Slander photos on Flickr

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Femme fatale .....................Press L for a better view

20180817_192966 by Victoria M. Williams

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Don't trust those on social media who are always saying that they are the keepers of the truth when all they do is slander people with un proven facts!

Henny Porten in Tragödie (1925) by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

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German postcard. Ross Verlag, Berlin, No. 41/3. Henny-Porten-Froehlich Produktion. Henny Porten in the German silent drama Tragödie (Carl Froelich, 1925). Left, Robert Garrison, who plays a publisher, Pickart.

Plot: Countess Maria Porten), a world famous stage performer, is blackmailed by a former lover, a frivolous stage poet (Robert Scholz). The ex-lover threatens to publish former love letters. When she visits the man to claim the letters, a wild bacchanal is going on at the house, which compromises the countess. Her husband, Count Tamar (Walter Janssen) divorces her and dumps their child (Annemarie Winkler), accorded to him, in a convent. Maria's reputation is lost, so she is refused any stage engagement. Physically and mentally broken, she collapses. Just when a friend tells her where her child is located, she dies without seeing her child again.

Tragödie was one of the typical melodramas with Henny Porten, tormented by male evildoers from her shady past, who are keen on spreading slander and wrecking her well-to-do and aristocratic happy family life, while husbands are blunt and unforgiving. And often children are victims of the situation. From 1924 Porten, her husband Wilhelm von Kaufmann, and producer director Carl Froehlich, ran the Henny Porten-Froehlich Produktion with which they 15 many comedies and tearjerkers between 1924 and 1929. Tragödie was scripted by Walter Wassermann and Fred Sauer, while cinematography was by Axel Graatkjaer and sets by Franz Schroedter. The film had its premiere at the Berlin Primus-Palast cinema on 30 November 1925.

Source: Corinna Müller, 'Filmographie, in Helga Belach, Henny Porten. Der erste deutsche Filmstar 1890-1960 (1986).

Sturdy and blond Henny Porten (1890-1960) was one of Germany's most important and popular film actresses of the silent cinema. She became the quintessence of German womanhood, ladylike yet kindhearted and a not a little petit bourgeois. She was also the producer of many of her own films.

The Emperor's Mother by B

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Agrippina

Basanite, AD 49-59

This imposing statue of Agrippina was carved from dark-green stone to imitate the metallic sheen of bronze. Agrippina's power during the reigns of Claudius and Nero alienated many senators and other traditionalists. They slandered prominent women like her with wild tales of sexual promiscuity. Agrippina and Nero were even accused of incest.

Nero justified Agrippina's death in a letter to the senate, claiming that she had planned to assassinate him. Officially, his salvation was celebrated, but Nero's detractors accused him of matricide.

[British Museum]

Nero: the Man Behind the Myth

(May - Oct 2021)

Nero is known as one of Rome's most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty, debauchery and madness.

The last male descendant of the emperor Augustus, Nero succeeded to the throne in AD 54 aged just 16 and died a violent death at 30. His turbulent rule saw momentous events including the Great Fire of Rome, Boudicca's rebellion in Britain, the execution of his own mother and first wife, grand projects and extravagant excesses.

Drawing on the latest research, this major exhibition questions the traditional narrative of the ruthless tyrant and eccentric performer, revealing a different Nero, a populist leader at a time of great change in Roman society.

Through some 200 spectacular objects, from the imperial palace in Rome to the streets of Pompeii, follow the young emperor’s rise and fall and make up your own mind about Nero. Was he a young, inexperienced ruler trying his best in a divided society, or the merciless, matricidal megalomaniac history has painted him to be?

Nero was the 5th emperor of Rome and the last of Rome’s first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, founded by Augustus (the adopted son of Julius Caesar). Nero is known as one of Rome’s most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty and debauchery. He ascended to power in AD 54 aged just 16 and died at 30. He ruled at a time of great social and political change, overseeing momentous events such as the Great Fire of Rome and Boudica’s rebellion in Britain. He allegedly killed his mother and two of his wives, only cared about his art and had very little interest in ruling the empire.

Most of what we know about Nero comes from the surviving works of three historians – Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio. All written decades after Nero’s death, their accounts have long shaped our understanding of this emperor’s rule. However, far from being impartial narrators presenting objective accounts of past events, these authors and their sources wrote with a very clear agenda in mind. Nero’s demise brought forward a period of chaos and civil war – one that ended only when a new dynasty seized power, the Flavians. Authors writing under the Flavians all had an interest in legitimising the new ruling family by portraying the last of the Julio-Claudians in the worst possible light, turning history into propaganda. These accounts became the ‘historical’ sources used by later historians, therefore perpetuating a fabricated image of Nero, which has survived all the way to the present.

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December AD 37.

He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Both Gnaeus and Agrippina were the grandchildren of Augustus, making Nero Augustus’ great, great grandson with a strong claim to power.

Nero was only two years old when his mother was exiled and three when his father died. His inheritance was taken from him and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, Nero’s fate changed again when Claudius became emperor, restoring the boy’s property and recalling his mother Agrippina from exile.

In AD 49 the emperor Claudius married Agrippina, and adopted Nero the following year. It is at this point that Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus changed his name to Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus. In Roman times it was normal to change your name when adopted, abandoning your family name in favour of your adoptive father’s. Nero was a common name among members of the Claudian family, especially in Claudius’ branch.

Nero and Agrippina offered Claudius a politically useful link back to Augustus, strengthening his position.

Claudius appeared to favour Nero over his natural son, Britannicus, marking Nero as the designated heir.

When Claudius died in AD 54, Nero became emperor just two months before turning 17.

As he was supported by both the army and the senate, his rise to power was smooth. His mother Agrippina exerted a significant influence, especially at the beginning of his rule.

The Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all claim that Nero, fed up with Agrippina’s interference, decided to kill her.

Given the lack of eyewitnesses, there is no way of knowing if or how this happened. However, this did not stop historians from fabricating dramatic stories of Agrippina’s murder, asserting that Nero tried (and failed) to kill her with a boat engineered to sink, before sending his men to do the job.

Agrippina allegedly told them to stab her in the womb that bore Nero, her last words clearly borrowed from stage plays.

It is entirely possible, as claimed by Nero himself, that Agrippina chose (or was more likely forced) to take her own life after her plot against her son was discovered.

Early in his rule, Nero had to contend with a rebellion in the newly conquered province of Britain.

In AD 60–61, Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe led a revolt against the Romans, attacking and laying waste to important Roman settlements. The possible causes of the rebellion were numerous – the greed of the Romans exploiting the newly conquered territories, the recalling of loans made to local leaders, ongoing conflict in Wales and, above all, violence against the family of Prasutagus, Boudica’s husband and king of the Iceni.

Boudica and the rebels destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans before being heavily defeated by Roman troops. After the uprising, the governor of Britain Suetonius Paulinus introduced harsher laws against the Britons, until Nero replaced him with the more conciliatory governor Publius Petronius Turpilianus.

The marriage between Nero and Octavia, aged 15 and 13/14 at the time, was arranged by their parents in order to further legitimise Nero’s claim to the throne. Octavia was the daughter of the emperor Claudius from a previous marriage, so when Claudius married Agrippina and adopted her son Nero, Nero and Octavia became brother and sister. In order to arrange their marriage, Octavia had to be adopted into another family.

Their marriage was not a happy one. According to ancient writers, Nero had various affairs until his lover Poppaea Sabina convinced him to divorce his wife. Octavia was first exiled then executed in AD 62 on adultery charges. According to ancient writers, her banishment and death caused great unrest among the public, who sympathised with the dutiful Octavia.

No further motives were offered for Octavia’s death other than Nero’s passion for Poppaea, and we will probably never know what transpired at court. The fact that Octavia couldn’t produce an heir while Poppaea was pregnant with Nero’s daughter likely played an important role in deciding Octavia’s fate.

On 19 July AD 64, a fire started close to the Circus Maximus. The flames soon encompassed the entire city of Rome and the fire raged for nine days. Only four of the 14 districts of the capital were spared, while three were completely destroyed.

Rome had already been razed by flames – and would be again in its long history – but this event was so severe it came to be known as the Great Fire of Rome.

Later historians blamed Nero for the event, claiming that he set the capital ablaze in order to clear land for the construction of a vast new palace. According to Suetonius and Cassius Dio, Nero took in the view of the burning city from the imperial residence while playing the lyre and singing about the fall of Troy. This story, however, is fictional.

Tacitus, the only historian who was actually alive at the time of the Great Fire of Rome (although only 8 years old), wrote that Nero was not even in Rome when the fire started, but returned to the capital and led the relief efforts.

Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all describe Nero as being blinded by passion for his wife Poppaea, yet they accuse him of killing her, allegedly by kicking her in an outburst of rage while she was pregnant.

Interestingly, pregnant women being kicked to death by enraged husbands is a recurring theme in ancient literature, used to explore the (self) destructive tendencies of autocrats. The Greek writer Herodotus tells the story of how the Persian king Cambyses kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach, causing her death. A similar episode is told of Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Nero is just one of many allegedly ‘mad’ tyrants for which this literary convention was used.

Poppaea probably died from complications connected with her pregnancy and not at Nero’s hands. She was given a lavish funeral and was deified.

Centred on greater Iran, the Parthian empire was a major political and cultural power and a long-standing enemy of Rome. The two powers had long been contending for control over the buffer state of Armenia and open conflict sparked again during Nero’s rule. The Parthian War started in AD 58 and, after initial victories and following set-backs, ended in AD 63 when a diplomatic solution was reached between Nero and the Parthian king Vologases I.

According to this settlement Tiridates, brother of the Parthian king, would rule over Armenia, but only after having travelled all the way to Rome to be crowned by Nero.

The journey lasted 9 months, Tiridates’ retinue included 3,000 Parthian horsemen and many Roman soldiers. The coronation ceremony took place in the summer of AD 66 and the day was celebrated with much pomp: all the people of Rome saw the new king of Armenia kneeling in front of Nero. This was the Golden Day of Nero’s rule

In AD 68, Vindex, the governor of Gaul (France), rebelled against Nero and declared his support for Galba, the governor of Spain. Vindex was defeated in battle by troops loyal to Nero, yet Galba started gaining more military support.

It was at this point that Nero lost the support of Rome’s people due to a grain shortage, caused by a rebellious commander who cut the crucial food supply from Egypt to the capital. Abandoned by the people and declared an enemy of the state by the senate, Nero tried to flee Rome and eventually committed suicide.

Following his death, Nero’s memory was condemned (a practice called damnatio memoriae) and the images of the emperor were destroyed, removed or reworked. However, Nero was still given an expensive funeral and for a long time people decorated his tomb with flowers, some even believing he was still alive.

After Nero’s death, civil war ensued. At the end of the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ (AD 69), Vespasian became emperor and started a new dynasty: the Flavians.

[Francesca Bologna, curator, for British Museum]

Taken in the British Museum

Amor Triumphant in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin by Henk Bekker

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LEFT:

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), “Omnia vincit amor” / Amor als Sieger / Amor Triumphant (1601-2), aka as Love Conquers All, Amor Victorious, Victorious Cupid, Love Triumphant, Love Victorious, or Earthly Love)

RIGHT:

Der himmlische Amor besiegt den irdischen Amor / Sacred Love and Profane Love (or The Divine Eros Defeats the Earthly Eros and various other variants) (1602-03) by Giovanni Baglione

Possibly the most famous and most popular painting in the museum is the scandalous Caravaggio painting of Amor:

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi), “Omnia vincit amor” / Amor als Sieger / Amor Triumphant (1601-2), aka as Love Conquers All, Amor Victorious, Victorious Cupid, Love Triumphant, Love Victorious, or Earthly Love)

Following Virgil — “Omnia vincit amor” (Love Conquers All) — Caravaggio painted the young god of love, Amor, as victorious over science, art, power, and fame. Volumes have been written over Caravaggio (and this painting) and although probably not seen as similarly erotic in period, it cannot be ignored that young Amor pushes his genitals forward to the center while the arrows and the left wing tip also clearly point at his crotch. Sex is the clear winner. Matters were not helped by Caravaggio using one of his students (and possibly lover) as the model for a less than convincing cupid face (and painting the same face for biblical figures in other paintings).

The painting originally belonged to Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564-1637) who built up one of the finest art collections in Italy. Omnia vincit amor was the final painting in his gallery — often covered by a curtain, not out of embarrassment but rather to make the big unveil at the end of the tour the more dramatic.

Still, the painting caused a bit of a scandal so Vincenzo’s bother, Cardinal Benedetto Giustiniani (1544-1637) commissioned Der himmlische Amor besiegt den irdischen Amor / Sacred Love and Profane Love (or The Divine Eros Defeats the Earthly Eros and various other variants) (1602-03) from Giovanni Baglione. Here a divine Eros clad in armor triumphs over an earthly Amor — still naked but no genitals on view. This was more in line with official Catholic norms that earthly love should be tempered and restricted to marriage. (Forget for a moment that amor / eros / cupid are not actually biblical figures.) (In a second version painted by Baglione, the satyr was changed to a devil with facial features resembling Caravaggio — now in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome.)

Caravaggio and Baglione remained rivals, threatened and sued for libel, and competed for clients. Caravaggio had the misfortune of dying first and that Baglione wrote the first Caravaggio biography. He couldn’t really criticize the art, as the quality was plain for all to see, but slandered Caravaggio’s character and questionable morals. Four centuries later, Caravaggio has the last laugh — these two paintings hang in the Gemäldegalerie separated by only a doorway and many visitors would miss the Baglione completely if it was not for the clear reference to it in the audio guide description of Amor Victorious.

The Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) in Berlin is one of the largest and best Old Master's art museums in the world. Top highlights include early German artists, Flemish painters, and the Dutch Golden Age (16 Rembrandt paintings). The Italian collection is equally impressive with a fantastic Renaissance display by all major artists and fine works from the Baroque and Rococo eras.

Poor Nat by Gary Kinsman

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Bromley-by-Bow

Slander w/Brujeria 31.07.15 by Fabrizio Ara FAHC

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- Sony a6000

- Samyang 85mm T1.5 Cine Lens

DSC01943

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY from A.Word.A.Day by Wordsmith Org

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Ring out false pride in place and blood, / The civic slander and the spite; / Ring in the love of truth and right, / Ring in the common love of good.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, poet (1809-1892)

Pontefract Castle by I Itsmee (Dave)

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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.

1911 T212-3 Obak Cigarettes Baseball Card - WALTER "DASHER" DASHWOOD (Catcher) (Victoria Bees / Northwestern League) (#416) by Treasures from the Past

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Victoria Bees - Northwestern League - The Victoria Bees played in the Northwestern League, a Class B circuit that included teams from Vancouver, Seattle Spokane, and Portland. Professional Baseball returned in 1911 to Victoria and although the Victoria Islanders, who were later named the Victoria Bees, lost 125 games in 151 outings, they were well supported by local business and fans.

Link to - Victoria Bees 1911 Home Jersey - The Bees' home uniforms were made from this very rare cross-hatch pinstripe fabric - www.ebbets.com/products/victoria-bees-1911-home-jersey

Link to - Victoria Bees 1911 Road Jersey - www.ebbets.com/products/victoria-bees-1911-road-jersey

Link to a SABR photo - 1911 Victoria Bees, Northwestern League - www.nwsabr.org/vicbc00/

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Walter Dashwood

Bats: Right • Throws: Right

Height - 5' 10" (another report has him at over 6 feet)

Weight - 190 lbs

Born: December 1882 or 1883

Died: 6 December 1933

Nicknames: Dasher, Dash, William, George, W.E.

Full Name: Walter Earl Dashwood

Father: James Walter Dashwood (b. New York / d. 12 Nov 1907)

During his baseball career he never went by his first name "Walter" - these are some that were used - Earl, Dasher, Dash, W.E., William, George and Catcher Dashwood.

Link to his minor league stats - www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dashwo...

Link to a photo - Dasher Dashwood, Oakland catcher - www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/attachment.php?s=4584c8cbf...

Walter Dashwood compiled a career batting average of .199 with 3 home runs in his 374-game career with the Petaluma Pets, Oakland Reliance, Victoria Legislators / Spokane Indians, Fresno Tigers, Seattle Siwashes, Fresno Raisin Eaters, Des Moines Champions, Oakland Commuters, Oakland Oaks, Tacoma Tigers, Santa Cruz Sand Crabs, Victoria Bees and Seattle Giants. He began playing during the 1903 season and last took the field during the 1911 campaign.

On the 16th October 1886 the Dashwood family were living at 455 Stevenson in San Francisco, California

In 1896 the Dashwood family were living at 546 Minna in San Francisco, California

On his 1900 US census (San Francisco California) he has his name as Walter E. Dashwood (age 17) born in Utah, December 1882. His father is listed as James Dashwood born in New York (June 1853) - his mother is listed as Belle (Arabella) Dashwood born in Illinois (October 1862) - his sister is listed as Esther Dashwood born in California (August 1891)

(San Francisco Call, 13 November 1907) - DASHWOOD— In this city (San Francisco). November 12, 1907, James W., loving husband of Belle Dashwood, and loving father of Earl and Ethel Dashwood, he was aged 67 years. (this was Walter Dashwood's father - Walter was referred to by his middle name - EARL)

On his 1910 US census (San Jose, California) he has his name as W.E. Dashwood (age 27) born in California about 1883 - his mother and father were both born in Tennessee. His occupation was listed as Professional Ball Player. His wife is listed as Edna Dashwood (27 years old). They were living in San Jose, Santa Clara, California on McLaughlin Street.

On his 1911 Canadian census (Victoria, B.C.) he has his name as Wm. G. Dashwood (27 years old) - he is listed as single. Born in July 1883 in the USA. He arrived in Canada in 1911. His occupation in listed as Professional Baseball.

On the San Francisco, California, City Directory from 1920 he is listed as Walter E. Dashwood / Ball player / living with his mother on r 29 Clara. His mother is listed as Louise A. Dashwood (spouce / wid. James Walter)

On the Oakland, California, City Directory in 1924 - Walter and his mother are living at 2006 Emerson.

San Francisco, California, City Directory in 1928 - Walter (taxi cab driver), his sister Ethel (musician) and mother Belle Dashwood are living at 256 Waller in San Francisco, California.

On his 1930 US census (San Francisco California) he has his name as Walter ?. Dashwood (age 47) born in Utah. He is listed as working as a taxi cab driver. His mother is listed as Louis A. Dashwood born in Illinois (age 67) - his sister is listed as Ethel Dashwood born in California (age 36).

Publication: Nevada State Journal Reno, Nevada - Wednesday, December 6, 1933 - Page 5 - Gas Stove Explosion - SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 5, 1933 - Gas stove explosion wrecked a flat tonight, critically burning Mrs Louise Dashwood, 71, and her 51 year old son, Walter Dashwood.

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(The Spokane Press, August 14, 1905) - Spokane won the last game of the series with Everett at Recreation park yesterday afternoon by a score of 7 to 3. Everett getting these three runs was due to errors by Baer and Dashwood. Dashwood in left field played hare and hounds with the ball. He was the hound and the sphere the hare. The result was that while Dash was chasing the elusive one about the green, runs were being scored for Everett. Dashwood misjudged two flies in the first inning, but he is not supposed to catch anything but stingers and pop fouls, so we will let him off this time.

(The Pacific Commercial Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands), October 27, 1907 - Dasher Dashwood, Oakland Catcher - The above is a good likeness of Dasher Dashwood, the regular catcher of the Oakland Coast League team. Dashwood is considered the greatest thrower in the Coast League. He is a hard man to steal bases on and is always in the game from start to finish. Mique Fisher has signed Dashwood to make the trip to Honolulu with his All-Star combination of players. Dashwood is a big fellow standing over six feet and weighing 190 pounds. Honolulu players would do well to keep an eye on this fellow and learn the game. When Dashwood is behind the bat the All-Hawaii players should not take too big a lead, or they will be nipped.

(The Hawaiian Star, January 28, 1908) - Dashwood prides himself in having tho choicest collection of Hawaiian souvenirs of any of the players who were on that trip. Given at this late day the Dasher finds himself the recipient of presents. Hardly a steamer comes from the Islands that doesn't bring him something. When he is flush with coin he will have a cabinet built for his trophies. S.F. Bulletin.

(The San Francisco Call, February 07, 1908) - The Oakland

baseball club Is certain to have the services of "Truck" Eagan this season, he having come to terms this morning with President Walter. He also has signed Dashwood, the successful catcher of last season. Walter expects to have all contracts back within a week.

(Los Angeles Herald, 21 July 1908) - W. E. Dashwood, who played with the Stockton team recently while Yom Hackett was injured, and who caught for the Fresno team when it was in the Coast league, has brought suit in the superior court of Fresno county against W. W. Ayers and C T. Walker of Coalinga. Dashwood alleges that he had been slandered by these two men, who are managers of the Coalinga ball team, by their statements that he threw a game on the Fourth of July, and now he wants $10,000 damages. Dashwood caught for Coalinga on the Fourth in a game with another amateur aggregation. Coalinga lost, and it is claimed that blame was heaped upon the shoulders of Dashwood, some even going as far as to say that he threw the game. Dashwood has singled out the managers of the Coalinga club as among those who made such statements and is suing them for damages. He declares that because of their false statements he will be held up to the contempt of all baseball managers unless he is vindicated, and may not be able to secure a position again. The Coalinga game no doubt will be played over again In the courts, as Dashwood says he is prepared to show through the statements of the fans, players and the score that he played a good game.

(Santa Cruz Evening News, 24 July 1908) - DASWOOD BRINGS SUIT - RESENTS THE IMPUTATION THAT HE "THREW" A BASEBALL GAME. - W. E. Dashwood, says the Fresno Republican, yesterday made good his announced intention of bringing suit for slander for charges that he "threw" a baseball game. The player first consulted Hanford attorneys, as reported some time ago, and was advised that he had a cause of action, but was told to bring it in Fresno county, as the alleged slander occurred in Coalinga. Dashwood came to Fresno and retained M. B. Harris and J. P. Bernhard, who yesterday filed the papers. The suit is against Waller W. Ayers, a druggist of Coalinga, and the sum asked is $5,000, the alleged slander having been uttered on the 7th of last July in Coalinga. Dashwood recites that he was disgraced and injured in his trade, occupation and profession, and also injured in his reputation and good name. The statement claimed to be false and slanderous is alleged to be: "During the game at Visalia you threw the game. How much did you get for throwing the game?" Dashwood was the catcher for the Coalinga club in the Fourth of July games with the Visalia nine at Visalla, and Coalinga lost both games. Dashwood construes through the pleadings of Lawyers J. P. Bernhard and M. B. Harris that the language of Ayer, publicly uttered, meant that he had been corrupted by bribe money and did wilfully and intentionally carry on his profession in such an incompetent manner as to betray his employers and permit the Visalla baseball team to unfairly win such game and that the losing of said game by the Coalinga baseball team was due to the corrupt and dishonest manner that this plaintiff carried on his trade or profession. On account of these accusations, Dashwood says he lost his position as a member of the Coalinga baseball team, which was paying him a salary of $150 per month and his expenses, aggregating $50 per month, and which position he would otherwise have retained until November 1, 1908.

(San Francisco Call, 12 February 1910) - San Jose May Capture Two Good Ones - [Special Dispatch lo The Call] SAN JOSE. Feb. 11 — President Browne Willis of the San Jose baseball association has received terms from Catcher William Dashwood of Santa Cruz and from First Baseman Devereaux J. Peters of Salinas, formerly of Santa Clara college. Willis is still looking for an active manager, but in the meantime is not losing any time in picking a team.

(Santa Cruz Evening News, 8 March 1910) - Ex-Sand Crab to Play in the South - CATCHER DASHWOOD SIGNS WITH VISALIA, Mar. 8th - Manager Newt Young of the Pirates has announced that he has signed Dashwood for the local team again this season. Dashwood has been holding out for more money than Young was willing to pay, but has agreed to the terms. He will be in Visalia about April 1, when training will begin. "Dash" is a good man and the local fans are pleased that he is again to be behind the bat.

- Visalia is located in the San Joaquin Valley in central California, 35 miles southeast of Fresno, California. The Visalia Pirates were one of only two teams to finish the season in the 1910 San Joaquin Valley League. They finished 13-17, well behind the first place Bakersfield Drillers.

(Santa Cruz Sentinel, 30 July 1910) - San Jose has signed Conrad, the ex-Crab to take Dashwood's place behind the bat. "Dasher's" salary ambition almost staggered Mike Steffani and before the latter could regain his equilibrium the former Santa Cruz player was on his way to join the Visalia Pirates of the Valley league.

(The Tacoma Times, April 26, 1911) - President Wattelet and Manager Householder of Victoria got busy in Spokane right away, and breezed up to the sporting writers, with the result that the following little effusions graced the sporting pages next day: "The Speed Boys" is the way Eddie Householder styles his twirling staff, a six-man aggregation led by Thomas, Clearwater, Cal., phenom, and the playing manager of the Victoria Islanders not only expects his speed boys to trample upon Spokane in the present series, hut win a pennant for the new Northwestern league entry. Thomas, the star of the sextet, has as much speed as Walter Johnson, star speed artist of the Big Brush, according to Backstop Dashwood of the Islanders.

(The Tacoma Times, May 16, 1911) - Eddie Householder is awful street on Rex DeVogt, and would jump at the chance to have Rex alternate with Dashwood. Eddie is a little shy on real backstop material, and knowing a good receiver when he sees one, he naturally falls for Rex. He asked the writer last night why Mike was not catching Rex, and were told that there was a surplus of first-class catching talent on the Tiger staff and that both Shreeder and Mike were sweet on Eddie Burns. Ed looked up Mike right away and began to talk trade. The Islanders outfit is oversupplied with infielders, and Ed said he would jump at the chance to swap for the stocky Rex.

(22 July 1911) - Dashwood played his last game for Victoria on the 21 July 1911 - it was the first game of a doubleheader against the Vancouver Beavers. By the 25th August 1911 he is umpiring games in the Northwestern League. His last game that he umpired in for 1911 season was on - 30 September.

(Santa Cruz Evening News, 13 January 1912) - Dashwood, the former Sand Crab was in consultation with President Baum, of the Pacific Coast league, yesterday; in regard to securing a job as umpire. Dashwood umpired considerably in the Northwesters league last season.

(Morning Oregonian, January 17, 1912) - Dashwood, former Northwestern League catcher, approached President Baum of the Coast League the other day asking for a job as umpire.

(Morning Oregonian, April 01, 1912) - Portland Colts Will Have Nine Day Session With Club - SACRAMENTO, Cal. March 31.

(Special.) The Portland Northwestern regulars will leave tomorrow morning for Reddlng which will be their first stop on their way home. The Yannigans will join the regulars there. Beginning tomorrow the Portland players will be the guests of the citizens of Redding, who have arranged a nine day baseball card with the local team, captained by Dashwood ex-Victoria catcher. After leaving Redding the team probably will stop at Medford, Grants Pass. Eugene and Albany, although the exact schedule has not been determined.

(Santa Cruz Evening News, 8 June 1914) - Umpire Dashwood, the California leaguer, has broken Into the Coast league, and according to reports is getting away to a good start. He umpired the Los Angeles - Oakland series together with Hayes. Dashwood was tho butt of several jokes sprung by San Francisco newspapermen when he halted Saturday's game to put on his overcoat and gloves to shield himself from the heavy fog that poured in from the bay.

(The Sunday Oregonian, June 14, 1914) - Umpire Dashwood Decision Draws League Director Into General Fight. - Special Police, Fans and Players Join in Scuffle in Which Manager Howard Lets Loose Famous Punch. - San Francisco, June 13. —The ball game this afternoon between the Seals and Angels broke up in a free-for-all fight, in which Cal Ewing, Manager Del Howard and Umpire Dashwood figured in the star roles. The game ran into the tenth inning when Dashwood called a runner safe on a ball thrown home from third which bounded in the air when It struck the catchers hands but was safely caught as it came down. The decision was given while the ball was still in the air and Dashwood refused to change his ruling. Howard was on Dashwood with bound, grabbing him by the throat and shaking him like a bulldog shaking a rat. Cal Ewing ran between the men and Frank Dillon rushed in apparently to support Dashwood, when Ewing gave him a punch in the stomach. Howard was apparently anxious for more as he rushed to the rescue of his chief, but the interference of several hundred spectators and the special police ended the spectacle. President Baum now has a knotty problem to solve. As Ewing was in uniform at the time he is under the rule of the president, although he is a fellow director with that official Baum will have to pass on Dashwood's ruling as well as the conduct of both managers.

(Sacramento Union, 14 June 1914) - Special to the Union. SAN FRANCISCO. June 13.—A general fight ended the Angels - Seals game today due to a wonder decision by Umpire Dashwood late of the state league. The result will probably be the suspension of Del Howard for his part and possibly a censure for Cal Ewing, who took a healthy poke at Pop Dillon. Dillon had the effrontery to call Ewing an old man and Cal Ewing wouldn’t take that from anybody. The Seals had a man on third and another on second in the tenth with one run needed to tie the score. Jerry Downs grounded sharply to third. Moore made the whip across the diamond. Abstein caught the ball, but it bounced out of his hands and was high in the air as Jerry crossed first. Dashwood called him out. Howard never lost a moment. He was on top of Dashwod in an instant, grabbed the umpire firmly by the throat with his two hands and shook him as a bulldog would shake a cat. Cal Ewing, owner of the Seals, who was in uniform for the sake of a joke with Henry Berry and had been doing some fancy coaching stunts of his own, came between big angry manager and the indicator man. Frank Dillon came to the fore, evidently for the sake of supporting Dashwood and Ewing, who had been telling the Dasher just what he thought of him, took a fling at “Pop’’ of Los Angeles fame. Howard, still anxious for more of the same, hurried to the rescue of his chief, and not to be outdone in any particular, also let loose a famous Howard punch. Hundreds of the fans rushed in between the contestants and the spectacle was ended.

(Los Angeles Herald, 17 September 1918) - Catcher Dashwood, who used to be with the Oakland team, now is in the army and is stationed at Camp Kearny. (Camp Kearny was a U.S. military base (first Army, later Navy) in San Diego County, California, on the site of the current Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. It operated from 1917 to 1946. The base was named in honor of Brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny)

(Santa Cruz Evening News, 5 April 1927) - There were other star players on the Sand Crabs in those good old days, but none of them were lucky enough to be in the $200 a month salary class. Bill Waters, still residing here, was satisfied to receive $175 per, and so was Dasher Dashwood, a catcher by occupation and who with Sharkey Conrad did the backstopping for the crab family. Conrad, an ex-soldier who had more ginger than a barrel of West India peppers, only received $125, but was able to put on the front of a millionaire on this salary.

"Pig" Frog Hiding In Plain Sight (Rana grylio) by Orland Park Birdie Girl

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The poor frog is being "slandered" by comparison to a pig, just because of it "croak."

In Memoriam by Ben-ah

14 1

In Memoriam

In memory of our fallen heroes.

IN MEMORIAM by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light:

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind

For those that here we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Maurice de Féraudy by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

3

French postcard by J.D, et Cie, 3e Serie. Photo: DuGuy. Caption: De Féraudy, Comédie Française.

Maurice de Féraudy (1859-1932) was an actor of the Comédie-Française and a French director. He was also a notable actor and director in French silent cinema.

Dominique Marie Maurice de Féraudy was born in Joinville-le-Pont near Paris in 1859. His father was the commander of the Ecole militaire de gymnastique at Joinville-le-Pont. After the Conservatoire, where he was a pupil of Got, Maurice entered the Théâtre Français in 1880. He became ‘sociétaire’ of the Comédie-Française in 1887, and ‘doyen’ (dean) in 1929, but he left that same year. He was much acclaimed as a comedian, because of his performances full of gaiety. The role of his life, which he performed some 1,200 times within 30 years – and had the monopoly on it – was that of Isidore Lechat in 'Les affaires sont les affaires' (1903, Business is business) by Octave Mirbeau. Other plays he acted in were by a.o. Bataille, Kistemaekers, Guitry, Ibsen, but also classics by Molière, Balzac and Dumas fils. Between 1896 and 1905, Féraudy taught at the Conservatoire, training upcoming actors like Gabriel Signoret. Féraudy also wrote numerous songs for Paulette Darty, such as the famous Fascination (1901), reprised afterwards by Suzy Delair and Diane Dufresne. He was the father of Jacques de Féraudy (1886-1971), who became an actor as well.

In 1908-1909, Maurice de Féraudy debuted in the cinema. He directed almost 40 shorts under the aegis of his short-lived company Théâtro-Films. His son Jacques debuted in two of these films, Simple histoire/Simple story (1908) and Georgette (1908). Afterwards Féraudy directed a handful of mostly short films at Pathé and Gaumont, with actors who would later become famous, such as Albert Dieudonné, Roger Karl, Maria Falconetti and Jean Angelo. Féraudy last’s direction was the film Après lui (1918) in which he had the lead himself. While most of the films he directed are forgotten now, better known are the films in which he acted. In the 1910s Féraudy played in films at Eclair, such as Les gaités de l’escadron/The gaiety of the squadron (Joseph Faivre, Maurice Tourneur, 1913), La dame de Monsoreau/The lady Monsoreau (Emile Chautard, 1913), and Monsieur Lecoq (Maurice Tourneur, 1914). In the 1920s, Féraudy enjoyed the pleasure of playing memorable roles despite his high age. After supporting roles in two films with René Hervil: L’ami Fritz/In Old Alsace (1921) and Blanchette (1921), both with Léon Mathot in the lead, Féraudy had the male lead himself together with young Jean Forest in Crainquebille/Coster Bill of Paris (Jacques Feyder, 1922). In this adaptation of a novel by Anatole France, Féraudy played an ageing street vendor who has worked all his life at Les Halles in Paris. Innocently he lands in jail and loses his customers once released, thus becoming an alcoholic. A young street boy (Forest) prevents him from suicide, though, convincing him to start all over again. Next Féraudy played the title role in the Balzac adaptation Cousin Pons (Jacques Robert, 1923), about a musician and poor art collector who is befriended by a sympathetic German (André Nox). The human vultures around him, such as his wealthy parvenu lawyer cousins and his landlady, realize that he possesses a valuable art collection, and try to crush poor Pons.

Maurice de Féraudy next played in Le secret de Polichinelle/The Secret of Polichinelle (René Hervil, 1923) about a young man who wants to marry a working-class girl (Andrée Brabant) against the wishes of his parents, Le Coeur des gueux/Heart beggars (Alfred Machin, Henri Wulschleger, 1925) with Ginette Maddie, the Danish film Klovne/The Clown (Anders Sandberg, 1926) with Gösta Ekman and Karina Bell, Lady Harrington (Fred Leroy-Granville, H.C. Grantham-Hayes, 1926) with Claude France and Warwick Ward, Fleur d’amour/Love Flower (Marcel Vandal, 1927) in which Féraudy had the male lead opposite Rose Mai, and the German film Die Hölle von Montmartre/The Hell of Montmartre (Willy Reiber, Franz Seitz, 1928) with Eric Barclay and Suzy Vernon. A last memorable part was Féraudy’s role in the tragicomedy Les Deux timides/Two Timid Souls by (René Clair, 1928) in which Pierre Batcheff plays Frémissin, a timid young lawyer who loves Cécile (Vera Flory) whose father (Féraudy) suffers from the same timidity. When because of his weak defence a brutal husband is sentenced, the latter (Jim Gérald) uses all means to wreck the young lawyer’s own future marriage with Cécile, as he wants her for himself. Helped by his future father-in-law, Frémissin triumphs and clears his father-in-law and himself from all slander. After one last part in the early French sound film Ça aussi! … c’est Paris/That too! This is Paris (Antoine Mourre, 1930), Féraudy retired. He still acted on stage and was even highly successful in 'Cette vieille canaille' in 1931-1932. Maurice de Féraudy died in Paris in 1932 and was buried at the cemetery of Montparnasse.

Sources: Ciné Ressources (French), dvdtoile (French), Le Petit Parisien (French), Wikipedia (French and English) and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Tombstone II | South Park Street Cemetery | Kolkata কলকাতা by dynamo.photography

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+++++++ FROM WIKIPEDIA ++++++

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: 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.

Maurice de Féraudy by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

3

French postcard by A.B., Paris. Maurice de Féraudy in the play 'Patrie!' (1869) by Victorien Sardou.

Maurice de Féraudy (1859-1932) was an actor of the Comédie-Française and a French director. He was also a notable actor and director in French silent cinema.

Dominique Marie Maurice de Féraudy was born in Joinville-le-Pont near Paris in 1859. His father was the commander of the Ecole militaire de gymnastique at Joinville-le-Pont. After the Conservatoire, where he was a pupil of Got, Maurice entered the Théâtre Français in 1880. He became ‘sociétaire’ of the Comédie-Française in 1887, and ‘doyen’ (dean) in 1929, but he left that same year. He was much acclaimed as a comedian, because of his performances full of gaiety. The role of his life, which he performed some 1,200 times within 30 years – and had the monopoly on it – was that of Isidore Lechat in 'Les affaires sont les affaires' (1903, Business is business) by Octave Mirbeau. Other plays he acted in were by a.o. Bataille, Kistemaekers, Guitry, Ibsen, but also classics by Molière, Balzac and Dumas fils. Between 1896 and 1905, Féraudy taught at the Conservatoire, training upcoming actors like Gabriel Signoret. Féraudy also wrote numerous songs for Paulette Darty, such as the famous Fascination (1901), reprised afterwards by Suzy Delair and Diane Dufresne. He was the father of Jacques de Féraudy (1886-1971), who became an actor as well.

In 1908-1909, Maurice de Féraudy debuted in the cinema. He directed almost 40 shorts under the aegis of his short-lived company Théâtro-Films. His son Jacques debuted in two of these films, Simple histoire/Simple story (1908) and Georgette (1908). Afterwards Féraudy directed a handful of mostly short films at Pathé and Gaumont, with actors who would later become famous, such as Albert Dieudonné, Roger Karl, Maria Falconetti and Jean Angelo. Féraudy last’s direction was the film Après lui (1918) in which he had the lead himself. While most of the films he directed are forgotten now, better known are the films in which he acted. In the 1910s Féraudy played in films at Eclair, such as Les gaités de l’escadron/The gaiety of the squadron (Joseph Faivre, Maurice Tourneur, 1913), La dame de Monsoreau/The lady Monsoreau (Emile Chautard, 1913), and Monsieur Lecoq (Maurice Tourneur, 1914). In the 1920s, Féraudy enjoyed the pleasure of playing memorable roles despite his high age. After supporting roles in two films with René Hervil: L’ami Fritz/In Old Alsace (1921) and Blanchette (1921), both with Léon Mathot in the lead, Féraudy had the male lead himself together with young Jean Forest in Crainquebille/Coster Bill of Paris (Jacques Feyder, 1922). In this adaptation of a novel by Anatole France, Féraudy played an ageing street vendor who has worked all his life at Les Halles in Paris. Innocently he lands in jail and loses his customers once released, thus becoming an alcoholic. A young street boy (Forest) prevents him from suicide, though, convincing him to start all over again. Next Féraudy played the title role in the Balzac adaptation Cousin Pons (Jacques Robert, 1923), about a musician and poor art collector who is befriended by a sympathetic German (André Nox). The human vultures around him, such as his wealthy parvenu lawyer cousins and his landlady, realize that he possesses a valuable art collection, and try to crush poor Pons.

Maurice de Féraudy next played in Le secret de Polichinelle/The Secret of Polichinelle (René Hervil, 1923) about a young man who wants to marry a working-class girl (Andrée Brabant) against the wishes of his parents, Le Coeur des gueux/Heart beggars (Alfred Machin, Henri Wulschleger, 1925) with Ginette Maddie, the Danish film Klovne/The Clown (Anders Sandberg, 1926) with Gösta Ekman and Karina Bell, Lady Harrington (Fred Leroy-Granville, H.C. Grantham-Hayes, 1926) with Claude France and Warwick Ward, Fleur d’amour/Love Flower (Marcel Vandal, 1927) in which Féraudy had the male lead opposite Rose Mai, and the German film Die Hölle von Montmartre/The Hell of Montmartre (Willy Reiber, Franz Seitz, 1928) with Eric Barclay and Suzy Vernon. A last memorable part was Féraudy’s role in the tragicomedy Les Deux timides/Two Timid Souls by (René Clair, 1928) in which Pierre Batcheff plays Frémissin, a timid young lawyer who loves Cécile (Vera Flory) whose father (Féraudy) suffers from the same timidity. When because of his weak defence a brutal husband is sentenced, the latter (Jim Gérald) uses all means to wreck the young lawyer’s own future marriage with Cécile, as he wants her for himself. Helped by his future father-in-law, Frémissin triumphs and clears his father-in-law and himself from all slander. After one last part in the early French sound film Ça aussi! … c’est Paris/That too! This is Paris (Antoine Mourre, 1930), Féraudy retired. He still acted on stage and was even highly successful in 'Cette vieille canaille' in 1931-1932. Maurice de Féraudy died in Paris in 1932 and was buried at the cemetery of Montparnasse.

Sources: Ciné Ressources (French), dvdtoile (French), Le Petit Parisien (French), Wikipedia (French and English) and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

HONEST political sign by Ed Dempsey

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Sign spotted 10/19/20, in a field along US-40, in SW Pennsylvania, an area hotly contested in the upcoming election, and plastered with all manner of political signs.

Here we have a private citizen, without "spin doctors", focus groups, political action committees, or the slightest hint of foreign collusion, expressing his views on the current political situation.

His message is clear, without guile or deception, and without regard to anyone being "offended", just as the Founding Fathers intended.

It might be wise, in these times of deep and bitter national divisions, partisan fanaticism, vicious slanders, and group hypersensitivities, to remember that this kind of frank, open, and fearless self expression is the very heart of our democracy.

Yeah, and it is also humor that we can all use, right now.

Innsbruck, Tyrol, state of Austria (very historic places and the art of dealing with its past of Tirol), Eduard-Wallnöfer-Platz by Alfred Lex

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Eduard-Wallnöfer square, Cadastral Community Innsbruck (city center)

The square in front of the New Landhaus (Regional Parliament) was from Landhausplatz renamed. Here are in addition to the New Landhaust built in 1938 the headquarters of the TIWAG (TIWAG is an Austrian electric utilities company based in Innsbruck, Austria) and several monuments: the liberation monument created during the French occupation, a stylized seven-branched candelabrum as a memorial for the murdered Jews in the Kristallnacht, built in 1996 by students, and the Unification Fountain, remembering the incorporation of the former villages around Innsbruck (as a replacement for the blown up in the 1940s fountain in front of the main station).

Eduard Wallnöfer (1913-1989) 1963-1987 Governor of Tyrol.

Intro Tanja Gschnell, Michael Kasper, Barbara Oberrauch, Magdalena Plainer

The Jewish pogrom took place in Innsbruck with extreme brutality. On the pogrom night of November 9 to 10, 1938, four people died in Innsbruck by assault troops made up of illegal NSDAP party members and SS members. The target of the perpetrators were important male personalities of the Jewish community of Innsbruck. The perpetrators were brought to court after the Second World War, most had to serve relatively small prison sentences, some escaped from the prison by fleeing abroad.

The memorial on Landhaus square, initiated by Tyrolean youths, commemorates the victims of the Pogrom Night in Innsbruck.

The background Barbara Oberrauch

Anti-Judaism had a long tradition in the deeply Catholic Tyrol and persecutions of the Jews have been known since the 14th century. In the course of the provincial election campaign in 1889, anti-Semitism proved to be the result of the publication of the first anti-Semitic leaflet in which Innsbruck Jews were mentioned by name, reviled and slandered. This leaflet already practiced racial anti-Semitism.

The anti-Semitic mood in the Tyrolean population after the First World War can be exemplified in the founding of the Tyrol Antisemitenbundes (Anti-Semitic-Coalition), founded in 1919 by representatives of the country's Christian-Social and Greater German elite. Its program contained demands that anticipated much of the later Nazi measures except physical extermination. The Tyrolean Jews should be deprived of trade and commercial concessions, Christians should not be allowed to shop in Jewish shops, their influence in the press, politics and education and school system should be suppressed.

After the annexation of Austria in March 1938, the Tyrolean Jews were systematically disenfranchised, ousted from public life and deprived of their economic existence. They lost their civic rights and were removed from the public service, schools, universities and associations, their businesses were first boycotted, then expropriated (aryanized). The seizure of property and land tenure and the termination of the leases should force them to leave or move to Vienna, the first stop on their way to the extermination camps.

On November 7, 1938, a 17-year-old Jew, Herschl Grynspan, assassinated the German ambassador Ernst vom Rath in Paris. The young man wanted to point with this act on the fate of his parents and another 17,000 Polish-born Jews who had been expelled from Germany.

On November 9, 1938, by the NSDAP of the (failed) Hitler coup of 1923 was commemorated in Munich in the Old Town Hall. The highlight of the celebration was always the camaraderie evening, where the old fighters gathered around the leader (Führer). At about 9 pm Hitler was informed that Ernst vom Rath had succumbed to his injuries. After a lengthy interview with Joseph Goebbels, Hitler left the meeting, while Goebbels announced the death of the German diplomat around 10 pm and delivered a hateful, anti-Semitic speech that culminated in the appeal for revenge and retribution. The assassination of the German Ambassador in Paris was a welcome excuse for the long-planned procedure. The Nazis, Gauleiter, and SA leaders present were instructed by Goebbels with the approval of Hitler to launch actions against the Jewish population to be organized by the party. Outwardly, the riots should appear as spontaneous popular agitation. Throughout Germany, orders were given by those present in Munich to destroy all Jewish businesses, to safeguard valuables and set fire to synagogues. Intervention by the police was prohibited.

As a result, the RSHA, in particular the Security Service of the SS and the assistance of various party organizations (SS, SA, NSKK) organized the pogroms against Jews.

The pogrom, euphemistically referred to by the Nazis as Reichskristallnacht, pursued above all the purpose of intimidating and increasing the emigration pressure on the remaining Jewish population and represents the precursor to the later onset of mass destruction.

Eduard-Wallnöfer-Platz, KG Innsbruck (Innenstadt)

Der Platz vor dem Neuen Landhaus wurde von Landhausplatz umbenannt. Hier befinden sich neben dem 1938 gebauten Neuen Landhaus die Zentrale der TIWAG sowie mehrere Denkmäler: das in französischer Besatzungszeit entstandene Befreiungsdenkmal, ein stilisierter siebenarmiger Leuchter als Mahnmal für die ermordeten Juden in der Reichspogromnacht, 1996 von Schülern errichtet, und der Vereinigungsbrunnen, der an die Eingemeindung der ehemaligen Dörfer um Innsbruck erinnert (als Ersatz für den in den 1940er-Jahren gesprengten Brunnen vor dem Hauptbahnhof).

Eduard Wallnöfer (1913–1989) war 1963–1987 Landeshauptmann von Tirol.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Stra%C3%9Fen_in_Innsbruck

Intro Tanja Gschnell, Michael Kasper, Barbara Oberrauch, Magdalena Plainer

Das Judenpogrom verlief in Innsbruck mit äuerster Brutalität. In der Pogromnacht vom 9. zum 10. November 1938 starben in Innsbruck vier Menschen durch Stoßtrupps, die sich aus illegalen NSDAP-Parteimitgliedern und SS-Angehörigen zusammensetzten. Das Ziel der Täter waren bedeutende männliche Persönlichkeiten der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Innsbrucks. Die Täter wurden nach dem 2. Weltkrieg vor Gericht gestellt, die meisten mussten relativ geringe Haftstrafen absitzen, einige entzogen sich dem Gefängnis durch Flucht ins Ausland.

Das von Tiroler Jugendlichen initiierte Denkmal am Landhausplatz erinnert an die Opfer der Pogromnacht in Innsbruck.

Die Vorgeschichte Barbara Oberrauch

Im tief katholischen Tirol hatte der Antijudaismus lange Tradition und Judenverfolgungen sind schon seit dem 14. Jahrhundert bekannt. Im Zuge des Landtagswahlkampfes 1889 zeigte sich die Judenfeindlichkeit durch die Herausgabe des ersten antisemitische Flugblatts, auf dem Innsbrucker Juden und Jüdinnen namentlich genannt, geschmäht und verleumdet wurden. Dieses Flugblatt praktizierte bereits einen rassischen Antisemitismus.

Die judenfeindliche Grundstimmung in der Tiroler Bevölkerung nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg lässt sich beispielhaft an der Gründung des Tiroler Antisemitenbundes nachvollziehen, der von Vertretern der christlich-sozialen und großdeutschen Elite des Landes 1919 gegründet wurde. In seinem Programm fanden sich Forderungen, die einen Großteil der später von den Nazis angeordneten Maßnahmen außer der physischen Vernichtung bereits vorwegnahmen. Den Tiroler Juden und Jüdinnen sollten die Gewerbe- und Handelskonzessionen entzogen werden, ChristInnen nicht in jüdischen Geschäften einkaufen, ihr Einfluss in Presse, Politik und im Schul- und Bildungswesen zurückgedrängt werden.

Nach dem Anschluss Österreichs im März 1938 wurden die Tiroler Juden und Jüdinnen systematisch entrechtet, aus dem öffentlichen Leben verdrängt und ihnen die wirtschaftliche Existenz entzogen. Sie verloren ihre staatsbürgerlichen Rechte und wurden aus dem öffentlichen Dienst, den Schulen, Universitäten und Vereinen entfernt, ihre Geschäfte wurden erst boykottiert, dann enteignet (arisiert). Die Beschlagnahme von Haus- und Grundbesitz und die Aufkündigung der Mietverträge sollte sie zur Ausreise oder zur Übersiedlung nach Wien zwingen, der ersten Station auf dem Weg in die Vernichtungslager.

Am 7. November 1938 verübte ein 17jähriger Jude, Herschl Grynspan, in Paris ein Attentat auf den deutschen Gesandtschaftsrat Ernst vom Rath. Der junge Mann wollte mit dieser Tat auf das Schicksal seiner Eltern und weiterer 17.000 polnischstämmigen Juden und Jüdinnen hinweisen, die aus Deutschland ausgewiesen worden waren.

Am 9. November 1938 wurde in München im Alten Rathaussaal von der NSDAP des (gescheiterten) Hitler-Putsches von 1923 gedacht. Höhepunkt der Feier war stets der Kameradschaftsabend, an dem sich die Alten Kämpfer um den Führer sammelten. Gegen 21 Uhr wurde Hitler verständigt, dass Ernst vom Rath seinen Verletzungen erlegen war. Nach einer längeren Unterredung mit Joseph Goebbels verließ Hitler die Versammlung, während Goebbels gegen 22 Uhr den Tod des deutschen Diplomaten verkündete und eine gehässige, antisemitische Rede hielt, die in dem Appell zur Rache und Vergeltung gipfelte. Die Ermordung des deutschen Gesandtschaftsrates in Paris war willkommener Vorwand für die längst geplante Vorgangsweise. Die anwesenden NS-Größen, Gauleiter und SA-Führer erhielten von Goebbels mit Billigung Hitlers die Anweisung, Aktionen gegen die jüdische Bevölkerung zu starten, die von der Partei zu organisieren waren. Nach außen hin sollten die Ausschreitungen als spontane Volkserregung erscheinen. In ganz Deutschland wurden von den in München Anwesenden Befehle erteilt, sämtliche jüdische Geschäfte zu zerstören, die Wertgegenstände sicherzustellen und Synagogen in Brand zu stecken. Ein Eingreifen der Polizei wurde untersagt.

In der Folge wurden vom Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA), speziell vom Sicherheitsdienst der SS und Mithilfe verschiedenster Parteigliederungen (SS, SA, NSKK) die Pogrome gegen Juden und Jüdinnen organisiert.

Der Pogrom, von den Nazis beschönigend als Reichskristallnacht bezeichnet, verfolgte vor allem den Zweck der Einschüchterung und Erhöhung des Auswanderungsdrucks auf die noch verbliebene jüdische Bevölkerung und stellt die Vorstufe zur später einsetzenden Massenvernichtung dar.

www.univie.ac.at/hypertextcreator/zeitgeschichte/site/bro...

Surf student at Mimizan, France by David BARRIE

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Photoshop was used here in order to give her a more ... slander look as she walked to the water.

The result is pleasing me :)

Harry Baur in Les Misérables (1934) by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

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French postcard by A. Breger, Frères, Paris. Photo: Pathé Natan. In the centre: Harry Baur as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (Raymond Bernard, 1934), based on the novel by Victor Hugo.

Harry Baur (1880-1943) was a famous French film and stage actor. Directed by directors as wide-ranging as Julien Duvivier, Raymond Bernard, Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Pierre Chenal, Robert Siodmak and Maurice Tourneur, he switched just as easily from père Lepic of Poil de carotte, to commissaire Maigret, Jean Valjean from Les Misérables, judge Porphyre from Crime et chatiment, Hérode, Tarass Boulba, Beethoven, captain Mollenard, czar Paul I, Rasputin, and Volpone.

Henri-Marie Rodolphe Baur, better known as Harry Baur, was born on 12 April 1880 in Paris. His parents were catholic people from the Alsace, his father from Mulhouse, his mother from Bitche en Moselle. They were ruined after theft and had to move to ever more modest dwellings. Baur’s father died when Harry was 10, so his mother and his sister Blanche raised him. He first did college at Saint-Nazaire. To escape the religious education his family wanted him to take, he fled to Marseille and joined the rugby team of the XVth Olympic Games in Marseille. Here he started studies at the École d'Hydrographie and enrolled in various odd jobs such as peddler, carter, braider of funeral wreaths, etc. Slowly he managed to start a career as a stage actor. As he was refused at the Conservatoire in Paris, he took private lessons. He first enlisted at the Comédie Mondaine in Le Filleul du 31, then received first awards for tragedy in Le Cid and for comedy with L'Avare at the Conservatoire in Marseille, while he did military service in Le Mans. He became secretary of the famous actor-director Mounet-Sully. From 1904 on, he played in numerous Parisian theatres: Comédie Mondaine, Grand Guignol, Palais-Royal, Mathurins; later he also played with Gémier and Antoine. Because of a beginning facial paralysis, he didn’t have to do service when war broke out in 1914, so he continued to play at the Gaîté-Lyrique, the Ambigu, the Porte Saint-Martin, the Gymnase, the Édouard VII, the Variétés, etc. Baur also collaborated as a film reviewer for Crapouillot, under the pseudonym of Orido de Fhair. By the early 1910s, Baur had become not only a man of substance in the diversity of his career but also physically. Between 1909 and 1914, Harry Baur performed in almost 30 silent films. He started at Eclair with Beethoven (1908) by Victorin Jasset, but worked at Pathé as well from 1909, a.o. in the Vidoq films (1909-1911), and film d’art films such as L’Assommoir (Albert Capellani 1909) after Zola. At Eclair he worked a.o. with director Maurice Tourneur in Monsieur Lecoq (1914). With Mistinguett Baur played in Fleur de Paris (André Hugon 1916) and Chignon d’or (Hugon 1916), with Albert Dieudonné in Sous la griffe (Diedonné 1921), and in La voyante (Leon Abrams, Louis Mercaton 1923) he played opposite Sarah Bernhardt. Between 1924 and the arrival of French sound film Baur was away from the screen and focused on the stage. In 1910 Baur married actress Rose Cremer, known as Rose Grane, and they had three children. In 1931 Rose Grande died during a trip in Algeria. Baur then married Rika Radifé, a stage actress as well, and of Turkish origin (her real name was Rebecca Behar).

In late 1931 Baur started a triumph with his interpretation of César in Marcel Pagnol’s play Fanny, the sequel to his Marius. Baur had substituted the great actor Raimu in this role and would become a fierce competitor to Raimu all through the 1930s, both on stage and on the silver screen. Earlier that year 1931 one of Baur’s first sound films had been released: David Golder, directed by Julien Duvivier, who supposedly had brought Baur back to the screen – Duvivier was Baur’s most important director in the 1930s. The timing of David Golder is not entirely clear, as in 1931 Baur also went to London to act in an early French talkie shot there at British International Pictures: Le cap perdu by E.A. Dupont, a multilingual. While Le cap perdu remains forgotten, David Golder, about a Jewish banker betrayed, was a huge success in France at the time. And this even when it was almost shot like a silent film, at the Basque Coast. It was a clever streak for Duvivier to relaunch Baur with this topic as Harry Baur had already been successful in a stage version of it at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris. In March 1931, the moment David Golder was released in France, Baur started production for Jean Kemm’s Le juif polonais (1931), about a man who is haunted by his murder; the film was all created for Baur to excel but it wasn’t as lucrative as David Golder. After this followed Criminel (1932) by Jack Forrester, in which Baur was a prison warden, while a debuting Jean Servais played an innocently condemned young man who is involved in a crime within the prison.

After this, Baur played in three films by Julien Duvivier. The first was Les cinq gentlemen maudits (1932) with René Lefèvre and Robert Le Vigan. Parallel Duvivier shot a German version with Adolf Wohlbruck, Camilla Horn, and Jack Trevor. Exteriors were shot at Fez, Marrakech and Moulay-Idriss. The press praised Duvivier’s taste for atmosphere, the picturesque and exoticism. Next was the adaptation of Jules Renard’s novel Poil de Carotte, with Harry Baur as the unforgettable Monsieur Lepic next to the young Robert Lynen (they shared the same destiny, as Lynen was a member of the Resistance in the war, was imprisoned in 1943 and executed by the Germans in 1944). For his sound version of Poil de Carotte Duvivier borrowed from other works of Renard as well, such as La Bigote. In 1926 Duvivier had already made a silent version with André Heuzé as Poil de Carotte and Henry Krauss as M. Lepic. Harry Baur had a very precise idea of how to play Lepic and was a perfectionist in his creation. Poil de Carotte had a prosperous release in Paris in November 1932, with praise for Harry Baur. Not wanting to let go of his star Duvivier had Baur play commissaire Maigret in La tête d’un homme (1932). While Simenon thought Baur was too old for the part, too tragic, the film is considered one of the best adaptations.

In 1932 Baur played Monsieur de Tréville, captain of the King’s guards in the very flourishing sound version of Les trois mousquetaires (1932) shot by the same Henri Diamant-Berger, who had done a silent version a decade before; then a serial in 12 episodes, now a two-part sound version, entitled Les ferrets de la reine and Milady. Baur was coupled with Pierre Blanchar in Cette vieille canaille (Anatole Litvak 1933) and again in Crime et chatiment (1935) by Pierre Chenal. While Baur did not convince as a clochard who is a distant relative of the Rotchild family in Rotchild (Marco de Gastyne 1933), he came back full fling as Jean Valjean in Raymond Bernard’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel Les Misérables, shot in 1933. For six months shooting took place in Paris and the South of France. Costars were Charles Vanel as Javert and Josseline Gael as Cosette. Because of its length, the film was released in two parts. It became Baur’s best-performed film performance and some say the best film interpretation of Hugo’s famous character. Because of the European success, Baur received Hollywood offers but declined; he didn’t want to leave Paris.

After two lesser films, Un homme en or by Jean Dréville, and Le greluchon delicat by Jean Choux, Baur was more going places with Les nuits moscovites (Alexis Granowski 1934), based on a novel by Pierre Benoit, and marking the debut of Neapolitan singer-actor Tino Rossi. Harry Baur played a course, rich Russian wheat trader, opposite Annabella and Pierre-Richard Wilm. The success of the film caused producers to offer Baur one ‘Russian’ film after another. At the time films shot by and with fled White Russians were popular in France. After that it is time to play Herod in Duvivier’s Golgotha (1935), co-starring Jean Gabin as Pontius Pilate, Robert le Vigan as Jesus and Edwige Feuillère as Claudia Procula. General Production offered Baur in 1935 the part of judge Porphyre in Pierre Chenal’s Crime et chatiment, based on Dostoievski’s novel. The confrontation between Baur and Pierre Blanchar was the climax in this thriving film, which launched the career of Chenal in the 1930s. Blanchar obtained an award in Venice for his part, while the sets were highly stylized, inspired by German Expressionism. This might have inspired Duvivier to do a remake of the Expressionist classic Der Golem by Paul Wegener: Le Golem (1935), with Baur playing Emperor Rudolph and with shooting at studios in Prague, where the story takes place. Baur then went to London for an English version of Nuits moscovites, Moscow Nights (1935), shot by Anthony Asquith. In 1935 Maurice Tourneur, with whom Baur had worked together in the 1910s, shot Samson (released in France in 1936), a modern drama based on a play by Henry Bernstein that already had been adapted for silent cinema before and involved adultery and the power of money. Gaby Morlay and Baur were the central couple whose silences were as telling as their words. Costars were André Luguet, Gabrielle Dorziat, André Lefaur, and Suzy Prim. Then it was imperial Russia time again with Les yeux noirs (Viktor Tourjansky 1936) with Baur and Simone Simon, before moving over to the Hungarian steppes for Alexis Granowsky’s direction of Tarass Boulba (1936), based on Gogol’s novel and adapted by French author Pierre Benoît. It was both critically and commercially Baur’s biggest success since Les Misérables. The wild and intense portrait of Boulba by Baur impressed audiences; the role matched him perfectly.

For Les hommes nouveaux (1936), director Marcel L’Herbier shot a first documentary part on the pacification of Morocco with actor Gabriel Signoret made up as marshal Lyautey, whom all though had a striking resemblance. Baur had a supporting part as Maurice de Tolly, inspector general. While the film was a clear colonial product, L’Herbier most important drive was to ignite the fire of national patriotism in the light of the growing German military force. While a young Jean Marais had one of his first roles here, main co-stars were Nathalie Paley and Signoret. While the film Paris (Jean Choux 1936) disappointed audiences as a too old-fashioned melodrama about a taxi driver who despairs when a young well-to-do abandons his child. Instead, Abel Gance gave Baur a great part in the title role of Un grand amour de Beethoven (1936), a character Baur had played in his first film. In 1936 Jacques de Baroncelli did a remake of his own Nitchevo (1926), a silent film about a submarine, then with Vanel as the commander, now with Baur. After a break in Italy, Duvivier asked Baur to play a man turned Dominican monk in his well-known bitter film Un carnet de bal (1937). In the film, a young widow (Marie Bell) revisits the dancers from her old booklet, but they are all disappointments. The film was a worldwide success and was awarded the Coppa Mussolini for thew best foreign film in Venice. Next Baur took the boat to Algeria for the shooting of Sarati le Terrible by André Hugon, in which Baur played a sordid brute, who rules the underworld of the docks in Algiers. He remained within the exotic with his part of an Arabian sheik in West-Africa in Les secrets de la Mer Rouge (Richard Pottier 1937). In 1937 two more films followed, which were both released the year after: first another old Russian story, Nostalgie (1938) by again Tourjansky, and Mollenard (1938) by Robert Siodmak, a Shanghai set film but shot at Dunkerque, with the help of set designer Alexandre Trauner. Mollenard was one of the finest films of the era and meant a memorable part for Baur. Young Robert Lynen again played his son. Siodmak faced many problems during the making of this film: he lost good money over the competition with Duvivier on the adaptation rights, he had trouble finding producers, and at the start of shooting Baur had a heart attack, though without consequences. A third film that started in 1937 but released in 1938 was L’Herbier’s production La tragédie impériale (1938), on the life of Rasputin and his power during the reign of the last czar Nicolas II. Baur had made a considerable study of his character; he also wore false high heels in his shoes and lost considerable weight to look more like his character.

While during the mid-1930s Baur had been extremely active, in 1938 he did less, perhaps warned by his attack. That year he completed his cycle of ‘Russian’ films with Maurice Tourneur’s remake of The Patriot (1938), about the last days of the mad czar Paul I. In 1928 Ernst Lubitsch had done a silent version with Emil Jannings in the lead, it won an Academy Award for the best scenario. In March-April 1939 the exteriors were shot for Jacques de Baroncelli’s film L’homme du Niger were shot in Sudan, under great difficulty. The film was selected for the first Cannes Film Festival of 1939, but because of the war that never took place. Baur left Sudan to go to Casablanca where Jean Dréville waited for him to perform in Le président Haudecoeur (1940). After that interiors were shot at the studios of Marcel Pagnol. The film came out on French screens on 11 April 1940. When France entered the world war most film shootings stopped temporarily. Many actors were mobilised but not all, and so work could be done on the film Volpone (1940), directed by Tourneur, based on Ben Jonson’s classic text and released in Paris on 10 May 1941. The German army occupied Paris in June 1940. Film activities were slowed down but theatres reopened, so Baur went to the Théâtre du Gymnase for a reprisal of Jazz, directed by Pagnol. During a large orchestrated campaign late 1940-early 1941, Harry Baur was heavily criticized by the right-wing anti-semitic press, accusing him of being a Jew and a freemason. As much as he could Baur explained his Christian roots. The first film produced by Continental Films, the German film company active in France during the war, was L’assassinat du père Noël (Christian Jaque 1941). Hidden intentions were discovered in the dialogues written by Charles Spaak. Harry Baur had a grand part in the film as père Cornusse, maker of maps of the world. His co-stars were Raymond Rouleau and Renée Faure. In 1941 Tourneur asked Baur the last time for his film Pechés de jeunesse. Then things go wrong when Baur goes to Germany to play the male lead in a German production, Symphonie eines Leben (Heinz Bertram 1942), costarring Henny Porten and Gisela Uhlen. The shootings took place from February to May 1942. In the meantime, the French slander of Baur being a Jew reaches Goebbels as well and in May 1942 Baur and his second wife are arrested. Baur is questioned, tortured and imprisoned. In September 1942 he is released, weighing just 40 kilos instead of around 100. He never recovers from his tortures and dies on 8 April 1943 in Paris. NB French Wikipedia states he was only released just before his death, to die at his home. This is also what Hal Erickson writes; Erickson also writes the couple was arrested during the shooting in Berlin; first Rika as she was Jewish, then Harry trying to defend her. Cinememorial instead claims they were arrested in Paris by the Gestapo. Baur’s funeral took place at the church of St. Philippe du Roule and attracted the Tout-Paris of screen and stage. He was buried at the cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre, where his tomb still attracts visitors. Baur’s wife Rika survived the German maltreatment. In 1953 she took over the Theatre des Maturins in Paris and ran it for decades.

PS Strangely enough, English Wikipedia apparently still pursues the nazi rumour that Baur was Jewish, while all other sources deny this. English Wikipedia also claims he was tortured to death, which is not exactly true as well. French and German Wikipedia mix up dates: they state that Symphonie eines Lebens, once finished in September 1942, did not stop Baur to play, while a little lower they also state that in May 1942 Baur was arrested and was released September 1942 as a total wreck. Filmportal indicates the dates for the shooting of Symphonie eines Lebens, while German Wikipedia also writes that director Bertram was expelled from the Reichskulturkammer that year. Finally German IMDB states the film had its German premiere on 21 April 1943, just a few days after Baur died, so he never saw the film finished.

Sources: French, German and English Wikipedia, IMDB, www.filmportal.de, cinememorial.com/acteur_HARRY_BAUR_738.html, CineTom (www.cinetom.fr/archives/2009/10/21/15518685.html): ‘Harry Baur’. CineTom has the most extensive biography, based on Hervé le Boterf’s published biography Harry Baur.

For more postcards, a bio and clips check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

STREIK! by Krystian Schneidewind

19 14

General Strike in Berlin, the City Trains go irregular, sometimes there are no Trains for Hours... It´s really interesting to see the Different Reaktions of the Passengers, the Workers, the Nonworkers, the Kids and the senior People...

How little we kare for the Reasons of the Strikes - behind the "Moral-Mercy-Mask"! ...

The Train Supervisors bring us save and fast from one End of the City to the other, never mind what the Klock says, at Day and by Night...

We forget so easy the konstruktive Side of all Developments, so we always find Something to blame... I don´t kare for the Words of Libel and Slander, I know that all is necessary! (And I have Time to wait for another Train ;O)

These aktual Strikewave seems to grow: the Supermarket Workers also start to strike - just klosed the Shops for several Days!

I kan´t tell you how happy I am to see these Developments: it´s healthy for our tired modern Souls to advokate for the Things we kare, the human Needs and to rekognize: "We still kan move Something!"...

So kurious about what komes next ;O)

'The plain fact is,' said Lady Faber, 'we are entertaining thieves’! by Chatwick Harpax

10 3

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

Author: Max Pemberton

Published: 1894

Language: English

Wordcount: 6,618 / 18 pg

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 82.9

LoC Category: PR

Genres: Mystery/Detective, Short Story

The Ripening Rubies

by

Max Pemberton

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'The plain fact is,' said Lady Faber, 'we are entertaining thieves. It positively makes me shudder to look at my own guests, and to think that some of them are criminals.'

We stood together in the conservatory of her house in Portman Square, looking down upon a brilliant ballroom, upon a glow of colour, and the radiance of unnumbered gems. She had taken me aside after the fourth waltz to tell me that she had been shorn of her famous pendent of rubies along with the diamond chain that had held it draped around her throat; and she showed me beyond possibility of dispute that the loss was no accident, but another of those amazing thefts which startled London so frequently during the season of 1893. Nor was hers the only case. Though I had been in her house but an hour, complaints from other sources had reached me. The Countess of Dunholm had lost a crescent brooch of brilliants; Mrs Kenningham-Hardy had missed a spray of pearls and turquoise; Lady Hallingham made mention of an emerald locket which was gone, as she thought, from her necklace; though, as she confessed with a truly feminine doubt, she was not positive that her maid had given it to her. And these misfortunes, being capped by the abstraction of Lady Faber's pendant, compelled me to believe that of all the startling stories of thefts which the season had known the story of this dance would be the most remarkable.

These things and many more came to my mind as I held the mutilated belt in my hand and examined the fracture, while my hostess stood, with an angry flush upon her face, waiting for my verdict. A moment's inspection of the bauble revealed to me at once its exceeding value, and the means whereby a pendant of it had been snatched.

'If you will look closely,' said I, 'you will see that the gold chain here has been cut with a pair of scissors. As we don't know the name of the person who used them, we may describe them as pickpocket's scissors.'

'Which means that I am entertaining a pickpocket,' said she, flushing again at the thought.

'Or a person in possession of a pickpocket's implements,' I suggested.

'How dreadful,' she cried, 'not for myself, though the rubies are very valuable, but for the others. This is the third dance during the week at which people's jewels have been stolen. When will it end?'

'The end of it will come,' said I, 'directly that you, and others with your power to lead, call in the police. It is very evident by this time that some person is socially engaged in a campaign of wholesale robbery. While a silly delicacy forbids us to permit our guests to be suspected or in any way watched, the person we mention may consider himself in a terrestrial paradise, which is very near the seventh heaven of delight. He will continue to rob with impunity, and to offer up his thanks for that generosity of conduct which refuses us a glimpse of his hat, or even an inspection of the boots in which he may place his plunder.'

'You speak very lightly of it,' she interrupted, as I still held her belt in my hands. 'Do you know that my husband values the rubies in each of those pendants at eight hundred pounds?'

'I can quite believe it,' said I; 'some of them are white as these are, I presume; but I want you to describe it for me, and as accurately as your memory will let you.'

'How will that help to its recovery?' she asked, looking at me questioningly.

'Possibly not at all,' I replied; 'but it might be offered for sale at my place, and I should be glad if I had the means of restoring it to you. Stranger things have happened.'

'I believe,' said she sharply, 'you would like to find out the thief yourself.'

'I should not have the smallest objection,' I exclaimed frankly; 'if these robberies continue, no woman in London will wear real stones; and I shall be the loser.'

'I have thought of that,' said she; 'but, you know, you are not to make the slightest attempt to expose any guest in my house; what you do outside is no concern of mine.'

'Exactly,' said I, 'and for the matter of that I am likely to do very little in either case; we are working against clever heads; and if my judgment be correct, there is a whole gang to cope with. But tell me about the rubies.'

'Well,' said she, 'the stolen pendant is in the shape of a rose. The belt, as you know, was brought by Lord Faber from Burmah. Besides the ring of rubies, which each drop has, the missing star includes four yellow stones, which the natives declare are ripening rubies. It is only a superstition, of course; but the gems are full of fire, and as brilliant as diamonds.'

'I know the stones well,' said I; 'the Burmese will sell you rubies of all colours if you will buy them, though the blue variety is nothing more than the sapphire. And how long is it since you missed the pendant?'

'Not ten minutes ago,' she answered.

'Which means that your next partner might be the thief?' I suggested. 'Really, a dance is becoming a capital entertainment.'

'My next partner is my husband,' said she, laughing for the first time, 'and whatever you do, don't say a word to him. He would never forgive me for losing the rubies.'

When she was gone, I, who had come to her dance solely in the hope that a word or a face there would cast light upon the amazing mystery of the season's thefts, went down again where the press was, and stood while the dancers were pursuing the dreary paths of a 'square'. There before me were the hundred types one sees in a London ball-room—types of character and of want of character, of age aping youth, and of youth aping age, of well-dressed women and ill-dressed women, of dandies and of the bored, of fresh girlhood and worn maturity. Mixed in the dazzling melée, or swaying to the rhythm of a music-hall melody, you saw the lean form of boys; the robust forms of men; the pretty figures of the girls just out; the figures, not so pretty, of the matrons, who, for the sake of the picturesque, should long ago have been in. As the picture changed quickly, and fair faces succeeded to dark faces, and the coquetting eyes of pretty women passed by with a glance to give place to the uninteresting eyes of the dancing men, I asked myself what hope would the astutest spy have of getting a clue to the mysteries in such a room; how could he look for a moment to name one man or one woman who had part or lot in the astounding robberies which were the wonder of the town? Yet I knew that if nothing were done, the sale of jewels in London would come to the lowest ebb the trade had known, and that I, personally, should suffer loss to an extent which I did not care to think about.

I have said often, in jotting down from my book a few of the most interesting cases which have come to my notice, that I am no detective, nor do I pretend to the smallest gift of foresight above my fellow men. Whenever I have busied myself about some trouble it has been from a personal motive which drove me on, or in the hope of serving someone who henceforth should serve me. And never have I brought to my aid other weapon than a certain measure of common sense. In many instances the purest good chance has given to me my only clue; the merest accident has set me straight when a hundred roads lay before me. I had come to Lady Faber's house hoping that the sight of some stranger, a chance word, or even an impulse might cast light upon the darkness in which we had walked for many weeks. Yet the longer I stayed in the ball-room the more futile did the whole thing seem. Though I knew that a nimble-fingered gentleman might be at my very elbow, that half-a-dozen others might be dancing cheerfully about me in that way of life to which their rascality had called them, I had not so much as a hand-breadth of suspicion; saw no face that was not the face of the dancing ass, or the smart man about town; did not observe a single creature who led me to hazard a question. And so profound at last was my disgust that I elbowed my way from the ball-room in despair; and went again to the conservatory where the palms waved seductively, and the flying corks of the champagne bottles made music harmonious to hear.

There were few people in this room at the moment—old General Sharard, who was never yet known to leave a refreshment table until the supper table was set; the Rev. Arthur Mellbank, the curate of St Peter's, sipping tea; a lean youth who ate an ice with the relish of a schoolboy; and the ubiquitous Sibyl Kavanagh, who has been vulgarly described as a garrison hack. She was a woman of many partialities, whom every one saw at every dance, and then asked how she got there—a woman with sufficient personal attraction left to remind you that she was passée, and sufficient wit to make an interval tolerable. I, as a rule, had danced once with her, and then avoided both her programme and her chatter; but now that I came suddenly upon her, she cried out with a delicious pretence of artlessness, and ostentatiously made room for me at her side.

'Do get me another cup of tea,' she said; 'I've been talking for ten minutes to Colonel Harner, who has just come from the great thirst land, and I've caught it.'

'You'll ruin your nerves,' said I, as I fetched her the cup, 'and you'll miss the next dance.'

'I'll sit it out with you,' she cried gushingly; 'and as for nerves, I haven't got any; I must have shed them with my first teeth. But I want to talk to you—you've heard the news, of course! Isn't it dreadful?'

She said this with a beautiful look of sadness, and for a moment I did not know to what she referred. Then it dawned upon my mind that she had heard of Lady Faber's loss.

'Yes,' said I, 'it's the profoundest mystery I have ever known.'

'And can't you think of any explanation at all?' she asked, as she drank her tea at a draught. 'Isn't it possible to suspect some one just to pass the time?'

'If you can suggest any one,' said I, 'we will begin with pleasure.'

'Well, there's no one in this room to think of, is there?' she asked with her limpid laugh; 'of course you couldn't search the curate's pockets, unless sermons were missing instead of rubies?'

'This is a case of "sermons in stones",' I replied, 'and a very serious case. I wonder you have escaped with all those pretty brilliants on your sleeves.'

'But I haven't escaped,' she cried; 'why, you're not up to date. Don't you know that I lost a marquise brooch at the Hayes's dance the other evening? I have never heard the last of it from my husband, who will not believe for a minute that I did not lose it in the crowd.'

'And you yourself believe——'

'That it was stolen, of course. I pin my brooches too I! well to lose them—some one took it in the same cruel way that Lady Faber's rubies have been taken. Isn't it really awful to think that at every party we go to thieves go with us? It's enough to make one emigrate to the shires.'

She fell to the flippant mood again, for nothing could keep her from that; and as there was obviously nothing to be learnt from her, I listened to her chatter sufferingly.

'But we were going to suspect people,' she continued suddenly, 'and we have not done it. As we can't begin with the curate, let's take the slim young man opposite. Hasn't he what Sheridan calls—but there, I mustn't say it; you know—a something disinheriting countenance?'

'He eats too many jam tarts and drinks too much lemonade to be a criminal,' I replied; 'besides, he is not occupied, you'll have to look in the ball-room.'

'I can just see the top of the men's heads,' said she, craning her neck forward in the effort. 'Have you noticed that when a man is dancing, either he stargazes in ecstasy, as though he were in heaven, or looks down to his boots—well, as if it were the other thing?'

'Possibly,' said I; 'but you're not going to constitute yourself a vehmgericht from seeing the top of people's heads.'

'Indeed,' she cried, 'that shows how little you know; there is more character in the crown of an old man's head than is dreamt of in your philosophy, as what's-his-name says. Look at that shining roof bobbing up there, for instance; that is the halo of port and honesty—and a difficulty in dancing the polka. Oh! that mine enemy would dance the polka—especially if he were stout.'

'Do you really possess an enemy?' I asked, as she fell into a vulgar burst of laughter at her own humour; but she said:

'Do I possess one? Go and discuss me with the other women—that's what I tell all my partners to do; and they come back and report to me. It's as good as a play!'

'It must be,' said I, 'a complete extravaganza. But your enemy has finished his exercise, and they are going to play a waltz. Shall I take you down?'

'Yes,' she cried, 'and don't forget to discuss me. Oh, these crushes!'

She said this as we came to the press upon the corner of the stairs leading to the ball-room, a corner where she was pushed desperately against the banisters. The vigour of the polka had sent an army of dancers to the conservatory, and for some minutes we could neither descend nor go back; but when the press was somewhat relieved, and she made an effort to progress, her dress caught in a spike of the iron-work, and the top of a panel of silk which went down one side of it was ripped open and left hanging. For a minute she did not notice the mishap; but as the torn panel of silk fell away slightly from the more substantial portion of her dress, I observed, pinned to the inner side of it, a large crescent brooch of diamonds. In the same instant she turned with indescribable quickness, and made good the damage. But her face was scarlet in the flush of its colour; and she looked at me with questioning eyes.

'What a miserable accident,' she said. 'I have spoilt my gown.'

'Have you?' said I sympathetically, 'I hope it was not my clumsiness—but really there doesn't seem much damage done. Did you tear it in front?'

There was need of very great restraint in saying this. Though I stood simply palpitating with amazement, and had to make some show of examining her gown, I knew that even an ill-judged word might undo the whole good of the amazing discovery, and deprive me of that which appeared to be one of the most astounding stories of the year. To put an end to the interview, I asked her laughingly if she would not care to see one of the maids upstairs; and she jumped at the excuse, leaving me upon the landing to watch her hurriedly mounting to the bedroom storey above.

When she was gone, I went back to the conservatory and drank a cup of tea, always the best promotor of clear thought; and for some ten minutes I turned the thing over in my mind. Who was Mrs Sibyl Kavanagh, and why had she sewn a brooch of brilliants to the inside of a panel of her gown—sewn it in a place where it was as safely hid from sight as though buried in the Thames? A child could have given the answer—but a child would have overlooked many things which were vital to the development of the unavoidable conclusion of the discovery. The brooch that I had seen corresponded perfectly with the crescent of which Lady Dunholme was robbed—yet it was a brooch which a hundred women might have possessed; and if I had simply stepped down and told Lady Faber, 'the thief you are entertaining is Mrs Sibyl Kavanagh', a slander action with damages had trodden upon the heels of the folly. Yet I would have given a hundred pounds to have been allowed full inspection of the whole panel of the woman's dress—and I would have staked an equal sum that there had been found in it the pendant of the ripening rubies; a pendant which seemed to me the one certain clue that would end the series of jewel robberies, and the colossal mystery of the year. Now, however, the woman had gone upstairs to hide in another place whatever she had to hide; and for the time it was unlikely that a sudden searching of her dress would add to my knowledge.

A second cup of tea helped me still further on my path. It made quite clear to me the fact that the woman was the recipient of the stolen jewels, rather than the actual taker of them. She, clearly, could not use the scissors which had severed Lady Faber's pendant from the ruby belt. A skilful man had in all probability done that—but which man, or perhaps men? I had long felt that the season's robberies were the work of many hands. Chance had now marked for me one pair; but it was vastly more important to know the others. The punishment of the woman would scarce stop the widespread conspiracy; the arrest of her for the possession of a crescent brooch, hid suspiciously it is true, but a brooch of a pattern which abounded in every jeweller's shop from Kensington to Temple Bar, would have been consummate lunacy. Of course, I could have taken cab to Scotland Yard, and have told my tale; but with no other support, how far would that have availed me? If the history of the surpassingly strange case were to be written, I knew that I must write it, and lose no moment in the work.

I had now got a sufficient grip upon the whole situation to act decisively, and my first step was to re-enter the ball-room, and take a partner for the next waltz. We had made some turns before I discovered that Mrs Kavanagh was again in the room, dancing with her usual dash, and seemingly in no way moved by the mishap. As we passed in the press, she even smiled at me, saying, 'I've set full sail again'; and her whole bearing convinced me of her belief that I had seen nothing.

At the end of my dance my own partner, a pretty little girl in pink, left me with the remark, 'You're awfully stupid to-night! I ask you if you've seen Manon Lescaut, and the only thing you say is, "The panel buttons up, I thought so".' This convinced me that it was dangerous to dance again, and I waited in the room only until the supper was ready, and Mrs Kavanagh passed me, making for the dining-room, on the arm of General Sharard. I had loitered to see what jewels she wore upon her dress; and when I had made a note of them, I slipped from the front door of the house unobserved, and took a hansom to my place in Bond Street.

At the second ring of the bell my watchman opened the door to me; and while he stood staring with profound surprise, I walked straight to one of the jewel cases in which our cheaper jewels are kept, and took therefrom a spray of diamonds, and hooked it to the inside of my coat. Then I sent the man up stairs to awaken Abel, and in five minutes my servant was with me, though he wore only his trousers and his shirt.

'Abel,' said I, 'there's good news for you. I'm on the path of the gang we're wanting.'

'Good God, sir!' cried he, 'you don't mean that!'

'Yes,' said I, 'there's a woman named Sibyl Kavanagh in it to begin with, and she's helped herself to a couple of diamond sprays, and a pendant of rubies at Lady Faber's to-night. One of the sprays I know she's got; if I could trace the pendant to her, the case would begin to look complete.'

'Whew!' he ejaculated, brightening up at the prospect of business. 'I knew there was a woman in it all along—but this one, why, she's a regular flier, ain't she, sir?'

'We'll find out her history presently. I'm going straight back to Portman Square now. Follow me in a hansom, and when you get to the house, wait inside my brougham until I come. But before you do that, run round to Marlborough Street police-station and ask them if we can have ten or a dozen men ready to mark a house in Bayswater some time between this and six o'clock to-morrow morning.'

'You're going to follow her home then?'

'Exactly, and if my wits can find a way I'm going to be her guest for ten minutes after she quits Lady Faber's. They're sure to let you have the men either at Marlborough Street or at the Harrow Road station. This business has been a disgrace to them quite long enough.'

'That's so, sir; King told me yesterday that he'd bury his head in the sand if something didn't turn up soon. You haven't given me the exact address though.'

'Because I haven't got it. I only know that the woman lives somewhere near St Stephen's Church—she sits under, or on, one of the curates there. If you can get her address from her coachman, do so. But go and dress and be in Portman Square at the earliest possible moment.'

It was now very near one o'clock, indeed the hour struck as I passed the chapel in Orchard Street; and when I came into the square I found my own coachman waiting with the brougham at the corner by Baker Street. I told him, before I entered the house, to expect Abel; and not by any chance to draw up at Lady Faber's. Then I made my way quietly to the ball-room and observed Mrs Kavanagh—I will not say dancing, but hurling herself through the last figure of the lancers. It was evident that she did not intend to quit yet awhile; and I left her to get some supper, choosing a seat near to the door of the dining-room, so that any one passing must be seen by me. To my surprise, I had not been in the room ten minutes when she suddenly appeared in the hall, unattended, and her cloak wrapped round her; but she passed without perceiving me; and I, waiting until I heard the hall door close, went out instantly and got my wraps. Many of the guests had left already, but a few carriages and cabs were in the square, and a linkman seemed busy in the distribution of unlimited potations. It occurred to me that if Abel had not got the woman's address, this man might give it to me, and I put the plain question to him.

'That lady who just left,' said I, 'did she have a carriage or a cab ?'

'Oh, you mean Mrs Kevenner,' he answered thickly, 'she's a keb, she is, allus takes a hansom, sir; 192, Westbourne Park; I don't want to ask when I see her, sir.'

'Thank you,' said I,' she has dropped a piece of jewellery in the hall, and I thought I would drive round and return it to her.'

He looked surprised, at the notion, perhaps, of any one returning anything found in a London ball-room; but I left him with his astonishment and entered my carriage. There I found Abel crouching down under the front seat, and he met me with a piteous plea that the woman had no coachman, and that he had failed to obtain her address.

'Never mind that,' said I, as we drove off sharply, 'what did they say at the station ?'

'They wanted to bring a force of police round, and arrest every one in the house, sir. I had trouble enough to hold them in, I'm sure. But I said that we'd sit down and watch if they made any fuss, and then they gave in. It's agreed now that a dozen men will be at the Harrow Road station at your call till morning. They've a wonderful confidence in you, sir.'

'It's a pity they haven't more confidence in themselves—but anyway, we are in luck. The woman's address is 192, Westbourne Park, and I seem to remember that it is a square.'

'I'm sure of it,' said he; 'it's a round square in the shape of an oblong, and one hundred and ninety two is at the side near Durham something or other; we can watch it easily from the palings.'

After this, ten minutes' drive brought us to the place, and I found it as he had said, the 'square' being really a triangle. Number one hundred and ninety-two was a big house, its outer points gone much to decay, but lighted on its second and third floors; though so far as I could see, for the blinds of the drawing-room were up, no one was moving. This did not deter me, however, and, taking my stand with Abel at the corner where two great trees gave us perfect shelter, we waited silently for many minutes, to the astonishment of the constable upon the beat, with whom I soon settled; and to his satisfaction.

'Ah,' said he, 'I knew they was rum 'uns all along; they owe fourteen pounds for milk, and their butcher ain't paid; young men going in all night, too—why, there's one of them there now.'

I looked through the trees at his word, and saw that he was right. A youth in an opera hat and a black coat was upon the doorstep of the house; and as the light of a street lamp fell upon his face, I recognized him. He was the boy who had eaten of the jam-tarts so plentifully at Lady Faber's—the youth with whom Sibyl Kavanagh had pretended to have no acquaintance when she talked to me in the conservatory. And at the sight of him, I knew that the moment had come.

'Abel,' I said, 'it's time you went. Tell the men to bring a short ladder with them. They'll have to come in by the balcony—but only when I make a sign. The signal will be the cracking of the glass of that lamp you can see upon the table there. Did you bring my pistol?'

'Would I forget that?' he asked; 'I brought you two, and look out! for you may want them.'

'I know that,' said I, 'but I depend upon you. Get back at the earliest possible moment, and don't act until I give the signal. It will mean that the clue is complete.'

He nodded his head, and disappeared quickly in the direction where the carriage was; but I went straight up to the house, and knocked loudly upon the door. To my surprise, it was opened at once by a thick-set man in livery, who did not appear at all astonished to see me.

'They're upstairs, sir, will you go up?' said he.

'Certainly,' said I, taking him at his word. 'Lead the way.'

This request made him hesitate.

'I beg your pardon,' said he, 'I think I have made a mistake—I'll speak to Mrs Kavanagh.'

Before I could answer he had run up the stairs nimbly; but I was quick after him; and when I came upon the landing, I could see into the front drawing-room, where there sat the woman herself, a small and oldish man with long black whiskers, and the youth who had just come into the room. But the back room which gave off from the other with folding-doors, was empty; and there was no light in it. All this I perceived in a momentary glance, for no sooner had the serving-man spoken to the woman, than she pushed the youth out upon the balcony, and came hurriedly to the landing, closing the door behind her.

'Why, Mr Sutton,' she cried, when she saw me, 'this is a surprise; I was just going to bed.'

'I was afraid you would have been already gone,' said I with the simplest smile possible, 'but I found a diamond spray in Lady Faber's hall just after you had left. The footman said it must be yours, and as I am going out of town to-morrow, I thought I would risk leaving it tonight.'

I handed to her as I spoke the spray of diamonds I had taken from my own show-case in Bond Street; but while she examined it she shot up at me a quick searching glance from her bright eyes, and her thick sensual lips were closed hard upon each other. Yet, in the next instant, she laughed again, and handed me back the jewel.

'I'm indeed very grateful to you,' she exclaimed, 'but I've just put my spray in its case; you want to give me someone else's property.'

'Then it isn't yours?' said I, affecting disappointment. 'I'm really very sorry for having troubled you.'

'It is I that should be sorry for having brought you here,' she cried. 'Won't you have a brandy and seltzer or something before you go?'

'Nothing whatever, thanks,' said I. 'Let me apologize again for having disturbed you—and wish you "Goodnight".'

She held out her hand to me, seemingly much reassured; and as I began to descend the stairs, she re-entered the drawing-room for the purpose, I did not doubt, of getting the man off the balcony. The substantial lackey was then waiting in the hall to open the door for me; but I went down very slowly, for in truth the whole of my plan appeared to have failed; and at that moment I was without the veriest rag of an idea. My object in coming to the house had been to trace, and if possible to lay hands upon the woman's associates, taking her, as I hoped, somewhat by surprise; yet though I had made my chain more complete, vital links were missing; and I stood no nearer to the forging of them. That which I had to ask myself, and to answer in the space of ten seconds, was the question, 'Now, or to-morrow?'—whether I should leave the house without effort, and wait until the gang betrayed itself again; or make some bold stroke which would end the matter there and then. The latter course was the one I chose. The morrow, said I, may find these people in Paris or in Belgium; there never may be such a clue again as that of the ruby pendant—there never may be a similar opportunity of taking at least three of those for whom we had so long hunted. And with this thought a whole plan of action suddenly leaped up in my mind; and I acted upon it, silently and swiftly, and with a readiness which to this day I wonder at.

I now stood at the hall-door, which the lackey held open. One searching look at the man convinced me that my design was a sound one. He was obtuse, patronizing—but probably honest. As we faced each other I suddenly took the door-handle from him, and banged the door loudly, remaining in the hall. Then I clapped my pistol to his head (though for this offence I surmize that a judge might have given me a month), and I whispered fiercely to him:

'This house is surrounded by police; if you say a word I'll give you seven years as an accomplice of the woman upstairs, whom we are going to arrest. When she calls out, answer that I'm gone, and then come back to me for instructions. If you do as I tell you, you shall not be charged—otherwise, you go to jail.'

At this speech the poor wretch paled before me, and shook so that I could feel the tremor all down the arm of his which I held.

'I—I won't speak, sir,' he gasped. 'I won't, I do assure you—to think as I should have served such folk.'

'Then hide me, and be quick about it—in this room here, it seems dark. Now run upstairs and say I'm gone.'

I had stepped into a little breakfast-room at the back of the dining-room, and there had gone unhesitatingly under a round table. The place was absolutely dark, and was a vantage ground, since I could see there from the whole of the staircase; but before the footman could mount the stairs, the woman came half-way down them, and, looking over the hall, she asked him:

'Is that gentleman gone?'

'Just left, mum,' he replied.

'Then go to bed, and never let me see you admit a stranger like that again.'

She went up again at this, and he turned to me, asking:

'What shall I do now, sir? I'll do anything if you'll speak for me, sir; I've got twenty years' kerecter from Lord Walley; to think as she's a bad 'un—it's hardly creditable.'

'I shall speak for you,' said I, 'if you do exactly what I tell you. Are anymore men expected now?'

'Yes, there's two more; the capting and the clergymin, pretty clergymin he must be, too.'

'Never mind that; wait and let them in. Then go upstairs and turn the light out on the staircase as if by accident. After that you can go to bed.'

'Did you say the police was 'ere?' he asked in his hoarse whisper; and I said:

'Yes, they're everywhere, on the roof, and in the street, and on the balcony. If there's the least resistance, the house will swarm with them.'

What he would have said to this I cannot tell, for at that moment there was another knock upon the front door, and he opened it instantly. Two men, one in clerical dress, and one, a very powerful man, in a Newmarket coat, went quickly upstairs, and the butler followed them. A moment later the gas went out on the stairs; and there was no sound but the echo of the talk in the front drawing-room.

The critical moment in my night's work had now come. Taking off my boots, and putting my revolver at the half-cock, I crawled up the stairs with the step of a cat, and entered the back drawing-room. One of the folding doors of this was ajar, so that a false step would probably have cost me my life—and I could not possibly tell if the police were really in the street, or only upon their way. But it was my good luck that the men talked loudly, and seemed actually to be disputing. The first thing I observed on looking through the open door was that the woman had left the four to themselves. Three of them stood about the table whereon the lamp was; the dumpy man with the black whiskers sat in his arm-chair. But the most pleasing sight of all was that of a large piece of cotton-wool spread upon the table and almost covered with brooches, lockets, and sprays of diamonds; and to my infinite satisfaction I saw Lady Faber's pendant of rubies lying conspicuous even amongst the wealth of jewels which the light showed.

There then was the clue; but how was it to be used? It came to me suddenly that four consummate rogues such as these would not be unarmed. Did I step into the room, they might shoot me at the first sound; and if the police had not come, there would be the end of it. Had opportunity been permitted to me, I would, undoubtedly, have waited five or ten minutes to assure myself that Abel was in the street without. But this was not to be. Even as I debated the point, a candle's light shone upon the staircase; and in another moment Mrs Kavanagh herself stood in the doorway watching me. For one instant she stood, but it served my purpose; and as a scream rose upon her lips, and I felt my heart thudding against my ribs, I threw open the folding doors, and deliberately shot down the glass of the lamp which had cast the aureola of light upon the stolen jewels.

As the glass flew, for my reputation as a pistol shot was not belied in this critical moment, Mrs Kavanagh ran in a wild fit of hysterical screaming to her bedroom above—but the four men turned with loud cries to the door where they had seen me; and as I saw them coming, I prayed that Abel might be there. This thought need not have occurred to me. Scarce had the men taken two steps when the glass of the balcony windows was burst in with a crash, and the whole room seemed to fill with police.

* * *

I cannot now remember precisely the sentences which were passed upon the great gang (known to police history as the Westbourne Park gang) of jewel thieves; but the history of that case is curious enough to be worthy of mention. The husband of the woman Kavanagh—he of the black whiskers—was a man of the name of Whyte, formerly a manager in the house of James Thorndike, the Universal Provider near the Tottenham Court Road. Whyte's business had been to provide all things needful for dances; and, though it astonishes me to write it, he had even found dancing men for ladies whose range of acquaintance was narrow. In the course of business, he set up for himself eventually; and as he worked, the bright idea came to him, why not find as guests men who may snap up, in the heat and the security of the dance, such unconsidered trifles as sprays, pendants, and lockets. To this end he married, and his wife being a clever woman who fell in with his idea, she—under the name of Kavanagh—made the acquaintance of a number of youths whose business it was to dance; and eventually wormed herself into many good houses. The trial brought to light the extraordinary fact that no less than twenty-three men and eight women were bound in this amazing conspiracy, and that Kavanagh acted as the buyer of the property they stole, giving them a third of the profits, and swindling them outrageously. He, I believe, is now taking the air at Portland; and the other young men are finding in the exemplary exercise of picking oakum, work for idle hands to do.

As for Mrs Kavanagh, she was dramatic to the end of it; and, as I learnt from King, she insisted on being arrested in bed.

The End

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DISCLAIMER

All rights and copyrights observed by Chatwick University, Its contributors, associates and Agents

The purpose of these chronological photos and accompanying stories, articles is to educate, teach, instruct, and generally increase the awareness level of the general public as to the nature and intent of the underlying criminal elements that have historically plagued humankind.

No Part of this can reprinted, duplicated, or copied be without the express written permission and approval of Chatwick University.

These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment and/or educational purposes only, and should never be attempted in real life.

We accept no responsibility for any events occurring outside this website.

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

All rights and copyrights observed by Chatwick University, Its contributors, associates and Agents

The purpose of these chronological photos and accompanying stories, articles is to educate, teach, instruct, and generally increase the awareness level of the general public as to the nature and intent of the underlying criminal elements that have historically plagued humankind.

No Part of this can reprinted, duplicated, or copied be without the express written permission and approval of Chatwick University.

These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment only, and should never be attempted in real life.

We accept no responsibility for any events occurring outside this website.

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

St Seraphim of Sarov by Jim Forest

15 3

“Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.”

— St. Seraphim of Sarov

It was Father Germann, a monk I met in the Russian city of Vladimir, who first told me about Saint Seraphim of Sarov. He was showing me the local cathedral, still a museum in those days of Soviet rule. The tourists in the church were startled to see a living monk complete with long hair, full black beard and black monk’s cap — they couldn’t stop staring. It wasn’t only his appearance that attracted attention. He possessed a contagious joy and freedom. I mentioned to him that this church must have wonderful acoustics. Immediately he sang an unrestrained, banner-like, “Amen.” The church reverberated in an astonishing way.

I had traveled enough in Russia to be vaguely aware of Saint Seraphim, the icon of whose compassionate face seemed to grace the walls of every parish church and to have a place in many homes, but Father Germann was the first to tell me the saint’s life story.

“Saint Seraphim helped me to become a believer,” he said. Reaching into his pocket, he showed me a fragment of a large rock on which Saint Seraphim prayed for a thousand days. It was a gift from an old nun who knew a nun who knew a nun who had been in the Diveyevo convent near Sarov, a community closely linked with Saint Seraphim. The saint’s few possessions, among them the heavy cross he wore, were kept in the custody of the sisters at Diveyevo.

Father Germann explained that Seraphim was born in 1759, the son of a builder. He was still a baby when his father died. His mother took over the business while raising her children. While still a boy, he had what should have been a fatal fall from scaffolding. Miraculously, he was unharmed, an event which prompted a local “holy fool” to say the boy must surely be “one of God’s elect.”

When Seraphim was ten, he had his first vision of the Mother of God. Nine years later he entered monastic life where he began the regular recitation of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Later, following his ordination as priest in 1793, he was led to seek a hermit’s vocation in the forest, or, as he regarded it, his “Holy Land.” Here he lived alone, devoting himself to prayer, study and tending his small garden, with few aware he was alive apart from the wild animals he befriended with gifts of food, among them a bear who sometimes lay at his feet, a scene portrayed in some of the icons of Saint Seraphim.

During this period of social withdrawal, he was nearly beaten to death by robbers who had heard there was a treasure hidden in his cabin. The injuries he suffered made him walk with a bent back for the rest of his life, a stance occasionally shown in icons. After recovering from his injuries, he spent a thousand days and nights in prayer on a large rock in the forest, sometimes standing, other times kneeling, leaving the rock only for brief periods.

After his long apprenticeship in solitude, people began coming to Staretz Seraphim for confession and advice, a few at first, but finally they came in floods. One of the first pilgrims was a rich man, gravely ill, who was healed by Seraphim, so healed that he gave up all his wealth and embraced holy poverty.

During the last eight years of his life, Saint Seraphim spent many hours each day talking with those in need, some of whom had walked for weeks to reach him. Others came by carriage, among them Czar Alexander I, who later gave up the throne and lived a pious life in Siberia — some say under the influence of Saint Seraphim.

Among many remarkable stories left to us about Seraphim’s life, one of the most impressive comes from the diary of Nicholas Motovilov, who as a young man came to Sarov seeking advice. At a certain point in their conversation, Seraphim said to his guest, “Look at me.” Motovilov replied, “I am not able, Father, for there is lightning flashing in your eyes. Your face has grown more radiant than the sun and my eyes cannot bear the pain.” The staretz answered, “Do not be afraid, my dear lover of God, you have also now become as radiant as I. You yourself are now in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise you would not be able to perceive me in the exact same state.” Saint Seraphim asked him how he felt. “I feel a great calm in my soul, a peace which no words can express,” Motovilov replied. “I feel an amazing happiness.”

At the heart of Saint Seraphim’s teaching was use of the Jesus Prayer and continuing inner struggle to “acquire the Holy Spirit, the one treasure which will never pass away.” He reassured those who came to him that there is nothing selfish about seeking to save your soul. “Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands of souls around you will be saved.”

Without a vital spiritual life, he said, we cannot love. “God is fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil — for the devil is cold — then let us call upon the Lord and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him but for our neighbor as well.”

He was an apostle of the way of love and kindness. “You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.”

No matter what season of the year it was, he greeted visitors with the paschal salutation, “Christ is risen!” As another paschal gesture, he always wore a white robe.

Before his death, Saint Seraphim said to the sisters: “My joys, come as often as you can to my grave. Come to me as if I’m alive and tell me everything, and I will always help you.”

On January 2, 1833, Saint Seraphim was found dead in his cell, kneeling with hands crossed before an icon of Mary.

“Saint Seraphim is a unique saint,” Father Germann told me. “In him and his character, in his spirituality, we find the principal Christian characteristics — love for all people without exception, and a readiness to sacrifice. That’s why people love him so much.”

“We live in a time that pays special homage to advanced education and intellectual brilliance,” Father Germann added. “But faith isn’t just for the clever. Seraphim didn’t graduate either from university or seminary. All his ideals were gifts from God revealed through prayer and deeds. And so through Saint Seraphim many different people are drawn to belief — the intellectuals, the simple, and now not only people in the Russian Orthodox Church but other churches.”

“Saint Seraphim is the face of the Church,” said Father Germann.

Living in a period in which iconography had been influenced by western art, old icons of Saint Seraphim often resemble portraits while more recently made icons are usually in the simpler, more symbolic Byzantine style. The one reproduced here, showing Saint Seraphim praying on the rock, was made in 1992 by the iconographer Philip Zimmerman closely following an icon made earlier in the century in France by the monk Gregory Kroug. In all icons of Saint Seraphim, there is a prayer rope in his hands, a reminder of his devotion to the Jesus Prayer.

(extract from Praying With Icons by Jim Forest -- Orbis Books)

On 9-11 people jumped to their death by wstera2

12

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- A person jumps from the north tower of New York's World Trade Center Tuesday Sept. 11, 2001. Mounting an audacious attack against the United States, terrorists crashed two hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and brought down the twin 110-story towers. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Botticelli Calumny, detail Perfidy, the innocent victim, Slander, Fraud & Rancour [1496] by Peter

8

Sandro Botticelli

Calumny, detail Perfidy, the innocent victim, Slander, Fraud & Rancour [1496]

Florenz, Uffizi

blue suede shoes by DOLCEVITALUX

6 25

Well, it's one for the money,

Two for the show,

Three to get ready,

Now go, cat, go.

But don't you step on my blue suede shoes.

You can do anything but lay off of my Blue suede shoes.

Well, you can knock me down,

Step in my face,

Slander my name

All over the place.

Do anything that you want to do,

Honey, lay off of my shoes

Don't you step on my Blue suede shoes.

You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.

You can burn my house,

Steal my car,

Drink my liquor

From an old fruitjar.

Do anything that you want to do,

Honey, lay off of my shoes

Don't you step on my blue suede shoes.

You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.

youtu.be/T1Ond-OwgU8

City Hall, Veere, The Netherlands by Snuffy

22 27

Excerpt from museumveere.nl/locatie-stadhuis/:

The town hall of Veere was built between 1474 and 1517 by Henry IV of Borsele, by the Flemish architect Andries Keldermans (ca.1400-1481), city architect of Mechelen (B). It was designed by Evert Railway (died in Bergen op Zoom, 1474).

For centuries, the inhabitants of Veere and the surrounding villages were governed from the town hall. In ‘The Four Snors’, the space in which schout and aldermen straight spoke, this atmosphere is still tangible. Paintings and historical objects, including the bronze fists, are a testament to Veere’s rich heyday. The city hall collection also includes historical portraits of the Orange Princes, they hang in the wedding hall.

It is a late Gothic rectangular building with out-collard small towers at the front. The facade of led stone, is still almost in its original state. Presumably the dormer vans are a later addition. Between 1931 and 1934, the town hall was thoroughly restored. The city hall statues, originally polychromed and made in 1517/1518 in the studio of Michiel Ywijnsz in Mechelen, were then replaced by new ones from the studio of Professor W.O. - Wenkebach, that's it. They represent the lords and women of Veere from the illustrious genus of Van Borsele’s. The original statues have been in the sculpture hall of the Scottish Houses since 1950.

The town hall has a Louis XV platform from 1749 with the spell: Hearing asaamheyt Godts and the Overheyt / Weert der menschen Ongeluck. The coat of arms of the Oranges is away during the French period and still blank to this day. On the left of the facade the shame stone, on which punished to look were set and above it a chain with stones, with which slandering women had to walk through the city.

Behind the town hall the tower, built by Adriaen de Muer from Bruges between 1594 and 1599. At the top a wind vane, a warship with five flags, three of the Van Borseles, one from Orange-Nassau and one from Zeeland. In the tower a rare beautiful carillon of 35 bells of which 24 date from 1735 and the last 11 bells in 1949 were added. A carillon concert is one of Veere’s charms. The interior layout of the town hall dates back to 1699 when the Four-scars were enlarged.

Hydra by ecpica

7 3

Winter Ice Storm and Clouded Sunburst by James Watkins

6

Best Viewed Large-Just off the Pennyrile Parkway in Kentucky the sun was setting through the clouds on this scenic ice fantasy during the middle of the winter.

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-

Fired up frameworks

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 commotion emotions prevail.

Beacons of quiet in last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though wasted and slandered.

Washed by confessional

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

Downpour Doll by Mike Rollerson

10

Silent Hill - Downpour Doll cosplay

Cosplayer: Aja Doll

Products used in this application (links below will redirect to a retailer to view/purchase these products)

Custom Mask by: Alexander Slander's Awful Autopsy Sale

Base:

Ben Nye Color Cake: White

Ben Nye Color Cake: Cadaver Grey

Wolfe FX Hydrocolor Palette

Blood:

Ben Nye Stage Blood

Roe Deer Bucks at Haslingden Grane in Rossendale, Lancashire, England - April 2017 by Saffy H

40 53

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.

Brianna by Daniel Rangel

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Ann Blyth by Truus, Bob & Jan too!

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West-German postcard by Netter's Star Verlag, Berlin. Photo: Universal International. A publicity still for Red Canyon (George Sherman, 1949).

American actress and singer Ann Blyth (1928) was often cast in Hollywood musicals, but she was also successful in dramatic roles. Her performance as Veda Pierce in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Ann Blyth was born in 1928, in Mount Kisco, New York, to Harry and Nan Lynch Blyth. After her parents separated, she, her mother and her sister moved to a walk-up apartment on East 31st Street in New York City, where her mother took in ironing. Blyth attended St. Patrick's School in Manhattan. Blyth performed on children's radio shows in New York for six years, making her first appearance when she was five. When she was nine she joined the New York Children's Opera Company. Her first acting role was on Broadway in Lillian Hellman's 'Watch on the Rhine' (1941-1942). She played the part of Paul Lukas's daughter, Babette. The play ran for 378 performances and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. After the New York run, the play went on tour, and while performing at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, Blyth was offered a contract with Universal Studios. Blyth began her acting career initially as "Anne Blyth", but changed the spelling of her first name back to "Ann" at the beginning of her film career. She made her film debut in 1944, teamed with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan in the teenage musical Chip Off the Old Block (1944). She followed it with two similar films: The Merry Monahans (1944) with O'Connor and Ryan again, and Babes on Swing Street (1944) with Ryan. She had a support role in the bigger budgeted Bowery to Broadway (1944), a showcase of Universal musical talent. On loan to Warner Brothers, Blyth was cast 'against type' as Veda Pierce, the scheming, ungrateful daughter of Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945). Her dramatic portrayal won her outstanding reviews, and she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blyth was only 16 when she made the film, for which Crawford won the Best Actress award. After Mildred Pierce, Blyth sustained a broken back while tobogganing in Snow Valley, and was not able to fully capitalise on the film's success. She recovered and made two films for Mark Hellinger's unit at Universal: Swell Guy (1946), with Sonny Tufts, and Brute Force (1947) with Burt Lancaster. During this time her father died. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed her to play the female lead in Killer McCoy (1947), a boxing film with Mickey Rooney that was a box office hit. Back at Universal, she did a Film Noir with Charles Boyer, A Woman's Vengeance (1948). She was then cast in the part of Regina Hubbard in Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (1948), an adaptation of the 1946 play where Regina had been played by Patricia Neal. The play was a prequel to The Little Foxes. Blyth followed it with Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) with William Powell. She was top-billed in Red Canyon (1949), a Western with Howard Duff. Paramount borrowed Blyth to play the female lead in Top o' the Morning (1949), a daughter of Barry Fitzgerald who is romanced by Bing Crosby. It was the first time she sang on screen. Back at Universal, she was teamed with Robert Montgomery in Once More, My Darling (1949), meaning she had to drop out of Desert Legion. She did a comedy with Robert Cummings, Free for All (1949). In April 1949, Universal suspended her for refusing a lead role in Abandoned (1949). Gale Storm played it.

Ann Blyth was borrowed by Sam Goldwyn to star opposite Farley Granger in Our Very Own (1950). Universal gave her top billing in a romantic comedy, Katie Did It (1951). Blyth was borrowed by MGM for The Great Caruso (1951) opposite Mario Lanza which was a massive box office hit. She made Thunder on the Hill (1951) with Claudette Colbert and had the female lead in The Golden Horde (1951) with David Farrar. Then, 20th Century Fox borrowed her to star opposite Tyrone Power in I'll Never Forget You (1952), a last-minute replacement for Constance Smith. She appeared on TV in Family Theater in an episode called 'The World's Greatest Mother' alongside Ethel Barrymore. Universal teamed Blyth with Gregory Peck in The World in His Arms (1952). She was top-billed in the comedy Sally and Saint Anne (1952) and was borrowed by RKO for One Minute to Zero (1952), a Korean War drama with Robert Mitchum where she replaced Claudette Colbert who came down with pneumonia. MGM had been interested in Blyth since The Great Caruso. In December 1953, Blyth left Universal and she signed a long term contract with MGM. She was the leading lady in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) with Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor, stepping in for Elizabeth Taylor who had to drop out due to pregnancy. On television, she was in a version of A Place in the Sun for Lux Video Theatre alongside John Derek. Back at MGM, Blyth had the lead in the remake of Rose Marie (1954) with Howard Keel, which earned over $5 million but lost money due to high costs. She was meant to be reteamed with Lanza in The Student Prince (1954) but he was fired from the studio and was replaced in the picture by Edmund Purdom. The film did well at the box office. Blyth and Purdom were reunited on a swashbuckler, The King's Thief (1955). She was teamed again with Keel on the musical Kismet (1955). Despite strong reviews, the film was a financial flop. She was named for the female lead in The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) but was eventually not cast in the film. MGM put Blyth in Slander (1957) with Van Johnson. Sidney Sheldon cast Blyth in The Buster Keaton Story (1957) with Donald O'Connor at Paramount. Warner Bros then cast her in the title role of The Helen Morgan Story (Michael Curtiz, 1957) with Paul Newman. Blyth reportedly beat 40 other actors for the part. Even though her voice was more like the original Helen Morgan, her vocals were dubbed by Gogi Grant. That soundtrack was much more successful than the film itself. Blyth made no further films. In 1957, she sued Benedict Bogeaus for $75,000 for not making the film Conquest. From the late 1950s into the 1970s, Blyth worked in musical theatre and summer stock, starring in the shows 'The King and I', 'The Sound of Music', and 'Show Boat'. and also on television, including co-starring opposite James Donald in The Citadel (1960), an adaptation of A.J. Cronin's novel. She guest-starred on episodes of such series as The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Dick Powell Theatre, Saints and Sinners, The Christophers, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, and Burke's Law. Several of these appearances were for Four Star Television with whom Blyth signed a multi-appearance contract. Blyth also became the spokesperson for Hostess Cupcakes. Her last television appearances were in episodes of Switch (1983), Quincy, M.E. (1983) and Murder, She Wrote (1985). In 1985, she officially retired. For her contributions to the film industry, Blyth has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1953, Blyth married obstetrician James McNulty, brother of singer Dennis Day, who had introduced them. After her marriage, Blyth took somewhat of a reprieve from her career to focus on raising their five children, Timothy Patrick (1954); Maureen Ann (1955); Kathleen Mary (1957); Terence Grady (1960); and Eileen Alana (1963).

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Multnoma Falls in Autumn Color Impressions by James Watkins

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Best Viewed Large-Oregon's Largest Falls and one of the largest in the US viewed here in fall colors and digital paint...still wet.

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-

Fired up frameworks

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 commotion emotions prevail.

Beacons of quiet in last true performance,

Heralded nature in singular cause-

Perfect and pure

Though wasted and slandered.

Washed by confessional

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

Eyes of the Innocent by SURiyathepjuti Tinanop

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Photographer :: SURiyathepjuti Tinanop

Camera :: Canon EOS 5D mark III

Lens :: Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens

Date Taken :: May 8, 2014

Locate :: Mon jam, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

FB Page :: www.facebook.com/SURiyathepjuti.Photography

-----------------------------------------------------------------

SURiyathepjuti Tinanop was born to farmer parents in the poorest region of Thailand. Growing up in poverty, he was often mocked which led him to question the inequality within the society. He had studied very hard in the pursuit of happiness and a better life and got himself into one of the prestige universities of the country and majored in Architect. As he was pursuing the degree, he decided to leave after being slandered by one of the professors about his abilities. He became a freelancer after left the school to work for himself and to act on his own beliefs. With this new found freedom, he has the opportunities to travel to different places and meet many people with various professions.

SURiyathepjuti started taking photos at the end of 2011 with a used camera he bought from his friend. As he continue taking more pictures, he realized that his pictures had changed others' perspectives about someone's hardship which had led to the support given by those who saw his picture to the person in need. He decided then to get better equipment with the money he had and stated traveling to take more pictures in hope that one day his photos could convey people of his country to be kinder and more thoughtful to those with less fortunate, and also to bring people together and decrease inequality in the society.

" Photography can change the world because it can change people."

Web : www.facebook.com/SURiyathepjuti.Photography

The Place of Ministry by Ishak Tjokrokusumo

The Place of Ministry

He said to them, "This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." Mark 9:29

“His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mrk.9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him. When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face. We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isa.40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php.4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?

_____

My Utmost - Oswald Chambers

Ecuador 303 - Quilotoa - Hike around the crater lake - Panorama by benbeiske

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///gritting.scarecrows.slandering

Girls and Goats... by Bee Nee

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'Silly goat' is a common slander in German. Here, I think girl and goat look quite nice together. It was a coincidence that the girl ran through my picture. The mirror-effect is 'natural' and not due to post-processing.

Kansas Summer Wheat and Storm Panorama Impressions by James Watkins

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Best Large-This photograph has been updated with the newest cleaning and sharpening techniques, plus some impressionistic treatment. This was a typical scene in Kansas during a large storm in summertime.

Every Season Has Its Own Glory (JHWatkins)

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-

Free on 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 conveyance,

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 of 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

Agrippina by B