The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família -

(English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop.

 

Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

 

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona's cathedral, over Gaudí's design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí's death disregarded his design, and the recent proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain's high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said, "It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art" and Paul Goldberger called it, "The most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."

 

The church shares its site with the Sagrada Família Schools building, a school originally designed by Gaudí in 1909 for the children of the construction workers. Relocated in 2002 from the eastern corner of the site to the southern corner, the building now houses an exhibition.

 

The Basilica of the Sagrada Família was the inspiration of a bookseller, Josep Maria Bocabella, founder of Asociación Espiritual de Devotos de San José (Spiritual Association of Devotees of St. Joseph). After a visit to the Vatican in 1872, Bocabella returned from Italy with the intention of building a church inspired by that at Loreto.

Antoni Gaudí began work on the church in 1883 but was not appointed Architect Director until 1884.

 

On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked: "My client is not in a hurry." When Gaudí died in 1926, the basilica was between 15 and 25 percent complete. After Gaudí's death, work continued under the direction of Domènec Sugrañes i Gras until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Parts of the unfinished basilica and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The present design is based on reconstructed versions of the plans that were burned in a fire as well as on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The illumination was designed by Carles Buigas. The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

 

The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. As of 2006, work concentrated on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave, which will become the Glory façade.

 

One projection anticipates construction completion around 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death—while the project's information leaflet estimates a completion date in 2028, accelerated by additional funding from visitors to Barcelona following the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

 

Computer-aided design technology has been used to accelerate construction of the building, which had previously been expected to last for several hundred years, based on building techniques available in the early 20th century.[citation needed] Current technology allows stone to be shaped off-site by a CNC milling machine, whereas in the 20th century, the stone was carved by hand.

 

In 2008, some renowned Catalan architects advocated a halt to construction,[18] to respect Gaudí's original designs, which, although they were not exhaustive and were partially destroyed, have been partially reconstructed in recent years.

 

A 2010 exhibition, Gaudí Unseen, Completing La Sagrada Família at the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt am Main, describes the current construction methods and future plans for the Sagrada Família.

 

The Church will have three grand façades: the Nativity façade to the East, the Passion façade to the West, and the Glory façade to the South (yet to be completed). The Nativity Façade was built before work was interrupted in 1935 and bears the most direct Gaudí influence. The Passion façade was built after the project which Gaudi planned in 1917. The construction was begun in 1954, and the towers, built over the elliptical plan, were finished in 1976. It is especially striking for its spare, gaunt, tormented characters, including emaciated figures of Christ being scourged at the pillar; and Christ on the Cross. These controversial designs are the work of Josep Maria Subirachs. The Glory façade, on which construction began in 2002, will be the largest and most monumental of the three and will represent one's ascension to God. It will also depict various scenes such as Hell, Purgatory, and will include elements such as the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

 

Constructed between 1894 and 1930, the Nativity façade was the first façade to be completed. Dedicated to the birth of Jesus, it is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. Characteristic of Gaudí's naturalistic style, the sculptures are ornately arranged and decorated with scenes and images from nature, each a symbol in their own manner. For instance, the three porticos are separated by two large columns, and at the base of each lies a turtle or a tortoise (one to represent the land and the other the sea; each are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable). In contrast to the figures of turtles and their symbolism, two chameleons can be found at either side of the façade, and are symbolic of change.

 

The façade faces the rising sun to the northeast, a symbol for the birth of Christ. It is divided into three porticos, each of which represents a theological virtue (Hope, Faith and Charity). The Tree of Life rises above the door of Jesus in the portico of Charity. Four towers complete the façade and are each dedicated to a Saint (Matthias the Apostle, Saint Barnabas, Jude the Apostle, and Simon the Zealot).

 

Originally, Gaudí intended for this façade to be polychromed, for each archivolt to be painted with a wide array of colours. He wanted every statue and figure to be painted. In this way the figures of humans would appear as much alive as the figures of plants and animals.

 

Gaudí chose this façade to embody the structure and decoration of the whole church. He was well aware that he would not finish the church and that he would need to set an artistic and architectural example for others to follow. He also chose for this façade to be the first on which to begin construction and for it to be, in his opinion, the most attractive and accessible to the public. He believed that if he had begun construction with the Passion Façade, one that would be hard and bare (as if made of bones), before the Nativity Façade, people would have withdrawn at the sight of it. Some of the statues were destroyed in 1936, and subsequently were reconstructed by the sculptor Sotoo.

 

In contrast to the highly decorated Nativity Façade, the Passion Façade is austere, plain and simple, with ample bare stone, and is carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton. Dedicated to the Passion of Christ, the suffering of Jesus during his crucifixion, the façade was intended to portray the sins of man. Construction began in 1954, following the drawings and instructions left by Gaudí for future architects and sculptors. The towers were completed in 1976, and in 1987 a team of sculptors, headed by Josep Maria Subirachs, began work sculpting the various scenes and details of the façade. They aimed to give a rigid, angular form to provoke a dramatic effect. Gaudí intended for this façade to strike fear into the onlooker. He wanted to "break" arcs and "cut" columns, and to use the effect of chiaroscuro (dark angular shadows contrasted by harsh rigid light) to further show the severity and brutality of Christ's sacrifice.

 

Facing the setting sun, indicative and symbolic of the death of Christ, the Passion Façade is supported by six large and inclined columns, designed to resemble sequoia trunks. Above there is a pyramidal pediment, made up of eighteen bone-shaped columns, which culminate in a large cross with a crown of thorns. Each of the four towers is dedicated to an apostle (James, Thomas, Philip, or Bartholomew) and, like the Nativity Façade, there are three porticos, each representing the theological virtues, though in a much different light.

 

The scenes sculpted into the façade may be divided into three levels, which ascend in an 'S' form and reproduce the Via Crucis of Christ. The lowest level depicts scenes from Jesus' last night before the crucifixion, including The Last Supper, Kiss of Judas, Ecce Homo, and the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus. The middle level portrays the Calvary, or Golgotha, of Christ, and includes The Three Marys, Saint Veronica, Saint Longinus, and a hollow-face illusion of Christ. In the third and final level the Death, Burial and the Resurrection of Christ can be seen. A bronze figure situated on a bridge creating a link between the towers of Saint Bartholomew and Saint Thomas represents the Ascension of Jesus.

 

The largest and most striking of the façades will be the Glory Façade, on which construction began in 2002. It will be the principal façade and will offer access to the central nave. Dedicated to the Celestial Glory of Jesus, it represents the road to God: Death, Final Judgment, and Glory, while Hell is left for those who deviate from God's will. Aware that he would not live long enough to see this façade completed, Gaudí made a model which was demolished in 1936, whose original fragments were base for the development of the project of the façade. The completion of this façade will require the demolition of the complete block with buildings across the Carrer de Mallorca. To reach the Glory Portico the large staircase will lead over the underground passage built over Carrer de Mallorca with the decoration representing Hell and vice. It will be decorated with demons, idols, false gods, heresy and schisms, etc. Purgatory and death will also be depicted, the latter using tombs along the ground. The portico will have seven large columns dedicated to spiritual gifts. At the base of the columns there will be representations of the Seven Deadly Sins, and at the top, The Seven Heavenly Virtues.

 

The towers on the Nativity façade are crowned with geometrically shaped tops that are reminiscent of Cubism (they were finished around 1930), and the intricate decoration is contemporary to the style of Art Nouveau, but Gaudí's unique style drew primarily from nature, not other artists or architects, and resists categorization.

 

Gaudí used hyperboloid structures in later designs of the Sagrada Família (more obviously after 1914), however there are a few places on the nativity façade—a design not equated with Gaudí's ruled-surface design—where the hyperboloid crops up. For example, all around the scene with the pelican there are numerous examples (including the basket held by one of the figures). There is a hyperboloid adding structural stability to the cypress tree (by connecting it to the bridge). And finally, the "bishop's mitre" spires are capped with hyperboloid structures. In his later designs, ruled surfaces are prominent in the nave's vaults and windows and the surfaces of the Passion façade.

 

Themes throughout the decoration include words from the liturgy. The towers are decorated with words such as "Hosanna", "Excelsis", and "Sanctus"; the great doors of the Passion façade reproduce words from the Bible in various languages including Catalan; and the Glory façade is to be decorated with the words from the Apostles' Creed. The three entrances symbolize the three virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. Each of them is also dedicated to a part of Christ's life. The Nativity Façade is dedicated to his birth; it also has a cypress tree which symbolizes the tree of life. The Glory façade is dedicated to his glory period. The Passion façade is symbolic of his suffering. The apse tower bears Latin text of Hail Mary. All in all, the Sagrada Família is symbolic of the lifetime of Christ.

 

Areas of the sanctuary will be designated to represent various concepts, such as saints, virtues and sins, and secular concepts such as regions, presumably with decoration to match.

 

World Heritage status

 

Together with six other Gaudí buildings in Barcelona, part of la Sagrada Família is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as testifying "to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology", "having represented el Modernisme of Catalonia" and "anticipated and influenced many of the forms and techniques that were relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century". The inscription only includes the Crypt and the Nativity Facade.

 

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[...] While a great deal of lip service is paid to the religious ideal of love of one’s neigbour, our relations are actually determined, at their best, by the principle of fairness. Fairness meaning not to use fraud and trickery in the exchange of commodities and services, and in the exchange of feelings. “I give you as much you give me.” In material goods as well in love, is the prevalent ethical maxim in capitalist society. It may even be said that the development of fairness ethics ist the particular ethical contribution of capitalist society.

  

[...] Thought and judgement are not only the realm of experience in which rational faith is manifested. In the sphere of human relations, faith is an indispensable quality of any significant friendship or love. “ Having faith” in another person means to be certain of the reliability and unchangeability of his fundamental attitudes. of the core of his personality, of his love. By this I do not mean that a person may not change his opinions, but that his basic motivations remain the same; that, for instance, his respect for life and human dignity is part of himself, not subject to change. [...] _____________________________________________________________________________

 

Wikipedia: ||The Art of Loving || Erich Fromm ||

 

Source: Art of Loving, Erich Fromm, Chapter: The Practice of Love

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LULK2nZ6sCc

 

VERSE 1

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect plea

A great High Priest whose name is love

Who ever lives and pleads for me

My name is graven on His hands

My name is written on His heart

I know that while in heav’n He stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart

No tongue can bid me thence depart

 

VERSE 2

When Satan tempts me to despair

And tells me of the guilt within

Upward I look and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin

Because the sinless Savior died

My sinful soul is counted free

For God the Just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me

To look on Him and pardon me

 

VERSE 3

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb

My perfect, spotless Righteousness

The great unchangeable I AM

The King of glory and of grace

One with Himself, I cannot die

My soul is purchased by His blood

My life is hid with Christ on high

With Christ my Savior and my God

With Christ my Savior and my God

Do It Now!

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly…" [Matthew 5:25 ]

 

In this verse, Jesus Christ laid down a very important principle by saying, “Do what you know you must do— now. Do it quickly. If you don’t, an inevitable process will begin to work ‘till you have paid the last penny’ (Mat.5:26) in pain, agony, and distress.” God’s laws are unchangeable and there is no escape from them. The teachings of Jesus always penetrate right to the heart of our being. Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint? Do it quickly— bring yourself to judgment now. In moral and spiritual matters, you must act immediately. If you don’t, the inevitable, relentless process will begin to work. God is determined to have His child as pure, clean, and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will allow His Spirit to use whatever process it may take to bring us to obedience. The fact that we insist on proving that we are right is almost always a clear indication that we have some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit of God so strongly urges us to stay steadfastly in the light! (see John 3:19-21). “Agree with your adversary quickly….” Have you suddenly reached a certain place in your relationship with someone, only to find that you have anger in your heart? Confess it quickly— make it right before God. Be reconciled to that person— do it now!

_____

My Utmost - Oswald Chambers

When the Rose is Faded by Walter de la Mare

 

When the rose is faded,

Memory may still dwell on

Her beauty shadowed,

And the sweet smell gone.

 

That vanishing loveliness,

That burdening breath,

No bond of life hath then,

Nor grief of death.

 

'Tis the immortal thought

Whose passion still

Makes the changing

The unchangeable.

 

Oh, thus thy beauty,

Loveliest on earth to me,

Dark with no sorrow, shines

And burns, with thee.

 

According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

 

Quote from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

48:8-14 We have here the improvement which the people of God are to make of his glorious and gracious appearances for them. Let our faith in the word of God be hereby confirmed. Let our hope of the stability of the church be encouraged. Let our minds be filled with good thoughts of God. All the streams of mercy that flow down to us, must be traced to the fountain of His loving-kindness. Let us give to God the glory of the great things he has done for us. Let all the members of the church take comfort from what the Lord does for his church. Let us observe the beauty, strength, and safety of the church. Consider its strength; see it founded on Christ the Rock, fortified by the Divine power, guarded by Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. See what precious ordinances are its palaces, what precious promises are its bulwarks, that you may be encouraged to join yourselves to it: and tell this to others. This God, who has now done such great things for us, is unchangeable in his love to us, and his care for us. If he is our God, he will lead and keep us even to the last. He will so guide us, as to set us above the reach of death, so that it shall not do us any real hurt. He will lead us to a life in which there shall be no more death.

bible.cc/psalms/48-10.htm

"When the rose is faded,

Memory may still dwell on

Her beauty shadowed,

And the sweet smell gone.

 

That vanishing loveliness,

That burdening breath,

No bond of life hath then,

Nor grief of death.

 

'Tis the immortal thought

Whose passion still

Makes the changing

The unchangeable.

 

Oh, thus thy beauty,

Loveliest on earth to me,

Dark with no sorrow, shines

And burns, with thee."

 

"When the Rose is Faded" by Walter de la Mare

RYERSON, EGERTON (his complete given name was Adolphus Egerton but he never used the first), Methodist minister, author, editor, and educational administrator; b. 24 March 1803 in Charlotteville Township, Norfolk County, Upper Canada, fifth son of Joseph Ryerson and Mehetable Stickney; m. first 10 Sept. 1828 Hannah Aikman (d. 1832) at Hamilton, Upper Canada, and they had two children; m. secondly 8 Nov. 1833 Mary Armstrong at York (Toronto), Upper Canada, and they had two children; d. 19 Feb. 1882 at Toronto.

 

Two circumstances in Egerton Ryerson’s early life exercised a lasting influence on his career. One was the loyalist environment in which he grew up. His father, Joseph, and his uncle Samuel Ryerse*, both American born, had served as loyalist officers in the American revolution and afterwards had fled north to New Brunswick before moving to Upper Canada in the 1790s. As a half-pay officer Joseph had received a substantial land grant and established his family on a farm near Vittoria, the first capital of the London District. Appointed to a series of important local offices, both Joseph and Samuel became part of the loyalist establishment in the district while members of their families married into other leading loyalist clans in the area. Joseph and his three eldest sons all served against the Americans in the War of 1812. Egerton, too young to be actively involved, saw a brother badly wounded and the destruction of lands and property belonging to friends and relatives. Among the Ryerson family, memories of pioneering a new land and defending it, of principles sustained and loyalty reaffirmed, would breed a deep and abiding attachment to both their native land and the maintenance of the British connection in North America.

 

The second great formative influence was evangelical Christianity. Like so many of his generation Ryerson was touched early in life by the wave of Protestant revivalism that swept North America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Ryerson children were raised by a devout mother of Methodist sympathies who taught them a personal and vital form of Christian belief and her precepts were reinforced by the Methodist circuit-riders who criss-crossed Norfolk County during Egerton’s childhood. Some time immediately after the War of 1812, according to his own account, Egerton, like three of his elder brothers, “became deeply religious. . . . My consciousness of guilt and sinfulness was humbling, oppressive and distressing; and my experience of relief, after lengthened fastings, watching and prayers, was clear, refreshing and joyous. In the end I simply trusted in Christ, and looked to Him for a present salvation. . . .” In 1816 his mother and two of his older brothers joined the Methodist Church. His Anglican father was “extremely opposed” to the Methodists and when at 18 Egerton applied for membership in the local Methodist society he was told “you must either leave them or leave my house.” Egerton took the latter course. The rift lasted for two years and was repaired only when the father acquiesced in his son’s convictions. The episode reveals something of the determination and impetuosity characteristic of Ryerson all his life. It also reveals the depth of his “conversion” experience. From the time he was a young man Ryerson’s personal odyssey was defined by his determination “never to rest contented until he [Christ] becomes not only my wisdom, but my sanctification and my full redemption.” Loyalism and Methodism would form the warp and woof of Ryerson’s life and thought throughout his long career.

 

Ryerson’s family was sufficiently well off to enable him to take advantage of the limited educational facilities available at the time. Most of his schooling took place under James Mitchell at the London District Grammar School in Vittoria. Between 1821 and 1823 he served as an assistant to his brother George, who was master in the school. During these years Ryerson absorbed the essentials of an English and classical education and was also introduced to two works that would become lasting influences – William Paley’s Principles of moral and political philosophy and Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries. In August 1824, perhaps with the intention of becoming a lawyer, Ryerson went to Hamilton to study with John Law at the Gore District Grammar School.

 

After only a few months’ study in Hamilton, Ryerson’s formal education was ended by a prolonged illness in the winter of 1824–25. During his recovery he became convinced that he had been preserved from death to serve God’s purpose as a Methodist minister. He irrevocably accepted God’s call on 24 March 1825, his 22nd birthday, and preached his first sermon at Beamsville on Easter Sunday of that year. Thus Egerton became one of five Ryerson boys to enter the Methodist ministry: he followed in the footsteps of William* and John* as George, the eldest, and Edway (Edwy) Marcus, the youngest, would follow in his. Formally received on trial in September 1825 by the Canada Conference, the governing body of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Upper Canada, Egerton served his apprenticeship on the York and Yonge Street circuit and then as a missionary among the Indians at the Credit River. In September 1827 he was admitted to full connection and ordained. He spent the next two years assigned to the Cobourg and Ancaster circuits.

 

During these years the rigorous routine of a travelling preacher’s life was interrupted by two diversions that would put Ryerson’s name before a much wider audience than any Methodist circuit could offer. In 1826 a sermon, delivered the previous summer at the funeral of Bishop Jacob Mountain* by John Strachan*, appeared in print; in it Strachan, the leading Church of England clergyman in Upper Canada, traced the rise of the Anglican church in the colony, contending that it was the established church and attacking the Methodists as ignorant American enthusiasts, unsound in religion and disloyal in politics. None of the arguments were new, but on this occasion the Methodists in York chose not to remain silent and Ryerson, still a probationary preacher, was one of those invited to frame a reply. In a long letter printed in the Colonial Advocate (York) in May 1826 he challenged all of Strachan’s assertions. No less than Strachan himself, Ryerson sought a society that was both Christian and British. But he denied that an established church was either scriptural or an essential part of the British constitution, and quoted authors ancient and modern to support his case. He rejected the charges of ignorance by citing the intellectual training required of all Methodist preachers and also challenged the contention that most of them were Americans. Ryerson’s letter and the ensuing debate in the provincial press “thrilled the Methodist mind in the country,” in the words of John Saltkill Carroll, and called attention to Ryerson’s remarkable abilities as a spokesman for the Methodist cause. In 1827 Strachan again put forward his claims in a series of letters written in England to garner support for both the Church of England and the colony’s newly chartered university. In the public uproar that followed, Ryerson was only one critic among many, but in eight clearly reasoned and broad-ranging letters, published first in the Upper Canada Herald (Kingston) in June 1828 and later that year as a pamphlet, he again defended the character of Methodism, argued the case for religious equality, and broadened his attack to include the educational policies of what he claimed to be an Anglican-dominated executive.

 

His forays against Strachan brought Ryerson to the centre of Methodist affairs. In 1829 he was elected by conference as the first editor of the new Methodist newspaper, the Christian Guardian. Over the next decade he would be its dominant editorial voice, responsible for the paper from the first issue in November 1829 until August 1832, from October 1833 until June 1835, and again from June 1838 until June 1840. A large Methodist constituency and Ryerson’s own editorial talents made the Guardian one of the most widely read and politically influential papers in the colony. From the beginning it reflected not only the temporal but also the spiritual concerns of Ryerson’s own life. One subsidiary object of the paper, he wrote in 1830, was “to support and vindicate religious and civil rights”; but the paper’s principal purpose was to promote “practical Christianity – to teach men how to live and how to die.” Serving also as book steward for 1829–32 and 1833–35, Ryerson established a book room and helped lay the foundations of a flourishing publishing establishment which eventually became the Ryerson Press.

 

During the early 1830s Ryerson was involved in another important aspect of the institutional development of his church. In 1832, at the invitation of the colonial administration, the politically conservative British Wesleyans decided to expand their own work into Upper Canada. Colonial Methodists were divided over the appropriate response. Although some objected to any cooperation at all, the majority of conference, led by John Ryerson, voted to support a union between the two churches in order to avoid wasteful duplication and open conflict and to disprove the continuing charges of American sympathies. Egerton vigorously supported this policy in the Guardian and within conference, and was selected to go to England to complete the negotiations with the English conference as well as to lay a variety of Methodist interests before the Colonial Office. He returned to Upper Canada in September 1833. Just 30 years of age, fresh from his first trip abroad and the successful representation of his church in Britain, and re-elected editor of the Guardian, Ryerson had begun to establish himself, in Carroll’s words, as the Methodists’ “leader in all public questions.”

 

The style and character of the man had also begun to take permanent shape. Summarizing contemporary opinion, Charles Bruce Sissons* concludes that Ryerson was a competent rather than an outstanding preacher. The basis for his public reputation would lie in the written rather than the spoken word. At his best Ryerson could write prose laced with vigorous rhetoric, flashes of wit, and powerful imagery. He could also, particularly as he grew older, be long-winded and pontifical, his prose weighted down by endless quotations and irrelevant appeals to the history of any subject from time immemorial. His style was shaped by the Methodist homiletics of the day and encompassed the best and the worst of the genre.

 

To his many friends and admirers Ryerson was a generous, warm, kind, inspiring man, “trusting and trustworthy,” endowed with “grand qualities of mind and heart.” Others, particularly those who ran afoul of him in controversy, did not share this opinion. In his younger days Ryerson was generally careful to distinguish between the personalities and the arguments of his opponents. As editor of the Guardian he did not routinely indulge in the character assassination and innuendo typical of contemporary colonial journalism. Yet he was also acutely sensitive to slights or imputations about his own character and principles, and when provoked could descend into excesses of personal abuse unbecoming in a clergyman and public figure. These tendencies increased as he grew older so that even a sympathetic contemporary observer was led to remark that “both in writing and in debate he is not very choice of the means by which he abolishes an opponent, so long as it is done.” His was not a singular failing in mid-19th-century Canada and in many instances Ryerson had a strong claim to just cause. None the less he himself recognized it as a flaw. “I have,” he told his daughter, Mrs Sophia Howard Harris, in 1870, “written and printed many things that I afterwards very much regretted. For many years I have been accustomed to keep for a day or a week what I have written, before committing it to press.”

 

When he believed it to be necessary Ryerson could rethink his positions and make tactical compromises but his reluctance to admit such shifts publicly left him open to recurring charges of disingenuousness and hypocrisy. Such assessments were also encouraged by a strain of self-righteousness in his personality. Though his diaries and private letters often reveal him struggling with self-doubt, his public demeanour bespoke great assurance that his designs and God’s were one. Thomas Dalton* was one of the first of Ryerson’s contemporaries who captured this trait when he wrote in 1834 that Ryerson “pretends to be Heaven’s Lord Chancellor, and consequently the depository of all the secrets of that high court.”

 

Throughout his life Ryerson was a relentless worker. He could call up enormous reserves of energy, endurance, and discipline – products of his early labours on his father’s farm, the physical rigours of a circuit-rider’s life, and above all, the conviction that he must be a worthy steward of the time God gave him. He was also a constant student. He was forever learning a new language: Ojibwa at the Credit River mission, Hebrew in his spare time in the early 1840s, French and German on his trips to the Continent. The core of his religious and social thought had been shaped by rigorous study of the scriptures and the great Methodist divines: Wesley himself, Adam Clarke, and Richard Watson. He was also an avid reader of the classics of British and European history and political thought, and the “serious” contemporary literature such as the great English quarterlies. On any subject he chose he could command a remarkable variety of sources and quotations. His persistent interest in secular knowledge and in contemporary cultural and political affairs tempered the asperities of a faith that in other men could breed a disdain for temporal things or even an outright anti-intellectualism. On the other hand his secular interests, reinforced and justified by his religious convictions, also drew him into the political conflicts that haunted the colony in the 1830s and 1840s to a degree that, amongst Upper Canadian clergymen, was matched only by his great antagonist, John Strachan.

 

As pamphleteer and editor between 1826 and 1832 Ryerson had gradually become associated in the public mind with those who identified themselves as political Reformers. It was a natural alliance at the time, for many of the issues that galvanized Reformers were also those of most concern to Methodist leaders: the disposition of the clergy reserves, the right to solemnize marriages, the control of many of the educational institutions by the Church of England, and a number of similar issues affecting denominational equality Ryerson’s spirited editorial attacks on Anglican ascendancy, his leading role in organizing and drafting the petition of the Friends of Religious Liberty in December 1830 [see Jesse Ketchum*], and his denunciation in 1831 of the attack by Sir John Colborne* on the Methodists for political meddling, all seemed to identify him not just as a leading Methodist but as a leading Reformer as well. Thus it was not surprising that in 1832 a Tory mob in Peterborough, looking for symbols of reform on which to vent their anger, set fire to effigies of both William Lyon Mackenzie* and Ryerson.

 

When Ryerson returned from England in the autumn of 1833, however, he struck an unexpected theme. In the first of a series of “Impressions of England,” published in the Guardian, he attacked as infidel, republican, and anti-Methodist, radical leaders such as Joseph Hume and John Arthur Roebuck* who were close allies of Canadian Reformers. At the same time he praised the English “moderate Tories” among whom were to be found “a considerable portion of the evangelical clergy and, we think, a majority of Wesleyan Methodists.” Their political prudence, “genuine liberality and religious beneficence,” he concluded, “claim respect and imitation.” The “Impressions” caused a political uproar. To friends and enemies alike Ryerson appeared to reverse direction and commit himself to Toryism. The Reform press had a field-day at his expense, condemning him as an apostate and traitor, and many of his Methodist brethren concurred. To Ryerson himself, however, the change was one of emphasis, not principle. His passionate recitals of the grievances of Upper Canada had in fact masked an intellectual temper that was profoundly loyalist and conservative.

 

Two central convictions, shaped by his early life and by his reading of Blackstone, Paley, Wesley, Clarke, and Watson, formed the core of his political thought. First, he revered the body of constitutional theory and practice developed in Britain since 1688 and inherited, he believed, by Upper Canadians through the Constitutional Act of 1791. To Ryerson, civil institutions were among the means established by God to enable man to seek sanctification in this life and everlasting happiness with God in the next. No system of government designed by man was better suited to serve these purposes than the British constitution. By providing institutional bulwarks against arbitrary rule, it protected the civil and religious liberties of the subject and, through petitions to parliament and appeals to the crown, it furnished the means of seeking redress of grievances. Because of its mixed nature – its incorporation of king, lords, and commons (in the colony, governor, council, and assembly) – it provided the mechanism to balance and reconcile the different interests of society and thereby secure good government for the whole community. Wise policy, Ryerson would repeatedly say, not only arose from but also ensured “both the prerogatives and due influence of the Crown, and the constitutional rights of the people.”

 

The second fundamental principle that shaped his political thought was the importance of the imperial tie. Given his warm attachment to British institutions, all proposals for outright independence were anathema. At the same time he believed that the imperial authority and its local representatives must be responsive to local interests and circumstances. Thus Ryerson, like so many others of his generation, had to come to grips with a proposition that, on the face of it, seemed absurd: Upper Canada could be both self-governing and a colony. If some believed that sentiment alone could keep separatist tendencies in check, many others, Ryerson included, did not. To him, the “responsible government” of Robert Baldwin* was but a first step to independence. Its logic was to destroy the mixed constitution by eliminating the independent prerogative of the crown, the most palpable link between colony and parent state. So long as the imperial government was broadly responsive to public opinion, preserved the right of appeal for redress, and followed existing constitutional usages in dealing with the colony, Ryerson would oppose any innovations that threatened to weaken the imperial tie or modify the constitution inherited by the colony.

