Walk in the Love of God l Gospel Movie "Mission of Love" | God Is Love

www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/mission-of-love-movie/

Li Mo believed in Jesus from childhood. When she was 16, she became a coworker of the house church and worked for the Lord zealously. However, the dissension in the church escalated and the believers’ faith and love became cold increasingly. The desolate scene made her fall into the distress and perplexity she had never had before. In 1999, she was fortunate to hear Almighty God’s gospel of the last days and finally met the Lord! She joyfully told the good news to the brothers and sisters who were still eagerly expecting the Lord’s coming in religion. Unexpectedly, she was slandered, insulted, driven away, beaten and abused…. In those years, she went to many places to preach the gospel, such as many counties and cities in Hebei Province and Sichuan Province. During that time, she underwent many persecutions from the religious world. Although she suffered a lot and ever became weak and passive, with Almighty God's word leading her and God’s love encouraging her, she didn’t fear hardships and difficulties and went forward bravely. In such experience of sufferings, she saw clearly the religious world’s substance of being hostile to God, saw God’s substance of being righteous, holy, and beautiful and good, and even more deeply tasted God’s love and salvation, so that her life gradually grew up in adversity. It’s really glorious to be persecuted for righteousness!

 

Image Source: The Church of Almighty God

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We welcome all truth seekers to contact us

 

en.easternlightning.org/refuting-rumors/persecuted-for-ri...

 

(Eastern Lightning) Blessed Are They Which Are Persecuted For Righteousness’ Sake

 

......

 

We must talk about this issue from the Lord Jesus first.

 

We all know that the Lord Jesus has taken the bloody road of all kinds of persecution in order to fulfill God the Father’s commission and save people from their sins. From Jesus’ birth, He was hunted down by Herod the King and forced to flee to Egypt. Herod the Great was consumed with hatred for the arrival of God and laid murderous hands on Jesus. In order to keep his throne he had baby boys killed who were under two years of age in Bethlehem and its vicinity…. The Lord Jesus said: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Mat 5:10-12). From this passage of the words of the Lord Jesus, we can see that suffering abuse or persecution because of our faith in God is a blessing. If other people concoct all kinds of bad words to slander us, we should not be distressed or doubt God’s way and work because we are persecuted. Instead we should rejoice in being slandered and persecuted because we are blessed and God’s reward is great. Our persecution proves even more so that we believe in the true God and that what we uphold is the true way. Almighty God says: “Among you, there is not one man who receives the protection of the law; rather, you are penalized by the law, and the greater difficulty is that no man understands you, be it your relatives, your parents, your friends, or your colleagues. None understand you. When God rejects you, there is no way for you to continue living on earth. However, even so, people cannot bear to leave God; this is the significance of God’s conquest of people, and this is God’s glory.” “This is just as in the stage of Jesus’ work; He could only be glorified among those Pharisees who persecuted Him. If not for such persecution and the betrayal of Judas, Jesus would not have been ridiculed or slandered, much less crucified, and thus could never have gained glory” (“Is the Work of God So Simple as Man Imagines?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s work and words tells us that God’s wisdom is exercised based on Satan’s plots. In people’s eyes, the Lord Jesus suffered all kinds of persecution and adversity and finally He was crucified on the cross. Seemingly, the work failed. But it is through the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion that God’s work of redeeming mankind was accomplished and we sinners were redeemed. Today, God’s work of conquering the whole of mankind in the last days has similarly been rejected and persecuted, but in the same way, God will gain a group of people who obey His work, will cleanse a group of people who have been deeply corrupted by Satan and will accomplish His final stage of work of separating the sheep from goats, wheat from weeds through the rejection of the religious community and the persecution of the kings of the world.

 

......

  

Terms of se : en.easternlightning.org/disclaimer.html

Francesco De Rosa known as Pacecco (Naples 1607 - about 1656) - Susanna and the elders (1645 approx) Baroque Gallery of the Museum of Capodimonte Naples

 

Susanna e i vecchioni è un tema iconografico ispirato all'omonimo episodio biblico narrato nel capitolo 13 del Libro di Daniele: la giovane donna molto bella e pia, viene concupita da due vecchi che frequentano la casa di suo marito e riescono a introdursi nel suo giardino sorprendendola mentre fa il bagno. Costoro erano stati eletti giudici dalla comunità ebraica esule a Babilonia e, infiammati di lussuria, minacciano di accusarla di averla sorpresa con un giovane amante se non si concede a loro. Al rifiuto di Susanna l'accusano pubblicamente di adulterio. Portata davanti al tribunale viene riconosciuta colpevole e condannata a morte mediante lapidazione, ma a questo punto si fa avanti Daniele che poi interroga personalmente i due calunniatori e ne fa emergere l'inganno. La reputazione di Susanna viene restituita all'onore e la fama di Daniele cresce fra il popolo.

 

Susanna and the Elders is an iconographic theme inspired by the homonymous biblical episode narrated in chapter 13 of the Book of Daniel: the very beautiful and pious young woman is coveted by two old men who visit her husband's house and manage to enter her garden surprising her while taking a bath. They had been elected judges by the Jewish community exiled to Babylon and, inflamed with lust, threaten to accuse her of having surprised her with a young lover if she does not allow herself to them. Susanna's refusal publicly accuses her of adultery. Taken before the court she is found guilty and sentenced to death by stoning, but at this point Daniele comes forward who then personally interrogates the two slanderers and reveals their deception. Susanna's reputation is restored to honor and Daniele's fame grows among the people.

 

NOTE: This is a second account that I will be using for photos depicting the cities, beaches, mountains, and nature of the Southeast outside of my home state of Florida. Please see my original Humble Christ Follower account for photos that showcase Florida: www.flickr.com/photos/humblechristfollower/albums

 

BIBLICAL CONTEXT: Romans 1:18-32 NASB

(from biblegateway.com)

 

Unbelief and Its Consequences

 

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.

 

24 Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

 

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, 27 and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

 

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, 29 people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.

 

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5 MORE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

 

1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)

 

2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)

 

3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)

 

4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)

 

5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)

 

Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!

  

.only diminish those who speak them.

 

~

 

I haven't done a manipulation in so long, it was starting to hurt.

If only I could neglect everything else long enough to do them more often. :)

 

This is something that has been bothering me greatly lately....people who talk a lot of shite about others and act like they aren't guilty of anything.

Just because a jackass is being a jackass....don't join in and look like one because he is.

Shake your head, feel sorry for the person, and walk your own way.

I'm not speaking down, I've been there myself. Too many times.

 

But, remember, no man can argue alone.

 

I apologize for venting. I had a long day, and I was pretty damn surly. ;-)

Hope everyone else had a good monday. :)

Mine was insane. Nuff said, yo. hehe.

 

Love you guys

xo

 

Random Fact du jour: I have acrophobia.

  

Looks like Genus is back..maybe..?

 

Anna's message reads:

I have won. Partially. But still I was able to prove that the truth is always on my side and it's impossible to slander an honest person. Wanna know why I won partially? Because we haven"t been able to figure out who this toad person is. We haven't been able to find this person yet but I'm sure that sooner or later he will face the consequences for his actions. And I assure YOU I will not give up trying to find YOU. Oh yes, I know that you read my FB and follow me here, because you have so much interest in what I do with my team.

So, today I want to share with you, GENUS customers, what happened during these few months of hell for me.

The person who did this thought out his plan very well, but I'm not stupid. Because of all this deception, which at first seems scary, I thought, is this really a coincidence? But no, when examining the details, I realized that someone was trying to frame me. Since YOU are reading my post too, you should know that your plan was revealed in 15 minutes that were spent on searching for information on Google.

So what happened exactly? This person, I am sure, is a quite experienced second-life user, basically he copybotted my mesh from the game. And then, having some editing skills, he used Photoshop CS6 to create the AD. Do you know what's the funniest thing? He called himself by my name and said that he has been developing mesh for a very famous game studio for 13 years. But in his vendor pic he used free renders from the stock. He created this vendor ad on April 6, 2020 (shortly before filing a fake copyright complaint against me) and uploaded this product to be sold on a third-party site.

Great, the ad was ready (render daz + render from the stock, and the mesh of the copybotted heads on top of this render). Then they came up with a fake address, fake phone number, FAKE lawyer from NY, cuz it's not even in the database. They came up with a text about the alleged studio itself, that they have been doing this business for 13 years, and a list of claims they have against us. In the end they ask to remove all Genus content from ALL of the inventories, so that even a trace of mine will not remain in the SL - no store, no products - nothing.

The most dissapointing thing to me in this whole situation is that I and my 5 lawyers were ignored for several months. Nobody wanted to answer me, all my letters were unanswered - no feedback at all. My lawyers received only references to the old letters and a copy of this complaint. And of course, nobody answered us from those fake addresses and phone numbers. After months of silence, we were finally able to achieve the result. A very famous and strong American lawyer took up the case. For which I am immensely grateful to him. I have received return-on-sale approval for all of my items and there is no longer any DMCA against GENUS Project. All charges were dropped. All copyrights for all my works are registered, all complaints and DMCA that are sent to me from now on will be invalidated. LL is notified of the registration of rights and trademarks.

During this time, I experienced severe stress, I could not sleep, I could not eat, the thought that I was considered a thief caused depression in me and anxiety. I wanted to give up on everything and leave. But I'm not used to giving up. I cried because I was treated unfairly and realising how easy it is to frame the real author of works - it's just insane.

That is why, I just shout to everyone who is engaged in creativity and creates something - you should register the copyright for each of your work. So that no one can ever.. ever do the same to you.

And to YOU, I say this - if you hate me and my brand so much, then don’t be a coward and tell me about it personally. If you want to compete with me, then learn how to work like me and do it honestly and professionally. Otherwise, you are a nobody for me, not a rival, not an enemy, just an empty spot - nothing. I am not afraid of weak people. Sit quietly in your hole so that you are not suddenly caught. The responsibility that you have taken upon yourself is so huge you could end up in jail.

Well, that's about it, I said everything, I love you all, and I am proud that we are ALL - a big family. Me, you, everyone who loves Genus. I will reopen the store tomorrow. Until then, let's celebrate this beautiful day. Or evening. #staystrong

End of Anna's message

 

My closing thoughts: Honestly.. I said it before, and I won't make a long spiel.. you can view my thoughts on it here, BUT...originally, I wasn't sure, and wasn't going pick sides until more info and evidence was presented.. but it seems like someone has a very strong vendetta against Genus, or what have you.. but karma worked in Anna's favor, and will ultimately work against whomever is that angry enough, or petty enough to retaliate against another creator.. We all know there's no small shortage of people constantly going after one another because of these petty reasons, or just someone who just can't seem to let whatever it is go..I'm sure we've all been though that, but for now it looks as if the case is closed...but just keep in mind whomever it is.. footprints are ALWAYS traceable even more so on the internet.. learn to be kinder, and maybe.. not so petty.. cause when you mess with someone's livlihood...for kicks.. people are often known to bite back.. and bite back HARD. ✌💖🌈

 

Walk in the Love of God | Gospel Movie "Mission of Love" | God Is Love

www.holyspiritspeaks.org/videos/mission-of-love-movie/

Li Mo believed in Jesus from childhood. When she was 16, she became a coworker of the house church and worked for the Lord zealously. However, the dissension in the church escalated and the believers’ faith and love became cold increasingly. The desolate scene made her fall into the distress and perplexity she had never had before. In 1999, she was fortunate to hear Almighty God’s gospel of the last days and finally met the Lord! She joyfully told the good news to the brothers and sisters who were still eagerly expecting the Lord’s coming in religion. Unexpectedly, she was slandered, insulted, driven away, beaten and abused…. In those years, she went to many places to preach the gospel, such as many counties and cities in Hebei Province and Sichuan Province. During that time, she underwent many persecutions from the religious world. Although she suffered a lot and ever became weak and passive, with Almighty God's word leading her and God’s love encouraging her, she didn’t fear hardships and difficulties and went forward bravely. In such experience of sufferings, she saw clearly the religious world’s substance of being hostile to God, saw God’s substance of being righteous, holy, and beautiful and good, and even more deeply tasted God’s love and salvation, so that her life gradually grew up in adversity. It’s really glorious to be persecuted for righteousness!

 

Little Miss Defiance.

(Linoleum Cut).

Besierwen sweetheart תמימות intertwin'd profane bouquet toss's,

accompany'd πατρικός attempt'd consolidating conditions,

obtuseness intolleranza indifferentes symptoms doubts,

justifi'd nebezpečný genuine consequences tiranniek ονοματολογία ,

prescriptions destiny méconnaissable free spirited alas!

convaincante attenuato disguising depths inexhaustible profound,

daring tragiquement crimes unauthorized буран views,

turbare essential דוקטרינות slander to expulsion,

tyranizuje morals tentazioni необавезан controls,

único wishes neigungen elaborate commands,

immunity безоговорочно protects seductive games,

flavor'd humani generis a meal for the ages,

problématique ιδιοφυία triumphantly bedrohlich thy strong critics hence,

dissolution scepticismo superficial character gevoelens cheating,

бесконачан energy opiniones proceed independent free,

articulé antidotes arraign'd argomenti wing'd,

διαυγής spontaneous receptive idealismus hatch'd,

enflammée vorherrschaft despotism storm magna ,

frygtsomme ridiculous spiegazioni flow,

πνευματικής distinctions količine pleasures abroad,

numerosi ways thy trotzige one sings,

all the while as she toss's up a finger,

большой enough for the whole world to sceawian!

Steve.D.Hammond.

Every Season Has Its Own Glory (James Watkins) not hdr

 

Every season has its own glory,

Every purpose has its own time,

Every moment has its own story,

Every story has its own line.

 

I have walked deep into cities,

Shining brightly never to fail,

Listened to heart cries,

Lost in the morning,

Standing on corners

Stagnant and stale.

 

Where is the hope

That brought forth the laughter?

Where is the song?

The music unveiled?

Why are the choices so

Wasted and bitter?

Gathered in hatred,

Broken and pale.

 

I have seen (new) stars on the mountains,

Fed on the movement of heaven and earth-

Fired by the framework

Of perfect perspective,

Fueled by the turning of terrible truth.

 

Come now and sing of mists in the forest,

Sensual sonnets of songs in the dirt-

Come and behold the delicate balance

Of seasons and reasons and rhythms

And birth.

 

There are the voices lost in confusion,

Crushed in the thriving, deepening swale-

Calloused and cold the circling convenience,

Crippled emotion commotion prevails.

 

Beacons in quiet of last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though wasted and slandered.

Washed by confession

In smoldering awe.

 

Severed connections, squandered projections-

Revered reflections by stammering tongues-

Coined by controlling contriving convections,

In different directions now written in stone.

 

Now is the time to look to the heavens,

Now is the moment to take up the cause,

Now is the voice of blazing amazement,

Borne on the winds of the gathering storm.

 

Listen to stream, listen to forest,

Listen to flower, and staggering fawn-

Listen to voices rolling like thunder,

Come drink of the waters

And dance with the dawn.

 

Wrapped in the garments of natural beauty,

Facing the force of the burgeoning call-

Strong in the seasons of life and creation,

Firm on foundations that never will fall.

 

James Watkins 09-01-08

Good evening, although, as I type this is, it's near approaching to a early morning Sunday. So Good Morning also from Australia - I'm safe from the fires by the way!

 

Health update: When it was first mentioned by my Dr, he suspected Paraganglioma, a benign lymp-node tumour which is located in the left gland. I've received back my biopsy results from my Dr early last week. The Dr has noted that I could potentially have Lymphoma, which has dreaded me and isn't news I'd of hoped. On Thursday of last week, I had a MRI done. So until the 16th of January, I don't know what my diagnosis is. I'm not looking forward to that day to approach however It's a must. I'm making sure I keep on top of everything despite it being overwhelming and emotionally difficult on not just myself but family also. I've been experiencing a lot of symptoms such as irregular heart beat, shakiness, loss of appetite & weight loss. I went from 120kg to now being only 103kg just in 2 months which is dangerously quick, plus I've been losing a lot of hair from the overall stress. Besides this; Just yesterday I had a bowel surgery and slowly recovering from the aching pain.

 

While I'm monitoring my health and focusing on what's a priority, whenever I do have spare time throughout, I am juggling back and forth with Second Life and after the 21st is when I begin working on my clients homes. I'm booked out til April but with my health I can't afford to put it on the back burner, therefor my client list may be stretched out further. That depends.

 

Whilst I'm on the topic of Second Life. I know everyone loves to hear gossip. People like the hyped up spirit of filthy drama. Unfortunately my name has been slandered and I'm disgraced in the manner it's been portrayed. I'm quite appalled but I don't let it bother me, I've got other important things on my mind. I'm on Second Life for my project and that's all. You can read more about my project on my website. I hope people aren't following me to just poke the bear.. But I am delighted of the supporting people that come to my Flickr and I'm so flattered by the miniature messages I've been receiving in-world of heart felt followers. I am strong minded with a strong personality and I won't let people try to cyber bully and discourage me from logging in. I don't have the time or energy to give to these immature brats. Why should I need to dumb myself down to there level of self-being? I'm a lot wiser than that.

 

Back to real life; I do have some projects which have been working in progress since the beginning of early last year and am looking forward to sharing those with you, when that time is delivered. I'd be very happy to let you in on my day to day, which I'm constantly updating with news about pretty much everything. I'm an open book.

 

Vayreqia Stories

The longer Lita was here, with Iefyr, the more she found herself wanting to stay. Granted he was withdrawn, as the woman he loved just… wasn’t her. Lita felt that if things came down to it, being stuck here and him never seeing Maira again… well, feeling. Perhaps he would warm up to the idea of her replacement? For now she was nervous and excited at the same time.

Her parents, whom she had never met in her other life, were coming to visit. Though she was stressed and worried that somehow they wouldn’t like her she was also dancing and cleaning, preparing for their arrival. Her children, no… Iefyr and Maira’s children… Whatever. They were happily helping and laughing at their goofy mother. Things seemed bright and too good to be true. A comfortable life with a comfortable family that loved one another. Who could ask for more?

Yeah, the magic was missing. She missed her familiar and the ability to do things with a wave of the hand. She missed Ilsa, and at times she missed the cranky old drow that was her lover… But they probably had more important things to worry about. Shame Cyreth wasn’t here, he knew how to travel through time, or so he claimed. But was this time?

Lita pulled out a very beautiful and what she considered modest dress from the wardrobe then sat down at the vanity Iefyr had brought in for her. As she stared into the mirror she couldn’t help but feel suddenly disconnected. This was not at all what she had thought she would look like as a human. Perhaps because she hadn’t seen what her parents looked like and based features off of people she had met from the area she grew up in. But every time she looked, the more disconnected she felt. Not that Maira wasn’t beautiful, but she was old looking. Nearing her mid forties with laugh lines deepend around her eyes, mouth and nose. How much of her life was over? Lita had to think, she herself was nearing fifty in human years but she felt so young still.

“They are here!” She heard one of the little ones cry out. Lita hurriedly brushed her hair then jumped from the vanity and the deep thoughts to rush out to the door. She stood, nearly dancing with excitement, feeling even younger. ‘Mom and dad are here!’

Lita was surprised as the door opened to two very regal and well dressed individuals. They also didn’t look anything like she had imagined. In fact they surpassed in the looks department even for their age. Her mother was absolutely meticulously put together. Her father had the stature of a man who was entering a business meeting rather than his daughter’s home.

