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Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
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YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
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Did this a few weeks ago with some mates. Dusty V doing the wire wool spin and Nick with the gun to my head (which I think he enjoyed more than he should of done).
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
Disposals of the Volvo B10B's have been slow and steady, but during the last few months, progress has speeded up on dispatching these buses to various scrapyards. Most being in the Midlands rather than Barnsley. Some have had a stay of execution, being turned into driver training vehicles to replace the Metrobuses and B10L's. Here 1377 N377WOH is seen parked on what is usually 'death row' next to the ex Dundee 'Pointer sisters'!
As ith my photo of 666, the original was just that little bit dark, so Ive altered it slightly in Picnik, and it has made all the difference.
Van Nelle Factory, Rotterdam The Netherlands – Architects: Brinkman and Van der Vlugt – masterplan 1914 – 1923; design 1923 – 1925; execution 1925 - 1931
The Van Nelle Factory is one of the highlights of the Modern Movement in the Netherlands. The impressive glass building is not only an example of functionalism and rational production, but also improved working conditions for workers in the twentieth century. The restored building is now one of the most important monuments of Rotterdam
The Firm Van Nelle was selling coffee, tea, tobacco and snuff in Rotterdam since 1782.
The entirely new complex consists of the actual factory building, an office building, a warehouse, expedition and storage depots along the canal, a boiler house and several workshops. A cafeteria and sports fields were also to be found in the area. The factory building consists of three elongated in height sloping parts separated by stairwells. Tobacco has eight, coffee five and tea factory three floors. The staircases house the washing and changing facilities, toilets and lifts, separated for men and women. This allowed for continues factory floors and easily adjustable layouts. By using a concrete frame the non-load bearing facades could be made almost entirely of glass with only thin steel frames. Light and air could penetrate deep into the building. The expedition and storage strip along the water is connected to the main building by overhead conveyor bridges. Another sky bridge connects the plant to the office at the entrance of the complex. The office consists of a strip with two layers of offices and a large open space with glass walls and glass meeting rooms. The office follows the curve in the road. During construction, a tea room on the roof of the tobacco factory was added.
In 1942, low-rise warehouses designed by Brinkman and Van den Broek were realized. In 1974 at the back of the building, a new distribution center was built. In 1951 other products such as pudding and chewing gum made their entrance. After a takeover by the American Standard Brands in 1989, Van Nelle competitor Sara Lee / Douwe Egberts, sold the complex in 1995, so it could finally get the status of national monument. Using the name Van Nelle Design Factory, the complex started a new life. The factory complex was restored by Wessel de Jonge and Claessens Erdmann. The transparency of the factory floor was maintained as much as possible by the new climate walls on the inside. The new inner facades are made of aluminum and therefore clearly identifiable as new elements. On the floors office spaces of various sizes have been realized for the creative sector. The ground floor is used for exhibitions and conferences. The adjacent buildings have been restored and are used by a number of architectural firms.
The photo's were made in 1983 with a Nikkormat FT2 and a Nikkor 24 mm 1:2.8
Burgruine - Ruine der Burg Jörgenberg - Munt sogn Gieri ( GR - 765 m - Jörgenburg - Höhenburg - Erwähnt + Ursprung um 765 - castello rovina castle ruin ) ob Waltensburg - Vuorz in der Surselva im Kanton Graubünden - Grischun der Schweiz
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Galgen der Burg Jörgenberg - Munt sogn Gieri ( forca gibet gallows Richtstätte Richtplatz lieu d'exécution luogo di esecuzione place of execution ) ob Waltensburg in der Surselva im Kanton Graubünden - Grischun der Schweiz
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Burg Jörgenberg ( Waltensburg )
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- Alternativname(n) : Munt sogn Gieri
- Entstehungszeit : 765
- Burgentyp : Höhenburg
- Erhaltungszustand : Ruine
- Ort : Waltensburg / Vuorz in der Surselva im Kanton Graubünden in der Schweiz
- Höhe : 939 m
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Die Ruine Jörgenberg ( rätoromanisch Munt sogn Gieri ) ist die grösste Burganlage der
Surselva im schweizerischen Kanton Graubünden in der Schweiz.
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Lage
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Die Ruine Jörgenberg liegt auf dem äussersten F.elssporn eines langggezogenen
Höhenrückens östlich der Gemeinde Waltensburg - rätoromanisch "Vuorz" genannt.
Jörgenberg war neben K.ropfenstein, der Burg G.rünenfels und der Burg V.ogelberg eine
der ursprünglich vier Burgen in Waltensburg und war bereits in der m.ittleren B.ronzezeit
besiedelt.
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Geschichte
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Jörgenberg wird erstmal 765 in Bischof Tellos Testament als castellum erwähnt. Eine weitere
frühe Erwähnung findet sich im rätischen Reichsurbar aus der Mitte des 9. Jahrhunderts: Da
wird bereits von der ecclesia sancti Georgii in Castello gesprochen, der St. G.eorgskirche in
der Burg.
Damit ist die Jörgenburg eine der am frühesten schriftlich bezeugten Burganlagen Graubündens.
Die Erwähnungen bestätigen, dass die spätere Burganlage aus einem frühmittelalterlichen
Kirchenbau hervorgegangen ist.
Nach dem 9. Jahrhundert fehlen für die Jörgenberg für längere Zeit Urkunden.
Über schriftliche Quellen verfügt man erst wieder am Anfang des 14. Jahrhunderts: Da
erscheint sie als Besitz der Herren von F.riberg. Diese waren edelfreien Standes und hatten
ihren Sitz oberhalb des Dorfes S.iat unweit von Waltensburg.
Von ihrer Stammburg sind noch wenige Trümmer erhalten. Noch vor ihrem Aussterben hatten
die F.riberger 1330 beide Burgen an Ö.sterreich übertragen und sie als L.ehen zurückerhalten.
Nach dem Tod des letzten Fribergers um 1330 beanspruchten die mächtigen Freiherren von
V.az das Lehen und besetzen Jörgenberg, um damit einer ö.sterreichischen Besetzung zuvor
zu kommen. Dagegen wehrten sich diese und verbündeten sich mit den Freiherren von
R.häzüns. Ö.sterreich anerkannte jedoch 1341/1342 die Ansprüche des Hauses V.az. Die
Jörgenberg wurde, zusammen mit dem Sitz der Friberger in S.iat, als Lehen der mit Rudolf
von W.erdenberg - S.argans verheirateten Ursula von V.az, (* 1310) vergeben.
1343 verzichteten die G.rafen von W.erdenberg als Erben des Hauses von V.az auf alle
Rechte an den beiden Burgen und überliessen sie im gleichen Jahr gegen eine Entschädigung
von 1000 Mark den Freiherren von R.häzuns.
Diese kauften 1378 noch die benachbarte Herrschaft der Herren von G.rünenfels dazu und
vereinigten die beiden Gebiete zur neuen Herrschaft Jörgenberg. 1430 erhielten die R.häzünser
von K.önig S.igismund die Bestätigung des Bannrechts für Sankt Jörgenberg. Die Burg wurde
in der Folge Z.entrum eines wichtigen Herrschaftszentrums mit Sitz eines K.astellans mit
weitreichenden Befugnissen.
Nach dem Aussterben der R.häzünser um 1450 kam Jörgenberg nach langem Erbstreit 1458
in den Besitz von Jos Niclaus von Z.ollern, dessen Mutter Ursula eine Angehörige der "Herren
von R.häzüns" gewesen war. Graf Jörg von W.erdenberg wurde mit 3000 Reichsgulden
abgefunden und verzichtete auf weitere Ansprüche.
1462 verkaufte die "von Zollern" die Herrschaft Jörgenberg unter Vorbehalt einiger Gebiete
und der regionalen Bergbaurechte dem K.loster D.isentis. Die Burg bildete allerdings weiterhin
ein Zentrum für die gesamte Herrschaft und blieb Sitz des K.astellans, der nach wie vor die
S.teuern einzog. Auf ihr wurden G.efangene eingekerkert und, falls verurteilt, auf dem nahen
G.algenhügel hingerichtet.
1539 verkaufte der D.isentiser Abt Jörgenberg an Mathias von Rungs (surselvischer
Geschlechtername für Derungs), der sich verpflichten musste, für den Unterhalt der K.irche
zu sorgen.
Ab 1580 war die Familie Gandreya (romanisch Candreja) im Besitz der Burg, welche sie noch
bewohnt haben soll. Seine Nachkommen verkauften die Burg 1734 der Gemeinde, in deren
Besitz sie noch heute ist.
Da die Besitzfrage jedoch offenbar nach wie vor unklar war, kaufte sich die inzwischen zum
reformierten Glauben übergegangene G.emeinde durch den hohen Betrag von 4500 Gulden
von K.loster D.isentis frei und kam dadurch rechtsgültig in den Besitz der Burg. Im Vertrag,
der im Gemeindearchiv von Waltensburg liegt, hatte sich der A.bt von D.isentis den Titel "Herr
von Jörgenberg" ausbedungen.
Spätestens im 17. Jahrhundert aber setzte der Zerfall der Anlage ein. 1930 wurden durch
den schweizerischen Burgenverein unter der Leitung des Architekten Eugen Probst umfang-
reiche F.reilegungs- und S.icherungsarbeiten durchgeführt. Die Finanzierung erfolgte durch
Mittel aus dem Nachlass von Anton Cadonau; an ihn erinnert eine b.ronzene G.edenktafel
im I.nnenhof.
Leider wurden die Untersuchungen archäologisch unsachgemäss durchgeführt.
1997 bis 2001 erfolgte eine Gesamtkonservierung der Anlage mit Beiträgen von Bund, Kanton
und Gemeinde und zahlreichen privaten Spenden.
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Anlage
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Auf der N.ord- und O.stseite war die Anlage durch einen steilen F.elssturz gegen jede
Annäherung geschützt. Auf der steilen, aber nicht unpassierbaren S.üdseite finden sich
Reste von Aussenbefestigungen.
Im W.esten wurde die Burg durch einen tiefen und breiten G.raben vom B.ergrücken abgegrenzt.
Das Burgareal hat die Form eines D.reiecks, dessen Basis im W.esten vom G.raben gebildet
wird. Hier stand eine mächtige S.childmauer, deren T.rümmer sich heute hier türmen. Dieser
vorgelagert liegen die R.este älterer U.mfassungsmauern. In der S.üdwestecke steht der gut
erhaltene fast quadratische mächtige B.ergfried (W.ohnturm) mit gegen zwei M.eter dicken
M.auern.
Der H.ocheingang lag auf der O.stseite ist als R.undbogentür gestaltet, ebenso der Austritt
auf eine L.aube in der S.üdwand. Der fünfgeschossige B.au mit romanischen doppelten R.undbogenfenstern in den zwei obersten G.eschossen entstand wohl kurz nach 1265. An
der N.ordwand war ein A.borterker angebracht. Der B.au trug vermutlich ein Z.eltdach.
In der N.ordwestecke der A.nlage stand ein T.rakt mit mehreren W.ohn- und W.irtschafts-
g.ebäuden, die offenbar in verschiedenen B.auetappen errichtet worden waren: Der P.alas
kurz nach 1351, anlässlich des Wiederaufbaus der Burg nach einem B.rand; die Nebenbauten
sowie die n.ördliche U.mfassungsmauer entlang des nördlichen P.lateaurandes später.
Diese Gebäude wurden bis ins ausgehende Mittelalter vielleicht nicht bewohnt, aber doch
als S.cheune oder Vo.rratsräume benutzt. Weitere Gebäude mit unbekanntem Bestimmungs-
z.weck lagen am F.uss des B.ergfrieds und in der O.stpartie des Ar.eals.
Das weitere V.orburgareal war nicht überbaut, sondern nur von einer R.ingmauer umgeben.
Vom äusseren T.or in der S.üdwestecke der A.nlage gelangte man durch einen Z.winger
zum inneren T.or mit vorgelagertem G.raben. Der weitläufige I.nnenhof war mehrheitlich
nicht überbaut. Im mittleren Teil liegt die aus dem F.els gehauene Z.isterne.
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G.algen
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Südwestlich der B.urganlage stehen in einer Entfernung von etwa 600 Meter die zwei
steinernen R.undpfeiler des einstigen Ga.lgens von J.örgenberg und W.altensburg. Sie
wurden 1998 restauriert.
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K.irche St. Georg
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Neben der T.oranlage lag innerhalb der Mauer eine dem heiligen G.eorg geweihte K.irche,
deren hufeisenförmige A.psis wohl bis ins 8. oder 9. Jahrhundert zurückreicht. Das erhaltene
M.auerwerk der K.irche mit einfachem S.aalbau stammt aus dem 12./13. Jahrhundert.
Der C.horbogen aus T.uffsteinquadern ist auf der S.üdseite original erhalten, im nördlichen
Teil wurde er 1930 rekonstruiert. An der N.ordostecke des S.chiffs steht ein schlanker
romanischer G.lockenturm. Wie eine dendrochronologische U.ntersuchung ergab, stammt er
aus dem Jahr 1070.
Westlich der K.irche wurde eine schwache Umfassungsmauer entdeckt, die offenbar einen um
die K.irche gelagerten F.riedhof umgab. Die darin entdeckten G.räber stammen aus dem Früh-
und Hochmittelalter und deuten darauf hin, dass die K.irche ursprünglich eine Pfarrkirche
gewesen war.
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( BeschriebBurgJörgenberg BeschriebRuineJörgenberg AlbumGraubünden KantonGraubünden
Burg Burgruine Castillo Ruine Ruin Ruïne Руины Rovina Ruina Mittelalter Geschichte History Wehrbau Frühgeschichte Burganlage Festung AlbumSchweizerSchlösser,BurgenundRuinen
AlbumBurgruinenGraubünden Surselva )
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B.urgentour im K.anton G.raubünden am Samstag den 24. Oktober 2009
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Mit dem Z.ug von B.ern über Z.ürich - C.hur nach I.llanz und mit dem P.ostauto
nach W.altensburg - V.uorz in der S.urselva
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Wanderung W.altensburg / V.uorz - R.uine J.örgenberg (GR - 939m) - W.altensburg /
V.uorz - R.uine K.ropfenstein (GR - 1`130m) - C.rest la C.rusch (GR - 1`272m) - B.reil /
B.rigels (GR - 1`287m)
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Mit dem P.ostauto hinunter nach T.avanasa
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W.anderung T.avanasa B.ahnhof (GR - 788m) - R.uine B.urg S.axenstein in O.bersaxen ,
W.iler A.xastai (GR - 1`014m) - T.avanasa - T.avenasa B.ahnhof (GR - 788m)
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Mit dem Z.ug zurück nach C.hur und weiter mit dem P.ostauto über die L.enzerheide
nach B.rienz / B.rienzauls , H.altestelle B.elfort
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B.esichtigung der R.uine der B.urg B.elfort
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Mit dem P.ostauto weiter nach D.avos und dem Z.ug über K.losters - L.andquart - Z.ürich
zurück nach B.ern
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Hurni091024 AlbumZZZZ091024BurgentourGraubünden AlbumGraubünden KantonGraubünden KantonGrischun
E - Mail : chrigu.hurni@bluemail.ch
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Letzte Aktualisierung - Ergänzung des Textes : 181215
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NIF
Edouard Manet - Execution of emperor Maximilian (first draft, 1867) - Boston MFA
Who wants to know more about the historical background, why archduke Maximilian of Hapsburg entered in the Mexican adventure may read the following article:
www.holocaustianity.com/hysteria/maximilian.html
More about the history of Manet's paintings:
1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Emperor_Maximilian
2) www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2006/Manet/
or
www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2006/Manet/detail_f...
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
Mr. Ghassemi-Shall faces imminent execution in Iran. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Diane Ablonczy issued a joint statement asking Iran to release and halt the execution of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall.
Hamid Ghassemi-Shall was arrested in late May 2008 while visiting his mother in Iran. This arrest took place approximately two weeks after the arrest of his brother, Alborz Ghassemi-Shall.
In November 2009 Hamid’s wife in Canada received reports that both Hamid and Alborz were convicted of espionage and sentenced to death. The legal proceedings were deeply unfair and neither Hamid or Alborz had a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. His conviction appears to be based on a document of an alleged email exchange between Hamid and Alborz. Hamid has unequivocally stated that the document is a complete fabrication and that he never sent any such message. Testing and analysis by his lawyer reportedly confirm that to be the case.
Hamid and Alborz were in solitary confinement for 18 months until the end of November 2009 when they were transferred to a general population section in Tehran's Evin prison. On 20 January 2010 Alborz died in prison, reportedly of stomach cancer. Mr. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall reported that both he and Alborz were subject to “extreme pressure” during their detention.
Hamid Ghassemi-Shall was sentenced to death. His case has undergone a number of reviews, but the family confirmed in March 2012 that the death sentance has not been lifted.
Take Action
Write the Iranian authorities. Request that they:
Guarantee that Mr. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall will not be executed.
Release Mr. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall immediately unless he is promptly brought to trial on recognizably criminal charges in legal proceedings that fully conform to international fair trial standards.
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid
Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency
Email: info_leader@leader.ir AND tweet @khamenei_ir
Copies to:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur Street, Vali Asr Avenue, south of
Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran, 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: bia.judi@yahoo.com or info@dadiran.ir (In the subject line, write FAO Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Copies to:
Mr Kambiz Sheikh Hassani
Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy for the Islamic Republic of Iran
245 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2K2
Fax: (613) 232-5712
Email: executive@iranembassy.ca
More Background
The Canadian government has sponsored a resolution censuring Iran at the United Nations General Assembly human rights committee, every year since the 2003 torture and death while in custody, of Iranian-Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi in Iran. The resolution has expressed deep concern at serious ongoing human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The violations include torture, flogging, amputations, stoning, and "pervasive gender inequality and violence against women." Canada has also "particular concern" with the Iranian government's failure to launch a thorough investigation of alleged human rights violations in the wake of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested re-election in 2009.
In a new year’s statement on January 1, 2011 the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed deep concern for the “deteriorating human rights situation in Iran.” He expressed particular concern for the uncertain fate of two Canadians of dual nationality who remain in prison in Iran. (Hamid Ghassemi- Shall and Hossein Derakhshan). He further referred to reports that Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian permanent resident, has been condemned to death and that his sentence could be carried out at any time. Minister Cannon encouraged the Iranian authorities to show mercy and compassion to those who are in Iran’s prisons without just cause, and called on Iran to respect its international human rights obligations in law and in practice and to foster a more open dialogue with the international community.
خواهر حمید قاسمی: شما را به خدا نگذارید برادرم را اعدام کنند، حمید حتی فعال سیاسی هم نیست
soundcloud.com/frl-journalist/hamidghasemi
■■■■■ www.persianicons.org/human-right/iranian-canadian-facing-... ■■■■■
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
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There was no trial, nor a judge, nor a jury, nor a lawyer.
There is only your executioner and the hole you dug is the only witness.
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
Den of Imagination - Your Miniature Painting Service
We are a registered studio in Torun, Poland. We have been in line of work since 2008. Our still growing staff of painters and sculptors is ready to work on any project you can imagine!
We are credible, solid and reliable. We work best with large commissions and we guarantee fast service.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBSITE: denofimagination.com/
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/denofimagination
SHOP: shop.denofimagination.com/
TWITTER: Twitter.com/doiStudio
FLICKER: www.flickr.com/photos/97996892@N07/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/denstudio/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/doiphoto/
. . . before scurrying back to take my position behind the banner. This was a protest against the death penalty--one we do every 5 years on January 17, commemorating the resumption of the modern death penalty on that date in 1977.
Thirteen of us initiated this protest on the steps of the US Supreme Court, and shortly thereafter, we were joined by an 83 year old woman of like mind who none of us had met before. A pleasant surprise! My place was second from the right--a place I would momentarily resume.
Why am I against executions? There are many reasons, but one thing they all have in common is that they ARE based on reason which is something the other side of this argument cannot claim. I'm not putting proponents down (after all, as humans we are all subject to our emotions overriding our reason at times), I'm just stating a fact. As an example of this, one of the primary arguments used by defenders of this arcane measure is that it deters crime. Certainly if one gives a superficial examination of the issue, it would seem to make sense that the threat of capitol punishment would tend to dampen ones enthusiasm for killing another human being. But the question isn't really whether it deters murder, but whether it deters more effectively than the threat of imprisonment. There is no credible evidence that it does, while some of the most sophisticated studies of this question have shown indications that it has a brutalizing effect--i.e., that murders are, statistically, slightly more likely in states where capitol punishment is used when other variables are accounted for. Looked at through the rosiest of death-penalty-friendly glasses, at best the studies are inconclusive--yet this in no way diminishes their enthusiasm for this argument. And so it is with all of their arguments--save one which I will get to later.
So, again--why am I against the death penalty (DP)? One of the often proffered reasons mentioned by those in my camp is that it costs more (another false argument of the pro-death: it saves taxpayer money). This is yet another thing that a casual look at the issue will lead you think one way, but a hard, detailed look will reveal just the opposite. Study after study has shown that when all costs are accounted for, the DP is more expensive then life in prison (when life is the penalty sought from the beginning). There are NO studies that show the opposite. The only variable in those studies is how large the difference is in these two approaches. The range has varied between 1.5 to 4 times more for a capitol case than a case where prison is the option. Why? It's complicated, but most of the difference is the result of the original capitol trial costing many times more than the alternative—because of all of the supposed safeguards built into a DP trial (including the fact that in the case of the DP , there are two trials—one to determine guilt or innocence, and one to determine penalty). So!--you have a system that costs much more and cannot demonstrate any greater effectiveness than the alternative.
Looking no further than these two issues, one would think that conservatives in particular would decide to opt out of the DP as it's a prime example of what they see as the major problem of government: spending huge amounts of money on ineffective policy. But conservatives, in general, are the leading proponents of capitol punishment, though to be sure, there are plenty of liberals who support the measure. To me, however, these aren't even the most powerful arguments in favor of alternatives.
One of the strongest arguments against the practice is the issue of innocence. I believe that most people, if they really looked at this possibility, it would cause the majority to conclude that this was something we could and should live without. Very few have the courage to actually examine this aspect of the penalty closely, however, because to do so would open one up to a degree of horror far in excess of anything ever conveyed by Hitchcock or any other filmmaker. To protect themselves from such an experience, proponents engage in wholesale denial, insisting that the system does an excellent job of insuring that such a grotesque miscarriage of justice does not occur. And if it did?—well, first of all, it would never happen, but if it did, that would be terrible, but everything we do in life entails risk and this is a risk—a risk so minuscule as to be unimportant—that society should accept for the betterment of that society. Okay. First of all, there is nothing to indicate that the DP does anything to better society (in fact, it does the opposite)—but that aside, here's an exercise: Think about the person you love more than any other in this world. Think about all the things you love about this person whatever they might be—their sense of humor, that look they give you when they think you've gone temporarily off the deep end, their laugh, those eyes, the way they cry at the same moment you do in “Casablanca”—whatever it might be. And now imagine them sitting on death row awaiting their fate, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, year by year—and you're helpless to do anything to save them. It would be horrible enough—unthinkably horrible—if you knew them to be guilty. But if you knew them to be innocent? If you can imagine—REALLY imagine—your loved one staring at their last meal, unable to take a single bite even though they had lost 30 pounds over the previous two months as they worried about this moment—REALLY imagine the DP team arriving to open his or her cell—REALLY imagine this treasured person being strapped down and asked if he or she had any last words before they were injected with poison . . . any human being with a soul could not imagine this and still support the DP—not if they actually allowed all of the emotions involved in this process to sit with them awhile. Unless, of course, they cloaked themselves in denial and refused to believe an innocent person could ever be executed. But innocent people ARE sentenced to death. There have been 162 individuals who have been released from death row since the DP was reinstated in 1976 based at least in part on evidence of innocence. And many of these demonstrated their innocence not as a result of “The System” but in spite of it—a dogged reporter digging into the evidence or a family member or friend, or perhaps the work of the Innocence Project or the confession of the real killer. I have had occasion to meet several exonerees over the past 25 years and their stories are, to say the least, harrowing. Anyone who thinks that justice was served due to their being released suffers from a lack of imagination. PTSD (and to often substance abuse) dog most these individuals throughout the rest of their lives.
And if an innocent person can be sentenced to death—then an innocent person can be put to death. It's happened. It will happen again. It won't be YOUR loved one, but it most certainly will be someone else's. I can say with absolute certainty, that no one would support the DP if it meant their husband or mother would be executed for a crime they did not commit. What kind of morality says it's okay as long as it's someone else's loved one?
But even this isn't the main reason I oppose the DP. I oppose it less for what it does to the perpetrator (or even the innocent convicted of being that perpetrator), then for what it does to us—to society. Even for the majority who never are touched by this remnant of our barbaric past and rarely even think about it, its effect penetrates their lives like an invisible miasma. Just having this “tool” on the books demonstrates clearly that we as a society do not ultimately value such supposed ideals as mercy, compassion and nonviolence and that at our core, vengeance, hatred and violence are the “attributes” we truly extol. If we ever hope to advance as a species, then we will have to turn away from hatred and revenge and give up the tool of violence. If we do not, we will not survive.
So the question for me is, what kind of society do we want? If you want a society dedicated to fueling the cycle of violence and hatred, than you'll opt for capitol punishment. If your aim is higher, if you listen to the “better angels of our nature” you'll opt out.
Demonstrators protesting the pending execution of Willie McGee chain themselves to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. May 6, 1951.
McGee, charged with raping a white woman in Mississippi in November 1945, was executed two days later despite a six-year campaign by the Civil Rights Congress that involved protests and legal maneuvering that resulted in two re-trials and numerous postponements.
The demonstrators pictured had earlier picketed the White House along with several hundred others..
McGee wrote to his wife the night before his execution, “Tell the people the real reason they are going to take my life is to keep the Negro down.... They can't do this if you and the children keep on fighting. Never forget to tell them why they killed their daddy. I know you won't fail me. Tell the people to keep on fighting. Your truly husband, Will McGee.
McGee was executed May 8, 1951.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk2FV8xQ
The photographer is unknown. The image is courtesy of Fight for Racial Justice and the Civil Rights Congress: Papers of the Civil Rights Congress. New York Public Library. Archives Unbound.
Isolated inside its own fenced courtyard, the small building is known simply enough as the execution chamber. Between the years of 1937 and 1989, 39 or 40 (depending on the source) inmates were put to death inside the structure. All of the executions, save one, were conducted in the state's gas chamber where the sealed unit was filled with cyanide gas. The sole exception was the prison's last execution on January 26, 1989.
Missouri State Penitentiary
Jefferson City Missouri
Cole County