Leipziger Buchmesse 2017 / Leipzig Book Fair 2017

2017-03-24 (Friday)

2017_001

2017#288

-Luka (__) 525834 as Gazelle from Zoomania

 

Thank you for any group invites which I'd be glad to accept. However, if I can't check the content of such groups ("This group is not available to you") I'd rather not add any of my photos. Thank you for your understanding.

For who I am and want to be

more than just a

Time Freeze moment in time

but a continuous movement

in the flow of life in being,

wanting to experience

the joy of sharing

caring and learning more

by the marvellous ability

of all my senses involved

In exploring and learning

the feeling of being human

being in love and living

being alive, with a little lust

a lot of laughter,

loads of illuminate luster

of pure intentions

a radiant energy of sincerity

with a warm glow of compassion

from the fire of passion

the light of understanding

with a point of view

looking from all angles

seeing different dimensions

reasoning multiple perceptions

numerous interpretations

in reasoning to the point of

comprehension and understanding

leaving enough room for an open mind

not having a definite answer

to every question or reason but

clearness about conveying the message

about personal expectations and limits

dreams, thoughts and wants

in a clear understanding of

being respected for who I am

my views, choices and wishes

for mutualistic relationships provide

a kind of social interaction

developing balance and harmony

between all involved

producing calming music to all ears

being tuned in and in tune...

 

By Marina vd B 19 February 2014 All Rights Reserved ©

Educational Classroom Poster for teaching elementary math. This one help students understand the concepts and units of Metric Lengths.

Available in letter size and now 11"x17".

7 star strategies for your child's future

 

How can you put a price on the expression of pure bliss on your four-year-old's face

 

as she enjoys an ice-cream? When your 17-year-old whoops on hearing the news that

 

he has secured admission to his dream college, would your brain tick away at the

 

amount of money this is going to cost you?

 

These are non-questions to any parent. Parental love is unconditional and largely

 

unaccountable. It's heartless and clinical to count your child as a cost centre, and we

 

are not suggesting you do that.

 

Understanding expenses does not imply condemning them. On the contrary, it is only a

 

first step towards gaining an advantage over them. In fact, if you do manage to chip

 

away at the warm, fuzzy feeling of pride and accomplishment and examine the costs

 

of raising a child, you would be able to do a far better job of being the provider.

 

The dichotomy of spending on your children is a conflict between the present and the

 

future. Should you cave in and buy the Rs 25,000 Playstation 3 that your son has

 

been nagging you for? Will it come from the money you have been saving for his

 

graduation? Will that Barbie-themed Rs 50,000 party you threw on your daughter's

 

birthday be the reason she will have to do her hotel management in Goa instead of

 

Geneva? The only way to solve these dilemmas is to plan ahead and start investing.

 

Now.

 

Two big-ticket costs that all parents have to provide for fall under the heads

 

education and marriage. Post-graduate education is expensive, and in this globalised

 

world, if you want to give your child the advantage of an international education,

 

multiply the cost by 10 times, often even more. A grand celebration to mark your

 

child's wedding is a great Indian dream and something that all parents would like to

 

put some money away for.

 

1. Second baby

 

Most couples can afford one child and want to do the best for him or her. As financial

 

decisions go, the second child is usually one that swings the balances. The thought of

 

having to keep away double the amount of what you need for a child can be daunting.

 

Often, when the kids are young, one plus one does not add up to two - you could

 

re-use and recycle and keep your expenses slightly lower. But, as they grow older,

 

two children can be a real strain on finances. Guitar lessons for one, football coaching

 

for the other, science tuitions for one and mathematics for the other can add up to a

 

tidy sum every month.

 

A second child had always featured in Jayant Bhadauria and Kamalika Nandi's life

 

plans. It's just that they did not really have the time to have one. Jayant works in a

 

multinational software company in Mumbai and Kamalika looks after marketing for an

 

outsourcing company.

 

Between work, their travelling schedules and looking after Kamini, their four-year-old

 

daughter, the second child remained something to be done sometime in the future.

 

Which was why, in September, when Kamalika discovered she was pregnant, for a

 

minute she didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

 

"Of course, money was not the first thing I thought about," says Kamalika. "Once the

 

news sank in, I did realise that we would have to start looking at our expenses. So

 

far, if I have seen something and liked it, I have ended up buying it if I felt the price

 

was fair. Now, I feel, there would be a little bit of a compromise there. I do want the

 

best for my kids, but that does not necessarily mean the most expensive."

  

7 star strategies for your child's future

 

The baby is due in May and, for now, they are figuring out the expenses related to

 

having him - delivery and hospitalisation are just two of the heads. A normal delivery

 

in a reasonably good hospital costs about Rs 35,000. If there are complications, the

 

fee could be substantially higher. Kamalika reckons their monthly expenditure would

 

increase by at least Rs 7,000 for the first year of the new baby.

 

A substantial portion of the large expenses they incurred for Kamini would not have to

 

be repeated. Expensive baby paraphernalia like the cot, stroller, rocker and high chair

 

can be reused for the second baby.

 

Jayant has a couple of insurance policies. The rest of his investments are all in equity.

 

He has an employee stock option in his company. Besides this, he has also opted to

 

buy the equity of his employer, listed in the US, with a certain percentage of his

 

salary every month.

 

The rest of his portfolio is in various Indian companies. While equity investment is the

 

ideal route to create wealth for his young family, Jayant should also look at

 

diversifying his portfolio. A major chunk of his money is invested in one stock - that of

 

his employer.

 

Jayant is also evaluating a couple of child policies from insurance companies. He

 

wants to use these as vehicles to save for his kids' higher education and marriages.

 

He is confident that as the expenses of the kids increase, so will his wife's and his

 

own salaries and that there will not be a situation of having to face a financial crunch.

 

Kamalika plans to return to work once her maternity benefits expire. When she was

 

expecting Kamini, she had given up her job and stayed home till her daughter turned

 

two. "I will try and enjoy the baby more since this is the last one I will have, but it

 

might be difficult because I plan to go back to work," she says.

 

"My career has suffered because of the break I took the last time and I don't want to

 

do it again. But, my company is employee-friendly and I feel that I would be able to

 

get leave in case I need to spend more time at home."

 

For now, they are not thinking about late night feeds and diaper changes. They have

 

chosen to focus instead on Tahitian weddings and exotic holidays for their kids.

 

2. Nascent dreams

 

When Simran Kumar thinks about her kids' future, she is not worried about which

 

school they will secure admission in or how big a wedding they will have. But, as a

 

modern, aware mother, she does get anxious about the world they will occupy, what

 

with environmental pollution, global warming and the rest. "I am concerned about

 

security issues, about violence against women, childhood respiratory diseases from

 

living in a polluted and crowded city," she says.

 

Simran and her husband, Zafar Baig, have two children under the age of two -

 

daughter Ananya is 22 months, and son Vivan is four months old.

 

Simran is an anchor for a television channel and Zafar works for an export house. With

 

two well paying jobs, they have not been worried about spending on the luxuries, so

 

far. But as their young family grows, they want to make sure they get started on

 

laying the foundation for a sound financial future.

 

"Now, we do not spend carelessly and have cut out a little bit of our frivolous

 

expenses. I want the best for my kids," she says.

 

One of the dreams Simran and Zafar have for their children is to offer them an

 

opportunity to follow in their footsteps and study abroad. "We are not very

 

money-savvy, but now want to invest in our kids' future. We do not really know

 

where to start," says Simran.

 

7 star strategies for your child's future

 

They have, however, opened bank accounts in both kids' names and all the money

 

they have received as gifts has gone into them. Zafar has bought a couple of

 

insurance policies and invested a bit directly in equity, as well as in some mutual

 

funds.

 

He recently invested Rs 50,000 in HDFC Standard Life's Young Star Plan. Even as they

 

try and cope with the 'now and here' expenses of a family of four, as well as investing

 

in their dreams for their kids, Simran and Zafar would also like to buy a house.

 

They are not alone in wanting to do several things at once. Most couples are in the

 

early stages of their careers when they start their families. Often, the need to put

 

away for a rainy day is lost in the euphoria of youth and its maxim of living for the

 

day.

 

When the kids come, several priorities tumble out of the financial closet -- a house,

 

some means of protecting income and insurance against unforeseeable events, buying

 

things for the baby, hiring someone to help look after them. Often, with this, also

 

comes a drastic drop in income levels if the mother chooses to stay back home and

 

look after the kids for a few years.

 

The key here is in being able to prioritise and not trying to do everything at once. The

 

important goals of higher education and marriage of children are quite far away and

 

even putting away a little sum of money starting right away would be enough.

 

What is key is getting into the discipline of saving, the amounts can be large or small.

 

As the goals are far away, most investments can be directed into equities. Systematic

 

investment plans (SIPs) of good funds, with a long-term view, are ideal here.

 

Short-term expenditure can be rationalised and reduced if there are opportunities.

 

Simran reckons she spends about Rs 10,000-15,000 a month now on the kids. This

 

includes diapers (about Rs 500 for a pack of 50), food and household help.

 

Simran works three days a week, and that leaves her with enough time to spend with

 

her children. Once they start school, she can go back to working full time. Simran is

 

optimistic about her future. "It's all there somewhere, I am a positive person in that

 

sense," she says. "For now, I want to focus on enjoying my babies," she adds.

 

3. Wonder years

 

The five years when the child has started school but is not yet in a higher class that

 

warrants private tuitions is the ramp up stage for the finances of parents. The goals

 

of higher education and marriage are some distance away, yet well within view.

 

Even though the primary schooler's ambitions vary widely from day to day, you could

 

still get a sense of the direction in which he is likely to head. This is the stage where

 

you could build your savings. If you have SIPs, you could increase the amount you

 

invest every month.

 

On the expense side, this is perhaps the easiest stage. You do not have the

 

heavy-duty everyday requirements of diapers and baby food, nor have you reached

 

the stage where you have to spend Rs 300 for one hour of mathematics tuition.

 

School fees, books, birthday parties and expenses on outings and excursions would be

 

areas of high spends. A birthday party can cost anywhere between Rs 3,000 and Rs

 

20,000.

 

In Kolkata, nine-year-old Arkatapa wants to be an archaeologist one day and a

 

teacher the next. She attends classes on ancient mathematics, Bharatnatyam, singing

 

and drawing. But her mother, Arpita Roy, feels when it comes to choosing a career,

 

Arkatapa will pick an academically-oriented one.

 

7 star strategies for your child's future

 

Arkatapa's father, Barun Kumar Roy, is an officer in the West Bengal government. His

 

money mantra is that investments should be made for the short term and loans should

 

be taken for the long term. He spends 60 per cent of his salary and saves the

 

remaining 40 per cent.

 

Barun invests with a three-to-four-year view. His first priority is insurance policies, so

 

that in case anything happens to him, his family does not suffer financially. He has life

 

insurance policies and Ulips with accident covers. He also has some investments in

 

Prudential ICICI Mutual Fund. These are in both equity and debt funds. Child plans do

 

not attract him, he has not taken any for Arkatapa.

 

An ideal asset allocation at this stage of your child's life is to have 75 per cent of your

 

investments in equity. This implies that in the intervening years between 0-4 and

 

5-10, you move some part of your money from pure equity to balanced or debt funds.

 

Arpita never wanted a career, she was always keen on staying home and looking after

 

her family. But her advice to her daughter would be to be self-reliant and have the

 

financial ability to look after herself.

 

Arpita finds her joy in her daughter's accomplishments. "When she scores 15 out of 15

 

in a test, I feel very happy. Even though it is a little silly, I do feel happy," she says.

 

"My daughter is not a very brilliant student, but she is still young. I am not worried

 

about her career now, water will flow where it will."

 

Her husband agrees that it is too early to predict what their daughter will grow up to

 

be, but he is certain that he must invest in her future. "Whenever she makes her

 

choice of education or career, it should not get stuck because there is no money for

 

it," he says emphatically.

 

"Every moment as a father has been a proud one." His dream for his daughter is that

 

she grows up to be honest, respectful and a good human being. "Everything else is

 

extra," he says.

 

4. Early teenage mayhem

 

As Rishab Nanda grows tall and lanky, his parents, Manisha and Manish, are beginning

 

to anticipate the mood swings and door slamming that will start as their

 

soon-to-be-12-year-old grapples with adolescence. Already, there are arguments and

 

high drama about pretty much everything -- from walking the dog to going on trips

 

with friends.

 

Although Rishab is yet unsure of exactly what he wants to grow up to be, the options

 

are getting clearer by the day. His parents do not want to get caught on the wrong

 

foot at the last moment and are now quickly squirrelling away as much money as

 

possible to fund his dreams.

 

Rishab's school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme and his parents

 

expect that once he finishes his class 10, he would opt for this. Not only is the IB

 

course more expensive than a regular school, the chance that a child going for it

 

would ultimately pursue his graduate programmes abroad is also high. A two-year IB

 

course costs about Rs 4 lakh, compared to Rs 1 lakh that you would pay for a regular

 

CBSE or ISC school.

 

Manisha and Manish know that this would be an expensive proposition. They would like

 

to save enough to fund the full cost of his foreign degree, but are not entirely sure

 

they would be able to. The actual amounts they would need would depend on the

 

course, college and country.

 

When the child is between the ages of 10 and 14, regular day-to-day expenses are

 

also high. School fees in secondary classes are higher than those in primary, and

 

children also need a lot of academic and non-academic stimulation outside school.

 

This would mean a mixture of tuitions and lessons. Rishab takes lessons in playing the

 

drums, speech and drama. These add up to Rs 18,000 a year.

 

7 star strategies for your child's future

February 26, 2008

This is also the age of having to make large-ticket purchases. Gameboys,

 

Playstations, the latest skating boards and other 'toys' cost quite a packet, some

 

starting upwards of Rs 25,000. You can manage to spin some yarn and convince your

 

eight-year-old that the Barbie she has is better than the Barbie she wants, but there

 

is no talking reason, logic or threat to a 13-year-old.

 

The Nandas have made several investments in equity mutual funds. They also have

 

two child-specific plans -- one from LIC and the other from UTI. Ideally, the Nandas

 

should move their portfolio more towards debt and balanced funds. One, they would

 

need a large sum of money to pay the IB fees after Rishab completes his 10th

 

standard.

 

Also, since he is likely to go abroad for his undergraduate studies, their requirements

 

of funds would be sooner than usual. In case the stockmarket enters a lull phase after

 

four years, the largely equity portfolio of the couple could prove a problem.

 

Right now, Rishab is keen on pursuing his athletics and art. The Nandas know that

 

these are unconventional choices, but if Rishab does stick to either of these and

 

decides to pursue a career in it, they would encourage his choice.

 

Manisha was an advertising executive who switched careers to become a teacher.

 

She wants Rishab to have the guidance that enables him to discover his aptitudes so

 

that he doesn't waste years working in a profession he does not really want to be in.

 

"But," she says proudly, "at the end of the day, I think he is a survivor. Like me."

 

5. Terrible teens

 

In Delhi, Priyanka Verma is one busy 16-year-old. She is in her 12th standard and

 

preparing for her board exams pretty much takes up all her time now. She has opted

 

for the science stream and is studying physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer

 

science at Shriram School in Gurgaon.

 

Her mother, Sarika Verma, is an arts teacher and had noticed, very early, Priyanka's

 

creative bent of mind. "But," she says, "my husband had the foresight to advise her

 

that even if she wanted to subsequently pursue a career in arts, it would benefit her

 

to opt for the science stream at this level." Priyanka's father, Ashutosh Verma, works

 

in the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation.

 

Priyanka has now found a career that will allow an artistic expression of her science

 

education - she wants to be an architect. Not only that, Priyanka also decided on a

 

foreign language early on, and now she is learning French at an advanced level. This

 

means that she could opt to study architecture at a good college in France, where

 

the cost of education would be lower than in the US or the UK.

 

The Vermas are self-confessedly not very money-savvy. They decided early on that

 

Priyanka's education would have the first claim on their finances; everything else

 

would be secondary. Right now, these education expenses are high. Priyanka takes

 

tuitions in a couple of subjects and these cost Rs 300-400 an hour. This, added to

 

school fees, the bus charges of going to school and coming back home and other

 

expenses aggregate to a neat Rs 20,000 a month.

 

"There was no room to splurge or go on binges. We knew we had limited resources

 

and, for us, spending was not a way of living. We set our priorities and refused to

 

worry about anything else," Sarika says.

 

The Vermas have left what they managed to save in their saving bank account. They

 

will have to drum up the funds once Priyanka secures admission in a college of her

 

choice. They are looking at the option of taking an educational loan to augment their

 

reserves.

  

7 star strategies for your child's future

 

When the child is between 14 and 18, the first big goal draws close. The money

 

needed for higher education should be ready and ideally, a large chunk of it should be

 

moved into debt and balanced funds. A 50 per cent exposure to equity is sufficient at

 

this stage.

 

Those sending their children abroad - for undergraduate or post-graduate studies -

 

should be in a position to provide for at least the first couple of years. If you do not

 

have enough saved up, you can seek an educational loan from a bank. Usually, kids

 

find part-time work that helps fund a part of their education or, in the least, provides

 

for their living expenses once they settle down in their new country and campus.

 

Ideally, earmark your investments for your needs. If the monthly SIP of Rs 7,000 is

 

going into junior's college fund, the Rs 4,000 one could be the marriage resource. As

 

the event draws close, you could switch the investment from an equity to a debt

 

fund. This would allow it to continue earning higher returns than a bank account while

 

being absolutely liquid.

 

Sarika is certain that her daughter is a bright spark. "My only dream is that in her life

 

she should be able to get opportunities to use her many talents," she says.

 

As for her marriage, it is still far away. "Even if I am rich, I wouldn't splurge on her

 

wedding; I am totally against that kind of fanfare," she says.

 

6. Action!

 

It all comes to pass now, the years of swinging between anticipation and hope. Now

 

is when your constant refrain of "go to your room and study" goes through its test.

 

And the money you have put away finally finds its purpose.

 

Bina Sharma's older son Prabhat is doing his electronics and communications

 

engineering in Bangalore. As he prepares to finish this and zone in on an area of

 

specialisation for his post-graduate course, Bina feels a mixture of relief and anxiety.

 

For one, Prabhat is bright enough to have got through a better college. But, she did

 

not want him to stay home for a whole year and prepare for the engineering entrance

 

exam. So, he joined the college where he got admission. This means that if he does

 

not get through to an IIT for his post-graduate degree, it is best that he go abroad

 

for it. By the time that would be happening, the younger son would be starting his

 

first year of college, seeking a medical degree in all likelihood. Bina is remarkably calm

 

for someone who is juggling so much.

 

"Prabhat is in two minds and has not decided whether he wants to do a Master's in

 

Engineering or an MBA," she says. "My sense is that he'll stick to the technical line. If

 

he does, he might choose to pursue his Master's in aeronautical engineering or

 

continue in electronics and communications. Either way, if he does not make it to a

 

top rung college in India, he would go abroad."

 

A postgraduate degree abroad is much easier to manage compared to an

 

undergraduate one. All said, it would cost about Rs 40 lakh (Rs 4 million) a year to

 

study in the US. This means an outlay of Rs 80 lakh (Rs 8 million) for a postgraduate

 

course, compared to Rs 1.6 crore (Rs 16 million) for an undergraduate degree. Bina

 

has started planning and has put away a part of this. By the time Prabhat finishes his

 

degree, she should have the rest of the money on board. If her resources fall short,

 

the Sharmas may have to take an educational loan.

 

The Sharmas have been forecasting their finances towards these goals. While they

 

meet their monthly expenses from the money generated by the business of Bina's

 

husband, Vipin, her salary is saved in its entirety. They have invested in equities,

 

mutual funds, fixed deposits and provident funds. They also have bought some real

 

estate with the express purpose of liquidating it to meet the kids' college expenses.

 

7 star strategies for your child's future

February 26, 2008

A 25 per cent equity allocation is ideal at this stage. While the remaining money is

 

invested in lower-risk debt instruments, this 25 per cent would give the kicker of

 

higher returns.

 

College expenses cannot be calculated to the last rupee in advance as various factors

 

come into play on securing admission. Prabhat is planning to pursue a technical

 

degree, so the possibility of getting sponsorships and fee waivers is higher. However,

 

the couple needs to peg a basic minimum and work towards it.

 

The current expenses of the family are also high. Bina paid Rs 150,000 for the first

 

year of Prabhat's engineering. Over this, he incurs a monthly expense of Rs 8,000.

 

Bina is focused on her kids having a sound base in education. Once they graduate,

 

they are free to choose any career they want. She feels that Prabhat's rational

 

expectations would hold him in good stead through his education and career.

 

After the stress of steering two boys through their teens, Bina is looking forward to

 

the final satisfaction of seeing them settle down. "I will then put up my feet and

 

finally relax," she crystal gazes.

 

7. The last mile

 

Sumona Gupta did not want to make the career decisions of her daughters for them.

 

Snigdha, 23, works in advertising in Google for Hyderabad, and Shaila, 16, is an

 

aspiring fashion designer. Now that Snigdha is 'settled' professionally, Sumona is

 

certain that like her choice of an occupation, she would also let her daughter choose

 

who she wants to marry.

 

Sumona exudes the confidence of a successful parent -- one who has done the right

 

thing for her daughters and who can now take it easy and enjoy their success.

 

Sumona freelances in real estate, helping in renting, buying and selling of property.

 

Her husband, Sumit, has a shore-based job in a marine operations company in Dubai.

 

Together, they have set aside some money for their daughters. Most of this is in the

 

form of equities.

 

"When my daughter does get married, I would like it to be a big wedding; not overtly

 

so, but within our budget," Sumona says. A wedding dress for a bride would cost

 

between Rs 5,000 and Rs 60,000. Of course, if you have the resources you can even

 

spend a couple of lakh for an outfit. Food for guests sets you back by Rs 50-2,000 a

 

plate. Ideally, the funds for the kids should be moved out of equity at this stage.

 

If you have set aside enough, you could leave a small portion, about 5 per cent of the

 

portfolio, in equity to improve your returns. Investments in gold, ideally in bars and

 

coins or units of a gold exchange - traded fund, would also come into use now. There

 

are hardly any expenses you have to incur on behalf of the child now, they have their

 

own salaries to pay for most of their needs.

 

Sumona would rather worry about her daughters' financial stability than who they

 

would marry and when. "There is nothing very secure in a married life," she says. In

 

fact, she would like Snigdha to go for a postgraduate course, such as an MBA, than

 

find a man and settle down immediately.

 

Parenting is full of paradoxes. Even as we wait for the child to cross her next

 

milestone, we begin to miss the precociousness of the earlier stage. As they wean

 

themselves away, all we can do is gather all the special moments we have had and air

 

out their warmth every now and then.

 

When they grow into adults - people with careers, aspirations and points of view - we

 

can only wonder how they were ever so small that they fitted into the crook of our

 

arm. If we have planned ahead and made our children's journey to adulthood that

 

much easier, that is a job well done, a life well lived

 

Class loved this one, they really got to grips with the idea and gained some understanding of perspective.

Unless you have been on Mars for the last few weeks you will have noticed the ALS ice bucket challenge. Well my Dad was diagnosed with ALS in March. Since then he has lost the ability to speak or swallow - now his neck and leg muscles are deteriorating. Before his diagnosis my only understanding of this disease was that Stephen Hawking has it - but now I know his longevity is exceptional, 50% of sufferers die within 14 months of diagnosis. In the UK ALS is known as Motor Neurone Disease or MND. In the UK please donate to the MND association by texting ICED55 £5 to 70070. In the US it is the ALS association and there are similar charities in Australia and around the world. Whatever country you are from please donate to your local ALS charity. Thank you my friends and God Bless you! xxx

explord # 229

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Pictured: A Schwinn S500 Electric Scooter

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WS-103-121502234-62000531-3915230-1342023061207

Understanding. Watermaal-Bosvoorde, 2022. Digital painting.

Portrait on London streets, a street worker looks back to me with understanding. This looks of human understanding remain so important for me.

 

I asked him, almost as I arrived in London, they were having a pause, "may I take a photo of you?" and he answered "Why? I am old" then I pointed to myself and said "And me? I am not still interesting, because of my age? I am older then you."

 

That is the look, telling me, "yes, take a photo"!

 

We were not so different after all and he felt also interesting.

I do remember, looking at these photos again, when Judy Carter told us "SEE the others" around you, tell them you see them.

 

Photo taken less then a month after my arrival in UK.

During my first photo stroll in London centre.

 

My set "no more a stranger" of photos of people I did not know

No more stranger set

 

Old Vieux Öreg set

OLD Vieux Öreg set

Merton begins this transitional section by clearly indicating that while vows are an essential element of religious profession, they are not the only or even the most important dimension of that profession. First in significance is the commitment to ongoing conversion, to “putting on” Christ, to following Christ, to sharing in the mystery of Christ. Then comes incorporation into the religious community, to be understood not just in a juridical context, as a contractual arrangement, but as participation in a supernatural family that is a manifestation of Trinitarian mutual love. “In this society of love,” Merton writes, “what matters is not the assertion of rights and the enforcement of obligations, but mutual trust and love” (157), which should then radiate out from the community to embrace the entire Church. Without this family spirit, religious life is reduced to “organized hypocrisy” (158). Consecration to God by vow is thus “but the third in importance of the three essential elements of religious profession” (158).

 

Merton then goes on to consider the nature of religious profession in general and of making vows in particular from both canonical and theological perspectives. The validity of profession depends on the fulfillment of various external factors (age, valid novitiate, explicit public declaration, etc.) but most fundamentally on free and full consent. The theological foundation of profession, traced through the successive diverse acts that constitute consent according to Thomistic analysis, is the will to obligate oneself, the free decision of the entire person, involving intelligence, senses and emotions, and the will. Thus to make a vow is not to renounce one’s freedom but to exercise it in an act of worship, the definitive offering of oneself to God. “Only to such a One can we give our liberty without debasing it. Only to such a One can we give our liberty and become yet more free by doing so” (185).

 

-The life of the vows : initiation into the monastic tradition 6 / by Thomas Merton ; edited with an introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell ; preface by Augustine Roberts.

 

Thomas Foster Hamilton (July 28, 1894 – August 12, 1969) was a pioneering aviator and the founder of the Hamilton Standard Company.[1]

 

Since 1930, Hamilton Standard (now Hamilton Sundstrand) was involved with revolutionizing propulsion technology of propeller-driven aircraft, prior to World War II. The introduction of Frank Caldwell's variable-pitch propeller made Hamilton Standard one of the leading aerospace companies of today. But, there is little known about the first name sake of this company – Thomas Foster Hamilton. Hamilton contributed a great deal in shaping the aviation industry into what it is today. He was involved in the early beginnings of aviation inventions and development. Hamilton was gifted at an early age in the understanding of technical concepts and their application into aircraft designs and manufacturing. He was also a very good businessman and marketer, known in social and political settings, and a devoted family man.

 

Contents

 

1 Life

1.1 Early aircraft designs

1.2 Military interest

1.3 Propeller manufacturing

1.4 All-metal aircraft

1.5 Hamilton Metalplane H-18

1.6 Hamilton Metalplane H-18 Helicopter Experiment

1.7 Hamilton Metalplane H-45 and H-47

1.8 Consolidation

1.9 Build-up to war

1.10 Return to the US

2 Death

3 References

 

Life

 

Hamilton was born on July 28, 1894.[2] He spent most of his childhood in Seattle, Washington. He was the older of two boys (his brother, Edgar Charles Hamilton, born later) to his parents (Thomas Luther and Henrietta Hamilton). Hamilton's early interests in aviation began when he was around 10 years old. His mother had taken a trip to see the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, where there was a display of gliders organized by Octave Chanute and, somehow on her return, Hamilton became more focused on aeronautics. Mrs. Hamilton may have made a connection with Chanute at the fair since the young Tom Hamilton did not make the long trip with her. Because, some years later, Hamilton indicated that he often wrote to Chanute concerning technical matters related to his early aircraft. However, currently, no record has been found mentioning the young Hamilton in Chanute's letter collection currently located at the Library of Congress and more research is being conducted since the collection is so vast.

 

During the 1909 Alaskan-Yukon Exposition, held in Seattle (held on the site of the present-day University of Washington), the young Hamilton, now at the age of 14, had a job of repairing hot-air balloons. This job would also allow him to ride what he repaired (possibly a type of insurance policy to insure the balloons were fixed properly) which helped fuel his continuing interest in aviation.[3] Also, during this time, Hamilton and a school friend, Paul J. Palmer established a partnership and called their company “Hamilton and Palmer”. Their office and factory were located in their respective parents' garage and kitchen tables. The two built and experimented with various biplane glider designs of the time. The two quickly gained a better understanding of the principles of how aircraft worked and were put together. Three gliders were actually built and flown around the steep hills around their neighborhood in Seattle called Leschi which was on the west shores of Lake Washington. There was only one mishap. The second glider jerked out of the hands of Palmer and soared away and crashing into pieces blocks away. Many years later, Hamilton would recall that even though he got a scar on his left hand from one of the flights, he had learned how to fly from those tests.

 

In 1910, after finishing their experiments with the gliders they moved on to building propeller-driven aircraft. At this point, there was a disagreement between Palmer and Hamilton and the former was no longer involved with the company and was totally removed from the partnership. It seems this split was so severe that Hamilton changed the name of the company to the “Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Co”.

