I am privileged to know this inspiring young man who teaches on one of my young people courses at the University. Earlier this year I nominated him for an honorary doctorate for his commitment, passion and drive in working with young people to get them out of a vicious cycle of knife crime and gang involvement. The SOS project at St Giles Trust is the largest offender led project in the U.K. His SOS PLUS work in going into schools and mentoring young people has turned round many vulnerable young lives.

 

As Junior says, a person’s past does not dictate their future. He is testament to this.

 

Junior Smart was photographed in the historic Royal Naval College chapel at the University of Greenwich following being awarded his Honorary Doctorate in Education.

 

I am so so proud of him!

The first day we spent in Maine was with a boarding school friend. Our husbands went to the same university for their doctorates. It's amazing that our paths never crossed there but they were in different buildings and it's a large university.

When my father did his doctorate in the early 1960s, my mother typed out his dissertation from my father's taped dictation. I don't have the original tape recorder any more, but the typewriter is in the background here.

This picture is #36 in the 100 Strangers Project - Round 3

Meet Ghazal

With the pandemic and other priorities my third round of the 100 strangers project has been stuck for a while - so couple of weeks back with the weather clearing and some free time at my disposal I stepped out in my familiar area in Bethesda, MD. The place is wonderful to just stroll around with cool happy street vibe and its fun to watch people mostly chilling and hanging out shopping or visiting the various restaurants in the area or just chatting.

I was hoping I would be able to encounter one or two cool strangers that would lead to some good photography opportunities. Some days are great and some days you just return with nothing to show for.

Luckily that day was a good one - within a few minutes of walking around I noticed Ghazal - just entering a nearby shop and browsing for some books. Simple yet elegant with a casual vibe with a vibrant colored top and red lipstick she looked like a wonderful personality for the project - so I approached her and to make a request ( quite rusty I was must add). In return I was greeted by a friendly dazzling smile and a welcome yes. We walked a minute or two to a spot where I had earlier noticed great light and used the opportunity to know a little more about this stranger

Ghazal (which means poem/song in Persian - I sort of knew this because of the similarity with Hindi which I speak) hails from Iran and is now pursuing her doctorate in the US. A student of mechanical engineering she however works in the Biomedical field.

She loves reading especially the Harry Potter books. A quality that she mentioned she is most loves about herself is her kind heartedness. When I asked about her memorable time that she remembers fondly she mentioned the day before she left her home in Iran, celebrating and dancing/singing with her sister.

Ghazal mentioned that her mom was a photographer too and she was used to being her subject which explained her ease in front of the camera - relaxed and very photogenic.

It was wonderful meeting you Ghazal. Indeed a pleasure making your acquaintance and photographing you in this random encounter - I do hope I got the details of our encounter accurately.. All the very best for future. if you stop by and like your pics please feel free to contact me for hi resolution copies of the same.

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

For my other pictures on this project: 100 Strangers - Round 2.

For pictures from my prior attempt at 100 Strangers: 100 Strangers - Round 1.

Irrelevant Doctorate.

 

Конечные вопросы ходатайства вопросы различные формы составные принципы принципы исследования спорные аргументы смешные ответы,

generalia principia cognitionis quae obscurant sensum simpliciter falsa inductiones refutandis singulis sensibus comprehendit digeruntur,

behauptete fragen unmöglich substanz prädiziert unendliche kategorie kontinuierliche abteilungen vorausgesetzt geometrische fallacy die zur verfügung gestellten definitionen,

ακανόνιστοι λόγοι εναλλακτική διαχρονικότητα προσεγγίσεις μετασχηματισμένες κυκλικές εκτιμήσεις κατανεμημένες αμοιβαία προβλήματα πρωταρχικές κινήσεις αντιθέτως αποτελέσματα,

opienfolgjende getallen bewarre dingen begripe ideeën folsleinens saken frijheid paradox modifikaasjes tegearre foarmje problemen as eleminten,

absolutne korupcje wyjaśnienia doskonałości stowarzyszenie przypadkowe stwierdzenia sumienia mieszane zdarzenia postulowane ruchy odpowiednie środki,

同等の力同一の要素増加するアカウント仮定違い誤った見方感受性性質主張構成確立された結果情熱的な思想家馬鹿げた.

Steve.D.Hammond.

Day 3

 

Had a really nice bottle of champagne to celebrate both New Years and Janet's doctorate. It wouldn't be a 365 without a first week save. And before 7AM!

with his calculation that gives him a doctorate. Photo from 2003, worked on in Photoshop and finished in CharGPT.

One more of these. 9pm haven’t even had dinner yet. Still sick and pissed off about it. Where was I…right, I’m going to dump my last cosplay shots tomorrow. Probably. Clearing them out and though I have fun with it I’m definitely heading in the real direction. Which is what this is. Can’t get much more real than this for me. At least right now. Yeah could have gone low key on the chest but whatever. Squatting because the neighbor always seems to be looking over. If it looks like I’m freezing it’s cause I am. Maybe this is why I got sick….and no I’m not really a teacher though I have a doctorate like that woman who is running the country.

Link: link.medium.com/nvEMIMavhbb

 

Today, the Astronist Institution published the Doctoral Research Proposal of Cometan which has been recently accepted by the University of Central Lancashire so that Cometan, at the age of just 22, may commence his 3 year long endeavour to achieve a doctorate in religion. The topic of Cometan’s PhD will centre on the impact of the government recognition of religions on the conditions of religious liberty, especially looking at countries like China, Russia, Vietnam, and Iran, which have extension systems for restricting religious activity through recognition.

 

For more information about Cometan and his new doctoral endeavour, visit www.cometan.org

This is my very favorite surrealist painting, Period! A search of image today, did help me discover the artist’s presence on the internet. It’s well worth a Google search to see more of his work and learn about his life. I discovered the title just today, as well.

 

* NOTE: In addition to being a phenomenal artist, Mr. Nguyen Dinh is a nuclear physicist with a Doctorate in that discipline!

new year's eve at fume house in new jersey. note the a//political t shirt on the passed out drunk. i thought it was kind of ironic. i showed this picture to stas who used to sing for a//political and he said that it just made him kind of sad. sorry about that. stas got his doctorate a few years ago, which is kind of fucking awesome.

The University of Coimbra is a Portuguese public university in Coimbra, Portugal. Established in 1290 in Lisbon, it went through a number of relocations until it was moved permanently to its current city in 1537, being one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world, the oldest university of Portugal, and one of the country's largest higher education and research institutions.

 

The university is organized into eight different faculties according to a wide range of fields, granting academic bachelor's , master's and doctorate degrees in nearly all major fields of knowledge, such as arts, engineerings, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, medicine, sports and technologies. It is a founding member of the Coimbra Group, a group of leading European research universities, whose inaugural meeting it hosted. The University of Coimbra has over 20,000 students, and hosts one of the largest communities of international students in Portugal, arguably being the most cosmopolitan Portuguese university.

===Downtown New York===

 

Doctor Otto Octavius looked down at his clipboard, crossing off the latest name in a long line of applicants. Morris Bench, Hydro Man, had left behind a series of shallow puddles of water along the floor, and they had already begun to seep through the wooden floorboards. Wet Rot… that was just what he needed… Octavius sighed. Lined along his desk, were a series of trophies, trinkets from a past life. The wall behind him, was covered in diplomas, certificates, and doctorates from his time at ESU. And tucked in the drawer below him, was a letter from May Parker, a kind woman who had looked after him in the wake of his last battle with that accursed arachnid. There was an unsure knock at the door, and Octavius sighed again; it was time for the nightmare to begin anew.

 

“It’s open,” he answered.

 

The door creaked open, and a man in a striped, green t-shirt with short brown hair entered the room, who then went to great lengths to avoid the damp patches of water across the floor, as he made his way to the chair opposite Octavius’ desk.

 

Octavius cleared his throat and began the interview process. "Ah, Mr Baker-"

 

"Marko," the man interjected.

 

Octavius paused. A metal tentacle, one of four, lowered his dark lensed glasses on his behalf. "Pardon?"

 

"Flint Marko. I'm trying something new," the Sandman replied, a proud smile on his face.

 

"Ah, I see,” Octavius murmured, as he made an amendment to his files. "The same cannot however be said for your wardrobe." The striped shirt Marko was wearing had been a stable of the villain’s for years. Octavius had to assume he had never once washed the ugly thing. “In any case, Mr Marko, I trust you have prepared an argument for-”

 

An explosion outside caught Octavius’ attention; while a second blast tore apart the south wall; Octavius shielded his body with his tentacles while Sandman was struck by a piece of debris; a brick flew through his head and came out the other side. A third blast came from the waiting room.

 

‘WHO DARED?’ Doctor Octopus wouldn’t stand for this indignity; this attack was a personal insult, and the perpetrator would pay for this affront with their life. His four metal tentacles stuck themselves into the ground, raising his obese body off the floor so that he could investigate the third explosion.

 

The group of villains in the adjoining waiting room, were all cowering. ‘Pathetic.’ Octavius would have to keep that in mind once he was done with Sandman. The only one who wasn't, was Paste Pot Pete of all people, who stepped forward and aimed his glue gun at the opening in the wall. He took a cautious step back, however, once the attacker came into view; a hellish figure in a green mask and purple rags, stood atop a metal bat-shaped glider.

 

"Ladies, gentlemen, Peter the Paste Pot Person, even though my invite was sadly lost; a failing of the US Postal Service, I'm sure, I am proud to announce my eligibility for membership; nay; leadership, of the brand new, all-new all-different Sinister Six!" the green man announced, brandishing an orange, pumpkin-shaped projectile in his claw-like hand.

 

Pete pulled the trigger on his gun, but nothing happened. He turned to Octavius, his face red. "I think my gun's stuck," he said sheepishly.

 

"Well, you're the one who filled it with glue," the green man on the glider cackled, examining the group of felons waiting for their turn. “Let’s see, let’s see, Shocker, Looter, Willy the Wisp… What a dismal display of nobodies, tsk tsk. Thought I saw Big Wheel’s Big Wheel parked outside, is he still here?”

 

The group stared at him blankly.

 

“I’m at the right place, aren’t I?” The Goblin reached into his satchel and retrieved a crumbled piece of paper, covered in blood. “Sinister Six… Big ego… Kill Spider-Man… Blah-de-Blah… Ah, here we are- Alchemax Shipping, 112 Romita Avenue.”

 

“Thought you said your invite was lost,” a man in a brown and yellow striped costume frowned.

 

“It was! This was Ringmaster’s,” Goblin grinned.

 

The Shocker’s eyes were drawn once more to the bloody piece of paper, and he gulped.

 

"Goblin! If you’re done tormenting these inferiors, then perhaps you could continue this in my office?" Octavius scolded him.

 

The Goblin turned back to the anxious supervillains and waved. "Toodles!” he giggled, as the glider sputtered into the life, guiding him into the office.

 

~-~

 

As the Goblin flew into the office atop his glider, its' wings nudged Sandman out of the way as he took his place opposite Octavius' desk. The other villains stood in the doorway, eavesdropping.

 

“You’re aware of the application process, yes?” Octavius inquired, as a tentacle retrieved the pen and clipboard from the ground. He was met with a high-pitched, derisive cackle:

 

“Application process? Come now, Otto, we’re old friends; let’s get this over with, shake tentacles, sign the paperwork, wrap it up with a touch of naughty nepotism,” Goblin suggested, wringing his clawed hands with malicious glee.

 

“Still, I require ‘proof’ of your credentials. For… shall we say ‘posterity’s’ sake,” Octavius spoke, carefully navigating around Goblin’s colossal ego.

 

Rows of sharp teeth broke into a twisted smile. "You mean you want a story. Drama? Destruction? Death defying stunts performed by yours truly? Well, far be it from me to deny you! Let me set the scene!" he tittered, strumming long green fingers along Octavius' desk. "Spider-Man and his woman; Gwen-D.-Lynn Stacy, dressed in a naughty little black number, were sat atop the Brooklyn bridge, enjoying a delightful picnic of greasy New York Pepperoni Pizza. For clarity’s sake, the girl was wearing the dress."

 

"Although Spider-Man does have a black suit though, I can attest to that!" Shocker interjected from the doorway.

 

"Yeah, and that's why you've got a brown one, right Herm?" a man dressed in a suited of white, padded armour and a red mask snickered.

 

"Can it, Looter, that was one time!"

 

Goblin ignored the bickering and returned to his tale: "A pumpkin bomb rolled under the lovebirds; Spidey's Spidey Sense kicked into action, of course, and he carried Ms Stacy out of harm's way while he turned his attention to yours truly:

 

~-~

 

The Brooklyn Bridge was cloaked by thick black smoke, its’ central roadway blocked by debris. Peter dropped Gwen off on the pedestrian crossing, tilting his head back up at the Goblin, cackling on his glider. “Stay here, ok? I’ll be right back,” Peter assured Gwen, before webbing up into the air, catching a flagpole at the top of bridge:

 

"Spidey and blondie sitting by the sea, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes loooove, then comes marriage, then comes a casket in a horse and carriage, ahahahaha!" Goblin giggled, his pupils constricting as they locked with Spider-Man’s white eyes.

 

“Gobby! You know the saying ‘two’s company, three’s a crowd,’ don’cha?” Spider-Man quipped back, though he lacked his usual enthusiasm. He'd thought, hoped, prayed that the Goblin was gone for good, that the only threat Norman posed would be limited to stern faced scolding and complaints about the state of Harry's apartment.

 

“Oh, I couldn’t agree more! Which is why I’m afraid I’m going to ‘drop’ your little roadie! Preferably some thirty storeys.” Goblin cackled with malicious intent, another pumpkin bomb at the ready.

 

~-~

 

"I gotta stop you there. That's kinda messed up," a voice interjected. Goblin turned his head in confusion, having forgotten that Marko was still in the room. The edges of his mouth formed another twisted smile;

 

"My dear dirt-minded Sandman, you've got it all wrong. It's very messed up. You've all got tricks and traps for the Web Slinger, and they've all failed you. You wanna destroy the Wall Crawler, you attack his heart!"

 

Shocker looked up from his script; he had brought a paper copy of his story with him, and had spent his time waiting for his turn, rehearsing. He stepped out of the queue and sighed. "Welp, I'm out," he grumbled, script in one hand, a store-bought Spider-Man outfit under the other.

 

Octavius’ eyes narrowed, crossing out Schultz’ name from his list of prospective applicants and turned his attention back to the Goblin. “Continue.”

 

~-~

 

Spider-Man caught the bomb with a web, attempting to throw it out of harms’ way. It detonated prematurely, blasting a chunk out of the bridge’s centre tower, dropping concrete rubble onto the streets below; Spidey leapt down to redirect the debris, but the Goblin swooped in on his glider, throwing him aside. Spidey caught himself with a web, but wasn’t prepared for the Goblin’s next trick, as the madman pulled three razor-sharp bat-shaped projectiles from his satchel. One severed his web, one slashed his thigh, the other his arm. The Spider dropped, rolling across the tarmac, and scraping his knees and elbows. Goblin, was still singing.

 

"Spider-Man! Spider-Man! Does whatever a spider can! Does he squish? Does he splat? Does he lock lips with Black Cat? Look out, I'll kill the Spider-Man! Ahahahaha!"

 

But Spider-Man wasn’t done, not yet. He spun another web, latching himself onto the base of the Goblin’s mechanical monstrosity. The glider, began to splutter out smoke even blacker than usual. Goblin jerked the glider vertically, in attempt to loose his unwanted stowaway, but the Spider kept his grip.

 

~-~

 

"Under my glider, the Spider was slipping: quipping and thwipping, but dripping in blood! A duck, a weave, an eight-legged dweeb, t’was time to make the Spider leave!

And opportunity came a-knocking, like a burglar at the Parker home! On the bridge below, J Jonah Jameson emerged from his car, camera in hand: Spider-Man, The Green Goblin, wanton destruction of public property and a woman the Web Slinger had undoubtedly kidnapped? Adolf couldn’t resist! He could see those headlines and taste that Pulitzer, like the crumbs in his toothbrush mustache.”

 

Octavius’ eyes narrowed; his mouth downturned in a doubtful expression. “Jameson was there?”

 

“There, here, everywhere! But I’m getting ahead of myself.”

 

~-~

 

Spider-Man had now managed to climb onto the glider itself; he grabbed the Goblin’s ankle and pulled, knocking him back. Goblin regained his footing, and countered with a swift kick to the Wall Crawler’s face. Spider-Man was thrown back, but caught the wing of the glider.

 

“Sorry, Gobby, this flight’s been grounded! ” he teased, tearing loose wires out of the base of the machine.

 

The word elicited a peculiar response. “Grounded, hmm? Tsk tsk, what did you do this time? Sneak out of ESU again? Forget to pick up eggs for your poor, ailing Auntie? If you're not careful, you could give that woman a heart attack! I could give that woman a heart attack.”

 

The Web Slinger’s eyes expanded with horror. His worst fears had been realised: Norman hadn't just regained the Goblin persona, he recalled everything. “You remember?” he gasped.

 

"Yes."

 

For a moment, Norman Osborn’s voice took over, before being submerged by the Goblin’s manic laughter. “But don't you worry, Parker, I wouldn't dream of spoiling this game of ours. I'll take our little secret to my grave," he smirked, eyeing Gwen dutifully watching the battle on the street below. "Or hers."

 

~-~

 

“By now, you’ll have noticed an apparent discrepancy in my tale, but worry not. While you're all well-accustomed to the Web Slinger's myriad of quips and jokes, our battles are a far different affair, full of blood, sweat and tears. His, mainly. Oh, the cost of being his arch nemesis!"

 

Octavius’ tentacle shattered his fountain pen, dripping black ink onto the desk. “You, the Arachnid's arch nemesis? Bah! Preposterous!" he snarled.

 

“Perfectly posterous! You see, Otto, you might might be the Spider's arch nemesis. But you're not the Man's. I bet you don't even know his na-me,” he taunted him in a sing-song voice.

 

"I don't need to know his name, to crush his throat,” Octavius countered.

