th district of Vienna Penzing.
History
The Church of "St. Leopold", better known as Steinhof church (or Otto Wagner church Steinhof ) arose from the construction of the Lower Austrian State Hospital and Nursing Home for nervous and mental patients at the stone courtyard (Steinhof) 1904 until 1907. The for the planning responsible architect Otto Wagner had to take into account that there is an asylum church for mentally ill patients, and elicited in discussions with doctors and nurses the specific requirements of such a structure. A doctor's room, toilets and emergency exits were planned, the pews have due to injury no sharp corners. Wagner, in which projects the hygienic aspects have always been a big concern, designed instead of an ordinary holy water basin, a variant with dripping holy water to reduce the risk of infections. He designed the ground sloping down to the altar, so that patients could see better in the back rows to the front. There were also separate inputs not only for nurses but also for male and female patients, since at that time in mental hospitals segregation was prescribed. Lack of money, however, both the Cross as well as the Unterkirchen (Lower Churches) for Protestants and Jews were not realized. Also a heater was not installed.
8 October 1907 the church was opened by Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Between the Archduke, who was not very fond of the Art Nouveau style, and Otto Wagner, however, there was already the beginning of creative disagreements, why Wagner was not mentioned in the opening statement, and subsequently by the Imperial Household got no more orders. These resulting from very different views on architecture and aesthetics gap misled the Neue Freie Presse in its issue of opening day to the question: "And it's not a pretty ironic history that pretty much the first sensible large-scale secession building in Vienna has been built for the insanes?".
After about six years of extensive renovation, the church was established and on October 1st 2006 reopened. Among other things, the dome was re-gilded using 2 kg of gold, replaced the drum base with artificially patinated copper sheets and the marble facade completely replaced. Windows, mosaics and figures have been carefully cleaned and restored. The now radiant with the new look and highly visible in the western part of Vienna golden dome, reminiscent of half a lemon, incidentally, owes the Baumgartnerhöhe on which the church stands, it's nickname" Lemoniberg" . The church, in 2007, got three new bells that were made by the Grassmayr bell foundry. The church is only open for worship, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays for a fee. On these days, also guided tours take place.
Architecture
The church of Steinhof is next to the Secession building one of the masterpieces of Art Nouveau in Vienna and has parallels with the design, designed by Otto Wagner student of Max Hegele and 1910 finished of Charles Borromeo Church in Vienna's central cemetery. One of the distinctive features of the church is based on a Byzantine motif golden dome, supported inside by a clad structure. On the bell towers on the west front are enthroned Saint Leopold as the patron of Lower Austria and Vienna and to the east the preacher Severin. The figures were created by Richard Luksch. As well as the orientation of the church to the south rather than east introduced the representation of saints sitting rather than standing a breakthrough
Under the cornice is a decorative strip with crosses and Loorbeerkränzen (laurel wreaths) that are often incorporated in Otto Wagner buildings, such as, for example, in the Postal Savings Bank or the cast iron railings of the metropolitain railway. Above the at that time only for larger celebrations used main entrance stand four angel figurines created by Othmar Schimkowitz with heads bowed to the church square. In a storm the second angel seen from the right the head was torn away and been re-soldered by the janitor, but with its head held high. This situation was remedied during the renovation.
Stained glass window
The physical virtues
The arrangement of the stained glass windows were designed by Otto Wagner, so that the church interior is flooded with natural light as possible. The glass mosaic window in Tiffany Style created by Koloman Moser. The west window with the motto "Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these my brethren ye have done it unto me " shows the physical virtues. The angels above the figures of Saints hold humbly the grave cloth of Jesus. The ministrants viewing from bottom to top lower the head.
St. Elizabeth with Roses: Feed the hungry
Saint Rebecca in offering the potion: The Thirsty soak
St. Bernard: The strangers house
St. Martin with the sword to divide the mantle: The naked clothe
Visit the sick: John of God, the founder of the Order of the Brothers of Charity
John of Matha, founder of the Order of the Trinity: The released prisoners
Tobias with a shovel: the dead bury
The intellectual virtues
The east window with the motto " Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy " shows the intellectual virtues. The angel looking up at a dove. The ministrants lift up the head.
John the Baptist: rebuke the sinner
Francis de Sales: instruct the ignorant
Clement Mary Hofbauer advise the doubters right
St. Therese: The afflicted comfort
Suffering injustice with patience: Joseph of Egypt
Stephan: To those who have offended us a pardon
Abraham ask for the living and the dead with God
The four windows in the dome, the four evangelists.
Altarpiece
The altarpiece the promise of heaven should be originally designed by Koloman Moser. Even with the side windows there had been criticism and objections of prelate Heinrich Swoboda, who had been entrusted with the supervision of the Church. However, as Moser married Ditha Mautner Markhof and he converted to Protestantism, he was removed from the job despite intercessions of Otto Wagner. The already operating in parallel at this time of the order Carl Ederer submitted a design that was similar to that of Moser and originated in this form at the urging of Swoboda. Moser Ederer consequently accused of plagiierens (plagiating), whereupon he had left at the urging of the other members of the Secession, of which Moser in 1905 had left, filed suit. The trial ended with a settlement and the apology of Moser expressing liveliest regret" about the " ignorance of the circumstances". At the opening of the church in 1907, thus, only the design of Ederer could be issued on cardboard. In agreement with Moser and Wagner 1910 was a renewed design of Remigius Geyling, but because of "lack of suitability" in 1911 he took off the job. The execution of 84.8 m2 and four-ton mosaic was ultimately performed by Leopold Forstner.
The altarpiece depicts in the middle the blessing Christ and two angels.
Stand at his right
The Virgin Mary
St. Dymphna, patron saint of the mentally ill
St. Aloysius, who took care of plague victims and the dignified burial
St. Margaret, patron saint of women in labor and in all wounds, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
St. Vitus, helpers in mental illness and the patron saint of epilepsy, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
Severin of Noricum, the patron saint of Bavaria, the prisoners, winegrowers and weavers as well as for fertility of the vines
Standing to his left
St. Joseph
St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, a symbol of active charity
Hermann the German, the first prior of a Dominican convent in the German speaking Friesach
St. Christopher, helpers against unsuspecting death, patron saint of travelers, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the poor and social work. Helper for headaches and the plague
St. Pantaleon, Patron of doctors and midwives, one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers
On the steps of the Church kneels St. Leopold and he is handing over the Steinhof church. The figures at the side of the altarpiece are representing Paul with sword and Peter with keys. The altar was made according to designs by Otto Wagner. The mosaics of the side altars have been made by Rudolf Jettmar. The right shows the Annunciation left the Archangel Gabriel. The confessionals were manufactured by the Wiener Werkstätte.
