The consequences of head-bobbing a committed female.

Same tree. Different day.

This i s the consequence for brining in a bottle.

Cela Peut Arriver à Agen.

En observant ce qui se passe le long des voies, on comprend.

La situation doit-être traumatisante pour les conducteurs de trains!

Usual consequences of beaver infestation. Trees fallen or with bark stripped make interesting landscapes, so I'm not complaining.

 

It was cloudy and windy, I thought it's maybe a good idea to go out, and it was!

Apart from the weather there was another good reason. I haven't had much luck with normal lenses for Nikon system. 35-80 kit zoom was underwhelming, 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor must have been misaligned and lacked definition, and now I've been testing MC Helios-81H, Ukrainian lens made for Kiev SLR with native Nikon F mount. I wish I could say 'third time a charm', but apart from usual inferior mechanics and design that led loads of dust to the inside of the lens, this lens only focused as far as 7m. Not good, but fortunately quite easy to adjust. There were not many usable photos on the first roll. It seems to be the usual experience with gear hastily put together, if it's Asian or Ukrainian doesn't really matter. What made the difference was the Ukrainian lens was serviceable.

 

Made on 1 VI 2017.

  

The Saga of Bovill: We were cruising down a two-lane backroad in Idaho, just after the discovery of a great old cemetery, when I saw an old restroom sign hanging on a post in a drive-thru town of no seeming consequence. Being me, I slammed on the brakes, pulled off the road, and snapped a pic. Meanwhile across the street sitting on the curb and smoking cigarettes outside of the local tavern, were these two women eyeing me as I took the picture. I believe I said hello just to ease their mind that I was not a threat. A car with California license plate is not always welcome in Idaho, and even less so in rural Idaho. Additionally, I’ll admit that two bleached blond women sitting on the curb outside of a bar smoking cigarettes are, at my current age, likely to make me think of them as undesirables. This is a story of judgement on my part, and of being wrong for jumping to conclusions.

So, as I was taking the picture of the bathroom sign and thinking of jumping back in the car and getting away as quickly as possible, one of the ladies crossed the street and walked toward me. Of course, I feared the worst and that she was pissed because I had parked on her property. But to my surprise she asked me if I wanted to see her little inn that she had placed in the old Conoco gas station. Who knew? Figuring that this old station would likely not be much to look at, but wanting to be friendly, we agreed that we would like to see the inside. Once inside, I was amazed by the “cuteness” of her little lodging. She took obvious pride in her creation and talked up a storm as she told us about the little hideaway. After some time in this little inn, she revealed that she was also the owner of the bar where I had first seen her and her mother (found that out later) sitting on the curb smoking. She invited us to have a look at her saloon, so we accepted and walked across the street to see it. She was very proud of the place and had done a lot to renovate the old bank. I think the second floor was once a hotel. She told us a bit of the history of the town and we ended up spending close to 45 minutes with the most interesting lady and her mother. Inside the bar was a little food service area with a dining table or two, a traditional bar, and a big wooden table with about 8 or ten good ole boys convivially imbibing. I’m pretty sure most of them wondered, “WTF” as they observed us touring the place. The nameless lady who owned the bar opened the bank vault door to reveal that it had been converted to a big fridge where they kept the beer kegs, six packs, and other items chilled. I would gladly have had a drink at the bar, but I had a lot of miles to go and simply could not do so. We thanked her for the tour and bade her farewell. The lesson you all knew was coming, and I continually attempt to learn, is that a book cannot be judged by its cover. People neither. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

 

© 2018 Danial Thiessen

 

"A gun is only good when it is used by the right person. But the wrong person wielding it will only reap the consequences." - CT-2971 'Threat'

 

Narrator- "They say that a big gun doesn't make a big soldier, it only makes them look like an embarrassment and, somewhat, disappointing. Many clones in the Republic all basically carry DC-17 Blaster Rifles, Blasters or, for some, the Heavy Repeaters that can pack a punch. Each clone that had been cloned, trained and supervised have all gone under the choice of weapons that they chose or deemed worthy for their desires. Once they picked their weapons, they would go through months of hard and difficult training in order to really feel and get into character with their own weapons. Sounds odd, but accurately true.'

 

'However, one clone amongst many chose not to choose the three basically picked weapons. And that specific clone was CT-2971, or what many call him, Threat."

_________________________

 

(Dantooine, Clone Barracks, Three months after the Battle of Jabiim)

 

A few months after the Battle of Jabiim, inside one of the Clone Barracks, Threat, along with a few other members of the squad and army were taking the time to get some target practice done, considering they were pretty much bored out of their minds. They haven't had any contact with any Separatist forces for an entire week, and most of the clones were getting anxious, annoyed and impatient. So to kill some time, they all decided to at least shoot some targets during their free time.

 

Threat- "Refresh!"

 

Reloading his guns, he watches as the target refreshes the hologram image of a Super Battle Droid, clearing away the gun barrel holes from the image. Swiftly, Threat aims his pistol and blaster at the target, hitting the droid picture with another round of blazing lasers, penetrating through the image once again.

 

Figuring that he waisted enough ammo, he reloads his guns as the clips fell to the floor. Hitting the button next to him, the target picture suddenly slides up to him so he could get a good look on how he did. From what see saw, the image was half burned and ripped apart from the devestating attacks from his guns. From his perspective, it was a perfect and deadly success.

 

Threat- "Ah! Another clean hit. Nothing like the smell of a stentch of blaster fire to boil your blood up."

???- "So this is where you went, eh Threat ol' boy?"

 

The voice of that person made him cringe so. Slowly turning his head around, he was faced with none other than his clone brother, Degree, who was accompanied by Kydan, Calena and his commander, Breona. The look on Degree's face had a goofy grin that made you want to punch him for no apparent reason.

 

Degree- "We thought you went to the other barracks to go watch some Twi'lek dancers or something."

Threat- "It's to my best interest to only point and shoot droids, not go off and have some pleasure by watching some dancers."

Degree- "Aw, come on Threat! You might find yourself a good looking wife or something!"

 

Degree's jokes always made his blood boil in annoyance. In all honesty, he loved his brother. He may have been the opposite of him and all, but he did care about his brother and his squad very much. However, when Degree would start to act like this, he had the intuition to just punch the man right in the jaw. And that moment was now.

 

Threat- *Angrily* "Degree, I'll--"

Kydan- "Okay, okay, that's enough you two! I don't need another broken out firefight right in the middle of our own barracks, and I don't need the 'both of you' to start that."

 

Both of the clones backed off a bit, their expressions changing to a frown as they tried not to look over at their leader, guilt rushing over them.

 

Threat- "Y-yes sir, sorry sir."

Degree- "Yeah, me too sir."

Kydan- "Good. Now, to the point; what were you doing Threat?"

 

Getting some of his pride back, he gestures over to the targetting panel that was still filled with blaster fire from earlier as he shows them his DC-17 Blaster and pistol.

 

Threat- "Just making some good use with these, sir. Some of the boys and I were getting bored from just standing around and doing nothing, so we decided to come on over and shoot some targets to blow off some stress and what not."

Kydan- "Hm...that's understandable. It has been boring, considering that the Separatist hasn't made a move over the past week or so. I can see why you guys would want to do something like this."

 

Out of the three, only Breona and Degree understood why Threat would do something like this. If there wasn't anything to fight, you might as well blow off steam with some dummies for target practice. But for Calena, she didn't understand one bit.

 

Calena- "Not wanting to sound rude, but this makes no sense."

Kydan- "Why's that?"

Calena- "Why would you get so stress over on the peace and quietness we're receiving? Don't you like it that we don't have to fight any Separatist forces from time to time?"