 

From the late 1820s until the mid 1840s Ryerson would attempt to govern his political course in accordance with these two principles. It was not an easy task. It would lead him from one side of the political spectrum to the other and back again, and leave him open to charges of political opportunism that, in the eyes of many Upper Canadians though not in his own, were difficult to refute.

 

By late 1833, when he published “Impressions,” Ryerson had become convinced that the main enemy was the Reform movement, not the administration. He did not dispute the fact that Upper Canadians still had justifiable complaints but, he argued, appeals to the crown and the imperial parliament were bringing redress. In particular, the royal dispatches of 1832 and 1833 had led Lieutenant Governor Colborne to modify many of the partisan policies of the previous decade. To Ryerson, in other words, the cause of Reform had been largely won. Of course Methodists had changed their tune, he would reply to his critics in 1835, “and for a simple and sufficient reason, the administration of government towards them has been essentially changed.” The Reformers, on the other hand, were seeking no longer to remedy real grievances but to introduce organic changes in the constitution. Thus, with the same energy he had exerted on behalf of Reform in the early 1830s, by mid decade Ryerson had thrown himself into the defence of existing authority.

 

Ryerson was absent from Upper Canada from November 1835 to June 1837, having been sent by conference to England as part of an attempt to put the affairs of the Methodists’ new academy at Cobourg in order. Begun with the greatest optimism in the early 1830s, Upper Canada Academy was in the most desperate financial straits by mid decade. It was Ryerson’s job to obtain a royal charter for it and, more importantly, to travel throughout Britain soliciting money for its support. Both tasks proved difficult but the latter was the more painful: to be a stranger and to have to beg, he confided to his diary, was “the most disagreeable of all employments.” He obtained the charter, none the less, and promises of financial support from British Wesleyans and the imperial government. Though away from home during these months, he continued to be a force in Upper Canadian politics, writing lengthy letters to the Christian Guardian and to English newspapers criticizing the Reformers and defending the policies of Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond Head*.

 

Ryerson ended 1837 with a blistering sermon condemning those who had participated in the rebellion. He himself, however, was already beginning to have second thoughts about Head’s administration. It was one thing to defend the existing constitution against “republican” or “democratic” radicalism but quite another to tolerate arbitrary rule. Despite the clearly expressed will of the crown and the assembly, the Legislative Council had refused to approve a loan to Upper Canada Academy in 1837 – a scandalous departure, Ryerson argued, from constitutional precedent. A Tory legislature appeared to be attempting once more to place the clergy reserves in Anglican hands. In the wake of the rebellion civil liberties were being trampled upon and early in 1838 the case of Marshall Spring Bidwell*, who had been forced into exile at the whim of the lieutenant governor, roused Ryerson to issue a ringing public denunciation of the authorities and a defence of the constitutional rights of the subject. In Ryerson’s view Head’s successor, Sir George Arthur*, brought no improvement; indeed Arthur seemed determined to sustain all of the most objectionable pretensions of traditional colonial Toryism. From June 1838, when Ryerson returned as editor of the Guardian, his energies were again directed towards attacking the policies of the local executive and its supporters inside and outside the legislature. Once more he had entered the camp of the anti-government alliance.

 

It was in these circumstances that Ryerson was temporarily converted to the constitutional proposals of Lord Durham [Lambton*]. To those who recalled with some glee his earlier opposition to colonial cabinet responsibility he replied in June 1839 that “the history of the last three years” had proved that no other means existed to ensure a just and equitable local administration. By the end of 1840, however, Ryerson had returned to more familiar ground. In Lord Sydenham [Thomson*], who was determined to form a broad party of moderate opinion, to treat all denominations equally, and to be responsive to public opinion while at the same time preserving the prerogatives of the crown, Ryerson believed he had found the patriot governor who could implement “truly liberal conservative policy” and thus sustain the mixed constitution in the colonial setting. When Sydenham died in 1841 Ryerson wrote an obituary that heaped encomium upon encomium. At its heart was an expression of his own most fervent wish for the province: “his Lordship has solved the difficult problem, that a people may be colonists and yet be free.”

 

In June 1840 Ryerson ended his last stint as editor of the Guardian and was assigned to a pastorate in Toronto. He remained, however, a central figure in Methodist affairs. A number of issues had begun to divide Canadian and British Wesleyans in the late 1830s, raising doubts about the value of the union into which they had entered in 1833. One of these was the editorial policy of the Guardian, which members of the British conference felt Ryerson had made into “a political and party organ” of colonial radicalism. Though Ryerson was sustained by large majorities at conference, clashes over this and other matters of policy led to the dissolution of the union in 1840. Egerton and his brother William were appointed delegates to the British conference and spent the summer of 1840 in England negotiating the details of separation. In the following year Egerton was selected as the first principal of Victoria College, the successor to Upper Canada Academy, though he was not formally inducted into the post until June 1842. He remained principal until 1847 but his active role in the college was short-lived. In 1844 he took up a new post as a government administrator and, at the same time, became involved in one of the most celebrated political conflicts in Upper Canadian history.

 

In November 1843, because of a dispute over control of patronage, Governor Sir Charles Theophilus Metcalfe*’s Reform ministers had resigned from office. In the next few months Metcalfe and his new chief minister in Canada West, William Henry Draper*, began to search for a base of support in the leading moderates of both parties and all denominations. Among those consulted for general advice was Ryerson and, most probably in January 1844, consultation turned into a more positive offer of a place in the administration.

 

It is not difficult to see why Metcalfe wanted Ryerson. An appointment for Ryerson would disprove charges that he was too partial to Anglicans and high Tories and would favourably influence the large Methodist vote. Ryerson was on close terms with other political moderates and his accession might bring their support as well. A place on the council itself was, however, out of the question. Ryerson did not want an unequivocally political appointment and Draper discovered that it was not possible in any case. Thus Ryerson was offered the post of superintendent of schools for Canada West, which was not formally political; his acceptance would, however, signify his support for the ministry.

 

Why Ryerson himself was tempted by the offer is another question. Certainly he believed that at stake was a major constitutional issue upon which men must declare themselves. Moreover, he had always thought that an effective system of national education was one of the highest goals of practical, liberal policy and he was no doubt deeply attracted by the chance to play a role in promoting its development. But there may have been other reasons as well. On two previous occasions in the early 1840s he had expressed an interest in becoming involved in primarily secular projects and it may have been that Ryerson was somewhat restless in these years and eager to test his talents in a wider sphere than that afforded by Upper Canadian Methodism alone.

 

He may also have been tempted by the new political atmosphere of the years after 1840. The many leading politicians of the decade with whom he was on close personal terms accorded him a degree of respect he had not received from an earlier generation of Upper Canadian notables. Moreover, whatever their differences on particular issues, Ryerson’s vision of the future development of Canadian society had much in common with that of such men as Draper and Francis Hincks. They were ready to recognize the legitimate interests of Methodists and other dissenters within the body politic, they were men of the centre who rejected the extremes of either radicalism or Toryism, and their concern for economic development and the modernization of public services and institutions was as great as their commitment to the preservation of a distinct British-American society. In other words, Ryerson may have been attracted to the job because he believed that politics and policy were moving in more congenial and promising directions than in the conflict-ridden decade of the 1830s. In any case and for whatever reasons, Ryerson accepted Metcalfe’s offer in early 1844, though his appointment was not formally announced until September.

 

Apparently Metcalfe and Draper had asked only that Ryerson agree to serve as superintendent of common schools. It seems to have been Ryerson himself who proposed that he also step into the public arena in defence of the governor. He did so in part because he thought that his appointment was at risk unless the ministry was sustained by the electorate. But his behaviour was also fully in character. For Ryerson it was never enough to stand up and be counted; he had to smite the enemy hip and thigh as well. Thus he set about writing Sir Charles Metcalfe defended against the attacks of his late counsellors, published first as a series of letters in the British Colonist (Toronto) in the late spring and early summer of 1844 and later that year as a pamphlet of some 165 pages.

 

Though the letters ranged widely over British and colonial constitutional and political history and included a variety of arguments favourable to Metcalfe’s position, Ryerson focused on the patronage question. The Reform ministry, he argued, proposed to use patronage to strengthen the grip of extreme partyism on the country. This in itself was dangerous enough, for partyism prized partisanship and factionalism over independent judgement and the public interest, and rewarded loyalty rather than merit. In this respect the Reformers were reviving all the evils of Family Compact rule when patronage had been used for the benefit of a faction and a sect rather than the community as a whole. But more importantly, by attempting to control patronage, the Reform ministers were attacking the British connection itself: to put the control of patronage primarily in the hands of the council was to undermine the independent authority of the governor and thereby fatally weaken the link with the crown. To accede to such a principle would give Canada “Responsible Government in a sense that would make the Crown a ‘tool’ in the hands of a party; or in a sense, as the Imperial Government emphatically declare, would make ‘Canada an independent republic.’” Thus the duty of the people of Canada in the present crisis was clear: to sustain the kind of responsible government which had been established by Sydenham, which was approved by the imperial government, “and which Sir Charles Metcalfe has most explicitly and fully avowed.”

 

The Metcalfe ministry won the elections of 1844 for many reasons, though no doubt Ryerson’s “Defence” and the loyalty cry he helped to raise played a part in influencing moderate opinion. His appointment to an important public position may also have influenced Methodist voters for it represented a long-delayed recognition of their importance and their claims to full membership in Upper Canadian society. The affair also won Ryerson the lasting enmity of some Reformers, George Brown* amongst them, and a recurring epithet, “Leonidas,” for Ryerson’s smug comparison of his own role in 1844 with that of the hero of Thermopylæ. Ryerson himself left Canada West in October 1844 for his first tour of educational establishments in Britain and on the Continent, and did not return until December 1845. In the following year, working closely with Draper, he began the task of reorganizing the structure of elementary education in the colony.

 

He could not, however, detach himself immediately from the political role he had played in 1844. He had publicly allied himself with Metcalfe and with Draper’s Conservative ministry. Upon the victory of the Reformers in the elections of 1847–48 it was commonly rumoured that Ryerson would be replaced as superintendent of schools. He survived for several reasons. Impressed by his competence, Lord Elgin [Bruce*] gave Ryerson his full support against those who wished to dismiss him for political reasons. Ryerson also had warm allies within the ministry, such as William Hamilton Merritt*, and influential admirers within the party. Above all, Francis Hincks, worried about the Methodist vote, was prepared to bury the political enmity of the mid 1840s. By late 1849 Ryerson had prevailed. His chief enemy in the ministry, Malcolm Cameron*, had resigned, new school legislation that undercut Ryerson’s position had been set aside, and Ryerson had been invited to remain in office and to prepare a revised school bill incorporating the experience of his four years as superintendent. The way was now clear for him to begin the most significant phase of his life’s work.

 

Ryerson’s main preoccupation in the two decades after 1850 was to give form and substance to his vision of the appropriate system of education for Canada West. That vision had been taking shape for years, derived in equal parts from the lessons of scripture and Methodist theology, from his reading of the early 19th-century debates in Britain and America about the importance of popular education, from his participation in the editorial warfare over educational policy in Upper Canada, and from his study of other school systems during his tour of Europe in 1844–45. Though Ryerson wrote voluminously about education throughout his public life, his ideas were expressed most fully and systematically in his Report on a system of public elementary instruction for Upper Canada, written after his return from Europe.

 

At the heart of his educational ideas lay his Christian faith. Next to religion itself, he believed, education was the great agent of God’s purpose for man. Carried out in a Christian context, education promoted virtue and usefulness in this world and union with God in the next. Because it made good and useful individuals it was also a key agent in supporting the good society, inasmuch as it helped to promote social harmony, self-discipline, and loyalty to properly constituted authority. To Ryerson it was the duty of education to develop “all the intellectual powers of man, teach him self-reliance as well as dependence on God, excite him in industry and enterprise, and instruct him in his rights as well as the duties of man.”

 

From these principles Ryerson drew his particular goals. First and foremost, a system of education must be Christian: a secular education was a danger to the child and the society as well as a denial of God’s message to mankind. Secondly, in order to have its intended effects on all children, schooling must be universal. A truly national system must also be “extensive” or “comprehensive”: it must meet the needs of all ranks and vocations by providing both elementary and advanced institutions of education. As well the system must be both British and Canadian. The schools had a duty to uphold the British tie and respect for British constitutional government, and at the same time to foster local patriotism and serve the particular needs and circumstances of Upper Canada’s social and economic life. Finally, the system must be the active concern of government. As an ordinance of God “designed by the Supreme Being ‘to be a minister of God for good’ to a whole people,” government had a duty to sustain and encourage those institutions which promoted the temporal and eternal welfare of its citizens. These were the goals Ryerson would pursue in his remarkably long career as superintendent of education in the upper province.

 

When Ryerson first took office in 1844 there were already more than 2,500 elementary schools in Canada West: financed by a combination of government grants, property taxation, and tuition fees; run by locally elected boards of education; and supervised and coordinated, though in a somewhat ineffective way, by an established central Education Office. Ryerson, in other words, did not create a school system; he inherited one. Throughout his career, moreover, his success was in large part the product of a climate of opinion highly favourable to his aims. Politicians, editors, and other public figures of all religious and political persuasions were sympathetic to the expansion of schooling. School boards and taxpayers provided most of the financial and political support at the local level and imposed broad limits within which central policy could operate. Thus system-building was a cooperative venture rather than the sole achievement of any one individual. More than anyone else, however, it was Ryerson who gave the emerging system its particular shape and character. Between 1844 and 1876 he was involved in a multitude of projects, ranging from the drafting of his major school legislation of 1846, 1850, and 1871 to writing school textbooks, promoting school libraries, and creating a museum of art and science. But his four major achievements were the creation of conditions which made universal access to elementary education possible, the promotion of improvements in the quality of the school programme, changes in the function and character of the grammar schools, and the establishment of an effective administrative structure.

 

He sought universality and improved quality in several ways. In a period when much of the province was still being settled Ryerson provided the legislative and financial devices that enabled even new, small communities to provide schools for themselves. He also led the campaign, which culminated in the Schools Act of 1871, to make every elementary school tuition-free and to introduce Ontario’s first tentative measure of compulsory attendance. For Ryerson, however, it was not enough to ensure that the rudiments alone were universally available. Through exhortation and regulation he tried to make certain that the programme of studies extended well beyond the “three Rs” so that the elementary schools not only began but completed all of the schooling most children and their parents would want or need. He tried to ensure that textbooks were pedagogically sound and reflected the political, social, and religious values he believed should underpin Upper Canadian society. Finally, he did what he could to promote improved teaching. In 1847 he established the first teacher-training institution and he constantly attempted to set progressively higher standards for the certification of elementary school teachers.

 

Ryerson’s achievement with respect to the grammar schools was twofold. First, by persuading the politicians and the public to accept the principle that grammar schools should have access to local taxation, he put these institutions on a sound financial footing for the first time in their history and transformed them into unequivocally public institutions. Secondly, he attempted to turn the grammar schools into effective secondary schools. By the gradual introduction of an entrance examination and a prescribed curriculum that clearly delimited the functions of elementary and grammar schools, he linked these institutions hierarchically. At the same time, he attempted to ensure that the grammar schools would offer a high-quality, broadly based education, consisting of English, mathematics, and classical studies, to that minority of students continuing beyond the elementary level.

 

By creating an effective administrative system for his own department, Ryerson became a member of that small group of pioneer public servants who, in J. E. Hodgetts’ words, made responsible government “a working reality.” He established a strong central authority and a system of local inspection designed to ensure that provincial policy could be implemented and enforced. His own daily routine was dominated by an immense volume of correspondence generated by the problems of institution-building at the local level – correspondence that required him to write hundreds of letters a month in response to requests for guidance and advice. By careful attention to the detail of the organizational machinery at his command he secured both financial and administrative responsibility throughout the system. He reduced the routine work of administration as well as his relations with the local authorities to a body of systematic procedure that covered everything from the gathering of a multitude of statistics to the means by which local boards could function fairly and efficiently in the day-to-day running of the schools. An intensely methodical administrator, Ryerson created the first effective social service bureaucracy in the province’s history.

 

He was, however, not only a school administrator but, in Alison Prentice’s phrase, a “school promoter” as well. Through his speeches, his educational tours of the province, and the Journal of Education for Upper Canada, which he edited from 1848 to 1875, he reported the best ideas from home and abroad, exhorted local boards to introduce this or that new idea, and launched his own campaigns for such major innovations as free schools and compulsory education.

 

Part of his promotional task, perhaps the least welcome part, was to defend the place of grant-aided Roman Catholic separate schools within the system. Though these schools represented only a small proportion of the total number of schools in operation, they became the subject of prolonged political, religious, and sectional controversy in the mid 19th century. Though Ryerson had no a priori objections to denominational schools where a common faith was shared by the whole population, he did not approve of sectarian schools in a denominationally diverse society like Canada West. He thought such schools impractical in most parts of the country, divisive, and unnecessary on the grounds that all the essential, shared doctrines of Christianity could be taught in the elementary schools without reference to the peculiar doctrines of each sect. None the less he had inherited responsibility for the separate schools from the School Act of 1841 and could see no way of abolishing them, given the union of the Canadas which ensured the Catholic minority of Canada West the powerful support in the legislature of their Lower Canadian brethren. Thus Ryerson found himself repeatedly forced to defend the status quo, or to justify a succession of unpalatable political compromises on the issue, in an attempt to fend off both the abolitionists and those who sought the extension of the Catholic system. The additional rights won by Roman Catholics in 1853, 1855, and 1863 were modest compared to their demands; Ryerson was largely successful in preserving the unity of the school system. But his role made him appear to endorse the survival of the separate schools against the clearly expressed will of the majority of politicians and electors in Canada West, and kept him deeply embroiled in public debate from 1852 to 1865, when the issue was finally disposed of as part of the confederation settlement.

 

If Ryerson disliked the separate school controversy, however, it was because he believed the question to be insoluble and divisive, not because he thought it inappropriate for public servants to become involved in political questions. The modern conventions of civil service neutrality and anonymity were still in a formative stage in the period and Ryerson stands out as a Canadian example of that transitional group of mid-Victorian reformer-bureaucrats whom George Kitson Clark has labelled “statesmen in disguise.” Because Ryerson believed that the disposition of educational issues should not be subject to politics or partyism, he had made the Education Office a semi-autonomous agency with no distinct ministerial head. Though formally responsible to the Executive Council, Ryerson himself assumed an almost ministerial role. He established policy, sought political support for it inside and outside parliament, and defended it in public. Moreover his notion of his public duty transcended responsibility to a particular ministry or even parliament. In effect he saw himself as the guardian of the public interest in all educational matters. Even in the late 1860s Ryerson did not think it anomalous, when his own views conflicted with those of a member of the cabinet, to confront the minister with the threat that he would take his side of the case directly to the public. Nor did he feel constrained to keep his activities within the formal jurisdiction of his office. While in England in 1851, for example, he acted as an emissary for the administration to the Colonial Office on the clergy reserves issue and published anonymous letters on the same subject in the Times. He regularly exchanged political gossip and advice with politicians to whom he was personally close, especially William Draper, Francis Hincks, and John A. Macdonald*, and on at least one occasion privately used his influence among Methodist leaders to sway their politics and their votes.

 

Throughout his superintendency, moreover, he remained an active participant in the affairs of Upper Canadian Methodism. With the exception of the year 1854–55, when a brief but tempestuous dispute over the rights of Methodist ministers to require attendance at class meetings led to Ryerson’s temporary resignation from conference, he continued to serve on important conference committees, including the board of Victoria College. In the late 1860s and in the 1870s he was an active supporter at conference of the negotiations for Methodist union and was honoured in 1874 for his contributions to the institutional development of Canadian Methodism by his election as the first president of the Methodist Church of Canada. This continuing clerical role, however, involved him once again in a highly contentious political issue, the university question.

 

Ryerson always claimed that he was a warm supporter of a provincial university, and no doubt he was in the sense that he generally supported any measure that would sustain effective professional schools and provide common standards for examinations and degrees among the various colleges in the province. Indeed he himself had written the original draft of Hincks’s University Act of 1853, which incorporated these ideas. But Ryerson was also a resolute defender of the denominational colleges as agencies for ensuring a Christian education and environment for young men who did not live at home. And he had an immense personal commitment to the survival of Victoria College, which he had done so much to foster in the 1830s and 1840s. For both reasons he was an energetic supporter of public aid to the denominational colleges throughout the 1850s and 1860s. He took a leading role between 1859 and 1863 in the concerted attempt by several denominations to force the government to give them access to the funds of the University of Toronto and in the abortive campaign in 1868 to prevent the new government of Ontario from abolishing the existing grants to the denominational colleges. In the controversy surrounding the question, Ryerson always attempted to claim the high ground as champion of the interests of Christianity and high standards in education. But to those who believed in the virtues of a civic university, free from sectarian control and large enough to offer a comprehensive liberal and professional education, he inevitably appeared as the partisan of denominational self-interest and sectarian political scheming.

 

The 1850s were for Ryerson among the most satisfying years of his life. He had experienced his share of personal tragedy in the two previous decades with the deaths of his first wife and both their children. By the 1850s, however, he and his second wife had settled in a comfortable house in Toronto, and had two growing children, Charles Egerton and Sophia. Though Charlie was a constant worry to his father because of his lack of earnestness and studiousness, he became a welcome sporting and sailing companion later in Ryerson’s life. Sophie, as Ryerson’s warm and often moving letters to his daughter reveal, was the love of his life, particularly since his relationship with his second wife was somewhat distant and at times strained. The 1850s were also among his most productive years as superintendent. In a sequence of major legislation between 1850 and 1855 he had put the common school system in order, begun the reform of the grammar schools, and played a role in reshaping the provincial university. He was on close terms with most of the influential politicians of the day, and received broad support from both parties and from the provincial press; even the Globe found good things to say about him for much of the decade. He basked in the accolades of Lord Elgin during ceremonies connected with the building of the Normal School in Toronto, and was invited in 1854 to serve as a member of a commission of inquiry into the state of King’s College (University of New Brunswick) in Fredericton, N.B. Among other ornaments of public approbation he accumulated three honorary degrees: a dd from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., in 1842; an ma from the University of Toronto in 1857; and an lld from Victoria College in 1861. His reputation and his public role seemed permanently and securely established.

 

Towards the end of the decade, however, both his personal and his professional circumstances became more troubled. In the late 1850s his pride was badly wounded by a contretemps with John Langton*, the provincial auditor. Langton, the first to admit that Ryerson was a superb administrator, had written in 1856 that Ryerson had “the genius of order and system,” and that “his accounts and vouchers are a model for all our public departments.” But between 1855 and 1857 Langton also discovered and exposed the fact that Ryerson had personally collected the interest on public funds held in his name. It was not an illegal practice at the time, and Ryerson believed he had ministerial approval for it, but it was also ceasing to be acceptable conduct in the public mind. He promised to pay back the entire amount and a sympathetic government granted him virtually the equivalent sum in back salary. But he was stung by the accusations against his probity and shaken by the way in which those charges remained current long after the issue had been formally settled. Then, in 1862, approaching the age of 60, Ryerson suffered a prolonged and severe illness marked by the recurrence of headaches, dizziness, and coughing. His illness forced him to reduce his traditional schedule of work and as he recovered in the succeeding years he took his first real vacations and embarked on a regimen of vigorous exercise. Among other things he built a skiff, and over the next few years sailed and rowed nine times from Toronto to Long Point, five of these adventures, much to the consternation of friends and family, being undertaken alone. Though he would regain much of his strength by the mid 1860s, he would suffer relapses for the rest of his life and was never again able to carry the burden of work he had once borne.

 

From the late 1850s onwards, moreover, he discovered that there was a price to be paid for insulating the department from the political process, for he began to have difficulties persuading the politicians to interest themselves in his projects, carry forward his legislation, and defend him when he was under attack. These difficulties, perhaps more than anything else, convinced him by the late 1860s that a ministerial head was essential if the interests of the department and the school system were to be adequately protected. At the same time he began to accumulate a growing number of enemies. His public attack in 1858 on the educational policies of the short-lived coalition between George Brown and the Lower Canadian Reformers marked the reopening of hostilities between Ryerson and Brown which would last until the latter’s death. Along with this incident his role in the university question and his close relations with John A. Macdonald alienated many leading Brownite Liberals. Nor did Ryerson learn prudence from the political controversies in which he found himself involved. When in 1867 the Reform party called for an end to coalitions and a return to party politics, Ryerson replied with a pamphlet entitled The new Canadian dominion: dangers and duties of the people in regard to their government, in which he returned to the themes of 1844, warning against the dangers of partyism – its “intolerance,” its “excesses and oppressions,” and the “unscrupulous partisanship” of “this hermaphrodite spawn of cast-off colonial despotism and selfishness.” All of this controversy contributed to what Oliver Mowat* would describe, in a letter to Ryerson in 1873, as “the antagonism towards you which has so long prevailed in the Liberal party.”

 

Illness and the frustrations of public life led Ryerson to talk sporadically about retirement throughout the 1860s. At the same time, however, he was anxious to complete his agenda for educational reform. In 1866–67 he made his last educational tour of Europe and America, out of which came two reports, written in 1868: one on the education of the deaf, dumb, and blind, and the other on the state of American and European education along with recommendations for the improvement of the Ontario system. Late in the same year he submitted draft legislation designed to improve the details of school law and to introduce universal free elementary education, compulsory attendance, and a new structure for secondary education.

 

His initial hopes for quick and easy passage of the school bill were soon dashed. In part this disappointment was due to the constant attacks mounted by the opposition Liberals, many of them directed at Ryerson personally. But it was also due to the emergence of real public debate about a wide variety of educational issues. Differences of opinion in the legislature and the press, along with opposition to parts of the bill from teachers’ organizations and from local opinion expressed during Ryerson’s tour of the province in 1869, led to the temporary withdrawal of the bill and to considerable modification of it. The new School Act, finally passed early in 1871, contained most of Ryerson’s major recommendations in one form or another and remains as one of the great landmarks of his career. But it was passed amidst a degree of political debate and personal bitterness not experienced by Ryerson since the late 1840s.

 

Ryerson’s last years in office were unhappy ones. Again some of this unhappiness was due to the political and personal antagonisms among Liberals over the previous 30 years – antagonisms that boiled over in 1872 in his bitter and sustained public conflict with Edward Blake*. But it was not merely a matter of personalities and political differences. From the administration of John Sandfield Macdonald* onwards, successive ministries were determined to regularize the procedures of the Education Office and, more importantly, to exercise a firm hand in educational policy-making. In Ryerson’s view this effort was an invasion of his prerogatives as well as a denigration of his own role to that of “a clerk,” and seemed motivated by the most base political partisanship. Each incursion – from the simple attempt by the provincial treasurer in 1868 to impose financial controls on the department to the suspension of his school regulations in 1872 and the plans to modify his book depository – was met with resistance and, too often, with a barrage of invective hurled at those he conceived to be his persecutors. In 1872 Blake seemed to invite conflict; Mowat was far more conciliatory. He sought Ryerson’s advice, allowed him considerable latitude in the administration of the department, and applied liberal amounts of soft sawder when Ryerson’s sensitivities were bruised. But he was no less determined than Blake to be his own master. As Mowat put it on one occasion when a quarrel threatened: “I would much rather cooperate with you . . . but if I must have a fight with the Chief Superintendent . . . instead of his co-operation, as in my position I ought to have, I must still do what I consider to be my duty.”

