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© Gwendal Le Flem

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Kashi: A heaven for photographers.

Whenever Kashi is talked about, immediately we see the Ghats, the pure water of the river Ganga

and the ancient alleyways of the city of Kashi. It is every photographers dream to go to Kashi to take

photographs one day. It is indeed a rare opportunity to get to visit Kashi for photography. One will

find a story every step of the way while wandering in Kashi. If you rotate 360 degrees in the middle

of the road, you will get a better photograph and story each time.

Throughout my travel, I have observed that you cannot fulfil your desire for photography regardless

of the days that you spend there. I had been to Kashi in 2016 for photography and it was unlike

anything that I have ever experienced. Kashi stands as a true testament to its greatness and

diversity back since the ancient times. Tourists, pilgrims and saints travel from all around the world

to congregate at Kashi to attain liberation for their ancestors which is also called as ‘Moksha’.

In order to attain liberation, one must learn how to detach themselves from worldly gains and

understand the importance of maintaining a good demeanour. In Kashi, all of these things

are taken care of and people come here to attain monkhood. I met an enormous number of

people coming from very diverse walks of life. They explained their perspectives, opinions

and the importance of Kashi and due to these personalities, I got the opportunity to witness

Lord Shankar himself in them. Every photo I captured seemed to revive an old memory or

story of that place in front of my eyes.

I stayed in Kashi for 5 days. There is a stigma about crematoriums where people get goose bumps

even if they are mentioned in a conversation, but I think that there are no purer places than

crematoriums. I look at it as a place where people are completely rid of their pride and vanity and

we can observe who they were in a very real sense. It is a place where a line is drawn between life

and death. I stayed in such a crematorium for a total of three days. Of all the people I have seen in

my life, I am the only one who I know who took the decision to photograph in a crematorium for

three days straight. Although, everything I learnt in that period was the ultimate truth. Not only did I

get the opportunity to stay at a place where I will be at my end, but I also enjoyed it.

Every moment in the 5 days that I was at Kashi was spent being content and extremely self-

reflective. I believe photography enables you to appreciate the ups and downs in life. It allows you to

comprehend difficult situations and how to get over them as well. My time in Kashi was spent

photographing every place and sentiment I could with my complete attention.

I am presenting these photos to you now. Every photo of Kashi has the ability to garner different

emotions in everyone, and today I am expressing my feelings through my perspective of Kashi.

Part 2 of my extensive interview with artist Gil Cohen about his cover paintings for Don Pendleton's Executioner/Mack Bolan novels is now posted on my MensPulpMags.com blog. Here's a link to the post-> www.menspulpmags.com/2018/04/an-interview-with-artist-gil...

The hoodoos, or slim spires of eroded limestone, at Zion National Park are a bit different than those found at Bryce and elsewhere. The cap on top is volcanic rock.

 

View on Black

Where to even start.

 

start: 'hey babe, let's go camping. somewhere. not on a campground. in Oregon.'

 

And so we did. After asking several people on flickr, and several real people [it's well known flickr people are automated fabrications of your imagination], we still had no clue where to head. So I did the obvious. I opened Google maps, selected terrain, blindfolded myself, spun my chair 10 times and pointed. What I ended up with was the Oregon coast. Perfect. In Oregon, much like a mustache to an upper lip, lush forests grow right down to beaches. Amazing beaches. So, we hit Freddy Meyers, corralled the dogs and packed up the car. Way too much. Neither of us had been back country camping before, and our overabundance of gear, beer and food was testament to this. We had less stuff driving cross country. We hit the sunset highway and headed West through some gorgeous wilderness towards our final destination, Cape Meares. Mind you, this was at 9pm. Luckily, the Oregon summer holds the sun high till 10 and twilight seems to linger some time after. So, we had at least 1hr to find a trail, unpack the car, scamp through woods, haul our gear, get the pups, and setup shop that would lay claim to the next 3 nights. After a manic'd panic'd dimly lit search we decided upon a trail through a wildlife refuge. Why a wildlife refuge? It was dark, and time to do this. Tonto.

 

Besides, what wildlife with human predation lives on a beach?

 

Black bears. 2 bear cubs to be exact. That's who. And their mom. Their angry, overprotective, I'll maim you just for being within one mile of my cubs mother, whom we met at 9am the next morning. Thankfully we had already had our morning coffee, steeped to perfection over flame. So yea, the dogs charged the two bear cubs who shimmed up a 70 ft tree with all the grace of a black bear cub scaling a giant tree. It was impressive to say the least. I had my camera with me, and even pointed it to my eye. However, I couldn't push the shutter. Unlike my Yosemite bear cub experience, where there were many people around, I didn't take a photo. Instead, instinct kicked in and I knew we were in trouble. The dogs charging the cubs, and the fact the we couldn't see the mother, but knew she was close told us we should turn around, and jet. And so we did. The dogs thankfully heeded my calls and followed us as we ran back up the trail. manic'd panic'd I handed Lis my camera and wielded my Nepalese knife, ready to do battle. This was 100 yards from our chosen site. Needless to say, it was time to pack up our stuff and find another home, away from the bear family. And so we did. With a quickness. This would be the 4th trip up/down the quarter mile trail with our gear, as it took two trips each way to gather it all. Our cooler was heavy. Swollen with ice.

 

This story is in no way meant to take away from the the night spent in a sweet location, enjoying a nice campfire in a woods overlooking the ocean. The dogs running round the site. It sprinkled but the awe inspiring tree canopy kept us dry. We could even hear the waves from our tent.

 

Which led us to our next destination. We thought we'd up the wave anti by camping right on the beach. And so we did.

 

We setup shop on Netarts Beach, on a tip we got from a waitress in a coffee shop in a tiny coastal town. The beach was at the end of a dead end road called Happy Camp. This would surely bode well for us, no?

 

No. It actually didn't... Bode well... At all. What the waitress neglected to tell us was that the beach assumed the role of the ocean bottom during high tide. As in, when high tide comes, you should be off this beach. So, after an amazing day, a giant campfire, scenery to die for [punny] we settled into our tent. The waves were roaring. Seriously loud. Their gusto to be overtaken only by the constant barrage of fireworks being shot off the dune cliffs above us. This was all well and good for the first half hour, but 4 hours of firebombs bursting 10 feet over your tent tends to make one feel as though they are in The Ardennes circa 1945. The dogs were scared. Understatement. They were pissing their pants. I mean our tent. We don't make them wear pants. Lis would though, if she could. Thankfully the shelling was a blessing in disguise as it kept us awake. Until 2am. Which came in handy when I looked out the tent door and shined my mag light. The water was near. Near like 4 feet. Correction, the Singularity is near, the icy cold ocean was on us. It was time to go. Again. This time with a severe quickness. Our tent was as far back as a tent can go. We were up against a cliff face. The only way out was left. So, at 2am in the pitch dark we packed. We packed like rats. Did I mention it was raining out? We packed as much as we could for one trip off the beach. We sadly had to leave some stuff behind, like the 200lb cooler full of melted ice. And my mini grill. Our apologies to environmentalites. We had to go. Fast. The walk back down the beach was no walk on the beach. The sand was gone. Underwater. We had to skirt the cliff face on rocks. With gear hanging off of us like rented mules. Raining. 2 dogs with the look of fear in their eyes. Sidenote: I always though that if stranded somewhere, desperate, I'd want one thing with me. My dog. I change my mind. They're like kids in this situation. Baggage. At this point its time to interject with a word about my wife. She's strong. Stronger than I've thought. She did this. Without bitching once. Without crying. Without concern for herself. She carried at least 60lbs of gear on her back across a quarter mile stretch of soaking wet beach rocks with the ocean surf taunting 4 feet from her feet. Pinned against a cliff face! Now thats a wife. It's who I want with me.

 

We made it. Obviously. The two hour ride back to Portland at 3am was sublimely painful.

 

From my pics you can see the beauty we saw. It was an amazing 4th. A lot happened in 24 hours. It's good to get this down on 'paper'. It was breathtaking. Ridiculous. Gorgeous. Dangerous.

 

It was living Life. Full.

 

details

Laocoonte y sus hijos es un grupo escultórico griego de datación controvertida,1​ aunque suele considerarse una obra original de principios de la era cristiana.2​ La obra es de un tamaño algo mayor que el natural, de 2,45 m de altura y está ejecutada en mármol blanco.3​ Se encuentra en el Museo Pío-Clementino perteneciente a los Museos Vaticanos de Roma,4​ y junto al Torso del Belvedere es el único original griego del antiquarium.2​ Representa la muerte del sacerdote troyano Laocoonte, o Laoconte, castigado por los dioses a morir estrangulado por serpientes marinas junto a sus dos hijos. La obra fue realizada por Agesandro, Polidoro y Atenodoro de Rodas, pertenecientes a la Escuela de Rodas del periodo helenístico.5​

 

Este grupo escultórico era conocido por descripciones antiguas, pero se creía perdido. Fue descubierto el 14 de enero de 1506 en una viña cercana a Santa María la Mayor,6​ terreno propiedad de Felice de Fredis, que se encontraba en el Esquilino romano y que en tiempos antiguos había sido parte de la Domus Aurea de Nerón y luego del palacio del emperador Tito.7​8​ El papa Julio II envió al arquitecto Giuliano de Sangallo, quien junto a Miguel Ángel, identificó la escultura como la descrita por el autor romano Plinio el Viejo en su obra enciclopédica Naturalis Historia.8​9​ Plinio escribió10​ unos comentarios laudatorios sobre la obra que vio en el palacio del emperador Tito hacia el año 70:

 

Debe ser situada por delante de todas, no solo del arte de la estatuaria sino también del de la pintura. Fue esculpida en un solo bloque de mármol por los excelentes artistas de Rodas Agesandro, Polidoro y Atenodoro y representa a Laocoonte, sus hijos y las serpientes admirablemente enroscadas.

Plinio el Viejo.11​

Francesco da Sangallo, más tarde escultor, escribió un relato del descubrimiento de la escultura más de 60 años después:

 

La primera vez que estaba en Roma cuando era muy joven, el papa recibió la noticia del descubrimiento de algunas muy bellas estatuas en un viñedo cerca de Santa María La Mayor. El papa ordenó a uno de sus ayudantes que se apresurara y dijera a Giuliano da Sangallo que fuera y las viera. Así que salió inmediatamente. Ya que Michelangelo Buonarroti se encontraba siempre en nuestra casa, mi padre, habiéndole citado y habiéndole asignado el encargo del mausoleo del papa, quería que él también le acompañara. Me uní a mi padre y nos fuimos. Descendí hasta donde estaban las estatuas cuando inmediatamente mi padre dijo: “Eso es el Laoconte que dice Plinio”. Entonces cavaron el hoyo más grande para que pudieran sacar la estatua. Tan pronto como fue visible todos empezaron a dibujar, conversando todo el tiempo sobre cosas antiguas, charlando también sobre las que estaban en Florencia.

Francesco da Sangallo.12​

Cuando fue descubierta le faltaban los brazos derechos de Laocoonte y de uno de sus hijos, y la mano derecha del otro hijo; también faltaban algunas partes de las serpientes. De su estado en ese momento quedan como testimonio las copias que hizo el grabador Giovanni Antonio da Brescia: un dibujo (conservado ahora en Düsseldorf, Alemania) y un grabado que contribuyó a su rápida fama.

  

Copia, en Mannheim, del grupo tal y como estaban representados los brazos añadidos antes de la última restauración.

Se decidió restaurar el grupo escultórico y hubo controversia sobre cómo debería haber sido el gesto del brazo que le faltaba al padre. Miguel Ángel propuso restaurar el brazo del padre en posición de flexión; el artista llegó a realizar dicho brazo, pero no llegó a ponérselo y actualmente se expone junto al grupo escultórico. Amico Aspertini también realizó un dibujo con la misma posición del brazo, y en 1525, Baccio Bandinelli realizó una copia de todo el grupo con una posición parecida para el papa León X, copia que se encuentra en la Galería de los Uffizi de Florencia. Tanto Miguel Ángel como Sangallo aconsejaron a Julio II que adquiriera la obra,2​ quien, tras unas breves negociaciones,8​ compró la obra por una gran cantidad monetaria —más de 600 ducados—. En 1509, Julio II mandó trasladarla al Vaticano junto a otras dos esculturas, el Apolo de Belvedere y la Venus Felix, instalándolas en tres nichos del Patio Octogonal del Belvedere, que hoy forma parte de los Museos Vaticanos.13​ El rey Francisco I de Francia obtuvo el permiso del papa para la realización de varios moldes; para realizar la copia envió a Francesco Primaticcio, quien los hizo en 1540.14​ Estos moldes sirvieron para hacer una escultura de bronce que fue instalada en el Palacio de Fontainebleau.8​15​

 

Una primera restauración realizada por Bandinelli con cera, donde representó el brazo doblado, fue modificada en 1532 por Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli, que realizó la restauración en terracota y con el brazo de Laocoonte estirado. Entre los que criticaron esta restauración se encontraba Tiziano, quien realizó un dibujo en el que representaba a Laocoonte y sus hijos como si fueran tres monos.16​ Esta caricatura fue grabada por Niccolò Boldrini.

 

En el siglo XVIII, el escultor Agostino Cornachini volvió a restaurar la obra, cambiando el material de la restauración por mármol y aprovechó para cambiar el brazo del hijo, modificando el gesto de este, que también fue estirado. El año 1798, tras la firma del Tratado de Tolentino, el grupo fue trasladado a París por el ejército de Napoleón como parte del botín de guerra durante su campaña en Italia,17​ pero sin los elementos añadidos, y puesta en el Museo del Louvre hasta su devolución al Vaticano en 1816, cuando se le volvieron a añadir.

 

En 1905, el arqueólogo Ludwig Pollack identificó el brazo original,18​ encontrándolo en una vieja tienda de Via Labicana.8​ El brazo tenía la posición flexionada como ya había avanzado Miguel Ángel; el brazo se añadió en una restauración realizada entre 1957 y 1960,19​ y dirigida por Filippo Magi, restauración en la que se retiraron todas las piezas añadidas.8​

 

La datación de la obra es controvertida: en principio se fechaba en el siglo I a. C. porque se conservaban firmas pertenecientes a ese siglo de un escultor de Rodas llamado Atenodoro, hijo de Agesandro. Pero en 1954, Gisela M. A. Richter señaló que los nombres de Atenodoro y Agesandro fueron muy corrientes en Rodas durante varias generaciones, y además apreciaba una gran similitud de la obra con un friso que representa la lucha entre dioses y gigantes del altar de Zeus de Pérgamo. Concretamente, la expresión y las características del rostro de Laocoonte son muy similares al gigante que Atenea agarra por el pelo, así como las serpientes tienen equivalentes en el mencionado altar. Por ello lo dató en el mismo periodo que éste, en el siglo II a. C.