“Maira, what in god's name are you wearing?” Lita stammered slightly looking down and then between the two. “And your hair!” her mother scoffed then shook her head. “You would greet us in such a messy fashion?” Crest fallen was an expression that did not quite fit the sinking of Lita’s chest. She looked at ‘father’ and he shook his head. “Go clean up! This will just not do.” Without a word Lita bowed her head slightly gulped before headed back to the room she had come from. The kids were dressed well, so was Iefyr, but this dress seemed perfectly acceptable. Granted it wasn’t all jeweled up and colorful like her mother’s, but it was nice… right?

She collapsed into the chair and rested her head on the table the Mirror sat upon as her anxiety welled up.

It would only be a few minutes before Iefyr came in and closed the door behind him. For a moment there was only the sound of Lita trying to gather herself before she let out a cough and soft sad chuckle. “Sorry, I guess I just… don’t know what I am doing.”

“I should have warned you that her parents are a bit,” he paused for a moment trying to think of a delicate way to put it. “Stuck up. If you just relax I am sure they will warm up to you.” Lita shook her head. “I’ll need a few moments.” He gave a nod and just as he started to exit the room there was a knock at the front of the home. He closed the door behind him, of course, to give her privacy and a chance to collect herself. Which honestly meant she spent the next few minutes crying a bit more.

.

Sik looked around the front of the house, sure she had the right place of course. Knew that she did. When the door opened there was no expression or surprise to be had as she knew what to expect. Before the man could speak she held up a finger. “I am here to see my niece, Maira. Could you please point me to her?” She knew where Lita was, but from past attempts she knew better than to simply walk into the house. Though they seemed to trust elves, there was a limit to their cordial behaviors.

“I, of course. Her parents are here, if you wish to talk to them first.” She shook her head, and though she did not want to, kept eye contact with him offering a kind smile.

“No, I am here to just give her a gift. I need not talk to them at this time.” His brows furrowed and she felt that familiar tug in her chest again before turning her gaze to look down the hall behind him. After a split moment he decided there could be no harm done, waved his hand and let her pass the threshold. As they walked by the room the parents were in she felt the desire kick up from Maira’s father upon seeing her… and the tastier envy from her mother. She would not indulge ‘this time’ though it was very tempting. As he opened the door, the raven haired girl at the mirror sat up straight and startled before she grabbed her brush and tried to act as if she were straightening herself out.

“Thank you.” she offered a bow of her head. Iefyr hovered for a moment to observe over the two of them. “Niece, could you ask your husband to step away for a moment?” There was a pause and Lita spun to look at the elven woman then gave a nod towards Iefyr.

“I’ll be alright, darling.” And with that he slowly backed out of the room and closed the door. “My aunt? You’re quite beautifully dressed. What brings you here today?” Lita wasn’t sure how an elf could be Maira’s aunt but did not want to disrespect or draw suspicion.

“Oh Litayeth, that is kind of you to say.” Sik spoke with a wide grin and smoothed her dress slightly. Lita paused, eyes widened for a moment. “Oh, sweetie… you’ve been crying!” she moved over to Lita and knelt down some to brush away a tear from her face. Of course Lita pulled away from her in confusion and somewhat fear.

“Wh-who are you?!” Lita’s posture went into defensive mode rather quickly. Turning her side to the elf and gripping the brush, her only weapon, tightly. Sik tilted her head some but could not help the desire to fuck around with the young girl’s head.

“Well, consider who your, Litayeth, mother is. I am ‘your aunt’.” She said with a smile. She could feel that panic start to rise in Maira’s body and placed a hand on the table leaning back to give her space. “Come now, really? Scared of your aunt? Dear child, I would ‘never’ hurt you.”

“I’m not ready to go,”

“Oh, I know. I am just here to give you moral support. Inform you and then I will be on my way. No one can, nor will, force you to do anything here.” Lita relaxed slightly. “I know you want to meet Maira’s… ‘your’ parents. I will not stop you from that.”

“Can you blame me? I want to know what it is like to be loved! I want to feel like I have a real family.”

“Litayeth, that hurts. We’ve only just met.” There was hiccup in Lita’s words as she was interrupted with such a strange response.

“Demon’s don’t feel anything.”

“Lies and slander. You really think that Qarinah does not love you?”

“Demon’s can’t love! She told me so herself!” Sik chuckled and shook her head slightly. “Have you ever loved?” Suddenly that warm joyful kind of expression was gone from the elf’s face, causing a slight chill to crawl up Lita’s spine. She hit a nerve… and she knew it.

“I want you to listen carefully… which means your mouth has to be closed. Understood?” Nervously, Lita nodded. “I will not be rude, nor will I lie to you about the things I am about to say next. Do you know what a blood oath is?” The girl shook her head. “Of course not, your mother wouldn’t have told you about such things I suppose. It is a very valuable thing to demons, something we do not give away easily. Hold out your hand, palm up.” Lita did as she was told of course, fear being a heavy motivator for her for a very long time. “Relax. I make this oath of my own free will.” Her voice was soft, soothing and warm. “I promise I will not ‘ever’ lie to you. If this oath is ever broken may my eyes fall out my ass.” It was so randomly vulgar to hear from an elf and in such a comforting serious tone, that Lita couldn’t help but smile and hold back a laugh. She looked to see the elven woman’s hand held above her own with some black ichor dripping into her palm and with a green glow sink into her skin. “Okay?” There was a moment of looking at her hand then back to Sik with still a nervous look.

“This is so you will know that everything I am about to say is my truth.” A slow nod followed. The elf then stood up and walked around behind Lita, calmly running her fingers through her hair and detangling the curls as she started to pull back strands into a braid. The girl braced herself waiting for her hair to be pulled or ripped from her scalp, but it was surprisingly gentle and soft. Lita felt so comfortable and yet not at the same time. The woman seemed so… human? Was that the word to use? Especially compared to Qarinah.

“I don’t suppose you consider what your mother has done or how she has acted as love, but consider this. She has kept you safe, she has kept you fed and made sure you are well cared for actually. You have personal guardians and freedom to study all the magic to your heart’s content. You have freedom to ‘love’ whomever you choose as long as they bring you no harm, no harm comes to them. Clothing, jewelry, tools and money to make most human kingdom’s go to war over. Any time you are harmed she ‘fixes’ it. Any time you are in harm's way, she expends great resources and favors to find and get you back.” There is a pause as she can see the wheels in the girl’s head turning. Sik of course takes the moment to softly pet her face pretending to get a stray hair off of her cheek. “I apologize, I did not answer your question right away. Yes. I have loved. Many times and lost many times that love. I have sacrificed everything over and over again for that short period to be relived. It ends the same, every time. Now,” Litayeth’s eyes go up to view the elve’s face, noting the slight tears in her eyes and looking rather confused. “To say demons do not love.. That is true. We are not born to love nor feel nor care for human matters. We are born to encourage sin and deliver tainted souls… Most of us will never know love. That could be said for humans as well. But the rare some of us…” she swallows slightly. “Well, we become nothing after the fact. It is a pain that we have never experienced and once we have that is it. We no longer need it. To be honest, physical pain would be much easier to handle, at least in my opinion. That said… What your mother does, tells me she loves you more than you know. She is also smart to never allow anyone to ever know that. It is a very damaging weakness. So if you are sad that she does not cradle you or hug you as often as you feel a mother should.. Well, would you if you knew your own daughter wanted to kill you?” Lita’s eyes shot open wide and she turned sharply around to face Sik.

“Yes, I know. You wanted to kill her, because you were taught Demons are bad. But sweetie, you are of demon blood and you can love. Why can’t we?”

“How do you… know?”

“You’ve told me once already. Even tried to manipulate me into helping you kill her. I have a feeling you’ve a lot to think about now. You have till the end of the week. Just before the moon hits the center of the sky. That is literally two days. I will be in Iefyr and Maira’s love nest. You can tell me your decision then on whether you plan to stay or go. I will not force you through the gate, all I ask is that you give it serious consideration. Do not tell Iefyr. I will have to kill him regardless of what you decide, and no one wants that. After all you’ve told him about demons, it will end badly for him thinking he is coming to save you and Maira.” Sik petted the top of her head adjusting the braid then over her shoulder. “Wear the blue dress, it will be better received.” Lita sat and watched as the elven woman started to leave.

“What is your name?” Sik closed her eyes and damned herself for this.

“Sikkar first archdemon of the nine hells.” She looked over her shoulder. “Use that name wisely, Litayeth. Not even your mother knows the full station and name.” She bowed her head and offered a very elven soft smile before exiting. Lita would do as Sik had suggested, wearing the blue dress to attempt a second greeting of her ‘parents’. It was much better received, though there was a cold detachment between her and the pair of them. She felt no connection to them whatsoever… and for the first time, she started to miss Qarinah.

 

He writes about the Orthodox monastery as shameful and horrible means of Roman propaganda, barbaric injustice of the Venetian government and martyrdom of the Serbs of Primosje. A large and beautiful monastery with three altars and a large bell tower bothered Catholics. They poisoned large fish and brought a monk as a gift. To dispel the suspicion, a nobleman from Kotor came with an antidote, with the intention of returning after dinner. But he also poisoned himself and died together with 72 Serbian Orthodox monks. After that, the surrounding people continued to gather there on major holidays, but their enemies slandered the Venetian government for gathering there for organizing the overthrow of the Venetian government. A galley was immediately sent to destroy the monastery. [5] Johann Georg Kohl wrote that Catholics were brought to the place of Orthodox monks during the Venetian rule. When lightning struck the monastery in recent times and destroyed one tower and the monastery church, in which several Catholic monks were killed, the inhabitants around the monastery saw in it God's punishment for the injustice that was inflicted on them earlier. The church had not yet been built at that time. [6]

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_deer

  

The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), also known as the western roe deer, chevreuil or just roe deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe deer are widespread in Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from the British Isles to the Caucasus. It is distinct from the somewhat larger Siberian roe deer.

  

Etymology

  

English roe is from Old English raha, from Proto-Germanic *raikhon, cognate to Old Norse rá and German Reh. A fifth-century runic inscription on a roe deer ankle bone found in England (the "Caistor-by-Norwich astragalus") transliterates as raïhan, thought to refer to the deer itself. Ultimately, the word may be drawn from the Proto-Indo-European root *rei-, meaning "streaked" or "spotted." Another translation suggests that roe is an ancient word meaning the colour red.

  

Distribution and related species

  

The roe deer is distinct from the somewhat larger Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) that is found from the Ural Mountains to as far east as China and Siberia. The two species meet at the Caucasus Mountains, with the European species occupying the southern flank of the mountain ranges and adjacent Asia Minor and the Siberian species occupying the northern flank of the mountain ranges.

 

Within Europe, the European roe deer occurs in most areas, with the exception of northernmost Scandinavia (north of Narvik) and some of the islands, notably Iceland, Ireland, and the Mediterranean Sea islands; in the Mediterranean region it is largely confined to mountainous regions, and is absent or rare at low levels. Scottish roe deer were introduced to the Lissadell Estate in Co. Sligo in the Republic of Ireland around 1870 by Sir Henry Gore-Booth, Bt.[2] The Lissadell deer were noted for their occasional abnormal antlers and survived in that general area for about 50 years before they died out and there are not believed to be any roe deer currently extant in Ireland.

 

In England and Wales roe have experienced a substantial expansion in their range in the latter half of the 20th century and continuing into this century. This increase in population also appears to be impacting woodland ecosystems.[3] At the start of the 20th century they were almost extinct in Southern England but since then have hugely expanded their range for no apparent reason and possibly in some cases with human help. In 1884 there was an introduction of roe from Wurttemberg in Germany into the Thetford Chase area and these spread to populate most of Norfolk, Suffolk and substantial parts of Cambridgeshire. In southern England they started their expansion in Sussex (possibly from enclosed stock in Petworth Park) and from there soon spread into Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, and for the first half of the 20th century most roe in southern England were to be found in these counties. By the end of the 20th century they had repopulated much of Southern England and had expanded into Somerset, Devon, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and had even spread into mid-Wales from the Ludlow area where an isolated population had appeared. At the same time the surviving population in Scotland and the Lake District had pushed further down beyond Yorkshire and Lancashire and into Derbyshire and Humberside. Now roe can be found in most of rural England except for the very far south western tip of Cornwall, south east Kent and the greater part of Staffordshire and Cheshire although the expansion is continuing to the extent that before the end of this century anywhere in the UK mainland that is suitable for roe may have a population. Not being a species that need large areas of woodland to survive urban roe are now a feature of several cities, notably Glasgow and Bristol, where in particular they favour cemeteries. In Wales they are less common but have been seen as far south west as Cardigan and as far north west as Bangor and they are reasonably well established in Powys and Monmouthshire.

 

German colonial administrators introduced roe deer to the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia. They are hunted by locals in very steep and heavily vegetated terrain. The meat is openly sold in markets and restaurants in Kolonia, the capital city of Pohnpei and the Federated States of Micronesia.

  

Physical appearance

  

The roe deer is a relatively small deer, with a body length of 95–135 cm (3.1–4.4 ft), a shoulder height of 65–75 cm (2.1–2.5 ft), and a weight of 15–35 kg (33–77 lb).[4] It has rather short, erect antlers and a reddish body with a grey face. Its hide is golden red in summer, darkening to brown or even black in winter, with lighter undersides and a white rump patch; the tail is very short (2–3 cm or 0.8–1.2 in), and barely visible. Only the males have antlers. The first and second set of antlers are unbranched and short (5–12 cm or 2.0–4.7 in), while older bucks in good conditions develop antlers up to 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long with two or three, rarely even four, points. When the male's antlers begin to regrow, they are covered in a thin layer of velvet-like fur which disappears later on after the hair's blood supply is lost. Males may speed up the process by rubbing their antlers on trees, so that their antlers are hard and stiff for the duels during the mating season. Unlike most cervids, roe deer begin regrowing antlers almost immediately after they are shed.

  

Habitat and diet

  

The roe deer is primarily crepuscular, or primarily active during the twilight, very quick and graceful, lives in woods although it may venture into grasslands and sparse forests. It feeds mainly on grass, leaves, berries and young shoots. It particularly likes very young, tender grass with a high moisture content, i.e., grass that has received rain the day before. Roe deer will not generally venture into a field that has had or has livestock (sheep, cattle) in it because the livestock make the grass unclean. A pioneer species commonly associated with biotic communities at an early stage of succession, during the Neolithic period in Europe the roe deer was abundant, taking advantage of areas of forest or woodland cleared by Neolithic farmers.[5]

  

Behaviour and life cycle

  

The roe deer attains a maximum life span (in the wild) of ten years. When alarmed, it will bark a sound much like a dog and flash out its white rump patch. Rump patches differ between the sexes, with the white rump patches heart-shaped on females and kidney-shaped on males. Males may also bark or make a low grunting noise. Females (does)make a high pitched "pheep" whine to attract males during the rut (breeding season)in July and August. Initially it is the female who goes looking for a mate and it is common for her to lure the buck back into her territory before mating. The roe deer is territorial, and whilst the territories of a male and a female might overlap, other roe deer of the same sex are excluded unless they are the doe's offspring of that year.

  

Reproduction

  

The polygamous roe deer males clash over territory in early summer and mate in early fall. During courtship, when the males chase the females, they often flatten the underbrush leaving behind areas of the forest in the shape of a figure eight called 'roe rings'. Males may also use their antlers to shovel around fallen foliage and dirt as a way of attracting a mate. Roebucks enter rutting inappetence during the July and August breeding season. Females are monoestrous and after delayed implantation usually give birth the following June, after a ten-month gestation period, typically to two spotted fawns of opposite sexes. The fawns remain hidden in long grass from predators until they are ready to join the rest of the herd; they are suckled by their mother several times a day for around three months. Roe deer adults will often abandon their young if they sense or smell that an animal or human has been near it. Young female roe deer can begin to reproduce when they are around 16 months old.

  

In popular culture

  

The world-famous deer Bambi (the eponymous character of the books Bambi, A Life in the Woods, and its sequel Bambi's Children, by Felix Salten) is originally a roe deer. It was only when the story was adapted into the animated feature film Bambi, by the Walt Disney Studios, was Bambi changed to a white-tailed deer. This change was made owing to the white-tail being a more familiar species to the mainstream US viewers. Consequently, the setting was also changed to a North American wilderness.[citation needed]

A roe deer is also said to have helped Genevieve of Brabant to get food for herself and her child after having had to leave their home due to malicious slander.

 

The Serpent's Blood

"Do you see it?" asked the teacher.

"Behind the rock," I replied.

It was a snake, brown and black, and slithering in the desert sand.

"What do you know about snakes?" he asked.

"I know to avoid them."

"Nothing more?"

"Not much."

"What you should know is that snakes are cold-blooded."

"Why is that important?"

"You're warm-blooded. And because you're warm-blooded, you can run and keep running. But a snake, being cold-blooded, is limited in its ability to endure, to keep going. Therefore, you can outlast it."

"That's good to know," I replied.

"In the Scriptures, the serpent is a symbol of evil."

"Why is that?"

"Not because snakes are evil in themselves but because they provide a representation of evil. They often move by twisting. And so the nature of evil is to twist. A lie is the twisting of the truth. The impure is the twisting of the pure. And evil, itself, is the twisting of the good."

"So then if snakes are cold-blooded, then, so, in some way, is evil?"

"Yes," said the teacher. "Evil is cold-blooded. What that means is this: Though evil may have its day, its victories, its time to move and strike - it remains cold-blooded. Therefore, it can never endure. No matter how powerful the evil may appear, no matter how triumphant and unstoppable it may seem, it cannot last. Deception is cold-blooded. Hatred is cold-blooded. Slander is cold-blooded. Oppression is cold-blooded. All evil is cold-blooded. And so the power of evil is only for the short-term and the momentary. Its days are always numbered. And in the long run, it always fails."

"But the good is not cold-blooded," I said.

"Yes," he said. "So, in the end, the good will always outlast the evil. Therefore, persevere in the good, keep going in what is true, keep standing for what is right, and you will overcome and prevail in the end."

 

The Mission: In the face of whatever evil, trouble, attack, or sin you're dealing with, don't give in. Don't give up. But press on in the good.

 

www.bible.com/reading-plans/3006-the-book-of-mysteries-14...

Once I was the master of all colors.

I was...

The color of a stainless Heart.

The hue of Honesty and Holiness,

 

But now I'm exiled.

Exiled by the dominance of Black...

The Black of corruption and disloyality,

The Black of sin and slander.

 

The hue of mine is bright.

That's why darkness covers me so easily.

 

The Typical Autumn of Bangladesh. The vast forest of "Kaash" flowers, and a clear blue sky with white patches of clouds. Autumn is nowhere so beautiful.

 

Narayangonj, Bangladesh.

The Ascent.

(Linoleum Cut).

Afflictions steps klettern thy несчастье extremities,

emergenti ignorance's scrawled barbaars words (SHOUT OUT)!

climb, climb thee komponieren principles under attack,

amid hřbitovy that attract smiešny stanzas veiled,

exkrementů impieties insatiability's demoralizatorski sharks,

melodrama's shall be superari by thy δύναμη from above,

impossible asserzioni seems as plumes from birds,

externum earth θεμελιωδώς nothing senses whirl,

metafisico mind freedom ονομασία begins,

veracitas steps on thy douloureux ladder of slander expulsions,

mighty σοφία contemplazioni holdeth,

κατάκτηση iurisdicciones hostility malice starting to fade,

climb,climb executeth the new avventura welcoming προστασία ,

steadfast רועה thy faith s'étend thy hand,

Intelléctus truth foundation spreads life to gloria,

generatiónes φιλοδοξίες lives mindful to thy word,

victoire branches tranquillità prosper harvest love,

saved βοσκός liberationem comes,

thy ascent is here thy credentium réjouissez-vous !