 

The conflicts of the years 1872–75 invited either resignation or dismissal. Yet neither option could be exercised. Ryerson repeatedly expressed a wish to resign but he did not have the financial resources to sustain himself independently: for years he had given generously to help finance a variety of Methodist causes including Victoria College, he had a nephew to educate, and he may also have lived somewhat beyond his means. Thus he needed to assure himself of a government pension and could not afford to make any grand gestures over policies with which he disagreed. Either Blake or Mowat would probably have welcomed his resignation but there were political difficulties in providing him with a permanent pension and differences within the Liberal party itself over the kind of reorganization the Education Office should undergo. Dismissal, on the other hand, was out of the question. Ryerson’s reputation remained high in many quarters and he was still, as even the Liberals recognized, a power among Methodist voters. It was not until late 1875 that Mowat finally took the matter in hand, and made the decision to create a ministry of education [see Adam Crooks] and to provide a pension for Ryerson. He formally left office in February 1876, just over a month before his 73rd birthday.

 

Retirement, however, did not mean a life of leisure. Since the early 1860s Ryerson had devoted his spare moments to what he was convinced was his last “mission” in life – a history of the United Empire Loyalists. In 1876 the project became his full-time occupation and most of that year was spent in England where he put in long hours of research in the British Museum. Over the succeeding five years he finished the two large volumes that make up The loyalists of America and their times. Beyond that he completed a school textbook on political economy and a history of Canadian Methodism. He was working on his autobiography when, in the summer of 1881, his health began to fail. He died on 19 Feb. 1882. Following a large and impressive funeral service he was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

 

Ryerson’s life spans the growth of Upper Canada virtually from first settlement to the social and economic maturity of the 1870s. For most of those years he was a major figure in its history. Particularly before 1850 he played a central part in the institutional growth of Methodism, one of the province’s largest denominations. As well, he helped to articulate and publicize “the grievances of Upper Canada,” and contributed to the debate about the nature of colonial-imperial relations. If most historians now reject an older view that Ryerson determined single-handed the results of the elections of 1836 and 1844, still he remains an influential figure in these events and one of the leading spokesmen for that majority of Upper Canadians who sought some middle way to reconcile self-government and the imperial tie.

 

But it is his contribution to Canadian education that remains his greatest legacy. He was one of the founders of Victoria College, its first principal, and a generous benefactor through some of its most difficult years. He was a vigorous protagonist of the right of all the denominational colleges to survive and prosper in the province. And he attempted to make the grant-aided schools universal and comprehensive and to create an effective system of public administration at both the local and provincial levels.

 

Few of his educational ideas were original. John Strachan, for one, had anticipated many of them, while others were the common coinage of an era when school systems were being constructed in many different places. Nor was his vision without flaws. He had an unsure hand when it came to providing for the advanced education of young women. To some of his contemporaries his version of non-denominationalism in education appeared as little more than a disguised and proselytizing form of evangelical Protestantism. And his hopes for social improvement through education were vitiated by a belief, widely shared by his generation, that social and economic inequalities were the unchangeable realities of man’s fallen estate. During his lifetime there were already divergent views about the merits of the school system, and since his death the assessments of his work have been diverse and conflicting. But on one point there has been consensus. More than any other person Ryerson gave the Ontario school system its particular character, one that, because of his enormous influence in his own generation, would become during the later 19th century a model for most of English-speaking Canada.

Directed by Yamina Benguigui

Produced by Bachir Deraïs

Philippe Dupuis-Mendel

Written by Yamina Benguigui

Starring Fejria Deliba

Cinematography Antoine Roch

Distributed by ARP Sélection

Divisa Home Video (Spain)

Film Movement (USA)

Release date(s) September 14, 2001

Running time 96 min.

Country France

Algeria

 

Here's a link to Wikipedia for more information ...

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch%27Allah_Dimanche

 

This was a thoroughly informative movie and was written by a lady who had had these experiences. An Algerian father has been working in France for a number of years and now has the privilege of bringing his family to France. The family moves under sad circumstances because the wife's mother is old and left alone in Algeria. Once settled into the house in France we see the daily psychological and physical torture the wife must endure. Here mother in law has a scorpion's tail for a tongue and when she has made mistakes, her husband beats her violently. However as the wife meets other people in France, her perspective begins to change and in the end there is a final confrontation between this unholy trio, during which the husband shouts for his mother to, "SHUT UP." The wife then says to the children, "Tell your father I'll be taking you to school in the morning." The look of defeat is obvious on the face of the husband. All the neighbors have witnessed this scene and the smile on the wife's face indicates, she knows things will now change for the better and she will be happy where she is supposed to be ... here in her home with her family.

 

As I watched that last scene i felt like I was watching a microscopic interlude into the evolution of a religion. All religions change, some more slowly than others. Populations on the move tend to change a religion, sometimes even radically. The mother-in-law has threatened the wife with the acquisition of a second wife to do what she is so allegedly incapable of doing. Of course, in France that would be a criminal offense, so a change in custom is in force already.

 

It is natural to resist change and we still have outlawed Mormon groups which practice polygamy. We still have cults handling rattlesnakes in the Ozarks. Change is the one force that so far seems to be unchangeable.

 

There is a strong force in the western world opposing Muslim immigration and now a great controversy is in process in New York City as a Mosque is scheduled to be built on the 911 ground 0 site. Those issues I wouldn't even begin to address, but I want to say this. Just like all Christians don't handle rattlesnakes as a religious practice, all Muslims are not dedicated to death and terrorism. It is my firm belief that as Islam grows it will also change to the point that Islam will be very little different in the community than a Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints, or for that matter a Catholic church. I'm here to testify that there could be improvement in the Methodist church as well.

 

The law of change mandates that ALL OF US change and actually it isn't a choice, it's a reality, so, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Life is still good.

 

Now, I'll go make some coffee and wait to see how many people I've offended....sigh.

Be real to yourself. That is one of the majour lessons I learned lately. Whatever you are, whoever you are - be real. That sounds so simple, but I guess it's a lifetime task. It means setting goals that you really want, not those you should have. It means realizing the boundaries of your body and accepting it's unchangeable flaws and edges the way they are. It means getting in touch with your own feelings. It means saying goodbye to how life should be, but admitting that your wishes and feelings might sometimes point in the exact opposite directions. It means saying goodbye to morals. Don't get me wrong, morals and ethic is important. But if those are the only reasons you do or not do things, you're not being honest to yourself. Admit even the unmoral feelings and thoughts to yourself and reflect about them with honesty, not false morals. It means doing what you love and seeking happiness for yourself. Because no matter what others tell you, but most of all what you tell yourself, you are worthy. You deserve happiness and you deserve honesty. You deserve the chance to fight for your dreams and discovering life.

News for Yellow fans^^

Stoya is absolutely - one of a kind. She has learned that her quirks and unique way of looking at the world are unchangeable fact and is working on using them to her best advantage.

 

As a kid Stoya had dreams of becoming Rum Tum Tugger in Cats on Broadway. The fact that Rum Tum Tugger is male was not a deterrent, although the closing of Cats at the Winter Garden did put a bit of a kink in that plan.

 

Stoya was home-schooled by a multi-faceted, driven mother who very successfully implanted the idea that she is capable of figuring out how to do anything she wants to and surmounting any obstacle she encounters with enough elbow grease and mental application. Stoya regrets never taking drivers education, but considers that a small price to pay for finishing up school as quickly as possible and getting out into the real world.

 

Stoya meets amazing, fascinating people wherever she goes. She believes there are always amazing, fascinating people and meeting them merely requires being willing to listen to them to discover what is wonderful about them.

 

The first time Stoya took her top off in public was at a party in a club that had go-go dancers which she was far too young to be attending. After admiring the girls and the confidence with which they taunted the audience, she wanted to give it a try. One of the dancers put electrical tape on her nipples, Stoya hopped up on the box, and right as she was about to pull her shirt over her shoulders she realized she hadn't shaved her underarms in a few weeks. The crowd loved it anyway, or perhaps loved it more. Stoya took this as a lesson in being proud of her body just the way it is.

 

Stoya is a self-admitted bookworm and spends a lot of her quiet time reading and sewing. Gary Jennings is one of her favorite authors and loves getting decked out in her handcrafted rhinestone creations. For Stoya living in the company of rhinestone bedecked women, is the next best thing to actually joining the circus.

 

Stoya is insatiably curious and loves new experiences. She thrives on what might happen. Stoya would rather take the chance and learn a lesson than leave an opportunity unexplored. Stoya is sure she has a comfort zone, but hasn't seen it in such a long time she wouldn't be able to tell you how it's decorated. She believes the most exciting part of life is learning new things and pushing yourself to grow towards your best possible self.

 

Stoya sparks constant debate.

 

Stoya loves making people think, even when the conclusions they come to differ from her own. Stoya loves conversations with others who make her think, especially when they make a point so well that it causes her opinion on the subject to change.

 

Stoya is absolutely convinced that high heels are appropriate in every situation. She believes that years of ballet classes have made her feet more comfortable in heels than sneakers, and refuses to listen to any contrary scientific evidence.

 

Stoya thought porn sounded like a really fascinating adventure, and it very much has been. While Stoya does not consider her work in pornography to be art, she does have the soul of an artist. She uses her work with creating garments and accessories as a way of expressing herself, and is in the process of preparing for a return to performing arts.

 

If you'd asked Stoya at 13 or 18 what she wanted her life to be like, she wouldn't have been able to give you more than a vague set of references or list of inspirations (Vivienne Westwood, James Bidgood, Baz Luhrmann, and Bob Fosse) but looking around now, it seems like it's worked out more perfectly than could possibly have been planned for.

 

Watch this video on Vimeo. Video created by Mister GoLightly.

treatments work to get a little more words and cognition back.

getting back cognition works to get pains back .

aches live in the living.

 

...the view (seen thro the cables holding the lifeboats in place) that I saw from the BC Ferry, of Roberts Bank, the huge coal port that all the coal from up north gets brought by train to be shipped to Japan

 

have a sunny full of love and happiness Saturday!!

 

"The basis of happiness is the love of something

outside self. Search every instance of happiness

in the world and you will find, when all the

incidental features are eliminated, that there is

always the constant, unchangeable element of love:

love of a parent for a child, love of man and woman

for each other, love of humanity in some form, or

a great life work into which the individual

throws all his energies."

~William George Jordan

  

I am off to the fitness centre, then beach time, then dinner with friends and to watch the new "Gray Garden" movie with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange that I have heard so much about...and am intrigued after watching the documentary of the same name a few weeks ago...

 

seen on Explore - May 30, 2009 - #477

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name "mute" derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognizable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

 

Taxonomy

The mute swan was first formally described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin as Anas olor in 1789 and was transferred by Johann Matthäus Bechstein to the new genus Cygnus in 1803. Both cygnus and olor mean "swan" in Latin; cygnus is a variant form of cycnus, borrowing from Greek κύκνος kyknos, a word of the same meaning.

 

Despite its Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the black swan of Australia and the black-necked swan of South America, not the other Northern Hemisphere swans of the genus Cygnus. The species is monotypic, with no living subspecies.

 

Evolution

Mute swan subfossils, 6,000 years old, have been found in post-glacial peat beds of East Anglia, Great Britain. They have been recorded from Ireland east to Portugal and Italy, and from France, 13,000 BP (Desbrosse and Mourer-Chauvire 1972–1973). Cygnus olor bergmanni, a paleosub species which differed only in size from the living bird, is known from fossils found in Azerbaijan. A related paleospecies recorded from fossils and subfossils is the Giant swan, Cygnus falconeri, a flightless species which lived on the islands of Malta and Sicily during the Middle Pleistocene.

 

Fossils of swan ancestors more distantly allied to the mute swan have been found in four U.S. states: California, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon. The timeline runs from the Miocene to the late Pleistocene or 10,000 BP. The latest find was in Anza Borrego Desert, a state park in California. Fossils from the Pleistocene include Cygnus paloregonus from Fossil Lake, Oregon, Froman's Ferry, Idaho, and Arizona, referred to by Howard in The Waterfowl of the World as "probably the mute type swan".

 

Description

Adults of this large swan typically range from 140 to 160 cm (55 to 63 in) long, although can range in extreme cases from 125 to 170 cm (49 to 67 in), with a 200 to 240 cm (79 to 94 in) wingspan. Males are larger than females and have a larger knob on their bill. On average, this is the second largest waterfowl species after the trumpeter swan, although male mute swans can easily match or even exceed a male trumpeter in mass. Among standard measurements of the mute swan, the wing chord measures 53–62.3 cm (20.9–24.5 in), the tarsus is 10–11.8 cm (3.9–4.6 in) and the bill is 6.9–9 cm (2.7–3.5 in). The plumage is white, while the legs are dark grey. The beak of the mute swan is bright orange, with black around the nostrils and a black nail.

 

The mute swan is one of the heaviest extant flying birds. In several studies from Great Britain, males (known as cobs) were found to average from about 10.6 to 11.87 kg (23.4 to 26.2 lb), with a weight range of 9.2–14.3 kg (20–32 lb) while the slightly smaller females (known as pens) averaged about 8.5 to 9.67 kg (18.7 to 21.3 lb), with a weight range of 7.6–10.6 kg (17–23 lb). While the top normal weight for a big cob is roughly 15 kg (33 lb), one unusually big Polish cob weighed almost 23 kg (51 lb) and this counts as the largest weight ever verified for a flying bird, although it has been questioned whether this heavyweight could still take flight.

 

Young birds, called cygnets, are not the bright white of mature adults, and their bill is dull greyish-black, not orange, for the first year. The down may range from pure white to grey to buff, with grey/buff the most common. The white cygnets have a leucistic gene. Cygnets grow quickly, reaching a size close to their adult size in approximately three months after hatching. Cygnets typically retain their grey feathers until they are at least one year old, with the down on their wings having been replaced by flight feathers earlier that year.

 

All mute swans are white at maturity, though the feathers (particularly on the head and neck) are often stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water.

 

Polish swan

The colour morph C. o. morpha immutabilis (immūtābilis is Latin for "immutable, unchangeable, unalterable"), also known as the "Polish swan", has pinkish (not dark grey) legs and dull white cygnets; as with white domestic geese, it is found only in populations with a history of domestication. Polish swans carry a copy of a gene responsible for leucism.

 

Behaviour

Mute swans nest on large mounds that they build with waterside vegetation in shallow water on islands in the middle or at the very edge of a lake. They are monogamous and often reuse the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food. They feed on a wide range of vegetation, both submerged aquatic plants which they reach with their long necks, and by grazing on land. The food commonly includes agricultural crop plants such as oilseed rape and wheat, and feeding flocks in the winter may cause significant crop damage, often as much through trampling with their large webbed feet, as through direct consumption. It will also feed on small proportions of aquatic insects, fish and frogs.

 

Unlike black swans, mute swans are usually strongly territorial with just a single pair on smaller lakes, though in a few locations where a large area of suitable feeding habitat is found, they can be colonial. The largest colonies have over 100 pairs, such as at the colony at Abbotsbury Swannery in southern England, and at the southern tip of Öland Island, Ottenby Preserve, in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, and can have nests spaced as little as 2 m (7 ft) apart. Non-mated juveniles up to 3–4 years old commonly form larger flocks, which can total several hundred birds, often at regular traditional sites. A notable flock of non-breeding birds is found on the River Tweed estuary at Berwick-upon-Tweed in northeastern England, with a maximum count of 787 birds. A large population exists near the Swan Lifeline Station in Windsor and lives on the Thames in the shadow of Windsor Castle. Once the adults are mated they seek out their territories and often live close to ducks and gulls, which may take advantage of the swan's ability to reach deep water weeds, which tend to spread out on the water surface.

 

The mute swan is less vocal than the noisy whooper and Bewick's swans; they do, however, make a variety of sounds, often described as "grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises." During a courtship display, mute swans utter a rhythmic song. The song helps synchronize the movements of their heads and necks. It could technically be employed to distinguish a bonded couple from two dating swans, as the rhythm of the song typically fails to match the pace of the head movements of two dating swans. Mute swans usually hiss at competitors or intruders trying to enter their territory.[30] The most familiar sound associated with mute swans is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight which is unique to the species and can be heard from a range of 1 to 2 km (0.6 to 1 mi), indicating its value as a contact sound between birds in flight. Cygnets are especially vocal and communicate through a variety of whistling and chirping sounds when content, as well as a harsh squawking noise when distressed or lost.

  

Nesting in spring, Cologne, Germany

Mute swans can be very aggressive in defence of their nests and are highly protective of their mate and offspring. Most defensive acts from a mute swan begin with a loud hiss and, if this is not sufficient to drive off the predator or intruder, are followed by a physical attack. Swans attack by striking at the threat with bony spurs in their wings, accompanied by biting with their large bill, while smaller waterbirds such as ducks are normally grabbed with the swan's bill and dragged or thrown clear of the swan and its offspring. Swans will kill intruders into their territory, both other swans, and geese and ducks, by drowning, climbing onto and pecking the back of the head and forcing the other bird underwater.

 

The wings of the swan are very powerful, though not strong enough to break an adult man's leg, as is commonly misquoted. Large waterfowl, such as Canada geese, (more likely out of competition than in response to potential predation) may be aggressively driven off, and mute swans regularly attack people who enter their territory.

 

The cob is responsible for defending the cygnets while on the water, and will sometimes attack small watercraft, such as canoes, that it feels are a threat to its young. The cob will additionally try to chase the predator out of his family territory and will keep animals such as foxes and raptors at bay. In New York (outside its native range), the most common predators of cygnets are common snapping turtles. Healthy adults are rarely preyed upon, though canids such as coyotes, felids such as lynx, and bears can pose a threat to infirm ones (healthy adults can usually swim away from danger and nest defence is usually successful.) and there are a few cases of healthy adults falling prey to the golden eagles. In England, there has been an increased rate of attacks on swans by out-of-control dogs, especially in parks where the birds are less territorial. This is considered criminal in British law, and the birds are placed under the highest protection due to their association with the monarch. Mute swans will readily attack dogs to protect themselves and their cygnets from an attack, and an adult swan is capable of overwhelming and drowning even large dog breeds.

 

The familiar pose with the neck curved back and wings half raised, known as busking, is a threat display. Both feet are paddled in unison during this display, resulting in more jerky movement. The swans may also use the busking posture for wind-assisted transportation over several hundred meters, so-called windsurfing.

 

Like other swans, mute swans are known for their ability to grieve for a lost or dead mate or cygnet. Swans will go through a mourning process, and in the case of the loss of their mate, may either stay where their counterpart lived or fly off to join a flock. Should one of the pair die while there are cygnets present, the remaining parent will take up their partner's duties in raising the clutch.

 

Breeding

Mute swans lay from 4 to 10 eggs. The female broods for around 36 days, with cygnets normally hatching between May and July. The young swans do not achieve the ability to fly before about 120 to 150 days old. This limits the distribution of the species at the northern edge of its range as the cygnets need to learn to fly before the ponds and lakes freeze over.

 

Distribution and habitat

The mute swan is found naturally mainly in temperate areas of Europe then across the Palearctic as far east as Primorsky Krai, near Sidemi.

 

It is partially migratory throughout northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, as far south as North Africa and the Mediterranean. It is known and recorded to have nested in Iceland and is a vagrant in that area as well as in Bermuda, according to the UN Environment Programme chart of international status chart of bird species, which places it in 70 countries, breeding in 49 countries, and vagrant in 16 countries.[citation needed] While most of the current population in Japan is introduced, mute swans are depicted on scrolls more than 1,000 years old, and wild birds from the mainland Asian population still occur rarely in winter. Natural migrants to Japan usually occur along with whooper and sometimes Bewick's swans.[citation needed]

 

The mute swan is protected in most of its range, but this has not prevented illegal hunting and poaching. It is often kept in captivity outside its natural range, as a decoration for parks and ponds, and escapes have happened. The descendants of such birds have become naturalised in the eastern United States and Great Lakes, much as the Canada goose has done in Europe.

 

World population

Mute swans with cygnets in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire

The total native population of mute swans is about 500,000 birds at the end of the breeding season (adults plus young), of which up to 350,000 are in Russia. The largest single breeding concentration is 11,000 pairs in the Volga Delta.

 

The population in the United Kingdom is about 22,000 birds as of the 2006–2007 winter, a slight decline from the peak of about 26,000–27,000 birds in 1990. This includes about 5,300 breeding pairs, the remainder being immatures. Other significant populations in Europe include 6,800–8,300 breeding pairs in Germany, 4,500 pairs in Denmark, 4,000–4,200 pairs in Poland, 3,000–4,000 pairs in the Netherlands, about 2,500 pairs in Ireland, and 1,200–1,700 pairs in Ukraine.

 

For many centuries, mute swans in Great Britain were domesticated for food, with individuals being marked by nicks on their webs (feet) or beaks to indicate ownership. These marks were registered with the Crown and a Royal Swanherd was appointed. Any birds not so marked became Crown property, hence the swan becoming known as the "Royal Bird". This domestication saved the mute swan from extirpation through overhunting in Great Britain.

 

Populations in Western Europe were largely exterminated by hunting pressure in the 13th–19th centuries, except for semi-domesticated birds maintained as poultry by large landowners. Better protection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries allowed the species to expand and return to most or all of their former range. More recently in the period from about 1960 up to the early 1980s, numbers declined significantly again in many areas in England, primarily due to lead poisoning from birds swallowing lead shots from shooting and discarded fishing weights made from lead. After lead weights and shots were mostly replaced by other less toxic alternatives, mute swan numbers increased again rapidly.

 

Introduced populations

Since being introduced into North America, the mute swan has increased greatly in number to the extent that it is considered an invasive species there. Populations introduced into other areas remain small, with around 200 in Japan, fewer than 200 in New Zealand and Australia, and about 120 in South Africa.

 

North America

The mute swan was introduced to North America in the late 19th century. Recently, it has been widely viewed as an invasive species because of its rapidly increasing numbers and its adverse effects on other waterfowl and native ecosystems. For example, a study of population sizes in the lower Great Lakes from 1971 to 2000 found that mute swan numbers were increasing at an average rate of at least 10% per year, doubling the population every seven to eight years. Several studies have concluded that mute swans severely reduce the densities of submerged vegetation where they occur.

 

In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to "minimize environmental damages attributed to Mute Swans" by reducing their numbers in the Atlantic Flyway to pre-1986 levels, a 67% reduction at the time. According to a report published in the Federal Register of 2003 the proposal was supported by all thirteen state wildlife agencies which submitted comments, as well as by 43 bird conservation, wildlife conservation and wildlife management organisations. Ten animal rights organisations and the vast majority of comments from individuals were opposed. At this time mute swans were protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act due to a court order, but in 2005 the United States Department of the Interior officially declared them a non-native, unprotected species. Mute swans are protected in some areas of the U.S. by local laws, for example, in Connecticut.

 

The status of the mute swan as an introduced species in North America is disputed by the interest group "Save the Mute Swans". They assert that mute swans are native to the region and therefore deserving of protection. They claim that mute swans had origins in Russia and cite historical sightings and fossil records. These claims have been rejected as specious by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

 

Oceania

The mute swan had absolute protection in New Zealand under the Wildlife Act 1953, but this was changed in June 2010 to a lower level of protection. It still has protection, but is now allowed to be killed or held in captivity at the discretion of the Minister of Conservation.

 

A small feral population exists in the vicinity of Perth, Australia; however, it is believed to number less than 100 individuals.

 

In popular culture

The mute swan has been the national bird of Denmark since 1984. Before that, the skylark was considered Denmark's national bird (since 1960).

 

The fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen tells the story of a cygnet ostracised by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived unattractiveness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.

 

Today, the British Monarch retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but King Charles III exercises his ownership only on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership is shared with the Vintners' and Dyers' Companies, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the 15th century.

 

The mute swans in the moat at the Bishops Palace at Wells Cathedral in Wells, England have for centuries been trained to ring bells via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans are still able to ring for lunch.

 

The pair of swans in the Boston Public Garden are named Romeo and Juliet after the Shakespearean couple; however, it was found that both of them are females

A folding leaflet describing the many attractions of the country including the information that "Tourism in Japan is a usual" and that the "erroneous belief that the recent regrettable affair in China, which Japan deplores more than any other country, may have made it either dangerous or difficult to get to and through Japan". This most likely refers to the "January 28 Incident" in Shanghai that was to play a role in the continuing move to militarist government in Japan.

Divorce is a Sin!

 

"For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away..." —Malachi 2:16

  

"Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." —Matthew 19:6

 

Divorce is a sin! Perhaps you may think that marriage is the "old fashioned" way. If that is your thought on marriage, then let me say that marriage is the "right way" as well. It does not matter what has changed over time, marriage will always be the right way within the sacred boundaries of God's law. Marriage is right between a man and a woman!

 

There is no perfect marriage. There are no perfect families. You always get the good with the bad...such is life. It is ok for a marriage to hit some potholes in the road. These cannot be completely avoided simply because we are all human beings prone to anger and disobedience against God. We are going to hit some potholes in the road; however, it is those open manhole covers that we need to watch out for. It is unrealistic to believe that you can live with another human being for any length of time without eventually having cross words between each other, etc.

 

A marriage should be based upon one another's love for each other. Unfortunately, many marriages today are based upon economics, loneliness or an unexpected pregnancy. If you are in such a marriage, it is still a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God. Perhaps you married for the wrong reasons, many people do. That is ok, you just make the best of your marriage and don't let other people interfere. Two wrongs never equal a right. Wrong is wrong! If you feel you married the wrong person, then you need to ask God to humble you. Anyone can live with anybody if they can learn to be a nobody. This whole idea of finding the perfect mate is an illusion. Remember, Romans 3:23 declares, "For all have sinned..." I don't care who you marry, they're a sinner too. We all have faults, and commit sins. Leaving one spouse for another will just bring more problems. It is not uncommon for a couple to wonder after a few years if maybe they should have married someone else. However, it is still a sin to divorce your spouse. Don't do it. If you need to separate for a time, then do so...but never ever consider a divorce. If you do, you are willingly sinning.

  

No Scriptural Grounds for Divorce!

 

In Mark 10:9 Jesus states, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." No one is ever to separate a husband and wife. I wouldn't want to be a judge, who grants divorces. I wouldn't want to be the lawmaker, who allows for all sorts of unscriptural grounds for divorce. And by the way, there are NO SCRIPTURAL GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE. In Matthew 5:32, Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Carefully notice that Jesus never gave anyone permission to divorce because of adultery. What Jesus said is that a man would not be responsible for causing his wife to commit adultery, if she was ALREADY committing adultery. How could he be? To divorce your spouse is a sin, and you will also be responsible for their sinning if they remarry. But you can't be held responsible for causing your spouse to commit a sin that they're already committing. This is all Jesus meant. If committing adultery is grounds for divorce, then Matthew 5:28 gives every wife Biblical grounds to divorce.

 

Let me also say, If Jesus was willing to be despised and rejected of men, beaten to a pulp, mistreated, scorned, assaulted, spit upon, and crucified to death ... FOR US ... then we should follow Christ's example when our spouse does the same things to us. I realize that this is a Christian attitude that is as alien as an unknown solar system. Feminists and worldly thinkers cannot understand such thinking; but, it is Biblical. Jesus was willing to die for you and me. So why are professed "Christians" so quick to divorce their spouses, claiming mistreatment, abuse, extreme cruelty, etc.? I don't recall any disclaimer in the marriage vows that gives a spouse the right to divorce under ANY circumstances. What ever happened to "'Til death do us part?" I'm not hesitant to inform you, that "irreconcilable differences" is NOT found in the Bible as grounds for a divorce. There are NO Biblical grounds for divorce!!!

 

I wouldn't want to be a feminist, who sports in helping destroy other people's marriages. Many marriages have been broken up, by some carnal, malicious, feminist, woman, who convinced another man's wife to file for divorce. And tragically, MANY such feminists are found in churches all across America. Our churches need to be disinfected with a heavy dose of good old-fashionable preaching against divorce! Also, there are many carnal, self-righteous, hypocritical, sinfully proud, boastful, adulterous men, with wandering eyes, who claim to be "Christian"; but, they are home-wreckers as well, convincing other men's wives that it's ok to divorce. STOP LISTENING TO PEOPLE! People = Pain! Again, our churches need to be disinfected with a heavy dose of good old-fashionable preaching against divorce! It's a sin!

