Here's Lina under our table at the Southsea Rural and Seaside Show, hoping for a crumb from our pasties!! The blur on the left is a bag of dog treats from a goody bag that we'd bought from one of the stalls.

 

I rather like the answer to a question that popped up on Quora: "Are you hurting your dog without knowing?"

 

Here is the answer from a psychologist (who has a rescue dog), which makes me think of Lina, and is rather sweet. We've had Lina almost 3 years and she's still nervous when we try and stroke the top of her head, even though we're always gentle:

 

"My dog does not ask for cuddles. Even the opposite he refused to be touched. So he would just lie there, apathetic. Trying to show me that he genuinely doesn't care and is ready to endure it until it's over. Basically he played “dead dog"

My dog does not ask to be petted, he does not ask for kisses, and will never ask for a hug.

- Your dog might be insecure. Delouse him and spend him some affection even when it seems like he doesn't need it. My dog loves to be deloused. He just would never ask for it."

-Touch those parts were he doesn't like to be touched. Show him that you won't hurt him and that touching your dogs nose doesn't mean you want to harm him, but treat him well. If you do not care about resolving unnecessary anxiety it's an involuntary way of hurting him. You leave him with unresolved anxiety even when there is no need for it.

-Indifference-say “No" sometimes. My dog knows when he isn't allowed to do something and he is, oh, so happy when I restrain him.

- You hurt him when you never share your own food with him. When you say that the dog is part of your family-why isn't he worthy of your food? Your dog doesn't understand that. He is part of your herd. Let him know sometimes that his loyalty is rewarded with loyalty. Our dog will get a piece of meat or leftovers. But of course..he should behave!"

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Panther tank, officially Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 171, was a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to the end of the war. The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 medium tank and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower, protection, and mobility although its reliability in early times were less impressive.

The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (700 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armor, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long-range engagements.

 

The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the heavy Tiger I. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armor, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages. Despite this the overall design remain described by some as "overengineered". The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure. Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high-quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness.

 

Though officially classified as a medium tank, at 44.8 metric tons the Panther was closer to a heavy tank weight and the same category as the American M26 Pershing (41.7 tons), British Churchill (40.7 tons) and the Soviet IS-2 (46 tons) heavy tanks. The Panther's weight caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges, otherwise the tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio which made it highly mobile.

 

The Panther was only used marginally outside of Germany, mostly captured or recovered vehicles, some even after the war. Japan already received in 1943 a specimen for evaluation. During March–April 1945, Bulgaria received 15 Panthers of various makes (D, A, and G variants) from captured and overhauled Soviet stocks; they only saw limited (training) service use. In May 1946, Romania received 13 Panther tanks from the USSR, too.

After the war, France was able to recover enough operable vehicles and components to equip its army and offer vehicles for sale. The French Army's 503e Régiment de Chars de Combat was equipped with a force of 50 Panthers from 1944 to 1947, in the 501st and 503rd Tank Regiments. These remained in service until they were replaced by French-built ARL 44 heavy tanks.

In 1946, Sweden sent a delegation to France to examine surviving specimens of German military vehicles. During their visit, the delegates found a few surviving Panthers and had one shipped to Sweden for further testing and evaluation, which continued until 1961.

 

However, this was not the Panther’s end of service. The last appearance by WWII German tanks on the world’s battlefields came in 1967, when Syria’s panzer force faced off against modern Israeli armor. Quite improbably, Syria had assembled a surprisingly wide collection of ex-Wehrmacht vehicles from a half-dozen sources over a decade and a half timeframe. This fleet consisted primarily of late production Panzer V, StuGIII and Jagdpanzer IVs, plus some Hummel SPAAGs and a handful Panthers. The tanks were procured from France, Spain, and Czechoslovakia, partly revamped before delivery.

 

All of the Panthers Syria came from Czechoslovakia. Immediately after Germany’s collapse in May 1945, the Soviet army established a staging area for surrendered German tanks at a former Wehrmacht barracks at Milovice, about 24 miles north of Prague, Czechoslovakia. By January 1946, a total of roughly 200 operational Panzer IVs and Panthers of varying versions were at this facility. Joining them was a huge cache of spare parts found at a former German tank repair depot in Teplice, along with ammunition collected from all over Czechoslovakia and the southern extremity of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany. Throughout 1946, the Czechoslovak government’s clean-up of WWII battlefields recovered more than one hundred further tank wrecks, of which 80 were pieced back together to operational status and handed over to the Czechoslovakian Army,

 

In early 1948, the now-nationalized CKD Works began a limited upkeep of the tanks, many of which had not had depot-level overhauls since the war. A few were rebuilt with a Czechoslovak-designed steering system, but this effort was halted due to cost. These tanks remained operational in the Czechoslovak army until the end of 1954, when sufficient T-34s were available to phase them out.

 

A Syrian military delegation visited Prague from 8 April – 22 April 1955. An agreement was struck for the sale, amongst other items, of 45 Panzer IVs and 15 Panthers. Despite their obsolescence the Czechoslovaks were not about to just give the tanks away and demanded payment in a ‘hard’ western currency, namely British pounds. The cost was £4,500 each (£86,000 or $112,850 in 2016 money), far above what they were probably worth militarily, especially considering the limited amount of foreign currency reserves available to the Damascus government. The deal included refurbishment, a full ammunition loadout for each, and a limited number of spare parts. Nonetheless, the deal was closed, and the tanks’ delivery started in early November 1955.

 

The Syrians were by that time already having dire problems keeping their French-sourced panzers operational, and in 1958, a second contract was signed with CKD Works for 15 additional Panzer IVs and 10 more Panthers, these being in lesser condition or non-operational, for use as spare parts hulks. An additional 16 refurbished Maybach engines for both types were also included in this contract, as well as more ammunition.

 

The refurbished Panthers for Syria had their original 7.5 cm KwK 42 L70 replaced with the less powerful Rheinmetall 7.5 cm KwK 40 L48 gun – dictated by the fact that this gun was already installed in almost all other Syrian tanks of German origin and rounds for the KwK 42 L70 were not available anymore. and the Panther’s full ammo load was 87 rounds. The KwK 40 L48 fired a standard APCBC shell at 750 m/s and could penetrate 109 mm (4.3 in) hardened steel at 1.000 m range. This was enough to take out an M4 Sherman at this range from any angle under ideal circumstances. With an APCR shell the gun was even able to penetrate 130 mm (5.1 in) of hardened steel at the same distance.

 

Outwardly, the gun switch was only recognizable through the shorter barrel with a muzzle brake, the German WWII-era TZF.5f gunsight was retained by the Syrians. Additionally, there were two secondary machine guns, either MG-34s or MG-42s, one coaxial with the main gun and a flexible one in a ball mount in the tank’s front glacis plate.

A few incomplete Panther hulls without turret were also outfitted with surplus Panzer IV turrets that carried the same weapon, but the exact share of them among the Syrian tanks is unknown – most probably less than five, and they were among the batch delivered in the course of the second contract from 1958.

 

As they had been lumped all together in Czechoslovak army service, the Syrians received a mixed bag of Panzer IV and Panther versions, many of them “half-breeds” or “Frankensteins”. Many had the bow machine gun removed, either already upon delivery or as a later field modification, and in some cases the machine gun in the turret was omitted as well.

An obvious modification of the refurbished Czech export Panthers for Syria was the installation of new, lighter road wheels. These were in fact adapted T-54 wheels from Czechoslovakian license production that had just started in 1957 - instead of revamping the Panthers’ original solid steel wheels, especially their rubberized tread surfaces, it was easier to replace them altogether, what also made spare parts logistics easier. The new wheels had almost the same diameter as the original German road wheels from WWII, and they were simply adapted to the Panther’s attachment points of the torsion bar suspension’s swing arms. Together with the lighter main gun and some other simplifications, the Syrian Panthers’ empty weight was reduced by more than 3 tonnes.

 

The Czechoslovaks furthermore delivered an adapter kit to mount a Soviet-made AA DShK 12.7mm machine gun to the commander cupola. This AA mount had originally been developed after WWII for the T-34 tank, and these kits were fitted to all initial tanks of the 1955 order. Enough were delivered that some could be installed on a few of the Spanish- / French-sourced tanks, too.

 

It doesn’t appear that the Czechoslovaks updated the radio fit on any of the ex-German tanks, and it’s unclear if the Syrians installed modern Soviet radios. The WWII German Fu 5 radio required a dedicated operator (who also manned the bow machine gun); if a more modern system was installed not requiring a dedicated operator, this crew position could be eliminated altogether, what favored the deletion of the bow machine gun on many ex-German Syrian tanks. However, due to their more spacious hull and turret, many Panthers were apparently outfitted with a second radio set and used as command tanks – visible through a second whip antenna on the hull.

 

A frequent domestic Panther upgrade were side skirts to suppress dust clouds while moving and to prevent dust ingestion into the engines and clogged dust filters. There was no standardized solution, though, and solutions ranged from simple makeshift rubber skirts bolted to the tanks’ flanks to wholesale transplants from other vehicles, primarily Soviet tanks. Some Panthers also had external auxiliary fuel tanks added to their rear, in the form of two 200 l barrels on metal racks of Soviet origin. These barrels were not directly connected with the Panther’s fuel system, though, but a pump-and-hose kit was available to re-fuel the internal tanks from this on-board source in the field. When empty or in an emergency - the barrels were placed on top of the engine bay and leaking fuel quite hazardous - the barrels/tanks could be jettisoned by the crew from the inside.

 

Inclusive of the cannibalization hulks, Syria received a total of roughly 80 former German tanks from Czechoslovakia. However, at no time were all simultaneously operational and by 1960, usually only two or three dozen were combat-ready.

Before the Six Day War, the Syrian army was surprisingly unorganized, considering the amount of money being pumped into it. There was no unit larger than a brigade, and the whole Syrian army had a sort of “hub & spokes” system originating in Damascus, with every individual formation answering directly to the GHQ rather than a chain of command. The Panthers, Panzer IVs and StuG IIIs were in three independent tank battalions, grossly understrength, supporting the normal tank battalions of three infantry brigades (the 8th, 11th, and 19th) in the Golan Heights. The Jagdpanzer IVs were in a separate independent platoon attached to a tank battalion operating T-34s and SU-100s. How the Hummel SPGs were assigned is unknown.

 

The first active participation of ex-German tanks in Syrian service was the so-called “Water War”. This was not really a war but rather a series of skirmishes between Israel and Syria during the mid-1960s. With increasing frequency starting in 1964, Syria emplaced tanks on the western slope of the Golan Heights, almost directly on the border, to fire down on Israeli irrigation workers and farmers in the Galilee region. Surprisingly (considering the small number available) Syria chose the Panzer IV for this task. It had no feature making it better or worse than any other tank; most likely the Syrians felt they were the most expendable tanks in their inventory as Israeli counterfire was expected. The panzers were in defilade (dug in) and not easy to shoot back at; due to their altitude advantage.

 

In 1964, Syria announced plans to divert 35% of the Jordan River’s flow away from Israel, to deprive the country of drinking water. The Israelis responded that they would consider this an act of war and, true to their word, engaged the project’s workers with artillery and sniper fire. Things escalated quickly; in 1965, Israeli M4 Shermans on Israeli soil exchanged fire with the Syrian Panzer IVs above inconclusively. A United Nations peacekeeping team ordered both sides to disengage from the border for a set period of time to “cool off”, but the UN “Blue Berets” were detested and considered useless by both the Israelis and Syrians, and both sides used the lull to prepare their next move. When the cooling-off period ended, the Syrians moved Panzer IVs and now some Panthers, too, back into position. However, the IDF had now Centurion tanks waiting for them, with their fire arcs pre-planned out. The Cold War-era Centurion had heavy armor, a high-velocity 105mm gun, and modern British-made optics. It outclassed the WWII panzers in any imaginable way and almost immediately, two Syrian Panzer IVs and a Panther were destroyed. Others were abandoned by their crews and that was the end of the situation.

 

Syria’s participation in the Six Say War that soon followed in 1967 war was sloppy and ultimately disastrous. Israel initially intended the conflict to be limited to a preemptive strike against Egypt to forestall an imminent attack by that country, with the possibility of having to fight Syria and Jordan defensively if they responded to the operations against Egypt. The war against Egypt started on 5 June 1967. Because of the poor organization of the Syrian army, news passed down from Damascus on the fighting in the Sinai was scarce and usually outdated by the time it reached the brigade level. Many Syrian units (including the GHQ) were using civilian shortwave radios to monitor Radio Cairo which was spouting off outlandish claims of imaginary Egyptian victories, even as Israeli divisions were steamrolling towards the Suez Canal.

 

Syrian vehicles of German origin during the Six Day War were either painted overall in beige or in a dark olive drab green. Almost all had, instead of tactical number codes, the name of a Syrian soldier killed in a previous war painted on the turret in white. During the Six Day War, no national roundel was typically carried, even though the Syrian flag was sometimes painted to the turret flanks. However just as the conflict was starting, white circles were often painted onto the top sides of tanks as quick ID markings for aircraft, and some tanks had red recognition triangles added to the side areas: Syrian soldiers were notoriously trigger-happy, and the decreased camouflage effect was likely cancelled out by the reduced odds of being blasted by a comrade!

 

During the evening of 5 June, Syrian generals in Damascus urged the government to take advantage of the situation and mount an immediate invasion of Israel. Planning and preparation were literally limited to a few hours after midnight, and shortly after daybreak on 6 June, Syrian commanders woke up with orders to invade Israel. The three infantry brigades in the Golan, backed up by several independent battalions, were to spearhead the attack as the rest of the Syrian army mobilized.

There was no cohesion at all: Separate battalions began their advance whenever they happened to be ready to go, and brigades went forward, missing subunits that lagged behind. A platoon attempting a southern outflank maneuver tried to ford the Jordan River in the wrong spot and was washed away. According to a KGB report, at least one Syrian unit “exhibited cowardice” and ignored its orders altogether.

 

On 7 June, 24 hours into their attack, Syrian forces had only advanced 2 miles into Israel. On 8 June, the IDF pushed the Syrians back to the prewar border and that afternoon, Israeli units eliminated the last Egyptian forces in the Sinai and began a fast redeployment of units back into Israel. Now the Syrians were facing serious problems.

On 9 June, Israeli forces crossed into the Golan Heights. They came by the route the Syrians least expected, an arc hugging the Lebanese border. Now for the first time, Syria’s panzers (considered too slow and fragile for the attack) were encountered. The next day, 10 June 1967, was an absolute rout as the Syrians were being attacked from behind by IDF units arcing southwards from the initial advance, plus Israel’s second wave coming from the west. It was later estimated that Syria lost between 20-25% of its total military vehicle inventory in a 15-hour span on 10 June, including eight Panthers. A ceasefire was announced at midnight, ending Syria’s misadventure. Syria permanently lost the Golan Heights to Israel.

 

By best estimate, Syria had just five Panthers and twenty-five Panzer IVs fully operational on 6 June 1967, with maybe another ten or so tanks partially operational or at least functional enough to take into combat. Most – if not all – of the ex-French tanks were probably already out of service by 1967, conversely the entire ex-Spanish lot was in use, along with some of the ex-Czechoslovak vehicles. The conflict’s last kill was on 10 June 1967 when a Panzer IV was destroyed by an Israeli M50 Super Sherman (an M4 Sherman hull fitted with a new American engine, and a modified turret housing Israeli electronics and a high-velocity French-made 75mm gun firing HEAT rounds). Like the Centurion, the Super Sherman outclassed the Panzer IV, and the Panther only fared marginally better.

 

Between 1964-1973 the USSR rebuilt the entire Syrian military from the ground up, reorganizing it along Warsaw Pact lines and equipping it with gear strictly of Soviet origin. There was no place for ex-Wehrmacht tanks and in any case, Czechoslovakia had ended spares & ammo support for the Panzer IV and the Panthers, so the types had no future. The surviving tanks were scrapped in Syria, except for a single Panzer IV survivor sold to a collector in Jordan.

  

Specifications:

Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator)

Weight: 50 tonnes (55.1 long tons; 45.5 short tons)

Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) hull only

7.52 m (24 ft 7¾ in) overall with gun facing forward

Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) hull only

3,70 m (12 ft 1¾ in) with retrofitted side skirts

Height: 2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)’

Ground clearance: 56 cm (22 in)

Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels

Fuel capacity: 720 liters (160 imp gal; 190 US gal),

some Syrian Panthers carried two additional external 200 l fuel drums

 

Armor:

15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.93 in)

 

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 56 km/h (35 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (160 mi) on roads; 450 km (280 mi)with auxiliary fuel tanks

100 km (62 mi) cross-country

Power/weight: 14 PS (10.1 kW)/tonne (12.7 hp/ton)

 

Engine & transmission:

Maybach HL230 V-12 gasoline engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

ZF AK 7-200 gearbox with 7 forward 1 reverse gear

 

Armament:

1× 7,5 cm KwK 40 (L/48) with 87 rounds

2× 7.92 mm MG 34 or 42, or similar machine guns;

one co-axial with the main gun, another in the front glacis plate

with a total of 5.100 rounds (not always mounted)

Provision for a 12.7 mm DShK or Breda anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander cupola

  

The kit and its assembly:

A rather exotic what-if model, even though it’s almost built OOB. Inspiration came when I stumbled upon the weird Syrian Panzer IVs that were operated against Israel during the Six Day War – vehicles you would not expect there, and after more than 20 years after WWII. But when I did some more research, I was surprised about the numbers and the variety of former German tanks that Syria had gathered from various European countries, and it made me wonder if the Panther could not have been among this shaggy fleet, too?

 

I had a surplus Dragon Panther Spähpanzer in The Stash™, to be correct a “PzBeobWg V Ausf. G”, an observation and artillery fire guidance conversion that actually existed in small numbers, and I decided to use it as basis for this odd project. The Dragon kit has some peculiarities, though: its hull is made from primed white metal and consists of an upper and lower half that are held together by small screws! An ambiguous design, because the parts do not fit as good as IP parts, so that the model has a slightly die-cast-ish aura. PSR is necessary at the seams, but due to the metal it’s not easy to do. Furthermore, you have to use superglue everywhere, just as on a resin kit. On the other side, surface details are finely molded and crisp, even though many bits have to be added manually. However, the molded metal pins that hold the wheels are very robust and relatively thin – a feature I exploited for a modified running gear (see below).

 

For the modified Panther in my mind I had to retrograde the turret back to a late standard turret with mantlet parts left over from a Hasegawa kit – they fitted perfectly! The PzBeobWg V only comes with a stubby gun barrel dummy. But I changed the armament, anyway, and implanted an aftermarket white metal and brass KwK 40 L48, the weapon carried by all Syrian Panzer IVs, the Jagdpanzer IVs as well as the StuG IIIs. This standardization would IMHO make sense, even if it meant a performance downgrade from the original, longer KwK 42 L70.

 

For a Syrian touch, inspired by installations on the Panzer IVs, I added a mount for a heavy DShK machine gun on the commander’s cupola, which is a resin aftermarket kit from Armory Models Group (a kit that consists of no less than five fiddly parts for just a tiny machine gun!).

To change and modernize the Panther’s look further, I gave it side skirts, leftover from a ModelCollect T-72 kit, which had to be modified only slightly to fit onto the molded side skirt consoles on the Panther’s metal hull. A further late addition were the fuel barrels from a Trumpeter T-54 kit that I stumbled upon when I looked for the skirts among my pile of tank donor parts. Even though they look like foreign matter on the Panther’s tail, their high position is plausible and similar to the original arrangement on many Soviet post-WWII tanks. The whip antennae on turret and hull were created with heated black sprue material.

 

As a modern feature and to change the Panther’s overall look even more, I replaced its original solid “dish” road wheels with T-54/55 “starfish” wheels, which were frequently retrofitted to T-34-85s during the Fifties. These very fine aftermarket resin parts (all real-world openings are actually open, and there’s only little flash!) came from OKB Grigorovich from Bulgaria. The selling point behind this idea is/was that the Panther and T-54/55 wheels have almost the same diameter: in real life it’s 860 vs. 830 mm, so that the difference in 1:72 is negligible. Beneficially, the aftermarket wheels came in two halves, and these were thin enough to replace the Panther’s interleaved wheels without major depth problems.

Adapting the parts to the totally different wheel arrangement was tricky, though, especially due to the Dragon kit’s one-piece white metal chassis that makes any mods difficult. My solution: I retained the inner solid wheels from the Panther (since they are hardly visible in the “3rd row”), plus four pairs of T-54/55 wheels for the outer, more rows of interleaved wheels. The “inner” T-54/55 wheel halves were turned around, received holes to fit onto the metal suspension pins and scratched hub covers. The “outside” halves were taken as is but received 2 mm spacer sleeves on their back sides (styrene tube) for proper depth and simply to improve their hold on the small and rounded metal pin tips. This stunt worked better than expected and looks really good, too!

  

Painting and markings:

Basically very simple, and I used pictures of real Syrian Panzer IVs as benchmark. I settled for the common green livery variant, and though simple and uniform, I tried to add some “excitement” to it and attempted to make old paint shine through. The hull’s lower surface areas were first primed with RAL 7008 (Khakigrau, a rather brownish tone), then the upper surfaces were sprayed with a lighter sand brown tone, both applied from rattle cans.

 

On top of that, a streaky mix of Revell 45 and 46 – a guesstimate for the typical Syrian greyish, rather pale olive drab tone - was thinly applied with a soft, flat brush, so that the brownish tones underneath would shine through occasionally. Once dry, the layered/weathered effect was further emphasized through careful vertical wet-sanding and rubbing on all surfaces with a soft cotton cloth.

The rubber side skirts were painted with an anthracite base and the dry-brushed with light grey and beige.

