certainty photos on Flickr

The story of this image is something quite common on safari. One sighting leading to another leading to something amazing, ending in something serene. It's just the way of the world, and life in the wild. A moment by moment adventure. No certainty, no sta by Chris Fischer

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. by whileseated

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From "Certainty Principle" an exhibition of photography, video, and installation by Michael David Murphy. Sept. 23rd, 2010 through Oct. 30th, 2010 at Spruill Gallery in Atlanta.

michaeldavidmurphy.com

HIgh Tides O'Clock series by Marco Gaggio

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High tide is a mathematical certainty

6 hours goes up, 6 hours goes down

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More high tides on The Guardian

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View more photos at on my Blog or on my Instagram

"courage to live through this hour..." by Sharon Tate Soberon

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Saturday Sunset...

Prayer Immediately after Death II...

Lord, God you are attentive to the voice of our pleading.

Let us find in your Son comfort in our sadness,

certainty in our doubt, and courage to live through this hour.

Make our faith strong through Christ our Lord.

AMEN

lastwordeulogies.com/Prayers-for-the-Deceased.html#CP32

File name - DSC_2483 Sat Sunset NR ClSE

Bloggers are welcome to use my artwork, please let me know in the comment section below and link back to my images. Images available for purchase, please Direct Message me if an image is not yet uploaded to FAA or RB.

Art4TheGlryOfGod Photography by Sharon

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2011 1129 National Museum Malaysia (66)-V2.0-SM-TXT by SportsPhotog71

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PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON "YOUR PHOTOSTREAM" ON THE RIGHT.

To view my "Photo By Russell Kwock" Bay Area Sports Time Machine photo gallery, go here:

www.flickr.com/photos/golfbumsf/sets/72157628794754707/

No. xxx

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PART 1 OF 2 : HOMO SAPIEN DIASPORA - ASIA

(PART 2 IS FORTHCOMING...)

Who :

What : Perak Man (SE Asia's oldest nearly complete homo sapien skeleton)

And see Niah Cave towards the bottom...

(While in Flickr, click directly on the pic to enlarge it. Click on it a second time to bring it back to the small size.)

Let me preface this post. I currently live in Southeast Asia. Way back in time, much of this area was called Sundaland (or Sundaland Landmass). Sundaland used to be a large landmass that was contiguous with the Asian Continent. At the end of the last ice age, about 18,000 - 20,000 years ago, much of Sundaland got submerged as the glacial ice melted and ocean levels rose. Not only did much land get submerged, but we can say, with a degree of certainty, that many anthropological artifacts about early homo sapien existence in the area got submerged along with it. Supposedly, as the water rose, the locals in peninsular Malaysia moved more inland and found shelter in caves.

As far as Out of Africa, this was part of the Great Coastal Migration Route (Africa - India - Sundaland (i.e., Southeast Asia) - etc). A part of India got submerged too. When we think of coastlines, we typically think of them where they are today instead of where they were before the ocean levels rose. Today's Gulf of Thailand wasn't even a body of water back then. Good bye fossil records.

I must share with you my experience on this subject. Nobody in North America or SE Asia debates me on this. There is not much if anything to debate. The only skepticism I get is slight and momentarily from people from North America. Otherwise, we are all good.

(Do your homework to find out where the coastlines used to be.)

More on SE Asia:

Niah Cave (Borneo, Malaysia):

archaeology.about.com/od/nterms/qt/niah_cave.htm

'Deep Skull'

"The Niah Cave Complex is located on the north side of the island of Borneo, inland from the South China Sea some 12 kilometers, and within the Niah National Park."

"Excavated between 1954 and 1967 by Tom and Barbara Harrisson, the site included the discovery of the 'Deep Skull', an anatomically modern human skull directly dated to approximately 42,000 years ago and buried some 1.6 meters below the modern surface."

"The level with which the 'Deep Skull' is associated has been definitively dated to ca 40-44,000 years ago, making it the oldest established presence of anatomically modern humans outside of Africa."

amazingniah.blogspot.com/2012/12/interesting-facts-about-...

"The oldest human remains in Southeast Asia along with many other relics of prehistoric man were discovered in the Great Niah Cave!"

www.abc.net.au/science/slab/niahcave/history.htm

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www.cavesofmalaysia.com/newspage2.htm

Other human remains from Asia:

"In China, the partial skeleton from Tianyuandong, northern China, is dated to ~ 40 ka, as is the partial cranium from Laibin, southern China. So these are comparable to the Niah skull."

Tianyuan man:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianyuan_man

Tianyuan man (Chinese: t 田園洞人, s 田园洞人, p Tiányuándòng Rén) are the remains of one of the earliest modern humans to inhabit eastern Asia. In 2007, researchers found 34 bone fragments belonging to a single individual at the Tianyuan Cave near Beijing, China.[1] Radiocarbon dating shows the bones to be between 42,000 and 39,000 years old, which may be slightly younger than the only other finds of bones of a similar age at the Niah Caves in Sarawak on Borneo.

He was DNA-tested in 2013 (haplogroup B), which revealed that he has ancestral relation "to many present-day Asians and Native Americans", "but had already diverged genetically from the ancestors of present-day Europeans".

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437904/

"A partial cranium from Laibin, southern China and the young adult Niah 1 cranium (the “Deep Skull”) from Sarawak ((Malaysia) are likely of similar age, although a U-series age estimate on the Niah 1 cranium suggests a slightly younger date."

www.tamupress.com/product/Early-Modern-Human-from-Tianyua...

journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone...

"Dongzhi Man" China's latest ancient human fossil find:

(This is another homo erectus.. the other being Peking Man.)

news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-11/20/c_134838032.htm

"The skull is between 150,000 and 412,000 or more years old, Liu said, adding that further analysis will be done to determine its exact age...Previous homo erectus skulls discovered in China since 1926 are either deformed or "with no face, but only cranium," explained Liu."

Homo erectus:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_erectus

"Homo erectus (meaning "upright man", from the Latin ērigere, "to put up, set upright") is an extinct species of hominid that lived throughout most of the Pleistocene geological epoch. Its earliest fossil evidence dates to 1.9 million years ago and the most recent to 70,000 years ago. It is generally thought that H. erectus originated in Africa and spread from there, migrating throughout Eurasia as far as Georgia, India, Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia.[1][2] But other scientists posit that the species rose first, or separately, in Asia."

SE Asia including Laos:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437904/

"Uncertainties surround the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in East and Southeast Asia. Although genetic and archeological data indicate a rapid migration out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka, mainland Southeast Asia is notable for its absence of fossil evidence for early modern human occupation. Here we report on a modern human cranium from Tam Pa Ling, Laos, which was recovered from a secure stratigraphic context."

Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka

www.pnas.org/content/109/36/14375.long

"Uncertainties surround the timing of modern human emergence and occupation in East and Southeast Asia. Although genetic and archeological data indicate a rapid migration out of Africa and into Southeast Asia by at least 60 ka, mainland Southeast Asia is notable for its absence of fossil evidence for early modern human occupation. Here we report on a modern human cranium from Tam Pa Ling, Laos, which was recovered from a secure stratigraphic context."

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Indonesia:

www.techtimes.com/articles/145911/20160331/homo-floresien...

Homo floresiensis:

Hobbits on Flores, Indonesia, Video...

humanorigins.si.edu/multimedia/videos/hobbits-flores-indo...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis

"The species was thought to have survived on Flores at least until 12,000 years before present, making it the longest lasting known non-Homo Sapiens human (unless the Red Deer Cave people belonged to its own species), surviving long past the Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis), which became extinct between 39,000 and 41,000 years ago.[45] although the latest research puts the date of Homo floresiensis back to 50,000 years ago"

Homo floresiensis:

humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-f...

Are Homo Floresiensis Living in the Jungles of South East Asia DOCUMENTARY | Asia Documentaries:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXWSZL9YA04&ebc=ANyPxKrVViKtT...

Hobbits in Flores Island | STUNNING Discovery NEW Species of Human | Documentary English Subtitles:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVRg5nb0YaA

At 38:36, Homo Floresiensis vs Lucy...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_floresiensis

"The specimens were discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003 by a joint Australian-Indonesian team of archaeologists looking for evidence of the original human migration of Homo sapiens from Asia to Australia. They were not expecting to find a new species, and were surprised at the recovery of a nearly complete skeleton of a hominin they dubbed LB1 because it was unearthed inside the Liang Bua Cave."