Threat- "Sadly ma'am, my blood and cloning DNA is all about fighting. That's what we were breeded for; to fight a war and win a war, with guns in our bare hands. I couldn't see myself without a blaster in both of my hands. It doesn't feel right."

 

She still didn't get it. She knew that the clones were all bred and trained to mostly fight, but she would have thought that they would at least like the peace and quiet from time to time.

 

Calena- "I still don't understand..."

Kydan- "Give it a break trooper. Cale' over here will never understand about why quietness and peace doesn't fit well with us."

Calena- "Excuse me?! What did that mean?!"

 

Turning to face her, Kydan gave off one of his devious and goofy grins. That meant that he was about have fun with whatever he was about to start.

 

Kydan- "Well, obviously someone as yourself, your highness, you have never picked up a gun in your life, nor have ever shot one off. So you have no idea what we mean."

Calena- *Glare* "That's because guns aren't for Jedi like myself. Even Obi-Wan once said, 'Blasters and other guns are so uncivilized.' So why would I want to do so?"

 

And this was where thigns were about to go crazy.

 

Kydan- "Well that's because you're a woman."

 

That one sentence caused Calena to go from annoyance to extreme anger and a deadly cold glare. Even Breona, Degree and Threat himself were pretty shocked and scared at her sudden expressions. If they knew that Kydan was gonna do something stupid like this, they would have left them to do whatever. However, they were now stuck.

 

Calena- A woman?! All because I'm a woman?! Listen here, you bloody gyneros shinnre, I could woop your sorry can out of the barracks!

 

(Shinnre, it means clueless moron, or, in Star Wars terms, piece of Bantha fodder)

 

Kydan- "Oh? Is that a challenge I'm hearing, princess?"

Calena- "You bet your damn title it is! Threat! Lend me your blaster!"

Threat- "U-Uh...y-yes ma'am..."

 

Taking the gun away from Threat, she watches and waits as Kydan takes position where Threat had originally stood from and aims his pistol at the target in front of him.

 

Calena- "I doubt you can hit that target from that far..."

 

Smirking, and without even looking, he turns his head away from his target and pulls the trigger three times on his pistol, fire a triple shot of yellow blazing lasers at the hologrammed target. Satisfied, he pushes the button on the side as the frame detatches from its position and slid in front of them all.

 

What came next suprised every one of them. His shots had hit both the head, neck and stomach of the target perfectly. Threat, who was an expert on these things, was actually more suprised than everyone else. He had met someone like his officer who could make their shots precise with just a pistol and three shots. At this moment, he actually thought he had admired the Commander.

 

Calena- "Wh-Wha-?! B-But how the-?!"

Kydan- "Your turn, my lady."

 

Rapidly shaking her head, she huffs and pushes Kydan to the side in order to get her chance at the target. However, as she held the blaster in her hand firmly, she couldn't shake the feeling of nerves slithering up on her. She had never touched a gun before, let alone look at one up close before. She was pretty terrified.

 

Threat- *Whisper* "Has the general ever held a gun before, commander?"

Breona- *Whisper* "Not that I know of..."

Degree- *Whisper* "I guess we're gonna find out if she's good or not."

 

She could sense and feel the peering eyes on her. She knew that if she messed up, she would lose the fight with Kydan, and a bit of her own pride. So, shakily pointing the gun at the target, she tried her hardest to steady herself from making a grave mistake.

 

And with the use of only her finger, she pulls the trigger all the way as the shot flies out of the barrel. However, when her eyes were closed, she didn't see where she had shot at. Unfortunately, that was where everyone started to panic.

 

When the laser bolt flew out of the barrel, it had missed its designated target and hit the sides, causing the shot to bounce off the wall into another, repeating each action swiftly. Knowing that it was bad to stand, Kydan, Threat, Breona, Degree and all the other soldiers inside dropped to the floor quickly as they could before they got hit too.

 

When Calena saw them taking cover, she was utterly confused by this act. But when the shot passed right by her head, she quickly understood why and dropped to the floor herself as the laser bolt kept bouncing off the steel plated walls.

 

What felt like an eternity, the shot finally stopped, leaving the entire room filled with fire shot marks all over the barracks. Feeling that it was now safe enough, everyone on the floor began to stand up as they took in their surroundings, seeing the marks all over.

 

Threat- "Wow..."

 

Breona- "No joke."

Degree- "The general did all that?!"

Kydan- "Sheesh Cale', it was as if you wanted to kill us or something."

Calena- "I-I didn't mean it! The gun slipped!"

 

Kydan just scoffed at her, knowing well enough that it was not.

 

Kydan- "Yeah, sure! If the gun slipped, it wouldn't have triggered the outcome of your doing. Face it, you were too scared to hold the gun in place and just pulled the trigger with your eyes close, didn't you?"

 

Calena became angry once again at him. But, sadly and truly though, she knew he was definitely right. This was her first time holding a gun like that, so she wasn't sure how to really handle the thing. She made a serious note that when holding something like that is 'way' different than wielding a lightsaber.

 

However, either way, she wasn't about to let Kydan win this without a fight.

 

Calena- "Well...i-if it wasn't for your cocky smile and obnoxious noises, I would have done a better job."

 

That was when Kydan gave a devilish grin.

 

Kydan- "Really? You like my cocky smile huh?"

 

When he said that, her face quickly turned to a red blush.

 

Calena- "N-No! I didn't say that!"

Kydan- "But you implied."

Calena- *Blushes even more* "No I didn't! I'll show you!"

 

Just as she was about to aim and shoot the gun once again, Threat had grabbed his pistol out of her hands and pushed her to the side gently.

 

Calena- "Hey!"

Threat- "Sorry ma'am, but under these circumstances, I've seen quite enough of how you shoot. And...sorry about this ma'am, but you ain't good enough to hold any blaster whatsoever. This ain't for everybody ma'am. And out of all them, that someone is you...general."

 

Calena wanted to argue back at the soldier, but just sighed in defeat. It was definitely true; she wasn't one out of many to hold a blaster like that. She was better off wielding a lightsaber than such an uncivilized weapon like that. So instead of yelling, she sighed.

 

Calena- "Yeah...maybe your right, Threat."

 

Threat just blinked in response. He was right?

 

Threat- "...Excuse me, ma'am?"

 

Even Breona and Degree were a bit confused from that. They actually thought that the general would have yelled and scolded their brother for that comment, not be right about it.

 

Calena- "I'm a Jedi. I've been trained and honed to wield a lightsaber only. I wasn't taught how to hold or use a blaster before in my life. So I'm agreeing with you Threat; I ain't the kind of person to use something like that."

Threat- "Uh...of-of course, general."

 

Calena then turned to Kydan and sighed heavily. She didn't want to say it. Gosh, she really didn't like saying it at all, especially to him. But, in utter defeat, she had to.

 

Calena- "And...you were right too, Kydan."

 

Kydan- *Smirked* "Kinda figured. But don't take it too hard, Cale'. Not many people know how to hold a blaster so much. I didn't start using one til' a little while after the Battle of Taris. It took some time to get use to, but it just takes much practice. Besides, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually. I've seen you stuff like that before, and I know that you'll get even better later on. Your just like that is all."

  

 

As he finished his sentence, her faint pink blush returned to a beat red color. And that didn't go unnoticed by both Breona, Degree, and Threat, who out of the threew of them was confused as to why his general was blushing all of sudden. But quickly, he saw her shake her head quickly and just smile.

 

Calena- "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

Kydan- *Wink* "No problem. Now, we should get back to the command center and update our status to the Jedi."

Calena-" Good idea. Breona, you coming?"

Breona- "Nah, I think I'm gonna stay here with the boys and shoot some targets myself. You two can go on ahead sirs."

Kydan- "Alright then. See ya' guys."

 

With that, Kydan and Calena leave the barracks and head over to the command center while Breona stayed and chatted with Degree and Threat.