 

"But I bet it'd help! Ah, but where was I? The piece de resistance! The Spider was on my glider, Jameson was on the streets, the woman was within my grasp. All it takes is a couple of well-aimed projectiles!

 

Boom! A bomb blew his arm off! Boom! Jameson's face came off! Boom! Spider-Man was incinerated by my hand! Ahahahahahaha!” Goblin cackled, punctuating each explosion by slamming Octavius’ desk with his fists.

 

Octavius paused. Slowly and purposefully, he reached into his desk, and swallowed an aspirin.

 

"You... You killed him?" Sandman gasped; his face white with shock.

 

"Yep,” Goblin smiled coolly.

 

Octavius frowned. "No."

 

"No?" Goblin queried.

 

"No."

 

“Well then,” Goblin slid back into the seat. “I gotta say, I am awfully interested in hearing your rebuttal.”

 

Octavius smiled; control returned to him at last. "I spoke to Mr Jameson not two hours ago, and he was very much alive. I have witnesses to corroborate my account, CCTV footage of the meeting and this, a copy of his heavily-embellished resume that he left behind.”

 

Goblin clutched the base of his chin in false contemplation. "Well, how about that? Sure, he wasn’t Chameleon?"

 

"Positive."

 

"Well, did you try ripping his face off? I thought I saw Vermin drop down a manhole, I'm sure he'd love that."

 

“Quite,” Octavius smirked, rising to his feet. “But if you have nothing else to offer, other than a blatantly false report and propositions of facial mutilations, we have nothing else to discuss. You know the door. Or alternatively, you can exit through one of the many holes you’ve left in my walls.” After half an hour listening to Goblin’s babblings, Octavius felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction throwing him out.

 

Goblin was uncharacteristically quiet as his glider spluttered back into life, no jokes, no taunts, just a simple, unveiled threat: “You’re a fool, Octavius.”

 

The playful cadence had completely vanished from his voice.

 

Octavius leaned forwards. "Osborn?"

 

“No, I didn’t blow him up. He beat me, his passion reignited over threats to his precious loved ones... My glider exploded, I plunged into the Hudson and I licked my wounds. So, yes, he stopped me.

 

He didn’t next time.

 

I snapped the neck of that simpering female. I tortured the Spider in ways you could only dream of; androids, clones, zombies! All my schemes, you understand? ME! ME! ME! I have more than earned the right to squash that meddling, interfering whelp in whatever monstrously macabre ways I see fit! Earned it! So, you can keep your Sinister Saps, recruit as many of them as you see fit; six, twelve, a hundred! It doesn’t matter. They will implode as they always do, and when that happens, I will finish the job myself!”

 

And with a cloud of black smoke, and accompanied by strained sputtering, the glider carried the Goblin out of the building.

 

Octavius removed his glasses and rubbed his eyelids. "Now, Mr Marko, I apologise for the intrusion... Your story?"

 

"Ah, well. Y'know how it is. Spider-Man catches me at the bank, I turn my hands inta' hammers, clobber him about a bit, then he kicks a fire hydrant open, and suddenly I'm the freaking Mud Man."

 

"And?"

 

"That's it."

 

~Will DOCTOR OCTOPUS ever form his Sinister Six or will he be left to lead a Terrible Trio or a Frightful Four? Find out in INTERVIEW WITH AN OCTOPUS: LIZARD~

The Conversion.

 

Ruin: so, tell me about the day you got the 'news'. Did you go there alone? I went with Adrian, but we got the news separately.

 

Rack: I will, but zero energy today and this will require some gusto. I was alone, half expecting it. I’ve never fully described it to myself or anyone else. Going to think on it. If it goes in our book, it will have to be largely fictionalized as I remember very little. Not surprisingly. Send me yours and I’ll send you mine. xo

 

Ruin: Mine is similar, remember very little, though I did write around it, both to you and to one or two others. I was working in the Civil Service at the time. I had just finished my Doctorate. I will re-build it around those messages, will find it out, write about not remembering it, even. I can't even remember if I was sitting opposite a male or female doctor. I do remember the shock though, and coming out to discover that Adrian was in with another doctor. I had gone in first, so I had to wait for him. My head was racing, but then, when is it not?

 

Amanda Knox writes quite well, relative to that link you sent me, about her ‘Red Letter Day’.

 

There’s a similar feeling in it, that prison sentence, the air being drawn out of the room.

 

Yes, I will write it, we can also find it in our exchange, and yes, it can include fiction, of course. But then what is fiction? Perhaps it’s the story we tell ourselves convincing ourselves that it’s true, those self-justifications we invent to make moving forward possible, that greasing of those wheels.

 

I also have the writing about when we first got our t-cell count back, and mine being higher than his, and there being some guilt. It's near the end of those emails I sent you, but I will contrive to pull it all together.

 

Rack: God yes, the T-cell counts. Mine were not terrible. Peter tested after me and his were terrible. That’s how he found out. I feel like I might have to resort to science fiction, a genre I’m not fond of. Not that I know anything about it. Anyway, will stop writing about writing about it and will write it.

 

Ruin:

Sent : Sun Apr 22, 2001, 9:17 am.

Cries and Whimpers. (On discovering new HIV status Sent : Sun Apr 22, 2001, 9:17 am.

 

“I feel like I have dropped out of the world. You know the feeling, that in it but not of it, sort of thing. This acknowledgement of a new but inevitable state of being waxes and wanes, sometimes seeming unbearable and sometimes seeming very ordinary. That we both want or need to deal with it in totally different ways causes problems intermittently as we knock off each other (relative to Adrian). Meanwhile the world seems even more inaccessible than ever, the art world in particular. As usual I cringe at youth and beauty, but now in a more bitter and twisted way. When I see what is acceptable and celebrated in the Art world it becomes immediately clear why I would not be. Who needs the ravings of an aberrational cock and cum obsessed dysfunctional unit? The world is about going forth and multiplying, about buying and selling. It’s all about possessions and looking good. Having got to the ripe old age of 47, I haven't even managed to develop the acquisitional gene and imagine that will be a lack until the final shuffling off of this tired old coil.”

 

That's the day I found out, after a little search, but I will make it into a story. But no, on re-reading, I see it isn’t the day I found out, it’s 12 days later. I have no idea what happened in those intervening days.

 

I sort of discovered that in the act of writing, you start to remember even, to recapture memories. It's an interesting process.

 

Rack: Yes, I hope that happens. I am thinking I might make the perspective that of the doctor’s, to some degree, not entirely. I do remember him. Better than I remember myself that day. Telling.

 

Ruin: I remember reactions over that time, telling people, and getting that "well you were bloody looking for it" reaction.

 

I think before that day I thought that I might have been immune.

 

There was a rumour that some people were, and I had been such a slattern to that point, and always stayed negative, so I sort of allowed myself delude myself.

 

But I think that I might have wanted it too.

 

Rack: I mostly knew. I had fevers, swollen lymph nodes and one night a pain in the left side of my neck like a piece of rebar had been jammed up from my clavicle.

 

Yes, regarding wanting it, me too. It was connected to my loss of Conor. Complicated. It was a way for me to have an identity.

 

Ruin: But it was so much not your demographic, that must have been bewildering somewhat.

 

I think I was a semi-conscious bug-chaser, but also blindingly honest. As soon as I converted I told everyone.

 

Rack: Oh, it did. It was my calling card. The 25-year-old Irish woman with AIDS (no distinctions were made back then really).

 

Ruin: It was how I sorted out that wheat from the chaff, frighten the fuckers away.

 

Rack: It was a fantastic litmus test. That’s certain.

 

Ruin: I told you before, that demographically in London, the Irish and those from the Caribbean have the greatest percentage of HIV positive amongst their cohorts. They both have a disproportionate number for the size of their populations. It's the old ‘Cuckoo’, ‘Wild Goose’ thing. There was a survey done, and it was reported. I wish I had kept it.

 

Rack: Not surprising. The disenfranchised. Same could be said of Covid deaths.

 

Ruin: Lost, wandering, souls, untethered.

 

Rack: Yup. Less to lose.

 

Ruin: It's interesting now here to be in that demographic again relative to Covid, the disposables, the old.

 

Rack: But there was also the sense that it could get anyone. Liberace. Rock Hudson. Magic Johnson.

 

Ruin: Straight from one to the other, straight from seeing our parents out to preparing to see ourselves out. But that is universally the way of the world too.

 

Rack: I’d like to see myself in first.

 

Ruin: Yes, absolutely, but the untethered are more vulnerable, more likely to head for it, almost daringly.

 

Rack: I’m beginning to understand the reason for my writerly reticence. It ain’t pretty.

 

Ruin: Great, meaning ‘yes’ to the seeing of yourself in, but also describe it, it works at perhaps even bringing that about, of disenfranchising it.

 

Rack: I will. Not now though. I need to clarify it to myself. It’s terrifying.

 

Ruin: That self-loathing, it's great, and liberating, when you at last begin to call it out.

 

I am listening to Sapolsky again today about childhood abuse and PTSD. Take your time.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcBgsmJFHDY&t=3s

 

Baboons in the wild, that's us, his subject, extrapolated to us.

 

Rack: Waving our purple arses. xoxooxoxox

 

Ruin: Kiss it, bitch!!!! XXX

 

It's bedtime here. I have been thinking about this, I will write it tomorrow, or start, it will include this, grow out of this. This will be the immediate aspect. The rest will happen, from notes made around the time and retrieved memories. It might take the rest of the week to pull it out, but I will.

 

When I think of it, it must have been a female doctor. At the same time, it might not have even been a doctor, perhaps a social worker, or a nurse, or one of the gay men manning the ‘Tavistock Clinic’. It was all nicely normalised for us sexual renegades, so that we could talk about anything, just as if we too were actually ‘normal’. My memory of the clinic in Dublin was not like that. There, we were well and truly outsiders, beyond that pale, next to the shackled prisoners from the local jail (I kid you not). This was indicative of the shame we might have dragged with us unknowingly, that friendly self-targeting fire. There is an aspect of that there in Nuala O’ Faolain’s autobiography, around abortion and birth control, and lesbianism. In fact, it’s more or less there in the writings of all our compatriots from Joyce wandering off to forge the conscience of his race, to the Magdalene Laundry atrocities in Claire Keegan. It is our wandering lot. I guess it’s that I seethe against in everything I make or do. That stranglehold of religion, for generations, casting sex as shameful. But there’s no real blame there either, or if there is, it is directable somewhere else. It perhaps could be laid squarely at the feet of the colonisation, and devastatingly cruel treatment, of our forebears, driving them into the maws of religion, that all-devouring solace.

 

I am not surprised we went crazy, you and me. I guess it’s also why I hold onto the discussion around Joyce relative to syphilis. There is much Irish objection to the theory amongst literature scholars, that ‘not our Saint James’ sort of thing, not now that we have taken him back into our collective, all enveloping, chaste bosoms. But we know he is one of us, shameless, you just have to read his letters, and look at the treatments he was receiving (That mercury and Neo-Salvarsan). We are shameless, and this is good. This needs both embracing and celebrating, wantonly, lusciously, and hilariously.

 

So back to the ‘Tavistock Clinic’, nestled there just off the Tottenham Court Road, succour for sinners, offered now by our nation’s tormentors. Going there to confess repeated improprieties, which inevitably did, at last, trip one up, was always a bit of a laugh, until it wasn’t.

 

The thing I think I remember most is hard to describe. It wasn’t a sharp intake of breath, not exactly that. It was more like a rush of cold air into the lungs, like it feels just before a panic attack. But this was years before those panic attacks, but I still remember that ‘cold air’ second. It was like, suddenly from nowhere, air from a deep freeze had entered your lungs. Just the once, it wasn’t ongoing, but it took quite a few more breaths to warm it back up. The heart felt it, and responded, speeding up. Again, Sapolsky describes this wonderfully, that flight or fight response to danger, that speeding up when there was nowhere to run to. He links it to abuse and neglect in childhood. Like a baboon sitting directly opposite a man-eating tiger. The thing is that we are so used to running away from our own personal ‘bête noire’, mine being my mother selling me for sex to her brother when I was a child. That she did this ‘innocently’ is no succour, no release at all. Running had to happen. Running until you dropped, and you, apparently, had just dropped in front of this ferocious caregiver. Luckily the tiger opposite you was just there to make a follow up appointment to have your bloodwork done, to see the extent of the damage already coalesced. I didn’t realise at the time that there would be still a lot of time to conjure a seemingly infinite amount of even more damage. I was always very good at generating self-damage, a past master, even. But then this was inherited, something passed on from abused parents to their litter (or their farrow, as Mr. Joyce termed it). I still love this stuff we carry forward, until we work out that reproduction is probably not a good idea at all; so we stop.

 

We were very clever in that regard, or at least our DNA was.

 

Rack, I think that this is how it is done, or a lot of it anyway. This immediacy of these SMS messages between us, this explaining it to each other. You pointed out that this was your favourite part of the 50 pages I sent you, that 'nowness'. Yes, I agree with you there, it is the 'bones', like an extended diary really, a day by day thing, grabbing what ever understanding happens as you wake up. That's when it’s best for me anyway. It also means you don't actually have to sit down and write, in that traditional way of putting hours aside for the 'muse'. Anyway, you both muse and amuse me, enough to make me respond.

 

I am searching in the stuff I have here from around that time. There is not a lot, I think I sort of temporarily shut down. There are some breadcrumbs scattered. The next part seems to be about results, t-cell counts and the like. I can certainly fill in the gaps somewhat. I remember distinctly telling a few people, and their inappropriate reactions, which made me angry. Some fed me some 'choices' shit, as in "you made bad choices" sort of way. I knew that I had been true. I also knew already that there was no such thing as ‘freedom of choice’, no such chimera as ‘free Will’. Those ghosts were the terrors of childhood, they were over, as dead as ‘God’.

 

I thought their reactions were shaming, and I was having none of that.

 

Anyway there is solace. I love the tenderness between us as we work this out.

 

Ruin: Anyway, dear Rack, here's a start. Good morning!

 

I was surprised to hear that you knew before Peter, and then he went and got tested. I always presumed that it was the other way around. I remember those people in New York, those gay men that didn't want to know. I had myself tested more or less every three months, more so after I had resumed barebacking. That happened quite late for me, it was really after I had left New York, that point where I had become so tired of all that self-preservation of someone I loathed, myself. You see, I had come from a long line of barebackers. My parents were, it was mandated by their religion (as you know condoms were not available), and my grandfather and grandmother, with their 17 children, were definitely barebackers too, and so on through countless generations. What can I say? It was ingrained in my DNA.

 

In fact, almost every heterosexual I ever met was a barebacker. They were forever falling pregnant, or going on the pill, or looking to get an abortion, or whatever. It was from that bastion of privilege that most of the shaming was coming from, as it would happen, and this always managed to irritate the bejaysus out of me. This might have been at the root of the art I was beginning to make, that adoption of those indicators of their divinity, that gold and silver they chose to honour their beatified, that idealised self they had inherited. Fuck them all Rack, I would give that to us.

 

Rack: Great stuff Billy. I love the idea of barebacking, for whatever reason being hereditary. Brilliant. And yes, the immediacy and the “I’m not really writing” are the genius of the back and forth.

 

It seems I need this. Or an assignment like this. Working on mine. I’ve got to the office, but no further.

 

ONWARD

 

08:20, 15/03/2023

  

Ruin: Yes, I do and don’t see it as writing. It’s really just a correspondence between friends, and we both write as we write. That, of course, comes with a sense of immediacy, that not writing really towards an end, the picking apart (that knot) being the ongoing driver. This is what we have been doing for years, though I did start by saying that I wanted to keep a record of us dealing with what was happening, and that I had this ‘Laclos’ fantasy. Yes, it has developed, but it is also still the same. I never set out to be a writer, you know that; I am, and was, an image maker, it was and is how I explain the world to myself. I still don’t want to be what is called a writer, that career involving whatever it involves. It’s still writing until I feel this is sorted out, whether that be completed in those fabled 4 years I say I hope for, or whether it goes on until Max Van Sydow arrives with his scythe. The writing is primarily the unravelling of what I have wrought, that Gordian knot thingy, my very own one, in tandem, and parallel with your picking apart of your very own variant of the same. I sense similarities there in both our fumblings. Though it isn’t all fumbling, sometimes we seem to have breakthroughs, seem even to be getting somewhere. This might be delusional on my part. I often look back as things I make, places where I thought I was being ‘true’, some of those ‘eureka’ moments and wonder what I thought I was up to.

 

Maybe my trying to fashion it into a type of ‘book’ is too much pressure, maybe it is even dishonest, though I see there is ‘worth’ there. I think we can communicate something valuable about the human condition, or at least our own ‘perverted’ version of the same (which is equal to all other versions) especially relative to sex, shame, and abuse. The struggle with whatever, in the moment it was happening, is what the messages back and forth between each other manifests. It wasn’t some narrative contrivance we manufactured to create something called a story or plot. It was the ‘there and then’ of the continuous ‘now’. We are lucky to have that record, and I don’t really care if it is ‘literature’ or even ‘good writing’. I have no problem with correcting it where necessary, grammar or spelling-wise, but that’s only to make it clearer for myself initially. After myself, I want to make it clearer for you. I have no idea what follows after that, or if anything needs to.

 

I am saying this to take the pressure off of you, the head of steam you seem to build up, fit to burst. I see it can cause a type of panic for you. I am talking about your fear of writing. Don’t write then, just respond if you want to. That’s enough. It builds of its own volition.

 

Strangely, I could hardly read the O’Faolain book. I got to about 150 pages in and had to stop. I kept waiting for it to start, and kept getting irritated when it didn’t, and had to stop. Anyway, I am not going to attack it, the writing I mean, I am hardly an expert, but it didn’t win me over at all. I don’t know why, maybe it was that generational thing, that Dublin one just before me, before I found myself on Kildare Street, with your mother, and had somewhat of a sampling of what Dublin had to offer (for the first time), before deciding that I had to escape from that too. Then there was that usual doo-doo. That “you had books growing up, you were lucky”, all that crazy comparative abuse stuff, that “mine was worse than yours” stuff. Then she went to Oxford. I would have killed all Jude the obscure’s children to have been aware then that Oxford even existed as a possibility. It’s all very much about what you were born into, and the sort of privilege that is taken for granted, even if her father was a complete negligent asshole.