Early aircraft designs

 

In 1911, he teamed up with Ted Geary a young yacht designer to create a number of unique seaplane designs that were seen around Seattle's Lake Washington and various aerial demonstrations of the day. The total number of known aircraft built by Hamilton's Seattle Company is estimated to be around 10 to 25 aircraft. Yet more research is required to get a more accurate account of his aircraft built during the 1909 to 1914 period. His designs were a combination of other designs of the era and his own unique ideas incorporated into the aircraft. Those early years for Hamilton were very much building years for this remarkable individual. Even at an early age he was able to comprehend and build complicated flying machines. Although he dropped out of high school, and did not have any formal education after that, he was able to manufacture and sell these aircraft all before he was 16 years old. This was done prior to William E. Boeing taking his first flight and setting up his operation in Seattle, which is the Boeing Company of today. Incidentally, Hamilton and Boeing became friends during this time and their friendship lasted throughout the years both professionally and personally. It has been recorded that in 1914, Hamilton introduced Bill Boeing to Conrad Westervelt (a young Navy lieutenant commander) at a club in Seattle that was the start of the Boeing Company.

 

Also in 1914, a number of wealthy businessmen from Vancouver, British Columbia, approached Hamilton. They were looking for someone to build airplanes for the non-profit and private “BC Aviation School Ltd.” that would teach their Canadian sons to fly in the Great War being fought over in Europe. Hamilton accepted the invitation and immediately moved his whole operation up to Vancouver and established the “Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Ltd.”.[4] The contract was to build four planes to be used in training purposes for the school. However, only one airplane was ever completed. It was a biplane patterned after a Curtiss tractor design, with two seats, a six-cylinder engine, and a tricycle landing gear. Unfortunately, the aircraft was not successful because it crashed in a muddy field out side of Vancouver. Out of the 12 students, two were able to graduate and went on to fight in the War with the RFC (Royal Flying Corps – the precursor to the RAF). The rest were integrated into other aviation training programs and transferred to the war. In the mean time, Hamilton had become very interested in the physics of propellers and had started making inquires about his possible involvement in the war effort for the United States. This was around 1917; at this point the U.S. just entered the war and needed experienced people, especially in aviation to help the country establish an aviation industry in support of the war overseas in Europe.

Military interest

 

The US military was very interested in Hamilton's background and requested that he come out east. The military leaders at the time wanted to keep most of their aviation resources closer to Washington D.C., and not in the remote Pacific Northwest. A Milwaukee woodworking firm, the Matthews Brothers Furniture Company, needed an experienced person to run their new aviation division since a large military contract was signed to produce wood propellers for the Navy and Army. Hamilton became their director of aviation in 1918.[5] However, once the war ended Hamilton bought their entire inventory of wood propellers and again started his own company called the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee. Around this time, Hamilton met and married Ethel Inez Hughes, from Milwaukee. The Hamiltons spent ten years in Milwaukee, where it was established as one of the nation's major aviation hubs in the 1920s.[6]

Propeller manufacturing

 

Propellers were the first to be manufactured by the “Hamilton Manufacturing Company” in Milwaukee. Hamilton and his company (as well as others) were aware of specific limitations using wood as a material for aircraft propellers. As the propeller revolutions increased, the wood and laminate would lose their bond at a certain speed and cause the propeller to disintegrate. Pontoons were the second product to be manufactured by the company. Again, wood was also used in the manufacturing of pontoons and again there were specific limitations to this material being used in pontoons as with propellers. The problem with wood and water is that it disintegrates faster even though it floats.[5] Even with all preservatives used to cover and protect the pontoon. It still had a tendency to rot because it attracted worms that would burrow into the wood, especially in the South American and Caribbean climates, and allowed the material to decay faster. It was understood throughout the industry and the scientific community that metal would soon be the choice for these devices. In the mid-1920s, metal was introduced into the manufacturing processes because the material was stronger but not yet lighter. This changed with the introduction of aluminum. Specifically, an aluminum alloy called Duralumin, which allowed for the material to be lighter and stronger. Duralumin was the biggest technological advantage of the time because it is a high strength aluminum forging alloy with 3.5% copper, 1.25% Iron, 1.25% silicon, and 1.25% manganese, which gave it high strength and a low weight ratio than aluminum.[7] It was also able to take the centrifugal forces a propeller would generate, withstand the strong impacts with landing on water and flying, and would be able to resist some of nature's pests which could destroy a wood float quickly.

All-metal aircraft

 

New processes and manufacturing techniques were devised at the factory for these new materials. For in the mid-1920s, the German company, Junkers Transport Company founded by Hugo Junkers, was the first to manufacture an all metal, mono wing, airplane called the Junkers F.13. In turn, William Bushnell Stout's (a pioneer builder of all-metal aircraft) company was bought by the Ford Motor Corporation, and developed a similar aircraft called the Ford tri-motor or as it was affectionately called the “Tin Goose”. Like the Junkers aircraft, it too had the same cantilevered high wing and corrugated metal skin design built with the focus of hauling mail and passengers. In response, Hamilton and a number of shareholders in the Milwaukee community decided to build an aircraft out of metal, too. The result was a new company called the “Hamilton Metalplane Company”.

Hamilton Metalplane H-18

 

And the first all-metal aircraft built by this company was the Hamilton Metalplane H-18 christened the “Maiden Milwaukee” in 1927. Its design came from the chief designer of the “Metalplane Company” of the time – James McDonnell. McDonnell had worked for Stout and Ford and incorporated similar features and new ideas into the construction of the metal “Maiden”. The Hamilton H-18 used a tubular frame with corrugated skin, a thick mono wing projecting out of the fuselage underneath the open cockpit, at the front was the 200 HP J-4 Wright Radial engine, and using a Hamilton propeller (metal) as a means of propulsion. The “Maiden Milwaukee” was the first plane produced by the Hamilton Metalplane Company and it achieved a number of awards. It first came in second during the Ford Air Tour of 1927 and it won the Spokane Air Races of the same year. It was also given the distinction of being the first US air certificate for an all-metal airplane in the United States. Specifically, it was a plane designed to haul mail with the passengers as an extra revenue bonus for the airline. The design reflects this for the wing root came right out of the center of the fuselage and hardly any passengers could fit.

Hamilton Metalplane H-18 Helicopter Experiment

 

One of the interesting concepts, was when the designers took the H-18 and fitted two large downward facing propellers (i.e. on under each wing at midpoint) driven by a small engine mounted in the fuselage. It was claimed that this conversion resulted in an aircraft that could take off in a very short distance. Very little else is known about the conversion of an H.18 to this mode.[8]

Hamilton Metalplane H-45 and H-47

 

The aircraft was redesigned and these modifications were introduced in the sequential new models of the Metalplane called the H-45 and H-47. The aircraft now could accommodate passengers and mail. But to do this, they had to specifically change the aircraft such as: moving the wing above the fuselage so six seats could be added; enclosing the cockpit and adding windows and leather padding the interior of the aircraft for the passengers' comfort. Offering different type of radial engines that could be incorporated per the customers' request (both Wright and Pratt & Whitney) and different types of landing gear that could be fitted too (such as skis, wheels and pontoons). Since most of the Hamilton Metalplanes used most of the products generated from the other Hamilton factory it was a cheaper than the Ford Tri-Motor.[9] The Hamilton Metalplane was definitely a plane of its time, for it was the era when airlines were being developed with cargo/mail in mind instead of passengers. Both the Hamilton Metalplane and the Ford tri-motors started to change this trend. Northwest Airlines started by purchasing a number of Hamiltons to be used in their first passenger run throughout their routes in the Northwest. Ralph Sexton bought a number of Hamiltons to be used for his Panamanian airline called Isthmian Airways. And a few went to Alaska and Canada for use in the Arctic. As with Hamilton's earlier aircraft in Seattle, it is not known the exact figure of how many Hamiltons were built but it is estimated to be between 27 to 40 aircraft. More research is currently being conducted to get an accurate count and history of each Hamilton Metalplane. Unfortunately, the Hamilton Metalplanes were not as successful as the Ford Tri-Motors. For Ford was successful at their marketing strategy of stating it is safer to fly on three engines than on one. For this reason, the Hamilton Metal plane struggled in the market, for it was a good airplane developed ahead of time and introduced too soon.

Consolidation

 

In 1929, a holding company called the “United Aircraft and Transport Company” incorporated a number of aviation companies under one control. This resulted in the “Metalplane Company” becoming part of the “Boeing Company” as a separate division for a short time. Eventually, it was absorbed into the “Boeing Company” with all its patents and other assets becoming a part of the Boeing enterprise. It has been suggested that Boeing used these items from the “Hamilton Metalplane Company” in the development of their Boeing 247 (Boeing's first all metal monoplane) but more research needs to be conducted on this subject.

 

In the meantime, Hamilton became president of United Airports (a division of UA&T) and he was in charge of building the new Burbank airport in California. He also moved some of his propeller operations out west and established a West Coast propeller factory at that Burbank site. Even his whole family moved to Beverly Hills and eventually built a house out at Lake Arrowhead, California, where he established a permanent residence. Meanwhile, the UA&T Company decided to merge the “Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company” with the Pittsburgh propeller firm “Standard Steel Propeller Company” and the entire Milwaukee operation was moved to that location.[10] Both Hamilton and the owner of Standard Steel had been intense business rivals. According to Eugene Wilson (who took over the propeller operation for UA&T) the “Standard Steel Company” had the patent rights to the Reed propeller design and there was concern about a lawsuit. As a compromise, it was decided to move the propeller operation to Pittsburgh and combined the names of the companies to be called the Hamilton Standard Company. A year later, the propeller operation moved again to Connecticut and as been there since. Incidentally, Hamilton did not receive the news of the merger right away, which was a little unsettling to him. As a compromise, Hamilton agreed to the merger only if his name took precedence in the new trademark and was called Hamilton Standard.

Build-up to war

 

After the Burbank Airport opened with a big fanfare in 1930, Hamilton then became a foreign representative for the “United Aircraft Export Company” in Europe of which he would be come a leading individual for the survival of several aviation companies. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal policies started actively working on an anti-monopoly campaign against the aviation industry. This legislation resulted in the UA&T being reorganized into new companies: United Aircraft (later to be called United Technologies), United Airlines, and the Boeing Company. The timing of this governmental legislation was poor at best for most of the United States and the World was under the black cloud of the Great Depression. United Aircraft had to rely on foreign sales to survive as a company for the domestic market in the US was depressed. Hamilton started with the “United Aircraft Export Company” as a sales representative and was very successful and by 1936 he was president of that corporation. Eugene Wilson described Hamilton as the “Yankee Peddler” and felt that he was a man that was full of “ salesmanship” and was a “master-entertainer”. It was this kind of man they needed for the moment to help with the financial situation of the time. Hamilton had set up his headquarters in Paris' The George V Hotel and he represented companies like Hamilton Standard, Sikorsky Aviation, Chance Vought Aircraft, and Pratt & Whitney. During the time from 1936–1940, Hamilton was successful in getting licensing rights for foreign countries to build “Pratt & Whitney” engines and “Hamilton Standard” variable pitch propellers. According to Wilson, it was a fight for survival as an American company. He also mentioned there was a kind of naivete when it came to dealing with countries like Germany, Japan and Russia. For example, a deal was set up with BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) to license them to build a number of Pratt & Whitney engines and it was approved by the United States Congress. This was granted because neither the US businessmen nor governmental officials expect any war in Europe. Because of this thinking, Hamilton was able to successfully sell these wanted aviation goods at the high levels of business because no one expected war. Hamilton knew what was going on, as Wilson stated, “thanks to Mr. Thomas F. Hamilton moving around through these different ministries, could appraise this situation more clearly than most people. And he came back from one trip and in a meeting of the executive committee of our company he said, ‘Don't discount this fellow Hitler.’ ‘To you, he's got a Charlie Chaplin mustache, but whatever he may look on the outside, either he or somebody behind him has a strategic insight and a political foresight that is not available anywhere else in the world that I know of’ ”.[11] It has also been suggested that Hamilton also tried to convince the US congress of the seriousness of doing business with countries like Germany, Japan and Russia. More research is needed to verify some these suggestions. However, at the time business interests came first and Hamilton was asked to continue in his position until the fall of France in 1940. At which time, Hamilton and his staff had to make an unorthodox route out of Europe through Spain.

Return to the US

 

Once back in the United States, Hamilton found a different sort of career in the hotel and entertaining business. He started developing a resort on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, at the entrance of Princess Louisa Inlet, called the Malibu Club in Canada (named after his yacht that had been designed by Ted Geary). It officially opened in July 1941 and catered to yachters, the wealthy, and the Hollywood crowd.[12] However, the attack on Pearl Harbor changed Hamilton's plans and he again went back into the aviation industry to run Hardman aircraft (which made nacelles for the B-17 bombers) in Southern California during World War 2 for only a dollar a year. After the War, he reopened Malibu and also started an airline in support of the resort called “Malibu SeaAero” with a single war-surplus Grumman Goose. After a few years, the resort did not become a financial success. And Malibu was abandoned and sold. During his final years, he was involved with the Early Bird Organization where he would attend every function until his death. Hamilton also loved to paint and spent many years in Paris working on his craft. He was also the technical assistant to the 1966 movie “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines”.

A stream with waterfalls. This is with my Sony A4 IV. I will return to this with my Apple Iphone 14 Pro Max.

 

www.niwa.org/

The mission of the Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego (JFG) is to develop a traditional Japanese garden as a center to educate, engage, and inspire people of diverse backgrounds about Japanese culture and community legacy.

 

JFG is an accredited museum that offers a variety of educational programs, exhibits, and cultural festivals to enhance appreciation and understanding of Japanese culture. Over 330,000 visitors from the United States and internationally attend the garden annually. JFG opened to the public in 1991 and is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama. The garden is inspired from centuries-old Japanese design and techniques that showcase JFG’s living exhibition comprised of plants and florae native to Japan and San Diego. The second phase opened in 1999 and was designed by renowned landscape architect Takeo Uesugi, which included the addition of the Exhibit Hall, Activity Center, and Upper Koi Pond. The third phase, completed in 2015, incorporated a 200 cherry tree grove, large azalea and camellia garden, a water feature reminiscent of the San Diego watershed, and the state of the art Inamori Pavilion. Today, JFG resides on 12 acres and fosters a relationship between humans and nature, providing a respite attuned to Japanese simplicity, serenity, and aestheticism.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Friendship_Garden_(Balboa_Park)

The Japanese Friendship Garden, also known as Sankei-en ( 三渓園 ) is a twelve-acre Japanese garden located within Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its Japanese sister city Yokohama that binds the two cultures to create a unique experience for visitors from all over the world; over 240,000 people from across the United States and the world visit the garden annually. Representing a new concept in the development of a Japanese garden outside Japan, the Japanese Friendship Garden is designed to present an atmosphere of elegant simplicity (shibui) and quiet beauty. The garden's naturalistic design is guided by the original principles/techniques of the Japanese garden while incorporating elements of the regional San Diego landscape and climate; in terms of features, the garden is well-known for its unique placement, sukiya-style buildings, koi ponds, and landscape exhibits. The Japanese Friendship Garden also hosts many local educational programs, activities, festivals, and horticultural classes that focus on the relationship between nature and Japanese culture.[1]

The Japanese Friendship Garden was built and continues to be maintained under the philosophy that, "a garden is always in a state of change but the basic elements of trees, shrubs, rocks and water designed in natural balance create a peaceful, harmonious, and transcendental environment conducive to contemplation and meditation."[2]

 

San Diego 2023

 

DSC04465 LR

Inbetween the heavy winds during the cyclone on 1-22-11. Imagine this forlorn creature singing the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter", then take a look at the video on the right.

 

POEM PARKING LOT

 

MOONLIGHT

 

Moonlight softens a multitude of sins.

Glows delicately, soft, not blazing, just

Reflecting. Shines a gentler light on things.

Reminds us that we’re not really as hard

As we pretend. Let the fragile side of

Yourself out of its shell, enjoy the night

Sky’s splendor. Make time for someone

Special to you. Moonlight reminds us

How precious calm can be, that we

Needn’t spend each moment in a flurry.

How we’re meant to do more than just

Fight our way through existence, either

Conquering or breaking free. Sometimes

It’s clear how all this conflict is just so

Much invention, mostly needless. Leave

All of that alone for now. Let moonlight

Remind you how in the midst of all we

Resist there’s still a natural wonder it’s

No sin to give in to.

 

HOT PLATE

 

That which can’t be spoken of in honorable

Terms. That which has been declared off-

Limits, old business, trashed, abused,

Treated like something of no value. No use.

Responsibility dropped like a hot plate that

Ought to shatter but doesn’t. Hear it clang

Like an unwanted gong ringing awareness

You haven’t forgotten and never will. Try

Harder? Smash it to pieces like you wish

You could smash the pain into dust for the

Next wind? Passionate as it might appear,

Destroying plates as some kind of display

Seems so undignified. Unnecessary to

Victimize the kitchenware. Angrily, sadly,

This kitchen reeks of indignity already, and

It’s not the dishes’ fault. Silly old fashioned

Me, I thought we were supposed to value

That which doesn’t break.

 

SEEDS

 

A burger would look barmy claiming to

Be a cow. Potatoes grow in the ground,

Not potato chips. Oranges grow in

Florida, but orange juice comes from

A factory. Metal comes from the earth,

But your car, mostly metal, didn’t just

Drive up from some garage under the

Surface. That laptop facilitating your

Interaction with the world is mostly

Plastic, which comes these days from

Corn, but nobody credits the corn for

Social networking. The whole point is

No matter who or what we come from,

Life changes us into something separate,

Distinct, different, new called ourselves.

When this happens with natural things,

We say it’s so great, but when it happens

With people, for some it’s a sign of the

End times. Maybe not all transformation

Is good, but can you think of anything

Worse than none at all? So we needn’t

See ourselves as betrayers if we stray

From our roots – that’s what seeds do.

It’s moving forward, not ending. Worry

Not, beloved sisters and brothers, time

Won’t end till you’ve paid off your debts,

Which we all know will never happen.

 

UGLY

 

You say my poems sound like they’re

Afraid to go somewhere ugly? As if

Ugliness, that decreasingly vague

Sense of threat, needs any more

Expression – just turn on the news.

Watch people struggling, starving,

Stealing, raping, destroying, killing

For no good reason, but our steady

Diet of violence has made us numb

To others suffering. Ugly enough?

Certain social entities want you

Convinced the world’s a dangerous

And ugly place, because conveniently

They have a solution to sell you,

Provided you sign up for their program.

Fear and ugliness do good business,

So they’d prefer you forget there’s

A way that’s free. You don’t need a

Program to appreciate beauty.That’s

All someone like me tries to remind

People of. Ugliness is the wolf at

My door, and my means or resistance

Is to reach all I can for harmony before

I’m consumed too by some ugly hunger.

In the midst of so much ugliness,

Embracing what’s beautiful is almost

An act of subversion. I want to subvert,

With a passion.

 

INVENT

 

When you invent me in your mind as

Someone you can’t trust, can’t open

Up to, can’t reach out to, can’t relate

To, can’t use period, it’s too bad you’re

Not writing for Hollywood. When you

Assume a whole ideology, value system,

Attitude, belief, sensibility and you

Attribute it to me without even asking,

That’s an astounding leap of faith and

Confidence in your own convictions

I wish you’d save for your religion.

Good thing you’re not as convinced

You can walk on water or part the

Red Sea as you are that you have me

All figured out.

 

REASONS

 

Some reasons are like weeds, you think

You’re rid of them but the just spring

Back up. The longer you leave them the

More they take over. Dealing with them

Is the price you pay for having a garden.

I guess you’d classify this type of reason

As doubts. Other reasons are like trees,

Standing tall no matter what nasty acts

Of nature take place. With age, they

Attain a certain height, and can shelter

Other living things. I guess you’d refer

To this type of reason as faith. Stranger

Reasons are like cactus, living where

Most life would die, protecting what’s

Precious under sharp thorns but unable

To reach out or be reached without

Hurting. If you want to reach them, it’s

Going to hurt. I can’t decide whether

To call these reasons cynicism, damages,

Or life insurance. Maybe all three.

 

SO PURE

 

I really should resolve to market

Myself more effectively. Problem is,

I’ve got this deep seated conviction

That it’s classier to just give things

Away. This sort of begs the question

As to whether anyone genuinely

Values that which they’re just given.

So tell me, would you take my poetry

More seriously if you had to pay for it?

Think carefully – my future creativity

Could be riding on your answer. And

Truthfully, the only reason I need

Money is to stop worrying about it.

So how is it I’m not prospering

When my intentions are so pure?

 

TRADE SECRET

 

Do you wonder where all these

Poems come from? Well, it’s

Simple. I have a Good Angel on

One shoulder and a Bad Angel

On the other, both vying for

My attention, to be the one

Taken seriously, establish

Credibility, each whispering

Profound, provocative, pure,

Soily, sacred, profane, mystical,

Physical, sexual, intellectual,

Spiritual, selfless, selfish, true,

False, angry, forgiving, gentle,

Devoted, demented, violent,

Me me me and you you you

Influences on my outlook from

Moment to moment. Poems

Are what’s left over when the

Crossfire momentarily ceases.

 

HOMES

 

I feel at home in more than one place.

There’s the home where I was born, the

Home where I live, and the homes I’ve

Discovered and return to when I can.

No ambivalence about my citizenship,

But I’ve left a little bit of myself and

Taken with me something from all the

Different places I’ve called home, even

If only for a few days. They’re all part of

Me now, regardless of where my feet

Kick back at any moment, just like you

Don’t have to be right beside someone

To love them deeply, even if you wish

You could be. That’s why, contrary to

Appearances, I don’t think of this at all

As an exile.

 

DRAMATIC BAGGAGE

 

Maybe I was left in front of the TV

At too early an age. I didn’t just

Watch the shows, I felt them too.

(What else is a good show supposed

To make you do?) That’s my earliest

Impression of human conflict and

Resolution. Now I wonder whether

Unconsciously I still expect everything

To be too black and white like our old

TV, too cut and dried. In theory I’m

Aware of complexity, but emotionally

It’s a different story – if my feelings

You’re engaged, you’re either a hero

Or a villain. Villains must be punished

Or defeated for heroes to come out

Shining before the last commercial. I

Know that’s distorted, but we don’t

Just think about people, we feel them

Too. So if you’re going to get dramatic,

Know that all it does is warm the tubes

Of my old TV feelings that never leave,

Just leave more dramatic baggage than

I know how to handle. As a child, to me

Everyone on TV seemed so much more

Alive, but involvement with them was

Just something you could always turn

Off anytime you liked.

 

TRAVELING

 

Traveling is my freedom and my prison,

My choice as well as my inescapable

Fate. Like a shark starts to fade if it

Doesn't circulate, I need to move. In

The shadows between one location

And the next, there's somewhere all

Is still, my only moments of peace.

It's not just arriving, not just leaving,

But the movement between that keeps

The weeds and vines from encircling,

Enclosing. Can you ever really be

Close to someone who won't stay

Put? Yes. Be a partner, not an

Anchor.

 

WHAT A DOG

 

Dog with a bone can’t let go. For all

He knows, it’s dog nirvana. Canine

Heaven made flesh (or in this case

Bone). Never seen him so fully

Committed, or willing to lay down

His life to protect what’s so precious

To him. Never seen him so happy,

Wagging his tail at its sight, gamboling

Like he thinks he’s a lamb, savoring its

Taste, aroused by its scent, licking

Tongue expressing the depths of his

Affection, barking baritone love songs

Of faith and devotion. Playing with it

Like each moment they have together

Is golden. Makes you wonder how they

Ever did without one another. They’re

Partners till he’s gnawed the last of

The marrow from its insides. When

It loses its special appeal, dog thinks

Nothing of moving on to the next one.

What a dog.

 

DREAMS

 

In their isolation, inhabitants of tiny

Islands, known to and knowing only

Themselves, weave mythologies that

Map their location as the center of

The universe, of creation, of time.

Dwarves who don’t know better

Think they’re giants. Same with

Dreams – won’t acknowledge limits

If they don’t have to, sometimes

Growing big enough to think they

Can depose reality. Poor dreamer,

Then, what mutiny must brew in

Your soul. For we know how reality

Has taken many a battering, but

Always is the one left standing

Because dreams seldom outlive

The dreamers. Through rebellion

Is more romantic, at least in teen

Novels, dreams might do better to

Treat reality more politely, to make

Their pleas free of expectation reality

Will listen, just with a humble hope

Reality might point the way to truth

Just as real as it was in your dream.

 

GUESS

 

No more guesses. Nothing brings on

A flood of bad emotions like feeling

With all your being that you’re right

Then realizing you’ve simply guessed

Wrong. Maybe the more something

Means to you personally the less

Clearly you can really see it. There’s

A time to be objective, and a time to

Follow your heart and dive right in.

Too bad sometimes we can only

Guess which is which. I feel like I

Dove into a pool that turned out to

Be empty. The water was imaginary,

Unlike the concrete. So please, don’t

Expect me to guess. If you want me

To believe you, first believe in what

You want to convey enough to say it

Face to face.

 

BEATNIK MOSQUITOES

 

Poems are like mosquitoes drunk on the

Blood of a nicotine addict such as moi,

Haphazardly careening in circular flight,

Their mission - inner space exploration,

Little bitty buzzings sounding like jazz

Saxophones soundtracking beatnik

Free verse, these insect Allen Ginsburgs,

Improvising wildly like a Dixieland band.

Jazz poetry from beatnik mosquitoes

Drunk on my blood - how beautiful!

 

SLAP

 

Poems are like mosquitoes, flying

Around sucking on people’s feelings,

Spreading disease, making you

Itch, disrupting your sleep,

Inspiring a good slap or two.

 

WHEN WE WERE NORMAL

 

Inter-generational conflict rendered

Me less than at my best for a long time.

I resigned myself to the reality that my

Elders were clueless and my peers were

Crazy. By necessity, I kept a foot in both

Camps, but my head and heart were

Somewhere else. It’s all cooled off by

Now, but the cynicism I got from the

Bad years has stayed with me like an

Unwanted tattoo. Worse is the feeling

That while now-meaningless battles

Consumed our thoughts, something

Slipped by us. We still see the world

Like we did when we were normal,

But that was a long, long time ago.

 

POOR OLD ROBOT

 

Poor old robot from a second hand

Robot store. Can’t find your parts

Anymore, can’t find your owner.

Poor old robot, feeling outmoded,

Knowing your warranty expired

Yesterday but refusing to just sit

Around and decay. Poor old robot,

All your friends in the junkyard,

Sadly mute, reminding you of a

More animated past. Poor old

Robot, wanting to be helpful but

Only speaking Chinese, confusing

The elderly and frightening the

Young. Poor old robot, short-circuiting

Your own speakers issuing distorted

Robot moans about how nobody

Appreciates you, sounding more

Annoying than rap (in Chinese)

Through a broken boom box. Poor

Old robot, voice of every invention

First coveted greedily then tossed

Aside casually as soon as there’s a

Newer version. Poor old robot,

Wishing you could take your metallic

Hands and throttle whoever saddled

You with this limited lifespan. Poor

Old robot, I want to shoot you just

To shut you up, but you look at me

With those tortured robot eyes and

It scares me how easily I can relate.

 

DUSK

 

Dusk, and the day’s content to let

Its light relax and fade. There’s

Still work to be done, but for now

That’s enough. Now day and night,

Opposites but still ideal partners,

Do their changing of the guard at

Dusk. Then the light disappears,

No one knows where to and no

One asks. After all it does for us,

It’s entitled to its privacy. There’s

A time to shine as bright as you can,

And a time to do nothing more than

Enjoy being alive. In the long run,

It’s the steadiness that counts,

Finding a comfortable rhythm that

Won’t grind you down. Day and

Night split their time equally. We

Should learn from that balance.

 

DEVIL’S TOOLS

 

During the bad years I was judged

Constantly, even for things I’d never

Actually done. No one can justify

Another’s pretensions, no matter

How well-intended, but there was

Still some expectation the prodigal

Son might turn out to be a golden

Boy after all. When that didn’t

Happen, they imagined the worst.

Someone’s anger stings no less

Just because you know it’s based

On a mistake – the real sting is

What they’d believe about you.

Wrong ideas, in the minds of

People firmly convinced they

Can’t be anything but right, are

The devil’s tools for dismantling

Families.

 

AUSTIN

 

Take me with you back to Austin – I’m not

Understood here, much less appreciated.

Here, I have to sing in a language I can’t

Speak. In Austin, I can sing in English, and

I’ll learn as much Spanish as I have to. In

That kind of milieu, they'd more likely take

Me to heart. Here, I get shot down just

For showing I care, and if anyone cares

For me, they’ll be damned before they’d

Admit it. Austin might find me more

Socially acceptable, value my cultural

Contribution more highly than my home

Town Lilliputians. Plus I’ll make you money –

Be my manager. Austin’s feminist enough

For a woman Colonel Parker. I can be like

Your Mexican, except I’m a citizen. So it

Makes perfect sense economically, socially,

Emotionally and culturally that you take

Me with you back to Austin, home of the

Armadillo. I really can do better, but not

Here, where every time I open my mouth

I remind everyone they didn’t invent music.

 

INOTE: You know who Colonel Parker is, right? In case you're clueless, Colonel Parker was Elvis' manager. See, reading my poems is very educational.)

 

CALI PHONE YA

 

I will miss you, sprawling industrial district.

You too, cold winds at night. You too,

Mall after mall, all the same stores. You

Too, people everywere on cells, lost in

One way conversations for all appearances.

You too, healthy, skinny, multi-ethnic

Residients reminding me to diet. You too,

Radio where they play what they like,

Acoustic western swing for cruising. You

Too, old people acting young. You too,

Redemption tickets at Indian gambling

Palaces, payback for white wrongs. You

Too, taquerias on wheels, food names I

can't pronounce. You too, tall eucalyptus

Straddling the highway. California, land of

Great distances. Spent half my time here

Driving. Almost always worth it. A week

Here is like a month at home. Gotta say

Bye before I flame out, die of fun.

