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The Ivan Vazov National Theatre (Bulgarian: Народен театър „Иван Вазов“, Naroden teatar „Ivan Vazov“) is Bulgaria's national theatre, as well as the oldest and most authoritative theatre in the country and one of the important landmarks of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is located in the centre of the city, with the facade facing the City Garden.
Founded in 1904 by the artists from the Salza i Smyah company, it was initially called simply the National Theatre, but before being named after the prominent writer Ivan Vazov it also bore the name of Krastyu Sarafov between 1952 and 1962. Incidentally Vazov's play, "The Outcasts" was the first to be performed at the theatre when it opened. The theatre's Neoclassical building, designed by famous Viennese theatre architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, was finished in 1906 and opened on 3 January 1907. The building was extensively damaged by a fire in 1923 during an anniversary celebration, but was reconstructed in 1929 by German architect Martin Dülfer.
A theatrical school was established as part of the National Theatre in 1925. The bombing of Sofia in World War II caused considerable damage to the building, but it was reconstructed in 1945. Another reconstruction followed in 1971–1975, and a €100,000 restoration project was implemented in 2006.[1]
The Ivan Vazov National Theatre has a well-equipped main stage with 750 seats, a smaller 120-seat stage and an additional 70-seat one on the fourth floor.
The building's facade is depicted on the obverse of the Bulgarian 50 levs banknote, issued in 1999 and 2006.[2]
The theatre has been host to productions from notable theatre directors such as Alexander Morfov who has been the Chief director since 1993. Thx to Wikipedia ..
The Clock Tower (Zytglogge) in Bern . Switzerland .February 6, 2009. No. 148.
Today it is one of Bern's most important sights. The ornate astronomical clock with its moving figures was built in 1530. It served as the city's main clock and thus had an authoritative function in Bern.
It was from there that travel times indicated on stone markers along the cantonal roads were measured. Standard units of length – formerly cubit and fathom, today meter and double meter – are displayed for the public in the arch of the gate.
Zeitglockenturm (Zytglogge)
Bim Zytglogge 1
3011 Bern
My grandchildren are fabulous, loving, and hilarious ♥
Capricorn grandparents are highly responsible and epitomize self-discipline and reserve. They are authoritative and dignified, and they age beautifully. Competitive by nature, they plan for every possibility and manage finances well. Capricorn is the least spontaneous sign of the zodiac. Those born under this sign don't openly discuss their feelings and can have a tough time loosening up even at kids' birthday parties.
Cancer grandchildren have nurturing and caring hearts. Even at a young age, they show an appreciation of home and a love of domesticity. Grandchildren born under this sign have two important needs: to love and to be loved; this makes them unusually affectionate. They can also be artistic, enterprising, and shrewd. But Cancers are also subject to mood swings, so expect both great days and challenging ones.
Models: Giselle Chauveau & Sunjai Thorne
Photographer: Giselle Chauveau
I did a photoshoot with this rock group yesterday in the old town of Locke. These guys are the authoritative surf-a-billy Instrumental band of our times.
Sebastiano del Piombo
Venice,1485/86-1547,Rome,
Portrait of a Man,Said to be Christopher Columbus,1519,
medium-oil on canvas
Painted in Rome by one of the outstanding Venetian masters of the High Renaissance,this badly damaged portrait purports to show Christopher Columbus.The inscription as the Ligurian Colombo "the first to enter by ship into the world of the Antipodes 1519,"but the writing is not entirely trustworthy and the date1 1519 means that it cannot be painted from life as Columbus died in 1506.There are other,quite different portraits,that also claim to show Columbus.Nonetheless from an early date our picture became the authoritative (the museum's i.e.) likeness.In 1814 the painting was part of the collection of Prince Talleyrand and was exhibited at the Palais Royal in Paris.
I met him on Bandra Hill Road liked his look , his turban , his peaceful attitude and shot a few frames.
He belongs to the Sikh religion.
about Sikhism
Sikhism,[1] founded in fifteenth century Punjab on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last one being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib), is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world.[2] This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning "disciple" or "learner", or śikṣa meaning "instruction".[3][4]
The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in waheguru—represented using the sacred symbol of ik ōaṅkār, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū Granth Sāhib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in Punjab in India and, until India's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now Pakistani Punjab.[5]
The origins of Sikhism lie in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words: "Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living".[6] Sikhism believes in equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikhism also does not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation, but stresses on the need of leading life as a householder.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion.[7][8] In Sikhism, God—termed Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and sightless: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1"—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār.[9] Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God and Its hukam (will or order).[10] When God willed, the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to māyā, or the human perception of reality.[11]
While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings,[9] Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart", of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment. Guru Nanak Dev emphasized the revelation through meditation, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.[9] God has no gender in Sikhism, (though translations may incorrectly present a male God); indeed Sikhism teaches that God is "Nirankar" [Niran meaning "without" and kar meaning "form", hence "without form"]. In addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which God has created life.[12]
[edit] Pursuing salvation and khalsa
A Sikh man at the Harimandir Sahib
Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with God which results in salvation.[13] The chief obstacles to the attainment of salvation are social conflicts and an attachment to worldly pursuits, which commit men and women to an endless cycle of birth—a concept known as reincarnation.
Māyā—defined as illusion or "unreality"—is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: people are distracted from devotion by worldly attractions which give only illusive satisfaction. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust—known as the Five Evils—are believed to be particularly pernicious. The fate of people vulnerable to the Five Evils is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.[14]
Nanak described God's revelation—the path to salvation—with terms such as nām (the divine Name) and śabad (the divine Word) to emphasise the totality of the revelation. Nanak designated the word guru (meaning teacher) as the voice of God and the source and guide for knowledge and salvation.[15] Salvation can be reached only through rigorous and disciplined devotion to God. Nanak distinctly emphasised the irrelevance of outward observations such as rites, pilgrimages, or asceticism. He stressed that devotion must take place through the heart, with the spirit and the soul.
A key practice to be pursued is nām: remembrance of the divine Name. The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable is an established practice in religious traditions in India, but Nanak's interpretation emphasized inward, personal observance. Nanak's ideal is the total exposure of one's being to the divine Name and a total conforming to Dharma or the "Divine Order". Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of nām simraṇ as a "growing towards and into God" through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is sac khaṇḍ (The Realm of Truth)—the final union of the spirit with God.[15]
Nanak stressed now kirat karō: that a Sikh should balance work, worship, and charity, and should defend the rights of all creatures, and in particular, fellow human beings. They are encouraged to have a chaṛdī kalā, or optimistic, view of life. Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing—vaṇḍ chakkō—through the distribution of free food at Sikh gurdwaras (laṅgar), giving charitable donations, and working for the good of the community and others (sēvā).
[edit] The ten gurus and religious authority
Main article: Sikh Gurus
A rare Tanjore-style painting from the late 19th century depicting the ten Sikh Gurus with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana.
The term guru comes from the Sanskrit gurū, meaning teacher, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten specific gurus from 1499 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Nanak was the first guru and appointed a disciple as successor. Gobind Singh was the final guru in human form. Before his death, Gobind Singh decreed that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual guru of the Sikhs.[16] The Sikhs believe that the spirit of Nanak was passed from one guru to the next, " just as the light of one lamp, which lights another and does not diminish ",[17] and is also mentioned in their holy book.
After Nanak's passing, the most important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Amar Das. Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the manji (comparable to a diocese) system of clerical supervision.[15]
The interior of the Akal Takht
Amar Das's successor and son-in-law Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar, which is home of the Harimandir Sahib and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. When Ram Das's youngest son Arjan succeeded him, the line of male gurus from the Sodhi Khatri family was established: all succeeding gurus were direct descendants of this line. Arjun Mathur was responsible for compiling the Sikh scriptures. Guru Arjan Sahib was captured by Mughal authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious order he was developing.[18] His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organization of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.
The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, Har Gobind, was responsible for the creation of the concept of Akal Takht (throne of the timeless one), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhdom and sits opposite the Darbar Sahib. The Sarbat Ḵẖālsā (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as Vaisakhi or Diwali and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A gurmatā (literally, guru's intention) is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A gurmatā may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.[19] The term hukamnāmā (literally, edict or royal order) is often used interchangeably with the term gurmatā. However, a hukamnāmā formally refers to a hymn from the Gurū Granth Sāhib which is given as an order to Sikhs.
[edit] History
Main article: History of Sikhism
Nanak (1469–1538), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib (in present-day Pakistan).[20] His father, Mehta Kalu was a Patwari, an accountant of land revenue in the employment of Rai Bular Bhatti, the area landlord. Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki. His parents were Khatri Hindus of the Bedi clan. As a boy, Nanak was fascinated by religion, and his desire to explore the mysteries of life eventually led him to leave home and take missionary journeys.
In his early teens, Nanak caught the attention of the local landlord Rai Bular Bhatti, who was moved by his intellect and divine qualities. Rai Bular was witness to many incidents in which Nanak enchanted him and as a result Rai Bular and Nanak's sister Bibi Nanki, became the first persons to recognise the divine qualities in Nanak. Both of them then encouraged and supported Nanak to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at the age of thirty, Nanak went missing and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the Kali Bein. One day, he declared: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" (in Punjabi, "nā kōi hindū nā kōi musalmān"). It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism.[21] Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometres, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Tamil Nadu, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad and Mecca.[22]
Nanak was married to Sulakhni, the daughter of Moolchand Chona, a rice trader from the town of Bakala. They had two sons. The elder son, Sri Chand, was an ascetic, and he came to have a considerable following of his own, known as the Udasis. The younger son, Lakshmi Das, on the other hand, was totally immersed in worldly life. To Nanak, who believed in the ideal of rāj maiṁ jōg (detachment in civic life), both his sons were unfit to carry on the Guruship.
[edit] Growth of the Sikh community
In 1538, Nanak chose his disciple Lahiṇā, a Khatri of the Trehan clan, as a successor to the guruship rather than either of his sons. Lahiṇā was named Angad Dev and became the second guru of the Sikhs.[23] Nanak conferred his choice at the town of Kartarpur on the banks of the river Ravi, where Nanak had finally settled down after his travels. Though Sri Chand was not an ambitious man, the Udasis believed that the Guruship should have gone to him, since he was a man of pious habits in addition to being Nanak's son. They refused to accept Angad's succession. On Nanak's advice, Angad shifted from Kartarpur to Khadur, where his wife Khivi and children were living, until he was able to bridge the divide between his followers and the Udasis. Angad continued the work started by Nanak and is widely credited for standardising the Gurmukhī script as used in the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.
Amar Das, a Khatri of the Bhalla clan, became the third Sikh guru in 1552 at the age of 73. Goindval became an important centre for Sikhism during the guruship of Amar Das. He preached the principle of equality for women by prohibiting purdah and sati. Amar Das also encouraged the practice of langar and made all those who visited him attend laṅgar before they could speak to him.[24] In 1567, Emperor Akbar sat with the ordinary and poor people of Punjab to have laṅgar. Amar Das also trained 146 apostles of which 52 were women, to manage the rapid expansion of the religion.[25] Before he died in 1574 aged 95, he appointed his son-in-law Jēṭhā, a Khatri of the Sodhi clan, as the fourth Sikh guru.
Jēṭhā became Ram Das and vigorously undertook his duties as the new guru. He is responsible for the establishment of the city of Ramdaspur later to be named Amritsar. Before Ramdaspur, Amritsar was known as Guru Da Chakk. In 1581, Arjan Dev—youngest son of the fourth guru—became the fifth guru of the Sikhs. In addition to being responsible for building the Darbar/Harimandir Sahib (called the Golden Temple), he prepared the Sikh sacred text known as the Ādi Granth (literally the first book) and included the writings of the first five gurus. In 1606, for refusing to make changes to the Granth and for supporting an unsuccessful contender to the throne, he was tortured and killed by the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir.[26]
[edit] Political advancement
Hargobind, became the sixth guru of the Sikhs. He carried two swords—one for spiritual and the other for temporal reasons (known as mīrī and pīrī in Sikhism).[27] Sikhs grew as an organized community and under the 10th Guru the Sikhs developed a trained fighting force to defend their independence. In 1644, Har Rai became guru followed by Harkrishan, the boy guru, in 1661. No hymns composed by these three gurus are included in the Sikh holy book.[28]
Tegh Bahadur became guru in 1665 and led the Sikhs until 1675. Teg Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb for helping to protect Hindus, after a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits came to him for help when the Emperor condemned them to death for failing to convert to Islam.[29] He was succeeded by his son, Gobind Rai who was just nine years old at the time of his father's death. Gobind Rai further militarised his followers, and was baptised by the Pañj Piārē when he formed the Khalsa on 13 April 1699. From here on in he was known as Gobind Singh.
From the time of Nanak, when it was a loose collection of followers who focused entirely on the attainment of salvation and God, the Sikh community had significantly transformed. Even though the core Sikh religious philosophy was never affected, the followers now began to develop a political identity. Conflict with Mughal authorities escalated during the lifetime of Teg Bahadur and Gobind Singh. The latter founded the Khalsa in 1699. The Khalsa is a disciplined community that combines its religious purpose and goals with political and military duties.[30] After Aurangzeb killed four of his sons, Gobind Singh sent Aurangzeb the Zafarnamah (Notification/Epistle of Victory).
Shortly before his death, Gobind Singh ordered that the Gurū Granth Sāhib (the Sikh Holy Scripture), would be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs and temporal authority would be vested in the Khalsa Panth—the Sikh Nation/Community.[16] The first scripture was compiled and edited by the fifth guru, Arjan Dev, in 1604.
A former ascetic was charged by Gobind Singh with the duty of punishing those who had persecuted the Sikhs. After the guru's death, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur became the leader of the Sikh army and was responsible for several attacks on the Mughal empire. He was executed by the emperor Jahandar Shah after refusing the offer of a pardon if he converted to Islam.[31]
The Sikh community's embrace of military and political organisation made it a considerable regional force in medieval India and it continued to evolve after the demise of the gurus. After the death of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, a Sikh Confederacy of Sikh warrior bands known as misls formed. With the decline of the Mughal empire, a Sikh Empire arose in the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, with its capital in Lahore and limits reaching the Khyber Pass and the borders of China. The order, traditions and discipline developed over centuries culminated at the time of Ranjit Singh to give rise to the common religious and social identity that the term "Sikhism" describes.[32]
After the death of Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder and was eventually annexed by the United Kingdom after the hard-fought Anglo-Sikh Wars. This brought the Punjab under the British Raj. Sikhs formed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal to preserve Sikhs' religious and political organization a quarter of a century later. With the partition of India in 1947, thousands of Sikhs were killed in violence and millions were forced to leave their ancestral homes in West Punjab.[33] Sikhs faced initial opposition from the Government in forming a linguistic state that other states in India were afforded. The Akali Dal started a non-violence movement for Sikh and Punjabi rights. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale emerged as a leader of the Bhindran-Mehta Jatha—which assumed the name of Damdami Taksal in 1977 to promote a peaceful solution of the problem. In June 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to launch Operation Blue Star to remove Bhindranwale and his followers from the Darbar Sahib. Bhindranwale, and a large number of innocent pilgrims were killed during the army's operations. In October, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination was followed by the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots massacre[34] and Hindu-Sikh conflicts in Punjab, as a reaction to the assassination and Operation Blue Star.
[edit] Scripture
There are two primary sources of scripture for the Sikhs: the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the Dasam Granth. The Gurū Granth Sāhib may be referred to as the Ādi Granth—literally, The First Volume—and the two terms are often used synonymously. Here, however, the Ādi Granth refers to the version of the scripture created by Arjan Dev in 1604. The Gurū Granth Sāhib refers to the final version of the scripture created by Gobind Singh.
[edit] Adi Granth
Main article: Ādi Granth
The Ādi Granth was compiled primarily by Bhai Gurdas under the supervision of Arjan Dev between the years 1603 and 1604.[35] It is written in the Gurmukhī script, which is a descendant of the Laṇḍā script used in the Punjab at that time.[36] The Gurmukhī script was standardised by Angad Dev, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the Śāradā and Devanāgarī scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh gurus and selected bhagats. At the time, Arjan Sahib tried to prevent undue influence from the followers of Prithi Chand, the guru's older brother and rival.[37]
The original version of the Ādi Granth is known as the kartārpur bīṛ and is claimed to be held by the Sodhi family of Kartarpur.[citation needed] (In fact the original volume was burned by Ahmad Shah Durrani's army in 1757 when they burned the whole town of Kartarpur.)[citation needed]
[edit] Guru Granth Sahib
Gurū Granth Sāhib folio with Mūl Mantra
Main article: Gurū Granth Sāhib
The final version of the Gurū Granth Sāhib was compiled by Gobind Singh in 1678. It consists of the original Ādi Granth with the addition of Teg Bahadur's hymns. It was decreed by Gobind Singh that the Granth was to be considered the eternal guru of all Sikhs; however, this tradition is not mentioned either in 'Guru Granth Sahib' or in 'Dasam Granth'.
Punjabi: ਸੱਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ।
Transliteration: Sabb sikkhaṇ kō hukam hai gurū mānyō granth.
English: All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru.
It contains compositions by the first five gurus, Teg Bahadur and just one śalōk (couplet) from Gobind Singh.[38] It also contains the traditions and teachings of sants (saints) such as Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Sheikh Farid along with several others.[32]
The bulk of the scripture is classified into rāgs, with each rāg subdivided according to length and author. There are 31 main rāgs within the Gurū Granth Sāhib. In addition to the rāgs, there are clear references to the folk music of Punjab. The main language used in the scripture is known as Sant Bhāṣā, a language related to both Punjabi and Hindi and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion.[30] The text further comprises over 5000 śabads, or hymns, which are poetically constructed and set to classical form of music rendition, can be set to predetermined musical tāl, or rhythmic beats.
A group of Sikh musicians at the Golden Temple complex
The Granth begins with the Mūl Mantra, an iconic verse created by Nanak:
Punjabi: ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ISO 15919 transliteration: Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṅ gura prasādi.
Simplified transliteration: Ik ōaṅkār sat nām kartā purkh nirbha'u nirvair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṅ gur prasād.
English: One Universal Creator God, The Name Is Truth, Creative Being Personified, No Fear, No Hatred, Image Of The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self Existent, By Guru's Grace.
All text within the Granth is known as gurbānī. Gurbānī, according to Nanak, was revealed by God directly, and the authors wrote it down for the followers. The status accorded to the scripture is defined by the evolving interpretation of the concept of gurū. In the Sant tradition of Nanak, the guru was literally the word of God. The Sikh community soon transferred the role to a line of men who gave authoritative and practical expression to religious teachings and traditions, in addition to taking socio-political leadership of Sikh adherents. Gobind Singh declared an end of the line of human gurus, and now the Gurū Granth Sāhib serves as the eternal guru, with its interpretation vested with the community.[30]
[edit] Dasam Granth
Main article: Dasam Granth
A frontispiece to the Dasam Granth
The Dasam Granth (formally dasvēṁ pātśāh kī granth or The Book of the Tenth Master) is an eighteenth-century collection of poems by Gobind Singh. It was compiled in the shape of a book (granth) by Bhai Mani Singh some 13 to 26 years after Guru Gobind Singh Ji left this world for his heavenly abode.
From 1895 to 1897, different scholars and theologians assembled at the Akal Takht, Amritsar, to study the 32 printed Dasam Granths and prepare the authoritative version. They met at the Akal Takhat at Amritsar, and held formal discussions in a series of meetings between 13 June 1895 and 16 February 1896. A preliminary report entitled Report Sodhak (revision) Committee Dasam Patshah de Granth Sahib Di was sent to Sikh scholars and institutions, inviting their opinion. A second document, Report Dasam Granth di Sudhai Di was brought out on 11 February 1898. Basing its conclusions on a study of the old handwritten copies of the Dasam Granth preserved at Sri Takht Sahib at Patna and in other Sikh gurudwaras, this report affirmed that the Holy Volume was compiled at Anandpur Sahib in 1698[3] . Further re-examinations and reviews took place in 1931, under the aegis of the Darbar Sahib Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee. They, too, vindicated the earlier conclusion (agreeing that it was indeed the work of the Guru) and its findings have since been published.
[edit] Janamsakhis
Main article: Janamsākhīs
The Janamsākhīs (literally birth stories), are writings which profess to be biographies of Nanak. Although not scripture in the strictest sense, they provide an interesting look at Nanak's life and the early start of Sikhism. There are several—often contradictory and sometimes unreliable—Janamsākhīs and they are not held in the same regard as other sources of scriptural knowledge.
[edit] Observances
Observant Sikhs adhere to long-standing practices and traditions to strengthen and express their faith. The daily recitation from memory of specific passages from the Gurū Granth Sāhib, especially the Japu (or Japjī, literally chant) hymns is recommended immediately after rising and bathing. Family customs include both reading passages from the scripture and attending the gurdwara (also gurduārā, meaning the doorway to God; sometimes transliterated as gurudwara). There are many gurdwaras prominently constructed and maintained across India, as well as in almost every nation where Sikhs reside. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.
Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the temple, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads, and make an offering. The recitation of the eighteenth century ardās is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.[39]
The most sacred shrine is the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, famously known as the Golden Temple. Groups of Sikhs regularly visit and congregate at the Harimandir Sahib. On specific occasions, groups of Sikhs are permitted to undertake a pilgrimage to Sikh shrines in the province of Punjab in Pakistan, especially at Nankana Sahib and other Gurdwaras. Other places of interest to Sikhism in Pakistan includes the samādhī (place of cremation) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore.
[edit] Sikh festivals
Festivals in Sikhism mostly centre around the lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. The SGPC, the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the gurdwaras, organises celebrations based on the new Nanakshahi calendar. This calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Several festivals (Hola Mohalla, Diwali, and Nanak's birthday) continue to be celebrated using the Hindu calendar. Sikh festivals include the following:
* Gurpurabs are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh gurus. They tend to be either birthdays or celebrations of Sikh martyrdom. All ten Gurus have Gurpurabs on the Nanakshahi calendar, but it is Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh who have a gurpurab that is widely celebrated in Gurdwaras and Sikh homes. The martyrdoms are also known as a shaheedi Gurpurab, which mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur.
* Vaisakhi or Baisakhi normally occurs on 13 April and marks the beginning of the new spring year and the end of the harvest. Sikhs celebrate it because on Vaisakhi in 1699, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, laid down the Foundation of the Khalsa an Independent Sikh Identity.
* Bandi Chhor Divas or Diwali celebrates Hargobind's release from the Gwalior Fort, with several innocent Hindu kings who were also imprisoned by Jahangir, on 26 October, 1619.
* Hola Mohalla occurs the day after Holi and is when the Khalsa Panth gather at Anandpur and display their warrior skills, including fighting and riding.
[edit] Ceremonies and customs
The anand kāraj (Sikh marriage) ceremony
Nanak taught that rituals, religious ceremonies, or idol worship is of little use and Sikhs are discouraged from fasting or going on pilgrimages.[40] However, during the period of the later gurus, and owing to increased institutionalisation of the religion, some ceremonies and rites did arise. Sikhism is not a proselytizing religion and most Sikhs do not make active attempts to gain converts. However, converts to Sikhism are welcomed, although there is no formal conversion ceremony. The morning and evening prayers take about two hours a day, starting in the very early morning hours. The first morning prayer is Guru Nanak's Jap Ji. Jap, meaning "recitation", refers to the use of sound, as the best way of approaching the divine. Like combing hair, hearing and reciting the sacred word is used as a way to comb all negative thoughts out of the mind. The second morning prayer is Guru Gobind Singh's universal Jaap Sahib. The Guru addresses God as having no form, no country, and no religion but as the seed of seeds, sun of suns, and the song of songs. The Jaap Sahib asserts that God is the cause of conflict as well as peace, and of destruction as well as creation. Devotees learn that there is nothing outside of God's presence, nothing outside of God's control. Devout Sikhs are encouraged to begin the day with private meditations on the name of God.
Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sāhib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left-hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the middle name or surname Singh, and all girls are given the middle name or surname Kaur.[41] Sikhs are joined in wedlock through the anand kāraj ceremony. Sikhs are required to marry when they are of a sufficient age (child marriage is taboo), and without regard for the future spouse's caste or descent. The marriage ceremony is performed in the company of the Guru Granth Sāhib; around which the couple circles four times. After the ceremony is complete, the husband and wife are considered "a single soul in two bodies."[42]
According to Sikh religious rites, neither husband nor wife is permitted to divorce. A Sikh couple that wishes to divorce may be able to do so in a civil court—but this is not condoned.[43] Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, any means of disposing the body may be employed. The kīrtan sōhilā and ardās prayers are performed during the funeral ceremony (known as antim sanskār).[44]
[edit] Baptism and the Khalsa
A kaṛā, kaṅghā and kirpān.
Khalsa (meaning pure) is the name given by Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking ammrit in a ceremony called ammrit sañcār. The first time that this ceremony took place was on Vaisakhi, which fell on 29 March 1698/1699 at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was on that occasion that Gobind Singh baptised the Pañj Piārē who in turn baptised Gobind Singh himself.
Baptised Sikhs are bound to wear the Five Ks (in Punjabi known as pañj kakkē or pañj kakār), or articles of faith, at all times. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh, ordered these Five Ks to be worn so that a Sikh could actively use them to make a difference to their own and to others' spirituality. The 5 items are: kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā (small comb), kaṛā (circular iron bracelet), kirpān (dagger), and kacchā (special undergarment). The Five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.[45]
[edit] Sikh people
Main article: Sikh
Further information: Sikhism by country
Punjabi Sikh family from Punjab, India
Worldwide, there are 25.8 million Sikhs and approximately 75% of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they constitute about 60% of the state's population. Even though there are a large number of Sikhs in the world, certain countries have not recognised Sikhism as a major religion and Sikhism has no relation to Hinduism. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighboring states, and large communities of Sikhs can be found across India. However, Sikhs only make up about 2% of the Indian population.
In addition to social divisions, there is a misperception that there are a number of Sikh sectarian groups[clarification needed], such as Namdharis and Nirankaris. Nihangs tend to have little difference in practice and are considered the army of Sikhism. There is also a sect known as Udasi, founded by Sri Chand who were initially part of Sikhism but later developed into a monastic order.
Sikh Migration beginning from the 19th century led to the creation of significant communities in Canada (predominantly in Brampton, along with Malton in Ontario and Surrey in British Columbia), East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and more recently, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Western Europe. Smaller populations of Sikhs are found in Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iraq and many other countries
Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or (originally) as the Green Park Arch, is a Grade I-listed triumphal arch by Decimus Burton that forms a centrepiece of Hyde Park Corner in central London, between corners of Hyde Park and Green Park; it stands on a large traffic island with crossings for pedestrian access. From its construction (1826–1830) the arch stood in a different location nearby; it was moved to its current site in 1882–1883. It originally supported a colossal equestrian statue of the 1st Duke of Wellington by the sculptor Matthew Cotes Wyatt, acquiring its name as a result. Peace descending on the Quadriga of War by sculptor Adrian Jones, a bronze quadriga (an ancient four-horse chariot) ridden by the Goddess of Victory Nike, has surmounted the arch since 1912.
Both the Wellington Arch and Marble Arch (originally sited in front of Buckingham Palace) were planned in 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars. During the second half of the 1820s, the Commissioners of Woods and Forests and the King resolved that Hyde Park, and the area around it, should be renovated to match the splendour of rival European capital cities, and that the essence of the new arrangement would be a triumphal approach to the recently completed Buckingham Palace. The committee of the project, led by the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, and advised by Charles Arbuthnot, President of the Board of Commissioners of Woods and Forests, selected Decimus Burton as the project's architect. In 1828, when giving evidence to a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Government's spending on public works, Arbuthnot explained that he had nominated Burton "having seen in the Regent's Park, and elsewhere, works which pleased my eye, from their architectural beauty and correctness". Burton intended to create an urban space dedicated to the celebration of the House of Hanover, national pride, and the nation's heroes.
The renovation of Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James's Park began in 1825, with the demarcation of new drives and pathways, subsequent to which Burton designed new lodges and gates, viz. Cumberland Gate, Stanhope Gate, Grosvenor Gate, the Hyde Park Gate/Screen at Hyde Park Corner, and, later, the Prince of Wales's Gate, Knightsbridge, in the classical style. There were no authoritative precedents for such buildings, which required windows and chimney stacks, in the classical style, and, in the words of Guy Williams, "Burton's reticent treatment of the supernumerary features" and of the cast iron gates and railings was "greatly admired".
At Hyde Park Corner, the King required "some great ceremonial outwork that would be worthy of the new palace that lay to its rear", and accepted Burton's consequent proposal for a sequence comprising a gateway and a classical screen, and a triumphal arch, which would enable those approaching Buckingham Palace from the north to ride or drive first through the screen and then through the arch, before turning left to descend Constitution Hill and enter the forecourt of Buckingham Palace through Nash's Marble Arch. The screen became the neoclassical Hyde Park Gate/Screen at Hyde Park Corner, which delighted the King and his Committee, and which the architectural historian Guy Williams describes as "one of the most pleasing architectural works that have survived from the neo-classical age". The triumphal arch became the Wellington Arch at Constitution Hill into Green Park, London, which has been described as "one of London's best loved landmarks". Burton's original design for the triumphal arch, which was modelled on the Arch of Titus at Rome, on which the central and side blocks of the Screen had been modelled, was more technically perfect, and coherent with the Screen, than that of the arch that was subsequently built: this original design, however, was rejected by the Committee – who had envisaged a design based on the Arch of Constantine, on which Nash's Marble Arch had been modelled – because it was not sufficiently ostentatious. Burton created a new design, "to pander to the majestic ego", which was much larger and modelled on a fragment found in the Roman Forum, which was accepted on 14 January 1826, and subsequently built as the present Wellington Arch.
The arch has a single opening, and uses the Corinthian order. Much of the intended exterior ornamentation was omitted as a cost-saving exercise necessitated by the King's overspending on the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, which was underway at the same time. A contemporary account, written in anticipation of its completion to its original plan, describes what was intended:
The entabulature is lofty and elegant with a richly sculptured frieze, and a row of boldly projecting lions' heads on the cymatium, marking the centres of columns and other sub-divisions of the order. Above the entablature, on a lofty blocking course, is raised an attic, the body of which is embellished with a sculptural representation of an ancient triumph. On each of the columns is a statue of a warrior, and on the summit of the acroterium which surmounts the attic is a figure in a quadriga or ancient four horse chariot
SWAN LAKE
“Ballet is also a symphony”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
“The Ballet of ballets” - this is how the masterpiece of Piotr Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake is often referred to.
Since very few records concerning the first production of the work have survived, there can be only speculation about who was the author of the original libretto or the original idea of the ballet. The most authoritative theory claims Vladimir Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres during the time that the ballet was originally produced, to be the one, and Vasily Geltser, Premiere Danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre to be his co-author.
First production
In 1875 Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles, and began to choose artists that would participate in the creation of the ballet. The choreographer assigned to the production was the Czech Julius Reisinger (1827-1892), who had been engaged as Balletmaster to the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (today known as the Bolshoi Ballet) since 1873. Most of the Julius Reisinger 's previous work for the company had not been successful due to their mediocre quality.
Because of its music, Swan Lake proved to be the first of its kind - a ballet set to the score of a symphonic composer. Up to that point, and for some time afterwards, composers known as “specialists” - composers who were highly skilled at scoring the light, decorative, melodious, and rhythmically clear music that was at that time considered to be appropriate for ballet, - always wrote scores for ballets. Today, the most famous of these composers are the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Leon Minkus.
Tchaikovsky studied the music of these "specialists" before setting to work on Swan Lake in order to grasp the musical needs of ballet, and it is interesting to note that he had a rather negative opinion of their music until he studied it in detail. Tchaikovsky most admired the ballet music of such composers as Leo Delibes, Adolphe Adam, and later, Riccardo Drigo. It is interesting to mention also that Tchaikovsky re-used material from an opera that he had abandoned in 1868 - The Voyevoda - for Swan Lake.
By March of 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began.
Swan Lake (or The Lake of the Swans as it was called then) had its premiere on February 20, 1877. It was given as a benefit performance for the Ballerina Pelagia Karpakova, who created the role of Odette, with the Bolshoi Theatre's Premiere Danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. It is not known for certain whether or not Karpakova danced the part Odile, which is today almost always danced by the same Ballerina who dances Odette. The poster of the original production credits the role of Odette to Karpakova, while the character of Odile is listed with three asterisks. It is highly unlikely that Karpakova did not dance Odile, as it is known that she participated in the all of the dances associated with the character in the third act.
The premiere was not well received, with near unanimous criticism concerning the dancers, orchestra, and decor. Unfortunately Tchaikovsky's masterful score was lost in the debacle of the poor production, and though there were a few critics who recognized its virtues, most considered it to be far to complicated for ballet. In spite of the poor reaction to the premiere, the ballet nevertheless continued being performed.
Subsequent productions
Julius Reisinger left Moscow in 1879, and his successor as Balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. Hansen, to his credit, made considerable efforts in the late 1870s/early 1880s to salvage Swan Lake, and on January 13, 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. This production had far bigger success than the original, though it was by no means a great one. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on October 28, 1882, again with Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. This version of Swan Lake was given only four times, the final performance being on January 2, 1883, and soon the ballet was dropped from the repertory altogether.
In all, Swan Lake was given a total of forty-one performances between its premiere and the final performance of - a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon its premiere.
Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo edition of 1895
In the 1880s Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, commissioned Tchaikovsky several of his greatest works - the operas The Enchantress (1886), and The Queen of Spades (1890); in 1887 - score for Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet that would prove to be one of both Tchaikovsky and Petipa's greatest masterworks; immediately after The Sleeping Beauty, premiered on January 15, 1890, which became a great success, Vsevolozhsky commissioned a second score for a ballet and an opera from the composer - The Nutcracker and Iolanthe, which premiered together on a double bill on December 6, 1892.
Prior to commissioning Tchaikovsky to score The Sleeping Beauty, Vsevolozhsky had considered reviving one-act of Swan Lake for the 1886-1887 season. Though this production never materialized, Vsevolozhsky continued showing interest in Swan Lake, and he even designed costumes for a possible revival of the work that would be produced by Petipa (Vsevolozhsky was a talented costume designer, having designed the costumes for the first productions of both The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, as well as Raymonda, among many other ballets). Tchaikovsky was delighted at the prospect of Swan Lake being revived by Petipa, of whom he had the greatest respect, proclaiming that "never with anyone but Petipa would I produce ballets".
Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come close to realization.
Vsevolozhsky then planned a memorial concert to be given at the Mariinsky Theatre in honor of the composer, with the bill consisting of the first act of Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans, his overture from Romeo and Juliet, his Coronation Cantata, and the second scene of Swan Lake, in a staging by Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. Ivanov's choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.
The Ballerina who danced Odette was the Italian Pierina Legnani.
Soon after Legnani was named Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Imperial Ballet, and it was because of her great talent that a full revival of Swan Lake was soon planned for her benefit performance in the 1894-1895 season. Ivanov and Petipa chose to collaborate on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second scene while choreographing the fourth, and with Petipa staging the first and third scenes. Ivanov was also entrusted with staging the Neopolitan Dance and the Hungarian Dance in the Grand Divertessment of the third scene.