 

So, there you have it, another good book ruined through seething jealousy.

 

Well, at least I now know it, and knowledge being power, and all that palaver, let’s see where that takes us. Anyway, jealousy often comes up around memoirs I read, primarily that Monty Pythonesque “You were lucky, you had books”. I must have always really wanted them, those ‘unobtainables’. This suggests that I might have wanted to write. I remember loving writing in school, and always getting top marks for the same. I think it had something to do with not being able to speak, that damned stutter, so that the writing was the only way I could manage to say what I was thinking. The progenitors worked according to the rule that “children should be seen and not heard”, a relentlessly repeated maxim. So, most of the time was spent making cheap jigsaws. I got one every Christmas, each one more complicated than the last in the hopes of keeping the stammering child quiet. But there was drawing too. I preferred that.

 

Then I pulled Rack, sorry Kim, through that scratchy hedge hole, your doggy alter-ego, and the world changed. That all sounds a bit like what happened in the Moondance Diner, on that day we first met and simultaneously told me that you had just found out you were HIV-positive.

 

Ruin: Next step for me is first bloodwork, as you know my veins and arteries are sewers so that should make for fun reading. Can you remember your first? Each seems like a tentative step at the beginnings of a journey. First sex after conversion, first time stoned, pissed, first bloodwork, first confession of new status, first time you snapped at someone who complained about something trivial when you were carrying life and death, and mostly the latter, on your shoulders, first film you managed to sit through. There have been no first tears yet. You know all of this......wanna be my Beatrice?

 

Edge-dwelling, one of our favourite subjects.

 

It does seem strange not to have your madness here at the moment. It probably wouldn't help but it might. I may need to visit NYC at some stage for a fix and a change of perspective and just to prove that I can and that all is not over. This is a stupid infuriating stage, and it can be over as soon as it wants. Sorry if I remind you of a past self. Going to the Irish Club in Eaton Square for lunch for some posh comfort food. The sort of food which was eaten on the Hill of Howth but never made it to Clondalkin. With Wine (for some reason my spellcheck wants to change this to Whine).

 

Rack: You know what is really odd. I get bad news and my whole being reacts as if it's good news. This is a strange thing. I get all fired up, determined, focused, confident, strong and ballsy. It's the perversion of our predicament. Of course, the bloodwork sucked the big hairy moosedick. This I think I knew without having to charge my health insurance company 2,000 dollars. I'll deal with it, as I always do. I'll go back in. I'll play more drug-chess, I'll grow to love compromise as much as a miracle and I'll be around for a little longer.

 

This is not easy.

 

I think I am going back on the interferon. This is hard for me, but it's a gamble. Maybe I can keep my liver in working order for another two years and by then the drugs in the pipeline now will be available to me. It's always been thus, and I have to say that I have

had great fortune in being on the right side of time.

 

Ruin, Ruin, Ruin. You know I'd say a prayer if I could. There must be real comfort in that stuff. However, we persist...

 

I'm happy to have you as my dear friend.

 

Ruin: I should have written earlier to you to let you know of the results of our bloodwork. I was somewhat shocked and dismayed to discover that mine are actually much better than him indoors. Mine are 800 with a low viral load of 9,000. His are around 500 with a viral load of 60,000. I know these are all just figures and can change over a short period; I remember that film ‘Silverlake Life’. This comparison thing is odious and the main overpowering feeling I had was one of guilt at being overly endowed in the T-cell department, as opposed to the trouser department which is my usual problem! We are both being treated at the moment for an amoebic infection in the gut and hopefully this will up his numbers (and mine to superhuman levels), as he has been quite sick and squitty.

 

They are probably a leftover from my time in New York as I had bad stomach bug problems there (Giardia etc.) from my propensity for eating nether regions. When I went to have them checked here, I was told I had nervous stomach and sent home by my GP, and it is only now that I have the lurgy that the National Health bothers to check and finds the little buggers. At last, we will get comprehensive healthcare, but it had to get to this point (where they check out every little problem). Can you imagine how the rest of the clean population (henceforth to be known as the cleanies) gets treated? Cancer patients getting sent home with ‘Imodium’. It happens.

 

We are now, of course, utterly disposable. All the rules of survival of the fittest would support this. How do we turn this around? This has been your struggle for years. I don't mean it in a bad way but is it somewhat of a support to have me there with you in the same boat? It is a support for me that you are such an old hand and inspiration in your ability to move on with this. I am telling my friends but the present climate dictates that they absorb the news, express concern and then disappear (my NY friends excluded), almost like an ‘Oh well, too bad, now get over it’ sort of shrug. So that is what I am doing. I am not averse to milking it, but the udder of human kindness seems to have deserted the pap. Anyway, I am more likely to laugh than cry and my inclination is to shout 'fuck you and your sympathy.' At the same time, I don't want to hide it. I don't want to become some HIV activist, but I do want to talk about being mortal. I still want TOO MUCH, but now I want it immediately. NOTE TO SELF: Self, you must get some credit cards or at least a credit rating.

 

So, I am sure you will be glad to see that my unhealthy Ego is still very much intact and beginning to re-emerge from the wettest winter on record. I am torn as to how to approach bodies for art funding. Should I do the “I am profoundly mortal and in touch with the moment of extinction” spiel, hoping they will think, “oops better fund him because he won't be around for much longer” or avoid all that in case they think, “oops another AIDS artist who has nothing to say to us cleanies?” It's all in the work anyway......but which is the best way to exploit the situation, given that Brit Art is dominated by Laddism and that even the girls are beer drinking heterosexual womanisers (who can spit great distances).

 

Brit art has had no response to this Fin De Siecle malaise, there is no Gober, or Gonzales Torres or Wojnarowicz, or even a Goldin......I don't think they should get away with this. Similarly, Brits don't know how to respond when you tell them of your lurgyness, as they know no one else with this condition, or at least act as if they don’t. I miss my mates in New York, who have absorbed the whole shebang and know how to respond. Let's hear it for the ‘Healing Circle’ and ‘Act-Up’ meetings.

 

They were good, if slightly hysterical, times. I hate normalisation, it really does you in.

 

I am not what might be considered 'normal', I worship at the back passage and no amount of interior design flair will change that. I love being an aberration.

 

I still have the bitter and twisted fantasy I would like to write as a story. Set in the future it would involve a new virus that would kill you within a month. The idea would be that anyone who was already HIV positive would be immune to the virus. So, reverse everything. Those who were Poz would no longer be Pariahs. Cleanies would be begging for positive loads, it would be on sale on the net. The most efficient way to contact it would be anal sex (as if) so that every straight jock in Christendom would be begging for it and we would be very busy and multi-squillionaires in no time. So I am a sicko....but you always knew that.

 

Anyway now you have the latest earth-shattering facts and fantasies of my so-called life. Civil servitude continues and the days drag on. I have some feelers out for vague connections to generate art and space and support. We now have a power shower and the new cooker and washing machine and tumble dryer are paid for and awaiting delivery. We will never go short of a clean diaper when the time comes. Debts mount for same.

 

Attached please find pic for cover of aforementioned book,

Infected kisses,

 

Billzebum

 

Rack: Will reply. I don’t see the cover attachment. Xo

  

Ruin: Nope, that's an old email, that last part. It was just as far as I got this morning.

 

This is exactly what I am talking about, this immediacy, this interweaving. It is an exchange between two people, in that moment of that exchange, that perpetual now. Perpetual, another catholic word, that idea of perpetual succour, and that giving and receiving of same to each other.

 

I sent you more, as email, which I think is a better place to communicate. Except there is also that added immediacy of this organ (WhatsApp) here....that complete 'in the moment'. Let's not lose this either.

 

"I suspect you saw that 'cleanies' reference I put up. I know it seems offensive. It came from a time when I would go out to bars, or wherever, and someone would try to pick me up. We would chat away, the usual inanities, until the person flirting with me would ask was I clean. I would play along and say I washed regularly, or whatever, but they would insist. So, I would get them to ask me if I was positive or not. I was asked was I clean so many times. They would get angry too, when I said I was positive, as in why I had wasted their time. I was told a few times that I shouldn't be in a bar, because I was spoiling it for 'clean' people."

 

I am looking at stigma and shame, though the email I sent you is not about that. It's a continuation on the last one.

 

Rack: I had this boyfriend who said to me after I tested positive (as I was soliciting him for sex), “I didn’t think you could have sex now.” As if my vagina had grown a metal hymen. I think of him sometimes, now 35 years later, and wonder if he wonders what happened to me.

 

Ruin: I remember a friend in NYC used to cover his glass with his hand when he was drinking with me, just in case. I wasn't even positive then, but I was a wooftah. That was enough.

 

That was the same guy I went to work with in Palm Beach around 9/11. That story is, of course, here too.

 

It appears I have forsworn even trying to be a sympathetic character. It's just as well that I am fictional, or rather that we are.

British Astronaut Tim Peake poses for pictures after receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree from the University of Portsmouth at the Guildhall in the city.

Earlier, Tim spent the day at the UK Space Agency Schools Conference hosted by the University.

The conference celebrated the work of over a million UK school students inspired by Peake's Principia mission, which saw the flight dynamics and evaluation graduate spend more than six months on board the International Space Station.

Youngsters had the chance to present their work through talks and exhibitions to experts from the UK Space Agency, European Space Agency (ESA), partner organisations and the space sector. Most also had the chance to meet Tim.

Picture date Wednesday 2nd November, 2016.

Picture by Christopher Ison for the University of Portsmouth.

Contact +447544 044177 chris@christopherison.com

A university student playing bagpipes to raise funds towards his pursuit of a doctorate in osteopathic medicine in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

On the left (standing a head taller than the human in a pressure suit) is a new form of life from New Atlantis called a buman. Buman is a portmanteau of "Better" and "Human." Dr Dr Untzel PhD (he has two doctorates and insists on being called "Doctor Doctor"), the dictator of New Atlantis and the father of their cult, the Church of the Transcendent Truth, ordered that these advanced creatures be created without the ability to speak so that they couldn't threaten the plan to achieve the coming rapturous Singularity before the time was ripe. They communicate only through text messages over the HiveNet (New Atlantis' central comm network). Dubbed Operation Archon, Dr Dr Untzel intended that these powerful super-soldiers could be the vessels into which he transfers the minds of the leadership of New Atlantis once the technology is perfected. They also made excellent shock troops and could harass our lines deep into our territory.

 

These massive humanoids were a frightening sight on the battlefields of Mars. Like all of them, this one is armed with an electrified bayonet which disables all the nanotechnology implanted in professional Allied servicemen which would normally repair tissues or stop bleeding automatically prior to emergency extraction. The Vrilium they guard here is the vital lifeblood of the New Atantean war machine and is the only form of extraterrestrial fossil fuel known to man.

Large: farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/3535726545_9647984c00_o.jpg

 

Twenty years ago in May 1989 I was looking at my mother's face, while she was sitting among some crowds at my kindergarten graduation. Today is May 16, 2009, I had the chance to witness my mother's support again at my college graduation elhamdellah. It's been a long difficult journey since I moved to the United States to pursue my dream. I definitely have learned remarkable knowledge in different areas of life here. Photography is one of the best gifts I've had in this stage. It's been a pleasure to share with you all my days through my photographic scope, I would like to thank all of you who supported me. May Allah reward you, and help all hardworking people.

 

Check page 22 from Al-Qabas newspaper on May 26, 2009:

www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=503176&date=26052009

 

Taken by / a friend.

Student Recreational Center at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV.

Canon EOS 30D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L

Natural ambient lighting.

1) He had only one major publication.

2) It was in Hebrew.

3) It had no references.

4) It wasn't published in a referreed journal.

5) Some even doubt he wrote it by himself.

6) It may be true that he created the world, but what has he done since then?

7) His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.

8) The scientific community has had a hard time replicating his results.

9) He never applied to the ethics board for permission to use human subjects.

10) When one experiment went awry he tried to cover it up by drowning his subjects.

11) When subjects didn't behave as predicted, he deleted them from the sample.

12) Some say he had his son teach the class.

13) He expelled his first two students for learning.

14) He rarely came to class, and he just told students to read the book.

15) Although there were only 10 requirements, most of his students failed his tests.

16) His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.

  

Why God doesn't have a Ph.D. via John Pinto

www-psych.stanford.edu/~pinto/god.html (dead link) also www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/god.phd.html

  

"The Docotorates play at the Jolly Sailor, Canterbury on the 25th october 14

"The Docotorates play at the Jolly Sailor, Canterbury on the 25th october 14

I was surprised to see such a recent memorial [or grave] in such a public and unprotected place [I am not sure if this is only a memorial or the actual site of the bishop’s grave]

 

Michael Russell (10 December 1920 – 12 January 2009) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland from 1965 to 1993.

 

Born in Loughmore, Thurles, Co Tipperary, in 1920, he was educated at the Christian Brothers School in Thurles, before studying for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth. Ordained on 17 June 1945, he was awarded a doctorate in canon law in 1948.

 

Russell was also a professor of moral theology at St. Patrick's College, Thurles where he lectured until 1965 and also served as vice-president.

 

At the same location is a memorial to Dr. Edward Barron, Missionary. He was formerly Professor in St John’s College, Waterford, and subsequently bishop of Liberia. Rev. Barrons brother Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet served as an MP for Waterford City.

I was interrupting her homework and Katie had little tolerance for my antics. It's hard for a ten-year old to hide their true feelings, I understand. I don't take her disapproval to heart. You can see her disapproval in her eyes but not just there, a ten-year old girl can exude displeasure from every muscle in her body. They have already earned their doctorate in attitude. She will love me later.

Scroll down!

 

Montblanc Hommage à N. Copernicus - Limited Edition Patron of Arts 2003 fountain pen.

 

Nicolaus Copernicus’ view of the universe is the model for the Limited Edition created in his honour. Nine rings in 925 sterling silver encircle the anthracite-coloured lacquer barrel. The sun is symbolised by the greenish-glowing faceted meteorite stone that decorates the clip.

 

In Edition 888 this is replaced by a yellow diamond, and the barrel is made of 750 white gold – like the rings, which are set with nine yellow diamonds. On the rhodium-plated 18-karat gold nib of both Limited Editions, there is a delicate engraving of Copernicus’ orbital charts.

 

Astronomy was Nicolaus Copernicus' only love. He followed the orbits of the heavenly bodies with his naked eye, and created the basis for today's view of the universe - the heavenly bodies with his naked eye, and created the basis for today's view of the universe - the heliocentric system. Considering all his achievements based on his teachings that still hold today - including the reform of the Prussian coin system and the calendar - Copernicus is one of the greatest cultural figures in the history of mankind.

 

Nicolaus Copernicus' view of the universe is the model for the Limited Edition created in his honor. Nine rings in 925 sterling silver encircle the anthracite-colored lacquer barrel. The sun is symbolised by the greenish-glowing faceted meteorite stone that decorates the clip. In Edition 888 this is replaced by a yellow diamonds. On the rhodium-plated 18-carat gold nib of both Limited Editions, there is a delicate engraving of Copernicus' orbital charts.

 

Montblanc celebrates the brilliant mind of Copernicus, who developed the theory that the sun is the center of the universe and that Earth is just one of the many planets that revolve around it. The cap and body are made of dark lacquer covered resin divided by nine sterling silver rings, which symbolize the planets orbit around the sun. The clip houses a green meteorite stone.

 

In every sense of the word he engendered a new way of thinking: Nicolaus Copernicus, the discoverer of our world order and cosmology. His doctrine opened up new ways for poets, thinkers and artists - and finally revolutionised the credos of mankind.

 

Nine 925 Sterling Silver rings encircle the barrel like the concentric circles of the earth's orbit around the sun. The clip bears a green shimmering piece of meteorite and the hand-worked, rhodium-plated 18 Karat gold nib is delicately engraved with Copernicus' historic sketch of the orbit of the planets. This edition is limited to 4810 pens.

 

Launch: 2003

Limitation: 4810 Fountain Pens

Characteristics: Anthracite-coloured lacquer

925 sterling silver

Greenish meteorite stone set in the clip

Rhodium-plated 18-karat gold nib.

 

Xiao Xiang-Yu, China:

 

Xiang Yu (Chinese: 項羽; pinyin: Xiàng yǔ, c. 232–202 BC), born Xiang Ji (項籍), was the Ba Wang (霸王) or Hegemon-King of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynastyand became a prominent warlord. He was granted the title of "Duke of Lu" (魯公) by King Huai II of the restoring Chu state in 208 BC. The following year, he led the Chu forces to victory at the Battle of Julu against the Qin armies led by Zhang Han. After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu was enthroned as the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" (西楚霸王) and ruled a vast area covering modern-day central and eastern China, with Pengcheng as his capital. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the Chu–Han Contention, which concluded with his eventual defeat at the Battle of Gaixia. He committed suicide at the bank of the Wu River.

 

Names and titles:

 

Xiang Yu's family name was Xiang (项; 項; Xiàng; Hsiang; Hong6) while his given name was Ji (籍; Jí; Chi; Zik6) and his courtesy name was Yu (羽; Yǔ; Yü; Jyu5). He is best known as Xiang Yu.

 

Xiang Yu is popularly known as "Xi Chu Ba Wang" (西楚霸王; Xī Chǔ Bà Wáng; Hsi Ch'u Pa Wang; Sai1 Co2 Baa3 Wong4), which has been translated as "Overlord of Western Chu", "Hegemon-King of Western Chu", "Conqueror of Western Chu", "King of Kings of Western Chu", and other renditions. This title is sometimes simplified to "Ba Wang" (霸王; Bà Wáng; Pa Wang; Baa3 Wong4), without the link to "Western Chu". Since Xiang Yu's death, the term Ba Wang has come to be used specifically to refer to him. Xiang Yu's subjects sometimes address him as "Xiang Wang" (项王; 項王; Xiàng Wáng; Hsiang Wang; Hong6 Wong4), which literally means "King Xiang".

 

Family background:

 

There are two accounts of Xiang Yu's family background. The first claimed that Xiang Yu was from the house of Mi (羋), the royal family of the Chu state in the Zhou dynasty. His ancestors were granted the land of Xiang (項) by the king of Chu and had since adopted "Xiang" as their family name. The other account claimed that Xiang Yu was a descendant of a noble clan from the Lu state and his family had served in the Chu military for generations. Xiang Yu's grandfather Xiang Yan [zh] was a well known general who led the Chu army in resisting the Qin invaders led by Wang Jian, and was killed in action when Qin conquered Chu in 223 BC.

 

Xiang Yu was born in 232 BC in the late Warring States period when the Qin state started unifying the other six major states. According to the descendants of the Xiang family in Suqian, Xiang Yu's father was Xiang Chao (項超), Xiang Yan's eldest son. Xiang Yu was raised by his elder uncle Xiang Liangbecause his father died early. In 221 BC, when Xiang Yu was about 11 years old, the Qin state unified China and established the Qin dynasty.

 

Xiang Yu had a double pupil in one of his eyes[1] just like the mythical Emperor Shunand Duke Wen of Jin. He was thus seen as an extraordinary person because his unique double pupil was a mark of a king or sage in Chinese tradition. Xiang Yu was slightly taller than eight chi (approximately 1.85 metres, about 6' 1") and possessed unusual physical strength as he could lift a ding (an ancient Chinese vessel resembling a giant cauldron on tripods).[1]

 

Early life:

 

In his younger days, Xiang Yu was instructed in scholarly arts and swordsmanship but he did not manage to master what he was taught, and his uncle Xiang Liang was not very satisfied with him.[1] Xiang Yu said, "Books are only useful in helping me remember my name. Mastering swordsmanship allows me to face only one opponent, so it's not worth learning. I want to learn how to defeat thousands of enemies."[1]Hence, his uncle tried to educate him in military strategy and the art of war instead, but Xiang Yu stopped learning after he had grasped the main ideas; Xiang Liang was disappointed with his nephew, who showed no sign of motivation or apparent talent apart from his great strength, so he gave up and let Xiang Yu decide his own future.[1][2]

 

When Xiang Yu grew older, Xiang Liang killed someone so they fled to Wu to evade the authorities. At the time, Qin Shi Huang was on an inspection tour in that area and Xiang Yu and his uncle watched the emperor's procession pass by. Xiang Yu said, "I can replace him."[1] Xiang Liang was shocked and immediately covered his nephew's mouth with his hand. Afterwards, Xiang Liang began to see his nephew in a different light.

 

Revolution against the Qin dynasty:

 

In 209 BC, during the reign of Qin Er Shi, peasant rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty, plunging China into a state of anarchy. Yin Tong [zh], the Administrator of Kuaiji, wanted to start a rebellion as well, so he invited Xiang Liang to meet him and discuss their plans. However, the Xiangs lured Yin Tong into a trap and killed him instead, with Xiang Yu personally striking down hundreds of Yin's men. Xiang Liang initiated the rebellion himself and rallied about 8,000 men to support him. Xiang Liang proclaimed himself Administrator of Kuaijiwhile appointing Xiang Yu as a general. Xiang Liang's revolution force grew in size until it was between 60,000 and 70,000. In 208 BC, Xiang Liang installed Mi Xin as King Huai II of Chu to rally support from those eager to help him overthrow the Qin Dynasty and restore the former Chu state. Xiang Yu distinguished himself as a competent marshal and mighty warrior on the battlefield while participating in the battles against Qin forces.

 

Later that year, Xiang Liang was killed at the Battle of Dingtao against the Qin army led by Zhang Han and the military power of Chu fell into the hands of the king and some other generals. In the winter of 208 BC, another rebel force claiming to restore the Zhao state, led by Zhao Xie, was besieged in Handan by Zhang Han. Zhao Xie requested for reinforcements from Chu. King Huai II granted Xiang Yu the title of "Duke of Lu" (魯公), and appointed him as a second-in-command to Song Yi, who was ordered to lead an army to reinforce Zhao Xie. At the same time, the king placed Liu Bang in command of another army to attack Guanzhong, the heartland (capital territory) of Qin. The king promised that whoever managed to enter Guanzhong first will be granted the title "King of Guanzhong".

 

Battle of Julu:

 

Main article: Battle of Julu

 

The Chu army led by Song Yi and Xiang Yu reached Anyang, some distance away from Julu (巨鹿; in present-day Xingtai, Hebei), where Zhao Xie's forces had retreated to. Song Yi ordered the troops to lay camp there for 46 days and he refused to accept Xiang Yu's suggestion to proceed further. Xiang Yu took Song Yi by surprise in a meeting and killed him on a charge of treason. Song Yi's other subordinates were afraid of Xiang Yu so they let him become the acting commander-in-chief. Xiang Yu sent a messenger to inform King Huai II and the king approved Xiang's command.

 

In 207 BC, Xiang Yu's army advanced towards Julu and he sent Ying Bu and Zhongli Mo to lead the 20,000 strong vanguard army to cross the river and attack the Qin forces led by Zhang Han, while he followed behind with the remaining majority of the troops. After crossing the river, Xiang Yu ordered his men to sink their boats and destroy all but three days worth of rations, in order to force his men to choose between prevailing against overwhelming odds within three days or die trapped before the walls of the city with no supplies or any hope of escape. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Chu forces scored a great victory after nine engagements, defeating the 300,000 strong Qin army. After the battle, other rebel forces, including those not from Chu, came to join Xiang Yu out of admiration for his martial valour. When Xiang Yu received them at the gate, the rebel chiefs were so fearful of him that they sank to their knees and did not even dare to look up at him.

 

Zhang Han sent his deputy Sima Xin to Xianyang to request for reinforcements and supplies from the Qin imperial court. However, the eunuch Zhao Gao deceived the emperor and the emperor dismissed Zhang Han's request. Zhao Gao even sent assassins to kill Sima Xin when the latter was returning to Zhang Han's camp, but Sima managed to escape alive. In dire straits, Zhang Han and his 200,000 troops eventually surrendered to Xiang Yu in the summer of 207 BC. Xiang Yu perceived the surrendered Qin troops as disloyal and a liability, and had them executed by burying them alive at Xin'an (新安; in present-day Yima, Henan). Zhang Han, along with Sima Xin and Dong Yi, were spared from death. Xiang Yu appointed Zhang Han as "King of Yong", while Sima Xin and Dong Yi were respectively conferred the titles of "King of Sai" and "King of Di".

 

Feast at Hong Gate:

 

Main article: Feast at Hong Gate

 

After his victory at the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu prepared for an invasion on Guanzhong, the heartland of the Qin dynasty. In the winter of 207 BC, the last Qin ruler Ziying surrendered to Liu Bang in Xianyang (Qin's capital), bringing an end to the Qin Dynasty. When Xiang Yu arrived at Hangu Pass, the eastern gateway to Guanzhong, he saw that the pass was occupied by Liu Bang's troops, a sign that Guanzhong was already under Liu's control. Cao Wushang (曹無傷), a subordinate of Liu Bang, sent a messenger to see Xiang Yu, saying that Liu would become King of Guanzhong in accordance with King Huai II's earlier promise, while Ziying would be appointed as Liu's chancellor. Xiang Yu was furious after hearing that. At that time, he had about 400,000 troops under his command while Liu Bang only had a quarter of that number.

 

As strongly encouraged by his advisor Fan Zeng, Xiang Yu invited Liu Bang to attend a feast at Hong Gate and plotted to kill Liu during the banquet. However, Xiang Yu later listened to his uncle Xiang Bo and decided to spare Liu Bang. Liu Bang escaped during the banquet under the pretext of going to the latrine.

 

Xiang Yu paid no attention to Liu Bang's presumptive title and led his troops into Xianyang in 206 BC. He ordered the execution of Ziying and his family, as well as the destruction of the Epang Palace by fire. It was said that Xiang Yu would leave behind a trail of destruction in the places he passed by, and the people of Guanzhong were greatly disappointed with him.[3]

 

Despite advice from his subjects to remain in Guanzhong and continue with his conquests, Xiang Yu was insistent on returning to his homeland in Chu. He said, "To not return home when one has made his fortune is equivalent to walking on the streets at night in glamourous outfits. Who would notice that?"[1] One of his followers said, "It is indeed true when people say that the men of Chu are apes dressed in human clothing." Xiang Yu had that man boiled alive when he heard that insult.[1]

 

Division of the empire:

 

See also: Eighteen Kingdoms:

 

After the downfall of the Qin dynasty, Xiang Yu offered King Huai II the more honourable title of "Emperor Yi of Chu" and announced his decision to divide the former Qin Empire. Xiang Yu declared himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" (西楚霸王) and ruled nine commanderies in the former Liang and Chu territories, with his capital at Pengcheng. In the spring of 206 BC, Xiang Yu divided the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms, to be granted to his subordinates and some leaders of the former rebel forces. He moved some of the rulers of other states to more remote areas and granted the land of Guanzhong to the three surrendered Qin generals, ignoring Emperor Yi's earlier promise to appoint Liu Bang as king of that region. Liu Bang was relocated to the remote Hanzhongarea and given the title of "King of Han" (漢王).

 

Xiang Yu appointed several generals from the rebel coalition as vassal kings, even though these generals were subordinates of other lords, who should rightfully be the kings in place of their followers. Xiang Yu also left out some other important rebel leaders who did not support him earlier, but did contribute to the overthrow of Qin. In winter, Xiang Yu moved Emperor Yi to the remote region of Chen, effectively sending the puppet emperor into exile. At the same time, he issued a secret order to the vassal kings in that area and had the emperor assassinated during his journey in 205 BC. The emperor's death was later used by Liu Bang as political propaganda to justify his war against Xiang Yu.

 

Shortly after the death of Emperor Yi, Xiang Yu had Han Cheng (King of Hán) put to death and seized Han's lands for himself. Several months later, Tian Rong (chancellor of Qi) took control over the Three Qis (Jiaodong, Qi and Jibei) from their respective kings and reinstated Tian Fu as the King of Qi, but he took over the throne himself afterwards. Similarly, Chen Yu, a former vice chancellor of Zhao, led an uprising against the King of Changshan, Zhang Er, and seized Zhang's domain and reinstalled Zhao Xie as the King of Zhao.

 

Chu–Han Contention:

  

Battle of Pengcheng:

 

In 206 BC, Liu Bang led his forces to attack Guanzhong. At that time, Xiang Yu was at war with Qi and did not focus on resisting the Han forces. The following year, Liu Bang formed an alliance with another five kingdoms and attacked Western Chu with a 560,000 strong army, capturing Xiang Yu's capital of Pengcheng. Upon hearing this, Xiang Yu led 30,000 men to attack Liu Bang and defeated the latter at the Battle of Pengcheng, with the Han army suffering heavy casualties.

 

Battle of Xingyang:

 

Liu Bang managed to escape after his defeat with Xiang Yu's troops on pursuit. Han troops retreated to Xingyang and defended the city firmly, preventing Chu forces from advancing west any further, but only managed to hold on until 204 BC. Liu Bang's subordinate Ji Xindisguised himself as his lord and surrendered to Xiang Yu, buying time for Liu Bang to escape. When Xiang Yu learned that he had been fooled, he became furious and had Ji Xin burned to death. After the fall of Xingyang, Chu and Han forces were divided on two fronts along present-day Henan. However, Xiang Yu's forces were not faring well on the battlefront north of the Yellow River, as the Han army led by Han Xin defeated his troops in every single battle. At the same time, Liu Bang's ally Peng Yue led his men to harass Xiang Yu's rear.

 

Treaty of Hong Canal:

 

By 203 BC, the tide had turned in favour of Han. Xiang Yu managed to capture Liu Bang's father after a year-long siege and he threatened to boil Liu's father alive if Liu refused to surrender. Liu Bang remarked that he and Xiang Yu were oath brothers,[4] so if Xiang killed Liu's father, he would be guilty of patricide. Xiang Yu requested for an armistice, known as the Treaty of Hong Canal, and returned the hostages he had captured to Liu Bang as part of their agreement. The treaty divided China into east and west under the Chu and Han domains respectively.

 

Battle of Guling:

 

Shortly after, as Xiang Yu was retreating eastwards, Liu Bang renounced the treaty and led his forces to attack Western Chu. Liu Bang sent messengers to Han Xin and Peng Yue, requesting for their assistance in forming a three-pronged attack on Xiang Yu, but Han Xin and Peng Yue did not mobilise their troops and Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Guling. Liu Bang retreated and reinforced his defences, while sending emissaries to Han Xin and Peng Yue, promising to grant them fiefs and titles of vassal kings if they would join him in attacking Western Chu.

 

Defeat and downfall:

 

Main article: Battle of Gaixia:

 

In 202 BC, Han armies led by Liu Bang, Han Xin and Peng Yue attacked Western Chu from three sides and trapped Xiang Yu's army, which was low on supplies, at Gaixia. Liu Bang ordered his troops to sing folk songs from the Chu region to create a false impression that Xiang Yu's native land had been conquered by Han forces. The morale of the Chu army plummeted and many of Xiang Yu's troops deserted in despair. Xiang Yu sank into a state of depression and he composed the Song of Gaixia. His wife Consort Yu committed suicide. The next morning, Xiang Yu led about 800 of his remaining elite cavalry on a desperate attempt to break out of the encirclement, with 5,000 enemy troops pursuing them.

 

After crossing the Huai River, Xiang Yu was only left with a few hundred soldiers. They were lost in Yinling (陰陵) and Xiang Yu asked for directions from a farmer, who directed him wrongly to a swamp. When Xiang Yu reached Dongcheng (東城), only 28 men were left, with the Han troops still following him. Xiang Yu made a speech to his men, saying that his downfall was due to Heaven's will and not his personal failure. After that, he led a charge out of the encirclement, killing one Han general in the battle. Xiang Yu then split his men into three groups to confuse the enemy and induce them to split up as well to attack the three groups. Xiang Yu took the Han troops by surprise again and slew another enemy commander, inflicting about 100 casualties on the enemy, while he only lost two men.

 

Death:

 

Xiang Yu retreated to the bank of the Wu River (near present-day He County, Maanshan, Anhui) and the ferryman at the ford prepared a boat for him to cross the river, strongly encouraging him to do so because Xiang Yu still had the support of the people from his homeland in the south. Xiang Yu said that he was too ashamed to return home and face his people because none of the first 8,000 men from Jiangdong who followed him on his conquests survived. He refused to cross and ordered his remaining men to dismount, asking the ferryman to take his warhorse, Zhui (騅), back home.

 

Xiang Yu and his men made a last stand against wave after wave of Han forces until only Xiang himself was left alive. Xiang Yu continued to fight on and slew over 100 enemy soldiers, but he had also sustained several wounds all over his body. Just then, Xiang Yu saw an old friend Lü Matong among the Han soldiers, and he said to Lü, "I heard that the King of Han (Liu Bang) has placed a price of 1,000 gold and the title of "Wanhu Marquis" (萬戶侯; lit. "marquis of 10,000 households") on my head. Take it then, on account of our friendship." Xiang Yu then committed suicide by slitting his throat with his sword, and a brawl broke out among the Han soldiers at the scene due to the reward offered by Liu Bang, and Xiang Yu's body was said to be dismembered and mutilated in the fight. The reward was eventually claimed by Lü Matong and five others.

 

After Xiang Yu's death, Western Chu surrendered and China was united under Liu Bang's rule, marking the victory of the Han dynasty. Liu Bang held a grand state funeral for Xiang Yu in Gucheng (穀城; in Dongping County, Taian, Shandong), with the ceremony befitting Xiang's title "Duke of Lu". Xiang Yu's relatives were spared from death, including Xiang Bo, who saved Liu Bang's life at the Feast at Hong Gate, and they were granted marquis titles.

 

Depiction of character:

 

Xiang Yu is depicted as a ruthless leader, in sharp contrast to his rival, Liu Bang. He was a mass murderer, ordering the massacres of entire cities even after they surrendered peacefully. This often led to cities putting up strong resistance, as they knew they would be killed even if they surrendered. The most notorious example of his cruelty was when he ordered the 200,000 surrendered Qin troops to be buried alive after the Battle of Julu,[5][verification needed][6][verification needed] and the gruesome methods of execution he employed against his enemies and critics. Conversely, Liu Bang is portrayed as a shrewd and cunning ruler who could be brutal at times,[7] but forbade his troops from looting the cities they captured and spared the lives of the citizens, earning their support and trust in return. Xiang Yu's story became an example for Confucianists to advocate the idea that leaders should rule with benevolence and not govern by instilling fear in the people. However, his ambitions ended with the collapse of Western Chu, his defeat by Liu Bang, and his death at the early age of around 30.

 

Song of Gaixia:

 

The Song of Gaixia (垓下歌), translated as The Hegemon's Lament by Burton Watson,[8]was a song composed by Xiang Yu while he was trapped by Liu Bang's forces at Gaixia.[citation needed]

 

The lyrics in English as follows are based on Burton Watson's translation:[9]

 

^ "Dapple" is Watson's translation of the name of Xiang Yu's warhorse Zhui (騅)

^ This "Yu" refers to Xiang Yu's wife Consort Yu

EvaluationEdit

The historian Sima Qian, who wrote Xiang Yu's biography in the Records of the Grand Historian, described Xiang as someone who boasted about his achievements and thought highly of himself. Xiang Yu preferred to depend on his personal abilities as opposed to learning with humility from others before him. Sima Qian thought that Xiang Yu had failed to see his own shortcomings and to make attempts to correct his mistakes, even until his death. Sima Qian thought that it was ridiculous when Xiang Yu claimed that his downfall was due to Heaven's will and not his personal failure.[1]

 

Liu Bang's general Han Xin, who was one of Xiang Yu's opponents on the battlefield, made a statement criticising Xiang, "A man who turns into a fierce warrior when he encounters a rival stronger than he is, but also one who is sympathetic and soft hearted when he sees someone weaker than he is. Neither was he able to make good use of capable generals nor was he able to support Emperor Yi of Chu, as he killed the emperor. Even though he had the name of a Conqueror, he had already lost the favour of the people."[10][verification needed]

 

The Tang dynasty poet Du Mu mentioned Xiang Yu in one of his poems Ti Wujiang Ting (題烏江亭): "Victory or defeat is common in battle. One who can endure humiliation is a true man. There are several talents in Jiangdong, who knows if he (Xiang Yu) can make a comeback?"[11][verification needed] However, the Song dynasty poet Wang Anshi had a different opinion, as he wrote, "The warrior is already tired after so many battles. His defeat in the Central Plains is hard to reverse. Although there are talents in Jiangdong, are they willing to help him?"[12][verification needed] The Song Dynasty female poet Li Qingzhao wrote: "A hero in life, a king of ghosts after death. Until now we still remember Xiang Yu, who refused to return to Jiangdong."[13][verification needed]

 

Mao Zedong also once mentioned Xiang Yu, "We should use our remaining strength to defeat the enemy, instead of thinking about achieving fame like the Conqueror."[14][verification needed] In 1964, Mao also pointed out three reasons for Xiang Yu's downfall: not following Fan Zeng's advice to kill Liu Bang at the Feast at Hong Gate and letting Liu leave; adhering firmly to the terms of the peace treaty (without considering that Liu Bang might betray his trust); building his capital at Pengcheng.

 

Xiang Yu is popularly viewed as a leader who possessed great courage but lacked wisdom, and his character is aptly summarised using the Chinese idiom you yong wu mou(simplified Chinese: 有勇无谋; traditional Chinese: 有勇無謀; pinyin: yǒu yǒng wú móu),[15]meaning "has courage but lacks tactics", "foolhardy". Xiang Yu's battle tactics were studied by later military leaders while his political blunders served as cautionary tales for later rulers.[citation needed] Another Chinese idiom, si mian chu ge (Chinese: 四面楚歌; pinyin: sì miàn chǔ gē; lit.: 'surrounded by Chu songs'), was also derived from the Battle of Gaixia, and used to describe someone in a desperate situation without help. Another saying by Liu Bang, "Having a Fan Zeng but unable to use him" (有一范增而不能用), was also used to describe Xiang Yu's reliance on his advisor Fan Zeng and failure to actually listen to Fan's advice.[citation needed]

  

《垓下歌》

力拔山兮氣蓋世。

 

時不利兮騅不逝。

 

騅不逝兮可奈何！

 

虞兮虞兮奈若何！

 

The Hegemon's Lament

My strength plucked up the hills,

My might shadowed the world;

But the times were against me,

And Dapple[a] runs no more;

When Dapple runs no more,

What then can I do?

Ah, Yu,[b] my Yu,

What will your fate be?

 

Cultural references:

 

Xiang Yu's might and prowess in battle has been glorified in Chinese folk tales, poetry, and novels, and he has been the subject of films, television, plays, Chinese operas, video games and comics. His classic image is that of a heroic and brave, but arrogant and bloodthirsty warrior-king. His romance with his wife Consort Yu and his suicide have also added a touch of a tragic hero to his character.[original research?][citation needed]

 

Poetry, folk tales, novels:

 

Xiang Yu's might and prowess in battle appears in Chinese folk tales and poetry, e.g., in his final battle.[16] The Meng Ch'iu, an 8th-century Chinese primer, contains the four-character rhyming couplet: "Ji Xin impersonates the Emperor". It referred to the episode in the Battle of Xingyang when Ji Xin and 2,000 women disguised themselves as Liu Bang and his army, to distract Xiang Yu in order to buy time for Liu Bang to escape from the city of Xingyang.[17]

 

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Sun Ce is nicknamed "Little Conqueror" (小霸王) and is often compared favourably to Xiang Yu by his contemporaries.[citation needed] Sun Ce is best known for his conquests in the Jiangdong region that laid the foundation of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms era. In Water Margin, another of the Four Great Classical Novels, Zhou Tong, one of the 108 outlaws, is nicknamed "Little Conqueror" for his resemblance to Xiang Yu in appearance.

 

In Jin Ping Mei, (Ci Hua edition) Xiang Yu (项籍) is mentioned as an example of a tragic character in the song at the opening of the first chapter.[18]

 

The character Mata Zyndu in Ken Liu's epic fantasy novel The Grace of Kings is based on Xiang Yu.

 

Operas:

 

A famous Beijing opera, The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell, depicts the events of Xiang Yu's defeat at the Battle of Gaixia. The title of the play was borrowed as the Chinese title for Chen Kaige's award-winning motion picture Farewell My Concubine.[citation needed]

 

Television:

 

Portrayed by Shek Sau in the 1985 Hong Kong television series The Battlefield.

Portrayed by Hu Jun in the 2003 Chinese television series The Story of Han Dynasty.

Portrayed by Kwong Wah in the 2004 Hong Kong television series The Conqueror's Story.

Portrayed by Tan Kai in the 2010 Chinese television series The Myth.

Portrayed by Peter Ho in the 2012 Chinese television series King's War.

Portrayed by Ming Dao in the 2012 Chinese television series Beauties of the Emperor.

Portrayed by Qin Junjie in the 2015 Chinese television series The Legend of Qin.

Portrayed by Tim Yu in the 2018 Chinese television series Hero's Dream.

 

Film:

 

Portrayed by Ray Lui in the 1994 Hong Kong film The Great Conqueror's Concubine.

Portrayed by Feng Shaofeng in the 2011 Chinese film White Vengeance.

Portrayed by Daniel Wu in the 2012 Chinese film The Last Supper.

 

Video games:

 

Xiang Yu is one of the thirty-two historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.[citation needed] He is also featured as a non-playable character (NPC) in the action role-playing game Prince of Qin.[citation needed] Xiang Yu is one of the main two characters in the 1990s Super Nintendo historical simulation game Rise of the Phoenix by the Koei corporation, the other being Liu Bang. Xiang Yu is a playable character in the online mobile role-playing game Fate/Grand Order.

 

References:

 

Citations:

 

^ a b c d e f g h i Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 7, Annals of Xiang Yu.

^ "Xiang Yu - Famous Leader of Uprising in Ancient China". Cultural China. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2014.

^ Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 1, Biography of Emperor Gaozu.

^ Liu Bang and Xiang Yu became sworn brothers in a ceremony with King Huai II of Chu as their witness in 208 BC.

^ 王杰. 项羽坑杀了二十万秦朝降兵吗? (in Chinese).

^ “火烧阿房”：蒙的什么冤，平的什么反？ (in Chinese). 陕西新闻网.

^ Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 8.

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2010. Writing Sima Qian's Rhetorical Style into English—On Burton Watson's Translation of Records of the Grand Historian. Xiuying Li, Dalian University of Technology.

^ Minford, John, ed. (2000). An Anthology of Translations Classical Chinese Literature Volume I: From Antiquity To The Tang Dynasty. Columbia University Press. pp. 414–415. ISBN 0-231-09676-3.

^ (遇強則霸的匹夫之勇，和遇弱則憐的婦人之仁。既不能任用賢能將帥，又曾遷逐楚義帝，用兵趕盡殺絕。雖名為霸王，其實民心盡失。)

^ (勝敗兵家事不期，包羞忍恥是男兒。江東弟子多才俊，捲土重來未可知。)

^ (百戰疲勞壯士衰，中原一敗勢難回。江東子弟今雖在，肯與君王捲土來。)

^ (生當作人傑，死亦為鬼雄，至今思項羽，不肯過江東。)

^ (宜將剩勇追窮寇，不可沽名學霸王。)

^ 看《神话》穿越历史 西楚霸王项羽有勇无谋 (in Chinese). 半岛网 (www.bandao.cn). January 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011.[verification needed]

^ Xiang Yu (Chinese rebel leader) Britannica Online Encyclopedia

^ David Johnson, The City-God Cults of T'ang and Sung China, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Dec., 1985), pp. 363-457

^ "Text of Jin Ping Mei". Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 6 December 2014.

 

Sources:

 

Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 7.

Ban Gu et al. Book of Han, Volume 31.

Sima Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, volumes 8, 9, 10, 11.

 

Hegemon-King of Western Chu

House of Xiang

Born: 232 BC Died: 202 BC

Titles in pretence:

Preceded by: Emperor Yi of Chu— TITULAR —

Hegemon-King of Western Chu. 206–202 BC

Reason for succession failure:

Chu–Han Contention Succeeded by: Han Xin as King of Chu

 

— TITULAR —

 

Emperor of China: 206–202 BC

Reason for succession failure:

Chu–Han Contention Succeeded by: Emperor Gaozu of Han.

 

Gilles Fuchs, France:

 

Enjoy the last segment of the series, introducing Gilles Fuchs--founder of the Marcel Duchamp Award, which is a key point of this exhibition, and currently a representative of the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art (ADIAF)--whose responses exude his abundant love of art.

 

Profile:

 

Establishing the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art (ADIAF) in 1994, serving as a representative of that organization since 1998, and establishing the Marcel Duchamp Award in 2000, Gilles Fuchs serves as a spokesman for the development of French contemporary art.

 

Q: Please describe about your profession?

A: I am now retired (I previously was in the fashion and perfume business) but I have been for nearly fifty years an "addict" art collector.

Upon my retirement I created with some friends an Association to promote French artists abroad. (ADIAF)

We were convinced that the French way of life or "civilisation" should be taken with more consideration than it is presently the case.

The main art stream (under the fallacious reason that it should be better understood by" every one") has aimed at being spectacular, "sensational" and out of measure with some tendency to vulgarity.

French art is by tradition based on reflection, elegance and sense of measure. It is a humanism. Two different aims; one, provocative to the extreme; the other one discreet and trying to convince.

 

Our association is composed exclusively of contemporary art collectors (about 300).

We wish to underline the choices of collectors, with modest means, what play an active part in the present art world distinct from the overwhelming institutions or "institutional collectors".

Their choices are not based on speculation but on their deep taste and reflection. The value or symbolic financial status of a work of art is far from their main preoccupation.

They never forget Leonardo Da Vinci: "art is cosa mentale"

It is a sort of democratic alternative.

 

Q: Frankly why do you collect the art?

A: Collectors are "maniac"; it is part of their character and they cannot live without indulging in this side of themselves.

 

You may collect everything from stamps to "white elephants" but it is theoretically a finished world. There is a day when your collection is completed.

 

This is not the case when you collect contemporary art. There is always something new happening and like mushroom in autumn, new artists spring from anywhere with something new to say or a new way to say it.

 

This is the interest of collecting an art that is always challenging

 

Art is the soul of its time:To be in close contact with it is essential. To learn about it when it has become historical loses some impact.

Art is a choice of society .There is no aesthetics without ethics.

 

Q: Among many high-profile artists, whom are you keeping eyes on?

As I told previously I am more interested in emerging artists than in celebrities. It is then that you may feel the vulnerability of a work as well as its raw boldness. Creation is always stimulating. I am not a prophet, I like to discover.

Celebrities have to consolidate their works, to make them more understandable, more acceptable. But there may be repetitions (with no real meaning) or even complaisance.

 

It is like the story of the 3 little pigs.

One builds his house quickly in straw.

The second one is more cautious and makes it in wood.

 

The third one works for eternity and builds it in stone.

I may often prefer the first one.

 

Relevant information:

 

・The answer from the collector participating in "French Window" exhibition

- File01. Jerome and Emmanuelle de Noirmont

- File02. Alex and Greta Vanden Berghe

- File03. Michel Poitevin

- File04. Gilles Fuchs:

 

・The Answer from the artist participating in "French Window" exhibition.

- File01. Mathieu Mercier

- File02. Pierre Ardouvin

- File03. Thomas Hirschhorn

- File04. Camille Henrot

- File05. Claude Closky

- File06. Valerie Belin

- File07. Philippe Mayaux

 

・"French Window: Looking at Contemporary Art through the Marcel Duchamp Prize"

 

・Mori Art Museum on Flickr:

Images of "French Window: Looking at Contemporary Art through the Marcel Duchamp Prize"-1

Images of "French Window: Looking at Contemporary Art through the Marcel Duchamp Prize"-2

Images of "French Window: Looking at Contemporary Art through the Marcel Duchamp Prize"-3.

 

Günther Jauch, Germany:

 

Günther Johannes Jauch (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʏntɐ joˈhanəs ˈjaʊx]; born 13 July 1956) is a German television presenter, television producer, and journalist.

 

Biography:

 

Jauch was born in Münster. He is known for a unique style of informing and entertaining people that is generally considered witty and funny. He won several awards for his appearances in German television. Jauch also owns the production company "i&u TV", which stands for Information und Unterhaltung("information and entertainment"). He is known to make large donations to charity from money he receives from his appearances in advertisements and other promotional work.

 

Jauch has used his personal wealth to purchase and restore several historic buildings in and around Potsdam, his current town of residence.

 

In the 1980s, Jauch worked for radio programs of Bayerischer Rundfunk. Jauch has produced and hosted the prime time TV programme stern TV [de], a television news magazine programme, on the private German RTL national TV network since 1990. The programme caused some sensation due to the transmission of falsified articles delivered by the journalist Michael Born who was subsequently convicted to a four-year prison sentence in 1996, a few other prominent German TV networks had also been deceived with such material.[1] In January 2011, after celebrating the end of his 21-year reign hosting stern TV [de], Jauch will now host a weekly political talkshow on the national German public TV network Das Erste ("The First").[2]

 

In 2005, Jauch was named by Stern magazine the most famous German in the world. In late 2006, Jauch announced that he would only host the first broadcast of the Four Hills Tournament (from Oberstdorf) and celebrate New Year's Eve with his family. Jauch had hosted all events of the Four Hills Tournament since 2000. The 2007 season tournaments from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen were hosted by Marco Schreylinstead.[3]

 

Jauch, together with Thomas Gottschalk, is also part of the German TV show Die 2 - Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle.[4]

 

In 2015, shortly after Stefan Raab had announced the end of his TV career, Jauch declared publicly that he intends to gradually reduce his appearance on TV too; stating that he will eventually give up his political talk show Günther Jauch on ARD and to focus on his other TV shows such as Wer wird Millionär? on RTL.[5][6]

 

Personal life:

 

After 18 years of common-law marriage, Jauch married Thea in the Orangerie at Schloss Sanssouci in Potsdam in 2006.[7][8] He is a member of the Hamburg Jauch family.

 

Jauch and Thea have two biological daughters, Svenja (born in 1989) and Kristin (born in 1993). The couple adopted two orphaned daughters in 1997 and 2000, named Katja and Masha.[9][3]

 

Philanthropy:

 

Jauch is characterised by his secluded lifestyle. He stated in interviews that he takes the liberty of leading a life that does not correspond to his supposed economic possibilities. According to his own statement, he has spent considerable amounts of his income, including all the profit from advertising jobs, on charitable causes since the early years of his career.[10] In 2002, he made significant financial contributions to the reconstruction of the Fortunaportal (Gate of the Fortuna) at the Potsdam Stadtschloss city palace. Jauch has also given financial support to other projects in Potsdam, e.g. the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg, (where he got married in 2006), the Potsdam city canal, the Kloebersaal,[11] a hall in the north wing of the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), which is opposite his villa at Heiligen See lake, as well as the restoration of the Neptungrotte (Neptune Grotto) in the palace gardens of Schloss Sanssouci.[12] Furthermore, he supported the construction of the Marienschule Potsdam, a co-educational Roman-Catholic school for primary and secondary education, which belongs to the archdiocese of Berlin.[13][14] The prime minister of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, called him a citizen every mayor could ever wish for.[15] Jauch was an ambassador for the Berlin Pro-Reli-Kampagne, a petition which aimed to change the Education Act of the state of Berlin in order to introduce religious studies as an elective subject instead of ethics as a sole compulsory subject. The campaign eventually failed in April 2009.

 

Jauch’s ancestress on his grandmother’s side, Anna Weißebach, founded the CaritasKonferenzen, the German branch of the International Association of Charities. Jauch’s own family set up soup kitchens in Hamburg as early as the 19th and 20th century and founded and maintained poorhouses in Hamburg and other places. In line with his family’s tradition of charitable foundations, Jauch endowed the founding of a branch of Die Arche in Drewitz(Potsdam) in 2009, which provides free meals for children in need. He also covers ongoing property and personnel expenses.[16] Die Arche – Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk e.V. is a Christian organisation for children and adolescents.

 

Vineyard owner:

 

Günther Jauch is also continuing a 200 year-old family tradition of wine-growing.[17] In 2010, he successfully applied for membership in the German Prädikat Wine Estates VDP (German: “Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter”), in order to acquire a relative’s vineyard (Othegraven in Kanzem) which was approved by VDP that certifies Germany’s wines that meet the organizations requirements.[18] The entire property, including a mansion and an English Garden, has been subject to preservation orders since 2003.

 

Günther Jauch’s family has been running the winery since 1805, when his ancestor and merchant Emmerich Grach bought the property. Jauch’s grandmother Elsa von Othegraven, his grandfather Hans Jauch and his father Ernst-Alfred Jauch were part of the community of heirs. However, in 1996 the winery was inherited by a distant relative.

 

In order to ensure that the winery was not going to be sold to a party outside the family, Günther Jauch decided to buy it.[19] One of the previous owners had been Jauch's famous great-great-uncle, Franz Weißebach. According to the VDP, the vineyard is a gem of a vineyard, rare in its quality and attractive location.[17] In 2011, Jauch acquired a further vineyard (Wawerner Herrenberg) in Wawern that is 3.5 acres.[20] It had also belonged to his ancestor Emmerich Grach. Günther Jauch also co-produced wines that supermarket chain Aldi has been selling under his name since 2018.[21]

 

Dispute about privacy:

 

Günther Jauch wanted to legally prohibit any type of media coverage in the preparation of his wedding in July 2006. The Landgericht Berlin granted him an interim injunction against the newspaper Bild and other publications of the Springer publishing house.[22] The Kammergericht Berlin, however, decided against a prohibition of general media coverage in June 2006 due to his celebrity status. According to the judges, they were allowed to report about the date and place of the wedding.[23] After the magazine Bunte published photos of the wedding and details about the ceremony, Thea Jauch went to court against the publishing house to demand damages and compensation for pain and suffering totalling 325,000 Euros. The Landgericht Hamburg awarded her only 25,000 Euros compensation in January 2008. The judgment was set aside by the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht in October 2008. As a public figure, interest in Jauch’s wedding was legitimate, it said. An anew appeal was refused by the Federal Constitutional Court. The demand for damages by Günther Jauch in a separate lawsuit was in vain as well.

 

The couple then went before the European Court of Human Rights to claim that the German justice system did not protect Jauch's right to privacy sufficiently and breached his right to protection of property, because they did not award him damages for the published photos. The court in Strasbourg affirmed the public’s interest in his wedding and therefore, their claims were without cause. German justice had carefully weighed between the right to privacy and the freedom of the press, it said. The complaint was declared inadmissible.[24]

 

Shows hosted:

 

1985–1987: Live aus dem Alabama

1988–1997: Das aktuelle sportstudio (Up-to-date Sport news)

since 1989: Menschen, Bilder, Emotionen (People, Pictures, Emotions)

1990–2010: Stern TV

since 1999: Wer wird Millionär? (German version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)

2000–2006: RTL-Skispringen (ski jumping)

2001–2004: Der Große IQ-Test (The Big IQ Test)

2001–2009: 5-Millionen SKL Show

2002–2004: Grips-Show (Brain Show)

since 2009: 5 gegen Jauch (5 against Jauch)

2011–2015: Günther Jauch (Sunday evening political talkshow on Das Erste)

2013–2017: Die 2 – Gottschalk & Jauch gegen alle (with Thomas Gottschalk and Barbara Schöneberger)

2016–2017: 500 – Die Quiz-Arena

since 2018: Denn sie wissen nicht, was passiert – Die Jauch-Gottschalk-Schöneberger-Show (with Thomas Gottschalk and Barbara Schöneberger)

since 2019: Bin ich schlauer als Günther Jauch? (Am I smarter than Günther Jauch?)

 

Awards:

 

1988: Goldene Kamera

1989: Bayerischer Fernsehpreis

1990: Bambi

1998: Bayerischer Fernsehpreis together with Marcel Reif

2001: Goldene Kamera, Bayerischer Fernsehpreis, Bambi for Wer wird Millionär?

2002: Adolf-Grimme-Preis

2003: Unsere Besten, Rank 29, Osgar, Bambi

2006: Deutscher Fernsehpreis

2010: Deutscher Fernsehpreis

2011: Goldene Kamera, red dot design award

2012: Goldene Kamera

 

Products advertised:

 

Krombacher (beer)

Karstadt Quelle (a department store / mail-order company)

Süddeutsche Klassenlotterie [de] (a lottery)

DHL (a postal service owned by Germany's Deutsche Post alongside Thomas Gottschalk)

World Wide Fund for Nature (a nature preserve organization)

 

References in popular culture:

 

Jauch is mentioned in the song Rot by Markus Henrik, in his role as the host of the show Wer wird Millionär? (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?).

Jauch is also mentioned in the Blumentopf song "Warum eigentlich nicht?"

 

References:

 

^ Thomas Pritzl: Der Fake-Faktor. Spurensuche im größten Betrugsfall des deutschen Fernsehens. kopäd, 2006, ISBN 3-938028-69-6

^ "Günther Jauch ab 2011 im Ersten". Das Erste (in German). Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2011.

^ a b "Der Familie zuliebe: Jauch tritt kürzer". Der Spiegel (in German). 27 December 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2006.

^ "RTL: Die 2: Gottschalk und Jauch gegen alle" (in German).

^ "Südddeutsche: Zum Rückzug von Günther Jauch" (in German).

^ "Spiegel: Abschied von Jauchs ARD-Talk: Es wurde Zeit" (in German).

^ "Günther Jauch heiratet seine Thea" (in German). 28 March 2006.

^ "IMDb: Günther Jauch - Biography".

^ "Günther Jauch adoptiert zweites Waisenkind" (in German). 7 May 2000.

^ "Jauch verschenkt "jeden Cent"" (in German). Archived from the original on 2005-02-03.

^ "Ein Fall für Jauch: Kloebersaal wieder geöffnet" (in German). 27 June 2003.

^ "Schlosspark Sanssouci: Günther Jauch spendet eine Million für Grottensanierung"(in German).

^ "Opus Dei erhält Schulverbot". F (in German).

^ "Günther Jauch und Katherina Reiche stehen Pate" (in German).

^ "Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award 2003" (in German).

^ "Geldflut für die "Arche"" (in German).

^ a b "VDP Prädikatsweingüter: Günther Jauch aufgenommen | News | DER DEUTSCHE WEINBAU".

^ "Günther Jauch wird Winzer" (in German).

^ "Spiegel-Gespräch : "Ich bin angstfrei" - Der Spiegel 26/2011" (in German).

^ "Günther Jauch: "Ich dachte, ich werde da mal ebenso rotnasig wie freundlich auf der Veranda sitzen"". Die Zeit (in German). 21 September 2011. ISSN 0044-2070.

^ "Jauch verrät neue Details zu seinem Aldi-Wein" (in German). 3 April 2018.

^ "Bild darf keine Einzelheiten über Jauchs Hochzeit verbreiten" (in German).

^ "Netzeitung Medien: Jauchs Berichterstattungsverbot eingeschränkt" (in German). Archived from the original on 2006-07-01.

^ "Günther Jauch und seine Frau scheitern mit Klage vor Menschenrechtsgerichtshof" (in German).

 

Andy Lou, Hong Kong:

 

Andy Lau Tak-wah BBS MH JP[3] (traditional Chinese: 劉德華; simplified Chinese: 刘德华, born 27 September 1961), is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time.[4] In the 1990s, Lau was branded by the media as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop and was named as "Fourth Tiger" among the Five Tiger Generals of TVBduring the 1980s[5]

 

Lau was entered into the Guinness World Records for the "Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist". By April 2000, he had already won an unprecedented total of 292 awards.[6] Lau also holds numerous film acting awards, having won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actorthree times and the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor twice. In 2005, Lau received the "No.1 Box office Actor 1985–2005" award of Hong Kong,[7] yielding a box office total of HK$1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years,[6][8] and in 2007, he received the "Nielsen Box Office Star of Asia" award by the Nielsen Company (ACNielsen).[3] On 25 June 2018, Lau was invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[9][10]

 

Early life:

 

Andy Lau was born in Tai Po, Hong Kong, a son of a fireman Lau Lai (劉禮). He was the fourth child of the family; he has three elder sisters, one younger sister, and a younger brother named Lau Tak-sing. His family was considered to be wealthy as his grandfather was a landowner, but his father left with him to the slums of Diamond Hill when he was six, where the area was full of wooden houses, and was burnt down when he was eleven. As a young boy, Lau had to fetch water for his family up to eight times a day because their house was not equipped with plumbing.[6] He graduated from a Band One secondary school, Ho Lap College in San Po Kong, Kowloon.[11] He was named as Lau Fook-wing (劉福榮) during his academic years. He also practices Chinese calligraphy.[8] Lau converted to Buddhism in the 1980s.[citation needed] He was raised in a nominally Buddhist household and is now a follower of the Lingyan Mountain Temple in Taiwan.[12]

 

Career: Actor

See also: Andy Lau filmography

 

In 1981, Lau signed up for the artist training program offered by TVB, which is where his acting career began.[1] The lead role which led to his initial popularity was in the 1982 TVB series The Emissary. In 1983, Lau's role as "Yang Guo" in the TVB wuxia series, The Return of the Condor Heroes (神鵰俠侶) further increased his popularity. From then on, he would take on many of the lead roles in many TVB series.

 

In September 1983, TVB was looking to increase their ratings in competition with Korea and Japan for the best variety show. The station then created the show TVB All-star challenge (星光熠熠勁爭輝) featuring almost the entire line-up of the most popular actors and singers at the time.[13] Lau, along with Tony Leung, Michael Miu, Felix Wong, and Kent Tongwere branded as the "Five Tiger Generals of TVB" (無線五虎將) due to their popularity on the show.[13]

 

In the late '80s, Lau left TVB due to contract problems. TVB wanted to bind him to an exclusive five-year contract which Lau refused to sign, so TVB blacklisted him. He then focused on his film career.[6]

 

In 1981, Lau made a guest appearance in one of Susanna Kwan's music videos and caught the eye of the manager Teddy Robin.[14] Teddy Robin then gave Lau a chance to play a small role in the film, Once Upon a Rainbow.[14] This was the first step in Lau's film acting career.[14] He landed a role in Ann Hui's 1982 film, Boat People.[1] Later in 1983 he had his first leading role in the Shaw Brothers-produced action film, On the Wrong Track.[15]

 

One of his early leading roles included the more serious 1988 film, The Truth (法內情).

 

However, Lau is best known in films for his (often) recurring roles as a "Heroic Gangster", such as Wong Kar-wai's 1988 film As Tears Go By, and Benny Chan's 1990 film A Moment of Romance.

 

Though a respectable actor, Lau was initially known more for his handsome features. Some people he has worked with have called him a matinee idol, but he has claimed to be an artist.[4] Lau has proved his acting skills in many of his films. His first major acting prize came with A Fighter's Blues, which was his first Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actor.[16]He would win the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor award that year for Running Out of Time.[17] In 2004, he won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Infernal Affairs III, the second sequel to the popular Infernal Affairs.[18]He is also known to Western audiences for starring in wuxia films such as House of Flying Daggers, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

 

In 2005, Lau received the "No.1 Box office Actor 1985–2005" award of Hong Kong, yielding a box office total of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years.[6][8] The aforementioned figure is as compared to the first runner-up Stephen Chow's (HKD 1,317,452,311) and second runner-up Jackie Chan's (HKD 894,090,962). "I've never imagined that it would be as much as 1.7 billion!" he told reporters. For his contributions, a wax figure of Lau was unveiled on 1 June 2005 at the Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.[19] In 2007, Lau also received the "Nielsen Box Office Star of Asia" award by the Nielsen Company (ACNielsen).[3]

 

Film producer:

 

In 1991, Lau set up his own film production company, Teamwork Motion Pictures, which in 2002 was renamed to Focus Group Holdings Limited. His contributions in the film industry as well as his involvement in nurturing new talent in the Asian film industry led him to winning the "Asian Filmmaker of the Year" award in the Pusan International Film Festival in 2006.[3] Some of the films Lau has produced include award-winning films, Made in Hong Kong and A Simple Life, his 100th film, A Fighter's Blues, the Chinese digital film Crazy Stone, and big budget action blockbusters, Firestorm and Shock Wave.

 

Musical career:

 

Lau released his first album "Only Know that I Still Love You" (只知道此刻愛你) under Capital Artists in 1985.[6] This album was not a big hit,[6] but despite having a voice not traditionally associated with popular music, Lau's hard work and perseverance resulted in him becoming one of the most successful singers in Cantopop. His singing career reached stellar status in 1990 with the release of the album

entitled "Would It Be Possible" (可不可以), and his subsequent releases only solidified his status as a marketable singer.[6] For that song, he would win his first 1990 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards. He would then win at least one RTHK award category every year consecutively until the year 2007.

 

From Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards he has won the "Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist" award 7 times and the "Asia Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Artist" award 15 times.[6]He was also entered into the Guinness World Records for "Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist". By April 2000, he had already won an unprecedented total of 292 awards.[6]

 

Many of Lau's songs quickly topped the music charts not only in Hong Kong, but also in Taiwan, Mainland China, and in many different parts of Asia. Some of his most notable hits include "The Days We Spent Together" (一起走過的日子), "If You Are My Legend" (如果你是我的傳說), "The Tide" (潮水), "Forget Love Potion" (忘情水), "True Forever" (真永遠), "Chinese people" (中國人), "Love You Forever" (愛你一萬年), "You Are My Woman" (你是我的女人), and "Secret Admiration" (暗裡著迷). Besides singing in Cantonese and Mandarin, he has also sung in other languages such as English, Japanese, Malay, and Taiwanese Hokkien. One example of a Hokkien song was (世界第一等), and he has also performed a Cantonese cover of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (我恨我痴心).

 

Since the early 1990s, Lau, along with Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai have been referred to by the Chinese media as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings.[5]

 

Lau sang alongside Jackie Chan during a part of the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony on 24 August 2008. In addition, Lau, who has been supporting disabled athletes in Hong Kong for more than a decade, was appointed as the Goodwill ambassador for the 2008 Summer Paralympics.[20] He led other performers in singing and performing the song "Everyone is No.1" at the Beijing National Stadium just a few hours before the 2008 Paralympics opening ceremony began.[21] He also sang the theme song "Flying with the Dream" with Han Hong during the Paralympics opening ceremony on 6 September 2008.[20]

 

As a songwriter, most of Lau's creative works are as a lyricist. To date, Lau has composed five songs, which include "Missing You Everyday" (天天想你), co-composed with Eric Moo,[22] "If One Day" (如果有一天),[23] "Happiness Is So Far... So Sweet" (幸福.這麼遠.那麼甜),[24] "Spending the Rest Our Lives Together" (餘生一起過),[25] all of which he also sang and wrote the lyrics, and "Brothers" (兄弟), the theme song of his 2004 film, Jiang Hu, which he wrote the lyrics for but was sung by co-star Chapman To.[26] Most of the songs he has written have been for himself.

 

Books written:

 

To date, Lau has written and published two books. They include his 1995 autobiography, This Is How I Grew Up (我是這樣長大的) written in prose,[27] and his 2012 book, My 30 Work Days (我的30個工作天), which is a collection of his 30 personal diaries he wrote while working on the 2011 film, A Simple Life.[28]

 

Appearance in other media:

 

Lau is alleged to have been featured as a non-player character (NPC) as a random pedestrian in a sandbox-style action video game called Prototype. On 6 July, the Hong Kong local newspapers Headline Daily and Sing Tao Daily reported on Lau's cameo.[29]

 

Community service:

 

In 1994, Lau established the Andy Lau Charity Foundation which helps people in need and promotes a wide range of youth education services.[3] In 1999, he received the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World award, being the third person from Hong Kong at that time to receive this distinguished honour.[3] In 2008, Lau took a main role in putting together the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign for relief toward the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.[30] It was one of the largest and most ambitious charity events ever assembled in the territory.

 

Lau was noted for his active involvement in charity works throughout his 30 years in showbiz and honoured as a "Justice of Peace" by the Hong Kong SAR government in 2008.[31] In May 2010, he received the "World Outstanding Chinese" award and an "honorary doctorate" from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.[32] On 14 December 2017, Lau was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree from the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, with the citation highlighting his popularity among locals which stated: "His low-key, modest, friendly and approachable personality has endeared him to millions of fans and ordinary folks alike, who also consider him to be a 'heartthrob' and the 'unofficial Chief Executive of Hong Kong".[33]

 

Lau was also named in the Panama Papers leak.[34]

 

Personal life:

 

In 2008, Lau married Malaysian Chinese Carol Chu (朱麗倩) after 24 years of speculation over their relationship, both are vegetarian and devout Buddhists.[35] The couple married in Las Vegas.[35] On 9 May 2012, Chu gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Hanna.[36] In January 2017, Lau was seriously injured after being thrown off and stomped by a horse during a commercial shoot in Khao Lak, an area three hours outside of Thailand's capital city, Bangkok.[37][38] However, Lau was able to make a full return to work in August 2017, stating he has recovered 95 per cent from his injuries and has fully recovered by the end of the year.[39][40].

 

Lau never had a motorcycle-class driving license, so most of the scenes on Full Throttlewere done by a stunt double. When he performs with one, the engine is never on.[41][42]

 

Awards and nominations:

 

Year, Award, Category Nominated work, Result:

 

1983 Hong Kong Film Awards Best New Performer Boat People Nominated

1989 Best Actor As Tears Go By Nominated

1990 Golden Horse Film FestivalBest Supporting ActorKawashima Yoshiko Nominated

1992 Hong Kong Film Awards Best ActorLee Rock Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer) Casino Raiders II Nominated

1995 Best Original Film Song (Singer)Tian Di Nominated

1996 Best Actor Full Throttle Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Nominated

1998 Best Film (Producer) Made in Hong Kong Won

Best Original Film Song (Singer) Island of Greed Nominated

1999 Best Original Film Song (Singer) The Longest Summer Nominated

A True Mob Story Nominated

Best Film (Producer) The Longest Summer Nominated

2000 Best ActorRunning Out of Time Won

Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated

2001 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor A Fighter's Blues Nominated

Golden Bauhinia Awards A Fighter's Blues Won

Golden Horse Film Festival Love on a Diet Nominated

2002 Hong Kong Film Awards Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist) Shaolin Soccer Nominated

2003 Best Actor Infernal Affairs Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer with Tony Leung) Nominated

Golden Horse Film Festival Best Actor Nominated

Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated

2004 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor Running on Karma Won

Golden Horse Film Festival Infernal Affairs III Won

Golden Bauhinia Awards Nominated

Running on Karma Nominated

2005 Golden Bauhinia Awards A World Without Thieves Nominated

2006 Hong Kong Film Awards Wait 'Til You're Older Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer/Lyricist).Nominated

Golden Bauhinia Awards Best Actor Nominated

2007 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Asian Film (Producer) Crazy Stone Nominated

Golden Bauhinia Awards Best Actor Battle of Wits Nominated

2007 Asian Film Awards Best Actor Battle of Wits Nominated

2008 Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Protégé Won

Best Actor The Warlords Nominated

Best Original Film Song (Singer with Eason Chan/Lyricist) Brothers Nominated

2011 Best Film (

Spring Doctorate, Specialist, and Masters Commencement - May 14, 2016

An unofficial sustained American aviation altitude record for women was set July 1, 1979, by astronaut candidate Kathryn D. Sullivan in a NASA WB-57F reconnaissance aircraft.

 

The record altitude of 63,300 feet was reached during a four-hour flight. Sullivan, in a high altitude pressure suit, operated color infrared cameras and multispectral scanning equipment as the WB-57F spent one and one-half hours of the Big Bend area of West Texas. Piloting the aircraft was Jim Korkowski, one of the NASA Airborne Instrumentation Research Program Pilots. The flight was out of Ellington AFB near Houston. Sullivan, who has a doctorate in geology, was selected in 1978 as one of 35 astronaut candidates training for the Shuttle program. She trained to be a mission specialist and flights in the WB-57F were training in preparation for her assignments on the Shuttle. Sullivan later served as a mission specialist on STS-41G, STS-31, and STS-45.

 

NASA Media Usage Guidelines

 

Credit: NASA

Image Number: 79H-586

Date: July 1, 1979

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-14

 

WOMEN IN STEM RESEARCH: Better Data and Information Sharing Could Improve Oversight of Federal Grant-making and Title IX Compliance

 

by Internet Archive Book Images

Once you’ve decided to earn your degree online, selecting a program is usually the first critical decision you make. There are so many types of degrees available online, which one to choose, how to select, sometimes may make you confuse and hard to decide o...

 

excited.g2a.website/study-online-doctorate-degrees/

الملكة رانيا خلال حفل تسلم الدكتوراة الفخرية في علم التنمية والتعاون الدولي من جامعة سابينزا في روما

روما، إيطاليا/ 10 كانون الأول 2015

 

Queen Rania at Sapienza University in Rome where she received an Honorary Doctorate in Science Development and International Cooperation

Rome, Italy/ December 10, 2015

 

© Royal Hashemite Court

الملكة رانيا خلال حفل تسلم الدكتوراة الفخرية في علم التنمية والتعاون الدولي من جامعة سابينزا في روما

روما، إيطاليا/ 10 كانون الأول 2015

 

Queen Rania at Sapienza University in Rome where she received an Honorary Doctorate in Science Development and International Cooperation

Rome, Italy/ December 10, 2015

 

© Royal Hashemite Court

A teenager from Bristol became one of the youngest doctorate holders in the city – before she has gone to university.

 

Fahma Mohamed was awarded a Doctor of Laws by Bristol University – an honorary degree acknowledging her campaigning work to end female genital mutilation (FGM).

 

www.hiiraan.com/news4/2016/July/106391/bristol_teenager_t...

Das Epitaph ist dem Juristen Christoph Zobel (1499-1560) gewidmet. Christoph Zobel studierte an der Universität Leipzig Jura und erhielt dort den Doktor. Danach wurde er fürstlicher Rat und Professor der Rechte an der Universität Leipzig, was er bis zu seinem Lebensende blieb.

 

The epitaph is dedicated to the jurist Christoph Zobel (1499-1560). Christoph Zobel had studied law at Leipzig University and received his doctorate there. Thereafter he was appointed Princely Councillor and Professor of Law at Leipzig University, a position he maintained until his death.

 

Die Paulinerkirche wurde 1240 als Kirche des 1232 gegründeten Dominikanerklosters (der Orden wurde auch "Pauliner" genannt) geweiht. Der Paulineraltar wurde wohl um 1490 geschaffen. Im Zuge der Reformation erhielt die Universität die Klostergebäde und die schon seit 1290 von ihr als Universitätskirche genutzte Kirche. Diese diente seitdem sowohl als Gottesdienstraum als auch als Aula. Im 2. Weltkrieg wurde die Universitäts- oder Paulinerkirche nur leicht beschädigt, anders als die benachbarten Universitätsgebäude. Die Kirche, eine der prächtigsten der Stadt, wurde weiterhin voll genutzt, wie auch größere Teile der schwerer beschädigten Universitätsbauten am Augustusplatz, der unmittelbar nach dem Krieg in Karl-Marx-Platz umbenannt wurde. 1953 erhielt auch die Universität den Namen Karl Marx. Im Mai 1968 bestätigte das Politbüro des ZK der SED die Pläne zum Neubau der Universität am Karl-Marx-Platz, die den Abriss der Altbauten einschließlich der Paulinerkirche beinhalteten. Der Senat der Universität stimmte am 16. Mai, die Leipziger Stadtverordnetenversammlung am 23. Mai bei einer Gegenstimme der Umgestaltung zu. Die Innenausstattung der Kirche wurde im Mai 1968 innerhalb von zwei Tagen entfernt. 80 Ausstattungsstücke, darunter der Altar und einige Epitaphien, konnten ganz oder teilweise gerettet werden. Am 30. Mai wurde die im Krieg unversehrte Kirche gesprengt, Proteste wurden unterdrückt. Ein nüchterner Zweckbau wurde im Anschluss errichtet. 2009 wurde mit dem Bau eines neuen, architektonisch anspruchsvollen Universitätsgebäudes nach Plänen des Rotterdamer Architekten Erick van Egeraat begonnen, das auch eine an die einstige Universitätskirche erinnernde Struktur enthält, das Paulinum. Dieses teilt sich in eine Aula und einen Andachtsraum, durch eine Glasscheibe voneinander getrennt. Bei Bedarf lässt sich diese zur Schaffung eines größeren Raums entfernen.

Eine Außenansicht ist hier zu finden: www.flickr.com/photos/127124365@N04/25342898115/

oder: www.flickr.com/photos/127124365@N04/15303327503/

 

The Paulinian Church was consecrated in 1240 as church of the Dominican Monastery (the Dominicans were also called "Paulinians") founded in 1232. The Paulinian Altar was probably made around 1490. In the course of the Protestant Reformation, the monastery buildings were given to the university, including the church. Since then, the church served simultaneously as university auditorium and church (for protestants and catholics alike). In World War II, the University or Paulinian Church suffered only little damage whereas the adjacent university buildings were more severly hit by bombs, but not beyond repair. The church, one of the city's most magnificent ones, continued to be used, as well as larage parts of the more severely damaged university buildings on Augustusplatz (Augustus Square), renamed Karl-Marx-Platz immediately after the war. In 1953 the name of Karl Marx was conferred to the university, too. In May of 1968, the Politbureau of the Central Comittee of the Socialist Unity Party authorised the plans to build a new university on Karl-Marx-Platz, including the demolition of the old buildings and the church. The university senate and the City Assembly approved the plans on May 23rd (with one vote against). The interior components of the church were removed within two days. 80 pieces, including the altar and some epitaphs, could be retrieved from the church, some only partially. On May 30the the Gothic church, unharmed by the war, was blown up, protests were suffocated. A plain functional building was erected as the new university. In 2009 started the construction of a new university building with more sophisticated architecture according to plans of the Rotterdam architect Erich van Egeraat, including a structure intended as tribute to the historic university church, called Paulinum. This is divided in a larger hall, the Aula, and a smaller worship room with the altar and restored epitaphs, seperated by a glass front. If a larger hall is needed, this glass front can be removed. If you want to see an exterior view, you may look at these photos:

www.flickr.com/photos/127124365@N04/25342898115/

or: www.flickr.com/photos/127124365@N04/15303327503/

Akinwumi Adesina receiving his cap and gown during the conferment ceremony. IITA Director General, Nteranya Sanginga and IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) with other well wishers celebrate with President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina on his conferment of honorary doctorate degrees of science award at Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba (AAUA) in Ondo State, Nigeria on 19 December, 2015. (file name: _DSC0047).

The culmination of three years of research: my PhD thesis is ready for submission! This is the exciting Deluxe binding version, with gold corners and speckles on the paper edges. The title is pretty long: Engineering Robustness, Flexibility, and Accuracy into a Multi-Agent System for Transformer Condition Monitoring.

Robert F. Kennedy received his honorary doctorate at UNB, Frericton, NB, Canada at the fall convocation in 1967. As a graduate student I was invited to be there. After photographing we lined up for handshakes with RFK.

According to Wikipedia

Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also called RFK, was one of two younger brothers of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and served as United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964. He was one of President Kennedy's most trusted advisors and worked closely with the president during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His contribution to the African-American Civil Rights Movement is sometimes considered his greatest legacy.

in early 1968 Kennedy announced his own campaign for president. It was a battle for control of the Democratic Party. Kennedy defeated McCarthy in the critical California primary, but was assassinated moments after claiming victory. On June 9, 1968,

 

Wikipedia

 

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar ([bʱiːmraːw raːmdʑiː aːmbeːɽkər]; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement and campaigned against social discrimination of Dalits, women and labour. He was Independent India's first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.

 

Ambedkar was a prolific student, earning a law degree and various doctorates from Columbia University and the London School of Economics, and gained a reputation as a scholar for his research in law, economics and political science. In his early career he was an economist, professor, and lawyer. His later life was marked by his political activities, where he became involved in the negotiations for India's independence campaigning by publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for 'untouchables' and contributing significantly to the establishment of the state of India. In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of Dalits.

 

In 1990, Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.[4] Ambedkar's legacy includes numerous memorials and depictions in popular culture.

 

Early life and education[edit]

Ambedkar was born into a poor low Mahar, (dalit) caste in the town and military cantonment of Mhow in the Central Provinces (now in Madhya Pradesh).[5] He was the 14th and last child of Ramji Maloji Sakpal, a ranked army officer at the post of Subedar and Bhimabai Murbadkar Sankpal.[6] His family was of Marathi background from the town of Ambavade (Mandangad taluka) in Ratnagiri district of modern-day Maharashtra. They belonged to the Mahar caste, who were treated as untouchables and subjected to socio-economic discrimination.[7] Ambedkar's ancestors had long been in the employment of the army of the British East India Company, and his father served in the British Indian Army at the Mhow cantonment.[8]

 

Belonging to the Kabir panth, Ramji Sakpal encouraged his children to read the Hindu classics. He used his position in the army to lobby for his children to study at the government school, as they faced resistance owing to their caste. Although able to attend school, Ambedkar and other untouchable children were segregated and given little attention or assistance by the teachers. They were not allowed to sit inside the class. Even if they needed to drink water, someone from a higher caste would have to pour that water from a height as they were not allowed to touch either the water or the vessel that contained it. This task was usually performed for the young Ambedkar by the school peon, and if the peon was not available then he had to go without water; the situation he later in his writings described as "No peon, No Water".[9] He was required to sit on a gunny sack which he had to take home with him.[10]

 

Ramji Sakpal retired in 1894 and the family moved to Satara two years later. Shortly after their move, Ambedkar's mother died. The children were cared for by their paternal aunt, and lived in difficult circumstances. Three sons – Balaram, Anandrao and Bhimrao – and two daughters – Manjula and Tulasa – of the Ambedkars would go on to survive them. Of his brothers and sisters, only Ambedkar succeeded in passing his examinations and graduating to a high school. His original surname Ambavadekar comes from his native village 'Ambavade' in Ratnagiri district.[11] His Brahmin teacher, Mahadev Ambedkar, who was fond of him, changed his surname from 'Ambavadekar' to his own surname 'Ambedkar' in school records.[11]

 

Higher education[edit]

Matriculation[edit]

In 1897, Ambedkar's family moved to Bombay where Ambedkar became the only untouchable enrolled at Elphinstone High School. In 1906, his marriage to a nine-year old girl, Ramabai, was arranged.[2]

 

In 1907, he passed his matriculation examination and in the following year he entered Elphinstone College, which was affiliated to the University of Bombay, becoming the first from his untouchable community to do so. This success provoked celebrations in his community and after a public ceremony he was presented with a biography of the Buddha by Dada Keluskar, the author and a family friend.[2]

 

Degree in Economics and Political science[edit]

By 1912, he obtained his degree in economics and political science from Bombay University, and prepared to take up employment with the Baroda state government. His wife, by then 15 years old, had just moved his young family and started work, when he had to quickly return to Mumbai to see his ailing father, who died on 2 February 1913.[12]

  

Ambedkar as a student.

Postgraduation in Economics, Columbia University[edit]

In 1913, he moved to the United States. He had been awarded a Baroda State Scholarship of £11.50 (Sterling) per month for three years under a scheme established by the Gaekwar of Baroda that was designed to provide opportunities for postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City. Soon after arriving there he settled in rooms at Livingston Hall with Naval Bhathena, a Parsi who was to be a lifelong friend. He passed his M.A. exam in June 1915, majoring in Economics, with Sociology, History, Philosophy and Anthropology as other subjects of study; he presented a thesis, Ancient Indian Commerce.

 

Economics, Columbia University[edit]

In 1916 he completed his second thesis, National Dividend of India-A Historic and Analytical Study for another M.A. and finally he received his PhD in Economics in 1927[13] for his third thesis, after he left for London. On 9 May, he read his paper Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development before a seminar conducted by the anthropologist Alexander Goldenweiser.

 

London School of Economics[edit]

In October 1916 he enrolled for the Bar course at Gray's Inn, and also at the same time enrolled at the London School of Economics where he started work on a doctoral thesis. But in June 1917 he was obliged to go back to India as the term of his scholarship from Baroda ended. However, he was given permission to return to submit his thesis within four years. His thesis was on the "Indian Rupee." Ambedkar came back to London at the first opportunity and completed his studies. At the London School of Economics he took a Master's degree in 1921 and in 1923 he took his D.Sc.in Economics, and the same year he was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn. His third and fourth Doctorates (Ll.D, Columbia, 1952 and Ll.D., Osmania, 1953) were conferred honoris causa.

 

Incidentally, in his journey (1917) he travelled separately from his collection of books, which were lost when the ship on which they were dispatched was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine.[12]

 

Opposition to untouchability[edit]

 

Ambedkar as a barrister in 1922

As Ambedkar was educated by the Princely State of Baroda, he was bound to serve it. He was appointed as Military Secretary to the Gaikwad but had to quit within a short time. He described the incident in his autobiography, Waiting for a Visa.[9] Thereafter he tried to find ways to make a living for his growing family. He worked as a private tutor, as an accountant, and established an investment consulting business, but it failed when his clients learned that he was an untouchable.[14] In 1918 he became Professor of Political Economy in the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. Even though he was successful with the students, other professors objected to his sharing the same drinking-water jug that they all used.[15]

 

Ambedkar had been invited to testify before the Southborough Committee, which was preparing the Government of India Act 1919. At this hearing, Ambedkar argued for creating separate electorates and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities.[16] In 1920, he began the publication of the weekly Mooknayak (Leader of the Silent) in Mumbai with the help of Shahaji II (1874–1922), Maharaja of Kolhapur.[17]

 

Ambedkar went on to work as a legal professional. In 1926 he successfully defended three non-Brahmin leaders who had accused the Brahmin community of ruining India and were then subsequently sued for libel. Dhananjay Keer notes that "The victory was resounding, both socially and individually, for the clients and the Doctor".[18]

 

Protests[edit]

While practicing law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to uplift the untouchables in order to educate them. His first organised attempt to achieve this was the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, which was intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of "outcastes", at the time referred to as depressed classes.[19] For the protection of Dalit rights he started many periodicals like Mook Nayak, Bahishkrit Bharat, and Equality Janta.[20]

 

He was appointed to the Bombay Presidency Committee to work with the all-European Simon Commission in 1925.[21] This commission had sparked great protests across India, and while its report was ignored by most Indians, Ambedkar himself wrote a separate set of recommendations for the future Constitution of India.[22]

 

By 1927 Ambedkar decided to launch active movements against untouchability. He began with public movements and marches to open up and share public drinking water resources. He also began a struggle for the right to enter Hindu temples. He led a satyagraha in Mahad to fight for the right of the untouchable community to draw water from the main water tank of the town.[23] In a conference in late 1927, Ambedkar public condemned the classic Hindu text, the Manusmrti (Laws of Manu), for ideologically justifying the system of caste discrimination and “untouchability,” ceremonially burning copies of the ancient text. On 25 December 1927, thousands of people burnt copies of Manusmriti under leadership of Ambedkar.[24][25]

 

In 1930, Ambedkar launched Kalaram Temple movement. This was a non-violent movement for which he was preparing for three months. About 15000 volunteers assembled at Kalaram Temple satygraha making one of the greatest processions of Nashik. The procession was headed by a military band, a batch of scouts, women and men walked in discipline, order and determination to see the god for the first time. When they reached to gate, the gates were closed by Brahmin authorities. This movement was for human dignity and self-respect.[26]

 

Poona Pact[edit]

In 1932, British announced the formation of separate electorate for "Depressed Classes" in the Communal Award. Gandhi fiercely opposed a separate electorate for untouchables, saying he feared that such an arrangement would divide the Hindu community into two groups.[27] Gandhi protested by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. Following the fast, Congress politicians and activists such as Madan Mohan Malaviya and Palwankar Baloo organised joint meetings with Ambedkar and his supporters at Yerwada.[28] On 25 September 1932, the agreement known as Poona Pact was signed between Ambedkar (on behalf of the depressed classes among Hindus) and Madan Mohan Malaviya(on behalf of the other Hindus). The agreement gave reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures, within the general electorate and not by creating a separate electroate. The Due to the pact, the depressed class received 148 seats in the legislature, instead of the 71 as allocated in the Communal Award earlier proposed by the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. The text uses the term "Depressed Classes" to denote Untouchables among Hindus who were later called Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under India Act 1935, and the later Indian Constitution of 1950.[29][30]

 

Political career[edit]

In 1935, Ambedkar was appointed principal of the Government Law College, Mumbai, a position he held for two years. Settling in Mumbai, Ambedkar oversaw the construction of a house, and stocked his personal library with more than 50,000 books.[31] His wife Ramabai died after a long illness in the same year. It had been her long-standing wish to go on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur, but Ambedkar had refused to let her go, telling her that he would create a new Pandharpur for her instead of Hinduism's Pandharpur which treated them as untouchables. Speaking at the Yeola Conversion Conference on 13 October in Nasik, Ambedkar announced his intention to convert to a different religion and exhorted his followers to leave Hinduism.[31] He would repeat his message at numerous public meetings across India.

 

In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party, which contested in the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats and securing 11 and 3 seats respectively.[32]

 

Ambedkar published his book Annihilation of Caste in the same year. It strongly criticised Hindu orthodox religious leaders, the caste system in general[33] and included "a rebuke of Gandhi" on the subject.[34]

 

Ambedkar served on the Defence Advisory Committee[35] and the Viceroy's Executive Council as minister for labour.[35]

 

In his work Who Were the Shudras?, Ambedkar attempted to explain the formation of Untouchables. He saw the Shudras and Ati Shudras who form the lowest caste in the ritual hierarchy of the caste system, as being separate from Untouchables. Ambedkar oversaw the transformation of his political party into the Scheduled Castes Federation, although it performed poorly in the elections held in 1946 for the Constituent Assembly of India.

