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Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP hosts a question and answer session with Patrick Harvie MSP, Humza Yousaf MSP and Paul Martin MSP which saw members of the Easterhouse Community pose questions to the panel of MSPs about the Parliament. The events was held at the Bridge, Easterhouse as part of the Parliament day activities. 16 March 2015. Pic - Andrew Cowan
Part of the Question of the Moment bulletin board set, “What do you collect?”
Feel free to use in your own library or classroom.
20 June 2023, Tallinn, Estonia: Susanna Leppälä, steward at the 2023 CEC General Assembly, asks a question during the closing press conference. CEC General Assembly takes place in Tallinn, Estonia on 14-20 June under the theme of: 'Under God's blessing â shaping the future'. Photo: Ulf Tjärnström/CEC
O' my little strawberry!
- From where, how and why come to me?
The questions are the base of science, philosophy, and learning which inspire one to move ahead to the new world, in the ways make joy and development.
Before start development, sometimes question makes misunderstanding, suffering, struggle also, but should not stop asking questions.
19136 “Sleeping Aboard Ship: The Crew Helps Answer Your Questions” – Battleship North Carolina, #1 Battleship Rd., Wilmington, New Hanover, NC. May 12, 2017. Decimal degrees: 34.234955, -77.953337
“Sleeping Aboard Ship: The Crew Helps Answer Your Questions”
“Who slept here?’
“You are standing in compartment B-214-L. It contained berths or racks (bed) for most of 6th Division.
One hundred and forty-six men served in 6th Division. They were part of the Gunnery Department. They manned and maintained the port side 5-inch guns.”
“On the Battleship, you worked, lived and became friends with guys from your division. It was kind of clannish. Men from the same division formed a working unit within a department. They worked and slept in the same designated area. Your living area is pretty close to your work area and you tended to stay within your assigned areas. The guys in your divisions tended to be protective of their area. Buddies from other divisions could visit your space, but everyone was wary of guys they didn’t know hanging out in there space.’ – Paul Wieser, Boatswain’s Mate 1/c”
“How were you assigned a berth?”
“The Executive Officer assigned newly arriving sailors to one of the Ship’s 23 divisions. The First Lieutenant assigned berthing quarters (sleeping area) by division. Most divisions had battle and duty stations near their berthing. Division police petty officers took the new sailors to their division berthing quarters.
The sailors chose a rack (bed) from those available. Most men had a favorite location such as top rack or bottom rack. If hed did not like his rack, he could request a different rack when someone left the division. More senior sailors could bump junior sailors for the racks.”
“What was it like to sleep here?”
“Below decks it was HOT, no air conditioning. Air was taken from topside (outside) and blown into the living compartments.
At night when you slept in you bunk, you sweat; your mattress would get real damp. When you got up, the first thing you did was cover up your mattress with a fireproof cover. This would be almost airtight and after a few weeks your bunk became pretty ripe. First chance you had, the Ship would air bedding, you would take your bedding topside and air it.
I had a large air duct alongside by bunk, I cut a small hole in it and fitted a piece of a tin can to divert some air onto me. It helped.’ – Bill Taylor, Boatswain’s Mate 1/c”
“Crew member Ralph Swift managed to obtain a fan. He asked a friend to weld it near his berth. Another man sleeping nearby kept turning the fan to his own direction. Ralph had the friend weld the fan into one permanent position.
Smells were not usually a problem. Someone cleaned the compartment daily. Men were expected to shower regularly. The Ship’s laundry cleaned your clothes and sheets. The crew aired their bedding.
Ship noises drowned out any snoring.
There were no ladders to the upper bunks. You removed your shoes and climbed up.”
“Did people ever sleep somewhere else?”
“Some men found other places to sleep. Some tried outside on the upper decks. Other slept near their work stations. You had to get permission to change sleeping places. Someone had to know where to find you.
Sleeping out on the decks presented risks. Water rushed over the Main Deck when the Ship turned. You could get wet sleeping on the upper decks when a storm came. Soot covered you if the engineering gang blew out the smokestack deposits.”
“Routine was to bring your mattress up from the bunk down below because nobody wanted to get caught below if we got torpedoed. Sleep up on the Signal Bridge. Every once in a while you wake up in a puddle. It would rain in on you.’ – Jackson Belford, Signalman 3/c”
“After we got torpedoed. I was scared to death when we were out in the war zone. I was scared to death to sleep below decks. In fact, I had a blanket that I slept on topside. I wouldn’t sleep in my regular bunk.’ – Daniel Schroll, Gunner’s Mate 2/c”
“When I came off watch at midnight, I’d get a blanket and a pillow and go up by the forward 16-inch guns and sleep on the deck until it was time to go on watch again or breakfast. That’s the only way you could stay cool.’ – Ortho Farrar, Machinist’s Mate 1/c”
“They let me work in Flag Plot… It was a small place. I can remember it was… air conditioned … I was so lucky to be able to work in there and I even had a little canvas cot and l slept in there at night.’ – Lieutenant Ben Blee, Combat Intelligence Officer”
“What came with a berth?”
“The beds came with a mattress, a mattress cover, and a fireproof cover. The Navy issued each man two blankets and two sheets. You were expected to change sheet weekly. You had to purchase your own pillow. Some men folded their blanket and used it as a pillow.”
“Fireproof canvas bags were provided. When at General Quarters [battle stations] or when not occupied, the mattress, pillow, and bedding were rolled up and stuffed into a bag. This was to reduce fire hazards. One could go from deep sleep to bedding stored and bunk folded up against a stanchion to hot/ footing it to battles station.’ – Frank Hazes, Motor Machinist’s Mate 1/c”
“Where are closets?”
“The small aluminum lockers served as closets. Each locker has a number that corresponds to the number on a berth. The Ship’s command determined how you arranged your locker contents.
Locker contents:
Uniforms
Sheet
Underwear
Toiletries
Shoes
Personal items like books, Bible, stationery, candy, and souvenirs
NO civilian clothes
NO cameras. You could rent one when on liberty.
NO diaries. If you had one, you found a very safe place for it. Diaries were forbidden for security reasons.
Did the space look like this? Almost.
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA was commissioned on April 9, 1941. She was beautiful with soft red linoleum on decks. Her bulkheads (walls) gleamed with fresh white paint.
The war started on December 8, 1941 and things changed. Unnecessary items that would burn easily had to be removed for safety’s sake. Off came the linoleum and paint. The decks remained bare. A chalky white fireproof paint covered the bulkheads. Even the Ship’s silver service was removed for safekeeping.
Generously Funded by Hank & Terry Falkowski”
In lower left photograph:
“sleeping on deck”
Kamera: Nikon F3 (1989)
Linse: Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 (1970)
Film: Cinestill BWXX (Kodak 5222) @ ISO 200
Kjemi: Xtol (stock / 8 min. @ 21°C)
- Here are some clips clip from Paul Verhoeven´s classic satirical anti-fascist anti-american film Starship Troopers (1997) that these days somehow seems like it could be a contemporary «documentary» from Israel… and USA.
A movie everyone should see again.
«Service guarantees citizenship! Would you like to know more?»
Starship Troopers: Propaganda (1997)
ISRAEL IS NOT A DEMOCRACY [Listen here]
by Chris Hedges (b. 1956), The Real News Network January 5, 2024
Israel's status as a bona fide democracy is often taken to be a self-evident truth, but a more critical look at the history and reality of Zionism calls this into question. After all, how can a democracy exist in a country constitutionally defined as an ethnostate that can only exist through the suppression and gradual elimination of its Others? Israeli historian Ilan Pappé joins The Chris Hedges Report for a discussion on Israel as an inherently colonial, and therefore anti-democratic, project.
Ilan Pappé (b. 1956) is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, where he directs the European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-directs the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. Prior to coming to the UK, Pappé was a historian and politician in Israel. He is the author of several books, including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.
Studio Production: Cameron Granadino, Adam Coley
Post-Production: David Hebden
TRANSCRIPT
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Chris Hedges:
The scholar, Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994), who Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) called the conscience of Israel, warned that, "If Israel did not separate church and state, it would give rise to a corrupt rabbinate that would warp Judaism into a fascistic cult. Religious nationalism is to religion what National Socialism was to socialism," warned Leibowitz, who died in 1994. He understood that the blind veneration of the military, especially after the 1967 war that captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem was dangerous and would lead to the ultimate destruction of democracy. "Our situation will deteriorate to that of a second Vietnam, to a war and constant escalation without prospect of ultimate resolution," he wrote.
He foresaw that, "The Arabs would be the working people and the Jews, the administrators, inspectors, officials and police; mainly secret police. A state ruling a hostile population of 1.5 million to 2 million foreigners would necessarily become a secret police state. With all that implies for education, free speech and democratic institutions. The corruption characteristic of every colonial regime would also prevail in the state of Israel. The administration would have to suppress Arab insurgency on the one hand and acquire Arab Quislings on the other. There is also good reason to fear that the Israeli Defense Force, which has been until now, a people's army would, as a result of being transformed into an army of occupation to generate and its commanders who will have become military governors, will resemble their colleagues in other nations." He warned that the rise of virulent racism would consume Israeli society. He knew that prolonged occupation of the Palestinians would spawn concentration camps for the occupied, and that in his words, "Israel would not deserve to exist and it will not be worthwhile to preserve it."
The decision to obliterate Gaza has long been the dream of Israeli fanatics, heirs of the fascistic movement led by the extremist Meir Kahane (1932-1990), who was barred from running for office and whose Kach Party was outlawed in 1994 and declared a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States. These Jewish extremists who today make up the ruling coalition government are orchestrating the genocide in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians are being killed or wounded a day. They champion the iconography and language of their homegrown fascism. Jewish identity and Jewish nationalism are the Zionist versions of blood and soil. Jewish supremacy is sanctified by God as is the slaughter of the Palestinians who are compared to the biblical Amalekites massacred by the Israelites. Enemies, usually Muslims, slated for extinction are subhuman who embody evil. Violence and the threat of violence are the only forms of communication those outside the magic circle of Jewish nationalism understand. Millions of Muslims and Christians, including those with Israeli citizenship, are to be purged.
Joining me to discuss what the occupation of Palestine has done to Israeli society and what the results of the current murderous campaign in Gaza and the West Bank portends for Israel in the future is Ilan Pappé, Professor of History of the University of Exeter in Great Britain, who has described what Israel does to the Palestinians as incremental genocide. He has written numerous books including The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories and The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, which his French publisher has ceased publishing despite a surge in sales since the October 7th attacks, part of the concerted campaign by Zionists and their supporters to discredit and censor narratives that are critical of Israel.
I'd like to begin with a look at post Israel, the Zionist project that begins in the 1920s, and see whether the project itself, even before the creation of the state of Israel had built within it the seeds of its own destruction.
Ilan Pappé:
Yes, I do think it did. And you are right in pointing to the 1920s because of course the Zionist movement existed before, but I think it's in the mid-1920s when it started to purchase land and evict the people who were living on that land. And that happened around 1926. It became a settler colonial project and not just a project for salvaging Jews from anti-Semitism or a national cultural redefinition of Judaism as nationalism instead of as religion.
The moment that happened, it was very clear that it's going to impose itself by force on an indigenous native population. And it was not just the classical settler colonial imposition of settlers from abroad imposing themselves on a native population, it also was kind of creating this idea that they can produce or establish a European state in the midst of the Arab world, very much like the white supremacists in South Africa. And there's two facts, that you are trying to implement a project of displacement and replacement of an indigenous population and that you are trying to create a cultural political entity that would alienate the area it belongs to and the area would alienate you were sold, I think had been sold in the 1920s. And we can see the effect of this to our days, no doubt.
Chris Hedges:
And yet there was always a tension within the Zionist project. I, you may have known him too, I knew Abba Eban (1915-2002), Teddy Kollek (1911-2007). When I was in Israel, they outlawed Meir Kahane's Kach Party. The people around Netanyahu now are of course the heirs to the Kach Party, later assassinated, this very right wing rabbi. And I want you to talk about that tension because it was there. I mean, Teddy Kollek when he was mayor of Jerusalem, when I was there, he was building sewer systems for... it was a different approach to colonization, or perhaps I have that wrong?
Ilan Pappé:
It was a different approach, but it remained colonization. If I'm a bit more abrupt about it, I would say that there was definitely an ideological stream within Zionism that believed that you could be a progressive colonizer or an enlightened colonizer. And yet from the colonized people's point of view, even if you provided some benefits in economic terms, in infrastructural terms, the colonization was still there. And the colonization was translated not only in terms of whether you provide sewages for Jerusalem or not, but by the fact that Teddy Kollek as the mayor of Jerusalem oversaw the ethnic cleansing of quite a large number of Palestinians from East Jerusalem in order to make space for building new Jewish neighborhoods, which should rightly be called Jewish colonies or settlements.
So in the end of the day, the Zionist vision, even in its most liberal version, meant that the Palestinians at best, at best could be tolerated as individuals in limited spaces within Palestine. That would be determined according to the Israeli notions of national security. And at worst, they're an obstacle that has to be removed. And as the time went by, most of the Israeli Jews said, "Why just be content with limiting their presence? Why not get rid of them altogether?"
Chris Hedges:
And yet these figures represented a secular strain of Zionism. And I want you to talk a little bit about Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who you knew, who I quoted it in the introduction, and he talks about this religious strain within Zionism where the land itself becomes sacred as particularly dangerous, I think he even uses the word fascistic. There is that split. And of course those of us, Abba Eban spoke better English than I did, Oxford educated, urbane. And so talk a little bit about that tension between secular and religious Zionism. And of course ultra orthodox religious Zionism has essentially proved triumphant.
Ilan Pappé:
Yes, I call this tension, which you rightly point to, the struggle between the State of Israel and the State of Judea. The State of Judea grows up among the national religious groups and becomes particularly potent after '67 and it's kind of headquarters, it's habitat if you want, the settlements in the West Bank, and before that, even in the Gaza Strip. And they become a force to reckon with and they combine exactly what Leibowitz was talking about, and he saw it in the making. I mean I say it in hindsight, to his credit, he saw it and kind of predicted it happening, but now we have the benefit of time to see that he was absolutely right.
So that State of Judea, what you can call the settler state, is a combination of a messianic kind of Zionism combined with fundamentalist interpretation of Judaism, a wish to create a theocracy in which also secular Jews are the enemy, not just the Palestinians. And they become stronger. They used to be on the margins and we used to think that they are not really relevant, but now they are a central power in Israel. And against them stands the State of Israel. That is the kind of pre '67 Israel that wanted to be a liberal democracy, a pluralist, secular, but is losing it in the struggle against the State of Judea.
But what is so interesting and frustrating about this struggle, it does not concern the Palestinians at all. As you probably know, and we forgot it because of the dramatic events that occurred after 7th of October, but until the 7th of October, we witnessed in Israel a kind of a mini civil war between those two states that I'm talking about, the State of Israel and the State of Judea when hundreds of thousand of secular Israelis demonstrated daily trying to defend the kind of Israel they want. But when Palestinian citizens of Israel ask them, "Can we join you? And can we also include a rejection of the occupation as part of our struggle for a better Israel?" They were chucked out of this movement of protest because it was not against the occupation, it's not against the semi apartheid or full apartheid of Israel, depends where it is. It is what kind of an apartheid Israel should we have? A liberal democratic one for the Jews or a theocratic one for the Jews?
But unfortunately it does not evolve around the main issue, the most important issue that we started our conversation with, that can you impose yourself militarily and violently on millions of people against their will?
Chris Hedges:
I want to talk about 1948, this is the war of independence. All settler colonial projects are implanted by violence as was the one in the United States. The difference is that I think by 1600, over a 100-year period, 56 million indigenous inhabitants in North, Central and South America were obliterated through either diseases or violence so that by 1600 you only had about 10% of the original indigenous population was there. That wholesale extermination essentially allows a settler colonial project to survive because there's physically no opposition. That's not true in Israel. You have about 5.5 million Palestinians living under occupation, 9 million living in the diaspora. This from the establishment of the state of Israel is a huge problem for Israeli leaders. How are they going to cope? The demographic time bomb is real in terms of Arabs having larger families. You have huge flight, a kind of brain drain from Israel. I think there's a million Israelis living in the United States. But let's look at 1948, how they deal with a problem. And then we'll go to 1967 when Israel occupies what is the remaining part of Palestine, the West Bank and Gaza.
Ilan Pappé:
Yes, as you rightly say, settler colonial projects have always these two dimension, geography and demography, or if you want space and population, you want the space without the population. And the more space you take, the more unwanted population you have. So the Zionist leadership exploited the end of the mandate, the circumstances that developed in the region and in the world three years after the Holocaust to implement a massive ethnic cleansing that left half of the Palestinian refugees and expelled half of the Palestinian population, destroyed half of the Palestinian villages, more than 500, and demolished most of the Palestinian towns.