As the slavery of humani generis is zertrampelt underfoot!

Vikomt.D.Hammengoor.

Wow. I'm kinda lost about what to say. I can't believe have so many people following my page, favoriting my pics and just like my content. It's insane! And I can't thank everyone enough. You guys are always friendly, kind, constrictive, about my work, and so from the bottom or my heart, I thank each and every viewer to my page. Thank you for commenting, thank you for favoriting, thank you for just taking a minute to view my work! It means so much to me that there's a community here that is willing to look at my stuff and like it the way you guys do. Finally, thank you for inspiring me to be better. For giving me ideas, and sharing them. Thank you

 

Honestly, I don't want to just say thank you, I want to show it, so I'm going to share something about myself, in a contest of sorts. Here's how it's going to work. Here are 3 candidates: top 10 favorite tv show, top 10 favorite super heroes, or top 10 favorite super villains. Voting ends tomorrow at midnight (Eastern slandered time).

 

Also, I know that I passed my three year mark a bit late, but better late then never. And now, a bit of looking back.

Most favorited photo

Most viewed, and commented photo

I have a total of 10,300 views at the moment

 

feel free to tag yourself :)

Best Large-

 

Every season has its own glory (James Watkins)

 

Every season has its own glory,

Every purpose has its own time,

Every moment has its own story,

Every story has its own line.

 

I have walked deep into cities,

Shining brightly never to fail,

Listened to heart cries,

Lost in the morning,

Standing on corners

Stagnant and stale.

 

Where is the hope

That brought forth the laughter?

Where is the song?

The music unveiled?

Why are the choices so

Wasted and bitter?

Gathered in hatred,

Broken and pale.

 

I have seen new stars on the mountains,

Fed on the movement of heaven and earth-

Filled up by frameworks

In perfect perspective,

Fueled by the turning of terrible truth.

 

Come now and sing of mists in the forest,

Sensual sonnets of songs in the dirt-

Come and behold the delicate balance

Of seasons and reasons and rhythms

And birth.

 

There are the voices lost in confusion,

Crushed in the thriving, deepening swale-

Calloused and cold the circling convenience,

Crippled commotion emotions prevail.

 

Beacons of quiet in last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though slandered and wasted

Displayed in transitional

Smoldering awe.

 

Severed connections, squandered projections-

Revered reflections, stammering tongues-

Coined by controlling contriving convections,

In different directions now written in stone.

 

Now is the time to look to the heavens,

Now is the moment to take up the cause,

Now is the voice of blazing amazement,

Borne on the winds of the gathering storm.

 

Listen to stream, listen to forest,

Listen to flower, and staggering fawn-

Listen to voices rolling like thunder,

Drink of the waters

And dance with the dawn.

 

Wrapped in the garments of natural beauty,

Facing the force of burgeoning call-

Strong in the seasons of life and creation,

Firm on foundations that never will fall.

 

James Watkins 09-01-08

One of the four sections of the pleasant Prinsentuin - here in Groningen - next to the Herbal Garden, the Berceaux, and the Rose Garden is the Willem Frederik and Albertine Agnes Hedgery. In the shade of a towering ancient Chestnut Tree, low hedges mark out the first initials of [W]illem and [A] Albertine. Willem Frederik of Nassau-Dietz (1613-1664), Stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe, and Albertine Agnes of Orange-Nassau (1634-1696) - direct ancestors of the present Queen of the Netherlands, Beatrix - were married in 1652. The Renaissance garden had already been made by 1626, and it may have been soon after 1652 that these hedges were laid out.

The pretty green low shrubbery is enclosed by a square of trellises. There are climbing roses, bright ones in the sunny area. But in the shady western section these Dark Climbing Roses blossom in profusion. They remind of the 'Tradescant' Rose hybridised by David Charles Henshaw Austin (1926-) in the early 1990s. But I seem to recall having seen these Dark Ones here before that...

Whatever the case... this particular Rose Darkness brightens the Gloom and Darkness and Rain of this Sunday. And it brings to mind the literary diversion of Shakespeare's 'colorful' if for some 'off-color' - in more senses than one - "Dark Lady Sonnets" (127-152). The first of these sonnets is quite apt:

 

In the old age black was not counted fair,/

Or if it were it bore not beauty's name:/

But now is black beauty's successive heir,/

And beauty slandered with a bastard shame,/

For since each hand hath put on nature's power,/

Fairing the foul with art's false borrowed face,/

Sweet beauty hath no name no holy bower,/

But is profaned, if not lives in disgrace./

Therefore my mistress' eyes are raven black,/

Her eyes so suited, and they mourners seem,/

At such who not born fair no beauty lack,/

Slandering creation with a false esteem,/

Yet so they mourn becoming of their woe,/

That every tongue says beauty should look so.

  

Way[s] to grow in the knowledge of God your Father even if your father sinned against you:

 

1. Identify and take responsibility for the specific lies, false beliefs, desires, expectations, and fears that poison your relationship with God.

 

2. Find and apply specific truths in the Bible that contend with those lies and cravings.

 

3. Turn to God for mercy and help, so that the Spirit of truth would renew you, pouring out His love freely.

 

4. Take responsibility for the specific sins you express toward your father (i.e. bitterness, willfulness, avoidance, blame-shifting, brooding, fears, people-pleasing, slander, lying, self-pity, etc.).

 

5. Turn to God for mercy and help, that the Spirit of love would enable you to bear his fruit thankfully.

 

6. Identify the specific sins committed against you… Identifying the wrongs helps you know what to forgive. It also makes it clear what God calls you to tackle constructively.

 

7. Ponder the good things your father did for you.

 

8. The Father gives the power to return good for evil rather than evil for evil… Come up with a plan for specific changes (i.e. forgiving, giving love, seeking forgiveness, forbearing, confronting constructively, refocusing your attention, pouring your energies into God’s calling, etc.).

 

9. Find wise believers to pray for you, hold you accountable.

Every season has its own glory (James Watkins) not hdr

 

Every season has its own glory,

Every purpose has its own time,

Every moment has its own story,

Every story has its own line.

 

I have walked deep into cities,

Shining brightly never to fail,

Listened to heart cries,

Lost in the morning,

Standing on corners

Now stagnant and stale.

 

Where is the hope

That brought forth the laughter?

Where is the song?

The music unveiled?

Why are the choices so

Wasted and bitter?

Gathered in hatred,

Broken and pale.

 

I have seen (new) stars on the mountains,

Fed on the movement of heaven and earth-

Fired by the framework

Of perfect perspective,

Fueled by the turning of terrible truth.

 

Come now and sing of mists in the forest,

Sensual sonnets of songs in the dirt-

Come and behold the delicate balance

Of seasons and reasons and rhythms

And birth.

 

There are the voices once lost in confusion,

Crushed in the thriving, deepening swale-

Calloused and cold the circling convenience,

Crippled commotion emotions prevail.

 

Beacons in quiet of last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though wasted and slandered.

Washed by confession

In smoldering awe.

 

Severed connections, squandered projections-

Revered reflections by stammering tongues-

Coined by controlling contriving convections,

In different directions now written in stone.

 

Now is the time to look to the heavens,

Now is the moment to take up the cause,

Now is the voice of blazing amazement,

Borne on the winds of the gathering storm.

 

Listen to stream, listen to forest,

Listen to flower, and staggering fawn-

Listen to voices rolling like thunder,

Come drink of the waters

And dance with the dawn.

 

Wrapped in the garments of natural beauty,

Facing the force of the burgeoning call-

Strong in the seasons of life and creation,

Firm on foundations that never will fall.

 

James Watkins 09-01-08

 

Source: Huffpost | July 27, 2016

 

"10 Donald Trump Quotes That Should Horrify His Evangelical Supporters: This is how far Trump and his supporters have departed from the Gospel."

 

Note the date of this meme: 2016!

 

Obviously with Trump continuing to garner around 81% of the White Evangelical vote, they aren't horrified by this DT quote. Why not? Whatever happened to their mantra during the Clinton presidency that "Character Matters"?

 

For one well-researched explanation, check out:

"Do ... Evangelicals Like Trump for His Hatefulness?":

nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/do-conservative-evangelic...

 

For another, see: "Jesus vs. Trump" | Politicon

Jill Wine-Banks with John Fugelsang:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dItXeFSvXsI

 

_______________________________________________

 

Trump v. Jesus / the Bible

 

On Arrogance:

 

Live in harmony with one another;

do not be arrogant….

do not claim to be wiser than you are. - Romans 12:16

  

Understand that in the last days distressing times will come

because people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,

and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, trying to look

all godly like, but denying the power of good.

 

They’ll be proud, ungrateful boasters, arrogant,

swollen with conceit, treacherous, reckless, ungodly

—inhuman even—implacable, abusive brutes

who slander others and hate what’s good.

 

AVOID THEM!

 

- 2 Timothy 3:1-7

  

The wicked freely strut about

when citizens exalt what is base.

- Psalm 12:5, 8

  

The rich may be clever in their own eyes,

but perceptive poor folk can see right through them.

- Proverbs 28:11

  

Whoever doesn’t agree with

the sound teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ

[like the Beatitudes] is conceited, understanding nothing,

and has a morbid craving for controversy and disputes….

 

From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,

and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind,

and denying the true reality of things,

and imagining that if they just act as if they were ‘godly,’

they’ll end up being ‘blessed’ with wealth.

 

- 1 Timothy 6:3-10 [paraphrase]

  

Psalm 10:

 

Yahweh, You seem so removed from the evil playing out.

Don’t You care, God?

Why play hide and seek when we need You most?

 

The proud persecute the poor and needy.

Pour out on them the evil they plot against others!

 

They brag about their endless greed,

And promote other greedy people.

 

They think they’re beyond justice’s reach, even from You!

They think nothing can bring them down, not even You!

 

They spout out curses, lies and threats.

Only chaos ensues from their schemes.

They pounce on the poor and plunder the disadvantaged.

 

Yahweh, break their power and strong armed tactics.

You understand the hopes of the humble.

Answer the cries of the oppressed; comfort them with justice.

May they no longer be troubled and terrified by the proud.

 

- Psalm 10 [paraphrase]

 

_______________________________________________

 

FAQ + RESOURCES: Resisting Christian Nationalism:

act.faithfulamerica.org/signup/christian-nationalism-reso...

 

WEBINARS on ways to challenge "Christian" "Nationalism":

www.votecommongood.com/the-threat-of-christian-nationalism/

 

sojo.net/media/countering-christian-nationalism-good-faith

 

Hymn

God's Love Be Extolled Forevermore

 

en.godfootsteps.org/God-s-love-be-extolled-forevermore.html

 

I

What do You ask for

as You bear great humiliation?

Who do You labor and worry for?

Hurrying here and there

to carry out God's will,

You think only of this work.

In the tiger's den,

You express truth to save man,

quietly endure rejection and slander.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

II

Humbly, hiddenly,

speaking and working,

You never show Yourself off.

An example to the people,

You suffer alongside,

tasting pain among man

with no complaint or regret.

You give the way of

eternal life to mankind.

Your words and work reveal love.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

III

To save man You've endured all pain

and given all,

never enjoying the warmth on earth.

You suffer all Your life worrying

until Your heart,

Your heart is left in pieces.

Judged and condemned by man,

abandoned by the age,

You've endured the utmost hardship

to save man.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

IV

Man is arrogant and rebellious,

he hurts You often.

Patiently, You do Your utmost

to save him.

No place to rest Your head,

still You care for man.

Your words water and nourish people,

exhorting them again and again,

only for man to gain life

and have a good destination.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

Yes, Your love be extolled,

forevermore, forevermore.

 

from Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs

 

Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God

 

Terms of Use en.godfootsteps.org/disclaimer.html

   

... by Gerrit van Honthorst (1655); in the Sala del Conte di Angers. The figures are in a diagonal with only terrified open-mouthed Susanna illuminated by the light.

 

In the Book of Daniel (Old Testament, Daniel 13, 1-64), is a story of how an innocent woman named Susanna was saved by the prophet from unjust slander and the death penalty. Two evil-minded elders had attempted to seduce and rape her. It is a story about power abuse and the triumph of truth over injustice.

 

Rome; July, 2019

 

Right Click & Open Link in New Tab ...

(Loreena McKennitt - "Cymbeline" )

 

"Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,

Nor the furious winter’s rages;

Thou thy worldly task hast done,

Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages;

Golden lads and girls all must,

As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

 

Fear no more the frown o’ the great,

Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke;

Care no more to clothe and eat;

To thee the reed is as the oak:

The sceptre, learning, physic, must

All follow this, and come to dust.

 

Fear no more the lightning-flash,

Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;

Fear not slander, censure rash;

Thou hast finish’d joy and moan:

All lovers young, all lovers must

Consign to thee, and come to dust."

 

- William Shakespeare, Cymbeline Act IV, Scene 2

the myth retelling Typhon's murder and dismemberment of his brother Osiris.. For alchemists, the myth of Isis and Osiris was a myth of the alchemical process. One of this myths relates him vanquishing Typhon, the dragon of ignorance ...

Set (Seth, Setekh, Sut, Sutekh, Suty) was one of ancient Egypt’s earliest gods, a god of chaos, confusion, storms, wind, the desert and foreign lands. In the Osiris legends, he was a contender to the throne of Osiris and rival to Horus, but a companion to the sun god Ra. Originally worshiped and seen as an ambivalent being, during the Third Intermediate Period the people vilified him and turned him into a god of evil.

Depicted as a man with the head of a ‘Sut animal’ (or a ‘Typhonian animal’ because of the Greek identification with Typhon), or as a full ‘Set animal’ the god is unrecognizable as any one particular animal today. He was also identified with other animals, such as the hippopotamus, the pig and the donkey, which were often abhorred by the Egyptians. These animals were sacred to him. Set’s followers took the form of these animals, as well as crocodiles, scorpions, turtles and other ‘evil’ or dangerous creatures. Some fish were sacred to Set, too – the Nile carp, the Oxyrynchus or the Phagrus fish – because they were thought to have eaten the phallus of Osiris after Set chopped him to pieces.

The ‘Set animal’ has long, squared ears and a long, down-turned snout, a canine-like body with an erect forked tail. He may have been a composite animal that was part aardvark (the aardvark that the ancient Egyptians would have seen was the nocturnal Orycteropus aethiopicus which was between 1.2-1.8 meters long and almost 1 meter tall, and was generally a reddish color because of the thin hair, allowing the skin to show through), part canine (perhaps the salawa, a desert dwelling creature) or even a camel or an okapi. The sign for his name, from the Middle Kingdom hieratic onwards, tended to replace the sign for ‘donkey’ and ‘giraffe’, so he was possibly linked to the giraffe, as well.

He was also believed to have white skin and red hair, with the Egyptians comparing his hair to the pelt of a donkey. Due to his association with red, red animals and even people with red hair were thought to be his followers. These animals were sometimes sacrificed, while the link between Set and red-heads – usually foreigners – gave him godhood over foreign lands. With the relationship to foreign peoples, Set was also a god of overseas trade of oils, wood and metals from over the sea and through desert routes. He was given lordship over western Asia because of this.

As Set was a god of the desert and probably symbolized the destructive heat of the afternoon sun, and thus was thought to be infertile. The hieroglyph for Set was used in words such as ‘turmoil’, ‘confusion’, ‘illness’, ‘storm’ and ‘rage’. Strange events such as eclipses, thunderstorms and earthquakes were all attributed to him.

Horus has seized Set, he has put him beneath you so that he can lift you up. He will groan beneath you as an earthquake…

– Pyramid Texts, Spell 356

He was also thought to have rather odd sexual habits, another reason why the Egyptian believed that abnormalities were linked to Set. In a land where fatherhood makes the man, Set’s lack of children, related to the tale where Horus tore off his testicles (while Set tore out Horus’ eye) would have been one reason why he was looked down on. His favorite – some say only – food was the lettuce (which secreted a white, milky substance that the Egyptians linked to semen and was sacred to the fertility god Min), but even with this aphrodisiac, he was still thought to have been infertile.His bisexuality (he was married and given concubines to appease him, yet he also assaulted Horus sexually starting with the come-on line “How lovely your backside is!”) and his pursuit of Isis were reasons why Set could never have been a ruler of Egypt instead of Osiris, despite originally being a lord of Upper Egypt.When Set saw Isis there, he transformed himself into a bull to be able to pursue her, but she made herself unrecognizable by taking the form of a bitch with a knife on her tail. Then she began to run away from him and Set was unable to catch up with her. Then he ejaculated on the ground, and she said, “It’s disgusting to have ejaculated, you bull!” But his sperm grew in the desert and became the plants called bedded-kau.

– Jumilhac PapyrusIn the Old and Middle Kingdoms there are depictions of these two gods together either leading the prisoners of the pharaoh or binding the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt together (as does the twin Hapi gods) to symbolize the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. He was regarded as an equal to the hawk god. This was Horus the Elder, a god of the day sky while Set was seen as a god of the night sky. When these two gods were linked, the two were said to be Horus-Set, a man with two heads – one of the hawk of Horus, the other of the Set animal.“Homage to thee, O divine Ladder! Homage to thee O Ladder of Set! Stand thou upright, O divine Ladder! Stand thou upright, O Ladder of Set! Stand thou upright, O Ladder of Horus, whereby Osiris came forth into heaven.”

– Pyramid Texts, Pepi I

In the Pyramid Texts he was believed to be a friend to the dead, and he helped Osiris ascend to heaven on a ladder. On one of Seti I’s reliefs, it shows Set and Horus offering the symbol of life to the pharaoh, with Set saying “I establish the crown upon thy head, even like the Disk on the head of Amen-Ra, and I will give thee all life, strength and health.” Thothmose III had a scene showing Set teaching him the use of the bow, while Horus taught him yet another weapon.

As for his role as a friend of the dead, it was believed that “Horus purifies and Set strengthens, and Set purifies and Horus strengthens” the deceased while the backbone of the deceased becomes the backbone of Set and Set has “joined together my neck and my back strongly, and they are even as they were in the time that is past; may nothing happen to break them apart.”Ramesses II, as did his father Seti I, both had red hair and so aligned themselves with the god of chaos. Both were famous warrior pharaohs, using Set’s violent nature to help with their war efforts. In Ramesses II’s campaign against the Hittites, he split his army into four divisions and named them after four gods. One was for Amen, one for Ra, one for Ptah and one for Set. But it was the pharaoh himself who won the battle:Thereupon the forces of the Foe from Khatti surrounded the followers of his majesty who were by his side. When his majesty caught sight of them he rose quickly, enraged at them like his father Mont. Taking up weapons and donning his armor he was like Set in the moment of his power. He mounted ‘Victory-in-Thebes,’ his great horse, and started out quickly alone by himself. His majesty was mighty, his heart stout. one could not stand before him.All his ground was ablaze with fire; he burned all the countries with his blast. His eyes were savage as he beheld them; his power flared like fire against them. He heeded not the foreign multitude; he regarded them as chaff. His majesty charged into the force of the Foe from Khatti and the many countries with him. His majesty was like Seth, great-of-strength, like Sekhmet in the moment of her rage. His majesty slew the entire force of the Foe from Khatti, together with his great chiefs and all his brothers, as well as all the chiefs of all the countries that had come with him, their infantry and their charioteers falling on their faces one upon the other. His majesty slaughtered them in their places; they sprawled before his horses; and his majesty was alone, none other with him.It is likely that the cult of Horus overtook the cult of Set in ancient times, and started to remove his positive sides to give the god Horus more status. The two gods, Horus the Elder and Horus the son of Osiris and Isis were confused, so Set changed from being an equal to his brother, Horus the Elder, to the enemy of Isis’s son. It was only after the Hyksos took Set as their main god, after the Egyptians god rid of the foreigners, he stopped symbolizing Lower Egypt and his name was erased and his statues destroyed.