 

IN FRONT OF STORES

 

In old Samoa they would sit around

The fire at night. Now boys sit in front

Of stores from twilight till closing time.

One of the side effects of society based

On industry and wages is boys with

Nowhere better to go than bus stops

Or store parking lots. They have homes

They can’t go to, parents they can’t be

Around. What kind of adults will they

Become, growing up feeling like home

And family have to be avoided? For the

Sake of our future, every adolescent

Should be asked to think about the

Questions: what should a family be,

And how does it turn into something

You want to run from?

 

STICKS AND LEAVES

 

Once upon a time the two had a

Mansion. One they didn’t have to

Earn, but came to them naturally.

Then, for reasons that vary

Depending on who’s explaining,

Their mansion lay in ruins. What

Are their options? They could say,

It doesn’t matter, we’ll make a

Shelter of sticks and leaves, and it

Will do as long as we’re together,

Or they could turn their attention

Separately to other mansions that

Just happen to have an empty room

And role they could easily fill. Sounds

Cold, I know, but you’d be surprised

How many would go for it given the

Circumstances. One day you may

Have to choose between insisting

On the mansion class at any cost,

Or accepting when you have

Nothing but sticks and leaves left

With someone, and saying it’s a

Start, not the end.

 

WALL

 

Quite a big wall to keep out

Just one person, don’t you

Think? Oh right, the wall’s

Not for me, not a message.

It’s for vampires, werewolves,

Traveling salesmen, Santa,

Elves, reindeer, postmen

With colds and girls scouts

Trying to push their cookies

On you. What’s sad about

Walls is what can’t get out,

Not just what can’t get in.

What if a rainbow ends on

The other side, with a pot

Of gold that’s yours for the

Taking, but you can’t get

Over your own wall?

 

ROADRUNNER

 

Too fast to be caught, never held

Back, I wanted to be Roadrunner.

A life of highways to explore at full

Speed. Grant me the freedom to

Travel and I’m happy. Take it all in,

And take off running before you’re

Tied to anything or anyone. Beep,

Beep, moving on. I wanted to be

Roadrunner – life in the fast lane.

Amazing it lasted as long as it did.

Sad I’d finally find someone I’d

Love to run with right when fate

Has forced me to hit the brakes.

It’s clear each time you beep beep

By like you don’t even know me –

I wanted to be Roadrunner, but

Ended up Coyote.

 

DEATH SENTENCE

 

I think I know what’s going to

Kill me – stupidity. Involuntary

Meditative state 24/7 where

The mantra is, “That was stupid.”

Stupidity is relative, therefore

Relatives are stupid.

 

OBJECTS

 

Objects have a history. Objects

Could tell stories, given where

They’ve been and what they’ve

Seen, but instead they must sit

Mute and just watch. Objects

Are a paradox – they’ve never

Had what we’d describe as life

And yet they’ll still be here long

After us, and in fact they’ll be

Here forever until someone

Destroys them. To remember us,

Those still here will preserve our

Objects. But that’s nothing like

The kind of interaction it would

Be with us in person, is it? So

Better interact now, and not be

Shy about it either. It’s sort of

The movements of our akimbo

Limbs, and sort of the yappings

Of our colorful tongues, and

Sort of many other things, but

Mostly it’s the sweet essence

Of life itself that makes us more

Than just objects.

 

DISCLOSURE

 

My own point of view is

Hopelessly biased – there,

I admit it. I put it out there

Anyway because… Well,

Why not? The worst that

Can happen is you think

I’m delusional. Yep, like

Zillions of others, like the

Wavering masses. like

You too in many ways.

The best that can happen

Is that you know we’re

Really thinking the same

Thing, or not far from it.

That means something.

What? I don’t know, it’s

Always still unwritten.

Anything you want, and

Hopefully nothing you

Don’t. Just for the record,

Thank you for your time

And kind attention. That’s

Today’s disclosure.

 

ART FILM

 

Strangest movie you’ve ever seen,

But hey, this is an art film not some

Hollywood product. Human voices

Narrate, but people have no presence

Onscreen. Objects and images stand

As visual metaphors for the story, as if

These better convey something literal

Action or even narration can’t. The

Silhouette of a village sticking up

Through a forest evokes home existing

Only in memory. Railroad tracks and

Nearby debris symbolize childhood

Displacement. Changing light on photos

Indicates the passage of time. Lives are

Represented by bottles floating on

The sea. When its 15 minutes are up,

A buzz in the audience ensues. An

Esteemed panel of judges seems

Speechless, muttering terms like

“Startling”, “innovative”, and “rich in

“Emotion”. The filmmakers just say

That’s what happens when you don’t

Have a budget and you’ve never made

A film, you just really want to, when

You don’t know what you’re doing but

You’re not about to let a minor detail

Like that stop you.

 

TELL OF WONDERS

 

If I could tell of wonders, I’d write

The stories here, not to bring me

Glory by association, but to share

My best. Because this is all I can

Share with you until things change,

The only way I can talk to you. If I

Could tell of wonders, I would, but

Most of my stories are rather

Mundane, just people dealing

With day to day life, sometimes

Discovering themselves through

Each other, sometimes catching

Just a glimpse of something bigger

That ties the mysteries together.

 

THE WORD MUSIC

 

The word music is closely related to

The word muse, the reason why

Writers write. The act of writing is

Seen as petitioning fate to intervene

In the hopes your muse will view you

Favorably. Music does the same with

Sound. Notes carry messages words

Can’t. Music, as a word, is not far

From magic. Music works an alchemy

Of its own - let it in and it'll take you

Somewhere. Resist and you’ll get

Noise instead of enjoyment. In those

Moments when music sings to the

Soul, a meaning you needn’t think

About comes through, as if on an

Invisible wire. It’s an open secret

Known to anyone who listens and

Feels, and doesn’t just analyze in

A vacuum. If music doesn’t prove

There’s magic, it at least reminds

That you get out of something what

You put in.

 

STRAYS

 

Our dogs simply want something

To eat. They were never farmers

In the first place, but hunters

Who’ve forgotten they ever had

That skill, defenders with nothing

Left to defend but the few scraps

They can pilfer from our leftovers.

More often they go hungry in their

Learned dependence on generosity.

They once served a worthwhile

Purpose for someone or other,

Once had a part in our functioning,

But now they’re strays, deprived of

A livelihood. They’d be more than

Happy to work hard for a crumb of

Your kindness just to survive, living

By their wits but unaware of their

Place in the bigger picture, and not

Caring either.

 

DELICATE

 

Can you pull your weeds without

Ruining your garden? Careful, most

Beautiful things are delicate, you

Can’t just slash and burn, as much

As you hate the weeds. Delicate

Things require patience and care,

But look what happiness they bring

Nature is delicate. Life is delicate.

Our deepest feelings are delicate.

How ironic, then, that even apes

Can have more patience and care

Than man, who finds delicacy

Inferior to efficiency, and wants

To slash and burn his way through

Everything, including people.

 

UNLESS YOU’RE THE POPE

 

So, are you convinced you can’t be

Forgiven, or just too proud to ask?

It’s pretty arrogant to forgive

Someone who even hasn’t asked

For it, unless you’re the Pope and

Really in a hurry. And if someone

Has the guts to ask, it’s pretty

Heartless to make them grovel,

Unless you want to convince them

They shouldn’t have bothered.

 

CLUELESS

 

Hey, pretend you’re a priest while

I make a confession – I’m clueless.

My memory’s ok, but as far as

Processing what those memories

Mean, forget it. I’ve been turned

Around more than once, and no

Sooner do I finish feeling dizzy than

I start feeling clueless. Meanings

Seem to have shifted, signs signify

Differently. It’s all unfamiliar again

To me. I’m blank – will you fill me in?

Maybe my sensibilities just reflect

An earlier time with a different

Notion of what doing right means,

A different approach. But in the

Here and know, I know how my

Cluelessness must appear to you

As if the dinosaurs never left.

 

EXPOSED

 

Eyeballs with wings, following us around

As if we’re breaking news, walking sitcoms,

Like our every moment captured can be

Used for selling ads. We’re never wanting

For an audience. Eyeballs with wings,

Posing as innocent bystanders, trying to

Blend in with the birds, swarming in our

Moments of embarrassment like locusts,

Thinking here’s a good one for prime time

Tonight. Eyeballs with wings, all-seeing, no

Heart for understanding. Disdaining eyes,

Ready to bear witness to anything they

Find suspicious. Wish I could shoot them

From the sky, find out if they’re capable

Of tears, but they’re in my head. Eyeballs

With wings, hanging upside down like bats

Outside my bedroom. Even when no one

Wants to know, I still walk around feeling

Exposed.

 

PORTRAIT

 

I suppose if you put all the poems

Together, a certain portrait might

Emerge. An attitude embedded in

The language, values suggested

By the style. But don’t be fooled –

Let an artist paint themselves and

It’ll be the most distorted portrait

You could ask for. Expression can

Be a defense, an elaborate disguise,

Pure fiction, the occasional naked

Truth. I must confess to reveling in

The freedom of never being sure if

I’m taken seriously. Gives me room

To evolve, explore, experiment.

If I ever touch your sensibilities

In some way, I’m truly flattered,

But it’s an accident. My thought

Collisions occasionally summon a

Connection rather than an ambulance.

Were a truly accurate portrait to

Crawl from the wreckage of my

Pages, you’d see a shell shocked

Crash test dummy, mangled, head

Backwards, heart sideways, limbs

Akimbo, lips fixed in a grimace,

Jumping right into the next car.

 

LION TAMER

 

Taming lions, do you need a circus

Mind? A grasp of animal psychology?

The talent to get them to trust you

Above their own instincts? Can they

Unlearn what another nasty trainer

Has whipped into them, once he’s

Manipulated their wants and needs

To make them behave his way?

Make them feel they’re safe not

Biting the head off anyone who

Doesn’t give them exactly what

They expect? Don’t be like a lion

Trained by the Romans to tear

Apart criminals, deviants and

Religious dissidents to entertain a

Bloodthirsty colosseum audience.

 

BURRITO

 

What gets folded-into our story?

What doesn’t? Our story is like a

Burrito – by themselves the

Ingredients would make one big

Mess, cross no-fly zones, riot on

The plate, stain your clothes, soil

The floor. However, these same

Ingredients, when something holds

Them in one place, create an

Unexpected combination of tastes,

Rendered in the burrito’s case all

The more palatable by a Nobel

Prize-worthy masterpiece of

Culinary engineering, a design

With equally valid practical,

Cultural and gastronomical

Qualities. What we think wasn’t

Meant to co-exist in one dish

Somehow does - with willingness

And creativity, and a good salsa

Always helps. Every burrito across

The USA at this very moment

Stands as a testament to what

Hunger and ingenuity can do.

 

COLUMBUS

 

History is great – I’m re-learning it all

The time. Like the little-known fact

That besides collecting information

For maps, Columbus also collected

Several hundred Indians to take

Home and sell as slaves. Well, how

Else was he supposed to pay for the

Trip? And besides, in exchange for a

Few hundred slaves, not all of whom

Even made it to Europe, look what

We got. No Columbus, no Las Vegas.

No Seattle. No Boise, Idaho. No Alamo,

No Annie Oakley, no Little Big Horn, no

George Washington, no Ben Franklin.

No Star Spangled Banner. No Civil War,

No Blues, no Jazz, no Rock & Roll. No

Lincoln, no Lincoln Center. No Pearl

Harbor, no 9-11, no Boston Tea Party,

No Boston Strangler, no McDonalds.

No Margaret Mitchell, no Margaret

Mead, no Miley Cyrus. No Fox News.

No American Idol, no FBI, no Civil Rights.

None of this and more would ever have

Come to pass if it hadn’t been for

Columbus. You wouldn’t even be here,

So hey, just let the slave thing slide.

 

TELEVISION

 

Television, you pampered only child

Of an arranged marriage between

Hollywood and Wall Street. Television,

Shaping our culture while taping its

Mouth shut and binding its hands.

Television, who do your represent,

Anyway? Am I no longer in tune with

Society since you don’t make sense?

Television, aimed at some imaginary

America where everyone takes your

Word on what’s worth buying and

Believing. Television, you’re teaching

Escape. Television, your signals go

Out into space. Alien races are curious

About you, Television, and now firmly

Believe earth’s highest-evolved life

Form motivates and manipulates its

Own masses by dangling desired

Material items and idealized states

Of being in front of them like you’d

Dangle a carrot in front of a donkey.

 

RIVERBOAT

 

Flowing on the slow river of time,

Before you know it you’ve come

Farther than you believed possible.

Whenever this river seems about

To end, it’s only changing, following

A way passed down from the ages.

Why stray from a proven route?

Someone once told me there’s an

Ocean where all rivers meet, where

Their long travels end, but curiously,

Rivers take their sweet time keeping

The appointment. Who’s in a hurry?

We’ll arrive when it’s time. Until

Then, the river is single-mined,

Stopping everywhere, staying

Nowhere, enticing us with a free

One-way ticket. The river wants us

To mix, discover what’s out there.

Learn from and love every moment

On the water. We’re lucky we can

Join this voyage even for a short

Time, and few among us have

Passage all the way to its end.

 

PANIC

 

Calm serenity is an illusion, but shout

That lie as loud as you can because the

Truth is panic. As soon as we’re out of

The womb, we’re screaming. As soon

As whatever situation we’re in starts

Spinning out of control, we’re right back

To the panic we reacted with as soon as

We opened our eyes. And not just babies.

No one wants the pressure of keeping it

All together, but who will prevent our

Serenity from descending into anarchy

If not ourselves? Calm serenity reminds

Us of Heaven, a place within us where it

Doesn’t seem like it could all blow apart

Any second. We need that thought to

Deal with the world, keep reminding

The deaf public and dumb governments

There’s always a better solution than

Bombs. Calm serenity is an illusion, so

Forgive me for cultivating dishonesty –

I’m just trying not to panic.

 

BETRAYAL

 

If I talk about betrayal, it doesn’t

Mean I’m talking about you, just

About the thousand ways you can

Feel betrayed. I know it doesn’t do

Any good to talk about feeling

Betrayed, but every time I’m right

On the brink of being kind for no

Other reason than just to be kind,

That feeling comes creeping back:

You’re gonna get betrayed. Betrayal

Is the risk you take when you give.

If you give in the right way, there’s

A tiny chance you won’t be betrayed,

But it’s really tiny. Much more

Straightforward to be a taker, a

Heartbreaker, a bastard, a user.

You can’t be betrayed if you just

Don’t care. Might as well betray

Someone else before they do it

To you. Betrayal is a parachute

For those who can’t stand feeling

Trapped, held back. Betrayal is a

Cancer in the marrow of our

Society and personal lives, eating

The blood cells faith needs. Betrayal

Goes back to the Bible – Judas might

Have been forgiven for his betrayal,

But I’m not so saintly.

 

FOR MARIE ANTOINETTE

 

If you doubt the power of propaganda,

Consider this. Marie Antoinette, one of

History’s coldest, most heartless bitches,

Once famously remarked that peasants

Starving for bread could eat cake instead.

This immortal utterance, which so well

Characterizes corruption, anywhere,

Anytime, guarantees that Marie won’t

Soon be forgotten. Imagine my surprise,

Then, when I read that there’s actually

No concrete evidence she really said it!

That historians consider the source of

The quote highly unreliable! A tabloid,

No less. Louis and Marie apparently

Believed in freedom of the press, but

As is still so often the case, attacking

The unpopular sold copies. Therefore,

Exaggerations and lies about the

Monarchy were commonplace. But so

What? With a quote so memorable,

Questions of legitimacy are secondary.

Still, imagine going down in history for

Something you never actually said!

History has force fed Marie that very

Same cake allegedly recommended

To the peasants.

 

R.I.P. LOU REED

 

The different don’t feel so different

Anymore, not like they used to, not

Like when they had to deny the very

Idea of their natures. The different had

Lou Reed to sing for them. Lou didn’t

Pander for shock value, he just figured

He’d get real, real for him, maybe real

Too for others out there in dark corners,

The margins, the gutters, the alleys, the

Toilets, the jails, the mental hospitals.

This was when being a freak wasn’t chic,

It was dangerous, could cost you your

Life. Sometimes Lou didn’t mind who

He offended, other times he cloaked

His real meanings in clever language,

But no one could probe as deeply into

The taboo shadows of our collective

Psyche with the same boldness or

With as much humanity. That’s what

I’ll remember Lou for, his humanity,

His occasional tenderness, his trying

To find the heart in life’s confusions,

His frequent rubbing of life’s seediest

Sides in your face. He had his own face

Rubbed in it too, but turned the smears

Into part of his costume for the role of

Bard of the forbidden, anarchist of

Sexuality giving all the rejects a voice.

 

TONGUE TIED

 

Tongue tied, falling right into a

Role I’m not sure how to play.

Tongue tied, no idea how to

Say what I’m thinking, it might

Be impolite, not to your liking.

Tongue tied, talking around

The subject, trying to say it

Indirectly.Tongue tied, wanting

So bad for the words to sound

Right that they won’t come out

At all. Tongue tied, silently

Screaming.

 

IT’S MY JOB

 

You can deny my love if it’s

Not what you want, refuse it

If it’s not good enough, just

Doesn’t move you. You have

Every right by your own free

Will. I just feel like, right or

Wrong, good or bad, happy

Or sad, wise or foolish, it’s

Just my job to let you know

Somebody loves you. No one

Said anything about you

Having to accept it.

 

REINCARNATION

 

With every person you’ve ever felt

A passion for, you create a child in

The spiritual world. You may meet

Them there, before or after their

Turn comes to be made real, born

As human. How else to explain why

A poet from a thousand years ago

Reminds me of someone I only met

Yesterday, or why grandparents

Sometimes make more sense than

Mom and dad, or why someone

You rarely even see can still fill you

With both joy and sadness longer

Than time itself whenever you

Think of them?

 

MORE NEXT DOOR ("CYCLONE SCENE 2")

© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com

_______________________________________________

 

For more information about my art: info@benheine.com

_______________________________________________

  

Envious Rivalry

 

A poem by Samuel Nze

 

I told them they would destroy my world

They would make it a hell;

They cannot say I did not tell them,

As I looked upon them from celestial heights

 

The country is full of mediocre ill

Of a lack of understanding;

The land is full of hate,

No one cares at all.

 

This old man is barking at his daughter

Saying this and that;

He is refusing to reason,

No gentlemanliness about him.

 

They struggle with one another

Increase the need to strive;

They complain about everything,

There is no respite.

 

Bickering the livelong day

These ones do not care for the truth;

They love delusion,

They give it heated chase.

 

It is envious rivalry they prefer

Envious rivalry they choose;

It is envious rivalry that will,

As it were satisfy them.

 

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

 

The poem appeared on poetryagainstpoverty.vox.com

You might think that relationship commitment and personal freedom are at odds with one another.

My own experience was that when I made the commitment to my marriage I felt liberated.

When I shared this observation with my single friend Howard, he looked at me as though I had taken leave of my...

 

howdoidate.com/relationships/commitment/this-is-what-rela...

"Understanding. We know very well that faith is adherence to God in the chiaroscuro of mystery; but it is also search in the desire to know the revealed truth more and better. Now, such an interior urge comes to us from the Holy Spirit who, with faith, gives us precisely this special gift of intelligence and, as it were, intuition of the divine truth.

 

The word "intellect" derives from the Latin "intus legere", which means "to read within", to penetrate, to understand thoroughly. Through this gift the Holy Spirit who "sees into the depths of God" (1 Cor 2:10), communicates to the believer a glint of such a penetrating capacity, opening the heart to the joyous understanding of God's loving plan. Once again the experience of the disciples of Emmaus is renewed; having recognised the Risen Lord in the breaking of the bread, they said to one another: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us? (Lk 24:32).

 

This supernatural intelligence is given not only to individuals, but also to the community: to pastors who, as successors of the Apostles, are heirs to the specific promise made to them by Christ (cf. Jn 14:26; 16:13), and to the faithful who, thanks to the "anointing" of the Spirit (cf. 1 Jn 2:20 and 27), possess a special "sense of the faith'' (sensus fidei) which guides them in their concrete choices.

 

The light of the Spirit, in fact, while it sharpens the understanding of divine things, renders ever more clear and penetrating the understanding of human things. Thanks to it one sees better the many signs of God which are written in creation. Thus is discovered the not merely earthly dimension of events of which human history is woven. One can even arrive at prophetically interpreting the present and the future: signs of the times, signs of God!"

 

- Pope Blessed John Paul II.

 

Detail of the risen Christ and the disciples at Emmaus from a stained glass window in the Temple Church in London.

Well..... Some people will do anything for attention. Especially after many glasses of wine.

Whoever this person is. She fooled Sandra into thinking she was me.

Can you believe that. Getting drunk and foolish and doing some kind of Spring ritual dance of fertility...... I mean. ... What kind of person would do such a thing.

Even though it was very warm yesterday. And people were sunbathing.

Maybe she had one of those hot flashes l read about.

Maybe she forgot she was outside and it was daytime and she thought she was doing her morning yoga.

Maybe she was sleep walking. Yes....... Sleepwalking. .... Everyone sleepwalks. And if you sleep naked... It makes sense. And if she's been working hard maybe she forgot it was daytime and fell asleep while sunbathing and had a dream about some exotic fertility ritual.

Well..... Maybe l misjudged this totally innocent creature of the forest.

I feel so ashamed by not being so sympathetic.......

Sandra's understanding. Maybe she will see things my way.

Tuttles 🙈🙈🙈🙈🐇🐰🐤🐣🐥🌹🌹❤️💋

Our Understanding of Giraffes Does Not Measure Up

By NATALIE ANGIEROCT. 5, 2014

 

Giraffes are the “forgotten megafauna,” said Julian Fennessy, a giraffe researcher and the executive director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. “You hear all about elephants, Jane Goodall and her chimpanzees, Dian Fossey and her mountain gorillas, but there’s been a massive paucity of information about giraffes.”

 

www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/science/our-understanding-of-g...

   

Understanding The Moon Phases

 

Have you ever wondered what causes the moon phases?

 

Diagram Explanation

The illustration may look a little complex at first, but it's easy to explain.

 

Sunlight is shown coming in from the right. The earth, of course, is at the center of the diagram. The moon is shown at 8 key stages during its rotation around the earth. The dotted line from the earth to the moon represents your line of sight when looking at the moon. To help you visualize how the moon would appear at that point in the cycle, you can look at the larger moon image. The moon phase name is shown alongside the image.

 

One important thing to notice is that exactly one half of the moon is always illuminated by the sun. However, at certain times we see both the sunlit portion and the shadowed portion -- and that creates the various moon phase shapes we are all familiar with. Also note that the shadowed part of the moon is invisible to the naked eye; in the diagram above, it is only shown for clarification purposes.

 

So the basic explanation is that the lunar phases are created by changing angles (relative positions) of the earth, the moon and the sun, as the moon orbits the earth.

  

Moon Phases Simplified

It's probably easiest to understand the moon cycle in this order: new moon and full moon, first quarter and third quarter, and the phases in between.

 

As shown in the above diagram, the new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun. The three objects are in approximate alignment (why "approximate" is explained below). The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the back side of the moon, the half that we cannot see.

 

At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us. The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view.

 

The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"), happen when the moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of the moon illuminated and half in shadow.

 

Once you understand those four key moon phases, the phases between should be fairly easy to visualize, as the illuminated portion gradually transitions between them.

 

An easy way to remember and understand those "between" lunar phase names is by breaking out and defining 4 words: crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning. The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is less that half illuminated. The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is more than half illuminated. Waxing essentially means "growing" or expanding in illumination, and waning means "shrinking" or decreasing in illumination.

 

Thus you can simply combine the two words to create the phase name, as follows:

 

After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half, so it is waxing crescent. After the first quarter, the sunlit portion is still increasing, but now it is more than half, so it is waxing gibbous. After the full moon (maximum illumination), the light continually decreases. So the waning gibbous phase occurs next. Following the third quarter is the waning crescent, which wanes until the light is completely gone -- a new moon.

  

The Moon's Orbit

You may have personally observed that the moon goes through a complete moon phases cycle in about one month. That's true, but it's not exactly one month. The synodic period or lunation is exactly 29.5305882 days. It's the time required for the moon to move to the same position as seen by an observer on earth. If you were to view the moon cycling the earth from outside our solar system (the viewpoint of the stars), the time required is 27.3217 days, roughly two days less. This figure is called the sidereal period or orbital period. Why is the synodic period different from the sidereal period? The short answer is because we see the sunlit moon from a slowly moving position: the earth! During the moon cycle, the earth has moved approximately one month along its year-long orbit around the sun, altering our angle of viewpoint, and thus, the phase. The earth's orbital direction is such that it lengthens the period for earthbound observers.

 

Although the synodic and sidereal periods are exact numbers, the moon phase can't be precisely calculated by simple division of days because the moon's motion (orbital speed and position) is affected and perturbed by various forces of different strengths. Hence, complex equations are used to determine the exact position and phase of the moon at any given point in time.

 

Also, looking at the diagram, you may have wondered why, at a new moon, the moon doesn't block the sun, and at a full moon, why the earth doesn't block sunlight from reaching the moon. The reason is because the moon's orbit about the earth is about 5 degrees off from the earth-sun orbital plane.

 

However, at special times during the year, the earth, moon, and sun do in fact "line up". When the moon blocks the sun or a part of it, it's called a solar eclipse, and it can only happen during the new moon phase. When the earth casts a shadow on the moon, it's called a lunar eclipse, and can only happen during the full moon phase. Roughly 4 to 7 eclipses happen in any given year, but most of them minor or "partial" eclipses. Major lunar or solar eclipses are relatively uncommon.

 

عن عبدالله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: «ما من أيام العمل الصالح فيها أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام» يعني أيام العشر. قالوا: يا رسول الله، ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله؟ قال: «ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله، إلا رجل خرج بنفسه وماله، فلم يَرْجِعْ من ذلك بشيء»

[صحيح] - [رواه البخاري، وهذا لفظ أبي داود وغيره]

 

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

 

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than on these days." (Meaning: the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah).

 

They (the Companions) said: "O Messenger of Allah, not even Jihad in the cause of Allah?"

 

He said: "Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah, except that of a man who went to Jihad with himself and his property, but did not return with any of them."

 

Begin!

 

522. Then We made it a creation different from all others –who? the human being

 

ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَـٰهُ خَلْقًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ

فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقِينَ ١٤

 

Then We produce it (as) a creation another.

So blessed is Allah (the) Best (of) the Creators.

Surah Al Mu’minoon, Verse 14

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Summa: After it was completed, his (the human being’s) formation and his temperament and shape was perfected upon the way of unique innovation and astonishing so he became a creature sensitive, active with will like all other animals…

 

Ansha’na hu: We produced Him i.e. We originated him and moulded him especially…

 

Khalqan aakhara: with another creation, inventing, specifically in this body (uniquely different from) amongst other bodies and this was that We blew Our Spirit in it so he should adopt Our Attributes and yattakhallaqu bi akhlaqina - be in his manners like Our Ettiquette and become deserving of being Our Vice-Regent and Our Appointee and it is appropriate that he becomes Our Mirror having the ability to reflect the Shadows of Our Perfected Names and Exalted Attributes…

 

Fatabaraaka: so how Glorious i.e. High and Dignified is…

 

Allahu: Allah Al Qadir, The Omnipotent, Al Muqtadir, The Only One Powerful with complete authority in such changes and progressions which leave the aql, the power to reflect, bewildered because of them and ability and understanding subsides before them.

 

And He is in His Essence…

 

Ahsanul Khaliqeen: The Best of Creators amongst those who ordain destiny and creation and (He is the Best) in perfecting evolution, creating and moulding even if it was considered that another could create other than Him, though it is impossible for the mind or practice (to consider such a thing).

  

507. Nor do they feel a moment of thirst and fatigue and hunger that is not recorded for them as a good deed for which they, the Muhsineen, will be rewarded

 

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌۭ وَلَا نَصَبٌۭ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌۭ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَـُٔونَ مَوْطِئًۭا يَغِيظُ ٱلْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّۢ نَّيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُم بِهِۦ

عَمَلٌۭ صَـٰلِحٌ ۚ

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ١٢٠

 

It was not (for) the people of the Madinah and who were around them of the bedouins, that they remain behind after the Messenger of Allah, and not they prefer their lives to his life.

 

That is because not the affliction upon them of thirst and not of fatigue and not of hunger in (the) way (of) Allah, and nor do they step any step that angers the disbelievers and they do not inflict on an enemy an infliction except is recorded for them in it (as) a deed righteous.

 

Indeed, Allah (does) not allow to be lost the reward (of) the good-doers.

 

Surah At Tauba, Verse 120

  

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Dalika: that i.e. it was not made compulsory upon them, the bearing the hardship of heaviness and tiredness and the quickness towards battle and stepping towards it…

 

Bi annahum: because they i.e. because whenever he came out (for battle) (salutations and greetings upon his singular focus upon his Lord and that of his family)…

 

La yusibuhum dama’: they did not experience the trial of thirst…

 

Wa la nasabun: and extreme tiredness from exertion and they were not afflicted with pain from different kinds of pain…

 

Wa la makhmasatun: and they did not experience hunger…

 

Fi sabeel illah: in the Way of Allah for the victory of the religion and the Kalima Tauheed, pure words of His One-ness (La ilaha illalla Muhammad Ar Rasool Allah)…

 

Wa: and like this…

 

La yataouna mauti-an: they never step on a track and they do not tread in a place…

 

Yagheedul kuffara: which angers the disbelievers, (which it would) if they walked with him, the Messenger of Allah…

 

Wa la yanaloona min adouwin nayyla: and they do not receive from the enemy anything to be killed and being captured and being overcome and being defeated…

 

Illa kutiba lahum bihi: except that it would be written for them near Allah…

 

Amalun salihun: a good deed, guaranteeing for them blessings great and a high rank and overall…

 

Innallah: indeed Allah Al Muhsin, The Only Bestower of Favour, Al Muttafaddil, The Only Granter of Bounties for His Special Servants…

 

La yudee’u ajar al Muhsineen: He does not waste the rewards of the Muhsineen, the doers of good, who beautify their adab, manners with Allah and worship Him as if they see Him and with His Messenger, the one who is His Vice-regent and His Successor.