 

Sin embargo también se aprecian claras diferencias con la escultura de Pérgamo: un rostro de Laocoonte más vibrante que el de los gigantes de Pérgamo, diferencias en la técnica del modelado de la cabellera y un papel poco importante de las ropas del grupo del Laoconte en comparación con el grupo de Pérgamo.

 

Además, se ha demostrado que, a pesar de que la mayor parte de la escultura se hizo con mármol de Rodas, uno de los bloques usados es mármol de Luni, de origen italiano; este hecho no concuerda con lo descrito por Plinio, que sólo distinguió un bloque de mármol, ni con el hecho de que este mármol no se explotó antes de la época de Augusto. Sin embargo, Tazartes señala que el grupo está hecho con mármol de Frigia.6​

 

También se ha sugerido que podría ser una copia o una variante libre romana de un original helenístico en bronce de los siglos III-II a. C.,4​20​ o de los siglos II-I a. C.,6​ o más concretamente, de un bronce realizado en Pérgamo en la segunda mitad del siglo II a. C.2​

  

Vista de la gruta de Tiberio en Sperlonga

La datación en el siglo II a. C. no puede mantenerse tras el descubrimiento producido en 1957.21​ En aquel año se encontraron varios fragmentos de otros cinco grupos escultóricos en la llamada gruta de Tiberio, en Sperlonga, en la costa sur del Lacio. Los grupos representan también temas homéricos y fueron llevados a la cueva bien por ricos ciudadanos romanos para evitar su destrucción, posiblemente a manos de los primeros cristianos,21​ o bien fueron tallados expresamente para dicha cueva, habilitada por Tiberio como sala de banquetes.22​ Uno de los grupos, que representa el tema de Ulises cegando a Polifemo lleva la firma de los tres escultores rodios mencionados por Plinio,21​ quien dejó escrito:

 

Atenodoro, hijo de Agesandro, y Agesandro, hijo de Peonio, y Polidoro, hijo de Polidoro, rodios, lo hicieron.

La inscripción, según la mayoría de los epigrafistas, debe pertenecer al siglo I d. C., por tanto, los autores habrían vivido en ese siglo. Tanto el grupo de Ulises como el de Laocoonte podrían haber sido hechos en ese siglo para un mecenas romano, quien podría haber sido el mismo emperador Tiberio.21​

 

En el año 2005 la investigadora estadounidense Lynn Catterson realizó una conferencia donde lanzó la hipótesis de que el grupo escultórico podría ser una falsificación realizada por Miguel Ángel, basada en una serie de datos que la relacionan con él. Sin embargo, esta hipótesis parece ignorar el hallazgo de 1957 en Sperlonga de fragmentos de esculturas realizadas con una técnica similar al Laocoonte y sus hijos.23​

 

En los mitos griegos se relata que, durante el asedio de Troya, dos serpientes fueron enviadas por Apolo,24​25​ Poseidón,1​24​ o Atenea,2​ y atacaron a Laocoonte, sacerdote troyano de Apolo, y a sus dos hijos. Las versiones que relatan este episodio son numerosas y se discute si el grupo escultórico debió haberse basado en el relato de Virgilio en la Eneida, en el que morían Laocoonte y sus dos hijos, o en una versión anterior narrada en un poema perdido del ciclo troyano, la Iliupersis, donde morían Laocoonte y solo uno de los hijos. La fuente también pudo haber sido una tragedia perdida.

 

Laocoonte era el sacerdote del templo de Apolo Timbreo en Troya y, al igual que Casandra, advirtió a los troyanos que si dejaban entrar en la ciudad al Caballo de Troya caerían en una trampa tendida por los griegos aqueos:

 

¡Necios, no os fieis de los griegos ni siquiera cuando os traigan regalos!

Virgilio, Eneida

Laocoonte llegó a arrojar una lanza que se clavó en el caballo de madera, pero cuando los troyanos estaban a punto de destruir el caballo, los soldados troyanos trajeron a Sinón, quien con las mentiras ideadas por Odiseo logró convencer a Príamo de que se trataba de una imagen sagrada de Atenea. Laocoonte, para tratar de impedir que entraran el caballo en la ciudad exclamó:

 

Ésas son mentiras -gritó Laocoonte- y parecen inventadas por Odiseo. ¡No le creas Príamo! [...] Te ruego, señor, que me permitas sacrificar un toro a Poseidón. Cuando vuelva espero ver este caballo de madera reducido a cenizas.

Graves, Los mitos griegos

Cuando Laocoonte se disponía a sacrificar el toro a Poseidón, dos serpientes marinas, llamadas Porces y Caribea, o Curisia, o Peribea, llegaron desde Ténedos y las Calidnes;26​ salieron del mar y atacaron a los hijos mellizos de Laocoonte, llamados Antifante y Timbreo o Melanto,26​ enroscándose alrededor de sus cuerpos; Laocoonte intentó salvarlos pero sufrió la misma suerte.22​ La tradición de Virgilio muestra las serpientes como un castigo divino por haber intentado destruir el caballo. Los troyanos interpretaron el episodio como una muestra de que el caballo era un objeto sagrado y de que Sinón había dicho la verdad.26​ Virgilio, en el libro II de la Eneida, relata así el ataque de las serpientes:

 

Ellas, con marcha firme, se lanzan hacia Laocoonte; primero se enroscan en los tiernos cuerpos de sus dos hijos, y rasgan a dentelladas sus miserables miembros; luego arrebatan al padre que, esgrimiendo un dardo, iba en auxilio de ellos, y lo sujetan con sus enormes anillos: ya ceñidas con dos vueltas alrededor de su cuerpo, y dos veces rodeado al cuello el escamoso lomo, todavía exceden por encima sus cabezas y sus erguidas cervices. Pugna con ambas manos Laocoonte por desatar aquellos nudos, mientras chorrea de sus vendas baba y negro veneno, y al propio tiempo eleva hasta los astros espantables clamores...

Virgilio, Eneida

Hay otra versión del mito que explica que se trató de un castigo de Apolo porque Laocoonte se había casado con Antiopa y engendrado hijos, consumando el hecho ante la estatua del dios, hecho que constituía un sacrilegio, ya que había realizado voto de celibato.26​27​28​ Príamo pensó que la muerte de Laocoonte se trataba de un castigo por haber intentado destruir el caballo, en lugar de por haber faltado al respeto de Apolo.26​ Sin embargo, las diferentes versiones del mito llegan a contar que sólo murió uno de los hijos, o que el mismo Laocoonte llegó a salvarse. También discrepan respecto a si el episodio se produjo en el altar de Poseidón o de Apolo.26​

 

Estudio de la obra[editar]

 

Detalle del rostro de Laocoonte, lleno de dramatismo.

La obra está enmarcada dentro de una composición de figura piramidal, y la mejor posición para su observación es la frontal; la obra representa las emociones humanas en su máxima expresión patética. Es, junto al gran altar de Zeus y Atenea de Pérgamo (180 a. C.-160 a. C.), un ejemplo de la escultura escenográfica helenística de un dramatismo más extremado.29​ Desde el Renacimiento, este grupo es representativo del arte antiguo y de la corriente académica y barroca del arte helenístico.30​

 

La expresión de culpabilidad y el gran dramatismo de Laocoonte, que hace contorsiones en dolorosa agonía, son estremecedores.31​ Dentro del grupo, las dos serpientes monstruosas, que se enroscan para matar de acuerdo al castigo impuesto por los dioses, forman parte de la composición visual del grupo, y con sus líneas curvas consigue la unión entre todos los personajes, hecho que ayuda a mostrar la dinámica que se desprende del grupo. Hay una voluntad de exagerar el efecto teatral de la anatomía, más acentuado que el altar de Pérgamo, y se añade el dolor moral de Laocoonte al presenciar la muerte de sus dos hijos.25​32​

 

Autores como Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe y Gotthold Ephraim Lessing realizaron ensayos sobre el grupo escultórico.

 

Winckelmann, en la primera edición de su Historia del arte en la antigüedad, de 1764, analiza, entre muchas otras obras, el grupo de Laocoonte, y señala que la figura del hijo más grande tuvo que ser ejecutada por separado.

 

Describe a Laocoonte como un espectáculo de la naturaleza humana sometida al mayor dolor de que es capaz de soportar. Este dolor hincha sus músculos y pone en tensión sus nervios, pero en su frente se ve la serenidad de su espíritu. Su pecho se eleva para tratar de contener el dolor y a través del vientre comprimido se puede ver el movimiento de sus vísceras. Sus hijos lo miran pidiéndole ayuda y él manifiesta su ternura paternal en su mirada tierna de unos ojos que se dirigen hacia el cielo implorando ayuda de los dioses. La abertura de su boca tiene un movimiento que expresa ataraxia e indignación por la idea de un castigo inmerecido.

 

Lessing, en su obra de crítica estética de 1766 Laocoonte o sobre los límites en la pintura y poesía, explica que "la escultura y la pintura se hacen con figuras y colores en el espacio" y "la poesía con sonidos articulados en el tiempo".33​

 

Goethe escribió su artículo Sobre Laocoonte en 1798, donde pone de manifiesto que los artistas han despojado a Laocoonte de su sacerdocio y de sus referencias mitológicas y lo han convertido en un padre normal con dos hijos amenazados por dos animales. Destaca la sensación de movimiento que produce el grupo, que parece cambiar de posición si el espectador abre y cierra los ojos alternativamente.

 

También elogia el momento elegido por los artistas como de interés máximo: cuando uno de los cuerpos está tan aprisionado que se ha quedado indefenso, el segundo es herido y está en condiciones de defenderse y al tercero todavía le queda la esperanza de huir.

 

El padre está representado en una posición en la que reacciona en el mismo instante en que es mordido en la cadera por una de las serpientes: desplaza el cuerpo hacia el lado opuesto, contrae el vientre, hincha el pecho, echa el hombro hacia delante e inclina la cabeza hacia el lado herido. Los pies están inmovilizados y los brazos en posición de lucha, ofreciendo una gran resistencia que sin embargo no parece ser efectiva. Se trata de un hombre fuerte pero que por su edad no se halla en su plenitud de fuerzas y por tanto no es muy capaz de soportar el dolor.

 

El hijo de menor tamaño, totalmente aprisionado, hace esfuerzos sin éxito para tratar de liberarse y aliviar su mal. El hijo de mayor tamaño apenas está levemente aprisionado por un pie y se horroriza y grita ante los movimientos de su padre. Pero él todavía tiene la oportunidad de liberarse y huir.34​

 

Influencia posterior[editar]

La obra ya tuvo gran influencia en la época de su descubrimiento debido a su grado de perfección. Los artistas del Renacimiento se vieron altamente influidos. Así, Miguel Ángel se inspiró en ella para realizar varias de sus obras, como algunas de las figuras del techo de la capilla Sixtina, particularmente la postura de Amán en la pareja Ester y Amán y La Serpiente de Bronce, dos de los esclavos realizados en la tumba de Julio II, y en los esbozos de La batalla de Cascina. Juan de Bolonia se inspiró en ella para su grupo escultórico El rapto de la Sabina (1581-1583). En El Parnaso, pintura de Rafael, también se advierte la similitud con la cabeza de Laocoonte en la figura que representa a Homero.35​ Tiziano, Rubens, El Greco,36​ William Blake y Max Ernst realizaron interpretaciones del grupo escultórico.

 

Vatican Museums

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  

vte

The Vatican Museums (Italian: Musei Vaticani; Latin: Musea Vaticana) are Christian and art museums located within the city boundaries of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by popes throughout the centuries including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display,[3] and currently employ 640 people who work in 40 different administrative, scholarly, and restoration departments.[4]

Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century.[5] The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and the Stanze di Raffaello decorated by Raphael, are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. In 2017, they were visited by 6 million people, which combined makes it the 4th most visited art museum in the world.[6][7]

There are 54 galleries, or sale, in total,[citation needed] with the Sistine Chapel, notably, being the very last sala within the Museum. It is one of the largest museums in the world.

In 2017, the Museum's official website and social media presence was completely redone, in accord with current standards and appearances for modern websites.[8]

 

History

The Vatican Museums trace their origin to one marble sculpture, purchased in the 16th century: Laocoön and His Sons was discovered on 14 January 1506, in a vineyard near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Pope Julius II sent Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti, who were working at the Vatican, to examine the discovery. On their recommendation, the pope immediately purchased the sculpture from the vineyard owner. The pope put the sculpture, which depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being attacked by giant serpents, on public display at the Vatican exactly one month after its discovery.

Benedict XIV founded the Museum Christianum, and some of the Vatican collections formed the Lateran Museum, which Pius IX founded by decree in 1854.[9]

The Museums celebrated their 500th anniversary in October 2006 by permanently opening the excavations of a Vatican Hill necropolis to the public.[10]

On 1 January 2017, Barbara Jatta became the Director of the Vatican Museums, replacing Antonio Paolucci who had been director since 2007.

 

Pinacoteca Vaticana

The art gallery was housed in the Borgia Apartment until Pope Pius XI ordered construction of a proper building. The new building, designed by Luca Beltrami, was inaugurated on 27 October 1932.[13] The museum has paintings including:

•Giotto's Stefaneschi Triptych

•Olivuccio di Ciccarello, Opere di Misericordia

•Raphael's Madonna of Foligno, Oddi Altarpiece and Transfiguration

•Leonardo da Vinci's St. Jerome in the Wilderness

•Caravaggio's Entombment

•Perugino's Madonna and Child with Saints and San Francesco al Prato Resurrection

•Filippo Lippi's Marsuppini Coronation

•Jan Matejko's Sobieski at Vienna

 

Collection of Modern Religious Art

The Collection of Modern Religious Art was added in 1973 and houses paintings and sculptures from artists like Carlo Carrà, Giorgio de Chirico, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, Salvador Dalí, and Pablo Picasso.[14]

 

Sculpture museums

The group of museums includes several sculpture museums surrounding the Cortile del Belvedere. These are the Gregoriano Profano Museum, with classical sculpture, and others as below:

 

Museo Pio-Clementino

  

A Roman naval bireme depicted in a relief from the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia in Praeneste (Palestrina),[15] constructed c. 120 BC;[16] exhibited in the Pius-Clementine Museum (Museo Pio-Clementino) of the Vatican.

The museum takes its name from two popes; Clement XIV, who established the museum, and Pius VI, the pope who brought the museum to completion. Clement XIV came up with the idea of creating a new museum in Innocent VIII's Belvedere Palace and started the refurbishment work.[17]

Pope Clement XIV founded the Pio-Clementino museum in 1771, and originally it contained the Renaissance and antique works. The museum and collection were enlarged by Clement's successor Pius VI. Today, the museum houses works of Greek and Roman sculpture. Some notable galleries are:

•Greek Cross Gallery: (Sala a Croce Greca): with the porphyri sarcophagi of Constance and Saint Helen, daughter and mother of Constantine the Great.