 

The model then received an overall washing with a highly thinned mix of grey and dark brown acrylic artist paint. The vinyl tracks (as well as the IP spare track links on the hull) were painted, too, with a mix of grey, red brown and iron, all acrylic paints, too, that do not interact chemically with the soft vinyl.

 

The decals/markings are minimal; the Arabian scribble on the turret (must be a name?), using the picture of a Syrian Panzer IV as benchmark, was painted in white by hand, as well as the white circle on the turret roof. The orange ID triangles are a nice contrast, even though I was not able to come up with real-life visual evidence for them. I just found a color picture of a burned T-34-85 wreck with them, suggesting that the color was a dull orange red and not florescent orange, as claimed in some sources. I also found illustrations of the triangles as part of 1:35 decal sets for contemporary Syrian T-34-85s from FC Model Trend and Star Models, where they appear light red. For the model, they were eventually cut out from decal sheet material (TL-Modellbau, in a shade called “Rotorange”, what appears to be a good compromise).

 

Dry-brushing with light grey and beige to further emphasize edges and details followed. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic vanish overall, and some additional very light extra dry-brushing with silver was done to simulate flaked paint. Dirt and rust residues were added here and there with watercolors. After final assembly, the lower areas of the model were furthermore powdered with mineral pigments to simulate dust.

  

The idea of a modernized WWII Panther: a simple idea that turned into a major conversion. With the resin DShK machine gun and T-54/55 wheel set the costs of this project escalated a little, but in hindsight I find that the different look and the mix of vintage German and modern Soviet elements provide this Panther with that odd touch that sets it apart from a simple paint/marking variation? I really like the outcome, and I think that the effort was worthwhile - this fictional Panther shoehorns well into its intended historical framework. :-D

 

Unboxing him made me realise how really unresolved the doll's costume is. The sleeves are separate from the jacket, and the material used for the costume is adequate at best. But worst of all, the head is plopped on a very disproportionate, small body.

 

The plus points are the very nice face paint on the doll, as well as the surprisingly nice gold boots on him!

 

P.S I only wanted him for the head, so all's well!

Titian - Virgin & child with the infant Saint John & a female Saint or Donor - London NG - wm

 

The Virgin and Child and the young Saint John the Baptist – a common subject from the fifteenth century onwards – are accompanied by a kneeling woman, who cannot be clearly identified. She holds the infant Christ in her arms and gazes at him in adoration. John the Baptist is identified by his camel skin and reed cross.

 

There is some confusion as to which, if any, New Testament episode is represented here. The shepherd and herdsman in the middle distance – and the angel in the sky – might allude to the Annunciation to the Shepherds (Luke 2: 8-17) and suggest the birth of Christ. However, the presence of John the Baptist, who gives the Virgin fruit (lemon) and flowers or blossoms for his baby cousin, would be more appropriate to a Rest on the Flight into Egypt – but we would expect Saint Joseph to be included in such a scene. This must be a non-narrative picture intended for private devotion, combining selected elements from the life of Christ.

 

Several aspects of the composition are also unresolved: it is not clear how the infant Christ is supported as the kneeling woman appears to have no arms. Titian does not seem to have been bothered by this, as he allowed at least two variants of the composition to be made in his workshop; these are now in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. This is an early instance of something that became standard practice in his workshop in subsequent decades.

 

The picture may have been the one recorded by Marcantonio Michiel in Andrea Odoni’s collection by 1532, as a ‘picture with Our Lady in a landscape, with Christ and John as children, and Saint [...], by the hand of Titian’, although in the nineteenth century this painting was said to have been signed and dated 1533. In any case, it fits well stylistically with Titian’s work of those years.

 

The painting is in remarkably good condition, though it has suffered some damage along the top, where part of the canvas was once folded back over a smaller stretcher. A strip of canvas was at some point added to the left to expand the picture; in Titian’s original arrangement John the Baptist’s right foot was closer the left edge of the picture and the Virgin’s face at its centre.

Source: NG London

Villagers are pictured in Oecusse district, in Naktuka, within an unresolved area on the border between Timor-Leste and Indonesia monitored by the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)’s Military Liaison Group.

Photo ID 521801. 29/07/2012. Naktuka. UN Photo/Martine Perret. www.unmultimedia.org/photo/

Master of the Pala Sforzesca (15th century) - Madonna Enthroned with Child, Doctors of the Church and the Family of Ludovico il Moro ("Pala Sforzesca") (1494-95) - Tempera and oil on panel 230 × 165 cm. - Brera Art Gallery, Milan

 

L’opera raffigura la famiglia di Ludovico il Moro inginocchiata davanti alla Vergine e ai santi Ambrogio, Gregorio Magno, Agostino e Gerolamo. Fu commissionata per la chiesa milanese di Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus e, sulla base dei documenti d’archivio, fu eseguita nel corso del 1494. La rappresentazione qui allestita unisce all’espressione della devozione religiosa del committente la celebrazione del potere di quest’ultimo, giacché allude alla benevolenza divina nei suoi confronti e al futuro della sua dinastia, garantito dalla nascita di un erede. Quando commissionava la Pala Sforzesca, Ludovico il Moro tentava di ottenere dall’imperatore Massimiliano d’Asburgo la legalizzazione della propria signoria su Milano, esautorando alla morte di Gian Galeazzo (1494) il legittimo erede Francesco Maria Sforza. L’opera fu concepita, pertanto, come manifesto di propaganda politica, nel quale Ludovico si presentava immerso nello sfarzo del suo rango, protetto da sant’Ambrogio – che gli pone la mano sulla spalla – e accompagnato dalla moglie Beatrice e dagli eredi, uno dei quali, probabilmente, da identificare con un figlio nato fuori dal matrimonio. Per dare forma pittorica a questa fitta trama di messaggi Ludovico scelse un artista oggi ignoto e variamente identificato con uno dei seguaci lombardi di Leonardo, il quale allestì una sorta di compendio della cultura milanese del tempo, cronologicamente precoce ma stilisticamente irrisolto; nonostante il divario tra esito formale e significato dell’opera, questa affascina lo spettatore con lo straordinario impatto visivo dell’oro, delle perle e delle stoffe preziose.

 

The work depicts the family of Ludovico il Moro kneeling before the Virgin and Sts. Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Augustine and Jerome. It was commissioned for the Milanese church of Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus and, on the basis of the documents in the archives, was executed over the course of 1494. The representation combines an expression of the client’s religious piety with a celebration of his power, as it alludes to an attitude of divine benevolence toward him and the future of his dynasty, guaranteed by the birth of an heir. At the time he commissioned the Sforza Altarpiece, Ludovico il Moro was trying to obtain a legitimization of his rule over Milan from Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, following his usurpation of the legitimate heir Francesco Maria Sforza on the death of Gian Galeazzo (1494). So the work was conceived as an operation of political propaganda, in which Ludovico was presented surrounded by the pomp of his rank, protected by St. Ambrose – who places his hand on his shoulder – and accompanied by his wife Beatrice and his heirs, one of whom is probably a child born out of wedlock. To give pictorial form to this complicated set of messages Ludovico chose an artist whose name is unknown today and has been variously identified with one of the Lombard followers of Leonardo. The result is a sort of compendium of the Milanese culture of the time, chronologically precocious but stylistically unresolved. Despite the discrepancy between the formal quality and the significance of the work, the extraordinary visual impact of the gold, the pearls and the precious fabrics is fascinating.

The galaxy NGC 3115 is shown here in a composite image of data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). Using the Chandra image, the flow of hot gas toward the supermassive black hole in the center of this galaxy has been imaged. This is the first time that clear evidence for such a flow has been observed in any black hole.

 

The Chandra data are shown in blue and the optical data from the VLT are colored gold. The point sources in the X-ray image are mostly binary stars containing gas that is being pulled from a star to a stellar-mass black hole or a neutron star. The inset features the central portion of the Chandra image, with the black hole located in the middle. No point source is seen at the position of the black hole, but instead a plateau of X-ray emission coming from both hot gas and the combined X-ray emission from unresolved binary stars is found.

 

To detect the black hole's effects, astronomers subtracted the X-ray signal from binary stars from that of the hot gas in the galaxy's center. Then, by studying the hot gas at different distances from the black hole, astronomers observed a critical threshold: where the motion of gas first becomes dominated by the supermassive black hole's gravity and falls inwards. The distance from the black hole where this occurs is known as the "Bondi radius."

 

As gas flows toward a black hole it becomes squeezed, making it hotter and brighter, a signature now confirmed by the X-ray observations. The researchers found the rise in gas temperature begins at about 700 light years from the black hole, giving the location of the Bondi radius. This suggests that the black hole in the center of NGC 3115 has a mass of about two billion times that of the Sun, supporting previous results from optical observations. This would make NGC 3115 the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole to Earth.

 

NGC 3115 is located about 32 million light years from Earth and is classified as a so-called lenticular galaxy because it contains a disk and a central bulge of stars, but without a detectable spiral pattern.

 

Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/IUSS/A.De Luca et al; Optical: DSS

 

Read entire caption/view more images: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Alabama/K. Wong et al; Optical: ESO/VLT

 

Caption credit: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

 

Read more about Chandra:

www.nasa.gov/chandra

 

p.s. You can see all of our Chandra photos in the Chandra Group in Flickr at: www.flickr.com/groups/chandranasa/ We'd love to have you as a member!

Tianmen Mountain Temple, with an area of over 10000 square meters, enjoys a booming pilgrimage ever since the Ming Dynasty. It is the Buddhist center of Western Hunan. The six unresolved mysteries in the past hundreds of years such as Opening of Tianmen Cave, Shadow of Guigu, and Auspicious Unicorn have added the mysterious and elusive atmosphere for Tianmen Mountain

 

Taken @Tianmen Mountain, ZhangJiaJie, China

Life is neither a bed of roses, nor a day at the beach. As a matter of fact, as I took this photo with my iPhone 4S, with the late summer Atlantic rip tide churning near my feet, I was contemplative.

 

The weekend brought with it an unexpected twist, an as yet unresolved challenge, which in context of history in my family is a matter of concern. But, as I sat in the wet sand, the reddish summer dusk starting its moody glow over my shoulder, I realized how blessed I am, have been, and, God willing, will be, until it is my time to go.

 

In the meantime, there is never a moment that I do not want to waste the opportunity to play with words, to jest with life, to mock fate….

 

A twist on a "Wish You Were Here" card came to mind, especially as it gave me an excuse to make excuses for all the excuses I cannot make for all the things in life I need to get done, but procrastinate away the precious hours. :-)

 

Yet, for all that, there are moments, even hours and days, when there can be no better way to savor one's blessings than to do nothing but soak in God's gift all around all day, and then take a break!

 

All the best to you, all, my friends.

 

© 2012 IMRAN

IMG_7016_PSF

  

L0072348 Page 34 from "Thesaurus thesaurorum et secretum

Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images

images@wellcome.ac.uk

wellcomeimages.org

Page 34 headed: Et apprehendit Draconem / Serpentein antiquani(?) / Apoc. XX

Two drawings: the first depicting a rainbow and a warrior standing on a cloud attacking three monsters (a bird, serpent and a demon); the second depicting scientific appartus

 

TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT: "Thesaurus thesaurorum et secretum secretissimum in quo omnia Mundi arcana latent, quodque Deus per ineffabilem suam misericordiam homini vili et abjecto peccatorique maximo revelavit. Lapidis Philosophorum verus processus", unknown author, written c.1725

 

DESCRIPTION: Illustrated with numerous symbolic alchemical water-colour drawings, and figures of chemical and alchemical apparatus: a circular symbolic figure on p. 83 is by a different and later hand. The text and the legends to the illustrations are in Latin, but there are a few additions in verse in German. The title given above is that found on p. 7 at the beginning of the text. There is a title in an unresolved cypher on p. 1 of which the following only is en clair: 'S.N.D.B.L.E./..../Philoponus P...A...B...' Below the title to the second work (p. 93) is written 'Mei Magistri colendissimi piae memoriae'.

 

CUSTODIAL HISTORY: A former owner, Michelangelo Guatani of Bologna, has transcribed the Latin title on the outside of the upper cover, stating he had acquired the MS. in March 1874. He has also written a note on the first fly-leaf concerning Joannes Philoponus, an Alexandrian Christian philosopher who flourished in the first half of the sixth century, and wrote Commentaries on Aristotle, and other philosophical and scientific works, which are mostly unpublished. Guatani's note is extracted from the 'Nouvelle biographie universelle': there seems however, to be no possible connection between the Alexandrian philosopher and the author or contents of this manuscript. Purchased by the Wellc

Semi-intended double exposure with unresolved outcome!

 

I was winding back the film about a frame and shooting again, but the two pics on this frame have been taken at very different times... need to go back to mechanics of it all....

One of the more interesting Recoleta Cemetery stories - IMO.

 

Pedro Aramburu became de facto President of Argentina after a 1955 military coup ousted Juan Perón.

 

Aramburu was also behind the theft of Eva Perón’s embalmed corpse, her posthumous journey around Buenos Aires & her eventual burial in a Milan cemetery.

 

Kidnapped & killed by the Montoneros (a pro-Perón paramilitary organization), Aramburu was buried in Recoleta Cemetery in 1970.

 

Although Eva’s body was returned to Juan Perón the following year, he did not bring her back to Argentina after his 1973 re-election. Eva's remains remained in the former Perón residence in Madrid.

 

The death of Juan Perón in 1974 sparked a bizarre chain of events.

 

The Montoneros presented an unresolved issue to Isabel Perón (Juan Peron‘s third wife) after she became President when Juan died in 1974.

 

The Montoneros wanted Evita back in Argentina. To make sure their demands were heard, they broke into Recoleta Cemetery, broke through the bronze doors of Aramburu’s crypt & stole his casket.

 

The police found Aramburu’s casket alongside Parque Las Heras in Palermo.

 

Isabel acquiesced & arranged for Eva to be brought back to Buenos Aires.

 

Less than two hours before the plane with the remains of Eva Perón would arrive in Argentina, the cadaver of Pedro Eugenio Aramburu was was found in an abandoned pick-up truck on Salguero Street, where the National Penitentiary was once located.

 

Aramburu’s casket was returned to Recoleta Cemetery & his crypt supposedly filled with concrete to prevent any possible desecration in the future.

 

In 1976, another military coup deposed the government of Isabel Peron and Argentina would descend into its darkest and bloodiest days - thousands of people would disappear - a story for another time.

Master of the Pala Sforzesca (15th century) - Madonna Enthroned with Child, Doctors of the Church and the Family of Ludovico il Moro ("Pala Sforzesca") (1494-95) - Tempera and oil on panel 230 × 165 cm. - Brera Art Gallery, Milan

 

L’opera raffigura la famiglia di Ludovico il Moro inginocchiata davanti alla Vergine e ai santi Ambrogio, Gregorio Magno, Agostino e Gerolamo. Fu commissionata per la chiesa milanese di Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus e, sulla base dei documenti d’archivio, fu eseguita nel corso del 1494. La rappresentazione qui allestita unisce all’espressione della devozione religiosa del committente la celebrazione del potere di quest’ultimo, giacché allude alla benevolenza divina nei suoi confronti e al futuro della sua dinastia, garantito dalla nascita di un erede. Quando commissionava la Pala Sforzesca, Ludovico il Moro tentava di ottenere dall’imperatore Massimiliano d’Asburgo la legalizzazione della propria signoria su Milano, esautorando alla morte di Gian Galeazzo (1494) il legittimo erede Francesco Maria Sforza. L’opera fu concepita, pertanto, come manifesto di propaganda politica, nel quale Ludovico si presentava immerso nello sfarzo del suo rango, protetto da sant’Ambrogio – che gli pone la mano sulla spalla – e accompagnato dalla moglie Beatrice e dagli eredi, uno dei quali, probabilmente, da identificare con un figlio nato fuori dal matrimonio. Per dare forma pittorica a questa fitta trama di messaggi Ludovico scelse un artista oggi ignoto e variamente identificato con uno dei seguaci lombardi di Leonardo, il quale allestì una sorta di compendio della cultura milanese del tempo, cronologicamente precoce ma stilisticamente irrisolto; nonostante il divario tra esito formale e significato dell’opera, questa affascina lo spettatore con lo straordinario impatto visivo dell’oro, delle perle e delle stoffe preziose.

 

The work depicts the family of Ludovico il Moro kneeling before the Virgin and Sts. Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Augustine and Jerome. It was commissioned for the Milanese church of Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus and, on the basis of the documents in the archives, was executed over the course of 1494. The representation combines an expression of the client’s religious piety with a celebration of his power, as it alludes to an attitude of divine benevolence toward him and the future of his dynasty, guaranteed by the birth of an heir. At the time he commissioned the Sforza Altarpiece, Ludovico il Moro was trying to obtain a legitimization of his rule over Milan from Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, following his usurpation of the legitimate heir Francesco Maria Sforza on the death of Gian Galeazzo (1494). So the work was conceived as an operation of political propaganda, in which Ludovico was presented surrounded by the pomp of his rank, protected by St. Ambrose – who places his hand on his shoulder – and accompanied by his wife Beatrice and his heirs, one of whom is probably a child born out of wedlock. To give pictorial form to this complicated set of messages Ludovico chose an artist whose name is unknown today and has been variously identified with one of the Lombard followers of Leonardo. The result is a sort of compendium of the Milanese culture of the time, chronologically precocious but stylistically unresolved. Despite the discrepancy between the formal quality and the significance of the work, the extraordinary visual impact of the gold, the pearls and the precious fabrics is fascinating.

JACK SEND'S HIS APPRECIATION FOR ALL HE PRAYERS AND GOOD WISHES FROM HIS MANY FLICKR FRIENDS.

 

WE ALL WENT TO THE TUESDAY NIGHT FEED, LAST NIGHT AS USUAL, AND THEN JACK WENT BACK TO HIS HOME IN THE BUSHES.

 

WHAT IS GOING TO BECOME OF HIM NOW, I DON'T KNOW, WILL HIS LIFE CHANGE, THIS IS TO BE SEEN,

 

BUT HE DID MAKE HIS PEACE WITH HIS FATHER, AND EVEN THO THERE WAS SOME ANGER STILL LEFT, IN THE VERY END, THERE WERE TEARS OF ALL THOSE MANY YEARS OF ANGER LEFT UNRESOLVED.

 

YEARS THAT WERE WASTED WITH ANGER AND BITTERNESS, THAT NEEDED NOT HAVE BEEN.

 

FORGIVENESS IS SO IMPORTANT, IT IS THE ONLY, ONLY WAY TO HAPPINESS IN ONE;S OWN SOUL.

 

BITTERNESS AND ANGER, ONLY DISTROY'S ONE PERSON, AND THAT IS ONESELF.

 

SAIL ON JOHN BEAUCAMP HOPEFULLY ON CALM AND PEACEFULL WATERS

View On Black

 

Late 80's. A series of 101 large oil paintings on canvas

with heavy impasto.

Jaguarundi - Rare Species Conservation Centre, Kent, England - Sunday October 12th 2008.

 

I'm having Internet connection problems again, so bear with me whilst I get it fixed...at the mo it's letting me stay connected for about 5 mins then giving up the Ghost Grrrr!!!!

 

Click here to see the Larger image

 

Click here to see My most interesting images

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ The jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) is a medium-sized Mexican, Central and South American wild cat: average length 65 cm (30 inches) with 45 cm (20 in) of tail and a weight of about 6 kg (13.2 lbs). It has short legs and an appearance somewhat like an otter; the ears are short and rounded. The coat is unspotted, uniform in color, and varying from blackish to brownish gray (gray phase) or from foxy red to chestnut (red phase).

Etymology and naming ~ The two color phases were once thought to represent two distinct species; the gray one called jaguarundi, and the red one called eyra. However, these are the same species and both color phases may be found in the same litter. Its coat has no markings except for spots at birth. In some Spanish speaking countries, the jaguarundi is also called leoncillo, which means little lion. Other Spanish common names for the jaguarundi include: "gato colorado", "gato moro", "león brenero", "onza", and "tigrillo".

 

Taxonomy and evolution ~ This cat is closely related to the much larger and heavier cougar as evident by its similar genetic structure and chromosome count; both species are in the genus Puma although it is sometimes classified under a separate genus, Herpailurus and until recently, both cats were classified under the genus Felis.

According to a 2006 genomic study of Felidae, an ancestor of today's Leopardus, Lynx, Puma, Prionailurus, and Felis lineages migrated across the Bering land bridge into the Americas approximately 8 to 8.5 million years ago. The lineages subsequently diverged in that order.

Studies have indicated that the cougar and jaguarundi are next most closely related to the modern cheetah of Africa and western Asia, but the relationship is unresolved. It has been suggested that ancestors of the cheetah diverged from the Puma lineage in the Americas and migrated back to Asia and Africa, while other research suggests the cheetah diverged in the Old World itself. The outline of small feline migration to the Americas is thus unclear (see also American cheetah).

 

Ecology ~ Its habitat is lowland brush areas close to a source of running water. It occasionally inhabits dense tropical areas as well. It is crepuscular and nocturnal depending on location. This cat is comfortable in trees, but prefers to hunt on the ground. It preys upon fish, small mammals, reptiles and birds.

 

Reproduction ~ The litter consists of one to four kittens. They are raised socially after a 70-day gestation. The kittens become mature at approximately 2 years of age.

 

Conservation ~ This cat is not particularly sought after for its fur, but it is suffering decline due to loss of habitat.

The jaguarundi has been sighted around the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.

A few days ago, what I think to be my first memory came to my mind.

I was around 4 years old and playing in the walkway of the second house in which I lived, the first I have memories of. I remember a little plastic police motorbike, battery powered, one of those children can mount on. Probably broken, I remember I was pulling it with a white nylon string. I remember noisily towing it on the gravel, the white wall of the house on my left, the green bushes on the right. The sky was of an unresolved grey. What I distinctly remember is the white nylon string and my father’s hands firing the flame of a lighter to melt the string and break it. A short instant of which nearly nothing remains today.

