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The remains of the Minister of Highways and Road Development and Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was taken to the Parliament complex this morning at 10.30 AM to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects.
Earlier in the day, President Mahinda Rajapakse, paid his last respect to the slain Minister at his Torrington residence and later attended the Parliament ceremony where the mortal remains of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was kept to enable his parliamentary colleagues to pay their last respect. Sri Lanka President paying his last respect to the slain Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Also seen in the picture Mrs Fernadopulle and his children. (Pix by Sudath Silva)
Yesterday, in his statement President condemned the killing of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. He said, "I emphatically and unequivocally condemn the cowardly assassination of Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Highways and Road Construction and Chief Government Whip, by the terrorists of the LTTE, earlier today." (06 April).Sri Lanka President being received by Mrs Fernandopulle and children when he arrived at the Torrington residence of Minsiter Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.
He also pointed out, "Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was a popular representative of the people, elected by the voters of Gampaha District at several elections. The assassination of such a committed democrat once again shows the total contempt of the LTTE to the democratic process, and its unquestioned commitment to violence and terror to achieve it narrow and limited objectives, that are far removed from the interests of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka."At the Parliament
He further said, "It is also significant that in carrying this repeated act of terrorist brutality the LTTE has chosen as its target a leader of the Catholic and Christian communities of Sri Lanka, who played an important role in bringing about greater understanding among the different communities of our country."
Thereafter, the cortège was taken to his house in Katana.
Minister Fernandopulle was assassinated in an LTTE bomb explosion yesterday morning.
The funeral will take place on Thursday (April 10) with full state honors.Members of Parliament paying their last respect
Minister Fernandopulle entered the Parliament in 1983 representing Gampaha district. A lawyer by profession, the late Minister was a fluent speaker in Sinhalese, Tamil and English.
During his career, he held many ministerial portfolios including, the Minster of Catholic Affairs, Minister of Ethnic Concession and National Unity, Minister of Port and Aviation, and Minister of Highways and Road Development.
He had also been appointed the UPFA organizer for the Trincomalee District for the forthcoming provincial council elections in the East.
(Pix by Sudath Silva)
The church altar table has been made ready for tomorrow's Remembrance Sunday service.
Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.
We remember the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, the vital role played by the emergency services and those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism.
A day to mark our respect and be thankful to those who died so that we may live freely today.
The glass panel is a triptych depicting a battle scene during World War II.
One a Week 2024 - Week 45
this song is about respect, which most people at SL have lost. I chose the dance LBP19, it fits the music very well. I chose the Elven Forest beach as the location. As always, I apologize for any translation errors in the text. I think you can still understand the meaning. Have fun watching and listening.
These are just a few examples because there are many more traditional cultural and religious ceremonies in Yogyakarta,
note: this photo is re-enacted for the purpose of photography, telling or events or ceremonies in the past and has nothing to do with the current one
Looking very cute together :)
They are going to France tomorrow - I will miss them....
*All my toys are made using my original designs & techniques. Each one is unique and hand crafted with love :)
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Photograph taken at an altitude of Eighteen metres at 11:39am on Sunday 24th January 2021,during the first snow flurries of the year off New Road and B213 in Abbey Wood open space, Belvedere in Kent, England.
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Nikon D850 Hand held with Sigma OS Otical Stabilization enabled on normal setting. Focal length 60mm Shutter speed: 1/125s Aperture f/4.5 iso800 Image area 1.2X L (6880 x 4584). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed). Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. AF-S Priority selection: Focus. Single point: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Aperture Priority mode. Matrix metering. Auto ISO sensitivity control on (Max iso 800/ Minimum shutter speed 64). White balance on: Auto1. Colour space: RGB. Active D-lighting: Normal. Vignette control: Normal. Nikon Distortion control: Enabled. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)
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LATITUDE: N 51d 29m 14.88s
LONGITUDE: E 0d 7m 38.56s
ALTITUDE: 22.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE: 66.00MB NEF: 90.5MB
PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 43.10MB
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Respect!
Please View On Black to read the text...
Translate by Google:
When God created mothers of children with autism
He had been 6 days of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said:
"You cross a whole lot of time and work in these units'
"Do you have the specifications of this order already read?" Asked God tired.
"The mother of a child must have very good eyes,
so they can see how special her child,
when all blinded by the syndrome.
She has much more energy than is normally required
so she never gives up,
even when others do.
Her skin must be extra thick to endure all the injustice
and any criticism of her parenting skills.
I gave her an even stronger hearts
with a greater capacity to love and understand.
"God," said the angel as she touched his sleeve,
"You'd better get some rest and tomorrow to continue working.
"I can not," said God, "there are more autistic children than the world knows.
The angel flew slowly around the creature and studied it carefully.
Suddenly she stopped and leaned forward.
Her fingers glided across the cheek of the woman.
"They leak," said the angel, "I think you too long to have worked through
"That's not a leak" said God, "that's a tear.
"Where is that?" Asked the angel,
"I suppose for pent-up emotions,
for too much injustice,
for lack of understanding. "God.
"You're really brilliant," said the angel
God looked somber and leaned back in his chair.
"The tears I have not made," he said.....
"Not a cry for attention, but a scream for respect"
Love how people respect these endangered mammals. Whenever they decide to land on a beach, somebody will put up a "border" for people to keep away and nobody seem to cross that line.
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Photograph taken at 12:14pm on Wednesday 10th April 2024 at an altitude of Forty six metres in the Grounds of Warnham Nature Reserve in Horsham, West Sussex.
Here we see a Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret), a passerine measuring around 11-12cms with a wingspan of 20-23cms. It is sadly on the Red conservation list.
Nikon D850 Single-lens reflex digital camera F Mount with FX CMOS 35.9mm x 23.9mm Image sensor 46.89 Million total pixels Focal length: 600mm Shutter speed: 1/4000s (Mechanical shutter) Aperture f/6.3 Auto iso3200 Image area Full Frame FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L 45.4Million pixels (8256 x 5504) 14 Bit uncompressed Hand held with Tamron VC control enabled AF-C Priority Selection: Release Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Natural light Auto, 0,0 Colour space: Adobe RGB Picture control: (SD) Standard (Sharpening +3.00/Clarity A+1.00)
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LATITUDE: N 51d 4m 48.1s
LONGITUDE: W 0d 19m 56.90s
ALTITUDE: 46.0m
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Several other locations were inaccessible due to road construction projects. I wound up going to Ludlowville. The falls provided colorful scenery and the Union School here was eerie.
Please also visit:
At the "Respect My Vote" rally at the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre / MBK intersection today, January 10th 2014 - when a fair few people displayed they had had enough of Suthep's attempt to derail democracy in the hope of returning to the days of military rule behind the front of an Absolute Monarchy, and enough of Abhisit's leadership of the Democrat Party to boycott the election.
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Tongue-Thai’ed ! Whistle Blown on Abhisit’s Spurious Pleas for Reform
By Saksith Saiyasombut
Jan 09, 2014
(Democrat) Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva held a speech at a party event called ”Eradicate Corruption, Committed In Reforms” in Bangkok on Tuesday, when this happened:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BstwVBOvYM
Here’s a description...
[...] an unidentified man stood up in the audience and blew his whistle. The audience mistook him as a supporter of Mr. Abhisit, since whistle-blowing has been a trademark of the anti-government protesters, and no one restrained him until he held up a sign which read – in English – “Respect My Vote!”.