Tchaikovsky's brother Modest was called upon to make the required changes to the ballet's libretto, the most prominent being his revision of the ballet's finale - instead of the lovers simply drowning at the hand of the wicked Von Rothbart as in the original 1877 scenario, Odette commits suicide by drowning herself, with Prince Siegfried choosing to die as well, rather than live without her, and soon the lovers' spirits are reunited in an apotheosis. The most crucial changes were done to the music. Modest Tchaikovsky recommended that Riccardo Drigo, a celebrated composer in his own right and chief conductor of the Imperial Ballet and director of the Imperial Italian Opera, would revise Tchaikovsky's score. With instruction from Petipa and Ivanov Drigo set to work. All was ready by the beginning of 1895, and the ballet had its premiere on January 15. Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Von Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno.
It is M. Petipa and L. Ivanov legacy upon which all the subsequent productions and versions of Swan Lake draw.
Swan Lake in Tbilisi
In Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre the first performance of Swan Lake (second act) took place in 1907 and was presented by the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg on a benefit performance for Olga Preobrajenskaya. She Preobrajenskaya performed the role of Odette/Odile herself, and Pavel Kozlov danced the role of Siegfried.
In 1912 ensemble of dancers from the Imperial Ballet under leadership of Fedor Lopukhov performed the third and the forth acts of the ballet with Lubov Egorova and Sergei Andrianov in the main roles.
Michael Mordkin started staging a new production of Swan Lake for the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1922, but he emigrated from the Soviet Union soon, and the production was brought to a premiere by his student Igor Moiseev in 1923.
In 1928 the Italian choreographer R. Balanoti produced Swan Lake for the Georgian company again.
Two great Soviet dancers and balletmasters Vakhtang Chabukiani and Konstantin Sergeev staged their own acclaimed versions of Swan Lake in 1945 and 1975 accordingly.
New version of Swan Lake for the State Ballet of Georgia was created in 2005 by Alexei Fadeyechev, former star and former Artistic Director of the Bolshoi, son of one the greatest Siegfrieds of all times Nikolai Fadeyechev.
SWAN LAKE
“Ballet is also a symphony”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
“The Ballet of ballets” - this is how the masterpiece of Piotr Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake is often referred to.
Since very few records concerning the first production of the work have survived, there can be only speculation about who was the author of the original libretto or the original idea of the ballet. The most authoritative theory claims Vladimir Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres during the time that the ballet was originally produced, to be the one, and Vasily Geltser, Premiere Danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre to be his co-author.
First production
In 1875 Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles, and began to choose artists that would participate in the creation of the ballet. The choreographer assigned to the production was the Czech Julius Reisinger (1827-1892), who had been engaged as Balletmaster to the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (today known as the Bolshoi Ballet) since 1873. Most of the Julius Reisinger 's previous work for the company had not been successful due to their mediocre quality.
Because of its music, Swan Lake proved to be the first of its kind - a ballet set to the score of a symphonic composer. Up to that point, and for some time afterwards, composers known as “specialists” - composers who were highly skilled at scoring the light, decorative, melodious, and rhythmically clear music that was at that time considered to be appropriate for ballet, - always wrote scores for ballets. Today, the most famous of these composers are the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Leon Minkus.
Tchaikovsky studied the music of these "specialists" before setting to work on Swan Lake in order to grasp the musical needs of ballet, and it is interesting to note that he had a rather negative opinion of their music until he studied it in detail. Tchaikovsky most admired the ballet music of such composers as Leo Delibes, Adolphe Adam, and later, Riccardo Drigo. It is interesting to mention also that Tchaikovsky re-used material from an opera that he had abandoned in 1868 - The Voyevoda - for Swan Lake.
By March of 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began.
Swan Lake (or The Lake of the Swans as it was called then) had its premiere on February 20, 1877. It was given as a benefit performance for the Ballerina Pelagia Karpakova, who created the role of Odette, with the Bolshoi Theatre's Premiere Danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. It is not known for certain whether or not Karpakova danced the part Odile, which is today almost always danced by the same Ballerina who dances Odette. The poster of the original production credits the role of Odette to Karpakova, while the character of Odile is listed with three asterisks. It is highly unlikely that Karpakova did not dance Odile, as it is known that she participated in the all of the dances associated with the character in the third act.
The premiere was not well received, with near unanimous criticism concerning the dancers, orchestra, and decor. Unfortunately Tchaikovsky's masterful score was lost in the debacle of the poor production, and though there were a few critics who recognized its virtues, most considered it to be far to complicated for ballet. In spite of the poor reaction to the premiere, the ballet nevertheless continued being performed.
Subsequent productions
Julius Reisinger left Moscow in 1879, and his successor as Balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. Hansen, to his credit, made considerable efforts in the late 1870s/early 1880s to salvage Swan Lake, and on January 13, 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. This production had far bigger success than the original, though it was by no means a great one. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on October 28, 1882, again with Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. This version of Swan Lake was given only four times, the final performance being on January 2, 1883, and soon the ballet was dropped from the repertory altogether.
In all, Swan Lake was given a total of forty-one performances between its premiere and the final performance of - a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon its premiere.
Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo edition of 1895
In the 1880s Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, commissioned Tchaikovsky several of his greatest works - the operas The Enchantress (1886), and The Queen of Spades (1890); in 1887 - score for Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet that would prove to be one of both Tchaikovsky and Petipa's greatest masterworks; immediately after The Sleeping Beauty, premiered on January 15, 1890, which became a great success, Vsevolozhsky commissioned a second score for a ballet and an opera from the composer - The Nutcracker and Iolanthe, which premiered together on a double bill on December 6, 1892.
Prior to commissioning Tchaikovsky to score The Sleeping Beauty, Vsevolozhsky had considered reviving one-act of Swan Lake for the 1886-1887 season. Though this production never materialized, Vsevolozhsky continued showing interest in Swan Lake, and he even designed costumes for a possible revival of the work that would be produced by Petipa (Vsevolozhsky was a talented costume designer, having designed the costumes for the first productions of both The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, as well as Raymonda, among many other ballets). Tchaikovsky was delighted at the prospect of Swan Lake being revived by Petipa, of whom he had the greatest respect, proclaiming that "never with anyone but Petipa would I produce ballets".
Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come close to realization.
Vsevolozhsky then planned a memorial concert to be given at the Mariinsky Theatre in honor of the composer, with the bill consisting of the first act of Tchaikovsky's opera The Maid of Orleans, his overture from Romeo and Juliet, his Coronation Cantata, and the second scene of Swan Lake, in a staging by Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. Ivanov's choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.
The Ballerina who danced Odette was the Italian Pierina Legnani.
Soon after Legnani was named Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Imperial Ballet, and it was because of her great talent that a full revival of Swan Lake was soon planned for her benefit performance in the 1894-1895 season. Ivanov and Petipa chose to collaborate on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second scene while choreographing the fourth, and with Petipa staging the first and third scenes. Ivanov was also entrusted with staging the Neopolitan Dance and the Hungarian Dance in the Grand Divertessment of the third scene.
Tchaikovsky's brother Modest was called upon to make the required changes to the ballet's libretto, the most prominent being his revision of the ballet's finale - instead of the lovers simply drowning at the hand of the wicked Von Rothbart as in the original 1877 scenario, Odette commits suicide by drowning herself, with Prince Siegfried choosing to die as well, rather than live without her, and soon the lovers' spirits are reunited in an apotheosis. The most crucial changes were done to the music. Modest Tchaikovsky recommended that Riccardo Drigo, a celebrated composer in his own right and chief conductor of the Imperial Ballet and director of the Imperial Italian Opera, would revise Tchaikovsky's score. With instruction from Petipa and Ivanov Drigo set to work. All was ready by the beginning of 1895, and the ballet had its premiere on January 15. Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Von Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno.
It is M. Petipa and L. Ivanov legacy upon which all the subsequent productions and versions of Swan Lake draw.
Swan Lake in Tbilisi
In Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre the first performance of Swan Lake (second act) took place in 1907 and was presented by the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg on a benefit performance for Olga Preobrajenskaya. She Preobrajenskaya performed the role of Odette/Odile herself, and Pavel Kozlov danced the role of Siegfried.
In 1912 ensemble of dancers from the Imperial Ballet under leadership of Fedor Lopukhov performed the third and the forth acts of the ballet with Lubov Egorova and Sergei Andrianov in the main roles.
Michael Mordkin started staging a new production of Swan Lake for the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1922, but he emigrated from the Soviet Union soon, and the production was brought to a premiere by his student Igor Moiseev in 1923.
In 1928 the Italian choreographer R. Balanoti produced Swan Lake for the Georgian company again.
Two great Soviet dancers and balletmasters Vakhtang Chabukiani and Konstantin Sergeev staged their own acclaimed versions of Swan Lake in 1945 and 1975 accordingly.
New version of Swan Lake for the State Ballet of Georgia was created in 2005 by Alexei Fadeyechev, former star and former Artistic Director of the Bolshoi, son of one the greatest Siegfrieds of all times Nikolai Fadeyechev.
Darwin Jingili Water Gardens Day 1
Mangoes All in Bloom
COVID-19 2020 has shut down my travels.
So that now I'm on my annual mid-year break I have the time to question my actions. My employment is based on a formal strategy. High pressure and doing it.
COVID-19 has placed barriers onto my normality. The basis of this blog is questioning the 'just doing it' normality within the confines of COVID-19 restrictions. Understanding my actions within confinement - 'we cannot know things as they are in themselves' (Kant).
On this basis, I have dedicated part of my holiday getting to know myself getting to know Jingili Water Gardens. In short, thinking about my experiences experiencing Jingili Water Gardens.
My initial quandary is that I do not know if this blog is a response of being free to act within restrictions or is it a 'just do it' reaction imposed by confinement. In other words, is this aesthetic of my own freedom or is it that of an outcome derived by that of an authoritative decision?
If I walk around Jingili Gardens taking pictures of the beauty within without knowing why I am doing it, is this my free choice?
Do I have to question my actions to actualize my status of freedom? 'Just doing it' has a dilemma within - of not knowing but assuming freedom. I mean, not knowing whether I am free is itself the problem I want to think about.
In short, this blog is about simultaneously observing my thinking and my thoughts about my thinking.
But why am I doing this? Wouldn't it be easier just to smell the roses without thinking about it?
I have concurrently established a lifetime career as an educator whilst maintaining a fledgling attempt of creating art. My career as an educator is in its twilight years and I have a shortish window (of hope) to understand my actions of creating art. Neither career do I wish to be 'simply meaningless'.
COVID-19 and Jingili Water Gardens has become my first attempt to apply freedom to my actions.
Read more: www.jjfbbennett.com/2020/06/darwin-jingili-water-gardens-...
One-off sponsorship: www.paypal.me/bennettJJFB
PERSHING SQUARE/TITLE is a site-specific visual and sound installation by artist Renee Petropoulos. This project continues Renee Petropoulos' exploration of the relationship between the architectural and social culture of LA. The starting point for this project is the original function of the building which housed the Title Guarantee and Trust Co., a business comprised of holding the deeds to LA properties. The work consists of a series of audio commentaries by various voices (people) revealing their points of view on different LA locations. Both amateur and authoritative voices are included and the often poetic, emotional nature of the language of these perceptions reveals unexpected passions for the historic and the current elements of the city. Descriptions of hospital rooms, immigration offices, cinema locations and palatial pink factories serve to illuminate our cumulative and collective response to LA. The fusion of the public and private perceptions of the city furthers ideas about architecture, ownership and individual interior reflection.
The project will be in constant evolution reflecting a changing situation through both audio and visual encounters. The audio component of the interviews will be broadcast from the building being available at street level, and through your car radio (106.9fm) when traveling in the vicinity and via the PhantomGalleriesLA.com website, excerpts made of vinyl lettering, culled from the interviews will be added one sentence at a time on a weekly basis to the Title Guarantee Building Art Space Windows.
“PERSHING SQUARE/TITLE” at the Art Deco/ Zigzag Moderne LA Historic-Cultural Monument on Pershing Square, presents a compelling urban street experience of encountering diverse perspectives of LA. The Pershing Square area is central to Downtown LA’s extraordinary urban transformation as a vital place to work, live and visit. It is a resonant place to consider the issues raised by this public art work.