•Sala Rotonda: shaped like a miniature Pantheon, the room has impressive ancient mosaics on the floors, and ancient statues lining the perimeter, including a gilded bronze statue of Hercules.

•Gallery of the Statues (Galleria delle Statue): as its name implies, holds various important statues, including Sleeping Ariadne and the bust of Menander. It also contains the Barberini Candelabra.

•Gallery of the Busts (Galleria dei Busti): Many ancient busts are displayed.

•Cabinet of the Masks (Gabinetto delle Maschere): The name comes from the mosaic on the floor of the gallery, found in Villa Adriana, which shows ancient theater masks. Statues are displayed along the walls, including the Three Graces.

•Sala delle Muse: Houses the statue group of Apollo and the nine muses, uncovered in a Roman villa near Tivoli in 1774, as well as statues by important ancient Greek or Roman sculptors. The centerpiece is the Belvedere Torso, revered by Michelangelo and other Renaissance men.[18]

•Sala degli Animali: So named because of the many ancient statues of animals.

 

Museo Chiaramonti

This museum was founded in the early 19th century by Pope Pius VII, whose surname before his election as pope was Chiaramonti. The museum consists of a large arched gallery in which are exhibited several statues, sarcophagi and friezes. The New Wing, Braccio Nuovo, built by Raffaele Stern, houses statues including the Augustus of Prima Porta, the Doryphoros, and The River Nile. The Galeria Lapidaria forms part of the Museo Chiaramonti, and contains over 3,000 stone tablets and inscriptions. It is accessible only with special permission, usually for the purpose of academic study.

Museo Gregoriano Etrusco[edit]

Founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836, this museum has eight galleries and houses important Etruscan pieces, coming from archaeological excavations.[19] The pieces include: vases, sarcophagus, bronzes and the Guglielmi Collection.

 

Museo Gregoriano Egiziano

This museum houses a large collection of artifacts from Ancient Egypt.[20] Such material includes papyruses, the Grassi Collection, animal mummies, and reproductions of the Book of the Dead.[21]

 

History

The Museo Gregoriano Egiziano was inaugurated on 2 February 1839 to commemorate the anniversary of Gregory XVI's accession to the papacy. The creation of the Museo Gregoriano Egiziano was particularly close to the pope's heart as he believed the understanding of ancient Egyptian civilisation was vital in terms of its scientific importance as well as its value in understanding the Old Testament. This feeling was expressed in a paper by the museum's first curator, the physiologist and Barnabite, Father Luigi Maria Ungarelli.[17]

 

Vatican Historical Museum

The Vatican Historical Museum (Italian: Museo storico vaticano) was founded in 1973 at the behest of Pope Paul VI,[22] and was initially hosted in environments under the Square Garden. In 1987, it moved to the main floor of the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran where it opened in March 1991.

The Vatican Historical Museum has a unique collection of portraits of the Popes from the 16th century to date, the memorable items of the Papal Military Corps of the 16–17th centuries and old religious paraphernalia related to rituals of the papacy. Also on display on the lower floor are the papamobili (Popemobiles); carriages and motorcars of Popes and Cardinals, including the first cars used by Popes.[23]

phases finales féminines et masculines (ouverture des portes au public à 8h15)

Le World Rugby Sevens Series 2017-2018 est la 19e édition de la compétition la plus importante du monde de rugby à sept. Elle se déroule du 1er décembre 2017 au 10 juin 2018. L'Afrique du Sud est tenante du titre et l'Espagne est l'équipe promue de la saison.

Au mois d'avril se déroulent les Jeux du Commonwealth 2018 où dix équipes des World Rugby Sevens Series participent. La compétition enchaine ensuite avec la Coupe du monde de rugby à sept en juillet 2018.

Chaque étape est un tournoi se déroulant sur deux ou trois jours, entre le vendredi et le dimanche. À chaque étape est convié une équipe qui ne possède pas le statut d'équipe permanente, portant le nombre total d'équipes à seize.

En fonction du résultat du tournoi précédent, ou du classement de la saison passée pour le premier tournoi de la saison à Dubaï, les équipes sont réparties en chapeaux avant tirage au sort pour former quatre poules de quatre équipes. Chaque équipe joue les trois autres membres de sa poule et un classement est établi, tout d'abord sur le nombre de points (victoire 3 points, nul 2 points, défaite 1 point) puis sur le goal-average général. Les deux premiers de chaque poule passent en quart de finale de la Cup ou tournoi principal et les deux derniers passent en quart de finale du Challenge Trophy. Les équipes vaincues en quart de finale sont alors reversées en demi-finales de classement, respectivement pour la cinquième et treizième place. Les équipes battues en demi-finales ne disputent pas de petite finale de classement et remportent le même nombre de point, sauf pour les équipes battues en demi finales de Cup qui disputeront un dernier match de classement pour la troisième place.

Chaque rencontre, y compris la finale depuis l'édition 2016-2017, se dispute en deux fois sept minutes.

Créée en 2016, l’étape parisienne de rugby à 7 rassemble, de ce vendredi à dimanche, les meilleures nations mondiales pour décider du vainqueur du circuit mondial. Une belle vitrine pour la discipline dans un pays qui ne jure que par le XV.

Dixième étape de la saison, le Paris Sevens clôture ce week-end le circuit mondial de rugby à 7, réunissant les 16 meilleures nations du monde aux quatre coins de la planète. De vendredi à dimanche, dans l’enceinte du Stade Jean Bouin, les équipes masculines feront le spectacle à travers une discipline méconnue en France mais très appréciée dans de nombreux pays. Et, pour la première fois cette année, les équipes féminines ouvriront les festivités.

Une véritable fête du rugby à 7, discipline olympique depuis 2016 et en plein boom grâce à la vitrine que lui ont offert offert les Jeux de Rio. Chez les hommes, outre les nations majeures de l’Ovale comme la Nouvelle-Zélande, l’Australie, l’Angleterre ou les Fidji, le Kenya, le Canada ou encore l’Espagne font leur trou et voient dans cette discipline une chance de développer un sport mineur dans leur pays. Chez les femmes, la Chine, le Japon ou la Russie figurent dans le top 12.

Le crazy rugby à la fête

Créée en 2016, l’étape parisienne est également l’occasion pour la France de développer la discipline dans un pays qui ne jure que par le XV. «Nous sommes fiers de soutenir financièrement ce tournoi et de permettre qu’il existe», a tenu à rappeler le vice-président de la région Île-de-France, Patrick Karam. Et de poursuivre. «La région est également présente dans la sensibilisation. Vendredi, 360 lycéens pourront découvrir la discipline grâce à de nombreuses animations. Il est important pour nous de tout faire pour développer cette pratique, en vue de Paris 2024», a-t-il poursuivi, alors que la conférence de presse de présentation se tenait dans les locaux de la région, dans le 7e arrondissement parisien.

Dernière étape de la saison, le tournoi parisien représente en tout cas une belle vitrine pour la discipline, dans une ville au rayonnement mondial. «C’est formidable de pouvoir clôturer la saison dans une ville aussi magnifique, chez un hôte comme la France», ajoute de son côté Douglas Langley, directeur du tournoi et membre de World Rugby. «Nous nous réjouissons d’avance de ce week-end de ‘crazy rugby’», conclut-il. Et c’est bien là l’atout majeur de la discipline. Spectaculaire, chaque rencontre offre de nombreux essais et des sprints permanents.

Les Bleues veulent briller

Le public parisien, qui vient en nombre à chaque édition, est adepte de cette discipline. Le Stade Jean Bouin était plein en 2016 et 2017, et l’édition 2018, même s’il reste encore des places à vendre, ne dérogera certainement pas à la règle. Pourtant, ce ne sont pas les résultats des Bleus qui font venir les supporters. Malgré une 3e place en 2016, et une 5e en 2017, l’équipe masculine connaît une saison compliquée. 12e sur 16 au classement, les Bleus n’ont pas fait mieux que 7e cette année lors des neuf précédents tournois du circuit.

«Même si nos chances sont moindres, on rentre dans ce tournoi pour le gagner, et on a la chance d’avoir le soutien du public avec nous», déclare Manoël Dall’igna, capitaine de France 7. «Ces deux dernières années on a eu des supers résultats ici et on compte sur le 8e homme pour faire aussi bien», termine-t-il. Cette période de creux, due en partie à de nombreux départs en retraite en 2016, ne touche pas les féminines. 3e du circuit mondial, les coéquipières de Fanny Horta visent le podium à Paris. «On a reçu beaucoup de messages de soutien de la jeune génération, et on veut vraiment profiter de ce soutien pour garder la dynamique de la saison et faire un nouveau podium», confie la capitaine.

Mises en valeur ce week-end, les Bleues représentent «la véritable locomotive du 7 en France avec une très belle réussite sportive», estime Christophe Reigt, manager des équipes de France à 7. Suffisant pour développer la discipline en France ? Quoiqu’il en soit, avec cette étape parisienne, la Fédération se démène pour populariser le 7 dans l’Hexagone, avec un objectif majeur en ligne de mire : les Jeux olympiques de Paris en 2024.

 

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 Awards in Paris brought a fitting end to an enthralling season which saw South Africa and Australia crowned men’s and women’s series champions respectively.

It’s been one of the most competitive seasons on record as both the women’s and men’s series were decided by just two-point differences.

South Africa fought an incredible battle with Fiji in the men’s series to retain their title with victory at the final round in Paris, while Olympic champions Australia won their second overall title ahead of rivals New Zealand on the women’s series after reaching the podium at every one of the five rounds.

The end of season awards provided a chance to celebrate the men’s and women’s sevens players, coaches and teams that are the stars, ambassadors and role models of the sport.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “It has been another tremendous year for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, which continues to go from strength to strength.

“I hugely admire the skill and physicality of rugby sevens and thank the players for their outstanding commitment which makes the series such a success. It is great to see the series capturing the imagination on and off the field with year-on-year increases in attendances, broadcast and fan-engagement figures, and that is a great testament to the players, coaches, host unions and everyone involved with the events.

“Rugby sevens took a quantum leap when it joined the Olympic programme in 2016 and now we look forward to a Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco in just 40 days time in an iconic city and a market with great potential. It promises to be a thrilling and spectacular event.”

the workload. It is a blessing for me to be standing here.”

Rookies of the Year

Eroni Sau is the second Fijian to be named Rookie of the Year for the men’s series after being a clear winner in the fan vote ahead of his compatriot Alosio Naduva and Australia’s Ben O’Donnell. The 28-year-old featured in all 10 rounds in his debut season, using his powerful physique to score 37 tries.

France’s Coralie Bertrand, meanwhile, claimed the women’s accolade, having featured in all five rounds and helped Les Bleues enjoy their best season, reaching a first-ever Cup final in Kitakyushu and semi-finals in Langford and Paris to clinch the series bronze medal.

Fair Play Award

This award, selected by the match officials, recognises the teams who showcase rugby’s values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect. Japan were awarded the women’s accolade after an event that saw them lose their core team status on the series, with Kenya the men’s recipients following an exciting season which saw them reach the final in both Vancouver and Hong Kong.

Roche’s kick with the final play of the match against England to snatch the bronze medal for invitational team Ireland at the HSBC London Sevens was a clear winner of the men’s award, beating Fijian Alosio Naduva’s last-gasp winning try against Australia in the Singapore Cup final and Matias Osadczuk’s break and calm head to send Renzo Barbier over for the winning try in Argentina’s Cup semi-final against South Africa in Las Vegas.

Capgemini Coach of the Series

Another inaugural category, selected by the series’ global innovation partner Capgemini, was won by New Zealand women’s coach Alan Bunting after successive victories in the last three rounds of the series in Japan, Canada and France as well as the Commonwealth Games title in April.

South Africa coach Neil Powell, who guided the Blitzboks to retaining their series title, picked up the men’s coach of the series award and paid tribute to his victorious team: “The mental focus and composure they showed was fantastic, all credit to the boys for believing in their success. We had everything to play for and the team did an incredible job, not just today but over the whole season.

“I also want to congratulate Fiji on an amazing season, they were phenomenal.”

DHL Impact Player

The race to be named DHL Impact Player of the Year in both the men’s and women’s series went right down to the final matches. In total 16 players from 12 nations won tournament awards during this season’s series.

New Zealand’s Michaela Blyde was delighted to win the women’s award: “This is pretty special. I’m shocked and truly grateful. I put this down to my teammates who create the opportunities for me and I thank them.”

 

La Fédération française de rugby organise, du 8 au 10 juin au stade Jean-Bouin, à Paris 16e, un tournoi international de rugby à 7 masculin et féminin, étape du HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

Cette manifestation sportive, soutenue par la Région à hauteur de 170.000€, va rassembler 28 équipes internationales, qui s'affronteront au cours de 45 matchs masculins et 34 matchs féminins.

Le public pourra découvrir à cette occasion, jusque dans sa pratique féminine, une discipline largement méconnue.

Quant au stade Jean-Bouin, qui est l'un des sites retenus pour les JO Paris 2024, il pourra mettre en avant sa capacité d’accueil de 20.000 spectateurs.

Ce tournoi constituant la 10e et dernière étape du circuit mondial, il s'achèvera avec la remise des titres de champion et championne du monde de rugby à 7.

En soutenant l'organisation de tels grands événements sportifs franciliens, la Région Île-de-France renforce chaque fois un peu plus l'attractivité de ses territoires tout en assurant son rayonnement à l'échelle internationale.

Le titre HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series a été décidé de façon spectaculaire après que l'Afrique du Sud a battu l'Angleterre 24-14 en finale du HSBC Paris Sevens pour décrocher la médaille d'or et conserver son titre de série.

Au cours d'une des années les plus compétitives de l'histoire de la série, le titre est allé jusqu'au tout dernier match puisque l'Afrique du Sud avait besoin d'une victoire en tournoi pour dépasser les Fidji dans le classement de la série.

L'Afrique du Sud a terminé la série en tête avec 182 points, suivie des Fidji qui ont remporté l'argent avec 180 points et la Nouvelle-Zélande avec 150 points après avoir remporté la médaille de bronze à Paris avec une victoire de 38-5 contre le Canada dans la troisième place

Les champions de la série de l'année dernière, l'Afrique du Sud, ont devancé l'Espagne 15-10 en quart de finale avec un essai à la cinquième minute de Justin Deguld, après que les pointages aient été 10-10 à la fin du temps réglementaire. Les Blitzboks sud-africains ont ensuite trouvé leur rythme en demi-finale avec une victoire complète de 24-12 contre la Nouvelle-Zélande grâce à deux essais de l'impressionnant Dewald Human, 23 ans, qui a fait ses débuts il y a deux mois à Hong Kong .