Otto Wagner, Kirche Am Steinhof, 1904-07, Church Am Steinhof - Projekt Museum Am Steinhof, Otto-Wagner-Spital (Hospital)
SWFEC Special Guest Chat: Shawnlei Breeding – Manager, Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program, April 11, 2019 8pm
Essec09 (Admin): SWFEC would like to extend a very warm welcome to Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program Manager, Shawnlei Breeding. We are very excited to have her join us this evening. Many of our SWFEC viewers provided questions earlier for Shawnlei. She will try to answer as many as time allows. The first part of the session will address the questions that were already submitted.
Essec09 (Admin): Welcome to SWFEC Shawnlei!
GinnyLWI (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei , we are all so looking forward to this special chat this evening.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Good evening and a huge SWFEC welcome to you Shawnlei
purpleagle (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei! We are so excited to have you here with us this evening for our special chat session!
RobertoD (Admin): Welcome, and thank you Shawnlei We are all excited to have you here!
icecream247 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. So happy you were able to join us this evening.
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Hello Shawnlei, thank you so much for spending time with us tonight! We are looking forward to learning from you
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei and looking forward to this evening.
Shelli22 (Admin): Hi Shawnlei...I'm stoked to hear what you have to share with us!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the warm welcome! And thank you to the Pritchetts for inviting me! I’m honored to get to spend some time with you to answer your questions and chat about eagles! I was asked to briefly share a bit about myself. I received a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma and had always dreamed of working with animals but fell into an administrative job for a number of years before switching gears to pursue that dream. I worked for a few years as a vet tech and then was hired as a Zookeeper at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL. Then I accepted a position with Disney’s Animal Kingdom where I was a Bird Keeper in their Avian Research Center for 12 years.
During that time I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Central Florida. That experienced opened doors which lead me to my current position with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I’ve always loved Audubon and was so excited to get to work with them! So now that you now a bit about me, let's get started!
HOeagletfan1: thank you Shawnlei for joshing us and sharing your Eagle wisdom with us !
LCampbell75: Good Evening Shawlei...So nice to have you to chat with us tonight!!! Thanks for coming!!
Deen622: Good evening Mods and Shawnlei!
MagEagle9: I couldn't be more blessed to 'work' with this lady! Welcome my friend!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you!
SueUMc: Good evening Shawnlei- much appreciation!
cats3eagles: Thank you for being here with us tonight Shawnlei!
Janet1: Good evening Shawlei. So nice to have you here tonight
Peggy180: Good evening, Shawnee, thank you for joining us tonight!
Carrie Brooks: GE what a treat!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Here's our first question.... Peggy Main asks: Shawnlei, thank you for your time with us! What has been the most challenging part of your job(s)?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Peggy. Everyone brings their own unique strengths to their role, so I suspect the answer might be different if you asked my predecessors. But for me, the most challenging part of the role has probably been the people side of things. People who love eagles are REALLY passionate about them. And it’s not uncommon in the world of conservation for there to be many different (and strongly held opinions) on how to accomplish our goals, or what our focus should be. I’m a peacemaker at heart, so I had to quickly learn that I can’t please everyone. I receive mean emails and get yelled at on a fairly regular basis and have had to learn not to take it personally, which is hard. I try to remind myself of the passion that is behind the emotion. I've definitely learned and grown so much! And the challenges have made me a better person. And leader.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Next up. Lauren Roberts asks: Hi Shawnlei and SWFL mods! I am an Eagle Watch volunteer and would just like to make a comment. Anyone that is thinking of volunteering, please do so! Your observations and reporting can help with studies and give insight to all the people, like Shawnlei, that are able to reach out to all organizations to help these amazing creatures! If you're already watching nests, why not let your observations be known! You might just see something that all eagles can benefit from!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you for all you do as a volunteer! EagleWatch started 26 years ago with the goal of protecting nesting eagles in Florida We started in 3 counties with 22 volunteers and are now in 40+ counties with over 300 volunteers! Lauren makes a great point about the importance of the nest data we collect. This information is useful for showing general trends in the population. For example, EagleWatch data will show if the number of chicks surviving to fledge at the nests we watch is starting to decline. Then can delve further into the data to determine possible causes of that decline (disturbance, nest location, habitat, water quality).
vlpritchett (Moderator): Hey Shawnlei, This is Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. So excited to see what viewers are asking and your thoughts on Bald Eagles in our state o FL!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, Ginnie!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Could you explain the process of when someone in the Eagle Watch program sees a problem at or in a nest including the process of what happens after that as far as who is contacted & how they determine the rehab facility the eaglet goes to? Is it always Audubon or others? SWFEC could you post that great link about the program in the chat maybe at the end for the next two days? Thanks!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Babs! EagleWatch volunteers are trained to respond to a variety of potential problems at a nest, from human disturbance to injured eagles. For nest disturbances by humans, volunteers are asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Hotline Alert: 888-404-3922. FWC is the law enforcement in our state for the federal laws protecting eagles and will send out an officer to determine if the law is being violated. Anyone can call this number if they have a concern about something happening near an active nest. FWC may also be contacted if you encounter an injured eagle. My office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey and we work closely with many licensed raptor rehab facilities around the state. These organizations will often contact me when they recover an injured eagle. If it is a young eagle, I share our nest information to help them find a home for the young one if it can’t go back to its own nest. Some of the rehabbers we work with may not have a license to hold an eagle for treatment so will transfer it to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey or another facility in their area that is licensed to rehab an eagle. Thankfully we have a broad network of caring rehabilitation facilities across the state! To learn more about EagleWatch, visit: cbop.audubon.org/conservation/about-eaglewatch-program.Yo... find information about EagleWatch as well as opportunities to support the amazing work that they do at the Raptor Trauma Clinic, which treats over 700 injured birds of prey each year. About 70-80 of those patients are Bald eagles
SBAudubon (Moderator): Mohammed Abul Magd asks: This year I have noticed an increased violence against protected birds. Vultures and eagles shot by arrows and guns. In your point of view, why is that? And what measures do we need to implement in order to stop this?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Mohammed! At times it certainly feels like there has been an increase in violent acts against protected birds, but our intake data at the Center for Birds of Prey indicates no significant increase in these types of events. Looking back at 10 years of our intake records, only 1% of the patients had been shot. I suspect we are hearing about them more because of the prevalence of social media and the rapidity with which these types of stories are passed along. But it’s a good reminder for people that Bald eagles and other protected birds still face challenges and need our help.