 

Babasaheb Ambedkar contested from Bombay North in the first Indian General Election in 1952 but lost to the Congress candidates Narayan Kajrolkar, who had been his assistant once. Ambedkar became a member of Rajya Sabha, probably as an appointed member. He tried to enter Lok Sabha again in 1954 when he contested the by-election from Bhandara but he was placed third in the ballot won by Congress. By the time the second general election was held in 1957, Ambedkar had already passed away.

 

Ambedkar was critical of Islam and its practices in South Asia. While justifying the Partition of India, he condemned the practice of child marriage, as well as the mistreatment of women, in Muslim society.

 

No words can adequately express the great and many evils of polygamy and concubinage, and especially as a source of misery to a Muslim woman. Take the caste system. Everybody infers that Islam must be free from slavery and caste. [...] [While slavery existed], much of its support was derived from Islam and Islamic countries. While the prescriptions by the Prophet regarding the just and humane treatment of slaves contained in the Koran are praiseworthy, there is nothing whatever in Islam that lends support to the abolition of this curse. But if slavery has gone, caste among Musalmans [Muslims] has remained.[36]

 

Drafting India's Constitution[edit]

 

People paying tribute at the central statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad.

Upon India's Transfer of Power by British Government to leaders of High Cast on 15 August 1947, the new Congress-led government invited Ambedkar to serve as the nation's first Law Minister, which he accepted. On 29 August, he was appointed Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, charged by the Assembly to write India's new Constitution.[37]

 

Granville Austin has described the Indian Constitution drafted by Ambedkar as 'first and foremost a social document'. ... 'The majority of India's constitutional provisions are either directly arrived at furthering the aim of social revolution or attempt to foster this revolution by establishing conditions necessary for its achievement.'[38]

 

The text prepared by Ambedkar provided constitutional guarantees and protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability and the outlawing of all forms of discrimination. Ambedkar argued for extensive economic and social rights for women, and also won the Assembly's support for introducing a system of reservations of jobs in the civil services, schools and colleges for members of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and Other Backward Class, a system akin to affirmative action.[39] India's lawmakers hoped to eradicate the socio-economic inequalities and lack of opportunities for India's depressed classes through these measures.[40] The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 by the Constituent Assembly.[41]

 

Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet in 1951 following the stalling in parliament of his draft of the Hindu Code Bill, which sought to expound gender equality in the laws of inheritance and marriage.[42] Ambedkar independently contested an election in 1952 to the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, but was defeated in the Bombay (North Central) constituency by a little-known Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who polled 138137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 123576 votes.[43][44][45] He was appointed to the upper house, of parliament, the Rajya Sabha in March 1952 and would remain as member till death.[46]

 

Opposition to Article 370[edit]

Ambedkar opposed Article 370 in the Constitution, which gives a special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and it was put against his wishes. Balraj Madhok reportedly said, Ambedkar had clearly told Sk. Abdullah: "You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal, would be a treacherous thing against the interests of India and I, as the Law Minister of India, will never do it." Then Sk. Abdullah went to Nehru, who directed him to Gopal Swami Ayyangar, who approached Sardar Patel asking him to do something as it was a matter of prestige of Nehru, who has promised Sk. Abdullah accordingly. Patel got it passed when Nehru was on foreign tour. On the day this article came up for discussion, Ambedkar did not reply to questions on it though he did participate on other articles. All arguments were done by Krishna Swami Ayyangar.[47][48][49]

 

Economic planning[edit]

Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue an Economics doctorate degree abroad.[50] According to him the industrialization and agricultural industry growth could enhance the economy of the nation.[51] He stressed on money investment in the agricultural industry as the primary industry of India.[52] According to Sharad Pawar, Ambedkar’s vision benefited the government in accomplishing the food security goal.[53] He supported economic and social development of the society for nations progress. He also emphasised on education, public hygiene, community health, residential facilities as the basic amenities.[51] His DSc thesis "The problems of Ruppee, its origin and solution (1923)" reveals the factors responsible for Rupee fall.[52] He proved the importance of price stability than exchange stability. He analysed the silver and gold rate exchange and its effect on Indian economy. He found out the reasons for the failure of British Indian economy’s public treasury.[52] He found the loss made by British rule on Indian development.[54]

 

He is creditworthy to establish Finance Commission of India. He did not support the income tax policy for the lower income group community. He contributed in Land Revenue Tax and excise duty policies to stabilize Indian economy.[52] He played an important role in the land reform and the state economic development.[55] According to him, the caste system divided labours and it was one of the hurdles for the economic progress. He emphasised on free economy with stable rupee which India has adopted recently.[52] He advocated the birth control rate to develop the Indian economy. This policy has been adopted by Indian government as national policy for family planning. He emphasised on equal rights to women for economic development.[52] He laid the foundation of industrial relations after Indian independence.[55]

 

Formation of Reserve Bank of India[edit]

Ambedkar was an economist by training and until 1921 his career was as a professional economist. It was after that time that he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics:

 

Administration and Finance of the East India Company,

The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India

The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution[56][57][58]

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was based on the ideas that Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission.[56][58][59][60]

 

Second marriage[edit]

Ambedkar's first wife had died in 1935 following long illness. After the completion of the drafting of India's constitution in the late 1940s, Ambedkar went to Bombay for treatment. He was suffering from lack of sleep, had neurotic pain in his legs and was taking both insulin and homeopathic medicines. There he met Dr. Sharada Kabir, a Saraswat Brahmin, whom he married on 15 April 1948, at his home in New Delhi. Doctors recommended that he needed a companion who was both a good cook and a possessor of medical knowledge and could thus take care of him.[61] She adopted the name Savita Ambedkar and took care of him for the rest of his life.[3]

 

Conversion to Buddhism[edit]

 

Dikshabhumi, a stupa at the site in Nagpur, where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism along with many of his followers

Ambedkar had considered converting to Sikhism, which saw oppression as something to be fought against and which for that reason appealed also to other leaders of scheduled castes. He rejected the idea after meeting with leaders of the Sikh community and concluding that his conversion might result in him having what scholar Stephen P. Cohen describes as a "second-rate status" among Sikhs.[62]

 

He studied Buddhism all his life, and around 1950, he turned his attention fully to Buddhism and travelled to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to attend a meeting of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.[63] While dedicating a new Buddhist vihara near Pune, Ambedkar announced that he was writing a book on Buddhism, and that as soon as it was finished, he planned to make a formal conversion to Buddhism.[64] Ambedkar twice visited Burma in 1954; the second time in order to attend the third conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in Rangoon.[65] In 1955, he founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha, or the Buddhist Society of India.[66] He completed his final work, The Buddha and His Dhamma, in 1956. It was published posthumously.[66]

 

After meetings with the Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Hammalawa Saddhatissa,[67] Ambedkar organised a formal public ceremony for himself and his supporters in Nagpur on 14 October 1956. Accepting the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from a Buddhist monk in the traditional manner, Ambedkar completed his own conversion, along with his wife. He then proceeded to convert some 500,000 of his supporters who were gathered around him.[64] He prescribed the 22 Vows for these converts, after the Three Jewels and Five Precepts. He then traveled to Kathmandu in Nepal to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference.[65] His work on The Buddha or Karl Marx and "Revolution and counter-revolution in ancient India" remained incomplete.[68]

 

Death[edit]

 

Annal Ambedkar Manimandapam, Chennai

 

Bust of Ambedkar at Ambedkar Museum in Pune

Since 1948, Ambedkar had been suffering from diabetes. He was bed-ridden from June to October in 1954 owing to side-effects from his medication and failing eyesight.[64] He had been increasingly embittered by political issues, which took a toll on his health. His health worsened during 1955. Three days after completing his final manuscript The Buddha and His Dhamma, Ambedkar died in his sleep on 6 December 1956 at his home in Delhi.

 

A Buddhist cremation[69] was organised for him at Dadar Chowpatty beach on 7 December,[70] attended by half a million sorrowing people.[71] A conversion program was supposed to be organised on 16 December 1956.[72] So, those who had attended the cremation were also converted to Buddhism at the same place.[72]

 

Ambedkar was survived by his second wife, who died in 2003.[73] and his son Yashwant (known as Bhaiyasaheb Ambedkar).[74] Ambedkar's grandson, Ambedkar Prakash Yashwant, is the chief-adviser of the Buddhist Society of India,[75] leads the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh[76] and has served in both houses of the Indian Parliament.[76]

 

A number of unfinished typescripts and handwritten drafts were found among Ambedkar's notes and papers and gradually made available. Among these were Waiting for a Visa, which probably dates from 1935–36 and is an autobiographical work, and the Untouchables, or the Children of India's Ghetto, which refers to the census of 1951.[64]

 

A memorial for Ambedkar was established in his Delhi house at 26 Alipur Road. His birthdate is celebrated as a public holiday known as Ambedkar Jayanti or Bhim Jayanti. He was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1990.[77]

 

On the anniversary of his birth and death, and on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din (14 October) at Nagpur, at least half a million people gather to pay homage to him at his memorial in Mumbai.[78] Thousands of bookshops are set up, and books are sold. His message to his followers was "Educate!,Organize!,Agitate!".[79]

 

Legacy[edit]

 

A bookseller in Chaitya Bhoomi peddles Buddhist calendars and books by Ambedkar

Ambedkar's legacy as a socio-political reformer, had a deep effect on modern India.[80][81] In post-Independence India his socio-political thought has acquired respect across the political spectrum. His initiatives have influenced various spheres of life and transformed the way India today looks at socio-economic policies, education and affirmative action through socio-economic and legal incentives. His reputation as a scholar led to his appointment as free India's first law minister, and chairman of the committee responsible to draft a constitution. He passionately believed in the freedom of the individual and criticized equally both caste society. His allegation of Hinduism foundation of caste system, made him controversial and unpopular among the Hindu community.[82] His conversion to Buddhism sparked a revival in interest in Buddhist philosophy in India and abroad.[83]

 

Many public institutions are named in his honour, and the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, otherwise known as Sonegaon Airport. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar is also named in his honour. A large official portrait of Ambedkar is on display in the Indian Parliament building. Ambedkar, was voted as the "Greatest Indian" in 2012 by a poll organised by History TV18 and CNN IBN. Nearly 20 million votes were cast, making him the most popular Indian figure since the launch of the initiative.[84][85] Due to his role in economics, Narendra Jadhav, a notable Indian economist,[86] has said that Ambedkar was "the highest educated Indian economist of all times."[87] Amartya Sen, said that Ambedkar is "father of my economics", Sen continues that "he was highly controversial figure in his home country, though it was not the reality. His contribution in the field of economics is marvelous and will be remembered forever."[88][89] Osho a spiritual teacher remarked "I have seen people who are born in the lowest category of Hindu law, the sudras, the untouchables,so intelligent: when India became independent, the man who made the constitution of India, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar, was a sudra. There was no equal to his intelligence as far as law is concerned – he was a world-famous authority." [90] President Obama addressed the Indian parliament in 2010, and referenced Dalit leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the great and revered Human Rights champion and main author of India’s constitution.[91]

 

Ambedkar's political philosophy has given rise to a large number of political parties, publications and workers' unions that remain active across India, especially in Maharashtra. His promotion of Buddhism has rejuvenated interest in Buddhist philosophy among sections of population in India. Mass conversion ceremonies have been organised by human rights activists in modern times, emulating Ambedkar's Nagpur ceremony of 1956.[92] He is regarded as a Bodhisattva by some Indian Buddhists, though he never claimed it himself.[93] Outside India, at the end of the 1990s, some Hungarian Romani people drew parallels between their own situation and the situation of the downtrodden people in India. Inspired by Ambedkar's approach, they started to convert to Buddhism.[94]

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar

  

A university student playing bagpipes to raise funds towards his pursuit of a doctorate in osteopathic medicine in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Billy Quinn

william.quinn11@btinternet.com

Mobile Phone: 06 2734 6635

  

Education

 

1997-2000Professional Doctorate in Studio Practice, University of East London.

1980-82 B.A. Hons. Fine Art (Film), University of East London.

1973-74National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Foundation Course.

 

Solo Exhibitions

 

October 2007 Artist in Residence Studio Exhibition at M4 Gastatelier, Amsterdam

 

2002 March/April

Postcards From the Wedge (The Thick End),

The Fridge Gallery, London.

2000 More Life : Minor Wounds, The East London Gallery, London E13.

1999 Work in Progress, The East London Gallery, London E 13.

1998The Diet of Worms, The East London Gallery, London.13.

1998 Denial of Burial and Other External Crosses, Ko Raw Gallery, London

1998 Quinn's Da, The Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin.

1997 Traditional Family Values, Goldstrom Gallery, New York City.

1997The Icon Series, WWW.plexus.org/quinn/plague.

1996Traditional Family Values The Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin.

1994Traditional Family Values , Mindy Oh Gallery, Chicago IL

1994A Show of Hands, Andre Zarre Gallery, New York City.

1993A Plague of Angels, Mindy Oh Gallery, Chicago IL.

 

Group Exhibitions

  

Feb 2010 Bittersweet- Expressions of Love and Hate,

The Doswell gallery, West Cork

 

June30

-Aug 25, 06 Selfportraitr A Virtual show of images from Flickr.com

The Pace/MacGill Gallery, NYC

 

June 2005 Incantations. Nun’s Chapel, Douglas Street, Cork

 

June 2004 Mediators. Fordham Gallery, Princlet Street, London

 

Sept 2002-May 2003

Something Else. Touring group show, opening in Turku travelling

To Helsinki, Oulu, and Joensuu in Finland

April 2002-May 2002

Ierse Kunst Uit de Collectie van het Museum of Modern Art te Dublin

Stedelijk Museum, Aalst, Belgium

     

Nov 14 –April 2002.

Irish art Now: From the Poetic to the Political.

Touring show of American Institutions from The Irish Museum of

Modern Art (I.M.M.A.), curated by Declan Mc Gonagle.

Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin.

July 14-Sept 23, 2001.

Irish art Now , Chicago Cultural Centre, Chicago.

May 6-June 25, 2000.

Irish art Now, Pittsburg Centre for the Arts, Pittsburg.

 

Jan 3 - April 9, 2000.

Irish art Now , Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, St Johns.

Oct 3- Dec 12, 1999

Irish art Now , The Mc Mullan Museum of Art, Boston.

1999 4 Irish Artists, The Irish Club, Eaton Square, London.

1998Künstler für die Insel IV, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

 

1998 Documenta USA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Pontiac,

Michigan.

1997Recent Acquisitions: work in Focus, I.M.M.A., Dublin.

1997Juno Moneta: For Your Eyes Only, Mindy OH Gallery, New York City.

1996Out Art, City Arts Centre, Dublin.

1995Summer Group Show, Foster Goldstrom Gallery, New York City.

1994 Cultured Pearl, Mindy Oh Gallery, Chicago, IL.

1994 The Annex Show, Mindy Oh Gallery, The Chicago Art Fair, IL.

1994Animal, Mineral, Vegetable, Andre Zarre Gallery, New York City.

1994Homage to Camus, Mindy Oh Gallery, Chicago IL.

1994 Healing Before Art, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York City

1993 Saints and Survivors in a Time of Plague, Three person show Lowinsky

Gallery, New York City.

1992New Acquisitions Show, Lightworks, Syracuse, New York City.

   

Related Work

 

2000-2003Lecturing in Dublin, Cork and Galway (Ireland) and Turku (Finland) and Winchester College of Art on the PhD course.

1999-2000 Extensive lecturing on development of work practice relative to Doctoral

research.

Guest lecturer at Goldsmiths, Leeds, Exeter, Central St. Martins,

The Royal Academy of Stockholm, and Winchester College of Art

1998Part-time lecturer in Fine Art at the University of East London.

1996CURSAI, R.T.E. Irish national television programme.

Guest lecturer, University of Belfast.

1995 Black Box, R.T.E. Television arts programme.

Guest lecturer, National College of Art and Design, Dublin.

Guest lecturer, The Dublin Institute of Technology.

1993Guest lecturer, The Illinois Institute of Technology and The Art Institute

of Chicago.

    

Selected publications

  

Eroticism and Art. Alyce Mahon, Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Trinity College. Oxford University Press 2005

 

The Irish Museum of Modern Art: The Permanent Collection. Catherine Marshall 2005

 

Something Else: Irish Contemporary Art. Valerie Connor, Maija Koskinen and Declan Mc Gonagle, Turku Art Museum 2002

 

Irish Art Now: From the Poetic to the Political.. Declan Mc Gonagle, Fintan O’ Toole and Kim Levin, Merrell Holberton Publishers.

 

The Art of Aids, Robert Barker, Continuum Publishing, New York City.

 

CIRCA. The Magazine of the Irish Arts. An 8 page insert "work in progress" with Catherine Harper. The Spring issue 1997.

  

Residencies

 

November 2007- January 2008: Artist Residency at Foundation B.A.D. Rotterdam

August - October 2007: Artist Residency at M4 Gastatelier, Amsterdam

1997 Helsinki International Artist’s Project (HIAP), Finland

2 month residency Nov-Dec.

1995-96 Artist's Work Programme. Irish Museum Of Modern Art.

1992Lightwork, Artist-in-Residence program, Syracuse, New York State.

 

Grants

 

New Work Award 2006. The Irish Arts Council: €35,000

  

Collections

  

Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin.

The Jonathan Stiles Collection, Helsinki.

Steven F Foster Collection, London.

Peter Kabcenell Collection, New York City.

Mindy Oh Collection, Chicago.

Monique Goldstrom Collection, New York City.

Tim Peterson and Richard Gerrig Collection, New York City.

Carl Miller Collection, Boston.

City of Galveston Collection, Texas.

Lightwork Collection, Syracuse.

Bela Majoros Collection, Budapest.

Chantal Boisgontier Collection, Paris.

John McBratney Collection, Dublin.

Alexander Tinti Collection, Vienna.