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Part of a series of candid shots from a recent trip to India. This argument was rapidly resolved without injury.
Find me at www.ijmphotography.com
Elle peut s'exprimer sous différentes formes; la plus répandue est la violence physique – les gifles, les coups de poing ou de pied, les mutilations – mais la police recense aussi de nombreux cas de violence verbale telle que les menaces, les humiliations ou les insultes.
Two Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) having an aerial argument over the creek that feeds Herring Cove south of Ketchikan, Alaska.
"One of the things that I love the most are my sisters. Even when everything is falling apart our love is keeping us together. We have our little arguments but we forget all our tantrums and our wounds get healed with love. To share good things with them and to have them along with me all the time is one of the best feelings ever."
Tresa.
Thank you all for your appreciation.
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Idea of the project can be found here:
© 2014 Jordi Corbilla - All Rights Reserved.
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without permission.
Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) having an argument over a small fish. Image taken on a North Park, Colorado pond.
As in all arguments, one side usually gets the upper hand (or both beaks) and controls the situation which is what I think happened between the Great Blue Heron siblings.
Canon EOS 7D, EF300 4L IS USM, F4, 1/3200, ISO 400
A few years ago a car lost control and crashed into my garage. Another car also lost control and crashed into my neighbor’s cement wall. My 1957 Chevy was parked in my garage and received significant damage. The Chevy had not been driven in many years and I considered it my retirement project.
The right side rear fin was crushed, and the impact pushed my 57 into a work bench, causing more damage to the front of the car.
Here’s what happened…a young couple had an argument and the guy took off in his car. His girlfriend got in her car and followed him. She tried to make him pull over by using her car. Both cars went out of control and crashed. Neither of the drivers had insurance. The female driver didn’t have a driver’s license. No one was hurt.
Aaliyah Dana Haughton - January 16, 1979 – August 25,
2001)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6MEBi4ejTs
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was a multi-platinum recording artist, fashion icon, philanthropist,
and burgeoning actress. She left behind a body of work that made an undeniable impact on R&B
music and remains a testament to her many talents. Her debut album in 1994, “Age Ain’t
Nothing But a Number,” was a hit due to her debut single “Back and Forth.” However, it was
her collaboration with a then unknown Missy Elliott and Timbaland for the album “One in a A
Million” that blew her career up.
Before her death, she also had an up-and-coming acting career in films like “Romeo Must Die”
and a role in the “Matrix” sequel. Aaliyah once told VIBE, “Of course, I would love to get
into acting and I am talking to a few producers now. That would be really exciting to be a
jack of all trades and do music, movies and TV. I love drama and I think I could be a good
dramatic actress. I have to ‘act out’ emotions in my videos a lot and I try to seem as
realistic as possible.”
She continued, “I also would like to make bigger impact on the world by giving back, and
using my celebrity to raise money for people who need it the most. What good is having money
and being famous if you can’t share it with others less fortunate than yourself? I always
felt that you should treat others how you yourself want to be treated.”
Sadly, we lost the singer in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 in the Bahamas. She was only
22 years old.
Biography
Aaliyah Dana Haughton - January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress,
and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained
recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and
performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive
Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R.
Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album,
Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold 3 million copies in the United States and was
certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After
facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive
and signed with Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One
in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and more than 8 million
copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She
contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped
the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard
history to achieve this goal. "Try Again" also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for
Best Female R&B Vocalist. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen
of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas
after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III,
was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces
of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit
against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Aaliyah's music
continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases, and has sold an
estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been credited for helping redefine
contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop,[1] earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and
"Queen of Urban Pop". Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of
the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful in history.
Early life
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York,[2] and was the
younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton (1951–2012).[3] She was of African-
American descent, and had Native American (Oneida) heritage from a grandmother.[3][4][5] Her
name has been described as a female version of the Arabic "Ali", but the original Jewish
name "Aliya (Hebrew: אליה)" is derived from the Hebrew word "aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה)", meaning
"highest, most exalted one, the best."[6][7] The singer was highly fond of her Semitic name,
calling it "beautiful" and asserting she was "very proud of it" and strove to live up to her
name every day.[6] Aaliyah's mother enrolled Aaliyah in voice lessons at an early age.[2]
She started performing at weddings, church choir and charity events.[8] When Aaliyah was
five years old, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was reared along with her
older brother, Rashad.[9][10] She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where in
first grade she was cast in the stage play Annie, which inspired her to become an
entertainer.[11] In Detroit, her father began working in the warehouse business, one of his
brother-in-law Barry Hankerson's widening interests. Her mother stayed home and raised
Aaliyah and her brother.[12]
Throughout Aaliyah's life, she had a good relationship with Rashad, who recalled Aaliyah
having a beautiful voice as a child.[11] Aaliyah's family was very close due to the
struggles of her grandparents and when they moved to Detroit, the Hankersons were ready to
take them in if necessary. These same bonds led to ties in the music industry, under the
Blackground Records label.[6]
Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer
who had been married to Gladys Knight.[10] As a child, Aaliyah traveled with Knight and
worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and television programs,
including Family Matters; she went on to appear on Star Search at the age of ten.[2] Aaliyah
chose to begin auditioning. Her mother made the decision to drop her surname.[12][13] She
auditioned for several record labels and at age 11 appeared in concerts alongside Knight.
[10][14] She had several pet animals during her childhood, including ducks, snakes and
iguanas. Her cousin Jomo had a pet alligator, which Aaliyah felt was too much, remarking,
"that was something I wasn't going to stroke."[6]
Her grandmother died in 1991. Years after her death, Aaliyah said her grandmother supported
everyone in the family and always wanted to hear her sing, as well as admitting that she
"spoiled" her and her brother Rashad. She also enjoyed Aaliyah's singing and would have
Aaliyah to sing for her. Aaliyah said she thought of her grandmother whenever she fell into
depression.[15] Aaliyah's hands reminded her of her aunt, who died when she was very young
and whom Aaliyah remembered as an "amazingly beautiful woman".[16]
Education
When she was growing up, Aaliyah attended Detroit schools and believed she was well-liked,
but got teased for her short stature. She recalled coming into her own prior to age 15 and
grew to love her height. Her mother would tell her to be happy that she was small and
compliment her. Other children disliked Aaliyah, but she did not stay focused on them. "You
always have to deal with people who are jealous, but there were so few it didn't even
matter. The majority of kids supported me, which was wonderful. When it comes to dealing
with negative people, I just let it in one ear and out the other. Those people were
invisible to me." Even in her adult life, she considered herself small. She had "learned to
accept and love" herself and added: "... the most important thing is to think highly of
yourself because if you don't, no one else will".[6]
During her audition for acceptance to the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing
Arts, Aaliyah sung the song "Ave Maria" in its entirety in the Italian language.[17]
Aaliyah, who maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average when graduating from high school,
felt education was important. She saw fit to keep her grades up despite the pressures and
time constraints brought on her during the early parts of her career. She labeled herself as
a perfectionist and recalled always being a good student. Aaliyah reflected: "I always
wanted to maintain that, even in high school when I first started to travel. I wanted to
keep that 4.0. Being in the industry, you know, I don't want kids to think, 'I can just sing
and forget about school.' I think it's very important to have an education, and even more
important to have something to fall back on." She did this in her own life, as she planned
to "fall back on" another part of the entertainment industry. She believed that she could
teach music history or open her own school to teach that or drama if she did not make a
living as a recording artist because, as she reasoned, "when you pick a career it has to be
something you love".[6]
Career
1991–1995: Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
R. Kelly was introduced to Aaliyah and became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and
producer on her debut album.
After Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his
Blackground Records label at the age of 12.[18][19] Hankerson later introduced her to
recording artist and producer R. Kelly,[14] who became Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead
songwriter and producer of her first album, which was recorded when she was 14.[2][19][20]
Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released under her mononym
"Aaliyah", by Jive and Blackground Records on May 24, 1994; the album debut at number 24 on
the Billboard 200 chart, selling 74,000 copies in its first week.[21][22] It ultimately
peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and sold over three million copies in the United
States, where it was certified two times Platinum by the RIAA.[22][23][24] In Canada, the
album sold over 50,000 copies and was certified gold by the CRIA.[25] Aaliyah's debut
single, "Back & Forth", topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks and
was certified Gold by the RIAA.[24][26] The second single, a cover of The Isley Brothers'
"At Your Best (You Are Love)", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also
certified Gold by the RIAA.[24][26] The title track, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number",
peaked at number 75 on the Hot 100.[26] Additionally, she released "The Thing I Like" as
part of the soundtrack to the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame.[27]
Age Ain't Nothing But a Number received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Some
writers noted that Aaliyah's "silky vocals" and "sultry voice" blended with Kelly's new jack
swing helped define R&B in the 1990s.[28][29] Her sound was also compared to that of female
quartet En Vogue.[28][30] Christopher John Farley of Time magazine described the album as a
"beautifully restrained work", noting that Aaliyah's "girlish, breathy vocals rode calmly on
R. Kelly's rough beats".[31] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that the album had its
"share of filler", but described the singles as "slyly seductive".[2] He also claimed that
the songs on the album were "frequently better" than that of Kelly's second studio album, 12
Play.[2] The single "At Your Best (You Are Love)" was criticized by Billboard for being out
of place on the album and for its length.[32]
1996–1999: One in a Million
"If Your Girl Only Knew" (1996)
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The first single released from her second studio album, "If Your Girl Only Knew" was
described as a sassy, organ-infused song.[33] Aaliyah was noted for having "smoother, more
seductive, and stronger" singing.[34]
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In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records.[14] She worked with
record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album,
One in a Million.[10] Missy Elliott recalled Timbaland and herself being nervous to work
with Aaliyah, since Aaliyah had already released her successful début album while Missy
Elliott and Timbaland were just starting out. Missy Elliott also feared she would be a diva,
but reflected that Aaliyah "came in and was so warming; she made us immediately feel like
family."[35] The album yielded the single "If Your Girl Only Knew", which topped the
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks.[26] It also generated the singles "Hot Like
Fire" and "4 Page Letter". The following year, Aaliyah was featured on Timbaland & Magoo's
debut single, "Up Jumps da Boogie".[36] One in a Million peaked at number 18 on the
Billboard 200,[23] selling 3 million copies in the United States and over eight million
copies worldwide.[37][38] The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA on June 16,
1997, denoting shipments of two million copies.[24] The month prior to One in a Millions
release, on May 5, 1997, music publisher Windswept Pacific filed a lawsuit in U.S. District
Court against Aaliyah claiming she had illegally copied Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do
for Love" for the single "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number".[39]
Aaliyah attended the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, where she majored
in drama and graduated in 1997 with a 4.0 GPA.[14][40][41] Aaliyah began her acting career
that same year; she played herself in the police drama television series New York
Undercover.[42] During this time, Aaliyah participated in the Children's Benefit Concert, a
charity concert that took place at the Beacon Theatre in New York.[43] Aaliyah also became
the spokesperson for Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.[44] During Aaliyah's campaign for Tommy
Hilfiger the company had sold all 2,400 of the red, white and blue baggy jeans emblazoned
with the Hilfiger name that Aaliyah wore in their 1997 advertisements and they were
constantly restocking those jeans.[45] In 1997 Aaliyah performed the Christmas carol What
Child Is This at the annual holiday special Christmas in Washington.[46] She contributed on
the soundtrack album for the Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia, performing a
cover version of "Journey to the Past" which earned songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen
Flaherty a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[27][38][47] Aaliyah
performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony and became the youngest singer to
perform at the event.[48][49] The song "Are You That Somebody?" was featured on the Dr.
Dolittle soundtrack, which earned Aaliyah her first Grammy Award nomination.[50] The song
peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100.[51]
2000: Romeo Must Die
In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first film role in Romeo Must Die, released March 22, 2000.
Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their
warring families. It grossed US$18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the
box office.[52] Aaliyah purposely stayed away from reviews of the film to "make it easier
on" herself, but she heard "that people were able to get into me, which is what I
wanted."[53] In contrast, some critics felt there was no chemistry between her and Jet Li,
as well as viewing the film was too simplistic.[54] This was echoed by Elvis Mitchell of The
New York Times, who wrote that while Aaliyah was "a natural" and the film was conceived as a
spotlight for both her and Li, "they have so little chemistry together you'd think they're
putting out a fire instead of shooting off sparks.[55] Her role was well received by Glen
Oliver by IGN who liked that she did not portray her character "as a victimized female" but
instead "as a strong female who does not come across as an over-the-top Women's Right
Advocate."[56]
Aaliyah in 2000
In addition to acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the film's soundtrack,
where she contributed four songs.[57] "Try Again" was released as a single from the
soundtrack; the song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Aaliyah the first artist to top
the chart based solely on airplay; this led the song to be released in a 12" vinyl and 7"
single.[26][58] The music video won the Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film awards
at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.[59] It also earned her a Grammy Award nomination for
Best Female R&B Vocalist.[60] The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the
United States.[61]
2001: Aaliyah
After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah began to work on her second film, Queen of the
Damned. She played the role of an ancient vampire, Queen Akasha, which she described as a
"manipulative, crazy, sexual being".[19] Filming both Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned
delayed the release of the album. Aaliyah had not intended for her albums to have such a gap
between them. "I wanted to take a break after One in a Million to just relax, think about
how I wanted to approach the next album. Then, when I was ready to start back up, "Romeo"
happened, and so I had to take another break and do that film and then do the soundtrack,
then promote it. The break turned into a longer break than I anticipated."[62] Aaliyah
enjoyed balancing her singing and acting careers. Though she called music a "first" for her,
she also had been acting since she was young and had wanted to begin acting "at some point
in my career," but "wanted it to be the right time and the right vehicle" and felt Romeo
Must Die "was it".[61] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times argued that Aaliyah having to
focus on her film career may have caused her to not give the album "the attention it
merited."[63] Collaborator Timbaland concurred, stating that he was briefly in Australia to
work on the album while Aaliyah was filming and did not feel the same production had gone
into Aaliyah as One in a Million had. He also said Virgin Records had rushed the album and
Aaliyah had specifically requested Missy Elliott and Timbaland work on Aaliyah with her.[64]
During the recording stages for the album, Aaliyah's publicist disclosed that the album's
release date was most likely in October 2000.[65] Ultimately she finished recording the
album in March 2001; after a year of recording tracks that began in March of the previous
year.[66] Aaliyah was released five years after One in a Million on July 17, 2001,[2] and it
debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week.[67]
The first single from the album, "We Need a Resolution", peaked at number 59 on the
Billboard Hot 100.[26] The week after Aaliyah's death, her third and self-titled studio
album, rose from number 19 to number one on the Billboard 200.[68] "Rock the Boat" was
released as a posthumous single. The music video premiered on BET's Access Granted; it
became the most viewed and highest rated episode in the history of the show.[69] The song
peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Songs chart.[70] It was also included on the Now That's What I Call Music! 8 compilation
series; a portion of the album's profits was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund.[71]
Promotional posters for Aaliyah that had been put up in major cities such as New York and
Los Angeles became makeshift memorials for grieving fans.[72]
"More than a Woman" and "I Care 4 U" were released as posthumous singles and peaked within
the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100.[70] The album was certified double Platinum by the RIAA
and sold 2.6 million copies in the United States.[24][73] "More than a Woman" reached number
one on the UK singles chart making Aaliyah the first female deceased artist to reach number
one on the UK singles chart.[74][75] "More than a Woman" was replaced by George Harrison's
"My Sweet Lord" which is the only time in the UK singles chart's history where a dead artist
has replaced another dead artist at number one.[76] In July 2001, she allowed MTV's show
Diary behind-the-scenes access to her life and stated "I am truly blessed to wake up every
morning to do something that I love; there is nothing better than that." She continued,
"Everything is worth it – the hard work, the times when you're tired, the times when you are
a bit sad. In the end, it's all worth it because it really makes me happy. I wouldn't trade
it for anything else in the world. I've got good friends, a beautiful family and I've got a
career. I thank God for his blessings every single chance I get."[77]
Aaliyah was signed to appear in several future films, including Honey,[78] a romantic film
titled Some Kind of Blue,[79] and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the 1976 film
Sparkle.[4] Whitney Houston recalled Aaliyah being "so enthusiastic" about the film and
wanting to appear in the film "so badly". Houston also voiced her belief that Aaliyah was
more than qualified for the role and the film was shelved after she died, since Aaliyah had
"gone to a better place".[80] Studio officials of Warner Brothers stated that Aaliyah and
her mother had both read the script for Sparkle. According to them, Aaliyah was passionate
about playing the lead role of a young singer in a girl group.[81] The film was released in
2012, eleven years after Aaliyah's death. Before her death Aaliyah was cast in the sequels
of The Matrix as the character Zee.[14][82] She had filmed part of her role in The Matrix
Reloaded and was scheduled to film and reprise her role in The Matrix Revolutions as Zee.
[36] Aaliyah told Access Hollywood that she was "beyond happy" to have landed the role.[83]
The role was subsequently recast to Nona Gaye.[82] Aaliyah's scenes were included in the
tribute section of the Matrix Ultimate Collection series.[84]
In November 2001, Ronald Isley stated that Aaliyah and the Isley Brothers had discussed a
collaboration prior to her death. She had previously covered the Isley Brothers' single "At
Your Best (You Are Love)".[85] Prior to her death, she expressed the possibility of
recording songs for the Queen of The Damned soundtrack and welcomed the possibility of
collaborating with Jonathan Davis.[66] By 2001, Aaliyah had enjoyed her now seven-year
career and felt a sense of accomplishment. "This is what I always wanted," she said of her
career in Vibe magazine. "I breathe to perform, to entertain, I can't imagine myself doing
anything else. I'm just a really happy girl right now. I honestly love every aspect of this
business. I really do. I feel very fulfilled and complete."[54]
Artistry
Voice and style
"Are You That Somebody?" (1998)
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Timbaland's stuttering, idiosyncratic productions challenged Aaliyah to reveal her artistic
personality more than she had on R. Kelly's smoother musical settings.[30]
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Aaliyah had the vocal range of a soprano.[14] With the release of her debut album "Age Ain't
Nothing But a Number", writer Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly compared her style and
sound to R&B group En Vogue.[86] Ehrlich also expressed that Aaliyah's "silky vocals are
more agile than those of self-proclaimed queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige."[86] In her
review for Aaliyah's second studio album One in a Million Vibe magazine, music critic Dream
Hampton said that Aaliyah's "deliciously feline" voice has the same "pop appeal" as Janet
Jackson's.[87] Aaliyah described her sound as "street but sweet", which featured her
"gentle" vocals over a "hard" beat.[88] Though Aaliyah did not write any of her own
material,[14] her lyrics were described as in-depth.[89][90] She incorporated R&B, pop and
hip hop into her music.[10][91][92][93][94][95][96] Her songs were often uptempo and at the
same time often dark, revolving around "matters of the heart".[97] After her R. Kelly-
produced debut album, Aaliyah worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott, whose productions
were more electronic.[98] Sasha Frere-Jones of The Wire finds Aaliyah's "Are You That
Somebody?" to be Timbaland's "masterpiece" and exemplary of his production's start-stop
rhythms, with "big half-second pauses between beats and voices".[99] Keith Harris of Rolling
Stone cites "Are You That Somebody?" as "one of '90s R&B's most astounding moments".[30]
Aaliyah's songs have been said to have "crisp production" and "staccato arrangements" that
"extend genre boundaries" while containing "old-school" soul music.[100] Kelefah Sanneh of
The New York Times called Aaliyah "a digital diva who wove a spell with ones and zeroes",
and writes that her songs comprised "simple vocal riffs, repeated and refracted to echo the
manipulated loops that create digital rhythm", as Timbaland's "computer-programmed beats
fitted perfectly with her cool, breathy voice to create a new kind of electronic
music."[101] When she experimented with other genres on Aaliyah, such as Latin pop and heavy
metal, Entertainment Weekly's Craig Seymour panned the attempt.[97] While Analyzing her
eponymous album British publication NME (New Musical Express) felt that Aaliyah's radical
third album was intended to consolidate her position as U.S.R&B's most experimental artist.