 

And the first thing Threat wanted to ask was what Breona and Degree already knew from the beginning.

 

Threat- "Breona? Why was the general blushing at the commander like that?"

Breona- "Not too sure yet. But I have a strong feeling as to why though...

Threat- What would that be?"

Degree- "Well I definitely know what it will be...Commander Kydan is gonna get some bow-chicka-bow--OW!"

 

Before Degree could finish his sentence, Breona had hit him in the back of the head.

 

Breona- "Don't go off saying something like that, you idiot!"

Degree- *Moans* "Ow...but it's true sir!"

Threat- "What is?"

 

Breona- *Smirks* "The general has a thing for the commander."

Threat- "Thing? What do you mean?"

Breona- "You know...she, well...likes him."

Threat- "Well of course she likes him. They're our officers and both of them are friends, right? I would have thought that they liked each other that much."

 

As he finished, all Degree could was laugh histerically, falling down to the floor with a thud. Threat didn't understand why he was laughing whatsoever. He just thought that his brother had finally cracked his shell and was now broken.

 

Breona- "Well, yes, they are friends...but that's not what I meant trooper."

Threat- "Then what did you mean sir?"

Breona- "The general...has a crush on the commander. And that meaning...she loves him. However, she won't admit it to him nor anyone else."

 

It took a bit for Threat to finally understand what Breona said. But when he did, he looked a bit suprised. He didn't realize that the general liked the commander like that. He just thought they were like a brother and sister, but didn't realize that it was that far down the line, considering how they argued and challenged each other like that.

 

However, even though it was suprising, all he was able to do was just smirk at his brother. His eyes giving off a hint of glint in them.

 

Threat- "Hm...then I guess this will be an interesting war after all, sir. I gotta' say...this is gonna be one heck of a squad someday, especially with our commanding officers in charge of us."

_________________________

  

I gotta' say, I really enjoy making some different side comics with the crew. Even though they are based from different Clone Wars years that seperate from the series a bit, it really helps out considering that it describes who the clone is and how they really are when around their brothers or leaders. It will also show how they fitted into the main group in the near future. So I think we'll continue doing this, if it continues to do well. So if any of you liked what you saw and liked the little side stories, please let us know by showing your guy's constant support...or leave a simple fave to show your love.

 

So thank you all for your gracious supprot for our comic series, and please, continue to give us feedback on how the stories are going and what we could do to improve. Cause, after all, it always helps having great advise from you all. So again, thank you all and, as always, have a fan-tucking-tastic day/night! See ya' in the next one.

 

- Director K.W., CGN Crew Members

Scandalous Consequences.

 

Salamandres nécromanciers empires respiration invisibles répercussions absurdes arriérés lois,

построенные молнии недобросовестный трудности зондирующие трупы перерывов несравнимо противный,

vigoratur actus timere chlamys ardet retro quaestiones recipiunt ad aenigmata,

επιδεικτική παιχνίδια δαιμόνιος διάνοιες αυστηρή περιττά γκροτέσκο περιστάσεις άγρια αποτελέσματα,

derivato deliberateness mentale distinti periodi meditativi assorbenti riflessioni comprensioni sorprendenti,

Beobachtungen genietet verstümmelte Untersuchungen gewalttätige Eindrücke, die unzufriedene Feinde kalt machen,

нанете осакаћени резултати необичног сведочење је прегледи тајанствени оптужити послови затворени Лаугхс,

Założenia przenoszony błahe zarzuty rzucanie zbieżne poglądy próbami uprzedzeń,

آراء قاطعة لا غنى عنها يتصور قطع الاتصالات فهم مجلة يدخل في,

消え去る詩の仮定悪党の理由収入極端な争いの抽出者裏切り者の夢.

Steve.D.Hammond.

“Totalitarianism is not a historical coincidence. In the final analysis, it is the logical consequence of mechanistic thinking and the delusional belief in the omnipotence of human rationality. As such, totalitarianism is the defining feature of the Enlightenment tradition.” ‒ Mattias Desmet

 

Totalitarianism is a product of the Enlightenment tradition. It places faith in human rationality. It’s a belief system in which man’s intellect can save man, the world, and the universe. Man will solve man’s problems, thus bringing salvation to mankind. Its priests desire to form a new society built on rationality. They want a world without pain and suffering. They even want to conquer death. Science, man’s new religion, has its own creation story. In this story, man has been reduced to particles that interact according to the laws of mechanics. Life and mankind were randomly produced without any purpose or direction. Man is seen as a machine; he works (repetitively) as a machine; he will merge with machine. The universe is also a machine, and it too will eventually be manipulated. The spiritual elect of this religion look forward to an artificial heaven on earth, where man and nature have been replaced by perfect technological clones. Once this happens, man will have conquered both man and nature. He will then gain eternal life. He will synthetically live forever. “Amen and Hallelujah!” shout the transhumanists. As a result, the totalitarians will have realized their goal of a superman/super race like the New Soviet Man/Aryan Race. The idolatry of science, which aims to create a perfect world, will ultimately result in a dystopian nightmare. Their rationality will become irrational. Secular humanism will fail.

 

“Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement.” – Humanist Manifesto I

 

With science came technological advancement. These advances separated man from nature, tradition, and family. The industrial revolution changed the social fabric of society. Before industrialization, most families lived in rural areas and did agricultural work. The family worked together to support itself. Multiple generations lived together in the same area. Extended families were an important part of society. After industrialization, many families moved to urban areas and did manufacturing work. They became cogs in the machine, working meaningless jobs. This movement split up the extended family unit. Then there was one: the nuclear family. “The dynamics of industrialization contributed to the rise of single-parent families. Factors such as increased divorce rates, the normalization of out-of-wedlock childbirth, and the empowerment of women to raise children independently all played a role in this shift.” As you can see, the nuclear family has not fared too well. Technology produced the radio, television, and social media, which have created an antisocial society. Technology was supposed to make life easier; it was supposed to make us happier, yet it has made us lonely and unhappy. Society has lost its meaning. People come home from meaningless jobs, only to live meaningless social lives online. Wolves chase after those separated from the herd, because they are easy targets. When the isolated are rounded up and killed, no one will fight for them because they are isolated from the herd. Those who are alone and isolated will be seen as useless eaters by their enemies. “To keep you is no gain; to kill you is no loss.” Indeed, a lonely society is very prone to accepting totalitarianism.

 

The Enlightenment was supposed to empower us, yet we have become more powerless. The Enlightenment was supposed to make us more independent, yet we have become more dependent. Plus, technology is controlled by the few. With science, a perfect artificial world is being built. It’s creating a fake Garden of Eden that is full of genetically modified foods, lab-grown meat, sex dolls that look like Eve, and synthetic-fiber clothing to hide our naked bodies of sin. Don’t eat the genetically modified fruit, it will kill you! Automated machines, robots, and artificial intelligence will replace man’s toil. Artificial wombs will replace the pain of childbirth. The digital paradise being constructed dehumanizes us. It steals our humanity. It makes us insecure, unempathetic, narcissistic, apathetic, cowardly, lonely, and isolated. An insecure society is less resilient. An insecure society is easier to control. An unempathetic, narcissistic, apathetic, and cowardly society will look the other way when people are rounded up and killed. A lonely and isolated society is weak and submissive. They feel empty and meaningless, and they have little self-worth. Such a society yearns for direction and authority. They are weak and lazy and want someone (the state) to take care of them.