The heckler then shouted at Mr. Abhisit, “If you cannot even reform yourself, how can you reform the country?”. Mr. Abhisit was visibly surprised by the incident, but the former leader tried to manage the confrontation by thanking the man for his remarks.
However, the heckler went on to shout, “When you were the government, why didn’t you do it? (Start the discussion) about anti-corruption. You have intimidated other people, so can they not intimidate you as well?”
The heckler was later identified to be a 34-year-old Bangkok businessman referred under his Facebook handle “Ake Auttagorn” who told Prachatai that he staged the one-man protest “out of frustration” at the political discourse now and that “Thailand already had this lesson many times before” with the Democrat Party “always at the center of it”.
And this is how Abhisit reacted to the heckler…
“This is an example of reasons why we need reforms,” Mr. Abhisit told the audience, “This is the form of Democrat Party′s rivals”, to which the heckler shot back, “I am not your rival, I am the people!”
Security guards later surrounded the man and led him out of the room. After the heckler had been removed, Mr. Abhisit told the crowd that such harassment is a reason why the upcoming election on 2 February 2014 would not be a fair one."
asiancorrespondent.com/118047/tongue-thaied-abhisits-flab...
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.... a business man standing and heckling / challenging you with an A4 sign saying Respect My Vote means the upcoming election would not be a fair one?
How's that ex Prime Minister Abhisit ?
Please tell...
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4 strangers are waiting for the green light to cross the street. I love the perfect space each has given the other... like an invisible force field.
August 5, 2023 - Kearney Nebraska
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Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is a widely worshipped deity in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.
Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
ETYMOLOGY AND OTHER NAMES
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati, a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana; having the face of an elephant).
Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai. A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare.
In Sri Lanka, in the North-Central and North Western areas with predominantly Buddhist population, Ganesha is known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo, while in other Singhala Buddhist areas he is known as Gana deviyo.
ICONOGRAPHY
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century. The 13th century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900–1200, after Ganesha had been well-established as an independent deity with his own sect. This example features some of Ganesha's common iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973–1200 by Paul Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue is dated c. 12th century by Pratapaditya Pal. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. This statue has four arms, which is common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the 7th century. Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a pasha (noose) in the other upper arm.
The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha. In one modern form, the only variation from these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra). The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is a very popular theme.
COMMON ATTRIBUTES
Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.
Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other being broken. Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk. The importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta. Ganesha's protruding belly appears as a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries). This feature is so important that, according to the Mudgala Purana, two different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally, Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly). Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his belly. The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs) of the past, present, and future are present in him. The number of Ganesha's arms varies; his best-known forms have between two and sixteen arms. Many depictions of Ganesha feature four arms, which is mentioned in Puranic sources and codified as a standard form in some iconographic texts. His earliest images had two arms. Forms with 14 and 20 arms appeared in Central India during the 9th and the 10th centuries. The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms. According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the serpent Vasuki around his neck. Other depictions of snakes include use as a sacred thread wrapped around the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne. Upon Ganesha's forehead may be a third eye or the Shaivite sectarian mark , which consists of three horizontal lines. The Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark as well as a crescent moon on the forehead. A distinct form of Ganesha called Bhalachandra includes that iconographic element. Ganesha is often described as red in color. Specific colors are associated with certain forms. Many examples of color associations with specific meditation forms are prescribed in the Sritattvanidhi, a treatise on Hindu iconography. For example, white is associated with his representations as Heramba-Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati Who Releases from Bondage). Ekadanta-Ganapati is visualized as blue during meditation in that form.
VAHANAS
The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha uses a mouse (shrew) in five of them, a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata, and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja. Mohotkata uses a lion, Mayūreśvara uses a peacock, Dhumraketu uses a horse, and Gajanana uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock.
Ganesha is often shown riding on or attended by a mouse, shrew or rat. Martin-Dubost says that the rat began to appear as the principal vehicle in sculptures of Ganesha in central and western India during the 7th century; the rat was always placed close to his feet. The mouse as a mount first appears in written sources in the Matsya Purana and later in the Brahmananda Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses it as his vehicle in his last incarnation. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa includes a meditation verse on Ganesha that describes the mouse appearing on his flag. The names Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner) appear in the Ganesha Sahasranama.
The mouse is interpreted in several ways. According to Grimes, "Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati's mouse, do so negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire". Along these lines, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who wish to overcome desires and be less selfish. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a menace to crops. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing). It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that needed to be overcome. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence. Martin-Dubost notes a view that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret places.
ASSOCIATIONS
OBSTACLES
Ganesha is Vighneshvara or Vighnaraja or Vighnaharta (Marathi), the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He is popularly worshipped as a remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked. Paul Courtright says that "his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation."
Krishan notes that some of Ganesha's names reflect shadings of multiple roles that have evolved over time. Dhavalikar ascribes the quick ascension of Ganesha in the Hindu pantheon, and the emergence of the Ganapatyas, to this shift in emphasis from vighnakartā (obstacle-creator) to vighnahartā (obstacle-averter). However, both functions continue to be vital to his character.
BUDDHI (KNOWLEDGE)
Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha, especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya. This name also appears in a list of 21 names at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama that Ganesha says are especially important. The word priya can mean "fond of", and in a marital context it can mean "lover" or "husband", so the name may mean either "Fond of Intelligence" or "Buddhi's Husband".
AUM
Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum, also spelled Om. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Aum is his form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa attests to this association. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as follows:
(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vāyu]. You are the sun [Sūrya] and the moon [Chandrama]. You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this).
Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the shape of Aum in the Devanāgarī and Tamil scripts.
FIRST CHAKRA
According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra, called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation". The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows: "[O Ganesha,] You continually dwell in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine [mūlādhāra cakra]." Thus, Ganesha has a permanent abode in every being at the Muladhara. Ganesha holds, supports and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life".
FAMILY AND CONSORTS
Though Ganesha is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Puranic myths give different versions about his birth. In some he was created by Parvati, in another he was created by Shiva and Parvati, in another he appeared mysteriously and was discovered by Shiva and Parvati or he was born from the elephant headed goddess Malini after she drank Parvati's bath water that had been thrown in the river.
The family includes his brother the war god Kartikeya, who is also called Subramanya, Skanda, Murugan and other names. Regional differences dictate the order of their births. In northern India, Skanda is generally said to be the elder, while in the south, Ganesha is considered the first born. In northern India, Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about 600 CE, when worship of him declined significantly in northern India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose. Several stories tell of sibling rivalry between the brothers and may reflect sectarian tensions.
Ganesha's marital status, the subject of considerable scholarly review, varies widely in mythological stories. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacari. This view is common in southern India and parts of northern India. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses, said to be Ganesha's wives. He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi). Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati or Śarda (particularly in Maharashtra). He is also associated with the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly prevalent in the Bengal region, links Ganesha with the banana tree, Kala Bo.
The Shiva Purana says that Ganesha had begotten two sons: Kşema (prosperity) and Lābha (profit). In northern Indian variants of this story, the sons are often said to be Śubha (auspiciouness) and Lābha. The 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa shows Ganesha married to Riddhi and Siddhi and having a daughter named Santoshi Ma, the goddess of satisfaction. This story has no Puranic basis, but Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen cite Santoshi Ma's cult as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.
WOSHIP AND FESTIVALS
Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions; especially at the beginning of ventures such as buying a vehicle or starting a business. K.N. Somayaji says, "there can hardly be a [Hindu] home [in India] which does not house an idol of Ganapati. [..] Ganapati, being the most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the country". Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity.
Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity, and Hindus of all denominations invoke him at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies. Dancers and musicians, particularly in southern India, begin performances of arts such as the Bharatnatyam dance with a prayer to Ganesha. Mantras such as Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah (Om, salutation to the Illustrious Ganesha) are often used. One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Salutation to the Lord of Hosts).
Devotees offer Ganesha sweets such as modaka and small sweet balls (laddus). He is often shown carrying a bowl of sweets, called a modakapātra. Because of his identification with the color red, he is often worshipped with red sandalwood paste (raktacandana) or red flowers. Dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other materials are also used in his worship.
Festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vināyaka chaturthī in the śuklapakṣa (the fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of bhādrapada (August/September) and the Gaṇeśa jayanti (Gaṇeśa's birthday) celebrated on the cathurthī of the śuklapakṣa (fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of māgha (January/February)."
GANESH CHATURTI
An annual festival honours Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesha Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival begins with people bringing in clay idols of Ganesha, symbolising Ganesha's visit. The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (murtis) of Ganesha are immersed in the most convenient body of water. Some families have a tradition of immersion on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, or 7th day. In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event. He did so "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra. Because of Ganesha's wide appeal as "the god for Everyman", Tilak chose him as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and he established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra. The festival also assumes huge proportions in Mumbai, Pune, and in the surrounding belt of Ashtavinayaka temples.
TEMPLES
In Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper. In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which the Ashtavinayak (lit. "eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known. Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend. The eight shrines are: Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.
There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following: Kanipakam in Chittoor; the Jambukeśvara Temple at Tiruchirapalli; at Rameshvaram and Suchindram in Tamil Nadu; at Malliyur, Kottarakara, Pazhavangadi, Kasargod in Kerala, Hampi, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.
T. A. Gopinatha notes, "Every village however small has its own image of Vighneśvara (Vigneshvara) with or without a temple to house it in. At entrances of villages and forts, below pīpaḹa (Sacred fig) trees [...], in a niche [...] in temples of Viṣṇu (Vishnu) as well as Śiva (Shiva) and also in separate shrines specially constructed in Śiva temples [...]; the figure of Vighneśvara is invariably seen." Ganesha temples have also been built outside of India, including southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka shrines in the Kathmandu valley), and in several western countries.
RISE TO PROMINENCE
FIRST APEARANCE
Ganesha appeared in his classic form as a clearly recognizable deity with well-defined iconographic attributes in the early 4th to 5th centuries. Shanti Lal Nagar says that the earliest known iconic image of Ganesha is in the niche of the Shiva temple at Bhumra, which has been dated to the Gupta period. His independent cult appeared by about the 10th century. Narain summarizes the controversy between devotees and academics regarding the development of Ganesha as follows:
What is inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaņeśa on the historical scene. His antecedents are not clear. His wide acceptance and popularity, which transcend sectarian and territorial limits, are indeed amazing. On the one hand there is the pious belief of the orthodox devotees in Gaņeśa's Vedic origins and in the Purāṇic explanations contained in the confusing, but nonetheless interesting, mythology. On the other hand there are doubts about the existence of the idea and the icon of this deity" before the fourth to fifth century A.D. ... [I]n my opinion, indeed there is no convincing evidence of the existence of this divinity prior to the fifth century.
POSSIBLE INFLUENCES
Courtright reviews various speculative theories about the early history of Ganesha, including supposed tribal traditions and animal cults, and dismisses all of them in this way:
In the post 600 BC period there is evidence of people and places named after the animal. The motif appears on coins and sculptures.
Thapan's book on the development of Ganesha devotes a chapter to speculations about the role elephants had in early India but concludes that, "although by the second century CE the elephant-headed yakṣa form exists it cannot be presumed to represent Gaṇapati-Vināyaka. There is no evidence of a deity by this name having an elephant or elephant-headed form at this early stage. Gaṇapati-Vināyaka had yet to make his debut."
One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with the four Vinayakas (Vināyakas). In Hindu mythology, the Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties but who were easily propitiated. The name Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. Krishan is one of the academics who accepts this view, stating flatly of Ganesha, "He is a non-vedic god. His origin is to be traced to the four Vināyakas, evil spirits, of the Mānavagŗhyasūtra (7th–4th century BCE) who cause various types of evil and suffering". Depictions of elephant-headed human figures, which some identify with Ganesha, appear in Indian art and coinage as early as the 2nd century. According to Ellawala, the elephant-headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-Christian era.
A metal plate depiction of Ganesha had been discovered in 1993, in Iran, it dated back to 1,200 BCE. Another one was discovered much before, in Lorestan Province of Iran.
First Ganesha's terracotta images are from 1st century CE found in Ter, Pal, Verrapuram and Chandraketugarh. These figures are small, with elephant head, two arms, and chubby physique. The earliest Ganesha icons in stone were carved in Mathura during Kushan times (2nd-3rd centuries CE).
VEDIC AND EPIC LITERATURE
The title "Leader of the group" (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) occurs twice in the Rig Veda, but in neither case does it refer to the modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV 2.23.1 as a title for Brahmanaspati, according to commentators. While this verse doubtless refers to Brahmanaspati, it was later adopted for worship of Ganesha and is still used today. In rejecting any claim that this passage is evidence of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, Ludo Rocher says that it "clearly refers to Bṛhaspati—who is the deity of the hymn—and Bṛhaspati only". Equally clearly, the second passage (RV 10.112.9) refers to Indra, who is given the epithet 'gaṇapati', translated "Lord of the companies (of the Maruts)." However, Rocher notes that the more recent Ganapatya literature often quotes the Rigvedic verses to give Vedic respectability to Ganesha .
Two verses in texts belonging to Black Yajurveda, Maitrāyaṇīya Saṃhitā (2.9.1) and Taittirīya Āraṇyaka (10.1), appeal to a deity as "the tusked one" (Dantiḥ), "elephant-faced" (Hastimukha), and "with a curved trunk" (Vakratuņḍa). These names are suggestive of Ganesha, and the 14th century commentator Sayana explicitly establishes this identification. The description of Dantin, possessing a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and holding a corn-sheaf, a sugar cane, and a club, is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin". However, Krishan considers these hymns to be post-Vedic additions. Thapan reports that these passages are "generally considered to have been interpolated". Dhavalikar says, "the references to the elephant-headed deity in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā have been proven to be very late interpolations, and thus are not very helpful for determining the early formation of the deity".
Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature that is dated to the Vedic period. A late interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata says that the sage Vyasa (Vyāsa) asked Ganesha to serve as his scribe to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him. Ganesha agreed but only on condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, that is, without pausing. The sage agreed, but found that to get any rest he needed to recite very complex passages so Ganesha would have to ask for clarifications. The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the editors of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is relegated to a footnote in an appendix. The story of Ganesha acting as the scribe occurs in 37 of the 59 manuscripts consulted during preparation of the critical edition. Ganesha's association with mental agility and learning is one reason he is shown as scribe for Vyāsa's dictation of the Mahabharata in this interpolation. Richard L. Brown dates the story to the 8th century, and Moriz Winternitz concludes that it was known as early as c. 900, but it was not added to the Mahabharata some 150 years later. Winternitz also notes that a distinctive feature in South Indian manuscripts of the Mahabharata is their omission of this Ganesha legend. The term vināyaka is found in some recensions of the Śāntiparva and Anuśāsanaparva that are regarded as interpolations. A reference to Vighnakartṛīṇām ("Creator of Obstacles") in Vanaparva is also believed to be an interpolation and does not appear in the critical edition.