Humain était de nouveau en forme de but en finale et était ravi d'être élu Joueur de la Finale: "Ca a été une expérience fantastique ici à Paris, je me suis appuyé sur moi et j'ai apprécié chaque minute sur le terrain. sommes très heureux de la victoire. "

Le capitaine de l'équipe sud-africaine, Philip Snyman, a ajouté: "Nous voulions aller jouer au rugby et nous concentrer sur ce que nous pouvions contrôler: les gars ont joué un rugby phénoménal et ont fait honneur à l'équipe. C'est un sentiment incroyable de représenter un pays si merveilleux et les gens de chez nous n'ont jamais cessé de croire en nous et de nous soutenir. "

Fidjiens ont raté l'occasion de remporter le titre plus tôt dans la journée alors qu'ils ont été vaincus 19-17 par une équipe d'Angleterre pleine d'entrain dans un quart de finale à couper le souffle. Le capitaine de l'équipe d'Angleterre, Tom Mitchell, a complété un mouvement de 26 passes pour marquer dans les dernières secondes du match et mettre un terme à la récente domination des Fidji qui les avait vaincus lors des quatre dernières manches de la série.

Les Fidjiens se sont rétablis pour battre l'Irlande 38-5 et les États-Unis 28-7 pour terminer cinquième à Paris et mettre la pression sur l'Afrique du Sud pour la finale mais finalement ce n'était pas suffisant et les Fidjiens ont été obligés de se contenter des dix tours.

L'Angleterre a produit une autre performance puissante en demi-finale avec une victoire convaincante de 26-12 contre le Canada pour atteindre sa première finale de la série 2017-18, mais ils ont été incapables de faire face aux Blitzboks en finale alors que les hommes d'Afrique du Sud couraient vainqueurs devant une foule parisienne bruyante.

Équipe Invitational L'Irlande a battu 19-5 du quart en quarts de finale, mais après sa médaille de bronze à Londres la semaine dernière, les Irlandais se sont montrés assez prometteurs au cours des deux derniers tours un brillant avenir dans le rugby à sept.

L'Argentine a remporté le Challenge Trophy, décerné à l'équipe terminant en neuvième position, après avoir vaincu le Pays de Galles 33-26.

Toute l'attention se tourne maintenant vers la Coupe du monde de rugby à sept 2018 à San Francisco du 20 au 22 juillet, où 24 équipes masculines et 16 équipes féminines s'affronteront pour devenir championnes du monde au cours de trois journées d'action excitantes. Plus de 72 000 billets ont déjà été vendus et d'autres détails peuvent être obtenus via

A print from the Phillip Medhurst Collection at St. George’s Court, Kidderminster.

Jerusalem is considered a 'holy city' by three of the world's great religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem has been the holiest city since, according to the Biblical Old Testament, King David of Israel first established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified there in c. 30 CE, and 300 years later Saint Helena identified the pilgrimage sites of Jesus' life. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city. It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi), the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemanie, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

The walls of the Old City, the Black Dome of the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Golden Dome of the Dome of the Rock are clearly visible in the upper center, the Valley of Kidron lies in front of it. The high rise building of the New City of Jerusalem (west) are near the horizon.

 

These are the last of the photos taken by my daughter Courtney on her recent trip to Israel. This image, and all of the others, was shot with a Nikon Coolpix Camera. Processing by me.

Dundalk overwhelm Bangor in All Ireland Final

by Roger Corbett

Bangor’s amazing run in the All Ireland Junior Cup came to an abrupt end when they were comprehensively beaten by Dundalk, eventually losing by 55-5.

Where do you start when trying to relate and absorb the events of Saturday’s final at Chambers Park? Firstly, congratulations to worthy winners Dundalk who nullified the Bangor attack, then went on to produce some stunning plays which racked up no less than 8 tries, each by a different player. For Bangor’s part, they were unable to respond to the intensity of Dundalk’s game, and lacked the cutting edge which their opponents used to great effect.

The day started full of promise, as the strong support from North Down made their way to Chambers Park in Portadown, knowing Bangor would be fielding their best team. Once again, the pundits had Bangor as the underdogs – just as they had done so in the previous three rounds! In confounding the experts earlier, Bangor produced some awesome performances against top quality opposition to get to the final. Dundalk had produced some convincing wins in the early rounds of the competition, but had struggled to get past CIYMS in the semi-final, just managing to squeeze ahead at the second time of asking. However, with a number of key players returning to the side in time for this game, they were now back at full strength and would be a formidable force to contend with.

Having won the toss, captain Jamie Clegg elected to play into the stiff wind in the first half. For the first 5 minutes, Bangor doggedly retained possession and tried to play their way into Dundalk’s half through a series of determined forward moves. However, little ground was made and, when possession was finally lost, the Dundalk back line produced a burst that simply cut through the Bangor defence resulting in an easy touch down under Bangor’s posts for a 7-0 lead.

Bangor stuck to their plan and slowly, but patiently, got their attack moving forward, eventually winning a penalty to the left of Dundalk’s posts, but Mark Widdowson’s kick into the wind drifted just wide of the mark.

The contrast in play between the two teams was becoming clear, with Bangor trying to keep the ball close while Dundalk were throwing it wide. The latter strategy was proving to be the more effective as, with 20 minutes gone, a quick back line move with players looping around resulted in an overlap on the right wing which gave a clear run in to again, score under the posts. A further 9 minutes later, they did it again and, although the Bangor defence had sensed the danger and moved across to cover it, their tackling let them down allowing Dundalk to get over in the right hand corner, taking their lead to 19-0.

By now, Bangor were trying to hang on until half time when they could regroup and come out with the wind at their backs. Dundalk, on the other hand were anxious to press home their advantage and give them a more comfortable lead. To Bangor’s credit, although camped on their own line for lengthy spells, they dug in and managed to hold on until the referee’s half time whistle.

As the teams reappeared from the dressing rooms, it was obvious Bangor were ringing the changes, particularly in the backs. With the wind advantage having lessened considerably, Bangor got the second half underway. It was now Dundalk’s turn to adopt the slow, steady approach, just as Bangor had done earlier. However, their more confident off-loading and support play was, once again, taking play deep into Bangor’s territory. Frustration at not being able to gain possession and take play out of their danger area eventually resulted in a yellow card for Clegg after a succession of penalties. Dundalk kicked the penalty to touch, won their lineout and drove for the line. Although initially held up by the Bangor defence, Dundalk’s repeated drives were eventually rewarded with another converted score, extending their lead to 26-0.

From the touchline, the Bangor faithful had felt that if their players had managed to score first in the second half, they may have been able to mount a fight-back and close the gap to their opponents. As it was, this Dundalk score simply bolstered their confidence and pushed Bangor deeper into trouble. With Bangor still a man down, Dundalk added to the score with a penalty and then another score in the corner. Everything was now working for the Leinster men, as even the difficult touchline conversion into the biting wind successfully split the posts, bringing the score to 36-0.

As the game entered the final quarter, and with Dundalk all but holding the cup, Bangor were now on the ropes. By contrast, the Dundalk players were in almost total control, and were not going to slow down now. In a 10 minute spell, they ran in a further 3 tries, making the scoreline 55-0. By now, any sense of dejection the Bangor supporters may have been feeling was now moved to feelings of sympathy for their players. However, pride was at stake and once again Bangor rallied as the game entered its final minutes. At last, the forwards got within striking distance of the Dundalk line and, although their repeated attacks were repelled, they finally managed to do what their opponents had done so effectively, and quickly passed the ball wide to Davy Charles. Even though they were 55 points ahead, the Dundalk defence made Charles work hard to drive through the tackles and score Bangor’s consolation try, bringing the final score to 55-5.

From Bangor’s point of view, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story of this competition. While the final may have resulted in a sad anti-climax for Bangor, the remarkable journey to get there will be remembered for some time. On the day, Dundalk were by far the better side, and Bangor would have to concede that their game was not up to the usual standard. However, there is no doubt the experience of competing at this level is something to relish and the goal now will be to secure a top four place in the league and try again next year.

Everybody at the club has nothing but the highest respect and praise for what has been achieved this year by not just the 1sts, but all the senior teams, and one poor result isn’t going to change that – the welcome at Upritchard Park for the returning players is testament to that. With that in mind, the players now need to put this disappointment behind them and provide the best possible response against a struggling Portadown side at home in the league next Saturday.

Bangor side: J Leary, A Jackson, P Whyte, F Black, G Irvine, R Latimer, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong, K Rosson, D Charles, M Aspley, M Weir, M Widdowson, C Morgan

Subs: S Irvine, O McIlmurray, D Kelly, M Rodgers, C Harper, D Fusco, M Thompson

Bangor scores: D Charles (1T)

Dundalk Storm To Title Dundalk 55 v Bangor 5 from KnockOn.ie

Dundalk Scorers: Christopher Scully, Owen McNally, Jonathan Williams, John Smyth, Ultan Murphy, Tiernan Gonnelly, James McConnon and Stephen Murphy 1 try each. Ultan Murphy 6 cons, 1 pen.

Bangor Scorers: David Charles 1 try.

In front of a big crowd at Chambers Park on Saturday afternoon Dundalk delivered a stunning and ruthless display to see off the challenge of Bangor and capture the All Ireland Junior Cup title for the very first time.

Three first half tries had them firmly in control at 19-0 ahead having played with the elements at the Portadown venue during the first half and while the wind dropped somewhat after half time the Dundalk intensity most certainly didn’t as they cut loose scoring five more tries.

Dundalk returned to a heroes welcome at their Mill Road clubhouse on Saturday night after a display of pure brilliance throughout the afternoon.

Precision, pace and skill from the Louth men from start to finish left Bangor playing second fiddle for long periods.

Photograph of a print in the Phillip Medhurst Collection (owned by Philip De Vere) at St. George’s Court, Kidderminster

it took me a while, but I finally got around to cracking open this beauty - presenting the Tamashii Nations Saint Seiya: Andromeda Shun God Cloth - 10th Anniversary Edition figure set, which I picked up at a Flea Market for $60 CAD.

 

If you were around during the early 2000s, you may remember a little toy line from Bandai called Knights of the Zodiac. Much like Ultimate Muscle, Knights of the Zodiac was based on an incredibly popular Japanese property - in this case, it was known as Saint Seiya, which had been around since the mid 80s. The series revolves around the chosen warriors of the Goddess Athena, who are gifted with armour sets, or "cloths" that draw their power from various constellations. I have yet to actually watch anything from this series, Japanese or American, but I do remember watching a bit of the first American episode and noting that they censored the living crap out of it. Other than that, the only other exposure I had to the series was occasionally I'd see pictures as a kid of the one they call Dragon Shiryu, who had some admitted badass looking gear. I think the number of suits in the series could probably give MCU Iron Man a run for his money.

 

The main gimmick of each figure was that you'd have a generic core figure (with the head generally being the only difference), and you could gear up each figure with chromed armour pieces. The Bandai of America releases were very much based on the sets I'd seen while clomping around Market Village and Pacific Mall in Markham, as the series popularity over in Asia made it a no brainer for local import toy stores to bring it relatively cheap figures from Hong Kong and sell them here. But this was 2004 - I had already graduated from University and was working full time, well on my way to becoming a toy snob. Furthermore, it was Bandai of America.. you just knew that they'd cheap out on something just to make a buck.

 

So, as you can imagine with no time actually watch the series, and effectively nobody ever talking about it locally, I basically had no real reason to keep up with the property. Little did I know Saint Seiya was an ongoing thing - it never did die overseas. So much so that Bandai of Japan actually went ahead and had Tamashii Nations further refine the figure line eventually resulting in the Myth Cloth Revival line, where all the original character were rereleased as new action figures, having core bodies that weren't quite Figuarts good, but were much improved over the original toys by at the very least allowing for figures with the proper body proportions and vastly improved articulation.

 

Andromeda Shun, as the name implies, is a character named Shun who wields the cloth of Andromeda. According to my research, Shun is generally hesitant to use violence as a solution to matters, but when he does all sorts of wonderful things happen. Considered the strongest amongst the core five saints (known as the Bronze Saints). His character has some other deep dark secrets that I'm not going to touch on, but overall, I'm told he's one of the most popular characters in the series. The God Cloth in the title indicates that this is the most powerful form of the named Cloth, in this case the Andromeda cloth. The original appears to have been released in 2009 (this was a 2014 figure), with improvements being more accurate colouring, and the addition of an alternate shocked expression face to recreate a key scene.

 

With the background out of the way, lets move on the actual overview.

 

First off, lets talk contents. This set MSRPed for 8,250 yen back in 2014, and even if you added inflation to the price there is no way in you'd get anything even CLOSE to what you get in this box for the price. You get the core body, two expressions (neutral, shocked), two front hair pieces (one for mounting the headgear), parts to the armour (all of which is die cast metal with the exception of the collar piece, wings, headgear, along with the chest and waist cover, and the pieces on the sides of the hands), two additional bracers with metal chains (main weapons), a formed plastic chain (Thunder Wave attack effect), 3 pairs of hands specifically for use with the armour (closed fists, chain gripping fists, posing hands), and the parts to turn the armour into an Object (think really ornate armour stand, which in the case of Andromeda is a kneeling figure) including some really intricate curved chains.

 

The armour itself consists of :

 

Headgear

Collar piece

Inner upper and lower torso frame

Chest piece

Waist piece

Pauldrons

Bicep guards

Forearm guards

Hip guards (both sides)

Thigh guards

Knee guards

Lower leg guards

Wings

 

As the photos show if it isn't on the core figure, it's either chromed plastic or it's coloured die cast metal parts. There's not a dull/unfinished piece on this gear whatsoever.

 

The main figure is larger than a modern day Figuarts - yes Nat is technically slightly smaller than the average male Figuarts, but its nothing that would change this statement. Very anorexic looking, which allowed for the equipping of less bulky looking accessories. The actual mobility isn't bad, as you get toe, ankles, double jointed knees, hips with thigh swivel, limited mobility waist and mid torso, shoulders with chest collapse, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, wrists, limited neck motion, and head articulation. The figure is also equipped with die cast clown shoes to improve balance both with and without the gear on. With the exception of the waist and torso, range of motion isn't too bad, and is definitely on par with the better offerings of 2009. Articulation of the various body parts is generally not further limited even after you equip the armour, with the sole exception being the upper body, which goes from limited movement to no movement due to the body armour harness effectively having no points of articulation whatsoever.

 

Equipping the armour is an incredibly painstaking activity, so much so that it took me almost 30 minutes the first time to put things on, mostly due to fear of scratching the finished surfaces. Even after realizing I had one of the leg armour pieces on backwards in my pictures, I decided that it's too much effort to put it back for a reshoot. You see, unlike the original Deluxe figures where you'd just clip on chromed plastic armour around the various limbs, this figure requires the removal of hands and legs to get the limb armour on. But, as much of a pain it is getting the parts on just right, and the limited range of motion overall, the finished product looks stunning, especially if you've got some bright lights on the figure. It's not quite Hot Toys die cast Iron Man, but it's pretty damn impressive nonetheless. As stated earlier, arms, legs, and head are generally unhindered even with the armour on.. that is to say it doesn't make it any worse. The pauldrons and hip guards have ball joints on the mounting parts to allow for more range of motion as to improve posing opportunities.

 

From an actual paint perspective, I honestly don't think there's much of it on the figure. There's the plastic hair, the hair, and the fleshtones. Everything else is pretty much chrome plating which looks glorious. There are some imperfections in the finish here and there, but those are rare to find. Overall, this is a one sharp looking figure. The chromed plastic parts blend in quite well due to excellent colour matching.

 

Build quality is picture perfect where it matters - the armour. Much like with the Hot Toys Iron Man line, the use of metal has allowed for thinner parts, which reduces the overall bulk of the figure, as well as permits for that fantastic metallic finish. Despite the general non linearity of the parts, everything fits together perfectly, which is saying a lot given how much assembly there is on this figure, and is a testament to the impressive QC that went into the manufacture of the armour parts, including the parts for Object. On the main figure, the only rough spot I could see was the finish on the waist section of the core figure wasn't great at all, but fortunately that section was effectively on the undercarriage, so it's not something that you'd normally notice. Based on my experience, joints will hold your desired pose, even with the additional weight of the die cast metal parts.

 

A few gripes before we adjourn. First off, by far the most annoying thing to do with this figure is to assemble Object mode. Not only do you need to keep track of the left and right parts (put on wrong the figure won't sit right), but putting the chains together is a major pain due to the small size of the connectors (both to the body and to each other) which is further exasperated by the fact if the forearms aren't lined up correctly you're going to have a hell of a time trying to actually get it right. If they (Tamashii Nations) designed the shoulders of the Object such that they would only point in one directly, why couldn't they do that with the forearms?

 

The second major issue I have goes back the usual gripe I have with Figuarts figures - the lack of a stand. While normally just annoying, the lack of a stand makes this figure a bit of a gamble to pose. You see, despite the giant metal clown feet, the figure can still fall over, especially when it's weighed down with all the armour pieces. Scratches is one thing, but my biggest fear is that it falls over backward, and either due to long exposure warps the plastic wings, or if you're really unlucky, falls over with a force that ends up snapping the wings. Neither of which are particularly attractive or desired, so until I can figure things out I'm leaving the Shun unarmoured.

 

Phew.. so there you have it. A long write up, but well worth it for a truly extraordinary action figure both from an aesthetic perspective as well as overall production values, a combination of which isn't really a thing these days unless you go one sixth scale or higher. I suspect "finishing the line", especially with my cheapness, is probably not something that is going to ever happen, but to be honest I say that about a lot of things. I guess at least I know what to look for, which is a good start.

 

With that said, it's off the next review, which I'm gonna flip a coin to decide on, but will be guaranteed to be less metal.

19. März 2018, Buchpräsentation „Das Alte Testament. Erzählt von Arik Brauer“

Waterfront and docks Liverpool UK

As a major British port, the docks in Liverpool have historically been central to the city's development. Several major docking firsts have occurred in the city including the construction of the world's first enclosed wet dock (the Old Dock) in 1715 and the first ever hydraulic lifting cranes. The best-known dock in Liverpool is the Albert Dock, which was constructed in 1846 and today comprises the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in Britain.Built under the guidance of Jesse Hartley, it was considered to be one of the most advanced docks anywhere in the world upon completion and is often attributed with helping the city to become one of the most important ports in the world. The Albert Dock houses restaurants, bars, shops, two hotels as well as the Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Tate Liverpool and The Beatles Story. North of the city centre is Stanley Dock, home to the Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse, which was at the time of its construction in 1901, the world's largest building in terms of area and today stands as the world's largest brick-work building.

One of the most famous locations in Liverpool is the Pier Head, renowned for the trio of buildings – the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building – which sit upon it. Collectively referred to as the Three Graces, these buildings stand as a testament to the great wealth in the city during the late 19th and early 20th century. Built in a variety of architectural styles, they are recognised as being the symbol of Maritime Liverpool, and are regarded by many as contributing to one of the most impressive waterfronts in the world.

  

Bluecoat Chambers, the oldest building in Liverpool city centre

In recent years, several areas along Liverpool's waterfront have undergone significant redevelopment. Amongst the notable recent developments are the Museum of Liverpool, the construction of the Echo Arena Liverpool and BT Convention Centre on Kings Dock, Alexandra Tower and 1 Princes Dock on Prince's Dock and Liverpool Marina around Coburg and Brunswick Docks. The Wheel of Liverpool opened on 25 March 2010.

An example image from the five new illustrated Bible stories in the Genesis section of The Brick Testament website. See the full illustrated stories here.

Testament at Nummirock 2015, Finland

This large-format copy of the New Testament was created at, and for, Rochester Cathedral in Rochester, England in the first half of the twelfth century. The manuscript is an important survival, for it is one part of what is believed to be the the earliest decorated Bible produced at the priory scriptorium at Rochester. Originally a five volume work, only one other volume, British Library, Royal I.C.VII., has survived. The book's large size indicates it was designed to be read aloud, either during services or at meals. Large, fanciful initials filled with foliage, dragons, and human faces begin each section of the text, and their vibrant color and intricate designs capture the essence of Romanesque manuscript illumination.

 

Initial "P" opening the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians.

 

To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.

 

The Church of St George (Romansh: Sogn Gieri), dating back to the High Middle Ages, belongs to the church parishes of Bonaduz and Rhäzüns. It is decorated throughout with Gothic frescoes by the Waltensburger and Rhäzüns masters. The visitor experiences the Middle Ages here in the truest sense of the word. The depictions on the choir and nave walls of the Romanesque church are a ”biblia paupera”. The pictures recount events from the Old and, above all, from the New Testament. The Waltensburger frescoes testify to a courtly culture, which is also documented by the knightly epics and Minnesang. Representations of torture in the legend of St George stand in contrast to elegant saints and courageous knights. There is no other interior throughout the Canton of Graubünden whose walls tell us so much about what was important in the Middle Ages.

It is considered the richest example of a completely decorated church interior of the Middle Ages in Switzerland.__Located at a remote location on a wooded hill above the anterior Rhine. The patronage festival goes back to the local legend, which tells how St. George did missionary work in the Grisons in the middle of the 4th century. At this place he leapt over the Rhine on his horse to escape pagan persecutors. Old parish, mentioned 960; evidence of a Carolingian hall church with stilted apse and walled, open (?) entrance courtyard found during excavations when restoration took place in 1961-1963. The present-day complex consists of a Romanesque nave with a flat ceiling and a transverse rectangular Gothic choir (the choir lies perpendicular to the nave) from the early 14th century with a cross rib vault. High Gothic wall-paintings by two artists. The earlier ones in the choir and choir arch by the Waltensburg Master ca. 1350, the newer ones on the walls of the nave by a Rhäzuns master from the 2nd half of the 14th century.__Choir: the ribs painted colourfully to simulate rich profiles. Intertwined leaves between four large medallions with angels as evangelists in the sectroids. Christ’s countenance on the apex stone; Annunciation in the tree vault shields, (flanked by the fox and stork from Aesop’s Fables), Crucifixion and the Coronation of Mary; a badly damaged Adoration of the Magi, row of apostles and benefactor couple under a bold meandering frieze with the coat of arms of Rhäzüns; St. Oswald and St. Nicholas in the window embrasure; pedestal drapery._ Three image bands with iconographically interesting, intertwined scenes of the miracle and passion of St. George on the wall under the merlon frieze: on the upper right King Dadianus shows the wheel and cauldron instruments of torture to the Saint, next to it the miracle of St. George, who causes branches to grow out of the house of a poor widow; below this the widow’s crippled child is presented to St. George, on the left the capture of St. George; on the upper left Queen Alexandria is hung by her hair, whipped and then beheaded after her confession to Christianity, while St. George is put into a cauldron of boiling lead as he prays for her; in the middle band of pictures the magician Anthanasios causes a demon to rise up out of a bursting steer; in the lower band the Saint is tortured, hung and desecrated, to the right of the choir arch he is decapitated; under the legend of St. George to the left is a Virgin of Mercy with kneeling benefactor and two women under the coat of arms of Rhäzüns: John the Baptist on the right above the masonry altar block; representation of the battle with the dragon on the north wall of the nave.__Nave: three bands of single images from the 2nd half of the 14th century by the so-called Rhäzüns Master along the longer walls and on the west wall. These distinguish themselves from the true form and carefully composed art of the Waltensburg Master by their linear and improvised representation of a type of pauper's Bible. Scenes in loose order from the Old and New Testaments that are kept strictly disconnected. Further devotional images on the north wall: St. Nicholas with the three virgins above; the so-called Holiday Christ, Gregory Mass, local legend of the St. George leaping over the Rhine, Archangel Michael as weigher of the souls, the death and burial of the Mother of God below. (Kunstführer durch die Schweiz, Hg. Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte, Band 2, Bern 2005) (Art Guide Throughout Switzerland, ed. Swiss Society for Art History, Volume 2, Berne 2005)

   

Also see IMG148, RM023, RM013 ............................. 'This is a copy of a Post Card with no date'

 

Ernest Heeger ----------- Born 1892 Goulburn.

 

Ernest lived with his parents Charles and Lousia Heeger at 35 Maitland Rd Islington in the Newcastle area. On the 23rd August 1916 his address was changed to Carlingford Rd Epping Sydney after his parents moved.

To confirm the address, I found inside the cover of his brothers Edward's (my grandfather) New Testament the same address dated 12th May 1912.

 

Ernest Heeger enlisted for service in the Australian Military Forces for services abroad on 18th July 1915.

On his enlistment form he was born in or near the town of Goulburn NSW and was natural born, 23 years and 6 months old and employed as a carpenter, 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall, 152 lbs., dark complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.

 

He was assigned to the 5th Division 8th Bde 30th Battalion 'B' Company and issued with service number 443.

Ernest embarked Sydney on 9th November 1915 for service abroad on the vessel HMAT Beltana (Ship No. A72) and disembarked at Suez on 11th December 1915.

 

The 5th Division commanding officer was Major General James McCay and he was informed on the 13th July 1916 that they would be the first division to go into full scale battle. The 5th Australian and the 61st British divisions began the attack at 6pm on 19th July 1916 at Fromelles. The two inexperienced divisions fighting side by side suffered shocking losses of 5500 casualties with 470 taken prisoners of war in a period of 24 hours.

 

On the 23rd June 1916 he arrived at Marseillea and on 20th July was Wounded in Action at Fromelles. He was admitted to 2nd Australian General Hospital at Wimereux with gunshot wound to left shoulder, under arm and back with possible fracture of spine with some dead bone present and then transferred out of France to the 5th Northern Gen. Hospital Leicester England.

 

He sailed from Plymouth on vessel HT Benalla on 13th February 1917 to Melbourne Australia.

On 13th April 1917 he returned to 2MD Sydney for discharged Medically Unfit for service.

He was discharged on 27th July 1917 from 4th AGH at Randwick after being classified with Permanent Incapacity on 12th July 1917.

From 14th February 1918 he received 2 Pounds ($4) per fortnight as his service pension.

 

There is a photograph of Ernest held by the Queanbeyan Museum, it is also listed on the Data base at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra (AWM P01061-003) called The Queanbeyan Boys from the First World War.

After comparing the two photographs with the prints of Ernest from my Glass Plate Negatives from 1915 (the original in my collection), it appears that the two photographs are the same.

 

It is interesting to note that Ernest is the only Heeger who ever saw active service for Australia, particularly being from German descent..

 

Copyright, please do not use without written consent. If you would like to have use of one of my images for a publication, gallery,or otherwise please email info@shutter16.com for information on obtaining use.

 

Photographer: Jimmy Warsham

Our Lady of Lourdes & St Joseph, Leigh on Sea, Essex

 

Blog page

I passed OLoL&SJ (apologies for the acronym) on my way to St Clement and had to stop. This RC church had fallen off my radar and would have been missed had it not been so arresting.

Built in the 1920's to the design of the parish priest, Fr FW Gilbert, it stands as his personal testament to God. Full of good period glass, a very Catholic reredos, lectern and rood; unusually a SE tower but, to my mind, the most exceptional feature is the Lady Chapel which is a scaled replica of Lourdes.

A rich priest's homage to Gothic architecture with a distinct Catholic twist - I wish this was my parish church!

Neither Pevsner nor Mee covered it (inherent anti Catholicism at work?) so Taking Stock instead:

An idiosyncratic Gothic church of the 1920s, very much a personal work by the parish priest Fr F. W. Gilbert, but closely following the design of Charles Nicholson’s church of St Alban at Westcliff-on-Sea. The church was sympathetically extended in the 1960s. The interior is rich in fittings, some designed by Fr Gilbert.

The original church (now the parish hall) began life as a timber-framed, corrugated iron drill hall, originally built for the Essex Volunteers in 1900 under the supervision of Major Burles and purchased in 1913. The site of the present church was purchased by the Rev. F.W. Gilbert in 1924, using donations and his private money. It appears that Fr Gilbert acted as his own architect, his design borrowing heavily from that of the Anglican church of St Alban the Martyr at Westcliff-on-Sea, built in 1898-1908 from designs by Nicholson & Corlette. The Gilbert family promised £2,000 once building work commenced. The contract price was £12,234. The builders were Messrs Marshall & Smith of Grays but Fr Gilbert acted as his own clerk of works, using local labour, including unemployed men from Grays. The foundation stone was laid on 7 October 1924 and the church opened in September 1925. The presbytery was built in 1925.

The church was sympathetically extended in 1965-66 by Burles, Newton & Partners, in the same style and materials; the west wall was moved twenty feet further out to create a choir gallery, west door and porch and a baptistery with organ chamber above. Proposals to replace the old hall with a new and larger building were prepared in 2007 but have not yet been implemented.