  

Divorce is a sin for a couple reasons:

 

1. Because you are breaking your marriage vows..."'til death do us part!" When you say your wedding vows, you are making a lifetime commitment. I don't care if you get married at city hall or church, God still holds you accountable for your promises and commitments. A promise is a promise!

 

2. Because God said so! "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." -Matthew 19:6

 

God hates divorce! It is only because of our sinful pride and selfish ways that we end up divorced in the first place. It is so typical to hear a divorced wife, or husband, talking about how much they gave but never received anything in return. Listen friend, marriage is not a 50/50 deal as most people would lead you to believe. No! Marriage is a 100% deal. We are supposed to give 100% to our spouse, even if they only return 10%. But you say, "That's not fair!" You're right ... life's not fair! We are a spoiled bunch in America! It's sickening to know that over 50% of all marriages in America are now ending in divorce. It's our pride! "No one is going to treat me like that!" "I love him but he's just too mean." 'I'm wasting the best years of my life." If your husband is a tyrant, then you leave him until he goes for help ... but don't sin against him and God by filing for divorce. If you need money for support, get a job like everyone else! Also, why is he getting angry? People usually get angry for a valid reason. It's utterly hypocritical for a stay-at-home wife--who loafs, lies, and lacks any interest in fulfilling her wifely or motherly duties, to run file for divorce when her husband finally blows up in anger and crosses a line. You hypocrite! You push his buttons every day by telling him you'll do better; but you never do. Then you take the easy way out by filing for divorce. And to add insult to injury, you use the court system to take away his children, his house, his paycheck, his dignity, and his life. Who's the monster?

 

I love what Mrs. John R. Rice said. She said that 90% of all divorces are the woman's fault--because God created the woman for the man, and not the man for the woman. God created Adam, and then gave him a job to do. However, God created Eve with one sole purpose--Adam! Marriages usually fail because wives are rebellious against their husbands, and refuse to live for their husband. We read in 1st Peter 3:6 that Abraham's wife, Sara, called him "lord" (sir) and obeyed Abraham. This is so rare nowadays.

 

I realize some people might seem like they deserve a divorce, but we are not to give up on our spouse. God NEVER gives up on us ... Hebrews 13:5 ... NEVER! If we are to be Christ-like, then we must stand by our mate ... "for better, for worse." Did you not make that vow on your wedding day? Yes, you most certainly did! People nowadays run file for divorce when things turn for the worse. They think, "I'm outta here!" Divorce is sin!!! Wouldn't it be nice if every marriage could always be only "for better." Not really. If you never went through tough times together with your spouse, then you would never grow together. That which does not kill us makes us stronger, IF we don't throw in the towel by quitting! It is those rough times together, when you can't see your hands in front of your face, that marriages are either made stronger or destroyed.

     

Don't Divorce, Please!

 

If you are considering a divorce, I plead with you to give God a chance by giving your spouse another chance. God is willing to forgive us an infinite number of times. Surely we can learn to forgive each other. Don't allow the pressures of this crazy world to destroy your marriage. Set some priorities. Turn off the phone. Tell your friends your going to be busy spending time with your spouse for months to come. Love your spouse! Go places together. You're not going to beat the game of life which the world offers you! So stop trying to get ahead. Forget the stock market. Forget the overtime. Don't work midnight shift. Go to the park together. Do some different things. Here's an interesting statement I once heard...

 

If you do what you always did, then you'll get what you always got.

 

That's a good statement! If your marriage is on the rocks, then you've got to change something in your marriage! Think! Don't be stupid like so many people, by throwing away your marriage. I'd hate to think you simply don't care anymore. If that's you, then you need to get right with God! If your job is stressing you out, then take a break; but don't divorce. Go on Family Medical Leave (FMLA) for stress. Go to your doctor and tell him your stressed out. Hand him the FMLA form. You're protected by congress, and you can't get fired. You can take 90-days off from work. If you can't afford to miss work, then use "intermittent FMLA," so you can miss work whenever you need to. Take a break. I sincerely believe many marriages are failing because of the monotony and stress of the workplace, combined with all of life's other problems. The economy is deteriorating, good jobs are becoming scarce, insurance premiums are skyrocketing, insurance coverage is decreasing, spending power is declining, perversion is all around us, feminism and homosexuality are corrupting society, our government is run amuck, society is becoming very cold and paranoid--it all amounts to increased tension on American families (Christian included). Employees mean absolutely nothing to companies these days. These are difficult times to be married and live the American dream--of owning your own home, of saving enough money to put your kids through college someday, of living in a decent neighborhood, of having a meaningful and happy marriage, and so much more. As I once heard, "Life is what happens to you while you're making big plans." Most people place their marriage at the bottom of their list of priorities. Your marriage should come first, friends and family down on the list. By the way, church should come down on the list too. Nothing should be any higher on your list of priorities than your spouse. Only God comes higher, and God wants you to love each other above all else. If you don't, then nothing else really matters.

 

If you love your spouse, then you'll put up with him or her.

 

If you love your spouse, then you'll put up with him or her.

 

If you love your spouse, then you'll put up with him or her.

 

If you love your spouse, then you'll put up with him or her.

 

If you love your spouse, then you'll put up with him or her.

 

It's really as simple as that. If you love someone, then you'll put up with them just as God puts up with us!

 

People don't "fall" into sin. No! We choose to go into sin. We choose to hold onto our sinful pride. We choose not to love our spouse anymore with God's love. We choose to divorce. It takes two to tango. No marriage is ever only one spouse's fault. There's always two sides to every story, and then there's what really happened! The truth usually abides somewhere in the middle.

 

I always marvel that a couple can get married in a boat, on a mountain, in a church, under water, on a rollercoaster, in a park, even at the south pole; BUT, you can only be divorced IN A COURT OF LAW!

 

There's no such thing as the saying, "We used to love each other." The Bible clearly teaches that "love never faileth." Either you loved your spouse then and still do now, or else you don't love your spouse now and never did at all. True love is NOT conditional. You hang in there and be strong while your spouse is weak, for that is what God does for us.

  

God Hates Divorce!

 

You know, why is it that many people who want a divorce go around quoting Jesus' statement on adultery; but I never hear these people quote Malachi 2:16 where God say he HATES divorce, "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away." "Putting away" is the Old Testament term used for divorce, which is an interesting phrase. The term "putting away" comes from the Hebrew word shalach, and literally means "to forsake, to cast or push away." When you divorce your spouse, you are literally shoving them away from you, forsaking them, and God HATES IT.

 

I've heard a divorced woman quote Malachi 2:14 concerning husbands who deal "treacherously" with their wives; but the context of the Scripture passage is strictly divorce. That is, a husband who divorces his wife is dealing treacherously with her, especially if they've been married for a long time. God HATES divorce! Why don't I ever heard women quoting Jeremiah 3:20... "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD." It is divorce that is treacherous.

  

Who's to Blame?

 

I realize that in some situations, a spouse may run off with someone else in adultery. The abandoned spouse is often helpless to recover their former mate. I did not write this article to condemn anyone, especially not the victim of a divorce. A gentlemen recently wrote me, saying that his wife had run off with another man and remarried. So tragic! The man was obviously very sad. In such a situation, even though the husband may have contributed to his wife's decision to leave; he is NOT guilty of committing divorce (as he did not file or agree to the divorce). When a couple promises to stay with each another "for better, for worse; 'til death do us part," that is what God expects. I wrote this article to take a Biblical stand against rebellious people (such as the gentleman's wife), who run off and abandon their spouse when the going gets tough, breaking their wedding vows, looking for an easy way out. Divorce is a sin! Howbeit, if you are the victim of a divorce (i.e., your spouse abandoned you), then you have my deepest sympathies. I realize that all the sympathy in the world won't make anything better; but, Jesus Christ can make things better if you'll lose yourself in the Lord's work of soulwinning.

 

I cannot tell you what to do, for only you can make the decisions that guide your life; BUT, If your spouse has left you and is not remarried yet, I would suggest that you call her/him and attempt to make things right. I would also suggest that you ask your pastor if he'll go with you to visit your spouse. Only sinful pride causes divorce. There have been many instances of divorced couples actually getting remarried. I realize that there are many different situations, and everyone feels that they are the victim in a divorce; but, God knows everyone's heart and WILL judge the guilty. I simply wrote this article in hopes of possibly saving a few marriages. You don't have to divorce your spouse! Divorce is a personal choice that no one MAKES you do.

 

In a situation where your spouse has abandoned you and is already remarried, you must let go. I realize this is often excruciatingly painful; but, why hold on to what doesn't exist anymore? The past can no longer hurt you; but the future can. So don't live in the unchangeable past. The past is forever gone, and now you must move forward. I cannot give you Scriptural support for what I am about to say; BUT, I believe that the victim of a divorce is free to remarry in such a situation (provided that every honest attempt has been made to reconcile the marriage relationship, and adequate time has been allowed for reconciliation--I recommend 5 years). To me, a clear distinction needs to be made between someone who is forced into adultery (remarriage, Matthew 5:32) because their spouse abandoned them; and the adulterous spouse who just didn't care at all, and left. Regardless, Jesus taught that remarriage is adultery if our first spouse is still alive; therefore, we must make every attempt to reconcile with our first spouse, to be a just as possible in the given situation.

 

Let me clarify my statement by saying...many people look for excuses to justify their divorce (sin), wrongfully exaggerating their spouse's behaviour, trying to demonize their spouse. It is NEVER right for you to leave and then remarry (because you are the guilty party for leaving). Whoever FILES for divorce is the guilty party (as far as the divorce itself). If a spouse was abusive, leading to a divorce; then God will judge that person for their abusive words and actions; BUT, that certainly does NOT justify a divorce!!! God KNOWS your every thought and intention, so no matter how much you attempt to rationalize and lie to yourself, God WILL hold you fully accountable for your words and actions on judgment day. I'm simply saying that there are two sides to every story, and then there's the TRUTH--and God will judge each divorced couple according to the TRUTH; and not their own side of the story. It is clearly adultery for any married person to run off and marry another. If you are truly a victim, then God knows your situation and I believe you are free to remarry. However, there are some men who deliberately abuse their wives, wanting her to file for divorce, so the husband can portray himself as the victim. In such cases, God will judge the wife for filing for divorce; BUT, the husband will be judged much more so, because of his tyranny and abuse.

 

In closing, divorce is a sin and should never be considered an option in any marriage. The divorce rate in America is skyrocketing because of sinful pride. It is the same sinful pride that fuels abortion, murder, homosexuality, witchcraft, gambling, pornography, and every other sin imaginable. I wrote this article with people like Amy Grant in mind, who coldheartedly walked out on her husband in 1999, to run off with Vince Gill. As believers, let us follow in the steps of our Wonderful Savior, who promised He would NEVER leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

 

In Jesus' name...

 

David J. Stewart

 

"...Let not the wife depart from her husband... and let not the husband put away his wife." —1st Corinthians 7:10,11

special one

New Girl Collection

Complete Triode Electronics.com ST-70 Tube Amp Build Kit.

 

Kit Inlcudes:

All parts needed for a complete Upgraded ST-70 Type Build except for the tubes. Including our custom made transformers which are made to original specs right here in Chicago Il. USA: PA-060-S Power Transformer (Nearly twice the lamination stack size of the original), A470-S Output Transformers, C354 Choke. As well as our Upgraded Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Chassis, TriodeElectronics ST-70 Driver Board (EF86 or 6AU6 Model, or no driver board for $64.95 less), and our TriodeElectronics Upgraded Capacitor Board.

 

What's so special about our Dynaco upgrade boards? The object of our upgrade boards is to provide a replacement for the original boards that would result in a perceptible improvement in sound quality and overall performance. These boards emulate the simple but highly effective (due to the short signal path and single gain stage) original Dynaco circuit, but with lower hum, noise, distortion and a wider voltage swing across heavier loads than a 7199, 6GH8, 6BL8/ECF80, 6U8/ECF82, or 6AN8, are capable of. The manual includes information on adapting the amplifier to different output & board tubes, adjusting resistor & capacitor values if desired, plus a comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide. Our newest version of the EF86 board has been slightly revised to accept 6922, 6DJ8, 7308, and 6CG7 in the phase inverter position as well as 12AU7, 12BH7, and ECC99 that were previously supported. Our 6AU6 version of the board is also available but does not support 6922, 6DJ8, 7308, or 6CG7.

 

Our Kit's a great choice if you really want to learn more about how your amplifier operates, too. You see, unlike many other Kit's, you are not totally locked in to only certain components, nor are you stuck with unchangeable circuit values which limit the versatility of your amplifier and further modifications. There's no "big secrets", you don't need permission from a "guru" to change or tweak it, the manual has instructions for about every change you could imagine making. Instructions are included for triode connecting the output tubes, which will give you a taste of hi-end triode-it is for the cost of 4 resistors, about $1. So, you've got a choice..you can just plug in & play, or you can do your own experimenting if you'd like to, learn a lot and become your own neighborhood Dynaco guru. And you won't break the bank doing it, either. The stock board and parts kit includes, transformers, choke, rca jacks, binding posts, metal film resistors, polypropylene capacitors, wire, Bias Pot, and sockets. which do just fine..but if you like you can modify many component values and try different or exotic parts and tweak to your heart's content. The board sounds fine even with the off the shelf, current production tubes, and special grading and matching is not absolutely necessary. It is a good example of what can be done with the original type of circuit with improved components, and makes a good case for the virtues of simplicity and short signal path in audio design. The TriodeElectronics ST70 boards emulate the simple but highly effective (due to the short signal path and single gain stage) original Dynaco circuit, but with lower hum, noise, distortion, and a wider voltage swing across heavier loads, than a 7199,6GH8,6BL8/ECF80, 6U8/ECF82 or 6AN8 are capable of. Comes without tubes, see our "Tubes for Dynacos" link at bottom of page for them. The board manual includes information on adapting the amplifier to different output & board tubes, adjusting resistor & capacitor values if desired, plus a comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide.

 

All kits include a comprehensive instruction manual with step by step build instructions. The sonic upgrade will be immediately noticed from a stock st70 type amp. With our board you are not captive to one design. It was made with the experimenter in mind. The driver board manual has the instructions to modify the board to use different tubes and part values, so later you are free to try different things that might sound better in your system.

 

Our ST70 Upgrade Cap Board Replaces the original aluminum can capacitor and increases capacity from the original 30-20-20-20 to over 500uF 's, using high quality capacitors which are bypassed by WIMA metalized polypropylene caps for superior high frequency response. This board gives the amp the bass definition the original lacked. Amp can be used with a 5AR4/GZ34 tube rectifier or solid state diode plugin unit (sold separately). It also replaces the bias supply capacitors & diode as well.

 

Kit also includes: 77-MIP-8 Amphenol Sockets, AGC Fuse Holder, Power Switch, Gold Plate Binding Posts, Gold teflon insulated RCA jacks, Bias Test Point Jacks, 10k bias potentiometers, offboard resistors included 10ohm biaset resistors (1V biaset), 20ft of brown cloth wire and more!

 

For our international customers you can also order the kit with our PA-521-S 230/240v export power transformer instead of the PA-060-S.

 

The kit is sold with everything you need to put it together except tubes, the driver board requires 2x EF86 or equivalent (or 6AU6 for the other version of board) tubes, and one of either 12AU7/ECC82 (or equivalent), or 12BH7 or ECC99. The power section of the amplifier requires four EL34/6CA7 tubes. If you will be using a tube rectifier (recommended) you will also need a 5AR4/GZ34 Tube. If you will be using a solid state rectifier let us know so we can adjust the cap board values for a higher voltage rating. We sell a octal plug in solid state rectifier if you want this option. With our kit you can have hours of tweaking and reconfiguring this amp to best suit your system and needs. Different, driver configurations, driver tube types, output tube types, and triode connection, all can be used and are explained. This is an amp you won't get bored with. We are very proud to offer you this amp, and thanks to our customers, whose feedback and suggestions, helped make this happen, and we look forward hear about how you customized, and what tweaks you have done to your amp.

 

We now offer the kit "without a driver board option", in case our driver board doesn't suit your needs, or you have an old original board you want to press back into service.

Hats: size of 8-20 cm. Half-round, pudgy, and remains convex in older specimens. Thick, solid, aging becomes softer, smooth or with tiny bumps, due to moisture shrimp hat gets glitter and sticky it is. The most common is the ocher-pink color, but can be totally cream-grayish color, often with yellow, tan or sometimes greenish hues. Sometimes, the more pronounced crvenoruzicastom color. At the touch does not change color to blue, possibly a little stronger red.

Slug: are up to 2 cm long, come closest to the handle, at first yellow in color, later green-yellow color, at the intersection of flooding. The holes are small, irregular, initially yellow-orange, bright red paint later, the pressure get a dark blue color.

SASSY height of 16 cm up to 6 cm. Full hard, can be cylindrical or batinasto thickened, paunchy when young. Subject to the color is yellow or straw-colored; through it is hooked reddish dense mesh. Mesh usually covers the entire handle, only the bottom can be lost.

MEAT: thick, stiff in the handle, the hat softer. The hat pale yellow color on the handle more distinct yellow color, basically daring red-brown. At the intersection of the flood only hat in the handle remains unchangeable yellow color. In places where the handle was damaged, looms the yellow color. The smell and taste is very pleasant, fruity odor reminiscent of perfume.

MICROSCOPY: spores yellowish, elliptical fusiform, 10-15 x 4-5 um.

Habitats and extent: in deciduous forests on limestone warmer ground, especially with oak and beech. In the lowlands is not growing, represented in the mountainous and subalpine zone. Very rare fungus grows most often in groups of several pieces, rarely individually.

Edibility: edible mushroom on probation, before use should be thermally processed because the raw mildly toxic.

The growing period: from the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn.

SIMILAR SPECIES: amazing double is the type of Boletus rubrosanguineus (Wälty) ex Cheype, which grows at higher elevations in coniferous forests (spruce and fir). Rhodoxanthus while a young pink-grayish shade hat, and rubrosanguineus without significant impurities or slightly rose-colored, but is more grayish okerzelenkast, and how old it turns red while rhodoxanthus remain still pink or even fade. Some of the yellow-purple mushroom perhaps mixed in with loony bin (Boletus satanas), but nuthouse almost never has Noci tones per hat and has an unpleasant odor. There is a great similarity with the type of Boletus rhodopurpureus Smotlacha, but his hat to the pressure changes color to a dark blue flesh and flooding at the intersection, and the handle.

NOTE: One of the most beautiful mushrooms of the genus Boletus, a very pleasant smell. Very rare fungus.

While purists love to cite I*Motion's classic Alone in the Dark series as the father of the survival horror category, it was Capcom's Resident Evil franchise that truly pushed the genre forward. Combining a stylized mix of spooky camera perspectives and a slew of horrid-looking things that go bump in the night, Biohazard (as it's known in Japan) has set new standards in the in the realm of digital terror -- even if its control scheme and lack of progression between sequels has irked some of its more casual fans.

 

But change is definitely on the horizon as the GameCube's Resident Evil 4 exclusive is assuredly turning some heads. Boasting an abundance of new features, visual upgrades, and most importantly -- better gameplay mechanics, the vastly different sequel from Studio 4 is as evolutionary as it is anticipated. Luckily this kind of change isn't assigned solely to Nintendo's platform either, as Capcom's other premier production house known as Studio 1 (Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry 2) has been hard at work creating a PS2 project of its own. And while Studio 1 has had the foresight to attach several different types of character classes, provide an open-ended approach to solving puzzles, and include a massive amount of hidden unlockables, it's the incredibly popular online component that truly makes Resident Evil Outbreak so appealing.

 

Of course, the real question from Biohazard diehards is whether or not this jump to the world of online connectivity is enough to propel Resident Evil Outbreak to the same level of respect enjoyed by the original and its sequel. Quite frankly, the answer to that question is no -- but that doesn't mean that the game doesn't have its merits. Unlike any of the Biohazards before it and due to the fact that it's designed for online play, Resident Evil Outbreak doesn't offer a formal storyline of any kind. Better described as a melange of different perspectives, the plot this time around is all about the T-Virus and how it spread through Raccoon City in the first place. Instead of affixing itself to the point of view of only one or two super-powered characters like Jill or Leon in games past, however, Resident Evil Outbreak unfolds through the eyes of the everyday citizen; or rather, eight different citizens from various walks of life.

 

The types of characters at your disposal are pretty broad in terms of their backgrounds too, with police officer and Tom Cruise look-alike Kevin Ryman joining fellow tough guy and security guard Mark Wilkins as the game's muscle. Doctor George Hamilton and waitress Cindy Lennox do their duties as the paternal caring sort, while plumber David King and journalist Alyssa Ashcroft chime in with their strong wills and fierce determination. Finally we come to the cowardly subway driver Jim Chapman and the overly intelligent university student Yoko Suzuki. Combined, that's quite an eclectic group of personalities.

 

Unfortunately it's Outbreak's distinct lack of plot that serves as one of its biggest overall detractors; because as an adventure game, it's the storyline and character development that should be one of its most important priorities. And while players do receive specialized introductions, endings, and interim cut scenes based on the characters they select, they'll rarely do anything more than pace the action. Real background information or compelling scenes of dialogue are about as rare as the Magnum rounds are in the original Resident Evil. Luckily a small handful of these cut scenes are pretty impressive and fun to watch, but the flow events is so slip-shod and devoid of direction that it can creates quite an air of disappointment. Though their storylines are a little on the thin side, the diverse selection of characters is probably Resident Evil Outbreak's most compelling new gameplay element. As not only is each and every one of them completely different in terms of appearance and background, they're overly dissimilar in play style as well. As a general rule each of these eight different heroes-in-training are provided with a unique personal item in addition to their own set of special actions to round out their abilities. Kevin Ryman, for instance, doesn't need to find a weapon in the beginning as he initiates his adventure with a .45 pistol right off the bat. Complimenting that attribute, he also has the ability to kick over oncoming enemies and take extended but powerful pot shots for extra damage.

 

Plumber David King, on the other hand, can utilize his toolbox for all sorts of helpful functions. Whether it's a folding knife to slice enemies into ribbons or duct tape to create a specialized arsenal, his skills definitely lend themselves well to the more creative players. Individual character abilities don't stop there either, as users of Jim Chapman can avoid zombie attacks by lying on the floor and playing dead while Yoko Suzuki has increased item storage and an extended back step that can be used to avoid danger. This variety in character selection is not only fun to exploit and experiment with, it's also extremely well-balanced -- with just about every known play style accounted for.

 

Another welcome element to the series is the analog control that Dreamcast users were enjoying years ago. With this new addition, maneuvering around enemies is a hell of a lot easier to perform with much quicker reactions and better navigation in tight spaces. Of course, the constantly changing camera perspectives may still pose a problem for detractors of the franchise's classic digital control (i.e.: pushing in a specific direction doesn't necessarily move you that way), but we've pretty much come to expect that kind of control scheme by now. We do have to say, though, that Capcom's decision to allow gamers to interact with backgrounds and other players was a wise one; as it really helps to supply the stages and environments with a little more life (oh the irony). In fact, interaction with characters is really what Resident Evil Outbreak is all about -- to help other people survive the forthcoming massacre. There are all manner of ways to interrelate with other players too; be it picking them up from the ground when they're injured or grabbing their arms as they dangle about from dangerous ledges. You can even trade and exchange items or weapons and give basic pre-recorded vocal commands with the right analog stick, and whether or not your fellow survivors are computer controlled or human it doesn't matter -- a good mix of skills and teamwork is still what it takes to make it.

 

But the interesting and compelling additions to Resident Evil Outbreak don't stop there. New status effects like the bleeding affliction will draw enemies to you as they pick up on your scent and follow your trail. Nail guns can either be used offensively as a projectile weapon or defensively as a tool by pinning boards to doorways in order to keep things from coming through. Furthermore, players will be able to crawl through airshafts, hide inside lockers and other secretive places, or even create barricades with the various objects around them. Long story short, there's a nice amount of variety and plenty to be said for the efforts made to improve on the series. Because of its decision to move away from a deeper storyline, Outbreak's main goal becomes that of collection. Be it secret costumes, bonus cut scenes, extra background music, or whatever else you can unlock, your primary objective in the game it to find as many hidden secrets as you can. To do so, players simply need to finish their chosen levels with quicker and better times, avoid using certain kinds of tactics, and lose as little help as possible. When finished, they're awarded a pool of currency-like points that they can then spend in the collection screen; resembling the system set up by Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance rather closely.

 

To help extend the life of this philosophy, Capcom was clever enough to make different demands on different characters by only allowing certain items to be available for specific characters in definite locations. The result is an incredibly massive and intensive undertaking that will no doubt take months to complete for even the most dedicated of gamers. Throw in the fact that you can only get a 100% completion rating if you participate online, and you can guarantee several dozen hours more spent searching for the hidden stuff. And let's face it: Online is where most players will likely spend the majority of their time anyway. But the problem is that it's this aspect of the game, the segment in which the whole premise of Resident Evil Outbreak is based in the first place, where the game design ultimately disappoints.

 

Unfortunately there isn't just one glaring problem that sticks out as the culprit behind this disappointment, there's actually several. The first and most obvious of which is the lack of scenarios to participate in: which are five in total. And while we'll readily admit that four out of those five are absolutely gigantic in size, running through the same locations over and over again can get repetitive fairly quickly (even if there are several alternate paths with enemy behavior and locations that change from game to game). It likely would have been a much better strategy to double the amount of scenarios to ten while cutting their size to half as big. Not only would have given more variety to your missions, but it would have sped the game a long as well. And that's yet another issue: the speed. Plagued with loading times both online and off, Resident Evil Outbreak boasts 12-17 second load times in almost every transition. What's worse is that these transitions happen with great frequency: sometimes within only a few seconds within each other. Meaning that segments involving a character entering a room, watching a 15-second cut scene, and exiting to the next room takes as long as one minute to experience. That's a poor trade-off for 20 seconds of activity. It's really pretty bothersome. Of course, you can use the newly-released HDD to help out with those load times (an approximate 40% improvement), but even still -- Capcom could have at least included the old walking up to a door animations that it used in the older PSOne titles.

 

Perhaps the biggest problem of them all, though, is the fact that this is one online experience that actually feels pretty lonely. Since the A.I. bots (which aren't exactly the smartest cats in the world) accompany you in single player, there's no real novelty to playing with other humans in the online arena. Granted those players will definitely make better decisions than their A.I. counterparts, but since they can go off and do their own thing without you ever knowing it, it doesn't really seem to matter. It wouldn't be so bad if there was a better way to communicate with your fellow humans when playing with one another. But with the only keyboard support taking place before the game begins and your conversation limited to unchangeable commands pre-programmed into the right analog stick, you'll likely be perplexed as to what is going on. And while we can definitely understand why developers would want to keep constant hints from experienced players hidden or talkative chatterboxes to a minimum level, there still should have been a more direct way to speak with one another to form more sophisticated game plans than just "follow me!"