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Japan / Okinawa:

World's oldest fish-hooks found on Okinawa, Japan

Hooks, approximately 23,000 years old, were made from the shells of sea snails and found in Sakitari cave on island

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/18/worlds-oldest-fish-...

"Humans are believed to have moved offshore to Okinawa and its sister islands about 50,000 years ago, but much of the history of their adaptation to life there and the evolution of maritime technology is unknown."

edition.cnn.com/2016/09/19/asia/japan-okinawa-worlds-olde...

This pre-dates Mongoloids.

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Neanderthals 'mated with modern humans':

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/323657.stm

"The Iberian peninsula is an area where there was a significant overlap in time and space between Neanderthal and modern man. They could have coexisted for as long as 10,000 years," he said.

Neanderthal:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal

"They were closely related to modern humans, having DNA over 99.5% the same."

"The Neanderthal genome project published papers in 2010 and 2014 stating that Neanderthals contributed to the DNA of modern humans, including most non-Africans as well as a few African populations, through interbreeding, likely between 50,000 to 60,000 years ago."

Neanderthal... subspecies of Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaic_human_admixture_with_modern...

Archaic human admixture with modern humans

Iberian Peninsula:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Peninsula

Ancient DNA and Neanderthals:

humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-nea...

"Using this mtDNA information, the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans dates to approximately 550,000 to 690,000 years ago, which is about four times older than the modern human mtDNA pool. This is consistent with the idea that Neanderthals did not contribute substantially to modern human genome.

A second mtDNA sequence, announced in 2000, was derived from a 29,000 year old Neanderthal found in Mezmaiskaya Cave, Russia (Ovchinnikov et al. 2000). Although the Mezmaiskaya Cave sequence was slightly different than the Feldhofer Neanderthal, the two Neanderthal mtDNA sequences were distinct from those of modern humans. These results confirmed the earlier findings that showed that Neanderthals were unlikely to have contributed to the modern human genome. As with the previous study of Neanderthal mtDNA, results were consistent with separation between the Neanderthal and modern human gene pools or with very low amounts of gene flow between the two groups.

Further mtDNA sequences confirmed sequence differences between Neanderthals and modern humans. Researchers compared Neanderthal mtDNA to that of modern humans from different geographic regions. If Neanderthals had interbred with modern humans in Europe, then researchers would have expected to find more similarities between Neanderthals and Europeans than between Neanderthals and other modern humans. However, Neanderthals were equidistant from modern human groups, which is consistent with genetic separation between modern humans and Neanderthals. However, this does not explicitly disprove admixture because interregional gene flow between modern humans could have swamped the Neanderthal contribution to Europeans (Relethford 2001)."

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Papua New Guinea

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea

"Archaeological evidence indicates that humans first arrived in Papua New Guinea around 42,000 to 45,000 years ago.

Agriculture was independently developed in the New Guinea highlands around 7000 BC, making it one of the few areas in the world where people independently domesticated plants...

A major migration of *** Austronesian *** speaking peoples to coastal regions of New Guinea took place around 500 BC. This has been correlated with the introduction of pottery, pigs, and certain fishing techniques."

Papua New Guinea shares a border with Indonesia...and note Australia's proximity to Southeast Asia.

www.google.co.th/maps/place/Papua+New+Guinea/@-4.2618022,...

and...

newint.org/blog/2013/10/17/png-maternal-infant-health/

www.mapsofworld.com/papua-new-guinea/papua-new-guinea-loc...

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It's too bad they don't teach you this in school. How about an Asian Studies course, if it's not already there? Maybe not in my lifetime.

I conclude with the following word: "blasian".

(For those of you in Asia who are not familiar with the western term "blasian", it refers to people who are racially mixed with Black and Mongoloid.)

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Where : Muzium Negara, National Museum of the Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

When : November 29, 2011

Event :

Photographer : Russell Kwock / Top Gun Shooter at Photo By Russell Kwock Photography

www.facebook.com/russell.kwock

Image Source : Russell

Scanned By : Russell

Contributor : Russell

Russ-Pedia Notes : Copyright Russell Kwock

Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS

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"Photo By Russell Kwock"

*** San Francisco Bay Area Sports Photographer ***

Since 1971...

All photographs and videos are

COPYRIGHT RUSSELL KWOCK

More 35mm black/white sports pics from my photo vault will be added to Flickr...check back...

Oct. 2012 New: "Thailand - Asia Photo Blog"

www.flickr.com/photos/golfbumsf/sets/72157631862809626/

Updated: 2018 0131

No Certainty .. Only Opportunity .. by Ayham Ktait

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santo domingo de guzman by Remmick John Rodriguez

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Founder of the Order of Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order; born at Calaroga, in Old Castile, c. 1170; died 6 August, 1221. His parents, Felix Guzman and Joanna of Aza, undoubtedly belonged to the nobility of Spain, though probably neither was connected with the reigning house of Castile, as some of the saint's biographers assert. Of Felix Guzman, personally, little is known, except that he was in every sense the worthy head of a family of saints. To nobility of blood Joanna of Aza added a nobility of soul which so enshrined her in the popular veneration that in 1828 she was solemnly beatified by Leo XII. The example of such parents was not without its effect upon their children. Not only Saint Dominic but also his brothers, Antonio and Manes, were distinguished for their extraordinary sanctity. Antonio, the eldest, became a secular priest and, having distributed his patrimony to the poor, entered a hospital where he spent his life ministering to the sick. Manes, following in the footsteps of Dominic, became a Friar Preacher, and was beatified by Gregory XVI.

The birth and infancy of the saint were attended by many marvels forecasting his heroic sanctity and great achievements in the cause of religion. From his seventh to his fourteenth year he pursued his elementary studies under the tutelage of his maternal uncle, the archpriest of Gumiel d'Izan, not far distant from Calaroga. In 1184 Saint Dominic entered the University of Palencia. Here he remained for ten years prosecuting his studies with such ardour and success that throughout the ephemeral existence of that institution he was held up to the admiration of its scholars as all that a student should be. Amid the frivolities and dissipations of a university city, the life of the future saint was characterized by seriousness of purpose and an austerity of manner which singled him out as one from whom great things might be expected in the future. But more than once he proved that under this austere exterior he carried a heart as tender as a woman's. On one occasion he sold his books, annotated with his own hand, to relieve the starving poor of Palencia. His biographer and contemporary, Bartholomew of Trent, states that twice he tried to sell himself into slavery to obtain money for the liberation of those who were held in captivity by the Moors. These facts are worthy of mention in view of the cynical and saturnine character which some non-Catholic writers have endeavoured to foist upon one of the most charitable of men. Concerning the date of his ordination his biographers are silent; nor is there anything from which that date can be inferred with any degree of certainty. According to the deposition of Brother Stephen, Prior Provincial of Lombardy, given in the process of canonization, Dominic was still a student at Palencia when Don Martin de Bazan, the Bishop of Osma, called him to membership in the cathedral chapter for the purpose of assisting in its reform. The bishop realized the importance to his plan of reform of having constantly before his canons the example of one of Dominic's eminent holiness. Nor was he disappointed in the result. In recognition of the part he had taken in converting its members into canons regular, Dominic was appointed sub-prior of the reformed chapter. On the accession of Don Diego d'Azevedo to the Bishopric of Osma in 1201, Dominic became superior of the chapter with the title of prior. As a canon of Osma, he spent nine years of his life hidden in God and rapt in contemplation, scarcely passing beyond the confines of the chapter house.