I have no memory of why he cut the string, an answer that is likewise lost in the mist of time.

A lot of our existence ends up wrapped in this fog nearly instantaneously. Is in that fog that we walk every day and in which everything is gradually slipping away from us; in which features, smells and sounds flakes apart until they vanish.

That fog, in which all of us are destined to become, soon or later, faraway undefined silhouettes.

Chozo Ruins

 

Description: Habershonia areos is an uncommon moth with no listed subspecies. They belong in the order Lepidoptera, subdivision Bombycina, superfamily Noctuoidea, family Erebidae, subfamily Calpinae and tribe Calpini.

 

The costal apex throughout the postdiscal areas of the forewings are brownish, proceeding to strongly darken in the discal and basal areas. When the darkening starts, a thin lighter area can be found between the first darkened band and the rest of the darkened discal and basal areas. Just before the darkening, there is a suture-like irregular lining going all the way from the costal margin to the inner margin of the forewings and spreading down to hindwings in fitting display. Different shades of brown or rusty-yellow can be found occasionally on the forewings. Thorax is dark-colored; the darkness stretches down to the abdomen dorsally. The antennae were positioned like a more open "U" as can be seen but are more commonly seen bending backwards. The eyes are large and compound.

 

The basal part of the hindwings are dark, spreading partially through the costal margin's discal area. The postdiscal and submarginal parts of the outer margin of the hindwings display, respectively, a blueish patch that stretches partially through the forewings with a thin black band above it on the hindwings, and a wine-colored dark patch interrupted by suture-like linings. Just below the blueish patch and the wine-colored dark patch there is a thin brownish band that spreads and visually connects with all wings. The outer margin of the hindwings are wavy.

 

The head is dark colored, but seems to be less intense than the thorax. The palps are strongly present. The legs are, more or less, brownish.

 

i do not know the morphology of the mouthparts or the underside, nor the anatomy of Habershonia areos. All morphological informations provided are subject to changes in patterns in older or younger individuals and were described as seen in the picture.

 

"The status of the former composition of the Calpinae was somewhat disputed; it was sometimes merged into the Catocalinae. Most of the Calpine genera were not further classified. The phylogenetic structure of this group was essentially unresolved, and in many cases it was even doubtful whether the genera were indeed correctly placed in this subfamily.

 

The Calpinae are a subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae. This subfamily includes many species of moths that have a pointed and barbed proboscis adapted to piercing the skins of fruit to feed on juice and, in the case of the several Calyptra species of vampire moths, to piercing the skins of mammals to feed on blood. The subfamily contains some large moths with wingspans longer than 5 cm (2 in)." - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calpinae

 

The feeding habits of the larvae and the adults of Habershonia areos are unknown to me, but its suggestive that they pierce fruits to feed; I do not know what fruits and this information requires confirmation. Habitats are also unknown as is the egg-adult process. Found in a suburban habitat during nocturnal hours in Brazil, Santa Catarina.

 

According to this, they can also be found in Costa Rica: www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Habershonia+areos

 

Wingspan was of approximately 5cm.

 

Phalaena areos (Cramer, 1777) is the type-specimen. Brachyblemma (Hampson, 1926: 119) is a junior name to Habershonia.

 

www.biodiversitylibrary.org/search?searchTerm=HABERSHONIA...

 

www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/butmoth/search/GenusDetail... (classification is outdated)

 

www.inaturalist.nz/taxa/122490-Calpinae

 

www.inaturalist.org/taxa/551863-Habershonia-areos

 

PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1475803965

Found this young man at Serendip Sanctuary, VIC. I'm doing a Mike A here, the bird got too close but I did manage to get him in frame, just!

 

The Musk is a highly aquatic, diving duck native to southern Australia. It is the only living member of the genus Biziura. An extinct relative, the New Zealand musk duck or de Lautour's duck (B. delautouri), is only known from prehistoric subfossil bones.

 

These guys derive their name from the peculiar musky odour emanated during the breeding season.

 

The relationships of this peculiar species are quite enigmatic. It is traditionally included with the stiff-tailed duck subfamily Oxyurinae, but appears to be only distantly related to the genus Oxyura, and its peculiar apomorphies make it difficult to place. Its relationship with the equally strange pink-eared ducks (Malacorhynchus) is unresolved, but seems to be quite close, and it seems to be part of an ancient Gondwanan radiation of Anatidae. As such, it is quite closely related to the stiff-tailed ducks proper, but as it seems not as closely as generally believed, with many similarities due to convergent evolution (Wikipedia).

 

This species prefers deep, still lakes and wetlands with areas of both open water and reed beds. They seldom emerge from the water and are awkward on dry land. They rarely fly: take off is made with difficulty, and landing is a clumsy, low-angled affair with no attempt to lower the feet. On average, they are the second-heaviest diving duck in the world after the common eider, with male musk ducks actually being slightly heavier than male common eiders. Musk ducks float very low in the water, almost like a cormorant, and the large, webbed feet are well back on the body (Wikipedia).

• how would you feel • (presence of an unresolved and persistent conflict in an individual’s life, and the theme or Central Image of the dream provides a stage for this conflict to play out.) ⠀( Kodak TMAX 400)

My Instagram account may be viewed here: www.instagram.com/jdyf333/?hl=en

 

(This is a portrait I made [in 1992 in Occidental, California at a marijuana stash house] of an alleged drug cook I had become a friend of in the mid-1970s.)

 

He once told me that if the police busted me, I should only say "and?" in response to anything the police said to me.

 

(Color pencils and watercolor crayons on paper) (BEST VIEWED LARGE)

  

(“There was a need--political, socially--for that LSD explosion in the 60s and the ecstasy explosion in the early 90s."

 

---Leo Butler, a playwright, speaking to BBC about his show "All You Need is LSD". Butler legally took LSD at the invitation of David Nutt as part of what was said to be "the first medical trial of LSD in 50 years".

 

[from "How LSD Influenced Western Culture"

 

by Holly Williams, BBC, 10.17. 2008

 

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181016-how-lsd-influenced-w...])

.

 

(Please read ALL of the IMPORTANT explanatory text AND COMMENTS below)

 

It is a VERY IMPORTANT legal principle in America that a person must be "presumed to be innocent of committing a crime until that person is found to be guilty of committing a crime."

 

After a lengthy and exhaustive search, conducted over a period of years, I have never seen any evidence that the "alleged drug cook" pictured above has ever been convicted of committing any crime.

 

(In early 1972 I was arrested on federal MDA [methylenedioxyamphetamine] charges. [At the time of my arrest, I thought MDA was legal. Unfortunately, it had been outlawed approximately 2 years earlier.] MDA seemed to me to be unlikely to be a substance that most people would use more than a very few times, because my personal experience of using it was that it was that it usually left me extremely, and distressingly, drained of energy the day after my use. The severe "crash", as the local drug users called it, was unusually unpleasant.

 

The effects of MDMA, which, years later, was widely distributed and became globally popular, seemed to me to be quite different than MDA, especially in that, if used properly, there seemed to be very few, if any, negative effects experienced the day after use. Nonetheless, I have always refused to buy, sell, or manufacture MDMA because the name of the drug 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine contains the name "methamphetamine".

 

After being beat and tortured during my arrest, I refused to cooperate, entered a plea of "NOT GUILTY", and jumped bail.

 

I was arrested in Oakland, California in June 1985 on a federal charge of conspiracy to distribute LSD in Missouri, days before MDMA [or "ecstasy"] was made illegal. I again refused to cooperate with law enforcement or prosecutors. At the time of my arrest I was in possession of various amounts of a number of drugs, including a psilocybin mushroom, a trace amount of heroin, codeine, valium, a cigarette made of marijuana mixed with freebase cocaine ["crack"], a number of doses of LSD in various forms and a small amount of 2C-B that had been made by someone I knew who was an academic chemist who also provided a hand-drawn diagram showing how he synthesized it that was found with it . I was also in possession of a small amount of MDMA that the alleged cook pictured above told me he had made. I do not know why I was not found to be guilty of possessing any of the drugs found in my briefcase. I do not know why I was not found to be guilty of the LSD conspiracy charge.

 

I was not found to be guilty of the 1972 MDA charges, but I WAS found to be guilty of failing to appear in court in 1972, and was sentenced to serve 2 years in prison.)

  

Roy Edwards, who was NOT a drug cook, taught me about art when we were housemates in 1992 in a large marijuana stash house owned by the alleged drug cook in Occidental, California. (Roy had been one of Mark Rothko's studio assistants.)

  

(In 2012, Rothko's 1961 painting "Orange, Red, Yellow" was sold by Christie's in New York for more than $86.8 million.)

  

("To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks.

 

This world of imagination is fancy-free and violently opposed to common sense.

 

It is our function as artists to make the spectator see the world our way--not his way."

 

---Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb, in a 1943 letter to the art editor of The New York Times.)

  

(Roy Edwards was a devoted member of the Krishna cult [ISKON-International Society for Krishna Consciousness], a group that was founded in the mid-1960s. When I was an underage teenager in Berkeley in 1969 they gave delicious free vegetarian meals at their temple near Telegraph Avenue. I was not into joining their cult, but while on LSD I had several unusually high-energy encounters with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who founded the group and was sometimes at the Berkeley temple. Beatle George Harrison, a Krishna devotee, produced a single "Hare Krishna Mantra" with the Radha Krishna Temple. It featured Harrison singing with the Krishnas and was released by Apple records in mid-1969, doing much to popularize the Krishnas. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that a number of serious criminals had joined. At first it seemed like a positive thing, because they smuggled and distributed quantities of potent cannabis products like hash oil. They also bought and sold LSD. [While visiting Canada in the early 1970s I obtained cannabis from a Krishna who smuggled it there from their temple in West Virginia.] Things went downhill fast. In March 1980 a lot of guns and ammunition was seized from Krishnas in Lake County, California and in El Cerrito, near Berkeley. A few months later the Berkeley police found a submachine gun, 2 assault rifles, and 3 loaded pistols in an unregistered Mercedes. [I knew the owner of the car...] The head of the Berkeley temple, Hansadutta, was arrested. In August 1984, Hansadutta ran amok and shot up Ledgers liquor store in Berkeley and then drove to the McNevin Cadillac showroom and shot it up. When arrested soon after, Hansadutta had 4 loaded guns and much ammunition. He also had $8,200 in cash.

 

Roy [who was a friend of Hansadutta] often talked about Rothko. He said he had been at the studio around the time Rothko committed suicide. Roy had a "terrible" methamphetamine addiction at that period in his life and was injecting himself with the drug day and night. The way he told the story implied he may have killed Rothko. He said he was never interviewed by the police and went to India and hooked up with the Krishnas there immediately following Rothko's death. The next day I went to the bay area and looked at many books about Rothko. I arrived back at the stash house late at night. I did not turn on the lights. I quietly went up the stairs to my room, pausing mid-way to retrieve a piece of metal pipe I had hidden in case I needed to defend myself. The pipe felt wet. It had not been wet when I hid it. I went into my room and used the flame from a cigarette lighter to examine the pipe, which was dripping paint that was the color of blood. I heard a loud maniacal laugh from the next room. "Now you know what art is!" Roy exclaimed...)

  

("A painter here has sued CBS Inc. and its New York publishing house, charging that it implicated him in the death of the artist Mark Rothko.

 

The painter, Roy Edwards, seeks $1.25 million in compensatory and punitive damagess from CBS, its publishing subsidiary, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, and Lee Seldes, an author. The plaintiff charges them with having made libelous statements about him in Mrs. Seldes’ book, 'The Legacy of Mark Rothko,' published last year. The suit contends that Mr. Edwards has suffered damage to his reputation and career as a result of 'malicious, false, scandalous and defamatory' references in which he was said to have been involved in 'a successful plot to murder' Rothko. The Abstract Expressionist artist died in 1970 at the age of 66 in his New York City studio. The death was ruled a suicide.

 

Mrs. Seldes denied any link between Rothko's death and Mr. Edwards. 'There is no plot in the book at all, except the fact that Rothko was pushed to suicide,' she said. 'That is my scenario and I stand by it.'"

 

---The New York Times, 3.1. 1979, "CBS Is Sued by Painter Over a Book on Rothko".)

  

("In his review of my book, The Legacy of Mark Rothko [NYR, December 21, 1978], Robert Hughes..."

 

"...charges that I, on the basis of 'gossip,' state that Rothko did not commit suicide but was 'assassinated.' Neither of these charges is true. I believe that Rothko’s death almost certainly was self-inflicted and much of the book is devoted to the many reasons for his suicide. The major pressure on Rothko was, as I state repeatedly, 'the forced selection and sale of his paintings to Marlborough' scheduled for the day of his death. [Hughes, though he has chosen to adopt much of my biographical and medical research on the matter as his own, neglects to mention this crucial motivation.]

 

In the penultimate chapter of the book I have attempted to resolve public and private speculations about the circumstances surrounding Rothko’s death. That he might have been murdered had been voiced publicly, not only by Agnes Martin, but, as recounted by Paul Gardner in New York [February 7, 1977], by Kate Rothko’s lawyer, Edward J. Ross, and others. The subject of possible murder having been raised, it would have been irresponsible, I believe, not to explore the facts as fully as possible, which I did. Apparently Hughes did not read the detailed autopsy notes of the pathologists’ views that I quoted from, because he states that Rothko cut 'his elbow veins with a razor.' In fact Rothko did not [that would have taken much longer]. Having taken a massive overdose of drugs, he somehow managed to chop through the ligaments and the artery in his right arm with only the aid of a double-edged razor blade, one edge wrapped in Kleenex. According to a well-known surgeon this is not possible without the aid of a scalpel or a blade with a handle for leverage. The ligaments and the ante-cubital fossae are far too tough to be severed with just a razor blade. But, as I wrote, at that moment in his drive to die, Rothko must have possessed superhuman strength. Still the questions of how drugged he was at the time and how he performed all this without the aid of his glasses remain unresolved. Since the possibility of homicide could not be completely ruled out—however unlikely—I reported these facts in detail in what I believe to be a straightforward and unsensational exposition. It is my view, as stated in the book, that Rothko almost certainly committed suicide, pushed to the brink by the Marlborough deal. Nowhere did I suggest or imply that any individual was the 'hitman.'"

 

---Lee Seldes, in a letter to the editors of The New York Review of Books, 2.8. 1979.

 

"Most of her objections are trivial, but one substantial matter is her defense of the chapter in which she strove, by innuendo, to suggest Rothko was murdered on behalf of Marlborough. 'The subject having been raised,' she now claims, 'it would have been irresponsible…not to explore the facts as fully as possible.' But who actually raised the subject? One magazine writer, who knew nothing about the matter; one painter, who knew less. If the lawyer Edward Ross did raise the question he showed no evidence for it. To slip a journalist your fantasies is not to offer proof; and that was all Ross did. The idea that Rothko was murdered was never considered by the court. It was not suggested by the forensic experts who examined his body. The autopsy produced no evidence for it. It was, quite simply, not an issue. Yet Ms. Seldes, using phrases like 'If Rothko was not murdered, he was pressured into taking his own life…. It was at best a kind of remote control killing' (p. 317), saw fit to spend a whole chapter dragging this red herring to and fro, instead of giving it the brief paragraph it might have deserved. There was, I think, only one reason for her tendentious performance. She is so obsessed with the evils of the art world that her villains cannot possibly be black enough. They must be murderers as well as thieves."

 

---Robert Hughes, in a letter to the editors of The New York Review of Books, 2.8. 1979, written in reply to Lee Seldes.)

  

(Snapshot, Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California, 1971: I saw a young man with long hair who was wearing lizardskin cowboy boots and carrying 2 very large suitcases. He looked at me and said "help!" It turned out he was from Texas and both suitcases were filled with "bricks" of Mexican marijuana. I sold the pot and became good friends with the Texan, whose name was Bill. Over the next decade I met many of Bill's crew of marijuana dealers and their many friends and associates from Texas.)

 

(Snapshot, Occidental, late 1992: I saw Terence McKenna picking up his mail. His vehicle had a personalized California license plate with the letters NN DMT. Big grin!)

 

(Snapshot, Occidental, late 1992: I was at a marijuana stash house waiting for Roy Edwards. I heard sirens and an amplified voice "PULL THE VEHICLE OVER! PULL THE VEHICLE OVER NOW!" Roy's VW van ccame skidding down the driveway and hit a small tree. I was in a room next to the road, a room that was piled to the ceiling with marijuana. No curtains on the windows. From their vantage point, the police officers who pulled their car over could see me. We made eye contact, and they turned their car around and left. [I called the owner of the house, and left a recorded message: "Excellent!"]

 

I left the stash house and returned to my art studio in Berkeley.

 

Soon after that, a Texan helping distribute the load of marijuana was arrested near Occidental with a quantity of the drug.

 

[Previously I had, at the request of the owner of the stash house, strip-searched the Texan to make sure he was not wearing a wire. He showed me his ID ('William Wright"), which he said was fake, and explained that recently he had assisted the feds in arresting some of the members of the organization that was the source of the Mexican marijuana. The members had murdered a number of people, and the Texan said the feds had agreed to let him distribute the load.]

 

The arresting officers convinced him to give up some of his local distributors, and a media crew made videos of him helping the police arrest the distributors. Shortly thereafter, the videos appeared on a national television series called "American Detective". Almost all mentions of the series have been removed from the internet and replaced with mentions of an entirely different television series with the same name that appeared later. Videos of the episode that showed the bust of the Texan and his distributors are absolutely impossible to find...)

 

(Snapshot: In early 2009, former state governor and Oakland mayor California Attorney General Jerry Brown called a press conference to announce that the owner of the stash house in Occidental had been arrested elsewhere at what was at the time said to be one of the largest MDMA labs ever seized in California.)

  

"...while working as lab tech in the University of British Columbia’s geology department...Peter van der Heyden was tasked with the disposal of a number of the geology lab’s rare chemicals...he realized that some of the chemicals...could be combined to make...MDMA. ...he...whipped up a homemade batch, and passed it among a few close friends.

 

...It wasn’t long before a stranger appeared on his doorstep...It was...Nick Sand...'My work up to that point was very small scale, making a few grams of this or that,' he recalls. 'Nick laughed and literally said, "I’ll teach you how to make drugs with wheelbarrows and shovels."'

 

They set up their own massive underground LSD operation in a lab tucked away in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam. In 1996, the duo was busted. Authorities recovered 43 grams of synthesized LSD...along with a stash of Ecstasy and other so-called designer drugs like 2C-B.

 

In 2019, van der heyden founded PsyGen, supplying legal psychedelic material for clinical trials...

 

In the autumn of 2022, van der Heyden realized a dream he’d been nurturing for half a century: He made his first, legal, pure batch of LSD. His 2022 batch achieved 99.96 percent purity. “

 

---John Semley, Rolling Stone, 4.19. 2025. Quotes from "Inside the Long, Strange Trip of the World’s Best LSD"

 

("Calgary, Alberta - Psygen Industries Ltd. [together with its subsidiaries, 'Psygen'] is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Psygen Labs Inc., completed manufacture of more than 1.5 million microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide ['LSD']."

 

---Newsfile Corp., 4.19. 2023.)

  

(My "autobiography":

thewordsofjdyf333.blogspot.com/)

  

Another version is below (click on the image to view it larger):

English

Aperitif under the sun

 

I've been tagged by ~2|{~ and skynet .

 

Here are 10 things about me that you may or may not know, but are true:

 

- I live in Madrid, Spain

- Less than a year ago I had no idea what HDR means

- I don't like to carry my tripod with me

- My favorite beer is Mahou

- I am a Real Madrid fan

- Nightshots and macros are unresolved matters

- Never thought photography would make me happy

- I hate hypocrisy

- I'm always surprised when viewing explored images

- I enjoy commenting photos in Flickr

 

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

 

Español

He sido elegido por ~2|{~ y skynet .

 

A continuación os listo 10 puntos que podéis conocer sobre mi o no, pero que son ciertos:

 

- Vivo en Madrid, España

- Hace menos de un año no tenía ni idea de lo que quiere decir HDR

- No me gusta llevar el trípode a cuestas

- Mi cerveza favorita es Mahou

- Soy seguidor del Real Madrid

- Fotos nocturnas y macros son mis asignaturas pendientes

- Nunca creí que la fotografía me haría feliz

- Odio la hipocresía

- No dejo de sorprenderme al ver las fotos de Explore

- Me lo paso bien comentando fotos en Flickr

 

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

 

To complete the game, I tag all my contacts, but I have to choose 10 / Para completar el juego, nomino a todos mis contactos, pero sólo pueden ser 10:

 

- pal1970

- Peter Wilding

- Jomama1152

- Jirka Horak

- Nimo Photography

- zorrillo producciones

- Somoza Photography

- Batram

- Truddy

- Francisco Rivera

«Mentre lavoravo al mio albero genealogico, ho capito la strana comunità di destino che mi collega ai miei avi. Ho fortemente il sentimento di essere sotto l’influenza di cose o di problemi che furono lasciati incompiuti o senza risposta dai miei genitori, dai miei nonni e dai miei antenati. Mi sembra che spesso ci sia in una famiglia un karma impersonale che si trasmette dai genitori ai figli. Ho sempre pensato che anche io dovevo rispondere a delle domande che il destino aveva già posto ai miei antenati e alle quali non si era riuscito a trovare nessuna risposta, o anche che dovevo risolvere o semplicemente continuare ad occuparmi di problemi che le epoche anteriori lasciarono in sospeso. La psicoterapia non ha ancora tenuto abbastanza conto di questa circostanza.»