PURANIC PERIOD
Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Puranic corpus. Brown notes while the Puranas "defy precise chronological ordering", the more detailed narratives of Ganesha's life are in the late texts, c. 600–1300. Yuvraj Krishan says that the Puranic myths about the birth of Ganesha and how he acquired an elephant's head are in the later Puranas, which were composed from c. 600 onwards. He elaborates on the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the earlier Puranas, such as the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, are later interpolations made during the 7th to 10th centuries.
In his survey of Ganesha's rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher notes that:
Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous stories surrounding Gaṇeśa concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three: his birth and parenthood, his elephant head, and his single tusk. Other incidents are touched on in the texts, but to a far lesser extent.
Ganesha's rise to prominence was codified in the 9th century, when he was formally included as one of the five primary deities of Smartism. The 9th-century philosopher Adi Shankara popularized the "worship of the five forms" (Panchayatana puja) system among orthodox Brahmins of the Smarta tradition. This worship practice invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, and Surya. Adi Shankara instituted the tradition primarily to unite the principal deities of these five major sects on an equal status. This formalized the role of Ganesha as a complementary deity.
SCRIPTURES
Once Ganesha was accepted as one of the five principal deities of Brahmanism, some Brahmins (brāhmaṇas) chose to worship Ganesha as their principal deity. They developed the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana.
The date of composition for the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana - and their dating relative to one another - has sparked academic debate. Both works were developed over time and contain age-layered strata. Anita Thapan reviews comments about dating and provides her own judgement. "It seems likely that the core of the Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries", she says, "but was later interpolated." Lawrence W. Preston considers the most reasonable date for the Ganesha Purana to be between 1100 and 1400, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned by the text.
R.C. Hazra suggests that the Mudgala Purana is older than the Ganesha Purana, which he dates between 1100 and 1400. However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative dating and concludes that the Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts concerned with Ganesha. She bases her reasoning on the fact that, among other internal evidence, the Mudgala Purana specifically mentions the Ganesha Purana as one of the four Puranas (the Brahma, the Brahmanda, the Ganesha, and the Mudgala Puranas) which deal at length with Ganesha. While the kernel of the text must be old, it was interpolated until the 17th and 18th centuries as the worship of Ganapati became more important in certain regions. Another highly regarded scripture, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably composed during the 16th or 17th centuries.
BEYOND INDIA AND HINDUISM
Commercial and cultural contacts extended India's influence in western and southeast Asia. Ganesha is one of a number of Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.
Ganesha was particularly worshipped by traders and merchants, who went out of India for commercial ventures. From approximately the 10th century onwards, new networks of exchange developed including the formation of trade guilds and a resurgence of money circulation. During this time, Ganesha became the principal deity associated with traders. The earliest inscription invoking Ganesha before any other deity is associated with the merchant community.
Hindus migrated to Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture, including Ganesha, with them. Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries. The forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo show specific regional influences. The spread of Hindu culture to southeast Asia established Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side, and mutual influences can be seen in the iconography of Ganesha in the region. In Thailand, Cambodia, and among the Hindu classes of the Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was mainly thought of as a remover of obstacles. Today in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success.
Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. Examples of sculptures from the 5th to the 7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the region.
Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet. In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is popular; he has five heads and rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, (Shiva) a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, and sometimes dancing. Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531. In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten, the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.
The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention the worship of Ganesha. However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera. Jain connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections. The earliest known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century. A 15th-century Jain text lists procedures for the installation of Ganapati images. Images of Ganesha appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
WIKIPEDIA
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It's sunday, it's summer and of course that means rain showers and rare sunlight in the UK! No matter, a sunflower always makes us happy, so here is one in our garden.....
Photograph taken at an altitude of Sixty two metres at 09:36am on Sunday 13th August 2023 off Hythe Avenue in Chessington Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent.
The Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant with a daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”). The flowers come in many colors (yellow, red, orange, maroon, brown), but they are commonly bright yellow with brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers, and many attract bees, birds, and butterflies.
Nikon D850 Single-lens reflex digital camera F Mount with FX CMOS 35.9mm x 23.9mm Image sensor 46.89 Million total pixels Focal length: 120mm Shutter speed: 1/640s (Mechanical shutter) Aperture f/8.0 iso80 Handheld with Nikkor VR Vibration Reduction enabled Image area Full Frame FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L 45.4Million pixels (8256 x 5504) 14 Bit uncompressed AF-C Priority Selection: Release Nikon Back button focusing enabled 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Matrix metering White balance on: Natural Light Auto, 0, 0 Colour space: Adobe RGB Picture control: (SD) Standard (Sharpening +3.00/Clarity +1.00)
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I'm back . . . . with who knows how many photos of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
It pays to be first at Mormon Row. You get the spot you want. You can flash dirty looks at people who just walk in front of you as though that is okay and the bison respect photographers who get there early. Okay, not.
There was a herd of bison slowly making their way over towards us from the left in this photo. Naturally, they got between us and our car. We ended up having to go between the barn and the house and all the way around to the main road to get around the bison (safely, that is) and back to the car.
Unknown to me at that time, there is a badger den in the very area that we crosses through. No badgers were seen, however.
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Photograph taken at 11:32am on Monday 3rd March 2025 at an altitude of Fifty one metres in the Grounds of Warnham Nature Reserve in Horsham, West Sussex. The Millpond dates back to the 16th Century and parts of the woodland dates back even further to the 13th Century. A beautiful location for a walk, or to sit amongst nature and so see birds and butterflies in their natural habitat.
The Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a delicate little bird, weighing in at around 11g, around half the size of a robin. Often considered our most attractive garden bird, the blue tit is extremely colourful, with a bright blue cap, white face, black stripes across the eyes, bright yellow breast and blue, green and white wings.
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"Maria Hill: What does S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for, Agent Ward?
Grant Ward: Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Maria Hill: And what does that mean to you?
Grant Ward: It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out "S.H.I.E.L.D."
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s introduction in the Strange Tales featuring "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." occurred during a trend for action series about secret international intelligence agencies with catchy acronyms, such as television's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which Stan Lee stated in a 2014 interview, was the basis for him to create the organization.
Colonel Fury (initially the lead character of Marvel Comics' World War II series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos) was reimagined as a slightly older character with an eyepatch (which he lacked in his wartime adventures) and appointed head of the organization. Some characters from the Sgt. Fury series reappeared as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., most notably Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan, Fury's bowler hat-wearing aide-de-camp.
Its most persistent enemy is Hydra, a criminal organization founded (after some retcon) by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was presented as an extant, full-blown entity in its first appearance, with Tony Stark in charge of the Special Weaponry section and Fury seeing "some of the most famous joes from every nation" (then "half the leaders of the free world" a page later) at a meeting of the Supreme International Council.
Much was revealed over the years to fill in its labyrinthine organizational history. Stan Lee wrote each story, abetted by artist Kirby's co-plotting or full plotting, through Strange Tales #152 (January 1967), except for two issues, one scripted by Kirby himself (#148) and one by Dennis O'Neil (#149).