 

That doesn't mean that Outbreak still can't be fun, though. On the harder difficulty settings in particular it can be quite a magnificent challenge with a collection of puzzles are really well done; especially in comparison to the earlier efforts from the PlayStation One days. The sad part is, it won't take players very long before they memorize every solution to every scenario in the book, which makes the need for some kind of downloadable content all the more important -- A feature that at the time of this writing will not officially be supported by Capcom or Sony Computer Entertainment. The Resident Evil games have always been strong visual powerhouses and Outbreak isn't any different. Though we did find the polygonal backgrounds a bit dated-looking compared to some of Capcom's other big name titles (namely Onimusha 3 and Resident Evil 4), the atmosphere is still impressive with a high level of detail and plenty of subtle references to earlier Biohazards. From J's Bar to Raccoon University, this game absolutely oozes that distinct Resident Evil personality and should instantly make returning fans feel right at home. Moreover, Outbreak's character models are just as respectable with a large number of polygons that are highlighted rather convincingly by an impressive lighting engine and some of the best CG cinematics in town. What Outbreak and the Resident Evil series really needs, though, is a more realistic set of animations. Still stiff and robotic looking when compared to most other action and adventure titles on the market, the silly-looking character movement can really take away from the spooky realism that the game otherwise conveys. Additionally, Outbreak does suffer from a couple of interesting graphical glitches (zombies will pop in and out of doors) and there's no collision detection by human characters when walking through portals or climbing ladders together (making for some very interesting clipping experiments that can create spontaneous three-headed people). On the whole, though, there are a lot more positives than there are negatives. With the original Resident Evil Capcom really set our expectations high for bad voice acting and continues that tradition effectively in Outbreak. Ridiculously funny in some areas and surprisingly effective in others, the game's vocals definitely show inconsistency. When compared to other games in their series, though, they're probably not that bad; but because the right analog dialogue commands illicit vocal representations from characters every time it used, the voices can get pretty repetitive rather fast. Throw in the fact that the A.I.-controlled NPCs constantly repeat the same few words over and over again and you could have yourself a headache in the making. Musically, though, Resident Evil Outbreak is terrific. The opening song alone is easily one of the single best melodies in the history of videogames and the supporting ambient music is similarly strong. Composer Akihiko Matsumoto (Space Travelers, Returner) has done a wonderful job of capturing the mood and feel of the RE franchise and should definitely be recognized for his work. Audio effects, on the other hand, are pretty much the same samples we've been hearing in the series for years and while they get the job done, offer little new in terms of variety. Resident Evil Outbreak is the classic example of a title that had worlds of potential only to fall short in the end. Though shifting its focus to that of a collection game may have been a great way to extend its overall shelf life, it still should have been supported by a stronger storyline, better A.I. for NPCs in the offline mode, additional scenarios to participate in, and more streamlined load times without the need for a hard drive. And if the game was going to support the hard drive, why not support it with downloadable goodies and missions in the future? Not to mention the fact that the need for better and additional communication options is a must. After all, in this modern technological climate where keyboards and voice chat unite gamers the world over in various platforms, this pseudo-sign language bit just doesn't seem to stack up.

 

Sadly these nitpicks may come across as much harsher than they actually are. As Resident Evil Outbreak is still a solid survival horror experience that should give returning fans of the series plenty of new elements to sink their teeth into. Hell, being able to transform into a zombie and terrorize your friends and neighbors in itself is enough incentive to give this one a try at the very least. And that doesn't even begin to count the expanded exploration options, unique character abilities, and genuinely cool monsters (some of which are exclusive to this new offshoot) that players will be able to enjoy on their way to escaping Raccoon City.

 

What we think it all comes down to is the fact that a network version of Resident Evil is so rife with possibilities (persistent online world anyone?) that it makes legitimate yet basic attempts like this sting us extra hard when it doesn't quite measure up. Sure Outbreak is a nice way to pass the time for Biohazard fans anticipating the release for Resident Evil 4 later this year, but for those of us who revere the series (this author being one of them), it isn't quite what it should have been. Here's to hoping that Capcom will make good use of that Hard drive rather soon.

  

This is the cover photo for my new record called "Unchangeable Seasons". It's out now on vinyl and on most digital platforms.

Here's a link to the album on iTunes:

itunes.apple.com/no/album/unchangeable-seasons/id10982495...

I wanted to take these photos outside but the good old British weather was

definitely not on my side. Alice would have frozen outside!! I knew what I

wanted to gain from these photos, my little model did everything she could

to help but it just wasn't going right.

 

I couldn't do my assignment yesterday because my camera seems to be having a

funny turn changing settings that are supposedly unchangeable during a shoot

(?) in desperation I emailed my tutor and he didn't understand why it would

do that, perhaps it needs to go in for repair? Then the PC started playing

up and freezing while I was trying to edite the photos that I did manage to

take - it wouldn't even work after a re-boot.

 

OMG, what a couple of days ...... I starteded wondering whether I should

give it all up as a bad job. I hope you are all having a better day than I

am (LOL?) :)

Do you see what I mean? Nothing else can change anything in this world. Knowledge alone is capable of transforming the world, while at the same time leaving it exactly as it is. When you look at the world with knowledge, you realize that things are unchangeable and at the same time are constantly being transformed.

--- Yukio Mishima, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

 

Part of 35x50 cm acrylic on canvas panel landscape, 2015

Tones get softer and the light turns on, making new shadows and lights, new colors. They are now unchangeable but not lasting long. Someone’s hand will just turn them on one moment and all will go to sleep, except from those who made too much use of the bar. Those will have to proceed to the unsung songs...

Complete Triode Electronics.com ST-70 Tube Amp Build Kit.

 

Kit Inlcudes:

All parts needed for a complete Upgraded ST-70 Type Build except for the tubes. Including our custom made transformers which are made to original specs right here in Chicago Il. USA: PA-060-S Power Transformer (Nearly twice the lamination stack size of the original), A470-S Output Transformers, C354 Choke. As well as our Upgraded Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Chassis, TriodeElectronics ST-70 Driver Board (EF86 or 6AU6 Model, or no driver board for $64.95 less), and our TriodeElectronics Upgraded Capacitor Board.

 

What's so special about our Dynaco upgrade boards? The object of our upgrade boards is to provide a replacement for the original boards that would result in a perceptible improvement in sound quality and overall performance. These boards emulate the simple but highly effective (due to the short signal path and single gain stage) original Dynaco circuit, but with lower hum, noise, distortion and a wider voltage swing across heavier loads than a 7199, 6GH8, 6BL8/ECF80, 6U8/ECF82, or 6AN8, are capable of. The manual includes information on adapting the amplifier to different output & board tubes, adjusting resistor & capacitor values if desired, plus a comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide. Our newest version of the EF86 board has been slightly revised to accept 6922, 6DJ8, 7308, and 6CG7 in the phase inverter position as well as 12AU7, 12BH7, and ECC99 that were previously supported. Our 6AU6 version of the board is also available but does not support 6922, 6DJ8, 7308, or 6CG7.

 

Our Kit's a great choice if you really want to learn more about how your amplifier operates, too. You see, unlike many other Kit's, you are not totally locked in to only certain components, nor are you stuck with unchangeable circuit values which limit the versatility of your amplifier and further modifications. There's no "big secrets", you don't need permission from a "guru" to change or tweak it, the manual has instructions for about every change you could imagine making. Instructions are included for triode connecting the output tubes, which will give you a taste of hi-end triode-it is for the cost of 4 resistors, about $1. So, you've got a choice..you can just plug in & play, or you can do your own experimenting if you'd like to, learn a lot and become your own neighborhood Dynaco guru. And you won't break the bank doing it, either. The stock board and parts kit includes, transformers, choke, rca jacks, binding posts, metal film resistors, polypropylene capacitors, wire, Bias Pot, and sockets. which do just fine..but if you like you can modify many component values and try different or exotic parts and tweak to your heart's content. The board sounds fine even with the off the shelf, current production tubes, and special grading and matching is not absolutely necessary. It is a good example of what can be done with the original type of circuit with improved components, and makes a good case for the virtues of simplicity and short signal path in audio design. The TriodeElectronics ST70 boards emulate the simple but highly effective (due to the short signal path and single gain stage) original Dynaco circuit, but with lower hum, noise, distortion, and a wider voltage swing across heavier loads, than a 7199,6GH8,6BL8/ECF80, 6U8/ECF82 or 6AN8 are capable of. Comes without tubes, see our "Tubes for Dynacos" link at bottom of page for them. The board manual includes information on adapting the amplifier to different output & board tubes, adjusting resistor & capacitor values if desired, plus a comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide.

 

All kits include a comprehensive instruction manual with step by step build instructions. The sonic upgrade will be immediately noticed from a stock st70 type amp. With our board you are not captive to one design. It was made with the experimenter in mind. The driver board manual has the instructions to modify the board to use different tubes and part values, so later you are free to try different things that might sound better in your system.

 

Our ST70 Upgrade Cap Board Replaces the original aluminum can capacitor and increases capacity from the original 30-20-20-20 to over 500uF 's, using high quality capacitors which are bypassed by WIMA metalized polypropylene caps for superior high frequency response. This board gives the amp the bass definition the original lacked. Amp can be used with a 5AR4/GZ34 tube rectifier or solid state diode plugin unit (sold separately). It also replaces the bias supply capacitors & diode as well.

 

Kit also includes: 77-MIP-8 Amphenol Sockets, AGC Fuse Holder, Power Switch, Gold Plate Binding Posts, Gold teflon insulated RCA jacks, Bias Test Point Jacks, 10k bias potentiometers, offboard resistors included 10ohm biaset resistors (1V biaset), 20ft of brown cloth wire and more!

 

For our international customers you can also order the kit with our PA-521-S 230/240v export power transformer instead of the PA-060-S.

 

The kit is sold with everything you need to put it together except tubes, the driver board requires 2x EF86 or equivalent (or 6AU6 for the other version of board) tubes, and one of either 12AU7/ECC82 (or equivalent), or 12BH7 or ECC99. The power section of the amplifier requires four EL34/6CA7 tubes. If you will be using a tube rectifier (recommended) you will also need a 5AR4/GZ34 Tube. If you will be using a solid state rectifier let us know so we can adjust the cap board values for a higher voltage rating. We sell a octal plug in solid state rectifier if you want this option. With our kit you can have hours of tweaking and reconfiguring this amp to best suit your system and needs. Different, driver configurations, driver tube types, output tube types, and triode connection, all can be used and are explained. This is an amp you won't get bored with. We are very proud to offer you this amp, and thanks to our customers, whose feedback and suggestions, helped make this happen, and we look forward hear about how you customized, and what tweaks you have done to your amp.

 

We now offer the kit "without a driver board option" , in case our driver board doesn't suit your needs, or you have an old original board you want to press back into service.

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name "mute" derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognizable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

 

Taxonomy

The mute swan was first formally described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin as Anas olor in 1789 and was transferred by Johann Matthäus Bechstein to the new genus Cygnus in 1803. Both cygnus and olor mean "swan" in Latin; cygnus is a variant form of cycnus, borrowing from Greek κύκνος kyknos, a word of the same meaning.

 

Despite its Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the black swan of Australia and the black-necked swan of South America, not the other Northern Hemisphere swans of the genus Cygnus. The species is monotypic, with no living subspecies.

 

Evolution

Mute swan subfossils, 6,000 years old, have been found in post-glacial peat beds of East Anglia, Great Britain. They have been recorded from Ireland east to Portugal and Italy, and from France, 13,000 BP (Desbrosse and Mourer-Chauvire 1972–1973). Cygnus olor bergmanni, a paleosub species which differed only in size from the living bird, is known from fossils found in Azerbaijan. A related paleospecies recorded from fossils and subfossils is the Giant swan, Cygnus falconeri, a flightless species which lived on the islands of Malta and Sicily during the Middle Pleistocene.

 

Fossils of swan ancestors more distantly allied to the mute swan have been found in four U.S. states: California, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon. The timeline runs from the Miocene to the late Pleistocene or 10,000 BP. The latest find was in Anza Borrego Desert, a state park in California. Fossils from the Pleistocene include Cygnus paloregonus from Fossil Lake, Oregon, Froman's Ferry, Idaho, and Arizona, referred to by Howard in The Waterfowl of the World as "probably the mute type swan".

 

Description

Adults of this large swan typically range from 140 to 160 cm (55 to 63 in) long, although can range in extreme cases from 125 to 170 cm (49 to 67 in), with a 200 to 240 cm (79 to 94 in) wingspan. Males are larger than females and have a larger knob on their bill. On average, this is the second largest waterfowl species after the trumpeter swan, although male mute swans can easily match or even exceed a male trumpeter in mass. Among standard measurements of the mute swan, the wing chord measures 53–62.3 cm (20.9–24.5 in), the tarsus is 10–11.8 cm (3.9–4.6 in) and the bill is 6.9–9 cm (2.7–3.5 in). The plumage is white, while the legs are dark grey. The beak of the mute swan is bright orange, with black around the nostrils and a black nail.

 

The mute swan is one of the heaviest extant flying birds. In several studies from Great Britain, males (known as cobs) were found to average from about 10.6 to 11.87 kg (23.4 to 26.2 lb), with a weight range of 9.2–14.3 kg (20–32 lb) while the slightly smaller females (known as pens) averaged about 8.5 to 9.67 kg (18.7 to 21.3 lb), with a weight range of 7.6–10.6 kg (17–23 lb). While the top normal weight for a big cob is roughly 15 kg (33 lb), one unusually big Polish cob weighed almost 23 kg (51 lb) and this counts as the largest weight ever verified for a flying bird, although it has been questioned whether this heavyweight could still take flight.

 

Young birds, called cygnets, are not the bright white of mature adults, and their bill is dull greyish-black, not orange, for the first year. The down may range from pure white to grey to buff, with grey/buff the most common. The white cygnets have a leucistic gene. Cygnets grow quickly, reaching a size close to their adult size in approximately three months after hatching. Cygnets typically retain their grey feathers until they are at least one year old, with the down on their wings having been replaced by flight feathers earlier that year.

 

All mute swans are white at maturity, though the feathers (particularly on the head and neck) are often stained orange-brown by iron and tannins in the water.

 

Polish swan

The colour morph C. o. morpha immutabilis (immūtābilis is Latin for "immutable, unchangeable, unalterable"), also known as the "Polish swan", has pinkish (not dark grey) legs and dull white cygnets; as with white domestic geese, it is found only in populations with a history of domestication. Polish swans carry a copy of a gene responsible for leucism.

 

Behaviour

Mute swans nest on large mounds that they build with waterside vegetation in shallow water on islands in the middle or at the very edge of a lake. They are monogamous and often reuse the same nest each year, restoring or rebuilding it as needed. Male and female swans share the care of the nest, and once the cygnets are fledged it is not uncommon to see whole families looking for food. They feed on a wide range of vegetation, both submerged aquatic plants which they reach with their long necks, and by grazing on land. The food commonly includes agricultural crop plants such as oilseed rape and wheat, and feeding flocks in the winter may cause significant crop damage, often as much through trampling with their large webbed feet, as through direct consumption. It will also feed on small proportions of aquatic insects, fish and frogs.

 

Unlike black swans, mute swans are usually strongly territorial with just a single pair on smaller lakes, though in a few locations where a large area of suitable feeding habitat is found, they can be colonial. The largest colonies have over 100 pairs, such as at the colony at Abbotsbury Swannery in southern England, and at the southern tip of Öland Island, Ottenby Preserve, in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, and can have nests spaced as little as 2 m (7 ft) apart. Non-mated juveniles up to 3–4 years old commonly form larger flocks, which can total several hundred birds, often at regular traditional sites. A notable flock of non-breeding birds is found on the River Tweed estuary at Berwick-upon-Tweed in northeastern England, with a maximum count of 787 birds. A large population exists near the Swan Lifeline Station in Windsor and lives on the Thames in the shadow of Windsor Castle. Once the adults are mated they seek out their territories and often live close to ducks and gulls, which may take advantage of the swan's ability to reach deep water weeds, which tend to spread out on the water surface.

 

The mute swan is less vocal than the noisy whooper and Bewick's swans; they do, however, make a variety of sounds, often described as "grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises." During a courtship display, mute swans utter a rhythmic song. The song helps synchronize the movements of their heads and necks. It could technically be employed to distinguish a bonded couple from two dating swans, as the rhythm of the song typically fails to match the pace of the head movements of two dating swans. Mute swans usually hiss at competitors or intruders trying to enter their territory.[30] The most familiar sound associated with mute swans is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight which is unique to the species and can be heard from a range of 1 to 2 km (0.6 to 1 mi), indicating its value as a contact sound between birds in flight. Cygnets are especially vocal and communicate through a variety of whistling and chirping sounds when content, as well as a harsh squawking noise when distressed or lost.

  

Nesting in spring, Cologne, Germany

Mute swans can be very aggressive in defence of their nests and are highly protective of their mate and offspring. Most defensive acts from a mute swan begin with a loud hiss and, if this is not sufficient to drive off the predator or intruder, are followed by a physical attack. Swans attack by striking at the threat with bony spurs in their wings, accompanied by biting with their large bill, while smaller waterbirds such as ducks are normally grabbed with the swan's bill and dragged or thrown clear of the swan and its offspring. Swans will kill intruders into their territory, both other swans, and geese and ducks, by drowning, climbing onto and pecking the back of the head and forcing the other bird underwater.

 

The wings of the swan are very powerful, though not strong enough to break an adult man's leg, as is commonly misquoted. Large waterfowl, such as Canada geese, (more likely out of competition than in response to potential predation) may be aggressively driven off, and mute swans regularly attack people who enter their territory.

 

The cob is responsible for defending the cygnets while on the water, and will sometimes attack small watercraft, such as canoes, that it feels are a threat to its young. The cob will additionally try to chase the predator out of his family territory and will keep animals such as foxes and raptors at bay. In New York (outside its native range), the most common predators of cygnets are common snapping turtles. Healthy adults are rarely preyed upon, though canids such as coyotes, felids such as lynx, and bears can pose a threat to infirm ones (healthy adults can usually swim away from danger and nest defence is usually successful.) and there are a few cases of healthy adults falling prey to the golden eagles. In England, there has been an increased rate of attacks on swans by out-of-control dogs, especially in parks where the birds are less territorial. This is considered criminal in British law, and the birds are placed under the highest protection due to their association with the monarch. Mute swans will readily attack dogs to protect themselves and their cygnets from an attack, and an adult swan is capable of overwhelming and drowning even large dog breeds.

 

The familiar pose with the neck curved back and wings half raised, known as busking, is a threat display. Both feet are paddled in unison during this display, resulting in more jerky movement. The swans may also use the busking posture for wind-assisted transportation over several hundred meters, so-called windsurfing.

 

Like other swans, mute swans are known for their ability to grieve for a lost or dead mate or cygnet. Swans will go through a mourning process, and in the case of the loss of their mate, may either stay where their counterpart lived or fly off to join a flock. Should one of the pair die while there are cygnets present, the remaining parent will take up their partner's duties in raising the clutch.

 

Breeding

Mute swans lay from 4 to 10 eggs. The female broods for around 36 days, with cygnets normally hatching between May and July. The young swans do not achieve the ability to fly before about 120 to 150 days old. This limits the distribution of the species at the northern edge of its range as the cygnets need to learn to fly before the ponds and lakes freeze over.

 

Distribution and habitat

The mute swan is found naturally mainly in temperate areas of Europe then across the Palearctic as far east as Primorsky Krai, near Sidemi.

 

It is partially migratory throughout northern latitudes in Europe and Asia, as far south as North Africa and the Mediterranean. It is known and recorded to have nested in Iceland and is a vagrant in that area as well as in Bermuda, according to the UN Environment Programme chart of international status chart of bird species, which places it in 70 countries, breeding in 49 countries, and vagrant in 16 countries.[citation needed] While most of the current population in Japan is introduced, mute swans are depicted on scrolls more than 1,000 years old, and wild birds from the mainland Asian population still occur rarely in winter. Natural migrants to Japan usually occur along with whooper and sometimes Bewick's swans.[citation needed]

 

The mute swan is protected in most of its range, but this has not prevented illegal hunting and poaching. It is often kept in captivity outside its natural range, as a decoration for parks and ponds, and escapes have happened. The descendants of such birds have become naturalised in the eastern United States and Great Lakes, much as the Canada goose has done in Europe.

 

World population

Mute swans with cygnets in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire

The total native population of mute swans is about 500,000 birds at the end of the breeding season (adults plus young), of which up to 350,000 are in Russia. The largest single breeding concentration is 11,000 pairs in the Volga Delta.

 

The population in the United Kingdom is about 22,000 birds as of the 2006–2007 winter, a slight decline from the peak of about 26,000–27,000 birds in 1990. This includes about 5,300 breeding pairs, the remainder being immatures. Other significant populations in Europe include 6,800–8,300 breeding pairs in Germany, 4,500 pairs in Denmark, 4,000–4,200 pairs in Poland, 3,000–4,000 pairs in the Netherlands, about 2,500 pairs in Ireland, and 1,200–1,700 pairs in Ukraine.

 

For many centuries, mute swans in Great Britain were domesticated for food, with individuals being marked by nicks on their webs (feet) or beaks to indicate ownership. These marks were registered with the Crown and a Royal Swanherd was appointed. Any birds not so marked became Crown property, hence the swan becoming known as the "Royal Bird". This domestication saved the mute swan from extirpation through overhunting in Great Britain.

 

Populations in Western Europe were largely exterminated by hunting pressure in the 13th–19th centuries, except for semi-domesticated birds maintained as poultry by large landowners. Better protection in the late 19th and early 20th centuries allowed the species to expand and return to most or all of their former range. More recently in the period from about 1960 up to the early 1980s, numbers declined significantly again in many areas in England, primarily due to lead poisoning from birds swallowing lead shots from shooting and discarded fishing weights made from lead. After lead weights and shots were mostly replaced by other less toxic alternatives, mute swan numbers increased again rapidly.

 

Introduced populations

Since being introduced into North America, the mute swan has increased greatly in number to the extent that it is considered an invasive species there. Populations introduced into other areas remain small, with around 200 in Japan, fewer than 200 in New Zealand and Australia, and about 120 in South Africa.

 

North America

The mute swan was introduced to North America in the late 19th century. Recently, it has been widely viewed as an invasive species because of its rapidly increasing numbers and its adverse effects on other waterfowl and native ecosystems. For example, a study of population sizes in the lower Great Lakes from 1971 to 2000 found that mute swan numbers were increasing at an average rate of at least 10% per year, doubling the population every seven to eight years. Several studies have concluded that mute swans severely reduce the densities of submerged vegetation where they occur.

 

In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to "minimize environmental damages attributed to Mute Swans" by reducing their numbers in the Atlantic Flyway to pre-1986 levels, a 67% reduction at the time. According to a report published in the Federal Register of 2003 the proposal was supported by all thirteen state wildlife agencies which submitted comments, as well as by 43 bird conservation, wildlife conservation and wildlife management organisations. Ten animal rights organisations and the vast majority of comments from individuals were opposed. At this time mute swans were protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act due to a court order, but in 2005 the United States Department of the Interior officially declared them a non-native, unprotected species. Mute swans are protected in some areas of the U.S. by local laws, for example, in Connecticut.

 

The status of the mute swan as an introduced species in North America is disputed by the interest group "Save the Mute Swans". They assert that mute swans are native to the region and therefore deserving of protection. They claim that mute swans had origins in Russia and cite historical sightings and fossil records. These claims have been rejected as specious by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

 

Oceania

The mute swan had absolute protection in New Zealand under the Wildlife Act 1953, but this was changed in June 2010 to a lower level of protection. It still has protection, but is now allowed to be killed or held in captivity at the discretion of the Minister of Conservation.

 

A small feral population exists in the vicinity of Perth, Australia; however, it is believed to number less than 100 individuals.

 

In popular culture

The mute swan has been the national bird of Denmark since 1984. Before that, the skylark was considered Denmark's national bird (since 1960).

 

The fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen tells the story of a cygnet ostracised by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived unattractiveness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.

 

Today, the British Monarch retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but King Charles III exercises his ownership only on certain stretches of the Thames and its surrounding tributaries. This ownership is shared with the Vintners' and Dyers' Companies, who were granted rights of ownership by the Crown in the 15th century.

 

The mute swans in the moat at the Bishops Palace at Wells Cathedral in Wells, England have for centuries been trained to ring bells via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans are still able to ring for lunch.

 

The pair of swans in the Boston Public Garden are named Romeo and Juliet after the Shakespearean couple; however, it was found that both of them are females

News for Yellow fans^^

圣家宗座圣殿（加泰罗尼亚语：Basílica Expiatòria de la Sagrada Família；西班牙语：Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia；直译为“圣家赎罪殿暨宗座圣殿”）是西班牙巴塞罗那一座天主教教堂，一般简称为圣家大教堂或圣家堂（Sagrada Família）。该教堂由安东尼·高迪设计，其高耸与独特的建筑设计，使得该教堂成为巴塞罗那最为人所知的观光景点。

这是位于东侧的“诞生立面”（Nativity façade、FacanadelNaixement），以基督的诞生为题，墙上的雕塑展现了由童贞玛利亚怀胎到基督长成的故事，因是欢迎庆祝基督诞生，以欢喜愉悦的雕塑为主。

 

Sagrada Família

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family

Barcelona, Spain

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família , is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883,taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

Nativity Façade

The Nativity façade was the first façade to be completed. Dedicated to the birth of Jesus, it is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. Characteristic of Gaudí's naturalistic style, the sculptures are ornately arranged and decorated with scenes and images from nature, each a symbol in their own manner. For instance, the three porticos are separated by two large columns, and at the base of each lies a turtle or a tortoise (one to represent the land and the other the sea; each are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable). In contrast to the figures of turtles and their symbolism, two chameleons can be found at either side of the façade, and are symbolic of change.The façade faces the rising sun to the northeast, a symbol for the birth of Christ.

 

El Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (en catalán Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família), conocido simplemente como la Sagrada Familia, es una basílica católica de Barcelona (España), diseñada por el arquitecto Antoni Gaudí. Iniciada en 1882, todavía está en construcción (diciembre de 2013). Es la obra maestra de Gaudí, y el máximo exponente de la arquitectura modernista catalana.

La obra que realizó Gaudí, es decir, la fachada del Nacimiento y la cripta, fue incluida en 2005 por la UNESCO en el Sitio del Patrimonio de la Humanidad «Obras de Antoni Gaudí».

Fachada del Nacimiento

La fachada de la Natividad fue la primera fachada que esté terminado. Dedicado al nacimiento de Jesús, que está decorado con escenas que recuerdan a los elementos de la vida. Característico del estilo naturalista de Gaudí, las esculturas están ricamente arreglado y decorado con escenas e imágenes de la naturaleza, cada uno un símbolo de su propia manera. Por ejemplo, los tres pórticos están separados por dos grandes columnas, y en la base de cada uno se encuentra una tortuga o una tortuga (uno en representación de la tierra y el otro el mar, cada uno son símbolos del tiempo como algo inamovible e inmutable) . En contraste con las figuras de las tortugas y su simbolismo, dos camaleones se pueden encontrar en cualquier lado de la fachada, y son un símbolo de fachada change.The enfrenta el sol naciente hacia el noreste, un símbolo para el nacimiento de Cristo.

 

Sorry, my English level is bad, if you are willing to read this text, please keep patience.

 

If you are a software engineer to write image viewer, then this text is some feedback info to you. If you are a photographer or a camera lover, then you will get the sharing of application experience.

 

When you are reading here article, I suggest you download and install these Image Viewers, make you easy to understand the description of the article. If you do not try these software that you would not understand the article description.

 

ExifPro and FastStone are very worthy of using.

And, PhotoWingPro is worthy of your try.

 

Image Viewer main points compared and create a list.

farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4280247339_2829f621ed_o.jpg

 

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

 

Feedback, Evaluation, Sharing, to Image Viewer

 

by PeterZheng

 

No matter what you shoot to get the RAW or JPEG, or viewing the Adobe PSD image, you would wish an image viewer to be a better and a faster. The image viewer not only support the JPEG, TIF, Adobe PSD, and the RAW image (can read the embedded JPEG) supported, here below.

 

I want to get the faster viewing and the fine display quality as well as a well interface window, not only the desktop system, and also it should be able to quickly run onto the UMPC. I have compared the image viewer more than 20 kinds, then ExifPro and PhotoWingPro both are currently two highlights.

 

The English language version's ExifPro is faster viewing the RAW images, and its smooth filter has been ran on the full screen image. (The thumbnail images did not need to take the smooth filtering or the sharpening).