SBAudubon (Moderator): DaveinMissouri asks: SBAudubon, would you be able to have any influence on asking manufacturers of lead bullets and fishing tackle to not use lead bullets for hunting. For fishing use alternative weights, not lead, and don't discard line or weights in the water. Maybe more warnings to hunters and fishermen on the products and better education when receiving a hunting or fishing license. Thank you for being here and for any help on this subject!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great suggestion, Dave. These are both difficult battles to fight. I think it will take everyone raising their voice together and sharing the numbers of birds affected---and the stories behind those numbers of the birds that have been affected by lead poisoning or hung up in fishing line. Whenever I get a chance to speak somewhere I always touch on ways we can help raptors and I raise both of these points-stop using lead bullets and don’t cut the line. If a few people are reached and then share it in their realm of influence, perhaps we can change it at the grass roots level. Sort of like the societal pressure for restaurants to stop using straws. These are definitely topics of concern for our state and the federal wildlife agencies.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat asks: Of the EagleWatch eaglets/fledglings, what diseases/health issues/injuries/or necropsy results are most commonly seen? Part 2. Have any EagleWatch fledglings that have come into care had lead exposures show up in the blood work done while in care?
SBAudubon (Moderator): I like your user name! Androcat.
As I mentioned, my office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland. Most of the eaglets we receive in our Raptor Trauma Clinic have fallen out of their nest for whatever reason. Surprisingly, they don’t often break any bones in the fall like you would expect. Generally after a round of meds to treat any internal parasites and some fluids and good food to fatten them up, they can be released. Other issues we’ll see with eaglets are Avian Pox, which is spread by mosquitos and causes wart-like lesions on the dry skin around their eyes, beak and feet. Sometimes the pox lesion will grow so large it will cover an eye or their nares. It’s treatable but can internalize and be fatal. But we’ve also seen cases of an eaglet in a nest with a bad case of pox and he got over it on his own. A couple of years ago, we got permission from US Fish and Wildlife to use a high-reach lift to rescue an eaglet from a nest that had a treble fishing lure with one hook caught in his beak and the other hook caught in his foot. He was basically hog-tied and was unable to eat. Thankfully the EagleWatch volunteers noticed something was wrong and we were able to rescue him and treat his wounds. He was released back at his nest a few weeks later. In general, the leading cause of injury for adult raptors we see in our Clinic is impact related issues, usually from car strikes. We also see a number of eagles who get secondary poisoning from consuming euthanized animals that aren’t properly buried at a landfill. This can be fatal if they aren’t rescued in time. But thankfully with just a couple of days of fluids to flush their system, they are usually as good as new! We do see lead toxicity in some of the birds.We are fortunate to have our own machine to test for lead levels, thanks to the generosity of some of our corporate donors. It allows us to quickly determine if they have lead in their system so we can start the treatment early. They usually recover from it with treatment. We usually see lead issues in birds that come from more rural areas where they may scavenge on a carcass that has been shot with lead bullets.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Donna LaFleur asks: Was that were BOB was?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob was a famous patient at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey for about a year. Because of his injuries, he was no longer able to fly so was not releasable to the wild. We all wished we could’ve kept him at the Center but we just didn’t have room. So a lengthy search was made for the perfect forever home for Bob. (Bob was an adult Bald eagle) While we searched, Bob lived in our 100ft flight barn where he hung out with all of the other eagles that came through on their way to being released back into the wild. Including Peace, the young eagle from the American Eagle Foundation NE Florida Eagle Cam.
Bob now lives at the Ecotarium in Worcester, MA. We all miss him but are so happy for him to have a great home.
SBAudubon (Moderator): mdofmich asks: Any studies being done on three adult eagle nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Aren’t those fascinating? Several cases of three adult eagle nests have been documented but I’m not aware of any published studies on them. Often when you see something unusual like that in breeding behavior, it’s an adaptation to a limitation—not enough females for males or vice versa. And perhaps its enough of a challenge in those areas to provide enough food for the young that they tolerate a helper. But that’s my own speculation. One thing I’ve learned is to never say “birds never do that” or “birds always do that”. Because they will always surprise you! It’s one of the many reasons I love working with them.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat: Q#1. Of the EagleWatch nests, are there any banded nesting adults, and if so, were the numbers of the bands able to be read to determine any history of the banded eagle parent? Part 2 of this question: If any EagleWatch fledglings have been banded in care, have there been any band sightings or returns (interested in where it migrated to or returned to, or what happened).
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat is back with another great question! The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey has a banding permit and we do band every Bald eagle we treat before release with a silver federal band. That band has a 9 digit unique code but unfortunately is almost impossible to read enough of the code to positively ID the bird. But having said that, we do have a number of nests monitored by EagleWatch that have banded adults. One nest in Lake County has a banded adult that we suspect is one we know. The breeding male had been rescued on the ground near this nest a few years before and then was banded and released. After that, a banded adult showed up at the nest the next season. We haven’t been able to confirm it’s him, but it makes sense that it probably is him. His patient number was 007. Like James Bond. The nest is in a neighborhood on the lake and all of the residents keep a close eye on that family. They love 007!