Set has been worshiped since predynastic times. The first representation of Set that has been found was on a carved ivory comb, an Amratian artifact. He was also shown on the Scorpion macehead. He was worshiped and placated through Egyptian history until the Third Intermediate Period where he was seen as an evil and undesirable force. From this time on, some of his statues were re-carved to become the statues of other gods, and it was said that he had actually been defeated by the god Horus.In the original tale of the fight between Set and Horus, the Egyptians believed that the two would continue their battle until the end of time itself, when chaos overran ma’at and the waters of Nun would swallow up the world. It was only when Set was vilified that this changed, and the Egyptians began to believe that Horus won the battle, defeating Set as a version of good triumphing over evil.

In the tale of Osiris, Set was the third of the five children of Nut, thought to have been born in the Nubt (Naqada) area. Instead of being born in the normal manner, as his siblings were born, he tore himself violently from his mother’s womb.

You whom the pregnant goddess brought forth when you clove the night in twain -You are invested with the form of Set, who broke out in violence.Jealous of his older brother Osiris – either because of the birth of his sister-wife’s son, Anubis, or because of Osiris’ rulership of Egypt – Set made a plan to murder his childless brother and take the throne. He made a great feast, supposedly in honor of Osiris, and with 72 accomplices ready, he tricked Osiris into laying down in a coffer – whoever fitted into the richly ornamented chest would win it – and considering that he’d measured it to fit his brother exactly, Osiris fit perfectly… and Set’s accomplices nailed down the lid and threw it into the Nile.When Isis found out about this, she went on a search through the world to find her husband. Bringing him back, Set happened on the coffer, and tore it open and cut up his brother’s corpse, spreading body parts through the land of Egypt. Isis and Set’s wife Nephthys (who had left him to join her sister) went on a quest to restore Osiris. They succeeded enough so that Isis conceived Osiris’ son and eventually bore the child Horus in the Delta region where he grew up.

By this time Horus had reached manhood … Horus thereupon did battle with Set, the victory falling now to one, now to the other … Horus and Set, it is said, still do battle with one another, yet victory has fallen to neither.Yet Set was thought to be a follower of Ra. It was he who defended the Solar Barque each night as it traveled through the underworld, the only Egyptian deity who could kill the serpent Apep – Ra’s most dangerous enemy – each night as it threatened to swallow the Barque.Then Set, the strong one, the son of Nut, said “As for me, I am Set, the strongest of the Divine Company. Every day I slay the enemy of Ra when I stand at the helm of the Barque of Millions of Years, which no other god dare do.”Even here, though, Set was thought to be a braggart, taunting Ra and threatening that if he wasn’t treated well, that he would bring storms and thunder against the sun god. At this point in The Book of the Dead, Ra drives Set away from the Barque for his insolence, and proceeds on course without the god of storms.Other than Nephthys, Set had other wives/concubines. He was believed to live in the northern sky by the constellation of the Great Bear. To the Egyptians, the north symbolized darkness, cold and death. It was there that his wife Taweret, the hippo goddess of childbirth, was believed to keep him chained. He seemed to have bad luck with women – as with Nephthys, Taweret followed Osiris.At one part in the tale of Set’s argument with Horus over rulership, the company of the gods asked the goddess Neith, rather than Ra – who sided with Set – who should be given the throne of Osiris. Her reply was this:“Give the office of Osiris to his son Horus! Do not go on committing these great wrongs, which are not in place, or I will get angry and the sky will topple to the ground. But also tell the Lord of All, the Bull who lives in Heliopolis, to double Set’s property. Give him Anat and Astarte, your two daughters, and put Horus in the place of his father.”– Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt, RT Rundle ClarkSo he was given the two foreign goddesses Anat and Astarte, both war goddesses from the Syria-Palestine area and daughters of Ra. The two were often interchangeable, yet they had their own distinct cults. Anat and Taweret, though they were fertility goddesses, never bore Set any children.Despite his wicked side, Set was still a god of Egypt, and worshiped – and feared – as such. His image changed through time, due to politics, yet he was still a powerful god, the only one who could slay Ra’s worst enemy. To the Egyptians he was the god who ‘ate’ the moon each month – the black boar who swallowed its light – and the god who created earthquakes and heavy, thunderous rain storms. He was a friend of the dead, helping them to ascend to heaven on his ladder, and the crowner of pharaohs and leader of warriors.Despite his bad reputation, he was still a divine being – an equal of Horus, no less – who could be invoked by his followers or warded off by those who were afraid of him. Yet without chaos and confusion there would be no order; without the heavy, thunderous storms there would be no good weather; without the desert and foreign lands there would be no Egypt. Set was a counterbalance to the ‘good’ side of the Egyptian universe, helping to keep everything in balance.

www.crystalwind.ca/mystical-magical/pantheons-and-myths/e...

Typhon (/ˈtaɪfɒn, -fən/; Greek: Τυφῶν, Tuphōn [typʰɔ̂ːn]), also Typhoeus (/taɪˈfiːəs/; Τυφωεύς, Tuphōeus), Typhaon (Τυφάων, Tuphaōn) or Typhos (Τυφώς, Tuphōs), was a monstrous giant and the most deadly being of Greek mythology. Typhon was the last son of Gaia, and was fathered by Tartarus. Typhon and his mate Echidna were the progenitors of many famous monsters.Typhon was the son of Gaia (Earth) and Tartarus: "when Zeus had driven the Titans from heaven, huge Earth bore her youngest child Typhoeus of the love of Tartarus, by the aid of golden Aphrodite".[1] The mythographer Apollodorus (1st or 2nd century AD) adds that Gaia bore Typhon in anger at the gods for their destruction of her offspring the Giants.Numerous other sources mention Typhon as being the offspring of Gaia, or simply "earth-born", with no mention of Tartarus.However, according to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (6th century BC), Typhon was the child of Hera alone. Hera, angry at Zeus for having given birth to Athena by himself, prayed to Gaia to give her a son as strong as Zeus, then slapped the ground and became pregnant. Hera gave the infant Typhon to the serpent Python to raise, and Typhon grew up to become a great bane to mortals.

Depiction by Wenceslas Hollar

Several sources locate Typhon's birth and dwelling place in Cilicia, and in particular the region in the vicinity of the ancient Cilician coastal city of Corycus (modern Kızkalesi, Turkey). The poet Pindar (c. 470 BC) calls Typhon '"Cilician",and says that Typhon was born in Cilicia and nurtured in "the famous Cilician cave",[7] an apparent allusion to the Corycian cave.[8] In Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, Typhon is called the "dweller of the Cilician caves",[9] and both Apollodorus and the poet Nonnus (4th or 5th century AD) have Typhon born in Cilicia.The b scholia to Iliad 2.783, preserving a possible Orphic tradition, has Typhon born in Cilicia, as the offspring of Cronus. Gaia, angry at the destruction of the Giants, slanders Zeus to Hera. So Hera goes to Zeus' father Cronus (whom Zeus had overthrown) and Cronus gives Hera two eggs smeared with his own semen, telling her to bury them, and that from them would be born one who would overthrow Zeus. Hera, angry at Zeus, buries the eggs in Cilicia "under Arimon", but when Typhon is born, Hera, now reconciled with Zeus, informs him.

According to Hesiod, Typhon was "terrible, outrageous and lawless", and on his shoulders were one hundred snake heads, that emitted fire and every kind of noise:

Strength was with his hands in all that he did and the feet of the strong god were untiring. From his shoulders grew a hundred heads of a snake, a fearful dragon, with dark, flickering tongues, and from under the brows of his eyes in his marvellous heads flashed fire, and fire burned from his heads as he glared. And there were voices in all his dreadful heads which uttered every kind of sound unspeakable; for at one time they made sounds such that the gods understood, but at another, the noise of a bull bellowing aloud in proud ungovernable fury; and at another, the sound of a lion, relentless of heart; and at another, sounds like whelps, wonderful to hear; and again, at another, he would hiss, so that the high mountains re-echoed.The Homeric Hymn to Apollo describes Typhon as "fell" and "cruel", and neither like gods nor men. Three of Pindar's poems have Typhon as hundred-headed (as in Hesiod),while apparently a fourth gives him only fifty heads, but a hundred heads for Typhon became standard. A Chalcidian hydria (c. 540–530 BC), depicts Typhon as a winged humanoid from the waist up, with two snake tails below. Aeschylus calls Typhon "fire-breathing". For Nicander (2nd century BC), Typhon was a monster of enormous strength, and strange appearance, with many heads, hands, and wings, and with huge snake coils coming from his thighs.

Apollodorus describes Typhon as a huge winged monster, whose head "brushed the stars", human in form above the waist, with snake coils below, and fire flashing from his eyes:

In size and strength he surpassed all the offspring of Earth. As far as the thighs he was of human shape and of such prodigious bulk that he out-topped all the mountains, and his head often brushed the stars. One of his hands reached out to the west and the other to the east, and from them projected a hundred dragons' heads. From the thighs downward he had huge coils of vipers, which when drawn out, reached to his very head and emitted a loud hissing. His body was all winged: unkempt hair streamed on the wind from his head and cheeks; and fire flashed from his eyes.

The most elaborate description of Typhon is found in Nonnus's Dionysiaca. Nonnus makes numerous references to Typhon's sepentine nature, giving him a "tangled army of snakes", snaky feet, and hair.According to Nonnus, Typhon was a "poison-spitting viper",whose "every hair belched viper-poison",and Typhon "spat out showers of poison from his throat; the mountain torrents were swollen, as the monster showered fountains from the viperish bristles of his high head",and "the water-snakes of the monster's viperish feet crawl into the caverns underground, spitting poison!".

Following Hesiod and others, Nonnus gives Typhon many heads (though untotaled), but in addition to snake heads,Nonnus also gives Typhon many other animal heads, including leopards, lions, bulls, boars, bears, cattle, wolves, and dogs, which combine to make 'the cries of all wild beasts together',and a "babel of screaming sounds".Nonnus also gives Typhon "legions of arms innumerable", and where Nicander had only said that Typhon had "many" hands, and Ovid had given Typhon a hundred hands, Nonnus gives Typhon two hundred.According to Hesiod's Theogony, Typhon "was joined in love" to Echidna, a monstrous half-woman and half-snake, who bore Typhon "fierce offspring". First, according to Hesiod, there was Orthrus, the two-headed dog who guarded the Cattle of Geryon, second Cerberus,[36] the multiheaded dog who guarded the gates of Hades, and third the Lernaean Hydra,[37] the many-headed serpent who, when one of its heads was cut off, grew two more. The Theogony next mentions an ambiguous "she", which might refer to Echidna, as the mother of the Chimera (a fire-breathing beast that was part lion, part goat, and had a snake-headed tail) with Typhon then being the father.

While mentioning Cerberus and "other monsters" as being the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, the mythographer Acusilaus (6th century BC) adds the Caucasian Eagle that ate the liver of Prometheus,[39] the mythographer Pherecydes of Leros (5th century BC), also names Prometheus' eagle,[40] and adds Ladon (though Pherecydes does not use this name), the dragon that guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides (according to Hesiod, the offspring of Ceto and Phorcys).[41] while the lyric poet Lasus of Hermione (6th century BC), adds the Sphinx.Later authors mostly retain these offspring of Typhon by Echidna, while adding others. Apollodorus, in addition to naming as their offspring Orthrus, the Chimera (citing Hesiod as his source) the Caucasian Eagle, Ladon, and the Sphinx, also adds the Nemean lion (no mother is given), and the Crommyonian Sow, killed by the hero Theseus (unmentioned by Hesiod).Hyginus (1st century BC),[44] in his list of offspring of Typhon (all by Echidna), retains from the above: Cerberus, the Chimera, the Sphinx, the Hydra and Ladon, and adds "Gorgon" (by which Hyginus means the mother of Medusa, whereas Hesiod's three Gorgons, of which Medusa was one, were the daughters of Ceto and Phorcys), the Colchian Dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece and Scylla.The Harpies, in Hesiod the daughters of Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra, in one source, are said to be the daughters of Typhon.The sea serpents which attacked the Trojan priest Laocoön, during the Trojan War, were perhaps supposed to be the progeny of Typhon and Echidna.According to Hesiod, the defeated Typhon is the source of destructive storm winds.Battle with Zeus

Typhon challenged Zeus for rule of the cosmos.The earliest mention of Typhon, and his only occurrence in Homer, is a passing reference in the Iliad to Zeus striking the ground around where Typhon lies defeated.Hesiod's Theogony gives us the first account of their battle. According to Hesiod, without the quick action of Zeus, Typhon would have "come to reign over mortals and immortals".In the Theogony Zeus and Typhon meet in cataclysmic conflict:[Zeus] thundered hard and mightily: and the earth around resounded terribly and the wide heaven above, and the sea and Ocean's streams and the nether parts of the earth. Great Olympus reeled beneath the divine feet of the king as he arose and earth groaned thereat. And through the two of them heat took hold on the dark-blue sea, through the thunder and lightning, and through the fire from the monster, and the scorching winds and blazing thunderbolt. The whole earth seethed, and sky and sea: and the long waves raged along the beaches round and about at the rush of the deathless gods: and there arose an endless shaking. Hades trembled where he rules over the dead below, and the Titans under Tartarus who live with Cronos, because of the unending clamor and the fearful strife.Zeus with his thunderbolt easily overcomes Typhon,who is thrown down to earth in a fiery crash:So when Zeus had raised up his might and seized his arms, thunder and lightning and lurid thunderbolt, he leaped from Olympus and struck him, and burned all the marvellous heads of the monster about him. But when Zeus had conquered him and lashed him with strokes, Typhoeus was hurled down, a maimed wreck, so that the huge earth groaned. And flame shot forth from the thunderstricken lord in the dim rugged glens of the mount, when he was smitten. A great part of huge earth was scorched by the terrible vapor and melted as tin melts when heated by men's art in channelled crucibles; or as iron, which is hardest of all things, is shortened by glowing fire in mountain glens and melts in the divine earth through the strength of Hephaestus. Even so, then, the earth melted in the glow of the blazing fire.Defeated, Typhon is cast into Tartarus by an angry Zeus.Epimenides (7th or 6th century BC) seeminly knew a different version of the story, in which Typhon enters Zeus' palace while Zeus is asleep, but Zeus awakes and kills Typhon with a thunderbolt.[58] Pindar calls Typhon the "enemy of the gods",[59] apparently knew of a tradition which had the gods transform into animals and flee to Egypt, says that Typhon was defeated by Zeus' thunderbolt,has Typhon being held prisoner by Zeus under Etna,and in Tartarus stretched out under ground between Mount Etna and Cumae. However, the historian Herodotus (5th century BC), equating Typhon with the Egyptian god Set, reports that Typhon was supposed to be buried instead under Lake Serbonis in Egypt, near the Egyptian Mount Kasios, (modern Ra Kouroun).According to Pherecydes of Leros, during his battle with Zeus, Typhon first flees to the Caucasus, which begins to burn, then to the volcanic island of Pithecussae (modern Ischia), off the coast of Cumae, where he is buried under the island.Apollonius of Rhodes (3rd century BC), like Pherecydes, presents a multi-stage battle, with Typhon being struck by Zeus' thunderbolt on mount Caucasus, before fleeing to the mountains and plain of Nysa, and ending up, as in Herodotus, buried under Lake Serbonis.Like Pindar, Nicander has all the gods but Zeus and Athena, transform into animal forms and flee to Egypt: Apollo became a hawk, Hermes an ibis, Ares a fish, Artemis a cat, Dionysus a goat, Heracles a fawn, Hephaestus an ox, and Leto a mouse.[The geographer Strabo (c. 20 AD) gives several locations which were associated with the battle. According to Strabo, Typhon was said to have cut the serpentine channel of the Orontes River, which flowed beneath the Syrian Mount Kasios (modern Jebel Aqra), while fleeing from Zeus,[68] and some placed the battle at Catacecaumene ("Burnt Land"),[69] a volcanic plain, on the upper Gediz River, between the ancient kingdoms of Lydia, Mysia and Phrygia, near Mount Tmolus (modern Bozdağ) and Sardis the ancient capital of Lydia.No early source gives any reason for the conflict, but Apollodorus' account[71] seemingly implies that Typhon had been produced by Gaia to avenge the destruction, by Zeus and the other gods, of the Giants, a previous generation of offspring of Gaia. According to Apollodorus "Zeus pelted Typhon at a distance with thunderbolts, and at close quarters struck him down with an adamantine sickle" Wounded, Typhon fled to the Syrian Mount Kasios, where Zeus "grappled" with him. But Typhon, twining his snaky coils around Zeus, was able to wrest away the sickle and cut the sinews from Zeus' hands and feet. Typhon carried the disabled Zeus across the sea to the Corycian cave in Cilicia where he set the she-serpent Delphyne to guard over Zeus and his severed sinews, which Typhon had hidden in a bear skin. But Hermes and Aegipan (possibly another name for Pan)[73] stole the sinews and gave them back to Zeus. His strength restored, Zeus chased Typhon to mount Nysa, where the Moirai tricked Typhon into eating "ephemeral fruits" which weakened him. Typhon then fled to Thrace, where he threw mountains at Zeus, which were turned back on him by Zeus' thunderbolts, and the mountain where Typhon stood, being drenched with Typhon's blood, became known as Mount Haemus (Bloody Mountain). Typhon then fled to Sicily, where Zeus threw Mount Etna on top of Typhon burying him, and so finally defeated him.Oppian (2nd century AD) says that Pan helped Zeus in the battle by tricking Typhon to come out from his lair, and into the open, by the "promise of a banquet of fish", thus enabling Zeus to defeat Typhon with his thunderbolts.The longest and most involved account of the battle appears in Nonnus's Dionysiaca.Zeus hides his thunderbolts in a cave, so that he might seduce the maiden Plouto, and so produce Tantalus. But smoke rising from the thunderbolts, enables Typhon, under the guidance of Gaia, to locate Zeus's weapons, steal them, and hide them in another cave.[76] Immediately Typhon extends "his clambering hands into the upper air" and begins a long and concerted attack upon the heavens.Then "leaving the air" he turns his attack upon the seas. Finally Typhon attempts to wield Zeus' thunderbolts, but they "felt the hands of a novice, and all their manly blaze was unmanned."Now Zeus' sinews had somehow – Nonnus does not say how or when — fallen to the ground during their battle, and Typhon had taken them also. But Zeus devises a plan with Cadmus and Pan to beguile Typhon.Cadmus, desguised as a shepherd, enchants Typhon by playing the panpipes, and Typhon entrusting the thuderbolts to Gaia, sets out to find the source of the music he hears.[82] Finding Cadmus, he challenges him to a contest, offering Cadmus any goddess as wife, excepting Hera whom Typhon has reserved for himself.Cadmus then tells Typhon that, if he liked the "little tune" of his pipes, then he would love the music of his lyre – if only it could be strung with Zeus' sinews. So Typhon retrieves the sinews and gives them to Cadmus, who hides them in another cave, and again begins to play his bewiching pipes, so that "Typhoeus yielded his whole soul to Cadmos for the melody to charm".With Typhon distracted, Zeus takes back his thunderbolts. Cadmus stops playing, and Typhon, released from his spell, rushes back to his cave to discover the thunderbolts gone. Incensed Typhon unleashes devastation upon the world: animals are devoured, (Typhon's many animal heads each eat animals of its own kind), rivers turned to dust, seas made dry land, and the land "laid waist".The day ends with Typhon yet unchallenged, and while the other gods "moved about the cloudless Nile", Zeus waits through the night for the coming dawn.[87] Victory "reproaches" Zeus, urging him to "stand up as champion of your own children!"Dawn comes and Typhon roars out a challenge to Zeus.And a catyclismic battle for "the sceptre and throne of Zeus" is joined. Typhon piles up mountains as battlements and with his "legions of arms innumerable", showers volley after volley of trees and rocks at Zeus, but all are destroyed, or blown aside, or dodged, or thrown back at Typhon. Typhon throws torrents of water at Zeus' thunderbolts to quench them, but Zeus is able to cut off some of Typhon's hands with "frozen volleys of air as by a knife", and hurling thunderbolts is able to burn more of typhon's "endless hands", and cut off some of his "countless heads". Typhon is attacked by the four winds, and "frozen volleys of jagged hailstones." Gaia tries to aid her burnt and frozen son.Finally Typhon falls, and Zeus shouts out a long stream of mocking taunts, telling Typhon that he is to be buried under Sicily's hills, with a cenotaph over him which will read "This is the barrow of Typhoeus, son of Earth, who once lashed the sky with stones, and the fire of heaven burnt him up".