Ricordi, Sogni, Riflessioni – C. G. Jung-

 

"When I worked in my family tree, I understood the strange communion of the destiny that unites me to my ancestors. I had the strong feeling that it was under the influence of events and problems that were incomplete and unresolved by my parents, my grandparents, and my other ancestors. I had the impression that there is often in the family an impersonal Karma transmitted from parents to children. I always knew that I had to answer questions already asked by my ancestors or I had to conclude, or continue on the previously unresolved issues". ~Carl Jung [At the Dawn of the 21st Century what do we do for our Dead?]

.

Abandoned Abused Street Dogs.

 

Back Story .........................................

 

Lots of things have been going on around here.

Sometimes I zip out to the monkey temple in the

afternoon just to do a resupply for the nuns & monks.

 

Mamas skin problem seems to holding it's own and I've

made plans to take her in again on Thursday to see the

dog doctor.

 

Medical issues have put my normal schedule in a disarray.

Tomorrow is Wednesday and the dog doctor is always

closed on that day.The only day a week he takes off.

Point is that's why Mama is going to see him on Thursday.

 

From what I've been told the population of primates out here

has risen from 2000 to somewhere around 3000 . I've noticed

a tremendous amount of mother monkeys with babies on board.

 

Rabies is still an issue around Thailand and if it comes to the

monkey temple we'll have a huge problem to deal with !

The dogs all have their rabies shots and are now going

through their yearly booster program .

 

This inserted news article is about rabies in Thailand......................

 

Rabies is still an unresolved public health problem in Thailand. Approximately 300 cases of human rabies have been reported annually (Table 1) [1]. This number, however, is generally accepted to be under recorded. Half of the patients are below 15 years of age (Table 2). Rabies deaths have been reported all year round with slight increment in number during summer. For post-exposure prophylaxis against rabies, each year, about 80,000 people are treated at the health authority services throughout the country [2]. An underestimated number of patients have visited private clinics for the same purposes without any record.

 

Remember some time back I too was taking rabies shots ..;-(

 

Anyway for some good news, on the way home I purchased

3 kilos of fresh, sweet, organically grown mangoes...............;-)

 

Thank You.

Jon&Crew.

 

Please help with your temple dog donations here.

www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-abandoned-thai-temple-dogs

 

Please,

No Awards, Invites, Large Logos or Copy an Pastes.

 

.

 

Vincent William van Gough a famous Dutch artist whose work often associated with Post-Impressionism and later transformed in to Expressionism. Vincent Van Gogh was one of the most important predecessors of modern painting. He created a great number of masterpiece paintings and drawings in just one decade devoted to art.

I know for sure that I have an instinct for colour, and that it will come to me more and more, that painting is in the very marrow of my bones.” A brief look at some historical examples of artistic geniuses and it is tempting to believe that there is something approaching madness in the creative spirit.

 

The artistic impulse permeates throughout history: from the “primitive” cave art of the Upper Palaeolithic through to the introduction of perspective and foreshortening during the Renaissance, rules which would later be subverted beyond recognition by the artists of modernity, who sought to express new ways of seeing and ushered in an era of visual experimentation. Either as creators or consumers, art remains ever-present in the modern world, both a vehicle for expressing our innermost thoughts and desires and a medium through which we can escape into new realities and emotions.

 

What is it that leads us to create art? Is there a psychological drive at work, a subconscious force which simmers away beneath the surface before emerging in an explosion of creativity? Is there an innermost essence to this process, something which embodies our propensity to express ourselves through art?

 

A brief look at some historical examples of artistic geniuses and it is tempting to believe that there is something approaching madness in the creative spirit; that art is intrinsically bound with insanity, great works of art functioning as a cathartic mechanism – something which both purges and purifies the spirit – without which the artist would be confined to the asylum. The fascination of the link between mental illness and creativity emerged in the late 19th century and remains with us to this day, where heightened creativity can be seen to correlate with states of mind such as hypomania – a state of mind today most commonly associated with bipolar disorder – where inspiration emerges from the fluctuations between euphoria and depression.

 

The Artist as an Outsider

Vincent van Gogh is perhaps the most celebrated example of the “mad artistic genius”, a man who was frequently cited by art historians as suffering from manic depression and who revealed through his letters to have questioned his own sanity. In and out of institutions for much of his adult life, the root cause of van Gogh’s mental state has been hotly debated, with porphyria, schizophrenia, tertiary syphilis, lead poisoning and addiction to absinthe among the possible explanations (Manet, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec were among other artists with a fondness for absinthe, as were a number of writers during the late 19th century. German poet Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote, “He saw his glass of absinthe grow and grow until he felt himself in the centre of its opal light, weightless, completely dissolved in this strange atmosphere.” There is something to be said for the role played by mind-altering drugs in promoting the drive to create art).

 

Whatever the causes of van Gogh’s mental state, his work seems to reflect a fluctuation between normality and insanity, as if the swirls of colour function as a measure of his grip on reality. Van Gogh said himself, “It is only too true that a lot of artists are mentally ill – it’s a life which, to put it mildly, makes one an outsider. I’m all right when I completely immerse myself in work, but I’ll always remain half crazy.” He would eventually end his life by shooting himself in the chest in the field where he had recently painted Wheatfield with Crows, an image which seemed to presage his suicide.

 

Psychologist Carl Jung considered the psychological roots of artistic creation in the modern world in a number of essays and lectures collected in the book, The Spirit in Man, Art and Literature. How did we progress from our primitive state, in which Jung perceived art, science and religion coalescing in “the undifferentiated chaos of the magical mentality” to the cultural and artistic climate familiar in the modern world? In what manner does art – and its symbolic content – reflect the seemingly tumultuous psychological nature of the artist? Can the art be used to decode the artist?

 

The Creative Impulse

Jung believed that art itself had no inherent meaning, suggesting that perhaps it is like nature – something that simply “is”. But the creative process was something distinct, and Jung posited that works of art could be seen to arise out of much the same psychological conditions as a neurosis. Like all neuroses these conscious contents have an unconscious background which in their artistic manifestation often go beyond the individual and into something deeper and more broadly reflective of humankind. Jung offered the analogy that “personal causes have as much or as little to do with a work of art as the soil with the plant that springs from it.” True art is something “supra-personal”, a force which has “escaped from the limitations of the personal and has soared beyond the personal concerns of its creator.”

 

Jung concedes that not all art originates in this manner – art can derive from a deliberate process of conscious, careful consideration geared towards a specific expression in which the artist is at one with the creative process. But for Jung, fascination lay in the artist who obeyed alien impulses where the work appears to impose itself on the author; an external force wielding the artist like a marionette. This is the creative impulse, acting upon the conscious mind from a subconscious level – it guides the artist in a way which they cannot understand, regardless of the conviction they may have that it has originated within themselves.

 

For great artists, this impulse can be all-consuming. As Jung rightly observes, “The biographies of great artists make it abundantly clear that the creative urge is often so imperious that it battens onto their humanity and yokes everything to the service of the work, even at the cost of ordinary health and human happiness”. The biographies of the likes of Beethoven, Marcel Proust and many others are a testament to the creative process as “a living thing implanted in the human psyche.”

 

For Beethoven, composing was a compulsion, as his prodigious output testifies – indeed, gripped in the vice of depression later in life, not least on account of his profound deafness, his work arguably reaching its zenith with the sublime late string quartets. Proust too felt irresistibly compelled to write – consigned to his bed on account of increasing illness, he worked tirelessly for several years on his opus In Search of Lost Time, a labyrinthine novel which tackles the nebulous quality of memory and love and the absurdity of human nature; a dense yet hugely rewarding product of tireless obsession.

 

Speaking With A Thousand Voices

Jung believed that the autonomous nature of the creative impulse as something that operates outside of consciousness is reflected in the symbolic nature of art. Symbols are expressions of the unknown, intimating something beyond our powers of comprehension. Jung believed these were deeply rooted in history; primordial images from a sphere of unconscious mythology. The creative drive works on the artist so that these images are withdrawn from the collective unconscious and presents us with archetypal symbols. For Jung this was a truly powerful psychological phenomenon: “Whoever speaks in primordial images speaks with a thousand voices; he enthrals and overpowers, while at the same time he lifts the idea he is seeking to express out of the occasional and the transitory into the realm of the ever-enduring.”

 

Ultimately, Jung saw this process as one of great social significance, where conjured primordial images were “constantly at work educating the spirit of the age.” Visionary works of artistic expression become something transcendental, linking the unconscious and conscious, past and present. It is a force which operates beyond the rational and approaches the sublime and timeless – art which offers us “a revelation whose heights and depths are beyond our fathoming, or a vision of beauty which we can never put into words.”

 

Art, too, was a powerful tool for the individual to understand the nature of his or her subconsciousness. Jung frequently integrated it into his process of analytical psychology, encouraging his patients to draw and paint their dreams and use active imagination in which image and meaning were integrated, in order to unlock the symbolism at its core and come to terms with trauma and emotional distress. Jung was an artist himself and spent much of his life attempting to unify his understanding of spiritual and esoteric traditions – particularly Christianity, Gnosticism and alchemy – and his own unconscious into paintings and illustrations. While art and creativity as a method of therapy pre-date the work of Jung (indeed, they reside in the distant past of our shamanic origins), his contribution to function of art as therapy in the modern age is indisputable.

 

The art historian John E. Pfieffer said of hunter-gatherer cave art in his book The Creative Explosion:

 

“Nothing in the twentieth century can match the Upper Palaeolithic for its combination of art and setting, content and context. Nowhere in our lives are there comparable concentrations of modern art with a purpose, art in action, as contrasted with passive art hung in out-of-the-mainstream places designed solely for exhibition. The works in caves speak together, individual styles but with an underlying unity, singing in unison like a chorus of individual voices expressing collective feelings, collective goals. That is their special power.”

 

In this sense, contemporary art cannot truly be measured alongside art from the past – it resides in a different era, inspired by and reflecting the spirit of the times. If shamanic cave art can be seen to represent the emergence of a new type of consciousness in humanity intimately tied to the birth of spirituality, art today can be viewed as a coalescence of all that has come since and is yet to come. Or, as Jung expressed it: “All art intuitively apprehends coming changes in the collective unconsciousness.”

 

That is both the beauty of art, and the power of the artist.

 

Van Gogh used color for its “symbolic and expressive values” rather than to reproduce light and literal surroundings. Van Gogh’s emotional state highly affected his artistic work and it deeply analyses his unconscious mind.

 

Several psychodynamic factors may have contributed to his art work. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud viewed art as a privileged form of neurosis where the analyst-critic explores the artwork in order to understand and unearth the vicissitudes of the creator's psychological motivations. In this context van Gough’s art represent a deep psychological sketch. He left a profound, soul-searching description of his jagged life in his art work. Though Van Gogh had little financial success as an artist during his lifetime and often lived in poverty, his fame grew dramatically after his death. Today van Gough’s name is considered to be one of the world’s most renowned, respected, and influential artists. But he could not live long enough to see his fame. His life was filled with misery and desolation and this suffering was painted in an artistic way. The tragic life of Vincent van Gogh could be summarized emphasizing his early departure from formal education, failure as a successful salesman in the art world, attempt at religious studies, difficulty with female and family relationships, return to the art world, and tendencies toward extremes of poor nutrition or near self-starvation and excessive drinking and smoking. His oil painting” the Potato Eaters” clandestinely depicts poverty and destitute experienced by the artist. Van Gogh suffered from complex psychiatric ailments. Apart from the illness excessive use of tobacco and alcohol made a negative impact on his mental health. The mental illness that plagued him affected his art work. Van Gough painted his anguish and despair on canvas. His brushwork became increasingly agitated. The striking colors, crude brush strokes, and distorted shapes and contours, express his disturbed mind. He suffered two distinct episodes of reactive depression, and there are clearly bipolar aspects to his history. Both episodes of depression were followed by sustained periods of increasingly high energy and enthusiasm.z_p29-Psychological-03.jpg

 

Van Gogh's inimitable art was defined by its powerful, dramatic and emotional style. The artist’s concern for human suffering is in somber, melancholy study of art. Maybe he tried to explain the struggle between the man and the human nature, the reality and his unconscious mental conflicts. Van Gogh once said: “We spend our whole lives in unconscious exercise of the art of expressing our thoughts with the help of words.” His life was full of mental conflicts. He fought with his inner mind. This dual nature was observable. He had attacks of melancholy and of atrocious remorse. His colors lost the intensity His lines became restless. He applied the paint more violently with thicker layers. Van Gogh was drawn to objects in nature under stress: whirling suns, twisted cypress trees, and surging mountains. Although van Gogh’s illness emerged more violently he produced brilliant works as The Reaper, Cypresses, The Red Vineyard, and his famed Starry Night.

 

In Starry Night (1889) the whole world seems engulfed by circular movements. The Starry Night is undoubtedly van Gogh’s most mysterious picture. The Starry Night which resides as his most popular work and one of the most influence pieces in history. The swirling lines of the sky are a possible representation of his mental state. The Starry Night embodies an inner, subjective expression of van Gogh's response to nature. Vincent van Gogh once said “Looking at the stars always makes me dream. We take death to reach a star.”

 

From the beginning of Van Gogh's artistic career he had the ambition to draw and paint figures. For Vincent van Gogh color was the chief symbol of expression. Contemporary artists admired van Gogh’s passionate approach to art. But he viewed his life as horribly wasted, personally failed and impossible. On the contrary he was able to produce deeply moving images while living a life of ultimate desperation in an increasing state of mental imbalance. He was friendly with the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin and two friends inspired each other. However they frequently quarreled. Van Gogh had an eccentric personality and unstable moods. His reactive depression episodes were followed by a prolonged period of hypomanic or even manic behavior. The life and artistic legacy of Vincent van Gogh has generated great interest among physicians from different areas of specialization in proposing a retrospective differential diagnosis. Vincent Van Gough suffered from medical crises that were devastating, but in the intervening periods he was both lucid and creative. Vincent van Gogh's illness has been the object of much speculation. Explanations as disparate as acute intermittent porphyria, epilepsy and schizophrenia have been proposed. Some experts suspect physical and psychiatric symptoms of Vincent van Gogh may have been due to chronic lead poisoning. According to Arnold (2004) an inherited metabolic disease, acute intermittent porphyria, accounts for all of the signs and symptoms of van Gogh's underlying illness. Porphyria is a rare hereditary disease in which the blood pigment hemoglobin is abnormally metabolized. Porphyrins are excreted in the urine, which becomes dark; other symptoms include mental disturbances and extreme sensitivity of the skin to light. Van Gogh probably suffered from partial complex seizures (temporal lobe epilepsy) with manic depressive mood swings aggravated by absinthe, brandy, nicotine and turpentine. In addition he was troubled by intense death wish. Suicidal gestures by Vincent depicted in his last paintings. He painted vast fields of wheat under dark and stormy skies, commenting, “It is not difficult to express here my entire sadness and extreme loneliness”. In one of his last paintings, Wheat Field With Crows, the black birds fly in a starless sky, and three paths lead nowhere. It could be interpreted as the emptiness that existed in his heart. Mehlum (1996) believes that an early childhood trauma initiated a life-long suicidal process in Van Gogh. His difficulties as regards attachment to and separation from his parents continued throughout his life and his emotional instability, intensity and lowered tolerance to frustration seem to portray a borderline personality. Van Gogh's self-portraits play significant clinical importance. Vincent van Gogh was born one year to the day after a stillborn brother of the identical name, including the middle name, Willem. In the parish register van Gogh was given the same number twenty-nine as his predecessor brother. Van Gogh's fantasies of death and rebirth, of being a double and a twin, contributed to both his psychopathology and his creativity. Van Gogh's self-portraits are regarded as relevant to his being a replacement child (Blum, 2009). Meissner (1993) hypothesized that the self-portraits of Vincent van Gogh are seen as repeated and unresolved efforts at self-exploration and self-definition in an attempt to add a sense of continuity and cohesion to a fragile and fragmented self-experience. The portraits are painted in mirror perspective; Vincent's search for identity is thus seen as mediated by the dynamics of the mirroring phenomenon.

Auto-mutilation became a part of his medical history. In 1888 Vincent’s mental health was very unstable. As a result of psychotic crises, Vincent van Gogh was hospitalized several times. His state of mind was very weak and during a breakdown, he mutilated his ear. Van Gogh cut off the lower half of his left ear and gave it to a prostitute. After a few weeks he was able to paint self-portrait with bandaged ear and pipe (Portrait of a one-eyed man) which shows him in serene composure. During the last few years of his life, his paintings were characterized by halos and the color yellow. Critics have ascribed these aberrations to innumerable causes, including chronic solar injury, glaucoma, and cataracts (Lee, 1981).

 

Vincent van Gogh's chronic suicidal ideation and behaviour led to a series of crises throughout his life, escalating during the last 18 months before his suicide in 1890. It is possible to identify at least three prominent suicidal motives in van Gogh's case. The first is unbearable emotional pain related to personal experience of loss which reactivated the childhood trauma. The second is introverted murderous rage arising from conflicts with other persons. The third motive described is the need for a cathartic release of energy and emotion (Mehlum, 1996).

 

Pezenhoffer and Gerevich (2015) found distal suicide risk factors in Vincent van Gogh. They highlighted: family anamnesis, childhood traumas (emotional deprivation, identity problems associated with the name Vincent), a vagrant, homeless way of life, and failures in relationships with women, and psychotic episodes appearing in rushes. In addition the proximal factors included the tragic friendship with Gauguin (frustrated love), his brother Theo's marriage (experienced as a loss), and a tendency to self-destruction and this trait aggression played an important role in Van Gogh's suicide.

 

Vincent van Gogh committed suicide in 1890 at the age of 37. Despite the mental illness he suffered Vincent remained marvelously creative until his death. Although he lived a relatively short period he left behind an astonishing body of work which included several hundred paintings.

 

Van Gogh's painting not only reflected his struggles but also enabled him, for a time, to stave off the hopelessness and despair that eventually overwhelmed him, culminating in his suicide. Despite his turbulent life Van Gogh remains as one of Europe's greatest artists. Vincent Van Gogh is the subject of psychologists, artists, and historians alike. His life was led with a furious passion which normal men could not begin to comprehend; and it is through his paintings that we can look into Van Gogh’s mind and soul to analyze this enigmatic figure.

 

Of all of his paintings there are two that stand out as a shining example of the multitude of feelings and personalities that Vincent possessed, these paintings allow us psychoanalytic interpretations of the motives behind the pieces.The two paintings are none other than The Potato Eaters from Vincent’s Neuen Period and The Night Cafe from Vincent’s stay in Arles while with Paul Gaughin.Each offers a different insight to Vincent’s psyche from his emotions towards his parents to how he fell about his friends and himself as a painter.The first of the aforementioned paintings, The Potato Eaters, is a great example of a work by Vincent which features personal identification with one of the figures where we can garner insight to his thought processes and emotions.The Potato Eaters was painted during the Neuen period, a time in which Vincent was painting the hard, dreary lives of peasants and the destitute.At a glance we can see the painting as nothing more than a very poignant and hard hitting representation of the hard life of the working class.Potatoes were a staple, easy to grow food introduced by the Americas and because of its cheap price and nigh nutritional value, it became the centerpiece of any lower class meal.The scene depicts five peasants sitting at a table eating potato stew one of which is turned away from the viewer but is illuminated by the steam of the stew to place her as the point of interest in the piece.

 

When digging a little deeper into the piece we find that the painting has remarkable similarities in relation to the early stages of Vincent’s life.The child in the foreground whom is illuminated by the halo of steam can be seen as a religious figure by reasoning that Vincent who was familiar with the Bible and Christian influence paintings would have known that halos around humans signified some sort of religious importance.We find that “the lamp [in the painting] becomes a Holy Spirit as the insistent orthogonals of the roof beamsâ€[1] point towards the lamp giving it even more prominence in the picture.Even beyond the eerie religious overtones which would have come from the influence of his minister father, we find more personal identifications in the painting.The hidden child in the foreground becomes a symbol for the dead Vincent whom Van Gogh would have placed the ideals of perfection upon.The child cannot face the viewer because the child is dead (in spirit) and this is reinforced by the woman on the right who stares at the child intensely while pointing down towards the grave. Our attention is now on the woman to the far right who is a representation of Vincent’s mother who spent the majority of Van Gogh’s childhood mourning the death of the first Vincent instead of giving tender love to Van Gogh.What is interesting is that not only does she cast her view away from the manin the center who is trying to get her attention, she takes her gaze away from you (the viewer) and places all of her attention on the child with its back to us.The man trying to get her attention has some of Van Gogh’s features and serves as a representation of the emotional state of his childhood and a large portion of his life.The man tries to garner the attention of the woman but finds that no matter how hard he tries, his efforts are ignored as the woman pays more attention to the illuminated child; this in turn fills the expression of the young man with surprise and despair.We can now look to the second painting, The Night Cafe, a painting in which we find conscious and unconscious meanings and symbols in elements like the pool table, the cafe owner, the lamp lights, and the overall color scheme of the painting. The first element, the pool table falls in line with Vincent’s tendency to insert phallic objects into his work; the pool stick has a pair of pool balls on either side of the bottom of its shaft which gives it the appearance of a phallus and testicles. What is interesting here is that if one follows the diagonals of the wooden floorboards and the direction the phallus is pointing in, it leads you towards the wide gaping hole in the back of the room which suggests the female vagina. What’s more is that the diagonals of the floorboards form a “headlong dive into space creates a powerful and expressionistic effect. It becomes the visual equivalent of an irresistible urge and corresponds to the pull of the “terrible passions” that make care dwellers want to ruin themselves”[2]. Our gaze is then led towards the group in the back of the room; this group seems to be a pair of men and a woman, or two women and a man. Regardless of the ratio of men to women in the back of the room, the men portray the typical cafe going drunks while the women represent the prostitutes that would frequent cafes for customers. The colors are particularly jarring in that the reds and greens, though complimentary of one another provide a very manic mood despite a relatively laid back seen. Vincent would have been going through manic fits while he and Gauguin worked together in Arles mainly due to their personalities conflicting with each others. Vincent outweighs this representation of his manic side by writing to his brother Theo about the painting and describing it as such: “I have tried to express the idea that the cafe is a place where one can ruin oneself, go crazy, or commit a crime..and all this in an atmosphere like a devil’s furnace of pale sulfate[3. ]Despite this description it is not hard to see how the radiating lamps which resemble explosions of light can serve as a representation of Van Gogh’s emotional state. The final element of the painting, the mysterious and ghostly figure of the cafe proprietor Joseph Ginoux becomes an unconscious symbol of Vincent’s deceased father.The figure is the only one in the room that addresses the viewer directly and seems to have complete control over every event happening within the Night Cafe.To further this idea that the ghostly figure is Vincent’s father, we need only look at the pool stick and pool balls which fall on a parallel plane to the owner’s waist giving the idea that he is the one with the largest phallus in the room.Vincent often felt as if he were beneath his father and often depicts him as having symbols of strong manliness.One of his paintings features his father as a large open Bible with a large, thick, candle at the bottom of the open book pointed upwards while the representation of Vincent in that painting is merely a pair of small, yellow books.We can summarize that Vincent found hints of fatherhood in Joseph Ginoux which reminded him of his childhood where he constantly battled his father over religious ideology and artistic aspirations.Both The Potato Eaters and The Night Cafe serve as perfect examples of how artists allow both directly and indirectly, psychoanalytical interpretations of their work.

   

[1] “Van Gogh and Gauguin: Electric Arguments and Utopian Dreams” Bradley Collins.Page 33.

 

[2] “Van Gogh and Gauguin: Electric Arguments and Utopian Dreams” Bradley Collins.Page 125

 

[3] “Van Gogh and Gauguin: Electric Arguments and Utopian Dreams” Bradley Collins.Page 136

 

highexistence.com/carl-jung-artistic-impulse/

Master of the Pala Sforzesca (15th century) - Madonna Enthroned with Child, Doctors of the Church and the Family of Ludovico il Moro ("Pala Sforzesca") (1494-95) - Tempera and oil on panel 230 × 165 cm. - Brera Art Gallery, Milan

 

L’opera raffigura la famiglia di Ludovico il Moro inginocchiata davanti alla Vergine e ai santi Ambrogio, Gregorio Magno, Agostino e Gerolamo. Fu commissionata per la chiesa milanese di Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus e, sulla base dei documenti d’archivio, fu eseguita nel corso del 1494. La rappresentazione qui allestita unisce all’espressione della devozione religiosa del committente la celebrazione del potere di quest’ultimo, giacché allude alla benevolenza divina nei suoi confronti e al futuro della sua dinastia, garantito dalla nascita di un erede. Quando commissionava la Pala Sforzesca, Ludovico il Moro tentava di ottenere dall’imperatore Massimiliano d’Asburgo la legalizzazione della propria signoria su Milano, esautorando alla morte di Gian Galeazzo (1494) il legittimo erede Francesco Maria Sforza. L’opera fu concepita, pertanto, come manifesto di propaganda politica, nel quale Ludovico si presentava immerso nello sfarzo del suo rango, protetto da sant’Ambrogio – che gli pone la mano sulla spalla – e accompagnato dalla moglie Beatrice e dagli eredi, uno dei quali, probabilmente, da identificare con un figlio nato fuori dal matrimonio. Per dare forma pittorica a questa fitta trama di messaggi Ludovico scelse un artista oggi ignoto e variamente identificato con uno dei seguaci lombardi di Leonardo, il quale allestì una sorta di compendio della cultura milanese del tempo, cronologicamente precoce ma stilisticamente irrisolto; nonostante il divario tra esito formale e significato dell’opera, questa affascina lo spettatore con lo straordinario impatto visivo dell’oro, delle perle e delle stoffe preziose.

 

The work depicts the family of Ludovico il Moro kneeling before the Virgin and Sts. Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Augustine and Jerome. It was commissioned for the Milanese church of Sant’Ambrogio ad Nemus and, on the basis of the documents in the archives, was executed over the course of 1494. The representation combines an expression of the client’s religious piety with a celebration of his power, as it alludes to an attitude of divine benevolence toward him and the future of his dynasty, guaranteed by the birth of an heir. At the time he commissioned the Sforza Altarpiece, Ludovico il Moro was trying to obtain a legitimization of his rule over Milan from Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, following his usurpation of the legitimate heir Francesco Maria Sforza on the death of Gian Galeazzo (1494). So the work was conceived as an operation of political propaganda, in which Ludovico was presented surrounded by the pomp of his rank, protected by St. Ambrose – who places his hand on his shoulder – and accompanied by his wife Beatrice and his heirs, one of whom is probably a child born out of wedlock. To give pictorial form to this complicated set of messages Ludovico chose an artist whose name is unknown today and has been variously identified with one of the Lombard followers of Leonardo. The result is a sort of compendium of the Milanese culture of the time, chronologically precocious but stylistically unresolved. Despite the discrepancy between the formal quality and the significance of the work, the extraordinary visual impact of the gold, the pearls and the precious fabrics is fascinating.

The Mystical World Of Ion - The Architecture Of Monasteries - Mystical Symbolisms - The Ruins Garden - "Archeon" by Daniel Arrhakis (2024)

 

With the music : Atom Music Audio - A New Dawn | Epic Emotional Dramatic

 

youtu.be/Y7khxbyk_IA

 

 

The Prophets of Ion have a basic project for their monastery whose architecture reflects both the various religious influences on which it is based and the elements that make up its very particular mystique.

 

Let's look at some of these concepts, mystical symbolism and architectural representation.

 

The Abandonment / Spiritual Dialog - The Ruins Garden or "Archeon"

 

Abandonment represents in the Mystical World of Ion a very human characteristic that does not necessarily be destined to have a negative context.

Abandonment as an act or instance of leaving a person or thing permanently and completely can be the result of a circumstantial, unplanned, tragic moment, with normally restricted limits well defined in time and space.

 

But it can be the result of a continuous transformation, planned or not, in which abandonment is a given or a necessity resulting from the changes inherent to the cycles of transformation within human societies; in this case with broader temporal dimensions such as the end of certain civilizations, changes in trade routes, the decline of important cities, etc.

 

Abandonment is a term also often used by mystic and ascetic to signify the first stage of the union of the soul with God by conforming to God's will.

 

This abandonment of what one thought he knew, of the principles or truths he thought he took for granted, in favor of new knowledge that he acquired in the meantime, in the process of spiritual evolution and self-recognition of himself and the world around him.

 

Abandonment can also be of two types, oblivion and eradication. If in the first there is not a total loss, as there is only factual memory, in the second there is an act of voluntary and objectified loss, in convictions, rituals and faith in religious values.

  

When abandoned, most people try to find solace within themselves as part of the healing process which is already the beginning of a spiritual journey.

 

This Solitary Introspection is a way for your mind to ease your emotional pain before it becomes traumatizing. It's a sign to get over the breakup, build self-esteem, and regain control of your life.

 

The feeling of abandonment can also be the result of a painful separation, in space or time, a serious illness or the loss of love. The emotion and feeling your experience after being abandoned, help you reconnect with your true self and soul.

 

But abandonment can be an option as a means of removing a painful situation or avoiding facing a problem that would bring discomfort, but in most cases it will not be easy to forget or eradicate as there will always be an unresolved situation that will end up disturbing our soul.

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In the Mystical World of Ion Abandonment is first and foremost an opportunity for self-reflection and self-introspection, an interrogation and a search for answers.

Basically, a first stage for spiritual growth or as the famous cote "I Only Know That I Know Nothing" - Socrates", a realization that what we know and take for granted until a given moment may not be true after all.

 

A restless spirit seeks, is not satisfied and desires to know more about itself and others and therefore about the World, which is why Abandonment can be a first stage of a spiritual journey. Basically, a stripping away of preconceived ideas and previous experiences in order to embrace new concepts and accept a subsequent experience that we were previously unaware of.

 

In the Mystical World of Ion, this abandonment is materialized by an unfinished area, by the ruins of an ancient temple, by an open space where one can see the sky and the stars.

Basically, for a space that allows us to contemplate but at the same time question, as if space and time combined in this place to form an enigma.

 

We call this space "Archeon" and it was often an ancient sacred place of ancient ruins. The "Archeon" is then the introspective place, where candidate guardians begin their spiritual journey but also the place of crossing between the lines of time and space. A lonely intersection where paths and life options are decided but where those who went before us are also honored.

But more than anything, it is a space full of potential, because abandoned as it is, it allows us to recreate or rehabilitate it just as we would if our new life were in the same circumstances.

 

Abandonment is thus seen in the Mystical World of Ion as a necessary stripping to begin an inner transformation and accept new ideas, new ways of thinking and above all the search for ourselves as spiritual and universal beings - The first step or the beginning of a spiritual journey.

 

Therefore, The Ruins garden is the place par excellence within the monastery complex for initiation into the spiritual world but also for moments of contemplation and introspection.

The Ruins garden is thus a place of retreat but also of ambivalent crossing, between time and space, between the past and the present, between History and Legend, between nature and the creative artistic nature of man, between earth and sky, between the lonely darkness of the night and the supportive light of the stars in the sky.

 

Due to these dualities, the Ruins Garden of the Monastery is also a place of communication between the Spiritual World and the Earthly World, making it one of the most important spiritual portals in the monastery complex.

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O Mundo Místico de Íon - A Arquitetura dos Mosteiros - Simbolismos Místicos - O Jardim das Ruínas - "Archeon"

 

Os Profetas de Íon têm um projeto básico para o seu mosteiro cuja arquitetura reflete tanto as diversas influências religiosas em que se baseia como os elementos que compõem a sua mística muito particular.

 

Vejamos alguns desses conceitos, simbolismo místico e representação arquitetónica.

  

O Abandono/Diálogo Espiritual – O Jardim das Ruínas ou “Archeon”

   

O abandono representa no Mundo Místico de Íon uma característica muito humana que não está necessariamente destinada a ter um contexto negativo.

 

O abandono como ato ou instância de abandono permanente e completo de uma pessoa ou coisa pode ser resultado de um momento circunstancial, não planejado, trágico, com limites normalmente restritos e bem definidos no tempo e no espaço.

  

Mas pode ser o resultado de uma transformação contínua, planeada ou não, em que o abandono é um dado adquirido ou uma necessidade resultante das mudanças inerentes aos ciclos de transformação das sociedades humanas; neste caso com dimensões temporais mais amplas como o fim de certas civilizações, mudanças nas rotas comerciais, o declínio de cidades importantes, etc.

  

Abandono é um termo também frequentemente usado por místicos e ascetas para significar o primeiro estágio da união da alma com Deus, conformando-se à vontade de Deus.

 

Este abandono daquilo que se pensava saber, dos princípios ou verdades que julgava ter como garantidos, em favor de novos conhecimentos que entretanto adquiriu, no processo de evolução espiritual e de autorreconhecimento de si mesmo e do mundo que o rodeia. .

  

O abandono também pode ser de dois tipos: esquecimento e erradicação. Se no primeiro não há perda total, pois só não existe memória factual, no segundo há um ato de perda voluntária e objetivada, de convicções, de rituais e de fé em valores religiosos.

  

Quando abandonadas, a maioria das pessoas tenta encontrar consolo dentro de si como parte do processo de cura que já é o início de uma jornada espiritual.

 

Esta introspeção solitária é uma forma da mente aliviar sua dor emocional antes que ela se torne traumatizante. É um sinal para superar o rompimento, aumentar a autoestima e recuperar o controle da vida.

 

O sentimento de abandono também pode ser resultado de uma separação dolorosa, no espaço ou no tempo, de uma doença grave ou da perda de um amor. A emoção e o sentimento que você vivencia após ser abandonado ajudam você a se reconectar com o seu verdadeiro eu e a sua alma.

   

Mas o abandono pode ser também uma opção como meio de afastar uma situação dolorosa ou evitar enfrentar um problema que traria desconforto; mas na maioria dos casos não será fácil esquecer ou erradicar, pois sempre haverá uma situação não resolvida que acabará por perturbar a nossa alma.

 

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No Mundo Místico de Íon, o Abandono é antes de tudo uma oportunidade de autorreflexão e autointrospecção, um interrogatório pessoal e uma busca por respostas.

 

Basicamente, uma primeira etapa para o crescimento espiritual ou como diz a famosa frase “Só sei que não sei nada” – Sócrates”, uma constatação de que aquilo que sabemos e tomamos como certo até um determinado momento pode não ser verdade, afinal.

  

Um espírito inquieto procura, não se satisfaz e deseja saber mais sobre si mesmo e sobre os outros e, portanto, sobre o Mundo, por isso o Abandono pode ser uma primeira etapa de uma jornada espiritual. Basicamente, um despojamento de ideias pré-concebidas e experiências anteriores para abraçar novos conceitos e aceitar uma experiência subsequente que antes desconhecíamos.

  

No Mundo Místico de Íon, esse abandono é materializado por uma área inacabada, pelas ruínas de um antigo templo, por um espaço aberto onde se avistam o céu e as estrelas.

 

No fundo, por um espaço que nos permita contemplar mas ao mesmo tempo questionar, como se o espaço e o tempo se combinassem neste lugar para formar um enigma.

 

Chamamos este espaço de “Archeon” e muitas vezes era um antigo local sagrado de ruínas antigas. O “Archeon” é então o lugar introspetivo, onde os candidatos a guardiões iniciam a sua jornada espiritual, mas também o lugar de passagem entre as linhas do tempo e do espaço.

Uma encruzilhada solitária onde se decidem caminhos e opções de vida mas onde também são homenageados aqueles que nos precederam.

 

Mas, mais do que tudo, é um espaço cheio de potencialidades, porque abandonado como está, permite-nos recriá-lo ou reabilitá-lo tal como faríamos se a nossa nova vida estivesse nas mesmas circunstâncias.

 

O abandono é assim visto no Mundo Místico de Íon como um despojamento necessário para iniciar uma transformação interior e aceitar novas ideias, novas formas de pensar e sobretudo a busca de nós mesmos como seres espirituais e universais - O primeiro passo ou o início de uma vida ou jornada espiritual.

  

Portanto, o jardim das Ruínas é o local por excelência dentro do complexo monástico para iniciação ao mundo espiritual mas também para momentos de contemplação e introspeção.

 

O jardim das Ruínas é assim um local de retiro mas também de cruzamento ambivalente, entre o tempo e o espaço, entre o passado e o presente, entre a História e a Lenda, entre a natureza e a natureza artística criativa do homem, entre a terra e o céu, entre a solitária escuridão da noite e a luz solidária das estrelas no céu.

 

Devido a estas dualidades, o Jardim das Ruínas do Mosteiro é também um local de comunicação entre o Mundo Espiritual e o Mundo Terrestre, tornando-se um dos mais importantes portais espirituais do complexo monástico.

 

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www.flickr.com/photos/pauljaisini/48794090431/sizes/o/

 

BLUE REINCARNATION NARCISSUS BY JAISINI

The theme of Narcissus in Jaisini’s “Blue…” may be paralleled with the problem of the two-sexes-in-one, unable to reproduce and, therefore, destined to the Narcissus-like end. Meanwhile, the Narcissus legend lasts.

 

In the myth of Narcissus a youth gazes into the pool. As the story goes, Narcissus came to the spring or the pool and when his form was seen by him in the water, he drowned among the water-nymphs because he desired to make love to his own image.

 

Maybe the new Narcissus, as in “Blue Reincarnation,” is destined to survive by simply changing his role from a passive man to an aggressive woman and so on. To this can be added that, eventually, a man creates a woman whom he loves out of himself or a woman creates a man and loves her own image but in the male form. The theme of narcissism recreates the ‘lost object of desire.’ “Blue” also raises the problem of conflating ideal actual and the issue of the feminine manhood and masculine femininity.

 

imgur.com/BdMw1fz

 

There is another story about Narcissus’ fall which said that he had a twin sister and they were exactly alike in appearance. Narcissus fell in love with his sister and, when the girl died, would go to the spring finding some relief for his love in imagining that he saw not his own reflection but the likeness of his sister. “Blue” creates a remarkable and complex psychopathology of the lost, the desired, and the imagined. Instead of the self, Narcissus loves and becomes a heterogeneous sublimation of the self. Unlike the Roman paintings of Narcissus which show him alone with his reflection by the pool, the key dynamic in Jaisini’s “Blue” is the circulation of the legend that does not end and is reincarnated in transformation when autoeroticism is not permanent and is not single by definition.

 

In “Blue,” we risk being lost in the double reflection of a mirror and never being able to define on which side of the mirror Narcissus is. The picture’s color is not a true color of spring water. This kind of color is a perception of a deep seated human belief in the concept of eternity, the rich saturated cobalt blue.

 

The ultrahot, hyperreal red color of the figure of Narcissus is not supposed to be balanced in the milieu of the radical blue. Jaisini realizes the harmony in the most exotic color combination. While looking at “Blue,” we can recall the spectacular color of night sky deranged by a vision of some fierce fire ball. The disturbance of colors create some powerful and awe-inspiring beauty.

 

In the picture’s background, we find the animals’ silhouettes which could be a memory reflection or dream fragments. In the story, Narcissus has been hunting – an activity that was itself a figure for sexual desire in antiquity. Captivated by his own beauty, the hunter sheds a radiance that, one presumes, reflects to haunt and foster his desire. The flaming color of the picture’s Narcissus alludes to the erotic implications of the story and its unresolved problem of the one who desires himself and is trapped in the erotic delirium. The concept can be applied to an ontological difference between the artist’s imitations and their objects. In effect, Jaisini’s Narcissus could epitomize artistic aspiration to control levels of reality and imagination, to align the competition of art and life, of image with imaginable prototype.

 

Jaisini’s “Blue” is a unique work that adjoins reflection to reality without any instrumentality. “Blue” is a single composition that depicts the reality and its immediate reflection. Jaisini builds the dynamics of desire between Narcissus and his reflection-of-the-opposite by giving him the signs of both sexes, but not for the purpose of creating a hermaphrodite. The case of multiple deceptions in “Blue” seems to be vital to the cycle of desire. Somehow it reminds one of the fate of the artists and their desperate attempts to evoke and invent the nonexistent.

 

“Blue” is a completely alien picture to Jaisini’s “Reincarnation” series. The pictures of this series are painted on a plain ground of canvas that produces the effect of free space filled with air. “Blue,” to the contrary, is reminiscencent of an underwater lack of air; the symbolism of this picture’s texture and color contributes to the mirage of reincarnation.

 

“Blue Reincarnation” (Oil painting) by Paul Jaisini

Young tulip bud is sheltered by a leaf on a cool, wet Oregon spring day.

 

’Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood

When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud

I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured

I’ll always do my best for her, on that I give my word

In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved

Everything up to that point had been left unresolved

Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail

Poisoned in the bushes an’ blown out on the trail

Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

Suddenly I turned around and she was standin’ there

With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair

She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

Now there’s a wall between us, somethin’ there’s been lost

I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed

Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount

But nothing really matters much, it’s doom alone that counts

And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

I’ve heard newborn babies wailin’ like a mournin’ dove

And old men with broken teeth stranded without love

Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes

I bargained for salvation an’ they gave me a lethal dose

I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

 

Well, I’m livin’ in a foreign country but I’m bound to cross the line

Beauty walks a razor’s edge, someday I’ll make it mine

If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born

“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm.”

 

- Bob Dylan

 

The image is seen best when viewed large, on black. Press "L" on your keyboard to view large on black.

 

More of my images can be viewed (and purchased!) at Gary Grossman Photography - www.garygrossmanphotography.com or www.zenfolio.com/ggman.

The aura is the electromagnetic field that surrounds the human body and every organism and object in the Universe.

 

AURA COLOR MEANINGS:

 

RED: lifeforce, survival, raw passion, anger, frustration, menstruation, determination, sense of importance, feeling overwhelmed by change

 

ORANGE: sensuality, physical pleasure, emotional self-expression, creativity, lacking reason, lacking self-discipline, health, vitality

 

YELLOW: mental alertness, analytical thought, happiness, optimism, child-like, ego driven, thinking at expense of feeling

 

GREEN: healing, peace, nurturing, new growth, fear, need for security, jealousy and envy, balance

 

BLUE: verbal communication, freethinking, relating to structure and organization, emphasis on business, male energies, sadness, possibilities

 

PURPLE: wisdom, authoritative, female energies, matriarchal, sense of superiority, controlling, imagination, intuition

 

BROWN: grounding, down to earth, practical, male energies, invalidating, emphasizing body and denying spirit, feeling worth-less

 

BLACK: issues relating to death, hatred, lack of forgiveness, unresolved karma, dark intentions, shadow games, needing compassion for self

 

PINK: self-love, tenderness, female energies, gay energies, emphasis on physical appearances, being 'nice' at expense of being 'real'

 

WHITE (CLOUDY): New Age or religious energy, lacking consciousness, a cover-up, denial, being 'good' at expense of being 'whole'

 

WHITE (CLEAR LIGHT): very high spiritual vibration, godly, divine, inspiration, seeing spiritual big picture, compassionate

 

GOLD: high spiritual vibration, integrity, respect, freedom, clearseeing, integrating spirit and body, creating as spirit

 

:)

 

One of the NU.Face Heirloom Collection’s main features is Heiress Erin Salston. Erin has been everywhere lately and she is unstoppable! I have to say this is the best time to be a doll collector, specifically an Integrity Toys doll collector. With Jessy Ayala onboard this is a new era for the toy company. Integrity Toys really kicked it up a few notches with their offerings in the last season. Not only the designs have been spectacular but the quality has improved as well. Each of the dolls I have received lately has been flawless in the face paint department. There was a time where I would go through multiple copies of a doll just to find the perfect face. Not this time. With FR’s La Femme and NU.Face’s Heirloom each of the dolls I have received were perfect. I am definitely shook!