Two years we started an auxiliary banding program with the juvenile eagles we treat and release. In addition to the silver federal band, young eagles get a colored band on their other leg with an easy-to-read code in large white letters and numbers. Many of these banded juveniles are seen near their release location for the next few days but then take off on their migration. It can take up to 8 years on average for the first band resighting but we’ve been fortunate to receive a couple of reports of our banded youngsters being seen. Last July we got a report from West Virginia for one of our fledglings who had been released a month earlier in Lake county. That was our first report of one of a band outside of Florida! I think everyone heard me scream from excitement a mile away! This fall I got a photo from an EagleWatch volunteer in Pinellas County of one our bird who was banded two years ago and released in Orange County. That was encouraging to see that he had survived his first two years. So keep your eyes out for our birds! They either have a black band with two white numbers over a white A, or a green band with a white K over two white numbers.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Shepherd asks: What is it like to be holding or standing right next to a bald eagle? I'm assuming you have based on the photo.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy! It’s as amazing as you probably can imagine. I am fortunate to get to handle our eagle ambassadors at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. They are so large and majestic. It’s really cool to be that close to them. Handling them is not without its challenges, though. They are 8-10 lbs, so I had to start lifting weights to carry them. And they are still wild animals, and like any wild animal, they can be dangerous. I’ve learned to read their moods and respect their power and capabilities. But I try to never take it for granted that I have this privilege. Insider tip: their call is really loud when it’s right in your ear. And they have bad breath.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Valerie Seyforth Clayton asks: Where do we think Florida Eagles go when they fledge? Where do we think our adult adults go when they are out of the area? (June, July, Aug)
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Valerie! Valerie is one of our dedicated EagleWatch volunteers in the Florida panhandle!
OrchrdHs asked as similar question: What is the longest distance a banded bald eagle has been recorded as traveling seasonally from/to Florida?
So I thought I would address them together. In 1998 USFWS to put a satellite tracking device on a pre-fledgling in a nest in Polk county. When she fledged, she flew all the way north to Canada and spent the summer there, returning to Florida for the winter (where she traveled around the Central Florida region, going as far south as Lake Okeechobee and visiting both coasts). She made this migration for the next 3 years until the transmitter fell off. In 2014 she was badly injured in a territory fight in Deltona and was rescued and transferred to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Unfortunately, she had to have part of her right wing amputated so she is a permanent resident at our Center—at the ripe young age of 21! Her name is Tallulah. Last year I received a photo of a banded eagle from an Orlando resident. The eagle also had the remnants of a satellite tracking pack on her back. I was able to track down the researcher who banded the bird. He said she was banded as an adult in Maine in 2015 and the tracking data indicated she spent her winters in Orlando and returned to Maine in the spring (their breeding season). Her pack has stopped transmitting the previous year. So it appears that FL eagles mostly migrate up the Atlantic flyway as far as Canada
SBAudubon (Moderator): Peggy180 asks: How does the hormone ghrelin make birds feel they have to migrate? What happens if a bird does not have enough to eat and is not full. Will that stop them from migrating?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Peggy 180! That’s an interesting question. Migration is such a complex behavior, influenced by many factors that are still not well understood. And different bird species have different migratory patterns. In Piping plovers, the female leaves before the young have fledged, leaving the male behind to finish raising the young. When the young make their first flight south, they don’t follow their dad or even stick together. They take off seemingly not knowing where they are going. So for some, migration seems very instinctual while for other birds it is more of a societal cue—they learn the route from older birds by following them.
Body condition is certainly an important factor when a bird prepares to migrate. That’s why fattening up on their wintering grounds is so important. And why I always encourage parents of young children to teach their kids not to chase birds on the beach. Many of these birds are exhausted after migrating or are resting and preparing to start the trip. Using up energy and fat stores to run or fly away from being chased by humans puts them at risk of not being fit enough to survive the journey. But from what I’ve read, it sounds like ghrelin plays a role in signaling to some birds when they are fat enough to start that journey. But for truly migratory species, I think there are other important signals the birds receives that would drive it to start the migratory journey even if it’s not full. Sadly, not all birds survive their migration. Birds with insufficient fat stores may not make it back or if they do, they may be in too poor of a condition to defend a nest and raise a family. I’ve done shorebird surveys in February and have seen numbers of weak or deceased seabirds on the beach who didn’t make it. It’s heart-breaking to witness but reminds me how fragile life is and what a tough life it is out there for many birds.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Jirasek asks: Why do some states like Florida have so many eagles and some states don't have many? I live in Central Texas and we don't have eagles here. There are so many lakes and rivers throughout the state so I don't understand why Texas doesn't have many.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy from Texas! I’ve asked that question about tarantulas in Florida. Our climate is a lot like many of the Central American countries where you find tarantulas in great numbers. But we don’t have any in Florida. Why not? But that’s a question for another time. From a strict biology standpoint, the size of a population in an area is the result of the carrying capacity of its historic range, along with the birth and death and rate of immigration and emigration. That’s a long sentence to say if there aren’t a lot of eagles in Texas, it may simply be that historically there never were many there and the birth and death rate of those who live there is roughly equal so that the population is static. It could also be something related to climate or food source, two important factors in determining where species breed. Florida has one of the largest Bald eagle populations in the lower 48 states and biologists often wonder what our carrying capacity may be. i.e. will we reach a point where there is not enough nesting or foraging sites to sustain the population. When that happens, you will often see the range of a species start to spread as the adventurous birds strike out to stake their claim on the edge of the historic range. Over time, if they are successful, the range will continue to creep outwards.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Selena Elizondo-Cepeda asks: What states have best Eagle Nest results?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Selena. Florida’s population is doing well. Last season, for the nests that EagleWatch monitors, they fledged 1.3 chicks per nesting attempt. Nests that were successful fledged 1.65 young per nest. I don’t have great statistics for other states to compare with but have read that some states are seeing a decline in the number of nests that are hatching and fledgling two young. They speculated that this may be due to reaching its carrying capacity for that area. In Florida, the majority of the nests we monitor still produce 2 young, and each year ~10% of our nests hatch and fledge 3 young. That’s a testament to the large prey base here, that eagles can catch enough food to successfully raise three voracious eagles.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Annie Keeley asks: When Juvies leave the Northern States for winter do they return and fly together?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Research studies indicate that Bald eagles don’t migrate together. They may share common stopover spots for foraging and refueling as they travel, but ultimately they make the journey alone.