Following an issue scripted by Roy Thomas (#153), and one co-written by Thomas and new series artist Jim Steranko,* came the sole-writer debut of soon-to-become industry legend Steranko—who had begun on the feature as a penciller-inker of Kirby layouts in #151 (December 1966), taken over the every-other-issue "Nick Fury" cover art with #153 two months later, and full writing with #155 (April 1967).
Steranko quickly established the feature as one of comics history's most groundbreaking, innovative, and acclaimed. Ron Goulart wrote,
"Even the dullest of readers could sense that something new was happening. … Which each passing issue Steranko's efforts became more and more innovative. Entire pages would be devoted to photocollages of drawings [that] ignored panel boundaries and instead worked together on planes of depth. The first pages … became incredible production numbers similar in design to the San Francisco rock concert poster of the period."
Larry Hama said Steranko "combined the figurative dynamism of Jack Kirby with modern design concepts. The graphic influences of Peter Max, Op Art, and Andy Warhol were embedded into the design of the pages — and the pages were designed as a whole, not just as a series of panels. All this, executed in a crisp, hard-edged style, seething with drama and anatomical tension".
The series won 1967 and 1968 Alley Awards and was inducted in the latter year to the awards' Hall of Fame. Steranko himself was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006.
The 12-page feature ran through Strange Tales #168 (sharing that "split book" with the occult feature "Doctor Strange" each issue), after which it was spun off onto its own series of the same title, running 15 issues (June 1968–Nov. 1969), followed by three all-reprint issues beginning a year later (Nov. 1970–March 1971). Steranko wrote and drew issues #1–3 and #5, and drew the covers of #1–7.
New S.H.I.E.L.D. stories would not appear for nearly two decades after the first solo title. A six-issue miniseries, Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. (June–November 1988) was followed by Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (vol. 2). This second series lasted 47 issues (September 1989–May 1993); its pivotal story arc was "the Deltite Affair", in which many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were replaced with Life Model Decoy androids in a takeover attempt.
A year after that series ended, the one-shot Fury (May 1994) retconned the events of those previous two series, recasting them as a series of staged events designed to distract Fury from the resurrection plans of Hydra head von Strucker. The following year, writer Howard Chaykin and penciler Corky Lehmkuhl produced the four-issue miniseries Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (April–July 1995).
Various publications have additionally focused on Nick Fury's solo adventures, such as the graphic novels and one-shots Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection (1989), Wolverine/Nick Fury: Scorpio Rising (October 1994), Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty and Captain America and Nick Fury: Blood Truce (both February 1995), and Captain America and Nick Fury: The Otherworld War (October 2001).
Origin
S.H.I.E.L.D. was formed by Nick Fury, in the period after World War II. However, he figured the U.S. government wouldn't want a group like that, so he disbanded it. Later, though, after a terrorist attack, he noticed that a group like S.H.I.E.L.D. could really have helped and prevented the disaster. So he reformed it.
Meanwhile, the United Nations had already taken S.H.I.E.L.D. and restarted it, having Colonel Rick Stoner becoming the first Director of the organization. Fury immediately joined and rose to the top. The Nations had reformed it in response to a HYDRA attack, and once Fury was leading it, it flourished.
Creation
S.H.I.E.L.D. made their first appearance in Strange Tales #135. They were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Team Evolution
S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) or Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law Enforcement Division (see Iron Man #227) is a group affiliated with the U.N that deals with superhuman threats. It is an intelligence and anti-terrorism group similar to the FBI, only it is an international corporation that spans all the world. It acts like the police force.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are armed and work well, much more effective then standard police. They fight terrorists as well as super humans. S.H.I.E.L.D. also has been responsible for the starting of spin-off groups like S.W.O.R.D. and S.T.R.I.K.E. S.H.I.E.L.D. has agents that also are higher level, that often are super humans.
Captain America, Spider-Woman, and Iron Man all have operated as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps ties to the superhuman community, too-they often call on the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and Captain America.
S.H.I.E.L.D. has superhuman agents in the past-two teams were formed in an effort to make a S.H.I.E.L.D. superhuman team. The first team consisted of Marvel Man, Texas Twister, the Vamp, and Blue Streak.
However, it quickly failed, and another team in the same vein also failed. The Psi-Division of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a group of psychics or telepaths that deal with psionic menaces. This is only one of the groups of super humans that work in S.H.I.E.L.D. for the greater good.
All S.H.I.E.L.D. members have a certain level, based on their importance. A normal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent will have a Level One-which means he can pass through Level One areas and has clearance.
A sergeant might have Level Two, which means he has Level Two and One clearance. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a Level Nine clearance. Level Ten means the most important person in the world-no one currently possesses a Level Ten clearance. Not even the President, or Nick Fury.
S.H.I.E.L.D. has many bases around the world. Many are on land-most notably S.H.I.E.L.D. Central, which is located in New York City. There are also many shelters that are secretly placed around the world.
Fury has used one, as has the Secret Avengers when they needed a base during the events of Civil War. However, their most famous and important base is the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is an aircraft that is constantly in the air. It is large enough to hold an aircraft carrier. It is the mobile headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is extremely protected. The Helicarrier has held an entire squadron of jet fighters and a nuclear ballistic missile.
There is one major Helicarrier, which is the one that is most important and used. There are also many smaller Helicarriers, however, which all serve as bases too.
The Helicarrier has an extremely high level of security-even if someone managed to get on without clearance, guards and extremely powerful security technology would have them gone in a second.
The Helicarrier was first proposed by Stark Industries, and was designed by Tony Stark, Forge, and Mr. Fantastic.
S.H.I.E.L.D. operated as a covert, military/intelligence agency at the time, and members of it had already appeared. S.H.I.E.L.D. already fought HYDRA then-the evil group had plots like the aforementioned "Overkill Horn".
A.I.M. made its first appearance, and individual villains such as Red Skull also popped up and needed to be stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D..
At this time, Godzilla came, and the Godzilla Squad was formed to take the monster down. S.H.I.E.L.D. had tough periods during this time. Several lifelike robots got so smart that they became able to think and make choices-they became sentient beings.
They had a grudge against S.H.I.E.L.D. for making them follow orders all the time before they had intelligence-so they drugged important S.H.I.E.L.D. members and took their place within the organization.
Several of these were Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Jimmy Woo, and Jasper Sitwell, among others. However, the valiant Fury managed to take them down.
Fury's Influence
Most of the reason that S.H.I.E.L.D. was so effective started with Fury.** He started the group and put good, effective agents in place. He was extremely popular in and out of S.H.I.E.L.D. and had strong ties with the hero community. Without him, many "pessimists" and intellectuals theorized that S.H.I.E.L.D. would fall, and fall hard.
Unfortunately, they were right. S.H.I.E.L.D. ran into disastrous times. As aforementioned, Nick Fury did a mission in Latveria to stop them from attacking the U.S. However, it was totally unauthorized, and Fury was forced to resign from S.H.I.E.L.D. Warrants went out for his arrest.
The new head of S.H.I.E.L.D. was Maria Hill-who proved to be incompetent at the position. The President of the U.S. was a driving force behind Hill's election-for two reasons.
Hill was an American, so the President expected her to be loyal first and foremost to the U.S. even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was a United Nations facility. Also, many men and women had been members of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time, and they would have been much better as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.. However, they were "too loyal to Fury", so Hill got the job to keep the Fury loyalists out.
S.H.I.E.L.D. took a downward turn. Fury's work as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. was extremely effective, and an insane amount of work had kept corruption out of the huge organization.