  

The Heirloom Collection is the follow-up to 2016’s Reckless which we can all agree was (with no exaggeration) the best collection not only for NU.Face but for the entire Fashion Royalty brand. It was a collection that was definitely hard to top off as designer Jessy has set the bar so high for himself. Heirloom has taken us to a different route from where NU.Face left off and it stands on its own as a collection. This time the theme was all about turn-of-the-last-century silhouettes with an athletic twist. Heiress’ top is inspired by Mugler Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear with a bit of a modification as the sleeves of the original design were cocoon-like. The modified cut-out sleeves actually made this top wearable. Mugler has got to be one of my favorite fashion labels today as they’re all about sleek, sexy and sporty bordering into futuristic aesthetic an idea which I think Fashion Royalty should steal for a moment. To balance the look Jessy paired the athletic top with a pleated tulle skirt with an emerald green lame underneath. I wished there was a black wetsuit pant with white piping details somewhere in the collection to mix and match just like in the Mugler runway show.

  

Like with every single doll in the Heirloom Collection, Heiress is loaded with detailed accessories. For a change we have a Victorian inspired lace overlay boots with ribbon laces. The spider ring is also an unexpected touch and of course the must-have accessory here is the real working Vuitton inspired mini trunk which I think is the real star in this look. Her nail polish is similar to Bergdorf Goodman Evening Wear Elyse’s taking inspiration from Jason Wu’s Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear. They are in dark ruby with gold chrome at the tip of the nails. Erin’s hairstyle is very simple. It is similar to Haute Societe Veronique’s and Fame by Frame Imogen’s razor cut hair. The Talking Drama Adele inspired face design has become Erin 2.0’s best screening yet. It’s refreshing to actually see something new for her since they’ve been using the Lady In Red screening and the problematic Chrome Noir screening for her since the debut of her new face sculpt in 2012. While we see an improvement in the quality of IT’s products one thing remains unresolved and that is the color of the heads not matching well with the color of the body. I think they need to pay closer attention to this issue and find out where the problem is stemming from. A light test I feel needs to be done before and after the dolls are produced. While I do like to find a body with a skin tone that matches well with her head it’s hard for me to do so because I do love the nail polish and it’s perfect for her look. Oh doll collector problems!!!

Ever since I completed my F-105, I've been thinking about other aircraft that I could build in the Southeast Asia camouflage. One classic jet that is still missing from my collection is the F-111. My friend Ed had a rather nice one, which was part of the reason why I didn't, but he doesn't have it any more. My model is inspired by his, but with a number of substantial differences, besides the camouflage, so that is where I started.

 

I normally start with the difficult bits, and usually, that is the nose and cockpit or the main undercarriage. I have already built the latter (although it's not yet fitted), but I figured the most difficult bit on the F-111 would be the center fuselage, intakes and wing carry-through structure, so that is where I started. The wings are already interconnected, so that they move in tandem. I'm happy with the progress so far, although there still are some unresolved issues.

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ἄνισος anisos, "unequal" and πτερόν pteron, "wing", because the hindwing is broader than the forewing). Adult dragonflies are characterized by large, multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the related group, damselflies (Zygoptera), which are similar in structure, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, along or above the abdomen. Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural colouration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each.

 

Fossils of very large dragonfly-like insects, sometimes called griffinflies, are found from 325 million years ago (Mya) in Upper Carboniferous rocks; these had wingspans up to about 750 mm (30 in), but were only distant ancestors, not true dragonflies. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world.

 

Dragonflies are predators, both in their aquatic nymphs stage (also known as naiads) and as adults. In some species, the nymphal stage lasts for up to five years, and the adult stage may be as long as ten weeks, but most species have an adult lifespan in the order of five weeks or less, and some survive for only a few days. They are fast, agile fliers, sometimes migrating across oceans, and often live near water. They have a uniquely complex mode of reproduction involving indirect insemination, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition. During mating, the male grasps the female at the back of the head, and the female curls her abdomen under her body to pick up sperm from the male's secondary genitalia at the front of his abdomen, forming the "heart" or "wheel" posture.

 

Dragonflies are represented in human culture on artefacts such as pottery, rock paintings, statues and Art Nouveau jewellery. They are used in traditional medicine in Japan and China, and caught for food in Indonesia. They are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness in Japan, but seen as sinister in European folklore. Their bright colours and agile flight are admired in the poetry of Lord Tennyson and the prose of H. E. Bates.

   

Evolution

 

Dragonflies and their relatives are similar in structure to an ancient group, meganisoptera, from the 325 Mya Upper Carboniferous of Europe, a group that included the largest insect that ever lived, Meganeuropsis permiana from the Early Permian, with a wingspan around 750 mm (30 in);. Known informally as "griffinflies", their fossil record ends with the Permian–Triassic extinction event (about 247 Mya). The Protanisoptera, another ancestral group that lacks certain wing vein characters found in modern Odonata, lived from the Early to Late Permian age until the end Permian event, and are known from fossil wings from current-day United States, Russia, and Australia, suggesting they might have been cosmopolitan in distribution. While both of those groups are sometimes referred to as "giant dragonflies", in fact true dragonflies/odonata are more modern insects that had not evolved yet.

 

Modern dragonflies do retain some traits of their distant predecessors, and are in a group known as palaeoptera, ancient-winged. They, like the gigantic pre-dinosaur griffinflies, lack the ability to fold their wings up against their bodies in the way modern insects do, although some evolved their own different way to do so. The forerunners of modern Odonata are included in a clade called the Panodonata, which include the basal Zygoptera (damselflies) and the Anisoptera (true dragonflies). Today, some 3,000 species are extant around the world.

 

The relationships of anisopteran families are not fully resolved as of 2013, but all the families are monophyletic except the Corduliidae; the Gomphidae are a sister taxon to all other Anisoptera, the Austropetaliidae are sister to the Aeshnoidea, and the Chlorogomphidae are sister to a clade that includes the Synthemistidae and Libellulidae. On the cladogram, dashed lines indicate unresolved relationships; English names are given (in parentheses)

   

Distribution and diversity

 

About 3,012 species of dragonflies were known in 2010; these are classified into 348 genera in 11 families. The distribution of diversity within the biogeographical regions are summarized below (the world numbers are not ordinary totals, as overlaps in species occur).

 

Dragonflies live on every continent except Antarctica. In contrast to the damselflies (Zygoptera), which tend to have restricted distributions, some genera and species are spread across continents. For example, the blue-eyed darner Rhionaeschna multicolor lives all across North America, and in Central America; emperors Anax live throughout the Americas from as far north as Newfoundland to as far south as Bahia Blanca in Argentina, across Europe to central Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The globe skimmer Pantala flavescens is probably the most widespread dragonfly species in the world; it is cosmopolitan, occurring on all continents in the warmer regions. Most Anisoptera species are tropical, with far fewer species in temperate regions.

 

Some dragonflies, including libellulids and aeshnids, live in desert pools, for example in the Mojave Desert, where they are active in shade temperatures between 18 and 45 °C (64.4 to 113 °F); these insects were able to survive body temperatures above the thermal death point of insects of the same species in cooler places.

 

Dragonflies live from sea level up to the mountains, decreasing in species diversity with altitude. Their altitudinal limit is about 3700 m, represented by a species of Aeshna in the Pamirs.

 

Dragonflies become scarce at higher latitudes. They are not native to Iceland, but individuals are occasionally swept in by strong winds, including a Hemianax ephippiger native to North Africa, and an unidentified darter species. In Kamchatka, only a few species of dragonfly including the treeline emerald Somatochlora arctica and some aeshnids such as Aeshna subarctica are found, possibly because of the low temperature of the lakes there. The treeline emerald also lives in northern Alaska, within the Arctic Circle, making it the most northerly of all dragonflies.

   

General description

 

Dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) are heavy-bodied, strong-flying insects that hold their wings horizontally both in flight and at rest. By contrast, damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) have slender bodies and fly more weakly; most species fold their wings over the abdomen when stationary, and the eyes are well separated on the sides of the head.

 

An adult dragonfly has three distinct segments, the head, thorax, and abdomen, as in all insects. It has a chitinous exoskeleton of hard plates held together with flexible membranes. The head is large with very short antennae. It is dominated by the two compound eyes, which cover most of its surface. The compound eyes are made up of ommatidia, the numbers being greater in the larger species. Aeshna interrupta has 22650 ommatidia of two varying sizes, 4500 being large. The facets facing downward tend to be smaller. Petalura gigantea has 23890 ommatidia of just one size. These facets provide complete vision in the frontal hemisphere of the dragonfly. The compound eyes meet at the top of the head (except in the Petaluridae and Gomphidae, as also in the genus Epiophlebia). Also, they have three simple eyes or ocelli. The mouthparts are adapted for biting with a toothed jaw; the flap-like labrum, at the front of the mouth, can be shot rapidly forward to catch prey. The head has a system for locking it in place that consists of muscles and small hairs on the back of the head that grip structures on the front of the first thoracic segment. This arrester system is unique to the Odonata, and is activated when feeding and during tandem flight.

 

The thorax consists of three segments as in all insects. The prothorax is small and is flattened dorsally into a shield-like disc, which has two transverse ridges. The mesothorax and metathorax are fused into a rigid, box-like structure with internal bracing, and provide a robust attachment for the powerful wing muscles inside. The thorax bears two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. The wings are long, veined, and membranous, narrower at the tip and wider at the base. The hindwings are broader than the forewings and the venation is different at the base. The veins carry haemolymph, which is analogous to blood in vertebrates, and carries out many similar functions, but which also serves a hydraulic function to expand the body between nymphal stages (instars) and to expand and stiffen the wings after the adult emerges from the final nymphal stage. The leading edge of each wing has a node where other veins join the marginal vein, and the wing is able to flex at this point. In most large species of dragonflies, the wings of females are shorter and broader than those of males. The legs are rarely used for walking, but are used to catch and hold prey, for perching, and for climbing on plants. Each has two short basal joints, two long joints, and a three-jointed foot, armed with a pair of claws. The long leg joints bear rows of spines, and in males, one row of spines on each front leg is modified to form an "eyebrush", for cleaning the surface of the compound eye.

 

The abdomen is long and slender and consists of 10 segments. Three terminal appendages are on segment 10; a pair of superiors (claspers) and an inferior. The second and third segments are enlarged, and in males, on the underside of the second segment has a cleft, forming the secondary genitalia consisting of the lamina, hamule, genital lobe, and penis. There are remarkable variations in the presence and the form of the penis and the related structures, the flagellum, cornua, and genital lobes. Sperm is produced at the 9th segment, and is transferred to the secondary genitalia prior to mating. The male holds the female behind the head using a pair of claspers on the terminal segment. In females, the genital opening is on the underside of the eighth segment, and is covered by a simple flap (vulvar lamina) or an ovipositor, depending on species and the method of egg-laying. Dragonflies having simple flaps shed the eggs in water, mostly in flight. Dragonflies having ovipositors use them to puncture soft tissues of plants and place the eggs singly in each puncture they make.

 

Dragonfly nymphs vary in form with species, and are loosely classed into claspers, sprawlers, hiders, and burrowers. The first instar is known as a prolarva, a relatively inactive stage from which it quickly moults into the more active nymphal form. The general body plan is similar to that of an adult, but the nymph lacks wings and reproductive organs. The lower jaw has a huge, extensible labium, armed with hooks and spines, which is used for catching prey. This labium is folded under the body at rest and struck out at great speed by hydraulic pressure created by the abdominal muscles. Whereas damselfly nymphs have three feathery external gills, dragonfly nymphs have internal gills, located around the fourth and fifth abdominal segments. Water is pumped in and out of the abdomen through an opening at the tip. The naiads of some clubtails (Gomphidae) that burrow into the sediment, have a snorkel-like tube at the end of the abdomen enabling them to draw in clean water while they are buried in mud. Naiads can forcefully expel a jet of water to propel themselves with great rapidity.

   

Colouration

 

Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural colouration, making them conspicuous in flight. Their overall colouration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Blues are typically created by microstructures in the cuticle that reflect blue light. Greens often combine a structural blue with a yellow pigment. Freshly emerged adults, known as tenerals, are often pale-coloured and obtain their typical colours after a few days, some have their bodies covered with a pale blue, waxy powderiness called pruinosity; it wears off when scraped during mating, leaving darker areas.

 

Some dragonflies, such as the green darner, Anax junius, have a noniridescent blue that is produced structurally by scatter from arrays of tiny spheres in the endoplasmic reticulum of epidermal cells underneath the cuticle.

 

The wings of dragonflies are generally clear, apart from the dark veins and pterostigmata. In the chasers (Libellulidae), however, many genera have areas of colour on the wings: for example, groundlings (Brachythemis) have brown bands on all four wings, while some scarlets (Crocothemis) and dropwings (Trithemis) have bright orange patches at the wing bases. Some aeshnids such as the brown hawker (Aeshna grandis) have translucent, pale yellow wings.

 

Dragonfly nymphs are usually a well-camouflaged blend of dull brown, green, and grey.

   

Biology

 

Ecology

 

Dragonflies and damselflies are predatory both in the aquatic nymphal and adult stages. Nymphs feed on a range of freshwater invertebrates and larger ones can prey on tadpoles and small fish. Adults capture insect prey in the air, making use of their acute vision and highly controlled flight. The mating system of dragonflies is complex, and they are among the few insect groups that have a system of indirect sperm transfer along with sperm storage, delayed fertilization, and sperm competition.

 

Adult males vigorously defend territories near water; these areas provide suitable habitat for the nymphs to develop, and for females to lay their eggs. Swarms of feeding adults aggregate to prey on swarming prey such as emerging flying ants or termites.

 

Dragonflies as a group occupy a considerable variety of habitats, but many species, and some families, have their own specific environmental requirements. Some species prefer flowing waters, while others prefer standing water. For example, the Gomphidae (clubtails) live in running water, and the Libellulidae (skimmers) live in still water. Some species live in temporary water pools and are capable of tolerating changes in water level, desiccation, and the resulting variations in temperature, but some genera such as Sympetrum (darters) have eggs and nymphs that can resist drought and are stimulated to grow rapidly in warm, shallow pools, also often benefiting from the absence of predators there. Vegetation and its characteristics including submerged, floating, emergent, or waterside are also important. Adults may require emergent or waterside plants to use as perches; others may need specific submerged or floating plants on which to lay eggs. Requirements may be highly specific, as in Aeshna viridis (green hawker), which lives in swamps with the water-soldier, Stratiotes aloides. The chemistry of the water, including its trophic status (degree of enrichment with nutrients) and pH can also affect its use by dragonflies. Most species need moderate conditions, not too eutrophic, not too acidic; a few species such as Sympetrum danae (black darter) and Libellula quadrimaculata (four-spotted chaser) prefer acidic waters such as peat bogs, while others such as Libellula fulva (scarce chaser) need slow-moving, eutrophic waters with reeds or similar waterside plants.

   

Behaviour

 

Many dragonflies, particularly males, are territorial. Some defend a territory against others of their own species, some against other species of dragonfly and a few against insects in unrelated groups. A particular perch may give a dragonfly a good view over an insect-rich feeding ground; males of many species such as the Pachydiplax longipennis (blue dasher) jostle other dragonflies to maintain the right to alight there. Defending a breeding territory is common among male dragonflies, especially in species that congregate around ponds. The territory contains desirable features such as a sunlit stretch of shallow water, a special plant species, or the preferred substrate for egg-laying. The territory may be small or large, depending on its quality, the time of day, and the number of competitors, and may be held for a few minutes or several hours. Dragonflies including Tramea lacerata (black saddlebags) may notice landmarks that assist in defining the boundaries of the territory. Landmarks may reduce the costs of territory establishment, or might serve as a spatial reference. Some dragonflies signal ownership with striking colours on the face, abdomen, legs, or wings. The Plathemis lydia (common whitetail) dashes towards an intruder holding its white abdomen aloft like a flag. Other dragonflies engage in aerial dogfights or high-speed chases. A female must mate with the territory holder before laying her eggs. There is also conflict between the males and females. Females may sometimes be harassed by males to the extent that it affects their normal activities including foraging and in some dimorphic species females have evolved multiple forms with some forms appearing deceptively like males. In some species females have evolved behavioural responses such as feigning death to escape the attention of males. Similarly, selection of habitat by adult dragonflies is not random, and terrestrial habitat patches may be held for up to 3 months. A species tightly linked to its birth site utilises a foraging area that is several orders of magnitude larger than the birth site.

   

Reproduction

 

Mating in dragonflies is a complex, precisely choreographed process. First, the male has to attract a female to his territory, continually driving off rival males. When he is ready to mate, he transfers a packet of sperm from his primary genital opening on segment 9, near the end of his abdomen, to his secondary genitalia on segments 2–3, near the base of his abdomen. The male then grasps the female by the head with the claspers at the end of his abdomen; the structure of the claspers varies between species, and may help to prevent interspecific mating. The pair flies in tandem with the male in front, typically perching on a twig or plant stem. The female then curls her abdomen downwards and forwards under her body to pick up the sperm from the male's secondary genitalia, while the male uses his "tail" claspers to grip the female behind the head: this distinctive posture is called the "heart" or "wheel"; the pair may also be described as being "in cop".

 

Egg-laying (ovipositing) involves not only the female darting over floating or waterside vegetation to deposit eggs on a suitable substrate, but also the male hovering above her or continuing to clasp her and flying in tandem. The male attempts to prevent rivals from removing his sperm and inserting their own, something made possible by delayed fertilisation and driven by sexual selection. If successful, a rival male uses his penis to compress or scrape out the sperm inserted previously; this activity takes up much of the time that a copulating pair remains in the heart posture. Flying in tandem has the advantage that less effort is needed by the female for flight and more can be expended on egg-laying, and when the female submerges to deposit eggs, the male may help to pull her out of the water.

 

Egg-laying takes two different forms depending on the species. The female in some families has a sharp-edged ovipositor with which she slits open a stem or leaf of a plant on or near the water, so she can push her eggs inside. In other families such as clubtails (Gomphidae), cruisers (Macromiidae), emeralds (Corduliidae), and skimmers (Libellulidae), the female lays eggs by tapping the surface of the water repeatedly with her abdomen, by shaking the eggs out of her abdomen as she flies along, or by placing the eggs on vegetation. In a few species, the eggs are laid on emergent plants above the water, and development is delayed until these have withered and become immersed.

   

Life cycle

 

Dragonflies are hemimetabolous insects; they do not have a pupal stage and undergo an incomplete metamorphosis with a series of nymphal stages from which the adult emerges. Eggs laid inside plant tissues are usually shaped like grains of rice, while other eggs are the size of a pinhead, ellipsoidal, or nearly spherical. A clutch may have as many as 1500 eggs, and they take about a week to hatch into aquatic nymphs or naiads which moult between six and 15 times (depending on species) as they grow. Most of a dragonfly's life is spent as a nymph, beneath the water's surface. The nymph extends its hinged labium (a toothed mouthpart similar to a lower mandible, which is sometimes termed as a "mask" as it is normally folded and held before the face) that can extend forward and retract rapidly to capture prey such as mosquito larvae, tadpoles, and small fish. They breathe through gills in their rectum, and can rapidly propel themselves by suddenly expelling water through the anus. Some naiads, such as the later stages of Antipodophlebia asthenes, hunt on land.

 

The nymph stage of dragonflies lasts up to five years in large species, and between two months and three years in smaller species. When the naiad is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it stops feeding and makes its way to the surface, generally at night. It remains stationary with its head out of the water, while its respiration system adapts to breathing air, then climbs up a reed or other emergent plant, and moults (ecdysis). Anchoring itself firmly in a vertical position with its claws, its skin begins to split at a weak spot behind the head. The adult dragonfly crawls out of its nymph skin, the exuvia, arching backwards when all but the tip of its abdomen is free, to allow its exoskeleton to harden. Curling back upwards, it completes its emergence, swallowing air, which plumps out its body, and pumping haemolymph into its wings, which causes them to expand to their full extent.

 

Dragonflies in temperate areas can be categorized into two groups, an early group and a later one. In any one area, individuals of a particular "spring species" emerge within a few days of each other. The springtime darner (Basiaeschna janata), for example, is suddenly very common in the spring, but disappears a few weeks later and is not seen again until the following year. By contrast, a "summer species" emerges over a period of weeks or months, later in the year. They may be seen on the wing for several months, but this may represent a whole series of individuals, with new adults hatching out as earlier ones complete their lifespans.

   

Sex ratios

 

The sex ratio of male to female dragonflies varies both temporally and spatially. Adult dragonflies have a high male-biased ratio at breeding habitats. The male-bias ratio has contributed partially to the females using different habitats to avoid male harassment. As seen in Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), male populations use wetland habitats, while females use dry meadows and marginal breeding habitats, only migrating to the wetlands to lay their eggs or to find mating partners. Unwanted mating is energetically costly for females because it affects the amount of time that they are able to spend foraging.