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Carl Berube asks: Are there any current studies or research taking place on migration of young/sub-adult eagles on the east coast? And are there documented cases of a sub-adult eagle returning permanently to the nest area they hatched at?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Carl, a study published in 2008 using satellite tracking indicated that sub-adults migrate up the Atlantic Flyway as far as Canada. Their routes varied somewhat going north and returning south during the first year or two, but as they aged, they showed more fidelity to a set route, indicating they were gaining experience in migrating as they aged. A study in 2014 based on banding data indicates that Bald eagles in general tend to disperse from 40-90 miles from where they were born to breed, with females dispersing greater distances than males (which is a typical life strategy for many species of bird to promote genetic diversity). However, one of our EagleWatch volunteers reported a banded adult at a newly documented nest in Martin County a year ago. When I reported the band to the researcher, I learned that the male was banded as a chick in a nest in Polk County in 2000. Our report was the first time he’d been seen since then! So 18 years later he had traveled 118 miles SE from where he hatched to breed.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Jackie Brown asks: Do you believe the parents and their off springs would recognize each other- if the kids came back into the area after leaving for a period of time?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles seem to have a way or recognizing others. Mates indicate some level of recognition in that they mate for life and return to each other each season. They will often tolerate juvenile birds who visit their nest, even if not their own young. Last season we have several nests that we monitored that had an extra fledgling show up and join the family for a few days and the parents took them in. The parents were OK with it although the young in the nest seemed annoyed. We use this to our advantage in the rehab community so that we are able to rehome young eagles into foster nests if they can’t go back to their own nest or family for some reason. Our Clinic supervisor likes to joke that the adults either can’t count or don’t care.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Linda L. Reid asks: Are there statistics on the percentage of juvies who make it to 5 years old! I heard it is low and that is sad!!! Looking forward to the chat session! And JudyJirasek: What is the lastest statistics for a young Eagle surviving to adulthood and how do you know?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Linda and Judy! You all had similar questions so thought I would address them together. The most dangerous time for a young Bald eagle is the first year. Recent studies using satellite tracking in several states indicate survival rates of 60-75% that first year. If birds survive that first year, their mortality rate drops to 10-15%into adulthood. We know these statistics thanks to bird banding.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: If a bald eagle pair abandon a nest will another bald eagle pair most likely move into that nest?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Daunelle! Another EagleWatch volunteer! Having a breeding territory is incredibly valuable to a nesting pair, so much so that they will defend it to their death. So it would be unusual for a pair to abandon a territory. What is more likely is that they may be ejected for the territory by another pair that takes their nest, or a mate dies and the survivor finds another mate in the area. Sometimes you’ll have a nest that hasn’t been active in several years that is suddenly active again. Is it the same pair or a new one? It’s hard to say with any certainty unless the eagles are banded.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Isabelle Brunelle asks: How does the eagle know/determine the sex of another eagle for "bonding" purposes?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles are dimorphic, meaning the females are substantially larger than the males, so those physical cues would play a big role. Behavioral clues likely also play a role. Females are much more dominant and aggressive. I would imagine there a number of nuances that the human eye doesn’t notice that eagles pick up on that signal whether the other bird is male or female.
SBAudubon (Moderator): NHDalGal asks: Are altercations between eagles, when fighting for territory or a nest, usually female vs.female or male vs. male? If yes, is this because males may not prevail in a fight with a female because females are larger than males?
SBAudubon (Moderator): That’s a great question, and one that I hadn’t really thought about before! I know that both adults defend the nest and will fight but I have not read anything in the literature that says males only fight males and females only fight females. It would make sense if that is true for the reason you mentioned, the size difference. Anecdotally, with eagles we see that come into the Center as the result of a territory fight, it does seem that they are from same-sex fights. If anyone’s heard of females fighting males, let me know!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Pamela Dorman Wright asks: Hi, Shawnlei and mods! Since eagles have moved from "endangered" to "protected" status, is there a designated point at which they will no longer fall under the "protected" parameters? Thanks and I hope your chat will be available for later viewing!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Pamela, Thanks for the question. As you know, eagles were once on the brink of extinction but made an incredible come-back when laws were put in place to protect them. Their numbers have increased enough that they were removed from the federal list of Threatened and Endangered species just over 10 years ago. But Bald eagles are still protected by a federal law known as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act has recently loosened some of their permitting processes based on data that indicates the population is doing well. The permits issued are directly related to the size and health of the populations. These permits allow for "take" of eagles or their nests. So if anything, I think the authorities may allow more take permits in the future if the population continues to do well and grow. The data that EagleWatch collects is used to help track the status of the population in Florida and is shared with both state and federal authorities. Because of America’s affinity for our national bird, I suspect eagles will always be protected in some measure.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Bonnie Rinehart asks: I always wonder how do they get water when young?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good question! As with most raptors, they majority of the moisture they need from the food they consume as chicks in the nest. But as adults you will sometimes see them getting a drink from a pond, but if anything, they are usually bathing. They like to keep it clean!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: Hi Shawnlei, question: is there such thing of infertility in young bald eagles and if yes, do they hatch with that condition or could it be caused by injury, or both?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Infertility can affect birds of any age. Sometimes it is a genetic defect they are born with and sometimes it develops later in life due to injury or other health issues. As with most animals, birds enter a period of senescence in their later years where they are no longer reproductive.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Christine Napoline Lonabaugh asks: Do we know how old Harriet is? How long can she breed?
SBAudubon (Moderator): The wonderful moderators helped me with these questions. Here is what they said: The adults are not banded,so there is no way of knowing their exact age. Based on local viewers who have watched Harriet over the years, Harriet is at least 20 years of age. She has been seen at this nest since 2006. If she is the same female that nested across the street she could be in her mid 20s - this is taking into consideration that eagles mature and usually begin breeding at around five years of age.
Regarding how long they can breed, if they are healthy, I would imagine that like most birds, they can breed for much of their adult life. They are a long-lived species, living into their late 30’s/early 40’s in the wild.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Are the Eagle Watch training programs online or at specific locations. If online, can one sign up for the training but not actually join the program (for educational purposes)? Is there a cost? How many sessions are there? Is the training a one-time event or at different times during the year. I will try to think of more questions.