  

The first blessed stop: Medina Shareef

 

The prayer chosen for me to enter every place from Medina to Mecca to Mina to Arafat to Muzdalifa to the stoning to the Tawaaf e Ziarat to the Tawaf al Wida.

 

395. Ya Rabb who raises me only with His Gentleness - Make me enter with truth and make me leave with truth

 

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدۡخِلۡنِی مُدۡخَلَ صِدۡقࣲ

وَأَخۡرِجۡنِی مُخۡرَجَ صِدۡقࣲ

وَٱجۡعَل لِّی مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلۡطَـٰنࣰا نَّصِیرࣰا

 

And say, "My Lord! Cause me to enter an entrance of truth,

and cause me to an exit of truth

and make for me from near You an authority helping."

Surah Al Isra’, Verse 80

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

O one who is on the path of Allah, O worshipper, and after that you reached towards it, (the station of Maqam e Mahmood), there will not be remaining for you a (higher) rank of completion and guidance but instead you are now completed and are the guided one.

 

When revelations come to you and permission is granted to you by Subhanahu, you will become a perfect Murshid, guide, for the people with shortcomings, incomplete, interceding for them by the Permission of Allah, for their deliverance from the compulsions of imkaan, possibilities, that lead one to the pitfalls of fire and you will make even them reach the atmosphere of heavens with the ability granted by Allah to you and to them.

 

Wa: And after your reaching from your striving and your struggling and the different times of waking up at night and your praying during the nights by the ability granted by Allah and the ease He gave you so that you reached the stations exalted and the ranks high …

 

Qul: say, beseechingly, to your Lord, seeking refuge from Him, focusing towards him as the desirer of the highest standard of capability and being firmly placed in the station which you have reached by His granted ability and His Help…

 

Rabbi: O my Lord who raises me by different types of Lutf, Kindnesses and Karam, Mercy…

 

Adkhilni: Make me enter by Your Fazl, Bounty and Jood, Generosity…

 

Modkhala sidq-in: the entrance of truth and the destination of being settled and it is the Place of Tauheed, One-ness, free of all kinds of additions and excesses and make me be in it forever without fluctuation and without staining…

 

Wa akhrij-ni: and make me exit the demands of my selfishness and my identity for the atmosphere of dissolution which connects to the honour of ever-lastingness and meeting (The Divine)…

 

Mukhraja sidq-in: the exit of truth without hesitation and shaking…

 

Waj’al-i: and assign for me in the moment of my ego quarreling with me, overcoming me with wrongdoing…

Mil ladunka sultan-an: from Your Authority i.e. proven in a way that nothing can overrule it, clearly revealed, witnessed in totality, so it becomes…

 

Naseera: a helper for the one who helps me against my enemies and frees me from their grip in the moment that they surround me.

  

The only prayer in Medina other than sending Darood Shareef. Why?

 

128. In worship what comes first Tasbeeh or Tauba? Tauba ,because only the one forgiven can praise Subhanahu. The verse that promises that forgiveness from Waaf e Al Qauli, The One who keeps His Promises…

 

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوكَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ

وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا

 

And if they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah,

and the Messenger (peace be upon him) asked forgiveness for them,

surely, they would have found Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Surah An-Nisa’, Verse 64

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa lau annahum: And if they, without doubt, due to the intensity of their ignorance and hypocrisy…

 

Id zalamu anfusahum: that which befalls them of affliction, (which is) harmful, from not submitting to you…

 

Jaa’uka: they must come to you as the ones who repent, the one who are apologetic because of that which happened from them…

 

Fastaghfarullah: then they ask for forgiveness from Allah (being) sincere and regretful…

 

Wastaghfara lahum Ar Rasoolu: and The Messenger (peace be upon him) also asks for forgiveness for them through intercession and praying before Allah, asking for the acceptance (of the person by Him) after they have come as the ones who are apologetic…

 

Lawajadullaha: surely, they will find Allah (to be) and they will testify to Him being the One who grants Bounty and Mercy…

 

Tawwaban: (and find Allah to be) The One who accepts their repentance…

 

Raheeman: The One who is Merciful to them and grants them ability to do this (go the The Messenger (peace be upon him).  

 

How to keep a sustained patience laced with gratitude in the journey in all circumstances for a complaint, silent or spoken, opens the door for Iblis? Zikr!

 

202. The ones who brought faith will find, without doubt, peace in the Zikr - remembrance - of Allah.

 

‏ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَىِٕنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَىِٕنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ‎

 

Those who believed and find satisfaction their hearts in the remembrance (of) Allah.

No doubt, in the remembrance (of) Allah find satisfaction the hearts."

Surah Ar’Rad, Verse 28

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Alladina amano: Those who believe in Tauheed, One-ness…

Wa tatma’innu qulubuhum: the heart finds peace and steadfastness from the pangs of following falsehood and its colours, disappearing and vanishing…

 

Bi zikr illah: with the remembrance of Allah, Al Wahid, Al Ahad, Permanent in His Presence without fluctuation and enumeration and doubt. So indeed (this remembrance), causes to leave and disappear from the tablets of their hearts, the engravings of relying (on others) and thinking (of others) in totality.

 

Alaa: Beware, O Taliboon, the ones who are eager to seek the rank of Kashf, unveiling and Shahood, witnessing…

 

Bi zikr illahe: the remembrance of Allah Subhanahu, removes all which is extra (other than Him)…

 

Tatma’inno ul qulub: (it) gives tranquility to the hearts and keeps it firm in the Maqam Al Huzoor, the Place of Ever Presence, and gives it rest from chaos and paranoia.

  

And what is the ultimate Zikr?

 

500. What is the best word? The kalima tayyaba

 

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا كَلِمَةًۭ طَيِّبَةًۭ كَشَجَرَةٍۢ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌۭ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ٢٤

 

Do not you see how sets forth Allah the example, a word good (is) like a tree good, its root (is) firm and its branches (are) in the sky?

 

Surah Ibrahim, Verse 24

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Alam tara: Have you not seen, Ayyoha Ar Ra’ee, O one who sees (saluations and greetings upon your seeing and your family), Al Mu’tabir, the one who gains admonition, Al Khabeer, the one who is well informed, Al Baseer, the one who watches…

 

Kaifa daraballahu: how Allah, Al Hadi, The Only Guide, sets forth for His Servants towards His Tauheed, His One-ness…

 

Masalan: an example, to warn them from Him, such that it was a parable…

 

Kalima-tan tayyiba-tan: a pure word which is the Kalima Tauheed – La Ilaha Illallah - which is uttered, which is pure, that there is no presence except Allah Al Haqq…

 

Ka shajratin tayyaba-tan: is like a good tree, which is the palm tree, which…

 

Asluha: in its origin and roots…

 

Saabitun: are firm in the earth so much so that the winds cannot uproot it and displace it at all…

 

Wa far’auha: and its branches i.e. its shoots and its twigs are high…

 

Fi: in the direction…

 

As’sama’: of the sky.

  

501. (The good word) gives fruit all the time by the Permission of Allah and sets examples for Mankind to remember

 

تُؤْتِىٓ أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۭ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا ۗ وَيَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ٢٥

 

Giving its fruit all time by the permission of its Lord. And sets forth Allah the examples for mankind so that they may remember.

 

Surah Ibrahim, Verse 25

  

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Tu’ti-ukulaha: (That tree) gives its fruits…

 

Kulla heen: all the time from the specific times of yielding fruit…

 

Bi idni Rabbiha: by the Commands of its Rabb, its Lord i.e. by His Will and His Order meaning like the date tree which grows and gives fruit because its roots are firm in the earth and its branches are high towards the sky and from it are yielded fruit in the time of the harvest. Such is the Kalima Tayyaba, which is based on Allah’s Tauheed, One-ness, which is firm. Its roots are in the earth of (one’s) natural capability, its branches are high and its twigs are towards the sky of the Realm of Spirituality, which yield the fruit of unveilings and witnessing, which uproots and demolishes the thorns of others (than Him), which are growing from the additions from the Realm of Nothingness…

 

Wa: and there is no need for the people of the eyes of the heart and intellect, who are unveiling by the Essence of the One-ness of Allah, for examples of such warnings and instead…

 

Yadribullahu: Allah Al Mutta’li’u, The One All Informed, exemplifies the secrets of the capacities of His Servants…

 

Al amsala: the example mentioned…

 

Li-naas: for people who have forgotten their promises and their covenants with Allah due to the veil of their identities which are followed by the increasing and abundance (of the world)…

 

La’allahum yataddakaroon: so they may remember what they have forgotten from the example like these examples.

  

The most exquisite and ultimate reward of Zikr.

 

502. The reward of Zikr is becoming like His Beloved (salutations and greetings upon his perfection in manner and his family’s) in behaviour– insane!

 

Subhan Allah wa Ajmala ka wa Ahsana ka wa Akmala ka

 

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌۭ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا ٢١

 

Certainly, is for you in (the) Messenger (of) Allah an example good for (one) who has hope (in) Allah and the Day the Last, and remembers Allah much.

Surah Al Ahzab, Verse 21

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then said Subhanahu to activate the passion of the Mo’mineen, the believers:

 

Laqad kana lakum: certainly there is for you, Ayyohal Mo’minoona, O believers, Al Mukhlisoona, sincere ones, Al Taliboona, the seekers, at-takhalluqa bi ikhlaq Allah, of adopting the Attributes of Allah, Al Hariboona, being those who run away from (adopting) the manners of His Enemies…

 

Fi Rasoolilla-hi: in the Messenger of Allah (salutations and

greetings upon the excellence of his behaviour and his family’s), the one sent for your instruction and your guidance…

 

Uswatun hasana-tun: an excellent model (of life) i.e. praised characteristics like no one else that mandate that you adopt them and make yourself characterized by them…

 

Liman kana yarjullahi: for every person who aspires to meet Allah i.e. meeting Him and seeing His Kareem, Generous, Countenance…

 

Wa: and he hopes also…

 

Youmil akhira: for the Last Day, (which has) promised in it this greatest honour (of that meeting) and for the sake of this hope and the overwhelming (feeling) of this great hope in his heart…

 

Wa zakaraallaha katheeran: and he remembers Allah much in all of his ordinary situations and times with satisfaction through Zikr, the remembrance of Subhanahu, until he achieves what is promised to him from the triumph of the honour of meeting Him.

 

And when he becomes like that (in the state of abundance zikr) and whoever decides on this firmly, then he becomes a follower of the Rasool (salutations and greetings upon the one who is the manifestation of Allah’s Aklhaq as are his family) in that most highly praised characteristics and the manners excellent, accepted near Allah which are raza, his satisfaction in all of what happened to him from fate decreed.

 

What is the Ka’aba?

 

520. The first House of Worship is the one in Bakkah and it is a guidance for humanity

 

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍۢ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًۭا وَهُدًۭى لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٩٦

Indeed, (the) First House set up for the mankind (is) the one which (is) at Bakkah, blessed and a guidance for the worlds.

Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 96

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then when Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was steadfast upon the Sirat e Tauheed, Allah’s One-ness, upright upon it, Subhanahu made the first House of Worship for the ones who believe in His One-ness for the sake of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) so He said:

Inna awwala baiti wudi’a lin-naas: indeed, it is the First House of worship set up for Mankind so they worship Subhanahu in it and focus upon His Presence…

 

Lalladi bi bakka: the one which is at Bakka, the House which is before the making of the Masjid al Haraam, before the making of the Bait al Maqdas by 40 years and the state indeed, in which it is constructed…

 

Mubarakan: is fully blessed with abundance of blessings and benefit for its residents and its pilgrims, guiding them towards imaan, faith, in Allah and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers…

 

Wa hudal lil aalimeen: and it is a source of guidance for all Mankind, making them reach towards the Tauheed az Zaati, the Essence of His One-ness, if the secrets of its making and its legalization are unveiled for them. 

  

521. In it are clear signs of the standing place of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) and pilgrimage is incumbent on whom can find a way to it

 

فِيهِ ءَايَـٰتٌۢ بَيِّنَـٰتٌۭ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُۥ كَانَ ءَامِنًۭا ۗ

وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلْبَيْتِ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًۭا ۚ

وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ٩٧

 

In it (are) signs clear, standing place (of) Ibrahim, and whoever enters it - is safe.

And (due) to Allah upon the mankind (is) pilgrimage (of) the House (for one) who is able to [it] (find) a way.

And whoever disbelieved then indeed, Allah (is) free from need of the universe.

 

Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 97

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

(From previous verse)

Wa hudal lil aalimeen: and it is a source of guidance for all Mankind, making them reach towards the Tauheed az Zaati, the Essence of His One-ness, if the secrets of its making and its legalization are unveiled for them because…

 

Fihi ayatun: in it are signs (which are) the proofs and evidence…

 

Bayyenatun: clear, proving the Tauheed az Zaati, the Essence of His One-ness, among which are…

 

Maqam-u Ibrahim (as): the Station of Ibrahim (as) and it is the Station of Raza, being contented with Allah, and Tasleem, surrender…

 

Wa man dakhalahu: and the one who enters it, as a guest, in submission, entrusting…

 

Kana aaminan: it will be safe (for him) from waswasat al ananiya, the whispers of selfishness and ego, and daghdaghatil ghairyiati, the provoking of another, and he will become characterized by the attribute of friendship.

 

Wa lillahi: And for the sake of Allah i.e. for reaching His Tauheed, One-ness, and being steadfast on the station of worshipping Him and ehsaan, His Favour, it is obligatory…

 

Alan naasi hajj ul baiti: upon the people to perform Hajj, which (the House) is made an example of to be like the qalb, the station of Recognition of Allah within the heart of His Friend, deserving of the garment of friendship…

 

Man istata’a: the one who can amongst you, Ayyohal Hayara, O ones wandering blindly in the desert of possibilities…

 

Ilaihi sabeela: afford its journey (18/10).

 

Wa man kafara: And the one who disbelieves in (the Hajj) and refuses it stubbornly…

 

Fainallaha: so indeed Allah is Al Mustaghni, Self Sufficient in His Essence from all His Appearances and Creations…

 

Ghani un an-il alimeen: beyond need of all the worlds. He is not concerned with them and their worship and indeed, they were made to appear and He made it obligatory for them worship and the return towards His Presence and focus towards His Door so they could be steadfast in the rank of worship and become established in it until they become deserving of Friendship and Vice-Regency, which is sprouting secrets of Divine Appearance and Manifestations.

   

One of the most important prayers of the Tawaaf

 

511. Rabbana aa’tina fid duniya – the prayer around the Ka’aba

 

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ

وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

And from those who say, "Our Lord! Grant us in the world good and in the Hereafter good, and save us (from the) punishment (of) the Fire."

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 201

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa minhum mayyaqoolu: Amongst them are those who have gathered their overt and inner beings, (zahir and batin) and keep this world and the Afterlife together,

 

Rabbana a’tina fi duniya: who say, “O our Lord, Grant us goodness which makes You pleased with us in this life…

 

Wa fil akhira: and grant us goodness in the Hereafter, which makes us reach Your One-ness (Tauheed)…

 

Waqina: and save us by Your Favour upon us…

 

Adaab an naar: from the possibilities that cause in a person paranoia and doubt.

  

A personal favourite for the Tawaaf:

 

335. The magical Prayer Subhanahu Himself taught His Beloved (salutations and greetings upon the one who was the most devoted and his family): Ya Rabbi, forgive me and hide me from my self and have mercy upon me so I become dissolved in You and You are the Best of those who show mercy

 

وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ وَٱرۡحَمۡ وَأَنتَ خَیۡرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِینَ

 

And say, "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, and You (are the) Best (of) those who show mercy."

Surah Al Mo’minoon, Verse 118

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa: And after that Subhanahu made it certain, the success for the Mo’mineen, the believers, Al Muwwahideen, who are certain in the One-ness of Allah, in the beginning of this Surah and He deprived the Kafireen, the deniers of truth, Al Mushrikeen, the ones who associate others with Allah in the end (of the Surah)…

 

Qul: Say O Akmal Ar Rusul, O Messenger who completes the Messengerhood (greetings and salutations upon him and his family by His Allah who loves him), educating everyone who considers you his leader and follows in your footsteps and warning them as well of this and reminding them…

 

Rabbi: O my Lord who raised me by your Kunf, Protection and Jawar, Safe Guarding…

 

Ighfir: Forgive me and hide for me my egoistic self from my inner eyes…

 

Warham: and have mercy upon me by the negation of the essence of my nature and dissolve it in Your Essence.

 

Wa anta: And You with Your Essence and Your Names and Your Attributes…

 

Khair ur Raheemeen: are the Best of the Merciful, who are also demands of Your Attributes and reflections of Your Names and everything is with You and from You and there is no one who is Merciful except You and there is no Lord for me other than You.

  

What is the reality of the sa'ee? A striving for the union of duality within the self - Subhan Allah!

 

513. The sa’ee between Safa and Marwa is to gain a fusion of the overt and the inner being

 

۞ إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ

فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ

وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ١٥٨

 

Indeed, the Safa and Marwah (are) from (the) symbols (of) Allah.

So whoever performs Hajj (of) the House or performs Umrah, so no blame on him that he walks between [both of] them.

And whoever voluntarily does good, then indeed, Allah (is) All-Appreciative, All-Knowing.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 158

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then when He gave insight, Subhanahu, towards the Al Ka’aba Al Haqeeqia, the inner Ka’aba rather than the Ka’aba Al Sooriya, the physical form of the Ka’aba, He wanted to inform of the signs of the inner Ka’aba with the signs of the Ka’aba in physical appearance…

 

Inna Safa wal Marwa: Indeed, Safa and Marwa, the signs of Allah i.e. the overt, the zahir of a person, and Marwa is their batin, the hidden, they are…

 

Min shai’r Allah: among the Signs of Allah and the Symbols of His Tauheed, His One-ness…

 

Faman hajja: so the one who performs Hajj, intending…

 

Al baita: the House, it is only the representation of the Al Manzil Al Haqeeqi, the actual truthful destination…

 

Au ae’tamara: or the one who performs Umra, upon the way of following the Sunnah, intending in it the focus on the Essence of Tauheed, the One-ness of Allah by turning themselves away from the connections which prevent it (that focus)…

 

Fa la junaha: so it is not a thing constricting or tiring…

 

Alayhi ayyataffa bi-hima: for them (the ones performing Umra or Hajj) to sa’ee, walk, i.e. he walks between the two, believing, connecting them both till that he can unveil by the union of the two (the Safa of their zahir and the Marwa of their batin).

 

Wa man tattawaa: So whoever does good, focusing his attention towards Him…

 

Khairan: with a pious act voluntarily above what is a command and obligatory…

 

Fa innallaha Shakir-un: then certainly, Subhanahu is As Shakir, The Most Appreciative and The One who makes it (the sa’ee and doing voluntary good acts) easier (for the seeker), pleased by their deed…

 

Aleem-un: and He is Well Aware of their states.

  

508. The Hajj ayaat begin – disconnect from the world and do not quarrel and be mindful of Allah

 

ٱلْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌۭ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٌۭ ۚ

فَمَن فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ ٱلْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِى ٱلْحَجِّ ۗ

وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ يَعْلَمْهُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ

وَتَزَوَّدُوا۟ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ ٱلزَّادِ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ

وَٱتَّقُونِ يَـٰٓأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ١٩٧

 

(For) the Hajj (are) months well known,

then whoever undertakes therein the Hajj then no sexual relations and no wickedness and no quarrelling during the Hajj.

And whatever you do of good knows it Allah.

And take provision, (but) indeed, (the) best provision (is) righteousness.

And fear Me, O men (of) understanding!

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 197

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then when ordered Subhanahu His Servants for the Hajj, that they come to His House from cities far away from all over the globe and highways distant, fixing for him the specific time from the times which has great excellence and a place near Subhanahu, so He said:

 

Al hajjo: Al Hajj i.e. the time of Hajj…

Ashharum malomaat: are the most famous months well known, blessed, recognized and they are Shawal, Zul Qada, Zul Hajj, all of them or some of them because there is difference in opinion about it…

 

Fa man farada: so the one on whom (the Hajj) was made obligatory…

 

Fi-hinnal hajja: in these months, with the commitment of fulfilling the conditions of it and its pillars regularized for him during these months, its completion is incumbent without disconnection from determination and (without disconnection from) the intention of the heart and (without the disconnection of) the sancitity of the forbidden things in it.

 

Fala rafatha: So do not have sexual relations i.e. no intercourse and no copulation regardless of the length of the stay…

 

Wala fusooqa: and do not transgress and do not exit the Boundaries of Allah with the committing of the forbidden things…

 

Wala jidaala: and do not fight and do not quarrel and do not show power in front of the servants and the friends…

 

Fi: in the days…

 

Ayyam al hajj: of Hajj because the Hajj is a symbol of the death of the will which shows the Hayat al Haqeeqia, the real life, and these matters (sexual relations, fighting, the will) are all from the characteristics of living in the natural (day to day) life.

 

So the one who intends to do the Hajj Al Haqeeqi, true, and intends for the Al Hayat Al Haqeeqia, the life truthful, so for him it is compulsory that he kills his nafs from the needs of that life from nature, borrowed, (which is) without stability, so he triumphs with the true life everlasting, permanent, forever, eternal and that is not available except without the exit from the demands of the aql al juz’ie, which is (in fact) a small thing (that power to reflect), stained with paranoia and imagination. Instead the aql, the ability to reflect, is dominated by the nafs which governs it forever.

 

And it cannot be gained (that true life, Al Hayat Al Haqeeqia) except for the Salik, the traveler, An Nasik, the one who sacrifices while performing the ways of worship, who Allah Al Haqq has pulled away from his nafs, self, from rank to rank, progressing his essence (of that Nasik) from realm to realm from the selected realms so that he comes to a rank and a station which enfolds all of the ranks for him and all of the realms become dissolved in him with their secrets and he also becomes dissolved in them.

 

And there is nothing in it that can make him fall. Instead he became stable and firmly established and contented in this Al Hayat Al Haqeeqia the way we witness such lives, as Mutahassireena, the ones envious, the Mutamanneena, the ones longing for it, when watching the lives of some of the Abdal (the replacements of the Prophets and the Auliya) of the time.

 

May Allah raise the shadow of such a person upon the parting of the people of Yaqeen, inner certainty and Irfaan, Recognition of Allah. And may his name be unfamiliar so that his glory remains unnoticed. How far is such a rank, its not suitable for us and its not for me that we can even speak about it.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) prays:

 

جعلنا الله من خُدَّام تُراب أقدامه

 

May Allah Subhanahu make us from the dust of the footsteps of His Servants. Ameen!

 

And after Subhanahu commands His Servants for the Hajj of His House exalting Him and His House, He urges them towards charity and the spending of possessions for it and in its way, to establish in their nafoos, selves, this beautiful characteristic (spending in charity) because it is the preventer of the inclinations of the hearts towards the True Beloved and this wealth is the head of all temptations, thus He said:

 

Wa ma taf’alu: and whatever you did for the Raza, the Pleasure of Allah…

 

Min khair: from spending in charity, pure from the dirt of (making others acknowledge) kindness and hurting others, stripped from boastfulness and showing off, saved from the whisperings of devils and desires (from the self)…

 

Ya’lamullahu: Allah knows it with His Ever-Presence because such charities are happening on the Sirat e Mustaqeem, the Straight Path, which is the Way of Allah Al Adham, the Greatest of All, Al Aqwam, The Most Upright…

 

Wa tuzawwadu: and take provisions for the crossing of this Sirat of Allah with taqwa, mindfulness of Him from the world and everything in it…

 

Fainna khair az zaadi: so indeed it is the best provision for the Servants for the Day Promised which is…

 

At taqwa: mindfulness of Allah from all corruption…

 

Wattaqooni ya ulil albaab: and be conscious of Me, O people of intellect (who search for the marrow of knowledge), Al Mutawajjiheena, the ones who focus upon the origin of understanding, Al Mutamaaeleena, the ones detached from the veils (that veil) the Divine Presence.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) prays:

 

Grant us understanding by Your Luft, Gentleness, Ya Khafi Al Altaf,

O One who grants kindnesses in secret!

  

509. Arafaat – the gathering of the pilgrims’ mari’fa – Subhan Allah

 

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ

فَإِذَآ أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَـٰتٍۢ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلْمَشْعَرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ

وَٱذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ١٩٨

 

Not is on you any sin that you seek bounty from your Lord.

And when you depart from (Mount) Arafat then remember Allah near the Monument [the] Sacred.

And remember Him as He (has) guided you, after surely you were among those who went astray.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 198

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Laysa alaykum: It is not upon you, Ayyohal Mo’minoon, O Believers…

 

Junah-un: any blame, so don’t feel constrained or exhausted, while you are being mindful of the Anger of Allah and (while you are) taking (as a provision) your taqwa, consciousness of Him…

 

An tabtaghu: whilst seeking i.e. all of you…

 

Fadlan: the Favour from the Ma’arif Al Yaqeenia, the Recognition of Certainty and Lazaat Ruhaniya, the tastes of spirituality…

 

Mir Rabbikum: from your Lord who is The One who raised with different kinds of Lutf, Kindness, and Karam, Generosity.

 

Fa ida afadtum: So when you depart, Ayyohal Mo’minoon, O Believers…

 

Min Arafat-in: from Arafat, (which is) the Recognition of His Essence All Encompassing of all of His Divine Attributes which have been ranked for you, (Subhanahu is using the plural, Arafaat because it is a collection of the recognitions) of the approaching from all the approachers towards His Recognition by a way, specific so that after the arrival (of all the pilgrims), it becomes singular again, Arafa’, because it is in fact Allah’s True Essence without additions in them at all (with their focus upon His Essence).

 

Fadkurullaha: then (upon returning from Arafat to Muzdalifa) remember Allah, Al Mustajme’u, The Gatherer of yourselves…

Ayndal masha’ril haraam: near Muzdalifa i.e. with the characteristics of the Essence of Allah which are forbidden to prove in anyone other than Allah. Subhanahu uses the singular masha’ara for haraam instead of mashair because each one of us is being specified (there) with a special attribute by which His Rabb, Lord, is nourishing Him (all their lives)…

 

Wadkuruhu kama hadaakum: and remember Him as He has guided you with the entrusting of your matters, all of them, to Him and your mindfulness towards Him from the whispering of the devils who make you wayward…

 

Wa in kuntum min qablihi: and you were certainly i.e. before His Guidance…

 

La min ad-daaleen: surely the ones who were wandering disoriented, At Tae’heena, walking in the valleys of carelessness, An Naakebeena, the ones turning from the true guidance. 

  

510. After Muzdalifa ask forgiveness of Allah

 

ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ١٩٩

 

Then depart from wherever depart the people and ask forgiveness (of) Allah.

Indeed, Allah (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 199

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Summa: Then when you complete your focus and your stay (in Muzdalifa) with the Ma’rifat Az Zaat, the Recognition of Allah’s Essence and you become steadfast on it…

 

Afeedu: then return from that (Recogntion of Allah)…

Min haithu afaad an naas: from where people depart towards the ranks which have been placed in order (for them) towards the Divine Attributes (i.e. from Ma’rifa, Recognition back to attributes)…

 

Wastaghfirullah: and ask forgiveness of Allah, Al Muhit, The One who encompasses you in them (those ranks).

 

Inallaha Ghafoor-un: Indeed Allah is Ghafoor, All Forgiving, Saatir The One who conceals your ranks and your essence…

Rahim-un: He is All Merciful for you with the reaching of your true origin.

  

511. Then after you finish the rituals of Hajj remember Allah like you remember your ancestors and more and some pray…

 

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُم مَّنَـٰسِكَكُمْ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَذِكْرِكُمْ ءَابَآءَكُمْ أَوْ أَشَدَّ ذِكْرًۭا ۗ

فَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَـٰقٍۢ ٢٠٠

 

Then when you complete[d] your acts of worship then remember Allah as you remember your forefathers or (with) greater remembrance.

 

And from the people who say, "Our Lord! Grant us in the world." And not for him in the Hereafter [of] any share.

Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 200

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Fai da qadaytum manasikukum: So when you have completed your methods of worship (of the Hajj) commanded for you from what to avoid from the demands of your natural life and to be characterized by to the requirements of Al Ayn Al Haqeeqia, the witnessing of certainty…

 

Fadkurullaha: then remember Allah, Al Hadi, The Only Guide, for you towards this rank (the witnessing of certainty)…

 

Kazikrikum abaaukum: the way you remember your ancestors without distrust and doubt…

 

Au ashadda zikrun: or more remembrance (than that) and instead remember Allah more fervently than the place of the remembrance of your forefathers because the remembrance (of them) has in it doubt as opposed to the Zikr of Allah, based on witnesses, which is followed by dissolution in that zikr because indeed it is empty of the stain of doubt.

 

Fa min an-naasi man: So there are some from the people who target their focus and their repentance towards Allah and beseech before Him for the world alone and…

 

Fa yaqoolu Rabbana a’tina fid duniya: he says, O my Lord, grant us in this world for what we are needy in it in the matters of livelihood…

 

Wa: even though if he gains it what he yearned for in the world…

 

Ma lahu min aakhara min khalaaq: there is not for him any share in the Hereafter because he has spent his capacity towards what does not make him benefited and instead is harmful for him.