In 1203 Alfonso IX, King of Castile, deputed the Bishop of Osma to demand from the Lord of the Marches, presumably a Danish prince, the hand of his daughter on behalf of the king's son, Prince Ferdinand. For his companion on this embassy Don Diego chose Saint Dominic. Passing through Toulouse in the pursuit of their mission, they beheld with amazement and sorrow the work of spiritual ruin wrought by the Albigensian heresy. It was in the contemplation of this scene that Dominic first conceived the idea of founding an order for the purpose of combating heresy and spreading the light of the Gospel by preaching to the ends of the then known world. Their mission having ended successfully, Diego and Dominic were dispatched on a second embassy, accompanied by a splendid retinue, to escort the betrothed princess to Castile. This mission, however, was brought to a sudden close by the death of the young woman in question. The two ecclesiastics were now free to go where they would, and they set out for Rome, arriving there towards the end of 1204. The purpose of this was to enable Diego to resign his bishopric that he might devote himself to the conversion of unbelievers in distant lands. Innocent III, however, refused to approve this project, and instead sent the bishop and his companion to Languedoc to join forces with the Cistercians, to whom he had entrusted the crusade against the Albigenses. The scene that confronted them on their arrival in Languedoc was by no means an encouraging one. The Cistercians, on account of their worldly manner of living, had made little or no headway against the Albigenses. They had entered upon their work with considerable pomp, attended by a brilliant retinue, and well provided with the comforts of life. To this display of worldliness the leaders of the heretics opposed a rigid asceticism which commanded the respect and admiration of their followers. Diego and Dominic quickly saw that the failure of the Cistercian apostolate was due to the monks' indulgent habits, and finally prevailed upon them to adopt a more austere manner of life. The result was at once apparent in a greatly increased number of converts. Theological disputations played a prominent part in the propaganda of the heretics. Dominic and his companion, therefore, lost no time in engaging their opponents in this kind of theological exposition. Whenever the opportunity offered, they accepted the gage of battle. The thorough training that the saint had received at Palencia now proved of inestimable value to him in his encounters with the heretics. Unable to refute his arguments or counteract the influence of his preaching, they visited their hatred upon him by means of repeated insults and threats of physical violence. With Prouille for his head-quarters, he laboured by turns in Fanjeaux, Montpellier, Servian, Béziers, and Carcassonne. Early in his apostolate around Prouille the saint realized the necessity of an institution that would protect the women of that country from the influence of the heretics. Many of them had already embraced Albigensianism and were its most active propagandists. These women erected convents, to which the children of the Catholic nobility were often sent—for want of something better—to receive an education, and, in effect, if not on purpose, to be tainted with the spirit of heresy. It was needful, too, that women converted from heresy should be safeguarded against the evil influence of their own homes. To supply these deficiencies, Saint Dominic, with the permission of Foulques, Bishop of Toulouse, established a convent at Prouille in 1206. To this community, and afterwards to that of Saint Sixtus, at Rome, he gave the rule and constitutions which have ever since guided the nuns of the Second Order of Saint Dominic.

The year 1208 opens a new epoch in the eventful life of the founder. On 15 January of that year Pierre de Castelnau, one of the Cistercian legates, was assassinated. This abominable crime precipitated the crusade under Simon de Montfort, which led to the temporary subjugation of the heretics. Saint Dominic participated in the stirring scenes that followed, but always on the side of mercy, wielding the arms of the spirit while others wrought death and desolation with the sword. Some historians assert that during the sack of Béziers, Dominic appeared in the streets of that city, cross in hand, interceding for the lives of the women and children, the aged and the infirm. This testimony, however, is based upon documents which Touron regards as certainly apocryphal. The testimony of the most reliable historians tends to prove that the saint was neither in the city nor in its vicinity when Béziers was sacked by the crusaders. We find him generally during this period following the Catholic army, reviving religion and reconciling heretics in the cities that had capitulated to, or had been taken by, the victorious de Montfort. It was probably 1 September, 1209, that Saint Dominic first came in contact with Simon de Montfort and formed with him that intimate friendship which was to last till the death of the brave crusader under the walls of Toulouse (25 June, 1218). We find him by the side of de Montfort at the siege of Lavaur in 1211, and again in 1212, at the capture of La Penne d'Ajen. In the latter part of 1212 he was at Pamiers labouring, at the invitation of de Montfort, for the restoration of religion and morality. Lastly, just before the battle of Muret, 12 September, 1213, the saint is again found in the council that preceded the battle. During the progress of the conflict, he knelt before the altar in the church of Saint-Jacques, praying for the triumph of the Catholic arms. So remarkable was the victory of the crusaders at Muret that Simon de Montfort regarded it as altogether miraculous, and piously attributed it to the prayers of Saint Dominic. In gratitude to God for this decisive victory, the crusader erected a chapel in the church of Saint-Jacques, which he dedicated, it is said, to Our Lady of the Rosary. It would appear, therefore, that the devotion of the Rosary, which tradition says was revealed to Saint Dominic, had come into general use about this time. To this period, too, has been ascribed the foundation of the Inquisition by Saint Dominic, and his appointment as the first Inquisitor. As both these much controverted questions will receive special treatment elsewhere in this work, it will suffice for our present purpose to note that the Inquisition was in operation in 1198, or seven years before the saint took part in the apostolate in Languedoc, and while he was still an obscure canon regular at Osma. If he was for a certain time identified with the operations of the Inquisition, it was only in the capacity of a theologian passing upon the orthodoxy of the accused. Whatever influence he may have had with the judges of that much maligned institution was always employed on the side of mercy and forbearance, as witness the classic case of Ponce Roger.

In the meantime, the saint's increasing reputation for heroic sanctity, apostolic zeal, and profound learning caused him to be much sought after as a candidate for various bishoprics. Three distinct efforts were made to raise him to the episcopate. In July, 1212, the chapter of Béziers chose him for their bishop. Again, the canons of Saint-Lizier wished him to succeed Garcias de l'Orte as Bishop of Comminges. Lastly, in 1215 an effort was made by Garcias de l'Orte himself, who had been transferred from Comminges to Auch, to make him Bishop of Navarre. But Saint Dominic absolutely refused all episcopal honours, saying that he would rather take flight in the night, with nothing but his staff, than accept the episcopate. From Muret Dominic returned to Carcassonne, where he resumed his preaching with unqualified success. It was not until 1214 that he returned to Toulouse. In the meantime the influence of his preaching and the eminent holiness of his life had drawn around him a little band of devoted disciples eager to follow wherever he might lead. Saint Dominic had never for a moment forgotten his purpose, formed eleven years before, of founding a religious order to combat heresy and propagate religious truth. The time now seemed opportune for the realization of his plan. With the approval of Bishop Foulques of Toulouse, he began the organization of his little band of followers. That Dominic and his companions might possess a fixed source of revenue Foulques made him chaplain of Fanjeaux and in July, 1215, canonically established the community as a religious congregation of his diocese, whose mission was the propagation of true doctrine and good morals, and the extirpation of heresy. During this same year Pierre Seilan, a wealthy citizen of Toulouse, who had placed himself under the direction of Saint Dominic, put at their disposal his own commodious dwelling. In this way the first convent of the Order of Preachers was founded on 25 April, 1215. But they dwelt here only a year when Foulques established them in the church of Saints Romanus. Though the little community had proved amply the need of its mission and the efficiency of its service to the Church, it was far from satisfying the full purpose of its founder. It was at best but a diocesan congregation, and Saint Dominic had dreamed of a world-order that would carry its apostolate to the ends of the earth. But, unknown to the saint, events were shaping themselves for the realization of his hopes. In November, 1215, an ecumenical council was to meet at Rome "to deliberate on the improvement of morals, the extinction of heresy, and the strengthening of the faith". This was identically the mission Saint Dominic had determined on for his order. With the Bishop of Toulouse, he was present at the deliberations of this council. From the very first session it seemed that events conspired to bring his plans to a successful issue. The council bitterly arraigned the bishops for their neglect of preaching. In canon X they were directed to delegate capable men to preach the word of God to the people. Under these circumstances, it would reasonably appear that Dominic's request for confirmation of an order designed to carry out the mandates of the council would be joyfully granted. But while the council was anxious that these reforms should be put into effect as speedily as possible, it was at the same time opposed to the institution of any new religious orders, and had legislated to that effect in no uncertain terms. Moreover, preaching had always been looked upon as primarily a function of the episcopate. To bestow this office on an unknown and untried body of simple priests seemed too original and too bold in its conception to appeal to the conservative prelates who influenced the deliberations of the council. When, therefore, his petition for the approbation of his infant institute was refused, it could not have been wholly unexpected by Saint Dominic.

Returning to Languedoc at the close of the council in December, 1215, the founder gathered about him his little band of followers and informed them of the wish of the council that there should be no new rules for religious orders. Thereupon they adopted the ancient rule of Saint Augustine, which, on account of its generality, would easily lend itself to any form they might wish to give it. This done, Saint Dominic again appeared before the pope in the month of August, 1216, and again solicited the confirmation of his order. This time he was received more favourably, and on 22 December, 1216, the Bull of confirmation was issued.

Saint Dominic spent the following Lent preaching in various churches in Rome, and before the pope and the papal court. It was at this time that he received the office and title of Master of the Sacred Palace, or Pope's Theologian, as it is more commonly called. This office has been held uninterruptedly by members of the order from the founder's time to the present day. On 15 August, 1217, he gathered the brethren about him at Prouille to deliberate on the affairs of the order. He had determined upon the heroic plan of dispersing his little band of seventeen unformed followers over all Europe. The result proved the wisdom of an act which, to the eye of human prudence at least, seemed little short of suicidal. To facilitate the spread of the order, Honorius III, on 11 Feb., 1218, addressed a Bull to all archbishops, bishops, abbots, and priors, requesting their favour on behalf of the Order of Preachers. By another Bull, dated 3 Dec., 1218, Honorius III bestowed upon the order the church of Saint Sixtus in Rome. Here, amid the tombs of the Appian Way, was founded the first monastery of the order in Rome. Shortly after taking possession of Saint Sixtus, at the invitation of Honorius, Saint Dominic began the somewhat difficult task of restoring the pristine observance of religious discipline among the various Roman communities of women. In a comparatively short time the work was accomplished, to the great satisfaction of the pope. His own career at the University of Palencia, and the practical use to which he had put it in his encounters with the Albigenses, as well as his keen appreciation of the needs of the time, convinced the saint that to ensure the highest efficiency of the work of the apostolate, his followers should be afforded the best educational advantages obtainable. It was for this reason that on the dispersal of the brethren at Prouille he dispatched Matthew of France and two companions to Paris. A foundation was made in the vicinity of the university, and the friars took possession in October, 1217. Matthew of France was appointed superior, and Michael de Fabra was placed in charge of the studies with the title of Lecturer. On 6 August of the following year, Jean de Barastre, dean of Saint-Quentin and professor of theology, bestowed on the community the hospice of Saint-Jaques, which he had built for his own use. Having effected a foundation at the University of Paris, Saint Dominic next determined upon a settlement at the University of Bologna. Bertrand of Garrigua, who had been summoned from Paris, and John of Navarre, set out from Rome, with letters from Pope Honorius, to make the desired foundation. On their arrival at Bologna, the church of Santa Maria della Mascarella was placed at their disposal. So rapidly did the Roman community of Saint Sixtus grow that the need of more commodious quarters soon became urgent. Honorius, who seemed to delight in supplying every need of the order and furthering its interests to the utmost of his power, met the emergency by bestowing on Saint Dominic the basilica of Santa Sabina.

Towards the end of 1218, having appointed Reginald of Orléans his vicar in Italy, the saint, accompanied by several of his brethren, set out for Spain. Bologna, Prouille, Toulouse, and Fanjeaux were visited on the way. From Prouille two of the brethren were sent to establish a convent at Lyons. Segovia was reached just before Christmas. In February of the following year he founded the first monastery of the order in Spain. Turning southward, he established a convent for women at Madrid, similar to the one at Prouille. It is quite probable that on this journey he personally presided over the erection of a convent in connexion with his alma mater, the University of Palencia. At the invitation of the Bishop of Barcelona, a house of the order was established in that city. Again bending his steps towards Rome he recrossed the Pyrenees and visited the foundations at Toulouse and Paris. During his stay in the latter place he caused houses to be erected at Limoges, Metz, Reims, Poitiers, and Orléans, which in a short time became centres of Dominican activity. From Paris he directed his course towards Italy, arriving in Bologna in July, 1219. Here he devoted several months to the religious formation of the brethren he found awaiting him, and then, as at Prouille, dispersed them over Italy. Among the foundations made at this time were those at Bergamo, Asti, Verona, Florence, Brescia, and Faenza. From Bologna he went to Viterbo. His arrival at the papal court was the signal for the showering of new favours on the order. Notable among these marks of esteem were many complimentary letters addressed by Honorius to all those who had assisted the Fathers in their vinous foundations. In March of this same year Honorius, through his representatives, bestowed upon the order the church of San Eustorgio in Milan. At the same time a foundation at Viterbo was authorized. On his return to Rome, towards the end of 1219, Dominic sent out letters to all the convents announcing the first general chapter of the order, to be held at Bologna on the feast of the following Pentecost. Shortly before, Honorius III, by a special Brief, had conferred upon the founder the title of Master General, which till then he had held only by tacit consent. At the very first session of the chapter in the following spring the saint startled his brethren by offering his resignation as master general. It is needless to say the resignation was not accepted and the founder remained at the head of the institute till the end of his life.

Soon after the close of the chapter of Bologna, Honorius III addressed letters to the abbeys and priories of San Vittorio, Sillia, Mansu, Floria, Vallombrosa, and Aquila, ordering that several of their religious be deputed to begin, under the leadership of Saint Dominic, a preaching crusade in Lombardy, where heresy had developed alarming proportions. For some reason or other the plans of the pope were never realized. The promised support failing, Dominic, with a little band of his own brethren, threw himself into the field, and, as the event proved, spent himself in an effort to bring back the heretics to their allegiance to the Church. It is said that 100,000 unbelievers were converted by the preaching and the miracles of the saint. According to Lacordaire and others, it was during his preaching in Lombardy that the saint instituted the Militia of Jesus Christ, or the third order, as it is commonly called, consisting of men and women living in the world, to protect the rights and property of the Church. Towards the end of 1221 Saint Dominic returned to Rome for the sixth and last time. Here he received many new and valuable concessions for the order. In January, February, and March of 1221 three consecutive Bulls were issued commending the order to all the prelates of the Church. The thirtieth of May, 1221, found him again at Bologna presiding over the second general chapter of the order. At the close of the chapter he set out for Venice to visit Cardinal Ugolino, to whom he was especially indebted for many substantial acts of kindness. He had scarcely returned to Bologna when a fatal illness attacked him. He died after three weeks of sickness, the many trials of which he bore with heroic patience. In a Bull dated at Spoleto, 13 July, 1234, Gregory IX made his cult obligatory throughout the Church.

The life of St. Dominic was one of tireless effort in the, service of God. While he journeyed from place to place he prayed and preached almost uninterruptedly. His penances were of such a nature as to cause the brethren, who accidentally discovered them, to fear the effect upon his life. While his charity was boundless he never permitted it to interfere with the stern sense of duty that guided every action of his life. If he abominated heresy and laboured untiringly for its extirpation it was because he loved truth and loved the souls of those among whom he laboured. He never failed to distinguish between sin and the sinner. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, if this athlete of Christ, who had conquered himself before attempting the reformation of others, was more than once chosen to show forth the power of God. The failure of the fire at Fanjeaux to consume the dissertation he had employed against the heretics, and which was thrice thrown into the flames; the raising to life of Napoleone Orsini; the appearance of the annals in the refectory of Saint Sixtus in response to his prayers, are but a few of the supernatural happenings by which God was pleased to attest the eminent holiness of His servant. We are not surprised, therefore, that, after signing the Bull of canonization on 13 July, 1234, Gregory IX declared that he no more doubted the saintliness of Saint Dominic than he did that of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

HIgh Tides O'Clock series by Marco Gaggio

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High tide is a mathematical certainty

6 hours goes up, 6 hours goes down

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More high tides on The Guardian

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View more photos at on my Blog or on my Instagram

Those Empty Seats Hold Countless Memories by Jeff Soderquist

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Camera: Zero 2000 Pinhole

Film: Kodak Portra 400

Exposure Time: 12 seconds

Location: Safeco Field – Seattle, Washington

Series: Baseball: In Words and Pictures

My First Major League Baseball Game -

The exact details of the first Major League Baseball game I ever attended are a bit fuzzy. I know for sure it took place in the Kingdome and featured the hometown Mariners, but the exact year, how old I was, opposing team, and final score are a bit of a mystery. Without much certainty I’ve always thought we played the Boston Red Sox losing 6-3, the year probably being somewhere between 1987 and 1989, which would mean I was 5 to 7 years old.

Truth is those details don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. For any young boy or girl attending their first major sporting even, the action on the field of play is hardly what matters most, as they most likely to busy soaking in the buzz of activity going on in and around the stadium itself to notice. This certainly was true for my brother and I the first time our father treated us to a Mariners game.

At the time my knowledge of baseball was minimal at best, sure I played tee ball, watched my older brother’s baseball games, and collected baseball cards with my little brother but I really didn’t know much about Major League Baseball. I can remember my parents telling us they planned to take us to a baseball game, almost immediately I began envisioning what it might be like based on pictures I had seen printed on my baseball cards, and in the newspaper, as well as the few rare times I saw it on television. Needless to say I was beaming with excitement.

When I think back on the day itself, trying to replay it in my mind I find it interesting what I do and don’t remember. Absent are those things that one usually associates with going to a baseball game, the smell of the concessions, the crack of the bat, or the echoing voice of the stadium announcer. Yet I vividly remember details which had nothing to do with the actual game itself, like my mother having a cold and staying home, my father parking far from the stadium to avoid paying a fee resulting in a long walk and surly a complaint or two by yours truly, and my brother collecting coins tossed about the stands by teenagers sitting near us.

Among all the memories for that first baseball game, one thing does stick out the most, just how massive a baseball stadium really was. I have read stories and heard people wax poetically of the first time they stepped foot in some of baseball’s most hallowed grounds, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, the now defunct Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds, and Tigers Stadium to name a few; temples of brick and steel with a beautiful expansive grass field located within densely populated urban cities. For many, these stadiums where seen as oasis from the hectic world beyond their walls, and they loved them dearly for it.

The Kingdome of course lacked most, if not all of these qualities, yet that did not stop it from having a profound affect on me. Never before had I set foot in such an enormous building, there was nothing I could compare to it’s long cavernous like corridors and seemingly endless rows of seats, which extended upwards towards the ceiling. I suppose it helped that at the time I had no idea better ballparks existed, and thus my love for the Kingdome was unchallenged. Furthermore it didn’t matter that the product the Mariner’s put out on the field was less than adequate, because as I stated above I barely remember anything about the game itself, for me it was all about the building.

My love for baseball has only grown since that fateful day. I’ve been to countless games since in a handful of stadiums all much nicer than the Kingdome, but nothing will ever replace that first time. Seattle has long since bid farewell to the Kingdome, replacing it with the beautifully designed Safeco Field; but I still miss the old Dome sometimes, and will always remember it fondly. I look forward to taking my kids to their first game at The Safe, sitting in the warm summer sun looking out on the Seattle skyline, and telling them about the old characterless concrete box where I used to watch baseball as a kid.

September 2009 by Nelonie Crelencia

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1. 12/52: Up The Bokeh Hill, 2. GOD, Let Me Fall Again And Not Hurt..., 3. 11/52: Bass Lines And Heartbeats, 4. 10/52: It Rained On Her Birthday Today, 5. 09/52: Photos and an Invitation, 6. "China and the United States are different in their stages of development, national conditions and historic footprints...", 7. "We cannot predict with certainty what the future will bring, but we can be certain about the issues that will define our times.", 8. 07/52: Tousle Me, Please... (photo featured in eXaminer),

9. Did You Miss Me, Flickr?, 10. 04/52: The Photographic Writer, 11. Above Descanso, 12. 03/52: Goodnight, Flickr!, 13. A Flower For MJ, 14. For You, Dad..., 15. 02/52: I Don't Ask Why, 16. Two And Two,

17. To Walk Away . . . Blue..., 18. Home Is Where My Summer Is, 19. La Jolla Cove, 20. 1/52: Painted With Flowers, 21. Dip It, Baby., 22. She Speaks Flowers, 23. Textured Bicycle, 24. So, forget the bad economy. Let's all be happy we're alive! And believe - "There's a light that hangs from heaven.",

25. Let's Stop The World, 26. A Couple Of Bokeh, 27. "In the garden, my soul is sunshine.", 28. "A child's smile is one of life's greatest blessings.", 29. Grauman's Against Blue, 30. Just Title Me, Please... =), 31. Glowing In Gray, 32. Domesticated,

33. Towards The Sun, 34. That Bicycle, 35. "I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.", 36. When people think you're smart, you're not supposed to make any mistake. If you do, it's carelessness and unacceptable. I think this is unfair. You're just smart, not perfect!, 37. Artist In Frustration, 38. They say, "Time flies when you're having fun." But I stay young when I play with my little one., 39. "A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend.", 40. Bokehlicious Sophiakeh,

41. Mother To Her Child, 42. Bokehful Abstraction, 43. Kids - Hows many times will they have to get sick before they turn into healthy grown-ups?, 44. Taxi Stop, 45. Nothing comes purer than a kiss from a child's lips to her mother's. It is the sweetest bonding, a reconnection after birth., 46. Word Play On Staples Center, 47. "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.", 48. "Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with vision is making a positive difference.",

49. Cinc-flu de Mayo, 50. Magic Above The Blue, 51. My Bokeh Moon Has Risen, 52. Rose Among The Flowers, 53. "Do not judge or you, too, will be judged...", 54. Mary Rose on Matrix Star, 55. We Let The Light Through, 56. Bokeh Illumination,

57. She's (NOT) Egg-Ok! :), 58. "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness...", 59. My Little Pink Polka Dot Riding Hood, 60. "Where flowers bloom so does hope.", 61. "You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning.", 62. "This solitary Tree!", 63. Chill'a At The Villa, 64. Purple Reigns,

65. Celestial Toy, 66. It's Sophia's Turn To Play, 67. Too Close, 68. "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.", 69. “May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.”, 70. Title?, 71. You take a picture without feelings. Then during post-process, two things are being developed - your photograph and your emotion., 72. Float On A Sea Of Bokeh

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

to ID please by Kary Mar

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colonial ascidian to ID ?

calcareous algae ?

Most probably spawning of marine molluscs, without certainty nor precision !

North Mauritius

Volumes in time and certainty by hjl

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Cividade de Terroso 15. Portugal by Wsrmatre Stpnre

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Cividade de Terroso

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cividade de Terroso was an ancient city of the Castro culture in North-western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, situated near the present bed of the Ave river, in the suburbs of present-day Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.

Located in the heart of the Castro region,[1] the cividade played a leading role in the early urbanization of the region in the early 1st millennium BC, as one of the oldest, largest and impregnable castro settlements. It was important in coastal trading[2] as it was part of well-established maritime trade routes with the Mediterranean. Celtic and later Carthaginian influence are well-known, it was eventually destroyed after the Roman conquest in 138 BC. The city's name in antiquity is not known with certainty but it was known during the Middle Ages as Civitas Teroso (The City of Terroso). it was built at the summit of Cividade Hill, in the suburban area of Terroso, less than 5 km from the coast, near the eastern edge of modern Póvoa de Varzim.

Beyond the main citadel, three of Cividade de Terroso's outposts are known: Castro de Laundos (the citadel's surveillance post), Castro de Navais (away from the citadel, a fountain remains to this day), and Castro de Argivai (a Castro culture farmhouse in the costal plain). Cividade de Terroso is located just 6,3 km from Cividade de Bagunte both in the North bank of the Ave river.

History

Settlement

The settlement of Cividade de Terroso was founded during the Bronze Age, between 800 and 900 BC, as a result of the displacement of the people inhabiting the fertile plain of Beiriz and Várzea in Póvoa de Varzim. This data is supported by the discovery of egg-shaped cesspits, excavated in 1981 by Armando Coelho, where he collected fragments of four vases of the earlier period prior to the settlement of the Cividade.[3] As such, it is part of the oldest Castro culture settlements, such as the ones from Santa Luzia or Roriz.[4]

The city prospered due to its strong defensive walls and its location near the ocean, which facilitated trade with the maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean Sea, mainly during the Carthaginian rule in South-eastern Iberian Peninsula.[5]

Viriatus murdered and Revenge

Aqualata mines are the probable source of several Castro culture jewels, including the Treasure of Villa Mendo (replica pictured) and Laundos Earrings.

Trade eventually attracted Roman attention during the Punic Wars and the Romans had learned of the wealth of the Castro region in gold and tin. Viriathus led the troops of the Lusitanian confederation, which included several tribes, hindered northward growth of the Roman Republic at the Douro river, but his murder in 138 BC opened the way for the Roman legions. The citadel and the Castro culture perished at the end of the Lusitanian War.[5] Some of Viriatus fighters may have sought refuge in the North. These with Grovii and Callacian tribes and following Celtic ways, with their women, wanted revenge from the death of Viriatus. They attacked the Roman settlements in Lusitania, gaining momentum with the support of other tribes along the way, reaching the south of the Peninsula, near modern Andalusia. Endangering Roman rule in large stretches of Hispania.[6]

Roman conquest

Decimus Junius Brutus was sent to the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior to deal with it and led a campaign in order to annex the Castro region (of the Callaeci tribes) for Rome, which led to the complete destruction of the city,[7] just after the death of Viriathus. Strabo wrote, probably describing this period: "until they were stopped by the Romans, who humiliated them and reduced most of their cities to mere villages" (Strabo, III.3.5). These cities included Abobriga, Lambriaca and Cinania.[6] Lambriaca allied with Rome, but rebelled following regional pressure as they were perceived as traitors in the region. It led the rebellion but after months of siege, it asked for mercy as the siege left the city without provision of supplies. All the coast was occupied by the Celts.[6] In Conventus Bracarensis, where the Romans would establish the Augustan citadel of Bracara, there were also the Grovii and the Heleni of Greek origin. The Grovii dwelt in the coast near the rivers "Avo" (the Ave river), Celadus, Nebis, Minius and the Oblivion. The Laeros and the Ulla rivers where in the North reach of this people. The notable citadel of Abobriga or Avobriga,[8][9] was probably located near the mouth of the Ave river, as its name suggests. According to Pomponius Mela, it was located near Lambriaca, in the lands of the Grovii.[10] A hint which could help to identify Celtic Lambriaca is that it had two areas with cliffs and very easy access from the other two sides.[6]

The important city of Cinania was rich, its inhabitants had several Luxury goods, but kept their independence due to the city's strong defensive walls, and despise for Rome. Brutus wished to conquer it before leaving Iberia and not leave that conquest for other officials. He planned a siege. The Romans used catapults to destroy the city's walls and invade the citadel, but the inhabitants resisted the attempted Roman assaults, causing Roman casualties. The Romans had to withdraw. The Cinanians used a tunnel, used for mining, for a surprise assault on the Roman camp destroying the catapults.[6] Nonetheless, Appian mentioned two battles led by Brutus, in which women fought alongside the men, both ended in Roman victory. Archaeological data in Cividade de Terroso and tribesmen's Last stand behavior, which included their children in one of those battles, highlight the barbarity of the conquest.[11]

The last urban stage under the Roman mercy policy

Roman mercy is recorded by the establishment of Brutus's peaceful settlements.[11] Sometime later, the Cividade was rebuilt and became heavily Romanized, which started the cividade's last urban stage.[7] Upon return, Brutus gained an honorific Callaecus on the fifth day before the Ides, the festival of Vesta in the month of Junius. A celebrated milestone refers that Brutus victories extended to the ocean. Brutus is also referred by Plutarch as "the Brutus who triumphed over Lusitania" and as the invader of Lusitania.[11]

Citadel exodus

The region was incorporated in the Roman Empire and totally pacified during the rule of Caesar Augustus. In the coastal plain, a Roman villa that was known as Villa Euracini was created, hence it was a property of a family known as the Euracini. The family was joined by Castro people who returned to the coastal plain. An early fish factory and salt evaporation ponds were built near the new villa, and a later one with a cetariæ and a housing complex, with one of those buildings dating to the 1st century. The Romans built roads, including Via Veteris, a necropolis and exploited the famed local mines, that became known as Aqualata. From the 1st century onward, and during the imperial period, the slow abandonment of Cividade Hill started.[7]

An 18th century legendary city

In Memória Paroquiais (Parish Memories) of 1758, the director António Fernandes da Loba with other clergymen from the parish of Terroso, wrote: This parish is all surrounded by farming fields, and in one area, almost in the middle of it, there is a higher hill, that is about a third of the farming fields of this parish and the ancient say that this was the City of Moors Hill, because it is known as Cividade Hill.[3]

The Lieutenant Veiga Leal in the News of Póvoa de Varzim on May 24 of 1758 wrote: "From the hill known as Cividade, one can see several hints of houses, that the people say formed a city, cars with bricks from the ruins of that one arrive in this town."[3]

20th century archaeology

Cividade was later rarely cited by other authors. In the early 20th century, Rocha Peixoto encouraged his friend António dos Santos Graça to subsidize archaeology works.[3]

In 1906, excavations began on June 5 with 25 manual workers and continued until October, interrupted due to bad weather;[3] they recommenced in May 1907, finishing in that same year. The materials discovered were taken to museums in the city of Porto.[3]

After the death of Rocha Peixoto, in 1909, some rocks of the citadel had been used to pave some streets in Póvoa de Varzim, notably Rua Santos Minho Street and Rua das Hortas.[3] Occasionally, groups of scouts of the Portuguese Youth and others in the decades of the 1950s and 1960s, made diggings in search for archaeology pieces. This was seen as archaeological vandalism but continued even after the Cividade was listed as a property of Public Interest in 1961.[3]

In 1980, Póvoa de Varzim City Hall invited Armando Coelho to pursue further archaeology works; these took place during the summer of that year.[3] Result were used for Coelho's project A Cultura Castreja do Norte de Portugal. Archaeological surveys led by the same archaeologist resumed in 1981, leading to the discovery of a grave and tombstones, which helped to comprehend the funerary rituals; housing, yards and walls were also surveyed,[12] which where the main focus for the 1982 archaeological surveys along with the recovery of Decumanus street (East-west).[13] Archaeology works resumed in 1989 and 1991.[14][15] The city hall purchased the acropolis area and constructed a small archaeological museum in its entrance.

In 2005, groups of Portuguese and Spanish (Galician) archaeologists had started to study the hypothesis of this cividade and six others to be classified as World Heritage sites of UNESCO.[16][17] The Rede de Castros do Noroeste, the Northwestern Castro Network, was established in 2015 grouping the most important sites in Northern Portugal including Cividade de Terroso but also Cividade de Bagunte, Citânia de Sanfins, Citânia de Briteiros, Citânia de Santa Lúzia and a few other sites.[18]

Defensive system

The most typical characteristic of the castros is its defensive system.[4] The inhabitants had chosen to start living in the hill as a way of protection against attacks and lootings by rival tribes. The Cividade was erected at 152 metres height (about 500 feet), allowing an excellent position to monitor the entire region. One of the sides, the north, was blocked by São Félix Hill, where a smaller castro was built, the Castro de Laundos from the 2nd century B.C., that served as a surveillance post.

The migrations of Turduli and Celtici proceeding from the South of the Iberian Peninsula heading North are referred by Strabo and were the reason for the improvement of the defensive systems of the castros around 500 BC.

Cividade de Terroso is one of the most heavily defensive Castro culture citadels, given that the acropolis was surrounded by three rings of walls. These walls were built at different stages, due to the growth of the town.

The walls had great blocks without mortar and were adapted to the hill's topography. The areas of easier access (South, East and West) possessed high, wide and resistant walls; while the ones in land with steep slopes were protected mainly by strengthening the local features.

That can easily be visible with the discovered structures in the East that present a strong defensive system that reaches 5.30 metres (17 feet 5 inches) wide. While in the Northeast, the wall was constructed using natural granite that only was crowned by a wall of rocks.

The entrance that interrupted the wall was paved with flagstone with about 1.70 metres (5 feet 7 inches) of width. The defensive perimeter seems to include a ditch of about 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) of depth and width in base of the hill, as it was detected while a house was being built in the north of the hill.

Defensive system

Urban structure

The acropolis was surrounded by three rings of walls, and within those walls diverse types of buildings existed, including funerary enclosures, which are extremely rare in the Castro culture world. At its peak, the acropolis had 12 hectares (30 acres) and was inhabited by several hundred people.

In the archaeological works carried through the beginning of the 20th century, the Cividade seemed to have a disorganized structure, but more recent data suggests instead an organization whose characteristics stem from older levels of occupation, which had been ignored during the first archaeological works.

Each quadrant of the town is divided into family nuclei around a private square, which are almost always paved with flagstone. Some houses possessed a forecourt.

Stages

The Cividade had urbanization stages. Archeologists identified three stages: An early settlement stage with huts (8th-9th century — 5th century BC), a second stage characterized by urbanization and fortification with robust stonework (5th century — 2nd century BC) and a Roman period stage (2nd century BC — 1st century AD).

During the early centuries, the small habitations were built with vegetable elements mixed with adobe. The first stonework started in the 5th century B.C.,[3] this became possible due to the iron peaks technology. A technology that was only available in Asia Minor, but that was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by Phoenician settlers in the Atlantic Coast during the 8th and 7th centuries B.C.[4]

Buildings during this period are, characteristically, circular with diameters between 4 and 5 meters and with walls 30 to 40 cm thick. The granite rocks were fractured or splintered, and placed in two lines, with the smoothest part heading for the exterior and interior of the house. The space between the two rocks was filled with small rocks and mortar of large sand-grains creating robust walls.

In the last stage, the Roman one (starting in 138 – 136 B.C.), following the destruction by Decimus Junius Brutus, there is an urban reorganization with use of the new building techniques and change in shapes and sizes. Quadrangular structures started appearing, replacing the typical Castro culture circular architecture. The roof started being made out of "tegula" instead of vegetable material with adobe.[3]

During this stage, stonework used in home construction were quadrangular; the project of two stone alignments remained, but rooms were wider and filled with large sand-grains or adobe and rocks of small to average size, resulting in thicker walls with 45–60 cm.[3]

Housing

Family settings

The family settings, having four or five circular divisions,[4] encircle a flagstone paved yard where the doors of the different divisions converged. These central yards had an important role in family life as the area where the daily family activities took place. These nuclei would be closed by key, granting privacy to families.[3]

The building interiors of the second stage, prior to the Roman period, possessed fine floors made of adobe or large sand-grains. Some of these floors were decorated with rope-styled, wave and circle carvings and motifs, especially in fireplaces. In the Roman-influence stage, these floors had become well-taken care of, being denser and thicker.

Streets

The family settings were divided by narrow roads with some public spaces. The two main streets had the typical Roman orientation of the Decumanus and Cardium.[3]

The Decumanus was the city's main avenue that slightly followed the wall to the East for the West and slightly curved for Southwest from the crossroad with the Cardium (North-South street), the later reaches the entrance of the citadel. The exterior access was fulfilled by a slight descending reaching the way that is still used today to enter in the town.[3]

These main roads divided the settlement in four parts. Each one of these parts had four or five family settings.[3]

In some areas of the city, vestiges of sewers or narrow channels had been discovered; these could have been used to channel rain water.[3]

Culture

The population worked in agriculture, namely cereals and horticulture, fishing, recollection, shepherding and worked metals, textiles and ceramics. Cultural influences arrived from the inland Iberian Peninsula, beyond the ones proceeding from the Mediterranean through trade.[19]

The Castro culture is known by having defensive walls in their cities and villages, with circular houses in hilltops and for its characteristic ceramics, widely popular among them. It disappears with the Roman acculturation and the movement of the populations for the coastal plain, where the strong Roman cultural presence, from the 2nd century BC onwards, is visible in the vestiges of Roman villas found there where, currently, the city of the Póvoa de Varzim is located (Old Town of Póvoa de Varzim, Alto de Martim Vaz and Junqueira), and in the parishes of Estela (Villa Mendo) and near the Chapel of Santo André in Aver-o-Mar.

Cuisine

The population lived mainly from agriculture, but they also ate seafood, bread and hunted animals.

The population lived mainly from agriculture, mainly with the culture of cereals such as wheat and barley, and of vegetables (the broadbean) and acorn.

The concheiro found in the Cividade showed that they ate raw or coocked limpets, mussels and Sea urchins.[4] These species are still broadly common. Fishing must not have been a regular activity, given the lack of archaeological evidence, but the discovery of hooks and net weights showed that the Castro people were able to catch fish of considerable size such as grouper and snook.[19]

Barley was farmed to produce a kind of beer, which was nicknamed zythos. Beer was considered a barbaric drink by the Greeks and Romans given the fact that they were accustomed to the subtleness of wine. Acorn was smashed to create a kind of flour.[19]

Pickings wild plants, fruits, seeds and roots complemented the dietary staple; they also ate and picked wild blackberries, dandelion, clovers and even kelps. Some of these vegetables are still used by the local population today. The Romans introduced the consumption of wine and olive oil.[19]

The animals used by the Castro people are confirmed by classical documents and archaeological registers, and included horses, pigs, cows and sheep. It is interesting to note that there was a cultural taboo against the eating of horses or dogs.[19]

There is little evidence of poultry during the Castro culture period, but during the period of Roman influence it became quite common.[19]

Although there is only fragmentary evidence in the Cividade, hunting must have been a part of everyday life given that classic sources, such as Strabo and Pliny the Elder describe the region as very rich in fauna, including: wild bear, deer, wild boars, foxes, beavers, rabbits, hares and a variety of birds; all of which would have been valuable food sources.[19]

Handicrafts

Castro ceramics (goblets and vases) evolved during the ages, from a primitive system to the use of potter's wheels. However, the amphorae and the use of the glass only started to be common with the Romanization. These amphorae, essentially, served for the transport and storage of cereals, fruits, wine and olive oil.[19]

Many of the ceramics found in the Cividade de Terroso had local characteristics.[19] Pottery was seen as a man's work and significant amounts were found with great variety, showing that it was a cheap, important and accessible product.

However, the city's ceramic structure are practically identical to the ones found in other castros of the same period. The decoration of the vases was of the incisive type (decoration cut into the clay before firing), but scapulae and impressed vases also existed; adobe lace, in rope form, with or without incisions are also found.[19]

Drawings in "S", assigned as palmípedes, are frequently found in engraved vases, these could be printed with other printed or engraved drawings. Other decorative forms, that can appear mixed and with diverse techniques, include circles, triangles, semicircles, lines, in zig-zag, in a total of about two hundred of different kinds of drawings.[19]

Weaving was sufficiently generalized and was seen as a woman's duty and was also progressing, especially during the Roman period; some weights of sewing press were found and sets of ten of cossoiros. The discovery of shears strengthened the idea of the systematic breeding of sheep to use their wool.[19]

Numerous vestiges of metallurgic activities had been detected and great amounts of casting slags, fibulae, fragmented iron objects and other metals remains were discovered, mostly lead, copper/bronze, tin and perhaps gold. Gatos (for repairing ceramics), pins, fibulae, stili and needles in copper or bronze, demonstrating that the work in copper and its alloys was one of the most common activities of the town. The iron was used for many every-day objects, some nails were found, but also hooks and a tip of a scythe or dagger.[19]

Near the door of the wall (in the southwest of the city) a workshop was identified, given that in the place some vestiges of this activity had been found such as the use of fire with high temperatures, nugget and slags for casting metals, ores and other indications.[19]

Goldsmithery contributed for Póvoa de Varzim being a reference for proto-historical archaeology in North-western Iberian Peninsula. Namely, with the finding of some complete jewellery: the Earrings of Laundos and the articulated necklace and earrings of Estela. In the proper Cividade, some certifications of works in gold and silver had been collected by Rocha Peixoto. In all the mountain range of Rates, the ancient mining explorations are visible: Castro and Roman ones, given that these hills possessed the essential gold and silver used for jewellery production.

In 1904, a mason while building a mill in the top of São Félix Hill, in the vicinity of the smaller Castro de Laundos, found a vase with jewellery inside, these pieces had been bought by Rocha Peixoto that took them to the Museum of Porto. The jewellery was made using an evolved technique, very similar to ones made in the Mediterranean, namely with the use of plates and welds, filigree and granulated.

Religion and death rituals

Religious cults and ceremonies had the objective to harmonize the people with natural forces. The Castro people had a great number of deities, but in the coastal area where the city is located, Cosus, a native deity related in later periods to the Roman god Mars, prevailed to such an extent that no other deities popular in the hinterland were venerated in the coastal region where Cosus was worshiped.[20]

Some cesspits, for instance organized as a pentagon, adorn the flagstone of the Cividade, their function is unknown, but may have had some magical-religious function.[21]

The funerary ritual of the Cividade was probably common to other pre-Roman peoples of the Portuguese territory, but archaeological data are very rarely found in the Castro area, excepting at Cividade de Terroso.[21]

The ritual of the Cividade was the rite of cremation and placing the ashes of their dead in small circular-shaped cesspits with stonework adornment in the interior of the houses. In later periods, the ashes were deposited in the exterior of the houses, but still inside of the family setting.[21]

In 1980, the discovery of a funerary cist, and an entire vase, and fragments of another one without covering, evidences breaking. This vase was very similar to another found in São Félix Hill, this last one with jewels in its interior, assuming that these jewels had the same funerary context.[21]

Trade

The visits of Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans had as objective the exchange of fabrics and wine for gold and tin, despite the scarcity of terrestrial ways, this was not a problem for Cividade de Terroso that was strategically located close to the sea and the Ave River, thus an extensive commerce existed via the Atlantic and river routes as archeological remains prove. However, one land route was known, the Silver Way (as named in the Roman Era) that started in the south of the peninsula reaching the northeast over land.[22]

The external commerce, dominated by tin, was complemented with domestic commerce in tribal markets between the different cities and villages of the Castro culture, they exchanged textiles, metals (gold, copper, tin and lead) and other objects including exotic products, such as glass or exotic ceramics, proceeding from contacts with the peoples of the Mediterranean or other areas of the Peninsula.

With the annexation of the Castro region by the Roman Republic, the commerce starts to be one of the main ways for regional economic development, with the Roman merchants organized in associations known as collegia. These associations functioned as true commercial companies who looked for monopoly in commercial relations.[22]

Museum facility

In the entrance of the town there is a small museum with facilities that are intended only to support the visit to the Cividade itself, such as pictures, representations and public toilets. It is a small extension of the Ethnography and History Museum of Póvoa de Varzim, located in Póvoa de Varzim City Center, where the most relevant artifacts are kept. Although the city is protected by fences and a gate near the museum, the entrance to the city is free.

Incipient Amnesia by George

19 10

Now here's my memory letting me down again. At the time I was very sure that I would never forget where this was taken, as I have made no note about it; but now I have less certainty.

I think (but am open to correction) that Lothian Region Transport 294 as seen in this 1976 view in West Pilton. The flats behind, recently built, had acheived fame or notoriety because, so the rumour went, they were modelled on the principles seen in the homes of the Pueblo peoples of North America.

294 has lost one its Autofare vinyls. It does benefit, however, from an advertisement for Dryborough's, a now sadly closed Edinburgh brewers. The following is an extract from The Scottish Brewing Archive

Andrew Drybrough, brewer and baxter (baker), was brewing in Edinburgh, Scotland, prior to 1750. He was succeeded by James Drybrough who brewed in Tolbooth Wynd, moving to the south side of the North Back of Canongate (now Calton Road), in 1782 and traded as Andrew Drybrough & Co. The firm expanded into Craigend Brewery, on the north side of the North Back of Canongate, in 1874 and moved to a green–field site at Craigmillar, to the south east of Edinburgh, in 1892.

Drybrough & Co Ltd was registered in December 1895 as a limited liability company to acquire the business. The company sold its beer locally in the south and west of Scotland and the north–east of England. It also supplied beer to Alnwick Brewery Co Ltd, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, from 1963 and Ballingall & Co Ltd, Dundee, Tayside, from 1964.

The company was acquired by Watney Mann Ltd, brewers, London, England, in 1965 and took over the licensed houses of Ballingall & Co Ltd, Dundee, Tayside, Scotland, in 1968; A H Higginbottom & Co, Newcastle–upon–Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England, and Neesham & Co, Ushaw Moor, Durham, England, in 1969; Beverley & Co Ltd, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, in 1969; and Alnwick Brewery Co Ltd, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, in 1978.

The company, along with 187 licensed houses, was sold by Watney, Mann & Truman Breweries Ltd to Allied–Lyons plc, on behalf of Alloa Brewery Co Ltd, Alloa, Scotland, for GBP 40.5 million on 8 January 1987. The Craigmillar Brewery ceased brewing on 23 January 1987.

ref: bus481

August 2009 by Nelonie Crelencia

5 9

1. 11/52: Bass Lines And Heartbeats, 2. 10/52: It Rained On Her Birthday Today, 3. 09/52: Photos and an Invitation, 4. "China and the United States are different in their stages of development, national conditions and historic footprints...", 5. "We cannot predict with certainty what the future will bring, but we can be certain about the issues that will define our times.", 6. 07/52: Tousle Me, Please... (photo featured in eXaminer), 7. Did You Miss Me, Flickr?, 8. 04/52: The Photographic Writer,

9. Above Descanso, 10. 03/52: Goodnight, Flickr!, 11. A Flower For MJ, 12. For You, Dad..., 13. 02/52: I Don't Ask Why, 14. Two And Two, 15. To Walk Away . . . Blue..., 16. Home Is Where My Summer Is,

17. La Jolla Cove, 18. 1/52: Painted With Flowers, 19. Dip It, Baby., 20. She Speaks Flowers, 21. Textured Bicycle, 22. So, forget the bad economy. Let's all be happy we're alive! And believe - "There's a light that hangs from heaven.", 23. A Couple Of Bokeh, 24. Let's Stop The World,

25. "In the garden, my soul is sunshine.", 26. "A child's smile is one of life's greatest blessings.", 27. Grauman's Against Blue, 28. Just Title Me, Please... =), 29. Glowing In Gray, 30. Domesticated, 31. Towards The Sun, 32. That Bicycle,

33. "I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.", 34. When people think you're smart, you're not supposed to make any mistake. If you do, it's carelessness and unacceptable. I think this is unfair. You're just smart, not perfect!, 35. Artist In Frustration, 36. "A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend.", 37. They say, "Time flies when you're having fun." But I stay young when I play with my little one., 38. Bokehlicious Sophiakeh, 39. Bokehful Abstraction, 40. Mother To Her Child,

41. Kids - Hows many times will they have to get sick before they turn into healthy grown-ups?, 42. Taxi Stop, 43. Nothing comes purer than a kiss from a child's lips to her mother's. It is the sweetest bonding, a reconnection after birth., 44. Word Play On Staples Center, 45. "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.", 46. "Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with vision is making a positive difference.", 47. Cinc-flu de Mayo, 48. Magic Above The Blue,

49. My Bokeh Moon Has Risen, 50. Rose Among The Flowers, 51. "Do not judge or you, too, will be judged...", 52. Mary Rose on Matrix Star, 53. We Let The Light Through, 54. Bokeh Illumination, 55. She's (NOT) Egg-Ok! :), 56. "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness...",

57. My Little Pink Polka Dot Riding Hood, 58. "Where flowers bloom so does hope.", 59. "You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning.", 60. "This solitary Tree!", 61. Chill'a At The Villa, 62. Purple Reigns, 63. Celestial Toy, 64. Too Close,

65. It's Sophia's Turn To Play, 66. "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.", 67. “May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.”, 68. Title?, 69. You take a picture without feelings. Then during post-process, two things are being developed - your photograph and your emotion., 70. Float On A Sea Of Bokeh, 71. Almost Spring (superhero-tagged), 72. Serious Kamoteus Garageus

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Clementoni 6000, Allegory of Sight and Smell by Ivan lobbrecht

2 10

That horrible feeling when you realise with absolute certainty that you miss a piece. It was a new puzzle, and having no cats, dogs or children, and having performed a postmortem dissection on the vacuum cleaner bag, I don't have a clue. It was a great puzzle, vibrant colours, but the lack of satisfaction of having put the last piece in place ...

Funding provides long-term certainty for northern transportation services by Province of British Columbia

1

People in northern British Columbia will continue to enjoy safe, reliable transportation options with help from new multi-year funding from the provincial and federal governments.

B.C. and Canada are providing $7.9 million in Safe Restart funding to respond to the longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued need for public transportation in rural and remote communities in northern B.C. through to March 2025.

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/24678

Cividade de Terroso13. Portugal by Wsrmatre Stpnre