Unfortunately, Hill wasn't as good as Fury at it, and S.H.I.E.L.D. became corrupt and weak. Crimes were committed. Criminals were "stockpiled" in prison. Worst of all, the Avengers discovered that someone was mining the anti-metal in the Savage Land using slave labor-and S.H.I.E.L.D. was the prime suspect.
Subdivisions
S.H.I.E.L.D. also has many subdivisions and other groups based off it. Two other groups have been formed from S.H.I.E.L.D.:
S.W.O.R.D. and S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.W.O.R.D. stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department. As you can easily guess, S.W.O.R.D. works with extraterrestrials. It stops extraterrestrial threats, keeps tabs on powerful aliens, etc. They are not a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. but are actually a separate, yet similar group that simply works with S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, they are closely affiliated with both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United Nations. S.W.O.R.D. encountered Ord, an alien who was convinced that a mutant from Earth was destined to destroy his planet.
He attempted to attack Earth to kill all the mutants but S.W.O.R.D. and the X-Men stopped him, effectively stopping an interplanetary war. The leader of S.W.O.R.D. is Abigail Brand, a tough, effective leader who stopped many crises and is extremely valuable to S.H.I.E.L.D.
She was a Fury loyalist and respected him a lot and greatly dislikes Maria Hill. As for Tony Stark, he has not encountered S.W.O.R.D. or Brand yet. S.W.O.R.D. is currently trying to stop another war with a planet called Breakworld.
Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is loyal to the United Nations two countries have created their own answer to S.H.I.E.L.D. that works within their country and their country alone. The first to appear was the British version of S.H.I.E.L.D., S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies).
S.T.R.I.K.E. was British, but one of their early leaders, Tod Radcliffe, was revealed to be a traitor that worked for the Red Skull. The next leader was Lance Hunter. They worked closely with Captain Britain.
However, Vixen (Captain Britain's enemy) took them over and S.T.R.I.K.E. was disbanded. The most prominent person to work for S.T.R.I.K.E. was Betsy Braddock, who had psychic powers. After leaving S.T.R.I.K.E.. she joined the X-Men as the heroine Psylocke.
S.A.F.E. is the United States answer to S.H.I.E.L.D. The name stands for Strategic Action For Emergencies. S.A.F.E. is nearly identical to S.H.I.E.L.D., except they are only in the U.S. They have fought many enemies, including Doctor Doom and Baron Heinrich Zemo. The leader is Sean Morgan, a competent leader and good soldier. Joshua Ballard is the most prolific agent, and he's extremely helpful-he's the Dum Dum Dugan of S.A.F.E..
Along with these agencies, other small groups have been formed including Euromind and Starcore.
Another group that has continually showed up over the years is the Cape Killers. They were never an official S.H.I.E.L.D. group, but S.H.I.E.L.D. agents did make up it's ranks.
The term Cape Killers was given to any group of soldiers trained to hunt, subdue and in worst case scenario kill meta humans. The Cape Killers have had such members as Agent Abrams, Agent Cleery, Dum Dum Dugan, & Special Agent Marquez, and her partner Agent McAllister.
Members
Nick Fury
The most prominent, important, and effective member of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the man who runs it all, Nick Fury. Fury was born in New York City in 1921, to decorated World War I pilot Jack Fury. He and his friend Red Hargrove lusted after adventure-so they joined the U.S. Army in World War II.
Nick was an adept soldier, and he was given command of the First Attack Squad-nicknamed the Howling Commandos. The Howling Commandos were extremely effective-and Fury quickly became a decorated war hero.
After the war, Fury was hit by a land mine and badly injured. The government decided to test a new formula on him-that would heal him and greatly retard his aging. This was called the Infinity Formula.
It worked-Fury was restored to full strength and is still in his physical prime today. He eventually joined the CIA and became a CIA agent in Korea, also interacting with the Fantastic Four.
Tony Stark hired him to be the second commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury excelled at the job. Under his leadership, S.H.I.E.L.D. grew and grew until it is now one of the most powerful organizations in the world. Fury led S.H.I.E.L.D. for over forty years, working tirelessly and keeping it powerful and secret.
However, Fury recently discovered that Latveria, led by the evil Doctor Doom, was planning to attack America. He immediately had S.H.I.E.L.D. launch a covert assault on the country, effectively stopping the massive attack that would have taken place.
A year later, Latveria attacked back, and thousands were killed. Fury was blamed-and Luke Cage was injured. Captain America was angered at Fury. Eventually, this culminated in Fury being fired as commander of S.H.I.E.L.D.. A warrant was put out for his arrest, and Maria Hill took his place as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hill still leads S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fury is still in hiding. He keeps control over parts of S.H.I.E.L.D. and lent a base to the Secret Avengers during Civil War.
Nick Fury is infused with the Infinity Formula, meaning he barely ages at all. He is an soldier, with lots of experience as both a warrior and a leader. He is a master tactician and strategist, and is very good with all sorts of weapons.
He wields great political power as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., and is a very good hand-to-hand combatant.
Nick Fury is not the only S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-not by a long shot. Many of the other important S.H.I.E.L.D. members date back from Fury's old team-the Howling Commandos.
Dum Dum Dugan
Dum Dum Dugan (Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan) was working as a circus strongman before he enlisted in World War II.
He was put in the Howling Commandos, a new division led by Nick Fury. He was extremely valuable to the team-he was so strong that he was able to save them from many things that should have killed them.
He was a great marksman, strongman, and leader, and he became Fury's second-in-command. When the war ended, Fury invited Dugan into S.H.I.E.L.D. as his second-in-command. Dugan has easily been the second-most-important person to S.H.I.E.L.D.
His missions have included tracking down and killing a radioactive monster ( Godzilla, in the Godzilla Squad) and various independent missions to take super villains (often with Squirrel Girl).
For a long time, he worked maintaining security on the Helicarrier, and working for Fury whenever needed. When Fury was replaced by Maria Hill, he was her second-in-command and was put in charge of mutant affairs.
This involved conflicts with Wolverine, who he had a mysterious contact with. Eventually, he tried to resign from S.H.I.E.L.D. when Tony Stark took control. He was rejected-he was too important to S.H.I.E.L.D. to quit. He was recently shot in the chest by Daken, but he survived, and is currently in the hospital.
Gabriel Jones
Gabriel Jones was a young man living in New York City when a little thing called World War II popped up. Jones joined the army, and realized that he was naturally a great soldier and leader. He was put into the elite Howling Commandos and proved invaluable to the team.
After the war was over, Jones served on the Godzilla Squad with other former Howling Commandos (not Fury), and later joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
He ran out missions with or without other agents for S.H.I.E.L.D. until he retired, due to the events in the miniseries "Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.." He remains retired today, living the quiet, peaceful life. He sure deserves that. He also has the honor of being the first African-American in the Howling Commandos.
Sharon Carter aka Agent 13
Agent 13 (also known as Sharon Carter), is one of the most important members of S.H.I.E.L.D.. As a young girl, Sharon loved hearing stories of her older sister Peggy, who was a World War 1 flying ace and freedom fighter. Peggy had worked with Captain America, and the two fell in love.
However, Cap never learned her name, and he then froze in suspended animation. Sharon was a good fighter and loved justice, so she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. under the code-name "Agent 13" and ran out several missions for them.
She kept crossing paths with Cap, who had been resurrected and they eventually fell in love. Cap wanted her to quit as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but she refused. Eventually, her death was faked so she could be sent off on a top-secret mission. The mission failed, and she was presumed dead. Cap was never informed that her death was faked the first time.