The church is a large and handsome structure in a free Gothic style. The walls are faced with random rubble with stone dressings. Apparently much of the stone was quarried near Glasgow and was originally used as ballast in lighters intended for the Gallipoli campaign, which were later bought by a local ship owner, who donated the stone for the building of the church. The roof is covered in plain tiles. On plan the church comprises a long nave and sanctuary under a continuous roof swept down over north and south aisles, southwest porch, northwest organ chamber, southeast double transept and southeast tower. The gabled west end is Burles & Newton’s work of the 1960s and has a broad straight-headed doorway flanked by small trefoiled windows with a large six-light traceried window above. On the north side is a tall transeptal organ chamber and then the low side wall of the north aisle with three pairs of small trefoiled windows. On the south side is a small projecting porch and then the low side wall of the south aisle, a double transept with three-light traceried windows in the gabled ends and then the bold square south east tower. The tower is of three stages with a traceried two-light window on the south side of the lowest stage and pairs of small openings in the two stages above. The tower has a single large diagonal buttress at the southeast corner, crenellated flint-faced parapets and a tiled spirelet. The east end wall of the sanctuary is articulated with three round-headed blind arches. This wall fronts the garden of the large presbytery which is attached to the northeast corner of the church, and the church and presbytery together form a strong architectural composition.

The interior walls are all plastered and painted with plain flooring of timber. There is a west gallery in the 1960s extension and nave arcades of four bays of simple pointed chamfered arches on square chamfered concrete piers. Above each pier the nave is spanned by the tie beams of the roof and above them is a five-sided timbered ceiling. The aisles have lean-to roofs and are also timbered. The east bay on the south side is a small transept. There is no chancel arch in the usual sense, but the division between nave and sanctuary is marked by pilaster strips on the walls with a rood beam at half- height and a timber rib spanning the roof between them. The sanctuary has a single large open arch on each side and is richly furnished. The east wall in particular is lined to full-height with carved decoration. The floor is black and white marble. On the south side of the sanctuary is a second transept divided from the first by a double arch resting on dwarf double columns with ornamental Gothic capitals. In the east wall of this transept a chamfered pointed arch leads to the base of the tower which contains a Lourdes grotto.

The church is rich in fittings. These include the carved timber reredos filling the whole east wall, the extraordinary pulpit with figures of evangelists supported by cherubs, apparently designed by Fr Gilbert, who also designed the figures of the rood beam, the elaborate oak stalls in the sanctuary and the font at the west end of the nave given in memory of Col. Knight (d.1891) with its stone bowl on clustered columns and a surrounding floor of Cosmati work.

There is some stained glass in the church including the west window by Whitefriars and other windows by Goddard & Gibbs. The scale model of the Lourdes grotto was built by Cyril Psaila (d. 1931).

Pūjā is a prayer ritual performed by Hindus to host, honour and worship one or more deities, or to spiritually celebrate an event. Sometimes spelled phonetically as Pooja or Poojah, it may honour or celebrate the presence of special guest(s), or their memories after they pass away. The word Pūjā (Devanagari: पूजा) comes from Sanskrit, and means reverence, honour, homage, adoration, and worship. Puja rituals are also held by Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.

 

In Hinduism, puja is done on a variety of occasions, frequency and settings. It may include daily puja done in the home, to occasional temple ceremonies and annual festivals, to few lifetime events such as birth of a baby or a wedding, or to begin a new venture. The two main areas where puja is performed are in the home and at temples to mark certain stages of life, events or some festivals such as Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja. Puja is not mandatory; it may be a routine daily affair for some Hindus, periodic ritual for some, and infrequent for other Hindus. In some temples, various pujas may be performed daily at various times of the day; in other temples, it may be occasional.

 

Puja varies according to the school of Hinduism. Within a given school, puja may vary by region, occasion, deity honored, and steps followed. In formal Nigama ceremonies, a fire may be lit in honour of deity Agni, without an idol or image present. In contrast, in Agama ceremonies, an idol or image of deity is present. In both ceremonies, a diya or incense stick may be lit while a prayer is chanted or hymn is sung. Puja is typically performed by a Hindu worshipper alone, though sometimes in presence of a priest who is well versed in procedure and hymns. In temples and priest-assisted event puja, food, fruits and sweets may be included as offerings to the deity, which, after the prayers, becomes prasad - blessed food shared by all present at the puja.

 

Both Nigama and Agama puja are practiced in Hinduism in India. In Hinduism of Bali Indonesia, Agama puja is most prevalent both inside homes and in temples. Puja is sometimes called Sembahyang in Indonesia.

 

ETYMOLOGY

Puja (Sanskrit: पूजा) is an ancient word, with unclear origins. Joshi claims the word puja was first used in vedic times when Sūtra were composed, to describe prayers and worship before yajna or homa - fire deity, Agni. Charpentier suggests the origin of the word Puja may lie in the Dravidian languages. Two possible Tamil roots have been suggested: Poosai "to smear with something" and Poochei "to do with flowers".

 

ORIGNS

According to scholars, one of the earliest mentions of Pūjā is in the Grihya Sutras, which provide rules for domestic rites. These Sutras, dated to be about 500 BC, use the term puja to describe the hospitality to honor priests who were invited to one’s home to lead rituals for departed ancestors. As Hindu philosophy expanded and diversified, with developments such as the bhakti movement, the vedic puja ritual were modified and applied to the deities. As with vedic times, the general concept of puja remained the same, but expanded to welcoming the deity along with the deity's spiritual essence as one's honored guest. The Puranic corpus of literature, dating from about 6th century CE, contain extensive outline on how to perform deity puja (deva pūjā). Deity puja thus melds Vedic rites with devotion to deity in its ritual form. As with many others aspects of Hinduism, both Vedic puja and devotional deity puja continued, the choice left to the Hindu.

 

As a historical practice, Pūjā in Hinduism, has been modeled around the idea of hosting a deity, or important person, as an honored and dearest guest in the best way one can, given one's resources, and receiving their happiness and blessing in return. Paul Thieme suggests from passages in the Rāmāyaṇa that the word pūjā referred to the hospitable reception of guests and that the things offered to guests could be offered to the gods and their dwellings. The rituals in question were the "five great sacrifices" or pañcamahāyajña recorded in the Gṛhyasūtra texts (for this literature, see Kalpa). The development of pūjā thus emerged from Vedic domestic traditions and was carried into the temple environment by analogy: just as important guests had long been welcomed in well-to-do homes and offered things that pleased them, so too were the gods welcomed in temple-homes and offered things that pleased them. Copper-plate charters recording grants of lands to temples show that this religious practice was actively encouraged from the mid-4th century.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF PUJA

In the earliest texts describing Vedic puja, the significance of puja was to host the priest so that he could make direct requests to the gods. An example petition prayer made during a Vedic puja, according to Wade Wheelock, is:

 

Indra-Agni, slayers of Vrtra with the beautiful thunderbolt, prosper us with new gifts;

O Indra, bring treaures with your right hand;

O Agni grant the enjoyments of a good household;

Give (us) vigor, wealth in cattle, and possession of good horses.

- ÄsvSü

 

In contrast to Vedic pujas, the significance of deity pujas shifted from petitions and external goals to the experience of oneness with the deities and their spiritual essence. It became a form of yoga whose final result aimed to be the consciousness of god through homage to god. Nevertheless, even with this evolved theoretical spiritual significance, for many people, puja continued to be a vehicle to petition desires and appeals, such as for good health of one's child, speedy recovery from illness, success in venture envisioned or such. In the structure and practice of puja, the mantras and rituals focus on spirituality, and any petitions and appeals are tacked only to the end of the puja.

 

Zimmer relates puja to yantras, with the rituals helping the devotee focus on the spiritual concepts. Puja in Hinduism, claims Zimmer, is a path and process of transformation of consciousness, where the devotee and the spiritual significance of the deity are brought together. This ritual puja process, in different parts of India, is considered to be liberating, releasing, purifying and a form of yoga of spirit and emotions.

 

Puja in Hinduism sometimes involves themes beyond idols or images. Even persons, places, rivers, concrete objects or anything is seen as manifestations of divine reality by some Hindus. The access to the divine is not limited to renunciatory meditation as in yoga school of Hinduism or idols in bhakti school. For some the divine is everywhere, without limit to its form, and a puja to these manifestations signifies the same spiritual meaning to those who choose to offer a prayer to persons, places, rivers, concrete objects or anything else.

 

TEMPLE PUJA

Temple (Mandir) pūjā is more elaborate than the domestic versions and typically done several times a day. They are also performed by a temple priest, or pujari. In addition, the temple deity (patron god or goddess) is considered a resident rather than a guest, so the puja is modified to reflect that; for example the deity is "awakened" rather than "invoked" in the morning. Temple pujas vary widely from region to region and for different sects, with devotional hymns sung at Vaishnava temples for example. At a temple puja, there is often less active participation, with the priest acting on behalf of others.

 

ELABORATE PUJA

A full home or temple puja can include several traditional upacaras or "attendances". The following is an example puja; these steps may vary according to region, tradition, setting, or time particularly in ways the deity is hosted. In this example, the deity is invited as a guest, the devotee hosts and takes care of the deity as an honored guest, hymns and food are offered to the deity, after an expression of love and respect the host takes leave and with affection expresses good bye to the deity. Indologist Jan Gonda has identified 16 steps (shodasha upachara) that are common in all varieties of puja:

 

1. Avahana (“invocation”). The deity is invited to the ceremony from the heart.

2. Asana. The deity is offered a seat.

3. Padya. The deity’s feet are symbolically washed.

4. Water is offered for washing the head and body

5. Arghya. Water is offered so the deity may wash its mouth.

6. Snana or abhisekha. Water is offered for symbolic bathing.

7. Vastra (“clothing”). Here a cloth may be wrapped around the image and ornaments affixed to it.

8. Upaveeda or Mangalsutra. Putting on the sacred thread.

9. Anulepana or gandha. Perfumes and ointments are applied to the image. Sandalwood paste or kumkum is applied.

10. Pushpa. Flowers are offered before the image, or garlands draped around its neck.

11. Dhupa. Incense is burned before the image.

12. Dipa or Aarti. A burning lamp is waved in front of the image.

13. Naivedya. Foods such as cooked rice, fruit, clarified butter, sugar, and betel leaf are offered.

14. Namaskara or pranama. The worshipper and family bow or prostrate themselves before the image to offer homage.

15. Parikrama or Pradakshina. Circumambulation around the deity.

16. Taking leave.

 

Sometimes additional steps are included:

1. Dhyana (“Meditation”). The deity is invoked in the heart of the devotee.

2. Acamanıya. Water is offered for sipping.

3. Aabaran. The deity is decorated with ornaments.

4. Chatram. Offering of umbrella.

5. Chamaram Offering of fan or fly-whisk (Chamara).

6. Visarjana or Udvasana. The deity is moved from the place.

 

There are variations in this puja method such as:

1. Pancha upachara pooja (puja with 5 steps).

2. Chatushasti upachara puja (puja with 64 steps).

 

The structure of elaborate puja also varies significantly between temples, regions and occasions.

 

QUICK PUJA

A quick puja has the same structure as acts ordinary people would perform for a quick reception, hospitality and affectionate interaction with a beloved guest. First the deity is greeted, acknowledged by name and welcomed, sometimes with a diya or lighted incense stick. The devotee proceeds to connect with the spiritual manifestation by meditating (a form of darshan), or chanting hymns and mantras, then personal prayers follow. After prayer is finished, the spiritual visitor as guest is affectionately thanked and greeted good bye. A quick meditative puja is sometimes offered by some Hindus without an idol or image. According to Fuller, Hindu texts allow flexibility and abbreviated puja according to occasion, needs and personal preferences.

 

PUJA IN BALINESE HINDUISM

In Hinduism of Bali Indonesia, puja is sometimes called Sembahyang. The word originates from two words in old Javanese: sembah and hyang. Sembah means to respect and bow down; Hyang means divine, God/Shang Hyang Widhi, holy man, and ancestors. So to pray means to respect, bow down, surrender to the divine and ancestors.

 

Sembahyang (Puja) is an obligation for Balinese Hindus, the prayers and hymns are derived from the Vedas. A family typically offers prayers everyday, with Kewangen and other offerings. Kewangen means aromatic, and it is made from leaves and flowers in form of auspicious Vedic symbols. Balinese use kewangen to worship the divine, both in form of Purusha (soul) and Pradana (body). As with India, Balinese make offerings, including symbolic inclusion of fire, incense and mantras.

 

GURU PUJA

In the case of great spiritual masters, there is also a custom to perform puja for a living person. Gurus are sometimes chosen as objects of puja and honored as living gods or seen the embodiment of specific deities. Gurus are sometimes adorned with symbolic clothes, garlands and other ornaments, and celebrated with incense, washing and anointing their feet, giving them fruits, food and drinks and meditating at their feet, asking for their blessing.

 

PUJA AS A SOCIAL, HUMAN RIGHTS EVENT

As with Church services in Christianity, Pūjā in Hinduism has served as a means for Hindu communities outside India to gather, socialize, discover new friends and sometimes discuss ways to address social discrimination of Hindus. For example, Marion O'Callaghan reports that the Hindu diaspora brought as indentured laborers to Trinidad by the British colonial government, suffered discriminatory laws that did not recognize traditional Hindu marriages or inheritance rights of children from a traditional Hindu marriage, nor did the non-Hindu majority government allow pyre cremation or construction of crematorium. These Hindu rituals were considered pagan and uncivilized. Pujas offered a way for Hindus to meet, socially organize and petition their human rights. Over time, pujas became as much as social and community recreational event, as a religious event.

 

CRITIQUE OF PUJA IN THE PURVA MIMAMSAKA SCHOOL

Although pūjā is accepted as a valid religious activity by Hindus at large, it has long been criticised by Mīmāṃsā thinkers. The foundational work of this school is the Karmamīmāṃsāsūtra or "Aphorisms for Enquiry into the Act," composed by Jaimini. The earliest surviving commentary is by Śabara who lived around the end of the fourth century. Śabara's commentary, known as Śabarabhāṣya holds pride of place in Mīmāṃsā in that Sabara's understanding is taken as definitive by all later writers. In his chapter entitled Devatādikaraṇa (9 : 1: 5: 6-9), Śabara examines the popular understanding of the gods and attempts to refute the belief that they have material bodies, are able to eat the offerings made to them, and are capable of being pleased and so able to reward worshippers. Basing himself on the Vedas (he refused to accept the Mahābhārata, Purāṇa texts or even the Smṛti literatures as valid sources of authority), Śabara concludes that the gods are neither corporeal nor sentient and thus unable to enjoy offerings or own property. For this he appeals to empirical observation, noting that offerings do not decrease in size when given to the gods; any decrease is simply due to exposure to the air. Likewise he argues that substances are offered to gods not according to the wishes of the gods, but that "what is vouched for by direct perception is that the things are used according to the wishes of the temple servants (pratyakṣāt pramāṇāt devatāparicārakāṇām abhiprāyaḥ). In the course of his discussion, Śabara's asserts that "there is no relation between the case of guests and the sacrificial act." This incidental remark provides sound historical proof that pūjā was built on analogy with atithi, the ancient Vedic tradition of welcoming guests. What Śabara is maintaining is that this analogy is not valid. While the Mīmāṃsakas continued to maintain this interpretation for centuries, their defeat in debate at the hands of Śaṅkarācārya led to theirs being a minority view. It is a remarkable testament to the plurality and tolerance of Indian civilization that Mīmāṃsakas flourished even into the 17th century, as evidenced by the commentaries of Nīlakaṇṭha.