RENEE PETROPOULOS
“PERSHING SQUARE/TITLE”
Curated by Susan Horowitz- Independent Curator for Phantom Galleries LA
PERSHING SQUARE/ TITLE GUARANTEE BUILDING LOFTS
1929-31 JOHN & DONALD PARKINSON ARCHITECTS
CITY OF LA HISTORIC-CULTURAL MONUMENT- DESIGNATED 1984
411 West 5th Street Los Angeles, 90013
car radio (106.9 fm) when traveling in the vicinity
Exhibit runs: April 22- June 30, 2008.
Pedestrian viewing 24/7
PERSHING SQUARE/TITLE is a site-specific visual and sound installation by artist Renee Petropoulos. This project continues Renee Petropoulos' exploration of the relationship between the architectural and social culture of LA. The starting point for this project is the original function of the building which housed the Title Guarantee and Trust Co., a business comprised of holding the deeds to LA properties. The work consists of a series of audio commentaries by various voices (people) revealing their points of view on different LA locations. Both amateur and authoritative voices are included and the often poetic, emotional nature of the language of these perceptions reveals unexpected passions for the historic and the current elements of the city. Descriptions of hospital rooms, immigration offices, cinema locations and palatial pink factories serve to illuminate our cumulative and collective response to LA. The fusion of the public and private perceptions of the city furthers ideas about architecture, ownership and individual interior reflection.
The project will be in constant evolution reflecting a changing situation through both audio and visual encounters. The audio component of the interviews will be broadcast from the building being available at street level, and through your car radio (106.9fm) when traveling in the vicinity and via the PhantomGalleriesLA.com website, excerpts made of vinyl lettering, culled from the interviews will be added one sentence at a time on a weekly basis to the Title Guarantee Building Art Space Windows.
“PERSHING SQUARE/TITLE” at the Art Deco/ Zigzag Moderne LA Historic-Cultural Monument on Pershing Square, presents a compelling urban street experience of encountering diverse perspectives of LA. The Pershing Square area is central to Downtown LA’s extraordinary urban transformation as a vital place to work, live and visit. It is a resonant place to consider the issues raised by this public art work.
Media contact Phantom Galleries LA:
Liza Simone
213.626.2854
Liza@PhantomGalleriesLA.com
Upcoming Title Guarantee Building Art Space Exhibits:
July curated by Dangerous Curve DangerousCurve.org
August curated by LACDA lacda.com
September curated by Edgar Varela Fine Art EdgarVarelaFineArts.com
LA artist Renee Petropoulos has produced permanent public art here including her mural in the rotunda of the LA Central Library, installations in Culver City and the Metro Green Line in El Segundo. She has exhibited her work extensively and produced temporary and permanent installations internationally. Her recent 2007 exhibition, Social Arrangements, featured five related ongoing projects encompassing painting, sculpture and audio. She is represented here by the Rosamund Felsen Gallery (rosamundfelsen.com/petropoulos/index.php). and is currently a professor in the graduate division of the Otis College of Art and Design.
Susan Horowitz is an independent curator and artist. She is working with Phantom Galleries LA to curate exhibits that illuminate contemporary urban issues. Her photo/text art work focuses on an exploration of the complex relationship between the individual, nature, and architecture of the urban West. Her current exhibition LA CONTINUUM, a collaboration with Carol Bishop, is a collection of glimpses of the flux of urban land, development and architecture. Hennessey and Ingalls Art and Architecture Books in Santa Monica (hennesseyingalls.com).
WEBSITE - susanhorowitz-laprojects.com
Phantom Galleries LA is a Los Angeles County based organization that transforms properties in transition into 24/7 public art galleries. Each installation is a unique relationship between the participating Artist, Curator, and Property Owner. Exhibits are curated by local Arts Organizations, Galleries, Independent Curators, and Artists. The project gives local artists an opportunity to exhibit their work, while fostering economic development by drawing attention to available retail space. PGLA promotes the creative communities of Los Angeles to a broader audience and encourages the appreciation and participation in the arts among community members and organizations creating a win/ win situation that benefits the entire community as a whole. Art is a necessary part of everyday life.
Title Guarantee Building Lofts
While the exterior architecture has qualified the building for inclusion on the Nation Historic Register, the completely reconstructed interiors are perfect for today’s modern living. Experience the excitement of the new Downtown Los Angeles and live in a landmark. For further information about The Title Guarantee Building Lofts contact 213. 627.3939 or titleguaranteebuilding.com
For further information about this exhibit contact - susanhorowitzproject@mac.com
For further information about Phantom Galleries LA contact Liza@PhantomGalleriesLA.com www.PHANTOMGALLERIESLA.COM
INSTALLATION IMAGES + STREAMING AUDIO ON PHANTOMGALLERIESLA.com
Phantom Galleries LA is proud to announce their invitation to curate and oversee exhibits showcasing the Art and Culture of Downtown Los Angeles at the new Title Guarantee Building Public Art Window Space. Exhibits are curated by Downtown LA Arts Organizations, Galleries, Independent Curators, and Artists and/or focus on topics about Downtown Los Angeles.
I wish you a Häppy Chinese New Year!
The Chinese New Year of the Metal Rat begins on January 25. The rat, among the dragon and Monkey, are said to be intense and powerful individuals capable of great good, who make great leaders but are rather unpredictable. The three are said to be intelligent, magnanimous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent and artistic, but can be manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive, and deceitful. This year is the year of the metal rat; based on the Chinese zodiac, a metal person is controlling, ambitious, forceful, and set in their ways as metal is very strong. They are self-reliant and prefer to handle their problems alone. The metal person is also wise, business-oriented, and good at organization and stability
About this image: Over the winter holidays we went to my hometown Schuders in the Swiss Alps, located near Davos where the World Economic Forum is taking place. We caught a mouse alive in a cage in the morning on January 1st. We gave her some food before sending her off to a new journey in a forest far away from our house. This was our first good deed of the new year.
I processed a balanced, a paintery, and a photographic HDR photo from three RAW exposures, blended them selectively, and carefully adjusted the color balance and curves. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.
Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.
-- ƒ/7.1, 16 mm, 1/320 sec, ISO 100, Sony A6000, SEL-P1650, HDR, 3 RAW exposures, _DSC8627_8_9_hdr3bal1pai5pho1h.jpg
-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography
Universidad de Buenos Aires Centro de Estudios de Ejecución Penal (Center for Criminal Execution Studies) - CEEP.
And there they are again, the misplaced kangaroo.
The purpose of the CEEP is to promote academic studies, research and the training of specialists in law and to collaborate with projects aimed at adapting the functioning of the criminal execution system to the objectives of the Constitution and guaranteeing the validity of the human rights of people deprived of liberty.
It's a rather authoritative looking building.
D’emblée, le parcours de l’exposition nous confronte à la lumière divine ! La dimension mystique de la lumière traverse toute l’histoire de l’art occidental. Dans son travail, l’artiste marocain Mounir Fatmi s’attaque aux notions de dogmes et de pouvoir du religieux et du politique. Dans son installation intitulée Jusqu’à preuve du contraire, des versets de la sourate 24 du Coran, La Lumière, sont reproduits sur des tubes néons suspendus du plafond jusqu’au sol. Cette oeuvre est un piège que nous tend l’artiste. Pour signifier le caractère totalitaire de la religion. Le spectateur est forcé de se rapprocher des néons aveuglants pour lire les extraits de la sourate. Ceux-ci, d’autorité, sans que nous puissions rien y faire, vont se fixer un temps sur notre rétine. Ici, le piège fonctionne moyennement vu la lumière du jour dans la salle. On n’est pas vraiment aveuglé.
From the outset, the exhibition route confronts us with divine light! The mystical dimension of light runs through the history of Western art. In his work, Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi tackles notions of dogma and the power of religion and politics. In his installation entitled Until proven otherwise, verses from sura 24 of the Quran, The Light, are reproduced on neon tubes suspended from the ceiling to the floor. This work is a trap that the artist sets for us. To signify the totalitarian character of religion. The viewer is forced to move closer to the blinding neon lights to read the excerpts from the sura. These, authoritatively, without our being able to do anything about it, will fix themselves for a time on our retina. Here, the trap works moderately given the daylight in the room. We're not really blinded.
Clock Tower(Zytglogge).Bern .Canton of Bern, Switzerland. March 4 , 2009. No. 406.
Today it is one of Bern's most important sights. The ornate astronomical clock with its moving figures was built in 1530. It served as the city's main clock and thus had an authoritative function in Bern.
It was from there that travel times indicated on stone markers along the cantonal roads were measured. Standard units of length – formerly cubit and fathom, today meter and double meter – are displayed for the public in the arch of the gate.
Zeitglockenturm (Zytglogge)
Bim Zytglogge 1
3011 Bern
Below are a couple of Scripture verses I chose from the Bible to mark today's passing of Dr. Stephen Hawking, physicist extraordinaire and outspoken atheist.
Dr. Hawking always struck me as a kind and gentle soul who had an amazing mind and who many considered one of the greatest scientists of our time. He showed tremendous courage while struggling with a debilitating neurological disease for 49 years and he had a wicked sense of humour to top it all off. Yet regrettably, despite all this, Dr. Hawing's knowledge and understanding of God were sadly lacking.
Many admirers around the world today are taking to the public square to laud Stephen Hawking the man, and to celebrate his remarkable achievements, and rightly so. Many are also taking the opportunity to present him as an authoritative voice on the existence of God. And so, I felt it appropriate to add my own little contribution to the moment through the Bible verses below.
“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
Let not the strong man boast in his strength,
Let not the rich man boast in his riches;
But let him who boasts, boast in this,
That he knows and understands Me," says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
Proverbs 9:10
*** The image above is of the Andromeda Galaxy which I took in September 2017 at a site in Beckwith Township near Ottawa, Canada.
The Pantheon is the most preserved and authoritative building of ancient Rome. It is a temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome built by emperor Hadrian around 120 A.D. to replace an older Pantheon of 27 B.C., which burnt down in 80 A.D.
Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari (Arabic: محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردزبه البخاري), popularly known as Al-Bukhari (Arabic: البخاري) or Imam Bukhari (194/810—256/870), was a famous Sunni Islamic scholar of Persian ancestry. He was, perhaps, best known for authoring the hadith collection named Sahih Bukhari, a collection which Sunni Muslims regard as the most authentic of all hadith compilations and the most authoritative book after the Qur'an (source: wikipedia)
In the place of sacrifice here at Bronseplassen we have a stretcher of heaven and earth gods. Here she stands by Odin, behind her you see the god of fertility Frøy.
In Germanic paganism, a seeress is a woman said to have the ability to foretell future events and perform sorcery. They are also referred to with many other names meaning "prophetess", "staff bearer", "wise woman" and "sorceress", and they are frequently called witches or priestesses both in early sources and in modern scholarship.
They were an expression of the pre-Christian shamanic traditions of Europe, and they held an authoritative position in Germanic society. Mentions of Germanic seeresses occur as early as the Roman era, when, for example, they at times led armed resistance against Roman rule and acted as envoys to Rome. After the Roman Era, seeresses occur in records among the North Germanic people, where they form a reoccurring motif in Norse mythology. Both the classical and the Norse accounts imply that they used wands, and describe them as sitting on raised platforms during séances.
Excerpt from thisisfabrik.com:
Los Angeles-based artist Scott Froschauer has repurposed the visual language of the ubiquitous street sign and their authoritative voice into street art that toys with the viewer’s understanding and perception of public space and the role of art in it. By replacing the traditional controlling language on public street signs with positive life-affirming statements, The Word on The Street seeks to provide something that is missing from our hum-drum daily visual diet.
...Froschauer is hoping to engage and inspire city visitors and residents to see the world just a little bit brighter. The signs range in message and tone, but maintain the standard directional sign styles and shapes. Touching on positivity, curiosity and absurdity, the signs are evocative, supportive and whimsical, inspiring a smirk or smile to all those who view them.
Aiming to give viewers a positive yet momentary emotional lift, messaging in The Words on The Street are simple yet thought provoking, with self-love and compassion at the core of their statements. Froschauer hopes that people who see his signs start to expect extraordinary things in ordinary places more often, evoking greater imagination and positivity for everyone.
The most recent and authoritative dating places the larger cross from the early part of the 9th century, and the smaller from about the middle of that century.[4] Older theories, now outdated, included the view that they were erected to commemorate the conversion to Christianity of Peada of Mercia about 653.[5][6] Other sources date them to the 9th century.[1][2] The original site of the crosses is unknown and it is believed that they were brought to Sandbach in the Middle Ages.[2] The earliest documentary evidence is by William Smith, the Rouge-Dragon Pursuivant at Arms of Elizabeth I, who was from Nantwich. In 1585 he wrote 'two square crosses of stone, on steps, with certain images and writings thereon graven [standing] hard together.[7][8] Either after the Reformation or during the Civil War they were thrown down[2] and their parts were scattered over a wide area.[5] Larger pieces of the crosses were found as far away as Oulton and Tarporley while smaller pieces were found on various sites in Sandbach. In the early 19th century they were collected together and in 1816 were reassembled and erected under the direction of George Ormerod, the Cheshire historian.[4]
The crosses now consist of two upright columns set in sockets on a base of three stepped stones. The northern cross is the taller and has a mutilated head. The southern cross is truncated and has a mutilated head from a different cross.[2] The crosses have always been a pair and were carved by the same hand. They depict religious scenes, doll-like heads and beasts in panels, together with vine-scrolls, course interlace patterns and some dragons.
Thalia: The mashing does have a truly disturbing affect on the extremities, unless that is your own 'painterly' touching up. Reading bacon, ham or gammon might be a kind of auguristic activity, or is that tea-leaves?
Ruin: Those fatty tributaries are mesmerising, perhaps more dependable than tea-slops. Nope, it's all chance, that disturbance you have rightly referred to.
It's an original oil on canvas, a rumoured, unsigned, mid-career throwback F. Bacon (disputed).
De Selby mentioned it in his (now sadly lost) authoritative treatise: 'On Augury and Ham-fistedness' (1954-ish).
Yes, I can see that one of the side-effects of 'Parma Ham Divining' is that one can become ham-fisted. It seems to be becoming endemic too, if the evidence of A.I. is anything to go by.
I believe that it was the first recording (in what we call the 'Fine Arts') of three-fingeredness relative to ham-reading. I could, of course, be wrong.
Either way, It isn't over until the indeterminate-gender personage of corporeally-generous proportions ululates.
{Coming Soon: Reading a Full-Irish (with Blood Pudding) Breakfast}
Syria.
The Dead Cities are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Hama. They date back to before the fifth century B.C and contain many remains of Christian Byzantine architecture. Important dead cities include Qal'at Sim'an, Serjilla and al Bara. Chris Wickham, in the authoritative survey of the post-Roman world, Framing the Early Middle Ages(2006) argues that these were settlements of prosperous peasants which have few or no specifically urban features. The impressive remains of domestic architecture are the result of the prosperity of peasants who benefited from a strong international trade in olive oil at the end of Antiquity.
WIKIPEDIA INFO
Some 10 years of macro photography, concentrating mainly on butterflies, moths and their larvae, has finally been of use to Ivy Press and their publication of The Book of Caterpillars.
Butterflies and moths are among the most beautiful and most studied creatures in nature. Caterpillars, the juvenile stage, are just as diverse, alluring, and fascinating— and deserve to be admired and observed just as closely. Now, with The Book of Caterpillars, they can be. This taxonomic survey profiles 600 key species from around the world, with spectacular imagery and authoritative text. Each entry details the notable attributes of the species, uncovers their camouflage and forms, and describes the variety of the defences that they employ. Photographs show both a life-size view and a magnified close-up that reveals each caterpillar’s intricate structure.
Every entry also features a two-tone engraving of the adult specimen, emphasising the wing patterns and tones, as well as a population distribution map, and table of essential information.
I am delighted that Ivy Press has selected nearly 50 of my photographs to help illustrate the book.
I always loved coal tits, the underdog of any bird feeder, constantly bullied by other tit species. However, in the Scottish Highlands they were much more authoritative, always first to food and rarely pushed off by other species
The Great Tit’s smart plumage with a collar, black tie and a glossy black cap makes them look too official, too authoritative. And that bright yellow chest? Far too garish for the garden.Although male and female Great
Tits appear superficially similar in their
appearance, the males sport a broader black
stripe that extends down the chest and
belly, passing between and joining the base
of the legs. In females the stripe is reduced
in width and does not touch the base of the
legs. Additionally, the stripe often contains
some pale feathering in females, giving it a
more washed-out appearance.
Well out of range as the hybrid zone is well N & W from here. Taxonomy uncertain but authoritative online sources still treat C. cornix as a separate species
Oscoda, MI - This was a very cool find back in 2014. I remember loving the contrasting colors -- the odd shade of orange and vibrant blue of the sky. I loved the solid, authoritative lines of the shelter and how the crazy graffiti face threw it all off kilter OR into a state of perfect harmony. This was a photo I took while we were (on a whim) visiting the abandoned military base where my husband was stationed when he was a kid -- actually, he was an Air Force MP at age 18-19. Oddly, this photo appeared out of nowhere in my messages today. The artist who had painted the great face on the wall on the base in Oscoda had found the pic on my National Geographic account (an account I'm not on much and had almost deleted the other day), and then the artist found me and sent me a big thanks :) We had a nice little conversation about holding on to your creativity. Art stamped on a wall so long ago = a message in a bottle (still afloat in the waters). Enjoy! Life is wonderfully strange.
"In Freud’s vision of things we are, above all, ambivalent animals: wherever we hate, we love; wherever we love, we hate. If someone can satisfy us, they can also frustrate us; and if someone can frustrate us, we always believe that they can satisfy us. We criticize when we are frustrated — or when we are trying to describe our frustration, however obliquely — and praise when we are more satisfied, and vice versa. Ambivalence does not, in the Freudian story, mean mixed feelings, it means opposing feelings.
We may not be able to imagine a life in which we don’t spend a large amount of our time criticizing ourselves and others; but we should keep in mind the self-love that is always in play.
You can only understand anything that matters — dreams, neurotic symptoms, literature — by overinterpreting it; by seeing it from different aspects as the product of multiple impulses. Overinterpretation here means not settling for one interpretation, however apparently compelling it is. Indeed, the implication is — and here is Freud’s ongoing suspicion, or ambivalence, about psychoanalysis — that the more persuasive, the more compelling, the more authoritative, the interpretation is, the less credible it is, or should be. The interpretation might be the violent attempt to presume to set a limit where no limit can be set."
While exiting the refuge, our group came across this large rodent, the Agouti. This photo will always make me smile and shake my head, not because of the animal…because a lady shooshed me for talking just prior to taking this shot.
Now the back story…from the moment we got into the van to drive to the refuge, she was talking. A nice lady, there with her son and son-in-law from Alaska. She quickly identified herself as the person who knew everything, making grandiose, bloviate statements on just about everything…plants, animals…the color of the sky. Early in our adventure into the forest I was stuck behind her (due to the narrow trail) as she bent the ear of a very sweet lady who wouldn’t dream of swatting her away like a bug. Her need to talk, and her inability to talk and walk at a pace to keep up with our guide and the rest placed us way behind the rest. At my first passing opportunity, I hit my turbo button and passed them to the right. To use the term annoying would be an understatement for this lady.
I think we were on the trails looking for sloths, birds, reptiles and the like for about an hour and a half…she could never see anything that the guide or others pointed out, always announced loudly that she couldn’t see it, only to announce even louder when she did! Even when she had no idea what something was, she still had something to say to the group about it.
I’m not trying to be mean, just accurate. To be honest, I am sure that she got under my skin more than the others as I prefer to be in the wild seeing amazing new wildlife with loved ones, or alone.
As we entered the last 50 yards or so of the trail leading back to the parking lot, the Agouti was spotted. I was talking with my wife some 15-20 feet behind the group. They all stopped quickly and started looking to their left. As if on a sitcom, comedic que, she swung her entire upper torso in our direction and gave out a very authoritative, very loud, very rude SHOOSH!!!
I looked at my bride and jokingly asked “Did SHE just shoosh me???” and we both just shook our heads…not because of the shoosh itself, but the source of the intended correction! Shortly thereafter, a man, the husband of the previously mention trapped woman came over and made a remark about her and her annoying behavior the entire time. My response was simple…I just said “I’m just glad that I didn’t consider shooshing as an option or we might still be out there!”
Now that I have that off my chest…I feel better!!
Note, for scale of the size of the Agouti, there is a mosquito flying just above its head.
Taken on The Bogarin Trail, La Fortuna CR on 11 Jan, 2024.
Frankreich / Provence - Le Plan-de-la-Tour
Le Plan-de-la-Tour (French pronunciation: [lə plɑ̃ də la tuʁ]; Occitan: Lo Plan de la Torre, before 2008: Plan-de-la-Tour) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
The small, quiet community is today best known because Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis became part-time residents in 2001, when Depp bought a 37-acre estate, including an entire hameau (hamlet) of stone buildings built in 1812. Depp listed the estate for sale in 2015.
History
Isolated by its remoteness, the current Préconil valley (vallée du Préconil), formerly known as the Val d'Avignon, was almost completely uninhabited for a long time. In the 16th century, in this wide open area, a few agricultural, forestry and residential buildings began to appear close to sources of water which did not dry up during the long summer droughts. These houses gradually became hamlets, initially, the descendants of the same family.
One of these hamlets, Saint-Martin, the center of the current village, became the chief town of fact and law, the Commonwealth, which since the 16th century, has set itself on common locations. In Provence, in general, the limits of communes are those of former lordships. That is not the case of Plan de la Tour, which consists of three former districts under the Ancien Régime, different feudal units which appeared at the end of the 15th century, and where a population which, by geography places and its way of life, a sense of solidarity in the right to administer itself.
Most of this population has set in the upper valley or are the hamlets of Saint-Martin, Préconil, Vernet, Pennes, Pierrons. Prat-L'Estagnol, Valauri and Emponse. On the eve of the French Revolution, the inhabitants of these places, administratively attached to La Garde-Freinet, were remarkably structured and were "three masters in surgery and artisans of almost all species." The most authoritative chroniclers, at the time, write that the peasants of this district are laborious and bold, active for trade and religious.
The second part of the commune is made by the High Quartier de Saint-Pierre de Miramas and covers the hamlets of Prat-Bourdin, the Plan, Bagarri and Gassine. It is pegged at Sainte-Maxime and the hamlet of Revest that perpetuates the name of this stronghold deleted during the Revolution.
During the 18th century, these people formed a self-governing community itself. The crisis of emancipation behind it crystallized, under the officially Catholic state, around the thorny issue of the erection of a parish in St. Martin. This attempt failed. It was taken during the Revolution, and 11 July 1790 the active citizens of Saint-Martin Plan de la Tour meet in the Church and proclaimed independent of La Garde-Freinet. Historically, La Garde showed a fierce opposition to secession. An incident is significant climate in which the events took place. The decision taken by the executive board of Fréjus, to take an oath, in 1792 the vicar Pelloquin, serving the branch of Saint-Martin, the directors of the Guard argued that they had yet to receive the oath. What denied the people of Plan de la Tour. A bailiff was committed to signify the act. On his return, it was made known to him that "people rioted against the municipality of La Garde-Freinet and that representatives of the latter could not travel safely in Saint-Martin, to receive the oath of Abbot."
After many difficulties, the commune was officially established on 26 May 1792 by a decision of the executive board of Var serving in Brignoles. Paradoxically, it left outside its boundaries of the district Plan, which gave it its name and an integral part of Sainte-Maxime, and would not be attached later. Finally, the minutes of division and limitation of territory between the town of Plan de la Tour and La Garde-Freinet were established in 1796.
(Wikipedia)
Le Plan-de-la-Tour (bis 2008 Plan-de-la-Tour) ist eine französische Gemeinde mit 3068 Einwohnern (Stand 1. Januar 2022) im Département Var in der Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Sie gehört zum Kanton Sainte-Maxime im Arrondissement Draguignan.
Geografie
Le Plan-de-la-Tour liegt umgeben von bewaldeten Hügeln in einer fruchtbaren Ebene am Préconil und seinen Zuflüssen im Massif des Maures. Von hier aus erheben sich der Colle Dure auf 538 m und der Santpeire auf 412 m. Neben der Ortschaft Le Plan-de-la-Tour zählen weitere 24 Dörfer und Weiler zur Gemeinde. Von der auf einem Hügel gelegenen Ortschaft Valaury aus überblickt man das gesamte Flusstal.
Geschichte
Die Anfänge der Geschichte von Le Plan-de-la-Tour reichen in prähistorische Zeit zurück. Dolmen, (Dolmen von Saint-Sébastien), Menhire (Menhir von Pra-Bourdin) und Pfeilspitzen dokumentieren die Anwesenheit von Menschen während der jungsteinzeitlichen Megalithkultur und der Bronzezeit. Archäologische Funde belegen auch die Besiedelung in der keltisch-ligurischen und gallo-römischen Epoche.
Nach der sarazenischen Besiedelung im frühen Mittelalter beginnt die neuere Geschichte zwischen dem 10. und 12. Jahrhundert mit einem kleinen auf einem Hügel gelegenen Dorf, das als Castrum de Planaturris in den Quellen erscheint. Im 15. Jahrhundert zog sich die Bevölkerung auf der Flucht vor den wieder heranrückenden Sarazenen ins Hinterland zurück. Bald war die Gegend, die darüber hinaus unter Pestepidemien zu leiden hatte, fast vollständig von Menschen verlassen. Erst im 16. Jahrhundert siedelten sich wieder langsam Menschen in den Dörfern der Umgebung an. Zu Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts erscheint dann erstmals der heutige Name Plan de la Tour in den Urkunden.
Während der Französischen Revolution löste sich Plan-de-la-Tour von La Garde-Freinet und wurde 1792 zu einer selbständigen Gemeinde. Per Dekret vom 3. Oktober 2008 wurde die Gemeinde in Le Plan-de-la-Tour umbenannt.
Bevölkerung
Seit Anfang der 1960er Jahre kann Le Plan-de-la-Tour ein starkes Bevölkerungswachstum verzeichnen. Innerhalb von gut 40 Jahren verdreifachte sich die Bevölkerung von etwa 820 auf mehr als 2500 Einwohner.
Persönlichkeiten
Den Schriftsteller Jean Aicard (1848–1921) inspirierte Le Plan-de-la-Tour zu seinem Roman Maurin des Maures.
Vanessa Paradis (* 1972) besitzt ein Haus in Le Plan-de-la-Tour.
Städtepartnerschaft
Seit 1994 pflegt Le Plan-de-la-Tour eine Partnerschaft mit der italienischen Gemeinde Perosa Argentina im Piemont.
(Wikipedia)
Born in August.
"The month of August is governed by the all-powerful Sun and by the magnanimous sign of Leo.
Your solar sign reflects the dignified Sun's life force energy and classifies you as "The Life Giver".
During the day the Sun outshines all the other planets, giving you the option to reach fame, fortune, and power during the course of your life.
Naturally gifted, you are attracted to professions involving the arts, public life, medicine, research, management, and any endeavors that could offer you a chance to shine. Just as the Sun's rays penetrate the depths of the rainforest, you were born with the potential to bring and promote life to all that you touch. You have a lot to offer others and the world, providing you exercise control over your ego and authoritative nature.
The untamed King of the Jungle must positively direct and control the Sun's creative force without burning himself or others in the process. You are fixed and strongly motivated by the will to succeed. Strong and dominant, you nurture a formidable desire to organize and rule others.
Women born in August are stunning, intellectual, magnetic, and attract others with their enthusiastic solar power. Women born in August are protective and dedicated mothers.
The Sun rules life and you may nurture a subconscious fear of death and decay. But nature gives you a strong mind and a robust body."
By Dr. Louis Turi
In Germanic religion and Germanic mythology, a seeress is a woman said to have the ability to foretell future occurrences, and they were an expression of the pre-Christian shamanistic traditions of Northern Europe. Seeresses held an authoritative role in Germanic society and mentions of Germanic seeresses occur as early as the Roman era, where, for example, they at times played a role in rebellion under Roman rule and acted as envoys to Rome. After the Roman Era, seeresses occur in records among the North Germanic people, where they form a reoccurring motif in, for example, Norse mythology. Both the classical and the Norse accounts imply the use of wands and report them as sitting on raised platforms during the séance.
Russia. Teryaevo. Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery.
Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery is a monastery for men, located 17 km northeast of Volokolamsk, Moscow Oblast. In the 15th and 16th century, it rivaled the Trinity as the most authoritative and wealthy monastery in Russia. Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery was founded in 1479 by Joseph Volotsky. At the end of the 17th century, the monastery was reconstructed in the fashionable Naryshkin style. The bell tower the 1690s, was exploded by Soviet troops during their retreat in 1941, the year. The bell tower was so high that even went to a legend that on a clear day with her you could see Moscow.
During the filming of the movie "War and Peace" by Sergei Bondarchuk, decoration of Moscow was built around the monastery, consisting of 11 buildings, including a copy of the Sukharev tower 30 meters high. There were filming scenes entrance of the French army and the fire of Moscow.
Россия. Теряево. Иосифо-Волоцкий монастырь.
Иосифо-Волоколамский Успенский монастырь, Иосифово-Волоцкий монастырь — православный мужской ставропигиальный общежительный монастырь. Расположен в Волоколамском районе Московской области России в 16 км к северо-востоку от города Волоколамска, вблизи села Теряево. Монастырь основан в 1479 году преподобным Иосифом во имя Успения Божией Матери. Первый каменный собор построен в XV веке. На его месте сейчас находится соборный храм во имя Успения Божией Матери (1688—1696 годы), выстроенный в стиле московского барокко. Колокольня 1690-х годов, была взорвана советскими войсками при отступлении в 1941-м году. Колокольня была столь высока, что даже ходила легенда, будто в ясную погоду с неё можно было увидеть Москву.
Во время съёмок фильма "Война и мир" Сергея Бондарчука, около монастыря была построена декорация Москвы, состоящая из 11 зданий, в том числе копии Сухаревой башни высотой 30 метров. Здесь снимали сцены входа французов и пожара Москвы.
Carolus Clusius (1526-1609), great botanist and horticulturalist of the sixteenth century, was at a loss. What to call this flowering shrub? He'd seen it in the mountains of Pannonia (more or less today's Hungary and Austria) and was struck by its colors. He knew the white Polygala chamaebuxus, but on this specific beauty he waxes particularly eloquent in Chapter 72 ('ANώNYMOS COLUTEAE FLORE') of his Rariorum plantarum historia (1601). I paraphrase: two of its petals are of the most beautiful purple, and the third - something of a tube - is crowned by gold. I think, he continues, that no-one until now has described this elegant plant, and hence I'll call it 'ἀνώνυμος' (Anonymous), because I haven't been able to find it in older authoritative authors. Of course I hope others will find a name in the ancient authors so it won't have to be 'ἀνώνυμος' in perpetuity. And he adds that rustics - the country people - call it Wintergruen - Wintergreen - because it retains its green foliage in all seasons.
Today, of course, it's called Polygala chamaebuxus grandiflora or in English: Shrubby Milkwort.
You can tell who will win by looking into a runners eyes as a race goes along. You can see it in photographers as well. Many “so called” photographers pass off their opinions as if they were authoritative experts, they are not. Keep your eye on the finish line and learn from those photographers that a truly great. One great photographer is Graeme Williams - www.youtube.com/@PhotoConversations
Relief from KV 17, the Tomb of Sety I
Side chamber Jb of the burial chamber J, front (northwest) wall:
Ra in his solar barque; Amduat, beginning of the 6th hour, detail.
The gods depicted here are Wepwawet, Sia ("perception" or "creative thought"), "Mistress of the Barge" (Hathor), Ra, Horus-Hekenu, "Bull of Maat" (Thoth), Nehes (another name for Seth), Hu ("authoritative utterance") and "Steerman of the Barge" (a form of Horus).
(Thanks Jan for your outstanding description of the crew on the solar barque)
Mike and I went out last night - and I was reminded of all the many reasons I prefer to avoid humankind en masse. The occasion was a rawk show in a sit-down theatre, which I suppose is an awkward combination at the best of times.
We arrived just in time. The opening band, Band of Horses (a current big big fave of mine), came on stage just a few minutes after we settled into our seats. Too bad I didn't get many visuals: throughout the show, the aisles were clogged with late-arrivers being shown to their seats.
To which I say FUCK OFF. If it had been a two-act play, I'm pretty sure the powers that be would've locked the doors when the first act started, and only let the late-comers in at intermission. Why should a rawk band (and a very good one at that) get any less respect when they play in an equally formal setting?
Of course the stragglers included a couple of teenage girls who sat in front of us and found it absolutely necessary to text throughout the show. Which meant I had a super bright cell phone screen shining in my face for much of the night. So... yeah, I was grateful for the big hulking drunk guy who was in the seat next to me. His entrance had been less than impressive - jumping onto and then into his seat from the row behind us with a series of thuds and judders. But he quickly earned my thanks by tapping text girl #1 on the shoulder, saying, "Excuse me darlin' but there's no texting allowed in the theatre." I think his sheer mass scared her. Plus he had an English accent, which made him seem somehow more authoritative. So... yeah. As we waited for Beck to take the stage, I was thinking things might just get better.
Wrong. Oh, I was so so wrong.
First off, there was the biggg gal behind me. When others in her row had arrived to take their seats, she had flatly refused to move to let them through. "I'm not moving," she kept repeating, every time someone made motions to enter.
As soon as Beck started playing though... move she did. Oy vey. She was up and boogying her bulk in her seat right behind me - which meant I was getting boffed in the back of the head by godknowswhat - Her boobs? Her belly? Her bag? Her thighs? I had no idea. I could only register regular onslaughts of swinging flesh coming at me from behind.
And then drunk guy beside me reappeared - freshly re-liquored up. And absolutely would not leave me alone. He was determined to get me up dancing with him. When I refused (for the 18th time) he decided to settle for resting his giant fucking head on my shoulder and telling me how gorgeous I was.
I had already made a point of introducing him to Mike. As in, "This is my husband, Mike." Husband, dude. As in, "Please please please fuck off and stop annoying me." Honestly, I haven't felt that harrassed since back in the day when I was single.
The highlight of the night was Mike's merciful agreement to leave before the encore. When he said, "Wanna go?" I clapped and cheered harder than I had for Band of Horses.
On the way out, drunk guy (who was standing in the aisle) made one more pathetic run at me. And all I could do was shake my head.
I am definitely too old (or too impatient, or too something) to deal with all this rawk show crap. The texting teens and crazy dancers and drunk dudes can keep it. My idea of a perfect night out is what you see in the photo above - the moon, the ocean, my camera and a whole lotta still perfect solitude. (sigh)
My kind of magazine..."Librarians do it in the stacks by the book" - yes we do.
Flikr tools rock (as do Librarians).
The St. Ludgerus church in Essen Werden is valid as one of the most important Late-Romanesque church constructions in Rhineland. She originated at the beginning of the 9th century as a minster of the abbey becoming and was reshaped in the 13th century in the Romanesque style. Beyond the real church building there is the crypt with the shrine of the holy Ludgerus. Since abolition of the abbey Saint Ludgerus is a Catholic parish church. She carries the title of a Basilica minor since 1983.