 

(Repeated because of sequence in the Quran)

511. Rabbana aa’tina fid duniya – the prayer around the Ka’aba

 

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةًۭ

وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةًۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

 

And from those who say, "Our Lord! Grant us in the world good and in the Hereafter good, and save us (from the) punishment (of) the Fire."

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 201

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Wa minhum mayyaqoolu: Amongst them are those who have gathered their overt and inner beings, (zahir and batin) and keep this world and the Afterlife together,

 

Rabbana a’tina fi duniya: who say, “O our Lord, Grant us goodness which makes You pleased with us in this life…

 

Wa fil akhira: and grant us goodness in the Hereafter, which makes us reach Your One-ness (Tauheed)…

 

Waqina: and save us by Your Favour upon us…

 

Adaab an naar: from the possibilities that cause in a person paranoia and doubt.

   

512. Then for them is a share of what they earned and Allah is swift in His Judgement

 

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌۭ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ

وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ٢٠٢

 

Those - for them (is) a share of what they earned, and Allah (is) swift (in taking) account.

 

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 202

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Ulaika: For them, Al Mawaffoona, the ones who fulfill their promises to Allah, Al Muwwahidoona, the ones who truly believe in Allah’s One-ness, Al Jami’oona, the ones who gather and possess what is ordered in both the ranks of the zahir, the overt being, and the batin, the hidden…

 

Lahum naseebun: for them is a share, portion, complete…

 

Mimma kasabu: of what they earned in the world and this is the harvest of the Afterlife which produce the recognitions of the Divine and the unveilings of the Divine.

 

Wallahu: And Allah is Al Muheet, The One All Encompassing of what is hidden (in their hearts)…

 

Saree’ul hisaab: swift in taking account. He calls them to account and rewards them upon what they earned (in deeds).

   

527. O ye who believe! Do zikr in abundance, katheera

 

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكْرًۭا كَثِيرًۭا ٤١

 

O you who believe! Remember Allah (with) remembrance much

Surah Al Ahzab, Verse 41

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Then Allah informed to do Zikr in abundance and He gave it preference over reflection (HUGE!):

 

Ya ayyohalladina aamano: O ye who believe in Allah and recognized Him, the way it was worthy of Him being recognized and His Tauheed, One–ness and the perfection of His Divine Names and Attributes requisited by your imaan, faith and your irfan, Knowledge, continuously, paying close attention and in persistent application of His Zikr, remembrance…

 

Udkurullaha: Remember Him, Al Wahid, The Only One, Al Ahad, The One and Only, Al Fard, The One Single, As Samad, The One Above Everything, Al Muttasiff, characterized by the gathering of His Attributes Perfect, Al Mustaj’mi, The One who is the Possessor of His Beautiful Names which are uncountable and cannot be enumerated…

 

Dikran katheera: a remembrance abundant, comprehensively in all your times and states and be more than that in His Remembrance, so that you reach the certainty of knowledge (moving) towards a witnessing.

  

What is the Qurbani? Leaving the world

516. The Qurbani

 

لِّيَشْهَدُوا۟ مَنَـٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍۢ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ ۖ

فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْبَآئِسَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ ٢٨

 

That they may witness benefits for them, and mention (the) name (of) Allah on days known over what He has provided them of (the) beast (of) cattle.

So eat of them and feed the miserable, the poor.

 

Surah Al Hajj, Verse 28

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

And certainly, We ordered them for the Hajj and made it a duty upon them…

 

Li yashahdu mana’fa’a lahum: so that they may avail themselves of its benefits i.e. the places which being in the presence of and staying in will benefit them, a benefit for the Hereafter and We will make it easy for them the walking on the Way of Tauheed, Allah’s One-ness, with dissolution and being dissolved and (We will make it easy for them) being cut off from the debris of the world and (We will make it easy for them) to make them take off their garments of pain and troubles and (We will make it easy for them) to be sincere in the requirements of the organs and (We will make it easy for them) wearing the beautifications of taqwa, the mindfulness of Allah and (We will make it easy for them) their preparedness so that they are worthy of being presented before Al Maula, The Only Lord and (We will make it easy for them) the freedom from that which is the hurdle in reaching the Dar al Baqa, The Everlasting Abode, from wealth and children (the life of this world)…

 

Wa yadkuru: and they should remember in these places…

 

Ismallaha: the Name of Allah, Al Mushtammil, The One containing all of His Names and Attributes, Al Muhit, The Only One All Encompassing of all things like the sun encompasses all the shadows and the rays, (He is) without any formation or distribution of parts and portions, especially…

 

Fi ayyam im maloomat: in these appointed days fixed by Allah Al Muttazzir, The One who is wrapped in the Cloaks of Exaltedness and Majesty, (they should remember Allah’s Names) for gaining focus and praying and these are the (first) 10 days of Zul Hajj, and in other traditions these are the Days of Sacrifice (9th till 13th of Zul Hajj)…

 

Ala: (they should remember Allah’s Names) upon slaughtering…

 

Ma razaqahum: what Allah has given them in rizq, livelihood and made lawful for them…

 

Min baheematil anaam: of the beasts of cattle which they possess, gaining the closeness of Allah through these animals as a offering (for the Hajj) or as a sacrifice (outside of Mecca)…

 

Fakulu: so eat from what you slaughter…

 

Minha wa at’imul ba’isal faqeer: of those animals and feed the poor who are covered by the pain of hunger and they are encompassed by the intensity of starvation.

  

517. Then let them end their denial and fulfill their vows and circumabulate the Kaa’ba

 

ثُمَّ لْيَقْضُوا۟ تَفَثَهُمْ وَلْيُوفُوا۟ نُذُورَهُمْ وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا۟ بِٱلْبَيْتِ ٱلْعَتِيقِ ٢٩

 

Then let them end their prescribed duties and fulfill their vows, and circumambulate the House Ancient."

 

Surah Al Hajj, Verse 29

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Summa: Then after offering the animals of sacrifice for the Hajj (in Mecca and outside of it)…

 

Layaqdu: let them clean and remove…

 

Tafasahum: their dirt i.e. their impurities which have come upon them from the rain of possibilities and the oppression of desires and the demands of selfishness.

 

Wa: And after they cleanse the impurity of possibilities…

 

Layoufu nudoorahum: let them fulfill their vows which are their vows in the cutting off from the valley of their worldly essence and the erasure of their desires from the slaughter of the cattle of their Nafs e Ammmara, the nafs that prompts towards wrongdoing, (making them) rebellious of the Straight Path…

 

Wa: after they are purified from the dirt and fulfilled their vows…

 

Leyattawwafu: they should circumabulate, Munkhali’eena, undressed from the dress of their worldly life, Muttaajarrideena, emptying themselves from the garments of being human…

 

Bil bait il ateeq: around the Ancient House and this pillar is old since forever which is not going to be demolished and it will not break and it will not fall so these orders are for the one who desires the way of Fana’, dissolution (in Subhanahu), and Hajj Al Haqeeqi, the true Hajj and the real tawaaf, circumambulation.

   

524. So the game from sea is lawful and game of the land is forbidden in ihram – but what is the ihram and what is the Hajj…

  

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُۥ مَتَـٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ ۖ

وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًۭا ۗ

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ٩٦

 

Is made lawful for you game (of) the sea and its food (as) provision for you and for the travelers, and is made unlawful on you game (of) the land as long as you (are in) Ihram, And be conscious (of) Allah the One to Him you will be gathered.

 

Surah Al Maida, Verse 96

 

Tafseer e Jilani

 

Uhilla lakum: It is made lawful for you, Ayyohal Muhramoon, O ones in ihram…

 

Said ul bahri: the game from the sea which is born in the sea except that which your temperament dislikes…

 

Wa ta’amahu: and eating it…

 

Mata’allakum: is a provision for you, you enjoy it for free…

 

Wa: and like this…

 

Lisayyarati: it is also for your trade and taking as a gift and your using it for other purposes…

 

Wa hurrima alaykum saidul barri ma dumtum huruman: and unlawful is made upon you the hunting of animals as long as you are in ihram i.e. from the time you are in it towards its end…

 

Wattaqullaha alladi ilaihi tuhsharoon: so be mindful of Allah, O Tasaqoon, you will be

taken, O believers.

 

And upon you is that you avoid and become conscious from exposure to that which is created by Him (in the world), (so that you avoid) His Qahr, Anger and His Ghalba, Domination, in all of your states, especially when you dressed in ihram which is the Kafn ul Fana, the shroud of dissolution in reality and Al Maut al Haqeeqi, the meaningful death (which is Hajj is) for the ones who are Ulil al Baab, the people of understanding, An Nadireen, the ones who keep their eye on the crux of the commands.

 

Just like the overt death does not allow the organs and apparent sensors to remain in signs and function and instead are suspended and finished and scattered so much so that there is no expectation from it (the body) at all. Like this is the Maut al Iradi, the death of the will, which is the expression of the Hajj Al Arif, the Hajj of the one possessing Recognition of Allah.

 

It is necessary that when he becomes of the ones wearing ihram, his organs become suspended, both overt and inner, from the demands of being human and the animalistic needs (sleeping, eating, sexual desires) and from all of the bodily determinations and spirituality and the unseen and the seen and the overt and the hidden.

 

And overall (also) from all of the additions and the abundance of veils so as to reach Al Wahid Az Zaatia, the Essence of His One-ness, which (those additions and veils) are vanishing in His Essence, and everything that he imagines from shadows and reflections (are also vanishing). In this sense the Maut al Iradi, the death of the will, happens, (and it is) worse in terms of erasing and more drowning in fana’, dissolution, than the overt death because the matter of Maul al Iradi, the death of the will, ends in (complete) nothingness and controls (the person in such a state) and there is an overall total fana, dissolving, such that the person cannot understand (or recognize) his own essence at all.

 

So how can life or death interfere and how can being or absence wander in the Lordship of Allah’s Courtyard and how can the aql, the power to reflect and opinions, wander in it?

   

Continued on: www.flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/52949930840/in/datepos...

  

Oughterard show 2013

Leipziger Buchmesse 2016 / Leipzig Book Fair 2016

2016-03-19 (Saturday)

2016_026

2016#235

Sheepcloud (Laura) 739521 as Snowwhite from NoFlutter

 

Thank you for any group invites which I'd be glad to accept. However, if I can't check the content of such groups ("This group is not available to you") I'd rather not add any of my photos. Thanks for your understanding.

 

Understanding the buildings of London through drawing…

 

my instinctive way to understand a building is to draw it as I am observing it. I think it is part of my architectural background of design sketching that I draw to think…. rather than observing first and drawing second. Anyway here are a few scribbles of some iconic buildings of London.

If I haven't said before I am having a few days in London after BCN and so one might think that this is a bit of trip prep.

BTW I am loving seeing Alissa Duke's trip prep on her blog (she is also going to London as well as BCN) www.alissaduke.com/

 

However…this sketching is actually work - how cool is that… I have an exciting illustration project that I am working on at the moment and this is preparation for that. Ok…back to work.

 

Happy Monday everyone… oh! it is cold today in Sydney!

Kodak Ektar 100

FM10 @ 50mm

 

(or need)

Martin Creed

Work No. 2630 UNDERSTANDING, 2016

Red Neon, Steel

Approx dims: 21 3/5 x 50 x 2 1/8 ft / 658.6 x 1524 x 66 cm. Base 25 x 25 feet at top / 33 x 33 feet at bottom

Presented by Public Art Fund, May 4 – October 23, 2016 at Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park

Courtesy the artist, Gavin Brown’s enterprise New York/Rome, and Hauser & Wirth

Photo: Jason Wyche, Courtesy Public Art Fund, NY

© Martin Creed 2016

 

Encapsulated in its payload fairing, NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, Mars lander is transported to Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight will be the first mission to look deep beneath the Martian surface. It will study the planet's interior by measuring its heat output and listen for marsquakes. The spacecraft will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will provide a better understanding of how other rocky planets, including Earth, were created. InSight is scheduled for liftoff May 5, 2018.

Photo credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Daniel Herrera

NASA image use policy.

photographer: xergs

location: malasag cdo,Philippines

 

Living gives you a better understanding of life. I would hope that my characters have become deeper and more rounded personalities. Wider travels have given me considerably greater insight into how cultural differences affect not only people, but politics and art.

 

--Alan Dean Foster--

  

xergskenji.blogspot.com/

We had critical run with the american athlete participating in the american pavilion instalation debating about their understanding of the installation

and their opinion about the emergencies in the world

 

Critical Run @ Venice Biennale / art format Run and Debate about EMERGENCIES

 

Critical Run is an Art Format created by Thierry Geoffroy /Colonel

debate while running . Debate and Run together, Now , before it is too late.

 

The Art Format Critical Run has been activated in 40 differents countries with 112 different burning debates

CRITICAL RUN happened on invitation from institution like Moma/PS1, Moderna Muset Stockholm ,Witte de With Rotterdam. ZKM Karlsruhe, Liverpool Biennale ; Sprengel Museum etc..or have just happened on the spot because a debate was necessary here and now.

www.emergencyrooms.org/criticalrun.html

www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html

www.colonel.dk/

artist Thierry Geoffroy creates art formats

aim to develop awareness muscle

 

during Venice Biennale 2019

 

The Exhibition will develop from the Central Pavilion (Giardini) to the Arsenale, and will include 79 artists from all over the world.

 

Ralph Rugoff has declared: «May You Live in Interesting Times will no doubt include artworks that reflect upon precarious aspects of existence today, including different threats to key traditions, institutions and relationships of the “post-war order.” But let us acknowledge at the outset that art does not exercise its forces in the domain of politics. Art cannot stem the rise of nationalist movements and authoritarian governments in different parts of the world, for instance, nor can it alleviate the tragic fate of displaced peoples across the globe (whose numbers now represent almost one percent of the world’s entire population).»

 

ALBANIA

Maybe the cosmos is not so extraordinary

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture Republic of Albania. Curator: Alicia Knock.

Exhibitor: Driant Zeneli.

 

ALGERIA***

Time to shine bright

Commissioner/Curator: Hellal Mahmoud Zoubir, National Council of Arts and Letters Ministry of Culture. Exhibitors: Rachida Azdaou, Hamza Bounoua, Amina Zoubir, Mourad Krinah, Oussama Tabti.

Venue: Fondamenta S. Giuseppe, 925

 

ANDORRA

The Future is Now / El futur és ara

Commissioner: Eva Martínez, “Zoe”. Curators: Ivan Sansa, Paolo De Grandis.

Exhibitor: Philippe Shangti.

Venue: Istituto Santa Maria della Pietà, Castello 3701

 

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

Find Yourself: Carnival and Resistance

Commissioner: Daryll Matthew, Minister of Sports, Culture, National Festivals and the Arts. Curator: Barbara Paca with Nina Khrushcheva. Exhibitors: Timothy Payne, Sir Gerald Price, Joseph Seton, and Frank Walter; Intangible Cultural, Heritage Artisans and Mas Troup.

Venue: Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli, Dorsoduro 919

 

ARGENTINA

El nombre de un país / The name of a country

Commissioner: Sergio Alberto Baur Ambasciatore. Curator: Florencia Battiti. Exhibitor: Mariana Telleria.

Venue: Arsenale

 

ARMENIA (Republic of)

Revolutionary Sensorium

Commissioner: Nazenie Garibian, Deputy Minister. Curator: Susanna Gyulamiryan.

Exhibitors: "ArtlabYerevan" Artistic Group (Gagik Charchyan, Hovhannes Margaryan, Arthur Petrosyan, Vardan Jaloyan) and Narine Arakelian.

Venue: Palazzo Zenobio – Collegio Armeno Moorat-Raphael, Dorsoduro 2596

 

AUSTRALIA

ASSEMBLY

Commissioner: Australia Council for the Arts. Curator: Juliana Engberg. Exhibitor: Angelica Mesiti.

Venue: Giardini

 

AUSTRIA

Discordo Ergo Sum

Commissioner: Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria.

Curator: Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein. Exhibitor: Renate Bertlmann.

Venue: Giardini

 

AZERBAIJAN (Republic of )

Virtual Reality

Commissioner: Mammad Ahmadzada, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Curators: Gianni Mercurio, Emin Mammadov. Exhibitors: Zeigam Azizov, Orkhan Mammadov, Zarnishan Yusifova, Kanan Aliyev, Ulviyya Aliyeva.

Venue: Palazzo Lezze, Campo S. Stefano, San Marco 2949

 

BANGLADESH (People’s Republic of)

Thirst

Commissioner: Liaquat Ali Lucky. Curators: Mokhlesur Rahman, Viviana Vannucci.

Exhibitors: Bishwajit Goswami, Dilara Begum Jolly, Heidi Fosli, Nafis Ahmed Gazi, Franco Marrocco, Domenico Pellegrino, Preema Nazia Andaleeb, Ra Kajol, Uttam Kumar karmaker.

Venue: Palazzo Zenobio – Collegio Armeno Moorat-Raphael, Dorsoduro 2596

 

BELARUS (Republic of)

Exit / Uscita

Commissioner: Siarhey Kryshtapovich. Curator: Olga Rybchinskaya. Exhibitor: Konstantin Selikhanov.

Venue: Spazio Liquido, Sestiere Castello 103, Salizada Streta

 

BELGIUM

Mondo Cane

Commissioner: Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Curator: Anne-Claire Schmitz.

Exhibitor: Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys.

Venue: Giardini

 

BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA

ZENICA-TRILOGY

Commissioner: Senka Ibrišimbegović, Ars Aevi Museum for Contemporary Art Sarajevo.

Curators: Anja Bogojević, Amila Puzić, Claudia Zini. Exhibitor: Danica Dakić.

Venue: Palazzo Francesco Molon Ca’ Bernardo, San Polo 2184/A

 

BRAZIL

Swinguerra

Commissioner: José Olympio da Veiga Pereira, Fundação Bienal de São Paulo.

Curator: Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro. Exhibitor: Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca.

Venue: Giardini

 

BULGARIA

How We Live

Commissioner: Iaroslava Boubnova, National Gallery in Sofia. Curator: Vera Mlechevska.

Exhibitors: Rada Boukova , Lazar Lyutakov.

Venue: Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, San Marco 2893

 

CANADA

ISUMA

Commissioner: National Gallery of Canada. Curators: Asinnajaq, Catherine Crowston, Josée Drouin-Brisebois, Barbara Fischer, Candice Hopkins. Exhibitors: Isuma (Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn, Paul Apak, Pauloosie Qulitalik).

Venue: Giardini

 

CHILE

Altered Views

Commissioner: Varinia Brodsky, Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage.

Curator: Agustín Pérez. Rubio. Exhibitor: Voluspa Jarpa.

Venue: Arsenale

 

CHINA (People’s Republic of)

Re-睿

Commissioner: China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. (CAEG).

Curator: Wu Hongliang. Exhibitors: Chen Qi, Fei Jun, He Xiangyu, Geng Xue.

Venue: Arsenale

 

CROATIA

Traces of Disappearing (In Three Acts)

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. Curator: Katerina Gregos.

Exhibitor: Igor Grubić.

Venue: Calle Corner, Santa Croce 2258

 

CUBA

Entorno aleccionador (A Cautionary Environment)

Commissioner: Norma Rodríguez Derivet, Consejo Nacional de Artes Plásticas.

Curator: Margarita Sanchez Prieto. Exhibitors: Alejandro Campins, Alex Hérnandez, Ariamna Contino and Eugenio Tibaldi. Venue: Isola di San Servolo

 

CYPRUS (Republic of)

Christoforos Savva: Untimely, Again

Commissioner: Louli Michaelidou. Curator: Jacopo Crivelli Visconti. Exhibitor: Christoforos Savva.

Venue: Associazione Culturale Spiazzi, Castello 3865

 

CZECH (Republic) and SLOVAK (Republic)

Stanislav Kolíbal. Former Uncertain Indicated

Commissioner: Adam Budak, National Gallery Prague. Curator: Dieter Bogner.

Exhibitor: Stanislav Kolibal.

Venue: Giardini

 

DOMINICAN (Republic) *

Naturaleza y biodiversidad en la República Dominicana

Commissioner: Eduardo Selman, Minister of Culture. Curators: Marianne de Tolentino, Simone Pieralice, Giovanni Verza. Exhibitors: Dario Oleaga, Ezequiel Taveras, Hulda Guzmán, Julio Valdez, Miguel Ramirez, Rita Bertrecchi, Nicola Pica, Marraffa & Casciotti.

Venue: Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, Cannaregio 4118 – Sala della Pace

 

EGYPT

khnum across times witness

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture. Curator: Ahmed Chiha.

Exhibitors: Islam Abdullah, Ahmed Chiha, Ahmed Abdel Karim.

Venue: Giardini

 

ESTONIA

Birth V

Commissioner: Maria Arusoo, Centre of Contemporary Arts of Estonia. Curators: Andrew Berardini, Irene Campolmi, Sarah Lucas, Tamara Luuk. Exhibitor: Kris Lemsalu.

Venue: c/o Legno & Legno, Giudecca 211

 

FINLAND (Alvar Aalto Pavilion)

A Greater Miracle of Perception

Commissioner: Raija Koli, Director Frame Contemporary Art Finland.

Curators: Giovanna Esposito Yussif, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Christopher Wessels. Exhibitors: Miracle Workers Collective (Maryan Abdulkarim, Khadar Ahmed, Hassan Blasim, Giovanna Esposito Yussif, Sonya Lindfors, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Outi Pieski, Leena Pukki, Lorenzo Sandoval, Martta Tuomaala, Christopher L. Thomas, Christopher Wessels, Suvi West).

Venue: Giardini

 

FRANCE

Deep see blue surrounding you / Vois ce bleu profond te fondre

Commissioner: Institut français with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. Curator: Martha Kirszenbaum. Exhibitor: Laure Prouvost.

Venue: Giardini

 

GEORGIA

REARMIRRORVIEW, Simulation is Simulation, is Simulation, is Simulation

Commissioner: Ana Riaboshenko. Curator: Margot Norton. Exhibitor: Anna K.E.

Venue: Arsenale

 

GERMANY

Commissioner: ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office, Germany. Curator: Franciska Zólyom. Exhibitor: Natascha Süder Happelmann.

Venue: Giardini

 

GHANA ***

Ghana Freedom

Commissioner: Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Curator: Nana Oforiatta Ayim.

Exhibitors: Felicia Abban, John Akomfrah, El Anatsui, Lynette Yiadom Boakye, Ibrahim Mahama, Selasi Awusi Sosu.

Venue: Arsenale

 

GREAT BRITAIN

Cathy Wilkes

Commissioner: Emma Dexter. Curator: Zoe Whitley. Exhibitor: Cathy Wilkes.

Venue: Giardini

 

GREECE

Mr Stigl

Commissioner: Syrago Tsiara (Deputy Director of the Contemporary Art Museum - Metropolitan Organization of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki - MOMus).

Curator: Katerina Tselou. Exhibitors: Panos Charalambous, Eva Stefani, Zafos Xagoraris.

Venue: Giardini

 

GRENADA

Epic Memory

Commissioner: Susan Mains. Curator: Daniele Radini Tedeschi.

Exhibitors: Amy Cannestra, Billy Gerard Frank, Dave Lewis, Shervone Neckles, Franco Rota Candiani, Roberto Miniati, CRS avant-garde.

Venue: Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello (first floor), Cannaregio 4118

 

GUATEMALA

Interesting State

Commissioner: Elder de Jesús Súchite Vargas, Minister of Culture and Sports of Guatemala. Curator: Stefania Pieralice. Exhibitors: Elsie Wunderlich, Marco Manzo.

Venue: Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello (first floor), Cannaregio 4118

 

HAITI

THE SPECTACLE OF TRAGEDY

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture and Communication.

Curator: Giscard Bouchotte. Exhibitor: Jean Ulrick Désert.

Venue: Circolo Ufficiali Marina, Calle Seconda de la Fava, Castello 2168

 

HUNGARY

Imaginary Cameras

Commissioner: Julia Fabényi, Museo Ludwig – Museo d’arte contemporanea, Budapest.

Curator: Zsuzsanna Szegedy-Maszák. Exhibitor: Tamás Waliczky.

Venue: Giardini

 

ICELAND

Chromo Sapiens – Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter

Commissioner: Eiríkur Þorláksson, Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

Curator: Birta Gudjónsdóttir. Exhibitor: Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter.

Venue: Spazio Punch, Giudecca 800

 

INDIA

Our time for a future caring

Commissioner: Adwaita Gadanayak National Gallery of Modern Art.

Curator: Roobina Karode, Director & Chief Curator, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Exhibitors: Atul Dodiya, Ashim Purkayastha, GR Iranna, Jitish Kallat, Nandalal Bose, Rummana Hussain, Shakuntala Kulkarni.

Venue: Arsenale

 

INDONESIA

Lost Verses

Commissioner: Ricky Pesik & Diana Nazir, Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy.

Curator: Asmudjo Jono Irianto. Exhibitors: Handiwirman Saputra and Syagini Ratna Wulan.

Venue: Arsenale

 

IRAN (Islamic Republic of)

of being and singing

Commissioner: Hadi Mozafari, General Manager of Visual Arts Administration of Islamic Republic of Iran. Curator: Ali Bakhtiari.

Exhibitors: Reza Lavassani, Samira Alikhanzadeh, Ali Meer Azimi.

Venue: Fondaco Marcello, San Marco 3415

 

IRAQ

Fatherland

Commissioner: Fondazione Ruya. Curators: Tamara Chalabi, Paolo Colombo.

Exhibitor: Serwan Baran.

Venue: Ca’ del Duca, Corte del Duca Sforza, San Marco 3052

 

IRELAND

The Shrinking Universe

Commissioner: Culture Ireland. Curator: Mary Cremin. Exhibitor: Eva Rothschild.

Venue: Arsenale

 

ISRAEL

Field Hospital X

Commissioner: Michael Gov, Arad Turgeman. Curator: Avi Lubin. Exhibitor: Aya Ben Ron.

Venue: Giardini

 

ITALY

Commissioner: Federica Galloni, Direttore Generale Arte e Architettura Contemporanee e Periferie Urbane, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali. Curator: Milovan Farronato.

Exhibitors: Enrico David, Liliana Moro, Chiara Fumai.

Venue: Padiglione Italia, Tese delle Vergini, Arsenale

 

IVORY COAST

The Open Shadows of Memory

Commissioner: Henri Nkoumo. Curator: Massimo Scaringella. Exhibitors: Ernest Dükü, Ananias Leki Dago, Valérie Oka, Tong Yanrunan.

Venue: Castello Gallery, Castello 1636/A

 

JAPAN

Cosmo-Eggs

Commissioner: The Japan Foundation. Curator: Hiroyuki Hattori. Exhibitors: Motoyuki Shitamichi, Taro Yasuno, Toshiaki Ishikura, Fuminori Nousaku.

Venue: Giardini

 

KIRIBATI

Pacific Time - Time Flies

Commissioner: Pelea Tehumu, Ministry of Internal Affairs. Curators: Kautu Tabaka, Nina Tepes. Exhibitors: Kaeka Michael Betero, Daniela Danica Tepes, Kairaken Betio Group; Teroloang Borouea, Neneia Takoikoi, Tineta Timirau, Teeti Aaloa, Kenneth Ioane, Kaumai Kaoma, Runita Rabwaa, Obeta Taia, Tiribo Kobaua, Tamuera Tebebe, Rairauea Rue, Teuea Kabunare, Tokintekai Ekentetake, Katanuti Francis, Mikaere Tebwebwe, Terita Itinikarawa, Kaeua Kobaua, Raatu Tiuteke, Kaeriti Baanga, Ioanna Francis, Temarewe Banaan, Aanamaria Toom, Einako Temewi, Nimei Itinikarawa, Teniteiti Mikaere, Aanibo Bwatanita, Arin Tikiraua.

Venue: European Cultural Centre, Palazzo Mora, Strada Nuova 3659

 

KOREA (Republic of)

History Has Failed Us, but No Matter

Commissioner: Arts Council Korea. Curator: Hyunjin Kim. Exhibitors: Hwayeon Nam, siren eun young jung, Jane Jin Kaisen.

Venue: Giardini

 

KOSOVO (Republic of)

Family Album

Commissioner: Arta Agani. Curator: Vincent Honore. Exhibitor: Alban Muja.

Venue: Arsenale

 

LATVIA

Saules Suns

Commissioner: Dace Vilsone. Curators: Valentinas Klimašauskas, Inga Lāce.

Exhibitor: Daiga Grantiņa.

Venue: Arsenale

 

LITHUANIA

Sun & Sea (Marina)

Commissioner: Rasa Antanavičıūte. Curator: Lucia Pietroiusti.

Exhibitors: Lina Lapelyte, Vaiva Grainyte and Rugile Barzdziukaite.

Venue: Magazzino No. 42, Marina Militare, Arsenale di Venezia, Fondamenta Case Nuove 2738c

 

LUXEMBOURG (Grand Duchy of)

Written by Water

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture of Luxembourg.

Curator: Kevin Muhlen. Exhibitor: Marco Godinho.

Venue: Arsenale

 

NORTH MACEDONIA (Republic of )

Subversion to Red

Commissioner: Mira Gakina. Curator: Jovanka Popova. Exhibitor: Nada Prlja.

Venue: Palazzo Rota Ivancich, Castello 4421

 

MADAGASCAR ***

I have forgotten the night

Commissioner: Ministry of Communication and Culture of the Republic of Madagascar. Curators: Rina Ralay Ranaivo, Emmanuel Daydé.

Exhibitor: Joël Andrianomearisoa.