 

REGIONAL NAMES

Puja, sometimes spelled pooja, is called பூஜை in Tamil, and bucha (บูชา) in Thai.

 

WIKIPEDIA

I helped the Bible translation project leaders, Soini and Kaija

Olkkonen, set up a computer-aided related language adaptation using Adapt It software and some other current

Bible translation software. I helped pave the way for the software that

was used to typeset this New Testament. It doesn't seem like I did much

compared to the team that did the actual translation, but this

translation of the New Testament was completed and dedicated within

about 3 years as opposed to the more traditional 2-3 (and sometimes 4)

decades that a Bible translation often takes. Does it make a difference,

really? I think it did to these people. Praise the Lord who gives us new

and better ways to work together to get His Word to more people in the

languages they understand best!

 

This is one of the photos taken at the Mape New Testament dedication,

celebrating the publication of the New Testament in the Mape language

for the first time.

 

Photo by Kahunapule.

This window in the Chapel in Royal Berkshire Hospital illustrates the Old Testament story of Moses making a metal snake which people bitten by live snakes would look at and be healed. The story is from the Book of Numbers chapter 21, and the quote below the illustration is from verse 7 and reads "Moses Prayed for the People".

-

20190412_142429 ii

Salvador Dalí, vollständig ausgeschriebener Name, Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, wurde 1904 im spanischen Dorf Figueres, Katalonien, in eine Mittelklassefamilie hineingeboren. Sein Vater, Dalí i Cusí, war ein Staatsbeamter und seine Mutter, Felipa Domènech Ferres, war früher ein Dienstmädchen für ihren zukünftigen Ehemann. Salvador hatte zwei Geschwister, eine jüngere Schwester, Anna María, und einen älteren Bruder, auch Salvador, der im Alter von zwei Jahren starb. Dalí glaubte, die Reinkarnation seines toten Bruders zu sein.

Dalí zeigte bereits in der Kindheit künstlerische Talente. Im Jahre 1921 wurde er in der Madrider Schule der schönen Künste Academia de San Fernando aufgenommen. Hier machte er Bekanntschaft mit seinen zukünftigen Freunden und Kollegen Luis Buñuel und Federico García Lorca. Seine Werke dieser Periode zeigen Elemente des Futurismus, der metaphysischen Malerei und des Kubismus. 1925 fand seine erste Einzelausstellung in der Dalmauer Galerie in Barcelona statt. Ein Jahr später besuchte der Künstler Paris, wo er Pablo Picasso traf, der ihn den Künstlern der Pariser Avantgarde vorstellte. Beeinflusst von Diego Velázquez (der spanische Maler und führende künstlerische Persönlichkeit des Hofes von König Philip IV), wuchs Dalí sein unverwechselbarer Schnurrbart. Im selben Jahr wurde er aus der Madrider Akademie ausgeschlossen. Im Jahr 1929 arbeitete er mit Luis Buñuel an dem Film "Un Chien Andalou" (An Andalusian Dog), der seine offizielle Akzeptanz in der surrealistischen Gruppe markierte.

Im Sommer des gleichen Jahres traf er Gala, seine zukünftige lebenslange Partnerin, die seine Arbeit stark beeinflusste. Während dieser Periode begann Salvador seine "paranoisch-kritische Methode" zu entwickeln, die auf spontanem Zugriff auf das Unterbewusstsein beruhte, was zu solchen charakteristischen Bildern wie dem Lugubrious Game (1929) und The Persistence of Memory (1931) führte. 1932 nahm Dalí an der ersten surrealistischen Ausstellung in den USA teil, was ein triumphierender Erfolg war. Inzwischen brach der spanische Bürgerkrieg aus und Dalí, bekannt für seine extremen Ansichten, machte kein Geheimnis aus seiner Sympathie für die Politik von General Franco, die zu Konflikten mit den anderen Surrealisten führte. 1939 wurde er schließlich aus der surrealistischen Gruppe ausgeschlossen. Ein Jahr später wanderte er mit Gala nach den USA aus, wo er bis 1948 blieb. Dort veröffentlichte er seine Autobiographie "Das geheime Leben von Salvador Dalí" (1942) und arbeitete für die Filmindustrie, beispielsweise für ein Drehbuch für Walt Disney. Nach ihrer Rückkehr nach Spanien ließen sich Dalí und Gala in Katalonien nieder, wo sie den Rest ihres Lebens verbrachten. Zu dieser Zeit begann Dalí in seine Kompositionen mehr religiöse Elemente und optische Täuschungen zu inkludieren, was zu Gemälden wie die Madonna von Port Lligat (1950) und Kreuzigung (1954) führte. Von 1960 bis zur Fertigstellung 1974 arbeitete Dalí an seinem Theater und Museum in Figueres. Er wandte sich auch anderen Projekten zu wie der Werbung (das Logo für Chupa Chups Lutscher) und das Möbeldesign (z. B. ein Sofa in der Form der Lippen der Schauspielerin Mae West). Er schuf auch seine eigene Schmucksammlung und "Dalí" Parfüm.

Dalí benutzte eine breite Palette von Symbolen in seinen surrealistischen Werken, deren bekannteste die schmelzende Uhr ist, die die Relativität der Zeit symbolisiert, wie von Albert Einstein beschrieben. Der Ursprung dieser Idee ist Dalí's Beobachtung eines an einem heißen Sommertag schmelzenden Camembert-Käse zugeschrieben. Andere Symbole beinhalteten einen Elefanten auf schlanken Beinen und kriechenden Ameisen, die, nach Dalí, Tod und Angst symbolisierten. Das waren Empfindungen, die in der Kindheit des Künstlers ihren Ursprung hatten. Als er ein Kind war, hatte er eine Haustier-Fledermaus, die eines Tages starb, und Dalí fand es bedeckt mit Ameisen. Dalís Motive sind aus der Welt der Träume und freien Assoziationen gezogen.

1982 starb Dalís geliebte Frau Gala. Im selben Jahr wurde der Maler Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí von König Juan Carlos zum "Marquès de Dalí de Púbol" geadelt.. Im Jahr 1989 starb der zurückgetretene Dalí an Herzversagen in seinem Museum im Galatea Tower. Nach seinen Wünschen wurde er in der Krypta des Museums begraben. In seinem Testament vermachte er sein ganzes Vermögen und seine Werke dem spanischen Staat.

Die oft undurchdringliche Tiefe von Dalís Gemälden steht im Widerspruch zu seinen Skandalen und dem exhibitionistischen öffentlichen Verhalten. Während seines ganzen Lebens weigerte er sich, alle Speisen zu essen, die rot gefärbt waren und trug einen halbrasierten Schnurrbart. Er liebte es, ungewöhnliche Dinge zu tun, nur um die Aufmerksamkeit auf sich selbst zu lenken. Dennoch ist er einer der größten Künstler in Bezug auf die Qualität seiner Werke und wurde zu einem der wichtigsten Pioniere der neuen künstlerischen Trends seiner Zeit.

 

Salvador Dalí, full name Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, was born in 1904 in the Spanish village of Figueres, Catalonia to a middle class family. His father, Dalí i Cusí, was a state official and his mother, Felipa Domènech Ferres, was formerly a maid to her future husband. Salvador had two siblings, a younger sister, Anna María, and an older brother, also Salvador, who died at the age of two. Dalí believed himself to be the reincarnation of his dead brother.

Dalí already showed signs of artistic talent in childhood. In 1921 he was accepted into the Madrid school of fine arts Academia de San Fernando. Here he made acquaintance with his future friends and colleagues Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca. His works of this period display elements of Futurism, metaphysical painting and Cubism. In 1925 his first one-man exhibition took place in the Dalmau Gallery in Barcelona. A year later the artist visited Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, who introduced him to the artists of the Paris avant-garde. Influenced by Diego Velázquez (the Spanish painter and leading artistic personality of the court of King Philip IV) Dalí grew his distinctive moustache. In the same year he was expelled from the Madrid Academia. In 1929 he collaborated with Luis Buñuel on the film Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog), which marked his official accepta

nce into the Surrealist Group.

In the summer of the same year he met Gala, his future lifelong partner, who greatly influenced his work. During this period, Salvador began to develop his “paranoiac-critical method” based on spontaneously accessing the subconscious, which resulted in such characteristic paintings as The Lugubrious Game (1929) and The Persistence of Memory (1931). In 1932 Dalí took part in the first Surrealist exhibition in the USA, which was a triumphant success. In the meanwhile, the Spanish Civil War broke out and Dalí, renowned for his extreme views, made no secret of his sympathy for the policies of General Franco, which resulted in conflicts with the other Surrealists. In 1939 he was finally expelled from the Surrealist Group. A year later he left with Gala for the USA, where they remained until 1948. There he published his autobiography The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (1942) and worked for the film industry, for example drawing a storyboard for Walt Disney. Following their return to Spain, Dalí and Gala settled in Catalonia, where they spent the rest of their lives. At this time, Dalí began to include in his compositions more religious elements and optical illusions, resulting in paintings such as The Madonna of Port Lligat (1950) and Crucifixion (1954). From 1960 until their completion in 1974, Dalí worked on his theatre and museum in Figueres. He also turned his hand to other projects, such as advertising (the logo for Chupa Chups lollipops) and furniture design (for example a sofa in the shape of actress Mae West’s lips). He also created his own jewellery collection and “Dalí” perfume.

Dalí used a wide range of symbols in his surrealistic works, the most familiar of which is the melting watch, symbolising the relativity of time as described by Albert Einstein. The origin of this idea is ascribed to Dalí’s observation of a Camembert cheese melting on a hot summer’s day. Other symbols included an elephant on slender legs and crawling ants, the latter of which symbolised, according to Dalí, death and fear. These were sensations which had an origin in the artist’s childhood. When he was a child he had a pet bat, which died one day, and Dalí found it covered in ants. Dalí’s motifs are drawn from the world of dreams and free associations.

In 1982 Dalí’s beloved wife Gala died. In the same year the painter was knighted. In 1989 the resigned Dalí died of heart failure in his museum in Galatea Tower. In accordance with his wishes he was buried in the crypt of the museum. In his will he bequeathed all his property and works to the Spanish State.

The often impenetrable depth of Dalí’s paintings contrasts with his scandals and exhibitionistic public behaviour. Throughout his life he refused to eat any food that was red in colour and sported a half-shaven moustache. He was fond of doing unusual things just for the sake of drawing attention to himself. Nonetheless, he is one of the greatest artists in terms of the quality of his works and became one of the most important pioneers of the new artistic trends of his time.

www.goap.cz/salvador-dali-en

By mashing up the results of a few Google Image searches, I have my testament to Angelina Jolie's antics.

“Welcome to Winnsboro, Texas, where small-town charm meets southern hospitality.” (I can vouch for that!)

 

The excerpts you’re about to read are a tidbit of what this small town of roughly 3600 plus/minus one or two…… well maybe three people is all about.

Before we moved here we purchased some property a few miles outside of town, for camping purposes of course, and each time I came out here I became acquainted with a number of people along the way. Several years later we decided to build a new home on the property and make this our final destination.

We love it here and we’ve been welcomed with open arms and have been grafted into this wonderful community.

But there’s more to this town than you may know!

Here are a few excerpts from a webpage:

“Winnsboro has an amazing history dating back to the early 1850s when it was established as a railroad town.”

“Tucked away in the heart of East Texas, Winnsboro is a hidden gem that showcases the best of rural America.”

“With its picturesque landscapes, friendly community, and rich history, this charming town offers a delightful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.”

“Known for its scenic beauty, Winnsboro is surrounded by rolling hills, lush forests, and sparkling lakes, making it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.”

 

“But it’s not just the natural beauty that sets Winnsboro apart. The town’s historic downtown area is a testament to its vibrant past, with well-preserved buildings, quaint shops, and delicious dining options. From antique stores to art galleries, there’s no shortage of unique finds and local treasures to discover.”

“But perhaps what truly sets Winnsboro apart is its warm and welcoming community. Locals take pride in their town and are known for their southern hospitality, making visitors feel like part of the family. Whether you’re attending a community event, exploring the local farmer’s market, or simply enjoying a leisurely stroll down Main Street, you’ll be greeted with a friendly smile and a genuine sense of belonging.

So come and experience the enchanting allure of Winnsboro, Texas, a place where time slows down, and the simple pleasures of small-town life take center stage.”

 

I can certainly attest to it all…… but what really sets it apart for me is how this community comes together when a crisis comes along.

 

Chaney is a sixteen year old high school student who came down with leukemia recently. She’s the daughter of the Youth Minister of one of the churches here in town. She’s also the great-niece of one of my Sunday school classmates.

She’s been in the hospital for quite some time undergoing treatment for it. She’s home now but will be traveling back and forth to Dallas for a while. (I can certainly attest to what treatment for leukemia entails and this truly hits home for me.)

 

A few weeks ago the community held a special prayer time for Chaney and Her Family. I was in the middle of a Bible study, and when 6:30 came around we stopped and held a prayer vigil for Her and Her Family.

What warms my heart above all that, is how this community comes together during a crisis. We’ve had our share of crisis events within the last two years and have seen and been a part of what this community is made of. I’m also proud to be a part of it.

 

If you find yourself in Winnsboro you’ll find these signs all over town; even several miles outside of town. It reminds me daily of how this community comes together to help out our fellow neighbors.

To me it’s a testament of where God is actively working in the hearts of these people.

Pray for Her, if you will; it may stir up something in you.

 

Sincerely,

David

Testament

Testament | São Paulo | 2015, 21 Novembro

Foto: ‪#‎PriSecco‬ - www.facebook.com/PriSeccoFoto

© Todos os direitos reservados / © All rights reserved

Printing form set in chase. Form is the New Testament in Scots. Chase is Miller & Richard.

 

Accession Number: SH.2009.323

 

Miller & Richard were a world famous Edinburgh type foundry. The firm supplied type to print firms all over the globe. The company was established by William Miller, who had trained at Alexander Wilson’s foundry in Glasgow. In 1809 he began operations out of Reikies Court, just off Nicolson Street. It expanded to take in the surrounding buildings including a chapel, a school, a lying-in hospital and finally a street was roofed over to make a woodworking shop.

By 1825 the company was type founders for His Majesty of Scotland and when he was joined by his son-in-law Walter Richard in 1838 the firm became Miller & Richard.

Miller & Richard founded a strong reputation of typographic innovation. They were responsible for founts such as the Miller & Richard Oldstyle and its boldface, now known as Old Style or Century Oldstyle; and Antique Old Style, or Bookman.

The foundry closed in 1952, when the designs passed to the English company Stephenson Blake.

