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Our Daily Challenge ~ Something You Enjoy Doing Often.
Both my husband and I have spent many years researching our family trees. It's both fascinating and frustrating in equal measures but never boring!
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
BARDO RESEARCH\@bardoresearch \ and \ ASANO\@sejongstudio collaboration
set #1
Black leggings combined from two types of fabric: thin viscose knitwear and the finest artificial leather on a knitted basis with a geometric pattern.
Black blouse with a carmen neckline made of two types of fabric: the finest faux leather on a knitted basis with geometric pattern and thin black jersey.
A long T-shirt dress with a hood made of viscose melange knitwear in the color of forest moss.
Bardo Research @bardoresearch wig
Black boots by DOLLFASON @dollfason
Design and idea – ASANO\@sejongstudio
Posing Sadhana in Peach Normal.
Face up by Bardo Research
Photo by Aleksei Geets @rchitectus
сет 1
Чёрные лосины, комбинированные из двух видов ткани: тонкий вискозный трикотаж и тончайшая искусственная кожа на трикотажной основе с геометрической насечкой.
Чёрная блуза с вырезом кармен из двух видов ткани: тончайшая искусственная кожа на трикотажной основе с геометрической насечкой и тонкой чёрное джерси.
Длинное платье-майка с капюшоном из вискозного меланжевого трикотажа цвета лесного мха.
Чёрные берцы от DOLLFASON @dollfason
Парик Bardo Research @bardoresearch
Дизайн и идея коллекции — ASANO\@sejongstudio
Позирует Садхана в цвете Peach Normal, фотограф Алексей Геец @rchitectus
Part of the job is doing some research on new products, events and the developments on social media
Wish to know more about what we're doing?? Take a look yourself!
View of Sydney shot from a weather station on top of the Mathews building at the University of New South Wales, Kensington. Shot taken by the Climate Change Research Centre (ccrc.unsw.edu.au) at 2016 Jan 28 15:03.
• Parts: 36,800+ (~1,130 unique)
• 📐 Scale: 1:650
• 📏 Dimensions: 32in x 51in (80cm x 130cm)
• 📚 Research, Design + Build Time: 4 months
• Photography: James Vitullo 📷
• ©️ MMXXIV - Rocco Buttliere, LLC
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During a brief stint in Washington D.C. in 2023, I spent the better part of a summer evening exploring the grounds of Capitol Hill. Few landscapes invite as much inquiry along winding paths paired with plenty of moments for quiet introspection on marble benches; all in picturesque view of the Capitol dome. These on-site experiences are exactly the form of anecdotal justification I seek when considering whether to recreate such monumental places in the first place.
In tackling any work of such storied precedence as the US Capitol, I always seek to expand the conversation beyond existing works in the medium of plastic bricks. While the consistent 1:650 scale among my works has always ensured some level of originality, it is no guarantee of further insight that cannot already be gleaned from existing works by other artists. With this in mind, I set out to capture the full 100-acre site currently maintained by The Architect of the Capitol. What's more, the diorama depicts a particular time of year - specifically late March to early April - as illustrated by the iconic presence of hundreds of cherry blossoms rendered in two shades of light pink.
The diorama starts downhill at the trapezoidal Capitol Reflecting Pool, with the Grant Memorial taking pride of place along its eastern edge and the US Botanic Garden across the street to the south. The diorama expands from there, capturing the radiating pathways meandering uphill, as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted within the parcels laid out in the city plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The piece culminates with the widely imitated US Capitol Building, perched atop a plinth projecting from the Capitol Visitor Center on the opposite side.
Topping everything off is a custom-made representation of the Statue of Freedom (as designed by Thomas Crawford), steadfastly overlooking the National Mall from atop the dome. The statue was designed in collaboration with BigKidBrix and was sized comparably to the minifigure statuette / trophy element.
The piece was designed over the course of about two months: first in December 2023 through January 2024, paused during the build-out of SPQR - Phase II, then resumed between March and April. The build-out lasted from July through August and was completed by September. The piece will soon be added to my personal gallery of works, now available for touring exhibitions.
#Artist #SupportArtists #FineArt #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #ChicagoArtist #LEGO #LEGOArchitecture #LEGOArt #LEGOArtist #InstaLEGO #GoBricks #USCapitol #USCapitolBuilding #CapitolHill #WashingtonDC #ArchitectOfTheCapitol #America #USA #Diorama #AmericanHistory
All-terrain research mecha, based on DI-272 "Afrovenator" (www.flickr.com/photos/154614142@N02/43112611430/in/datepo...).