So within the borders that were kind of established after 1948, that is Israel today without the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israel was unable to fully complete the ethnic cleansing, but it had a relatively small Palestinian minority that did not endanger the demographic majority of the Jews. So you could even have a demographic state because you always knew that democracy and demography would go hand in hand. Although because of the paranoia of Ben-Gurion until 1966, although the Palestinians in Israel had the right to vote and to be elected, they were under a very harsh military rule as it is.
Now, it's not surprising that David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), the big architect of the ethnic cleansing of 1948, was trying to pressure the government of Israel. He was out of effective politics already in 1963, but he was trying after June '67 to convince the Israeli government to get out of the West Bank, almost saying to them, "I was able to get rid of about 1 million Palestinians, and now you are incorporating even a larger number of Palestinian under your rule." The kind of leadership that followed him, some of them were young generals during the '48 war and some other politicians like Levi Eshkol (1895-1969) and you mentioned also Abba Eban and Teddy Kollek, they decided there is no need for massive ethnic cleansing in order to keep the demography in such a way that it doesn't endanger the Jewish democracy.
So what did they do? They decided to keep millions of people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip without the right to take part in the Israeli political system. When some people said to them, "Okay, that's fine, but can you in return give the Palestinian the right to determine their future in a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip?" They didn't accept that either. So they really believed that they could somehow contain the Palestinian national ambition and resistance within that idea of a West Bank and a Gaza Strip that is our enclave controlled by Israel, maybe with some autonomy for the Palestinian inside, and convince the world that this is the best solution and even call it a kind of a two-state solution. Of course, it had nothing to do with a two-state solution.
So historically speaking, it's the same problem all the time, as you rightly say, Chris, it's having the territory without the people, but because of circumstances and things that changed, '48 is not '67 and '67 is not 2023, and because of that, the methods of maintaining this balance between territory and population changes. But the vision is the same one, and the purpose is the same one, and the failures are the same one. The massive expulsion didn't work. The idea of keeping people without citizenship rights is not working, and even putting them under siege as we have seen on the 7th of October is not working. And whatever the Israelis have in mind for Gaza, I can assure you, without knowing how it would unfold, it's going to be a huge failure, which unfortunately will have an incredible human cost, mainly for the Palestinians.
Chris Hedges:
Leibowitz really takes the 1967 war, which sees Israel seize the remaining land by Palestinians as the dividing point. He defines himself as a Zionist. He seems to argue that the pre 1967 borders known as the Green Line could work. But '67 for him and the refusal on the part of the Israeli leadership to give up the occupation, or after '67, move back to the pre '67 borders, really, he argues quite passionately is in many ways the death now of Israeli democracy, civil society. Can you explain that?
Ilan Pappé:
Yeah. Well, first of all, I would say that I think that as we started our conversation, the seeds for this end or implosion from within had been sold much earlier in the 1920s. But let's go along with this thesis, although I think it was doomed to fail from the very beginning. But there's no doubt that the occupation of 1967 accelerated these processes by which you had a legal system, a political system, and the culture system that justified a daily violation of the human rights and the civil rights of the Palestinians, at least inside Israel. In the pre '67 Israel, there was an attempt all the time to improve the situation of the Palestinian citizens in Israel. And as we said, they had the right to vote, they had the right to be elected, and finally they even were allowed to create their own national parties and so on.
But at the same time, the direction in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was going towards a different kind of a future, a long and never ending building of two mega prisons, one in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip maintained by at least hundreds of thousands of Israeli had to be daily involved in maintaining this mega prison of policing millions of people. And the idea, and I think that's where Leibowitz, which was different from Kollek and Abba, even for instance, Leibowitz warned them that their sense that they might separate, there will be this democratic liberal pluralist Israel within the pre '67 borders, and there will be something less admirable, less fortunate, but hopefully manageable beyond the Green Line, beyond the borders of Israel. And he warned rightly so that you will not be able to contain it, that it would spill over into Israel, and you will not have, in the end of the day, two entities, namely a liberal democratic Israel next to an occupied Palestine.
No, in the end of the day, you will have one apartheid system that may have varieties in the way it controls the lives of Palestinians, but in essence, as indeed Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International eventually understood recently, would have to be ruled through segregation, discrimination, and oppression. And it doesn't matter whether we talk about Tel Aviv and Haifa or we talk about Nablus and Gaza, it became one organic country where the people who are Palestinians are subjected to a variety of legal regimes and military regimes that violate the basic civil and human rights.
Chris Hedges:
And I just want to say that Israeli Arabs, even though pre '67 there were moves to incorporate them in the side, nevertheless did not serve in the army or the intelligence units. That's correct, right?
Ilan Pappé:
Yeah, yeah.
Chris Hedges:
Yeah. So Leibowitz, it's not just that the occupation for him is not sustainable, but it's what it does, how it deforms Israeli society. And I wonder if you could speak to what happened. I'm especially interested in why you believe these Zionist fanatics and bigots and crypto-fascists, these people surrounding Netanyahu, why they became ascendant?
Ilan Pappé:
Well, I think that there are two crises here at work. One crisis is what you can call the Zionist left, this attempt to, if you want, to square the circle to somehow say to yourself, I can be both an occupier and a socialist or a liberal. This failed to work on so many levels. First of all, the Palestinians were not impressed by that. They understood, as I once put it, that when a Zionist has a boot on your face, it doesn't matter whether he holds the Book of Marks or the Bible, what matters is the boot. And I think that's one reason the Zionist left was not working. Secondly, there was a sense among the Israeli Jewish electorate that this is a deception actually. And there was something in it, they said, "You actually think like us, but you would've liked it to be nicer. You would've liked the world not to be fully aware of it. You don't want to lose international legitimacy. It's not because you have different moral approach, but you have a more functional approach to it." And that did not convince the Jewish electorate.
So one crisis was this, what I call the failure to square the circle and take universal values and say that they can coexist with the values of colonialism and oppression. The second and no less important is the failure or the collapse of the idea that you can redefine Judaism as nationalism. There was an attempt to create a Jewish culture, a Jewish identity, which is secular, and it didn't work. There are some successes. There is a Hebrew culture, no doubt. I myself dream in Hebrew. Hebrew is my mother tongue so I'm fully aware of the success of Zionism to create a Hebrew culture. But the Hebrew culture is not a substitute for Judaism. It creates a culture around language, but doesn't have the power that a religious affiliation has.
And what happened was that while the religious Jews had a clear idea what Judaism is, Israeli Jews never knew what does it mean to be an Israeli Jew? As you probably know, in our idea, on our identity cards, our nationality is not Israeli. No, Israeli has an nationality identity that is an Israeli. In my idea, it's written that my nationality is Jewish. And in the idea of my neighbor who is a Palestinian Israeli, it says that his nationality is Muslim, not Palestinian or Christian, which I mean, they try to impose this idea that they can play with religious identities and even impose it on Christians and Muslims. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. And I think anywhere you look at the world and attempt to create a state identity that is equivalent to a religious identity in the modern world is not working. It is not working.
And this crisis has led to the return to Judaism as a religion by many Israeli Jews, including the Arab Jews who were anyway more traditional. And then they asked themselves similar things that are happening in political Islam. Can we translate the Jewish scriptures into political documents of our day? Can we impose the imperatives of the religion on the public domain, on the state policy, both the domestic one and the foreign one? And for secular Israelis, this is something they cannot coexist with. But they don't really have a very good answer. So what does it mean to be a Jew if it's not to be a religious Jew? What is a secular Jew? What is a secular Muslim for that matter? Or secular Christian? And that's a crisis that maybe also exists in other places, but there's no, this pressure cooker that Israel is where these questions become vital and existential.
Chris Hedges:
When Thucydides (c. 460 BC – c. 400 BC) talked about the expansion of the Athenian Empire, he wrote that, "The tyranny Athens imposed on others, it finally imposed on itself." To what extent is the tyranny that Israel has imposed on occupied Palestinians now being imposed on itself?
Ilan Pappé:
Well, we had clear indications, especially... I mean, they were there before, but I think the 7th of October was a pretext for this tyranny to be directed towards freethinking Israeli citizens who are also Jewish by definition. We have a clear case of a history teacher in Petah Tikva who all he did, he shared with his students, pupils rather, some alternative views to the ones they hear in the Israeli media. And he was arrested for few days before he was released. Any attempt by Palestinian citizens of Israel or anti-Zionist Israeli citizens to express doubts or even say that you have to understand the context of the 7th of October is regarded by the police as incitement to terrorism. So inevitable, as any historian would know, this can never be contained towards one group of people, and eventually you use these powers against your own people, and it depends who is the one who uses the power.
There's some very important critical sociologists in Israel, which I am not one of them, but they followed the way that the upper echelons of the Israeli Security Service, the upper echelons of the army, are now populated by what I call the State of Judea, namely settlers, national religious settlers are now occupying very important position. You have, of course, the ultimate example, and this is the terrorist from the Judea state, Itamar Ben-Gvir (b. 1976), as the Minister of Internal Security. So even at the top, you have someone who doesn't hesitate to use the same means against free thinking Israelis, regardless of who they are, Jews or Arabs, as he wants to use them against the Palestinians. But he may be a bit of a joke even in the eyes of his own subordinates, but there are more serious people below him who supposedly are part of the civil service and are not politically elected, but they come from this ideological hotbed that sees people like myself, if you want, as dangerous as any Palestinian, and that is something that is now spreading in Israel.
Chris Hedges:
Let's talk about October 7th, both the micro impact and as a historian, the macro impact?
Ilan Pappé:
Well, the micro impact is a bizarre, really and I'm trying to get my head around it, although I can begin to understand this. Let's start with the Israeli Jewish society. There is this almost impossible mixture of total disbelief in the ability of the Jewish state to defend you or even provide you with the most fundamental services. So it's a total breakdown in the confidence of the State to provide for you, not only defend you because the military failed, but the way the state was not there after the 7th of October. I don't know how much people are aware of it, but the State did not function for about two months in terms of providing social, economical... it was all done by the civil society. The government did not function at all in terms of helping people who were evicted from the north or the south.
So on the one hand, there is this breakdown in believing in the State. On the other hand, there is a total support for the genocidal policies in Gaza. It's a contradiction, but one can understand where it comes from, and that's one of the micro kind of impact you have, that you will have an even more intransigent, inflexible, theocratic, fanatic Israeli Jew society in the post 7 October Israel.
As for the Palestinians, I think some big questions would be asked also by the Palestinian national movement because it's a big responsibility to stage an operation when you probably know beforehand what the Israeli reaction would be. It always reminds me of the two... I had a webinar with some people from Lebanon and we talked about it, and I think there are similarities. People say to me, "But Hamas was kind of building on the legacy of 2000 when Hezbollah bravely succeeded in pushing the Israeli army outside of Lebanon." So there is an example of an Arab paramilitary group being a match to the might of the Israeli Army. But I said, "Yes, but there's another legacy, that's a legacy of 2006 when Hassan Nasrallah (b. 1960), the leader of Hezbollah, said, 'Had I known that Israeli reaction to the abduction of three soldiers would be the destruction of Beirut, I would not have ordered that operation.'"
So he did talk with responsibility of when you strategize, you have responsibility also for your own people. It would be interesting to see in the micro level, first of all how the Palestinians are reacting to the Israeli retaliation, beyond of course their ability. And I think they were able to galvanize public opinion to show that however one condemns or doesn't condemn the service of October, it does not weaken the basic growing solidarity with the Palestinians.
Now let's talk about the macro. The macro is that Israel is not going to defeat the Hamas that easily, and is going to be stuck there. And in order even to maintain some sort of success, victory, they would have to stay there for years in direct occupation. And this could easily escalate into an uprising in the West Bank and attack from the north by Hezbollah, and who knows, even undercurrents in the Arab world that would change the Arab tolerance of Israel that we have seen so far. This can escalate to regional war. On the one hand, that's the bleak scenario.
The more positive scenario in the macro one is that the civil society that is now very much pro-Palestinian and even supports boycott and divestments from Israel, may succeed in convincing some governments in the Global North, and definitely in the Global South, to move beyond actions of civil society into sanctions and pressure on Israel, and maybe have a total new perception about the need to pressure Israel to give up its supremacist policies, its oppression, and so on.
It's too early to judge which of the two processes will unfold. They may even unfold in conjunction, namely, the more violent the region would become, the more willing maybe the international community would be willing to change its basic perceptions of what is the essence of the problem and what is the way out of it.
Chris Hedges:
But isn't the key Washington? I mean Israel, along with the US, is already on this issue, they're pariah states, as we saw with the vote in the UN. As long as there's unconditional support from Washington, Israel can resist any kind of pressure, can't they?
Ilan Pappé:
Well, that's a very big question because I think that the Global South also has power. I taught in a Chinese university recently in September, and it was very clear that China, for instance, is still reluctant to be involved in the question of Palestine because as you know, Chinese foreign policy, contrary to the way it's portrayed in America, is interested in economic gains more than anything else. And rightly so, Palestine is not an economic bonanza these days. So I don't think they're likely to be involved too much in it.
But I do think that there are other powers on the international map that could challenge the American hegemony on the question of Palestine, that's one point. And secondly, yes, America is still a key, but something is happening in the American civil society. Israelis and pro-Israelis in America like to call it the rise of new anti-Semitism, which is a very superficial analysis of the fact that the younger generation of Americans, A, is much more knowledgeable than the previous generation what goes on in Palestine. B, is far more committed, some people would say naively, but they are more committed to moral dimension of foreign and security policies. And that includes large chunks of the young American Jewish community. So I'm not sure that also this determinist view of an American policy is the right approach, either. I do think there's a chance of a different American policy as well.
But I do think Chris, probably the best way to do it is by saying there are two coalitions now when it comes to Palestine. One I call global Israel. Global Israel is still governments in the Global South, multinational corporation, military industries, security industries, communities of Christian Zionists and Jews who more or less continue to provide Israel immunity for almost everything it does, almost automatically, kind of a faith. And against that is global Palestine. And global Palestine is made of civil societies. Some governments in the Global South who are not only pro-Palestinian, but they really believe that the struggle for justice in Palestine connects very well with their own struggles against injustice in their own societies. And this is the younger generation of the world.
And I think that this is a battle that goes beyond a Palestine, connects ecological issues, poverty issues, rights of minorities issues with Palestine, and therefore I don't think the balance of power is just America versus the rest of the world. I think there are much more complex two global coalitions, which are relevant not only to Palestine, but I see the relevance mainly in the case of Palestine because I'm interested in it. But I'm sure they can be also exposed in other places of contention and where conflicts are still raging.
Chris Hedges:
Let's close by looking at Gaza. First I want to talk about intent. The UN says that half of Gazans now face starvation. I was in Sarajevo during the war, that was 300 to 400 shells a day, four to five dead a day, about two dozen wounded a day. This is just by comparison, I don't want to minimize what happened in Sarajevo, I still have nightmares about it. But that's nothing compared to what's happening in Gaza in terms of the level of bombing. What is the intent? Is the intent to create a humanitarian crisis of such extremity that the international community is forced to intervene and become a partner in ethnic cleansing? Well what? You know the mindset of the people around Netanyahu better than I do.
Ilan Pappé:
Well, first of all, I think that there was really here an inertia of revenge to begin with, rather than a very careful planning. And not everything should be attributed to clear and systematic planning. As the days went by, it was clear to at least one group within the policymakers who thought that the war gives a pretext to get rid of Gaza, a more systematic planning. So the end result, as far as they're concerned, is the depopulation of the Gaza Strip from as many Palestinians as possible either to Egypt or to other parts of the world, because Gaza, if it's not sustainable now, it wouldn't even be less sustainable in the future. I think there is one component among the Israeli policy makers who believe that they have the power to do it.
There is a more, I don't know, even call them more moderate, I'll call them more pragmatic people like Benjamin Gantz (b. 1959), Gadi Eizenkot (b. 1960), also depends. I mean, they joined the government in the last moment from the opposition. I don't know how influential they will be for the day after. But if they're still influential on the day after, they would like to see... They have a certain end game in mind, which is to annex part of the Gaza Strip directly to Israel, which what will remain is a very small piece of land with a huge number of people living in it and hoping that someone else would run the domestic affairs of Gaza, whether it's the PA or a multinational force.
However, they don't think that it's even possible to discuss the day after scenarios before they fulfill what they promised to the Israeli public, which is something they cannot fulfill. And that's one of the reasons for the carnage that we are seeing, that they could have this victory photo, kind of triumphant photo that shows that the Hamas is nowhere to be seen in Gaza, or at least nowhere to be seen as a military force. I don't think they can achieve it, but they still believe that they can.
And until that happens, they continue relentlessly doing it by the way, [by that, even endangering more the lives of the still 130 and so Israeli hostages still held by the Hamas in the Gaza Strip]. They claim that the two objectives of what they call the land maneuver is to destroy the Hamas as a military power and to salvage the hostages. It's very clear from the way they're acting, they have given up on the hostages, but they still believe they have the power to get this picture that they want, either a dead Yahya Sinwar (b. 1962) or an expelled Sinwar, the scenario of Lebanon 1982 Arafat leaving to Tunis with the rest of the Palestinian leadership. These are the scenarios they have, and all the means seems to be justified in their eyes to achieve that.
Chris Hedges:
And you are arguing they won't. So what happens when they don't achieve that?
Ilan Pappé:
That's what I meant before that what happens is that they are going to be stuck there for much longer than they think, involved in a guerilla warfare which is much longer than they think, endangering every day an escalation that could bring other factors as other actors into that conflict with dire consequences also for Israel itself. Can you imagine, Chris, what would've happened if in the 7th of October Hezbollah would've coordinated with the Hamas a similar attack on the north? Remember, the main military problem for Israel was that most of its army was in the West Bank helping to defend the settlers and helping them with their ethnic cleansing. So there was not enough soldiers in the North and not enough soldiers on the Gaza border to prevent a operation like the one the Hamas conducted. Imagine what would happen if the Hezbollah would've joined in, how Israel would've got out of that. And somehow this lesson is not being learned by the Israeli policymakers.
So I think that they are going to take Israel into a very dire future, even for the Israelis themselves, in terms of casualties, in terms of international isolation, in terms of economic crisis. And relying all the time on the American Congress, it's not the best and most solid pillar in the world to build a future for a younger generation and tell them that they live in the best place the Jews could be in the world right now. They're sort of digging their own hole here because they don't want to see what the problem is and what price they have to pay if they really want to build a different future.
Chris Hedges:
Great. That was Ilan Pappe, professor of history at the University of Exeter in Great Britain, author of the Biggest Prison on Earth: The History of the Occupied Territories and the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. I want to thank the Real News Network and its production team, Cameron Granadino, Adam Coley, David Hebden, and Kayla Rivara. You can find me at ChrisHedges.substack.com.
This article first appeared on The Real News Network and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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Le 18 septembre 2019 en début de soirée, j'arrive ā Sion par un bus assurant la liaison Avignon-Lyon-Genève-Sion. Alors que je m'apprête à rejoindre mon hôte du soir je profite du paysage que je surplombe. Le coucher de soleil donne ā la ville de Sion un caractère surnaturel, les nuages changent de couleur, les lampadaires s'allument, le château de Tourbillon illumine le paysage. Après avoir fait du couchsurfing -première expérience très positive-, je débute le lendemain mon excursion de deux semaines de balade dans le Val d'Hérens au cœur du Valais. Chargé de mon paquetage d'une dizaine de kilos, j'occupe la matinée de mon premier jour d'excursion par l'achat de produits locaux. Pas question de tomber en panne sèche ā 3000 mètres d'altitudes. Un saucisson, du fromage de la région – l'Étivaz-, du chocolat noir -Ovomaltine « C'est de la dynamite ! »-, des fruits secs et c'est parti. Avant de quitter Sion je profite de l'ambiance du centre ville de bon matin. Un passant solitaire traverse la place de la Planta. Du ciel transparaissent quelques rayons du soleil. Atemporel. En début d'après-midi, l'autobus m'amène ā Thyon-les-collons. Arrivé ā environ 2000 mètres d'altitude, je débute ma marche dans un paysage grandiose. Première impression : la connexion avec le ciel, l'impression d' être au dessus de tout... ou presque. Des nuages au loin m'invitent ā monter plus haut, les cols des montagnes ā les gravir pour y découvrir ce qui s'y cache derrière. Je traverse les steppes et gazons alpins, il y a beau temps. La végétation que je croise est luxuriante, colorée et diversifiée. Je croise peu de touristes.
Durant les trois premiers jours, j'essaye de prendre un rythme. J'essaye d'atteindre en fin de journée les points que je me suis fixé comme but en début de journée. Je n'y parviens pas. Non pas que physiquement je sois éreinté par le dénivelé que je commence ā ressentir dans les cuisses et ischio-jambier, mais par les nombreux arrêts que je m'autorise pour faire des sessions photographiques. Poser ā terre les bâtons de marche, enlever le sac ā dos, sortir l'appareil photo, cadrer, faire la photographie, ranger l'appareil, réajuster les sangles de maintient, remettre le sac sur le dos, s'abaisser et prendre les bâtons de marche. Reprendre la marche. Toute une opération qui au bout d'un temps me fait plutôt jeter ā terre les bâtons, poser un peu ā la va vite le sac ā terre et répéter toutes ces opérations. Mais cette légère contrainte est largement compensée par l'étonnement, l'admiration, l'ébahissement que j'ai d'être face ā un tel paysage. Une faune et une flore sauvage, laissée ā l'état de liberté. C'est un paysage de caractère qui invite ā la plénitude. Quelques rares habitations qui se perdent dans un paysage montagneux. Le voisinage ne semble pas être une question contraignante. Je m'imagine alors le mode de vie que doivent avoir ces gens qui vivent dans ces habitats le temps d'une saison... peut-être ā l'année. Je prends conscience qu'en montagne, la fraîcheur se fait rapidement sentir dès que le soleil n'illumine plus le flanc de montagne sur lequel vous êtes. En septembre, selon ou l'on se trouve, 17h est l'heure à laquelle il est légitime de se soucier de l'endroit du coucher. Le premier jour, je fais l'erreur de tarder dans le choix du lieu du bivouac. À 19h je commence ma recherche. Après une heure et demie je parviens ā trouver un compromis. En sous-bois, sur le flanc d'un sol pentu, je compense alors les aléas du terrains en mettant en boule quelques habits dans la tente. Je dîne - bien grand mot quand la casserole est ā la fois l'outil de cuisson, l'assiette pour le plat principal et le contenant du thé en fin de repas. Ma première nuit est fraîche, l'idée de dormir dans un sous-bois rend l'atmosphère humide, le froid ressenti comme étant davantage prégnant.
Le lendemain je repars en bonne forme. Je continue de longer le fleuve de la Dixence qui se trouve en contrebas du chemin que j'empreinte. Pause ravitaillement pour récupérer ā une source de l'eau et remplir ma gourde de 2 litres. Il n'est pas rare de croiser des troupeaux sur mon chemin mené ou pas par des éleveurs. Au deuxième jour de marche, Thyon-les-collons est ā peine visible. Je croise de-ci, de-là des maisonnettes, des troupeaux sur mon chemin. Le dénivelé se fait plus marqué et le poids du sac se fait davantage sentir sur les épaules. Pause déjeuner. Le paysage se fait de plus en plus montagneux, les roches noires contrastent avec les couleurs ocres, jaunes pétantes des fourrages. Il me faudra trois jours pour arriver au niveau du Lac des Dix (2365m) et de son barrage aux dimensions impressionnantes. D'une hauteur de 235 mètres, long comme deux terrains de football mis bout ā bout, ce barrage est d'une profondeur de 200 mètres ā sa base et d'une quinzaines de mètres ā son point le plus haut. Son poids serait égal ā celui de la grande pyramide de Khéops en Egypte. De telles dimensions permettent au barrage de la Grande Dixence de contenir les 400 millions de m3 d'eau du lac, développant une puissance électrique record de 2000 MW ce qui lui permet d'être considéré comme le plus haut barrage-poids du monde. Un tel spectacle est étonnant. 15 mètres de marche permettent de constater de l'exploit de cette architecture. D'un coté distant de quelques mètres le lac de la Dixence calme et paisible, de l'autre côté la vallée qui s'étend 200 mètres plus bas. À perte de vue des vallons, montagnes, des pics. Au loin, la ville de Sion.
Première nuit ou les étoiles se révèlent avec une pollution lumineuse réduite. La voûte céleste se laisse prendre en photographie en pause lente. Il n'est pas rare durant les quelques nuit que je passe proche d'une forêt, d'un bois ou d'un ruisseau de me réveiller plusieurs fois la nuit, saisi par le froid. La couche supérieure de la tente gèle parfois. Par mégarde je laisse deux habits posés sur la tente pour qu'ils sèchent à l'extérieur. Durant la nuit, les cristaux de glaces se forment et les gèlent entièrement. Les débuts de journées sont fraîches et reculent mon heure de départ. La solution ā défaut d'avoir des moufles pour maintenir les mains au chaud : avoir des chaussettes aux mains. À 10h le soleil réchauffe l'atmosphère, les habits sèchent et je peux faire ma toilette et un petit bain frigorifique dans le Torrent de Chenna ā 10h du matin. La route qui mène au barrage de la Grande Dixence est tortueuse, je n'aurai pas ā l'emprunter, prenant un chemin de terre qui y mène directement. Il me fait passer par une succession de tunnel creusé dans des flancs de montagne. Le soir, sans réseau 4G, je campe ā la pointe du lac de Dix. Seul, sans pollution lumineuse, sonore, humaine. J'ai l'impression d'être en proie ā la nature, à une solitude qui ne fait pas peur, mais ou tout est possible. Le passé ou le futur lointain n'est pas dans mes pensée. Seul le présent et ses alternatives temporelles proches m'occupent l'esprit. Je trouve un lieu où dormir et installe la tente. Rapidement je me lave grâce ā l'eau d'un ruisseau qui coule. Je prépare à manger, déguste face à un paysage qui s'obscurcit. La nuit tombe, des nuages se découpent sur les pics des montagnes. Je m'endors avec le seul bruit du vent qui tapote sur la toile de tente.
4ème journée, je quitte le lac des Dix pour me rendre au col de Riedmatten en passant par le pas de chèvre (2919m). Je me lève ā 5h du matin. Ma première action ? Prendre un petit-déjeuner à base de chocolat, fruits secs variés, fajitas, patte d'amande avec un peu de chocolat aussi. Un petit coup de toilette puis je m'occupe de trier, ranger le matériel pour qu'il tienne dans les 50 litres du sac ā dos. Au fur et à mesure des jours qui passent je dois avouer que cette action répétitive me lasse un peu mais devient un rituel qui marque le début et la fin de la journée. Je débute la marche alors que le soleil se lève sur les pics de montagnes et la vallée au loin. La montée se fait de plus en plus pentue. Je traverse le Torrent de Cheilon. Peu ā peu, le chemin de caillou se transforme en chemin symbolique ou seul les balises en indiquent concrètement la trajectoire. La flore se fait plus rare, le paysage imposant se fait plus abrupte, le dénivelé s'affirme. Je ne m'aide plus seulement de mes jambes mais aussi de mes mains pour gravir. Je m'attarde un temps face au mont Blanc de Cheilon et ā son glacier. Observation contemplative. Arrivé au Col de Riedmatten, je laisse derrière moi les roches, pierres et une flore qui se fait rare pour y découvrir les steppes qui mènent vers le lac de Moiry. Le paysage environnant est entrecoupé de pics et de pentes dans un écrin de nature sauvage. Je vois dans le Glacier de Tsijore Nouve une tête de mort... En début d'après-midi j'entame ma descente vers Arolla (2000m) dominée par le mont Collon en arrière plan. Arrivé ā Arolla, les nuages s'obscurcissent... J'empreinte un pont de singe qui tangue ā chaque pas dans un rebond lancinant. Une sensation amusante qui donne l'impression d’être plus léger, d'avoir le pas hésitant.
Je campe le soir près de la Sage, dans un champs qui en apparence semble appartenir à personne. La nuit fut entrecoupée par une pluie battante et des rafales de vent. Le lendemain je me réveille avec une brume qui se dissipe. Ayant plutôt l'habitude de côtoyer des architectures de béton je quitte la Sage et ses chalets de bois qui semblent venir d'une autre époque. L'objectif que je me fixe ā la mi-journée c'est d'arriver au Lac Bleu, réputé pour se situer dans un écrin de nature sauvage, avec une eau d'une couleur bleu vive - résultant de l'action conjuguée des algues et des argiles glaciaires-. Sur le chemin qui monte au lac, en pleine forêt, alors que je remets une sangle de mon sac à dos, je me fais surprendre par le bond d'un cerf adulte qui fend les fourrages à une vitesse éclair. La scène se déroule face à moi à une trentaine de mètres. Pas un seul bâtiment aux alentours. La nature. Elle m'invite ā un imaginaire digne des films de fantasy comme le Seigneur des Anneaux ou encore à me plonger dans l'ambiance cinématographique d'une période Moyenâgeuse où les croyances et rituels étaient connectés à la nature. Une époque où la démographie humaine était moins importante, où la valeur humaine était autre. Peu de temps m'en faut pour arriver au Lac Bleu. Vu l'heure, je décide de laver et faire sécher au soleil mes vêtements sales. Je mets en place un dispositif d'étendoir assez incongru en utilisant mes bâtons de marche et la table de camping qui se trouve sur une butte en surplombant le lac. 1h. 2h. Le soleil se couvre peu ā peu, malgré des rafales de vent bien présentes, le linge ne sèche pas. 3H, je commence ā me dire que je ne pourrais pas continuer plus loin ma marche de la journée. 19h30. J'installe la tente pour me réchauffer – connaissant la fraicheur des nuits proches d'une source d'eau-. Je décide de faire du feu avec un briquet, quelques brindilles et des branches ramassées de ci de-là. Sans succès. Nuit tombante depuis le lac bleu. Cette nuit fut la plus difficile. Je me réveille plusieurs fois durant la nuit, me réchauffe les doigts en allumant un briquet, entasse mes habits les uns par dessus les autres. À quelques centaines de mètres je traverse ce qui semble être un village abandonné. Une inscription surplombe l'un des chalets : « Le petit chalet ». Le lendemain je prends la route pour les Haudères (1454m), charmant village de vallée où tous les bâtis ou presque sont en bois. Traversant les forêts Valaisannes, je prête l'oreille ā plusieurs coups de feu. En cette basse saison, les chasseurs sont plus présent dans les forêts que les randonneurs. Je fais d'ailleurs la rencontre de trois d'entres eux. Le premier est pris en photographie sur smartphone par sa femme alors qu'il porte ā bout de bras un cerf tel un trophée. Le second lorsque je croise un chasseur porter sur son dos un cerf. Cette rencontre me permets de discuter avec lui sur sa pratique. Je suis notamment étonné de le voir redescendre de si bonne heure (8h) avec déjà un cervidé mort sur le dos. Il m'explique qu'il a tué l'animal la veille, l'a vidé de ses entrailles, a dormi dans une cabane de chasseur et qu'il redescend ā son véhicule pour aller vendre la bête ce matin. Curieux de son arme, il me montre ses cartouches et son viseur d'une précision de plus de 500 mètres. Je le prends en photographie avant que chacun nous reprenions nos routes. À la mi-journée, je décide que je dormirai dans un camping avec plus de confort ā la clef. Avant d'entrer dans les Haudères, je fais la rencontre de plusieurs chalets fleuris nichés sur le flanc de la montagne. Je pourrais presque m'attendre ā ce que Bilbon Sacquet sorte avec un lot de pinte de Gandalf’s Ale, de Bilbo’s Beer ou encore de Frodo’s Lager. Ca n’arrivera pas, mais je m'amuse ā me l'imaginer. Arrivé ā Les Haudères je découvre un centre-village tout fait de bois et de pierres. Deux artères coupent le village d'Est en Ouest et du Nord au Sud. Je passe face au Garage des Alpes, atelier de réparation automobile pour me rendre jusqu’à l'auberge-camping Molignon, endroit ou je dormirai pour la nuit.
À minuit il se met à pleuvoir durant plusieurs heures. De bon matin je croise dans le camping un touriste qui me déconseille de randonner jusqu'au Col de Torrent avec la météo qu'il y a eu la veille. Les sommets sont enneigés. Je décide de me prendre une journée de repos et vais en direction d'Evolène (1371m) pour m'y acheter des moufles afin d'éviter le froid ressenti parfois durant la nuit ou pour éviter le frottement de la paume sur les bâtons de marche. Le lendemain en direction de La Sage je croise les dernières maisons. Alors que je continue mon ascension, derrière moi l'orage semble se profiler sur les Haudères et Evolène. Je continue la marche en espérant que la météo ne se dégrade pas trop. Arrivée dans les nuages.
J'expérimente ma première nuit à 0 degré à 2700 mètres d'altitude sur le flanc de montagne ā 300 mètres du Col de Torrent. Les nuage sont en formation, j'ai la tête dans les nuages. Levé ā 7h du matin je pars en direction le Col de Torrent ā 2916 mètres d'altitude. Le chemin de traverse me mène jusqu'au lac de Moiry (2249m) d'un bleu étonnant et son barrage qui surplombe la vallée. Son barrage voûte situé dans le canton du Valais en Suisse est localisé au-dessus du village de Grimentz. Il a été mis en service en 1958 après 4 ans de construction. Je m'endors près du pas de Lona (2787m) sous une nuit étoilée. Le lendemain matin, c'est la tête dans les nuages et le brouillard que je débute mon excursion matinale avec l'impression d'assister ā un spectacle, un ballet où les nuages glissent cotonneusement sur les flancs de montagne. Quelle sensation de solitude. Dans l'après-midi j'atteins la cabane des Becs de Bosson ā 2983 mètres d'altitude puis la pointe de la Tsevalire ā 3026 mètres. Je finis la journée bien fatigué proche de la Becca de Lovegno à près de 2700m ou j'y passe la nuit. 18h, le soleil se couche derrière les crêtes. Je passe ma nuit la plus fraiche, -2 degré était annoncé par la météo locale. Je ne dors pas bien, me réveille souvent. Mon pantalon, le sac ā dos et tout ce qui peut tenir chaud est empilé au dessus de moi sur le sac de couchage. Durant un court moment, je décide d'allumer le réchaud pour réchauffer mes doigts.
Le lendemain je me repose durant deux heures proche du lac du Louché (2567m), situé dans un écrin de nature marécageux, isolé et préservé de toute activité humaine. Cet endroit est l'un des plus silencieux de toute mon excursion. Pas de bruit. Celui du vent par intermittence. Seul les trainées de condensation d'un avion haut dans le ciel marque la réalité de notre époque et renforce mon extase sonore et visuelle face à un tel lieu. Je prends en photographie la Gentiana Verna, première de la saison qui occupe avec parcimonie les prairies subalpines. Je reprends la marche pour me rendre au Mont-Noble ā près de 2670m. Une fois franchie cette étape je ne cesse de descendre en altitude en passant par Mase (1301m) pour me rendre aux grottes de Combioula qui se trouvent dans les gorges de la Borgne. La source chaude de ces grottes permet de profiter d'une eau à une vingtaine de degrés tout en admirant le paysage environnant. La rivière Borgne qui passe ā quelques mètres est bien plus froide. Le lendemain je me rends direction Hérémence pour y découvrir les pyramides d'Euseigne qui font partie des caractéristiques géologiques impressionnantes du territoire. Je me rends ā Vex (939m). Plus tôt dans la journée j'avais passé un coup de téléphone pour y réserver une nuit en camping.
Arrivé lā-bas, je suis reçu par le gérant. Il a l'allure imposante d'un biker de film américain des années 80. Le bandana autour de la tête, assez petit et trapu, la bedaine en supplément. Débute alors un quiproquo où je lui annonce avoir réservé un emplacement de tente pour la nuit. Lui me dit que non. La fatigue n'aidant pas, j'affirme mon point de vue. Quiproquo qui abouti ā ce que la discussion se dégrade. Je décide de partir promptement, n'ayant pas envie d'avoir à faire à ses chiens. Je me rends compte que l'erreur venais de moi et que le camping en question où j'avais une place de réservée était ā Sion au camping Valcentre (500m). Je repense ā cet épisode ubuesque tout en marchant. En bande dessinée ça aurait fait le gag. 17h. Vite il me faut accélérer le pas pour me rendre sur place. Le coup du sort jouant en ma défaveur ou bien car j'étais désinformé, je prends un chemin balisé pour les randonneurs qui me mène à... un cul de sac ou plutôt à un chemin condamné. Du fait de la chute de pierres il y avait quelques mois de cela, la passerelle qui surplombe La Borgne n'est plus. Voyant l'heure filer, je décide tout de même de traverser la rivière le sac ā dos tenu les bras en l'air. Me croyant libéré de cette histoire d'éboulis de pierres je fais face à deux autres reprises à des culs de sac ou des portions de chemin fragilisés. Je me dépêche de les franchir en prenant un maximum conscience des points d'équilibres qui sont optimum pour ma traversée de ces obstacles. Je quitte la rivière et rejoint les champs de vigne. En fin de journée sur les coups de 19 heures j'arrive au camping de Sion fatigué mais content d'avoir réussi à atteindre mon point d'étape de la journée. Les deux jours qui suivent me permettent de faire des emplettes (surtout des plaquettes de chocolat) et de préparer mon retour en France. Je prends le bus le 4 octobre tout en me disant que je reviendrais un de ces jours parmi ces paysages Suisse afin d'en découvrir davantage.
If you have any questions or would like to contribute to this archive, please visit www.underjams.art and contact me on Twitter DM or Telegram ♥
Oct 2 2009. World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings. Istanbul, Turkey. October 2 2009. World Bank Annual Meetings. World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick and IMF Managing Director Dominque Strauss-Kahn meet with CSO/NGO representatives. Archbishop Noungane of South Africa moderates. Oxfam representative asks the panel a question. Photo: Simone D. McCourtie/ World Bank
Photo ID: 100209-CSO204a World Bank
There are many things to question about the automotive world, but why did the Wedge ever take off?
With that said, I give you the Triumph TR7, British Leyland's once great hope for domination of the American market, crushed by poor design, miscommunication, terrible advertising and shoddy workmanship.
The Triumph TR7 was first launched in 1974 as British Leyland's top ranging sports car. Looking very sheek and stylish (and like a block of cheese with pop up headlights) with its low riding wedge shape, the car did indeed look the part...
...minus a few things here and there. One was that massive composite bumper, which was yoked onto the front of the car to conform with American safety legislation. Another was the roof design, which was hastily slapped on to conform to American safety legislation. And finally there's the tail lights, which were not designed to conform with American safety legislation, they were just poorly put together.
Yes the TR7 was in the grip of American safety legislation. Following the tragic death of James Dean, America planned to ban convertibles, and thus car manufacturers across the globe had to redesign their cars in order to work with this new legislation. However, instead of taking a leaf out of their own book and giving the TR7 a curious T-Bar arrangement like on the Triumph Stag, they decided to slap on a roof that completely compromised the profile of the car.
But styling was the least of the TR7's worries, it was then bogged down with how it was built. Underneath that wedgie body, the TR7 was nothing more than a humble Triumph Dolomite, powered by the fundamentally flawed Twin Dolomite V8 and built on the same chassis. The result was a car so faulty that it would hardly ever run, as was found in the filming of the popular British TV show, the New Avengers, where the character of Purdy was coupled with a yellow TR7 much like this one. Apparently the car was so unreliable that all the filming involving the car had to be done in 20 minutes or less before the car broke down again!
It was also interesting to note that when the car underwent trials Frankfurt Motor Show in 1977, the car overheated on a 2.5 mile speed test, and after 19 days in a shed, a troop of British Leyland engineers still couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.
But set aside the failure in giving it a reliable engine and a good design, the TR7 was then botched by Red Robbo's rowdies at the Speke Factory in Liverpool. Strike after strike occurred and cars were released onto the roads only half put together. The results were either massive unreliability, leaking panels, electrical infidelity and/or other problems, such as hitting the indicator switch which would cause the horn to blow. This downfall was assisted by the factory shutting down for nearly a year due to seemingly constant industrial action, with many unfinished TR7 shells rotting out in the Liverpool drizzle.
Eventually, order was somewhat restored when production moved to the factory in Coventry, and reliability began to improve, but with its reputation in tatters, the TR7 simply would not sell, even with promotion on the New Avengers. However, in the end the threat of American legislation was lifted, and the cars were allowed to be sold as convertibles, which were quite handsome looking machines. This was later added to by the fitting of a Rover V8 engine to replace the unreliable Dolomite engine, and as such the formula was perfected in the form of the Triumph TR8...
...only to be axed the following year in 1981 as that poor reputation mixed with build quality issues and an unusually strong Pound meant the car was surprisingly more expensive than its rivals, and so the TR7 and TR8's were dead. But even so, towards the end they did begin to sell well, and a TR8 also found its way into the world of Rallying under the command of Tony Pond, the 300bhp monster he drove was simply untouchable.
Today these cars can be common if you know where to look, but don't expect to find many in everyday usage as like most British Leyland cars, they don't react well to the rain.
Miss ChinaTown USA Pageant 2011 --> question and answers segment
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Here for your most comfort to view my photos. Please click flickr photo slide show to enjoy my photostream.
Please check it out my most interesting and most hitzzz fotos from the past couple years in the slide show here. Thank you!!!
I do a lot of photos of the joust. In fact, there were only four jousts I did not photograph this year. Two were cancelled because of weather (thunderstorms one time and torrential rains turned the tilt yard into a swamp the other). On Closing Day, at the Joust of Skill, I sat on the dais with Jane the Phoole and her entourage (which is not limited to Ray, Paul, me, an ever-changing crew and a multitude of personalities and faces). And on this day, I got to hand out an award with Thee Bluebeard.
Jane the Phoole congratulated Sir Edgeron on his win and said: "Accept your medal of honor from Thee Bluebeard and Lady Smelly!"
BUT... the dagger in the photo...
The 3 PM Royal Joust on Saturday was cancelled because the rain turned the tilt yard into a muddy flood zone (they will joust in the rain, as last week's Royal Joust photos show, but it wasn't safe for the horses this day). So, Maxx and Mauldron came out and talked to the people who were there and answered questions and even sang the Kilvarough song from their "Maxx and Mauldron Show".
Then, I went back to the Friends of Faire Garden... because that's what I do.
As I was soaked to the skin, I took off my hat and took my hair down (I was wearing it up in my octopus). Jane the Phoole came into the Garden and sat and we were all having about six different conversations at once (as we do) when she looked to the garden gates and exclaimed: "What HO!" and when we turned to look, we see Maxx and Mauldron- still in their full plate armor- coming in. Well, something awesome is going to go down, obviously, why else would they be there? I started to get my camera out from the two plastic bags (and from under the leather cover) when they stepped up behind me and Mauldron said: "We're searching for Lady Patty..."
Maxx said, "Also known as Lady Smelly."
I literally jumped to my feet- because I was fully pain-medded up (and they obviously were standing right behind me).
Then they sang to me. Thanked me for all the work I do (which I'd do anyway) and presented me with this. Mauldron said: "This is a boot dagger, but in your case..." and when he paused, Maxx did some crazy eyes kind of thing and Mauldron continued with: "You could use it as a bodice dagger."
Shock of shocks, it fits in my bodice quite nicely. And, as I'm going to get a new stomacher made for my bodice, I can get a dagger sheath added to it. (I'm going to have the Disabled Guy make a wood plaque for it so I can hang it on the Wall of Awesome). And, on top of it all, I got a double, full-plate armored hug. As someone in the garden said: "She was the creamy center of the sandwich."
This is a Starfire Dagger. Starfire Swords LTD on Facebook
The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development’s session on Measuring ICT and Gender addresses the question of what current statistics can tell us about women in the information society and how women use, benefit from and produce ICTs. The session looks at available data on gender and ICT and propose a set of priority areas where more data are needed, for discussion with the audience. The outcome of the session feeds into the work of the Partnership Task Group on Measuring Gender and ICT.
Day 2
14 May 2013
ITU/ J.M. Planche
I have watched and enjoyed many of your love affairs with film. Now that I'm doing a 365, I thought it was a good time to explore it. So my hubby had a film camera from before the digital craze, its a Nikon 65. So here is my question...what kind of film cameras are all of you using? Are they newer? Is this one going to do well for me or is it judt an old, outdated camera? What other advice do you have? Especially relating to what film to buy, how to scan and edit? Thank you for your help everyone!
10/365
"In front of the Villa Grande, Innocent Questions was created by Arnold Dreyblatt. Shaped in the form of a "punch card", the artwork features words and phrases connected to personal data that appear and disappear. However innocent these words and phrases may appear at first glance, such information had been used to facilitate mass murder, including the Holocaust."
And a selfie!
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Reportage complet, "La Terre en direct avec Al Gore, ancien candidat à la présidentielle américaine et prix Nobel de la paix," le 13 novembre 2015 à Paris : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/albums/72157660980...
Reportage complet, COP21 2015 : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/albums/72157659891...
Albums Écologie, Éducation et Politiques : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/collections/721576...
Projets/Reportages Fondation Nicolas Hulot : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/collections/721576...
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A Paris, Al Gore donne le coup d'envoi d'une émission de 24h sur le climat
L’ancien candidat à la présidentielle américaine et prix Nobel de la paix a lancé vendredi une émission de 24 heures à Paris. A deux semaines de la Cop21, Al Gore veut mobiliser autour de la question climatique.
Le groupe Duran Duran a donné le coup d’envoi du show vendredi soir dans un studio éphémère en forme de bulle, sous la tour Eiffel. Al Gore est aux manettes de cette émission mondiale, diffusée en direct sur le site de The Climate Reality Project, une organisation dont il est le président fondateur.
Pendant ces 24 heures, scientifiques, politiques et chanteurs se relaient pour interpeller sur les enjeux du climat, à quelques jours de la Conférence sur climat de Paris. "Cette émission vise à mettre la pression sur les dirigeants mondiaux pour qu'ils concluent un accord sur le climat le plus solide possible à la prochaine conférence de l'ONU à Paris, et aussi pour encourager chacun à agir dans sa propre communauté", expliquent les organisateurs.
Baptisée "24 heures de réalité et la Terre en direct: le monde regarde" (24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth: the World is Watching), l'émission se déroule en direct depuis Paris mais aussi depuis d'autres régions du monde: Etats-Unis, Chine, Australie, Philippines, Afrique du Sud, Canada, Kenya, Antarctique, Mexique, Malaisie, Inde et Bangladesh.
Dans le studio de la tour Eiffel, François Hollande sera reçu samedi, seul avec Al Gore, "pour un entretien exclusif". Vendredi soir, Ségolène Royal, la ministre de l’Écologie est déjà intervenue sur le plateau de l’émission et a plaidé pour un accord mondial en faveur du climat. "Il faut que les pays les plus pollueurs de la planète améliorent leur contribution, a déclaré Ségolène Royal (…) et que les pays riches tiennent leurs engagements".
Des concerts de Pharrel Williams et Elton John.
Parmi les autres intervenants, les organisateurs ont annoncé le président mexicain Felipe Calderon, le Premier ministre du Québec, Philippe Couillard, le gouverneur de Californie Jerry Brown et l'ancien secrétaire général de l'ONU Kofi Annan. Ces 24 heures sont aussi animées par des concerts de plusieurs chanteurs. A l’affiche, Elton John, Pharrel Williams ou encore Neil Young, mais leurs concerts seront uniquement retransmis.
En 2007, Al Gore avait reçu le prix Nobel de la paix avec le Giec pour son engagement dans la lutte contre le dérèglement climatique. En 2006, il avait notamment réalisé Une vérité qui dérange, un documentaire sur les conséquences du dérèglement climatique, récompensé aux Oscars. Avec ce rendez-vous, l’ancien candidat à la présidence américaine souhaite de nouveau interpeller sur les enjeux climatiques.
Par C. B avec AFP
fr.news.yahoo.com/video/al-gore-sous-la-tour-193106906.html
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Dans ce nouveau diaporama (présenté pour la première fois à TED), Al Gore dévoile des preuves que la vitesse des changements climatiques est bien plus importante que ce que les scientifiques avaient prédit auparavant. Il nous enjoint à agir.
www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_the_case_for_optimism_on_climat...
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Samedi soir 13 novembre 2015. Suite aux attentats, Al Gore interrompt une émission mondiale sur le climat
L'ex-vice-président américain Al Gore, qui organisait vendredi et samedi au pied de la Tour Eiffel à Paris une émission mondiale de 24 heures sur le climat, diffusée sur internet, l'a interrompue en raison des attentats survenus en France, par "solidarité avec le peuple français".
"Nous interrompons notre émission en raison des tragédies qui se déroulent ici à Paris, en raison de l'état d'urgence mais surtout parce que nous voulons exprimer notre solidarité avec le peuple français et la ville de Paris", a-t-il déclaré.
"Nous voulons exprimer nos condoléances aux familles de ceux qui ont perdu la vie, ceux qui sont gravement blessés, ceux qui souffrent des conséquences de ces terribles attaques terroristes", a-t-il dit. "Nous sommes solidaires".
"Nous continuerons à parler des sujets de cette émission, la crise du climat et ses solutions", a-t-il ajouté.
Dans cette émission organisée depuis vendredi en début de soirée sur un plateau installé sous un dôme transparent au pied de la Tour Eiffel, Al Gore accueillait scientifiques, politiques et chanteurs pour tenter de mobiliser la planète sur les enjeux du climat, à deux semaines de la Conférence de l'ONU sur le climat organisée à Paris à partir du 30 novembre.