However, he eventually found her, and she rejoined S.H.I.E.L.D.. She now works as a high-level agent, reporting directly to Hill for missions. Recently, she was given a hypnotic suggestion by Dr. Faustus to help kill Captain America, and under hypnotism, shot him in the stomach after Crossbones, a sniper and Red Skull's henchman, shot him.
Other important S.H.I.E.L.D. agents include Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Clay Quartermain, Jimmy Woo, and Jasper Sitwell.
HYDRA***
Since S.H.I.E.L.D. is a major force and such a huge, powerful organization, it bound to have many enemies. Most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemies are big groups-and the most powerful, fearsome, and deadly one of them all is HYDRA.
HYDRA is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archenemy. The motto of the group is "Cut off one of our heads, and two more will take it's place!" This is a reference to the Ancient Greek monster called the hydra, which fought Hercules and had the same ability.
HYDRA is a terrorist group dedicated to taking over the world and destroying S.H.I.E.L.D., which has foiled them many a time.
HYDRA has actually been around for centuries. The group goes all the way back to Imperial Japan, which only sought to rule Japan. This all changed in the 1900s when Wolfgang Von Strucker joined the group. Strucker was insane, deluded, and powerful-and he quickly rose to the top of the group.
He steered it away from Japan and decided on a new goal-rule the world! When he got to the top, he changed his name and got a title-he became Baron Strucker.
HYDRA was originally very open, not quiet, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually specifically formed to fight it (as you will read later). HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. became enemies-constantly warring to take each other down. HYDRA made several daring moves.
Strucker invented the "Overkill Horn", which would detonate all nuclear explosives worldwide. Later came the biological "Death-Spore Bomb". Both plots were foiled by S.H.I.E.L.D., and the latter resulted in Strucker's death.
After Baron Strucker died, HYDRA split into many mini-groups, or "heads" of HYDRA. Some of these were East Coast HYDRA, Las Vegas HYDRA, New York HYDRA, and Germany HYDRA. These factions also genetically created super agents for HYDRA, resulting in the creation of many villains.
However, this backfired when the great hero Spider-Woman was created by HYDRA related. Eventually Strucker was revived, and he reunited HYDRA. They continued their war against S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Earth.
HYDRA later planned a massive attack on the U.S-they smuggled nuclear missile into America and was going to launch a bio nuclear assault on a major aquifer.
They also tried to brainwash an army of heroes and villains (including Elektra and Northstar). Both times, they were foiled by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the New Avengers (including Spider-Woman, who they created).
HYDRA is still extremely dangerous, and cannot be stopped easily. The only reason they don't currently rule the world is because of the heroic efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D..
The HYDRA Agent is similar to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He is extremely well-trained-only the elite become agents. They carry a large variety of weapons and are trained especially in stealth.
HYDRA Agents often get missions to detonate, destroy, beat up, or burn things, and they are superb fighters. Some Agents of HYDRA have been Red Skull, Spider-Woman, Kingpin, and many others.
A.I.M.
Although HYDRA is easily S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest enemy, it is by no means the only one. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s other enemies is A.I.M.
A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) was created as a subdivision of HYDRA, by Baron Strucker. A.I.M.'s purpose was to create new technological wonders for HYDRA to use against S.H.I.E.L.D. and to take over the world.
It is a group of scientists, industrialists, and technological geniuses, and originally, they provided and designed weapons, defenses, and huge assault mechanisms for HYDRA. However, HYDRA suffered a huge defeat from the U.S and Japan Armies, so A.I.M. broke off into it's own group.
Like HYDRA, A.I.M.'s goal is to rule the Earth. However, unlike HYDRA, who wants to do it by force, A.I.M. seeks domination by technological means. They have created huge weapons and marvels before, and share one trait with HYDRA-they are dedicated to destroying S.H.I.E.L.D.. A.I.M. was led by the Scientist Supreme, an evil, shadowy figure where very little about him is known by S.H.I.E.L.D..
The Cosmic Cube was an intensely powerful item as it could literally alter reality to the user's whim. Red Skull once stole it and wreaked havoc with it, but that was later.
The Cube was created by the scientists at A.I.M., who sought to use it to rule the world. However, the Cube actually evolved into a new creature, Kubik, and A.I.M. no longer controls it. In this vein, A.I.M. created the Super-Adaptoid, which could exactly mimic the powers and appearance of other superheroes and villains.
Although it was immensely powerful, the Adaptoid contained a sliver of the Cosmic Cube that gave it its power. When the Cube became Kubik, it wanted the shard back, so it easily destroyed the creature and regained the sliver.
A.I.M. also created M.O.D.O.K. (Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing). M.O.D.O.K. was originally one of AIM's own scientists, and he took control of A.I.M. and improved it, continuing the fight to rule the world and destroy S.H.I.E.L.D..
M.O.D.O.K. still is in charge of A.I.M. Along with A.I.M., some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemies are Zodiac and Godzilla.
Zodiac
Zodiac is a criminal organization that was created using S.H.I.E.L.D. technology. Each member is another sign of the Zodiac, and they are dedicated to world domination. Although the Zodiac mostly fights the Avengers, they often collide with S.H.I.E.L.D. in their efforts to have the world ruled by their criminal organization.
Godzilla
Godzilla***** was a radioactive monster that rose out of the waters of Tokyo, Japan. S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately responded to the crisis, and formed the Godzilla Squad out of some of its members.
The Squad was led by Dum Dum Dugan (who never fully recovered from the experience), and its mission was to take down Godzilla.
Godzilla caused lots of property damage around Asia and North America before it was finally driven back into the sea. Obviously, this is based on the Japanese movie in real life of the same name-minus the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
Major Story Arcs
Civil War
The Civil War started when the New Warriors (consisting of Robbie Baldwin, Namorita, Microbe, and Night Thrasher) went on a basic mission to catch four criminals in an old house.
They included Speedfreek and an old Captain Marvel villain- Nitro. These villains had escaped from The Raft when Electro broke them out. The New Warriors easily defeated the villains-but Nitro was escaping.
Namorita stopped him, but he let off an explosion, destroying Stamford and murdering 600 people.
Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man,**** proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, where all super humans would have to register their powers and identities. They'd basically be cops. Maria Hill, who was the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. supported the Act, and eventually it was passed.
Many super humans disagreed with the Act, the most important and prolific being Captain America. S.H.I.E.L.D. was enlisted by the U.S. government to take down Cap and his anti-registration hero team, the Secret Avengers.
New S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, nicknamed cape-killers, went after anti-reg heroes. S.H.I.E.L.D. was led by Maria Hill, and was fully pro-reg. Iron Man worked closely with S.H.I.E.L.D. also-he revealed his identity as Tony Stark.
Many battles were fought. Eventually, Tony Stark's pro-registration side-and S.H.I.E.L.D. won. However, Maria Hill found out why she had been made the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., as aforementioned-to keep more effective "Fury loyalists" out and be loyal to the U.S. She was not supposed to be effective, and she wasn't.
Dismayed, she turned leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D. over to the man she thought deserved it most-Tony Stark. Stark, also Iron Man, is currently the leader and head of S.H.I.E.L.D..
H.A.M.M.E.R.
In the fallout of Secret Invasion Norman Osborn is granted the keys to the whole world and closes down S.H.I.E.L.D. and replaces it with his own special forces known as H.A.M.M.E.R. He also replaces all of the organization's Stark Tech (which had been compromised during the Secret Invasion) with technology and weapons created by Oscorp.