 

We have a dumbed-down society. The education system teaches us how to be cogs in the machine. Mass media is a giant propaganda machine, indoctrinating the masses. The ignorant zombies have been trained to listen to the experts. These experts lead the sheep with twisted data and statistics. Thus, the people are easily led. Safety: give up your freedom of privacy to fight terror. Misinformation: give up your freedom of speech to fight hate speech. 15-minute cities: give up your freedom of movement to fight climate change. Mass immigration: give up your culture for multiculturalism. Abortion is women’s health. Euthanasia is good. By the way, how many genders are there? Society has been molded and shaped. You have been taught what to think, not how to think.

 

“I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers.” ‒ John D. Rockefeller

 

Students have been indoctrinated and radicalized by feminism, gender theory, critical race theory, and decolonialism. The goal: abolish women, gender, race, borders and nations. All hail the tranhumanist new world order! The youth are taught that capitalism is bad and socialism is good. They’ve been taught to hate their own country, traditions, values, and culture. They’ve been taught to hate their own race! Humiliation is a tool of control to shape and guide them. If a person loses their identity, they can be easily manipulated and brainwashed. Our youth have been taught that a communist revolution is necessary to overthrow capitalism. The end justifies the means! Therefore, radicals in the education system have raised up an army of woke activists. These woke evangelists have been poisoned by envy, hate, and bitterness. It doesn’t help that subversive billionaires are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into supposed ‘organic’ protests, which are being organized by professional protesters (communist agitators). Wokeism is the new puritan movement of today, with its moral values and commandments. These born-again socialists preach the dialectic gospel of social(ist) justice and equality. These radicalized saints promise a perfect world. A radicalized society is prone to accepting totalitarianism. In fact, it’s extremely prone to accepting totalitarianism. Especially when the youth are radicalized!

 

“Give me just one generation of youth, and I’ll transform the whole world.” ‒ Vladimir Lenin

 

Science, the religion of the day, has become corrupted. Fraud in scientific research is increasing. Falsified scientific papers are becoming more and more common. The perception of reality can be steered by crunching numbers in any desired fashion. (Climate change data is famous for distorting numbers.) Totalitarians mold the perception of reality with propaganda. The COVID-19 hysteria, with its “follow the science,” was proof of its degeneration. People blindly became disciples of the experts. Their apostles commanded: Mask up, even though it’s ineffective! Social distance, even though it’s useless! Take a PCR test, even though it’s unreliable! Take the vaccines, even though they haven’t been properly tested! Ivermectin is bad, even though it can help some patients! The population must be locked down, even though it’s physically and mentally bad for their health and weakens their immune system! Herd immunity, what’s that? Small businesses must be shutdown, even though big corporations like Walmart can stay open! Schools must be shut down, even though the average age of death is 70+ years old! Fire the unvaccinated healthcare workers, even though the emergency rooms are supposedly full and short-staffed! TicTok nurses! Dance, baby, dance! We’re in a pandemic, can’t you see!?! Falsely mark down unrelated deaths as COVID deaths—beef up those numbers! Big numbers, big money! Since this is science, we must suppress opposing ideas! Science that censors different opinions is not science. Much of society faithfully trusted the science, with its religious experts and scientific doctrines, numbers and graphs. In Nazi Germany, children were conditioned to accept any form of authority without question. Without question, many people blindly obeyed the COVID restrictions. To this day, some people mask up in public. They are religious zealots! They still haven’t woken up from their indoctrination. The science of today: take a big pharma flu shot, rather than rely on your own immune system; take a big pharma flu shot, rather than eat foods that are high in antioxidants like vitamin C. Could you not just find a natural vitamin C supplement? Nope! We love big pharma! We love big corporations! We love Big Brother! We love fascism! Since you’ve been trained to be a consumer, you’ll consume what has been marketed to you. Oh, the science of propaganda! Ah, the science of marketing!

 

“Scientism has remained to this day one of the strongest Gnostic movements in Western society.” – Eric Voegelin

 

During COVID-19, people were not only begging for totalitarian measures, but they were applauding them. They wanted strict rules to ease their uncertainty, fear, and insecurity. They coped with their insecurity by running others down. The big bad enemies were not the Jews, but the unvaccinated. Fear needs an enemy! People were calling for the unvaccinated to be rounded up. Some even wanted the unvaccinated killed. This made them feel more secure, like they had the upper hand. They had the camaraderie of the mob; they felt like they belonged! The extra rules helped ease their anxiety. They felt more in control of their fear. The fellowship of the mob helped to further ease their stress and insecurity. There is security in numbers! They rebuked, denounced, and excommunicated heretical friends and relatives who strayed from the holy narrative. They felt righteous, because they were supposedly fighting for a righteous cause. This made them feel virtuous. They were crusaders for the truth, and they felt heroic! They felt relief as they took out their frustrations on their enemies. They blew off steam! They felt good! They felt energized!

 

These people had an authoritarian mindset. Their true selves, their true natures, came to the surface. They had a mob mentality. They had a pack mentality. These people were so filled with fear, hysteria, and panic that they could not think straight. They lost their ability to calm down and think things through. They could not regulate their fears and emotions. As a result, they could not think critically. How can one think critically in a panic? In fact, since they were taught to be cogs in the machine, they weren’t really taught to be critical thinkers. Just as a child must learn how to walk, a child must be taught how to critically think. They were taught to solve problems related to the machine, but they were not taught to think outside the machine. That is why they say things like: I support free speech, ‘but’ not hate speech. They don’t even understand how speech operates under the framework of free speech. They literally can’t understand the concept of free speech! It’s over their heads. Will these people ever change? Nope, I’ve yet to see any of them apologize for their actions during COVID. Given the right crisis, our society will accept totalitarianism.

 

Big government, with its increased bureaucracy, administration, and management, loves to make ever-increasing rules and regulations. We are drawing closer and closer to totalitarianism. We will soon have a totalitarian system with digital biometric IDs, central bank digital currencies, and social credit scores. We are becoming a total surveillance society. Our data is being collected, tracked, analyzed, and sold. COVID caused a worldwide hypnosis, a mass hysteria, in which the masses were ready to trade their freedoms for safety. Nothing much has changed. The world’s population is slowly being boiled like a frog; it’s slowly being corralled into a worldwide authoritarian system. Like Nazi Germany, many today would pick totalitarianism if they were promised economic solutions in a time of financial hardship. If we had another great depression like the 1930s, many in our decadent society would pick a totalitarian system. They would choose digital IDs, CBDCs, and social credit scores if they could receive universal basic income to feed their families. Is it really a stretch to see why people would accept the Mark of the Beast?

 

In the fourth industrial revolution, man will physically merge with technology. Of course, this technology is supposed to make man smarter and healthier. It’s supposed to turn man into the perfect superman. How can the imperfect make the perfect? Man is an imperfect sinner. He has sinned against God. God is perfect, and sin is imperfect. Perfection and imperfection do not mix. Righteousness and sin do not mix. Light expels darkness, God expels sin. God’s punishment for sin is death. God will permit sinful man to utilize his strength and rationality to attempt to work out his own salvation. Ultimately, man will fail. Christ will return to stop man from destroying all life on earth at the battle of Armageddon (Matthew 24:22). Jesus will destroy those who, in their sin, are destroying the earth (Revelation 11:18). Jesus first came as a sacrificial Lamb for the atonement of sins. The second time, Jesus will come as a roaring lion to destroy His enemies. His enemies will choose His imposter, the antichrist. They will accept the transhuman Mark of the Beast. As a result, they will forfeit salvation. Only in Christ (the perfect sacrifice) is sin forgiven. Will you accept His salvation? Or will you try, in your sin, to work out your own salvation?

 

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him, and he with Me.”

 

consequences of global climate warming

Un entretien régulier et réactif ne permettrait-il pas d'éviter d'en arriver là?

Harper Lake used to be an oasis in the Mojave Desert that attracted bird and wildlife from all corners of the desert. In a region starving for water and resource, it was a valuable stop for birds and animals alike.