[102] As her albums progressed, writers felt that Aaliyah matured, calling her progress a
"declaration of strength and independence".[90][103] ABC News noted that Aaliyah's music was
evolving from the punchy pop influenced Hip hop and R&B to a more mature, introspective
sound on her third album.[104] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described her eponymous
album, Aaliyah, as "a statement of maturity and a stunning artistic leap forward" and called
it one of the strongest urban soul records of its time.[90] She portrayed "unfamiliar
sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics with the contemporary sound it
contained.[90] Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone felt that Aaliyah reflected a stronger
technique, where she gave her best vocal performance.[100] Prior to her death, Aaliyah
expressed a desire to learn about the burgeoning UK garage scene she had heard about at the
time.[98]
Influences
As an artist, Aaliyah often voiced that she was inspired by a number of performers. These
include Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Sade, En Vogue, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Prince,
Naughty by Nature, Johnny Mathis, Janet Jackson[105] and Barbra Streisand.[106] Aaliyah
expressed that Michael Jackson's Thriller was her "favorite album" and that "nothing will
ever top Thriller."[105] She stated that she admired Sade because "she stays true to her
style no matter what ... she's an amazing artist, an amazing performer ... and I absolutely
love her."[105] Aaliyah expressed she had always desired to work with Janet Jackson, whom
she had drawn frequent comparison to over the course of her career, stating "I admire her a
great deal. She's a total performer ... I'd love to do a duet with Janet Jackson."[105]
[107][108][109] Jackson reciprocated Aaliyah's affections, commenting "I've loved her from
the beginning because she always comes out and does something different, musically." Jackson
also stated she would have enjoyed collaborating with Aaliyah.[105]
Image
Aaliyah focused on her public image throughout her career. She often wore baggy clothes and
sunglasses, stating that she wanted to be herself.[110] She described her image as being
"important ... to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack".[111] She often wore
black clothing, starting a trend for similar fashion among women in United States and
Japan.[14][112] Aaliyah's fashionable style has been credited for being an influence on new
fashion trends called "Health Goth"[113][114] and "Ghetto Goth" also known as GHE20 GOTH1K
[115][116] Aaliyah participated in fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger's All America Tour and
was featured in Tommy Jean ads, which depicted her in boxer shorts, baggy jeans and a tube
top. Hilfiger's brother, Andy, called it "a whole new look" that was "classy but sexy".[112]
Carson Daly A former VJ on MTV's Total Request Live commented on Aaliyah's style by saying
that she was "cutting edge" ,"always one step ahead of the curve" and that "the TRL audience
looks to her to figure out what's hot and what's new".[117]
When she changed her hairstyle, Aaliyah took her mother's advice and covered her left eye,
much like Veronica Lake.[118] The look has become known as her signature and been referred
to as fusion of "unnerving emotional honesty" and "a sense of mystique".[119] In 1998, she
hired a personal trainer to keep in shape, and exercised five days a week and ate diet
foods.[120] Aaliyah was praised for her "clean-cut image" and "moral values".[121] Robert
Christgau of The Village Voice wrote of Aaliyah's artistry and image, "she was lithe and
dulcet in a way that signified neither jailbait nor hottie—an ingenue whose selling point
was sincerity, not innocence and the obverse it implies."[122]
Aaliyah was viewed by others as a role model. Emil Wilbekin, described by CNN as "a friend
of Aaliyah's" and follower of her career, explained: "Aaliyah is an excellent role model,
because she started her career in the public eye at age 15 with a gold album entitled Age
Ain't Nothing but a Number. And then her second album, One in a Million went double
platinum. She had the leading role in Romeo Must Die, which was a box office success. She's
won numerous awards, several MTV music video awards, and aside from her professional
successes, many of her lyrics are very inspirational and uplifting. She also carried herself
in a very professional manner. She was well spoken. She was beautiful, but she didn't use
her beauty to sell her music. She used her talent. Many young hip-hop fans greatly admire
her."[123]
She also was seen by others as a sex symbol. Aaliyah did not have a problem with being
considered one. "I know that people think I'm sexy and I am looked at as that, and it is
cool with me," she stated. "It's wonderful to have sex appeal. If you embrace it, it can be
a very beautiful thing. I am totally cool with that. Definitely. I see myself as sexy. If
you are comfortable with it, it can be very classy and it can be very appealing."[124] The
single "We Need a Resolution" was argued to have transformed "the once tomboy into a sexy
grown woman".[125] Aaliyah mentioned that her mother, during her childhood, would take
pictures of her and notice a sex appeal. She reinforced her mother's belief by saying that
she did feel "sexy for sure" and that she embraced it and was comfortable with this view of
her.[54]
Personal life
In her spare time, she was mostly a homebody, which dated back to her younger years, but on
occasion went out and played laser tag. She reasoned this was due to her liking "the simple
things in life".[54] Despite having a prosperous career that allowed her to purchase the
vehicle she wanted, Aaliyah revealed during her final interview on August 21, 2001 on 106 &
Park that she had never owned a car because she lived in New York City and could hire a car
or driver on a regular basis.[126]
Family
Aaliyah's family played a major role in the course of her career.[54] Aaliyah's father
Michael Haughton served as her personal manager. Her mother assisted her in her career while
brother Rashad Haughton and cousin Jomo Hankerson worked with her consistently.[127] Her
father's illness ended his co-management of Aaliyah with her mother Diane Haughton. She ran
all of her decisions by Rashad.[54]
Aaliyah was known to have usually been accompanied by members of her family and the "Rock
the Boat" filming was credited by Rashad Haughton as being the first and only time her
family was not present. In October 2001, Rashad stated: "It really boggles everyone [that]
from Day One, every single video she ever shot there's always been myself or my mother or my
father there. The circumstances surrounding this last video were really strange because my
mother had eye surgery and couldn't fly. That really bothered her because she always
traveled. My dad had to take care of my mom at that time. And I went to Australia to visit
some friends. We really couldn't understand why we weren't there. You ask yourself maybe we
could have stopped it. But you can't really answer the question. There's always gonna be
that question of why."[128] Her friend Kidada Jones said in the last year of her life her
parents had given her more freedom and she had talked about wanting a family. "She wanted to
have a family, and we talked about how we couldn't wait to kick back with our babies."[129]
Gladys Knight, who had been married to Aaliyah's uncle Barry Hankerson, was essential to the
start of Aaliyah's career as she gave her many of her earlier performances. One of their
last conversations concerned Aaliyah having difficulty with "another young artist" that she
was trying to work with. Knight felt the argument was "petty" and insisted that she remain
being who she was in spite of the conflict.[130]
Illegal marriage
With the release of Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, rumors circulated of a relationship
between Aaliyah and R. Kelly,[14][131] including the allegation that they had secretly
married without her parents' knowledge,[132][133][134][135] Vibe later revealed a marriage
certificate that listed the couple married on August 31, 1994, in Sheraton Gateway Suites in
Rosemont, Illinois.[14][133] Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the
certificate; the illegal marriage was annulled in February 1995 by her parents.[20][133]
[136] The pair continued to deny marriage allegations, stating that neither was married.
[131]
Aaliyah reportedly developed a friendship with Kelly during the recording of her debut
album. As she recalled to Vibe magazine in 1994, she and Kelly would "go watch a movie" and
"go eat" when she got tired and would then "come back and work". She described the
relationship between her and Kelly as being "rather close."[137] In 2016, Kelly said that he
was as in love with Aaliyah as he was with "anybody else."[138] In December 1994, Aaliyah
told the Sun-Times that whenever she was asked about being married to Kelly, she urged them
not to believe "all that mess" and that she and Kelly were "close" and "people took it the
wrong way."[139] In his 2011 book The Man Behind the Man: Looking From the Inside Out,
Demetrius Smith Sr., a former member of Kelly's entourage, wrote that Kelly told him "in a
voice that sounded as if he wanted to burst into tears" that he thought Aaliyah was
pregnant.[140]
Jamie Foster Brown in the 1994 issue of Sister 2 Sister wrote that "R. Kelly told me that he
and Aaliyah got together and it was just magic." Brown also reported hearing about a
relationship between them. "I've been hearing about Robert and Aaliyah for a while—that she
was pregnant. Or that she was coming and going in and out of his house. People would see her
walking his dog, 12 Play, with her basketball cap and sunglasses on. Every time I asked the
label, they said it was platonic. But I kept hearing complaints from people about her being
in the studio with all those men." Brown later added "at 15, you have all those hormones and
no brains attached to them."[141]
The 2019 documentary Surviving R. Kelly revealed new details about their relationship and
marriage. Jovante Cunningham, a former backup dancer, claimed to have witnessed Kelly having
sex with Aaliyah on his tour bus[142][143] while Demetrius Smith again recounted the time
Kelly feared that he had impregnated her.[142] Smith also described how he helped Aaliyah
forge the necessary documents to show she was 18 and that the wedding was short and
unceremonious, as neither was dressed up and Aaliyah looked "worried and scared" the whole
time.[142] Smith states that he is "not proud" of his role in facilitating their illegal
marriage.[142]
Aaliyah admitted in court documents that she had lied about her age. In May 1997, she filed
suit in Cook County seeking to have all records of the marriage expunged because she was not
old enough under state law to get married without her parents' consent. It was reported that
she cut off all professional and personal ties with Kelly after the marriage was annulled
and ceased having contact with him.[144] In 2014, Jomo Hankerson stated that Aaliyah "got
villainized" over her relationship with Kelly and the scandal over the marriage made it
difficult to find producers for her second album. "We were coming off of a multi-platinum
debut album and except for a couple of relationships with Jermaine Dupri and Puffy, it was
hard for us to get producers on the album." Hankerson also expressed confusion over why
"they were upset" with Aaliyah given her age at the time.[145]
Aaliyah was known to avoid answering questions regarding Kelly following the professional
split. During an interview with Christopher John Farley, she was asked if she was still in
contact with him and if she would ever work with him again. Farley said Aaliyah responded
with a "firm, frosty 'no'" to both of the questions.[146] Vibe magazine said Aaliyah changed
the subject anytime "you bring up the marriage with her".[147] A spokeswoman for Aaliyah
said in 2000 that when "R. Kelly comes up, she doesn't even speak his name, and nobody's
allowed to ask about it at all".[148] Kelly later commented that Aaliyah had opportunities
to address the pair's relationship after they separated professionally but chose not to.
[149] In 2019, Damon Dash revealed to Hip Hop Motivation that Aaliyah didn't even speak of
her relationship with Kelly in private; she tried multiple times to discuss it with him, but
was only able to find the courage to say that Kelly was a "bad man".[143] She told him that
she could only possibly discuss the relationship with a professional counselor.[143] Dash
said he was unable to watch Surviving R. Kelly because its interviews with visibly
traumatized girls struggling to discuss their encounters with Kelly reminded him of how
Aaliyah behaved when trying to recount her relationship with Kelly.[143]
R. Kelly would have other allegations made about him regarding underage girls in the years
following her death and his marriage to Aaliyah was used to evidence his involvement with
them. He has refused to discuss his relationship with her, citing her death. "Out of respect
for her, and her mom and her dad, I will not discuss Aaliyah. That was a whole other
situation, a whole other time, it was a whole other thing, and I'm sure that people also
know that."[150] Aaliyah's mother, Diane Haughton, reflected that everything "that went
wrong in her life" began with her relationship with Kelly.[139] Damon Dash also noted that
lasting trauma from her relationship with Kelly negatively affected their relationship.[143]
However, the allegations have been said to have done "little to taint Aaliyah's image or
prevent her from becoming a reliable '90s hitmaker with viable sidelines in movies and
modeling."[32]
Engagement
Aaliyah was dating co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records Damon Dash at the time of her death
and, though they were not formally engaged, in interviews given after Aaliyah's death, Dash
claimed the couple had planned to marry.[151] Aaliyah and Dash met in 2000[152] through his
accountant and formed a friendship.[153] Dash has said he is unsure of how he and Aaliyah
started dating and that the two just understood each other. "I don't know [how we got
involved], just spending time, you know, we just saw things the same and it was new, you
know what I mean? Meeting someone that is trying to do the same thing you are doing in the
urban market, in the same urban market place but not really being so urban. It was just; her
mind was where my mind was. She understood me and she got my jokes. She thought my jokes
were funny."[154]
Dash expressed his belief that Aaliyah was the "one" and claimed the pair were not
officially engaged, but had spoken about getting married prior to her death.[155] Aaliyah
publicly never addressed the relationship between her and Dash as being anything but
platonic. In May 2001, she hosted a party for Dash's 30th birthday at a New York City club,
where they were spotted together and Dash was seen escorting her to a bathroom. Addressing
this, Aaliyah stated that she and Dash were just "very good friends" and chose to "keep it
at that" for the time being.[147] Just two weeks before her death, Aaliyah traveled from New
Jersey to East Hampton, New York to visit Dash at the summer house he shared with Jay Z.
[129]
The couple were separated for long periods at a time, as Dash recalled that Aaliyah
continuously shot films and would be gone for months often to come back shortly and continue
her schedule. Dash was also committed to "his own thing", which did not make matters any
better. Despite this, they were understanding that the time they had together was special.
Dash remembered they would "be in a room full of people talking to each other and it felt
like everyone was listening but it would be just us. It would be like we were the only ones
in the room". Dash always felt their time together was essential and Aaliyah was the person
he was interested in being with, which is why, as he claimed, they had begun speaking about
engagement.[153] The relationship was mentioned in the lyrics of Jay-Z's remix to her song
"Miss You", released after her death.
Death
Main article: Death of Aaliyah
On August 25, 2001, at 6:50 p.m. (EDT), Aaliyah and the members of the record company
boarded a twin-engine Cessna 402B (registration N8097W) at the Marsh Harbour Airport in
Abaco Islands, the Bahamas, to travel to the Opa-locka Airport in Florida, after they
completed filming the music video for "Rock the Boat".[156] They had a flight scheduled the
following day, but with filming finishing early, Aaliyah and her entourage were eager to
return to the U.S. and made the decision to leave immediately. The designated airplane was
smaller than the Cessna 404 on which they had originally arrived, but the whole party and
all of the equipment were accommodated on board.[157] The plane crashed shortly after
takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the end of the runway and exploded.[156]
Aaliyah and the eight others on board—pilot Luis Morales III, hair stylist Eric Forman,
Anthony Dodd, security guard Scott Gallin, family friend Keith Wallace, make-up stylist
Christopher Maldonado, and Blackground Records employees Douglas Kratz and Gina Smith—were
all killed.[158] Gallin survived the initial impact and spent his last moments worrying
about Aaliyah's condition, according to ambulance drivers.[159] The plane was identified as
being owned by Florida-based company Skystream by the US Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) in Atlanta. Initial reports of the crash identified Luis Morales as "L Marael".[160]
According to findings from an inquest conducted by the coroner's office in the Bahamas,
Aaliyah suffered from "severe burns and a blow to the head", in addition to severe shock and
a weak heart.[161] The coroner theorized that she went into such a state of shock that even
if she had survived the crash, her recovery would have been nearly impossible given the
severity of her injuries.[162] The bodies were taken to the morgue at Princess Margaret
Hospital in Nassau, where they were kept for relatives to help identify them. Some of the
bodies were badly burned in the crash.[163]
As the subsequent investigation determined, when the aircraft attempted to depart, it was
over its maximum take-off weight by 700 pounds (320 kg) and was carrying one excess
passenger, according to its certification.[164] An informational report issued by the
National Transportation Safety Board stated, "The airplane was seen lifting off the runway,
and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway
27."[165] It indicated that the pilot was not approved to fly the plane. Morales falsely
obtained his FAA license by showing hundreds of hours never flown, and he may also have
falsified how many hours he had flown in order to get a job with his employer, Blackhawk
International Airways.[166] Additionally, toxicology tests performed on Morales revealed
traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.[167]
Aaliyah's funeral services were held on August 31, 2001, at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral
Chapel and St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan. Her body was set in a silver-plated
copper-deposit casket, which was carried in a glass horse-drawn hearse.[168] An estimated
800 mourners were in attendance at the procession.[20][169] Among those in attendance at the
private ceremony were Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Gladys Knight, Lil' Kim and Sean Combs.
[168][170][171] After the service, 22 white doves were released to symbolize each year of
Aaliyah's life.[172] Aaliyah was initially entombed in a crypt at the Ferncliff Mausoleum in
Hartsdale, New York; she was later moved to a private room at the left end of a corridor in
the Rosewood Mausoleum.[173] The inscription at the bottom of Aaliyah's portrait at the
funeral read: "We Were Given a Queen, We Were Given an Angel."[174]
After Aaliyah's death, the German newspaper Die Zeit published excerpts from an interview
done shortly before her death, in which she described a recurring dream: "It is dark in my
favorite dream. Someone is following me. I don't know why. I'm scared. Then suddenly I lift
off. Far away. How do I feel? As if I am swimming in the air. Free. Weightless. Nobody can
reach me. Nobody can touch me. It's a wonderful feeling."[175]
Posthumous career
Immediately after Aaliyah's death, there was uncertainty over whether the music video for
"Rock the Boat" would ever air.[176] It made its world premiere on BET's Access Granted on
October 9, 2001. She won two posthumous awards at the American Music Awards of 2002;
Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B/Soul Album for Aaliyah.[177] Her second and
final film, Queen of the Damned, was released in February 2002. Before its release,
Aaliyah's brother, Rashad, re-dubbed some of her lines during post-production.[178][179] It
grossed US$15.2 million in its first weekend, ranking number one at the box office.[180] On
the first anniversary of Aaliyah's death, a candlelight vigil was held in Times Square;
millions of fans observed a moment of silence; and throughout the United States, radio
stations played her music in remembrance.[181] In December 2002, a collection of previously
unreleased material was released as Aaliyah's first posthumous album, I Care 4 U. A portion
of the proceeds was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program that benefits the Revlon
UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[182] It
debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 280,000 copies in its first week.[183]
The album's lead single, "Miss You", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and
topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[70] In August of the following year, clothing
retailer Christian Dior donated profits from sales in honor of Aaliyah.[184]
In 2005, Aaliyah's second compilation album, Ultimate Aaliyah was released in the UK by
Blackground Records.[185] Ultimate Aaliyah is a three disc set, which included a greatest
hits audio CD and a DVD.[185] Andy Kellman of AllMusic remarked "Ultimate Aaliyah adequately
represents the shortened career of a tremendous talent who benefited from some of the best
songwriting and production work by Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and R. Kelly."[185] A
documentary movie Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam was released in 2011, shortly before the tenth
anniversary of Aaliyah's death. The documentary, by Pogus Caesar, contained previously
unseen footage shot of her career beginnings in 1995 when she was appearing in the
Netherlands.[186]
In March 2012, music producer Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker announced on his Twitter account that a
song "Steady Ground", which he produced for Aaliyah's third album, would be included in the
forthcoming posthumous Aaliyah album. This second proposed posthumous album would feature
this song using demo vocals, as Walker claims the originals were somehow lost by his sound
engineer. Aaliyah's brother Rashad later refuted Walker's claim, claiming that "no official
album [is] being released and supported by the Haughton family."[187] On August 5, 2012, a
song entitled "Enough Said" was released online. The song was produced by Noah "40" Shebib
and features Canadian rapper Drake.[188] Four days later, Jomo Hankerson confirmed a
posthumous album is being produced and that it was scheduled to be released by the end of
2012 by Blackground Records.[189] The album was reported to include 16 unreleased songs and
have contributions from Aaliyah's longtime collaborators Timbaland and Missy Elliott, among
others.[189] On August 13, Timbaland and Missy Elliott dismissed rumors about being
contacted or participating for the project.[190] Elliott's manager Mona Scott-Young said in
a statement to XXL, "Although Missy and Timbaland always strive to keep the memory of their
close friend alive, we have not been contacted about the project nor are there any plans at
this time to participate. We've seen the reports surfacing that they have been confirmed to
participate but that is not the case. Both Missy and Timbaland are very sensitive to the
loss still being felt by the family so we wanted to clear up any misinformation being
circulated."[190] Elliott herself said, "Tim and I carry Aaliyah with us everyday, like so
many of the people who love her. She will always live in our hearts. We have nothing but
love and respect for her memory and for her loved ones left behind still grieving her loss.
They are always in our prayers."[190]
In June 2013, Aaliyah was featured on a new track by Chris Brown, titled "Don't Think They
Know"; with Aaliyah singing the song's hook. The video features dancing holographic versions
of Aaliyah. The song appears on Brown's sixth studio album, X.[191] Timbaland voiced his
disapproval for "Enough Said" and "Don't Think They Know" in July 2013. He exclaimed,
"Aaliyah music only work with its soulmate, which is me".[192] Soon after, Timbaland
apologized to Chris Brown over his remarks, which he explained were made due to Aaliyah and
her death being a "very sensitive subject".[193] In January 2014, producer Noah "40" Shebib
confirmed that the posthumous album was shelved due to the negative reception surrounding
Drake's involvement. Shebib added, "Aaliyah's mother saying, 'I don't want this out' was
enough for me ... I walked away very quickly."[194][195]
Aaliyah's vocals were reported to be featured on the T-Pain mixtape, The Iron Way, on the
track "Girlfriend", but were pulled after being met with criticism by fans and many in
attendance at a New York listening session that he hosted for the project. In response to
the criticism, T-Pain questioned if Aaliyah's legacy was driven by her death and claimed
that were she still alive, she would be seen as trying to emulate Beyoncé.[196] According to
T-Pain, he was given her vocals from a session she had done prior to her death after being
approached to work on a track for a posthumous Aaliyah album and completing the song,
calling the exchange "just like a swap."[197]
She was featured on the Tink track "Million", which was released in May 2015 and contained
samples from her song "One in a Million".[198] Collaborator Timbaland was involved in the
song's creation, having previously claimed that Aaliyah appeared to him in a dream and
stressed that Tink was "the one".[199]
In August 2015, Timbaland confirmed that he had unreleased vocals from Aaliyah and stated a
"sneak peek" would be coming soon.[200][201]
In September 2015, Aaliyah by Xyrena, an official tribute fragrance was announced.[202]
On December 19, 2015, Timbaland uploaded a snippet of a new Aaliyah song title "He Keeps Me
Shakin" on his Instagram account and said it would be released December 25, 2015, on the
Timbaland mixtape King Stays King.[203] On August 24, 2017 MAC Cosmetics announced that an
Aaliyah collection will be made available in the summer of 2018.[204] The Aaliyah for Mac
collection was released on June 20 online and June 21 in stores, along with the MAC
collection, MAC and i-D Magazine partnered up to release a short film titled "A-Z of
Aaliyah" which coincided with the launch.[205] The short film highlighted and celebrated the
legacy of Aaliyah with the help of select fans who were selected to be a part of the film
through a casting call competition held by Mac and i-d magazine.[206] The Aaliyah for Mac
collectors box was sold at $250 and it sold out within minutes during the first day of its
initial release.[207]
Legacy and influence
Aaliyah has been credited for helping redefine R&B, pop and hip hop in the 1990s, "leaving
an indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole."[1][89][208] According to Billboard,
Aaliyah revolutionized R&B with her sultry mix of pop, soul and hip hop.[209] In a 2001
review of her eponymous album, Rolling Stone professed that Aaliyah's impact on R&B and pop
has been enormous.[210] Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote Aaliyah ranks among the "elite" artists
of the R&B genre, as she "played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic
production style that consumed hip-hop and urban soul in the late 1990s."[211] Bruce Britt
of "music world" on Broadcast Music, Inc's. website stated that by combining "schoolgirl
charm with urban grit", Aaliyah helped define the teen-oriented sound that has resulted in
contemporary pop phenom's like Brandy, Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child.[212]
Described as one of "R&B's most important artists" during the 1990s,[213] her second studio
album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums of the decade.[33]
Music critic Simon Reynolds cited "Are You That Somebody?" as "the most radical pop single"
of 1998. Kelefah Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that rather than being the song's focal
point, Aaliyah "knew how to disappear into the music, how to match her voice to the bass
line", and consequently "helped change the way popular music sounds; the twitchy, beat-
driven songs of Destiny's Child owe a clear debt to 'Are You That Somebody'." Sanneh
asserted that by the time of her death in 2001, Aaliyah "had recorded some of the most
innovative and influential pop songs of the last five years."[101] Music publication Popdust
called Aaliyah an unlikely queen of the underground due mainly to her influence on the
underground alternative music scene, which consists of heavy sampling and references to her
music by underground artists. Popdust also mentioned that the forward-thinking music Aaliyah
did with Timbaland and the experimental music being made by many underground alternative
artists are somewhat cut from the same cloth.[214] While compiling a list of artists that
take cues from Aaliyah, MTV Hive mentioned that it's easy to spot her influence on
underground movements like dubstep, strains of indie pop, and lo-fi R&B movements.[215] With
sales of 8.1 million albums in the United States and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums
worldwide,[216][217][218][219][220] Aaliyah earned the nicknames "Princess of R&B" and
"Queen of Urban Pop",[221][222] as she "proved she was a muse in her own right".[223] Ernest
Hardy of Rolling Stone dubbed her as the "undisputed queen of the midtempo come-on".[19]
Aaliyah has been referred to as a pop icon and a R&B icon for her impact and contributions
to those respective genres.[224][225] Japanese pop singer Hikaru Utada has said several
times that "It was when I heard Aaliyah's Age Ain't Nothing but a Number that I got hooked
on R&B.", after which Utada released her debut album First Love with heavy R&B influences.