Nick Fury also discovers a dark secret about who as been pulling S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strings the whole time he was an agent in Secret Warriors #1.
Weapons and Equipment
LMDs
S.H.I.E.L.D. has a lot of technology, important technology that is often used. Perhaps the most important is the LMD- Life Model Decoy.
The Life Model Decoy is an android that is absolutely indistinguishable from whoever it impersonates. Fingerprints, DNA, hair, speech, thought patterns (for telepaths), anything, the Decoy is exactly the same. However, it is an android.
LMDs are used to duplicate people and take their place if they are going to be assassinated or there is a strong chance of an attack. LMDs have been used in place of personnel since the beginning of the organization, including Jessica Drew.
Most often, they have been used as a substitute for Nick Fury, who has had at least five LMDs destroyed in attempts to have him killed. These robots are a lot of the reason that many key S.H.I.E.L.D. members are still alive.
The Zodiac, a criminal organization, was created using stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. LMDs. Also, LMDs have gained sentience a few times. The Deltites were a group of LMDs that gained sentience and tried to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.. They were narrowly defeated by Nick Fury.
Red Ronin
S.H.I.E.L.D. also has used robot exoskeletons and gargantuan robots to achieve its ends. Red Ronin is the most important of those. Red Ronin was a huge, super powerful robot that was used by the Godzilla Squad.
The robot was destroyed by Godzilla before he was driven into the sea. It was rebuilt, but was hijacked by a mad scientist who was trying to start World War Three. It was stopped by the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. regained the remains.
It has been stolen and used for evil many times, by Dr. Doom, The Hand, and Henry Gyrich. Each time, the robot has been defeated and rebuilt (by heroes like Wasp and Hulk)-only to be stolen again. Red Ronin is currently possessed and used by the evil villain The Fixer-it appears that the cycle is still going.
The Helicarrier
Of course, the most prolific technology created and used by S.H.I.E.L.D. is the Helicarrier.
The Helicarrier is outfitted with weapons, security, and is constantly filled with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who are extremely effective and good fighters.
The Helicarrier is always being attacked by villains, and they are barely ever successful. A smaller version of the Helicarrier, the Behemoth, is often used by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents on missions, including by the Squad and by Dum Dum Dugan.
The Behemoth is similar to the Helicarrier, only there is less weapons, technology, and it isn't as fast or powerful.
As for other technology, S.H.I.E.L.D. has access to an infinite amount of military-level tech. Tools, weapons, anything that's used, S.H.I.E.L.D. can get.
Anything from pistols to nuclear weapons is easily attainable. Fighter jets are often used by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents when it is necessary for their mission.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
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A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: N/A
Publisher: Marvel
First appearance: Strange Tales #135 (August 1965)
Created by: Stan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
* Steranko art
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/48269254846/
** Nick Fury identity crisis
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/53250989962/
*** Baron von Strucker and Hydra
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/51932058251/
**** Tony Stark, Iron Man
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/52817252977/
***** Godzilla
My First Three Months In Neurosurgery
Aspirations. Goals. Honor. Respect. Some of the characteristics we all wish to inculcate in us in this journey called Life... and the major chunk is determined by our career and our approach towards the same.
In my noble quest towards the same I chose the field of Neurosurgery.
To someone like me... fresh in the department there was a lot to take in starting from the language and my hesitation initially to pronounce (or rather mispronounce) the words, This led me to practice on my own on unsuspecting victims aka patients,, whenever they failed to understand me I would come to the conclusion that I had failed as well -- to get my message across that is! And post trials and tribulations and unfailing help from the wards nurses and interpreters alike I can now muster the courage to approach a patient and not just speak but actually communicate to a certain level.
Neurosurgery fascinates me, somehow as compared to the other surgical branches the degree of uncertainty of the outcome of a particular procedure cannot be predicted to full accuracy, and is furthered by examining the patient when the effect of the anesthesia wears off... and even then the state of the patient may take a sudden turn towards better or for worse and the cause thereof – be unknown – this is what the past 3 months have taught me. Neurosurgery as a branch poses more of a challenge I’m willing to accept -- for Life.
During my first on-call duty I really didn’t know what to expect. Moreover being new to the whole system with unwritten protocols proved to be tougher than I initially fathomed. In spite of being a Neurosurgery resident I cover General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Vascular Surgery and initially Orthopedics during calls. The fact that there was no post on-call relief did not deter me from evaluating each and every case to the best of my clinical know-how. Over time I have become more adept at dealing with primary care physicians and radiologists as most often we interact with them on a one on one basis. Back home in India we rely heavily on paper work and thorough documentation but the approach is more quick and personalized here – something I’ve learnt to acknowledge and appreciate. The unfaltering dedication of the staff at work round the clock inspires me to give my best during the time spent here. A valuable bit of advice from one of my seniors was to eat when I get a chance to, sleep when I get a chance to and use the washroom when time permitted – and this has held me in good stead.
Over the past couple of weeks I have had everything to gain and nothing to lose – except weight of course and even that’s beneficial... My immediate senior and guide Dr.Farag has convinced me that residents are like air – they are omnipresent – everywhere!
I have learnt that for others to have trust in you, you need to trust yourself and your instincts.
I have learnt that the key to wisdom lies in the details.
I have learnt that the best place for patients to be is not necessarily the hospital, and that social support is the next best healing factor.
I have learnt that the power of will overshadows all medical improbabilities.
I have learnt that watchers can at times alleviate the patient’s anguish rather than prove to be of constructive help.
Having the fire alarm go off in your building of residence needn’t be all that horrifying.
I have come to the conclusion that it is far easier to treat a patient who is not eligible than to transfer him to another hospital, especially on a weekend.
I have learnt that We Are Doctors and we take a break FROM work when we’re off, and NOT come to work everyday!
I have learnt that having your cell phone start ringing whilst you’re presenting an important case isn’t too big a crime.
I have learnt to give due weightage to nurses’ instinct.
I have learnt that a Surgery resident is an ER magnet.
I have learnt that a Neurosurgery resident is an ER magnet, regardless of whether she/he is on call or not.
I have realized and learnt to respect my job’s obligations and requirements.
I am convinced that clear legible/coherent communication is the key to success at any level in the hospital.
I have learnt the pace of advancement in electronics far exceeds the increment in a resident’s financial package.
I have learnt that taking some time off work is as important as keeping your mind on it.
I have learnt that stress is directly proportional to age, rank and the number of colleagues working under you.
I have learnt that some patients would go to any length to get sick leave sanctioned.
I have learnt that there’s no limit to knowledge.
I have learnt that food at all hotels tastes the same, and that having breakfast should be mandatory for all – I have yet to put this in practice though!
I have accepted the fact that the responsibility and concern for a patient under one’s care extends beyond the boundaries of the hospital.
I have learnt that no matter what we do or undo – we’re continuously evolving as humans. Somehow somewhere I see glimpses of the same in my juniors, they’re evolving as well and one day Insha Allah (God-willing) we shall all be able and safe doctors into whose hands the patients willingly put their lives.
At the end of 100 constructive days I have realized that I have changed from a beginner hesitant to make any mistake, to one ready to exercise safe medicine.
The invisible, yet existent umbilical cord always pulls us back to work; Here’s where we belong and here’s where we shall evolve into bright young able physicians of tomorrow – Insha Allah (God-willing) !
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