In 1256 the abbey church burnt itself down between Peter's church and crypt, then the church was radically reshaped as a basilica with an eastern transept in the Romanesque style. One of the authoritative models was Saint Quirin in Neuss. The construction in becoming is valid as the last more considerably Romanesque construction in Rhineland. The construction of the Cologne Cathedral was begun at the same time already in the Gothic style.
The new building in 1275 was consecrated by Albertus Magnus.
The big crossing and tower which is also found by other Rhenish church constructions of the Romanesque is stamping. This as a 8-sided lantern explained tower stood in the crossing to the Gothic and stamps outwardly together with the tower-like Marien's church the external overall impression.
The width of the long house corresponded to the predecessor's construction. The aisles were widened a little bit. The interior with cross ribbed vault was increased by from two to four yokes. In the central nave included, became the central nave of the Peter's church. To the lighting a big Gothic window was broken in the west of the Peter's church in the up to now windowless west facade.
All together the central nave of the both to united churches showed now seven yokes. The aisles of the central nave and the choir in the area of the former abbey church are 2-storey. In the loft floor exist blind arcade with top curves. In the central nave rosette windows exist as illumination. In the 13th century a polygonaler choir with a sixth-hasty cross ribbed vault was added.
The second time was even easier. Yoko remembered me from last time, only balked for a second, preferring to have her picture taken once she'd done her hair and make-up.
Which is exactly what I didn't want.
Such a remedy is usually found by just getting close, telling one in a stern voice "just don't move" and taking the picture before the spell can be broken.
Worked like a charm.
People tend to respond, Pavlov-like, to simple authoritative commands. No matter how much they're griping, dropping the voice an octave and barking at them gives you at least a few seconds of exactly what you want.
Having a super crazy camera in hand don't hurt none, either. Polaroid = Mind Control Power.
D’emblée, le parcours de l’exposition nous confronte à la lumière divine ! La dimension mystique de la lumière traverse toute l’histoire de l’art occidental. Dans son travail, l’artiste marocain Mounir Fatmi s’attaque aux notions de dogmes et de pouvoir du religieux et du politique. Dans son installation intitulée Jusqu’à preuve du contraire, des versets de la sourate 24 du Coran, La Lumière, sont reproduits sur des tubes néons suspendus du plafond jusqu’au sol. Cette oeuvre est un piège que nous tend l’artiste. Pour signifier le caractère totalitaire de la religion. Le spectateur est forcé de se rapprocher des néons aveuglants pour lire les extraits de la sourate. Ceux-ci, d’autorité, sans que nous puissions rien y faire, vont se fixer un temps sur notre rétine. Ici, le piège fonctionne moyennement vu la lumière du jour dans la salle. On n’est pas vraiment aveuglé.
From the outset, the exhibition route confronts us with divine light! The mystical dimension of light runs through the history of Western art. In his work, Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi tackles notions of dogma and the power of religion and politics. In his installation entitled Until proven otherwise, verses from sura 24 of the Quran, The Light, are reproduced on neon tubes suspended from the ceiling to the floor. This work is a trap that the artist sets for us. To signify the totalitarian character of religion. The viewer is forced to move closer to the blinding neon lights to read the excerpts from the sura. These, authoritatively, without our being able to do anything about it, will fix themselves for a time on our retina. Here, the trap works moderately given the daylight in the room. We're not really blinded.
Frankreich / Provence - Le Plan-de-la-Tour
Le Plan-de-la-Tour (French pronunciation: [lə plɑ̃ də la tuʁ]; Occitan: Lo Plan de la Torre, before 2008: Plan-de-la-Tour) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
The small, quiet community is today best known because Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis became part-time residents in 2001, when Depp bought a 37-acre estate, including an entire hameau (hamlet) of stone buildings built in 1812. Depp listed the estate for sale in 2015.
History
Isolated by its remoteness, the current Préconil valley (vallée du Préconil), formerly known as the Val d'Avignon, was almost completely uninhabited for a long time. In the 16th century, in this wide open area, a few agricultural, forestry and residential buildings began to appear close to sources of water which did not dry up during the long summer droughts. These houses gradually became hamlets, initially, the descendants of the same family.
One of these hamlets, Saint-Martin, the center of the current village, became the chief town of fact and law, the Commonwealth, which since the 16th century, has set itself on common locations. In Provence, in general, the limits of communes are those of former lordships. That is not the case of Plan de la Tour, which consists of three former districts under the Ancien Régime, different feudal units which appeared at the end of the 15th century, and where a population which, by geography places and its way of life, a sense of solidarity in the right to administer itself.
Most of this population has set in the upper valley or are the hamlets of Saint-Martin, Préconil, Vernet, Pennes, Pierrons. Prat-L'Estagnol, Valauri and Emponse. On the eve of the French Revolution, the inhabitants of these places, administratively attached to La Garde-Freinet, were remarkably structured and were "three masters in surgery and artisans of almost all species." The most authoritative chroniclers, at the time, write that the peasants of this district are laborious and bold, active for trade and religious.
The second part of the commune is made by the High Quartier de Saint-Pierre de Miramas and covers the hamlets of Prat-Bourdin, the Plan, Bagarri and Gassine. It is pegged at Sainte-Maxime and the hamlet of Revest that perpetuates the name of this stronghold deleted during the Revolution.
During the 18th century, these people formed a self-governing community itself. The crisis of emancipation behind it crystallized, under the officially Catholic state, around the thorny issue of the erection of a parish in St. Martin. This attempt failed. It was taken during the Revolution, and 11 July 1790 the active citizens of Saint-Martin Plan de la Tour meet in the Church and proclaimed independent of La Garde-Freinet. Historically, La Garde showed a fierce opposition to secession. An incident is significant climate in which the events took place. The decision taken by the executive board of Fréjus, to take an oath, in 1792 the vicar Pelloquin, serving the branch of Saint-Martin, the directors of the Guard argued that they had yet to receive the oath. What denied the people of Plan de la Tour. A bailiff was committed to signify the act. On his return, it was made known to him that "people rioted against the municipality of La Garde-Freinet and that representatives of the latter could not travel safely in Saint-Martin, to receive the oath of Abbot."
After many difficulties, the commune was officially established on 26 May 1792 by a decision of the executive board of Var serving in Brignoles. Paradoxically, it left outside its boundaries of the district Plan, which gave it its name and an integral part of Sainte-Maxime, and would not be attached later. Finally, the minutes of division and limitation of territory between the town of Plan de la Tour and La Garde-Freinet were established in 1796.
(Wikipedia)
Le Plan-de-la-Tour (bis 2008 Plan-de-la-Tour) ist eine französische Gemeinde mit 3068 Einwohnern (Stand 1. Januar 2022) im Département Var in der Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Sie gehört zum Kanton Sainte-Maxime im Arrondissement Draguignan.
Geografie
Le Plan-de-la-Tour liegt umgeben von bewaldeten Hügeln in einer fruchtbaren Ebene am Préconil und seinen Zuflüssen im Massif des Maures. Von hier aus erheben sich der Colle Dure auf 538 m und der Santpeire auf 412 m. Neben der Ortschaft Le Plan-de-la-Tour zählen weitere 24 Dörfer und Weiler zur Gemeinde. Von der auf einem Hügel gelegenen Ortschaft Valaury aus überblickt man das gesamte Flusstal.
Geschichte
Die Anfänge der Geschichte von Le Plan-de-la-Tour reichen in prähistorische Zeit zurück. Dolmen, (Dolmen von Saint-Sébastien), Menhire (Menhir von Pra-Bourdin) und Pfeilspitzen dokumentieren die Anwesenheit von Menschen während der jungsteinzeitlichen Megalithkultur und der Bronzezeit. Archäologische Funde belegen auch die Besiedelung in der keltisch-ligurischen und gallo-römischen Epoche.
Nach der sarazenischen Besiedelung im frühen Mittelalter beginnt die neuere Geschichte zwischen dem 10. und 12. Jahrhundert mit einem kleinen auf einem Hügel gelegenen Dorf, das als Castrum de Planaturris in den Quellen erscheint. Im 15. Jahrhundert zog sich die Bevölkerung auf der Flucht vor den wieder heranrückenden Sarazenen ins Hinterland zurück. Bald war die Gegend, die darüber hinaus unter Pestepidemien zu leiden hatte, fast vollständig von Menschen verlassen. Erst im 16. Jahrhundert siedelten sich wieder langsam Menschen in den Dörfern der Umgebung an. Zu Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts erscheint dann erstmals der heutige Name Plan de la Tour in den Urkunden.
Während der Französischen Revolution löste sich Plan-de-la-Tour von La Garde-Freinet und wurde 1792 zu einer selbständigen Gemeinde. Per Dekret vom 3. Oktober 2008 wurde die Gemeinde in Le Plan-de-la-Tour umbenannt.
Bevölkerung
Seit Anfang der 1960er Jahre kann Le Plan-de-la-Tour ein starkes Bevölkerungswachstum verzeichnen. Innerhalb von gut 40 Jahren verdreifachte sich die Bevölkerung von etwa 820 auf mehr als 2500 Einwohner.
Persönlichkeiten
Den Schriftsteller Jean Aicard (1848–1921) inspirierte Le Plan-de-la-Tour zu seinem Roman Maurin des Maures.
Vanessa Paradis (* 1972) besitzt ein Haus in Le Plan-de-la-Tour.
Städtepartnerschaft
Seit 1994 pflegt Le Plan-de-la-Tour eine Partnerschaft mit der italienischen Gemeinde Perosa Argentina im Piemont.
(Wikipedia)
He is wearing Javanese traditional wear. Traditional clothing in Central Java itself has a characteristic that lies in the type of fabric, motifs, and colors.
The Headgear is called "Blankon" the form of a blankon is rigid, neat, and cool when used, same as the philosophy of Blankon that a man must have strong, calm, authoritative thoughts and remain wise.
La Citroën DS è un'autovettura di fascia alta prodotta dal 1955 al 1975 dalla casa automobilistica francese Citroën. Presentata al salone dell'automobile di Parigi del 1955, la DS ha annoverato fin dalla sua nascita innovazioni tecnologiche che rimasero attuali sino al termine della sua produzione. Nonostante siano passati molti anni dalla loro uscita di scena, queste vetture continuano ad essere celebrate e ricordate da moltissimi appassionati in tutto il mondo.
La stampa odierna ha riconosciuto la DS come una delle auto più influenti nell'evoluzione tecnico-stilistica dell'automobile: nel 2003 un concorso popolare statunitense piazzò la DS al 3º posto tra le auto più rivoluzionarie della storia, dietro alla Ford T e alla Mini, mentre altre autorevoli fonti hanno riconosciuto la DS come una delle auto più affascinanti mai prodotte (da Wikipedia).
L' esemplare qui fotografato si trova al Museo del Volo "Volandia" vicino a Varese (il museo comprende anche una esposizione di auto)
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The Citroën DS is a high-end car produced from 1955 to 1975 by the French car manufacturer Citroën. Presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1955, DS has counted since its birth technological innovations that remained current until the end of its production. Although many years have passed since their departure, these cars continue to be celebrated and remembered by many fans around the world. Today's press has recognized the DS as one of the most influential cars in the automobile's technical-stylistic evolution: in 2003 a US popular competition placed the DS in 3rd place among the most revolutionary cars in history, behind the Ford T and the Mini , while other authoritative sources have recognized the DS as one of the most fascinating cars ever produced (from Wikipedia)
The car here photographed is in the Museum of the Flight "Volandia" near Varese town, Italy (the museum also includes a car exhibition)
since kris finally fixed the ancient top that i initially agreed to fix for great grandma snowdeal but never really got around to actually fixing ( as if that's a new story ), odin was able to learn about the finer points of the gryoscopic effect. which is a very fun effect, indeed. and much easier to teach than, say, ficticious forces.
maybe that's why tops are one of the oldest recognizable toys found on archaeological sites. at least according to the Always Authoritative ( read: sarcasm ) wikipedia. i have no idea how old this top is, but it's ooooooooooooooold ( read: humor directed at one of odin's grandparents who likely played with the top as a youngster ). probably circa the late 1950's? or early '60's?