 

This is what it looks like today. You can go to goole maps and zoom in on a satalite and see the decline in just the time the older pictures were taken to the more accurate, closer ones of today. Barely any water at all remains, and we're the reason.

 

This is the ugly side of agriculture, the sad reality that the effects we have on the earth extend far beyond the glaciers of Antarctica, but right here at home. Where is this photo? Harper Lake, Lockhart, California. You can drive here from Los Angeles in less than 3 hours, but you don't see Hollywood cameras here. This is the side of us we like to ignore, this is the consequence of us.

 

It's up to us to decide how long we let it continue.

A consequence of the withdrawal of the 10 was the LTs being displaced to the 27, and then the ADHs from the 27 to the E3 to displace SPs.

This process is roughly half complete as of today, and this is the new order on the E3, with ADH45030 at Drayton Bridge. 7.12.18

 

2455 South Kensington-Shepherds Bush 49

TE1571 Shepherds Bush-Acton Central 607

TEH1464 Acton Central-Gypsy Corner 266

DE20077 Gypsy Corner-Acton 440

2572 Acton-Ealing Broadway 427

2451 Ealing Broadway-Greenford E1

ADH45030 Greenford-Drayton Bridge E3

2462 Drayton Bridge-Ealing Broadway E1

2571 Ealing Broadway-Acton 427

TEH1452 Acton-Hammersmith 266

DPS30694 Hammersmith-Barnes Stn 72

707019 Barnes-Waterloo

As most people probably do, we took a boat tour on the waters of Amsterdam. This picture is from the actual river Amstel, in an attempt to capture both the iconic building style (yet another example of tax laws having odd consequences) and the house boats that line the river and canals.

 

I like the composition here, but I really should have had my camera at a narrower aperture for this shot, as the houses are a bit out of focus. I think I can just about get away with it when viewed on a webpage, but probably not one to print. Still, despite the technical flaw it does remind me of the city well.

My blood is running cold.

Instead of a Christmas tree... On New Year's Eve, I want to congratulate everyone with this photo.

 

Bellow I wrote a short (actually not...) congratulation for everybody in Russian. It would be quite hard for me to make it in English with all meaning I want to share, so feel free to use translation services you prefer to get the ideas...

 

Искренне желаю всем (в том числе и себе) плодотворного нового года. Для тех, кто использует празднование нового года в качестве точки отсчета, желаю преуспеть в том, чтобы всегда и везде фокусироваться на том, на что можно повлиять, как-то изменить. Остальным же желаю получить прекрасные плоды вашего труда (в том числе и над собой). Пусть всё, что вы посадили в этом году, во всех предыдущих годах прорастет в этом году и даст свои плоды. Но также желаю вам помнить о том, что нужно ещё и регулярно поливать и ухаживать за растениями… Желаю всем принятия того, что вы можете повлиять лишь на малую часть от того, что вас окружает. И вдохновения для того, чтобы продолжать свой путь, продолжать сотворять свою жизнь, делать ваш внутренний и окружающий мир лучше, добрее, наполнять радостью. Пусть всё способствует вашему росту и слиянию с Природой, своим чистым Сознанием.

В эти дни непременно стоит отметить для себя и поблагодарить себе и окружающему миру за все пройденные уроки, приобретения, провалы, ошибки. За то, что ни смотря ни на что мы продолжаем наше космическое путешествие. А если нам до сих пор трудно понять кто мы такие и что мы делаем в этом мире - то это повод начать предпринимать маленькие, пусть даже крошечные действия… Стоит фокусироваться на действиях, а потом уже на размышлениях или рефлексии…

Пусть в Новом году будут только благостные последствия наших действий (или бездействия). Пусть окружающие вас люди и обстоятельства всячески помогают вам, а вы в свою очередь инвестируйте в них. Что стоит наша жизнь, если в ней отсутствуют другие люди?…

Мира, Гармонии и Целостности в Новом году!

 

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAbuwUtCj_s

In 2008 I visited the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard for a photograph & sailingtrip. An absolute must for nature lovers who are not afraid of the cold! Svalbard has always been seen as one of the most accessible polar bear populations on the world. Back then the local guide showed us that climate change poses a major threat to the Arctic. Like photographer Kerstin Langenberger Photography has captured the consequences of global warming for polar bears. Or not? Even now scientists discuss whether the consequences of global warming causes this bear to die. Let’s get on with this discussion and analysis, and take action! Read more: www.ibtimes.co.uk/svalbard-shocking-picture-shows-emaciat...

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

~Confucius

 

What is it with human kind when it comes to anger,violence and power?

Wars,deaths,bombing and collapsing civilizations is never in the hands of those with great powers.It begins from them until it spreads into humanity like venom in the air they breathe.

There isn't a human being out there who won't feel strong and unlimited when anger is the feeling that completely covers their existence.That's when it should be a warning that when anger fills up your whole body and mind,you are a letter away from being in danger.

Earth isn't capable of living in peace,after all it's story began with a violent crash of elements.All we gotta do is take that violence and create a whole new different idea.All the power that comes from it,could be handled to do good.

   

A personal consequence of BREXIT?

Haus Lange in Krefeld is an address of pilgrimage for architectural studies and those people interested in Ludwig Mies von der Rohe’s style setting early work. Splendid and ageless architecture and garden environment.

Most recently this building became a new home for BREXIT refugee family that felt no longer welcome in England. Has it really become ‘a home’? If you watch the series of photos I took you might feel shocked as I was when I first lingered thru the stylish rooms. The car was still packed. The door was open… I entered as invited, saw valuable furniture, most goods still in boxes, piles of books. The pantechnicon obviously just left. Also very obvious: The landlady, mother and wife also left and will stay absent: ‘You will never see me again’ written on the mirror. That wasn’t a good sign. I felt sorry.

Then to my utmost horror I found the host floating dead in the pool… A husband, a father: dead! And nobody seems to care!

Even more desperate the boy hiding in the dining room – his distressed body language seems to ask: Can this my home? Where is my mother? Who is my mother? Where are my roots?

You may form your own opinion on this photo story – but being uprooted is the worst prerequisite for a new and positive start. Reasons are manifold. But if it comes to politics as a cause: Think before you vote, choose well whom you elect. It might affect your families’ life, too.

 

The artists Michael Elgreen and Ingar Dragset make us think with their fictive story and installation of an unhappy start in Haus Lange, Krefeld.

I as a photographer tried to transfer this mood and the atmosphre into 17 picture series ‘Die Zugezogenen’.

 

Krefeld, February 2017

Thomas Kopf

 

The Evil Within: The Consequence

The phased introduction of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 means that whilst single-deck buses over 7.5 tonnes must be fully compliant from 1st January 2016, double deckers have a further 12 months grace. Therefore, Olympians can still be legally used on registered local bus services until January 2017. Not that I'm complaining. However a less able-bodied bus passenger who could until now easily board an elderly low-floor Dart may have a different opinion.

 

First South West (Devon & Cornwall as was) still operates a diminishing number of Volvo Olympians in Cornwall. However, their days appear to be numbered as more replacement Volvo B7TLs are due to be cascaded from South Yorkshire.

 

Surprisingly, one of the Olympians still giving sterling service in Cornwall is former First Cymru Palatine II-bodied 34162, which was new to the Bristol fleet and arrived in South Wales with her three sisters in 2008. She transferred to the South West in August 2014 after being replaced at Pontardawe depot by a former Hampshire & Dorset Alexander ALX400-bodied Volvo B7TL, bowing out after operating on the Llanelli Eisteddfod Park & Ride contract in the first week of the month.

 

In this late May 2014 shot, she is leaving Neath's Victoria Gardens on Service 903 (Neath-Pontardawe-Ystalyfera-Ystradgynlais-Abercraf), which caters for Neath Port Talbot College students.