Venue: Arsenale

 

MALAYSIA ***

Holding Up a Mirror

Commissioner: Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Najib Dawa, Director General of Balai Seni Negara (National Art Gallery of Malaysia), Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia. Curator: Lim Wei-Ling. Exhibitors: Anurendra Jegadeva, H.H.Lim, Ivan Lam, Zulkifli Yusoff.

Venue: Palazzo Malipiero, San Marco 3198

 

MALTA

Maleth / Haven / Port - Heterotopias of Evocation

Commissioner: Arts Council Malta. Curator: Hesperia Iliadou Suppiej. Exhibitors: Vince Briffa, Klitsa Antoniou, Trevor Borg.

Venue: Arsenale

 

MEXICO

Actos de Dios / Acts of God

Commissioner: Gabriela Gil Verenzuela. Curator: Magalí Arriola. Exhibitor: Pablo Vargas Lugo.

Venue: Arsenale

 

MONGOLIA

A Temporality

Commissioner: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports of Mongolia.

Curator: Gantuya Badamgarav. Exhibitor: Jantsankhorol Erdenebayar with the participation of traditional Mongolian throat singers and Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto).

Venue: Bruchium Fermentum, Calle del Forno, Castello 2093-2090

 

MONTENEGRO

Odiseja / An Odyssey

Commissioner: Nenad Šoškić. Curator: Petrica Duletić. Exhibitor: Vesko Gagović.

Venue: Palazzo Malipiero (piano terra), San Marco 3078-3079/A, Ramo Malipiero

 

MOZAMBIQUE (Republic of)

The Past, the Present and The in Between

Commissioner: Domingos do Rosário Artur. Curator: Lidija K. Khachatourian.

Exhibitors: Gonçalo Mabunda, Mauro Pinto, Filipe Branquinho.

Venue: Palazzo Mora, Strada Nova, 3659

 

NETHERLANDS (The)

The Measurement of Presence

Commissioner: Mondriaan Fund. Curator: Benno Tempel. Exhibitors: Iris Kensmil, Remy Jungerman. Venue: Giardini

 

NEW ZEALAND

Post hoc

Commissioner: Dame Jenny Gibbs. Curators: Zara Stanhope and Chris Sharp.

Exhibitor: Dane Mitchell.

Venue: Palazzina Canonica, Riva Sette Martiri

 

NORDIC COUNTRIES (FINLAND - NORWAY - SWEDEN)

Weather Report: Forecasting Future

Commissioner: Leevi Haapala / Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma / Finnish National Gallery, Katya García-Antón / Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA), Ann-Sofi Noring / Moderna Museet. Curators: Leevi Haapala, Piia Oksanen. Exhibitors: Ane Graff, Ingela Ihrman, nabbteeri.

Venue: Giardini

 

PAKISTAN ***

Manora Field Notes

Commissioner: Syed Jamal Shah, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, PNCA.

Curator: Zahra Khan. Exhibitor: Naiza Khan.

Venue: Tanarte, Castello 2109/A and Spazio Tana, Castello 2110-2111

 

PERU

“Indios Antropófagos”. A butterfly Garden in the (Urban) Jungle

Commissioner: Armando Andrade de Lucio. Curator: Gustavo Buntinx. Exhibitors: Christian Bendayán, Otto Michael (1859-1934), Manuel Rodríguez Lira (1874-1933), Segundo Candiño Rodríguez, Anonymous popular artificer.

Venue: Arsenale

 

PHILIPPINES

Island Weather

Commissioner: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) / Virgilio S. Almario.

Curator: Tessa Maria T. Guazon. Exhibitor: Mark O. Justiniani.

Venue: Arsenale

 

POLAND

Flight

Commissioner: Hanna Wroblewska. Curators: Łukasz Mojsak, Łukasz Ronduda.

Exhibitor: Roman Stańczak.

Venue: Giardini

 

PORTUGAL

a seam, a surface, a hinge or a knot

Commissioner: Directorate-General for the Arts. Curator: João Ribas. Exhibitor: Leonor Antunes.

Venue: Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi Onlus, Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, San Marco 2893

 

ROMANIA

Unfinished Conversations on the Weight of Absence

Commissioner: Attila Kim. Curator: Cristian Nae. Exhibitor: Belu-Simion Făinaru, Dan Mihălțianu, Miklós Onucsán.

Venues: Giardini and New Gallery of the Romanian Institute for Culture and Humanistic Research (Campo Santa Fosca, Palazzo Correr, Cannaregio 2214)

 

RUSSIA

Lc 15:11-32

Commissioner: Semyon Mikhailovsky. Curator: Mikhail Piotrovsky. Exhibitors: Alexander Sokurov, Alexander Shishkin-Hokusai.

Venue: Giardini

 

SAN MARINO (Republic of)

Friendship Project International

Commissioner: Vito Giuseppe Testaj. Curator: Vincenzo Sanfo. Exhibitors: Gisella Battistini, Martina Conti, Gabriele Gambuti, Giovanna Fra, Thea Tini, Chen Chengwei, Li Geng, Dario Ortiz, Tang Shuangning, Jens W. Beyrich, Xing Junqin, Xu de Qi, Sebastián.

Venue: Palazzo Bollani, Castello 3647; Complesso dell’Ospedaletto, Castello 6691

 

SAUDI ARABIA

After Illusion بعد توهم

Commissioner: Misk Art Insitute. Curator: Eiman Elgibreen. Exhibitor: Zahrah Al Ghamdi.

Venue: Arsenale

 

SERBIA

Regaining Memory Loss

Commissioner: Vladislav Scepanovic. Curator: Nicoletta Lambertucci. Exhibitor: Djordje Ozbolt.

Venue: Giardini

 

SEYCHELLES (Republic of)

Drift

Commissioner: Galen Bresson. Curator: Martin Kennedy.

Exhibitors: George Camille and Daniel Dodin.

Venue: Palazzo Mora, Strada Nova, 3659

 

SINGAPORE

Music For Everyone: Variations on a Theme

Commissioner: Rosa Daniel, Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council (NAC).

Curator: Michelle Ho. Exhibitor: Song-Ming Ang.

Venue: Arsenale

 

SLOVENIA (Republic of)

Here we go again... SYSTEM 317

A situation of the resolution series

Commissioner: Zdenka Badovinac, Director Moderna galerija / Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana. Curator: Igor Španjol. Exhibitor: Marko Peljhan.

Venue: Arsenale

 

SOUTH AFRICA (Republic of)

The stronger we become

Commissioner: Titi Nxumalo, Console Generale. Curators: Nkule Mabaso, Nomusa Makhubu. Exhibitors: Dineo Seshee Bopape, Tracey Rose, Mawande Ka Zenzile.

Venue: Arsenale

 

SPAIN

Perforated by Itziar Okariz and Sergio Prego

Commissioner: AECID Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional Para El Desarrollo. Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Union Europea y Cooperacion. Curator: Peio Aguirre.

Exhibitors: Itziar Okariz, Sergio Prego.

Venue: Giardini

 

SWITZERLAND

Moving Backwards

Commissioner: Swiss Arts Council Pro-Helvetia: Marianne Burki, Sandi Paucic, Rachele Giudici Legittimo. Curator: Charlotte Laubard. Exhibitors: Pauline Boudry/Renate Lorenz.

Venue: Giardini

 

SYRIAN ARAB (Republic)

Syrian Civilization is still alive

Commissioner/Curator: Emad Kashout. Exhibitors: Abdalah Abouassali, Giacomo Braglia, Ibrahim Al Hamid, Chen Huasha, Saed Salloum, Xie Tian, Saad Yagan, Primo Vanadia, Giuseppe Biasio.

Venue: Isola di San Servolo; Chiesetta della Misericordia, Campo dell'Abbazia, Cannaregio

 

THAILAND

The Revolving World

Commissioner: Vimolluck Chuchat, Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Thailand. Curator: Tawatchai Somkong. Exhibitors: Somsak Chowtadapong, Panya Vijinthanasarn, Krit Ngamsom.

Venue: In Paradiso 1260, Castello

 

TURKEY

We, Elsewhere

Commissioner: IKSV. Curator: Zeynep Öz. Exhibitor: İnci Eviner.

Venue: Arsenale

 

UKRAINE

The Shadow of Dream cast upon Giardini della Biennale

Commissioner: Svitlana Fomenko, First Deputy Minister of Culture. Curators: Open group (Yurii Biley, Pavlo Kovach, Stanislav Turina, Anton Varga). Exhibitors: all artists of Ukraine.

Venue: Arsenale

 

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Nujoom Alghanem: Passage

Commissioner: Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation.

Curators: Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. Exhibitor: Nujoom Alghanem.

Venue: Arsenale

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Martin Puryear: Liberty

Commissioner/Curator: Brooke Kamin Rapaport. Exhibitor: Martin Puryear.

Venue: Giardini

 

URUGUAY

“La casa empática”

Commissioner: Alejandro Denes. Curators: David Armengol, Patricia Bentancur.

Exhibitor: Yamandú Canosa.

Venue: Giardini

 

VENEZUELA (Bolivarian Republic of)

Metaphore of three windows

Venezuela: identity in time and space

Commissioner/Curator: Oscar Sottillo Meneses. Exhibitors: Natalie Rocha Capiello, Ricardo García, Gabriel López, Nelson Rangelosky.

Venue: Giardini

 

ZIMBABWE (Republic of)

Soko Risina Musoro (The Tale without a Head)

Commissioner: Doreen Sibanda, National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Curator: Raphael Chikukwa. Exhibitors: Georgina Maxim, Neville Starling , Cosmas Shiridzinomwa, Kudzanai Violet Hwami.

Venue: Istituto Provinciale per L’infanzia “Santa Maria Della Pietà”. Calle della Pietà Castello n. 3701 (ground floor)

 

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invited artist :

Lawrence Abu Hamdan (Jordan / Beirut)

Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Nigeria / USA),Halil Altındere (Turkey),Michael Armitage (Kenya / UK),Korakrit Arunanondchai (Thailand / USA),Alex Gvojic (USA),Ed Atkins (UK / Germany / Denmark),Tarek Atoui (Lebanon / France),

Darren Bader (USA),Nairy Baghramian (Iran / Germany,

Neïl Beloufa (France),Alexandra Bircken (Germany),Carol Bove (Switzerland / USA,

Christoph Büchel (Switzerland / Iceland,

Ludovica Carbotta (Italy / Barcelona),Antoine Catala (France / USA),Ian Cheng (USA),George Condo (USA

Alex Da Corte (USA),Jesse Darling (UK / Germany),Stan Douglas (Canada),Jimmie Durham (USA / Germany),Nicole Eisenman (France / USA,

Haris Epaminonda (Cyprus / Germany),Lara Favaretto (Italy),Cyprien Gaillard (France / Germany), Gill (India),Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster (France),Shilpa Gupta (India),Soham Gupta (India),Martine Gutierrez (USA),Rula Halawani (Palestine),Anthea Hamilton (UK),Jeppe Hein (Denmark / Germany),Anthony Hernandez (USA),Ryoji Ikeda (Japan / France),Arthur Jafa (USA),Cameron Jamie (USA / France / Germany),Kahlil Joseph (USA),Zhanna Kadyrova (Ukraine),Suki Seokyeong Kang (South Korea),Mari Katayama (Japan),Lee Bul (South Korea),Liu Wei (China),Maria Loboda (Poland / Germany),Andreas Lolis (Albania / Greece),Christian Marclay (USA / London),Teresa Margolles (Mexico / Spain),Julie Mehretu (Ethiopia / USA),Ad Minoliti (Argentina),Jean-Luc Moulène (France),Zanele Muholi (South Africa),Jill Mulleady (Uruguay / USA),Ulrike Müller (Austria / USA),Nabuqi (China),Otobong Nkanga (Nigeria / Belgium),Khyentse Norbu (Bhutan / India),Frida Orupabo (Norway),Jon Rafman (Canada).Gabriel Rico (Mexico),Handiwirman Saputra (Indonesia),Tomás Saraceno (Argentina / Germany),Augustas Serapinas (Lithuania),Avery Singer (USA),Slavs and Tatars (Germany),Michael E. Smith (USA),Hito Steyerl (Germany),Tavares Strachan (Bahamas / USA),Sun Yuan and Peng Yu (China),Henry Taylor (USA),Rosemarie Trockel (Germany),Kaari Upson (USA),Andra Ursuţa (Romania),Danh Vō (Vietnam / Mexico),Kemang Wa Lehulere (South Africa),Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand) and Tsuyoshi Hisakado (Japan),Margaret Wertheim and Christine Wertheim (Australia / USA) ,Anicka Yi (South Korea/ USA),Yin Xiuzhen (China),Yu Ji (China / Austria)

  

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other Biennale :(Biennials ) :Venice Biennial , Documenta Havana Biennial,Istanbul Biennial ( Istanbuli),Biennale de Lyon ,Dak'Art Berlin Biennial,Mercosul Visual Arts Biennial ,Bienal do Mercosul Porto Alegre.,Berlin Biennial ,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial .Yokohama Triennial Aichi Triennale,manifesta ,Copenhagen Biennale,Aichi Triennale

Yokohama Triennial,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial.Sharjah Biennial ,Biennale of Sydney, Liverpool , São Paulo Biennial ; Athens Biennale , Bienal do Mercosul ,Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art

  

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Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel

  

I am certain that most news-hungry people in this country, especially the younger generation, are keen to gather whatever possible information on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and its affiliated bodies in view of the forthcoming CHOGM scheduled to be held in November 2013. Hence I wish to describe briefly the significance of the role played by the Commonwealth and its affiliated bodies in the philosophy of the Commonwealth.

 

The forthcoming CHOGM is said to be the biggest such event to be held in Sri Lanka after the Non-Aligned Conference in 1976. Such statements cannot be challenged.

 

However, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) cannot be compared to the CHOGM. The NAM came into existence as a result of the then ongoing Cold War between the two world powers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union and the countries respectively aligned to the two world powers.

 

CHOGM Summit in Perth, Australia

 

The Non-Aligned Movement was not established as a formal organisation, but became the name to refer to the participants of the Conference of Heads of State or Head of Government of Non-Aligned Countries first held in 1961. Former Indian Prime Minister the late Sri Jawharalal Nehru played a prominent role in the NAM. The NAM has a political flavour and has no headquarters of its own.

 

The Commonwealth is not a political movement. It is an association of 54 independent countries, almost all of which were former British Colonies. The Commonwealth concept can be considered as more important to the member nations than the NAM.

 

The Commonwealth is an association of sovereign nations which support one another and work together towards international goals. It is also a family of peoples. With their common heritage in

 

language, culture, law, education and democratic traditions,among other things, Commonwealth countries are able to work together in an atmosphere of greater trust and understanding than what generally prevails among nations.

 

The Commonwealth is often described as a ‘family’ of nations and People. The sense of family is most apparent in the wide network of societies, institutions, associations, organisations, funds and charities which support the Commonwealth.

 

This network links people of different nations, cultures, faces and economic levels, enabling engineers of nurses from different societies to explore and learn from their different yet related experience.

 

The Commonwealth Secretariat or the main head-quarters is located in London while the various affiliated professional institutions are located in London as well as other major capitals of Commonwealth nations.

 

The following 83 affiliated organisations are functioning with the professional entities and corporative bodies to improve knowledge and capacity building process.

 

* Association of Commonwealth Archivists and Records Managers (ACARM) established in 1984 and located in London

 

* Association of Commonwealth Amnesty International section (ACAIS) established 2001, located in New Zealand

 

* Association of Commonwealth Examination and Accreditation Bodies (ACEAB) established in 1996 and located in Cambridge UK

 

* Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS) established in 1964 and located in Hyderabad, India

 

* Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) established in 1913 and located in London

 

* British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) established in 1989 and located in London. Bristol UK.

 

* Commonwealth Association of Indigenous Peoples (CAIP) Established in 1999 and located in Queensland, Australia

 

* Commonwealth Association for Mental Handicap and Developmental Disabilities (CAMHADD) established in 1983 and located in Sheffield, UK

 

* Commonwealth Association of Museums, established in 1974 and Located in Calgary, Canada

 

* Commonwealth Association for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (CAPGAN) established in 1994 and located in Oxford, UK

 

* Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) established in 1973 and located in London

 

* Commonwealth Association of Professional Centres, established in 1996 and located in New South Wales, Australia

 

* Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) established in 1994 and located in Toronto, Canada

 

* Commonwealth Association of Public Sector Lawyers, established in 1996 and located in New South Wales, Australia

 

* Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Educators (CASTME) established in 1974 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) established in 1969 and located in Bristol, UK

 

* Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) established in 1978 and located in London

 

* Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) established in 1945 and located in London

 

* Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) established in 1997 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Centre for Electronic Governance (CCEG) established in 2000 and located in Ontario, Canada

 

* Commonwealth Consortium for Education (CCfE) established in 1997 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and

 

Management (CCEAM) established in 1970 and located in Auckland, New Zealand

 

* Commonwealth Countries’ League (CCL) established in 1925 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Countries’ League Education Fund, established in 1967 and located in Kent, UK

 

* Commonwealth Dental Association (CDA) established in 1991 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Education Trust, established in 1883 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Engineers Council (CEC) established in 1946 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA) established in 1921 and located in Oxfordshire, UK

 

* Commonwealth Forum for Project Management (CFPM) established in 1997 and located in Monmouth, UK

 

* Commonwealth Foundation established in 1966 and located in London, UK.

 

* Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) established in 1978 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Geographical Bureau (CGB) established in 1968 and Located in Rondebosch, South Africa

 

* Commonwealth Group of Family Planning Associations, established in 1952 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association, established in 1984 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Historians Society, established in 1989 and located in New Delhi, India

 

* Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC) established in 1969 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), established in 1987 and located in New Delhi, India

 

* Commonwealth Institute, established in 1888 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Jewish Council and Trust, established in 1982 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) established in 1978 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute (CJEI) established in 1998 and located in Nova Scotia, Canada

 

* Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) established in 1983 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth of Learning (COL) established in 1987 and located in Vancouver, Canada

 

* Commonwealth Legal Advisory Service (CLAS) established in 1962 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) established in 1971 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Library Association (COMLA) established in 1972 and located in Kingston, Jamaica

 

* Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) established in 1995 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA) established in 1970 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Media Development Fund (CMDF) established in 1979 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA) established in 1962 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Medical Trust (Commit) established in 1995 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT) established in 1995 and located in Bajda, Malta

 

* Commonwealth Nurses Federation established in 1972 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Organization for Social Work (COSW) established in 1911 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) established in 1983 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management (CPTM) established in 1995 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association (CPA) established in 1970 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (CPSU) established in 1999 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) established in 1950 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Relations Trust established in 1937 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) established in 1959 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) established in 1967 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Universities Study Abroad Consortium (CUSAC) established in 1963 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA) established in 1967 and located in Bangalore, India

 

* Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) established in 1917 and located in London, UK

 

* Commonwealth Women's Network (CWN) established in 1991 and located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

 

* Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (CYEC) established in 1970 and located in London, UK

 

* Conference of Commonwealth Auditors-General, established in 1951 and located in Putrajaya, Malaysia

 

* Conference of Commonwealth Meteorologists (CCM) established in 2003 and located in London, UK

 

* Council for Education in the Commonwealth (CEC) established in 1959 and located in London, UK

 

* English-Speaking Union (ESU) established in 1918 and located in London, UK.

 

* Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICS) established in 1949 and located in London, UK

 

* League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT) established in 2007 and located in London, UK

 

* Organization of Commonwealth United Nations Associations (OCUNA) established in 1980 and located in London, UK

 

* The Round Table: Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs (CJIA) established in 1910 and located in London, UK

 

* Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth (RASC) established in 1957 and located in London, UK

 

* Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) established in 1921 and located in London, UK

 

* Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) established in 1968 and located in London, UK

 

* Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) established in 1910 and located in London, UK

 

* Sight Savers International (RCSB) established in 1950 and located in London, UK

 

* So optimist International Commonwealth Group (SICG) established in 1998 and located in London, UK

 

* Sound Seekers (Commonwealth Society for the Deaf)) established in 1959 and located in London, UK

 

* Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship (VLCF) established in 1901 and located in London, UK

 

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was founded in 1911 as the Empire Parliamentary Association. Evolving with the Commonwealth, the CPA adopted its present name in 1948. The Association is composed of branches formed in legislatures in Commonwealth countries, which subscribe to parliamentary democracy. Currently, the Association's parliamentary members of national, State, provincial and territorial parliaments stand at 164.

 

The Parliament of Sri Lanka has a branch of CPA, comprising all party representations. The CPA mission is to promote knowledge and understanding about parliamentary democracy with particular reference to Commonwealth countries, and further co-operation and consultation between Commonwealth parliaments. The CPA achieves its mission through the following activities: Conferences, seminars, workshops and training events, publications, providing information and Parliamentary visits.

 

The President of Sri Lankan Mahinda Rajapaksa officially inaugurated the 58th Parliamentary Conference (CPA) - Annual Conference - in Colombo on September 11, 2012. The Conference was held during the period September 7-15, 2012 with the participation of 800 Members of Parliaments including speakers representing 179 regions of 54 Commonwealth countries. The Sri Lankan Government had hosted the Annual CPA Conference in Colombo twice before, in 1974 and 1995.

Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies

 

The Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (ACLALS) was established to promote and coordinate Commonwealth Literature Studies, organise seminars and workshops, arrange lectures by writers and scholars, publish a newsletter about activities in the field of Commonwealth literature and hold a conference triennially. The last conference took place in St. Lucia, West Indies from August 5-9.

 

The Sri Lankan Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (SLACLALS) is headed by Prof. Ashley Halpe. The Sri Lanka Association for Commonwealth Literature and ACLALS were started in 1964 with a conference at the University of Leeds and was officially accredited to the Commonwealth in 2005.

 

The Sri Lanka branch of ACLALS, SLACLALS was created in the late 1970s under the guidance of Ashley Halpe who was Professor in English at the University of Ceylon at the time. The aims of SLACLALS are to encourage the study of and research into Commonwealth Literature and language with special reference to Sri Lanka and to support creative writing in English. SLACLALS had held several conferences and seminars over the years in Peradeniya, Colombo, Kandy and Sabaragamuwa.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities

 

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)is governed by its member institutions through an elected council. As the ACU is a UK-registered charity, Council members also act as its trustees. The ACU Council comprises up to 23 members: 20 elected Council members, up to two co-opted Council members and, if the Honorary Treasurer is co-opted rather than elected, the Honorary Treasurer.

Commonwealth Association of Architects

 

The Commonwealth Association of Architects [CAA] is a membership organisation for professional bodies representing architects in Commonwealth countries. Formed in 1965 to promote co-operation for ‘the advancement of architecture in the Commonwealth’ and particularly to share and increase architectural knowledge, it currently has 34 members.

Commonwealth Broadcasting Association

 

The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth, founded in 1945. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 members and affiliates from 53 countries.

 

The stated goal of the CBA is to promote best practices in public service broadcasting and to foster freedom of expression. It also serves to provide support and assistance to its members through training, bursaries, consultancies, networking opportunities and materials for broadcast. Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation and the Capital Maharaja Organization Limited are Sri Lankan members.

Commonwealth Business Council

 

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) is an institution of the Commonwealth family that aims to use the global network of the Commonwealth of Nations more effectively for the promotion of global trade and investment for shared prosperity. It was formed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in CHOGM 1997, in Edinburgh, United

Kingdom.

Commonwealth Dental Association

 

The Sri Lankan Dental Association bears the membership of the Commonwealth Dental Association (CDA). The CDA represents over half a million dentists who practice in Commonwealth countries across the World.

 

The Association aims to improve dental and oral health in the Commonwealth. It aims to develop and promote strategies to improve oral health care; to encourage the training of appropriate personnel, to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas, professional information and the emerging concept of oral health; to address problems of professional isolation in the non-industrialised Commonwealth countries and to stimulate continuing professional education.

CHOGM under Lankan Chairmanship 2013-2015

 

With the hosting of the CHOGM in Sri Lanka in November, the President of Sri Lanka will assume the role of its Chairmanship for the period 2013 to 2015 commencing in November. Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka should strive to steer the Commonwealth programs clear of any foreseeable difficulties and or impediments. For that purpose, it is my belief that the Sri Lankan government should prepare a master plan for the implementation of Commonwealth programs during the next two years.

 

Despite the fact that many government and private institutions as well as professionals have participated at several seminars, workshops etc. conducted by Commonwealth Organizations abroad, unfortunately as at present we do not have any major commonwealth intuitions located in this country. Hence , it is my view, that in the national interest we should make use of this golden opportunity to establish one or more of the following organizations, as circumstances permit, in the country under the umbrella of the Commonwealth and encourage the commencement of awareness programmes covering the respective areas. .

 

I. Commonwealth Association of Youth Parliamentarians

 

II. Commonwealth Association of Professional Youth Workers (for which a proposal has already been submitted to the CYPt by Brian Belton).

 

III. Commonwealth Institute of Gem and Jewellery.

 

The writer is Director (Middle East) of the Ministry of External Affairs.

  

www.sundayobserver.lk/2013/09/29/fea08.asp

 

Pasting from the Wikipedia page on the Rosetta Stone:

 

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The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The stone is a Ptolemaic era stele with carved text made up of three translations of a single passage: two in Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and Demotic) and one in classical Greek. It was created in 196 BC, discovered by the French in 1799 at Rosetta, and transported to England in 1802. Once in Europe, it contributed greatly to the deciphering of the principles of hieroglyph writing, through the work of the British scientist Thomas Young and the French scholar Jean-François Champollion. Comparative translation of the stone assisted in understanding many previously undecipherable examples of hieroglyphic writing. The text on the stone is a decree from Ptolemy V, describing the repeal of various taxes and instructions to erect statues in temples. Two Egyptian-Greek multilingual steles predated Ptolemy V's Rosetta Stone: Ptolemy III's Decree of Canopus, 239 BC, and Ptolemy IV's Decree of Memphis, ca 218 BC.

 

The Rosetta Stone is 114.4 centimetres (45.0 in) high at its highest point, 72.3 centimetres (28.5 in) wide, and 27.9 centimetres (11.0 in) thick.[1] It is unfinished on its sides and reverse. Weighing approximately 760 kilograms (1,700 lb), it was originally thought to be granite or basalt but is currently described as granodiorite of a dark grey-pinkish colour.[2] The stone has been on public display at The British Museum since 1802.

 

Contents

 

• 1 History of the Rosetta Stone

•• 1.1 Modern-era discovery

•• 1.2 Translation

•• 1.3 Recent history

• 2 Inscription

• 3 Idiomatic use

• 4 See also

• 5 Notes

• 6 References

• 7 External links

 

History of the Rosetta Stone

 

Modern-era discovery

 

In preparation for Napoleon's 1798 campaign in Egypt, the French brought with them 167 scientists, scholars and archaeologists known as the 'savants'. French Army engineer Lieutenant Pierre-François Bouchard discovered the stone sometime in mid-July 1799, first official mention of the find being made after the 25th in the meeting of the savants' Institut d'Égypte in Cairo. It was spotted in the foundations of an old wall, during renovations to Fort Julien near the Egyptian port city of Rashid (Rosetta) and sent down to the Institute headquarters in Cairo. After Napoleon returned to France shortly after the discovery, the savants remained behind with French troops which held off British and Ottoman attacks for a further 18 months. In March 1801, the British landed at Aboukir Bay and scholars carried the Stone from Cairo to Alexandria alongside the troops of Jacques-Francois Menou who marched north to meet the enemy; defeated in battle, Menou and the remnant of his army fled to fortified Alexandria where they were surrounded and immediately placed under siege, the stone now inside the city. Overwhelmed by invading Ottoman troops later reinforced by the British, the remaining French in Cairo capitulated on June 22, and Menou admitted defeat in Alexandria on August 30.[3]

 

After the surrender, a dispute arose over the fate of French archaeological and scientific discoveries in Egypt. Menou refused to hand them over, claiming they belonged to the Institute. British General John Hely-Hutchinson, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore, refused to relieve the city until de Menou gave in. Newly arrived scholars Edward Daniel Clarke and William Richard Hamilton agreed to check the collections in Alexandria and found many artifacts that the French had not revealed.[citation needed]

 

When Hutchinson claimed all materials were property of the British Crown, a French scholar, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, said to Clarke and Hamilton that they would rather burn all their discoveries — referring ominously to the destruction of the Library of Alexandria — than turn them over. Clarke and Hamilton pleaded their case and Hutchinson finally agreed that items such as biology specimens would be the scholars' private property. But Menou regarded the stone as his private property and hid it.[4]

 

How exactly the Stone came to British hands is disputed. Colonel Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner, who escorted the stone to Britain, claimed later that he had personally seized it from Menou and carried it away on a gun carriage. In his much more detailed account however, Clarke stated that a French 'officer and member of the Institute' had taken him, his student John Cripps, and Hamilton secretly into the back-streets of Alexandria, revealing the stone among Menou's baggage, hidden under protective carpets. According to Clarke this savant feared for the stone's safety should any French soldiers see it. Hutchinson was informed at once, and the stone taken away, possibly by Turner and his gun-carriage. French scholars departed later with only imprints and plaster casts of the stone.[5]

 

Turner brought the stone to Britain aboard the captured French frigate HMS Egyptienne landing in February 1802. On March 11, it was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of London and Stephen Weston played a major role in the early translation. Later it was taken to the British Museum, where it remains to this day. Inscriptions painted in white on the artifact state "Captured in Egypt by the British Army in 1801" on the left side and "Presented by King George III" on the right.