Burial under Etna and Ischia]

Most accounts have the defeated Typhon buried under either Mount Etna in Sicily, or the volcanic island of Ischia, the largest of the Phlegraean Islands off the coast of Naples, with Typhon being the cause of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.Though Hesiod has Typhon simply cast into Tartarus by Zeus, some have read a reference to Mount Etna in Hesiod's description of Typhon's fall:And flame shot forth from the thunderstricken lord in the dim rugged glens of the mount when he was smitten. A great part of huge earth was scorched by the terrible vapor and melted as tin melts when heated by men's art in channelled crucibles; or as iron, which is hardest of all things, is shortened by glowing fire in mountain glens and melts in the divine earth through the strength of Hephaestus. Even so, then, the earth melted in the glow of the blazing fire.The first certain references to Typhon buried under Etna, as well as being the cause of its eruptions, occur in Pindar:Son of Cronus, you who hold Aetna, the wind-swept weight on terrible hundred-headed Typhon,and: among them is he who lies in dread Tartarus, that enemy of the gods, Typhon with his hundred heads. Once the famous Cilician cave nurtured him, but now the sea-girt cliffs above Cumae, and Sicily too, lie heavy on his shaggy chest. And the pillar of the sky holds him down, snow-covered Aetna, year-round nurse of bitter frost, from whose inmost caves belch forth the purest streams of unapproachable fire. In the daytime her rivers roll out a fiery flood of smoke, while in the darkness of night the crimson flame hurls rocks down to the deep plain of the sea with a crashing roar. That monster shoots up the most terrible jets of fire; it is a marvellous wonder to see, and a marvel even to hear about when men are present. Such a creature is bound beneath the dark and leafy heights of Aetna and beneath the plain, and his bed scratches and goads the whole length of his back stretched out against it.Thus Pindar has Typhon in Tartarus, and buried under not just Etna, but under a vast volcanic region stretching from Sicily to Cumae (in the vicinity of modern Naples), a region which presumably also included Mount Vesuvius, as well as Ischia.Many subsequent accounts mention either Etnaor Ischia. In Prometheus Bound, Typhon is imprisoned underneath Etna, while above him Hephaestus "hammers the molten ore", and in his rage, the "charred" Typhon causes "rivers of fire" to pour forth. Ovid has Typhon buried under all of Sicily, with his left and right hands under Pelorus and Pachynus, his feet under Lilybaeus, and his head under Etna; where he "vomits flames from his ferocious mouth". And Valerius Flaccus has Typhon's head under Etna, and all of Sicily shaken when Typhon "struggles". Lycophron has both Typhon and Giants buried under the island of Ischia. Virgil, Silius Italicus and Claudian, all calling the island "Inarime", have Typhon buried there. Strabo, calling Ischia "Pithecussae", reports the "myth" that Typhon lay buried there, and that when he "turns his body the flames and the waters, and sometimes even small islands containing boiling water, spout forth."Others said to be buried under Etna were the Giant Enceladus, the volcano's eruptions being the breath of Enceladus, and its tremors caused by the Giant rolling over from side to side beneath the mountain,and the Hundred-hander Briareus."Couch of Typhoeus" Homer describes a place he calls the "couch [or bed] of Typhoeus", which he locates in the land of the Arimoi (εἰν Ἀρίμοις), where Zeus lashes the land about Typhoeus with his thunderbolts. Presumably this is the same land where, according to Hesiod, Typhon's mate Echida keeps guard "in Arima" (εἰν Ἀρίμοισιν).But neither Homer nor Hesiod say anything more about where these Arimoi or this Arima might be. The question of whether an historical place was meant, and its possible location, has been, since ancient times, the subject of speculation and debate.Strabo discusses the question in some detail.[everal locales, Cilicia, Syria, Lydia, and the island of Ischia, all places associated with Typhon, are given by Strabo as possible locations for Homer's "Arimoi".

Pindar has his Cilician Typhon slain by Zeus "among the Arimoi",[106] and the historian Callisthenes (4th century BC), located the Arimoi and the Arima mountains in Cilicia, near the Calycadnus river, the Corycian cave and the Sarpedon promomtory.[107] The b scholia to Iliad 2.783, mentioned above, says Typhon was born in Cilicia "under Arimon",[108] and Nonnus mentions Typhon's "bloodstained cave of Arima" in Cilicia.Just across the Gulf of Issus from Corycus, in ancient Syria, was Mount Kasios (modern Jebel Aqra) and the Orontes River, sites associated with Typhon's battle with Zeus,[110] and according to Strabo, the historian Posidonius (c. 2nd century BC) identified the Arimoi with the Aramaeans of Syria.[Alternatively, according to Strabo, some placed the Arimoi at Catacecaumene,[112] while Xanthus of Lydia (5th century BC) added that "a certain Arimus" ruled there.Strabo also tells us that for "some" Homer's "couch of Typhon" was located "in a wooded place, in the fertile land of Hyde", with Hyde being another name for Sardis (or its acropolis), and that Demetrius of Scepsis (2nd century BC) thought that the Arimoi were most plausibly located "in the Catacecaumene country in Mysia".[114] The 3rd-century BC poet Lycophron placed the lair of Typhons' mate Echidna in this region.[115]

Another place, mentioned by Strabo, as being associated with Arima, is the island of Ischia, where according to Pherecydes of Leros, Typhon had fled, and in the area where Pindar and others had said Typhon was buried. The connection to Arima, comes from the island's Greek name Pithecussae, which derives from the Greek word for monkey, and according to Strabo, residents of the island said that "arimoi" was also the Etruscan word for monkeys.[116]

Etymology and origins Typhon's name has a number of variants.[117] The earliest forms of Typhoeus and Typhaon, occur prior to the 5th century BC. Homer uses Typhoeus, Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo use both Typhoeus and Typhaon. The later forms Typhos and Typhon occur from the 5th century BC onwards, with Typhon becoming the standard form by the end of that century. Though several possible derivations of the name Typhon have been suggested, the derivation remains uncertain.[118] Consistent with Hesiod's making storm winds Typhon's offspring, some have supposed that Typhon was originally a wind-god, and ancient sources associated him with the Greek words tuphon, tuphos meaning "whirlwind".Other theories include derivation from a Greek root meaning "smoke" (consistent with Typhon's identification with volcanoes),from an Indo European root meaning "abyss" (making Typhon a "Serpent of the Deep"),and from Sapõn the Phoenician name for the Ugaritic god Baal's holy mountain Jebel Aqra (the classical Mount Kasios) associated with the epithet Baʿal Zaphon.

As noted by Herodotus, Typhon was traditionally identified with the Egyptian Set, who was also known to the Greeks as Typhon. As early as pre-dynastic Egypt, Set's mascot or emblem was the Set animal; the Greeks and later classicists referred to this unidentified aardvark-like creature as the Typhonic beast. In the Orphic tradition, just as Set is responsible for the murder of Osiris, Typhon leads the Titans when they attack and kill Dionysus, who also became identified with the earlier Osiris.Mythologist Joseph Campbell also makes parallels to the slaying of Leviathan by YHWH, about which YHWH boasts to Job.[123] Ogden calls the Typhon myth "the only Graeco-Roman drakōn-slaying myth that can seriously be argued to exhibit the influence of Near Eastern antecedents", connecting it in particular with Baʿal Zaphon's slaying of Yammu and Lotan, as well as with the Hittite myth of Illuyankas.From its first reappearance, this latter myth has been seen as a prototype of the battle of Zeus and Typhon.Walter Burkert and Calvert Watkins each note the close agreements.Comparisons can also be drawn with the Mesopotamian monster Tiamat and her slaying by Babylonian chief god Marduk. The similarities between the Greek myth and its earlier Mesopotamian counterpart do not seem to be merely accidental. A number of west Semitic (Ras Shamra) and Hittite sources appear to corroborate the theory of a genetic relationship between the two myths.In works of culture. Dante Alighieri's Inferno mentions him amongst the Biblical and mythological giants frozen onto the rings outside of Hell's Circle of Treachery. Dante and Virgil threatened to go to Tityos and Typhon unless Antaeus lowers them into the Circle of Treachery. Typhon (as Typhoeus) appears in Gustav Klimt's 1902 Beethoven Frieze as one of "the Hostile Forces".

Typhon is a recurring character in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, where he is a friend and ally to Hercules, and a calming influence on Echidna and their children. Typhon appears in the 2007 video game, God of War II where the main character Kratos tries to enlist his aid. The Titan refuses and Kratos blinds Typhon and takes his magical bow, Typhon's Bane.Swedish symphonic metal band Therion dedicated a song to Typhon in their year 2004 album Lemuria.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhon

READING

Ephesians 4:29-32

 

Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing that will sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander, and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.

 

/**********

And so I try, again, again and again....

-rc

++++++++++ FROM WKIPEDIA +++++++++

 

Kolkata /koʊlˈkɑːtə/ ([kolkata] (About this soundlisten), also known as Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. The city is widely regarded as the "cultural capital" of India, and is also nicknamed the "City of Joy".[1][2][3].According to the 2011 Indian census, it is the seventh most populous city. the city had a population of 4.5 million, while the population of the city and its suburbs was 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India. Recent estimates of Kolkata Metropolitan Area's economy have ranged from $60 to $150 billion (GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity) making it third most-productive metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai and Delhi.[11][12][13]

 

In the late 17th century, the three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690,[15] the area was developed by the Company into an increasingly fortified trading post. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied Calcutta in 1756, and the East India Company retook it the following year. In 1793 the East India company was strong enough to abolish Nizamat (local rule), and assumed full sovereignty of the region. Under the company rule, and later under the British Raj, Calcutta served as the capital of British-held territories in India until 1911, when its perceived geographical disadvantages, combined with growing nationalism in Bengal, led to a shift of the capital to New Delhi. Calcutta was the centre for the Indian independence movement; it remains a hotbed of contemporary state politics. Following Indian independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the centre of modern Indian education, science, culture, and politics, suffered several decades of economic stagnation.

 

As a nucleus of the 19th- and early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance and a religiously and ethnically diverse centre of culture in Bengal and India, Kolkata has local traditions in drama, art, film, theatre, and literature. Many people from Kolkata—among them several Nobel laureates—have contributed to the arts, the sciences, and other areas. Kolkata culture features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle intellectual exchanges (adda). West Bengal's share of the Bengali film industry is based in the city, which also hosts venerable cultural institutions of national importance, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Victoria Memorial, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. Among professional scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Agri Horticultural Society of India, the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata differs from other Indian cities by giving importance to association football and other sports.

 

Etymology

 

The word Kolkata derives from the Bengali term Kôlikata (Bengali: কলিকাতা) [ˈkɔlikat̪a], the name of one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established; the other two villages were Sutanuti and Govindapur.[16]

 

There are several explanations about the etymology of this name:

 

The term Kolikata is thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô [ˈkalikʰːet̪rɔ] (Bengali: কালীক্ষেত্র), meaning "Field of [the goddess] Kali". Similarly, it can be a variation of 'Kalikshetra' (Sanskrit: कालीक्षेत्र, lit. "area of Goddess Kali").

Another theory is that the name derives from Kalighat.[17]

Alternatively, the name may have been derived from the Bengali term kilkila (Bengali: কিলকিলা), or "flat area".[18]

The name may have its origin in the words khal [ˈkʰal] (Bengali: খাল) meaning "canal", followed by kaṭa [ˈkata] (Bengali: কাটা), which may mean "dug".[19]

According to another theory, the area specialised in the production of quicklime or koli chun [ˈkɔlitɕun] (Bengali: কলি চুন) and coir or kata [ˈkat̪a] (Bengali: কাতা); hence, it was called Kolikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা).[18]

 

Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata [ˈkolkat̪a] (Bengali: কলকাতা) or Kôlikata [ˈkɔlikat̪a] (Bengali: কলিকাতা) in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation.[20] (It should be noted that "Calcutt" is an etymologically unrelated place name found at several locations in England.)

History

 

The discovery and archaeological study of Chandraketugarh, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kolkata, provide evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited for over two millennia.[21][22] Kolkata's recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city;[23] In response to a public petition,[24] the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder.[25] The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village. They were part of an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor; the jagirdari (a land grant bestowed by a king on his noblemen) taxation rights to the villages were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of landowners, or zamindars. These rights were transferred to the East India Company in 1698.[26]:1

  

In 1712, the British completed the construction of Fort William, located on the east bank of the Hooghly River to protect their trading factory.[27] Facing frequent skirmishes with French forces, the British began to upgrade their fortifications in 1756. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, condemned the militarisation and tax evasion by the company. His warning went unheeded, and the Nawab attacked; he captured Fort William which led to the killings of several East India company officials in the Black Hole of Calcutta.[28] A force of Company soldiers (sepoys) and British troops led by Robert Clive recaptured the city the following year.[28] Per the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad following the battle of Buxar, East India company was appointed imperial tax collector of the Mughal emperor in the province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, while Mughal-appointed Nawabs continued to rule the province.[29] Declared a presidency city, Calcutta became the headquarters of the East India Company by 1773.[30] In 1793, ruling power of the Nawabs were abolished and East India company took complete control of the city and the province. In the early 19th century, the marshes surrounding the city were drained; the government area was laid out along the banks of the Hooghly River. Richard Wellesley, Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William between 1797 and 1805, was largely responsible for the development of the city and its public architecture.[31] Throughout the late 18th and 19th century, the city was a centre of the East India Company's opium trade.[32]

  

By the 1850s, Calcutta had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centred on Chowringhee and Dalhousie Square; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centred on North Calcutta.[33] The city underwent rapid industrial growth starting in the early 1850s, especially in the textile and jute industries; this encouraged British companies to massively invest in infrastructure projects, which included telegraph connections and Howrah railway station. The coalescence of British and Indian culture resulted in the emergence of a new babu class of urbane Indians, whose members were often bureaucrats, professionals, newspaper readers, and Anglophiles; they usually belonged to upper-caste Hindu communities.[34] In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased sociocultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Calcutta was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, the first avowed nationalist organisation in India.[35]

Bengali billboards on Harrison Street. Calcutta was the largest commercial centre in British India.

  

The partition of Bengal in 1905 along religious lines led to mass protests, making Calcutta a less hospitable place for the British.[36][37] The capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911.[38] Calcutta continued to be a centre for revolutionary organisations associated with the Indian independence movement. The city and its port were bombed several times by the Japanese between 1942 and 1944, during World War II.[39][40] Coinciding with the war, millions starved to death during the Bengal famine of 1943 due to a combination of military, administrative, and natural factors.[41] Demands for the creation of a Muslim state led in 1946 to an episode of communal violence that killed over 4,000.[42][43][44] The partition of India led to further clashes and a demographic shift—many Muslims left for East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), while hundreds of thousands of Hindus fled into the city.[45]

 

During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes, and a violent Marxist–Maoist movement by groups known as the Naxalites damaged much of the city's infrastructure, resulting in economic stagnation.[46] The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 led to a massive influx of thousands of refugees, many of them penniless, that strained Kolkata's infrastructure.[47] During the mid-1980s, Mumbai (then called Bombay) overtook Kolkata as India's most populous city. In 1985, prime minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed Kolkata a "dying city" in light of its socio-political woes.[48] In the period 1977–2011, West Bengal was governed from Kolkata by the Left Front, which was dominated by the Communist Party of India (CPM). It was the world's longest-serving democratically elected communist government, during which Kolkata was a key base for Indian communism.[49][50][51] In the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, 2011, Left Front was defeated by the Trinamool Congress. The city's economic recovery gathered momentum after the 1990s, when India began to institute pro-market reforms. Since 2000, the information technology (IT) services sector has revitalised Kolkata's stagnant economy. The city is also experiencing marked growth in its manufacturing base.[52]

 

Geography

 

Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India approximately 75 km (47 mi) west of the international border with Bangladesh; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft).[53] Much of the city was originally a wetland that was reclaimed over the decades to accommodate a burgeoning population.[54] The remaining undeveloped areas, known as the East Kolkata Wetlands, were designated a "wetland of international importance" by the Ramsar Convention (1975).[55] As with most of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin.[56] Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m (148,000 ft) below the surface.[56] The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. Total thickness of sediment below Kolkata is nearly 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is Quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–18,040 ft) of Tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of Cretaceous trap and 600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) Permian-Carboniferous Gondwana rocks.[56] The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt, and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of 250–650 m (820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness.[57] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III.[58]

Urban structure

Howrah Bridge from the western bank of the Ganges

 

The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi)[59]:7 and comprises 3 municipal corporations (including Kolkata Municipal Corporation), 39 local municipalities and 24 panchayat samitis, as of 2011.[59]:7 The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of 2006.[60] Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia.[61]:15 Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi).[60] The east–west dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the east—a span of 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi).[62] The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central, and South Kolkata. East Kolkata is also a section.

 

North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture, dilapidated buildings, overpopulated slums, crowded bazaars, and narrow alleyways, it includes areas such as Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Shyampukur, Sonagachi, Kumortuli, Bagbazar, Jorasanko, Chitpur, Pathuriaghata, Cossipore, Kestopur, Sinthee, Belgachia, Jorabagan, and Dum Dum.[63]:65–66 The northern suburban areas like Baranagar, Durganagar, Noapara, Dunlop, Dakshineswar, Nagerbazar, Belghoria, Agarpara, Sodepur, Madhyamgram, Barasat, Birati, Khardah up to Barrackpur are also within the city of Kolkata (as a metropolitan structure).