If the gods of time are multiple like Aïon (that of eternity), or Chronos (the god of time, the son of Ouranos), to differentiate from his homophone Cronos (the equivalent of Saturn, who devoured his children), there is one that invites us to seize the moment, opportune, ephemeral...": Kaïros. A mythological figure close to Hermes and Eros, he is a true gift for feeling "the right moment". Unlike that of the Devil ("dividing one"), the function of Kaïros comes under the symbol ("putting together"), allowing to evaluate very quickly what presents itself and what should be done. Because it provides a disposition to discernment, to work in multiple fields (medicine, navigation, rhetoric, etc.), it allows to make a decision, quickly and well, among multiple possible ones. Few iconographic representations have illustrated him: he was a young man whose only tuft of hair on his head had to be grasped when he passed by... in order to seize the opportunity! Without seeing it or doing nothing, we passed by... Relevant to both secular decisive time and sacred time, it has the particularity of being in relation to synchronicity, synchronizing two events without causal link between them where time and action combine. The difficulty is to seize this time in a timely fashion, this time just right. Symbolic tools can help us, such as images, dreams, archetypal representations or other media, such as astrology or tarots. Kaïros is no stranger to astrology, an area that Jung also looked into at the beginning of his research. Thus in Paracelsica, or The Roots of Consciousness, Jung evokes the possibility of raising the patient's theme during his cure. The celestial symbolism of the birth theme can prove to be a formidable road map of the psyche's time. But Kaïros, god of the "right moment", can also be compared to the Tarots de Marseille, whose cards - in a particular draw - present the constellation of the "moment" for whoever consults them: is it time to seize or not what is presented? Far from the predictable linear physical time (Chronos), Kaïros acts on temporality, it mobilizes our ability to evaluate the circumstances in order to act neither too early nor too late. Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos referring to sequential time, and kairos, a moment of indeterminate time in which events happen: mood of universal destruction and renewal...has set its mark on our age. This mood

makes itself felt everywhere, politically, socially, and philosophically. We are living in what the Greeks called the kairos- the right moment- for a "metamorphosis of the gods,"

of the fundamental principles and symbols. We are living in what the Greeks called the kairos- the right moment- for a 'metamorphosis of the gods', of the fundamental principles and symbols. This peculiarity of our time, which is certainly not of our conscious choosing, is the expression of the unconscious man within us who is changing. This peculiarity of our time, which is certainly not of our conscious choosing, is the expression of the unconscious human within us who is changing. Coming generations will have to take account of this momentous transformation if humanity is not to destroy itself through the might of its own technology and science....So much is at stake and so much depends on the psychological constitution of the modern human.

C. G. Jung

“…what is time? Who can give that a brief or easy answer? Who can even form a conception of it to be put into words? Yet what do we mention more often or familiarly in our conversation than time? We must therefore know what we are talking about when we refer to it, or when we hear someone else doing so. But what, exactly, is that? I know what it is if no one asks; but if anyone does, then I cannot explain it.”

 

-Saint Augustine, Confessions (book 11, chapter 3) (~400CE)

 

One thing is for sure, whatever the ego thinks time is—whatever spell it tries to cast with its alphabetic magic to capture it—it will almost certainly miss the mark. Whatever time is, we should admit we are mostly unconscious of it. In fact, it seems to me that there is an intimate connection, perhaps even an identity, between time and the Jungian notion of the unconscious, a connection that archetypal cosmology obviously substantiates. Despite time’s unconscious depths and ineffability, I am after all a philosopher, and we love nothing more than to try to “eff” the ineffable.

 

In the 15 brief minutes I have with you, I want to introduce, with help from the Ancient Greek language, 3 different modalities of temporality, or rather, I want to introduce you to 3 Gods, each with a powerful hand in shaping our experience of time: Chronos, Kairos, and Aion. In concrete experience, each mode appears to me at least to be co-present and interwoven; I only separate them abstractly to help us get a better sense for the anatomy of time. Of course, we should remember all the while that “we murder to dissect” (Wordsworth).

 

I therefore humbly ask for the blessing of the Gods of time as I embark on this short journey into their meanings. May you grant us entry into your mysteries.

 

A Brief History of (the Idea of) Time:

 

1. Plato suggests in the Timaeus that time is brought forth by the rhythmic dancing of the Sun, Moon, and five other planets then known upon the stage of 12 constellations. Through the cooperative and friendly circling of these archetypal beings, eternity is permitted entry into time. Time, in other words, is said to emerge from the harmonious or regular motion of the heavens—motion regulated by mathematical harmonies. Plato’s ancient vision of a perfect cosmic order had it that the motion of the 7 known planetary spheres was in mathematical harmony with the 8th supraplanetary sphere of fixed constellations, that the ratios of their orbits added up to one complete whole, finding their unity in what has been called the Platonic or Great Year (known to us today as the 26,000 year precession of the equinoxes). This highest of the heavenly spheres was the God known to the ancients as Aion.

 

2. Aristotle critiqued Plato’s idea of time as produced by motion. Aristotle argued that time couldn’t possibly be produced by motion, because motion itself is something we measure using time. Motion can be fast or slow, he argued, but time always flows at the same rate. Time is simply a way of measuring change. Aristotle’s conception of time, then, is chronic, rather than aionic. His was the beginning of the scientific view of time as a merely conventional measurement, rather than a cosmic motion, as with Plato.

 

3. Galileo’s view of the universe was, on the face of it, a complete rejection of Aristotle’s physics. Remember that Aristotle still held a teleological view of chronological time: an apple falls to the ground, for Aristotle, because it desires to do so, because earth is its natural home; for Galileo, nothing in the apple compels it to fall, it is simply a blind happening working according to mechanical laws. Galileo, like Newton and Descartes, rejected the idea of purposeful, meaningful time. Time became for them merely a function in a differential equation. In a sense, then, though the early scientists rejected Aristotle’s view of teleological time, they only further formalized Aristotle’s view of time as a measure of motion. Time became t, a variable quantity used to calculate the precise velocity of material bodies through space. 4. Einstein’s theory of relativity revealed how time and space are intimately related, since, strange as it may seem, as speed increases, time slows. But still, time is understood not on its own terms, but is reduced to a linear, easily measurable and quantifiable function. The reduction of time to Chronos may have begun with Aristotle, but was carried to new extremes by modern materialistic science. 5. Today we know things are quite a bit more chaotic than earlier thinkers, including Plato, let on: we live in a chaosmos, not a perfect cosmos; an open spiral not a closed circle. The orbital periods of the planets shift ever so slightly as the years pass, and the “fixed” stars are actually not fixed at all. Our universe is very strange, and measuring time is no easy matter. Even merely chronological time is extremely counter-intuitive: A day on Venus, for instance, is longer than a Venusian year. Everything is spinning around everything else. Time is then not a moving image of eternal perfection; rather, time is what happens when divinity loses its balance and gets dizzy. But don’t worry, there is nowhere to fall over in the infinite expanses of space. What is happening when referring to kairos depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative, permanent nature. The union of kairos and logos is the philosophical task set for us in philosophy and in all fields that are accessible to the philosophical attitude. The logos is to be taken up into the kairos, universal values into the fullness of time, truth into the fate of existence. The separation of idea and existence has to be brought to an end. It is the very nature of essence to come into existence, to enter into time and fate. This happens to essence not because of something extraneous to it; it is rather the expression of its own intrinsic character, of its freedom. And it is essential to philosophy to stand in existence, to create out of time and fate. It would be wrong if one were to characterize this as a knowledge bound to necessity. Since existence itself stands in fate, it is proper that philosophy should also stand in fate. Existence and knowledge both are subject to fate. The immutable and eternal heaven of truth of which Plato speaks is accessible only to a knowledge that is free from fate—to divine knowledge. The truth that stands in fate is accessible to him who stands within fate, who is himself an element of fate, for thought is a part of existence. And not only is existence fate to thought, but so also is thought fate to existence, just as everything is fate to everything else. Thought is one of the powers of being, it is a power within existence. And it proves its power by being able to spring out of any given existential situation and create something new! It can leap over existence just as existence can leap over it. Because of this characteristic of thought, the view perhaps quite naturally arose that thought may be detached from existence and may therefore liberate man from his hateful bondage to it. But the history of philosophy itself has shown that this opinion is a mistaken one. The leap of thought does not involve a breaking of the ties with existence; even in the act of its greatest freedom, thought remains bound to fate. Thus the history of philosophy shows that all existence stands in fate. Every finite thing possesses a certain power of being of its own and thus possesses a capacity for fate. The greater a finite thing’s autonomous power of being is, the higher is its capacity for fate and the more deeply is the knowledge of it involved in fats. From physics on up to the normative cultural sciences there is a gradation, the logos standing at the one end and the kairos at the other. But there is no point at which either logos or kairos alone is to be found. Hence even our knowledge of the fateful character of philosophy must at the same time stand in logos and in kairos. If it stood only in the kairos, it would be without validity and the assertion would be valid only for the one making it; if it stood only in the logos, it would be without fate and would therefore have no part in existence, for existence is involved in fate.What are the deep stirrings in the collective psyche of the West? Can we discern any larger patterns in the immensely complex and seemingly chaotic flux and flow of our age? Influenced by the depth psychology tradition founded a century ago by Freud and Jung,and especially since the 1960s and the radical increase in psychological self-consciousness that era helped mediate, the cultural ethos of recent decades has made us well aware how important is the psychological task of understanding our personal histories. We have sought ever deeper insight into our individual biographies, seeking to recover the often hidden sources of our present condition, to render conscious those unconscious forces and complexes that shape our lives. Many now recognize that same task as critical for our entire civilization. What individuals and psychologists have long been doing has now become the collective responsibility of our culture: to make the unconscious conscious. And for a civilization, to a crucial extent, history is the great unconscious- history not so much as the external