 

Translation

 

Experts inspecting the Rosetta Stone during the International Congress of Orientalists of 1874

 

In 1814, Briton Thomas Young finished translating the enchorial (demotic) text, and began work on the hieroglyphic script but he did not succeed in translating them. From 1822 to 1824 the French scholar, philologist, and orientalist Jean-François Champollion greatly expanded on this work and is credited as the principal translator of the Rosetta Stone. Champollion could read both Greek and Coptic, and figured out what the seven Demotic signs in Coptic were. By looking at how these signs were used in Coptic, he worked out what they meant. Then he traced the Demotic signs back to hieroglyphic signs. By working out what some hieroglyphs stood for, he transliterated the text from the Demotic (or older Coptic) and Greek to the hieroglyphs by first translating Greek names which were originally in Greek, then working towards ancient names that had never been written in any other language. Champollion then created an alphabet to decipher the remaining text.[6]

 

In 1858, the Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania published the first complete English translation of the Rosetta Stone as accomplished by three of its undergraduate members: Charles R Hale, S Huntington Jones, and Henry Morton.[7]

 

Recent history

 

The Rosetta Stone has been exhibited almost continuously in the British Museum since 1802. Toward the end of World War I, in 1917, the Museum was concerned about heavy bombing in London and moved the Rosetta Stone to safety along with other portable objects of value. The Stone spent the next two years in a station on the Postal Tube Railway 50 feet below the ground at Holborn.

 

The Stone left the British Museum again in October 1972 to be displayed for one month at the Louvre Museum on the 150th anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphic writing with the famous Lettre à M. Dacier of Jean-François Champollion.

 

In July 2003, Egypt requested the return of the Rosetta Stone. Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, told the press: "If the British want to be remembered, if they want to restore their reputation, they should volunteer to return the Rosetta Stone because it is the icon of our Egyptian identity". In 2005, Hawass was negotiating for a three-month loan, with the eventual goal of a permanent return.[8][9] In November 2005, the British Museum sent him a replica of the stone.[10] In December 2009 Hawass said that he would drop his claim for the return of the Rosetta Stone if the British Museum loaned the stone to Egypt for three months.[11]

Inscription

 

In essence, the Rosetta Stone is a tax amnesty given to the temple priests of the day, restoring the tax privileges they had traditionally enjoyed from more ancient times. Some scholars speculate that several copies of the Rosetta Stone must exist, as yet undiscovered, since this proclamation must have been made at many temples. The complete Greek portion, translated into English,[12] is about 1600–1700 words in length, and is about 20 paragraphs long (average of 80 words per paragraph):

 

n the reign of the new king who was Lord of the diadems, great in glory, the stabilizer of Egypt, but also pious in matters relating to the gods, superior to his adversaries, rectifier of the life of men, Lord of the thirty-year periods like Hephaestus the Great, King like the Sun, the Great King of the Upper and Lower Lands, offspring of the Parent-loving gods, whom Hephaestus has approved, to whom the Sun has given victory, living image of Zeus, Son of the Sun, Ptolemy the ever-living, beloved by Ptah;

 

In the ninth year, when Aëtus, son of Aëtus, was priest of Alexander and of the Savior gods and the Brother gods and the Benefactor gods and the Parent-loving gods and the god Manifest and Gracious; Pyrrha, the daughter of Philinius, being athlophorus for Bernice Euergetis; Areia, the daughter of Diogenes, being canephorus for Arsinoë Philadelphus; Irene, the daughter of Ptolemy, being priestess of Arsinoë Philopator: on the fourth of the month Xanicus, or according to the Egyptians the eighteenth of Mecheir.

 

THE DECREE: The high priests and prophets, and those who enter the inner shrine in order to robe the gods, and those who wear the hawk's wing, and the sacred scribes, and all the other priests who have assembled at Memphis before the king, from the various temples throughout the country, for the feast of his receiving the kingdom, even that of Ptolemy the ever-living, beloved by Ptah, the god Manifest and Gracious, which he received from his Father, being assembled in the temple in Memphis this day, declared: Since King Ptolemy, the ever-living, beloved by Ptah, the god Manifest and Gracious, the son of King Ptolemy and Queen Arsinoë, the Parent-loving gods, has done many benefactions to the temples and to those who dwell in them, and also to all those subject to his rule, being from the beginning a god born of a god and a goddess—like Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, who came to the help of his Father Osiris; being benevolently disposed toward the gods, has concentrated to the temples revenues both of silver and of grain, and has generously undergone many expenses in order to lead Egypt to prosperity and to establish the temples... the gods have rewarded him with health, victory, power, and all other good things, his sovereignty to continue to him and his children forever.[13]

 

Idiomatic use

 

The term Rosetta Stone came to be used by philologists to describe any bilingual text with whose help a hitherto unknown language and/or script could be deciphered. For example, the bilingual coins of the Indo-Greeks (Obverse in Greek, reverse in Pali, using the Kharo??hi script), which enabled James Prinsep (1799–1840) to decipher the latter.

 

Later on, the term gained a wider frequency, also outside the field of linguistics, and has become idiomatic as something that is a critical key to the process of decryption or translation of a difficult encoding of information:

 

"The Rosetta Stone of immunology"[14] and "Arabidopsis, the Rosetta Stone of flowering time (fossils)".[15] An algorithm for predicting protein structure from sequence is named Rosetta@home. In molecular biology, a series of "Rosetta" bacterial cell lines have been developed that contain a number of tRNA genes that are rare in E. coli but common in other organisms, enabling the efficient translation of DNA from those organisms in E. coli.

 

"Rosetta" is an online language translation tool to help localisation of software, developed and maintained by Canonical as part of the Launchpad project.

 

"Rosetta" is the name of a "lightweight dynamic translator" distributed for Mac OS X by Apple. Rosetta enables applications compiled for PowerPC processor to run on Apple systems using x86 processor.

 

Rosetta Stone is a brand of language learning software published by Rosetta Stone Ltd., headquartered in Arlington, VA, USA.

 

The Rosetta Project is a global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers to develop a contemporary version of the historic Rosetta Stone to last from 2000 to 12,000 AD. Its goal is a meaningful survey and near permanent archive of 1,500 languages.

 

Rosetta Stone was also a pseudonym used by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) for the book "Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo"

 

See also

 

• Rosetta (disambiguation)

• Behistun Inscription

• Decree of Canopus, stele no. 1 of the 3-stele series

 

Notes

 

• Allen, Don Cameron. "The Predecessors of Champollion", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 144, No. 5. (1960), pp. 527–547

• Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy. The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs. HarperCollins, 2000 ISBN 0-06-019439-1

• Budge, E. A. Wallis (1989). The Rosetta Stone. Dover Publications. ISBN 0486261638. http://books.google.com/books?id=RO_m47hLsbAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=rosetta+stone&as_brr=3&sig=ACfU3U1_VaJ_NxkLmbZuYyDLji99DXwY6w. 

• Downs, Jonathan. Discovery at Rosetta. Skyhorse Publishing, 2008 ISBN 978-1-60239-271-7

• Downs, Jonathan. "Romancing the Stone", History Today, Vol. 56, Issue 5. (May, 2006), pp. 48–54.

• Parkinson, Richard. Cracking Codes: the Rosetta Stone, and Decipherment. University of California Press, 1999 ISBN 0-520-22306-3

• Parkinson, Richard. The Rosetta Stone. Objects in Focus; British Museum Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-7141-5021-5

• Ray, John. The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt. Harvard University Press, 2007 ISBN 978-0-674-02493-9

• Reviewed by Jonathon Keats in the Washington Post, July 22, 2007.

• Solé, Robert; Valbelle, Dominique. The Rosetta Stone: The Story of the Decoding of Hieroglyphics. Basic Books, 2002 ISBN 1-56858-226-9

• The Gentleman's Magazine: and Historical Chronicle, 1802: Volume 72: part 1: March: p. 270: Wednesday, March 31.

 

References

 

• ^ "The Rosetta Stone". http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/the_rosetta_stone.aspx. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 

• ^ "History uncovered in conserving the Rosetta Stone". http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/h/history_uncovered_in_conservin.aspx. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 

• ^ Downs, Jonathan, Discovery at Rosetta, 2008

• ^ Downs, Jonathan, Discovery at Rosetta, 2008

• ^ Downs, Jonathan, Discovery at Rosetta, 2008

• ^ Retrieved on 2008-25-6

• ^ See University of Pennsylvania, Philomathean Society, Report of the committee [C.R. Hale, S.H. Jones, and Henry Morton], appointed by the society to translate the inscript on the Rosetta stone, Circa 1858 and most likely published in Philadelphia. See later editions of circa 1859 and 1881 by same author, as well as Randolph Greenfield Adams, A Translation of the Rosetta Stone (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925.) The Philomathean Society holds relevant archival material as well as an original casting.

• ^ Charlotte Edwardes and Catherine Milner (2003-07-20). "Egypt demands return of the Rosetta Stone". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/1436606/Egypt-demands-return-of-the-Rosetta-Stone.html. Retrieved 2006-10-05. 

• ^ Henry Huttinger (2005-07-28). "Stolen Treasures: Zahi Hawass wants the Rosetta Stone back—among other things". Cairo Magazine. http://www.cairomagazine.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=1238&format=html. Retrieved 2006-10-06. [dead link]

• ^ "The rose of the Nile". Al-Ahram Weekly. 2005-11-30. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/770/he1.htm. Retrieved 2006-10-06. 

• ^ [1] "Rosetta Stone row 'would be solved by loan to Egypt'" BBC News 8 December 2009

• ^ "Translation of the Greek section of the Rosetta Stone". Reshafim.org.il. http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/texts/rosettastone.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-22. 

• ^ "Text of the Rosetta Stone". http://pw1.netcom.com/~qkstart/rosetta.html. Retrieved 2006-11-26. 

• ^ The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (2000-09-06). "International Team Accelerates Investigation of Immune-Related Genes". http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2000/ihwg.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-23. 

• ^ Gordon G. Simpson, Caroline Dean (2002-04-12). "Arabidopsis, the Rosetta Stone of Flowering Time?". http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/5566/285?ijkey=zlwRiv/qSEivQ&keytype=ref&siteid=sci. Retrieved 2006-11-23. 

 

External links

 

• Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rosetta Stone

• Wikisource has original text related to this article: Text on the Rosetta Stone in English

• Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article: Greek Text from the Rosetta Stone

 

• The Rosetta Stone in The British Museum

• More detailed British Museum page on the stone with Curator's comments and bibliography

• The translated text in English – The British Museum

• The Finding of the Rosetta Stone

• The 1998 conservation and restoration of The Rosetta Stone at The British Museum

• Champollion's alphabet – The British Museum

• people.howstuffworks.com/rosetta-stone.htm

 

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Stone"

 

Categories: 196 BC | 2nd century BC | 2nd-century BC steles | 2nd-century BC works | 1st-millennium BC steles | Ancient Egyptian objects in the British Museum | Ancient Egyptian texts | Ancient Egyptian stelas | Antiquities acquired by Napoleon | Egyptology | Metaphors referring to objects | Multilingual texts | Ptolemaic dynasty | Stones | Nile River Delta | Ptolemaic Greek inscriptions | Archaeological corpora documents

 

]]]

 

During this record heatwave Elvis has decided to do his part and provide the world with the following lifesaving information - Elvis Kennedy's Guide to Understanding the Color of Your Pee and How it Can Be Used to Save Your Life.

 

First developed by Elvis during his Tour de France days as a guide to be used during cycling in the summer months, it has since been adopted by athletes of every sport, as well as working stiffs who must deal with heat and dehydration in their daily grind. It's especially useful for photographers working long hours in the baking sun.

 

With the general public now facing record temperatures this guide can be used by every man, woman and child as a quick and easy, down and dirty, handy-dandy, post on your bathroom mirror and on your refridgerator - guide to see if you have been drinking enough fluids.

 

Study this chart and you'll never look at your pee in the same way again. Ever.

 

Drink more water. Save yourselves. Elvis cares.

 

For more go to www.elviskennedy.com

Universalis Cosmographia Secundum Ptholomaei Traditionem et Americi Vespucii Alioru[m]que Lustrationes, St. Dié, 1507

 

Recognizing and Naming America

 

Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 world map grew out of an ambitious project in St. Dié, near Strasbourg, France, during the first decade of the sixteenth century, to document and update new geographic knowledge derived from the discoveries of the late fifteenth and the first years of the sixteenth centuries. Waldseemüller’s large world map was the most exciting product of that research effort, and included data gathered during Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages of 1501-1502 to the New World. Waldseemüller christened the new lands “America” in recognition of Vespucci ’s understanding that a new continent had been uncovered as a result of the voyages of Columbus and other explorers in the late fifteenth century. This is the only known surviving copy of the first printed edition of the map, which, it is believed, consisted of 1,000 copies.

 

Waldseemüller’s map supported Vespucci’s revolutionary concept by portraying the New World as a separate continent, which until then was unknown to the Europeans. It was the first map, printed or manuscript, to depict clearly a separate Western Hemisphere, with the Pacific as a separate ocean. The map represented a huge leap forward in knowledge, recognizing the newly found American landmass and forever changing the European understanding of a world divided into only three parts—Europe, Asia, and Africa.

 

•Martin Waldseemüller (1470-1521)

•Universalis Cosmographia Secundum Ptholomaei Traditionem et Americi Vespucii Alioru[m]que Lustrationes, [St. Dié], 1507

•One map on 12 sheets, made from original woodcut

•Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress

  

Exploring the Early Americas

 

Waldseemüller Maps

 

For more than three hundred years the only surviving copies of what are arguably two of the most important maps in the history of cartography, the 1507 and 1516 World Maps by Martin Waldseemüller (ca. 1470-ca. 1522), sat unknown on the shelves of a library in the castle of a prince. The owner was Prince Johannes Waldburg-Wolfegg, of Württenberg, Germany. The maps were rediscovered there in 1901 by the Jesuit historian Josef Fischer (1858-1944), who found them bound into a single portfolio, now known as the “Schöner Sammelband,” by the Nuremburg globe-maker and mathematician Johannes Schöner (1477–1547).

 

1507 World Map: Recognizing and Naming a New Continent

 

Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 world map grew out of an ambitious project in St. Dié, France, during the first decade of the sixteenth century. The objective was to document and update new geographic knowledge derived from the discoveries of the late fifteenth and the first years of the sixteenth centuries. Waldseemüller’s large world map was the most exciting product of that research effort and included data gathered during Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages of 1501-1502 to the New World. Waldseemüller christened the new lands “America” in recognition of Vespucci’s understanding that a new continent had been uncovered as a result of the voyages of Columbus and other explorers in the late fifteenth century. This is the only known surviving copy of the 1,000 maps that are believed to have been printed.

 

Waldseemüller’s map represented a revolutionary new geography: it was the first map, printed or manuscript, to depict clearly a separate Western Hemisphere, separated from Asia, with the Pacific as a separate ocean. The map represented a huge leap forward in knowledge, recognizing the newly found American landmass and forever changing the European understanding of a world that was previously divided into only three parts—Europe, Asia, and Africa.

 

The existence of the Pacific Ocean and a western coastline for South America on the 1507 Waldseemüller map remains an unsolved mystery for scholars. In 1507 neither Balboa nor Magellan had reached the Pacific Ocean. How then did Waldseemüller know of the ocean’s existence and depict a continent whose coastline on the west borders the ocean?

  

The Impact

 

After the printing of the map it appears to have received little attention in cartographic circles even though it presented a radically new understanding of world geography based on the discoveries of Columbus and Vespucci. Waldseemüller himself recognized that the map was an important departure from previous cartographic views of the world and asked for the reader’s patience when looking at the map. In the large text block found in the lower right-hand corner of the map we find him saying: “This one request we have to make, that those who are inexperienced and unacquainted with cosmography shall not condemn all this before they have learned what will surely be clearer to them later on, when they have come to understand it.” Sadly, his radical new view of the world was noted by few references in contemporary geographic literature and, having been copied by only a few minor cartographers, it slipped into obscurity and disappeared.

 

Based on their reading of the Cosmographiae Introductio in the early and mid-nineteenth century, later scholars, such as Alexander von Humboldt and Marie d’Avezac-Macaya, speculated on the map’s existence, on its importance to the early history of the New World, and on its crucial role in the naming of America, all without ever having laid eyes on a copy of the map itself.

 

The map, which displays the name America for the first time on any map, also represents the continents of North and South America with a shape that is geometrically similar in form to the outlines of the continents as we recognize them today. The two aspects of the shape and the location of the New World on the map, separated as it is from Asia, are chronologically and chronometrically problematic in that in 1507, the map’s supposed creation date, neither Vasco Núñez de Balboa nor Ferdinand Magellan had reached the Pacific Ocean.

  

Waldseemüller Map

 

The Waldseemüller map or Universalis Cosmographia (“Universal Cosmography”) is a printed wall map of the world by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, originally published in April 1507. It is known as the first map to use the name “America”. The name America is placed on what is now called South America on the main map. As explained in Cosmographiae Introductio, the name was bestowed in honor of the Italian Amerigo Vespucci.

 

The map is drafted on a modification of Ptolemy’s second projection, expanded to accommodate the Americas and the high latitudes. A single copy of the map survives, presently housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

 

Waldseemüller also created globe gores, printed maps designed to be cut out and pasted onto spheres to form globes of the Earth. The wall map, and his globe gores of the same date, depict the American continents in two pieces. These depictions differ from the small inset map in the top border of the wall map, which shows the two American continents joined by an isthmus.

 

Wall Map

 

Description

 

The wall map consists of twelve sections printed from woodcuts measuring 18 by 24.5 inches (46 cm × 62 cm). Each section is one of four horizontally and three vertically, when assembled. The map uses a modified Ptolemaic map projection with curved meridians to depict the entire surface of the Earth. In the upper-mid part of the main map there is inset another, miniature world map representing to some extent an alternative view of the world.

 

Longitudes, which were difficult to determine at the time, are given in terms of degrees east from the Fortunate Islands (considered by Claudius Ptolemy as the westernmost known land) which Waldseemüller locates at the Canary Islands. The longitudes of eastern Asian places are too great. Latitudes, which were easy to determine, are also quite far off. For example, “Serraleona” (Sierra Leone, true latitude about 9°N) is placed south of the equator, and the Cape of Good Hope (true latitude 35°S) is placed at 50°S.

 

The full title of the map is Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes (The Universal Cosmography according to the Tradition of Ptolemy and the Discoveries of Amerigo Vespucci and others). One of the “others” was Christopher Columbus. The title signaled his intention to combine or harmonize in a unified cosmographic depiction the traditional Ptolemaic geography of Europe, Asia and Africa with the new geographical information provided by Amerigo Vespucci and his fellow discoverers of lands in the western hemisphere. He explained: “In designing the sheets of our world-map we have not followed Ptolemy in every respect, particularly as regards the new lands … We have therefore followed, on the flat map, Ptolemy, except for the new lands and some other things, but on the solid globe, which accompanies the flat map, the description of Amerigo that is appended hereto.”

 

Several earlier maps are believed to be sources, chiefly those based on the Geography (Ptolemy) and the Caveri planisphere and others similar to those of Henricus Martellus or Martin Behaim. The Caribbean and what appear to be Florida were depicted on two earlier charts, the Cantino map, smuggled from Portugal to Italy in 1502 showing details known in 1500, and the Caverio map, drawn circa 1503-1504 and showing the Gulf of Mexico.

 

While some maps after 1500 show, with ambiguity, an eastern coastline for Asia distinct from the Americas, the Waldseemüller map apparently indicates the existence of a new ocean between the trans-Atlantic regions of the Spanish discoveries and the Asia of Ptolemy and Marco Polo as exhibited on the 1492 Behaim globe. The first historical records of Europeans to set eyes on this ocean, the Pacific, are recorded as Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513. That is five to six years after Waldseemüller made his map. In addition, the map apparently predicts the width of South America at certain latitudes to within 70 miles. However, as pointed out by E.G. Ravenstein, this is an illusory effect of the cordiform projection used by Waldseemüller, for when the map is laid out on a more familiar equirectangular projection and compared with others of the period also set out on that same projection there is little difference between them: this is particularly evident when the comparison is made with Johannes Schöner’s 1515 globe.

 

Apparently among most map-makers until that time, it was still erroneously believed that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus, Vespucci, and others formed part of the Indies of Asia. Thus, some believe that it is impossible that Waldseemüller could have known about the Pacific, which is depicted on his map. The historian Peter Whitfield has theorized that Waldseemüller incorporated the ocean into his map because Vespucci’s accounts of the Americas, with their so-called “savage” peoples, could not be reconciled with contemporary knowledge of India, China, and the islands of Indies. Thus, in the view of Whitfield, Waldseemüller reasoned that the newly discovered lands could not be part of Asia, but must be separate from it, a leap of intuition that was later proved uncannily precise. An alternative explanation is that of George E. Nunn (see below).

 

Mundus Novus, a book attributed to Vespucci (who had himself explored the extensive eastern coast of South America), was widely published throughout Europe after 1504, including by Waldseemüller’s group in 1507. It had first introduced to Europeans the idea that this was a new continent and not Asia. It is theorized that this led to Waldseemüller’s separating the Americas from Asia, depicting the Pacific Ocean, and the use of the first name of Vespucci on his map.

 

An explanatory text, the Cosmographiae Introductio, widely believed to have been written by Waldseemüller’s colleague Matthias Ringmann, accompanied the map. It was said in Chapter IX of that text that the earth was now known to be divided into four parts, of which Europe, Asia and Africa, being contiguous with each other, were continents, while the fourth part, America, was “an island, inasmuch as it is found to be surrounded on all sides by the seas”.

 

The inscription on the top left corner of the map proclaims that the discovery of America by Columbus and Vespucci fulfilled a prophecy of the Roman poet, Virgil, made in the Aeneid (VI. 795-797), of a land to be found in the southern hemisphere, to the south of the Tropic of Capricorn:

 

Many have thought to be an invention what the famous Poet said, that “a land lies beyond the stars, beyond the paths of the year and the sun, where Atlas the heaven-bearer turns on his shoulder the axis of the world set with blazing stars”; but now, at last, it proves clearly to have been true. It is, in fact, the land discovered by the King of Castile’s captain, Columbus, and by Americus Vesputius, men of great and excellent talent, of which the greater part lies under the path of the year and sun, and between the tropics but extending nonetheless to about nineteen degrees beyond Capricorn toward the Antarctic pole beyond the paths of the year and the sun. Wherein, indeed, a greater amount of gold is to be found than of any other metal.

 

The “path” referred to is the ecliptic, which marks the sun’s yearly movement along the constellations of the zodiac, so that to go beyond it meant crossing the southernmost extent of the ecliptic, the Tropic of Capricorn. 19° beyond Capricorn is latitude 42° South, the southernmost extent of America shown on Waldseemüller’s map. The map legend shows how Waldseemüller strove to reconcile the new geographic information with the knowledge inherited from antiquity.

 

The most southerly feature named on the coast of America on the Waldseemüller map is Rio decananorum, the “River of the Cananoreans”. This was taken from Vespucci, who in 1501 during his voyage along this coast reached the port which he called Cananor (now Cananéia). Cananor was the port of Kannur in southern India, the farthest port reached in India during the 1500-1501 voyage of the Portuguese Pedro Álvares Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil, two of whose ships were encountered returning from India by Vespucci. This may be an indication Waldseemüller thought that the “River of the Cananoreans” could have actually been in the territory of Cananor in India and that America was, therefore, part of India.

 

The name for the northern land mass, Parias, is derived from a passage in the Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci, in which, after several stops, the expedition arrives at a region that was “situated in the torrid zone directly under the parallel which describes the Tropic of Cancer. And this province is called by them [the inhabitants] Parias.” Parias was described by Waldseemüller’s follower, Johannes Schöner as: “The island of Parias, which is not a part or portion of the foregoing [America] but a large, special part of the fourth part of the world”, indicating uncertainty as to its situation.

 

PARIAS and AMERICA, corresponding to North and South America, are separated by a strait in the region of the present Panama on the main map but on the miniature map inset into the upper-mid part of the main map the isthmus joining the two is unbroken, apparently demonstrating Waldseemüller’s willingness to represent alternative solutions to a question yet unanswered.

 

The map shows the cities of Catigara (near longitude 180° and latitude 10°S) and Mallaqua (Malacca, near longitude 170° and latitude 20°S) on the western coast of the great peninsula that projects from the southeastern part of Asia, or INDIA MERIDIONALIS (Southern India) as Waldseemüller called it. This peninsula forms the eastern side of the SINUS MAGNUS (“Great Gulf”), the Gulf of Thailand. Amerigo Vespucci, writing of his 1499 voyage, said he had hoped to sail westward from Spain across the Western Ocean (the Atlantic) around the Cape of Cattigara mentioned by Ptolemy into the Sinus Magnus. Ptolemy understood Cattigara, or Kattigara, to be the most eastern port reached by shipping trading from the Graeco-Roman world to the lands of the Far East. Vespucci failed to find the Cape of Cattigara on his 1499 voyage: he sailed along the coast of Venezuela but not far enough to resolve the question of whether there was a sea passage beyond leading to Ptolemy’s Sinus Magnus. The object of his voyage of 1503-1504 was to reach the fabulous spice emporium of “Melaccha in India” (that is, Malacca, or Melaka, on the Malay Peninsula). He had learned of Malacca from one Guaspare (or Gaspard), a pilot with Pedro Álvares Cabral’s fleet on its voyage to India in 1500-1501, whom Vespucci had encountered in the Atlantic on his return from India in May 1501. Christopher Columbus, in his fourth and last voyage of 1502-1503, planned to follow the coast of Champa southward around the Cape of Cattigara and sail through the strait separating Cattigara from the New World, into the Sinus Magnus to Malacca. This was the route he understood Marco Polo to have gone from China to India in 1292 (although Malacca had not yet been founded in Polo’s time). Columbus anticipated that he would meet up with the expedition sent at the same time from Portugal to Malacca around the Cape of Good Hope under Vasco da Gama, and carried letters of credence from the Spanish monarchs to present to da Gama. The map therefore shows the two cities that were the initial destinations of Amerigo Vespucci and Christopher Columbus in their voyages that led to the unexpected discovery of a New World.

 

Just to the south of Mallaqua (Malacca) is the inscription: hic occisus est S. thomas (Here St. Thomas was killed), referring to the legend that Saint Thomas the Apostle went to India in 52 AD and was killed there in 72 AD. Waldseemüller had confused Malacca (Melaka) with Mylapore in India. The contemporary understanding of the nature of Columbus’ discoveries is demonstrated in the letter written to him by the Aragonese cosmographer and Royal counsellor, Jaume Ferrer, dated August 5, 1495, saying: “Divine and infallible Providence sent the great Thomas from the Occident into the Orient in order to declare in India our Holy and Catholic Law; and you, Sir, it has sent to this opposite part of the Orient by way of the Ponient [West] so that by the Divine Will you might arrive in the Orient, and in the farthest parts of India Superior in order that the descendants might hear that which their ancestors neglected concerning the teaching of Thomas … and very soon you will be by the Divine Grace in the Sinus Magnus, near which the glorious Thomas left his sacred body”.

 

History

 

At the time this wall map was drawn, Waldseemüller was working as part of the group of scholars of the Vosgean Gymnasium at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in Lorraine, which in that time belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. The maps were accompanied by the book Cosmographiae Introductio produced by the Vosgean Gymnasium.

 

Of the one thousand copies that were printed, only one complete original copy is known to exist today. It was originally owned by Johannes Schöner (1477-1547), a Nuremberg astronomer, geographer, and cartographer. Its existence was unknown for a long time until its rediscovery in 1901 in the library of Prince Johannes zu Waldburg-Wolfegg in Schloss Wolfegg in Württemberg, Germany by the Jesuit historian and cartographer Joseph Fischer. It remained there until 2001 when the United States Library of Congress purchased it from Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee for ten million dollars.

 

Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Federal Republic of Germany symbolically turned over the Waldseemüller map on April 30, 2007, within the context of a formal ceremony at the Library of Congress, in Washington, DC. In her remarks, the chancellor stressed that the US contributions to the development of Germany in the postwar period tipped the scales in the decision to turn over the Waldseemüller map to the Library of Congress as a sign of transatlantic affinity and as an indication of the numerous German roots to the United States. Today another facsimile of the map is exhibited for the public by the House of Waldburg in their museum on Waldburg Castle in Upper Swabia.

 

Since 2007, to the celebration of the 500-year jubilee of the first edition, the original map has been permanently displayed in the Library of Congress, within a specially-designed microclimate case. An argon atmosphere fills the case to give an anoxic environment. Prior to display, the entire map was the subject of a scientific analysis project using hyperspectral imaging with an advanced LED camera and illumination system to address preservation storage and display issues.

 

In 2005 the Waldseemüller map was nominated by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington for inscription on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register and was inscribed on the register that same year.

 

Nunn’s Analysis

 

The geographers of Italy and Germany, like Martin Waldseemüller and his colleagues, were exponents of a theoretical geography, or cosmography. This means they appealed to theory where their knowledge of the American and Asiatic geography was lacking. That practice differed from the official Portuguese and Spanish cartographers, who omitted from their maps all unexplored coastlines.

 

The second century Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemy had believed that the known world extended over 180 degrees of longitude from the prime meridian of the Fortunate Isles (possibly the Canary Islands) to the city of Cattigara in southeastern Asia. (In fact, the difference in longitude between the Canaries, at 16°W, and Cattigara, at 105°E, is just 121°.) He had also thought that the Indian Ocean was completely surrounded by land. Marco Polo demonstrated that an ocean lay east of Asia and was connected with the Indian Ocean. Hence, on the globe made by Martin Behaim in 1492, which combined the geography of Ptolemy with that of Marco Polo, the Indian Ocean was shown as merging with the Western Ocean to the east. Ptolemy’s lands to the east of the Indian Ocean, however, were retained in the form of a great promontory projecting far south from the southeastern corner of Asia—the peninsula of Upper India (India Superior) upon which the city of Cattigara was situated.