"...Germanic Union camps have been spotted near the riversides of the Danube (Donau). Clearly seen in the picture are severam spy devices. Spokesman Gerrit Neukersma said that the official mission is to collect soil samples and researching wildlife. This broadcast was brought to you by the Anti-socialistic Party..."
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UP YOURS, ROYAL UNION.
www.ginoandsharonphotography.co.uk/RACE-FOR-LIFE/
Today our aim was to capture the emotions at this beautiful event. Our thanks to everyone who took part. All our photos sold from this set we will donate all our profits to Cancer Research. Please help us support make a difference so if you see your friends in this album please send them the link. We were at 4 locations and we tried to get everyone who took part so please please please buy a print or download a photo ... Thank you so much... Gino and Sharon
[IMO:9245732]
Forschungsschiff (Research/Survey Vessel)
Aufnahme: 2020-08-01
Baujahr: 2005 | DWT: 3500t | Breite: 27m
I have a friend with a sense of humour. This was my Valentine's present... interesting read ;-)))
Think it made my glasses steam up !!
Naturalis - Biodiversity Research Center Leiden NL
The former Naturalis complex, which opened in 1998, was designed by Fons Verheijen. The 2019 finished extension and renovation was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects in collaboration with fashion designer Iris van Herpen brings science and public together in new spatial ensemble.
Naturalis is the national research institute for biodiversity dating from 1820 which was founded by King Willem I in Leiden, The Netherlands. The institute with a long and rich history experienced an exponential growth in the last decade which led to an urgent necessity to renovate. The number of visitors increased rapidly to 400.000 per year. The new future proof Naturalis brings the growing collection of 42 million objects together (top five in the world). Its new state of the art facilities accommodate more than two hundred researchers whose studies are at the center of attention, contributing solutions to global issues including climate change, the decline of biodiversity on earth, food supply, and water quality. The Naturalis facilities and the collection enable to contribute solutions at the highest level. At the same time the new museum offers the chance to show the public the wealth and beauty of nature.
The institute’s new design forms a sustainable ensemble of existing buildings and new-build, with each activity housed in a specific form. The central atrium connects the various parts of the institute: the existing offices and depots with the newly built museum and laboratories. The design of the atrium consists of a three-dimensional concrete structure in the form of interlocking molecules as a lace of ovals, triangles, and hexagons. The filtered light that enters through the circular windows as a ‘glass crown’ where scientists, staff, students and families meet, reinforcing the monumentality of the space. Public functions such as the restaurant, the shop and the exhibition hall can be found on the ground floor where passers-by can catch sight of the examinations of the last whales washed ashore. The main staircase leading up to exhibitions resembles a mountain path, becoming narrower at the top with enough space to welcome Trix, the sixty-six million years old T-Rex which has been given pride of place in the Dino Era gallery.
The exterior of exhibition halls with stone blocks in horizontal layers mimics a geological structure. Its travertine variety of stone used has developed natural crystals over the span of eons, creating a beautiful sparkle. The layers of stones are interrupted by friezes of white, concrete elements designed by a famous Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. Invited by Neutelings Riedijk Architects, she designed a total of 263 panels, inspired by the natural shapes of the collection which seem to be smooth as silk, thanks to a special technique developed for Naturalis. Inside the museum, Dutch designer Tord Boontje, known for his lighting, furniture, and fabrics with exquisite floral and animal motifs, shows almost 100 striking and colorful wall panels. They are visual stories that blend photography and drawing to reveal the wonders of the natural world. The project covers a total of around 38,000 m2 of which 18,000 m2 of renovation and 20,000 m2 of new construction.
Meran, city in South Tyrol (Merano, Alto Adige, Italy), town charter in 1317, to 1475 mint (relocation to Hall/Tyrol), or until 1480 capital of Tyrol (relocation of the residence to Innsbruck, but formally remained Meran until 1848 capital).
In the Middle Ages, there was a relationship between Vienna and Meran and others by the person of Andre Hiltprant "von Meran", born in Vienna before 1385, who was traceable as a (long-distance) merchant (cloth merchant) and local politician (1442 mayor in Vienna) in both cities (1416 and 1430 in Merano, where the catastrophic Passer flood of 1419 may have contributed that Hiltprant can not be detected in Meran in the 1420s) and whose ancestors evidently came from there.