 

Another PhotoWingPro only a Japanese version, (pricing 5800 JPY). It has not the superfluous function, did not have obese fattiness. This is really a image viewer, dapper, and excellent, although there were also bugs and flaws.

 

The author of PhotoWingPro is a Chinese in Japan. Mr. ChenChun birthplace is in ZheJiang 1959, he graduated from Beijing 1987. ChenChun arrived Japan 1992. ChenChun completed his own developing image engine in 2002. PhotoWingPro published in 2004, but PhotoWingPro has no Chinese or English version, up to now. In China inland, did not have birth excellent image viewer, but the noxious baby milk were again and again.

 

If an author cannot grasp the key point and the image viewer added the superfluous editing function, then a result gets slower. However, in the image editor that people could be using other better software. Also, If an author of software wants to take the more functions, then the software should take two (or many) module files, but cannot slow down the image viewing.

 

Today, several excellent image viewer did not come from like Microsoft or Adobe or Google, or ACD systems, etc..., they not happy to make smoe small software, and they are only more concerned to their high profits. They said a 1-GB of software to need 300.00 or 2000.00 USD. However, I have seen a 2-MB of software is better.

 

(Next document is Part II ExifPro)

 

***************** Part II. ExifPro ***********************

 

ExifPro is able to be faster viewing the embedded JPEG (RAW) and JPEG, the full screen image is the fine display quality, (its smooth filter is running at the full screen image). The software size is only a near 6MB at the initial installed.

 

ExifPro v 1.0.10 link:

www.exifpro.com/history.html

Anyone should read its help files, before ExifPro to be used.

www.exifpro.com/help_index.html

 

The file types there Nikon NEF, Pentax PEF, Canon RAW, Adobe DNG, JPGE, TIFF, Photoshop PSD, etc, many format types were supported. ExifPro v 1.0.10 is just an English version, and did not support non-alphabetical / non-numeric naming to the image files.

 

Moreover, not only the ExifPro can be running in the desktop system very well, and in the UMPC that ExifPro gets an acceptable level, the speed is clearly far faster than Epson photo viewer. In the outdoors, a 7-inch UMPC (tablet PC) or a 5.6-inch UMPC is clearly better than Epson photo viewer, thus you would get more usefulness.

 

The default user interface of ExifPro is a bit messy and the garish, there are many settings and too miscellaneous, maybe the entry-level users do not know how to commence on it. My settings are as the following pictures. After a series of settings, it would be slightly simple and effective as the daily use, as well as faster viewing, but some garish things were unchangeable.

6 pictures:

farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4256423312_81c62ed384_o.jpg

farm3.static.flickr.com/2739/4255660681_fb70b37ffc_o.jpg

farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4256423108_a27955c0da_o.jpg

farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4255660515_61f18c23c3_o.jpg

farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4256422966_be5631ab99_o.jpg

farm3.static.flickr.com/2685/4256422894_6e6918fc75_o.jpg

 

My interest was highly eyeing to ExifPro, but I still need to mention FsatStone.

FastStone Image Viewer is clearly slower than ExifPro, especially is embedded JPEG (RAW), where FastStone v3.6 (or higher) its histogram were too small, also did not have the hotkey of RGB lines of histogram; etc... However, besides these flaws, the user interface of FastStone is slightly simplicity, and its pattern can follow a classical style, if you selected a classical style to Windows (similar to Windows 2000 style). Also, especially FastStone's full screen image mode has its own traits, as long as you move the mouse cursor to the edge of screen, (top, bottom, left and right), then you will find some hidden tools, "preview bar", "exif", and "histogram", as well as "edit tools", etc... All the tools take automatically hidden under the full screen viewing mode.

www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

www.imagingtips.com/faststone/intro/0intro.shtml

 

Although FastStone is freeware, but they announce that No Adware, No Spyware, Free for Home Users. In the CNET.com, FastStone Image Viewer gets 4,647,102 total downloads, but ExifPro is only 636 total downloads. Although FastStone Image Viewer is the free for home users, but it could get earning by business users. For the more important thing, FastStone Image Viewer helped their other software sales, and got widely known. FastStone Image Viewer v3.9 or v4.0 support the multi-language.

 

FsatStone's main flaw is the slower speed than ExifPro or PhotoWingPro, and the histogram is inferior than ExifPro in far.

(Especially in the embedded JPEG of RAW image, FsatStone is clearly a slower speed than ExifPro, and during the Pentax PEF image that FastStone is a worse.)

Secondly, FsatStone cannot be simultaneously compatible with sRGB and AdobeRGB, then these both images cannot be correct to get simultaneously displayed within a window, its color management still is not a really usable thing. In a latter problem, ExifPro, FastStone, XnViwe, they have a same trouble in a similar way, only an exception that PhotoWingPro is able to get compatible with sRGB and AdobeRGB very well. Also, Windows XP's image viewer is able to compatible with AdobeRGB and AdobeCMYK by a sRGB space (Tiff /8bit).

 

---------------- ExifPro Highlights ---------------

1. Very fast viewing the embedded JPEG (RAW)

ExifPro is able to be faster viewing the embedded JPEG (RAW) and the JPEG (10MP - 24MP in per image), if this folder has no Tiff or PSD image files.

(When Mamiya 645DF shot of per image as a 40MP/24MB JPEG, PhotoWingPro seems a faster viewing, but over the image of each 40MP/8MB JPEG that ExifPro is also same fast.)

 

BTW.

The following two links can download to get Mamiya 645DF JPEG images, the per image file is a size 6MB - 33MB /40MP JPEG, a double-click to a webpage illustration to start a large image downloading. (In Photoshop, these huge JPEG images can save as another format images, as like Tiff, PSD, for the color profile to take the sRGB, or the AdobeRGB, AdobeCMYK.)

dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/newproduct/20091208_33...

dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/special/20090907_31311...

 

2. The full screen image is the fine display quality

The full screen image is the fine display quality, (its smooth filter gets ran), but the thumbnail images do not need to take the smooth filtering or the sharpening, here speed is a priority. In the thumbnail image there should disable the smooth filtering or sharpening, which you can set for ExifPro.

 

3. ExifPro consumed the processor resource at less

In the UMPC, UMID, Netbook, Notebook, the bad image viewer will reduce your battery life, not only a slowed speed. I found a slowed image viewer could be worse consumed the processor-resources.

 

Viewing the embedded JPEG (RAW) and the JPEG, ExifPro won the processor resource to consume a lower, even a P III 733MHz processor can be easily viewing the RAW images, after a series of correct settings. (The color management was unused, and the sRGB is a default color space for Windows.)

farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4255659717_f635b3eedc_o.jpg

farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4256438172_ec7d6418d5_o.jpg

 

4. ExifPro provided a preview bar at the full screen image

In the full screen image mode, ExifPro provided a preview bar, which is a very nice design way, and there can be a vertical or horizontal setting under the screen 16:10 or 4:3. (However, here preview bar is lacking a refresh button, moreover ExifPro cannot automatically refreshes image file, but another PhotoWingPro would automatically refresh).

 

5. ExifPro has provided a larger histogram in viewer mode

Under the full screen image mode, ExifPro has provided a larger histogram, and can optionally turn on/off at anytime, very good! It is requisite! In the outdoors, so that a 7-inch screen of UMPC is able to effectively check image exposure. (but some related problem is text below).

farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4255659879_9638480c17_o.jpg

 

6. The full screen image mode can get started directly

The full screen image mode can also take directly started from the Windows explorer, without requires to firstly run the thumbnail image window. Usually firstly is running its thumbnail image window.

 

-------------- ExifPro flaws ------------------

1. ExifPro's scan sub-folder should be disabled

If you took a default way installed ExifPro, while the ExifPro started of first time would default to scan all the sub-folder of the local HDD, it is a very bad design, did not have any dialog box of an optional. (You should instantly disable its scan sub-folder. Also, please do not use its default installation way in ExifPro, besides your first time installation.)

farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4256423312_81c62ed384_o.jpg

 

Also, when the ExifPro gets a first time of default installed, and the scan sub-folder has been stopped of later, to the following location open the folder "ExifPro", and delete the files "CacheDb.bin" and "CacheDb.bin.ix".

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MiK\ExifPro

* Folder "Application Data" is a hidden attribute of default, setting Windows shows it.

(In future, you need to periodically delete CacheDb.bin and CacheDb.bin.ix. After a period, where cache files would include the many invalid data, it could lead to some unknown troubles.)

 

2. Rotate image at the full screen image mode of UMPC

Here rotates of image is related only to the full screen image mode.

The thumbnail image of automatic rotation has been welcomed at any desktop system or UMPC. However, the thumbnail image and the full screen image have the dissimilar situation, while the UMPC to display the full screen image, does not need automatic rotation.

 

The desktop system needs to rotate automatically of the image, but the UMPC (Tablet PC) is a handheld device, and its screen is smaller, which is easily turning to a horizontal or vertical position on your hand, so it did not need to automatically rotate the image in the full screen mode. If the automatic rotation of image goes applied to a 7-inch UMPC, then a showed image will be too small, (its screen height is only a 3.6-inch, 1024x600), and a 5.6-inch UMPC would be smaller.

 

3. The full screen image lacked a legible filename

In the full screen image of PhotoWingPro, there a legible filename being displayed (thick font) over the current image. While you take a bracketing exposure way and the camera got the more images later, then you need to clearly see the filename over the viewed image.

However, ExifPro lacked a legible filename of the full screen image.

farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4255660249_2916c118a6_o.jpg

 

4. The thumbnail of the new image to show

When the ExifPro main window has been running, then ExifPro is unable to automatically refresh its thumbnail images, if the new image files are adding to this opened folder.

 

In the full screen image mode, its preview bar is more inconvenience, the preview bar does not automatically show the added new images, also did not have a refresh button or menu item, and F5 Key is unable to refresh the preview bar.

In the large image mode (full screen image viewing), if you want to view the new of the added image, there is only an inconvenient way: to end large image mode and restart the large image mode.

 

Also, now some UMPC have no F1 - F12 key in itself.

 

So here automation way gets applied that this is indeed the best approach.

 

PhotoWingPro is able to automatically show up the new thumbnail images, as long as the new image file is added to this opened folder. Actually is not "refresh", but is the new thumbnail able sync to get automatically displayed. The PhotoWingPro window is not flickering, which the new thumbnails are placid to get quickly showed.

 

In FastStone, when the full screen image is being viewing, once the viewing's current folder gets added the new images, then you can be directly viewing to the added images, did not need to exit the full screen viewing, and the FastStone preview bar would show up the added of images, did not need to manually refresh.

 

Another related trouble:

In the folder pane of ExifPro, its menu has a "Refresh" item, but it is unable to the normal use, which you cannot use it to refresh the thumbnail image. And it is also unable to refresh on its folder, once you click this refresh menu, then the folder pane became to the blank pane. This refresh menu looks like a bug.

 

5. When the image files transmit ended

ExifPro, when the image files transmit ended, you cannot demand that ExifPro automatically displays those thumbnail of the transmitted image files, it without this function.

 

FastStone, if destination is another new folder, FastStone would automatically switch to a new folder and the new thumbnails displaying. If destination is an existing folder, FastStone would automatically display the new thumbnails of the new image files in the existing folder.

 

PhotoWingPro, its file transfers period can be automatically playing the preview image and thumbnails by the per transmitted file, but the file transfers were slower.

 

6. Transmitting the files must be all in the one-time.

Transmitting the files of a folder must be all in the one-time. If the file transfers were interrupted and those files to re-transfer second time, then it cannot identify the copied files of before interruption.

 

7. The simple double-click cannot exit the full screen image

In the full screen image, the double-click on image cannot exit the full screen image window. Once the here toolbar has been taken a non-use setting, if you want to exit the full screen image window that you have to press a hotkey Esc, which is a sole way of an available, it is visibly a problem.

 

Because ExifPro cannot automatically display the new images, once the new image files get added, so that you have to exit the full-screen image and manually refresh the thumbnail window, but ExifPro exits the full-screen image window did not have an easy operation way like FastStone. When several sporadic flaws get together gathered, as a result was software operation would get trouble.

farm3.static.flickr.com/2685/4256422894_6e6918fc75_o.jpg

 

In ExifPro, the double click way has been put to the image magnification, but FastStone is pressing the left mouse button to get the image magnification, thus FastStone can provide the interfacial operation in the more rationalization than other competitors. (See below)

 

FastStone has better way, a double click on the full screen image would get to exit the full screen image window, simple and effective, very good. FastStone's way: 1. a double click on the thumbnail would start the full screen image window; 2. a double click on the full screen image would exit the full screen image window.

 

8. ExifPro is clearly a bad performance to the Tiff or PSD viewing

The regret, ExifPro is clearly a bad performance at the Tiff or PSD viewing, despite the ExifPro's colour management has disabled, but the Tiff or PSD image still is very slow viewing.

In the Tiff and PSD, PhotoWingPro is clearly better than ExifPro.

 

9. ExifPro's colour management is unable applied.

The trouble, ExifPro's colour management cannot take applied, once the ExifPro colour management is running the AdobeRGB profile, then in the AdobeRGB image that ExifPro would be badly slow and the processor resource would be exhausted.

 

Especially the per Tiff image are a 115MB and AdobeRGB profile, once you try to run ExifPro's colour management, where you would be clearly seen trouble, especially the full screen viewing.

 

Also, even though ExifPro's colour management gets ran, it still is unable to simultaneously display a correct color to the sRGB and AdobeRGB both, but the PhotoWingPro can be working very well. PhotoWingPro can be simultaneously compatible with sRGB and AdobeRGB, which both images get simultaneously display within a window.

 

Windows XP's image viewer is able to compatible with AdobeRGB and AdobeCMYK by a sRGB space (Tiff /8bit), where the image color is correct, but did not support Adobe PSD image to display, did not support the RAW image, and no histogram, slow, etc.... MS had tried to develop another image viewer supports RAW image at Windows XP, but was unsuccessful and ended December 2005. That software have to running over the NET Framework, too bad.

 

In this, ExifPro is away from PhotoWingPro's level. ExifPro, FastStone, XnView, three seem a same trouble in the colour management.

This trouble is mainly to the desk-system, usually the UMPC does not run the colour management. Most notebook or netbook are only a TN LCD, and they are limited to lower than sRGB.

 

-------------- ExifPro other issues -----------------

1. The image magnification

ExifPro provided a method: In the full screen image that pixels are higher than current screen, to the point cursor of mouse a double click on the image of the needed magnifying location, this location would become a part on a 100% magnification, if pressing the left mouse button and moving the mouse, then this 100% magnifying image will follow moving.

farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4256422710_8a58ae395e_o.jpg

 

FastStone has a better magnifier, the cursor was moving to a need magnified location and then pressing the left mouse button, this location would be showed over the magnifier, the left mouse button gets kept and the mouse moves, which the magnifier can be an any location on a whole image. Once the left mouse button gets released, this magnifier would automatically exit off.

 

ExifPro has also another magnifier, which is a partial magnification mode, but the operational advantage is less than the above way, and the applied would be slow on some larger images. When the image is a 40MP/24MB JPEG, this ExifPro magnifier would be slowness and choked.

farm3.static.flickr.com/2741/4255660005_30cd0a436e_o.jpg

 

Contrarily, although FastStone is a slower viewing, and in the large image here activating the FastStone magnifier would be delayed, but once the FastStone magnifier got activated, which still is able to be normal moving, whereas the image is a 40MP/24MB JPEG.

 

As both have been compared, FastStone has a better magnifier way. FastStone magnifier is more adapted to the actual application needs, which is very easily applied. Also, the double-click function gets put to the other need areas, thus the whole interfacial operation won the more rationalization. (See above)

 

PhotoWingPro is also a same way, ---------- Pressing the left mouse button to get a 100% magnifying image, (but it not a partial magnifier).

 

2. Multi-histograms were within a window by a bug

If the histogram of an image did not close down, and the image viewing continues to next one, the histogram opens again from another image, then the multi-histogram would be showed up. (This histogram is over the image viewing and not the thumbnail window).

farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4256422384_4c1557c626_o.jpg

 

It is originally a bug, but now is to score a lucky hitting with, if you have made an Exposure of bracketing by 3 images, then you can contrast to 3 histograms in a window.

 

The histogram is very important tool, if you want to earnestly check the Exposure result, then the histogram is required. The monitor of camera is too small, but a 7-inch UMPC and the ExifPro can make you better to read the histogram, at outdoors.

 

(actuality it is still at least so, nowadays we still have not another portable monitor could be an available device on the camera. I have been dreaming to get a 7-inch UMPC with an added HDMI input port, it should be able to serve as a mobile monitor, then it can be used for outdoor. It needs to suspend its computing system while as a monitor running, which its battery will obtain the more time at the run of the monitor. )

 

3. ExifPro cannot display the thumbnails of Asia font filename.

 

4. The user-defined data put to Windows Reg or ini file?

ExifPro put user-defined data to record in Windows Registry, but did not have an ini file. If who wants to transplant the user-defined data then would get trouble, and the Windows Registry is also the more adiposity.

 

Another example, XnView of the first time start, that XnView provides an optional menu: 1. user-data stored to ini file; 2. user-data stored to Windows Registry. Secondly, Location of ini file is optional: 1. ini file is located in the folder directory of XnView; 2. ini file is located in each user folder under the \Documents and Settings\.

 

However, the ini file is likely located in the \ Documents and Settings \ All Users \ that it would be a better way. The \ All Users \ here folder is the permissive writeable at all users, including User account, by Windows XP.

 

Like the following location:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MiK\ExifPro

 

P.S.

If the ini file is located in the folder directory of this program, this folder creator must come from the User account, so that User account can write the ini file, whereas Administrator account created the folder only the permission of read given to the Users account.

 

Also, if you want a non-default way to install the software, or a simple copy way, many green-soft did not need an installed, PhotoWingPro, FastStone, XnView, they have provided a simple copy way put to the program using, but you have to login to a User account and a destination folder been created, once the program has running then do not change this folder location, name, path, if you want the right mouse menu to keep the available in this program. If you are a mess way changed this folder location, name, path, then Windows Registry must be cleaned.

 

The typical location, name, path, files copied, (creator must be by the User account):

C:\Green Programs\ExifPro

C:\Green Programs\C Image\PhotoWingPro

C:\Green Programs\FastStone

 

Usually, a Windows XP system needs two available accounts as the local login. Administrator account is only for maintenance computer, and the User account is really for the applied of all the daily works, that Windws gets security and stability as a basic common sense.

 

-------------- ExifPro bugs --------------

bug 1:

When the left mouse button clicked on the thumbnail of the main window of ExifPro, then the full screen image gets opened. Pressing the hotkey Ctrl+H by this full screen image, then a histogram will show up, however, you can be instantly finding that this image has been defiladed by the main window of ExifPro, this image did not close down, it was the layer below.

 

If you take the Windows explorer window to directly open the large image with ExifPro, did not start the main window of ExifPro, which the above bug will not show.

 

bug 2:

After ExifPro main window got maximization and exited, once the full screen image of ExifPro is directly started from the Windows explorer, then the next time in the main window of ExifPro starts, where you would find ExifPro main window lost its maximization.

 

bug 3:

ExifPro's colour management trouble, the above part has already said.

 

--------------The wish to ExifPro -----------------

1. Keeping ExifPro speed on faster, an UMPC can get fast viewing by a 600MHz of the single core processor, and in the full screen image, its smooth filter must be able to be ran.

 

2. The above flaws and the issues need to get improved.

 

3. The above bugs need to get fixed.

 

4. The default interface of initialization should be terse, which would benefit the many of person to easily accept the ExifPro.

 

5. The histogram hotkey should provide two types, "Ctrl + H" and another "H", here a singly hotkey "H" is an important mode as the UMPC at the outdoors. Also, FastStone's edge of screen took the hidden menu is laudable of design. Once the mouse cursor moves to the edge of the full screen image, the hidden menu would be showed up, such as the "exif", "histogram", and "preview bar ", etc...

 

6. The fading effect mode ---"image fading in window" should be ---"in Slide show only", and not the default "Always" of all. When the "image fading in window" was taken disable, then the image viewing gets the higher speed, especially the UMPC.

 

6.1 The small image fits to 100% of screen, did not significance, and it should not put to a default setting.

 

7. The image cache data needs to add another optional way, an optional menu: 1. Keeping ExifPro's original way; 2. The image cache data saves only at the physical memory, do not take the CacheDb.bin file in the HDD. Before computer shut down, where its cache data of the physical memory gets fastest speed.

 

7.1 ExifPro's existing cache way improves. When computer is being running, putting the cache data saved to the physical memory, but the computer shut down ago, the cache data gets added to the file "CacheDb.bin" in the local HDD. Usually a running period less than 12 hours, the cache data is impossible to get a large size taking up the physical memory.

 

8. If possible, then the Chinese and Japanese package needs added.

 

9. If possible, making the AdobeCMYK gets compatible. If the speed will not be compromised, if the image colour management gets improved (no longer very slow), if AdobeRGB and AdobeCMYK been effectively got the compatible, then the ExifPro would apply to the more widely range.

 

(Next document is Part III PhotoWingPro)

Part III PhotoWingPro link:

www.flickr.com/photos/peter-zheng/4256438916/in/set-72157...

www.flickr.com/photos/peter-zheng/sets/72157623165123868/

 

Freedom With Anarchy, Aristotle Rd, Clapham, Lambeth. 1980

24g-14:

 

Who could resist going to photograph Aristotle Road - and finding there this graffiti 'Freedom With Anarchy'.

 

"Anarchism has but one infallible, unchangeable motto, "Freedom. Freedom to discover any truth, freedom to develop, to live naturally and fully" according to US anarchist, writer, labour organiser and IWW founder Lucy E Parsons (1853-1942), a remarkable woman who was probably born a slave, though she claimed only Native American and Mexican descent. Chicago police described her as "more dangerous than a thousand rioters..."

 

Books have been written about Aristotle's concept of freedom, and according to the Oxford Handbook of Freedom he thought that "a person is free to the extent that he is able to live a life of politics and philosophy, and a polis is free to the extent that its institutions promote such a life for each and every citizen by removing the impediments to its realization".

 

You can still recognise the location, just off Clapham High St, at the rear of Pearl Pharmacy though the balustrade, roof and stained glass have gone, the road name with its old S.W. is still on the wall. The car parked there back in 1980 was a little unusual, and is I think a T-Series Bentley. I thought at the time it looked a suitable motor for gangsters.

Want to to home-brew your own TriodeElectronics.com Upgraded, Dynaco(tm) style, Mk3 mono tube amp clone? Heres the Kit for you. The Mk3 was the top of the Classic Dynaco line. Sixty, all tube, watts, in a compact design. This Kit includes our most requested Mk3 upgrades, and will yield a world class amp. Our Kit's a great choice if you really want to learn more about how your amplifier operates, too. You see, unlike many other Kit's, you are not totally locked in to only certain components, nor are you stuck with unchangeable circuit values which limit the versatility of your amplifier and further modifications. There's no "big secrets", you don't need permission from a "guru" to change or tweak it, the manual has instructions for about every change you could imagine making. Instructions are included for triode connecting the output tubes, which will give you a taste of hi-end triode-itis for the cost of 4 resistors, about $1. So, you've got a choice..you can just plug in & play, or you can do your own experimenting if you'd like to, learn a lot and become your own neighborhood Dynaco guru. And you won't break the bank doing it, either. The stock board and parts kit includes, transformers, choke, rca jack, terminal strip, metal film resistors, polypropylene capacitors, wire, bias potentiometer, wire, and sockets. Which do just fine..but if you like you can modify many component values and try different or exotic parts and tweak to your heart's content. The boards will adapt to output tubes which need very low drive circuit impedance/ DC grid resistance like 8417's- or may be modified to whip out enough voltage to drive 300B's or 6B4's!! The board sounds fine even with the off the shelf, current production tubes, and special grading and matching is not absolutely necessary. It is a good example of what can be done with the original type of circuit with improved components, and makes a good case for the virtues of simplicity and short signal path in audio design. The TriodeElectronics Mk3 boards emulate the simple but highly effective (due to the short signal path and single gain stage) original Dynaco circuit, but with lower hum, noise, distortion, and a wider voltage swing across heavier loads, than a 7199,6GH8,6BL8/ECF80, 6U8/ECF82 or 6AN8 are capable of. Comes without tubes, see our "Tubes for Dynacos" link at bottom of page for them. The board manual includes information on adapting the amplifier to different output & board tubes, adjusting resistor & capacitor values if desired, plus a comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide. A online pictorial manual (like for our st70 kit) will be ready shortly. Thanks for the interest.

 

A431 S Output Transformer:

 

The primary is wound the same as the original A431, same number of turns, sections and wire size, using the same patented Dynaco winding method, and made on the same core size and material. Only improved insulation material used (thus making the transformer more resistant to abuse) and nice long (10 inch/ 25 cm minimum) teflon insulated leads have been added.

 

This transformer has what you'd expect out of a Dynaco transformer, like healthy low frequency inductance, high resistance to distortion caused by output tube imbalance, and low distortion overall.

 

This type of transformer can be used with many tube types, such as 6550, KT88, KT90, 6CA7/EL34 (like Mk 2), 6B4G. It may be used with triode, pentode, or ultralinear (screen tap connection) wired tube arrangements.

 

Transformer specs are: 4300 ohms CT primary with screen taps, 4,8 and 16 ohm secondary. 20 Hz to 20 KHz response at 60W, within 1 db, 30 Hz to 15 KHz at 120 watts. Max DC per side (suggested) 120 ma. Exact same dimensions as the original A431 Dynaco transformer: Height 4 3/4 inches (120 mm) Width 4 inches (101 mm), Depth over covers 4 1/2 inches (114 mm), mounting centers are 3 inches (75 mm) by 3 1/2 inches (88 mm).

 

P782 S Power Transformer:

 

Replacement power transformer for Dynaco (tm) Mark 3 and Mark 2 amplifiers. Bolts directly on without modifications. Also a bolton replacement for 60 watt (2 6550's or KT88's) Rated 400-0-400V (800VCT) at 200 ma (actually, will deliver up to 300 ma continuous, albeit at a slightly lower voltage) , 5V at 3A, 6.3VCT at 5A, also has 60V bias tap. Primary 117VAC 60 Hz. Transformer dimensions are 4 3/4 inches high X 3 3/4 wide X 3 3/4 inches deep over the covers, mounting hole centers are 2 7/8 inchs X 3 inches. Overseas Customers see the dropdown menu below for our Export version 120/220, works on 240/230 as well.

 

C354 Choke:

 

Replacement for chokes in Dynaco ST70, Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4. 1 1/2 inches (40 mm) tall on 2 3/8 inch (60 mm) mounting hole centers. 55 ohms, 1.5 henries, 10% tolerance, 2500 volt DC hipot tested, 200 ma DC. New unit made in Chicago,USA by transformer professionals with decades of experience manufacturing high voltage transformers.

 

Chassis:

 

Stainless Steel, Super, Heavy Duty, Punched, Chassis. Same dimensions as original. Our newest version of the Chassis has cut-outs for upgrade speaker binding posts, iec power cord connector, and bias point. Original or repro Mk3 cages will fit as on original. Nice stainless steel finish. Comes with top and bottom pieces. Custom built chassis made right here in Chicago IL. USA.

 

Driver Board:

 

Our Mark 3 board uses a cascoded triode front-end, which gives "pentode gain with triode noise" and allows the use of a wide variety of possible tubes with pinouts same as 12AU7, by simply changing 2 resistors on the board.Our newest version includes a filament jumper allowing use of tubes with 9AJ or 9LP pinout, thus allowing use of 6CG7/6FQ7 or 6N1-P as a phase splitter with no changes required other than changing the board jumper. For more information, please see our Dynaco Page. The kit includes all off board resistors. Kits Also include Board instruction manual, but not tubes, each board requires 1 each 12AU7/ECC82 (or equivalent, 6189,5814,etc) plus one each of either 12AU7/ECC82, 12BH7, 6CG7/6FQ7 or 6N1-P. Standard coupling capacitors are Xicon metallized polypropylene. You can get Sprage 715P polypropylene film & foil instead for a little extra. You can also order without a driver board. See dropdown menu at bottom.

 

Upgrade Cap Board:

 

These SDS Labs Power Supply boards replace the original can capacitors in Dynaco Mk3, Mk2. Fit on standoffs under the output transformers, no cutting or drilling required to install, just bolt in, hook up the wires and go!

 

The Mk3 board increases capacity to 50-50-50-50 uF (two 100 uF in series per section)and the voltage rating to 630V per section to eliminate capacitor problems the original 525V rated cap has that are caused by high line voltages and allows the use of solid-state diode replacements as well as the original tube (5AR4/GZ34 or 5U4) rectifier. Capacitors supplied with the board + parts kits, are Panasonic TS Series parts, temperature rated 85 C. Boards measure 3 inches (approx 77 mm) wide by 4 inches ( 102 mm) long, with about 1/4 (6.5 mm) overhang on each side for mounting standoff. Tightens up the power supply for Tremendous Bass.

 

Transformers come with manufacturer's 6 month exchange warranty on materials & workmanship

Guru Parampara

Without a Guru

there is No Gyan..

Knowledge demands

a Guru ..

You can have a single Guru or several

I have been lucky . I met Mr Shreekanth Malushte , my basic Guru, who taught me Fstops , depth of field adding to my circle of confusion, I am not a blackboard learning student, but Mr Malushte , is a Master of the Field , his field trips , to Ratnagiri, Alibag , Vasai Boat Pulling , all the Hindu feasts, every occasion was earmarked , yes I owe it to him, my daughter Samiya too is is his student …

Than he enrolled me at Photographic Society of India, the Institution that gor rid of the rough edges , I met Prof BW Jatkar , he is a tough Guru, lashing out, but this too is required to strengthen your wings when you learn to fly, he taught me the Essence of the Print..he too is a Field Photographer.. through him I met Mr KG Maheshwari, I just spoke to him, after almost 3 months, gave him the URL of my Word Press site..

Mr KG Maheshwari is an Enigma, he was very upset when before his last birthday I posted a lot of pictures as my tribute to him, he hates publicity, completely, he is a recluse but keeps in touch with a few photographers, I learnt a lot of things besides Photography..I learnt about my country's Freedom Struggle through his eyes, stories of the Mahatma, Quit India Movement.. ethics , disciplining of a Mind ..

Yes this is a tribute to all three Gurus..

Each one a diamond in spectral light..

So my advise find a Guru.. you have found God..

These are my Gurus …I pray for their long life..peace and prosperity.

 

I have other Gurus

My Sufi Chishti Guru is Peersaab Fahkru Miya Hujra no6 Ajmer

My Naga Sadhu Guru Sri Vijay Giri Maharaj of Shaanti Ashram Juna Akhada

My Hijra Guru is Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi..

 

My Christain Guru is a Spanish Jesuit Fr Jaun of St Peters Church Bandra

  

My American Photo Guru is a 18 year old kid master Tom Andrews photographer Do You Like it at Buzznet.

  

My Malang Guru is Syed Masoom Ali Baba Madari Panihar

 

My Qalandari Guru is Haji Masoom Ali Baba Qalandari

 

I have a Aghori Guru too

  

As a Shia I have that one Ultimate Guru , the Door of Knowledge .. yes Hazrat Ali..his sayings of Najahul Balagha are wisdom in the petals of a Flower.

 

“O people! Shortly I shall be called (to the Heaven),I am leaving amidst you, two most precious things, worthy of obedience, THE BOOK of ALLAH (THE HOLY QUR’AN), and ‘MY AHLAL BAIT’ (The members of his family, Ali and Fatima and their Godly issues), Should ye be attached to these Two, Never shall ye get astray after me, for Verily these TWO will not separate from each other until they meet me at the Fountain of Kausar (Paradise).”And then he called Ali Ibne Abi Taleb and raising him with the miraculous strength of his apostolic arms declared:

 

‘Man kunto Maulaho fa haaza Ali-yun Maulahu’ that is:

 

Whomsoever I am The Maula,(Lord, Master), This ALI is his Maula.

 

And declared him as The Ameer ul Momeyneen(Commander of the faithful).

 

Then the Prophet said “Go now, and let those who have been present here today repeat and convey to those who are absent all that they have seen and heard.”

  

I start a new set at Flickr titled Guru Parampar ..The Guru and the Shishy traditions ...

I am blessed that the the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadev is alive in my three gurusMr KG Maheshwari, Prof BW Jatkar and Mr Shreekanth Malushte..

I place a Guru Stotra at their lotus feet

 

SLOKAS ON GURU

 

Guru Stotra

 

Guru Brahma Gurur Vishnu

Guru Devo Maheshwaraha

Guru Saakshat Para Brahma

Tasmai Sree Gurave Namaha

 

Meaning:Guru is verily the representative of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He creates, sustains knowledge and destroys the weeds of ignorance. I salute such a Guru.

 

Akhanda Mandalaakaaram

Vyaaptam Yenam charaacharam

Tatpadam Darshitam Yena

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: Guru can guide us to the supreme knowledge of THAT which pervades all the living and non-living beings in the entire Universe (namely Brahman). I salute such a Guru.

 

Agnyaana Timiraandhasya

Gnyaana Anjana Shalaakayaa

Chakshuhu Unmeelitam Yenam

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: A Guru can save us from the pangs of ignorance (darkness) by applying to us the balm of knowledge or awareness of the Supreme, I salute such a Guru.

 

Sthaavaram Jangamam Vyaaptam

Yatkinchit Sacharaa Charam

TatPadam Darshitam Yena

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: That Guru who can enlighten us about the all pervading consciousness present in all the three world or states (of Jaagrath, Swapna and Sushupti ... activity, dream and deep sleep state), I salute such a Guru.

 

Chinmayam Vyaapi Yatsarvam

Trailokya Sacharaa Charam

TatPadam Darshitam Yena

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: That revered Master who directs my attention to the ONE divinity existing in all that is inert (immobile) as well as that which is active (mobile), I salute such a Guru.

 

Sarva Sruti Shiroratna

Viraajita Padambujaha

Vedaantaambuja Sooryo Yah

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: That Guru who is the ocean of the Srutis (Vedas), the Sun of knowledge (who can destroy our ignorance with these rays), I salute such a Guru.

 

Chaitanyah Shaashwatah Shaantho

Vyomaateeto Niranjanaha

Bindu Naada Kalaateetaha

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: That Guru who is the representative of the unchangeable, ever present, peaceful spirit, who is one pointed and beyond the realm of space and time, whose vision is always enchanting, I salute such a Guru.

 

Gnyaana Shakti Samaaroodah

Tatwa Maalaa Vibhooshitaha

Bhukti Mukti Pradaaneyna

Tasmai sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: The one who is an ocean of knowledge, who is always in Yoga (in unison With God) who is adorned by the knowledge of the God principle, the One Who can liberate us from this mundane existence, I salute such a Guru.

 

Aneka Janma Sampraapta

Karma Bandha Vidaahine

Atma Gnyaana Pradaaneyna

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: The one who can help us free from the chain of karma accumulated over several lives, by teaching us the knowledge of the self (Atma Gnyaana), I salute such a Guru.

 

Shoshanam Bhava Sindhoscha

Gnyaapanam Saarasampadaha

Guror Padodakam Samyak

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: The one who can help us cross this ocean of life, the one who can reveal to us the Divine, I adore his Paadukaas (hold on to his feet), I salute such a Guru.

 

Na Guror Adhikam Tatwam

Na Guror Adhikam Tapaha

Tatwa Gnyaanaat Param Naasti

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: There no greater principle than the Guru; there is no greater penance than the Guru; There is no greater knowledge than meditation on such a Guru. I salute such a Guru.

 

Mannaathah Sri Jaganaatho

Madguruhu Sri Jagad Guruhu

Madh Atma Sarva Bhootaatma

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: The Lord of the world is my Lord and the Guru of the World is my Guru, the SELF in me is the same which is present in all (the same divinity inherent in all beings). I salute such a Guru (who gives me this insight).

 

Guroraadi Anaadischa

Guruh Parama Daivatam

Guroh Parataram Naasti

Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha.

 

Meaning: The Guru has neither beginning nor end; the Guru is the ultimate God (in the visible form). There is nothing beyond this Guru principle, and I salute such a Guru.

  

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

 

Dhyaanamoolam Gurur Moorthihi

Poojamoolam Guroh Padam

Mantramoolam Guror Vaakyam

Moksha Moolam Guru Krupa.

 

Meaning: The Guru's form is the best to meditate upon; the Guru's feet are the best for worship; the Guru's word is the mantra; the Guru's Grace is the root of liberation.

  

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

 

Brahmaanandham Parama Sukhadam

Kevalam Jnaana Murthim

Dhvandhvaa Theetham Gagana Sadhrisham

Tathvam Asyaadi Lakshyam

Ekam Nithyam Vimalam Achalam

Sarvadhee Saakshi Bhutham

Bhavaatheetham Thriguna Rahitham

Sadhgurum Tham Namaami.

 

Meaning: This sloka tries to describe the qualities of a true Guru. A real Guru has the following qualities. He experiences the supreme Bliss of Brahmaananda (transcedental divine bliss). He enjoys and confers changeless supreme happiness. He is beyond space and time (there is nothing higher than him). He is the embodiment of wisdom which is the basis for all types of knowledge. He transcends the pair of opposites (such as happiness and sorrow, gain and loss). He is more Omnipresent than space itself. He is the very embodiment of the Divine principle, which is the inner meaning of the four great pronouncements Prajnaanam Brahma, Aham Brahmasmi, Thath Thvam Asi and Ayam Aathma Brahma. He is One without a second (ekam). He never changes under any circumstances (nithyam). He is without any type of impurity (vimalam). He is steady and motionless(achalam). He is the witness of everything. He transcends mental comprehension and verbal explanation. He is beyond the three gunas (sathva, rajas and thamas). I offer my humble salutations to such a Guru who possesses all these qualities.

 

courtesy

 

www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/slguru.html

There she sat, the timeless Death with her unchangeable face.

Einar Jónsson (May 11, 1874 – October 18, 1954) was an Icelandic sculptor, born in Galtafell, a farm in southern Iceland.

 

Einar's works fall into three general categories. First, there were the public monuments that he was commissioned by the government to produce. The second group was private commissions that he obtained, consisting of portraits and cemetery monuments. The third collection consisted of the private works that he labored over as he became increasingly and deeply spiritually attuned and reclusive. In this large body of works Einar's spiritual nature is clearly seen, though it is often difficult to describe. The themes for these works are frequently drawn from Christ's consciousness, deep Cosmic spirituality like the eternal, infinite body and consciousness of the universe or God, Icelandic Mythology (Understanding of the so called Norse mythology or North-East, North-West and even Central-European War-Godhs mythology is just a part of Icelandic Mythology and understanding or description of these is mostly derived from the Icelandic one) and Icelandic folk tales. Einar's world is populated by Elfs, "Hidden people" or "Huldufolk", Vættir, Jötnar, angels and trolls, by beautiful women and bold warriors, and most of all a layer of symbolic content that can invariably be felt, but not always understood.

 

A hint to some deeper meaning in Einar's powerful art is for example: "Karma" an eternal law of energy which returns all action towards its origin. Like in Christ's saying that one will reap what one has sown. That same law or eternal principle, changes the will and desires of the psyche or so to speak. This is because of the fed up condition or state of "mind" or psyche. One will eventually be tired and sick of destruction of nature or other people's lives and the desire for constructive live-giving actions will be dominant. One example of this is the sculpture "Skuld" where Einar uses Icelandic Mythological symbolism of "Urdur, Verdandi and Skuld" which were the witches of destiny or "Karma".

 

There are also very positive hints in other pieces of Einar's masterful art, to that, that every being or lifeform is eternal in its essence and evolves and chances on the outer sides or layers or material sides of its consciousness like the body, thoughts and desire. This outer part or detail of the consciousness is not even understood in physics, phenomenon of time, space and matter that is to say. The connection of the soul or rather its eternal and unchangeable part or layer of the whole consciousness to the world of time, space and matter is even further away from understanding except with symbols, and eventually later on, and only with self experience.

 

Henry Goddard Leach described Einar Jónsson like this:

 

All things considered, Jonsson is unique in the world of art.If he had any prototype they were the symbolic artists of ancient Egypt. But Jonsson's nearest spiritual relative is William Blake.

Hats: size of 8-20 cm. Half-round, pudgy, and remains convex in older specimens. Thick, solid, aging becomes softer, smooth or with tiny bumps, due to moisture shrimp hat gets glitter and sticky it is. The most common is the ocher-pink color, but can be totally cream-grayish color, often with yellow, tan or sometimes greenish hues. Sometimes, the more pronounced crvenoruzicastom color. At the touch does not change color to blue, possibly a little stronger red.

Slug: are up to 2 cm long, come closest to the handle, at first yellow in color, later green-yellow color, at the intersection of flooding. The holes are small, irregular, initially yellow-orange, bright red paint later, the pressure get a dark blue color.

SASSY height of 16 cm up to 6 cm. Full hard, can be cylindrical or batinasto thickened, paunchy when young. Subject to the color is yellow or straw-colored; through it is hooked reddish dense mesh. Mesh usually covers the entire handle, only the bottom can be lost.

MEAT: thick, stiff in the handle, the hat softer. The hat pale yellow color on the handle more distinct yellow color, basically daring red-brown. At the intersection of the flood only hat in the handle remains unchangeable yellow color. In places where the handle was damaged, looms the yellow color. The smell and taste is very pleasant, fruity odor reminiscent of perfume.

MICROSCOPY: spores yellowish, elliptical fusiform, 10-15 x 4-5 um.

Habitats and extent: in deciduous forests on limestone warmer ground, especially with oak and beech. In the lowlands is not growing, represented in the mountainous and subalpine zone. Very rare fungus grows most often in groups of several pieces, rarely individually.

Edibility: edible mushroom on probation, before use should be thermally processed because the raw mildly toxic.

The growing period: from the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn.

SIMILAR SPECIES: amazing double is the type of Boletus rubrosanguineus (Wälty) ex Cheype, which grows at higher elevations in coniferous forests (spruce and fir). Rhodoxanthus while a young pink-grayish shade hat, and rubrosanguineus without significant impurities or slightly rose-colored, but is more grayish okerzelenkast, and how old it turns red while rhodoxanthus remain still pink or even fade. Some of the yellow-purple mushroom perhaps mixed in with loony bin (Boletus satanas), but nuthouse almost never has Noci tones per hat and has an unpleasant odor. There is a great similarity with the type of Boletus rhodopurpureus Smotlacha, but his hat to the pressure changes color to a dark blue flesh and flooding at the intersection, and the handle.

NOTE: One of the most beautiful mushrooms of the genus Boletus, a very pleasant smell. Very rare fungus.

Mustafa İsmet İnönü (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈmet ˈinœny]; 23 September 1886 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman who served as the second president of Turkey from November 11, 1938, to May 22 1950, and as its prime minister three times: from 1923 to 1924, 1925 to 1937, and 1961 to 1965.

 

İnönü is acknowledged by many as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's right-hand man, with their friendship going back to the Caucasus campaign. In the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, he served as the first chief of the General Staff from 1922 to 1924 for the regular Turkish army, during which he commanded forces during the First and Second Battles of İnönü. Atatürk bestowed İsmet with the surname İnönü, the site of the battles, when the 1934 Surname Law was adopted. He was also chief negotiator in the Mudanya and Lausanne conferences for the Ankara government, successfully negotiating away the Sevre treaty for the Treaty of Lausanne. As his prime minister for most of his presidency, İnönü executed many of Atatürk's modernizing and nationalist reforms. İnönü gave the orders to carry out the Zilan Massacre.

 

İnönü succeeded Atatürk as president of Turkey after his death in 1938 and was granted the official title of Millî Şef ("National Chief" by the parliament. As president and chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP), İnönü initially continued Turkey's one party state. Kemalist style programs continued to make great strides in education by supporting projects such as Village Institutes. His governments implemented notably heavy statist economic policies. The Hatay State was annexed in 1939, and Turkey was able to maintain an armed neutrality during World War II, joining the Allied powers only three months before the end of the European Theater. The Turkish Straits crisis prompted İnönü to build closer ties with the Western powers, with the country eventually joining NATO in 1952, though by then he was no longer president.

 

Factionalism between statists and liberals in the CHP led to the creation of the Democrat Party in 1946. İnönü held the first multiparty elections in the Republic's history that year, beginning Turkey's multiparty period. 1950 saw a peaceful transfer of power to the Democrats when the CHP suffered defeat in the elections. For ten years, İnönü served as the leader of the opposition before returning to power as prime minister following the 1961 election, held after the 1960 coup-d'état. The 1960s saw İnönü reinvent the CHP as a political party, which was "Left of Center" as a new party cadre led by Bülent Ecevit became more influential. İnönü remained leader of the CHP until 1972, when he was defeated by Ecevit in a leadership contest. He died on December 25, 1973, of a heart attack, at the age of 89. He is interred opposite to Atatürk's mausoleum at Anıtkabir in Ankara.

 

İsmet İnönü (born Mustafa İsmet) was born in 1886 in Smyrna (İzmir) in the Aidin Vilayet to Hacı Reşit and Cevriye (later Cevriye Temelli). Hacı Reşit was retired after serving as director of the First Examinant Department of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the War Ministry (Harbiye Nezareti Muhakemat Dairesi Birinci Mümeyyizliği). A member of the Kürümoğlu family of Bitlis, İnönü's father was born in Malatya. According to its members studying the ancestral background of the family, Kürümoğlus were of Turkish origin, while secondary sources refer to the family as of Kurdish descent. His mother was the daughter of Müderris Hasan Efendi, who belonged to the ulem and was a member of the Turkish family of Razgrad (present-day Bulgaria). In 1933 he visited Razgrad since the city's Turkish cemetery was attacked. İsmet was the family's second child; he had three brothers, including the family's first child, Ahmet Midhat, two younger brothers, Hasan Rıza and Hayri (Temelli), as well as a sister Seniha (Otakan). Due to his father's assignments, the family moved from one city to another.

 

İnönü completed his primary education in Sivas and graduated from Sivas Military Junior High School (Sivas Askerî Rüştiyesi) in 1894. He then studied at the Sivas School for Civil Servants (Sivas Mülkiye İdadisi) for a year. He graduated from the Imperial School of Military Engineering in 1904 as a lieutenant gunnery officer and entered the Military Academy to graduate as a first-rank staff captain on September 26, 1906. İnönü started his duty in the Second Army based in Adrianople (Edirne) on October 2, 1906, in the 3rd Battery Command of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment. As part of his platoon officer staff internship, he gave lessons in military strategy and artillery. Captain İsmet was also part of the Ottoman–Bulgarian commissions.

 

Through Ali Fethi (Okyar), he briefly joined the Committee of Union and Progress in 1907, which wished to overthrow Sultan Abdul Hamid II. During the 31 March Incident, he was on the staff of the Second Cavalry Division, which was mobilized to join the Action Army and marched on Constantinople (İstanbul) to depose Abdul Hamid II. Returning to Adrianople following the suppression of the mutiny, İnönü left the committee in the summer of 1909.

 

He won his first military victory by suppressing Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamiddin's revolt in Yemen. İsmet eventually became chief of staff of the force sent to suppress the rebellion and personally negotiated with Imam Yahya in Kaffet-ül-Uzer to bring Yemen back into the empire. For this, he was promoted to the rank of major. He returned to Constantinople in March 1913 to defend the capital from Bulgarian attack during the First Balkan War. İnönü was part of the Turkish delegation that negotiated the Treaty of Constantinople with the Bulgarians as a military adviser. He held a close relationship with Enver Pasha and played an active role in the reformation of the army.

 

İnönü began climbing the ranks during World War I, becoming lieutenant colonel on November 29, 1914, and then being appointed as the First Branch Manager of the General Headquarters on December 2. He was appointed chief of staff of the Second Army on October 9, 1915, and was promoted to the rank of colonel on December 14 December 1915.

 

Inönü married Emine Mevhibe Hanim on April 13, 1917, when he was 31 and she was only 20 (for she was more than ten years his junior whilst he was more than ten years her senior), three weeks before he left for the front to return home only after the conclusion of the Armistice of Mudros on October 30, 1918.[13] Of which she later bore his three sons and one daughter. He began working with Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Pasha as a corps commander on the Caucasian Front. İnönü was appointed to the IV Corps Command on January 12, 1917, upon the recommendation of Atatürk. He was recalled to Constantinople after a while and returned to take part as a corps commander of the Seventh Army. On May 1, he was appointed to command XX Corps on the Palestine Front, and then III Corps on June 20. He once again came into contact with Atatürk when he assumed command of the Seventh Army. İnönü's forces received the brunt of Edmond Allenby's attack on Beersheba that ended the stalemate on the Sinai front. He was wounded in the Battle of Megiddo and was sent back to Constantinople, where he held various administrative positions in the War Ministry during the armistice period.

 

After the military occupation of Constantinople on March 16, 1920, İnönü decided to escape to Anatolia to join the Ankara government. He and his chief of staff, Major Saffet (Arıkan) escaped Maltepe in the evening of March 19 and arrived in Ankara on April 9. He joined the Grand National Assembly (GNA), which was opened on April 23, 1920, as a deputy of Edirne. Like many others in the Turkish National Movement, he was sentenced to death in absentia by the Ottoman government on June 6, 1920. In May 1920, he was appointed chief of the general staff. The next year, he was appointed commander of the Western Front of the Army of the GNA, a position in which he remained during the Turkish War of Independence. He was promoted to the rank of Mirliva (to that extent, Pasha) after winning the First and Second Battle of İnönü. When the 1934 Surname Law was adopted Atatürk bestowed İsmet Pasha with the surname İnönü, where the battles took place.

 

İnönü was replaced by Mustafa Fevzi Pasha (Çakmak), who was also the prime minister and minister of defense at the time, as the chief of staff after the Turkish forces lost major battles against the advancing Greek Army in July 1921, as a result of which the cities of Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya and Eskişehir were temporarily lost. During the war, İnönü's infant son İzzet died before his victory in Sakarya and this news was only delivered to him in the spring of 1922. His wife, Emine Mevhibe hid the news and the severity of his son's sickness due to the intensity of the war. He participated as a staff officer (with the rank Brigadier General) in the later battles, including Dumlupınar.

 

Chief negotiator in Mudanya and Lausanne

See also: Armistice of Mudanya and Treaty of Lausanne

After the War of Independence was won, İnönü was appointed as the chief negotiator of the Turkish delegation, both for the Armistice of Mudanya and for the Treaty of Lausanne.

 

The Lausanne conference convened in late 1922 to settle the terms of a new treaty that would take the place of the Treaty of Sèvres. İnönü became famous for his stubborn resolve in determining the position of Ankara as the legitimate, sovereign government of Turkey. After delivering his position, İsmet turned off his hearing aid during the speeches of British foreign secretary Lord Curzon. When Curzon had finished, İnönü reiterated his position as if Curzon had never said a word.

 

İsmet İnönü served as the prime minister of Turkey throughout Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's presidency, stepping down as prime minister for three months during Fethi Okyar's premiership and in the last year of Atatürk's presidency when he was replaced by Celal Bayar. İnönü therefore helped to execute most of Atatürk's reformist programs. It was his suggestion to make Ankara the capital of Turkey, which was approved by the parliament. İnönü was also an important factor in the proclamation of the Republic and the abolition of the Caliphate and Evkaf Ministry. He resigned from the premiership for health reasons on November 22, 1924 for Fethi Okyar, but since Okyar lost a vote of confidence from parliament due to the Sheikh Said rebellion, İnönü returned to the prime ministry.

 

İnönü immediately banned all opposition parties (including the Progressive Republican Party) and the press. Independence Tribunals were reestablished to prosecute the Kurdish rebels. In 1926, it allegedly came out that former members of the CUP attempted to assassinate Atatürk in the İzmir plot, which resulted in the remaining CUP leaders being executed. İnönü retired his military command in 1927.

 

While dealing with the Sheikh Said revolt, İnönü proclaimed a Turkish nationalist policy and encouraged the Turkification of the non-Turkish population. Following the suppression of the Sheikh Said rebellion, he presided over the Reform Council for the East, which prepared the Report for Reform in the East, which recommended impede the establishment of a Kurdish elite, forbid non-Turkish languages, and create regional administrative units called Inspectorates-General, which were to be governed by martial law. He stated the following in regards to the Kurds; "We're frankly nationalists, and nationalism is our only factor of cohesion. Before the Turkish majority, other elements had no kind of influence. At any price, we must turkify the inhabitants of our land, and we will annihilate those who oppose." Following this report, three Inspectorates-General were established in the Kurdish areas, which comprise several provinces. On the direct order of İnönü, the Zilan massacre of thousands of Kurdish civilians was perpetrated by the Turkish Land Forces in the Zilan Valley of Van Province on July 12 and 13, 1930, during the Ararat rebellion. Nation building was codified into law when a new settlement regime was enacted in 1934, resettling Albanians, Abkhazians, Circassians, and Kurds in new areas in order to create a homogeneous Turkish state.

 

İnönü was responsible for most of the reformist legislation promulgated during Turkey's one party period. The Hat Law and the closure of Dervish lodges were enacted in 1925; in 1928, the Turkish alphabet switched to being written with Latin characters, and in 1934, titles such as Efendi, Bey, and Pasha were abolished; and certain articles of religious clothing were banned, though İnönü was and still is popularly known as İsmet Pasha. 1934 was also the year that the Surname Law was adopted, with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk bestowing İsmet with the surname İnönü, the location where İsmet won the battles against the Greek army in 1921. He was also a proponent of replacing foreign loan words with "Pure Turkish" words.

 

İnönü managed the economy with heavy-handed government intervention, especially during the Great Depression, by implementing an economic plan inspired by the Five Year Plan of the Soviet Union. In doing so, he took much private property under government control. Due to his efforts, to this day, more than 70% of land in Turkey is still owned by the state.

 

Desiring a more liberal economic system, Atatürk dissolved the government of İnönü in 1937 and appointed Celâl Bayar, the founder of the first Turkish commercial bank, Türkiye İş Bankası, as prime minister, thus beginning a decades long rivalry between Bayar and İnönü.

 

After the death of Atatürk on November 10, 1938, İnönü was viewed as the most appropriate candidate to succeed him and was unanimously elected the second president of the Republic of Turkey and leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP). He attempted to build himself a cult of personality by receiving the official title of Millî Şef, i.e., "National Chief".

 

One of his first actions was to annex in 1939 the Hatay State, which declared independence from French Syria. İnönü also wished to move on from one-party rule by taking incremental steps to multiparty politics. He hoped to accomplish this by establishing the Independent Group as a force of opposition in the parliament, but they fell short of expectations under wartime conditions. İnönü dismissed Bayar's government because of differences between the two on economic policy in 1939. İnönü was an avowed statist, while Bayar wished for a more liberal economy. Turkey's early industrialization accelerated under İnönü but the onset of World War II disrupted economic growth.

 

Much reform in education was accomplished during İnönü's presidency through the efforts of Hasan Âli Yücel, who was minister of education throughout İnönü's governments. 1940 saw the establishment of the Village Institutes, in which well-performing students from the country were selected to train as teachers and return to their hometown to run community development programs.

 

World War II broke out in the first year of his presidency, and both the Allies and the Axis pressured İnönü to bring Turkey into the war on their side. The Germans sent Franz von Papen to Ankara in April 1939, while the British sent Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen and the French René Massigli. On April 23, 1939, Turkish Foreign Minister Şükrü Saracoğlu told Knatchbull-Hugessen of his nation's fears of Italian claims to the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum and German control of the Balkans and suggested an Anglo-Soviet-Turkish alliance as the best way of countering the Axis. In May 1939, during the visit of Maxime Weygand to Turkey, İnönü told the French Ambassador René Massigli that he believed that the best way of stopping Germany was an alliance of Turkey, the Soviet Union, France and Britain; that if such an alliance came into being, the Turks would allow Soviet ground and air forces onto their soil; and that he wanted a major programme of French military aid to modernize the Turkish armed forces.