 

Another result of Marco Polo’s travels was also shown on Behaim’s globe—the addition of 60 degrees to the longitude of Asia. Columbus had not actually seen Behaim’s globe in 1492 (which apparently owed much to the ideas of Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli); but the globe, except for one important point, reflects the geographical theory on which he apparently based his plan for his first voyage. The exception is that Columbus shortened the length of the degree, thus reducing the distance from the Canaries to Zipangu (Japan), to about 62 degrees or only 775 leagues. Consequently, it seemed to Columbus a relatively simple matter to reach Asia by sailing west.

 

In the early 16th century, two theories prevailed with regard to America (the present South America). According to one theory, that continent was identified with the southeastern promontory of Asia that figures on Behaim’s globe, India Superior or the Cape of Cattigara. The other view was that America (South America) was a huge island wholly unconnected with Asia.

 

Balboa called the Pacific the Mar del Sur and referred to it as “la otra mar”, the other sea, by contrast with the Atlantic, evidently with Behaim’s concept of only two oceans in mind. The Mar del Sur, the South Sea, was the part of the Indian Ocean to the south of Asia: the Indian Ocean was the Oceanus Orientalis, the Eastern Ocean, as opposed to the Atlantic or Western Ocean, the Oceanus Occidentalis in Behaim’s two ocean world.

 

According to George E. Nunn, the key to Waldseemüller’s apparent new ocean is found on the three sketch maps made by Bartolomé Colon (that is, Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher’s brother) and Alessandro Zorzi in 1504 to demonstrate the geographical concepts of Christopher Columbus. One of the Columbus/Zorzi sketch maps bears an inscription saying that: “According to Marinus of Tyre and Columbus, from Cape St. Vincent to Cattigara is 225 degrees, which is 15 hours; according to Ptolemy as far as Cattigara 180 degrees, which is 12 hours”. This shows that Christopher Columbus overestimated the distance eastward between Portugal and Cattigara as being 225 degrees instead of Ptolemy’s estimate of 180 degrees, permitting him to believe the distance westward was only 135 degrees and therefore that the land he found was the East Indies. As noted by Nunn, in accordance with this calculation, the Colon/Zorzi maps employ the longitude estimate of Claudius Ptolemy from Cape St. Vincent eastward to Cattigara, but the longitude calculation of Marinus and Columbus is employed for the space between Cape St. Vincent westward to Cattigara.

 

Nunn pointed out that Martin Waldseemüller devised a scheme that showed both the Columbus and the Ptolemy-Behaim concept on the same map. On the right-hand side of the Waldseemüller 1507 map is shown the Ptolemy-Behaim concept with the Ptolemy longitudes: this shows the huge peninsula of India Superior extending to the south of the Tropic of Capricorn. On the left side of the Waldseemüller map the discoveries of Columbus, Vespucci and others are represented as a long strip of land extending from about latitude 50 degrees North to latitude 40 degrees South. The western coasts of these trans-Atlantic lands discovered under the Spanish crown are simply described by Waldseemüller as Terra Incognita (Unknown Land) or Terra Ulterior Incognita (Unknown Land Beyond), with a conjectural sea to the west, making these lands apparently a distinct continent. America’s (that is, South America’s) status as a separate island or a part of Asia, specifically, the peninsula of India Superior upon which Cattigara was situated, is left unresolved. As the question of which of the two alternative concepts was correct had not been resolved at the time, both were represented on the same map. Both extremities of the map represent the eastern extremity of Asia, according to the two alternative theories. As Nunn said, “This was a very plausible way of presenting a problem at the time insoluble.”

 

As noted by Nunn, the distance between the meridians on the map is different going eastward and westward from the prime meridian which passes through the Fortunate Isles (Canary Islands). This has the effect of representing the eastern coast of Asia twice: once in accordance with Ptolemy’s longitudes to show it as Martin Behaim had done on his 1492 globe; and again in accordance with Columbus’ calculation of longitudes to show his and the other Spanish navigators’ discoveries across the Western Ocean, which Columbus and his followers considered to be part of India Superior.

 

On his 1516 world map, the Carta Marina, Waldseemüller identified the land he had called Parias on his 1507 map as Terra de Cuba and said it was part of Asia (Asie partis), that is, he explicitly identified the land discovered by Columbus as the eastern part of Asia.

 

Globe Gores

 

Besides Universalis Cosmographia, Waldseemüller published a set of gores for constructing globes. The gores, also containing the inscription America, are believed to have been printed in the same year as the wall map, since Waldseemüller mentions them in the introduction to his Cosmographiæ Introductio. On the globe gores, the sea to the west of the notional American west coast is named the Occeanus Occidentalis, that is, the Western or Atlantic Ocean, and where it merges with the Oceanus Orientalis (the Eastern, or Indian Ocean) is hidden by the latitude staff. This appears to indicate uncertainty as to America’s location, whether it was an island continent in the Atlantic (Western Ocean) or in fact the great peninsula of India Superior shown on earlier maps, such as the 1489 map of the world by Martellus or the 1492 globe of Behaim.

 

Only few copies of the globe gores are extant. The first to be rediscovered was found in 1871 and is now in the James Ford Bell Library of the University of Minnesota. Another copy was found inside a Ptolemy atlas and had been in the Bavarian State Library in Munich since 1990. The Library recognized in February 2018, after reviewing its authenticity, that this map is not an original copy—it was printed in the 20th century. A third copy was discovered in 1992 bound into an edition of Aristotle in the Stadtbücherei Offenburg, a public library in Germany. A fourth copy came to light in 2003 when its European owner read a newspaper article about the Waldseemüller map. It was sold at auction to Charles Frodsham & Co. for $1,002,267, a world record price for a single sheet map. In July 2012, a statement was released from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich that a fifth copy of the gore had been found in the LMU Library’s collection which is somewhat different from the other copies, perhaps because of a later date of printing. LMU Library has made an electronic version of their copy of the map available online.

  

Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii alioru[m]que lustrationes.

 

Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorū que lustrationes

 

•Title: Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii alioru[m]que lustrationes.

•Other Title: Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorū que lustrationes

•Contributor Names: Waldseemüller, Martin, 1470-1519.

•Created/Published: [Strasbourg, France? : s.n., 1507]

•Subject Headings: Earth

•Genre: World maps; Early maps

•Notes:

oRelief shown pictorially.

oFirst document known to name America.

oRed ink grid on 2 sheets. Text applied over blank areas on 2 sheets. Manuscript annotations in the margin of 1 sheet.

oAll sheets bear a watermark of a triple pointed crown.

oTwo stamps on verso of upper left hand sheet: Fürstl. Waldburg Wolfegg’sches Kupferstichkabinett – Furstl. Waldbg. Wolf. Bibliothek.

oExhibited: Rivers, edens, empires: Lewis & Clark and the revealing of America, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., July 24-Nov. 29, 2003.

oAvailable also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.

oIncludes text and ill.

oPrinted surrogate in vault available for reference.

oLC digital image is a composite map from the twelve separate sheets.

oOriginally bound with Waldseemüller’s 1516 Carta marina in the Schöner Sammelband.

•Medium: 1 map on 12 sheets; 128 × 233 cm., sheets 46 × 63 cm. or smaller.

•Call Number/Physical Location: G3200 1507 .W3

•Repository: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu

•Digital Id: hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3200.ct000725C; hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3200.ct000725

•Library of Congress Control Number: 2003626426

•Online Format: image

•LCCN Permalink: lccn.loc.gov/2003626426

•Additional Metadata Formats: MARCXML Record; MODS Record; Dublin Core Record

•Part of…

oDiscovery and Exploration (174)

oGeography and Map Division (15,333)

oAmerican Memory (504,438)

oLibrary of Congress Online Catalog (623,348)

•Format: Maps

•Contributors: Waldseemüller, Martin

•Dates: 1507

•Location: Earth

•Language: Latin

•Subjects: Early Maps; Earth; World Maps

•Articles and Essays with this item:

oEvaluation—Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507—Lesson Plan

oOverview—Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507—Lesson Plan

oPreparation—Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507—Lesson Plan

oProcedure—Waldseemüller’s Map: World 1507—Lesson Plan

oMr. Dürer Comes to Washington

oExploring the Early Americas—2010—Past Events—News and Events

oSpanish Exploration in America—Primary Source Set

oIntroducing Primary Source Analysis to Students: Lessons from the Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute

oLearning Activity—Secondary Level—Technology Integration, Spring 2009- Teaching with Primary Sources

oDocumenting New Knowledge—Exploring the Early Americas

oExhibitions and Presentations—Geography and Maps—Themed Resources

oPrologue - Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America

oExploration and Discovery—Zoom Into Maps—Classroom Presentation

•Credit Line: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

 

Cite This Item

 

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

 

Chicago citation style:

 

Waldseemüller, Martin. [Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes]. [Strasbourg, France?: s.n, 1507] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2003626426/. (Accessed February 26, 2017.)

 

APA citation style:

 

Waldseemüller, M. (1507) [Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes]. [Strasbourg, France?: s.n] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2003626426/.

 

MLA citation style:

 

Waldseemüller, Martin. [Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes]. [Strasbourg, France?: s.n, 1507] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2003626426/.

  

The Map That Named America

 

Library Acquires 1507 Waldseemüller Map of the World

 

By JOHN R. HÉBERT

 

In late May 2003 the Library of Congress completed the purchase of the only surviving copy of the first image of the outline of the continents of the world as we know them today— Martin Waldseemüller’s monumental 1507 world map.

 

The map has been referred to in various circles as America’s birth certificate and for good reason; it is the first document on which the name “America” appears. It is also the first map to depict a separate and full Western Hemisphere and the first map to represent the Pacific Ocean as a separate body of water. The purchase of the map concluded a nearly century-long effort to secure for the Library of Congress that very special cartographic document which revealed new European thinking about the world nearly 500 years ago.

 

The Waldseemüller world map is currently on display in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building in the exhibition honoring the Lewis and Clark expedition, “Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America.” It will remain on display, either in the original or with an exact facsimile, until Nov. 29. A permanent site for the display of this historical treasure will be prepared in the Thomas Jefferson Building within the next year.

 

Martin Waldseemüller, the primary author of the 1507 world map, was a 16th-century scholar, humanist, cleric and cartographer who was part of the small intellectual circle, the Gymnasium Vosagense, in Saint-Dié, France. He was born near Freiburg, Germany, sometime in the 1470s and died in the canon house at Saint-Dié in 1522. During his lifetime he devoted much of his time to cartographic ventures, including, in the spring 1507, the famous world map, a set of globe gores (for a globe with a three-inch diameter), and the “Cosmographiae Introductio” (a book to accompany the map). He also prepared the 1513 edition of the Ptolemy “Geographiae”; the “Carta Marina,” a large world map, in 1516; and a smaller world map in the 1515 edition of “Margarita Philosophica Nova.”

 

Thus, in a remote part of northeast France, was born the famous 1507 world map, whose full title is “Universalis cosmographia secunda Ptholemei traditionem et Americi Vespucci aliorum que lustrationes” (“A drawing of the whole earth following the tradition of Ptolemy and the travels of Amerigo Vespucci and others”). That map, printed on 12 separate sheets, each 18-by-24-inches, from wood block plates, measured more than 4 feet by 8 feet in dimension when assembled.

 

The large map is an early 16th-century masterpiece, containing a full map of the world, two inset maps showing separately the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, illustrations of Ptolemy and Vespucci, images of the various winds, and extensive explanatory notes about selected regions of the world. Waldseemüller’s map represented a bold statement that rationalized the modern world in light of the exciting news arriving in Europe as a result of explorations across the Atlantic Ocean or down the African coast, which were sponsored by Spain, Portugal and others.

 

The map must have created quite a stir in Europe, since its findings departed considerably from the accepted knowledge of the world at that time, which was based on the second century A.D. work of the Greek geographer, Claudius Ptolemy. To today’s eye, the 1507 map appears remarkably accurate; but to the world of the early 16th century it must have represented a considerable departure from accepted views of the composition of the world. Its appearance undoubtedly ignited considerable debate in Europe regarding its conclusions that an unknown continent (unknown, at least, to Europeans and others in the Eastern Hemisphere) existed between two huge bodies of water, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and was separated from the classical world of Ptolemy, which had been confined to the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia.

 

While it has been suggested that Waldseemüller incorrectly dismissed Christopher Columbus’ great achievement in history by the selection of the name “America” for the Western Hemisphere, it is evident that the information that Waldseemüller and his colleagues had at their disposal recognized Columbus’ previous voyages of exploration and discovery. However, the group also had acquired a recent French translation of the important work “Mundus Novus,” Amerigo Vespucci’s letter detailing his purported four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean to America between 1497 and 1504. In that work, Vespucci concluded that the lands reached by Columbus in 1492 and explored by Columbus and others over the ensuing two decades were indeed a segment of the world, a new continent, unknown to Europe. Because of Vespucci’s recognition of that startling revelation, he was honored with the use of his name for the newly discovered continent.

 

It is remarkable that the entire Western Hemisphere was named for a living person; Vespucci did not die until 1512. With regard to Columbus’ exploits after 1492, i.e., his various explorations between 1492 and 1504, the 1507 map clearly denotes Columbus’ explorations in the West Indies as well as the Spanish monarchs’ sponsorship of those and subsequent voyages of exploration.

 

By 1513, when Waldseemüller and the Saint-Dié scholars published the new edition of Ptolemy’s “Geographiae,” and by 1516, when Waldseemüller’s famous “Carta Marina” was printed, he had removed the name “America” from his maps, perhaps suggesting that even he had second thoughts about honoring Vespucci exclusively for his understanding of the New World. Instead, in the 1513 atlas, the area named “America” on the 1507 map is now referred to as Terra Incognita (Unknown Land). In the1516 “Carta Marina,” South America is called Terra Nova (New World) and North America is named Cuba and is shown to be part of Asia. No reference in either work is made to the name “America.”

 

The only surviving copy of the 1507 world map by Martin Waldseemüller, purchased by the Library of Congress and now on display in its Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C. The term “America” can be seen in continent on the lower leftmost panel. Vespuci is pictured on the top panel of the third column.

 

The only surviving copy of the 1507 world map by Martin Waldseemüller, purchased by the Library of Congress and now on display in its Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C. The term “America” can be seen in continent on the lower leftmost panel. Vespuci is pictured on the top panel of the third column.

 

Cartographic contributions by Johannes Schöner in 1515 and by Peter Apian in 1520, however, adopted the name “America” for the Western Hemisphere, and that name then became part of accepted usage.

 

A reported 1,000 copies of the 1507 map were printed, which was a sizeable print run in those days. This single surviving copy of the map exists because it was kept in a portfolio by Schöner (1477-1547), a German globe maker, who probably had acquired a copy of the map for his own cartographic work . That portfolio contained not only the unique copy of the 1507 world map but also a unique copy of Waldseemüller’s 1516 large wall map (the “Carta Marina”) and copies of Schöner’s terrestrial (1515) and celestial (1517) globe gores.

 

At some later time, the family of Prince Waldburg-Wolfegg acquired and retained Schöner’s portfolio of maps in their castle in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where it remained unknown to scholars until the beginning of the 20th century when its extraordinary contents were revealed. The uncovering of the 1507 map in the Wolfegg Castle early last century is thought by many to have been one of the most extraordinary episodes in the history of cartographic scholarship.

 

The map sheets have been maintained separated—not joined, with each of the large maps composed of 12 separate sheets—and that is probably why they survived. The portfolio with its great treasure was uncovered and revealed to the world in 1901 by the Jesuit priest Josef Fischer, who was conducting research in the Waldburg collection.

 

The Library of Congress’ Geography and Map Division acquired the facsimiles of the 1507 and 1516 maps in 1903. Throughout the 20th century the Library continued to express interest in and a desire to acquire the 1507 map, if it were ever made available for sale. That time came in 1992 when Prince Johannes Waldberg-Wolfegg, the owner of the map, revealed to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, the Associate Librarian for Library Services Winston Tabb, and the chief of the Geography and Map Division Ralph Ehrenberg in a conversation in Washington that he was willing to negotiate the sale of the map. Ehrenberg and Margrit Krewson, the Library’s German and Dutch area specialist, were encouraged to investigate the opportunity.

 

In 1999 Prince Waldburg-Wolfegg notified the Library that the German national government and the Baden-Württemberg state government had granted permission for a limited export license, which Krewson was instrumental in negotiating. Having obtained the license, which allowed this German national treasure to come to the Library of Congress, the Prince pursued an agreement to sell the 1507 map to the Library. In late June 2001 Prince Waldburg-Wolfegg and the Library of Congress reached a final agreement on the sale of the map for the price of $10 million. In late May 2003 the Library completed a successful campaign to raise the necessary funds to purchase Waldseemüller’s 1507 world map, after receiving substantial congressional and private support to achieve the terms of the contract. The Congress of the United States appropriated $5 million for the purchase of the map; Discovery Communications, Jerry Lenfest and David Koch provided substantial contributions; and other individuals (George Tobolowsky and Virginia Gray) gave matching funds for the purchase and additional support for its preservation, exhibition and study.

Through the combined efforts of Billington, Tabb and members of the Library’s staff over the past 11 years, the map was able to leave Germany and come to the Library of Congress.

 

The 1507 world map is now the centerpiece of the outstanding cartographic collections of the Geography and Map Division in the Library of Congress. The map serves as a departure point for the development of the division’s American cartographic collection in addition to its revered position in early modern cartographic history. The map provides a meaningful link between the Library’s treasured late medieval-early Renaissance cartographic collection (which includes one of the richest holdings of Ptolemy atlases in the world) and the modern cartographic age that unfolded as a result of the explorations of Columbus and other discoverers in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It represents the point of departure from the geographical understanding of the world based on Ptolemy’s “Cosmographiae” and “Geographiae” (editions from 1475-) to that emerging in the minds of scholars and practical navigators as reports of the “new worlds” of America, southern Africa and other regions of Asia and Oceania reached Europe’s shores. Waldseemüller recognized the transition taking place, as the title of his map notes and as his prominent placement of images of Ptolemy and Vespucci next to their worlds at the top portion of the 1507 world map denotes.

 

The Waldseemüller map joins the rich cartographic holdings of the Library’s Geography and Map Division, which include some 4.8 million maps, 65,000 atlases, more than 500 globes and globe gores, and thousands of maps in digital form. And from that fragile first glimpse of the world, so adequately described by Waldseemüller in 1507, the Library of Congress’ cartographic resources provide the historical breadth and cartographic depth to fill in the geographic blanks left by those early cosmographers.

 

The Library’s acquisition of the Waldseemüller map represents an important moment to renew serious research into this exceptional map, to determine the sources which made possible its creation, and to investigate its contemporary impact and acceptance. The map’s well-announced acquisition provides scholars with an extraordinary opportunity to appreciate the earliest of early depictions of our modern world. Major portions of this 1507 world map have not received the same concentrated scrutiny as the American segments. The very detailed depiction of sub-Saharan Africa, the south coast of Asia, and even the areas surrounding the Black and Caspian seas merit further study and discussion in response to obvious questions regarding the cartographic and geographic sources that were available and used by the Saint-Dié scholars to reach the conclusions that they embodied in the 1507 world map.

 

Through agreement with Prince Waldburg-Wolfegg and the government of Germany, the 1507 Waldseemüller world map is to be placed on permanent display in the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building. A second floor gallery, the Pavilion of the Discoverers, has been chosen as an appropriate location to house the map, where it will be exhibited with supporting materials from the Library’s collections that will assist in describing the rich history surrounding the map and its relation to its creators and the sources used to prepare it in the 16th century.

 

The Library of Congress is extremely proud to have obtained this unique treasure and is hopeful that this great cartographic document will receive the public acclaim and the critical scholarly inspection that it so rightly merits.

 

John R. Hébert is the chief of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.

  

This View

 

Sheet 3.

 

In the middle section of this sheet, the name America is placed on the lower part of what is now South America. Waldseemüller describes this region in the text on the left that reads:

 

A general delineation of the various lands and islands, including some of which the ancients make no mention, discovered lately between 1497 and 1504 in four voyages over the seas, two commanded by Fernando of Castile, and two by Manuel of Portugal, most serene monarchs, with Amerigo Vespucci as one of the navigators and officers of the fleet; and especially a delineation of many places hitherto unknown. All this we have carefully drawn on the map, to furnish true and precise geographical knowledge.

Facebook pages -- Understanding your Facebook page

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What is the purpose of a Facebook page? For one of the purposes of a Facebook page is to give you the ability to reach customers where they are in their location from around the world.

 

One of the cool things about Facebook, is it people all over the world visit it. They visit Facebook to connect with their friends and even family members as well as other things that they enjoy and have interest in. These things may include businesses and organizations just like yours.

 

Your Facebook page, if designed correctly, can help you tremendously in marketing your business or cause. Your Facebook page is a place for customers can in turn learn about you, your products, and even your business services. your customers will learn on your page about the things you from old, they will do so in your news feeds, and the constantly updating list of your unique stories that you post on Facebook.

 

One of the best things about your page is the fact that it is free to you, it is easy for you to set up, and your Facebook page helps people to find you on facebook.

 

Facebook pages, built for businesses and mobile users

 

According to online resources, well over a billion people visit Facebook pages each and every month. And according to several articles online more and more individuals are visiting Facebook pages on their smartphones weather Android or Apple each and every day. For you to use your facebook it is never been more important to you or for your business, for it to be readily accessible on mobile devices.

 

Facebook pages, well simply put they work great on mobile devices. Your page on Facebook will make it easier for you to daily communicate with your customers. On your Facebook page youTo help your customers and help them make purchases, and even keep them coming back for more.

 

If you're into apps, then you will enjoy the Facebook pages manager app! This app is free and available on both Android and Apple products. With this app you can manage your Facebook page or pages very quickly and respond to your customers request no matter where you are.

 

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What is it about Facebook page? That makes it easy for customers eagerly learn more about you and your business? well and give them up to date information about how they can start using your products and/or services. Your unique page will always be loaded with all the up-to-date features available on Facebook which will enable you to accomplish all your unique business goals, no matter what business line or niche market you are interested in.

 

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As a child I loved looking at the covers and the illustrations within my dad's old science magazines. I didn't actually read any, just looked at the pictures. It's still absolutely inspirational stuff.

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NASA Adminiistrator Charles F. Bolden, left, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), shake hands, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, after signing a Space Transportation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

"Shush my friend, we must not be seen together!"

 

A series of AI-generated pictures of a ten-years-old girl with her pet, a dragon.

Pictures made with Midjourney.

 

I'm always happy to accept invites to groups as long as I can see their content. Should I see "this group is not available to you", my pictures won't be made available to that group. Thanks for your understanding.

The 411 on Yoga J-K

Looking at the Styles of Yoga & Understanding that ALL paths lead to h(OM)e!

 

Last month we began exploring several popular yoga styles. We discovered that nearly all styles of yoga have their roots in hatha yoga –a physical discipline that focuses on developing control of the body through asanas or poses. In Sanskrit, ha represents sun and tha represents moon. Hatha represents the duality in life — yin and yang, masculine and feminine, darkness and light. It leads the way to balancing these opposing forces. It is the yoga of physical, mental & spiritual well-being. Those who practice the ancient knowledge have the ability to connect with all aspects of the “human” form to create balance & inner peace.

  

Jivamukti Yoga

The Jivamukti Yoga method is a Style of Yoga created by David Life and Sharon Gannon in 1984. It is a vigorously physical and intellectually stimulating practice leading to spiritual awareness. They promote the educational aspect of the practice and give students access to where these ideas came from. Each class focuses on a theme, which is supported by Sanskrit Chanting, readings, references to scriptural texts, music (from the Beatles to Moby), spoken word, Asana sequencing and Yogic Breathing practices. The average Jivamukti student is more educated about the philosophy of Yoga than most Yoga teachers.

www.jivamuktiyoga.com

 

Kripalu

The name Kripalu is associated both with a style of hatha yoga and a yoga and wellness center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Both were founded by yoga guru Amrit Desai, who came to the United States from India in 1960. Kripalu was named for Desai's teacher, Sri Kripalvananda, a Kundalini yoga master.

www.kripalu.org/

 

Krishnamacharya

Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) was an Indian yogi and scholar. He received his training in hatha yoga during seven years spent with his guru, Ramamohana Brahmacharya, who lived in a cave in a remote region of the Himalayas. Krishnamacharya also spent many years studying, and then teaching, Sanskrit, Vedic rituals and philosophy. His style of yoga is the first known to have incorporated movement through a series of poses that are coordinated with breathing, a style that is known as vinyasa yoga.

www.khyf.net/

 

Kundalini

Kundalini Yoga was brought to the West by Yogi Bhajan in 1969. It focuses on the controlled release of the Kundalini (serpent power) energy which is found at the base of your spine. The practice of Kundalini Yoga involves classic poses, chanting, coordination of breath and movement and Meditation. The emphasis however, is not on the Yoga Poses but on the Chanting and Breathing. Kundalini Yoga rewards Yogis with spiritual transformation and unity consciousness.

www.kundaliniyoga.org/

 

Tantra Kundalini

www.chandidevi.com/

According to the philosophy of Tantra, the entire universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting the universe, this pure consciousness seems to become divided into two poles or aspects, neither of which can exist without the other.

 

One aspect, Shiva, is masculine, retains a static quality and remains identified with unmanifested consciousness. Shiva has the power to be but not the power to become or change. The other aspect, Shakti, is feminine, dynamic, energetic and creative. Shakti is the Great Mother of the universe, for it is from her that all form is born.

 

According to Tantra, the human being is a miniature universe. All that is found in the cosmos can be found within each individual, and the same principles that apply to the universe apply in the case of the individual being.

 

In human beings, Shakti, the feminine aspect is called Kundalini. This potential energy is said to rest at the base of the spinal cord. The object of the Tantric practice of Kundalini-yoga is to awaken this cosmic energy and make it ascend through the psychic centres, the chakras, that lie along the axis of the spine as consciousness potentials. She will then unite above the crown of the head with Shiva the pure consciousness. This union is the aim of Kundalini-yoga: a resolution of duality into unity again, a fusion with the Absolute. By this union the adept attains liberation while living which is considered in Indian life to be the highest experience: an union of the individual with the universe.

 

In Tantrism the state of ultimate bliss is a transcendence of dualities male-female, energy-consciousness, Shiva-Shakti

             

Nude Yoga

In its simplest form, Nude Yoga is the practice of Yoga without wearing any form of clothing. In general, a nudist setting is the main difference of Nude Yoga from other styles. Its objective is to enable you to feel free in your body and to do the poses and exerciseswithout restrictions brought about by Yoga clothes.

 

The important thing about Nude Yoga is its principle. It is doing Yoga poses and exercises with freedom from restrictions of clothing. Understanding and accepting this concept can greatly help people in joining a Nude Yoga class without the feeling of discomfort or self-consciousness.

 

Restorative

In restorative yoga, props are used for support the body so that you can hold poses for longer, allowing you to open your body through passive stretching. Restorative postures are usually adapted from supine or seated yoga poses with the addition of blocks, bolsters, and blankets to eliminate unnecessary straining. For instance, a seated forward bend (paschimottanasana) can be done as a restorative pose with a bolster or several folded blankets on top of the legs so that your forward bend is fully supported with the entire torso resting on your props. Legs up the wall (viparita karani) is a classic restorative, with the wall used as a prop to support the legs.

   

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Sivananda

Sivananda Yoga was developed by Vishnu-devananda who wrote one of the contemporary Yoga classics, "The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga". His book was first published in 1960, and still one of the best introductions to Yoga available. He named Sivananda Yoga after his teacher, Swami Sivananda who is also one of the greatest Yoga gurus in the world.

 

This Style of Yoga focuses on the Pranayama, classic Asanas, and Relaxation. It also centers on Diet and positive thinking and Meditation. Sivananda Yoga practice consist twelve basic Yoga Poses that seeks to increase strength, flexibility, Proper Breathing, and Meditation. Sivananda now has over eighty centers worldwide and is considered as one of the largest Yoga schools in the world.

  

Svaroopa Yoga

This Yoga Style was developed by Rama Berch. Svaroopa Yoga teaches significantly different ways of doing familiar Poses, emphasizing the opening of the Spineby beginning at the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area in turn. Every pose incorporates principles of Asana, anatomy and Yoga philosophy. It also emphasizes the development of transcendent inner experience, which is called Svaroopa by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. This is a consciousness-oriented Yoga that also promotes healing and transformation. Svaroopa Yoga is not an athletic endeavor, but a development of consciousness using the body as a tool.

  

Viniyoga

Viniyoga or what is also known as the Yoga for Wellness rooted from the principle practiced by Sri. T. Krishnamacharya - that is to develop practices for individual conditions and purposes. Sri. T. Krishnamacharya is the teacher of well-known contemporary masters B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois and Indra Devi. His son, T.K.V. Desikachar, continued this principle and developed the practice of Viniyoga.

 

Viniyoga make use of modified Yoga Poses that are designed to meet the specific needs of an individual and to enhance healing, flexibility and strength of joints. Viniyoga poses also intend to promote the feeling of well-being and strength. Practices may also include Pranayama, Meditation, reflection, study and other classic elements, but the emphasis of Viniyoga practice is on coordinating breath and movement. Personal practices are taught privately

   

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This image is of two polar bears cuddled together on a piece of Arctic sea ice, surrounded by ocean water and thin layers of sea ice. This image allows for a deeper understanding of the endangered species and highlights the need for USGS research to help in their protection.

 

Learn more about USGS polar bear research at: bit.ly/USGSpolarbears

 

Location: Arctic

 

Photographer: Jessica Robertson , U.S. Geological Survey