   

Flight

 

Dragonflies are powerful and agile fliers, capable of migrating across the sea, moving in any direction, and changing direction suddenly. In flight, the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions: upward, downward, forward, backward, to left and to right. They have four different styles of flight: A number of flying modes are used that include counter-stroking, with forewings beating 180° out of phase with the hindwings, is used for hovering and slow flight. This style is efficient and generates a large amount of lift; phased-stroking, with the hindwings beating 90° ahead of the forewings, is used for fast flight. This style creates more thrust, but less lift than counter-stroking; synchronised-stroking, with forewings and hindwings beating together, is used when changing direction rapidly, as it maximises thrust; and gliding, with the wings held out, is used in three situations: free gliding, for a few seconds in between bursts of powered flight; gliding in the updraft at the crest of a hill, effectively hovering by falling at the same speed as the updraft; and in certain dragonflies such as darters, when "in cop" with a male, the female sometimes simply glides while the male pulls the pair along by beating his wings.

 

The wings are powered directly, unlike most families of insects, with the flight muscles attached to the wing bases. Dragonflies have a high power/weight ratio, and have been documented accelerating at 4 G linearly and 9 G in sharp turns while pursuing prey.

 

Dragonflies generate lift in at least four ways at different times, including classical lift like an aircraft wing; supercritical lift with the wing above the critical angle, generating high lift and using very short strokes to avoid stalling; and creating and shedding vortices. Some families appear to use special mechanisms, as for example the Libellulidae which take off rapidly, their wings beginning pointed far forward and twisted almost vertically. Dragonfly wings behave highly dynamically during flight, flexing and twisting during each beat. Among the variables are wing curvature, length and speed of stroke, angle of attack, forward/back position of wing, and phase relative to the other wings.

   

Flight speed

 

Old and unreliable claims are made that dragonflies such as the southern giant darner can fly up to 97 km/h (60 mph). However, the greatest reliable flight speed records are for other types of insects. In general, large dragonflies like the hawkers have a maximum speed of 36–54 km/h (22–34 mph) with average cruising speed of about 16 km/h (9.9 mph). Dragonflies can travel at 100 body-lengths per second in forward flight, and three lengths per second backwards.

   

Motion camouflage

 

n high-speed territorial battles between male Australian emperors (Hemianax papuensis), the fighting dragonflies adjust their flight paths to appear stationary to their rivals, minimizing the chance of being detected as they approach.[a] To achieve the effect, the attacking dragonfly flies towards his rival, choosing his path to remain on a line between the rival and the start of his attack path. The attacker thus looms larger as he closes on the rival, but does not otherwise appear to move. Researchers found that six of 15 encounters involved motion camouflage.

   

Temperature control

 

The flight muscles need to be kept at a suitable temperature for the dragonfly to be able to fly. Being cold-blooded, they can raise their temperature by basking in the sun. Early in the morning, they may choose to perch in a vertical position with the wings outstretched, while in the middle of the day, a horizontal stance may be chosen. Another method of warming up used by some larger dragonflies is wing-whirring, a rapid vibration of the wings that causes heat to be generated in the flight muscles. The green darner (Anax junius) is known for its long-distance migrations, and often resorts to wing-whirring before dawn to enable it to make an early start.

 

Becoming too hot is another hazard, and a sunny or shady position for perching can be selected according to the ambient temperature. Some species have dark patches on the wings which can provide shade for the body, and a few use the obelisk posture to avoid overheating. This behaviour involves doing a "handstand", perching with the body raised and the abdomen pointing towards the sun, thus minimising the amount of solar radiation received. On a hot day, dragonflies sometimes adjust their body temperature by skimming over a water surface and briefly touching it, often three times in quick succession. This may also help to avoid desiccation.

   

Feeding

 

Adult dragonflies hunt on the wing using their exceptionally acute eyesight and strong, agile flight. They are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating a wide variety of insects ranging from small midges and mosquitoes to butterflies, moths, damselflies, and smaller dragonflies. A large prey item is subdued by being bitten on the head and is carried by the legs to a perch. Here, the wings are discarded and the prey usually ingested head first. A dragonfly may consume as much as a fifth of its body weight in prey per day. Dragonflies are also some of the insect world's most efficient hunters, catching up to 95% of the prey they pursue.

 

The nymphs are voracious predators, eating most living things that are smaller than they are. Their staple diet is mostly bloodworms and other insect larvae, but they also feed on tadpoles and small fish. A few species, especially those that live in temporary waters, are likely to leave the water to feed. Nymphs of Cordulegaster bidentata sometimes hunt small arthropods on the ground at night, while some species in the Anax genus have even been observed leaping out of the water to attack and kill full-grown tree frogs.

   

Eyesight

 

Dragonfly vision is thought to be like slow motion for humans. Dragonflies see faster than we do; they see around 200 images per second. A dragonfly can see in 360 degrees, and nearly 80 percent of the insect's brain is dedicated to its sight.

   

Predators

 

Although dragonflies are swift and agile fliers, some predators are fast enough to catch them. These include falcons such as the American kestrel, the merlin, and the hobby; nighthawks, swifts, flycatchers and swallows also take some adults; some species of wasps, too, prey on dragonflies, using them to provision their nests, laying an egg on each captured insect. In the water, various species of ducks and herons eat dragonfly nymphs and they are also preyed on by newts, frogs, fish, and water spiders. Amur falcons, which migrate over the Indian Ocean at a period that coincides with the migration of the globe skimmer dragonfly, Pantala flavescens, may actually be feeding on them while on the wing.

   

Parasites

 

Dragonflies are affected by three major groups of parasites: water mites, gregarine protozoa, and trematode flatworms (flukes). Water mites, Hydracarina, can kill smaller dragonfly nymphs, and may also be seen on adults. Gregarines infect the gut and may cause blockage and secondary infection. Trematodes are parasites of vertebrates such as frogs, with complex life cycles often involving a period as a stage called a cercaria in a secondary host, a snail. Dragonfly nymphs may swallow cercariae, or these may tunnel through a nymph's body wall; they then enter the gut and form a cyst or metacercaria, which remains in the nymph for the whole of its development. If the nymph is eaten by a frog, the amphibian becomes infected by the adult or fluke stage of the trematode.

   

Dragonflies and humans

 

Conservation

 

Most odonatologists live in temperate areas and the dragonflies of North America and Europe have been the subject of much research. However, the majority of species live in tropical areas and have been little studied. With the destruction of rainforest habitats, many of these species are in danger of becoming extinct before they have even been named. The greatest cause of decline is forest clearance with the consequent drying up of streams and pools which become clogged with silt. The damming of rivers for hydroelectric schemes and the drainage of low-lying land has reduced suitable habitat, as has pollution and the introduction of alien species.

 

In 1997, the International Union for Conservation of Nature set up a status survey and conservation action plan for dragonflies. This proposes the establishment of protected areas around the world and the management of these areas to provide suitable habitat for dragonflies. Outside these areas, encouragement should be given to modify forestry, agricultural, and industrial practices to enhance conservation. At the same time, more research into dragonflies needs to be done, consideration should be given to pollution control and the public should be educated about the importance of biodiversity.

 

Habitat degradation has reduced dragonfly populations across the world, for example in Japan. Over 60% of Japan's wetlands were lost in the 20th century, so its dragonflies now depend largely on rice fields, ponds, and creeks. Dragonflies feed on pest insects in rice, acting as a natural pest control. Dragonflies are steadily declining in Africa, and represent a conservation priority.

 

The dragonfly's long lifespan and low population density makes it vulnerable to disturbance, such as from collisions with vehicles on roads built near wetlands. Species that fly low and slow may be most at risk.

 

Dragonflies are attracted to shiny surfaces that produce polarization which they can mistake for water, and they have been known to aggregate close to polished gravestones, solar panels, automobiles, and other such structures on which they attempt to lay eggs. These can have a local impact on dragonfly populations; methods of reducing the attractiveness of structures such as solar panels are under experimentation.

   

In culture

 

A blue-glazed faience dragonfly amulet was found by Flinders Petrie at Lahun, from the Late Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

 

Many Native American tribes consider dragonflies to be medicine animals that had special powers. For example, the southwestern tribes, including the Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni, associated dragonflies with transformation. They referred to dragonflies as "snake doctors" because they believed dragonflies followed snakes into the ground and healed them if they were injured. For the Navajo, dragonflies symbolize pure water. Often stylized in a double-barred cross design, dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery, as well as Hopi rock art and Pueblo necklaces.: 20–26 

 

As a seasonal symbol in Japan, the dragonflies are associated with season of autumn. In Japan, they are symbols of rebirth, courage, strength, and happiness. They are also depicted frequently in Japanese art and literature, especially haiku poetry. Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight.: 38 

 

In Chinese culture, dragonflies symbolize both change and instability. They are also symbols in the Chinese practices of Feng Shui, where placements of dragonfly statues and artwork in parts of a home or office are believed to bring new insights and positive changes.

 

In both China and Japan, dragonflies have been used in traditional medicine. In Indonesia, adult dragonflies are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.

 

Images of dragonflies are common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewellery designs. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings. Douglas, a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bristol, named its innovatively designed postwar 350-cc flat-twin model the Dragonfly.

 

Among the classical names of Japan are Akitsukuni (秋津国), Akitsushima (秋津島), Toyo-akitsushima (豊秋津島). Akitsu is an old word for dragonfly, so one interpretation of Akitsushima is "Dragonfly Island". This is attributed to a legend in which Japan's mythical founder, Emperor Jimmu, was bitten by a mosquito, which was then eaten by a dragonfly.

 

In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "horse-stinger", "devil's darning needle", and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls.: 25–27  The Norwegian name for dragonflies is Øyenstikker ("eye-poker"), and in Portugal, they are sometimes called tira-olhos ("eyes-snatcher"). They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States terms "snake doctor" and "snake feeder" refer to a folk belief that dragonflies catch insects for snakes or follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. Interestingly, the Hungarian name for dragonfly is szitakötő ("sieve-knitter").

 

The watercolourist Moses Harris (1731–1785), known for his The Aurelian or natural history of English insects (1766), published in 1780, the first scientific descriptions of several Odonata including the banded demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens. He was the first English artist to make illustrations of dragonflies accurate enough to be identified to species (Aeshna grandis at top left of plate illustrated), though his rough drawing of a nymph (at lower left) with the mask extended appears to be plagiarised.[b]

 

More recently, dragonfly watching has become popular in America as some birdwatchers seek new groups to observe.

 

In heraldry, like other winged insects, the dragonfly is typically depicted tergiant (with its back facing the viewer), with its head to chief.

   

In poetry and literature

 

Lafcadio Hearn wrote in his 1901 book A Japanese Miscellany that Japanese poets had created dragonfly haiku "almost as numerous as are the dragonflies themselves in the early autumn." The poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) wrote haiku such as "Crimson pepper pod / add two pairs of wings, and look / darting dragonfly", relating the autumn season to the dragonfly. Hori Bakusui (1718–1783) similarly wrote "Dyed he is with the / Colour of autumnal days, / O red dragonfly."

 

The poet Lord Tennyson, described a dragonfly splitting its old skin and emerging shining metallic blue like "sapphire mail" in his 1842 poem "The Two Voices", with the lines "An inner impulse rent the veil / Of his old husk: from head to tail / Came out clear plates of sapphire mail."

 

The novelist H. E. Bates described the rapid, agile flight of dragonflies in his 1937 nonfiction book Down the River:

 

I saw, once, an endless procession, just over an area of water-lilies, of small sapphire dragonflies, a continuous play of blue gauze over the snowy flowers above the sun-glassy water. It was all confined, in true dragonfly fashion, to one small space. It was a continuous turning and returning, an endless darting, poising, striking and hovering, so swift that it was often lost in sunlight.

 

In technology

 

A dragonfly has been genetically modified with light-sensitive "steering neurons" in its nerve cord to create a cyborg-like "DragonflEye". The neurons contain genes like those in the eye to make them sensitive to light. Miniature sensors, a computer chip and a solar panel were fitted in a "backpack" over the insect's thorax in front of its wings. Light is sent down flexible light-pipes named optrodes[c] from the backpack into the nerve cord to give steering commands to the insect. The result is a "micro-aerial vehicle that's smaller, lighter and stealthier than anything else that's manmade".

 

[Credit: en.wikipedia.org/]

Joined by many supporters, seven youth of the James Bay Cree community of Whapmagoostui, Quebec, began the final stretch of their 1160 km walk to Ottawa, Canada's capital city. Showing support for the Idle No More movement, they followed the traditional trade routes of their ancestors and they inspired many indigenous peoples to join them along the way. After a welcoming ceremony, the Journey of Nishiyuu ended in a powerful demonstration of pride and determination not only for them but for all who filled the grounds in front of the parliament buildings during the sunny and still afternoon of 25 March 2013.

 

Having had the opportunity to travel, I have been very fortunate to see much of the world, occasionally in some fairly unique situations and circumstances - away from the tourism 'trade routes'. Reality is such that I have witnessed hatred, oppression and brutality, which has irrevocably sheared the rich fabric of cultures and tolerance. In these places generational scars have gotten thicker and deeper, unlikely to ever heal, assured to be passed-on. With this experience I not only treasure being Canadian, but I challenge those that will listen, to step through the screens of their perceived world and absorb the realities of life beyond.

 

In the world view, Canada is a non-colonizing nation which has evolved out of European colonial history. In this view, under the Monarchy of the Commonwealth, Canada has never imposed herself upon other countries. Unstained by this perception, Canada speaks our notions of peace and human rights with a great deal of credibility and pride - however utopian it may seem to others. The reality is different: Our nation's history tells of the colonization of our own indigenous peoples. The unresolved outcomes are stains on our post-colonial mantles, above the hearth in our Canadian kitchens. Culturally, this is an innately sacred place where we gather to stay warm, eat and share stories.

 

Being of European decent, born in my time, I can't and won't atone for the actions of our ancestors. However, with the status-quo, I feel the shame of our recent past. I can still hear the paternalistic and misguided voice of my great-uncle who spent many years in northern Manitoba; he was a missionary who participated in the residential schooling system. As a very young boy in the late 1960's and early 70's, his stories were surreal and stood in great contradiction to the mores and values of our shared faith. The adjectives he spat in his narrative stung, and still do to this very day. How could someone of such a selfless stature be so condescending? That sad story is in my history, in my life-time - so very real and undeniable ... and so contemptuous.

 

Looking at mismatched gears, I am unable imagine a solution. In many ways it may show my own ignorance of the full story. Though emboldened by the position of the 2015 Trudeau government, I feel powerless and helpless, as this sad story is too complex. Bold-typed rancour obscures paths towards real solutions that are relevant of this day. Awareness is certainly an ingredient that many Canadians can contribute freely. With our freedoms and inalienable rights, we have the luxury of security and freedom to search, discover, understand and then evolve a new course, all devoid of bigotry and mistrust.

 

Given our history - and being of my time, I am so grateful to have witnessed and documented this tremendous demonstration of strength, determination and pride. It helped define and rally the Idle No More movement in Canada and gave focus on the issues faced by all indigenous peoples around the world. I felt their pride and determination that day on the hill. It is a day that I will never forget.

 

To see more on this story, see: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cree-idle-no-more-walkers-ne...

“...had unresolved questions in my mind about whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting U.S. persons, involved in the campaign or not, to work on their behalf, again, either in a witting or unwitting fashion.”

 

wittingly or unwittingly

There`s no bad songs about guitars to play, and no bad guitars for a girl to hold on her knees.

Shot at La Isla Bonita Roobits.

 

Hair: Tameless - Helena (my absolute fav!)

Skin: Mudskin Muse II (no more available sadly)

Dress: GiuliiaDesign - Martina Purple

Windlight: Phototools - Hufflepuff Light 02

Had to edit a bit because of little rezzing glitches, some still left unresolved. And again thank Mitzi for the great sim and the pretty Roos, Mittens and other critters ;)

Hello Everyone,

First of all, I would like to thank the Flickr team who quickly normalized my Free account.

This is the second time they have tried to harm my work here. The first time my account was PRO and there were a lot of old photos that I hadn't changed the security level for, ok! But I'm not so naive as to think that this is just "Flickr persecution" and I have strong reasons to say that there are "unresolved" people doing this.

People who feel inferior, narcissistic people, psychopaths, stalkers in general.

Unfortunately, these people use their precious time to dedicate to doing this and they make a point of being around to try to drain your good energy. So, (F.D.P), don't waste your time on my Flickr page, because I already have a suitable place for all my photographs, it's better to swallow your tears and "get over it" ;)

My collection of photos here is temporary, so I don't mind deleting them, because I know how to take many others in different ways and even better... that's not a problem for me. "Every restart comes more polished"

Sorry to my followers who have nothing to do with this, but I needed to do this. Thanks

Etal Castle, close to the Northumbrian border with Scotland, is another ‘small yet perfectly formed’ castle to be found in the Borders area (see also Edlingham Castle earlier). It could even have been the inspiration for every traditional wooden castle to be found in a 20th century toyshop. It is almost square in plan, has one large tower in the corner of the enclosure for a keep and an additional tower in each other corner. The gate even still has a portcullis.

 

If the earlier Edlingham Castle is idiosyncratic then idiosyncracy continues at Etal with a strange exterior gallery built out in front of the main gatehouse allowing anyone standing at the portcullis to be attacked from behind while the keep appears to have been extended upwards some time after its primary construction to provide an upper level and battlements (crenellation).

 

Etal’s history stems from the 1066 Norman invasion with land in the area being given to Norman knights. The earliest building on the site would have been wood with stone replacing wooden defences when they became more established. The name Manners appears in the district around 1180 while a document of 1232 records Robert Manners of Etal being involved in a boundary dispute. By 1250 he was holding Etal for half a knight’s fee. Sadly boundary disputes would become a very common feature at Etal.

 

The Manners must have made improvements as a visiting Archbishop of York in 1291 chose Etal for his stay over other manors in the area. In 1338 the Manners’ family neighbours - the Herons - at very nearby Ford (it is within walking distance) obtained a licence to crenellate their manor and turn it into a castle. Not to be outdone by the Herons, Robert Manners obtained his licence in 1341 and Etal also became a castle. The lower stories of the keep may have been built by then as there is a clear change in material used in the keep’s construction suggesting the upper crenellation level was added as an afterthought. A survey of 1355 called Etal a ‘fortalice’ which describes a lesser castle structure. Robert’s son John added the curtain wall, towers and gatehouse as, by 1368, the site was described as a castle proper.

 

Another John got embroiled in a disastrous feud with the Herons of Ford Castle, probably over land and feudal rights, in the first quarter of the 15th century. On January 20, 1428, this led to a small battle outside Etal Castle in which William Heron was killed. During later church arbitration John Manners claimed he was not even within a spear’s length of the dead man at the time and further claimed that the dead William had come to Etal with an armed force and led a ‘great assault in shooting of arrows and striking with swords’. So the strange gallery out in front of the main gate would have seen some action.

 

Despite denying his role in the fight John agreed to pay 250 marks to the dead man’s widow and pay for 500 masses for the dead man’s soul. However this dispute continued with the Manners supported by the Ogles, Middletons and Lilburns and the Heron family being supported by the Umfravilles. More law suits followed and doubtless there were more scuffles, fights and assaults which went unrecorded. The two castles are only a couple of miles from each other so tenants and estate workers would have mixed regularly. Market day would have been very interesting!

 

John and his eldest son died before the ruinous feud ended in 1438 but his second son found the value of the Etal land had fallen to one or two pennies per acre and cottages in the village could only be rented for two pence a year. Nearby Ford Castle had suffered a similar drop in value. New owner Robert Manners served Sir Henry Percy in the Border wars and was knighted and received rewards from the estate of the now outlawed Sir Robert Ogle which restored family fortunes. Clearly a member of the Percy affinity, he was killed along with the Earl of Northumberland at the battle in the snow at Towton in 1461.

 

Another Sir Robert worked his way up the ladder with marriage to a niece of Edward IV and eventually moved to peaceful Rutland. Etal was captured by the Scots in 1513 during the Flodden campaign with King James IV of Scotland basing himself at nearby Ford Castle. After James’ defeat and death a hole was knocked in the wall of the Etal keep and the basement was used to store the Scots cannons captured at Flodden.

 

Etal became a royal castle for a while with a garrison of troops to guard the Borders including 100 horse and 200 foot 1549. It later passed into the hands of the Carr family and it is noteworthy that a 17th century Carr was still involved in boundary disputes which the English Heritage guidebook suggests could be the unresolved problems from the 15th century. It is now in the care of English Heritage. The site is open at any reasonable hour but the museum display about the Battle of Flodden was closed when we visited.

 

A site plan can be found on Wikipedia:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etal_Castle

 

If you get a chance to visit then please do - Etal Castle bears comparison with Edlington Castle as both were an interesting exercise in doing a lot with very little for any small knight with ambitions.

 

Project elements

 

1 - something silver

2 - something dead or dying

3 - text

 

Hey, what do you know! Creepy Photo made Explore #304

 

Update: Creepy photo has made #98 on Explore

Good fruit can only come from a good tree.

 

"Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." Matthew 7:17–18

 

I was adopted at birth and was abused in my past, which, needless to say, left me feelings of rejection, betrayal, shame, guilt, and fear. Obviously, I had accumulated baggage over the years, but when I became a Christian, I had no idea I needed to deal with it. I embraced my new life with passion and enthusiasm, choosing to forget those things that were behind me, and pressing forward to those things that were ahead (see Phil. 3:13). I was not trying to deny my past, rather I sincerely believed that because I was in Christ, I was a new creation—the old had gone and the new had come (see 2 Cor. 5:17). What I did not realize was that this scripture spoke of my new spiritual condition, not about the condition of my soul. The damage and weaknesses that were in my soul realm before I became a Christian lingered after I made the decision to get my life right with God I learned that being made whole is a process, and if we try to bypass this process, we will remain weak at the core. As a result, eventually all areas of our lives will begin to deteriorate. The walls I had built around my life to protect myself were a clear indication of my unresolved issues. I would not allow people to know me too intimately so that I could ensure I would never be hurt again. I was so fearful of not being in control of my circumstances that I demanded control of everything and everyone in my life. Determined to never be rejected again, I was? a perfectionist and had no tolerance for mistakes or failure. I was often impatient and harsh and thought that if I could just keep succeeding; everyone would need me and want me. With all of this turmoil in my soul, it is no wonder my life began to unravel. But God wanted me to find freedom. He showed me that although I was born again and Spirit filled, my soul was so emaciated, weak, and small that there was little room for the Holy Spirit and his fruit to flow. I had to not only allow God to heal my wounds and strengthen my weaknesses but also to make the choice to develop maturity in order to walk in freedom. Hallelujah, God bless.

The build of Sharni Azalee at OBR in SL 2018 is pure and powerful. Intertwined female and male figures, tension and fear, and oh-those-very-familiar phrases imprinted in the pavement, „You ALWAYS do that!”, „It won’t happen again!”, „It didn’t hurt that much!”… and that anxious heartbeat in the background.

 

I was unable to pick an angle to photograph… until I caught sight of those two small pale figures semi-hidden behind some crates.

 

Then, literally in a heartbeat, I knew what picture to take. The image of the real victims here. A boy and a girl, with their bodies just developing and growing, yet their facial expressions being the perfect reflection of the twisted wrinkles of an ageing and bitter man, and his equally bitter and desperate female companion.

 

Take care of your children. They will carry the burden of your life, your unresolved issues, your fears and your ambitions... unless you take care of yourselves soon, and lighten the weight your darlings are to shoulder for the rest of their lives.

 

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/OBR%20Dance/49/98/24

 

St Aidan's is a 400-hectare (990-acre) Country Park between Leeds and Castleford[1] in West Yorkshire, England. The land was formerly an opencast coal mining area.

 

The Country Park opened to the public in May 2013 under the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The car park and visitor centre were subsequently closed in July 2013 due to unresolved land issues. With the successful transfer of St Aidan's to Leeds City Council, a 99-year lease was signed from the council to the RSPB in March 2017. The site is now open and functioning as an RSPB reserve.

 

It is a brilliant reserve with 4 waymarked loops of approx. 1.1, 1.7, 2.0 & 3 miles long so you can do as much or as little as you wish. Or merely sit outside the visitors centre & enjoy a coffee!

Harrier XW175 was unique as a military aircraft as it spent all of its working life at RAE Bedford and Boscombe Down in support of innovative STOVL research programmes. XW175, a two-seat second development batch T2 aircraft, first flew in 1969. It was delivered to RAE Bedford from BAe in February 1975. The aircraft extended the VTOL legacy at RAE Bedford following the Bedstead and the Short's SC1, and operated in research and development tasks for future STOVL concepts.

 

In the early 1970’s RAE was tasked by MoD to enable Sea Harriers to recover to a vertical landing on a ship at night in poor visibility. XW175 was allocated as the trials aircraft and thus began its illustrious 38 year research career at RAE Bedford and then post 1996 at Boscombe Down.

 

During 1977/78 two sea trials were completed with HMS Hermes. The research programmes included recovery to the ship using MADGE guidance, Head Up Display symbology, ski-jump launch, auto-stabiliser and autopilot development, pilot work-load measurements using heart rate measurements and later Forward Looking Infra Red vision demonstrations. The aircraft is illustrated on the deck of HMS Hermes during these trials.

 

In the early 1980’s, studies into future advanced STOVL aircraft concepts, as a planned replacement for the Harrier, indicated that flight control at low speed and hover would be more complex than the Harrier. This situation started a research programme into novel pilot control methods to address ASTOVL control and was led by XW175. The basic idea was that the pilot's control of the aircraft was to be as similar as possible to conventional aircraft thus significantly reducing type conversion time for pilots and the training costs.

 

To test the design principles the aircraft had to be converted to a fly-by-wire aircraft such that digital techniques could be implemented. The aircraft modifications were made at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, The installations provided a full authority fly-by-wire system with links to the aerodynamic surface actuators and the engine thrust and thrust vector control actuation. It retained the basic mechanical control system to provide flight safety and meet airworthiness requirements. This approach allowed software to be introduced without having to address the rigour required to meet the full flight safety standards of fly-by-wire aircraft. The aircraft was also fitted with the MODAS recording system and a telemetry system for trials monitoring. The aircraft became known as the Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC).

 

Over the period 1986-2004, several different control and safety concepts were developed with UK Universities and Industry. Simulation played a major role in concept testing and the Bedford Advanced Flight Simulator with its large motion capability was critical for this task. Concept designs were assessed against a range of flight specific tasks prior to flight trials. The most important task was the ability to land vertically on a rolling, pitching and heaving ship deck which was where the Bedford Advanced Flight Simulator with its visual and motion systems provided a risk free and realistic testing environment. This method also provided the confidence to proceed to flight trials and ultimately the first ever deck landing with what became known as the 'Unified' control technique.

 

The implementation allowed an untrained Harrier pilot to fly the aircraft like a conventional aircraft with the addition that there were no restrictions due to the conventional wing stall speed. Thus it made possible the continued control of the aircraft down to zero airspeed with the wing lift blending from aerodynamic control seamlessly to direct lift control from the engine without any additional effort required from the pilot, unlike the conventional Harrier. Initially the technique was not well received by the majority of experienced Harrier pilots.

 

Many further assessments were to slowly change the mind set with much discussion in two pilot camps as to the pros and cons of the technique. Between the mid 1980's to mid 1990's RAE collaborated with NASA Ames research centre into the application of advanced digital control techniques to support ASTOVL aircraft concepts. This joint platform provided not only an excellent exchange of ideas between UK and US pilots and scientists but also promoted pilot debate on the merits of such advanced control methods. Pilot acceptability remained unresolved up to the early part of the Joint Strike Fighter programme. Then the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contribution to the programme through the JSF Program Office (JPO) became significant through a joint targeted programme in support of the JSF STOVL variant (Lockheed Martin F-35B).

 

In 2002 the Bedford Unified control concept was selected for the JSF STOVL variant. JSF BF-01 is illustrated opposite under the flight control of the Bedford Unified control method. XW175 was also part of the Empire Test Pilots School's training syllabus for a few years at this time.

 

The JPO continued to support further STOVL developments with several ship trials with XW175 and HMS Illustrious, HMS Invincible and the French carrier Charles de Gaulle. These trials introduced guidance techniques for automatic recovery along side a ship with an automatic vertical landing capability, some 30 years after the original HMS Hermes trials with XW175 in 1977 and some 35 years after the certification of Civil automatic landing systems back in the BLEU days. Technology advancements had bridged this time period and the gradual acceptance of the new control concepts.

 

With the established STOVL flight control standard, XW175 in its new livery continued to support JSF recovery requirements to ships with a 60 knot airspeed approach and landing method referred to as 'Ship Rolling Vertical Landing' (SRVL). This approach speed provided JSF with ship recovery flexibility as a percentage of wing lift at this airspeed would offset engine direct lift and enhance safety margins.

 

In conjunction with this programme ship deck lighting was developed for poor visibility and night recovery to ships. This programme produced the new 'Bedford Array' of deck lights to provide an unambiguous touch down point irrespective of the ship deck motion. The 'Bedford Array' with SRVL provided an effective and alternative solution to ship recovery at night in poor visibility and hence operational flexibility.

 

Having conducted its last research trial in support of JSF development at Boscombe Down on 18 November 2008, XW175’s final resting place remains to be resolved. BAHG has expressed strong interest in bringing the aircraft back to Bedford, its spiritual home. It is to be hoped that an appropriate resting place can be found for this illustrious aircraft of the Harrier fleet, but which became so unique providing the MOD with many products over its lifetime due to the combined efforts of all the pilots, scientific staff and engineers who had the great privilege to work with her.

G514 & 8049 drag a brand new D-set (D113/D13) through West Ryde with transfer movement 7478 from Lithgow to the New Intercity Fleet (NIF) servicing facility at Kangy Angy, NSW. The D-sets (recently named 'Mariyung' sets) were meant to enter service by late 2020. Currently they are being moved around in storage due to unresolved safety issues apart of a dispute with rail unions regarding the conditions of operating these new sets. Who knows when they'll actually enter service! In the meantime the various transfers of the sets often draw out a good variety of diesel motive power to facilitate the movements!

....neither the one nor the other; in a middle or unresolved position.

Has your imagination resolved the abstraction? Do you see her? Your mind wants to: Just as nature abhors a vacuum, consciousness loathes the ambiguous, the unresolved. See her and your mind will rest: Does she dream you, or you she?

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Locale: Doctors Park - Fox Point, Wisconsin, USA.

Year & Season: 2015 ; Late spring

Time of Day: Mid afternoon

Global Ambient: Partly cloudy

Scene Illumination: Sunlight diffused through clouds

Illumination Aids: (none)

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Camera: Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless

Sensor: APS-C

IBIS: n/a ; OIS: ON

Support: Hand-held

Lens: Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS

Filters: (none)

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Exposure Program: Aperture priority

Metering Mode: Average

Drive/Focus Mode: Single-shot/Auto focus

Focus Region: Spot

Exposure Quality: Raw (Lightroom DNG)

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Processing: Lightroom 6.12 (CR 9.12)

Lightroom Presets: (none) ; Processing Plug-Ins: (none)

Original File Aspect & Size: 3:2 ; 24.0MP (6000 x 4000)

Cropped Aspect & **Size: 7:5 ; 22.5MP (5634 x 4000)

**Size is prior to downsizing and JPG conversion using Lightroom.

JPG Size: 3.14MP (2048 x 1534)

File ID: InRepose1b Extr(ClrInvLin) Milw.Prk.Doctors.20150417-01-01 StdShrp.jpg

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Tech Note 1: The image consists of a single, highly processed photographic exposure. (There is no superposition of elements from other exposures.)

 

Tech Note 2: The image results from inverse-linear processing ("ILP") in Lightroom. ILP begins with inverting the Tone Curve (by setting it to fall from the upper left-hand corner to the the lower right-hand corner). In ILP the sense of most, but not all, Lightroom controls invert. Proficiency in ILP requires patience and experimentation, but the results can reveal extraordinary imagery hidden in otherwise lackluster exposures.

I wanted to share this story of one hour in the day of the NSW, Australian delta variant lockdown - Saturday 21 August 2021.

 

‘WALKING HOUR: DAY 54’

 

On this second last Saturday of the month of August, the midmorning sunshine reminds us winter is almost done.

 

As we verture out on our one hour covid-safe five kilometre radius walk heading along Linthrope Street from our home in Newtown. Upon the uneven narrow path next to the cycleway, in single file we parallel the inner west railway, heading north towards our city of Sydney.

 

Wearing our facemasks from this Monday will become mandatory for all outdoor activities. My breathing becomes strained with each walking step, as the straps wrapped around my ears fighten there grip producing a mild throbbing pain. Yet despite this physical annoyance and because of it, there is a glorious joy in this freedom allowed.

 

Such a simple pleasure behind protected covering finds me in a state of kindness. projected, looking onwards as other locals alike enjoy this blissful warm winter sun.

 

Passing interconnected terraces only distinguishable by there families individual small front gardens of vivid colours and perfumed with early Spring Jasime. Do I encounter a fellow traveller. Hidden is her face behind patterned handmade mask.

 

Her silver shinning hair, ocean pool eyes and fluffy puppy dog are just waiting for connection. I smile with my eyes saying ‘Hello may I pat your dog?’ Knowing cautiously to maintain our common rule of one point five distance spacing.

 

This kind lovely local with her COVID-19 rescue dog, gives graciously me and her companion a gift of connection. The happy puppy enjoys my pats, as I enjoy his physical attachment, just now, for a few moments in time.

 

We chat about her new family member, only five Months old, the warming sunshine, while avoiding any chat of delta variant cases. With much appreciation and thankfulness expressed, we depart into each our own adventures again.

 

Now with pace in my steps, swiftly do I catch up with my Julian ahead, as he patiently waits for me.

 

Our road opens at this intersection on this corner. The new cafe busy serving takeaway customers. A family of four cyclists give way as we cross onto the recently reconstructed walkway. Heading now to Eveleigh where the Carriage Works Farmer’s Market is open once again. Producing organic providence and artisan goods, at high cost indeed.

 

Open each Saturday for a few hours, these grounds of what was once a pivital Industrial Railway Workshop. Established between 1880 and 1889. Then by the 1900's thousands of men worked here building and maintaining locomotive engines and carriages, while the ever expanding rail network shaped the development of Sydney for over 100 years.

 

Now though with rusted and preserved treasures of this place transformed into a modern space of creative endeavour. We walk to the entrance of the markets with smart phones ready, scanning, showing our compliance of entry, proving we have registered our presence with the ‘Service NSW COVID’ safe check-in-App.

As Security guards click there number counters with correct ratio of humans, as outdoor rules enforced, within Pandemic -Propper apply.

 

Moving in unison together, walking through well trodden, always interesting side alleyways.

 

With this our counting of time, of only one hour, as our moral compass in good conscience dictates.

 

We see in close horizon stationery men and women in distinctive New South Wales police uniforms.

 

Miradering through Cadigal Green, a beautifully Constructed park on the grounds of the University of Sydney in the suburb of Darlington. For today on this second last Saturday in August is a:

 

“Democratic Freedom Day Protest” rally. In eight locations across six States and one Terterotry for 12 midday, concurrently, collectively.

 

Here in New South Wales, anti-lockdown, anti-vaccination protesters are planning to meet at and march from the grounds of Victoria Park. To then walk along George Street into Sydney - this park is just around the corner, from where we are now.

 

In less than half an hour this protest rally will begin, as New South Wales records the largest number of delta cases Australia wide since the begining of this pandemic, as reported in the 11:00am daily news press conference.

 

Mencing helicopters invading, fading in and out of sound and vision, that were only just before out of mind. Snap into sharp focus this evolving new reality into narrow optic dilation.

 

Unmarked police cars patrolling the streets around us, as stationary vehicles of flashing blue and red highlight them; guarding invisible boundaries of entrance’s into the enchanted district of old Sydney town.

 

These sweeping powers from Parlement House, only 24 hours before, enacted now. We witness this power of pandemic laws fortified with: Stop and Question; Search and detain; Of on the spot monetry fines, to lawfully enforce citizens return back to there local government ‘Area of Concern’. Upon which 14 days self-emposed quarantine within there dwelling they must abide.

 

Because of this act of Parliament here now before us, we decide our best course of direction. Turning back along Maze Crescent, still on the grounds of Sydney University with convict Sydney sandstone heritage lecture halls, international modern architectural tall accomitations 'ghosted’ of international students.

 

Counting the assemblies of uniformed officers. Seven there blocking that side street access. Four over here chatting, laughing. Now another six blocking pedestrians, cyclists, cars from entry via this short cut through Redfern into Sydney.

 

With 1,500 general duty officers, the riot squad, highway patrol officers stopping all vehicles to question drivers and passengers intent.

A proabition on share cars and taxis, until 5pm at the conclusion of the citywide police operation. Halting so many livelihoods in the process.

 

This invisible ring of ‘razor-wire-fence’ keeping some citizens in and others out. Reminds me now, of the days when I worked in my profession as a Chef on contract at John Moroney Correctional Centre.

Each shift I’d collect the imates waiting behind actual ‘razor-wire-fence’. The ones I knew, with this, their privilege in minimum security correctional centre.

Of a payment per hour of $1.50, who would effectively, efficiently work in our production kitchen cooking and portioning meals.

My job of supervising them, as they portioned the meals into individual trays, blast-chilled ready for delivery into seven New South Wales jails, supplying 30,000 meals a week.

 

I see in my minds eye these roads and side streets as small winding creeks, brooks and rivers rushing in tidel flow - protesters towards a billabong swamp.

 

For prior to European settlement of 1788, the Gadigal Clans of the Eroa Nation lived along Blackwattle creek, in campsites located on the original banks of this tidal water course as a source of fresh water and a place for fishing.

 

This creek flowed from swampy lands in a valley thick with wattle trees, that are now within the grounds of the University of Sydney, into and through a pond, that today is know as Victory Park in the suburb of Broadway.

 

As the deadline to midday quickens, we walk back behind the United States Studies Centre. Here we gleam a twenty something young woman.

 

Her back against this convict Sandstone wall of embedded wrought iron fence that’s holding together an entwined ancient living fig tree, as its branches so strong, stretch out to shade her now.

 

For seven male police officers and three female police officers in physically distanced semi-circle, hovering, have her pinned with their discretionary powers displayed.

 

Closer now bearing witness we navigate the footpath weaving through this semi-circle of red and blue power.

 

Listening to her quivering voice explaining while showing her identification as proof of residency in local five kilometre approved one hour walk.

 

In this moment with actual and perceived force of law. I feel a strange confusion, racing, bubbling through my blood, as it manifests into a bright red flush of rage and anger upon my face.

 

We did not render assistance, nor did we wait, observe or know what happened.

 

For self preservation pushed us forward as we also had become a target of an unmarked police car with four offices in plain clothes, starring us down, as they kept pace with our deliberate slothful steps.

 

And so I remember this intimidating fearful moment of sweeping powers exhibited in delta variant national democratic freedom day protest.

As it fizzled into nothingness.

 

We walked back via King Street, Newtown safe to our home. With my fingers holding onto memory so sharp. I write this story of this, our lived experience on this ‘WALKING HOUR: DAY 54’ of 107 days of delta variant lockdown in August of 2021.

 

As this city crumbles under the weight of unresolved history, reminding us three things:

 

1. Powerful people controlling our lives;

2. There will be more variants of concern to come;

3. Legacies of homogenous liberal democracies are in decline.

I think this idea comes from the picture I uploaded on Friday back from 2012. I'm trying to show how my childhood is fairly unresolved and it was just left, I had to grow up.. fast, I had to leave it behind. But it's still there, sort of waiting.

 

Hope that makes some sense! If you're not sure about the message read my description for Friday's post HERE

 

Y x

Blue Reincarnation Narcissus by Jaisini

  

The theme of Narcissus in Paul Jaisini’s “Blue…” may be paralleled with the problem of the two-sexes-in-one, unable to reproduce and, therefore, destined to the Narcissus-like end. Meanwhile, the Narcissus legend lasts.

  

In the myth of Narcissus a youth gazes into the pool. As the story goes, Narcissus came to the spring or the pool and when his form was seen by him in the water, he drowned among the water-nymphs because he desired to make love to his own image.

  

Maybe the new Narcissus, as in “Blue Reincarnation,” is destined to survive by simply changing his role from a passive man to an aggressive woman and so on. To this can be added that, eventually, a man creates a woman whom he loves out of himself or a woman creates a man and loves her own image but in the male form. The theme of narcissism recreates the ‘lost object of desire.’ “Blue” also raises the problem of conflating ideal actual and the issue of the feminine manhood and masculine femininity.

  

There is another story about Narcissus’ fall which said that he had a twin sister and they were exactly alike in appearance. Narcissus fell in love with his sister and, when the girl died, would go to the spring finding some relief for his love in imagining that he saw not his own reflection but the likeness of his sister. “Blue” creates a remarkable and complex psychopathology of the lost, the desired, and the imagined. Instead of the self, Narcissus loves and becomes a heterogeneous sublimation of the self. Unlike the Roman paintings of Narcissus which show him alone with his reflection by the pool, the key dynamic in the Jaisini’s “Blue” is the circulation of the legend that does not end and is reincarnated in transformation when auto-eroticism is not permanent and is not single by the definition.

  

In “Blue,” we risk being lost in the double reflection of a mirror and never being able to define on which side of the mirror Narcissus is. The picture’s color is not a true color of spring water. This kind of color is a perception of a deep seated human belief in the concept of eternity, the rich saturated cobalt blue.

  

The ultra-hot, hyper-real red color of the figure of Narcissus is not supposed to be balanced in the milieu of the radical blue. Paul Jaisini realizes the harmony in the most exotic colors combination. While looking at “Blue,” we can recall the spectacular color of night sky deranged by a vision of some fierce fire ball. The disturbance of colors create some powerful and awe-inspiring beauty.

  

In the picture’s background, we find the animals’ silhouettes which could be a memory reflection or dream fragments. In the story, Narcissus has been hunting - an activity that was itself a figure for sexual desire in antiquity. Captivated by his own beauty, the hunter sheds a radiance that, one presumes, reflects to haunt and foster his desire. The flaming color of the picture’s Narcissus alludes to the erotic implications of the story and its unresolved problem of the one who desires himself and is trapped in the erotic delirium. The concept can be applied to an ontological difference between the artist’s imitations and their objects. In effect, The Jaisini’s Narcissus could epitomize artistic aspiration to the control levels of reality and imagination, to align the competition of art and life, of image with imaginable prototype.

  

Paul Jaisini’s “Blue” is a unique work that adjoins the reflection to reality without any instrumentality. “Blue” is a single composition that depicts the reality and its immediate reflection. Jaisini builds the dynamics of the desire between Narcissus and his reflection-of-the-opposite by giving him the signs of both sexes, but not for the purpose of creating a hermaphrodite. The case of multiple deceptions in “Blue” seems to be vital to the cycle of desire. Somehow it reminds one of the fate of the artists and their desperate attempts to evoke and invent the nonexistent.

  

“Blue” is a completely alien picture to Jaisini’s “Reincarnation” series. The pictures of the series are painted on a plain ground of canvas that produces the effect of free space filled with air. “Blue,” to the contrary, is reminiscent of an underwater lack of air; the symbolic meanings of this picture’s texture and color contributes to the mirage of reincarnation.

  

“Blue Reincarnation” (Oil painting) by Paul Jaisini

New York 2002, Text Copyright: Yustas Kotz-Gottlieb

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  

www.fwhc.org/poems/blue-reincarnation.htm