[226][227] Another Japanese pop singer Crystal Kay has expressed how she admired Aaliyah
when she was growing up and how she would practice dancing while watching her music videos.
[228]
Aaliyah was honored at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards by Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott,
Timbaland, Ginuwine and her brother, Rashad, who all paid tribute to her.[229] In the same
year, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah one of the
100 most popular names for newborn girls.[230] Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40
Women of the Video Era" in VH1's 2003 The Greatest series.[231][232] She was also ranked at
number 18 on BET's "Top 25 Dancers of All Time".[233] Aaliyah appeared on both 2000 and 2001
list of Maxim Hot 100 in position 41 and the latter at 14.[234][235] In 2002 VH1 created the
100 sexiest artist list and Aaliyah was ranked at number 36.[236] In memory of Aaliyah, the
Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund to donate money raised
to charities she supported.[237][238] In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Aaliyah at
number 70 on its Top Artists of the Decade,[239] while her eponymous album was ranked at
number 181 on the magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[240] She is listed by Billboard
as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and 27th most
successful R&B artist overall.[241] In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 48 in "VH1's Greatest
Women in Music".[242] Also in 2012, Aaliyah was ranked at number 10 on Complex magazine's
100 hottest female singers of all-time list[243] and number 22 on their 90 hottest women of
the 90's list.[244] In 2014, NME ranked Aaliyah at number 18 on NME's 100 most influential
artist list.[245] Aaliyah's dress that she wore at the 2000 MTV Video Music Award's was
featured in the most memorable fashion moments at the VMA's list by the fashion publication
Harper's Bazaar.[246] In October 2015 Aaliyah was featured in the 10 women who became Denim
Style icons list created by the fashion publication Vogue.[247] In August 2018 Billboard
ranked Aaliyah at number 47 on their Top 60 Female Artists of All-Time list.[248]
Aaliyah's music has influenced numerous artists including Adele,[249] The Weeknd,[250]
Ciara,[251] Beyoncé,[252] Monica,[253] Chris Brown,[191] Rihanna,[254] Azealia Banks,[255]
Sevyn Streeter,[256] Keyshia Cole,[257] J. Cole,[258] Ryan Destiny[259] Kelly Rowland,[260]
Zendaya,[261] Rita Ora,[262] The xx,[263][264][265] Arctic Monkeys,[266] Speedy Ortiz,[267]
Chelsea Wolfe,[268] Haim,[269] Angel Haze,[270] Kiesza,[271] Naya Rivera,[272] Normani[273]
Cassie,[274][275] Hayley Williams,[276] Jessie Ware,[277] Yeasayer,[278] Bebe Rexha,[279]
Omarion,[280] and Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander.[281] Canadian R&B singer Keshia
Chanté who was said to play as her in her pending biopic back in 2008, complimented the
singer's futuristic style in music and fashion.[282] Chanté backed out of the biopic after
speaking to Diane Haughton, but has expressed a willingness to do the project if "the right
production comes along and the family's behind it". Chanté also mentioned that Aaliyah had
been part of her life "since I was 6."[283] R&B singer and friend Brandy said about the late
singer "She came out before Monica and I did, she was our inspiration. At the time, record
companies did not believe in kid acts and it was just inspiring to see someone that was
winning and winning being themselves. When I met her I embraced her, I was so happy to meet
her."[284] Rapper Drake said that the singer has had the biggest influence on his career. He
also has a tattoo of the singer on his back.[285] Solange Knowles remarked on the tenth
anniversary of her death that she idolized Aaliyah and proclaimed that she would never be
forgotten.[286] Adam Levine, the lead vocalist of the pop rock group Maroon 5, remembers
that listening to "Are You That Somebody?" convinced him to pursue a more soulful sound than
that of his then-band Kara's Flowers.[287] Erika Ramirez, an associate editor of Billboard,
said at the time of Aaliyah's career "there weren't many artists using the kind of soft
vocals the ways she was using it, and now you see a lot of artists doing that and finding
success," her reasoning for Aaliyah's continued influence on current artists. She argued
that Aaliyah's second album One in a Million was "very much ahead of its time, with the bass
and electro kind of R&B sounds that they produced", referring to collaborators Timbaland and
Missy Elliott and that the sound, which "really stood out" at its time, was being
replicated.[288]
In 2012, British singer-songwriter Katy B released the song Aaliyah as a tribute to
Aaliyah's legacy and lasting impression on R&B music.[289] The song first appeared on Katy
B's Danger EP and featured Jessie Ware on guest vocals. In 2016, Swedish singer-songwriter
Erik Hassle released a song titled "If Your Man Only Knew" which serves as a tribute to
Aaliyah's 1996 single "If Your Girl Only Knew".[290]
There has been continuing belief that Aaliyah would have achieved greater career success had
it not been for her death. Emil Wilbekin mentioned the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and
Tupac Shakur in conjunction with hers and added: "Her just-released third album and
scheduled role in a sequel to The Matrix could have made her another Janet Jackson or
Whitney Houston".[291] Director of Queen of the Damned Michael Rymer said of Aaliyah, "God,
that girl could have gone so far" and spoke of her having "such a clarity about what she
wanted. Nothing was gonna step in her way. No ego, no nervousness, no manipulation. There
was nothing to stop her."[292]
On July 18, 2014, it was announced that Alexandra Shipp replaced Zendaya for the role of
Aaliyah for the Lifetime TV biopic movie Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B,
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13 April 2022: (Michael) Who's photo? set your photo as the cover of Nottingham, UK!
www.flickr.com/photos/78590035@N06/52021431242
Congrats! The photo Felly Priory. Nottinghamshire (01). April 2022 you added to the group Nottingham, UK has been selected to be its cover photo.
See how it looks here: www.flickr.com/groups/nottingham/
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Felly Priory. Underwood, Nottinghamshire.
The Priory of Felley was founded in 1156 on the site of a small hermitage dedicated to Our Lady. It consisted of twelve canons following the Rule of St Augustine. They lived well organised lives, with a stew pond, still visible over the bottom garden wall, for the carp they ate on Fridays and a mill at the bottom of the hill.
In the Dissolution in 1535, not all of the Priory was completely destroyed. Parts were used elsewhere in the construction of the house and garden, for example, on the west side of the house between the Tudor door and chimney. The pillars at the entrance to the garden were originally part of the Priory Church and date from the late 12th Century.
The brick side of the house, next to the Jargonelle Pear Tree, dates from 1557, but it is thought that originally the Cloisters were within this area. The rest of the Priory was located towards the west end of the house. The garden now covers the site of the Priory Church. The high garden wall to the south west is believed to be part of the priory boundary wall.
The central part of the house was constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. There is a particularly fine example of a Tudor chimney on the west side of the house. The lion and unicorn on the west side of the house date from this period.
The house was plundered during the Civil War and became an army garrison and Royalist stronghold. The stone ends of the house were added about 1860 and the garden terraced in 1890. The pond in the garden may have been constructed then.The Chaworth-Musters family became owners of the property in 1822, although they did not live there. In 1973, Major Robert Chaworth-Musters moved to Felley, having sold Annesley Hall, the family home, which is just the other side of the M1. The gardens were created thereafter by Major and Mrs Chaworth-Musters.The house is currently occupied by Major Chaworth-Musters’ grandchildren, Sophia and Victoria, together with their father and step-mother.
The Chaworth Family
12th Century – Patricius Chaworth arrived from France and settled in Wiverton, in the Vale of Belvoir
1440 – George Chaworth married the heiress Alice Annesley who brought with her the estate of Annesley, where her family had lived for 300 years
1628 – George Chaworth was raised to the peerage by Charles I as Viscount Chaworth
1765 – William, Viscount Chaworth, was killed in a duel in London after an argument with his cousin and neighbour Lord Byron (great uncle of the poet)
1805 – Mary Ann Chaworth, heiress of Annesley, married John Musters of Colwick Hall, near Nottingham, creating the name Chaworth – Musters
1831 – While the annual Goose Fair was taking place in Nottingham a messenger galloped in with the news that the Second Reform Bill had been thrown out of Parliament, and the already excited crowd had to be dispersed by the Militia. The next day the crowd reformed, burned down Nottingham Castle and proceeded to sack Colwick Hall. Mrs Chaworth Musters, with her daughter Sophia, soaking wet in the pouring rain, crouched all night in terror in the shrubbery while the house was looted and set on fire. She died at Wiverton a few months later from the shock
1832 – Following these events the Chaworth Musters family mainly lived at Annesley Hall
1973 – Major Robert Patricius Chaworth Musters, who served in the Coldstream Guards, sold the Hall and moved to Felley Priory, which his family had owned since 1822
1974 – He married Maria Monckton, daughter of the 8th Viscount Galway of Serlby Hall in North Nottinghamshire and together they started creating the garden as it is today
2010 – Maria Chaworth-Musters dies and Major Chaworth-Musters’ grandchildren, Sophia and Victoria, along with their father and step-mother, move into Felley Priory
Felley Priory is a Grade II Listed Building and is situated in North Nottinghamshire, hidden just half a mile from the M1. It's a 16th century house with gardens located in the village of Felley, Nottinghamshire, UK. It is situated on the grounds of a former priory established by Augustinians in 1156 and dissolved in 1536. The gardens were started in 1974 by Maria Chaworth-Musters and opened to the public through the National Garden Scheme just two years later. Since Maria's passing in 2010, the gardens have been managed by her granddaughter and expert gardener, Michelle Upchurch
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No Group Banners, thanks.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_building
The Reichstag building (German: Reichstagsgebäude; officially: Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude) is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Imperial Diet (German: Reichstag), of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Diet until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire. After World War II, the building fell into disuse; the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (the Volkskammer) met in the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, while the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany (the Bundestag) met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.
The ruined building was made safe against the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s, but no attempt at full restoration was made until after German reunification on 3 October 1990, when it underwent a reconstruction led by architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament: the modern Bundestag.
The term Reichstag, when used to connote a diet, dates back to the Holy Roman Empire. The building was built for the Diet of the German Empire, which was succeeded by the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. The latter would become the Reichstag of Nazi Germany, which left the building (and ceased to act as a parliament) after the 1933 fire and never returned; the term Reichstag has not been used by German parliaments since World War II. In today's usage, the German word Reichstag (Imperial Diet Building) refers mainly to the building, while Bundestag (Federal Diet) refers to the institution.
History of the building
Construction of the building began well after the unification of Germany in 1871. Previously, the parliament had assembled in several other buildings in Leipziger Straße in Berlin but these were generally considered too small, so in 1872 an architectural contest with 103 participating architects was carried out to erect a new building. After a short survey of possible sites, a parliamentary committee recommended the east side of the Königsplatz (today, Platz der Republik), which however was occupied by the palace of a Polish-Prussian aristocrat, Athanasius Raczyński.
Work did not start until ten years later though, owing to various problems with purchasing the property and arguments between Wilhelm I, Otto von Bismarck, and the members of the Reichstag about how the construction should be performed. After lengthy negotiations, the Raczyński Palace was purchased and demolished, making way for the new building.
In 1882, another architectural contest was held, with 200 architects participating. This time the winner, the Frankfurt architect Paul Wallot, would actually see his Neo-Baroque project executed. The direct model for Wallot's design was Philadelphia's Memorial Hall, the main building of the 1876 United States Centennial Exhibition.[1] The Reichstag's decorative sculptures, reliefs, and inscriptions were by sculptor Otto Lessing. On 29 June 1884, the foundation stone was finally laid by Wilhelm I, at the east side of the Königsplatz. Before construction was completed by Philipp Holzmann A.G. in 1894,[2] Wilhelm I died (in 1888, the Year of Three Emperors). His eventual successor, Wilhelm II, took a more jaundiced view of parliamentary democracy than his grandfather. The original building was acclaimed for the construction of an original cupola of steel and glass, considered an engineering feat at the time. But its mixture of architectural styles drew widespread criticism.[3]
In 1916 the iconic words Dem Deutschen Volke ("[To] the German people") were carved above the main façade of the building, much to the displeasure of Wilhelm II who had tried to block the adding of the inscription for its democratic significance. After World War I had ended and Wilhelm had abdicated, during the revolutionary days of 1918, Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed the institution of a republic from one of the balconies of the Reichstag building on 9 November. The building continued to be the seat of the parliament of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933), which was still called the Reichstag.
Third Reich
The building caught fire on 27 February 1933, under circumstances still not entirely known (see Reichstag fire). This gave a pretext for the Nazis to suspend most rights provided for by the 1919 Weimar Constitution in the Reichstag Fire Decree in an effort to weed out communists and increase state security throughout Germany.
During the 12 years of National Socialist rule, the Reichstag building was not used for parliamentary sessions. Instead, the few times that the Reichstag convened at all, it did so in the Krolloper building, a former opera house opposite the Reichstag building. This applies particularly to the session of 23 March 1933, in which the Reichstag disposed of its powers in favour of the Nazi government in the Enabling Act, another step in the so-called Gleichschaltung ("coordination"). The main meeting hall of the building (which was unusable after the fire) was instead used for propaganda presentations and, during World War II, for military purposes. It was also considered for conversion to a flak tower but was found to be structurally unsuitable.
The building, having never been fully repaired since the fire, was further damaged by air raids. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945, it became one of the central targets for the Red Army to capture due to its perceived symbolic significance. Today, visitors to the building can still see Soviet graffiti on smoky walls inside as well as on part of the roof, which was preserved during the reconstructions after reunification.
Yevgeny Khaldei took the famous picture, Raising a flag over the Reichstag, on 2 May 1945. The picture symbolizes the victory of USSR over nazism.
Cold War
When the Cold War emerged, the building was physically within West Berlin, but only a few metres from the border of East Berlin, which ran around the back of the building and in 1961 was closed by the Berlin Wall. During the Berlin blockade, an enormous number of West Berliners assembled before the building on 9 September 1948, and Mayor Ernst Reuter held a famous speech that ended with "Ihr Völker der Welt, schaut auf diese Stadt!" ("You peoples of the world, look upon this city!")
After the war, the building was essentially a ruin. In addition, there was no real use for it, since the seat of government of West Germany had been established in Bonn in 1949. Still, in 1956, after some debate, it was decided that the Reichstag should not be torn down, but be restored instead. However, the cupola of the original building, which had also been heavily damaged in the war, was demolished. Another architectural contest was held, and the winner, Paul Baumgarten, reconstructed the building from 1961–1964, but utterly removing all sumptuous heraldic statues, monuments, decorations and the like that harked back to the mythology of the German past from the inside, but also the largest ones on the outside of the building. In effect, he created a plain building inside the historic Reichstag, retaining only the outer walls stripped of most of their statues and decoration.
The artistic and practical value of his work was the subject of much debate after German reunification. Under the provisions set forth for Berlin by the Allies in the 1971 Four Power Agreement on Berlin, the Bundestag, the parliament of West Germany of that time, was not allowed to assemble formally in West Berlin (even though East Germany was in violation of this provision since it had declared East Berlin its capital). Until 1990, the building was thus used only for occasional representative meetings, and one-off events. It was also used for a widely lauded permanent exhibition about German history called Fragen an die deutsche Geschichte (Questions about German history).
Reunification
The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990, was held at the Reichstag building, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others. The event included huge firework displays[citation needed]. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the Reichstag building.
However, at that time, the role of Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, did the Bundestag conclude, on 20 June 1991, with quite a slim majority in favour of both government and parliament returning to Berlin from Bonn.
In 1992, Norman Foster won yet another architectural contest for the reconstruction of the building. His winning concept looked very different from what was later executed. Notably, the original design did not include a cupola.
Before reconstruction began, the Reichstag was wrapped by the Bulgarian-American artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude in 1995, attracting millions of visitors.[4] The project was financed by the artists through the sale of preparatory drawings and collages, as well as early works of the 1950s and 1960s.
During the reconstruction, the building was first almost completely gutted, taking out everything except the outer walls, including all changes made by Baumgarten in the 1960s. Respect for the historic aspects of the building was one of the conditions stipulated to the architects, so traces of historical events were to be retained in a visible state. Among them were graffiti left by Soviet soldiers after the final battle for Berlin in April–May 1945. Written in Cyrillic script, they include such slogans as "Hitler kaputt" and names of individual soldiers. However, graffiti with racist or sexist themes were removed, in agreement with Russian diplomats at the time.
The reconstruction was completed in 1999, with the Bundestag convening there officially for the first time on 19 April of that year.[5] The Reichstag is now the second most visited attraction in Germany, not least because of the huge glass dome that was erected on the roof as a gesture to the original 1894 cupola, giving an impressive view over the city, especially at night.
Dome
The large glass dome at the very top of the Reichstag has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from inside the dome, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor. A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which would not only cause large solar gain, but dazzle those below. Construction work was finished in 1999 and the seat of parliament was transferred to the Bundestag in April of that year. The dome is open to visitors by prior registration.[
Hello everyone, I love all things feminine. I like to be treated like a lady and I am a gentle non-argumentive person. I am very clean and my house is well kept and neat.
I’ve always long been fascinated with the Central Massachusetts Branch of the Boston & Maine. In fact, the modern day Mass Central pays homage to that line in both name and in locomotive paint…despite the fact that their mainline is all ex Boston & Albany.
So a bit of history. The Central Mass was a 100 mile route that ran in almost a straight line from Boston to the Connecticut River at Northampton. There is little argument among rail historians that it was truly a line that should never have been built. Originally chartered as the Massachusetts Central Railroad, it was enacted into law by the Massachusetts legislature on the auspicious date of May 10, 1869. The railroad wouldn’t actually open for business for another 11 years when the first 28 miles to Hudson were finally put in service on October 1, 1881. Completed to Oakdale and Jefferson’s (48 miles from Boston) the following year. Due to financial problems the line ceased operation in May 1883 and it would be two more years before the line would open for business again. Finally by the end of 1887 the line reached Northampton completed under the auspices of the Boston and Maine who had leased the Boston & Lowell in August of 1887, the B&L having leased the Central Mass 6 months prior. The B&M would control the Mass Central for the remainder of its life.
For a time in the early 1900s the Central Mass looked like it might give the other east west trunk lines (the Fitchburg to the north and the Boston & Albany to the south) a run for its money as a major east-west mainline. That is too long a tale to tell here, but one very much worth reading. If you’re interested the B&M Railroad Historical Society has published a fabulous book on the road that I highly recommend.
The first portions of the line were abandoned in 1931 & 1932 when trackage rights were acquired over parts of the parallel Central Vermont & B&A Ware River branch (today’s modern day Mass Central) respectively although thru trains still ran. But in a half dozen years the middle portion of the line was removed from service and formally abandoned between Oakdale and Barre in 1939. That effectively turned the Central Mass into two long branches from Boston to Clinton on the east and Northampton to Wheelwright on the west. Note that segments of the original main remained as spurs including around Ware and from Creamery (on the old B&A Ware River branch) to Wheelwright. They would remain as such into the early 1970s when change would come quickly.
The last train to Wheelwright would run in 1973 and the branch was cut back to Bondsville. Six years later even that much would be done and dismantled by 1983 including the Wheelwright spur out of service for a decade. What remained on the west end of the old Central Mass was a three mile spur from the Forest Lake Jct. (on the old B&A) to Bondsville and yard trackage around Ware including a half mile of the old mainline west from Ware.