SBAudubon (Moderator): EagleWatch volunteer trainings are held in the fall and are mostly in-person at 8-10 locations around the state. I also held several online web trainings for the first time last year to reach those who live in areas that I don’t make it to for trainings. The trainings are focused on what we do, protocols, etiquette, etc. You are certainly welcome to sign up to attend. There is no cost to attend and no requirement that you continue on to volunteer. If you’re interested in being notified of the training dates and locations, email me at eaglewatch@audubon.org to be added to our email list.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you so much for your time and for the great questions.
beju: Did Bob go to a zoo, there as some talk last year it could be a possibility
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob went to the Ecotarium in Massachusetts. It's a zoological and educational facility.
MagEagle9: Would you explain what 'take' means in the permitting process?
PamW2017: Shawnlei - Can you explain what a "take" permit is?
Opalillie Colligan: Hi. What does it mean to "take" of eagles or their nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, yes
"Take" is the term used when a permit is issued to remove a nest (which is illegal without a permit, even if the nest is not being used). The other type of take permit covers work near a nest that may cause the nest to fail or may cause loss of life for an adult or the young
MelodyCS: Are internal parasites common? And if not treated, is it life threatening?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Internal parasites seem to be fairly common. At a low level they are not a concern. But if the bird is weakened or the load gets too high, it could potentially be fatal.
WPBEgal: Do you only monitor nests or do you take information on frequent eagle sightings in an area?
SBAudubon (Moderator): We only collect nest data. Ebird is a great resource for posting your eagle sightings
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. I am curious if the possible banding of all eaglets has been discussed for future studies similar to those being done at the Catalina Islands for their reintroduction program.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Currently our permit only allows us to band young eagles that come to our clinic for treatment. So we don’t actively climb up to the nest and band young in the nest like come research projects do. The color of the band we put on the eaglet is based on what type of nest they came from: green bands for eaglets from nests in trees and black bands for eaglets from nests on artificial structures (cell towers, power line transmission towers, platforms). The goal of our study is to determine if the type of nest they hatched in influences their nest choice at maturity. Because it takes juveniles 5 years to reach sexual maturity, this is a long term study, so I suspect we’ll focus on these methods for the foreseeable future. Great question!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you again for having me! I hope you will consider visiting the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey the next time you are in the Central Florida area! You may visit our website for more information: cbop.audubon.org/visit-us. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or ever need help with an injured eagle or eagle nest issue. I can be reached via email at 407-644-0190 or eaglewatch@audubon.org.
Essec09 (Admin): I want to thank you for sharing your evening with us Shawnlei. It was so informative and I really enjoyed it. We will be posting this session on SWFEC’s Flickr account by this weekend so that everyone will be able to read it. Thank you again! It was so nice “meeting you”. And thank you to the Pritchetts for setting this session up!
icecream247 (Admin): thank you Shawnlei, Very informative.
MtGal30: TY Shawnlei, Ginnie, Modsquad,Pritchett's n Peepers. I learned so much more about BE's tonight. Thoughtful questions were featured with some surprising answers!
DaveinMissouri: Thank you so much Shawnlei for taking time to be here tonight, it was very interesting seeing your answers to the questions being asked! Please come back when you can!
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Shawnlei thank you so much, this has been enlightening and educational - we so appreciate your time tonight!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good night everyone!
Joanne Campbell: Thank you!
WPBEgal: Thank you Shawnlei!
Jackie Brown: Welcome Shawnie and thank you for coming to SWFE chat tonight.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei, so much great information, Good night.
Megster: Thank you for joining this most special group of Admins and chatters Shawnllei
BckEE: Hello, Shawnlei! Welcome, and thank you!
Babs628: Thanks, Shawnlei, for joining this great chat with us tonight. Looking forward to all of the educational information you will be sharing with us tonight.
Gail Siebler: SB Audubon. Welcome to the SW world. I know you will enjoy it here. Such nice folks to share your info and ideas with.
vlpritchett (Moderator): Thank you Shawnlei and everyone for joining us tonight!
Sharon Davis: Nice to have you with us tonight shawnlei it's hard to pronounce really don't have any questions I'll just read
Valerie Seyforth Clayton: Hi Shawnlei this is Valerie. Thank you for all you do. I monitor 9 nests in the Panhandle for Eagle watch.My love of eagles began with E9. Thank you Shawnlei for all you do. Thank you to Dick Pritchett for the cam. Love my H and M15
HOeagletfan1: Night all and thanks Shawnlei SEDs
EJsbe: Thank you Shawnlei!
MelodyCS: A big thank you
Elaine Herbert: Welcome, Shawnlei! we are excited to have you with us!
Daunelle Danish: Thank you Shawnlei
Deen622: Thank you Shawnlei so much valuable information learned alot!
Susan Kiser: Thank you so very much for all of this very informative info Shawnlei! I am copying/pasting it to OpenOffice right now and I can't wait to read it later!
Ilene Horwitz: Thank you for so much information, Shawnlei, the hour flew by!
dadsjazz (Admin): Thanks so much for all the very valuable information!
monieagl11: Thank You Shawnlei so much was so informative
Essec09 (Admin): There are a few questions that Shawnlei wasn't able to get to. We will forward them to her by email and post the answers if she is able to answer them. Thank you all for joining us this evening. Was a wonderful, informative session.
purpleagle (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei for sharing your evening with us. I'm sure that you were able to answer many of our viewers questions !
E9Lover2: Thank you Shawnie for all the amazing knowledge you shared with us tonight. Hope you will visit with us again maybe next session?
RobertoD (Admin): Shawnlei, thank you very much for all of the information about migration! It’s my favorite subject Especially for mentioning Piping Plovers, and how you encourage parents with children to not chase after birds on the beach. I work and live on a barrier island off the SC coast and we do see Plovers migrating through each year. They stop here to refuel on the eggs of Horseshoe Crabs. Our problem here is dogs off of leashes which is difficult to control. I manage to get photos each year of banded Piping Plovers and am always fascinated by the data that I get back when I report the sightings. Thank you so much for being here tonight!
MelodyCS: I'm still giggling at, eagles have bad breath lol
LNBirdLady: Hello everyone. Thank you for all your information tonight. FYI, I visited Bob at the Ecotarium last summer. He had a new young female eagle joining him who was named Dianne after the author of the book Eagle One who raised eaglets in MA.
Peggy180: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. That information was absolutely fascinating!