Plus d'une centaine de chefs d'Etats sont attendus à l'ouverture de cette Conférence.
François Hollande devait intervenir dans l'émission d'Al Gore, samedi en début d'après-midi.
Le programme devait être diffusé pendant 24 heures sur le site de The Climate Reality Project, organisation fondée et présidée par M. Gore.
La conférence de l'ONU sur le climat (COP21), du 30 novembre au 11 décembre, est censée d’aboutir à un accord mondial pour limiter le réchauffement climatique.
AFP-LE MATIN 14 November 2015
lematin.ma/express/2015/al-gore-interrompt-l-emission-de-...
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La 21e Conférence des Parties
Chaque année, depuis la signature de la Convention-Cadre des Nations Unies sur les Changements Climatiques en 1992, les 195 Etats signataires se réunissent pour définir ensemble des objectifs concrets de lutte contre les dérèglements climatiques. Aux côtés des représentants des Etats, les ONG, les collectivités territoriales, les syndicats, les entreprises et la communauté scientifique, participent aux débats.
Du 29 novembre au 11 décembre, Paris accueillait la 21e Conférence des Parties (COP21). Cette conférence est une échéance cruciale qui représente la fin d’un cycle de négociations, en s’inscrivant dans le prolongement direct de la grande COP de 1997, qui avait permis l’adoption du protocole de Kyoto.
La COP21 a établi les bases d’un nouvel accord international applicable à tous les pays. Il engagera l’ensemble des Nations dans une réduction globale des émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES), dans l’objectif de maintenir le réchauffement mondial à 1.5°C.
Conférence de Paris de 2015 sur le climat : fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conférence_de_Paris_de_2015_sur_le...
www.paris.fr/actualites/cop-21-paris-et-les-parisiens-mob...
Changements climatiques : quels enjeux pour la COP 21 ?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J7H7e2cMd4
www.fondation-nicolas-hulot.org/sites/default/files/press...
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François Hollande à ouvert la COP21, la conférence de Paris sur le climat. Le président Français a parlé d'un rendez-vous exceptionnel, un immense espoir : "Il s'agit de décider ici à Paris de l'avenir même de la planète" :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4VxTYg5AxQ
Sommet mondial sur le développement durable : discours de la France à l’ONU le 30 septembre 2015
François Hollande a évoqué les trois priorités après l’adoption du Programme de développement à l’horizon 2030 et en vue de la Conférence de Paris sur le climat en décembre. La première priorité est la préservation du climat, le Président français estimant qu’il faudrait signer un texte qui engagerait l’ensemble de la communauté internationale sur des décennies. Si notre planète subissait un réchauffement supérieur à 2°C, cela signifierait la disparition d’un certain nombre de pays, a prévenu le Président français, pour qui le caractère urgent de ce problème nécessitait des changements dans les modes de consommation et un financement approprié pour sa mise en œuvre. À son avis, 100 milliards de dollars seraient nécessaires pour assurer la transition énergétique et pour la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. La deuxième priorité est la lutte contre la pauvreté, qui devra être menée avec le fonds de la transition énergétique. La troisième priorité concerne la mobilisation de ressources pour la réalisation des trois piliers du développement durable pour assurer que tous les peuples de la planète jouissent pleinement de leurs droits fondamentaux en toute égalité et dignité dans un monde pacifique.
Le Président a par ailleurs annoncé que la France avait décidé d’augmenter son aide publique au développement à partir de 2020, à 4 milliards d’euros. Il a aussi annoncé la réforme de l’APD française en conjonction avec l’Agence française du développement et la Caisse des dépôts, qui deviendrait ainsi la plus grande banque européenne pour le développement. Il a également évoqué la mise en place de la taxe sur les transactions financières à partir de 2017, dont une partie serait affectée à la lutte contre les inégalités et contre la pauvreté.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVCamSbN53Q
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Le dérèglement climatique vu par Jean-Louis Etienne
En partenariat avec Universcience.tv, nous poursuivons la publication d’une série d’entretiens en vidéo sur le changement climatique, dans la perspective de la COP21, la conférence internationale qui se tiendra à Paris du 30 novembre au 11 décembre. Cette conférence tentera de parvenir à un accord contraignant sur la transition vers des économies sobres en carbone.
Dans cette vidéo, Jean-Louis Etienne, explorateur de l’Arctique et de l’Antarctique mais aussi médecin, voit le réchauffement climatique comme une maladie, une fièvre qui touche la planète et s’aggrave aux pôles. Il prescrit l’arrêt des énergies fossiles – tout particulièrement le charbon avec lequel les pays du Sud se développent – et se demande si l’homme saura stopper à temps son addiction à ces énergies.
Cet entretien a été réalisé à l’occasion de l’exposition temporaire « Climat, l’expo à 360 ° » qui vient d’ouvrir à la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie de Paris.
www.lemonde.fr/sciences/video/2015/10/14/le-dereglement-c...
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Le Sommet des Consciences pour le climat : www.dailymotion.com/video/x2yukt6
Lancé par Nicolas Hulot, envoyé spécial du président de la République pour la protection de la planète, le Sommet des Consciences réunit le 21 juillet 2015 à Paris, au CESE plus d'une quarantaine personnalités morales et religieuses du monde entier pour répondre à la question « The climate, why do I care ? » et lancer ensemble un « Appel des Consciences pour le climat ».
Une mobilisation des consciences de tous le habitants de la planète s’impose pour réussir le défi auquel l’humanité est confrontée : limiter le réchauffement du climat en diminuant sa consommation d’énergies fossiles et permettre à tous de s’adapter aux conditions nouvelles !
Le Temps est compté. Ce n’est plus seulement une question écologique, économique ou politique. C’est l’avenir de l’humanité qui est en jeu. Chacun de nous se doit de répondre maintenant à la question : est-ce qu’il m’importe que l’aventure de l’humanité sur Terre puisse se poursuivre ? Est-ce que je suis prêt à modifier dès aujourd’hui mon mode de vie pour que nos enfants et leurs enfants puissent vivre dans des conditions supportables ?
L'Appel des consciences
Il est fondamental que les consciences des hommes et des femmes de cette planète s'expriment ensemble, quelques soient leurs conditions, leurs religions, leurs philosophies.
La campagne "Why do I care ?" invite chacun à témoigner, et à faire savoir autour de lui, pourquoi la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique est importante et nous concerne chacun.
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Festival Science Frontières : Nicolas HULOT et Jean-Marie PELT, nous parlent des grands problèmes de notre planète mais aussi des grandes solutions...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo-YoX-nsKk
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Osons: la conférence du 07 octobre au Grand Rex à Paris
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCUEcl6tqRM
OSONS
Plaidoyer d'un homme libre
« Les sommets sur le climat se succèdent, nous croulons sous l'avalanche de rapports plus alarmants les uns que les autres. Et l'on se rassure avec une multitude de déclarations d'intention et de bonnes résolutions. Si la prise de conscience progresse, sa traduction concrète reste dérisoire. L'humanité doit se ressaisir, sortir de son indifférence et faire naître un monde qui prend enfin soin de lui. »
Nicolas Hulot, Président de la Fondation Nicolas Hulot pour la Nature et l'Homme
Ce manifeste écrit par Nicolas Hulot est un cri du coeur, un plaidoyer pour l'action, un ultime appel à la mobilisation et un coup de poing sur la table des négociations climat avant le grand rendez-vous de la COP21. Il engage chacun à apporter sa contribution dans l'écriture d'un nouveau chapitre de l'aventure humaine, à nous changer nous mêmes et par ce biais à changer le monde.
Diagnostic implacable, constat lucide mais surtout propositions concrètes pour les responsables politiques et pistes d'action accessibles pour chacun d'entre nous, cet ouvrage est l'aboutissement de son engagement et de sa vision en toute liberté des solutions à « prescrire » avant et après la COP21. L'urgence est à l'action. En 12 propositions concrètes, Nicolas Hulot dresse, avec sa Fondation, une feuille de route alternative pour les États et suggère 10 engagements individuels pour que chacun puisse également faire bouger les lignes à son niveau.
Depuis 40 ans, Nicolas Hulot parcourt la planète. Témoin de sa lente destruction, il a décidé de devenir un des acteurs de sa reconstruction. Au côté de sa Fondation pour la Nature et l'Homme ou en parlant aux oreilles des décideurs, il contribue à faire évoluer les mentalités.
Broché - 96 pages - format : 12 x 19 cm.
Editions LLL Les liens qui libèrent.
boutique-solidaire.com/…/produits-…/26414-osons-.html
Nicolas Hulot - On n'est pas couché 31 octobre 2015 :
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YjmXqOTqu0
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Le film "Le Syndrome du Titanic" : vimeo.com/64741962
Le Syndrome du Titanic est un film documentaire réalisé en 2008 par Nicolas Hulot et Jean-Albert Lièvre, sorti le 7 octobre 2009
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Syndrome_du_Titanic
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Le film "Une Vérité qui Dérange" : www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ4izGzj9r0
Une vérité qui dérange (An Inconvenient Truth) est un documentaire américain de Davis Guggenheim sorti en 2006. Traitant du changement climatique, il est basé en grande partie sur une présentation multimédia que Al Gore, ancien vice-président des États-Unis et prix Nobel de la paix en 2007 (partagé avec le GIEC) a préparé pour sa campagne de sensibilisation sur le réchauffement planétaire
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Une_vérité_qui_dérange
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Photographie de Sébastien Duhamel, professionnel de l’image : www.sebastien-duhamel.com/présentation-références/
Derniers sujets photos : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/collections/721576...
Classeurs photos : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/collections
Albums photos : www.flickr.com/photos/sebastienduhamel/sets/
Tournages : vimeo.com/137495739
www.dailymotion.com/user/Sebastien_Duhamel/1
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Photo / Conditions : www.sebastien-duhamel.com/conditions-tarifs/
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Who will be the next president of the European Commission? And how will he – or she – deal with the big election issues, like mobility, energy and unemployment? With just weeks to go before the EU-wide election in May, Euranet Plus talk directly with the top candidates. On April 29, the presidential hopefuls came together to answer these questions and more, outlining their plans for the next five years.
Guests
- Jean-Claude Juncker (European People’s Party),
- Ska Keller (European Green Party),
- Martin Schulz (Party of European Socialists) and
- Guy Verhofstadt (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe)
Moderators:
- Brian Maguire
- Ahinara Bascuñana López
The videos, audios and all the details about the Big Crunch debate at
euranetplus-inside.eu/big-crunch-presidential-debate-on-a...
Le 18 septembre 2019 en début de soirée, j'arrive ā Sion par un bus assurant la liaison Avignon-Lyon-Genève-Sion. Alors que je m'apprête à rejoindre mon hôte du soir je profite du paysage que je surplombe. Le coucher de soleil donne ā la ville de Sion un caractère surnaturel, les nuages changent de couleur, les lampadaires s'allument, le château de Tourbillon illumine le paysage. Après avoir fait du couchsurfing -première expérience très positive-, je débute le lendemain mon excursion de deux semaines de balade dans le Val d'Hérens au cœur du Valais. Chargé de mon paquetage d'une dizaine de kilos, j'occupe la matinée de mon premier jour d'excursion par l'achat de produits locaux. Pas question de tomber en panne sèche ā 3000 mètres d'altitudes. Un saucisson, du fromage de la région – l'Étivaz-, du chocolat noir -Ovomaltine « C'est de la dynamite ! »-, des fruits secs et c'est parti. Avant de quitter Sion je profite de l'ambiance du centre ville de bon matin. Un passant solitaire traverse la place de la Planta. Du ciel transparaissent quelques rayons du soleil. Atemporel. En début d'après-midi, l'autobus m'amène ā Thyon-les-collons. Arrivé ā environ 2000 mètres d'altitude, je débute ma marche dans un paysage grandiose. Première impression : la connexion avec le ciel, l'impression d' être au dessus de tout... ou presque. Des nuages au loin m'invitent ā monter plus haut, les cols des montagnes ā les gravir pour y découvrir ce qui s'y cache derrière. Je traverse les steppes et gazons alpins, il y a beau temps. La végétation que je croise est luxuriante, colorée et diversifiée. Je croise peu de touristes.
Durant les trois premiers jours, j'essaye de prendre un rythme. J'essaye d'atteindre en fin de journée les points que je me suis fixé comme but en début de journée. Je n'y parviens pas. Non pas que physiquement je sois éreinté par le dénivelé que je commence ā ressentir dans les cuisses et ischio-jambier, mais par les nombreux arrêts que je m'autorise pour faire des sessions photographiques. Poser ā terre les bâtons de marche, enlever le sac ā dos, sortir l'appareil photo, cadrer, faire la photographie, ranger l'appareil, réajuster les sangles de maintient, remettre le sac sur le dos, s'abaisser et prendre les bâtons de marche. Reprendre la marche. Toute une opération qui au bout d'un temps me fait plutôt jeter ā terre les bâtons, poser un peu ā la va vite le sac ā terre et répéter toutes ces opérations. Mais cette légère contrainte est largement compensée par l'étonnement, l'admiration, l'ébahissement que j'ai d'être face ā un tel paysage. Une faune et une flore sauvage, laissée ā l'état de liberté. C'est un paysage de caractère qui invite ā la plénitude. Quelques rares habitations qui se perdent dans un paysage montagneux. Le voisinage ne semble pas être une question contraignante. Je m'imagine alors le mode de vie que doivent avoir ces gens qui vivent dans ces habitats le temps d'une saison... peut-être ā l'année. Je prends conscience qu'en montagne, la fraîcheur se fait rapidement sentir dès que le soleil n'illumine plus le flanc de montagne sur lequel vous êtes. En septembre, selon ou l'on se trouve, 17h est l'heure à laquelle il est légitime de se soucier de l'endroit du coucher. Le premier jour, je fais l'erreur de tarder dans le choix du lieu du bivouac. À 19h je commence ma recherche. Après une heure et demie je parviens ā trouver un compromis. En sous-bois, sur le flanc d'un sol pentu, je compense alors les aléas du terrains en mettant en boule quelques habits dans la tente. Je dîne - bien grand mot quand la casserole est ā la fois l'outil de cuisson, l'assiette pour le plat principal et le contenant du thé en fin de repas. Ma première nuit est fraîche, l'idée de dormir dans un sous-bois rend l'atmosphère humide, le froid ressenti comme étant davantage prégnant.
Le lendemain je repars en bonne forme. Je continue de longer le fleuve de la Dixence qui se trouve en contrebas du chemin que j'empreinte. Pause ravitaillement pour récupérer ā une source de l'eau et remplir ma gourde de 2 litres. Il n'est pas rare de croiser des troupeaux sur mon chemin mené ou pas par des éleveurs. Au deuxième jour de marche, Thyon-les-collons est ā peine visible. Je croise de-ci, de-là des maisonnettes, des troupeaux sur mon chemin. Le dénivelé se fait plus marqué et le poids du sac se fait davantage sentir sur les épaules. Pause déjeuner. Le paysage se fait de plus en plus montagneux, les roches noires contrastent avec les couleurs ocres, jaunes pétantes des fourrages. Il me faudra trois jours pour arriver au niveau du Lac des Dix (2365m) et de son barrage aux dimensions impressionnantes. D'une hauteur de 235 mètres, long comme deux terrains de football mis bout ā bout, ce barrage est d'une profondeur de 200 mètres ā sa base et d'une quinzaines de mètres ā son point le plus haut. Son poids serait égal ā celui de la grande pyramide de Khéops en Egypte. De telles dimensions permettent au barrage de la Grande Dixence de contenir les 400 millions de m3 d'eau du lac, développant une puissance électrique record de 2000 MW ce qui lui permet d'être considéré comme le plus haut barrage-poids du monde. Un tel spectacle est étonnant. 15 mètres de marche permettent de constater de l'exploit de cette architecture. D'un coté distant de quelques mètres le lac de la Dixence calme et paisible, de l'autre côté la vallée qui s'étend 200 mètres plus bas. À perte de vue des vallons, montagnes, des pics. Au loin, la ville de Sion.