Enter the modern Massachusetts Central Railroad. In the first railroad charter granted in the state since 1910 the new Mass Central was established as a common carrier in 1975. The new iteration of the road had big dreams of saving the remnants of the original road but it wasn’t to be. While they did take over the three mile spur to Bondsville and the yard trackage in Ware they only operated the former for a about a year (though 40 years later the rails and ties remain amidst the forest).
Meanwhile the former Boston & Albany Ware River Branch had been cropped back from Winchendon to South Barre by the Penn Central in 1968 when the northern 25 miles were abandoned. Eight years later the remaining 25 miles were not included in the USRA’s Final System Plan for Conrail. The Commonwealth picked up the trackage and contracted with Conrail to operate it for the first three years. In December 1979 the new Mass Central was named designated operator of the state trackage and has operated it ever since.
The modern Mass Central has always been a railfan magnet thanks to its interesting motive power, and while the Alcos and Alaska F7 are gone and the NW5 is out of service, the pair of GP38-2s in pseudo B&M paint (despite being ex Penn Central units) still make for a worthwhile day trackside. The modern day Ware River Line has been a success, and in 2020 they operate 5 days a week serving 5 busy customers. But ghosts of the original Mass Central remain if you know were to look and what you’re looking at.
Here we see the southbound train returning from South Barre at MP 18 behind matching GP38-2s 1750 and 1751 wearing their Boston and Maine style bluebird scheme. The abutment at the left is where the original Mass Central passed overhead. This was the portion that was abandoned in 1932 when trackage rights were obtained on the B&A branch between Barre and Forest Lake Jct. Creamery junction where the Wheelwright Spur joined from 1932 till the end was about a half mile between the train in this photo.
Hardwick, Massachusetts
Friday December 4, 2020
Unfortunately it was involved in an argument with a wall in August 1999.................You should see the wall !!!
This was it at Plaxtons Repair Centre in Barrhead awaiting repair.
These two Caspian Terns appeared over the lake at sunset. They were arguing and chasing each other with an awesome speed.. I have no idea what it was about.
Showing sign of a argument with a tree, 9028 is seen at Mirandela on the afternoon of Friday 29th June 2001.
Die Annexion und Kolonialisierung der DDR: Auf den kalten Krieg folgte ein kalter Bürgerkrieg zwischen einer schmalen Gewinnerschicht und einer sehr breiten Verliererschicht, ergänzt durch Pogrome und staatliche Hetzkampagnen gegen Minderheiten wie Flüchtlinge, Bedürftige und dauerhaft "Entlassene", gegen andere Religionen, "linke" Demonstranten u.a. Alles bis heute andauernd.
(von Wolfgang Jantzen, aus www.basaglia.de/Artikel/DDR-Kolonisierung.pdf)
Allein die Anwendung des Begriffs „Kolonisierung“ stößt in der ehemaligen BRD auf Widerstand. Da dieses Argument mit Sicherheit in der Auseinandersetzung mit meinen Überlegungen auftauchen wird, sei zunächst an die Feststellung ROHWEDDERs erinnert, dass viele westliche Unternehmer beim Überschreiten der „Zonengrenze“ (!) jeden Anstand aufgeben und sich „wie Kolonialoffiziere“ bewegen (zit. nach M. Schneider 1990, S. 173 f.).
Da es neben der Feststellung objektiver Befunde beim „Kolonisierungs-Paradigma“ erst einmal um subjektive Wahrnehmungen und Empfindungen geht, hierzu einige Daten. Wichtigste Quelle sind die beiden EMNID-Untersuchungen im Auftrag des SPIEGELs, die den psychischen Zustand der ehemaligen DDR-BürgerInnen wie folgt wiedergeben.
Die Umfrage von 1990 ergibt folgende Ergebnisse:
35% der OstbürgerInnen äußern sich über sich selbst als eher selbstbewußt; 92% äußern sich entsprechend über die „Wessis“. An erster Stelle im Hetereostereotyp West rangieren Urteile wie:
selbstbewusster, selbständiger, entschlusskräftiger, weltoffener, flexibler.
Mitte 1991 zeigt sich eine deutliche Verschiebung der Werte. Die Sympathien für die „Wessis“ sanken im Vergleich zu anderen Völkern (Franzosen + 2,0, USA + 1,9, Österreicher +1,7, Russen + 1,2) von +2,7 auf +1,7. Dass sich „Ossis“ und „Wessis“ seit der Vereinigung näher gekommen sind, bejahten 45% im Osten und 51% im Westen; dass sie sich fremder geworden sind, bejahten 50% im Osten und 36% im Westen. „Viele Ergebnisse waren so konträr, als würden nicht Teile
eines Volkes sondern verschiedene Völker befragt werden“ (SPIEGEL 1991, 30, S. 25). Und die Tendenz ging zur Verschärfung dieser Unterschiede. In der Tendenz der negativsten Eindrücke überwiegt im Osten (ca. die Hälfte von 675 aus 1000 Interviewten, die diese Frage beantwortet haben) die Überheblichkeit des Westens: „Arrogant wie
Besatzer“ (HStW). Im Westen (670 von 1000 Interviewten antworten auf die Frage) überwiegt als Urteil über die „Ossis“ „faul“ (91 Befragte) bzw. dass sie zuwenig aus eigener Kraft tun und zu sehr auf die Hilfe des Westens bauen (144 Befragte)(HStO). Im Heterostereotyp Ost werden die „Ossis“ überall schlechter bewertet als sie sich selbst bewerten
(AStO). Bei einem neutralen Wert von 4 auf der verwendeten Skala rangierten im Heterostereotyp Ost mit Werten über 4,5 folgende Klassifizierungen an erster Stelle des Negativurteils:
unselbständig, provinziell, starr, entscheidungsfaul, unsicher.
Im Vergleich des Autostereotyps Ost zum Heterostereotyp Ost ergaben sich folgende Differenzen:
Faul -1,9 („Wessis“ halten „Ossis“ um 1,9 Skalenwerte für fauler, als diese sich selbst einschätzen),
oberflächlich -1,4, ideenarm -1,4, unzuverlässig -1,4, unselbständig -1,3, starr -1,2, überheblich -1,2, kinderfeindlich -1,1, entscheidungsfaul -1,1.
Beim Vergleich der Werte von 1990 und 1991 ergibt sich folgendes Bild für den Wandel des Autostereotyps Ost in diesem Zeitraum (Werte für 1990 graphisch aus den Abbildungen entnommen, da keine Zahlenwerte angegeben):
- Wandel des Autostereotyps Ost von Ende 1990 bis Mitte 1991:
ideenreich +0,8, zuverlässig +0,5, fleißig +0,4, entschlusskräftig +0,4 (die Werte drücken Verschiebungen auf den Skalen in Richtung der numerisch kleineren Werte, also des positiven Pols aus). Die BürgerInnen der ehemaligen DDR sind also insgesamt selbstbewusster geworden. Besonders deutlich wird dies, vergleicht man ihre Werte in diesen vier Dimensionen mit ihrer Fremdeinschätzung der WestbürgerInnen 1990 (HStW):
- Differenzen zwischen Autostereotyp Ost 1991 und Heterostereotyp West 1990:
ideenreich -0,9 (1990), -0,1 (1991); zuverlässig -0,6 bzw. 0,0 (Skalenwert 2,5), fleißig -0,5 bzw. -0,1, entschlusskräftig -1,3 bzw. -0,9.
BürgerInnen der ehemaligen DDR sehen sich unterdessen in wichtigen Dimensionen nahezu genauso positiv, wie sie Ende 1990 BürgerInnen der ehemaligen BRD gesehen haben.
- Völlig anders sehen die Differenzen zwischen dem Autostereotyp Ost und dem Heterostereotyp Ost 1991 aus:
ideenreich -1,4 (Differenz zuungunsten der Ost-BürgerInnen), zuverlässig -1,4, fleißig -1,9, entschlusskräftig - 1,1.
Die Gleichheit der Lebensverhältnisse von Ost und West herzustellen, ist 1991 für 72% der Ostaber nur 41% der WestbürgerInnen besonders wichtig. „Ossis“ seien noch lange BürgerInnen zweiter Klasse glauben 1990 im Osten 75% (das Gegenteil denken 15%), 1991 sind es im Osten 84% (9%)
und im Westen 35% (45%)
Ergänzen wir dies durch die Daten zur subjektiven Lage sowie zur Frage, ob etwas und was erhaltenswert an der DDR war, so verstärkt sich das Bild des zunehmend auseinander fallenden und durch wechselseitige kolonialistische Wahrnehmung („Besatzer“ aus dem Westen vs. „faule
Ossis“) geprägten Bewusstseins. Forschungen des Instituts für Meinungsforschung in Allensbach geben für Oktober 1990 folgende Indikatoren psychischer Belastung wieder (Köcher 1991):
Schwindelgefühle: BRD 12%, DDR 34%; Nervosität BRD 21 %, DDR 38%; Schlafstörungen: BRD 24%, DDR 39%.
Die von EMNID erhobenen Befunde Mitte 1991 (SPIEGEL 32, 1991) bewegen sich in ähnlicher Größenordnung:
- Angst vor der Zukunft: Männer: Westen 23%, Osten 37%; Frauen: W 25%, 0 44%; Gesamt: W 24%, 0 37%.
- Niedergeschlagen und mutlos: Männer: W 18%, 0 32%; Frauen W 32% 0 44%,; Gesamt: W: 20%, 0 38%
- Ratlos, verstehe die Welt nicht mehr: Männer: W 20%, 0 22%; Frauen: W 21 %, 0 34 %.
Übers Ohr gehauen fühlen sich 52% der Ost-BürgerInnen. Bei Ausdifferenzierung nach wirtschaftlicher Lage sind es in guter Lage 41%, in mittlerer 54% und in schlechter 66%.
Entsprechend spezifisch verteilen sich die Werte bei „Angst vor der Zukunft“ bei Menschen, denen es schlecht geht (63% haben Angst) und denen es gut geht (16%).
Während 1990 lediglich 23% zustimmten, einen Schlussstrich zu ziehen, statt weiterhin die Schuld zu klären, sind es 1991 38%.
Besonders deutlich drückt sich das Gefühl des Betrogenseins bei den Jugendlichen aus, obgleich die Politikverdrossenheit der Jugend in Ost und West gleich hoch zu sein scheint. Über 80% sind jeweils der Meinung, dass die Bevölkerung von den Politikern betrogen wird (Angaben aus der SHELL-Studie 1991, zit. nach Neues Deutschland vom 8.11.91, S. 2). Insbesondere bei DDRJugendlichen zeigen sich polarisierte Milieus. So zeigt die Jugendstudie in Sachsen des ZIJ (N = 2800) nach der Wende einen krassen Umschwung im Sinne von Ausländerfeindlichkeit und Chauvinismus. 15 - 20% der Befragten weisen ein „geschlossenes autoritär-nationalistisches Einstellungsyndrom auf“. „Weit verbreitet fanden die Forscher das Gefühl, vom alten System
betrogen worden zu sein“ (Rahn 1991, S. 4). Andererseits gibt die SHELL-Studie an, dass ca. 60% der jungen Leute die DDR nicht in negativer Erinnerung haben (ND a.a.0.).
Die Werte für die Frage, was und ob etwas erhaltenswert an der ehemaligen DDR sei, haben sich nach den mir vorliegenden Daten wie folgt entwickelt:
- Anfang Juni 1990 (Ost-“Berliner Institut für sozialwissenschaftliche Studien“) stimmen 78% der
DDR-BürgerInnen der Feststellung zu „In 40 Jahren ist so manches entstanden, das ich gut finde und das im künftigen Gesamtdeutschland erhalten bleiben sollte“ (Nein 16%) (zit. nach M. Schneider 1990, S. 163).
- Nach der Wahl am 2. Dezember 1990 (EMMAG am Inst. f. Soziologie und Sozialpolitik, Berlin im Auftrag der ZUMA, Mannheim) sind 70% stolz auf etwa, wenn sie auf die DDR zurückblicken. Als Gefahr wird die Bildung eines Mythos „sozialstaatliche Idylle DDR“ hervorgehoben (ND v.
13.2.91, S. 1).
- Die beiden EMNID Untersuchungen von 1990 und 1991 (SPIEGEL, a.a.0.) zeigen folgendes Bild:
1990 schneidet die DDR nur in drei Punkten besser ab (soziale Sicherheit, Gleichberechtigung der Frau, Schutz gegen Verbrechen), 1991 in fünf von acht Punkten (neben den bereits genannten Berufsausbildung und Schulbildung). Schlechter schneidet sie 1991 ab bezogen auf
Lebensstandard, Gesundheitswesen, Wohnungsbau.
Alle Daten sprechen für eine Polarisierung der psychischen Situation zwischen West und Ost mit wechselseitigen Zuschreibungen (HStW und HStO) bei gleichzeitiger zunehmender Stabilisierung der jeweiligen Autostereotype. Unter Berücksichtigung der Inhalte scheint in der Tat damit eine psychische Situation gegeben zu sein, die sich am besten mit dem Kolonisierungsparadigma beschreiben lässt.
Nun ist es im Rahmen meiner Studie gänzlich unmöglich, auch die ökonomische Berechtigung dieses Paradigmas zu untersuchen. Immerhin gibt es viele ernsthafte Stimmen (vgl. z.B. Roth 1990, van der Meer und Kruss 1991), die eine ökonomische Entwicklung in Dimensionen konstatieren,
die SARTRE (1988) in seiner Arbeit „Kolonialismus als System“ (als Vortrag 1956) bezogen auf den französischen Kolonialismus in Algerien wie folgt benannt hat:
„Zuerst die Widerstände brechen, die Kader zerschlagen, unterwerfen, terrorisieren. Erst dann wird das Wirtschaftsystem etabliert. Und worum geht es? Industrien in den unterworfenen Ländern zu schaffen? Keineswegs: ... das Kapital wird in Frankreich bleiben, es wird einfach in neue Industrien investiert, die ihre Fertigwaren dem kolonisierten Land verkaufen werden“ (S. 17 f). Bereits hier zeigt es sich allerdings, dass das in der Auseinandersetzung mit Frankreichs Algerienpolitik entwickelte Kolonisierungs-Paradigma nicht pauschal anzuwenden ist, da die ehemalige DDR gleichzeitig erweitertes Aufmarschgebiet für eine neue Ostpolitik ist. (Der in Aussicht stehende Mercedes-Stern über dem Potsdamer Platz führ dies ebenso vor Augen wie die
Äußerungen Edzard Reuters in diesen Tagen, dass in der DDR das modernste Industriegebiet der Welt entstehen werde). Aber selbst, wenn dies eintritt (was von verschiedenen Autoren durchaus angezweifelt wird), gilt, dass es eine schmale Gewinner und eine sehr breite Verliererschicht gibt
und geben wird. Gleichzeitig nämlich findet ein drastischer Wandel der Arbeits- und Lebenssituation zum Negativen hin statt, der sich u.a. an der Politik der Treuhand ebenso zeigt wie an der Entwicklung der Arbeitslosenquoten.
Immerhin waren die Staatsschulden der DDR-Betriebe ja durch ein generell anderes volkswirtschaftliches Wertabschöpfungsverfahren entstanden: Die Gewinne wurden an den Staat abgeführt, die weitere Produktion wurde durch Staatskredite finanziert. Durch Gleichsetzung dieser
Kredite mit westdeutschen Krediten wurden aus den Staatskrediten „Altschulden“. Dies hatte den „Effekt, dass selbst bisher rentabel wirtschaftende Unternehmen nicht solvent sind“ (Behrend 1991 a, S. 23). Indem gleichzeitig große Anteile staatlichen Eigentums enteignet werden, kann sich der Westen in beispielloser Weise einkaufen. Diesen Unterschied hat M. SCHNEIDER vor Augen, wenn er festhält: „Er marschiert nicht mehr ein, sondern er kauft sich ein. Er tritt nicht als Kolonialherr, sondern als Entwicklungshelfer, als großzügiger Sponsor und Kreditgeber auf, wobei er „nur“ die Bedingungen seiner Hilfe diktiert“ (1990 S. 260). Die Bedingungen in rechtlicher Hinsicht entsprechen dieser Charakterisierung (vgl auch. F. WOLFF „So wird Recht und Freiheit nicht geschaffen“ ND 2.10.91, S. 11).
Bei der Arbeitslosigkeit liegt die nominelle Quote im August 1991 bei einer Million (12%), die reale Quote ist weitaus höher (zuzüglich 1,3 Millionen KurzarbeiterInnen, viele davon mit null
Arbeitszeit, 550.000 BezieherInnen von Altersübergangs- und Vorruhestandsgeld, 260.000 in ABM-Stellen, ein Teil der ArbeitspendlerInnen nach dem Westen und viele vom Arbeitsmarkt verdrängte, aber nicht als erwerbslos gemeldete Frauen. BEHREND (ebd.) schätzt die Gesamtzahl
auf 4 Millionen. Für 1991 wird ein Rückgang der Arbeitsangebote gegenüber den 9,6 Millionen
Arbeitsplätze in der DDR im Jahre 1989 auf nunmehr 5 Millionen prognostiziert (1991, S. 23). In diesem Kontext findet eine „plumpe Propaganda“, die Ost- und Westdeutsche wechselseitig für die Misere verantwortlich macht, viele Ansatzpunkte für die Bilder der „Ossis“ als „faulen
Nutznießern“ und der „Wessis“ als „hartherzig und nicht zu Opfern für die deutsche Einheit bereit“ ihren Platz. Den „Ossis“ wird empfohlen, die „Ärmel hochzukrempeln“ und zu „arbeiten“, „als hätten sie 41 Jahre nichts getan und als würden durch ihr Ärmelaufkrempeln Arbeitspätze
geschaffen“ (Behrend, ebd.).
Eine der wichtigsten Arbeiten zur Kolonisierung ist Albert MEMMIs Buch „Der Kolonisator und der Kolonisierte“ (1980; erstmals 1966). Zur Anwendung des Kolonisierungs-Paradigmas auf andere Situationen als die zwischen Algerien und Frankreich hält er im Nachwort fest, dass die
Unterdrückung zwar beliebig viele Gesichter annehmen, aber nicht beliebig viele Wege einschlagen kann: „Neben den Besonderheiten gibt es überall gemeinsame Mechanismen“ (S. 140). Für MEMMI ist die beste Definition, die es für Kolonie gibt, die folgende: „Man verdient dort mehr und gibt weniger aus“ (S. 24). Ich kann es mir sparen an dieser Stelle die vielfältigen Belege zur Situation der ehemaligen DDR anzuführen. Ganze Passagen bei MEMMI lesen sich wie eine
Beschreibung dieses Prozesses. „Dem frischgebackenen Universitätsabsolventen hat man eine Stelle angeboten, dem Beamten die Einstufung in eine höhere Besoldungsgruppe, dem Geschäftsmann beträchtliche Steuererleichterung und dem Industriellen Rohstoffe und Arbeitskräfte zu ungewöhnlich niedrigen Löhnen“ (ebd.). Die Entdeckung des Kolonisators in dieser Situation ist dreifach:
- Er entdeckt erstens die Möglichkeit des besseren Profits;
- er entdeckt zweitens „die Existenz des Kolonisierten und damit sein eigenes Privileg“ (S. 26);
- und drittens hat er als Fremder „nicht nur erfolgreich einen Platz für sich erobert, sondern ebenso erfolgreich den des Einwohners übernommen“ (S. 27; Memmi spricht hier von „Usurpation“). Neben den Privilegien der „großen“ Kolonisatoren sind auch die für die „kleineren“ recht
bedeutsam. Bei näherem Hinsehen entdeckt man allerdings „hinter dem Gepränge oder dem einfältigen Stolz des kleinen „Kolonisators“ lediglich Personen von geringem Format. Politiker mit dem Auftrag, die Geschichte zu gestalten, beinahe ohne alle historischen Kenntnisse, stets von
Ereignissen überrascht und weder willens noch in der Lage, in langfristigen Perspektiven zu denken. Spezialisten, die für die technische Entwicklung eines Landes verantwortlich sind,
entpuppen sich als Techniker außer Konkurrenz, vor der sie nach Kräften geschont werden. Was die Verwaltungsbeamten angeht, so hätte die Schlampigkeit und Armseligkeit der
Kolonialverwaltung ein eigenes Kapitel verdient“ (1980 S.57). Hinzu kommt die Abwanderung der Fähigen in das Land der Kolonialherren, so dass gerade die Mittelmäßigen zurückbleiben. Man kann nicht alles pauschal übertragen, im Kern lässt sich jedoch jede dieser Aussagen mit
vielfältigem Material belegen. Was den Wissenschaftsbereich betrifft, aber sicherlich nicht nur dort, kann man wohl zu recht
davon sprechen, dass die sog. „alten Seilschaften“ durch „neue Flaschenzüge“ ersetzt werden.