SoarFreeE9: Thank you Shawnlei!!
beju: Thank you so very muchShawnlei
Macky Miller: I am a firm believer that protecting our precious wildlife has to start with the young. Our moderators have sessions with the schools. Have schools been receptive to your coming in and talking to the students? Have you been able to get younger children involved? I suspect they would, in turn, go back home and bring their parents into the picture. Hope I'm not off the wall with my thinking. I thank you for being here tonight.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Macky! So true. Children are the future! And we do get many opportunities through the Center for Birds of Prey to go into schools and talk about the importance of eagles and other raptors and how we can help protect them. One of our EagleWatch volunteers is a grade school technology teacher and she uses the SW FL Eagle cam in her classroom. It’s really heartwarming to hear her stories.
jsheptwo: Shawnlei, thank you SO much....this has just been fascinating and so much wonderful information. I found the point about eagles scavaging on euthanized animals not buried deeply enough somewhat disturbing. Would that possibly be as a result of farmers leaving their euthanized animals out?
SBAudubon (Moderator): You make a good point. I had assumed that farmers were required to property dispose of euthanized animals. If not, that could certainly be one of the causes. But in most cases when we’ve received an eagle that has signs of secondary barbiturate poisoning (the chemical used to euthanize animals), they are found at a landfill or within half a mile of a landfill. Landfills are supposed to properly bury euthanized animals they receive. So when we identify a landfill that is a repeat offender, we work with them and the Florida Dept of Environmental Protection to help them address the issue.
Janet1: Thank you Shawnlei for all the information have a good night
JudyJirasek: Very informative thank you very much
Shannon Jemison Price: Thank you, Shawnlei! What a wonderful session tonight. Thank you for all you do and for your time tonight.
hootie-hoo: Shawnlei, Thank you for sharing your evening with us! DaveM great question about lead awareness!
katbate: Great, informative session. Thank you so much
Androcat: Thank you Shawnlei! Favorite chat session ever! Thank you Pritchett family for yet another gift!
PamW2017: Shawnlie - Many thanks for answering our questions! Very informative, and hope you can come back some time.
Carol Guarco Myers: Thank you all for coordinating. What a great hour! Time flies!
trusteagles: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. As Essec said, it was a pleasure to meet you. I learned so much tonight. Thank you,Ginnie, for making this happen.
NHDalGal: Wow! This was an awesome addition to our chat. I hope we can do things like this again. Thank you to Shawnlei and the Pritchetts for making this available to us.
TinEar: I think the operative word tonight was "take" which startled several people apparently. I also though it meant to hunt/kill/harvest and was a bit alarmed at first until getting Shawnlei's explanation.
Pat Kwap Kemble: Thank you Shawnlei for teaching us so much about eagles.
OrchrdHs: Super interesting and reminds us that there is still so much to learn about these magnificent birds. Adding notes to my eagle journal and now I have more ideas for research and then can share with others who are interested in BEs. Thanks so much!
Tom Sawyer: Thank you to Shawnlei for all the great information! I would like to see an answer to Sams last question myself? That was an interesting and very relevant question regarding banding considerations.
Beverly Morden Hall: Shawnlie thank you so much. I can't wait to read it all GAIN. iT IS FACINATING
lucybird: Thanks all for this special chat. It was so very informative. What a treat Thank you Ginni P for putting this together WOW.
Eagletoe06: Many thanks to Ginnie Pritchett & Shawnlei! Very informative & great statistics! Always learning!
Lauren Roberts: Thank you to the Pritchetts for having Shawnlei join us tonight. And thank you, Shawnlei. She is the BEST! I'm having computer issues and was afraid I would miss it. SO back to work on that for me. Thank you Mods for getting that all set up for us! SEDs all!
scurtis123: Thank you to our hosts and speaker, and other eagle fans here!
TinEar: Shawnlie certainly opened the door for those interested to further their eagle education with the free training classes held around the state of FL. Here's your opportunity.
Jackie Brown: Thanks Eagle Squad for having our guess Shawnlei with is tonight. Thanks Pritchett family for providing us the opportunity to always learn about our eagle family.
Babs628: That was very enjoyable, educational and thought-provoking. Definitely a copy & paste to keep for reference. Thank you, Shawnlei & the SWFEC & Pritchett family for arranging this great Q & A.
AndrewNH26: Thank you Shawnlie << Notice the 3 Eagles in oct on cam 2 nodding yes to eveything you shared Lol
TaraTrac: Please thank Shawnlei for this informative and inspiring talk! The timing couldn't be better because I'm signing up for an introductory class and nest viewing by our East Bay Regional Park Dist. citizen Raptor Research program, with a focus on bald eagles. Thanks Essec, SueL, Roberto, Sam for hosting her. And GE viewers.....great talk, huh?
Nancy Phillips: Thanks Pritchett's and all involved in this chat, Shawnlie was so interesting and I learned a lot more about our great Eagles, great chat!
MagEagle9: Thank you Ginnie for the great idea of this chat with Shawnlei and thank you Essec and awesome mods for making it happen! I get to work with her thru EagleWatch and the days I volunteer at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I was blessed to spend the morning with her at 2 eagle releases! That is what it is all about-getting them back home! I hope to meet you the next time you visit our amazing center Ginnie! If any of you are ever near central Florida it is well worth the visit!
floridafox: Hi all question: Why is it unlawful to pick up an eagle feather from the ground it doesn’t seem to affect any natural events in an Eagles life ty
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi floridafox! You are referring to the federal law that protects eagles and all of their body parts so that it is illegal to own an eagle feather or any body part without a federal permit. I didn’t realize until I came to this position that even deceased eagles found on the road, or wherever they may be found, must be properly disposed of. FWC often brings deceased eagles to our Clinic for processing. We have to report the death to US Fish and Wildlife and they direct us as to what to do with the body—either send it to a lab for necropsy to determine if the cause of death was something illegal or to the eagle repository where the remains are made available to American Indians for use in their religious ceremonies. So it’s quite a process. I suspect the law is as strict as it is because allowing the collection of eagle feathers could be a slippery slope—was the feather found on the ground or did someone shoot the eagle to get the feather and then hide the remains? Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people out there and as is often the case, our laws are shaped to prevent the worst.
LCampbell75: Those were great questions...I learned a lot... thanks for doing this...and why do you guys name the eagles and we at SWEFC don't??