Central Kolkata

 

Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Strand Road is on its west.[64] The West Bengal Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, High Court, Lalbazar Police Headquarters, and several other government and private offices are located there. Another business hub is the area south of Park Street, which comprises thoroughfares such as Chowringhee, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani, and A. J. C. Bose Road.[65] The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata"[66] and accommodates sporting events and public meetings.[67] The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Other important areas of Central Kolkata are Park Circus, Burrabazar, College Street, Sealdah, Taltala, Janbazar, Bowbazar, Entally, Chandni Chowk, Lalbazar, Chowringhee, Dharmatala, Tiretta Bazar, Bow Barracks, Mullick Bazar, Park Circus, Babughat etc. Among the other parks are Central Park in Bidhannagar and Millennium Park on Strand Road, along the Hooghly River.

South Kolkata

 

South Kolkata developed after India gained independence in 1947; it includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhowanipore, Kalighat, Dhakuria, Gariahat, Tollygunge, Naktala, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur, Garfa, Kalikapur, Haltu, Nandi Bagan, Santoshpur, Baghajatin, Garia, Ramgarh, Raipur, Kanungo Park, Ranikuthi, Bikramgarh, Bijoygarh, Bansdroni and Kudghat.[16] Outlying areas of South Kolkata include Garden Reach, Khidirpur, Metiabruz, Taratala, Majerhat, Budge Budge, Behala, Sarsuna, Barisha, Parnasree Pally, Thakurpukur, Maheshtala and Joka. The southern suburban neighbourhoods like Mahamayatala, Pratapgarh, Kamalgazi, Narendrapur, Sonarpur, Subhashgram and Baruipur are also within the city of Kolkata (as metropolitan, urban agglomeration area). Fort William, on the western part of the city, houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army;[68] its premises are under the jurisdiction of the army.

East Kolkata

 

East Kolkata is largely composed of newly developed areas and neighbourhoods of Saltlake, Rajarhat, Tangra, Topsia, Kasba, Anandapur, Mukundapur, Picnic Garden, Beleghata, Ultadanga, Phoolbagan, Kaikhali, Lake Town, etc. Two planned townships in the greater Kolkata region are Bidhannagar, also known as Salt Lake City and located north-east of the city; and Rajarhat, also called New Town and sited east of Bidhannagar.[16][69] In the 2000s, Sector V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.[70][71] Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities.[69]

Climate

  

Kolkata is subject to a tropical wet-and-dry climate that is designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".[58]

Temperature

 

The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19–30 °C (66–86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June.[72] Winter lasts for roughly two-and-a-half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9–11 °C (48–52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27–37 °C (81–99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12–23 °C (54–73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F).[72] The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are known locally as kal bôishakhi (কালবৈশাখী), or "Nor'westers" in English.[73]

 

Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon[74] lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in March.[75] Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.[76][77]

  

Environmental issues

 

Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata. As of 2008, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide annual concentration were within the national ambient air quality standards of India, but respirable suspended particulate matter levels were high, and on an increasing trend for five consecutive years, causing smog and haze.[80][81] Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.[82]

 

Economy

 

Kolkata is the main commercial and financial hub of East and North-East India[61] and home to the Calcutta Stock Exchange.[83][84] It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant trade-unionism, which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties.[52] From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated.[52] The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city".[85] The city's fortunes improved after the Indian economy was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government.[52]

 

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an informal sector that employs more than 40% of the labour force.[16] One unorganised group, roadside hawkers, generated business worth ₹ 8,772 crore (US$ 2 billion) in 2005.[86] As of 2001, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the secondary sector (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the tertiary sector (service industries).[61]:19 As of 2003, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.), and 22.2% were casual labourers.[87]:11 About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.[87]:11 According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.[88] As of 2010, Kolkata, with an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) by purchasing power parity of 150 billion dollars, ranked third among South Asian cities, after Mumbai and Delhi.[89] Kolkata's GDP in 2014 was Rs 1.84 trillion, according to a collaborative assessment by multiple universities and climate agencies.[90] As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average.[52] The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; several large shopping malls and hotels were launched.[91][92][93][94][95] Companies such as ITC Limited, CESC Limited, Exide Industries, Emami, Eveready Industries India, Lux Industries, Rupa Company, Berger Paints, Birla Corporation and Britannia Industries are headquartered in the city. Philips India, PricewaterhouseCoopers India, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Steel have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, and the United Bank of India; and a private bank Bandhan Bank. Reserve Bank of India has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and India Government Mint, Kolkata is one of the four mints in India.

Panoramic view of the Down town Sector V one of the major IT hubs of Kolkata as seen from the lakes surrounding Bidhannagar. Major Buildings such as Technopolis, Godrej Waterside, TCS Lords, Eden and Wanderers Park, Gobsyn Crystal, South City Pinnacle, RDB Boulevard, West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation (WEBEL) Bhawan can be seen.

Demographics

See also: Ethnic communities in Kolkata

A skyline consisting of several high-rise buildings

Residential high-rise buildings in South City

A slum area of the city

 

The demonym for residents of Kolkata are Calcuttan and Kolkatan.[96][97] According to provisional results of the 2011 national census, Kolkata district, which occupies an area of 185 km2 (71 sq mi), had a population of 4,486,679;[98] its population density was 24,252/km2 (62,810/sq mi).[98] This represents a decline of 1.88% during the decade 2001–11. The sex ratio is 899 females per 1000 males—lower than the national average.[99] The ratio is depressed by the influx of working males from surrounding rural areas, from the rest of West Bengal; these men commonly leave their families behind.[100] Kolkata's literacy rate of 87.14%[99] exceeds the national average of 74%.[101] The final population totals of census 2011 stated the population of city as 4,496,694.[8] The urban agglomeration had a population of 14,112,536 in 2011.[9]

 

Bengali Hindus form the majority of Kolkata's population; Marwaris, Biharis and Muslims compose large minorities.[102] Among Kolkata's smaller communities are Chinese, Tamils, Nepalis, Odias, Telugus, Assamese, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Greeks, Tibetans, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Malayalees, Punjabis, and Parsis.[26]:3 The number of Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and other foreign-origin groups declined during the 20th century.[103] The Jewish population of Kolkata was 5,000 during World War II, but declined after Indian independence and the establishment of Israel;[104] by 2013, there were 25 Jews in the city.[105] India's sole Chinatown is in eastern Kolkata;[103] once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese, its population dropped to around 2,000 as of 2009[103] as a result of multiple factors including repatriation and denial of Indian citizenship following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and immigration to foreign countries for better economic opportunities.[106] The Chinese community traditionally worked in the local tanning industry and ran Chinese restaurants.[103][107]

Kolkata urban agglomeration population growth Census Total %±

1981 9,194,000 —

1991 11,021,900 19.9%

2001 13,114,700 19.0%

2011 14,112,536 7.6%

Source: Census of India[9]

Others include Sikhism, Buddhism & Other religions (0.03%)

Religion in Kolkata[108]

Religion Percent

Hinduism

 

76.51%

Islam

 

20.60%

Christianity

 

0.88%

Jainism

 

0.47%

Others

 

1.54%

 

Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Kolkata.[109] English is also used, particularly by the white-collar workforce. Hindi and Urdu are spoken by a sizeable minority.[110][111] According to the 2011 census, 76.51% of the population is Hindu, 20.60% Muslim, 0.88% Christian, and 0.47% Jain.[112] The remainder of the population includes Sikhs, Buddhists, and other religions which accounts for 0.45% of the population; 1.09% did not state a religion in the census.[112] Kolkata reported 67.6% of Special and Local Laws crimes registered in 35 large Indian cities during 2004.[113] The Kolkata police district registered 15,510 Indian Penal Code cases in 2010, the 8th-highest total in the country.[114] In 2010, the crime rate was 117.3 per 100,000, below the national rate of 187.6; it was the lowest rate among India's largest cities.[115]

 

As of 2003, about one-third of the population, or 1.5 million people, lived in 3,500 unregistered squatter-occupied and 2,011 registered slums.[87]:4[116]:92 The authorised slums (with access to basic services like water, latrines, trash removal by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation) can be broadly divided into two groups—bustees, in which slum dwellers have some long term tenancy agreement with the landowners; and udbastu colonies, settlements which had been leased to refugees from present-day Bangladesh by the Government.[116][87]:5 The unauthorised slums (devoid of basic services provided by the municipality) are occupied by squatters who started living on encroached lands—mainly along canals, railway lines and roads.[116]:92[87]:5 According to the 2005 National Family Health Survey, around 14% of the households in Kolkata were poor, while 33% lived in slums, indicating a substantial proportion of households in slum areas were better off economically than the bottom quarter of urban households in terms of wealth status.[117]:23 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding and working with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata—an organisation "whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after".[118]

Government and public services

Civic administration

Main article: Civic administration of Kolkata

A red-and-yellow building with multiple arches and towers standing against a backdrop of blue sky and framed by trees

Calcutta High Court

 

Kolkata is administered by several government agencies. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, or KMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city's 15 boroughs, which together encompass 141 wards.[109] Each ward elects a councillor to the KMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets.[119] As Kolkata's apex body, the corporation discharges its functions through the mayor-in-council, which comprises a mayor, a deputy mayor, and ten other elected members of the KMC.[120] The functions of the KMC include water supply, drainage and sewerage, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, and building regulation.[119]

 

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation was ranked 1st out of 21 Cities for best governance & administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 4.0 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3.[121]

 

The Kolkata Port Trust, an agency of the central government, manages the city's river port. As of 2012, the All India Trinamool Congress controls the KMC; the mayor is Firhad Hakim, while the deputy mayor is Atin Ghosh.[122] The city has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata, which presides over various city-related functions and conferences.[123]

 

Kolkata's administrative agencies have areas of jurisdiction that do not coincide. Listed in ascending order by area, they are: Kolkata district; the Kolkata Police area and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, or "Kolkata city";[124] and the Kolkata metropolitan area, which is the city's urban agglomeration. The agency overseeing the latter, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, is responsible for the statutory planning and development of greater Kolkata.[125]

 

As the seat of the Government of West Bengal, Kolkata is home to not only the offices of the local governing agencies, but also the West Bengal Legislative Assembly; the state secretariat, which is housed in the Writers' Building; and the Calcutta High Court. Most government establishments and institutions are housed in the centre of the city in B. B. D. Bagh (formerly known as Dalhousie Square). The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was preceded by the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William which was established in 1774. The Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Kolkata has lower courts: the Court of Small Causes and the City Civil Court decide civil matters; the Sessions Court rules in criminal cases.[126][127][128] The Kolkata Police, headed by a police commissioner, is overseen by the West Bengal Ministry of Home Affairs.[129][130] The Kolkata district elects two representatives to India's lower house, the Lok Sabha, and 11 representatives to the state legislative assembly.[131]

Utility services

A telecommunications tower belonging to services provider Tata Communications

 

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation supplies the city with potable water that is sourced from the Hooghly River;[132] most of it is treated and purified at the Palta pumping station located in North 24 Parganas district.[133] Roughly 95% of the 4,000 tonnes of refuse produced daily by the city is transported to the dumping grounds in Dhapa, which is east of the town.[134][135] To promote the recycling of garbage and sewer water, agriculture is encouraged on the dumping grounds.[136] Parts of the city lack proper sewerage, leading to unsanitary methods of waste disposal.[75]

 

Electricity is supplied by the privately operated Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation, or CESC, to the city proper; the West Bengal State Electricity Board supplies it in the suburbs.[137][138] Fire services are handled by the West Bengal Fire Service, a state agency.[139] As of 2012, the city had 16 fire stations.[140]

 

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, or BSNL, as well as private enterprises, among them Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Tata DoCoMo, Tata Teleservices, Virgin Mobile, and MTS India, are the leading telephone and cell phone service providers in the city.[141]:25–26:179 with Kolkata being the first city in India to have cell phone and 4G connectivity, the GSM and CDMA cellular coverage is extensive.[142][143] As of 2010, Kolkata has 7 percent of the total Broadband internet consumers in India; BSNL, VSNL, Tata Indicom, Sify, Airtel, and Reliance are among the main vendors.[144][145]

Military and diplomatic establishments

 

The Eastern Command of the Indian Army is based in the city. Being one of India's major city and the largest city in eastern and north-eastern India, Kolkata hosts diplomatic missions of many countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, People's Republic of China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Srilanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. The U.S Consulate in Kolkata is the US Department of State's second oldest Consulate and dates from 19 November 1792.[146]

 

Transport

 

Public transport is provided by the Kolkata Suburban Railway, the Kolkata Metro, trams, rickshaws, and buses. The suburban rail network reaches the city's distant suburbs.

 

According to a 2013 survey conducted by the International Association of Public Transport, in terms of a public transport system, Kolkata ranks among the top of the six Indian cities surveyed.[147][148] The Kolkata Metro, in operation since 1984, is the oldest underground mass transit system in India.[149] It spans the north–south length of the city and covers a distance of 25.1 km (16 mi).[150] As of 2009, five Metro rail lines were under construction.[151] Kolkata has four long-distance railway stations, located at Howrah (the largest railway complex in India), Sealdah, Chitpur and Shalimar, which connect Kolkata by rail to most cities in West Bengal and to other major cities in India.[152] The city serves as the headquarters of three railway Zone out of Seventeen of the Indian Railways regional divisions—the Kolkata Metro Railways, Eastern Railway and the South-Eastern Railway.[153] Kolkata has rail and road connectivity with Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.[154][155][156]

 

Buses, which are the most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators.[157] Kolkata is the only Indian city with a tram network, which is operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company.[158] The slow-moving tram services are restricted to certain areas of the city. Water-logging, caused by heavy rains that fall during the summer monsoon, can interrupt transportation networks.[159][160] Hired public conveyances include auto rickshaws, which often ply specific routes, and yellow metered taxis. Almost all of Kolkata's taxis are antiquated Hindustan Ambassadors by make; newer air-conditioned radio taxis are in service as well.[161][162] In parts of the city, cycle rickshaws and hand-pulled rickshaws are patronised by the public for short trips.[163]

 

Due to its diverse and abundant public transportation, privately owned vehicles are not as common in Kolkata as in other major Indian cities.[164] The city has witnessed a steady increase in the number of registered vehicles; 2002 data showed an increase of 44% over a period of seven years.[165] As of 2004, after adjusting for population density, the city's "road space" was only 6% compared to 23% in Delhi and 17% in Mumbai.[166] The Kolkata Metro has somewhat eased traffic congestion, as has the addition of new roads and flyovers. Agencies operating long-distance bus services include the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, and various private operators. The city's main bus terminals are located at Esplanade and Babughat.[167] The Kolkata–Delhi and Kolkata–Chennai prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral, and National Highway 34 start from the city.[168]

 

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, located in Dum Dum some 16 km (9.9 mi) north-east of the city centre, operates domestic and international flights. In 2013, the airport was upgraded to handle increased air traffic.[169][170]

 

The Port of Kolkata, established in 1870, is India's oldest and the only major river port.[171] The Kolkata Port Trust manages docks in Kolkata and Haldia.[172] The port hosts passenger services to Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; freighter service to ports throughout India and around the world is operated by the Shipping Corporation of India.[171][173] Ferry services connect Kolkata with its twin city of Howrah, located across the Hooghly River.[174][175]

 

The route from North Bengal to Kolkata is set to become cheaper and more efficient for people travelling by bus. Through April 2017 to March 2018, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) will be introducing a fleet of rocket buses equipped with bio-toilets for the bus route.[176]

Healthcare

See also: Health care in Kolkata

A big building in cream colour with many columns and a portico

Calcutta Medical College, the second institution in Asia to teach modern medicine(after 'Ecole de Médicine de Pondichéry')

IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata is the largest hospital in West Bengal and one of the oldest in Kolkata.

 

As of 2011, the health care system in Kolkata consists of 48 government hospitals, mostly under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and 366 private medical establishments;[177] these establishments provide the city with 27,687 hospital beds.[177] For every 10,000 people in the city, there are 61.7 hospital beds,[178] which is higher than the national average of 9 hospital beds per 10,000.[179] Ten medical and dental colleges are located in the Kolkata metropolitan area which act as tertiary referral hospitals in the state.[180][181] The Calcutta Medical College, founded in 1835, was the first institution in Asia to teach modern medicine.[182] However, These facilities are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of the city.[183][184][185] More than 78% in Kolkata prefer the private medical sector over the public medical sector,[117]:109 due to the poor quality of care, the lack of a nearby facility, and excessive waiting times at government facilities.[117]:61

 

According to the Indian 2005 National Family Health Survey, only a small proportion of Kolkata households were covered under any health scheme or health insurance.[117]:41 The total fertility rate in Kolkata was 1.4, The lowest among the eight cities surveyed.[117]:45 In Kolkata, 77% of the married women used contraceptives, which was the highest among the cities surveyed, but use of modern contraceptive methods was the lowest (46%).[117]:47 The infant mortality rate in Kolkata was 41 per 1,000 live births, and the mortality rate for children under five was 49 per 1,000 live births.[117]:48

 

Among the surveyed cities, Kolkata stood second (5%) for children who had not had any vaccinations under the Universal Immunization Programme as of 2005.[117]:48 Kolkata ranked second with access to an anganwadi centre under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme for 57% of the children between 0 and 71 months.[117]:51 The proportion of malnourished, anaemic and underweight children in Kolkata was less in comparison to other surveyed cities.[117]:54–55

 

About 18% of the men and 30% of the women in Kolkata are obese—the majority of them belonging to the non-poor strata of society.[117]:105 In 2005, Kolkata had the highest percentage (55%) among the surveyed cities of anaemic women, while 20% of the men in Kolkata were anaemic.[117]:56–57 Diseases like diabetes, asthma, goitre and other thyroid disorders were found in large numbers of people.[117]:57–59 Tropical diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya are prevalent in Kolkata, though their incidence is decreasing.[186][187] Kolkata is one of the districts in India with a high number of people with AIDS; it has been designated a district prone to high risk.[188][189]

 

As of 2014, because of higher air pollution, the life expectancy of a person born in the city is four years fewer than in the suburbs.[190]

 

Education

  

Kolkata's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Urdu and Hindi are also used, particularly in central Kolkata.[191][192] Schools in Kolkata follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the ICSE, or the CBSE.[191] They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.[191] Some Kolkata schools, for example La Martiniere Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), St. Xavier's Collegiate School, and Loreto House, have been ranked amongst the best schools in the country.[193]

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

 

As of 2010, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14 universities run by the state government.[194] The colleges are each affiliated with a university or institution based either in Kolkata or elsewhere in India. Aliah University which was founded in 1780 as Mohammedan College of Calcutta is the oldest post-secondary educational institution of the city.[195] The University of Calcutta, founded in 1857, is the first modern university in South Asia.[196] Presidency College, Kolkata (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest and most eminent colleges in India. It was affiliated with the University of Calcutta until 2010 when it was converted to Presidency University, Kolkata in 2010. Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) is the second oldest engineering institution of the country located in Howrah.[197] An Institute of National Importance, BESU was converted to India's first IIEST. Jadavpur University is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.[198] The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, which was the first of the Indian Institutes of Management, was established in 1961 at Joka, a locality in the south-western suburbs. Kolkata also houses the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, which was started here in the year 2006.[199] The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences is one of India's autonomous law schools,[200][201] and the Indian Statistical Institute is a public research institute and university. State owned Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (MAKAUT, WB), formerly West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) is the largest Technological University in terms of student enrollment and number of Institutions affiliated by it. Private institutions include the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute and University of Engineering & Management (UEM).

 

Notable scholars who were born, worked or studied in Kolkata include physicists Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,[202] and Jagadish Chandra Bose;[203] chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy;[202] statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain;[202] physician Upendranath Brahmachari;[202] educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;[204] and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,[205] C. V. Raman,[203] and Amartya Sen.[206]

 

Kolkata houses many premier research institutes like Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bose Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and Indian Centre for Space Physics. Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman did his groundbreaking work in Raman effect in IACS.

 

Culture

  

Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic, and revolutionary heritage; as the former capital of India, it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought.[207] Kolkata has been called the "City of Furious, Creative Energy"[208] as well as the "cultural [or literary] capital of India".[209][210] The presence of paras, which are neighbourhoods that possess a strong sense of community, is characteristic of the city.[211] Typically, each para has its own community club and, on occasion, a playing field.[211] Residents engage in addas, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation.[212][213] The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures, and propaganda.[214][215]

 

Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architectural motifs. Several well-maintained major buildings from the colonial period have been declared "heritage structures";[216] others are in various stages of decay.[217][218] Established in 1814 as the nation's oldest museum, the Indian Museum houses large collections that showcase Indian natural history and Indian art.[219] Marble Palace is a classic example of a European mansion that was built in the city. The Victoria Memorial, a place of interest in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history. The National Library of India is the leading public library in the country while Science City is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent.[220]

 

The popularity of commercial theatres in the city has declined since the 1980s.[221]:99[222] Group theatres of Kolkata, a cultural movement that started in the 1940s contrasting with the then-popular commercial theatres, are theatres that are not professional or commercial, and are centres of various experiments in theme, content, and production;[223] group theatres use the proscenium stage to highlight socially relevant messages.[221]:99[224] Chitpur locality of the city houses multiple production companies of jatra, a tradition of folk drama popular in rural Bengal.[225][226] Kolkata is the home of the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, where most of the state's film studios are located.[227] Its long tradition of art films includes globally acclaimed film directors such as Academy Award-winning director Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, and contemporary directors such as Aparna Sen, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh.[228]

 

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised through the works of authors such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.[229] Coupled with social reforms led by Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, and others, this constituted a major part of the Bengal Renaissance.[230] The middle and latter parts of the 20th century witnessed the arrival of post-modernism, as well as literary movements such as those espoused by the Kallol movement, hungryalists and the little magazines.[231] Large majority of publishers of the city is concentrated in and around College Street, "... a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement", selling new and used books.[232]

 

Kalighat painting originated in 19th century Kolkata as a local style that reflected a variety of themes including mythology and quotidian life.[233] The Government College of Art and Craft, founded in 1864, has been the cradle as well as workplace of eminent artists including Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Nandalal Bose.[234] The art college was the birthplace of the Bengal school of art that arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against the prevalent academic art styles in the early 20th century.[235][236] The Academy of Fine Arts and other art galleries hold regular art exhibitions. The city is recognised for its appreciation of Rabindra sangeet (songs written by Rabindranath Tagore) and Indian classical music, with important concerts and recitals, such as Dover Lane Music Conference, being held throughout the year; Bengali popular music, including baul folk ballads, kirtans, and Gajan festival music; and modern music, including Bengali-language adhunik songs.[237][238] Since the early 1990s, new genres have emerged, including one comprising alternative folk–rock Bengali bands.[237] Another new style, jibonmukhi gaan ("songs about life"), is based on realism.[221]:105 Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as machher jhol,[239] which can be accompanied by desserts such as roshogolla, sandesh, and a sweet yoghurt known as mishti dohi. Bengal's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of ilish, a fish that is a favourite among Calcuttans. Street foods such as beguni (fried battered eggplant slices), kati roll (flatbread roll with vegetable or chicken, mutton, or egg stuffing), phuchka (a deep-fried crêpe with tamarind sauce) and Indian Chinese cuisine from Chinatown are popular.[240][241][242][243]

 

Though Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, the shalwar kameez and Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women.[244] Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional dhoti and kurta are seen during festivals. Durga Puja, held in September–October, is Kolkata's most important and largest festival; it is an occasion for glamorous celebrations and artistic decorations.[245][246] The Bengali New Year, known as Poila Boishak, as well as the harvest festival of Poush Parbon are among the city's other festivals; also celebrated are Kali Puja, Diwali, Holi, Jagaddhatri Puja, Saraswati Puja, Rathayatra, Janmashtami, Maha Shivratri, Vishwakarma Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Ganesh Chathurthi, Makar Sankranti, Gajan, Kalpataru Day, Bhai Phonta, Maghotsab, Eid, Muharram, Christmas, Buddha Purnima and Mahavir Jayanti. Cultural events include the Rabindra Jayanti, Independence Day(15 August), Republic Day(26 January), Kolkata Book Fair, the Dover Lane Music Festival, the Kolkata Film Festival, Nandikar's National Theatre Festival, Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally and Gandhi Jayanti.

  

Media

See also: Kolkata in the media and List of Bengali-language television channels

A five storied building in cream colour with multiple columns in front

Akashvani Bhawan, the head office of state-owned All India Radio, Kolkata

 

The first newspaper in India, the Bengal Gazette started publishing from the city in 1780.[247] Among Kolkata's widely circulated Bengali-language newspapers are Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal, Dainik Statesman and Ganashakti.[248] The Statesman and The Telegraph are two major English-language newspapers that are produced and published from Kolkata. Other popular English-language newspapers published and sold in Kolkata include The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, and the Asian Age.[248] As the largest trading centre in East India, Kolkata has several high-circulation financial dailies, including The Economic Times, The Financial Express, Business Line, and Business Standard.[248][249] Vernacular newspapers, such as those in the Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi, and Chinese languages, are read by minorities.[248][103] Major periodicals based in Kolkata include Desh, Sananda, Saptahik Bartaman, Unish-Kuri, Anandalok, and Anandamela.[248] Historically, Kolkata has been the centre of the Bengali little magazine movement.[250][251]

 

All India Radio, the national state-owned radio broadcaster, airs several AM radio stations in the city.[252] Kolkata has 12 local radio stations broadcasting on FM, including two from AIR.[253] India's state-owned television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free-to-air terrestrial channels,[254] while a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and other regional channels are accessible via cable subscription, direct-broadcast satellite services, or internet-based television.[255][256][257] Bengali-language 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, Tara Newz, Kolkata TV, 24 Ghanta, News Time and Channel 10.[258]

Sports

See also: Football in Kolkata, Kolkata Marathon, and Kolkata derby

Salt Lake Stadium during Indian Super League opening ceremony

 

The most popular sports in Kolkata are football and cricket. Unlike most parts of India, the residents show significant passion for football.[259] The city is home to top national football clubs such as Mohun Bagan A.C., East Bengal F.C., Prayag United S.C., and the Mohammedan Sporting Club.[260][261] Calcutta Football League, which was started in 1898, is the oldest football league in Asia.[262] Mohun Bagan A.C., one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the only organisation to be dubbed a "National Club of India".[263][264] Football matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, dubbed as the Kolkata derby, witness large audience attendance and rivalry between patrons.[265]

A Twenty20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors during Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens

 

As in the rest of India, cricket is popular in Kolkata and is played on grounds and in streets throughout the city.[266][267] Kolkata has the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders; the Cricket Association of Bengal, which regulates cricket in West Bengal, is also based in the city. Kolkata also has an Indian Super League franchise known as Atlético de Kolkata. Tournaments, especially those involving cricket, football, badminton, and carrom, are regularly organised on an inter-locality or inter-club basis.[211] The Maidan, a vast field that serves as the city's largest park, hosts several minor football and cricket clubs and coaching institutes.[268]

 

Eden Gardens, which has a capacity of 68,000 as of 2017,[269] hosted the final match of the 1987 Cricket World Cup. It is home to the Bengal cricket team and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

 

The multi-use Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, is India's largest stadium by seating capacity. Most matches of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup were played in the Salt Lake Stadium including both Semi-Final matches and the Final match. Kolkata also accounted for 45% of total attendance in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup with an average of 55,345 spectators.[270] The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.[271][272]

 

Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium served as host of the 1981 Asian Basketball Championship, where India's national basketball team finished 5th, ahead of teams that belong to Asia's basketball elite, such as Iran. The city has three 18-hole golf courses. The oldest is at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first golf club built outside the United Kingdom.[273][274] The other two are located at the Tollygunge Club and at Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club hosts horse racing and polo matches.[275] The Calcutta Polo Club is considered the oldest extant polo club in the world.[276][277][278] The Calcutta Racket Club is a squash and racquet club in Kolkata. It was founded in 1793, making it one of the oldest rackets clubs in the world, and the first in the Indian subcontinent.[279][280] The Calcutta South Club is a venue for national and international tennis tournaments; it held the first grass-court national championship in 1946.[281][282] In the period 2005–2007, Sunfeast Open, a tier-III tournament on the Women's Tennis Association circuit, was held in the Netaji Indoor Stadium; it has since been discontinued.[283][284]

 

The Calcutta Rowing Club hosts rowing heats and training events. Kolkata, considered the leading centre of rugby union in India, gives its name to the oldest international tournament in rugby union, the Calcutta Cup.[285][286][287] The Automobile Association of Eastern India, established in 1904,[288][289] and the Bengal Motor Sports Club are involved in promoting motor sports and car rallies in Kolkata and West Bengal.[290][291] The Beighton Cup, an event organised by the Bengal Hockey Association and first played in 1895, is India's oldest field hockey tournament; it is usually held on the Mohun Bagan Ground of the Maidan.[292][293] Athletes from Kolkata include Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy, who are former captains of the Indian national cricket team; Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes, golfer Arjun Atwal, and former footballers Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, P. K. Banerjee, and Subrata Bhattacharya.

Another segment of my story for Brethren of the Brick Seas!

 

Guy K. Wyndzon sauntered along his waterside boardwalk, as he liked to do whenever he had difficult matters – state or personal – to think over. To be sure, Uncle had often slandered the walk as a “boredwalk,” but that was because he didn’t believe in meditation. To Guy’s Uncle, thinking while walking was synonymous with daydreaming.

Perhaps, in Guy’s case, Uncle wasn’t entirely wrong. At all events, if Guy had really been as intent upon state matters as he liked to claim, he probably wouldn’t have been so easily distracted when a loose sheet of paper blew across his path.

As it was, he ran at it, jumped, caught it – missed! It fluttered down towards the water – Guy made a desperate lunge – just then a breath of air swept by, spinning the paper around tantalizingly. Another jump – caught it this time!

“What is this, anyhow?” Guy muttered to himself. “Probably an old copy of the King’s Port Advertiser – trashy old Marderian propaganda… hey, wait…” Guy stared intently at the piece of paper as his heart began to race. This was… it couldn’t be… but it was! The famed treasure map of Captain Booya!

Captain Booya, for the curious among my woefully ignorant twenty-first century readers, had been a notorious pirate of the Brick Seas. All sorts of villainous deeds possible and impossible were ascribed to him: he had raided Terreli, and left large portions of the city in ashes; he had slain the great Sea Kraken, and his crew had lived off its flesh for a full ten years; he had discovered a far off island, and buried a tremendous booty there. Then, suddenly, some sixty-odd years ago, he had disappeared. Not a trace of him remained. Back in the day, the vulgar people thought he had sailed right off the edge of the earth. But since it was now common knowledge that the earth was round, most people supposed he had sunk in an unusually heavy storm.

Thirty years after Captain Booya had disappeared, an old marooned sailor of his was rescued. He had been left behind by the pirate Captain, he said, because he had, out of sheer curiosity, dogged the Captain’s steps one night on shore and caught him in the very act of handing a detailed map to a young lady. The sailor gave a vivid description of her: long, slightly curly black hair, dark eyes, tall, etc. And so the gossips throughout the Brick Seas quizzed any acquaintance matching the description in any degree, which was rather ridiculous, since thirty years later the odds were she had grey hair or was dead. At any rate, neither map nor lady was ever heard from again.

Until now. With wildly throbbing pulses, Guy spread the map out on the boardwalk. It looked authentic… it felt authentic… it even smelled authentic. Could this – might this – possibly be THE MAP?!?

He had to find out. He had to try to follow it. Right off the bat, he didn’t recognize the location. Were there any clues?

He turned the parchment carefully upside-down, and noticed a poem, originally traced in a bold hand, but now scarcely visible, thanks to the effects of time. After staring at it for a while, he managed to decipher the following lines:

Sail ho, my hearties – the treasure awaits!

Unship your compass and head for the straits!

The animal sound guides to the ground

Where riches untold wait to be found.

Your bravery is tested on this small island strip,

And be sure in resin your torches to dip.

Onward and forward, follow your nose,

Keep up with it, as far as it goes!

Up and beyond, climb and away,

As over you breaks the light of a clear day!

The shadow progresses, it points, it ascends,

And away from the hollow your footsteps it bends.

Awake, awake, my hearties, soar to the skies,

He who steps falsely – that man dies!

 

Below these were more lines, evidently added, in a different though similar hand, at a later date:

To you, bold adventurer, goes forth the call,

Give it your best, give it your all.

No other business can interfere,

Make this your first and your only care.

 

Leave State and Company for treasure, forever

– if you dare!

 

“State and Company!” thought Guy, amazed. “It’s almost as if it were written with me in mind!”

 

--------

This was in fact the inital motivation for this build, but as I had only got around to the boardwalk itself when the Tourney Categories were announced, I couldn't resist killing two birds with one stone as time crept up on me!

location :Kitano tenmangu ,Kyoto city,Kyoto prefecture,Japan

 

京都 北野天満宮

 

This shrine was dedicated to noted scholar and poet Sugawara-no-Michizane (posthumously named Tenjin) in 947. It was revered by the court and the shogunate and spawned many branch shrines along with temple schools throughout the country.

 

Kitano-tenmangu Shrine is one of the great shrines of Kyoto. It features elaborate architecture, plum trees which scent the air in spring, and a collection of treasures of special interest to those familiar with Japanese history.

 

Kitano-tenmangu Shrine enshrines the spirit of Sugawara-no-Michizane who was a scholar and adviser to the Emperor Uda in the Heian Period. He was a loyal civil servant who became the victim of slander and was subsequently exiled to the island of Kyushu where he died. Shortly after his death a series of severe thunderstorms and earthquakes shook the capital. To add to this, a number of the people who slandered him met with unexpected disaster. These events were interpreted to mean that his powerful spirit was unhappy, and the Imperial Court moved to placate it by granting him the posthumous name of Karai Tenjin (God of Fire and Thunder) and building this shrine. Tenjin is now regarded as the deity of scholastic studies and is extremely popular with students preparing for high school or university entrance examinations.

 

The many plum trees on the grounds were planted because of Michizane's known fondness for them during his lifetime. A plum blossom festival is held at the shrine every year in February. Kitano-tenmangu Shrine was the location of the famous mass tea ceremony conducted by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and among the shrine's treasures, are artifacts connected to that particular event as well as others connected to the life of Michizane.

- Kyoto City Travel Official Guide

 

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Michizane was very fond of ume and composed the waka (和歌　a traditional Japanese poem of thirty-one syllables) to the ume tree in his garden, 'Kochi fukaba Nioi okoseyo ume no hana aruji nasitote haruna wasureso (recently haruwo wasuruna)東風〔こち〕吹かばにほひおこせよ梅花主なしとて春な忘れそ' (Whenever the east wind blows, ..My dear plum blossoms ... Please remember spring, ...do not forget the spring...!... Even if your master( = Michizane ) won't be here..and he will be gone...), following his demotion and exile to Dazaifu.

f/8.0 28.0 mm 1/60sec ISO400 (handheld)

   

A Psalm of David. LORD, who shall sojourn in Thy tabernacle?

Who shall dwell upon Thy holy mountain?

He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth in his heart;

That hath no slander upon his tongue, nor doeth evil to his fellow, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour;

In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honoureth them that fear the LORD; {N}

he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;

He that putteth not out his money on interest, nor taketh a bribe against the innocent. {N}

He that doeth these things shall never be moved. {P}

(Psalms, 15)

 

Pontefract (or Pomfret) Castle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War.

 

The castle, on a rock to the east of the town above All Saints' Church, was constructed in approximately 1070 by Ilbert de Lacy on land which had been granted to him by William the Conqueror as a reward for his support during the Norman Conquest. There is, however, evidence of earlier occupation of the site. Initially the castle was a wooden structure which was replaced with stone over time. The Domesday Survey of 1086 recorded "Ilbert's Castle" which probably referred to Pontefract Castle.

 

Robert de Lacy failed to support King Henry I during his power struggle with his brother, and the King confiscated the castle from the family during the 12th century. Roger de Lacy paid King Richard I 3,000 marks for the Honour of Pontefract, but the King retained possession of the castle. His successor King John gave de Lacy the castle in 1199, the year John ascended the throne. Roger died in 1213 and was succeeded by his eldest son, John. However, the King took possession of Castle Donington and Pontefract Castle. The de Lacys lived in the castle until the early 14th century. It was under the tenure of the de Lacys that the magnificent multilobate donjon was built.

 

In 1311 the castle passed by marriage to the estates of the House of Lancaster. Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (circa 1278–1322) was beheaded outside the castle walls six days after his defeat at the Battle of Boroughbridge, a sentence placed on him by King Edward II himself in the great hall. This resulted in the earl becoming a martyr with his tomb at Pontefract Priory becoming a shrine. It next went to Henry, Duke of Lancaster and subsequently to John of Gaunt, third son of King Edward III. He made the castle his personal residence, spending vast amounts of money improving it.

 

In the closing years of the 14th century, Richard II banished John of Gaunt’s son Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, from England. Following the death of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, in 1399, Richard II seized much of the property due to Bolingbroke. Richard then shared some of the seized property around among his favourites. The castle at Pontefract was among such properties which was under threat. These events aroused Bolingbroke to return to England to claim his rights to the Duchy of Lancaster and the properties of his father. Shakespeare's play Richard II (Act 2, scene 1, 277) relates Bolingbroke’s homecoming in the words of Northumberland in the speech of the eight tall ships:-

 

NORTHUMBERLAND

Then thus: I have from Port Le Blanc,

A bay in Brittany, receiv’d intelligence,

That Harry Duke of Herford, Rainold Lord Cobham,

Thomas, son and heir to th’ Earl of Arundel,

That late broke from the Duke of Exeter,

His brother, Archbishop late of Canterbury,

Sir Thomas Erpingham, Sir John Ramston,

Sir John Norbery, Sir Robert Waterton, and Francis Quoint—

All these, well furnished by the Duke of Brittany

With eight tall ships, three thousand men of war,

Are making hither with all due expedience,

And shortly mean to touch our northern shore

 

When Bolingbroke landed at Ravenspur on the Humber, he made straight way for his castle at Pontefract. King Richard II, being in Ireland at the time, was in no position to oppose Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke soon deposed Richard and took the crown for himself as Henry IV.

 

Richard II was captured by Henry Bolingbroke's supporters in August 1399 and was initially imprisoned in the Tower of London. Sometime before Christmas that year he was moved to Pontefract Castle (via Knaresborough) where he remained under guard until his death, perhaps on 14 February 1400. William Shakespeare's play Richard III mentions this incident:

 

Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison,

Fatal and ominous to noble peers!

Within the guilty closure of thy walls

Richard the second here was hack'd to death;

And, for more slander to thy dismal seat,

We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink.

 

Various chroniclers suggest that Richard was starved to death by his captors, and others suggest he starved himself. A contemporary French chronicler suggested that Richard II had been hacked to death, but this is, according to the ODNB, "almost certainly fictitious"

 

Richard III had two relatives of Elizabeth Woodville beheaded at Pontefract Castle on 25 June 1483 – her son, Sir Richard Grey, and her brother, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers.

 

n 1536, the castle's guardian, Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy handed over the castle to the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a Catholic rebellion from northern England against the rule of King Henry VIII. Lord Darcy was executed for this alleged "surrender", which the king viewed as an act of treason.

 

In 1541, during a royal tour of the provinces, it was alleged that King Henry's fifth wife, Queen Catherine Howard, committed her first act of adultery with Sir Thomas Culpeper at Pontefract Castle, a crime for which she was apprehended and executed without trial. Mary, Queen of Scots was lodged at the castle on 28 January 1569, travelling between Wetherby and Rotherham.

 

On his way south to London, King James rode from Grimston Park to view Pontefract Castle on 19 April 1603 and stayed the night at the Bear Inn at Doncaster. The castle was included in English jointure property of his wife, Anne of Denmark.

 

Royalists controlled Pontefract Castle at the start of the English Civil War. The first of three sieges began in December 1644 and continued until the following March when Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale of Holme arrived with Royalist reinforcements and the Parliamentarian army retreated. During the siege, mining and artillery caused damage and the Piper Tower collapsed as a result. The second siege began on 21 March 1645, shortly after the end of the first siege, and the garrison surrendered in July after hearing the news of Charles I's defeat at the Battle of Naseby. Parliament garrisoned the castle until June 1648 when Royalists sneaked into the castle and took control. Pontefract Castle was an important base for the Royalists, and raiding parties harried Parliamentarians in the area.

 

Oliver Cromwell led the final siege of Pontefract Castle in November 1648. Charles I was executed in January, and Pontefract's garrison came to an agreement and Colonel Morrice handed over the castle to Major General John Lambert on 24 March 1649. Following requests from the townspeople, the grand jury at York, and Major General Lambert, on 27 March Parliament gave orders that Pontefract Castle should be "totally demolished & levelled to the ground" and materials from the castle would be sold off. Piecemeal dismantling after the main organised activity of slighting may have further contributed to the castle's ruined state.

 

It is still possible to visit the castle's 11th-century cellars, which were used to store military equipment during the civil war.

 

Little survives of what "must have been one of the most impressive castles in Yorkshire" other than parts of the curtain wall and excavated and tidied inner walls. It had inner and outer baileys. Parts of a 12th-century wall and the Piper Tower's postern gate and the foundations of a chapel are the oldest remains. The ruins of the Round Tower or keep are on the 11th-century mound. The Great Gate flanked by 14th-century semi-circular towers had inner and outer barbicans. Chambers excavated into the rock in the inner bailey possibly indicate the site of the old hall and the North Bailey gate is marked by the remains of a rectangular tower.

 

The castle has several unusual features. The donjon has a rare Quatrefoil design. Other examples of this type of Keep are Clifford's Tower, York and at the Château d'Étampes in France. Pontefract also has an torre albarrana, a fortification almost unknown outside the Iberian Peninsula. Known as the Swillington Tower, the detached tower was attached to the north wall by a bridge. Its purpose was to increase the defender's range of flanking fire.

 

Wakefield Council, who manage the site, commissioned William Anelay Ltd to begin repairs on the castle in September 2015, but work stopped in November 2016 when Anelay went into administration. The Council then engaged Heritage Building & Conservation (North) Ltd, who began work on the site in March 2017. A new visitor centre and cafe were opened in July 2017; but in April 2018 the council announced that they had terminated the contract with HB&C (North) Ltd, as no work had been done since mid-March, and they had not had any reassurances that the work would restart. On Yorkshire Day 2019, the restoration was completed, and the castle was removed from Historic England's "Heritage At Risk" list.

  

Remember that it is not only what we say (the content), but how we say it (tone, inflection, body language) that is crucial in avoiding damaging words.

  

Consequences of Using Hurtful Words

 

1. Words used inappropriately can bring hurt, even destruction, into the lives of all involved.

 

Leviticus 19:16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD. (NIV)

Obadiah 1:12 You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. (NIV)

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity. (NASB) (See verses 5–12.)

Exodus 23:1; Proverbs 13:3; 26:20–22; Galatians 5:14–15

 

2. Using words appropriately will safeguard our daily walk with God.

 

Psalm 15:1–3 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one … who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others. (NIV)

Psalm 24:3–4; Isaiah 33:15–16

 

3. Gossip and unwholesome speech produce ungodly results.

 

Proverbs 18:21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (NLT)

Galatians 5:15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. (NLT)

Proverbs 21:23; Matthew 12:35–36; 2 Timothy 2:16–17; James 3:11

 

4. Gossip is included in lists of disturbing sins.

 

2 Timothy 3:2–3 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal. (NASB)

Psalm 50:16–20; Romans 1:28–29

  

Avoiding Use of Hurtful Words

 

1. We must choose carefully the words we use—a reasoned, Spirit-led response.

 

James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (NIV)

1 Peter 3:10 Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. (NIV)

Psalm 17:3; 1 Peter 2:1

 

2. Choosing not to associate with gossips is wise.

 

Proverbs 20:19 A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers. (NLT)

Psalm 141:3–4 Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. (NLT)

 

3. Damaging words must be replaced with positive, productive words.

 

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)

Proverbs 12:18; 16:24; 17:9

  

Responding to Words That Hurt

 

1. God is our best refuge when others use words that hurt.

 

Psalm 31:19–20 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (NKJV)

Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. (NASB)

Psalm 62:5–7; 140:12

 

2. A plan for relief.

 

Proverbs 12:16 A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. (NLT)

Psalm 120:1–2 I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O LORD, from liars and from all deceitful people. (NLT)

Luke 6:27–28 But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (NLT)

Psalm 119:69; Romans 12:17–21

  

Biblical Narratives

 

• Hannah, hurt deeply by words, 1 Samuel 1:1–18

• Jesus, his controlled response, 1 Peter 2:21–23

  

Practical Steps

 

• If you have the problem of using harsh words, be willing to admit that it is sin, no more excuses. Confess and ask forgiveness from God. Ask your wife, children, and others to forgive you.

• Commit to obeying commands of nonretaliation and responding peacefully. See Matthew 5:38–44 and Romans 12:14, 17.

• To help break the sinful pattern of gossip, write on a card, “What is my motivation for sharing this?” Keep this close at hand to monitor your conversations throughout the day.

• Avoid places where gossip often occurs, such as break rooms at work.

• If someone begins to gossip, have the courage to explain tactfully that you prefer not to listen and then walk away, or just walk away.

 

Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 327–330.

Weehawken, NJ

 

Before the hit Broadway musical Hamilton! , memories of America's most famous honor duel vibrated faintly only in the back brains of those who stayed awake during elementary school history classes. Who were those two guys again?

 

It was Burr against Hamilton, and someone died.

 

Near a picturesque cliff along the Hudson River, overlooking Manhattan Island, Aaron Burr wrestled Alexander Hamilton. The date was July 12, 1804.

 

It all started when the presidential election of 1800 broke down, Bush versus Gore style, and Burr eventually took over as vice president. As a complaining public radio commentator, Hamilton tried to undermine Burr with rumors and alleged slander. The two politicians, after a long skirmish for words, finally met on the river bank below the cliffs and solved it with pistols.

 

The actual rock "on which Alexander Hamilton's head rested" after he was mortally wounded is now a monument. It turns out that while Hamilton was (as noted on the rock) a "patriot, soldier, statesman, and jurist," Burr was a fellow from Newark with better marksmanship.

 

Death Rock behind the bust of Alexander Hamilton.

Death Rock behind the bust of Alexander Hamilton.

In 1870, a set of railroad tracks cut through the old mourning field, so the rock was moved to its present elevated position on Hamilton Avenue (a cul-de-sac). On July 12, 1935, Hamilton's current bronze head was perched on the rock. Later it was moved to an adjacent pillar where it is easier to see.

 

Just down the street from the Rock of Death is the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, named for another famous 19th century American politician who was shot.

Some poor girl got slandered in her graduation announcement. What a bummer.

Yeah, you know how it is. She's that girl! The one who IM's your guy while the two of you are out shopping. And you're a goody two-shoes, smiling and being nice about it. Then you get a pair of killer shoes and suddenly you go all Christina on her ass. Gotta love those shoes.

 

(Thanks, Leia, for helping me out in the photoshoot! ummm, Sorry to slander you ... but the shoes made me do it!)

 

Breathe contest: Winner gets early access to the June Arcade. Deadline May 28th.

www.flickr.com/photos/daisaadmiral/34461999860.

  

Camera and Lighting:

Windlight Sky: London 2050

Pretty much as is except Leia does not have mesh hands so those are my maitreya bento hands pasted in with some color matching tweaking.

 

Setting:

Urban Street Scene by Scott's Fabrications

 

Me:

Pose: Hand on hip by Kaboom Karlfeldt

Belle Heels-Black M.Lara by Breathe

 

Leia:

Pose: Sleep by Ferran Brodsky

Face Animator by Laura Lyne Design

 

Asylum Leather Pants - Night by Barely Legal

Hopper Swimsuit Upper - Blackk/Gold by Barely Legal

IF bracelets full perm 4 cuir by Supernatural

 

Hair: Shout by Exile

Tango Mesh Breasts by Lolas

Angela Shape by WoW Skins

Michela Tan 01 Skin by WoW Skins

Luminous Eyes Raven eyes by Over the Rainbow

EXPLORE photo

© All Rights Reserved

view large-

farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/3847211905_eafcb41917_o.jpg

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Ramadan, the major fast of the Islamic year, falls in the ninth lunar month. Traditionally, Ramadan commences and ends with the sighting of the new moon, though now a standard calendar is more commonly used.

 

The month-long fast involves abstinence from food, liquids, smoking, and sexual intercourse between the hours of sunrise and sunset, but at night the holiday has turned into a feast in many Arab countries, each of which has its favorite special Ramadan foods and recipes. Moreover, fasting must be undertaken with spiritual intent (niyyah), and this intent must be renewed each day before dawn. Mean-spirited words, and thoughts and deeds such as slander, lying, and covetousness negate the value of fasting. The fast commences each day at dawn, immediately prior to which an early morning meal, suhoor, should be eaten. It usually includes a special bread called mushtah and a sweet cream-filled pastry called kilaj, which are served only during Ramadan. During the day no food or drink may be taken, which can be a severe test when Ramadan falls during the hot summer season. The day's fast is broken with a small meal, iftar, taken as soon as possible after sunset. Traditionally, this is dates and water in remembrance of Muhammed, who always broke his fast by first eating dates, followed by lentil soup and salad. A larger, often quite elaborate meal may be eaten later at a mosque or shared with visiting friends and family. There are no particular rules governing what should be served for the main course. Sweets are very popular during Ramadan.

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unstable : (Adj) 1. not firmly fixed and likely to wobble or fall

2. likely to change suddenly and create difficulties or danger

3. (of a person) having abrupt changes of mood or behaviour

No this isn't a photoshop trick, and (#$^%&) my foot hurts from standing like this. Consider that my rant for the day.

(unless you have prior proof I've already ranted. In that case...Shhhhhh.)

  

I have been tagged yet again for 16 things, so anyone who isn’t intrigued by useless babble might find it pertinent to move along now…………

 

Once I started it all just flowed out...therapeutically perhaps?

No obligation to read whatsoever. It's just there.

 

Consider yourself warned. :)

I will never do it again.

Goodnight.

 

****************

  

1. I am an avid bookworm. I am currently reading 3 books at the same time. I don’t know how I separate them in my head, but it’s not nearly as hard as you would imagine.

 

2. I despise my 365 because I feel that 99% of the time I rush through it and post absolute rubbish simply to achieve the “one-a-day” rule. I have literally only posted a handful of pictures (handful being 5-8) that I am actually proud of. The rest of them, I could really care less about and would disown them if my name wasn’t so blatantly attached to them.

 

3. I am ridiculously self-conscious. It actually makes me uncomfortable when people tell me I’m beautiful because my initial response is to believe that they are lying to me. I never have, and never will, truly think that I am pretty. I am and always will, however, be content being who I am.

 

4. I am perfectly satisfied being unsocial and alone. (a byproduct of my self consciousness?) I would take a good book, a cup of coffee and a blanket over a night out on the town any day. I like myself, and I prefer company I trust.

 

5. One of my biggest irritations is when people underestimate me for my age or appearance. I can change a tire in less than ten minutes and I can drink a full grown man under the table. I am a customer service manager of an entire office and I can play Mozart’s ‘Rhondo Alla Turca’ from beginning to end without looking at sheet music. Neither my face nor age defines any of these things, the rest of my character withstanding.

 

6. I want to be a mother more than anything in this entire world, and I am not the least bit frightened or apprehensive about it. I just simply feel that my life is incomplete, and it always will until my husband and I have a family that is solely ours.

 

7. I cannot tolerate immaturity or mistrust. I very recently had an incident that involved being backstabbed and slandered, and consequently lied to. I have firmly resolved to disown these people in the highest level comfortable based upon our relationships. I am a forgiving person, but I refuse to allow myself to be a victim. I also have no desire to be associated with people who constantly make themselves the victim.

 

8. If I could go back in time, I would do everything differently. I know it isn’t traditionally inspiring for someone to say that, but in my case, I regrettably blundered through a good 3 years of my life in a way that I am forever scarred for how I harmed myself and damaged others.

I would unhesitatingly accept a chance to try it all again.

 

9. I have numerous acquaintances whom I know well and who know me half as well. The amount of people in this world that I sincerely call friends is only three. (my sister, my husband, and one friend.) It is not that I do not have frequent opportunities to enter into friendships, but I rarely trust people enough to open up to them, nor do I wish to waste my time trying only to be sorely disappointed.

 

10. I adjust myself based upon the company I keep and the situation I am in. Likewise, I rarely utilize my full vocabulary on Flickr. It is not that I believe anyone is improperly educated and would be confused. It is because when I am on Flickr I am just simply me and there is no reason to appear to be pretentiously showing off by tossing out five-syllable words unnecessarily. I also rarely reveal anything in my facts. Today I am.

 

11. I spent many years despising my childhood and using it as a scapegoat for the things I had done detrimentally wrong. Now, as I’ve finally matured I realize that any and all somewhat traumatizing instances from my childhood did not in any way disrupt my development but rather strengthened and prepared me to become the person I am today. For which I am thankful.

 

12. I hate change. It throws me into a chaotic state of discomfort when I am compelled to attempt things that are unfamiliar or unknown to me. For as long as I can consciously remember, I have had anxiety issues when I feel out of place or exposed. Therefore, I often force myself into such situations in attempt to widen my comfort bubble…..I have been doing it for years.

 

13. I am violently opposed to dependency. I am of the firm opinion that after a certain point in your life you need to learn to rely upon yourself alone to handle your existence, finances, and emotions. I am not referring to the desire to have someone in your life (obviously). I am more specifically determined that one should not ‘need’ anyone else to survive in the world.

 

14. I abhor my own contradictions. As much as I hate dependency, I am admittedly a mess without caffeine or nicotine. I vow to rectify it, but somehow the first step evades me. I will do it eventually.

 

15. Rather than being a person who knows a lot about a small amount of things, I know a small amount about a lot of things. I’ve rather disliked this over the years and wished that I had a better depth into certain subjects. Simultaneously, there have been numerous times in which my brief understanding or knowledge of a range of subjects has been incredibly useful. I’m indeterminate.

 

16. There are a great many crevices and cracks to my personality that I seldom reveal. It’s not that I’m embarrassed or reluctant to be myself, I simply attribute it to my private nature. I dislike revealing things that make me appear to be pretentious or proud, and most everything else is typically unnecessary information for anyone to associate with me. For example; saying that I completed Calculus my Sophomore year in high school merely makes me sound arrogant, and the fact that I can fold my tongue in half towards the back of my throat is simply worthless information.

Point proven.

                

He Entered Your World

 

I once waded into the Jordan River. On a trip to Israel, my family and I stopped to see the traditional spot of Jesus’ baptism. It’s a charming place. Sycamores cast their shadows. Birds chirp. The water invites. So I accepted the invitation and waded in to be baptized.

 

No one wanted to join me so I immersed myself. I declared my belief in Christ and sank so low in the water I could touch the river bottom. When I did, I felt a stick and pulled it out. Well, what do you know–a baptism memento! Some people get certificates or Bibles; I like my stick. It’s about as thick as your wrist, long as your forearm, and smooth as a baby’s behind. I keep it on my office credenza so I can show it to fear-filled people.

 

When they chronicle their anxieties about the economy or concern about their kids, I hand them the stick. I tell them how God muddied his feet in our world of diapers, death, digestion, and disease. How John told him to stay on the riverbank, but Jesus wouldn’t listen. How he came to earth for this very purpose, to become one of us. “Why, he might have touched this very stick,” I like to say.

 

As they smile, I ask, “Since he came this far to reach us, can’t we take our fears to him?”

 

“For our high priest [Jesus] is able to understand our weaknesses. When he lived on earth he was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NCV).

 

Does this miracle matter? It does if you are bedridden. It does if you battle disease. It does if chronic pain is a part of your life. The One who hears your prayers understands your pain. He never shrugs or scoffs or dismisses physical struggle. He had a human body.

 

Does this miracle matter? If you ever wonder if God understands you, it does. If you ever wonder if God listens, it does. If you ever wonder if the Uncreated Creator can, in a million years, comprehend the life of a truck driver, housewife, or immigrant, then ponder long and hard the promise of the incarnation. God say: I understand you and I always will.

 

Are you troubled in spirit? He was, too. (John 12:27)

 

Are you so anxious that you could die? He was, too. (Matthew 26:38)

 

Are you overwhelmed with grief? He was, too. (John 11:35)

 

Have you ever prayed with loud cries and tears? He did, too. (Hebrews 5:7)

 

Some have pointed to the sinlessness of Jesus as evidence that he cannot fully understand us. After all, if he never sinned, they reason, how could he understand the full force of sin? Simple, he felt it more than we do. We give in! He never did. We surrender. He never did. He stood before the tsunami and never wavered. In that manner, he understands it more than anyone who ever lived.

 

And then, in his grandest deed, he volunteered to feel the consequence of sin.

 

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).

 

The greatest pain of the cross was the pain of sin. Jesus didn’t deserve to feel the shame, but he felt it. He didn’t deserve the humiliation, but he experienced it. He had never sinned, yet was treated like a sinner. He became sin. All the guilt, remorse, and embarrassment– Jesus understands it.

 

Does this miracle matter? To the hypocrite, it does. To the person who can’t remember last night’s party it does. To the cheater, slanderer, gossip, or scoundrel who comes to God with a contrite spirit, it matters. It matters because they need to know, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV).

 

Because Jesus is human, he understands you. Because he is divine he can help you. But he does neither if you don’t go to him. He didn’t remain aloof; why would we? He didn’t keep his distance; why would we keep ours?

 

Let this be the day you draw near to him. He entered your world so that you could enter his.

 

© Max Lucado, January, 2017

 

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What You Needed Most

 

God is enough. Isn’t this the message of Moses and Joshua and the journey to the Promised Land? Who opened the Jordan River? Who led the people across on dry ground? Who appeared to encourage Joshua? Who brought down the Jericho walls? Who fought for and delivered the people? God!

 

He cared for his people. Even in the wilderness they never went without provision. He gave them not just food but clothing and good health. Moses once reminded the Hebrews, “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years” (Deuteronomy 8:4 NIV).

 

The following phrases were never heard in the wilderness: Oh, bummer, my robe has another rip in it…or…. Hey, new sandals. Where did you get them? There was no want for food; no need for clothing. God provided for them. And God has promised to provide you.

 

From God is With You Every Day. Max Lucado