Die Usurpation, von der MEMMI spricht, musste allerdings vor allem auch aus ideologischen Gründen stattfinden. Hierzu SARTRE: „Diese Zerschlagung der Kader wurde systematisch
gefördert; in erster Linie, weil sie die Widerstandskräfte beseitigte und die Kollektivkräfte durch einen Flugsand von Individuen ersetzte“ (1988, S. 20). Für diesen Prozeß steht in der ehemaligen DDR insbesondere die Abwicklung. Bei dieser „Vernichtung geistigen Potentials der früheren
DDR“ (van der Meer und Kruss 1991) wurden bis zum Abschluss des Buches dieser Autoren bereits 50% der einst 110.000 DDR-Wissenschaftler entlassen. Ich zitiere aus der Besprechung durch BEHREND (1991 b, S. 52) eine Aussage der Hamburger ZEIT vom 14.12.1990:
„Evaluierungsgruppen, zusammengesetzt aus Wissenschaftlern und Bürokraten des Bonner Bildungs- und Wissenschaftsministeriums, unterwegs in den Akademie-Instituten. Und dabei hinterlassen sie vielerorts eine Schreckensspur wie weiland die Abgesandten der Heiligen
Inquisition auf der Hexenjagd“. Die Folge sind Panikreaktionen, also harter Konkurrenzkampf der
Betroffenen untereinander, vielfältige Denunziationen, Resignation und die Wiederbelebung von Untertanengeist.
Man darf nicht vergessen, dass die Hetzjagd jenen gilt, die lange für eine Alternative zum kapitalistischen System standen. Sie sind zutiefst verhasst, weil sie die eigene Verdrängung der deutschen Untaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges und der Nazivergangenheit insgesamt (siehe die Karrieren ehemaliger Nazis in der BRD) allein durch ihre Existenz und die damit immerhin denkbare Perspektive eines „besseren Deutschlands“ unmöglich gemacht haben. Hinzu kommt,
dass mit ihrer Verfolgung endlich das Syndrom von 1968 beseitigt werden soll, wo die heranwachsende Generation der BRD begonnen hatte, ihre eigenen Eltern nach der Beteiligung am Nazi-System zu fragen, und ihr dabei ein Hass ohnegleichen entgegenschlug. Diese Auseinandersetzungen dauern bis in die Gegenwart (ich erinnere exemplarisch an die
Auseinandersetzungen, ob der 40. Jahrestag der Befreiung vom Hitlerfaschismus am 8. Mai 1945 ein Tag der „Niederlage“ oder der „Befreiung“ sei). Zumindest zeigt es sich, dass bei der gegenwärtigen Hexenjagd „politisch angepasste Gemüter“ in der Regel geschont werden, „jene, die
schon zu Honeckers Zeiten wider den Stachel löckten, liebend gerne gefeuert“ (Behrend 1991 b, S.52).
Die Zerschlagung der Widerstandskräfte zeigt sich in vielen Dimensionen. Sei es der Umgang mit Kunst und Kultur, in der gegenwärtigen Auseinandersetzung um den unbequemen Rektor der Humboldt-Universität, Heinrich Fink, der, vor Prüfung aller Stasi-Vorwürfe, fristlos vom Senator
Ehrhardt als Professor entlassen wurde, oder sei es in der Auseinandersetzung um Käthe Woltemath, Mitglied des SPD-Ehrenpräsidiums, die, obwohl in vielfältiger Hinsicht (einschließlich zweijähriger Haft) Opfer des DDR-Systems, als Stasi-Informantin von Presse und Fernsehen vorverurteilt wurde, wiederum ohne Prüfung der Sachverhalte. Oder sei es im Umgang mit der PDS: Wenn das Altvermögen der PDS unrechtmäßig ist, wie kann ein Gericht (zu Recht) diese
auffordern, die Renten für die PDS-Rentner zu zahlen. „Widersinnig wäre es nun, aus ihren Migliedsbeiträgen einen Rentenanspruch der Altfunktionäre herzuleiten (woraus sonst), die Beitragszahlung aber für illegal zu erklären“ (M. Jäger im FREITAG vom 29.11. 1991, S.2). Bezogen auf alle jene, die in einer Mischung von Unschuldslamm und Racheengel diese
Usurpation in Form der Zerschlagung der ideologischen Kader vollziehen, kann man sich nur der von Wolf BIERMANN ausgedrückten Verachtung anschließen: „Viele Westler hätten im Osten ohne Hemmung genauso Karriere gemacht, egal ob als dogmatischer Parteisekretär oder MfSOffizier,
als blauäugiger Denunziant, brutaler Volkspolizist, als Marxismus-Leninismus-Professor oder als schrifstellernder Wanderer auf Walter Ulbrichts Bitterfelder Weg. Die hätten sich, egal als Obrigkeit oder Untertan, in der DDR furchtbar bewährt. Dass diese Sorte Mensch im Westen sich jetzt wie ein Sieger der Geschichte rekelt, dass dieses Pack historisch Urteile rausrülpst und sich bläht wie der Kanzler, das kotzt mich an und macht mich kalt“ (1990, S. 62).
Es wird aus den bisher entwickelten Überlegungen klar, dass Kern der Usurpation in ideologischer Hinsicht der Rassismus ist. Er ist für MEMMI „Quintessenz und das Symbol des grundlegenden Verhältnisses, das den Kolonialisten mit dem Kolonisierten verbindet“ (1980 S. 12). Diese rassistische Einstellung enthält drei Elemente:
- Das Aufdecken und Hervorheben der Unterschiede zwischen Kolonisator und Kolonisiertem;
- die Steigerung dieser Unterschiede zugunsten des Kolonisators auf Kosten der Kolonisierten;
- die Absolutsetzung dieser Unterschiede, indem man sie als endgültig ausgibt und das eigene Handeln darauf ausrichtet, dass sie es auch werden (1980 S. 73).
Ich verweise darauf, dass der Rassismus insbesondere mit dem oben erörterten Bindungsmodus der affektiv-regressiven Bindung (Goffman, Neumann) ins Denken der Kolonie hineingetragen wird. Dieser Prozeß erhellt auch die aus den Ketzerverfolgungen des Mittelalters bekannte Tatsache, dass
die skrupellosesten und fanatischsten Inquisitoren selbst ehemalige Ketzer waren. „Indem sie fanatisch das bekämpften, woran sie selbst früher einmal geglaubt haben, beweisen sie den siegreichen Herren nicht nur ihre Ergebenheit, sondern suchen sich auch von dem Verratsvorwurf zu entlasten, der sie wie ein Schatten begleitet“ (M. Schneider 1990, S. 15). Diese Stelle des
„Nichtseins“, also die durch Angst markierte Stelle der eigenen Existenz zu schließen, gelingt allerdings nur, so DREWERMANN (1988, S. 586) indem man „sich selbst zum Monstrum“ macht.
Zurück zum Blick des Kolonisators, in dessen Mittelpunkt die „Seele“ des Kolonisierten tritt. „Diese Seele oder diese gemeinsame Kultur oder diese Psyche ist schuld an Institutionen, die aus einem anderen Jahrhundert stammen, an der fehlenden technischen Entwicklung, an der
unvermeidbaren politischen Unterdrückung, letztlich an dem Drama insgesamt“ (Memmi 1980, S.75). - Es ist merkwürdig, wie sich dieser Rassismus von außen mit dem psychologisierenden Blick von MAAZ aus der Binnenperspektive der DDR trifft. Und so verwundert es auch nicht, dass in dem Gutachten eines Prof. NIERMANN für den Ausschuss für Frauen und Jugend des Deutschen
Bundestages sich beide Perspektiven unentwirrbar vereinen. Unter dem Titel „Idenditätsfindung in den neuen Bundesländern“ verbirgt sich nichts anderes als mit eine mit umfassenden Vorurteilen angereicherte Version des „Mangelsyndrom“-Katalogs von MAAZ. Einer empirischen Kritik beugt NIERMANN gleich vor, insofern in der DDR Wirklichkeit niemals das gewesen sei, was wirklich war, „sondern das was wirklich sein sollte“ ... „Deshalb können Forschungsarbeiten und -berichte von Forschungsinstituten und Forschern (die auch jetzt noch in den 5 neuen Bundesländern arbeiten) politisch respektabel sein, wissenschaftlich sind sie als Aussage über die Wirklichkeit
noch nicht einmal das Papier wert.“ Entsprechend verzerrt taucht die Wirklichkeit in Kindergärten, Schule und Familie auf. So heißt es z.B. „Erzogen wurde in der Familie, wenn überhaupt, fast nur autoritär ... Spontaneität und Emotionalität waren den Eltern völlig fremd ... Auf die Bedürfnisse
des Kindes einzugehen, war generell verpönt“ (zitiert nach Dokumentation im ND v. 16./17.11.1991, S. 5).
Die Daten des ZIJ (Zentralinstitut für Jugendforschung), die STARKE anläßlich ähnlicher Behauptungen von Jürgen ENGERT im ARD publizierte (ND 6.u.7. 7. 1991, S.10) geben ein völlig anderes Bild. Von den 16 und 17 jährigen bezeichnen 1990 82% den Vater und 97% die Mutter als „liebevoll“ (13% bzw. 3% als „kaum“ und 5% bzw. 0% als „gar nicht liebevoll“). Offen über Sexualität reden können mit der Mutter 68% (Vater 40%); „lässt mir alle Freiheiten die ich brauche: Mutter 65%, Vater 67%; und „steht, wenn es darauf ankommt, hinter mir“: 89% Mutter, 87% Vater. Geschlagen wurden 16 - 18-jährige in ihrer Familie zu 2% „oft“, zu 13% „hin und wieder“ (34% „selten“, 53% „nie“). In der Generation der 30 - 44-jährigen waren es gegenüber den 13% bei den 16 - 18-jährigen die „oft“ oder „hin und wieder“ geschlagen wurden (beide
Geschlechter) 17% bei den Mädchen und 24% bei den Jungen. STARKE hält fest, und dies entspricht völlig meinen persönlichen Eindrücken: „Vor allem in den letzten Jahren entstand in vielen Familien ein demokratisches Gegenpotential, verbunden mit Problembewusstsein und
emotionaler Nähe der Familienmitglieder. Das „Es muss sich etwas ändern“ hatte seinen Boden auch in der Familie und der damit verbundene Einfluss auf die Heranwachsenden ist keineswegs gering zu schätzen“ (ebd.). Einen ähnlichen Eindruck geben auch die Daten von ROCKOW und
WESTPHALEN aus einer kleinen Vergleichstudie von Rostocker und Kieler Studenten (N = 36 bzw. 42). Die meisten DDR-Eltern haben zu „allgemeinen menschlichen Tugenden“ erzogen, „die aber wegen der widrigen Umstände schwer zu verwirklichen waren ...“ (1991, S. 545 f.).
Zurück zu MEMMIs Analyse. Jedenfalls sieht sich der Kolonisator als Träger der Werte der Zivilisation und der Geschichte sowie als Wohltäter (Paternalismus); der Kolonisierte hat dankbar zu sein, ohne Rechte in Anspruch nehmen zu können (Memmi a.a.0.). Was der Kolonisierte
wirklich ist, kümmert den Kolonisator nicht (ebd. S. 84); zu dem „mythischen Bild des Kolonisierten gehört darum seine unglaubliche Faulheit, zu dem des Kolonisators der tugendhafte Sinn für tätiges Schaffen“ (ebd. S. 81).
Die Konstruktion des „objektiven Gegners“ (Hannah Ahrendt) und die Bestimmung eines Kerns des Bösen sind daher wesentlicher Bestandteil des Kolonialismus als einer spezifischen Form totalitärer Herrschaft, so muss festgehalten werden. Hören wir Frantz FANON aus der als Manifest
der 3. Welt geltenden Schrift „Die Verdammten dieser Erde“:
„Wie um den totalitären Charakter der kolonialen Ausbeutung zu illustrieren, macht der Kolonialherrn aus dem Kolonisierten eine Art Quintessenz des Bösen. Die kolonisierte Gesellschaft
wird nicht nur als eine Gesellschaft ohne Werte beschrieben. Es genügt dem Kolonialherrn nicht zu behaupten, die Werte hätten die kolonisierte Welt verlassen, oder besser, es habe sie dort niemals gegeben. Der Eingeborene heißt es, ist für die Ethik unerreichbar, ist Abwesenheit von Werten,
aber auch Negation der Werte. Er ist, sagen wir es offen, der Feind der Werte. Insofern ist er das absolute Übel: ein zersetzendes Element, das alles, was mit ihm in Berührung kommt, zerstört, alles, was mit Ästhetik oder Moral zu tun hat, deformiert und verunstaltet, ein Hort unheilvoller Kräfte, ein unbewusstes und nicht fassbares Instrument blinder Gewalten ... In der Tat, die Werte werden unwiderruflich vergiftet und infiziert, sobald man sie mit dem kolonisierten Blick in
Kontakt bringt. Die Sitten des Kolonisierten, seine Traditionen, seine Mythen, vor allem seine Mythen, sind selbst das Zeichen dieser Armut, dieser konstitutionellen Verderbtheit“ (1986, S. 181).
Im Mittelpunkt dieses Bösen stehen in praktischer Hinsicht Stasi-Zubehörigkeit und SED-(PDS-)Mitgliedschaft, in theoretischer Hinsicht MARX, ENGELS und LENIN, deren Werke zusammen mit denen der Weltliteratur containerweise auf den Müllkippen landeten. (Beim Abbau des Berliner Lenin-Denkmals wurde dieses mit Hitler-Denkmälern gleichgesetzt. Wenn überhaupt könnte man es mit Hindenburg-Denkmälern gleichsetzen, aber da ist Lenin nach wie vor Friedrich dem II., Bismarck oder Hindenburg aus vielen Gründen vorzuziehen, ohne, dass man deren Denkmäler abbauen müsste). Und in kultureller Hinsicht geht es gegen den DDR-spezifischen
Humanismus. Die Künste, so das „Antieiszeitkomitee“ (ND v. 28.11.91, S. 2), waren Ort des geistigen Einspruchs. Ihre Auswirkungen waren politisch. „Der vielzitierte demokratische
Charakter der Kultur, hier war er wirksam“. Für das Komitee stellt die Malerin Heidrun HEGENWALD fest: „Im Erstschlag einer Kolonisierungspolitik wird dabei eine historisch
gewachsene Soziokultur abgewickelt.“ Und Bernd RUMP bemerkt im gleichen Papier „Erst die SED-Loyalen, dann die DDR-Kritischen, nun selbst die Prenzlauer-Berg-Dissidentenszene. Die Sieger sind sich nicht sicher, sie wissen um die Gefährdung ihres Sieges durch die Kultur. Die
Furcht muss groß sein, dass da etwas ist, was schwer zu treffen ist: Humus, geistige, kritische Gärungsmasse“ (ebd.). Dem ist wenig hinzuzufügen. Indem der Kolonisierte nicht mehr Subjekt der Geschichte ist, so MEMMI, wohl aber deren Lasten trägt, gewöhnt er sich schließlich jede aktive Teilnahme an der Geschichte ab; er „scheint dazu
verdammt, mehr und mehr sein Gedächtnis zu verlieren“ (1980, S. 98).
Auf Seiten des Kolonisierten finden Anpassungsprozesse statt, die wir im Rahmen der oben herausgearbeiteten Bindungstypen untersuchen könnten. MEMMI selbst verwendet allerdings ein derartiges Instrumentarium nicht. Einige, wenige Bemerkungen zu dieser Anpassung:
Das Hauptbestreben des Kolonisierten ist es, dem „herrlichen Vorbild“ des Kolonisators gleichzukommen. „Aber aufgrund einer offensichtlichen Dialektik lehnt der Kolonisierte gerade in dem Augenblick, in dem er mit seinem Schicksal den größtmöglichen Kompromiss geschlossen hat, sich selbst mit der denkbar erbittersten Hartnäckigkeit ab“. So wird die Liebe zum Kolonisator „durch einen Komplex von Gefühlen aufrechterhalten, die von der Scham bis zum Selbsthass
reichen“ (Memmi 1980, S. 111). Und immer muss er sich des Spottes durch den Kolonisator gegenwärtig sein. „Wenn er brutal ist, dann sagt er, der Kolonisierte sei nicht mehr als ein Affe“ (S. 114). Daher kann auch die Befreiung des Kolonisierten „nur über eine Wiedergewinnung des Selbst und seiner eigenen Würde erfolgen“ (S. 117), d.h. er „verzichtet auf den Tabak, wenn dieser die Kolonialbanderole trägt“ (S. 118).
Die oben genannten empirischen Daten zur Situation in der DDR erhellen sich durch die Anwendung des Kolonisierungsparadigmas zum Teil als Prozeß, die eigene Würde wiederzugelangen. Sehr deutlich zeigen sich Verachtung des (linken) Kolonisators (verbunden mit
offener Verhöhnung) und Widerstandsbewusstsein des Kolonisierten in der Diskussion im FREITAG „Streit der Deutschen“, an den Beiträgen von Udo KNAPP und Mathias WEDEL, aus denen ich exemplarisch einige Gedanken wiedergeben möchte. Udo KNAPP (prominentes Mitglied der GRÜNEN) schreibt unter dem Titel „Hört bloß auf
zujammern. Die wehleidige Selbststilisierung der DDR-ler zu Opfern des Einigungsprozesses“: „Jetzt überlasen sie (die Revolutionäre des Herbstes 1989; W.J.), weil sie in ihrem eigenen Mitleid ersaufen, den Krauses und Schröders das Feld und pflegen antipolitische Ressentiments gegen alles
Neue.“ Statt einen „Idiotenbonus“ in Anspruch zu nehmen, sollen die DDR-ler sich aktiv im Westen einmischen. Wenn sie „wie Rumpelstilzchen im Märchen vor Wut ab und zu in die Erde fahren, weil sie ihren Willen wieder nicht bekommen, werden sicher alle todtraurig Trostpflästerchen erfinden“. Und: „Ich verstehe nicht, warum Mathias Wedel und seine Freunde
nicht froh darüber sind, dass sie diese scheiß DDR endlich vom Halse haben ...“ ((FREITAG Nr. 22
vom 24.5. 1991 S. 11). WEDEL hingegen hatte unter dem Titel „Die kalte Gleichgültigkeit des Westens“ vorher
geschrieben: „Was für ein Menschenschlag kommt uns aber da aus dem Westen entgegen, was hat der Wohlfahrtsstaat sich da erzogen! Devote Funktionierer (diese stille, scheinbar 'lockere ' Akzeptanz aller Hierarchien), auf private Idylle zurückgeworfene Autisten, durch Ausschluss aus der
Gesellschaft verblödete Frauen, renommiersüchtige Schnösel, Ausstattungsaffen.“ „Im Westen werden Beamte mobilisiert, als ginge es zur Verbannung in ein Lepra-Gebiet. Kaum da
angekommen, gründen sie auch schon Wessi-Clubs, in denen sie das Brauchtum ihrer Heimatgaue pflegen.“
Die Medien beschreiben „unisono ... den Osten als zivilisatorische Entgleisung, als Dreckhaufen, auf dem einige von Misswirtschaft und sozialistischer Schulbildung missbildete, antriebsschwache Geschöpfe (jeder zweite Stasi) in Giftpfützen und Ruinen herumstieren.“
„Teilen heißt bei ihnen dividieren, und das ist eine Rechenoperation und keine moralische Kategorie“ (FREITAG Nr. 21 vom 17.5.91, S. 13). Es ist, so denke ich, damit deutlich geworden, dass das Kolonisierungsparadigma neben den
anderen angeführten Paradigmen wichtige Aspekte des Massenbewussseins zu charakterisieren vermag. So finden wir z.B. in den letzten Aussagen von KNAPP und WEDEL exemplarisch die Polarität von Spott über die kolonisierten Affen („Idiotenbonus“!) und das erstarkende
Selbstbewußtsein, den Rückbezug auf die eigene Würde wieder, verbunden mit der Verachtung des Kolonisators. Es gibt viele Indikatoren dafür, dass dieser Prozeß in breiten Teilen der Bevölkerung vorhanden ist, wenn auch noch selten seine Stimme findet. Sicher hat Gisela KARAU recht, wenn
sie schreibt: „Das Bedürfnis nach Geschichten über unsere eigene Geschichte wird doch wieder wachsen, wenn sich die erste Gier nach dem Fremden, Bunten, Seichten gelegt hat, soviel möchte ich meinen Mitmenschen schon zutrauen dürfen“ (ND 20.7.90, S. 10). Zumindest wächst das
Bedürfnis nach dem Mithandeln in glaubhaften Geschichten, die sich in eine Dimension der Rückerlangung eigener Würde eingliedern. Exemplarisch ist der Widerstand gegen die fristlose Entlassung des Rektors der Humboldt-Universität, Heinrich Fink, als Professor (vgl. ND vom 28.
und 30.11.91). In einer Veranstaltung zu dieser Entlassung im Audimax der Universität formulierte Rudolf BAHRO die Notwendigkeit eines solchen Bewusstseins der eigenen Würde: „Das wichtigste ist, dass wir uns zu dem bekennen, was in uns DDR ist.“ Und: „Wenn der Prozeß der Kolonisierung
der DDR nicht geistig gebrochen wird, nimmt es ein schlimmes Ende. Was ansteht, ist die geistige Anerkennung der DDR“ (ND vom 30.11. 1991).
Ich habe wenig Hoffnungen, dass der Westen diese vollziehen wird, zu sehr berührt dies die eigene, auf Verdrängung aufgebaute Identität. Weit eher dürfte es so werden, wie der oben zitierte SPIEGEL-Leserbriefschreiber es fürchtet: Auf den Kalten Krieg wird der Kalte Bürgerkrieg folgen. Krieg kann aber nur geführt werden, solange er moralisch gerechtfertigt werden kann. Vielleicht böte die gemeinsame Orientierung humanistischer Kräfte im neuen Deutschland die Gelegenheit, mehr gemäß der wirklichen Dimension von Moral zu handeln als nach den (verinnerlichten) Gebäuden der äußerlichen Vorschriften der Oberen. Diese wirkliche Moral ist für SARTRE „eine
dem ausgebeuteten Menschen eigene Dimension. Eine Partei (und darüber hinaus jede gesellschaftliche Bewegung; W.J.) hat sich nicht als Morallieferant anzusehen: sie muss sie
vielmehr daher beziehen, wo sie zu finden ist“ (1976, S. 34). Meine Hoffnung gegen jegliche Hoffnung ist, dass sie sich im wiedererwachenden Bewusstsein der eigenen Würde der DDRBürgerInnen ebenso wieder finden wird wie im Bewusstsein der durch Zerfall der Blöcke und Golfkrieg demoralisierten Friedenskräfte (und nicht nur dieser) im Westen.