 

The signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact on August 23, 1939, drew Turkey away from the Allies; the Turks always believed that it was essential to have the Soviet Union as an ally to counter Germany, and thus the signing of the German-Soviet pact undercut completely the assumptions behind Turkish security policy. With the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, İnönü chose to be neutral in World War II as taking on Germany and the Soviet Union at the same time would be too much for Turkey, though he signed a tripartite treaty of alliance with Britain and France on October 19, 1939, obligating Turkey's entry into the war if fighting spread to the Mediterranean. However, with France's defeat in June 1940 İnönü abandoned the pro-Allied neutrality that he had followed since the beginning of the war. A major embarrassment for the Turks occurred in July 1940 when the Germans captured and published documents from the Quai d'Orsay in Paris showing the Turks were aware of Operation Pike—as the Anglo-French plan in the winter of 1939–40 to bomb the oil fields in the Soviet Union from Turkey was codenamed—which was intended by Berlin to worsen relations between Ankara and Moscow. In turn, worsening relations between the Soviet Union and Turkey were intended to drive Turkey into the arms of the Reich. After the publication of the French documents relating to Operation Pike, İnönü pulled out of the tripartide pact signed with Britain and France and signed the German–Turkish Treaty of Friendship and the Clodius Agreement, which placed Turkey within the German economic sphere of influence, but İnönü went no further towards the Axis.

 

In the first half of 1941, Germany, which was intent on invading the Soviet Union, went out of its way to improve relations with Turkey as the Reich hoped for benevolent Turkish neutrality when the German-Soviet war began. At the same time, the British had great hopes in the spring of 1941 when they dispatched an expeditionary force to Greece that İnönü could be persuaded to enter the war on the Allied side as the British leadership had high hopes of creating a Balkan front that would tie down German forces, which thus led to a major British diplomatic offensive with Foreign Secretary Sir Anthony Eden visiting Ankara several times to meet with İnönü. İnönü always told Eden that the Turks would not join the British forces in Greece, and the Turks would only enter the war if Germany attacked Turkey. For his part, Papen offered İnönü parts of Greece if Turkey were to enter the war on the Axis side, an offer İnönü declined. In May 1941 when the Germans dispatched an expeditionary force to Iraq to fight against the British, İnönü refused Papen's request that the German forces be allowed transit rights to Iraq. Another attempt by Hitler to woo Turkey came in February 1943, when Talaat Pasha's remains were returned to Turkey for a state burial.

 

Internal opposition to Turkish neutrality came from ultra-nationalist circles and factions of the military that wished to incorporate the Turkic-populated areas of the Soviet Union by allying with Germany. This almost erupted into a coup d'état against the government. Leading pan-Turkists including Alparslan Türkeş, Nihal Atsız, and Şaik Gökyay were arrested and sentenced time in prison in the Racism-Turanism trials.

 

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill traveled to Ankara in January 1943 for a conference with President İnönu to urge Turkey's entry into the war on the allied side. Churchill met secretly with İnönü inside a railroad car at the Yenice Station near Adana. By 4–6 December 1943, İnönü felt confident enough about the outcome of the war that he met openly with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference. Until 1941, both Roosevelt and Churchill thought that Turkey's continued neutrality would serve the interests of the Allies by blocking the Axis from reaching the strategic oil reserves of the Middle East. But the early victories of the Axis up to the end of 1942 caused Roosevelt and Churchill to re-evaluate possible Turkish participation in the war on the side of the Allies. Turkey had maintained a decently-sized army and air force throughout the war, and Churchill wanted the Turks to open a new front in the Balkans. Roosevelt, on the other hand, still believed that a Turkish attack would be too risky and an eventual Turkish failure would have disastrous effects for the Allies.

 

İnönü knew very well the hardships that his country had suffered during decades of incessant war between 1908 and 1922 and was determined to keep Turkey out of another war as long as he could. The young Turkish Republic was still re-building, recovering from the losses due to earlier wars, and lacked any modern weapons and the infrastructure to enter a war to be fought along and possibly within its borders. İnönü based his neutrality policy during the Second World War on the premise that Western Allies and the Soviet Union would sooner or later have a falling out after the war. Thus, İnönu wanted assurances on financial and military aid for Turkey, as well as a guarantee that the United States and the United Kingdom would stand beside Turkey in the event of a Soviet invasion of the Turkish Straits after the war. In August 1944, İnönü broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, and on January 5, 1945, İnönü severed diplomatic relations with Japan. Shortly afterwards, İnönü allowed Allied shipping to use the Turkish Straits to send supplies to the Soviet Union, and on February 25, 1945, he declared war on Germany and Japan. For this Turkey became a founding member of the United Nations.

 

The post-war tensions and arguments surrounding the Turkish Straits would come to be known as the Turkish Straits crisis. The fear of Soviet invasion and Joseph Stalin's unconcealed desire for Soviet military bases in the Turkish Straits eventually caused Turkey to give up its principle of neutrality in foreign relations and join NATO in February 1952.

 

Domestic policy

Maintaining an armed neutrality proved to be disruptive for the young republic. The country existed in a practical state of war throughout the Second World War: military production was prioritized at the expense of peacetime goods, rationing and curfews were implemented, and high taxes were put in place, causing severe economic hardship for many. One such tax was the Wealth Tax (Varlık Vergisi), a discriminatory tax that demanded very high one-time payments from Turkey's non-Muslim minorities. This tax is seen by many to be a continuation of the Jizya tax paid by dhimmis during Ottoman times, or Millî İktisat (National Economy) economic policy implemented by the Committee of Union and Progress regime three decades ago. It was only repealed in 1944 under American and British pressure.

 

A famous story of İnönü happened in a meeting in Bursa for the 1969 general elections. A young man yelled at him, "You let us go without food!" İnönü replied to him by saying, "Yes, I let you go without food, but I did not let you become fatherless," implying the death of millions of people from both sides of World War II.

 

For the Kemalists there was always a desire for Turkey to develop into a democracy. Before the Independent Group, Atatürk experimented with opposition through the Liberal Republican Party, which lasted three months before it had to be shut down when reactionaries threatened to hijack the party. In an opening speech to the Grand National Assembly on November 1, 1945, İnönü openly expressed the country's need for an opposition party. He welcomed Celal Bayar establishing the Democrat Party (DP), which separated from the CHP. However, due to the anti-Communist hysteria brought on by the new Soviet threat, new leftist parties were swiftly banned, and rural development initiatives such as the Village Institutes and People's Rooms were closed. Even with such pressure on the left, İnönü established the Ministry of Labour in 1945 and signed into law important protections for workers. Universities were given autonomy, and İnönü's title of "unchangeable chairman" of CHP was abolished.

 

İnönü allowed for Turkey's first multiparty elections to be held in 1946; however, the elections were infamously not free and fair; voting was carried out under the gaze of onlookers who could determine which voters had voted for which parties, and secrecy prevailed as to the subsequent counting of votes. Instead of inviting Şükrü Saraçoğlu to form another government, he assigned CHP hardliner Recep Peker to the task, who contributed to a polarizing atmosphere in the parliament. İnönü had to act as a mediator several times between Peker and Bayar, who threatened to have the DP walk from parliament if they didn't have some of their demands met, such as ensuring judicial review, secret ballots, and public counting for elections. On 12 July 1947 İsmet İnönü gave a speech broadcast on radio and in newspapers that he would stand equal distance from the government and opposition, prompting Peker's resignation.

 

Free and fair national elections had to wait until 1950, and on that occasion, İnönü's government was defeated. In the 1950 election campaign, the leading figures of the Democrat Party used the slogan "Geldi İsmet, kesildi kısmet" ("İsmet arrived, [our] fortune left"). CHP lost the election with 41% of the vote against DP's 55%, but due to the winner-takes-all electoral system, DP received 85% of the seats in parliament. İnönü presided over the peaceful transfer of power to the DP leaders, Bayar and Adnan Menderes. Bayar would serve as Turkey's third president, and Menderes would be its first prime minister not from the CHP.

 

For ten years, İnönü served as the leader of the opposition. In opposition, the CHP established its youth and women's branches. On June 22 June 1953, the establishment of trade unions and vocational chambers was proposed, and the right to strike for workers was added to the party program. The CHP formed an electoral alliance with the Republican Nation Party and Liberty party for the 1957 election, which was blocked by the DP government.

 

In the lead-up to the elections prepared for 1960, İnönü and CHP members faced regular harassment from the authorities and DP supporters, to the point where he was almost lynched several times. In 1958, the DP mayor of Zile declared martial law and mobilized the gendarmerie to prevent İnönü from conducting a rally in the city; a similar event happened in the city of Çankırı. In 1959, İnönü began a campaign tour that followed the same path he took thirty years ago as a Pasha from Uşak to İzmir and ended in victory for the Turkish nationalists. The DP minister of interior refused to promise protection to him. In Uşak, a crowd blocked İnönü from going to his podium, and he was hit in the head with a stone. Following his "Great Offensive," he flew to Istanbul, where he was almost lynched by a DP-organized mob on the way to Topkapı Palace. He was also banned from speaking in rallies in Kayseri and Yeşilhisar.

 

İnönü was banned from 12 sessions of parliament. This coincided an authoritarian turn of the Democrat Party, which culminated in a military coup.

 

The Turkish Armed Forces overthrew the government as a result of the military coup on 27 May 1960. After one year of junta rule in which the Democrat Party was banned and its top leaders executed in the Yassıada Trials, elections were held once the military returned to their barracks. İnönü returned to power as Prime Minister after the 1961 election, in which the CHP won the election. Right-wing parties have since continuously attacked İnönü and the CHP for their perceived involvement in the hanging of Prime minister Menderes, even though İnönü advocated for Menderes' pardoning.

 

İnönü's governments were defined by an effort to deescalate tensions between radical forces in the Turkish army wishing for extended junta rule and former Democrats that wished for amnesty. İnönü's CHP did not gain enough seats in the legislature to win a majority in the elections, so in an effort to create reconciliation, he formed coalition governments with the neo-Democrat Justice Party the New Turkey Party and the Republican Villagers Nation Party until 1965. Forming coalitions with DP successor parties, however, provoked radical officers into action. Colonel Talat Aydemir twice attempted to overthrow the government in 1962 and 1963 Turkish coup d'etat attempt. Aydemir was later executed for conducting both coups. Aydemir's 1962 coup had the most potential to succeed when İnönü, President Cemal Gürsel and Chief of Staff Cevdet Sunay were held up in Çankaya Mansion by the putschists. Aydemir decided to let the group go, which foiled the coup.

 

While in coalition with the far-right Republican Villagers Nation Party, İnönü renounced the Greco-Turkish Treaty of Friendship of 1930 and took actions against the Greek minority. The Turkish government also strictly enforced a long-overlooked law barring Greek nationals from 30 professions and occupations; for example, Greeks could not be doctors, nurses, architects, shoemakers, tailors, plumbers, cabaret singers, ironsmiths, cooks, tourist guides, etc., and 50,000 more Greeks were deported. These actions were taken because of the growing anti-Greek sentiment in Turkey after the ethnic conflict in Cyprus flared up again. With an invasion of the island imminent, American President Lyndon Johnson sent a memorandum to İnönü, effectively vetoing Turkish intervention. A subsequent meeting at the White House between İnönü and Johnson on June 22, 1964, meant Cyprus' status quo continued for another ten years. An event a couple years earlier also strained the otherwise amicable relationship İnönü held with Washington, namely the withdrawal of the nuclear-armed PGM-19 Jupiter MRBMs briefly stationed in Turkey, which was undertaken in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis. While Washington withdrew the MRBMs, some B61 nuclear bombs are still stored in İncirlik Air Base.

 

İnönü's governments established the National Security Council, Turkish Statistical Institute, and Turkey's leading research institute, TÜBİTAK. Turkey signed the Ankara agreement, the first treaty of cooperation with the European Economic Community, and also increased ties with Iran and Pakistan. The army was modernized, and the National Intelligence Organization was founded. İnönü was instrumental in establishing CHP as "Left of Center" on the political spectrum as a new left-wing party cadre led by his protégé Bülent Ecevit became more influential. İnönü survived an assassination attempt from a Menderes supporter in 1964.

 

İnönü returned to the opposition after losing both the 1965 and 1969 general elections to a much younger man, Justice Party leader Süleyman Demirel. He remained leader of the CHP until 1972, when an interparty crisis over his endorsement of the 1971 military memorandum led to his defeat by Ecevit in the 5th extraordinary CHP convention. This was the first overthrow of a party leader in a leadership contest in the Republic's history. İnönü left his party and resigned his parliamentarianship afterward. Being a former president he was a member of the Senate in the last year of his life.

 

On December 25, 1973, İsmet İnönü died of a heart attack at the age of 87. The parliament declared national mourning until his burial. He was interred at Anıtkabir opposite Atatürk's mausoleum, on December 28. Following the 1980 coup, Kenan Evren transferred twelve graves from Anıtkabir, but kept İnönü's in place. İnönü's tomb took its present shape in January 1997.

 

Sinta (Greek: Σίντα; Turkish: İnönü or Sinde) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. The village was recorded as early as the early 13th century in papal documents.

 

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

 

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

 

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

 

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

 

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

 

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

 

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

 

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

 

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

 

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

 

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

 

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

 

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

 

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

 

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

 

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

 

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

 

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

 

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

 

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

 

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

 

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

 

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis". Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

 

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

 

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

 

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

 

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

 

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

 

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

 

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

 

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

 

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

 

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

 

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

 

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

 

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

 

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

 

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

 

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

 

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

 

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

Hats: size of 8-20 cm. Half-round, pudgy, and remains convex in older specimens. Thick, solid, aging becomes softer, smooth or with tiny bumps, due to moisture shrimp hat gets glitter and sticky it is. The most common is the ocher-pink color, but can be totally cream-grayish color, often with yellow, tan or sometimes greenish hues. Sometimes, the more pronounced crvenoruzicastom color. At the touch does not change color to blue, possibly a little stronger red.

Slug: are up to 2 cm long, come closest to the handle, at first yellow in color, later green-yellow color, at the intersection of flooding. The holes are small, irregular, initially yellow-orange, bright red paint later, the pressure get a dark blue color.

SASSY height of 16 cm up to 6 cm. Full hard, can be cylindrical or batinasto thickened, paunchy when young. Subject to the color is yellow or straw-colored; through it is hooked reddish dense mesh. Mesh usually covers the entire handle, only the bottom can be lost.

MEAT: thick, stiff in the handle, the hat softer. The hat pale yellow color on the handle more distinct yellow color, basically daring red-brown. At the intersection of the flood only hat in the handle remains unchangeable yellow color. In places where the handle was damaged, looms the yellow color. The smell and taste is very pleasant, fruity odor reminiscent of perfume.

MICROSCOPY: spores yellowish, elliptical fusiform, 10-15 x 4-5 um.

Habitats and extent: in deciduous forests on limestone warmer ground, especially with oak and beech. In the lowlands is not growing, represented in the mountainous and subalpine zone. Very rare fungus grows most often in groups of several pieces, rarely individually.

Edibility: edible mushroom on probation, before use should be thermally processed because the raw mildly toxic.

The growing period: from the beginning of summer, the beginning of autumn.

SIMILAR SPECIES: amazing double is the type of Boletus rubrosanguineus (Wälty) ex Cheype, which grows at higher elevations in coniferous forests (spruce and fir). Rhodoxanthus while a young pink-grayish shade hat, and rubrosanguineus without significant impurities or slightly rose-colored, but is more grayish okerzelenkast, and how old it turns red while rhodoxanthus remain still pink or even fade. Some of the yellow-purple mushroom perhaps mixed in with loony bin (Boletus satanas), but nuthouse almost never has Noci tones per hat and has an unpleasant odor. There is a great similarity with the type of Boletus rhodopurpureus Smotlacha, but his hat to the pressure changes color to a dark blue flesh and flooding at the intersection, and the handle.

NOTE: One of the most beautiful mushrooms of the genus Boletus, a very pleasant smell. Very rare fungus.

Photo: ME

Hair and MakeUp: Shanti

 

"Biology says that we are who we are from birth. That are DNA is set in stone. Unchangeable. Our DNA doesn't account for all of us though, we're human. Life changes us. We develop new traits. Become less territorial. We start competing. We learn from our mistakes. We face our greatest fears. For better or worse, we find ways to become more than our biology. The risk of course is that we can change too much to the point where we don't recognize ourselves. Finding our way back can be difficult. There's no compass, no map. We just have to close our eyes, take a step, and hope to God we get there.

"It is the eye of ignorance that assigns a fixed and unchangeable color to every object; beware of this stumbling block." ~ Paul Gauguin

圣家宗座圣殿（加泰罗尼亚语：Basílica Expiatòria de la Sagrada Família；西班牙语：Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia；直译为“圣家赎罪殿暨宗座圣殿”）是西班牙巴塞罗那一座天主教教堂，一般简称为圣家大教堂或圣家堂（Sagrada Família）。该教堂由安东尼·高迪设计，其高耸与独特的建筑设计，使得该教堂成为巴塞罗那最为人所知的观光景点。

这是位于东侧的“诞生立面”（Nativity façade、FacanadelNaixement），以基督的诞生为题，墙上的雕塑展现了由童贞玛利亚怀胎到基督长成的故事，因是欢迎庆祝基督诞生，以欢喜愉悦的雕塑为主。

 

Sagrada Família

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family

Barcelona, Spain

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família , is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883,taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

Nativity Façade

The Nativity façade was the first façade to be completed. Dedicated to the birth of Jesus, it is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. Characteristic of Gaudí's naturalistic style, the sculptures are ornately arranged and decorated with scenes and images from nature, each a symbol in their own manner. For instance, the three porticos are separated by two large columns, and at the base of each lies a turtle or a tortoise (one to represent the land and the other the sea; each are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable). In contrast to the figures of turtles and their symbolism, two chameleons can be found at either side of the façade, and are symbolic of change.The façade faces the rising sun to the northeast, a symbol for the birth of Christ.

 

El Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (en catalán Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família), conocido simplemente como la Sagrada Familia, es una basílica católica de Barcelona (España), diseñada por el arquitecto Antoni Gaudí. Iniciada en 1882, todavía está en construcción (diciembre de 2013). Es la obra maestra de Gaudí, y el máximo exponente de la arquitectura modernista catalana.

La obra que realizó Gaudí, es decir, la fachada del Nacimiento y la cripta, fue incluida en 2005 por la UNESCO en el Sitio del Patrimonio de la Humanidad «Obras de Antoni Gaudí».

Fachada del Nacimiento

La fachada de la Natividad fue la primera fachada que esté terminado. Dedicado al nacimiento de Jesús, que está decorado con escenas que recuerdan a los elementos de la vida. Característico del estilo naturalista de Gaudí, las esculturas están ricamente arreglado y decorado con escenas e imágenes de la naturaleza, cada uno un símbolo de su propia manera. Por ejemplo, los tres pórticos están separados por dos grandes columnas, y en la base de cada uno se encuentra una tortuga o una tortuga (uno en representación de la tierra y el otro el mar, cada uno son símbolos del tiempo como algo inamovible e inmutable) . En contraste con las figuras de las tortugas y su simbolismo, dos camaleones se pueden encontrar en cualquier lado de la fachada, y son un símbolo de fachada change.The enfrenta el sol naciente hacia el noreste, un símbolo para el nacimiento de Cristo.

 

Matthew 7:24-29 (ANIV)

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

  

DRAWING NOTES:

 

TIME OF DAY:

Unspecified by the text. I have set the time at mid morning.

 

LIGHTING NOTES:

The sun is on the left of the scene, producing light tones on the left of objects, & shadows on the right. You can see cast shadows of the trees, rocks & people.

 

CHARACTERS PRESENT:

The Wise Builder, dressed in blue outer robe, standing on the rocks.

The Foolish Builder, dressed in green, digging in the sand.

 

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:

This is the sixth scene in this series of 6 that tells the parable (story) of the Wise & Foolish Builders.

 

There is nothing left of the Foolish Builders home in this the final scene, except his front door, which the Foolish Builder is sitting on, like a life raft. He is looking rather tearful... not surprising really!

 

I have added a heavenly glow over the Wise Builder & his house built on the rock. Sort of likle Godly approval I think!

 

Interpreting the metaphor

Remember, this is a metaphor which Jesus told his listeners. It isn’t really about building houses, rain & storms, etc, but rather about hearing Jesus’ words & putting them into practice. Jesus seems to be saying that troubles & adverse conditions will come upon us in this life, sooner or later. I think we can all agree that this is so. These adverse conditions are not likely to be actual rain storms & weather, thought that can happen too! More likely they might be redundancy, health issues, a lose of some sort, a death in the family, or some other circumstance that really challenge us & what we have put our faith in. It is at these times of trial & difficulty that we discover just what (or who) we have actually put our faith in.

 

Jesus says there are 2 sorts of listeners:

1) Those “who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice” &

2) Those “who hear these words of mine and does not put them into practice.”

 

The wise man or woman is the person who hears the words of Jesus’ & acts upon them. The foolish person is the one who hears the words alright, but does not put them into practice. When the trials & difficult times come (& sooner or later they will come) the foolish person will discover that they do not have the amazing resources of Jesus teaching to fall back on & support them during their trial.

 

Jesus teachings are brilliant - the whole Bible is full of God. And He wants us all to access his words & live our lives accordingly. That will not remove all the difficult times from our lives, but it will give us a resource to remain standing, even in the most trying of challenges, rather than folding up under the pressure of the trial & crumbling into nothing, like the Foolish Builders house did.

 

If we put our trust in Jesus & his words, then we are like the man who built on the rock. Jesus teachings are not just nice words, but vital to life. The Bible, God & Jesus are all referred to as the Rock, in the Bible itself.

 

Rock references in the Bible

The word “Rock” is used as a symbol of God in the Old Testament (see 1Sa 2:2; 2Sa 22:3; Isa 17:10; Ps 28:1; Ps 31:2, 3; Ps 89:26; Ps 95:1.) Here the word seems to imply that the Lord is solid, unchangeable, completely dependable & unmoving when we need Him to be utterly steadfast on our behalf.

 

I like the reference to God as Rock in Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (ANIV), which says, ‘I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.’

 

Similarly the word “Rock” is used in the New Testament (Mat 16:18; Rom 9:33; 1Co 10:4.) The "rock" from which the stone is cut signifies the divine origin of Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ANIV) clearly refers to Jesus the Christ as the Rock: ‘They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.’

 

1 Peter 2:4-8 (ANIV) gives us the Apostle Peter’s Bible references to Jesus as the Rock & to Christians as living stones or rocks also: ‘As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house [the Church] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." [Peter quoting the OT prophet Isaiah 28:16. Notice Peter says “him” not “it” in that sentence. He is clearly not referring to a place, but a person: Jesus the Christ.]

 

The quote goes on, ‘Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," [Quoting Psalm 118:22.] and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." [Quoting Isaiah 8:14.] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.’

  

Things to notice/look out for, in this series.

1) There is a storm approaching. Gradually the clouds change, as we progress from scene 01 (calm weather, fluffy white clouds) to scene 04 & 05 (deep grey, rain filled storm clouds) back to the calm of the storm passing in scene 06. There is no rain falling in scene 01, but scenes 02-06 all have rain.

Scene 04 & 05 also have lightning in the sky.

 

2) Wind. In scene 01 there is little wind. As the scenes progress, & the storm arrives, the wind increases until it is hurricane force in scene 04 & 05! It dies to a light breeze again in scene 06.

 

3) The colour of the sky, & the ground changes. In scene 01 there is full sunlight, producing intense colours throughout the scene. As the storm clouds approach they progressively block out the sun & a darker, more menacing colouration covers the landscape, from scene 02-05. The darkest shadows & gloomiest colours are seen in scene 04 & 05. Whilst scene 06 sees a return to brighter colours, as the storm passes.

 

4) Stream & waterfall. In the first scene there is no stream. In scenes 02 the rain has created a small stream flowing in the left foreground, with a little waterfall. In subsequent scenes the stream swells as the rains fall more heavily, until the whole foreground is a mass of churning water in scene 05! In scene 06 the stream has returned to a gentler flow.

 

5) The Builders. In scene 01, we can see the Wise Builder standing on the red sandstone rocks, wielding a hammer & chisel, to carve out a foundation for his stone house. The Foolish Builder is taking the easier option of simply digging holes in the sand for his house.

In scene 02 & then 03, the Foolish Builder finishes his house sooner than the Wise Builder, as he makes his house out of wood, simply by inserting the upright timbers into the holes he has dug in the sand. The Wise Builder takes much longer to complete his house, because he has to cut the foundations out of the solid rock & labouriously stacked the red stones to build his house. Initially it might seem like the Foolish Builder is clever, since he finishes soonest, however, when the storm comes, his house is the one which falls! So quicker isn’t always better!

  

Why not visit my website & see all the cartoons there? www.biblecartoons.co.uk

圣家宗座圣殿（加泰罗尼亚语：Basílica Expiatòria de la Sagrada Família；西班牙语：Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia；直译为“圣家赎罪殿暨宗座圣殿”）是西班牙巴塞罗那一座天主教教堂，一般简称为圣家大教堂或圣家堂（Sagrada Família）。该教堂由安东尼·高迪设计，其高耸与独特的建筑设计，使得该教堂成为巴塞罗那最为人所知的观光景点。

这是位于东侧的“诞生立面”（Nativity façade、FacanadelNaixement），以基督的诞生为题，墙上的雕塑展现了由童贞玛利亚怀胎到基督长成的故事，因是欢迎庆祝基督诞生，以欢喜愉悦的雕塑为主。

 

Sagrada Família

Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family

Barcelona, Spain

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família , is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883,taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.

Nativity Façade

The Nativity façade was the first façade to be completed. Dedicated to the birth of Jesus, it is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. Characteristic of Gaudí's naturalistic style, the sculptures are ornately arranged and decorated with scenes and images from nature, each a symbol in their own manner. For instance, the three porticos are separated by two large columns, and at the base of each lies a turtle or a tortoise (one to represent the land and the other the sea; each are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable). In contrast to the figures of turtles and their symbolism, two chameleons can be found at either side of the façade, and are symbolic of change.The façade faces the rising sun to the northeast, a symbol for the birth of Christ.

 

El Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (en catalán Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família), conocido simplemente como la Sagrada Familia, es una basílica católica de Barcelona (España), diseñada por el arquitecto Antoni Gaudí. Iniciada en 1882, todavía está en construcción (diciembre de 2013). Es la obra maestra de Gaudí, y el máximo exponente de la arquitectura modernista catalana.

La obra que realizó Gaudí, es decir, la fachada del Nacimiento y la cripta, fue incluida en 2005 por la UNESCO en el Sitio del Patrimonio de la Humanidad «Obras de Antoni Gaudí».

Fachada del Nacimiento

La fachada de la Natividad fue la primera fachada que esté terminado. Dedicado al nacimiento de Jesús, que está decorado con escenas que recuerdan a los elementos de la vida. Característico del estilo naturalista de Gaudí, las esculturas están ricamente arreglado y decorado con escenas e imágenes de la naturaleza, cada uno un símbolo de su propia manera. Por ejemplo, los tres pórticos están separados por dos grandes columnas, y en la base de cada uno se encuentra una tortuga o una tortuga (uno en representación de la tierra y el otro el mar, cada uno son símbolos del tiempo como algo inamovible e inmutable) . En contraste con las figuras de las tortugas y su simbolismo, dos camaleones se pueden encontrar en cualquier lado de la fachada, y son un símbolo de fachada change.The enfrenta el sol naciente hacia el noreste, un símbolo para el nacimiento de Cristo.

 

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