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks! Are you referring to my story about Bob and Peace? We don’t actually name our eagle patients at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Peace was named by the folks at the NE FL Eagle Cam, which is operated by the American Eagle Foundation, and they do name their eagles. When Peace came to our clinic for treatment, all of their camera followers began watching the live feed from our flight barn and they are the ones who gave the name Bob to the adult eagle who “fostered” Peace. We refer to our patients by their patient number. Although we do go on to name any non-releasable raptors who become permanent residents at our facility. At that point, they become family.
Deputy President David Mabuza briefing members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), at Parliament, Cape Town, on efforts led by government to bring stability to the National Power Utility, Eskom, measures to improve governance and performance of State Owned Companies, and progress on the Land Reform Programme, during his reply to oral questions. [Photo: GCIS]
Things get lively again during Prime Minister's Questions as the PM is ordered to sit down as he looks away from the Speaker of the House during his answer.
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A full interview with the Israeli painter Raphael Perez (in Hebrew Rafi Peretz) about the ideas behind the naive painting, resume, personal biography and CV
Question: Raphael Perez Tell us about your work process as a naive painter?
Answer: I choose the most iconic and famous buildings in every city and town that are architecturally interesting and have a special shape and place the iconic buildings on boulevards full of trees, bushes, vegetation, flowers.
Question: How do you give depth in your naive paintings?
Answer: To give depth to the painting, I build the painting with layers of vegetation, after those low famous buildings, followed by a tall avenue of trees, and behind them towers and skyscrapers, in the sky I sometimes put innocent signs of balloons, kites.
A recurring motif in some of my paintings is the figure of the painter who is in the center of the boulevard and paints the entire scene unfolding in front of him, also there are two kindergarten teachers who are walking with the kindergarten children with the state flags that I paint, and loving couples hugging and kissing and family paintings of mother, father and child walking in harmony on the boulevard.
Question: Raphael Perez What characterizes your naive painting?
Answer: Most naive paintings have the same characteristics
(Definition as it appears in Wikipedia)
• Tells a simple story to absorb from everyday life, usually with humans.
• The representation of the painter's idealization to reality - the mapping of reality.
• Failure to maintain perspective - especially details even in distant details.
• Extensive use of repeating patterns - many details.
• Warm and bright colors.
• Sometimes the emphasis is on outlines.
• Most of the characters are flat, lack volume
• No interest in texture, expression, correct proportions
• No interest in anatomy.
• There is not much use of light and shadow, the colors create a three-dimensional effect.
I find these definitions to be valid for all my naive paintings
Question: Raphael Perez Why do you mainly choose the city of Tel Aviv?
Answer: I was born in Jerusalem, the capital city which I love very much and also paint,
I love the special Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv, the ornamental buildings that were built a century ago in the 1920s and 1930s, the beautiful boulevards, towers and modern skyscrapers give you the feeling of the hustle and bustle of a large metropolis and there are quite a few low and tall buildings that are architecturally fascinating in their form the special one
Also, the move to Tel Aviv, which is the capital of culture, freedom, and secularism, allowed me to live my life as I chose, to live in a relationship with a man, Jerusalem, which is a traditional city, it is more complicated to live a homosexual life, also, the art world takes place mainly in the city of Tel Aviv, and it is possible that from a professional point of view, this allows I can support myself better in Tel Aviv than in any other city in Israel.
Question: raphael perez are the paintings of the city of Tel Aviv different from the paintings of the city of Jerusalem
Answer: Most of the paintings of Jerusalem have an emphasis on the color yellow, gold, the color of the old city walls, the subjects I painted in Jerusalem are mainly a type of idealization of a peaceful life between Jews and Arabs and paintings that deal with the Jewish religious world, a number of paintings depict all shades of the currents of Judaism of today
In contrast, the Tel Aviv paintings are more colorful, with skyscrapers, the sea, balloons and more secular motifs
Question: Raphael Perez Tell us about which buildings and their architects you usually choose in your city paintings
Answer: My favorite buildings are those that have a special shape that anyone can recognize and are the symbols of the city and you will give several examples:
In the city of Tel Aviv, my favorite buildings are: the opera building with its unusual geometric shape, the Yisrotel tower with its special head, the Hail Bo Shalom tower that for years was the symbol of the tallest building in Tel Aviv, the Levin house that looks like a Japanese pagoda, the burgundy-colored Nordeau hotel with the special dome at the end of the building, A pair of Alon towers with the special structure of the sea, Bauhaus buildings typical of Tel Aviv with the special balconies and the special staircase, the Yaakov Agam fountain in Dizengoff square appears in a large part of the paintings, many towers that are in the stock exchange complex, the Aviv towers and other tall buildings on Ayalon, in some of the paintings I took plans An outline of future buildings that need to be built in the city and I drew them even before they were built in reality,
In the paintings of Jerusalem, I mainly chose the area of the Old City and East Jerusalem, a painting of the walls of the Old City, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the El Akchea Mosque, the Tower of David, most of the famous churches in the city, the right hand of Moses, in most of the paintings the Jew is wearing a blue shirt with a red male cord I was in the youth movement and the Arab with a galabia, and in the paintings of the religious public then, Jews with black suits and white shirts, tallitas, kippahs, special hats, synagogues and more
I also created three paintings of the city of Haifa and one painting of Safed
In the Haifa paintings I drew the university, the Technion, the famous Egged Tower, the Sail Tower, well-known hotels, of course the Baha'i Gardens and the Baha'i Temple, Haifa Port and the boats and other famous buildings in the city
Question: Have you created series of other cities from around the world?
Answer: I created series of New York City with all the iconic and famous buildings such as: the Guggenheim Museum, the famous skyscrapers - the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, the famous synagogue in the city, the Statue of Liberty, the flags of the United States and other famous buildings
Two paintings of London and all its famous sites, Big Ben, famous monuments, the Ferris wheel, Queen Elizabeth and her family, the double bus, the famous public telephone, palaces, famous churches, well-known monuments
I created 4 naive paintings of cities in China, a painting of Shanghai, two paintings of the city of Suzhou and a painting of the World Park in the city of Beijing... I chose the famous skyline of Shanghai with all the famous towers, the famous promenade, temples and old buildings, two Paintings of the city of Suzhou with the famous canals, bridges, special gardens, towers and skyscrapers of the city