Première nuit ou les étoiles se révèlent avec une pollution lumineuse réduite. La voûte céleste se laisse prendre en photographie en pause lente. Il n'est pas rare durant les quelques nuit que je passe proche d'une forêt, d'un bois ou d'un ruisseau de me réveiller plusieurs fois la nuit, saisi par le froid. La couche supérieure de la tente gèle parfois. Par mégarde je laisse deux habits posés sur la tente pour qu'ils sèchent à l'extérieur. Durant la nuit, les cristaux de glaces se forment et les gèlent entièrement. Les débuts de journées sont fraîches et reculent mon heure de départ. La solution ā défaut d'avoir des moufles pour maintenir les mains au chaud : avoir des chaussettes aux mains. À 10h le soleil réchauffe l'atmosphère, les habits sèchent et je peux faire ma toilette et un petit bain frigorifique dans le Torrent de Chenna ā 10h du matin. La route qui mène au barrage de la Grande Dixence est tortueuse, je n'aurai pas ā l'emprunter, prenant un chemin de terre qui y mène directement. Il me fait passer par une succession de tunnel creusé dans des flancs de montagne. Le soir, sans réseau 4G, je campe ā la pointe du lac de Dix. Seul, sans pollution lumineuse, sonore, humaine. J'ai l'impression d'être en proie ā la nature, à une solitude qui ne fait pas peur, mais ou tout est possible. Le passé ou le futur lointain n'est pas dans mes pensée. Seul le présent et ses alternatives temporelles proches m'occupent l'esprit. Je trouve un lieu où dormir et installe la tente. Rapidement je me lave grâce ā l'eau d'un ruisseau qui coule. Je prépare à manger, déguste face à un paysage qui s'obscurcit. La nuit tombe, des nuages se découpent sur les pics des montagnes. Je m'endors avec le seul bruit du vent qui tapote sur la toile de tente.
4ème journée, je quitte le lac des Dix pour me rendre au col de Riedmatten en passant par le pas de chèvre (2919m). Je me lève ā 5h du matin. Ma première action ? Prendre un petit-déjeuner à base de chocolat, fruits secs variés, fajitas, patte d'amande avec un peu de chocolat aussi. Un petit coup de toilette puis je m'occupe de trier, ranger le matériel pour qu'il tienne dans les 50 litres du sac ā dos. Au fur et à mesure des jours qui passent je dois avouer que cette action répétitive me lasse un peu mais devient un rituel qui marque le début et la fin de la journée. Je débute la marche alors que le soleil se lève sur les pics de montagnes et la vallée au loin. La montée se fait de plus en plus pentue. Je traverse le Torrent de Cheilon. Peu ā peu, le chemin de caillou se transforme en chemin symbolique ou seul les balises en indiquent concrètement la trajectoire. La flore se fait plus rare, le paysage imposant se fait plus abrupte, le dénivelé s'affirme. Je ne m'aide plus seulement de mes jambes mais aussi de mes mains pour gravir. Je m'attarde un temps face au mont Blanc de Cheilon et ā son glacier. Observation contemplative. Arrivé au Col de Riedmatten, je laisse derrière moi les roches, pierres et une flore qui se fait rare pour y découvrir les steppes qui mènent vers le lac de Moiry. Le paysage environnant est entrecoupé de pics et de pentes dans un écrin de nature sauvage. Je vois dans le Glacier de Tsijore Nouve une tête de mort... En début d'après-midi j'entame ma descente vers Arolla (2000m) dominée par le mont Collon en arrière plan. Arrivé ā Arolla, les nuages s'obscurcissent... J'empreinte un pont de singe qui tangue ā chaque pas dans un rebond lancinant. Une sensation amusante qui donne l'impression d’être plus léger, d'avoir le pas hésitant.
Je campe le soir près de la Sage, dans un champs qui en apparence semble appartenir à personne. La nuit fut entrecoupée par une pluie battante et des rafales de vent. Le lendemain je me réveille avec une brume qui se dissipe. Ayant plutôt l'habitude de côtoyer des architectures de béton je quitte la Sage et ses chalets de bois qui semblent venir d'une autre époque. L'objectif que je me fixe ā la mi-journée c'est d'arriver au Lac Bleu, réputé pour se situer dans un écrin de nature sauvage, avec une eau d'une couleur bleu vive - résultant de l'action conjuguée des algues et des argiles glaciaires-. Sur le chemin qui monte au lac, en pleine forêt, alors que je remets une sangle de mon sac à dos, je me fais surprendre par le bond d'un cerf adulte qui fend les fourrages à une vitesse éclair. La scène se déroule face à moi à une trentaine de mètres. Pas un seul bâtiment aux alentours. La nature. Elle m'invite ā un imaginaire digne des films de fantasy comme le Seigneur des Anneaux ou encore à me plonger dans l'ambiance cinématographique d'une période Moyenâgeuse où les croyances et rituels étaient connectés à la nature. Une époque où la démographie humaine était moins importante, où la valeur humaine était autre. Peu de temps m'en faut pour arriver au Lac Bleu. Vu l'heure, je décide de laver et faire sécher au soleil mes vêtements sales. Je mets en place un dispositif d'étendoir assez incongru en utilisant mes bâtons de marche et la table de camping qui se trouve sur une butte en surplombant le lac. 1h. 2h. Le soleil se couvre peu ā peu, malgré des rafales de vent bien présentes, le linge ne sèche pas. 3H, je commence ā me dire que je ne pourrais pas continuer plus loin ma marche de la journée. 19h30. J'installe la tente pour me réchauffer – connaissant la fraicheur des nuits proches d'une source d'eau-. Je décide de faire du feu avec un briquet, quelques brindilles et des branches ramassées de ci de-là. Sans succès. Nuit tombante depuis le lac bleu. Cette nuit fut la plus difficile. Je me réveille plusieurs fois durant la nuit, me réchauffe les doigts en allumant un briquet, entasse mes habits les uns par dessus les autres. À quelques centaines de mètres je traverse ce qui semble être un village abandonné. Une inscription surplombe l'un des chalets : « Le petit chalet ». Le lendemain je prends la route pour les Haudères (1454m), charmant village de vallée où tous les bâtis ou presque sont en bois. Traversant les forêts Valaisannes, je prête l'oreille ā plusieurs coups de feu. En cette basse saison, les chasseurs sont plus présent dans les forêts que les randonneurs. Je fais d'ailleurs la rencontre de trois d'entres eux. Le premier est pris en photographie sur smartphone par sa femme alors qu'il porte ā bout de bras un cerf tel un trophée. Le second lorsque je croise un chasseur porter sur son dos un cerf. Cette rencontre me permets de discuter avec lui sur sa pratique. Je suis notamment étonné de le voir redescendre de si bonne heure (8h) avec déjà un cervidé mort sur le dos. Il m'explique qu'il a tué l'animal la veille, l'a vidé de ses entrailles, a dormi dans une cabane de chasseur et qu'il redescend ā son véhicule pour aller vendre la bête ce matin. Curieux de son arme, il me montre ses cartouches et son viseur d'une précision de plus de 500 mètres. Je le prends en photographie avant que chacun nous reprenions nos routes. À la mi-journée, je décide que je dormirai dans un camping avec plus de confort ā la clef. Avant d'entrer dans les Haudères, je fais la rencontre de plusieurs chalets fleuris nichés sur le flanc de la montagne. Je pourrais presque m'attendre ā ce que Bilbon Sacquet sorte avec un lot de pinte de Gandalf’s Ale, de Bilbo’s Beer ou encore de Frodo’s Lager. Ca n’arrivera pas, mais je m'amuse ā me l'imaginer. Arrivé ā Les Haudères je découvre un centre-village tout fait de bois et de pierres. Deux artères coupent le village d'Est en Ouest et du Nord au Sud. Je passe face au Garage des Alpes, atelier de réparation automobile pour me rendre jusqu’à l'auberge-camping Molignon, endroit ou je dormirai pour la nuit.
À minuit il se met à pleuvoir durant plusieurs heures. De bon matin je croise dans le camping un touriste qui me déconseille de randonner jusqu'au Col de Torrent avec la météo qu'il y a eu la veille. Les sommets sont enneigés. Je décide de me prendre une journée de repos et vais en direction d'Evolène (1371m) pour m'y acheter des moufles afin d'éviter le froid ressenti parfois durant la nuit ou pour éviter le frottement de la paume sur les bâtons de marche. Le lendemain en direction de La Sage je croise les dernières maisons. Alors que je continue mon ascension, derrière moi l'orage semble se profiler sur les Haudères et Evolène. Je continue la marche en espérant que la météo ne se dégrade pas trop. Arrivée dans les nuages.
J'expérimente ma première nuit à 0 degré à 2700 mètres d'altitude sur le flanc de montagne ā 300 mètres du Col de Torrent. Les nuage sont en formation, j'ai la tête dans les nuages. Levé ā 7h du matin je pars en direction le Col de Torrent ā 2916 mètres d'altitude. Le chemin de traverse me mène jusqu'au lac de Moiry (2249m) d'un bleu étonnant et son barrage qui surplombe la vallée. Son barrage voûte situé dans le canton du Valais en Suisse est localisé au-dessus du village de Grimentz. Il a été mis en service en 1958 après 4 ans de construction. Je m'endors près du pas de Lona (2787m) sous une nuit étoilée. Le lendemain matin, c'est la tête dans les nuages et le brouillard que je débute mon excursion matinale avec l'impression d'assister ā un spectacle, un ballet où les nuages glissent cotonneusement sur les flancs de montagne. Quelle sensation de solitude. Dans l'après-midi j'atteins la cabane des Becs de Bosson ā 2983 mètres d'altitude puis la pointe de la Tsevalire ā 3026 mètres. Je finis la journée bien fatigué proche de la Becca de Lovegno à près de 2700m ou j'y passe la nuit. 18h, le soleil se couche derrière les crêtes. Je passe ma nuit la plus fraiche, -2 degré était annoncé par la météo locale. Je ne dors pas bien, me réveille souvent. Mon pantalon, le sac ā dos et tout ce qui peut tenir chaud est empilé au dessus de moi sur le sac de couchage. Durant un court moment, je décide d'allumer le réchaud pour réchauffer mes doigts.
Le lendemain je me repose durant deux heures proche du lac du Louché (2567m), situé dans un écrin de nature marécageux, isolé et préservé de toute activité humaine. Cet endroit est l'un des plus silencieux de toute mon excursion. Pas de bruit. Celui du vent par intermittence. Seul les trainées de condensation d'un avion haut dans le ciel marque la réalité de notre époque et renforce mon extase sonore et visuelle face à un tel lieu. Je prends en photographie la Gentiana Verna, première de la saison qui occupe avec parcimonie les prairies subalpines. Je reprends la marche pour me rendre au Mont-Noble ā près de 2670m. Une fois franchie cette étape je ne cesse de descendre en altitude en passant par Mase (1301m) pour me rendre aux grottes de Combioula qui se trouvent dans les gorges de la Borgne. La source chaude de ces grottes permet de profiter d'une eau à une vingtaine de degrés tout en admirant le paysage environnant. La rivière Borgne qui passe ā quelques mètres est bien plus froide. Le lendemain je me rends direction Hérémence pour y découvrir les pyramides d'Euseigne qui font partie des caractéristiques géologiques impressionnantes du territoire. Je me rends ā Vex (939m). Plus tôt dans la journée j'avais passé un coup de téléphone pour y réserver une nuit en camping.
Arrivé lā-bas, je suis reçu par le gérant. Il a l'allure imposante d'un biker de film américain des années 80. Le bandana autour de la tête, assez petit et trapu, la bedaine en supplément. Débute alors un quiproquo où je lui annonce avoir réservé un emplacement de tente pour la nuit. Lui me dit que non. La fatigue n'aidant pas, j'affirme mon point de vue. Quiproquo qui abouti ā ce que la discussion se dégrade. Je décide de partir promptement, n'ayant pas envie d'avoir à faire à ses chiens. Je me rends compte que l'erreur venais de moi et que le camping en question où j'avais une place de réservée était ā Sion au camping Valcentre (500m). Je repense ā cet épisode ubuesque tout en marchant. En bande dessinée ça aurait fait le gag. 17h. Vite il me faut accélérer le pas pour me rendre sur place. Le coup du sort jouant en ma défaveur ou bien car j'étais désinformé, je prends un chemin balisé pour les randonneurs qui me mène à... un cul de sac ou plutôt à un chemin condamné. Du fait de la chute de pierres il y avait quelques mois de cela, la passerelle qui surplombe La Borgne n'est plus. Voyant l'heure filer, je décide tout de même de traverser la rivière le sac ā dos tenu les bras en l'air. Me croyant libéré de cette histoire d'éboulis de pierres je fais face à deux autres reprises à des culs de sac ou des portions de chemin fragilisés. Je me dépêche de les franchir en prenant un maximum conscience des points d'équilibres qui sont optimum pour ma traversée de ces obstacles. Je quitte la rivière et rejoint les champs de vigne. En fin de journée sur les coups de 19 heures j'arrive au camping de Sion fatigué mais content d'avoir réussi à atteindre mon point d'étape de la journée. Les deux jours qui suivent me permettent de faire des emplettes (surtout des plaquettes de chocolat) et de préparer mon retour en France. Je prends le bus le 4 octobre tout en me disant que je reviendrais un de ces jours parmi ces paysages Suisse afin d'en découvrir davantage.
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Ashwell Institute at Templers, Lower Mid North South Australia, destroyed in the Pinery bushfire that burned from 25 November to 2 December 2015.
Two people died and nearly 100 homes and 400 farm structures were destroyed in the devastating 82,500 hectare blaze.
The opening of the Ashwell Institute was inaugurated on Wednesday evening, the 3rd inst. the Rev C J Evans kindly giving a lecture in aid of the funds. There was a very well-attended meeting, and at the close of the lecture a vote of thanks was unanimously accorded the rev. gentleman. [Ref: Bunyip 6-6-1968]
The Ashwell Institute held regular quarterly meetings, mostly in the local schoolroom. John Barrow was staunchly connected with the Institute and gave land for the Ashwell Institute building. He was a treasurer and trustee of the Institute, and a Justice of the Peace.
The annual meeting of the Ashwell (Templers) Institute was held on July 1. Mr Dyer occupied the chair. The Treasurer (Mr Barrow) read the balance sheet, showing that £114 stands to the credit of the institute.
The question of building a hall was discussed, but nothing was done, as the local schoolroom in which the Institute is held was considered equal to the requirements of the district. It was decided to spend £10 in books. [Adelaide Observer 6-7-1889]
The annual concert in connection with the Ashwell Institute was held tonight, when an excellent programme was carried out. There was a capital attendance, the school room being crowded. The performers were mainly visitors: some from Gawler and Pinkerton Plains. [Ref: Register 7-9-1889]
The new Institute was formally opened on Wednesday [15 July]. The two members for the district (Messrs Gilbert and Butler) were present on the occasion. The senior member in his opening speech congratulated the inhabitants on their acquisition of so fine a building, wishing them success in their future. Mr Butler called for three cheers "for the success of the Ashwell Institute," which was heartily responded to.
The company, to the number of forty, then sat down to dinner, generously provided by different members of the Institute. The usual toast list followed. In the evening a successful entertainment took place. Unfortunately the members could not be present at the entertainment owing to business in the House. [Ref: Adelaide Observer 25-7-1891]
Mr J Barrow writes stating that he did not say at the opening of the Ashwell Institute that the Ministry were a very poor one. What he said was, “Ministries in general were set upon by parliamentary faddists, which appear to be on the increase, while the country is ground under the burden of over-legislation, and what was worse more was about to be added by the needless scheme of federation. [Ref: Bunyip 24-7-1891]
ASHWELL, November 10
A lecturette on ‘Tennyson the Poet Laureate’, by the Rev Mr Kendrew, was given at the Ashwell Institute, on the 9th inst. Mr Pitt occupied the chair, and Mrs Kendrew presided at the piano assisted by Mrs Devenish. Recitations were given by some members of the Institute. The audience though not numerous was appreciative. [Ref: Bunyip 13-11-1891]
Obit
Mr. John Barrow, of Templers, died on February 10, at the age of 90 years, leaving a widow, four sons, 2 daughters and 23 grandchildren.
He was born at Seaton, Rutlandshire, England in 1813, and arrived in South Australia in April, 1845 in the ship ‘Isabella Watson’. Three years subsequently he went to reside at Ashwell, near Templers, where he engaged in farming pursuits until the time of his death.
The deceased gentleman was prominent in the founding of the Ashwell Institute, and gave the piece of land upon which the building stands.
The site of the Templers school was also provided free by him. Mr Barrow was one of the founders of the Wasleys Farmers' Club, which was a well known institution about 15 years ago. He was president for a long term, and in the discussions on agricultural and political subjects he took a leading part. In district council matters he had a long record. The deceased gentleman was connected with the old Mudla Wirra council before it was divided into two districts, and after the division he was chairman of the Mudla Wirra North council for many years. The Wasleys School Board of Advice was another body to which he gave his best services. [Ref: Chronicle 18-4-1903]
The death is announced of Mr John Barrow, of Templers. Mr Barrow was a highly respected and useful colonist.