chronology of political and military milestones, but as the interior history of a civilization: that unfolding drama evidenced in a culture's evolving cosmology, its philosophy and science, its religious consciousness, its art, its myths. For us to participate fully and creatively in shaping our future, we need to better understand the underlying patterns and

influences of our collective past. Only then can we begin to grasp what forces move within us today, and perhaps glimpse what may be emerging on the new millennial

horizon. I focus my discussion here on the West, but not out of any triumphalist presumption that the West is somehow intrinsically superior to other civilizations and thus most worthy of our attention. I do so rather because it is the West that has brought forth the political,technological, intellectual, and spiritual currents that have been most decisive in

constellating the contemporary world situation in all its problematic complexity. For better or worse, the character of the West has had a global impact, and will continue to do

so for the foreseeable future. Yet I also address the historical evolution of Western consciousness because, for most of us reading these words, this development represents

our own tradition, our legacy, our ancestral cultural matrix. Attending carefully and critically to this tradition fulfills a certain responsibility to the past, to our ancestors, just as

attempting to understand its deeper implications fulfills a responsibility to the future, to our children. A paradox confronts every sensitive observer about the West: On the one hand, we cannot fail to recognize a certain dynamism, a brilliant, heroic impulse, even a nobility, at work in Western civilization and in Western thought. We see this in the great

achievements of Greek philosophy and art, for example, or in the Sistine Chapel and other Renaissance masterpieces, in the plays of Shakespeare, in the music of Bach or Beethoven. We see it in the brilliance of the Copernican revolution, with the tremendous cosmological and even metaphysical transformation it has wrought in our civilization's

world view. We see it in the unprecedented space flights of a generation ago, landing men on the moon, or, more recently, in the spectacular images of the vast cosmos coming

from the Hubbell telescope and the new data and new perspectives these images have brought forth. And of course the great democratic revolutions of modernity, and the

powerful emancipatory movements of our own era, vividly reflect this extraordinary dynamism and even nobility of the West. Yet at the same time we are forced to admit that this very same historical tradition has caused immense suffering and loss, for many other cultures and peoples, for many people within Western culture itself, and for many other forms of life on the planet. Moreover, the West has played the central role in bringing about a subtly growing and seemingly

inexorable crisis on our planet, a crisis of multidimensional complexity: ecological, political, social, economic, intellectual, psychological, spiritual. To say our global civilization is becoming dysfunctional scarcely conveys the gravity of the situation. For humankind and the planet, we face the possibility of great catastrophe. For many forms of life on the Earth, that catastrophe has already taken place. How can we make sense of this tremendous paradox in the character and meaning of the West? If we examine many of the intellectual and cultural debates of our time, particularly near the epicenter of the major paradigm battles today, it is possible to see looming behind them two fundamental interpretations, two archetypal stories or metanarratives, concerning the evolution of human consciousness and the history of the Western mind. In essence these two metanarratives reflect two deep myths in the collective psyche- and let us define myths here not as mere falsehoods, nor as collective fantasies of an arbitrary sort, but rather as profound and enduring patterns of meaning that inform the human psyche and constellate its diverse realities. These two great myths in the collective psyche structure our historical self-understanding in very different ways. One could be called the myth of progress, the other the myth of the fall. The first, familiar to all of us from our education, describes the evolution of human consciousness, and particularly the history of the Western mind, as an extraordinary progressive development, a long heroic journey from a primitive world of dark ignorance,

suffering, and limitation to a brighter modern world of ever increasing knowledge, freedom, and well-being. This great trajectory of progress is seen as having been made possible by the sustained development of human reason, and above all by the emergence of the modern mind. We recognize this view whenever we encounter a book or program whose title is something like "The Ascent of Man" or "The Discoverers" or "Man's Conquest of Space," and so forth. The direction of history is seen as onward and upward. Humanity is here often personified as "man," and imaged, at least implicitly, as

a solar masculine hero of Promethean character: bold, restless, brilliantly innovative, ceaselessly pressing forward with his intelligence and will, breaking out of the structures

and limitations of the past, forever seeking greater freedom and new horizons, ascending to ever higher levels of development. The apex of human achievement in this vision

begins with the ascendance of modern science and individualistic democracy. The view of history is one of progressive emancipation and empowerment. It is a vision that emerged fully in the course of the European Enlightenment, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though its roots are as old as Western civilization itself. In many respects our modern consciousness is so fully identified with this myth that it has become our common sense, the lineaments of our self-image as modern humans.The first, familiar to all of us from our education, describes the evolution of human consciousness, and particularly the history of the Western mind, as an extraordinary progressive development, a long heroic journey from a primitive world of dark ignorance,suffering, and limitation to a brighter modern world of ever increasing knowledge, freedom, and well-being. This great trajectory of progress is seen as having been made

possible by the sustained development of human reason, and above all by the emergence of the modern mind. We recognize this view whenever we encounter a book or program whose title is something like "The Ascent of Man" or "The Discoverers" or "Man's Conquest of Space," and so forth. The direction of history is seen as onward and upward. Humanity is here often personified as "man," and imaged, at least implicitly, as a solar masculine hero of Promethean character: bold, restless, brilliantly innovative, ceaselessly pressing forward with his intelligence and will, breaking out of the structures and limitations of the past, forever seeking greater freedom and new horizons, ascending

to ever higher levels of development. The apex of human achievement in this vision begins with the ascendance of modern science and individualistic democracy. The view

of history is one of progressive emancipation and empowerment. It is a vision that emerged fully in the course of the European Enlightenment, in the seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries, though its roots are as old as Western civilization itself. In many respects our modern consciousness is so fully identified with this myth that it has become