After Meran had acquired a new importance as a city of education, it came in the Biedermeier era, significantly influenced by the Viennese society, to a slow upswing as a spa and tourist town. In 1827, the Austrian diplomat Bartholomäus Stürmer came to the grape cure in Obermais (now part of Meran). In 1836 Mathilde princess Schwarzenberg and her family doctor Johann Nepomuk Huber stayed in Merano (who published his observations and researches in book form in 1837); Huber became aware of the spot advertised as a "health resort" because of its mild climate and its grape and whey cures (analogous to the ascent of Bad Ischl with the help of the Viennese physician Franz Wirer); the mild climate was suitable both for a "wintering" of healthy people as well as a residence for those who wanted to treat their lung disease. In 1844, Archduke Johann bought Schenna Castle near Meran and, through his enthusiasm, aroused Merano's reputation as a climatically favored mountain town.
As in the 1850s, the number of spa guests rose, was in 1855 founded a spa club. Meran 1864 after the five most important spas of the monarchy (Carlsbad, Marienbad, Baden near Vienna, Bad Ischl and Badgastein) with 1,604 guests in last place, it reached 1913 with 38,901 guests the second place. Three events had 1857, 1870-1872 and 1881 significantly promoted this development: the construction of the Brenner Railway to Bolzano, the two winters (1870/1871 and 1871/1872) of Empress Elisabeth (the first time in the castle Trauttmansdorff lodged and her monument today in a park named after her, which is connected to the castle since 2003 by the "Sisi Promenade") and the opening of the railway line from Bolzano to Merano (thus completing the connection to the Central European railway network).
In the first decade of the 20th century, Merano became the preferred residence of the Viennese nobility, whose relatives wanted to document their complete independence from working life through long stays. In its wake came (as in other resorts) literati (for example, 1882 and 1886 Arthur Schnitzler, 1897 Rainer Maria Rilke, 1906 and 1908 Stefan Zweig [including Palais Labers], from 1916 Herzmanovsky-Orlando and 1920 Franz Kafka) and artists (for example, between 1898 and 1902 Franz Defregger, 1908 Alfred Kubin or 1913 Albin Egger-Lienz) to Merano; in the 19th century we also meet a number of painters who were searching for motifs in Meran (for example Jacob Alt, Thomas Ender and Friedrich Gauermann). Of the often associated patronage (in the sense of invitations), both social circles may have benefited: the former in prestige, the latter in notoriety. Hotels were built in a central location (first near the train station as the no longer existing Grand Hotel Emma, later at the Passer (river) in the spa area (as the Hotel Meranerhof and built in 1904-1906 by Peter Delugan Palace Hotel [today Grand Hotel Palace] in which also Zweig once stayed, this hotel is probably the only one that not only maintained its rank to the present but steadily increased it.
The sanatoriums were built mainly in Obermais. 1900 the city theater was opened, 1907 the cure center house; when in the beginning mainly Bavarian architects had been engaged, was for the extension of the casino the widely known Art Nouveau architect Friedrich Ohmann from Vienna commissioned.
Among the composers who visited Meran include Béla Bartók 1900/1901, Egon Wellesz, Wilhelm Kienzl, who often conducted his "Evangelimann" in the Stadttheater in 1913 (and lived in Vienna from 1917) and Max Reger 1914 (sanatorium Martinsbrunn). Zweig lodged in Palais Labers, but also in the 1906 built palace hotel (now Grand Hotel Palace). In the 19th century we also meet a number of painters who were searching for motifs in Meran (for example Jacob Alt, Thomas Ender and Friedrich Gauermann). Famous writers (for example Roda Roda) gave readings here.
The number of Viennese people who came either from Merano to Vienna, and those who went to Merano and lived there until the end of their lives (for example Anton Ascher, the director of the Carl Theater, the school reformer Armand Dumreicher or the sculptor Josef Bilger), is big.
In the interwar period, especially politicians chose Merano as a residence, but also Richard Strauss, who stayed here for a long time in 1922 and from the 1930s, and Herzmanovsky-Orlando, who moved to Merano in 1916 and died here in 1954 at Rametz Castle.
Meran, Stadt in Südtirol (Merano, Alto Adige, Italien), Stadtrecht 1317, bis 1475 Münzstätte (Verlagerung nach Hall/Tirol), beziehungsweise bis 1480 Hauptstadt von Tirol (Verlagerung der Residenz nach Innsbruck, formal blieb Meran allerdings bis 1848 Hauptstadt).
Im Mittelalter ergab sich eine Beziehung zwischen Wien und Meran und anderen durch die Person des vor 1385 in Wien geborenen Andre Hiltprant "von Meran", der als (Fernhandels-)Kaufmann (Tuchhändler) und Kommunalpolitiker (1442 Bürgermeister in Wien) in beiden Städten nachweisbar ist (1416 und 1430 in Meran, wobei das katastrophale Passer-Hochwasser von 1419 möglicherweise dazu beigetragen hat, dass Hiltprant in den 1420er Jahren nicht in Meran nachgewiesen werden kann) und dessen Vorfahren offenkundig von dort stammten.
Nachdem Meran eine neue Bedeutung als Bildungsstadt erlangt hatte, kam es in der Biedermeierära, maßgeblich beeinflusst von der Wiener Gesellschaft, zu einem langsamen Aufschwung als Kur- und Tourismusstadt. 1827 kam der österreichische Diplomat Bartholomäus Stürmer zur Traubenkur nach Obermais (heute Teil von Meran), 1836 hielt sich Mathilde Fürstin Schwarzenberg mit ihrem Hausarzt Johann Nepomuk Huber in Meran auf (der seine Beobachtungen und Recherchen 1837 in Buchform veröffentlichte); durch Huber wurde man (analog zum Aufstieg von Bad Ischl mit Hilfe des Wiener Arztes Franz Wirer) auf den wegen seines milden Klimas als "Luftkurort" angepriesenen Ort und seine Trauben- und Molkekuren aufmerksam; das milde Klima eignete sich sowohl für eine "Überwinterung" Gesunder wie auch als Aufenthaltsort für jene, die ihr Lungenleiden behandeln wollten. 1844 kaufte Erzherzog Johann das nahe von Meran gelegene Schloss Schenna und weckte durch seine Schwärmerei den Ruf Merans als klimatisch begünstigte Gebirgsstadt.
Als in den 1850er Jahren die Zahl der Kurgäste stieg, begründete man 1855 einen Kurverein. Stand Meran 1864 nach den fünf bedeutendsten Kurorten der Monarchie (Karlsbad, Marienbad, Baden bei Wien, Bad Ischl und Badgastein) mit 1.604 Gästen an letzter Stelle, so erreichte es 1913 mit 38.901 Gästen den zweiten Rang. Drei Ereignisse hatten 1857, 1870-1872 und 1881 diese Entwicklung maßgeblich gefördert: der Bau der Brennerbahn bis Bozen, die zweimalige Überwinterung (1870/1871 und 1871/1872) von Kaiserin Elisabeth (die das erste Mal im Schloss Trauttmansdorff logierte und deren Denkmal heute in einem nach ihr benannten Park steht, der seit 2003 durch die "Sisi-Promenade" mit dem Schloss verbunden ist) sowie die Eröffnung der Bahnlinie von Bozen nach Meran (womit der Anschluss ans mitteleuropäische Bahnnetz vollendet war).
Im ersten Jahrzehnt des 20. Jahrhunderts entwickelte sich Meran zum bevorzugten Aufenthaltsort des Wiener Adels, dessen Angehörige durch lange Aufenthalte ihre völlige Unabhängigkeit vom Erwerbsleben dokumentieren wollten. In seinem Gefolge kamen (wie auch in anderen Kurorten) Literaten (beispielsweise 1882 und 1886 Arthur Schnitzler, 1897 Rainer Maria Rilke, 1906 und 1908 Stefan Zweig [unter anderem auf Schloss Labers], ab 1916 Herzmanovsky-Orlando und 1920 Franz Kafka) und Künstler (beispielsweise zwischen 1898 und 1902 Franz Defregger, 1908 Alfred Kubin oder 1913 Albin Egger-Lienz) nach Meran; im 19. Jahrhundert treffen wir auch auf eine Reihe von Malern, die sich zur Motivsuche in Meran aufhielten (beispielsweise Jacob Alt, Thomas Ender und Friedrich Gauermann). Von dem häufig damit verbundenen Mäzenatentum (im Sinne von Einladungen) dürften beide Gesellschaftskreise profitiert haben: erstere an Ansehen, letztere an Bekanntheitsgrad. Hotels entstanden in zentraler Lage (zunächst in der Nähe des Bahnhofs wie das nicht mehr bestehende Grand Hotel Emma, später an der Passer im Kurbereich (wie das Hotel Meranerhof und das 1904-1906 von Peter Delugan erbaute Palast-Hotel [heute Grand Hotel Palace], in dem auch Zweig einmal logierte; dieses Hotel ist wohl das einzige, das seinen Rang bis in die Gegenwart nicht nur behaupten, sondern stetig erhöhen konnte.
Die Sanatorien wurden hauptsächlich in Obermais errichtet. 1900 wurde das Stadttheater eröffnet, 1907 das Kurmittelhaus; hatte man anfangs überwiegend bayerische Architekten verpflichtet, beauftragte man für den Erweiterungsbau des Kurhauses den weithin bekannten Jugenstilarchitekten Friedrich Ohmann aus Wien.
Zu den Komponisten, die Meran besuchten, gehören Béla Bartók 1900/1901, Egon Wellesz, Wilhelm Kienzl, der 1913 im Stadttheater oftmals seinen "Evangelimann" dirigierte (und ab 1917 in Wien lebte) sowie Max Reger 1914 (Sanatorium Martinsbrunn). Zweig logierte in Schloss Labers, aber auch im 1906 erbauten Palast-Hotel (heute Grand Hotel Palace). Im 19. Jahrhundert treffen wir auch auf eine Reihe von Malern, die sich zur Motivsuche in Meran aufhielten (beispielsweise Jacob Alt, Thomas Ender und Friedrich Gauermann). Berühmte Schriftsteller (beispielsweise Roda Roda) hielten hier Lesungen.
Die Zahl von Wienern, die entweder aus Meran nach Wien kamen, und jener, die nach Meran gingen und dort bis an ihr Lebensende lebten (beispielsweise Anton Ascher, der Direktor des Carl-Theaters, der Schulreformer Armand Dumreicher oder der Bildhauer Josef Bilger), ist groß.
In der Zwischenkriegszeit wählten besonders Politiker Meran als Aufenthaltsort, aber auch Richard Strauss, der sich 1922 und ab den 1930er Jahren längere Zeit hier aufhielt, und Herzmanovsky-Orlando, der 1916 nach Meran übersiedelte und hier 1954 auf Schloss Rametz verstarb.
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman preparing a colloid material science experiment in the Japanese KIBO Laboratory
Kollege Reid Wiseman bei der Vorbereitung eines Experiments im japanischen Kibō-Modul der JAXA.
Credits: ESA/NASA
337_0189
NHGRI launched the Genomics of Gene Regulation (GGR) program to decipher the language of how and when genes are turned on and off. In the program, researchers aim to study gene networks and pathways in different systems of the body, such as skin, immune cells and lung. Credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI.
The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajr e Aswad in Arabic) is a Muslim relic, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. Historical research claims that the Black Stone marked the Kaaba as a place of worship during pre-Islamic pagan times.[1] It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.[2] The Stone is a dark rock, polished smooth by the hands of millions of pilgrims, that has been broken into a number of fragments cemented into a silver frame in the side of the Kaaba. Although it has often been described as a meteorite, this hypothesis is still under consideration.[3]
Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba as part of the Tawaf ritual of the Hajj. Many of them try, if possible, to stop and kiss the Black Stone, emulating the kiss that Islamic tradition records that it received from the Prophet Muhammad.[4] If they cannot reach it, they point to it on each of their seven circuits around the Kaaba.[5]
Contents [hide]
1 Physical description
2 History and tradition
3 Ritual role
4 Scientific origins
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
[edit] Physical description
The Black Stone, surrounded by its silver frame and the black cloth kiswah on the Kaaba in Mecca.The Black Stone consists of a number of fragments held together by a silver frame, which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.[6] Some of the smaller fragments have been cemented together to form the seven or eight fragments visible today. The Stone's exposed face measures about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) by 16 centimetres (6.3 in). Its original size is unclear; its recorded dimensions have changed considerably over time, as the stone has been remodelled. In the 10th century, an observer described it as being one cubit (slightly over 2 feet (0.61 m) long). By the early 17th century, it was recorded as measuring 1.5 yards (1.4 m) by 1.33 yards (1.22 m). According to Ali Bey in the 18th century, it was 42 inches (110 cm) high, and Muhammad Ali reported it as being 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long by 1.5 feet (0.46 m) wide.[3]
The Black Stone was first described in Western literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries by European travelers in Arabia, who visited the Kaaba in the guise of pilgrims. Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited Mecca in 1814, and provided a detailed description in his 1829 book Travels in Arabia:
It is an irregular oval, about seven inches in diameter, with an undulating surface, composed of about a dozen smaller stones of different sizes and shapes, well joined together with a small quantity of cement, and perfectly well smoothed; it looks as if the whole had been broken into as many pieces by a violent blow, and then united again. It is very difficult to determine accurately the quality of this stone which has been worn to its present surface by the millions of touches and kisses it has received. It appeared to me like a lava, containing several small extraneous particles of a whitish and of a yellow substance. Its colour is now a deep reddish brown approaching to black. It is surrounded on all sides by a border composed of a substance which I took to be a close cement of pitch and gravel of a similar, but not quite the same, brownish colour. This border serves to support its detached pieces; it is two or three inches in breadth, and rises a little above the surface of the stone. Both the border and the stone itself are encircled by a silver band, broader below than above, and on the two sides, with a considerable swelling below, as if a part of the stone were hidden under it. The lower part of the border is studded with silver nails.[7]
Visiting the Kaaba in 1853, Sir Richard Francis Burton noted that:
The colour appeared to me black and metallic, and the centre of the stone was sunk about two inches below the metallic circle. Round the sides was a reddish brown cement, almost level with the metal, and sloping down to the middle of the stone. The band is now a massive arch of gold or silver gilt. I found the aperture in which the stone is, one span and three fingers broad.[7]
Ritter von Laurin, the Austrian consul-general in Egypt, was able to inspect a fragment of the Stone removed by Muhammad Ali in 1817 and reported that it had a pitch-black exterior and a silver-grey, fine-grained interior in which tiny cubes of a bottle-green material were embedded. There are reportedly a few white or yellow spots on the face of the Stone, and it is officially described as being white with the exception of the face.[3]
[edit] History and tradition
A 1315 illustration from the Jami al-Tawarikh, inspired by the Sirah Rasul Allah story of Muhammad and the Meccan clan elders lifting the Black Stone into place.[8]The Black Stone, in Muslim belief, has its origins since the time of Adam. According to the Hadith, "it descended from Paradise whiter than milk, but the sins of the sons of Adam made it black".[9] According to belief, an angel spoke to the great prophet Abraham, and told him to institute the rite of the stone in the Pilgrimage at Mecca.[10]
The Black Stone was revered well before the preaching of Islam by Muhammad. By the time of Muhammad, it was already associated with the Kaaba, a pre-Islamic shrine that was revered as a sacred sanctuary and a site of pilgrimage. In her book, Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong asserts that the Kaaba was dedicated to Hubal, a Nabatean deity, and contained 360 idols which either represented the days of the year, or were effigies of the Arabian pantheon. The Semitic cultures of the Middle East had a tradition of using unusual stones to mark places of worship, a phenomenon which is reflected in the Hebrew Bible as well as the Qur'an.[11] A "red stone" was for the deity of the south Arabian city of Ghaiman, and there was a "white stone" in the Ka'ba of al-Abalat (near the city of Tabala, south of Mecca). Worship at that time period was often associated with stone reverence, mountains, special rock formations, or distinctive trees.[12] The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane, and the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as an object that linked heaven and earth.[13]
Islamic tradition holds that the Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar, which became the first temple on Earth. Muslims believe that the stone was originally pure and dazzling white, but has since turned black because of the sins of the people.[14] Adam's altar and the stone were said to have been lost during Noah's Flood and forgotten. Ibrahim was said to have later found the Black Stone at the original site of Adam's altar when the angel Jibrail revealed it to him.[11] Ibrahim ordered his son Ismael - who was an ancestor of Muhammad - to build a new temple, the Kaaba, in which to embed the Stone.
Muhammad is credited with setting the Black Stone in place in the wall of the Kaaba. A story found in Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasul Allah tells how the clans of Mecca renovated the Kaaba following a major fire which had partly destroyed the structure. The Black Stone had been temporarily removed to facilitate the rebuilding work. The clans could not agree on which one of them should have the honour of setting the Black Stone back in its place. They decided to wait for the next man to come through the gate and ask him to make the decision. That individual happened to be the 35-year-old Muhammad, five years before his prophethood. He asked the elders of the clans to bring him a cloth and put the Black Stone in its centre. Each of the clan leaders held the corners of the cloth and carried the Black Stone to the right spot. Then Muhammad himself set the stone in place, satisfying the honour of all of the clans.[15]
The Stone has suffered desecrations and significant damage over the centuries. It is said to have been struck and smashed to pieces by a stone fired from a catapult during the Umayyad siege of Mecca in 756. The fragments were rejoined by 'Abd Allah ibn Zubayr using a silver ligament.[15] In January 930 it was stolen by the Qarmatians, who carried the Black Stone away to their base in Hajar (modern Bahrain). According to Ottoman historian Qutb al-Din, writing in 1857, Qarmatian leader Abu Tahir al-Qarmati set the Black Stone up in his own mosque, the Masjid al-Dirar, with the intention of redirecting the Hajj away from Mecca. However, this failed, and pilgrims continued to venerate the spot where the Black Stone had been.[16]
According to historian Al-Juwayni, the Stone was returned twenty-three years later, in 952. The Qarmatians held the Black Stone for ransom, and forced the Abbasids to pay a huge sum for its return. It was wrapped in a sack and thrown into the Friday Mosque of Kufa, accompanied by a note saying "By command we took it, and by command we have brought it back." Its abduction and removal caused further damage, breaking the stone into seven pieces.[11][17][18] Its abductor, Abu Tahir, is said to have met a terrible fate; according to Qutb al-Din, "the filthy Abu Tahir was afflicted with a gangrenous sore, his flesh was eaten away by worms, and he died a most terrible death."[16]
The Stone has been subjected to other indignities during its history. In the 11th century, a man allegedly sent by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah attempted to smash the Black Stone, but was killed on the spot, having caused only slight damage.[16] In 1674, according to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, someone smeared the Black Stone with excrement so that "every one who kissed it retired with a sullied beard". The Shi'ite Persians were suspected of being responsible and were the target of curses from other Muslims for centuries afterwards, though explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton doubted that they were the culprits; he attributed the act to "some Jew or Greek, who risked his life to gratify a furious bigotry."[19]
[edit] Ritual role
Muslim pilgrims jostle for a chance to kiss the Black Stone; if they are unable to kiss the stone because of the crowds, they can point towards the stone on each circuit with their right hand. In each complete circuit a person says "In the name of God, God is Great, God is Great, God is Great and praise be to God". Once people have kissed the stone a guard stands ready to push them away.The Black Stone plays an important role in the central ritual of the Hajj, when pilgrims must walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. They attempt to kiss the Black Stone seven times, once for each circumambulation of the Kaaba, emulating the actions of Muhammad. In modern times, large crowds make it practically impossible for everyone to kiss the stone, so it is currently acceptable for pilgrims to simply point in the direction of the Stone on each of their circuits around the building. Some even say that the Stone is best considered simply as a marker, useful in keeping count of the ritual circumambulations (tawaf) that one has performed.[20] Its black color is deemed to symbolize the essential spiritual virtue of detachment and poverty for God (faqr) and the extinction of ego required to progress towards God (qalb).[11]
Islam strictly prohibits idolatry. Muslims believe that the Stone's role in hajj is simply representative and symbolic nature, not related to belief in the stone itself as having any special power. A well-known hadith records that, when second Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (580-644) came to kiss the Stone, he said in front of all assembled: "No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither harm anyone nor benefit anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] kissing you, I would not have kissed you."[21] Most Muslims follow the example of Umar: they pay their respects to the Stone in a spirit of trust in Muhammad, not with any inherent belief in the Stone. This, however, does not indicate their disrespect to the Black Stone, but their belief that harm and benefit are in the hands of God, and nothing else. Muhammad Labib al-Batanuni, writing in 1911, commented that the pre-Islamic practice of venerating stones (including the Black Stone) arose not because such stones are "sacred for their own sake, but because of their relation to something holy and respected." [22]
In recent years, however, literalist views of the Black Stone have emerged. A small minority accepts as literally true an allegorical hadith which asserts that "the Stone will appear on the Day of Judgement (Qiyamah) with eyes to see and a tongue to speak, and give evidence in favor of all who kissed it in true devotion, but speak out against whoever indulged in gossip or profane conversations during his circumambulation of the Kaaba".[22]
Writing in Dawn in Madinah: A Pilgrim's Progress, Muzaffar Iqbal described his experience of venerating the Black Stone during a pilgrimage to Mecca:
At the end of the second [circumabulation of the Kaaba], I was granted one of those extraordinary moments which sometimes occur around the Black Stone. As I approached the Corner the large crowd was suddenly pushed back by a strong man who had just kissed the Black Stone. This push generated a backward current, creating a momentary opening around the Black Stone as I came to it; I swiftly accepted the opportunity reciting, Bismillahi Allahu akbar wa lillahi-hamd ["In the name of God, God is great, all praise to God"], put my hands on the Black Stone and kissed it. Thousands of silver lines sparkled, the Stone glistened, and something stirred deep inside me. A few seconds passed. Then I was pushed away by the guard.[23]
[edit] Scientific originsThe nature of the Black Stone has been much debated. It has been described variously as basalt stone, an agate, a piece of natural glass or — most popularly — a stony meteorite. Paul Partsch, the curator of the Austro-Hungarian imperial collection of minerals, published the first comprehensive history of the Black Stone in 1857 in which he favoured a meteoritic origin for the Stone. Robert Dietz and John McHone proposed in 1974 that the Black Stone was actually an agate, judging from its physical attributes and a report by an Arab geologist that the Stone contained clearly discernable diffusion banding characteristic of agates.[3] A significant clue to its nature is provided by an account of the Stone's recovery in 951 AD after it had been stolen 21 years earlier; according to a chronicler, the Stone was identified by its ability to float in water. If this account is accurate, it would rule out the Black Stone being an agate, basalt lava or stony meteorite, though it would be compatible with it being glass or pumice.[6]
Elsebeth Thomsen of the University of Copenhagen proposed a different hypothesis in 1980. She suggested that the Black Stone may be a glass fragment from the impact of a fragmented meteorite that fell some 6,000 years ago at Wabar, a site in the Rub' al Khali desert some 1,100 km east of Mecca. The craters at Wabar are notable for the presence of blocks of silica glass, fused by the heat of the impact and impregnated by beads of nickel-iron alloy from the meteorite (most of which was destroyed in the impact). Some of the glass blocks are made of shiny black glass with a white or yellow interior and gas-filled hollows, which allow them to float on water. Although scientists did not become aware of the Wabar craters until 1932, they were located near a caravan route from Oman and were very likely known to the inhabitants of the desert. The wider area was certainly well-known; in ancient Arabic poetry, Wabar or Ubar (also known as "Iram of the Pillars") was the site of a fabulous city that was destroyed by fire from the heavens because of the wickedness of its king. If the estimated age of the crater is accurate, it would have been well within the period of human habitation in Arabia and the impact itself may have been witnessed.[6] However, a recent (2004) scientific analysis of the Wabar site suggests that the impact event happened much more recently than first thought and might have occurred only within the last 200–300 years.[24] The meteoritic hypothesis is now seen as doubtful, and the British Natural History Museum suggests that it may be a pseudometeorite, i.e., a terrestrial rock mistakenly attributed to a meteoritic origin.[25]
Research can be defined as the search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method. The primary purpose for basic research (as opposed to applied research) is discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe.
Scientific research relies on the application of the scientific method, a harnessing of curiosity. This research provides scientific information and theories for the explanation of the nature and the properties of the world around us. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is funded by public authorities, by charitable organizations and by private groups, including many companies. Scientific research can be subdivided into different classifications according to their academic and application disciplines.
Artistic research, also seen as 'practice-based research', can take form when creative works are considered both the research and the object of research itself. It is the debatable body of thought which offers an alternative to purely scientific methods in research in its search for knowledge and truth.
Historical research is embodied in the historical method. Historians use primary sources and other evidence to systematically investigate a topic, and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past.
These monkeys are visiting the Paleontologist at the Research Institute.
They are fascinated with dinosaurs but felt sorry for Rex and gave him their bananas.
Epigenetics describes modifications to the genome that can be passed on to future cells.These changes do not alter the nucleotide sequence of the DNA-the As, Gs, Ts, and Cs that make up our genes. Rather, they modify the "backbone" that supports the DNA sequence. These modifications influence when and how often a gene is active. Credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI.
The Design Research Building, built by architect Benjamin Thompson in 1969, in Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Biologists Ed Metzger III and myself with a large male alligator that we captured as part of a long term monitoring program. Top tier predators like alligators and crocodiles can tell us a lot about the ecological health of our marshes and estuaries here in south Florida. We are currently using stable isotope analysis to determine what trophic levels gators are feeding at in the Everglades to try and uncover the cause behind their poor body condition south of Lake Okeechobee.
This board in the health-safety operations office was updated by health- physicists with data from daily ionization dosimeters and other monitoring instruments to ensure that no one exceeded the legally permissible radiation exposure limits. Strict limits were imposed on the amount of radiation that employees could be exposed to over time. These limits were far below the levels that were considered to cause health risks. All personnel assigned to Plum Brook Reactor Facility were monitored for radiation exposure on a continuing basis by utilizing film badge dosimetry. The frequency of the individual readouts varied from monthly to quarterly depending on the job assignment. Since there was an inherent delay in this technology, it became necessary to have current daily estimates of exposure for personnel who routinely entered radiation areas Lifetime exposure levels were also closely monitored through regular bioassay samples.
Credit: NASA
Image Number: C-2001-01153
Date: 2001
Testing a new method of electromagnetic docking between two satellites in orbit.
Test einer neuen Methode zum elektromagnetischen docken zweier Satelliten im orbit.
Credits: ESA/NASA
337_0920
Nanopore-based DNA sequencing concepts generally entail one of the DNA strands passing through the nanopore sensor, where the individual nucleotides (DNA building blocks) are distinguished from each other. Credit: Jonathan Bailey, NHGRI.
© István Pénzes
Please NOTE and RESPECT the copyright.
Spring 2019 @home
Leicaflex SL2
Summilux 80mm
Kodak T-max 400 @100
Kodak T-max developer
Imacon Flextight 343
I found the Stormtroopers huddled around doing some research into the New Arrival when I got home today!
strobist info: Two Yongnuo YN560s one to the left 90 degrees to Stormtroopers, 45 degree bounce card out, second off to the back right same setup as first, both on lowest power. Fired with Yongnuo wireless triggers.