DSC_7887
My own consecutive frames of a mistle thrush (turdus viscivorus). As you may gather from the first frame, the bird had just taken off.
A couple of these thrushes had been having a 'rattling' argument about who 'owned' a nearby rowan tree!
Captures taken 16th December, 2014 with a Canon EOS 550D at 1/4000 sec, 400mm focal length. Would have liked to be closer, but I'm pleased with the result.
Thanks for all views, comments and fave adds.
Arguments at the United States Supreme Court for Same-Sex Marriage on April 28, 2015
Published in GSU Professor: Same-Sex Marriage Bans Harmful To Children | WABE 90.1 FM
Published in The Black & White » Q&A with Doug Hallward-Driemeier: top lawyer in Supreme Court marriage equality case
Published in What Marriage Equality Would Mean For The Economy | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
Published in Fulton Probate Judges Prepare For Same-Sex Marriage Ruling | WABE 90.1 FM
Published in With Sadness: A Letter from Mark Tercek | The Nature Conservancy
Published in State Legislature aims to head same-sex marriage off at the pass | Michigan Radio
Published in 4 Ga. Mayors Sign Supreme Court Brief In Support Of Gay Marriage | WABE 90.1 FM
Published in A History of Marriage Equality in the United States | Out Magazine
Published in How SCOTUS Rulings On Marriage, Health Care Could Affect Hoosiers | Noon Edition - Indiana Public Media
Published in États-Unis: la Cour suprême autorise le mariage pour les couples homos dans tout le pays | Yagg
Published in U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Same-Sex Couples' Right to Marry | L.A. Weekly
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Published in A Word Of Warning To My Fellow Christians About Same-Sex Marriage | Zack Hunt
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Ted Eytan | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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Looking back at these lovely characters, there were a couple things that I wasn't a fan of, so I decided to change a few things. anyways here they are once again.
Alias: Absolute Zero
Real Name: Gerardo Leblanc
Gender: Male
Alignment: Hero
Powers: Cryokinesis
Descendent of Boreas who was the God of the Northern Winds/Winter
Backstory: Gerardo Abram Leblanc was born in Marseille, France. He and his family moved to Cardinal City when Gerardo was 8 years old, as he felt the city calling to him, but he couldn't quite explain why. It took years for him to readjust, as it was quite different from Marseille in every way possible. His father's a correctional officer, and his mother was part of RAID, a tactical unit of the French National Police. After Gerardo was born, his mother dedicated herself to caring for him, which meant retiring early from RAID. After moving to Cardinal, his father was able to get work at the prison, though he sometimes has a rough time, due to the obscene corruption inside the facility, and in the staff that work alongside him, while his mother stayed at home, teaching Gerardo life skills. When Gerardo first met Jasper in middle school, he knew that they were destined to become friends, and allies in the war ahead. They quickly became friends, even with the lack of words Gerardo spoke, which eventually leads to the formation of the Young Olympians.
Personality/Other: He tries to not interrupt police business as much as he can, as he was raised with respect towards authority figures. He's the strategist of the group, even if he doesn't talk much.
Alias: Blue Cascade
Real Name: Lyle Rogers
Gender: Male
Alignment: Hero
Powers: Hydrokinesis
Descendent of Poseidon
Backstory: Lyle Roger's father was a drug addict, stealing to get enough money for his next fix. It would go on for years, before meeting his future wife. She would change his life for the better, which led to him turning his life around, eventually becoming a commercial diver. Lyle was born soon after. He grew up in the same neighbourhood as Jasper, but they never became friends until they all met for the first time. He was told of his father's past to teach him not to judge a book by its cover, and that everyone has potential to change.
Personality/Other: Lyle always looks for the best in people. Even when it comes to criminals, he thinks that they could change for the better. It can sometimes lead to a disadvantage in a fight, and into an argument between him and the rest of the Young Olympians. Other than that, he's pretty easy going, and your typical nice guy.
Alias: Zephyr
Real Name: Jasper Whitaker
Gender: Male
Alignment: Hero
Powers: Aerokinesis
Descendent of Aeolus
Backstory: Born into a legacy of sorts, as his father, and grandfather before him, wielded the same powers before him, each calling themselves Zephyr. He mostly just wanted to have fun with his powers, and blow off some steam from time to time, but his family had different ideas. The moment he exhibited the same gifts, he would be given rigorous training sessions, his father claiming that he would need it for the war ahead. Jasper's strict schedule lead to him not having time to hang out with any of the other kids his age, even though he still attended school. In his first encounter with Gerardo, one with few words, he heard about this oncoming war once more, and that it was fate they met. He would tell his father of Gerardo's claims, and his father was overjoyed. The two teens quickly became friends, something to which his father actually approved of, which would lead to the Young Olympians forming.
Personality/Other: He's envious of those that get to live a normal life, as he started training control of his powers at a young age. He's quite the jokester when he wants to be, often pulling pranks to lighten the mood.
Alias: Pyrospark
Real Name: Cassandra Pierce
Gender: Female
Alignment: Hero
Powers: Pyrokinesis
Descendent of Hephaestus
Backstory: She comes from a long line of blacksmiths, and then mechinests as technology has developed over the centuries. It all started with Hephaestus. She wears the armor of Hephaestus, which is how she's able to withstand the flames she can make. The armor has been modified as the times change. The youngest of the two sisters, Cassandra looked up to her sister Courtney growing up and they were the best of friends. But when Cassandra's powers developed, and Courtney discovered she didn't have powers, jealously grew. Courtney didn't have an interest in the family business, and because of this new development, left everyone else behind, to forge her own destiny. No one has heard or seen Courtney Pierce since.
Personality/Other: The hothead of the group, as expected of one who controls fire, she often rushes headlong into battle, with no plan in mind. She says things how they are, not how she would like them to be. She finds herself in arguments with Gerardo often, because of their clashing personalities/viewpoints. Though that's sort of expected from fire and ice. Though she can be quite loyal when necessary, especially being overprotective of Riley, someone she sees as a younger brother of sorts.
Alias: Skios
Real Name: Riley Blackburn
Gender: Male
Alignment: Hero
Powers: Umbrakinesis
Descendent of
Backstory: Riley's parents weren't home that much, so Riley was left alone, in the darkness that enveloped his home. Riley's father, Alistair, was a stage magician, always busy coming up with the next trick. Alistair spent more time around Walter and Wes Wipley along with their father Wren, than he did his own son. This would lower his confidence, so when it was time for school, Riley wouldn't interact with the other kids in school, as he didn't feel he was good enough to talk to them. So he became isolated, becoming more in tune with the darkness. His escape was through stories, and music. He learned of his powers, when a bully antagonized him about a book he was reading at the time. Riley didn't mean for it to happen, but just like that, a black projectile emanated from his hands, sending the bully across the room they were in. Riley got sent to the principle's office for the first time, and this is where he would meet Cassandra Pierce. She would try talking to him, but he stayed silent. It would take a couple years before the Young Olympains formed, with him starting his journey as a hero. His costume is intentional, looking somewhat scary to scare criminals the same way he's scared of his own power.
Personality/Other: Shy, reserved, and doesn't trust in his own decisions. Not used to having friends, he's worried that he'll screw things up even more. He's scared of his powers, unlike most specials in Cardinal City, as he doesn't want to lose control.
Status: Going to school in Cardinal, but doing their heroing in Greece? (Not sure how that works out as of yet).
Well, the BCR/PGE history isn't quite so simple, but for argument's sake and in juxtaposition to my last post from Mile 978 at Fort Nelson, here's Mile Zero of BC Rail... "where it all began," in North Vancouver.
The beige building obscured by trees at centre frame is the former BC Rail Centre, which served as HQ for the railway until the sale to Canadian National in 2004. Today it serves as a generic office/medical building, but if you happen to visit the North Shore Urgent and Primary Care Centre (much quicker than the ER!), you can still find a piece of train art hanging in the main atrium from the BC Rail days.
SNS Holliday is a relatively recent establishment at Mile Zero. A commemoration to railroader and union leader John Holliday, this station name sign was established at some point following John's untimely passing in 2018. Of note is the CN 3069, the Wisconsin Central heritage unit, leading this train onto another fallen-flag railroad within the CN system.
Turn of a Friendly Card
************************************************************
Based on a true adventures of a rogue active in the waning years of the 1930’s as discovered in the criminal archives of Chatwick University.
Act 1
I begin my tale in the present…
That afternoon a soiree was given as part of the purchase price of the tickets for the annual Autumn Charity Ball to be presented later that evening at the manor’s great house. Since I was alone, I just went mainly for the free food and to rub my elbows with the wealthy guests who would be in happy attendance there, and at the Ball. I was alone, but certainly not bored. There was a game I enjoyed playing to pass the time at these affairs that entailed scoping out by their dress and day jewels worn, those ladies whom would be most likely to be wearing the better costumes and sparklers that evening. It often proved to be a most beneficial insight into the actions and mannerisms of the very rich. I walked amongst the cheerful guests, eying one here ( a lady in satin and pearls) and another there( a high spirited girl with a diamond pin at the throat of her frilly silken blouse). It was as I was passing the latter that the friend she had been talking too (dressed like a vamp), bumped up against me. I caught her, steadying her as they both giggled. I didn’t mind, for the lassie’s too tight satin sheath tea dress had been an enticement to hold, and the gold bracelet that had been dangling from her gloved wrist had been a pleasure to observe. I kissed her gloved hand, rings glittering, as I apologized gallantly for my clumsiness. Her eyes were bright, almost as bright as the twin necklaces of gold that hung swaying down pleasantly from between her ample bosom. I left them, moving on to greener pastures, and it was very green, all of it….
It was then that I detected another pretty lassie. It was her long fiery red hair with falling wispy curls that first captured my attention. She was wearing a fetchingly smart white chiffon party dress that commanded me to acquire a closer examination. She appeared to be a blithe spirit, seemingly content with just being by herself and roaming about with casual elegance, the extensive grounds of the manor proper. I began to discreetly follow her at a distance. Although she did not wear any jewelry, her manner and the eloquent way she moved is what attracted me the most. It would be very interesting to seek her out later that evening and she what she would have chosen to decorate herself with. I followed her as she sojourned into the depths of a traditional English garden with a maze of lushly green trimmed 8 foot high hedges
As I strolled through the hedgerows in her wake I allowed my mind to wander its own course. Suddenly I straightened up, my reverie broken by an epiphany of sorts. I allowed myself to grin and the lady whose enchantment I was swollen up in, at that moment turned, and seeing my beaming smile assumed it was for her and gave me a rather cute nod of her head. I answered in same, as I headed en route to a nearby stone garden bench to allow my thoughts to think through themselves.
But before I go on, allow me the pleasure to sojourn and reminisce about an incident that occurred several years prior:
*******************
I was still working unaided in those days, travelling on to a new next quest that would take me just outside of Surrey.
I had just purchased my train ticket and had seen my luggage safe on board when I decided to rest in the lounge, it being some 45 minutes before allowed to enter personally aboard. Being so early the lounge was almost deserted, only one other occupant. I assumed she was waiting for someone on an incoming train due to the fact she carried no luggage. She was obviously well off, well dressed in satins and lace, and her jewels shone magnificently in the dim lights. Especially one of her rings, noticeably lying loosely around a finger, it sparkled with an expensive brilliance. I had seen one like it in a tiffanies store, worth almost 250 pounds. But she did not appreciate the show her jewelry was putting on under the lounge lights, for she was fast asleep.
I circled around her, aiming for a seat next to her, eyeing her and her possessions carefully. I noticed her purse had fallen off her lap and lay on the floor. An idea popped into my head, and I picked the purse up, and looked around carefully, before placing my plan into action. But I was thwarted as an older, matronly lady was spotted heading our way. I slipped the purse into my jacket and moved off before I was noticed. Of course she came in and took the empty seat across form the sleeping princess, and soon busied herself with knitting. As the older lady had sat down, not quietly, the wealthy lady stirred waking up at the noise. I went into a corner and sat, waiting. The two ladies soon fell into conversation; the minute’s ticked by excruciatingly slow. Soon I noticed we even had more company.
He was a lad of only fourteen, but with a devilish look about him that marked him a kindred spirit to meself, and his quick eyes were darting about taking it all in as he stood outside the paned glass window.
It was as the first announcement of boarding the train that I saw a chance for opportunity to strike.
The older lady folded up her knitting and clinching her bag, bid adieu to her new friend,( befuddled a little by the old ladies constant stream of gossip), and headed to the train. I was twenty steps ahead of her and was standing behind the youth as she left the lounge. I tapped him on the shoulder; he looked around at me suspiciously, and then caught sight of the shilling I was holding in front of his nose. I quickly whispered a few words into his ear on how he could earn it, and his grin spread as he bought into my story. I still held onto the shilling as he darted around and inside the lounge. I watched as he ran up behind the lady, circling her, then running in front of her he tripped over her leg, as she helped him up, her hand with the ring reaching down, he turned and spat onto the wrist and sleeve of that hand, than standing he ran away. Running alongside me, I handed him the shilling in passing as he ran off, disappearing in to the street.
I went inside and approached the astonished lady, as she was looking for her purse to get a handkerchief, confused as to its absence, while she held up her soiled hand( ring glittering furiously) in utter disbelief. I approached, catching her attention by the soothing words I uttered to her. I took her hand, unbelieving with her at just had happened, and I as I apologized for the youth of today I produced my own silk handkerchief and starting with her silky sleeve, began to wipe it off, continuing my tirade of displeasure and contempt at what had just occurred to the dear lady as I did so. As I finishing wiping her down, ending with her warm slender fingers, I kissed them, just as the last boarding announcement came over (perfect timing!) I let her go, explaining that I must catch my train. I turned and without looking back made the train just as it was letting off steam before chugging off.
I gained my private carriage just as the train began to lurch away. It wasn’t until after the train began its journey that I casually removed my silk handkerchief from my pocket and unwrapped it carefully, admiring up close the shimmering, valuable tiffany ring that was lying inside. I pocketed it, and then remembered the purse. I took it out and examined its contents: coin and notes equaling a handsome amount, a gold (gilded) case, embroidered lacy handkerchief, small silver flask of perfume, and ( of all things)a large shimmering prism , like one that would have dangled from a fancy crystal chandelier. A prism?, I questioned with interest as I examined it. It was pretty thing, about the circumference of a cricket ball, but shaped like a pendulum, it shimmered and glittered like the most precious of jewels. Why she had it in her purse? I couldn’t guess, and I saw no value in it, so I pocketed it and allowed it to leave my mind.
As I settled into my seat I began to think of the lad I had just met, I had been right on the money as far as his eagerness for mischief. Actually he reminded me of myself at that age, and I wondered if that lad with the shifty eyes would also turn out to follow the same course I had explored.
Which Begs the question, what had I turned out to become. And since I’m still reminiscing
I’ll give little background material about me, hopefully I don’t come across as being too conceited about my self-taught skills..
I had never been one to take the hard road, and even at a young age I was always looking for angles, or short cuts to make some money.
Once, while watching for some time a street magician and his acts. I observed a pick pocket working the crowd. He approached a pair of well-dressed ladies in shiny clothes, and standing behind them bided his time and then lifted a small pouch from one velvet purse, and a fat wallet from a silken one, then he moved on. Now both ladies were wearing shiny bracelets, one with jewels. I thought that he could have realized a greater profit if he had nicked one or both of the bracelets first, than try for the contents of their purses. The bracelets’ alone would have realized a far greater profit than what he lifted from their purses. It further occurred to me that by mimicking some of the sleight of hand tricks and misdirection that the magician was using on his audience, it could be accomplished. A hand placed on the right shoulder and as the lady turned right, whisk off the bracelet from her left wrist, and excuse oneself, that sort of thing.
So, I practiced (on my sisters, who proved to be willing accomplices to “my game”) and learned to pick their purses and pockets. I than moved onto their jewelry, starting by lifting bracelets and slipping away rings, before advancing to the brooches, necklaces and earrings they were wearing. After I was satisfied at my skill level, I went out and worked the streets. Sometimes using my one sister who was also hooked on what I was doing as a willing partner.
But I found myself still not being satisfied, in the back of my mind I thought there had to be a more lucrative way to turn a profit.
I’d found my answer when an attractive lady in a rustling satin gown zeroed in on me while I was “visiting” a ballroom. She was jeweled like a princess right up to the diamond band she wore holding up her piles of soft locks like a glimmering crown. The more she drank, the closer she got and I decided that her necklace would definitely help pay my expenses more than the contents of her purse (although I had already lifted the fat wallet from her small purse), and I did have very expensive tastes to pay for. So I took her onto the dance floor.
I was amazed at how easily I had been able to open the necklace’s clasp , slipping it over her satiny shoulder, lifting it off and placing it safely in my pocket with almost no effort. Then she decided to be playful once the song ended and brushed up against me. She felt the necklace in my pocket and before I could act she had her hand in and pulled it out.
The silly naive twit thought I was teasing her and told me that for my penance I had to go up to her suite in order to put it back on for her. I kept up the charade as best as I could.
And that’s where we ended up. A little bit of light fondling began as I placed the necklace back around her throat. I began to tease her, plied her with more and more alcohol as I tried to keep my distance, and virginity. Finally she passed out in a drunken stupor, but not before I had learned where she hid her valuables by suggesting she should lock her jewels up for the night..
With her safely unconscious, I began to strip her clean off all her jewels, reclaiming the necklace first. Then I visited all her jewelry casket and began looting it. I even took her small rhinestone clutch with the diamond clasp; of course I already had liberated its small wallet.
When I’d left her lying happily asleep in bed, still in her satin gown( the only item left to her that shined), I knew I had found a much more profitable line of “work”
So I began making circuits around to the haunts of the very rich, I still kept may hand in pickpocketing, so to speak, but centered only on those “pockets” containing mainly jewelry. I also began to carefully explore new ways of acquiring jewels” in masse”, so to speak.
Soon I had accumulated many tricks and tools, having them at my disposal to put into action once required, and for the remaining years up till the present had managed to live quite comfortably off of the ill-gotten gains using them allowed me to acquire.
Which brings me back to the train ride, my prism, and the rest of my background story before I retun to the present tale. Please be patient.
*****
So, anyway, I reached Surry without any further incident and disembarking, made my way out to the large country house where I would be staying to take a short rest, vacation if you will. But, pardon the play on words, for there is never any rest for the wicked, is there?
I had become acquainted with a servant of the old mansion ( almost a small castle, really) , that was about a mile off. I managed to learn a great deal, and soon found myself, on the pretense of visiting her, exploring the grounds. There was to be a grand ball taking place a couple of weekends away , and the maid had filled my ears with the riches that would be displayed by the multitude of regal ladies making an appearance. I began to think about trying to make a little bit of profit from my vacation. I am not sure how the idea developed, but the prism that I still had in my possession, came up centrally into my plans.
Late on the evening of the regal affair, I snuck over, covered head to toe in black, with my small satchel off tools by my side. I set up a candle behind an old stone ivy covered wall in a far corner of the rather large and intricate English garden that surrounded the inner circle around the mansion. I than strung the jewel-like prism in front of it. Standing behind the wall, I would strike the prism with a long stick I was holding whenever I observed sparkles emanating from silkily gowned ladies walking in the distance, solitary or in pairs. The prism would flash fire, sort of like a showy lure being used when fishing in a crooked trout stream. Only I was fishing for far sweeter game than trout. My objective was to trick certain types of jeweled ladies (scatterbrains some may call them) by luring them down onto the path beyond the wall, using their natural curiosity to my advantage.
I had at least two strikes rise up to my lure in the second hour.
On was a pretty lady in flowing green satin number, decorated with plenty of emeralds, which, hidden in the shadows, I observed were probably paste. I let her wonder about; as she looked and played with the shiny toy, remaining hidden until she grew bored and wandered off.
The second was a slender maiden wearing a long sleek black gown with long ivory silk gloves. I had never before seen a lady so decked out in jewels, literally head to toe. With the exception of the rhinestones adorning her heels, the rest of the lot was real, so valuably real that I could feel my mouth salivating at the thoughts of acquiring her riches. Now in Edwardian times only older, married ladies would be allowed the privilege of wearing a diamond Tiara. But in these modern times, it had become culturally acceptable for any well-to do lady, single or otherwise, to wear one out in society. Even so, they were still rarely worn, and seldom seen outside the safety of large gatherings. But there it was, a small, delicately slender piece of intricate art that glistened from the top of her head like some elegant beacon. That piece alone was probably worth more than I had made all the last four months combined!
I began to skirt around in the shadows, placing myself in position to cut off her retreat. Her diamonds blazed as she approached, eyeing the swinging prism with total concentration. Which was unfortunate, because as I was about to leave the shadows, she walked into the thorns of a rose bush, screeching out, and attracting the notice of a pair of gentlemen who had just crossed the path quite a ways off, called out when they heard the commotion. She started to become chatty with them, obviously coming on to her rescuers, my prism all but forgotten. Than before I knew it, in a swishing of her long gown, she was gone, “swimming” off before I was able to set me ”hook”.
Which I was able to do on the third strike, almost an hour later, just as I was beginning to ponder wither I should call it off and head back home..
They were a pair of young damsels in their young twenties. They may have been sisters, or cousins at the least. I still remember how my heart leapt into my throat as they observed my colourful prism and turned down the old flagstone path. I had not seen anyone out and about for some time, so I knew they would be no would be rescuers around to come to their aid
And, best of all, they were both dressed for the kill!
One, the blonde, was clad in a black velvet number that one could cannily describe as quite form fitting. As were the small ropes of pearls that hung from all points of interest, pretty with a matching pricelessness.
But her cousin, as I will refer to her, out shone black velvet quite literally.
This one, a stunning raven haired beauty, wore a long streaming gown of liquid ivory satin. A diamond brooch sparkled as it held up a fold of the gown to her waist. The fold allowed her to show a rather daring amount of a slender bare calf. The brooch was not paste, but a real jewel that had been added for the nights festivities ( To be successful, one learns to read these signs accurately) Her ears and neckline were home to a matching set of pure white diamonds. A wide diamond bracelet graced a bare right wrist ,so she must be left handed I instinctively thought, an observation that would have aided me if I were planning on having a go for slipping the bracelet from her wrist, but tonight I was planning a much more daring attempt to empty the entire jewel casket, so to speak.
They went to the prism, playing with it a bit, I had begun to circle around, when I noticed black velvet pointing out with multiple ringed fingers, to something further down the path past the wall.
With a clicking of heels I let the pair pass, they apparently wanted to see what was on the other side of the wall. I followed; it was not hard, because the necklace the raven haired one wore, diamonds fully encircling her throat, rippled and sparkled from their perch, caught in the full harvest moon’s cast, giving me more than enough light to shadow them quietly .
After a while they caught on that something/someone was following them, but as they turned they could see nothing. I was in black, and hooded, invisible to them in the shadows of the trees. They whispered amongst themselves, now worried, realizing that there were dangers lurking beyond the pale, in their case, the safety of the gardens , especially for ones decked out as they were. They then turned and headed right back from where they had come, right into my waiting arms.
It is interesting what good breeding does for young, poised ladies. For, as I stepped out of the shadows, a finger of my right hand to my lips, my Fairborn in my left hand, its black blade glinting wickedly in the moonlight , they did not scream out or shout for help. Instead the pair merely let out small gasps, and then they both, in a quite charming synchronized display of disbelief, place each one hand over their open mouths, and the other upon their perspective necklaces.
And as I flourished my wicked looking Fairbairn–Sykes blade in their direction, they unquestioningly reached around and undid those pretty necklaces, tremblingly handing them out to me, like actresses following a well-read script. I took the little pretties and after stuffing them into my satchel, held out again my free hand, my fingers beckoning. Not a word was spoken between us, as the frightened pair of young ladies began removing their shimmering jewels and added them in a neat little growing pile along my open palm. The raven haired girl even undid her brooch without me having to command her to do so. Once I had stashed it all away, I motioned for them to turn back around, than with a little helpful prodding on my part, they began moving forward back down the hill, away from the garden. The one in white hobbling a little now as she kept tripping over the hem of her dress, now no longer held up by the stolen brooch.
After we had traveled about 200 meters I had them stop, and take off their high heels. Then picking the pretty things up, I motioned them to turn back around and made them walk back the way we had come in their bare feet, watching the pair awkwardly hobble barefooted down the wooded path. They would be quite a while on their journey back, allowing me more than ample time to make me escape. I threw their shoes off to the side and went briskly the other way, reaching the place was staying at , gaining my room without notice. But not before I had hidden the jewels inside an old stump to retrieve them at a later date. I never really heard so much as a whisper of the incident, other than from the pretty lips of my friendly maiden. The wee hours of the morning before my early departure for the train station found me revisiting the stump and retrieving my satchel and its precious cargo. After hiding it all in a false bottom of my case I laid my head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep as I wondered what had happened to the little prism, marveling at how useful it had ended up proving to be.
So, how does this story (journey rather) relate to the one I had already started? Please read on, and enrich your curiosity… my dear readers.
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Act 2
So, with apologies for my lengthy elucidation, but I now return you back to the garden party I was now attending on that warm fall day. But, as you will see, my prism story needed to be told in order to add a bit of flavor to what was about to unfold.
As I sat on the garden bench I formulated my plans. I should be able to acquire the main piece tonight at the Ball, I would have time this afternoon to retrieve my ever handy satchel and its array of tools and have it hidden at the spot I had already selected. It was perfect, located at the end of the path I had found, or rather the charming lady in the smart chiffon dress had found for me. A gas lamp would provide adequate light for my “lure”, and it led to a back wood where I could lead any victims away and liberate them of their valuables before making my escape. I rose, just enough time to walk my escape route, before setting up and then be dressed for the evening’s festivities. I looked around, I was alone now, my lady in white had disappeared, following her own course, whatever it may have been.
The Autumn Ball that evening was in full swing by the time I arrived. Being a cool fall day, most of the women were wearing long gowns and dresses, and that, for whatever the reason, usually meant they were decked out with more layers of jewelry than say , if it had been the middle of summer. In order to put my plan in action I need and intrinsic piece of the trap, a prism. The one I had once had was long ago lost, a minor pawn in a game to take a pair of princesses.
I knew exactly the type of prism required for my plan, and so began mingling amongst the guests with that in mind.
I started out by walking through to the chamber like ballroom where a full orchestra was starting to play. The first person I saw from the garden party was the little tramp who had been wearing the too tight satin tea dress. That dress had been replaced with a long silky gown, her gold jewelry replaced with emeralds; including a thin bracelet that had taken the place of the gold one that she had so obligingly dangled in my larcenous path. I decided to avoid her In principle, and in doing so spied someone quite interesting.
That someone was a pretty lady in a long velvet gown standing off to one side, idly watching the many dancers out on the floor. The dancing couples were forming an imagery of a rainbow coloured sea of slinky swirling gowns and with erupting fireworks of sparkling jewels, ignited by pair of immensely large chandeliers that hung over the dance floor, setting them off. I made my way, skirting the dance floor to reach her, my eyes on her jewels, which were making pretty fireworks of their own. I happened to walk up just as a waiter with a tray of drinks was passing by. Plucking off a drink I offered it to the lady with one hand, my other hand placed on her back as If to steady myself. She laughed prettily, and taking the drink I met her eyes, as she was focused on reaching and holding the glass in her slippery gloved hand, mine was on the ruby and diamond necklace. My hand behind her had flicked open the simple hook and eye clasp of the antique piece and was in the process of lifting it up and whisking it away from her throat. As I said a few words to her, I pocketed it, while also taking in the rest of her lovely figure and its shiny decorations, before biding adieu. She smiled, her pale bare neckline now quite glaringly extinguished of its fire.
It was about an hour later, after spotting, but unable to make inroads with several likely candidates, that I finally struck gold (figuratively). It came in the form of a young couple arguing between themselves in a far corner of the chamber. She was lecturing a rather handsome man in a tux, her jeweled fingers flying in his face. If she hadn’t been moving about in such an animated fashion as she lectured, I may not have even noticed her. But as it happened I did, especially noticeable was the sanctimonious lady’s wide jeweled bracelet that was bursting out in a rainbow of colorful flickers as her hand was emphatically waving, as her long gown of silk swished around with every movement she made. Perfect. I watched for a bit, and sure enough they moved off, the man heading for the patio leading outside, the wealthy girl following him, still giving him lashes with her tongue. I moved and managed to have her bump into me simply by stepping on the hemline of her long gown. For a few seconds I was the one on the receiving end of her wrath, but I took it like a man, I could see in the eyes of her tongue lashed husband, that he was grateful for the respite. I was also grateful; grateful for the quite wide, very shimmering, bracelet that I had removed from her wrist and now was residing in my pocket.
I began to leave the patio, but was stopped by a matronly lady in ruffles, laces and pearls, her breath heavy with alcohol. She started to question me on what the couple had been on about. Then without waiting for an answer she launched herself into a tirade of her own, her gem encrusted, silken gloved fingers, waving in my face for emphasis. It was almost ten minutes before I was able to make my escape. Which I did, but not before slipping off one of the lecturing ladies vulgarly large cocktail rings.
I headed onto the patio; the time was getting ripe for my plan, which I was now ready to put into motion, now having acquired its most essential piece. I went to the end of the large patio, weaving in and out of the by now well liquored guests whom had assembled there. Across the way I saw a lady tripping over her own gown. By the time I reached her she had fallen down, giggling merrily. Two of us rushed to her aid, she was busy gushed her thanks to the rescuer she knew, while ignoring the one she didn’t! Which was unfortunate on her part, for by ignoring me, she also was ignorant of the fact that I was busy lifting the small stands of black pearls from her wrist. I left unnoticed, much like a shadow fading out of the light, or at least that’s how it seemed. Finally I reached the patios outer edge without further incident, or gain. I went on the grass and turned a corner with the intention of going, post haste around the house to reach the gardens by the long way, hoping not to be seen by anyone. But I no sooner turned the corner, when I realized that it was not to be the case.
It was my blithe spirit in white chiffon from the garden party, pardon me, soiree. She was unescorted, looking up at the moon above a stone turret with one lit window, so intently that my presence had not been noticed. I had been absolutely correct in my observation of her as far as what she would be wearing for the evening. For what she had lacked in ornaments at the soiree, she had more than made up for in the evening festivities. She was absolutely gorgeous, resplendent in as beautiful a silvery satin gown that I had ever witness. It was just pouring down, shimmering along her delightful figure. Her long blazing red hair was still curling down and free, but now a pair of long chandelier earrings cascading down from her earlobes, were peeking out every now and then as they swayed with her every movement. Her blazingly rippling necklace was all diamonds, dripping down the front of her tightly satin covered bosom, twinkling iridescently like an intensively glimmering waterfall. Her slender gloved wrists were home to a pair of dangling diamond bracelets that were almost outshone by her many glistening rings. All in all she was quite a lure all too herself
I came up to her, starling her from her reverie. Taking up her hand, I looked into her startled, suddenly blushing face. I complimented her on the fine gown she wore. She thanked me, and I could see I that she suddenly remembered she me as the chap who she thought smiled to her in the garden. She seemed to accept my compliment quite readily. I chanced it( although Lord knows I was short on time) and asked her to a dance. I did not think she would agree, so it was with a little bit of surprise, hoping she would politely decline and walk off, leaving me free to go about my business unobserved. But she accepted, and I will admit that my heart leapt as she agreed (although in the back of my mind I knew I should be off if my plan was to work). The music had stopped so we made small talk as we slowly walked back to the ballroom. Her name was Katrina. It seems she was waiting for someone, which suited my plans, but he was late and so she had time. Which may have sounded dismissive, but from the apologetic way she said it, it was anything but the sort.
The orchestra started to tune back up as we entered, and taking her offered hand up, was soon lost in the elegance of my appealing partner. It was a long dance, and a formal one, but I could tell she was subtly anxious to be off on her meeting, as I was to be off to my own adventure. But Katrina did not really allow it to show, which was very uncharacteristic of her someone with her obvious breeding. So I was ready when the by the end of the music she begged her condolences and took flight. I watched her as she fluidly moved away, her jewels sparkling, all of them. On her mission to meet Mr. X I thought, for whom I was already harboring a quite jealous dislike. I should be off I thought to meself.
But I stood, still as stone; totally mesmerized by the way Katrina’s swirling silvery satin gown was playing out along her petite, jewel sparkling figure. It wasn’t till the last of her gown swished around a corner out of sight that I moved, but not without having to shake my head to clear the thoughts of her out of it. Well old son, focus. For by now the guests were starting to wander a bit afield in the waning hours of the Autumn Ball, and my small window of opportunity was closing fast. If my little plan was going to have any chance of success it would have to be now.
I walked out and made my way to one of the outside exist of the garden wall. Reaching into my pocket as I did so, fingering the bracelet, now cold, that had belonged to the quarrelsome lady,and soon would be playing another role, far from one its former mistress would ever have dreamed off. I also felt my new acquisition, still warm from my dance partner’s body. I will admit that I had felt a twinge of regret for taking it from a lady I had found to be most charmingly captivating. But slipping off the diamonds up and away from her throat had been as temptingly easy as it had been automatic. I had advantageously made use of the sleekness of her scintillatingly silky gown, and with the distractions created by the movements of the dance, successfully managed to keep Katrina’s attention safely diverted from the reality of why my fingers were ever so gently, caressingly sliding along her slippery gowns neckline. The truth was I had originally placed my hand there because it had felt so right, and I was a little startled when my fingers had subconsciously started playing with her necklaces clasp. Before I knew it, they had flicked open the gemstone clasp of her obviously expensive diamond necklace, and had lifted up. As I watched out of the corner of my eye, almost like I was a spectator, as opposed to being the perpetrator, I saw the chain move up and over her shoulder; its diamonds sparkling with is as the necklace disappeared from view behind her back.
It was a favored technique that I had perfected to the point that by this stage of my career I nearly always acquired my objective. But, as odd as it sounds, I was not happy with myself on this occasion.
But I did not long dwell on my mixed feelings on taking the charming lass’s diamonds, for by now I had reached my place of ambush. It was in one of the farthest reaches of the garden, at a bend on the end of a long path that, with a gas lamp at its beginning just off the patio, would allow me to see from some distance off. Behind me was a break in the hedge wide enough for a person to walk through comfortably. It was here, off a tree limb, underneath a second ornate cast iron gas lamp, which was now lit, that I hung the shimmering bracelet that I had sought out and acquired for just that reason
I walked around and saw that it could be seen flickered off in the distance from the woods, Perfect! Earlier I had hidden my satchel with a hood and knife and bit of rope in the hollow of an old tree. I now retrieved them, and after getting ready, found my position and waited. At 10 minutes past the first hour of my wait, with nary a single glimpse of anyone, I started to fidget. My corner may be just a bit too desolated I was beginning to admit to myself. It seemed that most of the guests were staying by the patio. I was starting to think that I should pack it in, possibly rejoining the guests for one last parting( of someone from her Jewelry). I was just reaching down to pick up my satchel when I suddenly saw something flash under the gas lamp at the beginning of the path, and my senses immediately perked up. I watched as the wisps of rich shimmery satin moved closer, I stiffened, drooling with anticipation, the game was afoot.
I could see clearly the flickering jewels she wore, and by their blazing sparkles of rippling fire, I knew that my long vigil would not have been in vain. As the lady drew I recognized her gown of silvery satin! I knew who was making those tantalizing flashes of appealing treasures. Katrina!
I watched as she approached, in all her glittering elegance. My heart and conscious was in turmoil, but I knew I probably would not get a second chance. I could not let her get away unscathed. Beside, from the shock of being confronted with a masked scoundrel wielding a wicked blade, she would be in no shape to recognize her assailant. She stopped, apprehensively looking back towards the bright lights of the Manor, Then turning back I saw she had a self-satisfied smile creeping upon her face. She reached up, and undoing her hair, shook it down, curls of softness cascading down, hanging loosely down. It was as she performed this provocative act, that I saw her eyes open wide in curiosity; she had spied my pretty little “prism”. The charming fish was hooked.
I waited, watching her approaching ever closer to fate, and from my concealment, I basked in her glow. My heart beating fast, my adrenaline pumping, for the remaining jewels (I thought of her necklace in my custody) that she possessed I already had witnessed were quite valuable. She passed my hiding spot and went to the hanging, shimmering object. As she reached up, looking around, she failed to see me approaching in the shadows. I came up from behind, jabbing a finger in her back as I reached her, I gruffly in no uncertain terms, snarled for her to freeze and make no sound. She stiffened under my touch, but made no move or outcry. I went around; pointing my knife in her direction, looking into her sad doe wide eyes as she realized what was going to happen next. She was trembling; from fear I guessed, and knew I had her right where I wanted. As I made my demands upon her, gimme them jewels sister, she, not surprisingly, was very compliant in giving them up to me. She reached for her necklace last, and looked entirely shocked to find her throat bare, as she searched the neckline of her gown I saw her look into my hand, now dripping with her precious jewelry, almost as if to see if she had not already removed it. She looked apologetically into my eyes, startled; almost pleading that she didn’t know what had happened to it. I just played dump. She than spoke for the first time, sir, may I ask to keep my purse? Her words would have instantly melted even the coldest chunk of ice, I looked down at the little silvery clutch hanging from her arm on its rhinestone chain, I nodded, indicating that she could, and saw relief wash over her face. I told her she now needed to turn around and walk off into the woods ahead of me. She hesitated, and I told her no harm would befall her, I had no intentions along those lines.
About 5 meters in I stopped her, and had her remove her shoes, as she bent over to undo the high heels rhinestone clasps I watched her gown tightly outlining her figure. She tripped on the hem of her gown, and as she attempted to keep her balance, accidently let her purse slip off her shoulder. Without thinking I reached down to pick it up for her as she tried reached for it simultaneously
The small purse was far heavier than it should have been. Curious I opened it, finding that it contained a rather extensive array of mismatched jewelry, glittering in unbelievably expensive fire . I looked into Katrina’s horror struck eyes dumb founded, as she looked guiltily into mine. The gig was up. The jewels belonged to the lady of the manor, my muse in silver was a thief, a female version of me very self.
Aye, what’s this than luv? I questioned her as she looked into my eyes, hers large with a mixture of fright and disbelief. She melted before me, fainting, I caught her in my arms, and it was no ruse. I held her as she came to, holding her warm, silky figure lovingly to mine. I did not know what to think. Nor could I ever explain what possessed me to do what I did next. As she came to, her eyes opened, and I removed my mask, looking back into them deeply.
Oh, she gasped, I’m glad it was you, startled that she had said the words out loud. She than started to coyly blushes, quite demurely. Something sparked in me, and unless she was an incredibly good actress, it did also for Katrina. Our eyes both looked into the others, melting away in the lust of the moment. We embraced, deeply, and I held her squirming warm slick figure tight in my enveloping arms. I looked over her shoulder, eyeing the glistening bracelet hanging from its branch. To catch a thief, the thought suddenly opened in my mind, what a great title for a novel I thought to myself, as I buried my nose into Katrina’s luxuriously soft hair.
We talked for a bit, walking off into the woods, then she looked into my eyes again, a coy, look that melted me on the spot, and that was the end of it, we embraced again, and wholly gave ourselves to one another. What about your man I asked suddenly remembering, my man she questioned , than oh, you mean the Lord, I was waiting for him to come down from smoking in his tower study, that’s where the lady’s jewels are kept. She broke into an Irish brogue as she said the last bit, and that I guessed was her natural tongue. she laid a hand on the side of my face, thanks for being jealous though, me lad.
I should collect my lure I said, which made her smile; it was such an enticing smile at that. We started to head back and watched as it dangled in front of us flickering. With a far off look in her green eyes, Katrina spoke as if in deep though.
The daughter of the house, she has a bracelet on like the one you have dangling, a bracelet of diamonds that I had taken a fancy to, wishing it had been in the safe along with the rest of the ladies of manors jewelry. I knew who she was talking about. The one in green taffeta I asked? Aye lad, that’s the one. Actually her necklace would be just as easy, and worth more I said. Just then her bright green eyes gleamed, Give me about a half an hour, she told me, we will put your little lure to use again. She noticed my hesitation, don’t worry luv she said soothingly placing a gloved hand to my cheek, no longer was it sparkly with its stolen bracelet and rings. I’ll leave my purse with you, can’t very well be carrying it around now can I? I nodded my consent, my mind burning with the thoughts she had alluringly placed there.
She turned, and then hesitated; turning back she said I probably should not go back in naked luv. I smiled, reaching in I pulled out her necklace and placed it around her throat. With a little gasp she blurted, so it was you, I was wondering who and when it had happened. It’s not the first time I’ve had me jewels lifted, but it’s a bloody annoyance to have to let them get away with it, crawls under my skin to have pretend not to notice so that I don’t draw any attention to me self before making my move to steal the posh ones jewels.
But you, mister, I never felt as much as a prickling. I was ready to assume my pretties had been a victim of a broken clasp this time. I gave a little nod in acceptance. That wasn’t exactly a compliment lad, she said in what I hopped was a subtle jest. Just last summer some clumsy bugger slipped of me earrings, my favorite pearls, as we were danc… she stopped, seeing the guilt in my eyes. Men! As thieves you are all of the same skin she spat out angrily, or attempted to sound angry, for the look in her eyes to me she wasn’t. I best be off, before I change me mind about out little endeavor.
With that she swirled around on her heels, and started off, but not before turning and giving me an extremely coy look of interest. As she swirled back around I heard her say loud enough for my ears, I’ll learn me self to be a picker of pockets, see how males like to be taken advantage of in their vulnerabilities! She nodded to herself as she said it. Then suddenly she stopped, than twirled on her heels, her gown swirling enticingly along her figure. Looking me dead in the eye she said, “Vie ne est pas d'attendre que la tempête , mais d'apprendre à danser sous la pluie” !
What does that mean? I questioned in a low voice, perplexed.
Maybe, Mon Cheri, someday I will tell you… And with that she turned on her heel, her gown once again swirling about, and went, determinedly, swishing her way back up the path. I just watched. I had never heard anyone speak French with an Irish Brogue and I had found it to be rather provocative!
I watched as she swished and swayed her way back through the hedge and regained the path leading back to the manor. Her plan was simple; she would lead the daughter of the house to my corner and as she had done, go out with her to look at the swinging charm. I would then make my appearance, rob both ladies of their finery, and telling the daughter to wait until I released her friend, walk off with Katrina as a hostage, and we would both take off and make good our escape. A simple plan, so simple it should actually work.
So, there I was. Holding a purse with a small fortune in jewels, my pocket full of more jewels worth an additional pretty farthing, and her charms were wearing off by her leaving. And my thieving nature coming back, reawakened from the spell they had been under!
The devil of my conscious crept out on my shoulder, the angel markedly absent from the other.
Look mate, she may not be all she seems, and possibly has some other game in mind. Maybe she does have a male confidante helping her out… and was actually on her way to fetch him. He said in my inner ear. And, after all, you took her diamonds twice, didn’t ye now? Do you really think shell forgive you of that me lad?
And there is no honor amongst thieves, as the saying goes, he added as a closing argument...
I rolled it over in my mind…I could leave, absconding with it all, book a cruise to the states or down under where there lay untried fertile grounds to ply my trade. Not to mention working over my fellow passengers aboard the cruise ship while they attended the fancy affairs that were always going on, or so the brochures always seemed to show……
Then In the distance I caught a wisp of Katrina’s long silvery gown. She was coming, and not only with the daughter of the manor, but also with a spare. For I could see a purple coloured gown swishing alongside with the prey in rustling green taffeta.. I watched as all three ladies, resplendent with the rippling fiery gems they all possessed, came up the path, gowns sweeping out , shimmery from the now misty distance.
The thought of making my escape with all the loot continued to haunt me, there was still time now to take off without notice, or I could rob all three, and leave with purple silk as my hostage, Katrina would not be able to say anything on chance of giving up her part of the game, or I could just be a good lad and sty with the script that Katrina had written. Take a chance, roll the dice and believe that she was all she had me believing she could ever be.
As they came closer I knew my time was running out. The thoughts of just looking out for myself kept coming up playing the devil with my conscience as the precious seconds ticked away…
No honor amongst thieves…
What will it be, old boy I challenged myself,
What will you have it be?........
To see what his decision ultimately was, and the eventual path it led to, see the album question answered)
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Life is not about waiting out the storm, but about learning to dance in the rain.
Vie ne est pas d'attendre que la tempête , mais d'apprendre à danser sous la pluie .
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Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives
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El kathakali es un tipo de representación artística característica del estado de Kerala, en el sur de India. Combina una especie de danza lenta con teatro mudo en el que destaca una expresión facial muy exagerada. El argumento se basa en las historias tradicionales del hinduísmo.
Antes de comenzar la representación propiamente dicha, los actores, todos hombres, aunque representen papeles femeninos, se maquillan en el escenario, delante del público. Se trata de un maquillaje muy elaborado.
En la primera parte de la representación un narrador va explicando el significado de los principales gestos que usarían luego los actores en su representación.
© István Pénzes.
Please NOTE and RESPECT the copyright.
24th December 2022, Roermond, The Netherlands, visiting Marco @ Handmates
Hasselblad X2D 100C
Hasselblad XCD 38mm f2.5
I did not!
You did too!
I did not!
You did too
I did NOT!
Yes you did!
Take it back!
I will NOT!
I'm Telling!
Pants on fire!
Debating the possibility of a nice sunset.
Calpine Lookout. A U.S. Forest Service rental in Tahoe National Forest, California.
©2011, FUSINA Dominik
Publishing date : 02/05/2011
Location : Paris (France)
Don't use or publish that photo without my permission.
Thank you for your favs (F) en comments ;)
Tour Eiffel | Paris (France)
Je me suis attaqué à gros cette fois-ci. En effet, la Tour Eiffel est le monument le plus visité, mais aussi le plus photographié au monde. J'ai décidé de passer outre cet argument en effectuant quelques clichés à la volée lors de ma visite touristique avec ma petite famille. J'ai photographié l'entrejambe de la grande Dame. Rooo ! :)
Ce cliché, via son traitement HDR, apporte plusieurs informations :
- la file d'attente peu importante et les longues ombres portées indiquent que nous sommes en fin de journée;
- on distingue en bas à droite le pied par lequel le public monte et redescend;
- les détails de la structure qui cache les filets de protection du personnel d'entretien, mais aussi de certains privilégiés qui - comme les pompiers - s'exercent en grimpant l'édifice;
- il faisait beau, mais avec beaucoup de vent (donc un peu frisquet !)
- mon boitier était dans le vide... !
dominikfoto's photos on Flickriver
D3s NIKON
Lens : 12-24mm/4.5-5.6 SIGMA
Settings : f7.1 - 1/400 - ISO 1000 - 12mm
natural light \ HDR : 3 exposures
No tripod.
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On explore : May 2, 2011 #110
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Still kind of bumped for yesterday's argument and shit , but I figured I needed to clear my head , so yeah I bring you my attempt to be funny , yeah I know , but it was funny to the people that walked into the Restroom , they were looking me weird like I was freak or something , nah just kidding , everybody that walked into the Restroom was laughing and just giving me the you are fuckin crazy look
I told you guys I was gonna go naked , yes , I am naked under that shirt hehe , I tried to even and level up the doors , but I for the life of me could not do it , with out making me look weird , so excuse me for it
**
Strobist info :
SB600 1/2 - Naked , 6ft from subjects (camera right) , 5ft high , subjects 3 ó clock
*Flash was bounced to ceiling , it was just pointing up
SB600 1/16 - Naked , 1ft from subjects (camera left) , 1ft high , subjects 11 ó clock
*Flash was bounced to ceiling , it was just sitting on the floor next to the toilet
SB800 1/4 - Beauty dish 16" 6ft from subject (camera left) , 6ft high , subjects 6 ó clock
*Beauty dish was bounced to a big mirror as it was casting some very hard shadows)
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 @ 18mm f/6.7
Nikon D300 : ISO 280 - 1/30
Vicki experiences, just for a few seconds, a sensation like dozens of comb tines biting at her face and through her clothes. Then she’s rolling down the slanted wall of a musty tunnel. The landing isn’t light, but the slope saves her from meeting the rocky bottom full-force. She coughs out some dust, scanning her surroundings until her eyes rest on the boy… propped against the tunnel on one shoulder blade like a tossed doll. His left boot is still lodged inside the earth.
“Hey. Hey, wake up!” She lugs herself on her elbows over to his location, and nudges his arm.
“GAAH! I’m awake!” he cries out through gritted teeth. “I’m… egh… not moving on account of there being a very real probability that I carried some of the ceiling out inside my arm.” They both study the appendage, already looking rather purple and swollen.
“You… You’re saying…”
“Yes, we’re in the mine. I threw us through the ground.”
“You’re saying I could’ve ended up with rocks inside me too!” Vicki finishes.
He grimaces. “I told you, those weren’t the cops coming, and they certainly weren’t there to save anyone. Leaving you up there wasn’t an option.”
Vicki lets out a confounded laugh. “Who says these people, whoever they are, aren’t going to check the obvious mine entrance next to the war zone you and those creeps left up there?”
“We’re in the collapsed section. You just need to wait it out…” The boy lays his head back, looking exceptionally drained.
“Nick?”
The voice came from the portion of the tunnel behind the pair. Vicki makes out ten or so men and women hesitantly approaching with flashlights. The man at the head of the troop stares intently at the boy… “Nick.”
Vicki is unnerved by his fixation. She snatches up a stone and readies it as a projectile.
“Back off!”
“No,” Nick hacks, trying to reach out to her ankle. “They’re friends. They’re friends.”
The first man and one of the women kneel by Nick and inspect the damage done.
“Ah hell, Nick, you really did it this time,” the woman says, nodding at his inflamed arm.
“That good?” Nick remarks.
“What were you thinking?” the man demands, while determining how to free Nick’s sole from the wall, “Roping a kid into this… This is becoming-“
“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” Nick responds, glaring Vicki’s way. But then his eyes soften. “I slipped up.”
Vicki cuts in. “I trailed him! And what’s this ‘roping a kid in’ business? HE’s a kid! What are you all doing, letting him get chased around by meta-humans that are out for blood?!”
“Miss? I’m sorry you’ve been involved in any way with this,” the man turns back to her sternly. “We need to get you back to your house. We’ll send-”
Nick panics at his words. “Don’t let her go back up there! You have to wait.“ His unrest causes his ankle to twist in its vice, and he clams up again.
“We cannot keep an innocent here Nick!” the man thunders. “Regardless of whether or not she was seen with you… regardless of what she can tell the authorities about us… we are not going to become abductors!”
“Hey!” Vicki quiets the argument and the rest of the company’s murmuring with her shout. “I’m not taking off until someone explains to me why there’s a bunch of people living underground on the outskirts of town, allowing a kid who can defy physics to play ‘chicken’ with supervillains!”
“No. This is as far in as you will get with this insanity. Now… we have our own camouflaged exit at the end of the mine. It’s the only way in and out of this section. Whoever was following you won’t know to search there,” the man makes a point of looking at Nick with his last words, trying to calm him, then motions for another woman in the group to escort Vicki out.
Vicki still has the stone tucked between her palm and waist. She raises it once again. The woman stops.
“So help me…” Vicki warns. “I’ll make sure cops DO show up if you don’t give me a good reason why you have to keep all this a secret.”
“Young lady, that is far easier to live with than becoming kidnappers,” the woman scolds. “It makes no difference if you want answers. Your family will be worried.”
Vicki gulps, betraying her faux stoicism for a moment, but her gaze doesn’t falter. She shifts on her heels. “I’m a latchkey kid.”
The woman continues attempting to reassure her, but Vicki tunes it out and looks back to Nick. The man is holding something out to him, partially wrapped in fabric. Red and mostly boxy, possibly with a cord of some sort. The man speaks in harsh whispers, but Vicki is able to pick out a couple of pieces.
“… -r powers aren’t worth these injuries. I don’t want to forc… change back!”
***
The soggy sketchpad thwacks onto the table.
Cathan blinks. “This doesn’t look like a corpse.”
The hulking man standing before him jabs a finger at it. “It’s how the kid has powers.”
Cathan tilts his head warily, and the man corrects himself. “HAD powers. He used it whenever he attacked, or ran…”
“Slippery, wasn’t he?” Cableman mumbles. “Sort of makes you appreciate how long I was out there, shadowing that son of a-“
Cathan holds up a hand to cut short the grievance when, from across the room, the glass woman, who had also been there to dispatch “Nick,” articulates. “He’s right. We have the pages. He can’t be a threat any longer.”
With intricate hand gestures, she continues delicately mending the fractured bit of her back, inflicted by Vicki. Cathan reins in his frustration at the sight. He picks up the drawings.
“A pen made these, Brent. Where’s the pen? Do we know it’s not the pen, Brent?”
Brent rolls his shoulders. “I don’t. I don’t know.”
“That’s right, we… we don’t know.” Cathan breathes. A few feet behind him, another lieutenant dressed in the same red as their ringleader fidgets, anticipating an order with all but express fervor. Brent looks down.
“No no… don’t take this so personally.” Cathan rises. “I’m sympathetic. You and Kalei… I understand that… when you came to me, you needed me. Dearly.”
Brent tenses at Cathan’s hand landing on the armor shaped around his neck.
“I only expect each of you to do your best, as your… entry fee. And no one’s best is perfect. It’s only that I find it…”
His other hand releases the clasp on Brent’s mask, and lifts it off its wearer.
“… difficult, to put into words, how disappointing it is to hear that the wrench in our operation is just… unseen. Not removed.”
Cathan’s hand doesn’t move. But it’s close enough. Most assuredly, close enough.
The volume of Brent’s acknowledgement is subterranean. “I understand that.”
“Well then. Please also understand my clemency isn’t so limited. I do want to help you both. We’re mates.”
Cathan pats the shoulder pad heartily and actually grins. “You mean what you say, Brent. I can tell. You’re that type of man.”
Brent gives a meek nod and steps back. Cathan’s bodyguard pipes up.
“Even if we risk it with one depowered hero who knows we’re here, how do we know he hasn’t got a bunch of friends too?” the crimson-clad man theorizes.
“Heroes don’t have to hide like us, Ed. They would’ve shown up all together, long ago, in a big, obnoxious performance. It’s just their way. … No. He’s alone. Fairfax, as it were, is alone.”
“There was a third kid.”
Everyone turns to the woman. “There was the boy. The girl with him, she was obviously in the dark, obviously not a meta. But the other girl we saw them both with, in the park. She’s an unknown.”
“A third…” Cathan utters with boiling irritation. “Kaleidoscope… would you be so kind as to tell Ed where he can find said lass? I’ll have some questions for her in the morning. Ed… you can take Mr. Schneider along on this one.”
At his mention, the youngest man present sits up from a pile of planks, eagerly adjusting his gloves. “Consider her caught.”
“With discretion, lads,” Cathan stipulates.
Before Kaleidoscope crosses the room to relay her information, Brent bumps her arm, facing the other way.
“You didn’t need to tell him about the thi-“
“How many lies and letdowns, Brent? Before we see the real Cathan?” Her eyes are intense. “I’m looking out for you for a change.”
She proceeds to the other thugs.
“Welcome aboard, ‘Chain Master’,” Cableman hisses after Brent, wordlessly retreating to another room. He shakes his head at his own teasing, and tinkers with the ham radio in his hand. “That was a close one. Captain was a hair away from finding out your dirty little sec-“
Kaleidoscope moves in front of Cableman. She places a fingertip on the radio, and its soft chatter turns into shrieks of agony. She keeps them low enough so as to not alert Cathan and the others, who were now hatching a plan to corner the final child.
The appearance of the appliance itself, to Cableman, is now that of a human heart, leaking gobs of its contents. He sneers at her. “Subtle.”
“Loose lips sink ships,” Kaleidoscope advises him. The light her body gives off flares of an odious yellow-green.
“I’m not going to squeal to Cathan, toots. But you can count on me being there, when it all hits the fan. Hell, I’ll bring popcorn.”
She withdraws, and the radio is a radio once again.
“Nah, for what it’s worth, Cathan was pretty hard on you two. I mean, just as the price of admission, he expected you to axe a kid? ’s’not like he’s had to do that himself.”
Cableman then mockingly gasps at his words, holding his chin. “… has he?”
He waggles his eyebrows at Kaleidoscope, who simply recedes to find Brent.
***
Either his head was throbbing, or the whole room was. Bryan Smith makes an effort to bend his neck, but it may as well have been fused metal. It’s only after a minute of fruitlessly rearing against his inexplicable paralysis that he is certain he’s on his back, within some sort of shallow crib. The light fixture overhead constantly buzzes, lulling him back into to a state of placidity, as much as his conscience was opposed to the idea. There was also the matter of the woman.
Bryan had never seen pupils so big; dilated, to the point that the iris’ pigment was lost to the black void. She would systematically take the reading of some instrument at the head of his cot and record it in some notes that were set between them on his sheets. Then she would return focus to him. There was nothing to extract from her expression, but she did speak from time to time; Bryan was sure of that, just not precisely what about. It was probably all perfectly procedural.
“-ster Smith, you’ve been here for a week. Your condition appears stable but may be subject to further drastic developments.”
“‘Here’ is… where?”
Bryan realizes this must not have been his first time asking the question, when she fleetingly hangs her head, accompanied by a wearied sigh.
“You’re inside Trojan Labs. You’re being treated here due to the irregular nature-“
“My arms feel heavy. ‘nd I have a headache.”
“… You’re being administered several relaxants, it should subside.”
“Is it… like a really bad headache?”
“Mister Smith, this is very important, I need to ask that you really concentrate and let us know…”
She inches closer. “You don’t remember how you got here, do you?”
Bryan had never seen eyes like that. “No… do I work here?”
She smirks. “We’ll know more in the morning.”
That was a relief to Bryan.
***
“Stop… guys I need to stop.”
Roger skids to a halt and reaches back for Glinda, bracing herself on bent legs. They both shiver in the early morning air of Fairfax, having just now reached the edge of town after a dead sprint away from their harrowing brush with mortality. Roger noticed he was holding his breath and choked for air. The ground didn’t feel like ground beneath him; more like a paddle board out on choppy surf.
Glinda watches Chris, caked with soil and leaves, still jolting towards the neon-lit street just a block away. “Roger I… I don’t think he heard.”
Roger catches up to Chris, grasping his old friend’s shoulders. “We made it out, man. There’s nothing behind us. Ease up.”
The boy remains in a daze. “… ‘kay.”
Glinda watches them trudge back to her spot on the sparkling pavement. She rests her chin on her knees.
“I’m sorry,” Roger warbles. “Dumb idea.”
“You saved us. Until that second… thing showed up,” Glinda reminds him.
“IT saved us,” Chris muses. “We seriously could’ve been…”
Roger disregards them. “I almost got us all axed because I wanted to have fun. It’s not okay. I’m still pretending like Fairfax hasn’t changed, like it’s still my playground… God, I’m never going to grow up.”
“It’s alright Roger, everything turned out fine. If you need to let it out-“ Glinda begins.
“I’m not going to cry in front of a girl. I don’t cry.”
Glinda now presses her mouth to her knees, stunned.
Chris eventually breaks the silence. “My parents are gonna know. That we weren’t just at your house.”
“No, it’ll still work. We can clean ourselves up at my place if we’re quiet,” Roger asserts.
“I mean, they’ll know because of me. They’ll just see I’m lying.”
“If they get it out of you, tell them it was me. All me. It’s not a lie.”
“I agreed to go. I’m not going to rat you out.”
“It’s not ratting me out if I’m telling you, don’t dig the hole deeper. I shouldn’t have done this.”
“What if Vicki was still on her way?” Glinda abruptly comprehends. “Oh, what if she goes back there and those monsters are still waiting…”
Roger waves a hand out from his side. “She would’ve come the same way we ran back, and we didn’t meet up. She just didn’t show. I mean geez, it’s November now. You really think she’d still be-“
“Okay!” Glinda yells, more hurt than the boys were aware of. The outburst rings down the length of the street, and then is devoured by the night. The lampposts and shops stand by respectfully in the quiet as the band of children further digests all they had witnessed.
“Like I said,” Roger reiterates, “this is on me. Don’t… make me out to be some hero. Now c’mon.”
***
Vicki steps forward, still tuning out the adults hoping to convince her to leave the mine. Nick looks barely conscious, enduring the painful position that his allies have failed to free him from. The leading man hides the red device away from her, but she’s already pointed it out.
“So you get power from that thing?” she tries to bring Nick out of his listlessness.
“You’ve seen quite enough, kid. Please, just…” the man grumbles, more tired than angry now.
“No! He saved me from the other metas out there,” Vicki protests, “and I want to know how he’s doing this. WHY he’s doing this. Why you LET him!”
“Because he’s as stubborn as you,” was the man’s response. He stands from crouching over Nick, moving to converse with the other cave-dwellers. “He still thinks he’s in this alone.”
As the man turns his back the kids fully, Vicki is startled by Nick’s hand clamping around her wrist. He has the same petrified look he did back in town, when he had run into her and…
“The others,” Nick says haggardly, “don’t need to know… your friend in the park…”
“Frannie,” Vicki whispers.
“The metas saw us. All three of us. If they aren’t one hundred percent-certain that I’m dead… she’s going to be their only lead on who I am.”
“But she doesn’t kno-!”
“THEY don’t know that,” Nick growls, matching Vicki’s lower tone with great difficulty. He thrusts the wrapped object through the dirt, nearer to Vicki and out of the adults’ line of sight. “You have to take this. It can help you rescue her… if it comes to that.”
“What do you… I’m not cut out for this! Can’t you just-“
Nicks body heaves, still beating back the torture of his trapped limbs. “To use it now, would mean that I… I … can’t be the hero this time. Believe me, if I could help her…”
“Please… get one of them to do it,” Vicki shudders. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore, I can’t do this.”
“I’M the only reason THEY haven’t destroyed it,” Nick insists, still trying to get her to accept the mysterious item. “You’re the only one who knows… who can… TAKE. It.”
Vicki conceals the device behind her unbuttoned jacket, as smoothly as she can, in spite of the involuntary tremors running through her muscles. She realizes now, holding it, that it’s a rotary phone; lighter than expected, even more red than it had seemed at a distance. “What… what do I even do??”
“Run with it. If you find your friend in time, just hide her, somewhere they won’t know to look for her. Don’t use it. Don’t return it here. Lock it away, I don’t care. But if they’re already there…”
Nick pokes the object weakly.
“Dial ‘H’.”
They exchange a strangely knowing look. Then, while Vicki eases away, Nick begins deliberately convulsing, drawing the entire assemblage out of their troubled bickering. The leader calls for more hands to dig the boy out, and Vicki, forgotten in the rabble, slips past them. She pushes through a fern at the tunnel’s end, once again tasting fresh air. There’s just a hint of a new dawn bleeding through the trees around her.
Nick’s friends would notice she was missing in no time at all. She allows herself only a few seconds to compose her nerves and consult her internal compass, before racing uphill; back to where, she hopes, Frannie will be blissfully unaware of the imminent danger, and with any luck, that Vicki could keep her from all of this. More than that, Vicki hopes she’ll wake up. That it would be November 1st; properly, this time. A school day. And that there really were no monsters in Fairfax.
New Street Bishopsgate. Along here, about where the wheelie bin on the left is I believe, used to stand Buller's Lodging house.
It was this lodging house that Joseph Barnett moved into after having an argument with Mary Jane Kelly over her letting other prostitutes stay at their room in Miller's Court. He moved out on October the 30th 1888, & she was horribly murdered on the 9th of November at Miller's Court.
Nikon F4. AF Nikkor 24mm F2.8D lens. CineStill bwXX 35mm B&W film.