 

This item is on display at the People's Story Museum, The Canongate, Edinburgh.

 

Edinburgh City of Print is a joint project between City of Edinburgh Museums and the Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records (SAPPHIRE). The project aims to catalogue and make accessible the wealth of printing collections held by City of Edinburgh Museums. For more information about the project please visit www.edinburghcityofprint.org

Occurring annually Cochabamba, Bolivia during mid-August, the Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña is an amazing blending of Catholic ritual and local indigenous culture and religion. The Fiesta is a multi-day affair. The first day is the Entrada, which is a sixteen hour “parade” with absolutely beautiful costumes and participants. The energy exhibited in this pageant is astonishing and physically challenging for all. They do not march the route, they literally dance the route, and not just a little shuffle; the dances are strenuous, vibrant and testaments of faith and dedication. These young ladies in particular, but all the participants, have dedicated three years of their lives—at least—to the festival, and in return, they make requests of the Virgin of Urkupiña. It is kind of a quid pro quo prayer: “I promise three years of practice and dancing, and a dedication to the rosary if you, Virgin, will accept my prayer.” The costumes are all handmade; and the riot of colors, the marching bands with their bass drum-driven music, the smells of cooking food, beer and chicha (the local corn-based home brew) and the unique mix of spiritual adoration and physical overindulgence in alcohol and food cannot be adequately captured.

 

The next day is the Calvario. This is a holiday in Cochabamba; there are perhaps, 500,000 to 750,000 people moving very slowly up to the hilltop known as the Calvario, then proceeding around the top, stopping to drink, or eat, or watch. All are there to pray for their future or to break rocks as a symbol of their willingness to work for their part of the bargain with the Virgin. It is not going to happen only by prayer, it takes action and a willingness to work hard—and Bolivians as a culture are incredibly hardworking. They then take the rocks home with them, and the following year, return them to the Calvario as part of the process of promise and action on both parts. The day is a particularly moving day, filled with a kind of quiet, reflective revelry. However, the peace is frequently shattered by brass bands hired by individual families that loudly accompanied the prayers and transformed the requests into celebrations of the future. Strange, but incredibly Bolivian, and incredibly hopeful. This day is really one of hope for the future of the family, for the entire family is involved in the work and the prayers and the celebration. With frequency, they halt the pounding, and pour beer on the ground and sprinkle some coca leaves as an offering and a sharing with Pachamama; and then they drink—or chew—some themselves. The line of people up and down the Calvario was approximately two miles long, and it was solid people, with no pushing and shoving, just a steady shuffling up and down the hill. Many Bolivians start their walk in the early morning hours, arriving at the Calvario in time for a 6:00 am mass. Thousands walk 15–20 kilometers throughout the night, personally asking or thanking the Virgin. We witnessed an incredible event, an incredible fiesta, filled with prayer, anticipation and thanksgiving.

 

Leyendas del Rock 2013,...Testament (Chuck Billy)...

The Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes, a masterpiece of modern architecture in Uruguay, stands as a testament to the innovative spirit of engineer Eladio Dieste. Consecrated in 1960, this parish church is not only a place of worship but also a World Heritage Site recognized for its cultural significance.

 

Its distinctive brick construction showcases Dieste's pioneering work with reinforced ceramics, creating undulating walls and roof structures that are both functional and aesthetically striking. This church is a remarkable example of modernist architecture harmonizing with spiritual purpose.

Motörhead's Motörboat

September 22-26, 2014

Miami to Key West & Cozumel

20170515GraduationCap GaryRobinson

 

What is your best memory of WSSU?

My best memory at WSSU would have to be my entire freshmen year, from the mentorship of people like Keenan Easter and Vanity Oakes to the advice and guidance from Advisors like Chelii Broussard and Angela Blue, my freshmen year was a testament that dreams do come true. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people during that academic school year. My freshmen year taught me how to embrace my culture and to love and love freely.

What do you love about WSSU?

The thing I love about WSSU more than anything is the Spirit. Unlike many other HBCUs there’s a certain respect that is given when you are a student at WSSU. From our football and basketball games to the cheerleaders and the band, WSSU has Spirit and even though it might not be apparent in the students from time to time, the spirit of WSSU is always present and will always remain.

What do you plan on doing after you graduate?

Post Graduation, I plan to become an English Teacher, I also plan to continue my education and receive my Masters in Educational Leadership

How has WSSU prepared you for the future?

WSSU has prepared me for the future in so many ways, from the failures to the daily successes, everything that has happened to me here at WSSU has prepared me to Depart to Serve.

How has WSSU made a difference in your life?

WSSU has made a difference in my life in several ways. WSSU has taught me how to be an educated black man and how to act and respond as one. WSSU has changed my view on life and has given me the tools to live life and live life with no boundaries. WSSU has taught me to take the road least traveled and that has made all the difference since.

 

Rock The Castle Day 2 - Castello Scaligero Villafranca - 30.06.2018

www.lefotodimirta.it

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The first edition of the emblematic and enormously influential German New Testament translated by Martin Luther and published by Melchior Lotter. Of the several hundred and revised editions that were published in the sixteenth century, only the first has the woodcut illustrations by the workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553). This copy came to Trinity College, Glasgow from the personal library of the biblical scholar, Constantin von Tischendorf (1815-1874), who discovered and published the fourth-century Greek biblical manuscript, the Codex Sinaiticus.

 

Glasgow University Library Sp Coll K.T. f7

West German postcard by Film und Bild, Frankfurt - Main. Photo: IFA.Jean Marais in Ruy Blas (Pierre Billon, 1948).

 

With his heroic physique, Jean Marais (1913-1998) was France’s answer to Errol Flynn, the epitome of the swashbuckling romantic hero of French cinema. The blonde and incredibly good-looking actor played over 100 roles in film and on television and was also known as a director, writer, painter and sculptor. His mentor was the legendary poet and director Jean Cocteau, also his lover.

 

Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais was born in 1913 in Cherbourg, France. He endured a turbulent childhood. When he was born, on the eve of World War I, his mother refused to see him. Her only daughter had died a few days before. When Marais' father returned from the war, the five-year-old Jean didn't remember him, and his father slapped him. His mother promptly packed her three children off to their grandmother's, and Jean grew up fatherless. He attended the Lycee Condorcet, a prestigious private school, where some of his future film partners also studied, such as Louis de Funes and Jean Cocteau, and the faculty had such figures as Jean-Paul Sartre. At 13, Marais had to leave the Lycee Condorcet, after gamingly flirting in drag with a teacher. He was placed in a Catholic boarding school, but at 16, he left school and became involved in amateur acting. As a child, he dreamed of becoming an actor but was twice rejected when he applied to drama schools. He worked as a photographer's assistant and had acting classes with Charles Dullin. In 1933 Marcel L'Herbier gave him a bit part in L’Épervier/The Casting Net (1933) starring Charles Boyer. This was followed by more small parts in films by L’Herbier, in L'Aventurier/The Adventurer (1934), Le Bonheur/Happiness (1935), Les Hommes nouveaux/The New Men (1936), and Nuits de feu/The Living Corpse (1936). Marais also appeared in Abus de confiance/Abused Confidence (Henri Decoin, 1937), and Drôle de drame/Bizarre, Bizarre (Marcel Carné, 1937).

 

In 1937, then 24, Jean Marais met Jean Cocteau at a stage rehearsal of Oedipe-Roi/King Oedipus. They fell in love and would remain close friends until Cocteau died in 1963. Cocteau became his surrogate father, and he was Cocteau's surrogate son. Cocteau had a major influence on Marais’ career. In 1938 he cast him as Galahad in the stage play 'Les Chevaliers de La Table Ronde' (The Knights of the Round Table), and wrote the film L'Éternel retour with him in mind. With L’Éternal retour/The Eternal Return (Jean Delannoy, 1943), Marais made his big break in the cinema. This was the turning point in his life and the start of a film career which was to span nearly sixty years. In the following years, he appeared in almost every one of Cocteau's films: La Belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau, Jean Delannoy, 1946), L'Aigle à deux têtes/The Eagle Has Two Heads (Jean Cocteau, 1947), Les Parents terribles/The Storm Within (Jean Cocteau, 1948), and Orphée/Orpheus (Jean Cocteau, 1950). After the Allies liberated Paris in August 1944, he joined France's Second Armored Division and served as a truck driver carrying fuel and ammunition to the front. Later he was decorated with the Croix de Guerre for his courage. During the war, Marais was engaged to his film partner, actress Mila Parély, and their engagement was blessed by Cocteau, who wanted Marais to be happy. Marais and Mila Parély separated after two years, and shortly after they worked together again in La Belle et la bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). His double role as the beast and the prince in this classic film made Marais an international teen idol.

 

During the 1950s, Jean Marais became a dashing sword master, dazzling his audiences with impressive French swashbuckling adventures, in which he performed his own stunts. Le Comte de Monte Cristo/The Count of Monte Cristo (Robert Vernay, 1955), Le Bossu/The Hunchback of Paris (André Hunebelle, 1959), and Le Capitaine Fracasse/Captain Fracasse (Pierre Gaspard-Huit, 1961) all enjoyed great box office popularity in France. Marais would become one of the most admired and celebrated actors of his generation and star in international productions directed by Jean Renoir (Elena et les hommes/Elena and Her Men, 1956), Luchino Visconti (Le Notti bianche/White Nights, 1957), Cocteau (Le testament d'Orphée/The Testament of Orpheus, 1959), and others. During the 1960s and 1970s, he went on to appear in such popular adventure comedies as the Fantômas (1964-1967, André Hunebelle) trilogy, co-starring with Louis de Funes and Mylène Demongeot.

 

Jean Marais was equally impressive in the theatre, appearing in such plays as 'Britannicus,' 'Pygmalion' and 'Cher Menteur' at the Théâtre de Paris, Théâtre de l'Atelier, and the Comédie Francaise. He spent his later years living in his house in Vallauris, in the South of France where he was involved in painting, sculpture and pottery, and was visited by Pablo Picasso and other cultural figures. His monument Le passe muraille/The Walker Through Walls, honouring French author Marcel Aymé, can be seen in the Montmartre Quarter in Paris. After a long retirement, Jean Marais returned to filmmaking in the mid-1980s with choice character roles in such films as Parking (Jacques Demy, 1985). In 1993 he was awarded an honourable César. Marais made his final film appearance in Bernardo Bertolucci's Io ballo da sola/Stealing Beauty (1996) starring Liv Tyler. That year he received France's highest tribute, the Legion of Honour for his contribution to the French cinema. Jean Marais died of heart failure in 1998, in Cannes. He had an adopted son, Serge Marais.

 

Sources: Steve Shelokhonov (IMDb), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia, French Films, Lenin Imports, and IMDb.

 

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

Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus.

(Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)

 

Shown in Photo

Fisher Price Little People dad

Itty Bitty Easel

 

References

"Bartimaeus Can See" by Jill Kemp & Richard Gunther

www.lambsongs.co.nz/New%20Testament%20Books/Bartimaeus%20...

 

"Friends and Heroes: Rome Alone" (Episode 33)

www.friendsandheroes.tv/episode33.html

 

"Swirly Rainbow"

www.wallpaper4me.com/wallpaper/Swirly-Rainbow/

  

La chapelle palatiale du château de Versailles - The Chapel of the Palace of Versailles

 

Begun in 1689, construction was halted due to the War of the League of Augsburg; Jules Hardouin-Mansart resumed construction in 1699. Hardouin-Mansart continued working on the project until his death in 1708, at which time his brother-in-law, Robert de Cotte, finished the project (Blondel, 1752–1756; Marie, 1972, 1976; Nolhac, 1912–1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). It was to become the largest of the royal chapels at Versailles, and in fact the height of its vaulting alone was allowed to disturb the rather severe horizontality everywhere else apparent in the palace's roof-line, leading to the design being badly treated by some contemporaries at the time, most notably perhaps by the duc de Saint-Simon, who characterized it as an "enormous catafalque". Nevertheless, the magnificent interior has been widely admired to the present day and served as inspiration for Luigi Vanvitelli when he designed the chapel for the Palace of Caserta (Defilippis, 1968).

 

Dedicated to Saint Louis, patron saint of the Bourbons, the chapel was consecrated in 1710. The palatine model is of course traditional; however, the Corinthian colonnade of the tribune level is of a classic style that anticipates the neo-classicism that evolved during the 18th century, although its use here bespeaks a remarkable virtuosity. The tribune level is accessed by a vestibule, known as the salon de la chapelle, that was constructed at the same time as the chapel. The salon de la chapelle is decorated with white stone and the bas-relief sculpture, Louis XIV Crossing the Rhine by Nicolas and Guillaume Coustou forms the focal point of the rooms décor (Nolhac, 1912–1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993).

 

The floor of the chapel itself is inlaid with polychromatic marbles, and at the foot of the steps leading to the altar is the crowned monogram of an interlaced double "L" alluding to Saint Louis and Louis XIV (Nolhac, 1912–1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). The sculptural and painted decoration uses both Old Testament and New Testament themes (Lighthart, 1997; Nolhac, 1912–1913; Sabatier, 1999; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). The ceiling of the nave represent God the Father in His Glory Bringing to the World the Promise of Redemption and was painted by Antoine Coypel; the half-dome of the apse is decorated with Charles de la Fosse’s The Resurrection of Christ; and, above the royal tribune is Jean Jouvenet’s The Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin and the Apostles (Nolhac, 1912–1913; Walton, 1993).

 

During the 18th century, the chapel witnessed many court events. Te Deums were sung to celebrate military victories and the births of children (Fils de France and fille de France) born to the king and queen; marriages were also celebrated in this chapel, such as the wedding of Louis XV's son the dauphin Louis with the Infanta Marie-Thérèse d'Espagne of Spain on 23 February 1745 and the wedding on 16 May 1770 of the dauphin – later Louis XVI of France – with Marie-Antoinette. However, of all the ceremonies held in the chapel, those associated the Order of the Holy Spirit were among the most elaborate. (Blondel, 1752–1756; Bluche, 2000; Boughton, 1986; Campan, 1823; Croÿ-Solre, 1906–1921; Hézuques, 1873; Luynes, 1860–1865; Nolhac, 1912–1913).

 

The chapel was de-consecrated in the 19th century and has since served as a venue for state and private events. Musical concerts are often held in the chapel of Versailles.

 

Organ:

The organ of the fifth chapel of Versailles was built by Robert Clicquot and Julien Tribuot in 1709–1710. His first official presentation took place on Pentecost, Juin 8, 1710; the organist was Jean-Baptiste Buterne.

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Show do Testament, no Circo Voador, Rio de Janeiro encerrando a turnê sul americana da banda

An example image from the two new illustrated Bible stories from the Genesis section of The Brick Testament website. See the whole illustrated story here.