After three years of varied occupation, he took up land at Ashwell Run, Templers. and began farming on his own account.
He also carted ore from the Burra Mines, and it took 24 bullocks to pull the dray up Templers Hill. With four others he went overland to the Victorian diggings and sold his bullocks for £140. Having found that gold digging was not what it was represented, he returned to South Australia to reap his wheat: but it was so low in the stalk that he could not cut it with the scythe, and had to pull it by hand. This wheat brought £1 a bushel.
He was trustee of Ashwell institute, and gave the ground for the building and school.
The institute was named Ashwell, after his farm. [Ref: Adelaide Observer 18-4-1903]
John Barrow’s funeral left from his home, Ashwell for burial in the Templers Cemetery.
Emma Barrow died in 1909 at her home, Ashwell Park, and was also buried in the Templers Cemetery.
110,000 Throughout Ireland Protested Against 64 Billion Euro Bank Debt - Were You There?
Have you ever noticed how often the number 64 appears in headlines and on posters. We in Ireland have a 64 Billion Euro debt, or so we are told. It is interesting to note that "The $64,000 Question" was an American game show broadcast from 1955–1958, which became embroiled in the scandals involving TV quiz shows of the day.
The organisers of today's protest march claimed that over 110,000 people took part in the demonstrations.but according to local media and police estimates the total country wide turnout was about 50,000.
The largest event took place in Dublin and according to local police about 25,000 took part while the organisers claim that at least 60,000 took part (maybe 64,000 took part). Today an experienced journalist explained to me that the police count the number of legs and divide by two and the protest organisers count the number of legs and divide by one (BTW that's a joke).
To be honest I do not know if anyone is even trying to be accurate but the following statement was issued by the ITCU:
9 Feb 2013
More than 110,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country today, in protest at the country’s continued bank debt burden.
The protests were organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and took place in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Sligo.
Over 60,000 took part in the Dublin protest, while at least 15,000 turned out in Cork, 13,000 in Waterford, 10,000 in Limerick, 7,000 in Sligo and 5,000 I Galway.
Congress General Secretary David Begg told protestors at a rally in Dublin’s Merrion Square that bank debt problem had not been solved by the recent deal.
He vowed Congress would continue its bank debt campaign until the link between private bank debt and national debt was clearly broken.
Mark Question is a bit of mystery. He lives for philosophy and constantly ponders life and its mysteries. Mark asks more questions than he or anyone else can ever answer.
Mark’s special move is just one big question, no one knows what it is (yet amazingly it still has a rank?!) This is just the type of Mystery Mark craves!
I finally have to cave in. I took this shot in Bandon, Oregon in July - the most beautiful song was coming from this guy. I have been reluctant to put this shot on as it was beyond the capabilities of my lens and about as bad as it gets but I just have to know what bird this is?
PS: Not that this shot is going to get a lot of attention but, from now on, any group with huge icons will be ignored. This group thing is getting out of hand and starting to take up too much time, as well. I appreciate the appreciation, so to speak - but have decided to stay with the old trusted groups. I, on the other hand, will respond with faves and, occasionally, with one of the "old" awards.
Auryn Piers decides not to push the subject at this point, sighing as Tarin insists on moving about. She locates and fills a glass full of water before sitting it on the table in front of her. “Well, hopefully you got it all outta your system.” She was, of course, referring to the drinking.
Tarin Perian looks at the water and then picks it up and takes a swallow. "There's some...gatorjuice crap in the fridge....I think." She rests her forehead in her hand. "Everything fucking hurts...even numb, it hurts.."
Auryn Piers: “Drink the water.” The command was a softly-spoken one as she settles into the nearby chair. Despite humankind’s efforts when it came to hydration, nothing quite beat good ol’ H2O.
Tarin Perian works on getting the water down already starting to sober up. "Hate this..." she mumbles and then slides a hand over to Auryn. "I'm glad you're here."
Auryn Piers offers a weak smile as she allows her hand to be taken. “Well, you’re definitely a girl that needs looking after.” The words are offered in half jest as brows are comically lifted.
Tarin Perian finishes the glass of water and pushes it aside. "Now..can I have some of th'juice?" She grins at Auryn and her smile flickers and fades. "I'm sorry. I am. But...it was so scary...and it all happened so fast..."
Auryn Piers: “Yeah.” She collects the glass before rising, sliding her hand from beneath the other. “I really am sorry you had a rough time of it.” She tosses the statement over her shoulder while finding and then filling the container with the desired beverage. She returns to the table and places it neatly before Tarin. “Musta shook you up pretty bad.” She reclaims her seat while casting a concerned glance in the woman’s direction.
Tarin Perian drinks about a third of the glass as soon as it's set down, then closes her eyes and leans back. 'Better...thanks for this. I mean it. And yeah...I can't say much about it, but...basically, someone that was...well..family...was so very -not-. And it got messy..and...when it was all done...everyone had somewhere to be...someone to be with..."
Auryn Piers: “Bad stuff happens fast. Then again, so does the good stuff.” She lifts slender shoulders into a shrug. “That’s life, I guess.” Fingers absently trace the table’s surface as she listens, head adopting a shallow cant as green eyes remain upon the other’s features. She finds herself unsure of what to say, lips forming a thin line as she considers. “No matter what happens or doesn’t happen with us, you have a friend in me, okay? You need someone after something bad like that? Gimme a call.”
Tarin Perian glances over at Auryn and then back down at the table. "Sounds a lot like I'd just be using you when the bad shit happened. Then again, in this place...that's been about once every couple of weeks on an average."
Auryn Piers: “Eh. Different people mean different things to each other. A friendship is a friendship, right? ‘Sides, I’m sure you’d do the same for me.” She begins to fidget, weight shifting within the chair.
Tarin Perian nods a little. "Yeah...I'd do the same for you in a heartbeat. I guess...I'm just fumbling my way. See...I never...saw relationships. Or...anything...really. I mean..I have some vague memories from when I was like..five..but after that, for the next twelve years, I lived in Facilities. Labs." She looks down at the glass, now about half empty. "I'm kinda learning as I go here. We weren't around a wide variety of people, or a large number of them."
Auryn Piers: “Yeah, I kinda figured that.” She leans backward in her chair, fingers lacing behind her neck as a swiveling of her head allows for a sideways glance. “I’ve lived on the streets and in-” She cuts off the statement, debating the wisdom of being so forthcoming. “Let’s just say I may not be all that older than you or anything but I’ve had my share of.. Uh… experiences. I don’t mean sex.. ’though there’s that. I just mean with people. I know who I am. It’s something I had to figure out for myself and that’s something you’re gunna have to do.”
Tarin Perian nods a little. "I know. And...I don't want you to think I don't...appreciate you. Or care for you. Or find you amazing. But...you're like..light years ahead of where I'm at with being sure about things. Me? Give me an arsenal to strip down and reassemble, or a tactical situation to analyze, and I'm fine..." No..no real signs of being drunk now that she's drinking the 'juice'. "...but put me in a club or a party? I panic. I don't know how to behave, or react, or..." She sighs. "I couldn't even live in a family. I had to leave."
Auryn Piers: “You’ll find your way, darlin’” A genuine smile finds her lips as she continues to indulge in the backward lounge. “People ain’t all that hard to figure out and once you been around them for awhile, you’ll start to see who you really are.” Auryn was young, yes, but did have an uncanny insight into human behavior. Most of which was born of a necessity, a tool required for survival. “Can’t really rush these things. Takes time.”
Tarin Perian tips her head and looks at her, resting one bruised cheek in her hand. "You think you've got patience enough to deal with me? That Judge guy....he's used up every last ounce of patience in his bucket, I swear."
Auryn Piers had noted her sudden lack of intoxication and inwardly puzzles but chooses not to currently address it. “Depends on whatcha mean by patience. Will I stick around and be your friend? Sure. Confused straight girl or not, you’re still worth knowing.” This is followed by a quick wink. “Will I stand around and chew on my guts while you figure stuff out?” She slowly shakes her head. “Naw, that I ain’t gunna do.”
Tarin Perian nods a little. "Guess that's fair." She drains the last of the 'juice' and leans back gingerly, closing her eyes a moment. "Hopefully, you won't think it's too big a waste of your time."
Auryn Piers: “People worth knowing ain’t ever a waste of time. Can’t be everything to everybody, right? See, I know what I want outta life.” She falls silent a moment, chest rising and falling as she issues a lingering sigh. “Ain’t had much in the way of family myself and what I’m looking for is to be good enough for someone, you know?” The question is punctuated by an arch of a single brow. “Right now, that ain’t you.” She shrugs, allowing arms to slide forward in order to fold upon the table. “Nothing to feel bad about or nothing. What is.. Is.”
Tarin Perian murmurs. "And I'm not 'straight'. I'm definitely bi." She looks at Auryn carefully. "Very definitely bi. But...I'm not going to jerk you around. You are good enough...maybe too good." She grins a little and moves slowly to get up, injuries still present if the blessed whiskey haze isn't. She puts the glass in the sink and runs water on her hands, then wets her face, twisting her hair back with a damp hand before finding a towel and drying up. "So much for numb."
Auryn Piers: “Mebbe. Mebbe not.” She also rises, watching Tarin for a moment before squaring her shoulders in quiet determination. “You seem pretty okay now. Think I’ll just be headed on my way.” She jerks her head toward the door while wearing a small smile. “Need anything else before I take off?”
Tarin Perian turns and one hand lifts...then falls. "No...the juice stuff works pretty well. I'll be fine. Thank you, though. I mean it."
Auryn Piers: “Sure. I meant it too. Anything I can ever do for you, lemme know. You have my number.” She pats her pocket in emphasis before walking toward the door, fingertips hovering over the knob as she hesitates a long moment. She sighs, tapping the metal with her knuckles before finally opening the door. “See ya, Tarin?” She cranes her neck in order to cast a glance over her shoulder.
Tarin Perian watches her go and lets out a soft breath. "Yeah...see ya, Auryn." She waits until the door is closed, then moves to flip the lock, resting her head against the cool metal and closing her eyes. It had taken all her willpower to not kiss her or touch her - but she was right. It wasn't fair. She hit the button on the coffee pot and sat down in front of the computer. Maybe some work...
Auryn Piers wears something of a grim expression as she leaves the apartment, one hand thrust deeply within her pocket. She’d done as she’d intended and put the skids on anything romantic between the two of them. Even though she’d done it early and preferably before she got too attached, it still stung. In fact, more so than she’d expected.
Which is important intent or content ?
In nature photography is nature the artist or the photographer ?
Is photography art of choosing or art of seeing ?
Do we fill objects in our frame or remove emptiness ?
Postits are the preferred media of choice for ICT teachers at Suffolk's conference.
Thinking about all sorts of big questions.
It is some years, maybe 5 or more, since we last visited the cathedral in Canterbury. In the spring, I found the entrance to St Augustine's Abbey, so the plan yesterday was to visit them both.
I arrived just after ten, soon after it opened its doors, and was shocked to find that the multi-entry you used to get after paying your entrance fee had been discontinued. When I tried to ask the young man at the ticket office, he wasn't really able to speak much English to explain this to me, repeatedly holding one finger up at me as I asked the questions. £10.50, is not bad, I guess, especially as photography is allowed everywhere, except in the crypt, so I don't mind paying.
The site has been a place of worship probably since Roman times, and in the grounds of St Augustine's, just a short distance away, remains of a 7th century church still remain. What we see now in the cathedral is largely Norman, but with many improvements over the centuries.
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Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion; the archbishop, being suitably occupied with national and international matters, delegates the most of his functions as diocesan bishop to the Bishop suffragan of Dover. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury.
Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures.
Christianity had started to become powerful in the Roman Empire around the third century. Following the conversion of Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century, the influence of Christianity grew steadily .[2] The cathedral's first archbishop was Augustine of Canterbury, previously abbot of St. Andrew's Benedictine Abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 596 as a missionary to the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine founded the cathedral in 597 and dedicated it to Jesus Christ, the Holy Saviour.[3]
Augustine also founded the Abbey of St. Peter and Paul outside the city walls. This was later rededicated to St. Augustine himself and was for many centuries the burial place of the successive archbishops. The abbey is part of the World Heritage Site of Canterbury, along with the cathedral and the ancient Church of St Martin.
Bede recorded that Augustine reused a former Roman church. The oldest remains found during excavations beneath the present nave in 1993 were, however, parts of the foundations of an Anglo-Saxon building, which had been constructed across a Roman road.[5][6] They indicate that the original church consisted of a nave, possibly with a narthex, and side-chapels to the north and south. A smaller subsidiary building was found to the south-west of these foundations.[6] During the ninth or tenth century this church was replaced by a larger structure (49 m. by 23 m.) with a squared west end. It appears to have had a square central tower.[6] The eleventh century chronicler Eadmer, who had known the Saxon cathedral as a boy, wrote that, in its arrangement, it resembled St Peter's in Rome, indicating that it was of basilican form, with an eastern apse.[7]
During the reforms of Dunstan, archbishop from 960 until his death in 988,[8] a Benedictine abbey named Christ Church Priory was added to the cathedral. But the formal establishment as a monastery seems to date only to c.997 and the community only became fully monastic from Lanfranc's time onwards (with monastic constitutions addressed by him to prior Henry). Dunstan was buried on the south side of the high altar.
The cathedral was badly damaged during Danish raids on Canterbury in 1011. The Archbishop, Alphege, was taken hostage by the raiders and eventually killed at Greenwich on 19 April 1012, the first of Canterbury's five martyred archbishops. After this a western apse was added as an oratory of St. Mary, probably during the archbishopric of Lyfing (1013–1020) or Aethelnoth (1020–1038).
The 1993 excavations revealed that the new western apse was polygonal, and flanked by hexagonal towers, forming a westwork. It housed the archbishop's throne, with the altar of St Mary just to the east. At about the same time that the westwork was built, the arcade walls were strengthened and towers added to the eastern corners of the church.
The cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1067, a year after the Norman Conquest. Rebuilding began in 1070 under the first Norman archbishop, Lanfranc (1070–77). He cleared the ruins and reconstructed the cathedral to a design based closely on that of the Abbey of St. Etienne in Caen, where he had previously been abbot, using stone brought from France.[9] The new church, its central axis about 5m south of that of its predecessor,[6] was a cruciform building, with an aisled nave of nine bays, a pair of towers at the west end, aiseless transepts with apsidal chapels, a low crossing tower, and a short choir ending in three apses. It was dedicated in 1077.[10]
The Norman cathedral, after its expansion by Ernulf and Conrad.
Under Lanfranc's successor Anselm, who was twice exiled from England, the responsibility for the rebuilding or improvement of the cathedral's fabric was largely left in the hands of the priors.[11] Following the election of Prior Ernulf in 1096, Lanfranc's inadequate east end was demolished, and replaced with an eastern arm 198 feet long, doubling the length of the cathedral. It was raised above a large and elaborately decorated crypt. Ernulf was succeeded in 1107 by Conrad, who completed the work by 1126.[12] The new choir took the form of a complete church in itself, with its own transepts; the east end was semicircular in plan, with three chapels opening off an ambulatory.[12] A free standing campanile was built on a mound in the cathedral precinct in about 1160.[13]
As with many Romanesque church buildings, the interior of the choir was richly embellished.[14] William of Malmesbury wrote: "Nothing like it could be seen in England either for the light of its glass windows, the gleaming of its marble pavements, or the many-coloured paintings which led the eyes to the panelled ceiling above."[14]
Though named after the sixth century founding archbishop, The Chair of St. Augustine, the ceremonial enthronement chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury, may date from the Norman period. Its first recorded use is in 1205.
Martyrdom of Thomas Becket
Image of Thomas Becket from a stained glass window
The 12th-century choir
A pivotal moment in the history of the cathedral was the murder of the archbishop, Thomas Becket, in the north-west transept (also known as the Martyrdom) on Tuesday, 29 December 1170, by knights of King Henry II. The king had frequent conflicts with the strong-willed Becket and is said to have exclaimed in frustration, "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" The knights took it literally and murdered Becket in his own cathedral. Becket was the second of four Archbishops of Canterbury who were murdered (see also Alphege).
The posthumous veneration of Becket made the cathedral a place of pilgrimage. This brought both the need to expand the cathedral and the wealth that made it possible.
Rebuilding of the choir
Tomb of the Black Prince
In September 1174 the choir was severely damaged by fire, necessitating a major reconstruction,[15] the progress of which was recorded in detail by a monk named Gervase.[16] The crypt survived the fire intact,[17] and it was found possible to retain the outer walls of the choir, which were increased in height by 12 feet (3.7 m) in the course of the rebuilding, but with the round-headed form of their windows left unchanged.[18] Everything else was replaced in the new Gothic style, with pointed arches, rib vaulting and flying buttresses. The limestone used was imported from Caen in Normandy, and Purbeck marble was used for the shafting. The choir was back in use by 1180 and in that year the remains of St Dunstan and St Alphege were moved there from the crypt.[19]
The master-mason appointed to rebuild the choir was a Frenchman, William of Sens. Following his injury in a fall from the scaffolding in 1179 he was replaced by one of his former assistants, known as "William the Englishman".
The shrine in the Trinity Chapel was placed directly above Becket's original tomb in the crypt. A marble plinth, raised on columns, supported what an early visitor, Walter of Coventry, described as "a coffin wonderfully wrought of gold and silver, and marvellously adorned with precious gems".[22] Other accounts make clear that the gold was laid over a wooden chest, which in turn contained an iron-bound box holding Becket's remains.[23] Further votive treasures were added to the adornments of the chest over the years, while others were placed on pedestals or beams nearby, or attached to hanging drapery.[24] For much of the time the chest (or "ferotory") was kept concealed by a wooden cover, which would be theatrically raised by ropes once a crowd of pilgrims had gathered.[21][23] Erasmus, who visited in 1512–4, recorded that, once the cover was raised, "the Prior ... pointed out each jewel, telling its name in French, its value, and the name of its donor; for the principal of them were offerings sent by sovereign princes."[25]
The income from pilgrims (such as those portrayed in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales) who visited Becket's shrine, which was regarded as a place of healing, largely paid for the subsequent rebuilding of the cathedral and its associated buildings. This revenue included the profits from the sale of pilgrim badges depicting Becket, his martyrdom, or his shrine.
The shrine was removed in 1538. Henry VIII summoned the dead saint to court to face charges of treason. Having failed to appear, he was found guilty in his absence and the treasures of his shrine were confiscated, carried away in two coffers and twenty-six carts.
Monastic buildings
Cloisters
A bird's-eye view of the cathedral and its monastic buildings, made in about 1165[27] and known as the "waterworks plan" is preserved in the Eadwine Psalter in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge.[28] It shows that Canterbury employed the same general principles of arrangement common to all Benedictine monasteries, although, unusually, the cloister and monastic buildings were to the north, rather than the south of the church. There was a separate chapter-house.[27]
The buildings formed separate groups around the church. Adjoining it, on the north side, stood the cloister and the buildings devoted to the monastic life. To the east and west of these were those devoted to the exercise of hospitality. To the north a large open court divided the monastic buildings from menial ones, such as the stables, granaries, barn, bakehouse, brew house and laundries, inhabited by the lay servants of the establishment. At the greatest possible distance from the church, beyond the precinct of the monastery, was the eleemosynary department. The almonry for the relief of the poor, with a great hall annexed, formed the paupers' hospitium.
The group of buildings devoted to monastic life included two cloisters. The great cloister was surrounded by the buildings essentially connected with the daily life of the monks,-- the church to the south, with the refectory placed as always on the side opposite, the dormitory, raised on a vaulted undercroft, and the chapter-house adjacent, and the lodgings of the cellarer, responsible for providing both monks and guests with food, to the west. A passage under the dormitory lead eastwards to the smaller or infirmary cloister, appropriated to sick and infirm monks.[27]
The hall and chapel of the infirmary extended east of this cloister, resembling in form and arrangement the nave and chancel of an aisled church. Beneath the dormitory, overlooking the green court or herbarium, lay the "pisalis" or "calefactory," the common room of the monks. At its north-east corner access was given from the dormitory to the necessarium, a building in the form of a Norman hall, 145 ft (44 m) long by 25 broad (44.2 m × 7.6 m), containing fifty-five seats. It was constructed with careful regard to hygiene, with a stream of water running through it from end to end.[27]
A second smaller dormitory for the conventual officers ran from east to west. Close to the refectory, but outside the cloisters, were the domestic offices connected with it: to the north, the kitchen, 47 ft (14 m) square (200 m2), with a pyramidal roof, and the kitchen court; to the west, the butteries, pantries, etc. The infirmary had a small kitchen of its own. Opposite the refectory door in the cloister were two lavatories, where the monks washed before and after eating.
[27]
Priors of Christ Church Priory included John of Sittingbourne (elected 1222, previously a monk of the priory) and William Chillenden, (elected 1264, previously monk and treasurer of the priory).[29] The monastery was granted the right to elect their own prior if the seat was vacant by the pope, and — from Gregory IX onwards — the right to a free election (though with the archbishop overseeing their choice). Monks of the priory have included Æthelric I, Æthelric II, Walter d'Eynsham, Reginald fitz Jocelin (admitted as a confrater shortly before his death), Nigel de Longchamps and Ernulf. The monks often put forward candidates for Archbishop of Canterbury, either from among their number or outside, since the archbishop was nominally their abbot, but this could lead to clashes with the king and/or pope should they put forward a different man — examples are the elections of Baldwin of Forde and Thomas Cobham.
Early in the fourteenth century, Prior Eastry erected a stone choir screen and rebuilt the chapter house, and his successor, Prior Oxenden inserted a large five-light window into St Anselm's chapel. [30]
The cathedral was seriously damaged by an earthquake of 1382, losing its bells and campanile.
From the late fourteenth century the nave and transepts were rebuilt, on the Norman foundations in the Perpendicular style under the direction of the noted master mason Henry Yevele.[31] In contrast to the contemporary rebuilding of the nave at Winchester, where much of the existing fabric was retained and remodelled, the piers were entirely removed, and replaced with less bulky Gothic ones, and the old aisle walls completely taken down except for a low "plinth" left on the south side. [32][6] More Norman fabric was retained in the transepts, especially in the east walls,[32] and the old apsidal chapels were not replaced until the mid-15th century.[30] The arches of the new nave arcade were exceptionally high in proportion to the clerestory.[30] The new transepts, aisles and nave were roofed with lierne vaults, enriched with bosses. Most of the work was done during the priorate of Thomas Chillenden (1391–1411): Chillenden also built a new choir screen at the east end of the nave, into which Eastry's existing screen was incorporated.[30] The Norman stone floor of the nave, however survived until its replacement in 1786.
From 1396 the cloisters were repaired and remodelled by Yevele's pupil Stephen Lote who added the lierne vaulting. It was during this period that the wagon-vaulting of the chapter house was created.
A shortage of money, and the priority given to the rebuilding of the cloisters and chapter-house meant that the rebuilding of the west towers was neglected. The south-west tower was not replaced until 1458, and the Norman north-west tower survived until 1834, when it was replaced by a replica of its Perpendicular companion.[30]
In about 1430 the south transept apse was removed to make way for a chapel, founded by Lady Margaret Holland and dedicated to St Michael and All Angels. The north transept apse was replaced by a Lady Chapel, built in 1448–55.[30]
The 235-foot crossing tower was begun in 1433, although preparations had already been made during Chillenden's priorate, when the piers had been reinforced. Further strengthening was found necessary around the beginning of the sixteenth century, when buttressing arches were added under the southern and western tower arches. The tower is often known as the "Angel Steeple", after a gilded angel that once stood on one of its pinnacles.
The beggar who was at the door of the temple (and requested his photo not be taken) asked me why the temple doors are closed between 12pm and 5pm. Shouldn't God be accessible at least during the waking hours (5am to 9pm). What if people wanted to pray between 12pm and 5pm? Should they just go back home with a sad heart? I had no answer.
The chaff blows away in the breeze; the grains fall back in the basket. It's skilled work, and physically demanding.
The family spends hours a day pounding millet to make sazda, their staple porridge. I didn’t understand why they would literally be using stone-age technology to prepare their millet -- surely a mechanical mill would be far easier, & couldn’t possibly be that expensive. After all, people have had millstones for millenia. I asked the guide, but didn’t really get a very satisfying explanation. A little digging turned up a paper that answered exactly that question: www.researchgate.net/publication/310626891. The research was done at a village elsewhere in Zimbabwe; there were a few cultural differences (notably, there only women and children pound millet, whereas here the men can take a turn), but the overall setup seems very similar. TL;DR:
1.There is a miller, & some people do use his services — especially those who are too old or infirm to pound the millet themselves. People are also more likely to take advantage in years when there is a bumper crop and they’re not worried about waste. A mill can dehull in 5 or 10 minutes what takes 2 to 5 hours by hand-pounding and winnowing. But these are spread-out rural villages; a woman may have to walk a couple of kilometers to the miller, or travel by bus up to 10 km, carrying a bucket of grain big enough to feed her family for a couple of weeks. Then, since she has all she can carry with the one bucket of meal, she can’t carry back the separate bucket of bran that they normally feed to the chickens, so that goes to waste from the family’s point of view.
2.There is, ideally, a processing step in between dehulling the grain and grinding it, in which the grain is either soaked or baked, and so the woman would actually have to travel to the miller twice for each batch. Either that or skip the processing step, which results in the meal being bitter.
3.The mechanical mill removes more material, resulting in wastage: skilled hand pounding and winnowing removes about 1/5 of the volume as bran, whereas the mill removes about 2/5. Milling sacrifices not only calories from lost endosperm, but also nutrition from lost germ and fiber.
4.It costs on the order of $0.50 for 2 weeks’ worth of dehulling plus grinding. Millers routinely have to impound meal from families who can’t pay, or release it on credit and risk having to write it off.
Any idea what this is? Taken in South Beach.
Answer: flickr.com/photos/ohadby/85290811/
More on my photoblog: ohadonline.com
Part of the Question of the Moment bulletin board set, “What Super Power Would You Choose?”
Feel free to use in your own library or classroom.
On February 8, 2018 Mrs. Comstock's 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Bayside, New York scheduled a Classroom Session with SWFEC. SWFEC would like to thank Mrs. Comstock for sharing these wonderful photos with our SWFEC family. Photo above shows the 4th grade class during their session. Photo property of Mrs. Comstock.
4th GRADE QUESTIONS:
1. Demetri asks: Where do the eagles go when it rains?
Glad you asked that question, Demetri. Eagles are well equipped for bad weather. They usually just perch on a limb during rain and if it is a strong storm with winds they might find a tree that gives them good cover.
Adults will cover their eaglets when they are very young to keep them dry and warm though because their protective feathers haven’t come in yet.
The feathers are what keep the eagle relatively dry. The feather has tiny barbs that act like Velcro in order to hold the feather in place. This tight bond is able to keep water out. To keep the feather from becoming brittle the eagle has what is called a ‘preen gland’(uropygial gland). The preen gland secretes a rich oil of waxes, fatty acids, fat and water which is applied to the feathers by the bird’s beak.
The eagle will extract oil by squeezing the gland and working it into the feathers.
Here is a photo showing how the water beads on the feathers: flic.kr/p/GJdCXy
Here are some pictures of both drying off and preening, and the Uropygial gland:
Drying: Photo of M15 drying off: bit.ly/1n2ZEbN
Preening: Photo showing Harriet preening: bit.ly/1TyzLuC
Uropygial Gland: Drawing of Uropygial Gland; source - Falco Peregrinus-foona website: bit.ly/1ZJfUNc
2. Alex asks: How long does it take a bald eagle to build a nest?
Surprisingly pretty quickly, Alex - within a week if they need to. But usually they take their time and construct the nest over a couple of months. Once they are raising their family they continue to bring sticks and nesting material throughout the season.
Eagles are compulsive nest builders and are constantly adding on to their nest. Since eagles will use the same nest year after year the nest can become quite large and heavy.
3. EmilyG asks: When does the mom stop sleeping on top of the babies?
Good question EmilyG. The eaglets start to get their thermal down at around two weeks of age. Once it comes in the eaglet can thermoregulate - which means regulate their body temperature. At that time the adults no longer have to keep them covered all the time. It depends on the temperature. If it is cooler outside you will see her try to cover them - even when they are too big to cover. And that is especially true when it rains.
Not too long ago both Harriet and M15 were on the nest during a rain - trying to keep their young as dry as possible.
4. Stella asks: How can you tell the difference from a female and a male eagle?
It is hard to tell the difference between a male and female eagle Stella. Adult eagles look the same but it is easier to see the differences between male and female Bald Eagles when they are side by side. The females are generally larger than the males - about 25-30% larger. It is hard to tell the difference between the genders from a distance. But up close the depth of the beak is usually deeper on the female and the rear talon (on the hallux) is longer in length. Birds do not have external gender organs like mammals - so biologists rely on other characteristics to make an educated determination on gender.
5. Angeline asks: What happens if the baby falls out of the nest before it can fly?
Angeline, it depends on the age of the eaglet, if they are very young the chances are not good they would survive a fall from a nest that high.
If they are older and their feathers have almost come in they may be able to glide down without serious injury. If that did happen the proper authorities would be contacted and they would most likely capture the eaglet and take it to a wildlife hospital. There the eaglet would be checked for injuries and cared for as needed until it is able to be released back into the wild.
6. LukeM: What do the bald eagles eat?
LukeM, eagles in Southwest Florida area feed mostly on fish – about 90% of the food they consume is fish. Mullet, Catfish, Red Fish, Snook, and Gar are often seen brought to the nests. Eagles will also eat small mammals (rodents), amphibians (even turtles) and birds (most notably water birds).
We have seen a number of mammals brought to the nest this year by M15 - rabbits and squirrels. Eagles are opportunistic feeders and will take advantage of any available food source.
7. Dylan LO asks: How much does an eagle weigh?
Dylan LO, females are about 25-30 percent larger than males. A female bald eagle's body length varies from 35 to 37 inches; with a wingspan of 79 to 90 inches. The smaller male bald eagle has a body length of 30 to 34 inches; with a wingspan ranging from 72 to 85 inches. Their average weight is 6-13 pounds (depending on the location). As with many birds, northern birds are significantly larger than their southern relatives.
A guess as to the weight of M15 is around 8 lbs. Harriet might be around 10 pounds (but don’t tell her we are guessing her weight!!).
You might find it interesting that the skeleton of an eagle weighs less than half as much as its feathers.
8. Cassius asks: How far can an eagle fly without stopping?
That is an interesting question Cassius. Most eagles don’t fly great distances unless they are migrating or don’t have a territory and are traveling to different food locations. Generally they remain in their territory which is less than a two to five mile radius.
While these non-migrating eagles may not go great distances, Bald Eagles can soar for long periods of time using the thermal air currents. These are updrafts that hold them aloft like a kite.
However, eagles that have been tracked have been known to fly non-stop 100-200 miles. Your class might be interested in checking out the flight paths of an eagle banded and fitted with a transmitter who kept returning to the Caloosahatchee River area (which is the river close to Harriet and M15’s nest). The biologists named this eagle Caloosahatchee and at the time the transmitter stopped working this eagle had flown 18101 km.
Here is the link: www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=74389a&...
You might be interested in this information however. In 1987 an exhausted Bald Eagle was discovered by a national parks worker in a northern heath (Kerry) in the country of Ireland. It is thought a storm blew it out to sea, and the bird struggled across the Atlantic Ocean with some strong winds. The airline Aer Lingus returned the bird back to the United States. Wonder how many frequent flyer miles that eagle earned?!
Here is a copy of the article they ran about this eagle: flic.kr/p/235B3vb
9. James asks: How do the eagles build a nest?
Most Bald Eagles and birds of many species are excellent at nest building, James. Nest building is a combination of both instinct and learned skill.
Eagles generally pick remote areas near rivers or coasts for their nests (aerie). With the loss of habitat and greater numbers, eagles are also becoming more urban and building closer to human activity - such as Harriet and M15.
Eagles generally build their nests in tall trees that offer them some shelter, an open view and easy flight access.
Since eagles are large birds and are long-lived, the nest size must be in proportion and accommodate years of use. Nests are rarely built in the topmost branches of the host tree, but a bit lower since the upper boughs can’t support the huge structure the eagles build. The eagles usually start the nest with some major branches with forks in them about 12 feet from the top. If the stick placement sticks, the pair will continue to bring in sticks. Smaller branches will form the rim of the inside bowl and the spaces are filled in with smaller vegetation including grasses and pine. They will continue to add nesting material throughout the nesting season as the activity of the young will require repairs.
10. Sophia asks: How big is their wingspan when it is stretched out?
Sophia, an adult’s wingspan is approximately 6-7 feet wide. Imagine standing in a door at your home - an eagle’s wingspan could cover that door from top to bottom!
11. Dana asks: How good is an eagle's eyesight?
The eagle has excellent eyesight, Dana. They have 2 centers of focus that allows them to see both forward and to the side at the same time. An eagle’s eyesight is 8-10 times better than a human’s. But it isn’t the actual magnification - it is the ability to see details. An eagle can see a 12” fish a mile away!