our common sense, the lineaments of our self-image as modern humans. The other view, whose presence has become much stronger in our cultural discussion in

recent years, though it was always present to one extent or another as a compensatory countercurrent to the progressive view, describes this story in quite opposite terms. In the

form this myth has taken in our era, the evolution of human consciousness and the history of the Western mind are seen as a tragic story of humanity's radical fall and separation

from an original state of oneness with nature and with being. In its primordial condition, humankind had possessed an instinctive knowledge of the profound sacred unity and

interconnectedness of the world; but under the influence of the Western mind, and especially intensifying with the ascendance of the modern mind, the course of history has

brought about a deep schism between humankind and nature, and a desacralization of the world. This development has coincided with an increasingly destructive human

exploitation of nature, the devastation of traditional indigenous cultures, and an increasingly unhappy state of the human soul, which experiences itself as ever more

isolated, shallow, and unfulfilled. In this perspective, both humanity and nature are seen as having suffered grievously under a long domination of thought and society associated

with both patriarchy and modernity, with the worst consequences being produced by the oppressive hegemony of Western industrial societies empowered by modern science and technology. The nadir of this fall is seen as the present time of planetary ecological disaster, moral disorientation, and spiritual emptiness, which is the direct consequence of human hubris as embodied above all in the structure and spirit of the modern Western mind and ego. Here the historical perspective is one which reveals a progressive impoverishment of human life and the human spirit, a fragmentation of original unities, a ruinous destruction of the sacred community of being.

  

cosmosandpsyche.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/revision-rite...

 

A consequence of the recent re-organisation of Stagecoach operations in the North West of England has seen the Preston and Chorley-based operations transferred to the Cumbria and North Lancashire business, resulting in the pair of Ribble Express liveried Scanias technically now no longer with Ribble, although still seeing regular use on the X2, a service which serves a part of the region unrelated to the pair's new parentage. 15300 illustrates the point when seen in Preston at the start of its journey.

 

This image is copyright and must not be reproduced or downloaded without the permission of the photographer.

 

Ardyn is a quite deep and complex character. And beautiful too (sort of).

He is the ultimate representation of the consequences of pain and suffering in human life. Better than most fictional villains that I know (and I know my share), he embodies the following idea as no other: the huge impact of how we deal with pain.

 

Gaming is how I handled depression and tough moments when they fell upon me. And it still amazes me how I got through painful, difficult and sad moments using an immersive game as escape. Sometimes even not knowing that, doing it like a natural reflex. But I did. The pain was gone, time passed, grew up, got married... sorted my life out, somehow. But the good taste for gaming followed me.

And then there's Ardyn. And he made me think how bad things could have ended. How bad things could be right now for someone else. Not because of pain itself, but how we deal with it. And in the end, if we'll get over that unscathed or not, it all depends on HOW we handle pain, 'Cuz pain will come for everyone. No exceptions. Sometimes it hits you like a train, sometimes not. But it will come, for life is pain.

It sucks, but there's no recipe for deal with that. Be it depression or social disorders... we need to keep in mind that keeping our good health includes handling these things too. Same way we brush our teeth to keep them healthy, we must face those more complex matters.

Ardyn is what happens when we don't.

Ardyn is chaos. Ardyn is a weak man. That's why he's a villain.

 

Thank God I can deal with that with just a good game.

  

ANSEL + photoshop

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition

The Moon, the shadow and the Model.

Went through one of the worst shit in my life because of this fuckin place. I'll never ever forget this place and the mother fuckin cops who dont give a fuck about people and fuck around for money. Have I used the word 'fuck' too much? Well...I dont give a fuck.

Paddy, the rain of no consequence

A personal consequence of BREXIT?

Haus Lange in Krefeld is an address of pilgrimage for architectural studies and those people interested in Ludwig Mies von der Rohe’s style setting early work. Splendid and ageless architecture and garden environment.

Most recently this building became a new home for BREXIT refugee family that felt no longer welcome in England. Has it really become ‘a home’? If you watch the series of photos I took you might feel shocked as I was when I first lingered thru the stylish rooms. The car was still packed. The door was open… I entered as invited, saw valuable furniture, most goods still in boxes, piles of books. The pantechnicon obviously just left. Also very obvious: The landlady, mother and wife also left and will stay absent: ‘You will never see me again’ written on the mirror. That wasn’t a good sign. I felt sorry.

Then to my utmost horror I found the host floating dead in the pool… A husband, a father: dead! And nobody seems to care!

Even more desperate the boy hiding in the dining room – his distressed body language seems to ask: Can this my home? Where is my mother? Who is my mother? Where are my roots?

You may form your own opinion on this photo story – but being uprooted is the worst prerequisite for a new and positive start. Reasons are manifold. But if it comes to politics as a cause: Think before you vote, choose well whom you elect. It might affect your families’ life, too.

 

The artists Michael Elgreen and Ingar Dragset make us think with their fictive story and installation of an unhappy start in Haus Lange, Krefeld.

I as a photographer tried to transfer this mood and the atmosphre into 17 picture series ‘Die Zugezogenen’.

 

Krefeld, February 2017

Thomas Kopf

 

tried to avoid this for a while.... had been tagged before, but always acted as if I didn't notice.... perhaps its time to say something.... my good friend Neaz Ahmed did all the damage.... the following is the consequence of that damage....

 

1. My Flickr nick was taken from a dialogue in the movie “V for Vendetta”

2. A man with multiple aims; ended up nowhere. Wanted to be a scientist (when at primary), then an astronomer (when at secondary), then a military officer (higher secondary). Failed in business quite early right after coming out of the university, and ended up as a bloody market researcher! The world isn’t perfect!

3. Had a tremendous fascination for reading facts. Never read fiction; as I always believe facts are stranger than fiction. My focus in study was on anything military, especially military strategy; still maintain a sizable library at home on this. Studied multiple other stuff as supplementary, starting from history, to geography, to diplomacy, to what not

4. Used to make fleets of military ships with cardboard, keeping all the practical factors in mind, using all the knowledge gathered through reading. That was my playground for practicing military strategy and tactics. BTW, still fancy my chances with card-boards, tapes and staple pins

5. Got admitted at the university to study English; but somehow ended up studying business

6. Started writing during the second semester at the university; lost interest after my favourite teacher used my writing for one of his newspaper article…. Of course without permission

7. Spent the school days being a good boy; spent the college days playing cricket; spent the university days taking bhaab with girls (u know, bhaabzzzz)

8. Missing the time that I had wasted just by sleeping!! Could’ve done so much!! I’m just a lazy person :(

9. Love cricket. Missing the days when we fled the field after a poor performance batting first, the other team couldn’t catch us as we hid ourselves in the roof of a building! Still like to skip sleep to watch cricket

10. I do not have an icon; I do not follow anyone

11. Not a person who lives to eat

12. Current love is photography; which was born out of travel, work pressure and poor memory

13. My biggest inspiration in photography……. My family; my biggest push behind photography came after I got married

14. Turned into a strobist after getting influenced by Bert Stephani. Strobist rescued my photography life from complete stagnation and helped me to get enrolled into a 52 week project

 

15. Always had more focus as a travel writer and a blogger; used Flickr as a place where I could meet other photographers

16. I love “wasting” a lotta money behind photography, but don’t like to waste a penny behind anything else!

17. Started as mainly a landscape photographer, then gradually moved into everything; and it took five years for me to discover that people are the most precious subjects

18. Love movies; mainly English. But hardly manage time now-a-days

19. Like music, but never really got deep into it

18. Like cars, but don’t drive. Never been crazy about it

19. Counting my days as an active photographer; counting years; counting age. Making the best use of the coming days is gonna be my biggest challenge

20. Always wanted to live after I die; still do

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal