The only Ailsa to receive full SYT livery, 374 is seen at the top of Wharncliffe Street, Rotherham whilst working a journey on works service 769 to Beaumont Road. Beaumont Road no longer exists, having been renamed Castlebeck Avenue when the Manor Estate was redeveloped.

More than three kilometres long, a single-bore circular tunnel wide enough to carry four lanes of traffic side-by-side, taken underneath one of the UK's major river mouths. It would be a celebrated engineering feat if it were completed today. But the Queensway Tunnel — or the Birkenhead Tunnel, if you're a local — was excavated by hand to connect Liverpool to the Wirral, and opened in 1934.

 

At the time it was the biggest tunnel the world had ever seen — wider than any other, and substantially longer than most other subaqueous tunnels. It is incredible that it is not more widely recognised as one of the UK's pieces of landmark engineering, but then it sits entirely underground and as a result doesn't get much attention. It's a miracle that it exists at all, given that the government was very reluctant to provide any funding and Liverpool was the only local authority interested in building it.

 

Travel down into the depths, below the great River Mersey and experience going through the tunnel here (video) www.cbrd.co.uk/video/queensway.shtml

One of only two surviving samples known to exist. And the only one complete with the original never-ready case and box.

 

For more on the 1950 Beauty Six, see:

camera-wiki.org/wiki/Frank_Six

 

This Beauty Six also appears on the cover of "A Brief History of Photograpphy", published by Rocky Nook Press, and available in February 2025. Look for it in your favourite bookstore or camera store. Details are here: furnfeather.ca/

 

There is a fascinating story about this camera, which can be found, here: furnfeather.ca/Stories.html

 

Photographed with an OM-1 and Olympus 12~40/2.8 PRO using the in-camera focus stacking. Twelve shots.

not as the opposite but as a part of life. (Haruki Murakami)

 

Please note: my images are NOT to be used on any third party sites, including stumbleupon.

  

Le pavillon d'entrée (1535) du Trinity College, à la jonction Trinity Street et St. John's Street, Cambridge, comté de Cambridgeshire, Angleterre.

 

Fondé en 1546 par Henri VIII en réunissant deux collèges existants, il s'agit du plus grand Collège de Cambridge. La statue d’Henri VIII apparaît d’ailleurs au-dessus de la porte surmontant les armoiries d'Edouard III et de ses fils.

 

Cambridge est une ville de l'est de l'Angleterre située sur la rivière Cam, connue pour sa prestigieuse université datant de 1209 qui regroupe 31 collèges. Elle a été fondée par des étudiants d'Oxford fuyant l'hostilité. Elle abrite entre autres le King's College, célèbre pour son chœur et son imposante chapelle gothique, le Trinity College fondé par Henry VIII, et St John's College avec sa grande porte du 16e siècle. Les musées universitaires proposent des expositions d'archéologie et d'anthropologie, d'exploration polaire, d'histoire de la science et de zoologie.

carran church

poulacarran (clare, ireland)

There exists a vast ring-shaped area of hydrogen-alpha emissions, Coalsack Loop, overlapping Coalsack Nebula. Slightly bluish-white faint reflection nebula is widely in front. Jewel Box, NGC 4755 is near the left upper corner.

 

Here is a wider frame.

www.flickr.com/photos/hiroc/48017850973

 

equipmnent: Takahashi FSQ-130ED and Canon EOS 5Dmk3-sp4, modified by Seo-san on Takahashi EM-200FG-Temma 2Z-BL, autoguided with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, Pentax x2 Extender, Starlight Xpress Lodestar Autoguider, and PHD2 Guiding

 

exposure: 3 times x 25 minutes, 5 x 15 min, 5 x 4 min, and 4 x 1 minute at ISO 3,200 and f/5.0

 

site: 2,430m above sea level at lat. 24 39 52 South and long. 70 16 11 West near Cerro Armazones Chile

- Le Bali Bird Park est une attraction touristique de Bali. Il est situé dans la régence de Gianyar et a une superficie de 2 000 mètres carrés. Le parc abrite plus de 1 300 oiseaux représentant plus de 250 espèces dans une volière fermée.

- Le Bali Bird Park a pour objectif de devenir un « centre d’excellence » pour la reproduction des oiseaux de paradis et des étourneaux de Bali. De nombreux oiseaux nichent dans le parc tout au long de l’année.

 

Le parc a été aménagé de manière à créer des habitats naturels. Il abrite une collection botanique diversifiée, avec 52 espèces différentes de palmiers, des arbres fruitiers rares de la jungle, des cycadales, des bambous et des cactus. Trois lacs du parc abritent diverses espèces d'oiseaux aquatiques. Il existe 60 enclos à oiseaux avec des habitats pour abriter la collection.

 

- Merci pour vos passages sur les vues, favoris et commentaires.

- Thanks all for the views, favs and comments, very appreciated.

 

- Mes vidéos ICI : www.youtube.com/@Poulbeau19/videos

I'm

At a loss about how may 1st effects me

 

I've got no dodgy pics just a few are private ... likely to have a rush to move a few similar ones to other saving places

 

Will try to continue the regular addition and to actually type something interesting

 

Another work day - another new dress. I think I have enough to not be caught in same one that often now

 

Trying to work out now what it all means. The experiment of whether Abbie could exist in the real world seems to be a success. I feel mostly comfortable out there

  

www.UmbrelikaStudio.com

"Von Ness no longer exists, I am... Von Nebula!"

A parish existed here alread within the 10 century. Saint Martin was built between the 13th century and the 16th century. At that time, it was the chapel of a castle, some remains of the fortifications can still be seen.

  

© Ton Khivintsev

 

Atmospheric electricity existed long before the advent of man. It caused fires and posed an immediate danger to ancient people. Seeing the approach of a thunderstorm, our ancestors took it for the wrath of the formidable gods and prudently tried not to leave their hiding places.

 

An unknown force attracted, therefore, knowing about the dangers of electricity, people still tried to use it for their own purposes. Unfortunately, little data has come down to our time. Therefore, the answer to the question of who first came up with the use of electricity, it seems, will forever remain hidden in the darkness of history.

 

We owe the appearance of the term "electricity" to the Greek philosopher Thales. It was he who in the 7th century BC. NS. found that amber rubbed against wool attracts light objects. Of course, the weak charge that occurs in amber is nothing compared to the charges generated by modern power plants. However, we still name this type of energy after amber. "Amber" in Greek is "electron".

 

Instagram | Twitter | 500px | Adobe

 

All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.

  

Please don't use my image(s) on websites, blogs, media without my explicit permission.

 

“things only exist if they are told/narrated”

(attributed to Alessandro Baricco);

 

“le cose esistono solo se vengono raccontate”

(attribuita ad Alessandro Baricco).

 

POSTER - LOCANDINA –

 

< a>

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);

or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;

 

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;

 

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

 

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

 

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

 

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

………………………………………………………

 

This "photographic story" ideally follows the previous one, for two reasons, first because in this case too, as in the previous story we talk about "angels", they are the "Golden Angels" of San Pier Niceto (in the province of Messina), and second, because this singular and beautiful religious festival, with its procession, also takes place during the Easter period, specifically during "Holy Tuesday". The photographs that I post (not a few, I wish in this way to pay homage to the inhabitants of San Pier Niceto, who can find themselves in these photos, especially for those fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles, in seeing their beloved and very sweet "angels - angiolette"); if you look closely at some of the photographed subjects, you will notice a "temporal disconnect", in fact in some cases, the same girls are present, with two different ages, they will be dressed differently, this is because the photos were taken during Holy Tuesday of 2024 and that of 2025. The temporal sequence of the photographs does not take into account either the year in which they were taken, nor the moments attributable to the phases of the ceremony and subsequent procession.

In San Pier Niceto, on the Peloritani Mountains in Sicily, during the Holy Tuesday takes place the SS. Crucifix procession, whose roots are ancient. The Church of St. James houses and cares for the precious Crucifix, Which is brought to the procession by the streets of the country preceded by very young children, of both sexes, who imitate little Angels, Angels and Grieving young Nuns, dressed in elaborate dresses covered with many gold jewelery, sewn by handy hands that with pins, necklaces , Bracelets and many other gold jewelry applied to their little clothes, they make real works of art whose designs are reminiscent of Easter symbols. Gold for dressing is collected home from home by people who have to melt a "vote", gold that will be returned at the end of the procession. Everything begins during Lent when parents decide to dress their baby by little Angels, Angels or Grieving Nuns .The Little Angels are usually 3 or 4 year olds, the Angels are a little bigger, the Nuns are little young girls. Thus the preparations for the elaboration of the elaborate clothes begin: Parents during Lent are knocking at every door of the country, among friends and relatives, to borrow bracelets, brooches, necklaces and all the gold necessary for the composition of embroidery . The Little Angel's dress is white, short down to the knee, made up of a gold-plated bodice and a skirt with some golden embroidery; Arms are adorned by bracelets, the head is adorned by a collier, small wings (white dove feathers) sprout from behind. The Angels have a white tunic, on which sacred icons are embroidered in gold, the head is covered by a collier, wings lie on their shoulders. The Nun's dress is black, on which are stitched the crowns of the S.S. Rosary, on the head is placed a white veil, held by a rose crown. At 16:30 on Holy Tuesday, a tapping of bells together with the band's fanfare in the village, set off at the "Crucifixion Procession" of San Pier Niceto: at the foot of the Crucifix there are red roses, behind it are located branches of cypress (at the end of the event the faithful will carry with them a piece of cypress as a relic), finally the red ribbons are tied to the arms of the Crucifix, they will mark the procession of the procession until the arrival at the Mother Church, a century church to St. Peter the Apostle, where the celebration of the Holy Mass will take place (the reverse path will bring the SS Crucifix to the Church of St. James): in perfect order the faithful in religious silence, with votive candles in their hands, walk the streets of the country never crossing the red ribbons as they delimit the path of the Golden Little Angels, Angels and the Grieving young Nuns .

  

Questo "racconto fotografico" segue idealmente il precedente, per due motivi, innanzitutto perchè anche in questo caso, come nel racconto precedente si parla di "angeli", sono "gli Angioletti d'oro" di San Pier Niceto (in provincia di Messina), e secondo, perchè questa singolare e bella festa religiosa, con la sua processione, si svolge anch'essa durante il periodo pasquale, nello specifico durante il "Martedì Santo". Le fotografie che posto (non poche, desidero in tal modo omaggiare gli abitanti di San Pier Niceto, che possano ritrovarsi in queste foto, soprattutto per quei papà, mamme, nonni, nonne, zie e zii, nel rivedere i loro adorati e dolcissimi "angioletti - angiolette"); a ben guardare in alcuni dei soggetti fotografati, si noterà uno "scollamento temportale", infatti in qualche caso, sono presenti le stessi bimbe, con due età diverse, saranno vestite diversamente, questo perchè le foto sono state realizzate durante il Martedì Santo del 2024 e quello del 2025. La sequenza temporale delle fotografie non tiene conto nè dell'anno nel quale sono state realizzate, nè dei momenti ascrivibili alle fasi della cerimonia e successiva processione.

A San Pier Niceto, sui monti Peloritani in Sicilia, durante il Martedì Santo prende vita la processione per le vie del paese del SS. Crocifisso, le cui radici sono antichissime. La Chiesa di San Giacomo ospita e custodisce il pregevole Crocifisso, che viene portato in processione per le vie del paese preceduto da bambini anche molto piccoli, di entrambi i sessi, che impersonano Angioletti ed Addoloratine vestiti con elaboratissimi abiti ricoperti con tantissimi monili d’oro, cuciti dalle mani abili di sarte che con spille, collane, bracciali e tanti altri monili in oro applicati sui loro piccoli vestiti, realizzano vere opere d’arte i cui disegni ricordano simboli pasquali. L’oro per la realizzazione dei vestitini viene raccolto di casa in casa da persone che hanno da sciogliere un “voto”, oro che verrà restituito alla fine della processione. Tutto ha inizio durante la Quaresima, quando dei genitori decidono per “voto” di vestire il proprio bambino da Angioletto, Angiolone o Monachella.

Gli Angioletti sono solitamente bimbi di 3 o 4 anni, gli Angioloni sono un po’ più grandi, le Monachelle sono delle bambine. Così iniziano i preparativi per la realizzazione degli elaboratissimi vestiti: i genitori durante la Quaresima bussano ad ogni porta del paese, tra la cerchia di amici e parenti, per prendere in prestito bracciali, spille, collane e tutto l’oro necessario alla composizione dei ricami. Il vestito degli Angioletti è bianco, corto fino al ginocchio, composto da un corpetto ricoperto d’oro ed una gonna segnata da alcuni ricami d’oro; le braccia sono adornate da bracciali, la testa è adornata da un collier, da dietro le spalle spuntano delle piccole ali (piume di colomba bianca). Gli Angioloni hanno una tunica bianca sulla quale vengono ricamate delle icone sacre in oro, la testa è cinta da un collier, sulle spalle trovano posto delle ali. Il vestito delle Monachelle invece è nero, sul quale vengono cucite delle coroncine del S.S. Rosario, sul capo viene posto un velo bianco, trattenuto da una corona di rose. Alle 16:30 del Martedì Santo un rintocco di campane insieme alla fanfare della banda del paese, danno il via alla “Processione del Crocifisso” di San Pier Niceto: ai piedi della Croce vi sono delle rose rosse, dietro di essa trovano posto dei rami di cipresso (alla fine dell’evento i fedeli porteranno con se un pezzetto di rametto come reliquia), infine dei nastri rossi vengono legati alle braccia del Crocifisso, essi segneranno il percorso della processione, fino all’arrivo al Duomo, una chiesa cinquecentesca dedicata a San Pietro apostolo, ove si terrà la celebrazione della Santa Messa ( il percorso inverso riporterà il S.S. Crocifisso nella Chiesa di San Giacomo): in perfetto ordine i fedeli in religioso silenzio, con ceri votivi in mano, percorrono le vie del paese, non oltrepassando i nastri rossi poiché essi delimitano il percorso degli Angioletti d’oro e delle Addoloratine.

 

note:

A tribute to each and every one of the photographers who had inspire me.

 

Sorry for the 'not very original' title btw.

 

p/s: My original selfie didn't turn out the way i wanted today. So I did this shot with my sister, Ava. I've wanted to do this shot for a while, originally planned for a selfie as well. But I felt my sister would make a better subject. Plus, she's a lot better than me at staying very still for the 10-13 seconds shutter time. :)

Huge influences come from two amazing photographers : Minatoさん　cocoalocoさん

 

Pretending I have a film cam again.. :p

Thanks a lot for your help ma-! ありがとね、ma-!

 

This photo does not exist without this song : Pulp - Something Changed

この曲なしにはこの写真はありませんでした。

 

This high-resolution image shows newly discovered frost at the top of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano not only on Mars but in the entire Solar System. The frost appears blue on the floor of the volcano’s caldera (summit crater) and around its northern rim. It is absent on the well-lit steep slopes seen on the left of this image.

 

This frost was recently discovered by ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express missions. The researchers spotted frost on not only Olympus Mons but on the other Tharsis volcanoes of Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons and Ceraunius Tholus. This is the first time that water frost has been found near Mars’s equator, a part of the planet where it was thought improbable for frost to exist.

 

The landscape on the right side of the image is filled with wrinkle ridges that lie inside the caldera, while the rippled structures on the centre-left are collapsed caldera rim terraces.

 

The image is false colour, meaning that the colours shown here are not those that would be seen by the human eye. This is because the CaSSIS instrument onboard ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is sensitive to near-infrared light (which is invisible to our eyes), and the image has stretched contrast to better show the details of the terrain. In this false-colour image the water ice frost appears blue. False-colour images are really useful for scientists, revealing more information than can be seen with the human eye. Read more on how CaSSIS constructs its blue-hued images, and how this allows us to explore the Red Planet.

 

The image resolution is 4.5 m/pixel, and the Local Solar Time is 7:11 AM.

 

Read more

 

[Image description: This rectangular slice of Mars shows the terrain atop Mars’s volcano Olympus Mons. Rippled, uneven, stepped terrain can be seen, with different illuminations. The right-hand side of the image is blue-toned, representing the newly discovered water ice frost.]

 

Credits: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

 

These furry looking beetles aren't my favorite but since they exist, I thought I might as well add this one to my album of Iowa insects.

Seen in Healdsburg, California, at the Library of Shipwrecked Books. Yes, that place exists and is open to the public

These exist at three levels, each level joined by steps. This is quite impressive and gives a good impression of how it must have been to be a performer at the Theatre.

Chegamos a Fortaleza, alguns imprevistos nos tiraram do rumo certo e venho infelizmente informar-lhes que o nosso Capitao Sr. Fruc, resolveu nos abandonar temporariamente, ele encontrou um novo amor, uma nova profissao e uma missao nova na vida real, sentiremos muito sua falta e todos aqueles de acordo, assinem em baixo, desejando-lhe sucesso, felicidades, amor (muito amor), ele eh jovem neh e muitos sorrisos, sentiremos sua falta Capitao e com carinho todos nos da comitiva deixamos lhe um grande abraco e beijos, nossos melhores votos de felicidades em sua vida, e volte sempre, esse posto sera sempre seu no barco de nossas vidas....

 

Agora, quem entrou pra seu lugar foi a Lucilia, que broto galera, espero que os solteiros nao se apaixonem.

 

T Glow tambem foi promovido e agora ele eh o engenheiro de bordo, vai nos ensinar tudo inclusive sua metodologia de mestre e otimo retratista do cotidiano, de noturna e estrelas ele conhece e eh tao presciso que parece ser ate de outro planeta, talvez quem sabe ate da Polonia,seja bem vindo.

 

Dal ta botando pra quebrar, nao existe DJ como ela no universo, afinal, ela estava em outro planeta, voces viram a

foto dela de Marte? Demais, eu acho que ela comunica com os extra-terrestres, afinal, vive em Brasilia, cidade aviao...

 

A Dal ta legal e ponto final...

Eliana achou a chave do cadeado, ufa, eu ja estava preocupado, tava achando que alguem iria ter que abrir aquele coracao com talhadeira...

 

Carol Fernandez voltou tambem, mas perdeu o posto de DJ neh, agora tera que achar outra funcao.

 

Simone ta arrumando uns leites de cabra no meio da rua, pois elas sao menores e evitam menos engarrafamento.

 

Eu decisto, levanto as maos, e peco entao desculpas pelos acontecimentos.

Mas como minha filosofia e so alegria, mais uma vez, chegamos a Fortaleza, e vamos todos entao para o Bododromo, pegar a cabra pelo chifre por que o show tem que continuar....

Afinal, aqui so tem cabra macho, cabra da peste bixim.

 

Schilo puxou um dia a peixeira pra mim, estavamos perto do farol da Barra e eu tive que explicar pra ele que seus pensamentos estavam improprios para menores de 29 anos, vejam so, ele estava perturbando sua mina pertinho da praia, entre a areia e o matinho, e ela ate falou vinte vezes que ali nao podia nao.

Gente, o cara ta com suite presidencial nesse barco, mas eh naturalista, adora Trancoso ou Espelho na Bahia, por isso que sumiram por uma temporada.

 

Eu, bom, eu tava sumido porque estava com visitas entao desculpintao pela ausencia.

 

Isabelula ta cacando confusao la no seu quintal, nao sobra nada, se tem vitima ela retrata tudo.

 

Bruno e Carla, hum, esses dois nao sei nao, fim de semana eles somem, ou se trancam no quarto, so os dois, cheios de amor pra dar.

 

Herminia vai soltar os cachoros, alguem fez uma spy foto dela debaixo de uma prateleira cheia de buzum, num bar la no Rio, mas ja disse, no meu livro nao havera crime nem suspense e ja esta tudo resolvido, Maria Castro ja pediu desculpas e mandou mil beijos...

 

J.C. ta meio ocupado, sumiu...

 

Voces viram quem voltou? O mais profundo pensador, inconformado com as tendencias desumanas dos seres humanos, nosso querido Juarezam,

rapaz, que bom te-lo de volta, agora ja posso parar de escrever.

Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives.

While we have already discussed the planetary archetypes, it is worth reminding ourselves at this point exactly how the alchemists looked on the relationship between the planet and its metal. They believed that the metals had the same “virtue” as the corresponding planet, that a single spirit infuses both the planet and the metal. In other words, the planet was a celestial manifestation and the metal a terrestrial manifestation of the same universal force. Therefore, the metals are the purest expression of the planetary energies in the mineral kingdom, which is the basis for material reality on earth. The next stage of evolution on our planet is the plant kingdom, and the alchemists assigned a metal and its corresponding planet to describe the characteristics of every known herb, flower, and plant. Similarly, on the next level in the evolution of matter in the animal kingdom, all creatures carry their own metallic or planetary signatures, which are expressed in their behavior. In human beings, the alchemists referred to the sum total of the cosmic signatures of the metals as a person’s “temperament.” Originally, that word referred to the metallurgical process of “tempering” or mixing different metals to produce certain characteristics in an alloy. Although the alchemists considered lead the lowest of the base metals, they treated it with a great deal of respect, as they did its corresponding planet Saturn. Lead was said to carry all the energy of its own transformation, and it was that hidden energy that the alchemists sought to free. To the alchemists, the ancient metal was a powerful “sleeping giant” with a dark and secret nature that encompassed both the beginning and end of the Great Work.

Lead is the heaviest of the seven metals; it is very tied to gravity, form, and manifested reality. It is also a very stubborn metal known for its durability and resistance to change. Lead products dating from 7000 BC are still intact, and lead water pipes installed by the Romans 1,500 years ago are still in use today. Alchemists depicted lead in their drawings as the god Saturn (a crippled old man with a sickle), Father Time, or a skeleton representing death itself. Any of these symbols in their manuscripts meant the alchemist was working with the metal lead in the laboratory or a leaden attitude in his accompanying meditation.Lead is a boundary of heaviness for matter. Metals of greater atomic weight are too heavy and disintegrate over time (by radioactive decay) to turn back into lead. So radioactive decay is really a Saturnic process that introduces a new characteristic in the metals – that of time. All the hyper-energetic metals beyond lead are trapped in time to inexorably return to lead. There is no natural process more unalterably exact than radioactive decay. Atomic clocks, the most precise timekeeping devices we have, are based on this leaden process. Geologists measure the age of radioactive rocks by how much lead they contain, and the age of the earth is estimated by taking lead isotope measurements. In many ways, lead carries the signature of Father Time.Native lead, which is lead metal found in a chemically uncombined state, is actually extremely rare. It is found in the earth's crust in a concentration of only about 13 parts per billion. Lead does not form crystals easily, and thus the pure mineral form is very rare and extremely valuable as rock specimens. Such elemental lead can also be found in very unusual “metamorphosed” limestone and marble formations that are equally rare.Surprisingly, lead is in the same group in the Periodic Table as gold, and when it occurs in nature, it is always found with gold and silver. In fact, the chemical symbol for lead (Pb) is from the Latin word plumbum, which means “liquid silver.” We derive our words “plumbing” and “plumb bob” from the use of lead in those applications. In the smelting of silver, lead plays an important role by forming a layer over the emerging molten silver and protecting it from combining with the air and splattering out. The volatile molten lead covering is gradually burnt away, until only the pure silver metal “peeks out” (in the smelter’s terminology) in a stabilized form. Thus, lead protects and even sacrifices itself for the nobler metals.The planet Saturn and its metal and the planet have the same symbol (L) in alchemy. The Hermetic interpretation is that the symbol is basically the cross of the elements that depicts the division between the Above and Below or spirit and matter. The lunar crescent of the soul is below the cross, representing the manifestation (or entrapment) of soul below in matter. Despite these associations with the noble metals, lead itself never makes it to such heights among the metals. The silvery luster of fresh cut lead quickly fades, as if it were “dying” before your eyes. Furthermore, alchemists considered lead to be “hydrophobic” or against the life nourishing archetype of water. Lead ores lack the slightest water content and tend to form machine-like structures.The most common ore of lead is galena, which also contains the noble metals silver and gold. Galena is lead sulfide, a favorite of rock collectors because of its distinctive cubic shapes, characteristic cleavage, and high density. In fact, the structure of galena is identical to that of natural table salt. The two minerals have exactly the same crystal shapes, symmetry and cleavage, although galena crystals are thousands of times larger. Some galena may contain up to 1% silver and often contains trace amounts of gold. The large volume of galena that is processed for lead produces enough silver as a by product to make galena the leading ore of silver as well Galena definitely has the signature of lead. Its color is silver gray with a bluish tint. The luster ranges from metallic to dull in the weathered faces, and the isometric crystals are opaque to light. The massive crystals of galena almost always take the form of a cube or octahedron, and the cleavage is perfect in four direction always forming cubes. Because of the perfect cleavage, fractures are rarely seen and the dark crystalline structure is nearly perfect.Lead is also found in other sulfuric minerals like calcite and dolomite, as well as lead oxidation minerals such as and anglesite and cerussite, which is found in the oxidation zone of lead deposits usually associated with galena. Some formations show cerussite crusts around a galena core as if the act of oxidation was frozen in time. Cerrussite is lead carbonate and also a favorite of rock hounds. Its very high luster is due mostly to the metallic lead content, and just as leaded crystal glass sparkles more brilliantly because of its lead content, so too does cerussite. Cerussite has one of the highest densities for a transparent mineral. It is over six and a half times as dense as water. Most rocks and minerals average only around three times the density of water. Cerussite is famous for its great sparkle and density, and its amazing twinned (or double) crystals. The mineral forms geometrically intricate structures and star shapes that simply amazing to behold – sometimes the twinned crystals form star shapes with six "rays" extending out from the star.When freed from its ores, lead metal has a bluish-white color and is very soft – capable of being scratched by a fingernail. With its dull metallic luster and high density, lead cannot easily be confused with any other metal. It is also malleable, ductile, and sectile – meaning it can be pounded into other shapes, stretched into a wire, and cut into slices. However, lead is a dark, sluggish, base metal. Of the seven metals, it is the slowest conductor of electricity and heat, the least lustrous or resonant. Its Saturnic signature of heaviness is expressed not only in its being the heaviest metal but also in its tendency to form inert and insoluble compounds. No other metal forms as many. Although it tarnishes upon exposure to air like silver, lead is extremely resistant to corrosion over time and seems to last forever. Lead pipes bearing the insignia of Roman emperors, used as drains from the baths, are still in service. The surface of lead is protected by a thin layer of lead oxide, and it does not react with water. The same process protects lead from the traditional “liquid fire” of the alchemists – sulfuric acid. In fact, lead bottles are still used to store the highly corrosive acid. Lead is so inalterable, that half of all the lead in the world today is simply recovered from scrap and formed directly into bullion for reuse.Lead is truly a destroyer of light. It is added to high-quality glassware (lead crystal) to absorb light reflections and make the glass clearer. Lead salts in glass are not changed by light but change light itself by absorbing it. Incoming light in lead crystal meets with high resistance, but once it is within the glass, light is immediately absorbed or dispersed without any reflected light escaping. Sheets of lead are also impermeable to all forms of light, even high energy X-rays and gamma rays, which makes lead the perfect shield against any form of radiation and is why it is used to transport and store radioactive materials.Lead is an extremely poor conductor of electricity and blocks all kinds of energy transmission. Indeed, one of the signatures of lead is its ability to “dampen” or absorb energy. Unlike other metals, when lead is struck, the vibrations are immediately absorbed and any tone is smothered in dullness. Lead is an effective sound proofing medium and tetraethyl lead is still used in some grades of gasoline as an antiknock compound to “quiet” the combustion of gasoline.Thin lead sheets are used extensively in the walls of high-rise buildings to block the transmission of sound, and thick pads of lead are used in the foundations to absorb the vibrations of street traffic and even minor earthquakes. Lead sheets are widely used in roofing to block solar rays, and lead foil is used to form lightproof enclosures in laboratory work. Ultimately, lead corresponds to the galactic Black Hole that absorbs all forms of radiation and light.Lead reacts with more chemicals than any other metal, however, instead of producing something new and useful, lead “kills” the combining substance by making it inert, insoluble and unable to enter into further chemical reactions. Its salts precipitate out of solutions heavily and copiously. Lead has the same effect in the plant kingdom. It accumulates in the roots and slows down the “breathing” process in plants. Young plants are adversely affected by even the smallest amount of lead in the soil.Lead is poisonous and accumulates over time in the bones of the human body, where it cannot be flushed out. It has also been found in high concentrations in gallstones and kidney stones. The old alchemical graphic for lead – a skeleton – was grotesquely appropriate. The symptoms of lead poisoning (known as “Saturnism”) are lack of energy, depression, blindness, dizziness, severe headaches at the back of the head, brain damage, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities and mental retardation, antisocial behavior and anger, atrophy of muscular tissue and cramping, excess growth of connective tissue resulting in a rigid appearance, rapid aging, coma, and early death. Rats fed only 5 parts per million of lead had a lifespan 25% shorter than normal rats. Children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, and it is believed to be an important factor in stillborn fetuses. Children with more than just 0.3 parts per million of lead in their blood suffer a significant slowing of brain function and corresponding drop in IQ. Lead in paint has caused mental retardation and premature aging in hundreds of children who ingested old flaking paint from the walls of their homes. Lead paint was used extensively until the poisonous effects were documented in the 1960s. Because of its lasting durability, lead paint is still used outdoors in advertising and the yellow lines on highways and curbs. The subtly controlling aspect of those applications is another signature of lead and of “leaden” persons in general.Not surprisingly, lead has found use as an insecticide and was even once considered for use as a military weapon. Lead metal reacts violently with fluorine and chlorine to form the highly poisonous gases, lead fluoride and lead chloride. Lead is also used in all kinds of ammunition – another appropriate application of lead’s esoteric signature as Father Time and the Grim Reaper. There are many research studies linking lead exposure to anger and violence, especially in adolescents. One recent study of all counties in the United States conducted by Colorado State University revealed that the murder rate in counties with the highest lead levels were four times higher than in counties with the lowest levels of lead.More benevolent uses of lead are in storage batteries, covering for underground and transoceanic cables, waste plumbing, shielding around X-ray equipment and nuclear reactors, solder, pewter, fine lead crystal glass, and flint glass with a high refractive index for achromatic lenses.Even the elemental metal carries the seed of its own redemption. The alchemists knew that Fire is lord over lead, for the metal has a low melting point and is easily separated from its ore by roasting in an open flame, and the metal itself melts in a candle flame. Lead expands on heating and contracts on cooling more than any other solid heavy metal. (Silver is the opposite and is considered an antidote to lead.)Perhaps owing to its dual nature, lead carries deeply hidden within its structure the fire of its own transformation. Many lead salts reveal a whole rainbow of brilliant colors, with the solar colors of yellow, orange, and red predominating. This is why lead has been used in paints for so many centuries. Finely divided lead powder is pyrophoric (“fire containing”) and easily catches fire or erupts spontaneously in flames. When made into a fine powder, lead metal must be kept in a vacuum to keep from catching fire. Otherwise, it ignites and burns down to a bright yellow ash, revealing its deeply hidden solar signature. So, the wonder of lead is that hidden deep inside the gray, dead metal is a tiny, eternal spark that is the seed of its own resurrection. In the eyes of alchemists, this makes lead the most important metal despite its unattractive darkness. For dull lead and gleaming gold are really the same things, only at different stages of growth or maturity.The Secret Fire inside lead is really the alchemical basis for transforming lead into gold, and correspondingly, gives mankind hope for its own spiritual transformation. That tiny spark of light in the darkest part of matter makes resurrection part of the structure of the universe. So, deep down inside, the metal lead also yearns to be transformed. It wants to rise in the air and fly, leave matter and form behind, and be free as Fire. Lead unites two contrasting forces: rigid heaviness and revivifying inner fire. Archetypically, the lead process is concerned with death and resurrection. Greek myth says that after death our soul is put on a scale, and the weights of the scale are made from lead, the metal that carries Saturn's signature.Lead is used in magical rituals, spells, and amulets to promote contact with deep unconscious levels (the underworld), deep meditation, controlling negativity, breaking bad habits and addictions, protection, stability, grounding, solidity, perseverance, decisiveness, concentration, conservation, and material constructions (buildings). Pick up a hunk of lead and the first thing you notice is its weight – its connection to gravity. It is that connection to something beyond matter and light, the very form of the universe that is the physical basis for this experiment. During the winter months, preferably on some clear night in late January or early February, go outside and find the planet Saturn in the northern sky. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the golden sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon Saturn and place a piece of lead metal in your hand. You should be able to feel a strange resonance building. That eerie, cold vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of lead.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin.The strange connection between lead and Saturn has been documented by modern scientists, who have shown that lead compounds react differently depending on Saturn’s position in the sky. For instance, solutions of lead nitrate produce the greatest weight of crystallization (or manifestation) during February, when Saturn rules the sky, and the least during June, when Saturn is barely visible. Lead compounds also exhibit different properties when Saturn aligns with other planets. For example, lead sulfate solution rises 60% higher on strips of filter paper during conjunctions of Saturn with Mars than at other times. It is also known that the ease of making lead solutions (the “solubility coefficient” of lead) varies with the position of Saturn relative to the other planets. NASA is even considering a series of astrochemical experiments to see if the Saturn-lead effects become more pronounced in outer space.Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Surprisingly, because the metals are such perfect expressions of archetypal energies, we can actually learn quite a bit about people by studying the properties of metals and the behavior of planets. That same correspondence exists in the human temperament. For instance, the leaden person is someone who has, like Saturn, lost their bid to become a star. They have accepted a mere physical existence and believe the created world is all that counts. The positive characteristics of the saturnine person are patience, responsibility, somberness, structure and realism, true knowledge of history and karma. The black messenger crows of Chronos bring black moods, depression and despair to us, but they also alert us to illusion and fakeness in our lives. Because the lusterless metal is so “dead” and resists interaction with other substances, it is used as containers for acids, like automobile batteries, and is used as a lining in pipes that carry corrosive substances. Similarly, the lead tempered person is like an acid-proof container that stores up caustic feelings and anger. Phrases like “acid tongued” and “vitriolic” have their origins in this alchemical process of storing negative emotional energy.On the psychological level, lead is symbolic of a person’s inertness and unwillingness to change. There is a denial of all higher or spiritual energies, and the alchemists often portrayed the leaden person as lying in an open grave or hopelessly chained to matter in some way. A feeling of being trapped in material reality is symptomatic of a leaden attitude. Leaden people are stubborn, unyielding, and often control other people by making them wait. They must always be right, rarely accept blame or admit to being in error, and have no real regard for the truth of a situation. They may be religious but not spiritual. They tend to be suspicious of genius and inspiration, which they will often attribute to fantasy, They feel threatened by freedom of thought and expression, and sometimes use ridicule or try to “push people’s buttons” to control it. They tend to be very uncreative, judgmental, and smug.On the other hand, leaden people are grounded, earthy, and practical. They are good friends during times of bereavement – a rock of support at funerals and deathbeds. Such people secretly crave stimulation, excitement, and new ideas. They gravitate to people who supply energy and entertainment in their lives. This craving for stimulation often makes them focus on nervous energy instead of higher inspiration. Therefore, Saturn’s children can be very reactive and excitable instead of lethargic, as they try to escape from their prison of matter.As soon as bright, fresh lead metal is exposed to air, it forms a dull-gray oxide layer called the “litharge” that resists any further chemical interaction. In alchemy, air is associated with spiritual energy, and lead reacts to it by instantly forming a barrier or blocking it. Likewise, one of the distinguishing characteristics of someone with a lead temperament is their lack of interest in spiritual ideas. There is also a general lack of interest in life in general, and leaden people often seem lazy, lethargic, or unresponsive.In the individual, lead absorbs the inner light or insight necessary for personal growth and blocks all outside “radiations,” such as attempts at spiritual instruction by others. Because psychological lead absorbs both the deeper vibrations of intuition and higher spiritual energies and aspirations, the person with a lead temperament is uninspired, unimaginative, and lacks that creative spark so necessary for positive change. Before long the lead person starts to feel trapped in his or her dull environment and seeks out excitement, death-defying feats, lively people, and challenging conversation. Their favorite color is often red, and unconsciously, they are seeking the alchemical element of Fire. Fire is one of the Four Elements that represents activity, energy, creative thinking, and transformation. Fire is the tool alchemists use to begin the transmutation of lead into gold as well as transform leaden consciousness into a golden awareness of higher reality. In the laboratory, the changes in the metal and in the alchemist take place simultaneously. Otherwise, there can be no real transformation. The alchemists transmuted the Lead temperament using the Fire operation of Calcination. Physically, lead and Saturn rule the bones, teeth, spleen, and slow chronic processes such as aging. The therapeutic effects are contracting, coagulating, drying, and mineralizing. Saturn-ruled plants enhance the structures of life. They give a sobriety of disposition, en-abling one to see limitations. These plants give steadiness, solidity of pur-pose, subtlety, diplomacy, patience, and an ability to work on the physical plane better.Saturnic or leaden energies are needed for those who have a hard time finishing pro-jects or for those with plenty of ideas but never realize them. Alchemists seeking to produce physical effects found in saturnine elixirs the essential vibratory rate that enabled materialization. Alchemists seeking to produce physical effects found in saturnine elixirs the essential vibratory rate that enabled materialization. Generally speaking, any other elixir mixed with a Saturn elixir will be earthed, which makes them of great value when working on physical plane phenomenon. Their physical therapeutic properties become refrigerant, anti-pyretic, sedative, styptic, and astringent.For instance, if one mixes a saturnine elixir with a mercurial one, the alchemists believed it would release knowledge contained in secret magical manuscripts or in ancient hermetic traditions, because the Saturn-Mercury vibration contains all hidden knowledge of an esoteric nature within it. Alchemical oils were mixed in the same way. For example, to treat leukemia, alchemists would prescribe an equal mixture of lead oil and gold oil. The alchemists made an Oil of Lead that was good for “growth of bones after breaking, strengthening the skeleton, osteoporosis and atrophy of the bones, stimulation of the spleen, drying tissue, reducing secretions and discharges, stopping bleeding, reducing fever, increasing patience, and stopping visions and an overactive imagination.” They also suggested it for hallucinations due to neurological disorders that have delirious after-effects such as encephalitis and post-traumatic stress syndrome. In the “like cures like” philosophy of homeopathy, lead is used to treat sclerosis, the hardening of bones and arteries, which is the hallmark of old age and signature of lead. The homeopathic name of lead is Plumbum metallicum. Native tin is known as stannum, which is the Latin word for tin and also gives the metal its chemical symbol (Sn). The alchemical symbol is K, which shows the lunar principle of soul above the cross of the elements or emerging from the darkness of matter.

Tin is a shiny, silvery-white metal that is malleable, somewhat ductile and sectile, and seems like a perfected form of lead to the casual observer. In fact, the Romans called tin Plumbum album or “white lead.” Tin resists weathering and does not oxidize, and tin utensils buried underground or lost at sea in sunken ships shone like new when rediscovered after hundreds of years. “Tinkers” were gypsy craftsmen who wandered from neighborhood to neighborhood in Europe repairing tin kettles and utensils or melting them down and recasting them. Native or elemental tin is extremely rare in nature and is found with gold and copper deposits. The metal was considered “semi-noble” in ancient times and was used for jewelry in Babylonia and Egypt. The Romans used it to make mirrors, and it was used as coinage in Europe at one time.

Tin has a highly crystalline structure, and due to the breaking of these crystals, a "cry" is heard when a tin bar is bent. Unlike lead, tin has pleasing acoustic effects and is used in the making of bells. The crystals in common grey tin have a cubic structure, but when heated or frozen it changes into white tin, which has a tetragonal structure. After further heating or freezing, white tin disintegrates into a powdery substance. This powder has the ability to “infect” other tin surfaces it comes in contact with by forming blisters that spread until all the metal “sickens” and disintegrates. This transformation is encouraged by impurities such as zinc and aluminum and can be prevented by adding small amounts of antimony or bismuth to the metal. The sickness of tin was called the “tin plague” and was the scourge of tin roofs during Europe’s frigid winters. The mysterious effect was first was first noticed as “growths” on organ pipes in European cathedrals, where it was thought to be the work of the devil to disfigure god’s work.Tin metal has only a few practical uses and most tin is used in alloys. Bronze is an alloy of 5% tin and 95% copper, and the development of bronze by humans marked a new age of advancement known as the Bronze Age. Most solder is a combination of tin and lead; pewter is also an alloy of tin and lead. Other tin alloys are used to make tin cans and tin roofs, and tin has significant use as a corrosion fighter in the protection of other metals. Tin resists distilled, sea and soft tap water, but is attacked by strong acids, alkalis, and acid salts. When heated in air, tin forms tin oxide, which is used to plate steel and make tin cans. Other uses are in type metal, fusible metal, Babbitt metal, and die casting alloys. Tin chloride is used as a reducing agent and mordant in calico printing. Tin salts sprayed onto glass are used to produce electrically conductive coatings, which are used for panel lighting and for frost-free windshields. Window glass is made by floating molten glass on molten tin to produce a flat surface. A crystalline tin-niobium alloy is superconductive at very low temperatures, and shoebox-sized electromagnets made of the wire produce magnetic fields comparable to conventional electromagnets weighing hundreds of tons.The distribution of tin on earth follows an ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 º to the equator that is an exact track of the orbit of Jupiter slicing through the planet. Even stranger, these jovian forces seem to form tin veins that zigzag through the rocks in a lightening bolt pattern. This is no haphazard effect, but an astonishing confirmation of Jupiter freeing the metals from their Saturnic prison on earth. Goethe was just one great alchemical philosopher who believed this. “A remarkable influence proceeds from the metal tin,” he wrote. “This has a differentiating influence, and opens a door through which a way is provided for different metals to be formed from primeval rocks.”Tin ore minerals include oxide minerals like cassiterite and a few sulfides such as franckerite. By far the most tin comes from cassiterite or tin oxide. Reduction of this ore in burning coal results in tin metal and was probably how tin was made by the ancients. Cassiterite is a black or reddish brown mineral that has ornately faceted specimens with a greasy, high luster. It is generally opaque, but its luster and multiple crystal faces cause a sparkling surface. Cassiterite has been an important ore of tin for thousands of years and is still the greatest source of tin today. Most aggregate specimens of cassiterite show crystal twins, with the typical twin bent at a near-60-degree angle to form a distinctive "Elbow Twin." Other crystalline forms include eight-sided prisms and four-sided pyramids. Cassiterite is sometimes found in nature associated with topaz and fluorite gemstones.Tin has a surprising affinity for silica and shares its crystalline structure. In the jovian ring on our planet where native tin is found, the metal lies in silica veins of quartz and granite. In the body, high concentrations of tin and silica are found in the boundary layer of the skin, and tin reacts with silica acid in many of the “shaping” processes of growth. In the Middle Ages, sick people were served food on a tin plate and drinks in a tin vessel to help them regenerate and recover their strength. Today, we know that tin acts as a bactericide and pesticide.Native tin is known as stannum, which is the Latin word for tin and also gives the metal its chemical symbol (Sn). The alchemical symbol is K, which shows the lunar principle of soul above the cross of the elements or emerging from the darkness of matter.

 

Tin is a shiny, silvery-white metal that is malleable, somewhat ductile and sectile, and seems like a perfected form of lead to the casual observer. In fact, the Romans called tin Plumbum album or “white lead.” Tin resists weathering and does not oxidize, and tin utensils buried underground or lost at sea in sunken ships shone like new when rediscovered after hundreds of years. “Tinkers” were gypsy craftsmen who wandered from neighborhood to neighborhood in Europe repairing tin kettles and utensils or melting them down and recasting them. Native or elemental tin is extremely rare in nature and is found with gold and copper deposits. The metal was considered “semi-noble” in ancient times and was used for jewelry in Babylonia and Egypt. The Romans used it to make mirrors, and it was used as coinage in Europe at one time.

Tin has a highly crystalline structure, and due to the breaking of these crystals, a "cry" is heard when a tin bar is bent. Unlike lead, tin has pleasing acoustic effects and is used in the making of bells. The crystals in common grey tin have a cubic structure, but when heated or frozen it changes into white tin, which has a tetragonal structure. After further heating or freezing, white tin disintegrates into a powdery substance. This powder has the ability to “infect” other tin surfaces it comes in contact with by forming blisters that spread until all the metal “sickens” and disintegrates. This transformation is encouraged by impurities such as zinc and aluminum and can be prevented by adding small amounts of antimony or bismuth to the metal. The sickness of tin was called the “tin plague” and was the scourge of tin roofs during Europe’s frigid winters. The mysterious effect was first was first noticed as “growths” on organ pipes in European cathedrals, where it was thought to be the work of the devil to disfigure god’s work.Tin metal has only a few practical uses and most tin is used in alloys. Bronze is an alloy of 5% tin and 95% copper, and the development of bronze by humans marked a new age of advancement known as the Bronze Age. Most solder is a combination of tin and lead; pewter is also an alloy of tin and lead. Other tin alloys are used to make tin cans and tin roofs, and tin has significant use as a corrosion fighter in the protection of other metals. Tin resists distilled, sea and soft tap water, but is attacked by strong acids, alkalis, and acid salts. When heated in air, tin forms tin oxide, which is used to plate steel and make tin cans. Other uses are in type metal, fusible metal, Babbitt metal, and die casting alloys. Tin chloride is used as a reducing agent and mordant in calico printing. Tin salts sprayed onto glass are used to produce electrically conductive coatings, which are used for panel lighting and for frost-free windshields. Window glass is made by floating molten glass on molten tin to produce a flat surface. A crystalline tin-niobium alloy is superconductive at very low temperatures, and shoebox-sized electromagnets made of the wire produce magnetic fields comparable to conventional electromagnets weighing hundreds of tons.The distribution of tin on earth follows an ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 º to the equator that is an exact track of the orbit of Jupiter slicing through the planet. Even stranger, these jovian forces seem to form tin veins that zigzag through the rocks in a lightening bolt pattern. This is no haphazard effect, but an astonishing confirmation of Jupiter freeing the metals from their Saturnic prison on earth. Goethe was just one great alchemical philosopher who believed this. “A remarkable influence proceeds from the metal tin,” he wrote. “This has a differentiating influence, and opens a door through which a way is provided for different metals to be formed from primeval rocks.”Tin ore minerals include oxide minerals like cassiterite and a few sulfides such as franckerite. By far the most tin comes from cassiterite or tin oxide. Reduction of this ore in burning coal results in tin metal and was probably how tin was made by the ancients. Cassiterite is a black or reddish brown mineral that has ornately faceted specimens with a greasy, high luster. It is generally opaque, but its luster and multiple crystal faces cause a sparkling surface. Cassiterite has been an important ore of tin for thousands of years and is still the greatest source of tin today. Most aggregate specimens of cassiterite show crystal twins, with the typical twin bent at a near-60-degree angle to form a distinctive "Elbow Twin." Other crystalline forms include eight-sided prisms and four-sided pyramids. Cassiterite is sometimes found in nature associated with topaz and fluorite gemstones.Tin has a surprising affinity for silica and shares its crystalline structure. In the jovian ring on our planet where native tin is found, the metal lies in silica veins of quartz and granite. In the body, high concentrations of tin and silica are found in the boundary layer of the skin, and tin reacts with silica acid in many of the “shaping” processes of growth. In the Middle Ages, sick people were served food on a tin plate and drinks in a tin vessel to help them regenerate and recover their strength. Today, we know that tin acts as a bactericide and pesticide.

Flowers last longer in tin vases, and food has been preserved in the tin cans (actually a thin layer of tin on iron) for over a century. Beer (ruled by the jovial Jupiter) is said to taste best from a tin mug. Jupiter rules growth, the metabolic system, the liver, and the enrichment of the blood from food. Jupiter therapeutic effects are anti-spasmodic and hepatic. Jupiter-ruled plants preserve the body and promote healthy growth and are the natural healing herbs of the planetary system. They af-fect the mind in such a way as to promote an understanding of ritual form from the highest point of view, and religious leaders, doctors, lawyers, etc. will find great benefit from jovian herb remedies. They also attune one to the wealth vibration and open up channels for growth and expansion, materi-ally as well as spiritually.Jupiter controls the circulation of blood in the human body. If mixed with a solar herbal eider, it will give the alchemist access to the highest plane. Jupiter-Mercury combinations produce insight into the philosophical principles of any system and their part in the cosmic scheme and provide an intuitive understanding of the great spiritual masters. This particular herbal mixture also produces a lightheartedness and gaiety, which can be very useful to those with a predisposition to depression or gloominess. The physical properties of such a mixture are anabolic and antispasmodic.The alchemists made an Oil of Tin that was used to treat the liver (jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis), certain types of eczema, liquid ovarian cysts, inflammatory effusions, pleurisies, acne, water retention, and certain types of obesity. This oil was said to be excellent for someone "loosing shape." The oil was also used as a sweat inducer, wormer, antispasmodic, cathartic, and laxative.The polar (opposite) metal to tin is mercury, and Oil of Tin was said to be an excellent antidote for mercury poisoning, and likewise mercury was said to balance the bad effects of tin. Tin and mercury oil combined are said to provide deep insight and cure lightheadedness and certain phases of manic-depressive syndrome.The homeopathic form of tin is called Stannum, a remedy which is said to strengthen and regenerate muscle and brain tissue. It is also a remedy for the joints and connective tissue of ligaments and cartilage. Stannum is allegedly beneficial in liver disease and is used for congestion, hardening, encephalitis, and other illnesses where the fluid balance is upset.During the early Spring, preferably sometime in March, go outside and find the red planet Mars in the night sky. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the tiny red sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon Mars and place a piece of iron in your hand or a small cast iron pot or other object but not something of made of steel or chromed. You should be able to feel a resonance building. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of iron.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin. See how your feelings compare to how the alchemists felt about this powerful metal.When mixed with solar herbs, iron herbs increase energy and activate the energetic potentials of other herbs. Martian elixirs release the action poten-tial of the soul of something. When mixed with other herbs, martian herbs acti-vate the potentialities of the other herbs to a great degree making them more forceful in applica-tion and generally more active. Mars herbs are wonderful tonics when mixed with Sun herbs. The combination gives great physical energy, tones the muscles, and increases sexual potency. They also provoke self-reliance, spontaneity, and indepen-dence of attitude. If the alchemist is involved in magical evocation, a mixture of a mars, moon, and mercurial elixirs will help produce the physical plane vehicle of manifestation.Copper is a reddish-brown metal with a bright metallic luster. It is in the same group in the Periodic Table as gold, and like gold, it is remarkably ductile. It is also very malleable and sectile (it can be pounded into other shapes and cut into slices) and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. Molten copper is a sea green color, and copper tarnishes with a green color and burns with a blue-green flame with flashes of red, and the alchemists sometimes described Venus, the metal’s archetypal planetary source, as dressed in a blue cloak over a red gown.Pick up a piece of copper and the first thing you notice is its surprising feeling of warmth and moisture. It is that connection to something archetypal and nourishing that makes up the signature of this metal. It is easy to connect with copper, just as its planet (Venus) is easy to see in the sky. It is so brilliant it is often mistaken for a bright star or even a UFO. The best time to see it is in the early evening or morning when it is close to the horizon. In fact, Venus has been called both the “Morning Star” and the “Evening Star” and is associated with magical energies. It is the “first star I see tonight” upon you make you wish that will come true with the sympathetic venusian energies. On some clear night or morning, go outside and find the planet Venus. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the brilliant white sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the planet influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant planet. Continue gazing upon the planet and grab a piece of copper, a fistful of pennies, or even a copper cooking utensil. You should be able to feel a warm resonance building. That deep and soothing vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of copper.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with its planetary twin.The venusian signature gives refinement of senses and the ability to appreciate beauty. Artists, actors, and others in the public eye will find these elixirs a great aid to performing their work. Venus herbs also enhance the taste perceptions, promote affection, give an amiable disposition, and make one more psychically sensitive to astral influences. For those who feel a lack of charm, or some of the softer human qualities, a venusian elixir will stimulate the right vibration in your aura. Venusian elixirs also promote harmony and balance within our being and in our dealings with others. Venusian elixirs are said to give access to that realm of the astral that is intimately connected with the working and forces of the most intimate magic of nature. They are a great aid to alchemists who wish to make herbal alchemy their life work, as they open up the human consciousness to the secrets of the plant kingdom. Naturalists will find these elixirs most illuminating, as they will give conscious con-tact with the various “deities” of long past nature religions.Mercury is truly unique. It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and the heaviest natural liquid on the planet. According to alchemical theory, all the metals began in the liquid state on deep in the earth, but only mercury was able to retain it original innocence and life force and resist taking on a final form, and for that reason, the ancients called it Mercurius vivens (the “living mercury”). This silvery liquid metal (also known as “Quicksilver”) was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 BC and has been found in sacred tubes in Egyptian tombs dated from 1500 BC. It was first used to form alloys with other metals around 500 BC. The Greeks applied germ-killing ability of mercury in healing ointments (to the benefit of those afflicted with wounds and skin infections), and in the Middle Ages, Paracelsus used it successfully to treat syphilis. However, the ancient Romans applied mercury compounds for long-term use in cosmetics, and many beautiful women eventually died of its cumulative poisonous effects. Today, many popular brands of eye makeup still contain low levels of mercury.In the East, metallic mercury was the main ingredient in most Tantric medicinal preparations. In his travels through India, Marco Polo observed that many people drank a concoction of mercury and sulfur twice monthly from early childhood with no observable ill effects. They believed the drink gave them longevity. Tantric alchemists in India still take metallic mercury in place of food as an elixir of life, although they caution that the body must be perfectly attuned and strengthened to tolerate the intense cosmic infusion of life force. In Indian alchemy, mercury is called rasa, which refers to the subtle essence that is the origin of all forms of matter. The cosmic chaos from which the universe sprang is called the Rasasara or “Sea of Mercury.” The craft of alchemy is referred to as Rasayana or “Knowledge of Mercury.” Go outside on the night of the full moon and gaze up at the silver orb. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the surface of the moon. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let our closest planetary body influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection. Now, pick up piece of silver jewelry or dinnerware, and hold it in your left hand until it gets warm. You should be able to feel a liquid-like sensation of cool metallic energy. This is what alchemists refer to as the “call of silver.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence with the moon itself. Try to remember how this feels in your body. Has the taste in your mouth changed? Has your eyesight altered? How does your skin feel.The alchemists prepared an Oil of Silver they used to treat disorders of the brain and cerebellum, reduce stress, balance emotions, improve memory, treat nervous disorders and epilepsy, improve both melancholia and mania. It was also used as a physical purgative and mental purifier. It was said to affect the subconscious mind, see into the past clearly, remove fears and blockages, allow one to unwind, produce “homey” feelings, give a feeling of grace and sensitivity, and enhanced imagination.Using elaborate mixing and heating techniques, Egyptian alchemists tried making gold by changing the proportions of the Four Elements in the base metals or by attempting to speed up natural growth of lesser metals into gold. Around 100 AD, Egyptian alchemist Maria Prophetissa used mercury and sulfur to try to make gold. Around 300 AD, the alchemist Zosimos, whose recipes often came to him in dreams, was working to transmute copper. “The soul of copper,” he wrote must be purified until it receives the sheen of gold and turns into the royal metal of the Sun." A technique known as "diplosis" (“doubling”) of gold became popular. One such recipe called for heating a mixture of two parts gold with one part each of silver and copper. After appropriate alchemical charging that brought the seed of gold alive, twice as much of a gold as originally added was produced. Egyptian alchemists believed that the gold acted as a seed in metals, especially copper and silver. According to their view, the seed of gold grew, eating the copper and silver as food, until the whole mixture was transformed into pure gold.Gold is a stubbornly pure metal when it comes to reacting or even associating with “lesser” elements. That signature explains a lot of the chemical characteristics of gold. Unlike nearly every other metal, there are no plants that contain even trace amounts of metallic gold. There are very few gold ores, because the noblest metal never alloys with the baser metals, but does alloy with the noble metal silver and makes an amalgam with mercury.Gold is extremely ductile, malleable, and sectile, and so soft it can be cut with a knife, which makes gold impractical to use for tools. It is also very heavy. A gold bar is twice as heavy as an equal-sized bar of lead. Furthermore, gold embodies an inner equilibrium of forces that make it pretty much indestructible. Gold never tarnishes like copper or silver or rust like iron and, whether found buried in the ground, at the bottom of the ocean, in an ancient tomb, or in the ring on your finger, it always looks the same. It cannot be damaged by heat and was considered completely inalterable until around 1100 AD, when alchemists concocted a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids known as Agua Regia (“Royal Water”) that could dissolve gold. The immortal metal is endlessly recycled, and all the gold known today is very nearly equal to all the gold that has ever been mined. One ounce of gold can be stretched into a single wire 35 miles long, or it can be beaten to just a few atoms thick. It is the most flexible, enduring, and beautiful of all metals.

Gold shows a distinct affinity for sulfur and forms an ore with a rare element called tellurium. It is one of the few elements gold easily bonds with. In fact, telluride is rarely found without gold. Gold also appears in minerals that are part of a group of tellurium sulfides called the tellurides. However, the amount of gold in these minerals is really miniscule next to the amount of gold found in its native metallic state. Native gold seems to like the company of the purest white quartz and is also found mixed with deposits of pyrite and a few other sulfide minerals. Gold is six times rarer than silver, and it takes about three tons of gold ore to extract an ounce of gold metal.Around the world, nearly every culture associated their supreme god or goddess with gold. For many centuries only the images of gods graced gold coins, until Alexander the Great began the trend of rulers’ images appearing on gold coins around 30 BC. Even the most primitive societies recognize the sacred properties of gold. For example, the Makuna tribes of modern Brazil believe that gold contains “the light of the sun and stars." The chemical symbol for gold (Au) comes from the Latin word aurum meaning "gold.” The alchemical cipher for gold is a rendition of the sun (A), and gold was considered a kind of congealed light. Sol is the King of alchemy, and his royal purple-red color is revealed in gold colloidal solutions, and red is his symbolic color. Sol Philosophorum was the name the alchemists gave to this living spirit of gold, which they saw as the refined essence of heat and fire. Gold was known and considered sacred from earliest times. Gold became popular because it reminded people of the sun with its warm, life-giving properties. Because of its imperishability, the ancient Chinese thought that gold conveyed immortality to its owners. Egyptian inscriptions dating back to 2600 BC describe these same associations with gold. Gold replaced bartering around 3500 BC when the people of Mesopotamia started using it as a kind of money because of it eternal value. By 2800 BC, gold was being fashioned into standardized weights in the form of rings. People started carried black stones called “touchstones” onto which they scraped a piece of gold to leave a streak. Depending on the brightness of the streak, one could estimate how much gold was in the sample. Around 1500 BC, Mesopotamian alchemists discovered a process for purifying gold known as "cuppellation," which involved heating impure gold in a porcelain cup called a “cuppel.” Impurities were absorbed by the porcelain, leaving a button of pure gold behind. Later alchemists used cuppels to test the quality of their transmutations.Using elaborate mixing and heating techniques, Egyptian alchemists tried making gold by changing the proportions of the Four Elements in the base metals or by attempting to speed up natural growth of lesser metals into gold. Around 100 AD, Egyptian alchemist Maria Prophetissa used mercury and sulfur to try to make gold. Around 300 AD, the alchemist Zosimos, whose recipes often came to him in dreams, was working to transmute copper. “The soul of copper,” he wrote must be purified until it receives the sheen of gold and turns into the royal metal of the Sun." A technique known as "diplosis" (“doubling”) of gold became popular. One such recipe called for heating a mixture of two parts gold with one part each of silver and copper. After appropriate alchemical charging that brought the seed of gold alive, twice as much of a gold as originally added was produced. Egyptian alchemists believed that the gold acted as a seed in metals, especially copper and silver. According to their view, the seed of gold grew, eating the copper and silver as food, until the whole mixture was transformed into pure gold.According to the medieval alchemists, Nature sought continually to create the perfection achieved in gold, and they looked at every metal as gold in the making. Alchemists also thought that the objective of every metal was to become gold, and every metal was tested for corrosion and strength and ranked as to how far it was from gold. Many alchemists felt that mercury was the closest metal to gold and that it could be transmuted directly into gold. Their intuition was correct, for mercury can indeed be turned into gold. Gold and mercury are next to each other on the Periodic Table. Mercury is element 80 (has 80 protons) and gold is element 79 (has 79 protons). In the 1960s, physicists were able to knock out a proton in mercury atoms using neutron particle accelerators, and thereby create minute quantities of gold.Gold is at the head of the metals, paired with what in the medieval mind was the strongest planet, the Sun. The alchemists were obsessed with gold’s signature of perfection. Medieval Italian alchemist Bernard Trevisan speculated, "Is not gold merely the Sun’s beams condensed into a solid yellow?" Seventeenth-century alchemist John French asked fervently: “Is there no sperm in gold? Is it not possible to exalt it for multiplication? Is there no universal spirit in the world? Is it not possible to find that collected in One Thing which is dispersed in all things? What is that which makes gold incorruptible? What induced the philosophers to examine gold for the matter of their medicine? Was not all gold once living? Is there none of this living gold, the matter of philosophers, to be had anymore?”Gold is highly valued in the everyday world too. It is used as coinage and is a standard for monetary systems in many countries. It is used to make jewelry and artwork, and also in dentistry, electronics, and plating. Since it is an excellent reflector of infrared energy (such as emerges from the sun), the metal is used to coat space satellites and interstellar probes. Chlorauric acid is used in photography for toning the silver image. It is also used in medicine to treat degenerative diseases such as arthritis and cancer.Chemist Lilly Kolisko performed experiments with gold chloride and showed its chemical behavior coincided with events that altered the strength of the sun, such as the weakening in solar forces during solar eclipses or their increase during the summer solstice. Moreover, she found that both silver and gold salts seemed to be equally influenced by the sun. In the case of silver, it was the forms or patterns that changed, whereas in the gold, it was the colors that changed. Silver shapes moved from jagged spikes to smooth rolling forms but the colors remained hues of grey, while the basic shape of gold patterns remained the same but the colors changed from brilliant yellows through violet to reddish-purple hues. This work presents an amazing confirmation of how the King and Queen, Sol and Luna, work together in creation, with the female principle representing soul and form and the male principle representing spirit and energy. Kolisko’s innovative work with the metals is presented in the Appendix. Her work has been duplicated by dozens of other chemists and has been confirmed many times.The signatures of gold are invoked in rituals, magical spells, and talismans concerning solar deities, the male force, authority, self-confidence, creativity, financial riches, investments, fortune, hope, health, and worldly and magical power. Gold talismans can be very expensive, but you can make one of gold colored cardboard or write the symbols on it with gold paint or plate an object with gold. Gold jewelry is said to improve self-confidence and inner strength. To charge water with the signature of gold, put a gold object in a glass of water and let sit in the sunlight for 6-10 hours.During sunrise or sunset, face the sun and try to feel it archetypal presence. If not too bright, gaze into the rising or setting sun and try to see the metallic solar disk of which the Egyptian alchemists spoke. Relax and try to focus all your attention on the golden sphere. Relax completely with an open and quiet mind. Become empty and let the presence at the center of our solar system influence you. Do this until you feel a real connection with the distant sun. Continue facing the sun as you pick up a piece of gold jewelry or a vial of pure gold flakes (such as sold in some novelty shops) into your right palm. You should be able to feel a electric warmth building. That eerie, warm vibration is not your imagination. It is what alchemists refer to as the “call of gold” – the resonation of the metal with its “planet.” You are experiencing the metal’s true signature or living correspondence, and for gold, this is the most perfect expression of all materials. If you can connect with this archetype, you will realize that it a very personal as well as divine presence. As Above, so Below. This is perfection on all levels of your mind, body, and soul resonating with the perfection inherent in the Whole Universe.For those with weaker wills or loss of contact with the divine presence, gold represents a psychological cure. The solar essences gives great ambition, courage, self-re-liance, dignity, authority, and the ability to manage oneself and others. The creative principle, no matter how small and insignificant it is within us can be enhanced to a great degree by tapping into the solar archetype. Just as the Sun represents the di-vine creative force in our immediate solar system, gold represents the same thing in our inner temperament. For lasting manifestation, the golden temperament needs to be firmly grounded in the world, and the danger at this phase of transformation is that the individual become too focused on the workings Above and forget his or her connection to the real world. Gold and the blazing Sun correspond to personal ambition, courage, and creative energy and vitality, but without a constant effort to remain pure and alive in the real world, the golden temperament can quickly transmute into the leaden qualities of despair, poor self esteem, lack of confidence, and impurity. Most important for the golden temperament, however, is to realize that once having reached this plateau, one has certain personal and karmic obligations. The golden attitude of this temperament is what brings the rewards of health, wealth, and happiness through synchonistic responses from the universe. Go against these archetypal powers at this level of achievement and even the slightest deviation from the golden path of righteousness and personal integrity can have disastrous and immediate consequences. The alchemists transmuted the Gold temperament using the operation of Coagulation.Chrysotherapy is the name given to healing with gold. The mystical metal has been used for both spiritual and medical purposes as far back as ancient Egypt. Over 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians used gold in dentistry and ingested it for mental, bodily, and spiritual purification. The ancients believed that gold in the body worked by stimulating the life force and raising the level of vibration on all levels. In Alexandria, alchemists developed a powerful elixir known as “liquid gold,” which reportedly had the ability to restore youth and perfect health. In ancient Rome, gold salves were used for the treatment of skin ulcers, and today, gold leaf plays an important role in the treatment of chronic skin ulcers. The great alchemist and founder of modern medicine, Paracelsus, developed many highly successful medicines from metallic minerals including gold. In medieval Europe, gold-coated pills and “gold waters” were extremely popular. Alchemists mixed powdered gold into drinks to "comfort sore limbs," and today, it is widely used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In the 1900s, surgeons implanted a $5.00 gold piece under the skin near an inflamed joint, such as a knee or elbow. In China, peasants still cook their rice with a gold coin in order to help replenish gold in their bodies, and fancy Chinese restaurants put 24-karat gold-leaf in their food preparations.The alchemists believed that gold represented the perfection of matter, and that its presence in the body would enliven, rejuvenate, and cure a multitude of “dis-eases.” Gold is never corrodes or even tarnishes, is completely non-toxic, and exhibits no interactions with other drugs. Gold is the only heavy metal that has a right-hand atomic spin and is therefore easily tolerated by the body.The alchemists believed that gold represented the perfection of matter, and that its presence in the body would enliven, rejuvenate, and cure a multitude of “dis-eases.” Gold is never corrodes or even tarnishes, is completely non-toxic, and exhibits no interactions with other drugs. Gold is the only heavy metal that has a right-hand atomic spin and is therefore easily tolerated by the body.Sun-ruled plants affect the soul in its positive phase of manifestation, which manifests on the personal level as our idea of ourselves as a progressive unified entity. Solar herbs help us realize our evolutionary epoch as an individual among many other individuals, helping to synthesize and synchronize our goals with those of the macrocosm. In this sense they are ego fortifiers, but with a divine purpose.Solar herbs heal inferiority complexes, bolstering people and giving them a sense of purpose beyond the norm. The Sun represents the Christ and Osiris consciousness in man, as well as Hercules in his monumental strength. For those with weaker wills, Sun ruled herbs will provide the springboard for more posi-tive action; they also bestow the quality of generosity to our souls. Solar plants, when alchemically charged, will reveal the divine purpose of our solar system, and will let you be-come aware of the will of God in manifestation. Solar essences give great ambition.

 

www.azothalchemy.org/metals.htm

  

Lucky grab-shot from the car headed north on the freeway, leaving Salt Lake City.

Não existe fórmula única para o sucesso, pois há diversos caminhos para se chegar lá. Você já deve ter ouvido isso diversas vezes, mas sempre vale a pena lembrar: há mais pessoas que desistem do que pessoas que fracassam.

 

Se você desistir, restará sempre a dúvida do "se". Nem sempre é possível conseguir da primeira vez, e isso não representa motivos para a desistência pura e simples.

 

Só erra quem tenta e a melhor forma de aprendizado é por meio da análise e entendimento dos próprios erros. Aprendemos muito mais com os erros do que com os acertos, mesmo porque sempre quando acertamos tocamos em frente e não damos conta do caminho que utilizamos para conseguir acertar.

 

Lembre-se de que quem bate esquece, quem apanha não esquece jamais, e vai sempre se lembrar do tombo ou da surra que levou e, principalmente, recordar-se-á da forma, dos atores e demais condicionantes do cenário em que o erro aconteceu.

 

Os alpinistas quando escalam uma montanha, os exploradores quando entram em uma caverna e os navegantes de mares abertos sempre registram o caminho trilhado para saber o que terão de fazer na viagem de retorno, ou para empreenderem uma nova viagem.

 

O mesmo se aplica em nossas vidas. É importante conhecer o caminho do sucesso e registrá-lo para repeti-lo novamente.

 

Boa sorte na conquista de sua liberdade!

 

Texto: Luiz Roberto Carnier. Adaptação do livro: "Marketing Silencioso - Quando a Propaganda Não é a Alma do Negócio".

El Palmar de Troya:

Es una entidad local autónoma del municipio español de Utrera (Sevilla). Existen datos históricos de época romana y del siglo XIII cuando pertenecía a la "Banda morisca", el actual asentamiento se debe principalmente a los familiares de los presos políticos que tras la guerra civil construyeron el pantano del águila y posteriormente a ellos mismos.

En la actualidad es conocida, sobre todo, por el templo de la Orden de los Carmelitas de la Santa Faz, que es una escisión herética de la Iglesia Católica y que acabó siendo la Iglesia Palmariana. Fue fundada por Clemente Domínguez y Gómez junto a Manuel Alonso Corral. Sus papas son considerados por la Iglesia Católica como antipapas. Otros consideran a esta organización como una secta, especialmente a raíz de que en 2016 el Papa Gregorio XVIII reconociera que “Todo ha sido un montaje sobre todo económico. Aprovechándonos del milagro de la virgen”

 

In Texas it exists only in our imaginations.

Josh Groban - "Voce Existe Em Mim" Lyric Video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9otJPwb7hY&feature=mfu_in_or...

  

Você Existe Em Mim ~ by Josh Groban

(english version)

lyricstranslate.com/en/voce-existe-em-mim-you-exist-me.html

 

YOU EXIST IN ME

I’ve come to love you ‘till the end

of this rain that leads our tropical bodies.

I’ll love you until this moon that clarifies the sun lasts

without ever resting.

Love, as much as it’s needed

So, refuse the darkness, I love you

Cry, what for?

To cry is the end

You exist in me

I've come to serve love

and to land the angels of my poems

So that you never stop loving me

Shall the verses be born within God like this?

Just like the flowers that grows in every Spring

So as to pamper the gardens?

Love, as much as it’s needed!

So, refuse the darkness, I love you

Cry, what for?

To cry is the end

You exist in me

The sand licks the salt

The storm has already gone and the solution is only you and me!

The soul sips the sea which the heart has shed

And making me happy is what you do to me

Love, as much as it’s needed!

So, refuse the darkness, I love you

Cry, what for?

To cry is the end

You exist in me

  

Você Existe Em Mim ~ by Josh Groban

(portuguese version)

From: lyricstranslate.com

 

Vim amar voce ate o final

Da chuva que navega nosso corpo tropical

Espero amar voce ate durar

A lua que esclarece esse sol sem descansar jamais

Amar o quanto precisar que ame

E entao recuse a escuridao te amo

Pra que chorar

Chorar e fim

Voce existe em mim

Vim servi amor e aterrissar

Os anjos dos meus versos

Pra voce nao me deixar de amar

Serra que em deus os versos nascem assim

Como em toda primavera nascem flores

Pra mimar jardim

Amar o quanto precisar que ame

E entao recuse a escuridao te amo

Pra que chorar

Chorar e fim

Voce existe em mim

A areia lambe o sal

Ja passou o temporal e a solucao so voce e eu

A alma bebe o mar que vazou do coracao

E voce me faz me fazer feliz

O quanto precisar que ame

E entao recuse a escuridao te amo

Pra que chorar

Chorar e fim

Voce existe em mim

 

 

“things only exist if they are told/narrated”

(attributed to Alessandro Baricco);

 

“le cose esistono solo se vengono raccontate”

(attribuita ad Alessandro Baricco).

 

POSTER - LOCANDINA –

 

< a>

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);

or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;

 

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;

 

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

 

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

 

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

 

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

………………………………………………………

 

This "photographic story" ideally follows the previous one, for two reasons, first because in this case too, as in the previous story we talk about "angels", they are the "Golden Angels" of San Pier Niceto (in the province of Messina), and second, because this singular and beautiful religious festival, with its procession, also takes place during the Easter period, specifically during "Holy Tuesday". The photographs that I post (not a few, I wish in this way to pay homage to the inhabitants of San Pier Niceto, who can find themselves in these photos, especially for those fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles, in seeing their beloved and very sweet "angels - angiolette"); if you look closely at some of the photographed subjects, you will notice a "temporal disconnect", in fact in some cases, the same girls are present, with two different ages, they will be dressed differently, this is because the photos were taken during Holy Tuesday of 2024 and that of 2025. The temporal sequence of the photographs does not take into account either the year in which they were taken, nor the moments attributable to the phases of the ceremony and subsequent procession.

In San Pier Niceto, on the Peloritani Mountains in Sicily, during the Holy Tuesday takes place the SS. Crucifix procession, whose roots are ancient. The Church of St. James houses and cares for the precious Crucifix, Which is brought to the procession by the streets of the country preceded by very young children, of both sexes, who imitate little Angels, Angels and Grieving young Nuns, dressed in elaborate dresses covered with many gold jewelery, sewn by handy hands that with pins, necklaces , Bracelets and many other gold jewelry applied to their little clothes, they make real works of art whose designs are reminiscent of Easter symbols. Gold for dressing is collected home from home by people who have to melt a "vote", gold that will be returned at the end of the procession. Everything begins during Lent when parents decide to dress their baby by little Angels, Angels or Grieving Nuns .The Little Angels are usually 3 or 4 year olds, the Angels are a little bigger, the Nuns are little young girls. Thus the preparations for the elaboration of the elaborate clothes begin: Parents during Lent are knocking at every door of the country, among friends and relatives, to borrow bracelets, brooches, necklaces and all the gold necessary for the composition of embroidery . The Little Angel's dress is white, short down to the knee, made up of a gold-plated bodice and a skirt with some golden embroidery; Arms are adorned by bracelets, the head is adorned by a collier, small wings (white dove feathers) sprout from behind. The Angels have a white tunic, on which sacred icons are embroidered in gold, the head is covered by a collier, wings lie on their shoulders. The Nun's dress is black, on which are stitched the crowns of the S.S. Rosary, on the head is placed a white veil, held by a rose crown. At 16:30 on Holy Tuesday, a tapping of bells together with the band's fanfare in the village, set off at the "Crucifixion Procession" of San Pier Niceto: at the foot of the Crucifix there are red roses, behind it are located branches of cypress (at the end of the event the faithful will carry with them a piece of cypress as a relic), finally the red ribbons are tied to the arms of the Crucifix, they will mark the procession of the procession until the arrival at the Mother Church, a century church to St. Peter the Apostle, where the celebration of the Holy Mass will take place (the reverse path will bring the SS Crucifix to the Church of St. James): in perfect order the faithful in religious silence, with votive candles in their hands, walk the streets of the country never crossing the red ribbons as they delimit the path of the Golden Little Angels, Angels and the Grieving young Nuns .

  

Questo "racconto fotografico" segue idealmente il precedente, per due motivi, innanzitutto perchè anche in questo caso, come nel racconto precedente si parla di "angeli", sono "gli Angioletti d'oro" di San Pier Niceto (in provincia di Messina), e secondo, perchè questa singolare e bella festa religiosa, con la sua processione, si svolge anch'essa durante il periodo pasquale, nello specifico durante il "Martedì Santo". Le fotografie che posto (non poche, desidero in tal modo omaggiare gli abitanti di San Pier Niceto, che possano ritrovarsi in queste foto, soprattutto per quei papà, mamme, nonni, nonne, zie e zii, nel rivedere i loro adorati e dolcissimi "angioletti - angiolette"); a ben guardare in alcuni dei soggetti fotografati, si noterà uno "scollamento temportale", infatti in qualche caso, sono presenti le stessi bimbe, con due età diverse, saranno vestite diversamente, questo perchè le foto sono state realizzate durante il Martedì Santo del 2024 e quello del 2025. La sequenza temporale delle fotografie non tiene conto nè dell'anno nel quale sono state realizzate, nè dei momenti ascrivibili alle fasi della cerimonia e successiva processione.

A San Pier Niceto, sui monti Peloritani in Sicilia, durante il Martedì Santo prende vita la processione per le vie del paese del SS. Crocifisso, le cui radici sono antichissime. La Chiesa di San Giacomo ospita e custodisce il pregevole Crocifisso, che viene portato in processione per le vie del paese preceduto da bambini anche molto piccoli, di entrambi i sessi, che impersonano Angioletti ed Addoloratine vestiti con elaboratissimi abiti ricoperti con tantissimi monili d’oro, cuciti dalle mani abili di sarte che con spille, collane, bracciali e tanti altri monili in oro applicati sui loro piccoli vestiti, realizzano vere opere d’arte i cui disegni ricordano simboli pasquali. L’oro per la realizzazione dei vestitini viene raccolto di casa in casa da persone che hanno da sciogliere un “voto”, oro che verrà restituito alla fine della processione. Tutto ha inizio durante la Quaresima, quando dei genitori decidono per “voto” di vestire il proprio bambino da Angioletto, Angiolone o Monachella.

Gli Angioletti sono solitamente bimbi di 3 o 4 anni, gli Angioloni sono un po’ più grandi, le Monachelle sono delle bambine. Così iniziano i preparativi per la realizzazione degli elaboratissimi vestiti: i genitori durante la Quaresima bussano ad ogni porta del paese, tra la cerchia di amici e parenti, per prendere in prestito bracciali, spille, collane e tutto l’oro necessario alla composizione dei ricami. Il vestito degli Angioletti è bianco, corto fino al ginocchio, composto da un corpetto ricoperto d’oro ed una gonna segnata da alcuni ricami d’oro; le braccia sono adornate da bracciali, la testa è adornata da un collier, da dietro le spalle spuntano delle piccole ali (piume di colomba bianca). Gli Angioloni hanno una tunica bianca sulla quale vengono ricamate delle icone sacre in oro, la testa è cinta da un collier, sulle spalle trovano posto delle ali. Il vestito delle Monachelle invece è nero, sul quale vengono cucite delle coroncine del S.S. Rosario, sul capo viene posto un velo bianco, trattenuto da una corona di rose. Alle 16:30 del Martedì Santo un rintocco di campane insieme alla fanfare della banda del paese, danno il via alla “Processione del Crocifisso” di San Pier Niceto: ai piedi della Croce vi sono delle rose rosse, dietro di essa trovano posto dei rami di cipresso (alla fine dell’evento i fedeli porteranno con se un pezzetto di rametto come reliquia), infine dei nastri rossi vengono legati alle braccia del Crocifisso, essi segneranno il percorso della processione, fino all’arrivo al Duomo, una chiesa cinquecentesca dedicata a San Pietro apostolo, ove si terrà la celebrazione della Santa Messa ( il percorso inverso riporterà il S.S. Crocifisso nella Chiesa di San Giacomo): in perfetto ordine i fedeli in religioso silenzio, con ceri votivi in mano, percorrono le vie del paese, non oltrepassando i nastri rossi poiché essi delimitano il percorso degli Angioletti d’oro e delle Addoloratine.

 

photo + hdr + ps oleo

Translate by google

Trollstigen is a spectacular mountain road in the Rauma area in the western part of Norway. This winding road climbs up the mountain and offers an exciting driving experience.

 

The Trollstigen Road is one of our most popular national tourist itineraries, as well as a spectacular ascent or descent along the winding road that separates Åndalsnes and Valldal.

 

This road is not particularly long, but it arches in 11 hairpin bends to Stigrøra, 858 meters above sea level. At the top of Trollstigen there is a platform from which you can enjoy spectacular views, as well as two viewpoints that you will find along the road. All of them have been designed to blend with the natural landscape by the Norwegian architectural firm Reiulf Ramstad Architects.

 

Construction of the road began in 1916, but for centuries there has been a footpath or bridleway connecting Åndalsnes and Valldal. In fact, today parts of the original packhorse trail can still be seen at some points along the road.

 

Each of the 11 hairpin curves has its own name, most in honor of the foremen who led the construction crews responsible for building the road. Driving on this road is fascinating, but it will also test your nerves! Therefore, if you are not comfortable with heights, it may be best to hand over the steering wheel to one of your companions.

 

Information about Trollstigen

The road was inaugurated on July 31, 1936 by King Haakon VII of Norway. Previously, farmers settled on both sides of the mountain had worked hard to build and improve the cart road that existed before its inauguration.

The road is narrow, with a gradient of approximately 9%

Vehicles longer than 13.1 meters cannot travel on this road

The road is closed during the winter months, but is a popular tourist attraction in the summer

Along the route there are several impressive viewpoints and nooks that offer spectacular views.

 

Trollstigen es una espectacular carretera de montaña en el área de Rauma, en la parte occidental de Noruega. Esta serpenteante carretera asciende por la montaña y ofrece una experiencia de conducción apasionante.

 

La carretera de Trollstigen es uno de nuestros itinerarios turísticos nacionales más populares, así como un espectacular ascenso o descenso por la serpenteante carretera que separa Åndalsnes y Valldal.

 

Esta carretera no es particularmente larga, pero se arquea en 11 curvas cerradas hasta Stigrøra, a 858 metros sobre el nivel del mar. En la cima de Trollstigen hay una plataforma desde la que podrás disfrutar de unas vistas espectaculares, además de dos miradores que encontrarás a lo largo de la carretera. Todos ellos han sido diseñados para fundirse con el paisaje natural por la firma de arquitectos noruega Reiulf Ramstad Architects.

 

La construcción de la carretera comenzó en 1916, pero desde hace siglos ha habido un sendero o camino de herradura que conectaba Åndalsnes y Valldal. De hecho, hoy en día aún pueden apreciarse en algunos puntos de la carretera partes del camino original para caballos de carga.

 

Cada una de las 11 curvas de horquilla tiene su propio nombre, la mayoría en honor a los capataces que dirigieron las brigadas de construcción responsables de construir la carretera. Conducir por esta carretera es fascinante, ¡pero también pondrá a prueba tus nervios! Por lo tanto, si no te sientes cómodo con las alturas, tal vez sea mejor que le cedas el volante a alguno de tus acompañantes.

 

Información sobre Trollstigen

La carretera fue inaugurada el 31 de julio de 1936 por el rey Haakon VII de Noruega. Anteriormente, los granjeros asentados en ambas laderas de la montaña habían trabajado duramente en la construcción y mejora del camino de carros que existía antes de su inauguración

La carretera es estrecha, con una pendiente de aproximadamente el 9 %

Los vehículos con una longitud superior a 13.1 metros no pueden transitar por esta carretera

La carretera está cerrada durante los meses de invierno, pero es una atracción turística muy popular en verano

A lo largo del trayecto hay varios miradores y recovecos impresionantes que ofrecen unas vistas espectaculares

A giant tortoise at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz

 

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise (Geochelone nigra) is the largest living tortoise, native to seven islands of the Galápagos archipelago. The Galápagos tortoise is unique to the Galápagos Islands. Fully grown adults can weigh over 300 kilograms (661 lb) and measure 1.2 meters (4 ft) long. They are long-lived with a life expectancy in the wild estimated to be 100-150 years. Populations fell dramatically because of hunting and the introduction of predators and grazers by humans since the seventeenth century. Now only ten subspecies of the original twelve exist in the wild. However, conservation efforts since the establishment of the Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation have met with success, and hundreds of captive-bred juveniles have been released back onto their home islands. They have become one of the most symbolic animals of the fauna of the Galápagos Islands. The tortoises have very large shells (carapace) made of bone. The bony plates of the shell are integral to the skeleton, fused with the ribs in a rigid protective structure. Naturalist Charles Darwin remarked "These animals grow to an immense size ... several so large that it required six or eight men to lift them from the ground.". This is due to the phenomenon of island gigantism whereby in the absence of natural predation, the largest tortoises had a survival advantage and no disadvantage in fleeing or fending off predators. When threatened, it can withdraw its head, neck and all forelimbs into its shell for protection, presenting a protected shield to a would-be predator. The legs have hard scales that also provide armour when withdrawn. Tortoises keep a characteristic scute pattern on their shell throughout life. These have annual growth bands but are not useful for aging as the outer layers are worn off. There is little variation in the dull-brown colour of the shell or scales. Physical features (including shape of the shell) relate to the habitat of each of the subspecies. These differences were noted by Captain Porter even before Charles Darwin. Larger islands with more wet highlands such as Santa Cruz and the Alcedo Volcano on Isabela have lush vegetation near the ground. Tortoises here tend to have 'dome-back' shells. These animals have restricted upward head movement due to shorter necks, and also have shorter limbs. These are the heaviest and largest of the subspecies.Smaller, drier islands such as Española and Pinta are inhabited by tortoises with 'saddleback' shells comprising a flatter carapace which is elevated above the neck and flared above the hind feet. Along with longer neck and limbs, this allows them to browse taller vegetation. On these drier islands the Galápagos Opuntia cactus (a major source of their fluids) has evolved a taller, tree-like form. This is evidence of an evolutionary arms race between progressively taller tortoises and correspondingly taller cacti. Saddlebacks are smaller in size than domebacks. They tend to have a yellowish color on lower mandible and throat. At one extreme, the Sierra Negra volcano population that inhabits southern Isabela Island has a very flattened "tabletop" shell. However, there is no saddleback/domeback dualism; tortoises can also be of 'intermediate' type with characteristics of both. The tortoises are slow-moving reptiles with an average long-distance walking speed of 0.3 km/h (0.18 mph). Although feeding giant tortoises browse with no apparent direction, when moving to water-holes or nesting grounds, they can move at surprising speeds for their size. Marked individuals have been reported to have traveled 13 km in two days. Being cold-blooded, the tortoises bask for two hours after dawn, absorbing the energy through their shells, then becoming active for 8–9 hours a day. They may sleep for about sixteen hours in a mud wallow partially or submerged in rain-formed pools (sometimes dew ponds formed by garua-moisture dripping off trees). This may be both a thermoregulatory response and a protection from parasites such as mosquitoes and ticks. Some rest in a 'pallet'- a snug depression in soft ground or dense brush- which probably helps to conserve heat and may aid digestion. On the Alcedo Volcano, repeated use of the same sites by the large resident population has resulted in the formation of small sandy pits. Darwin observed that: "The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking near behind them. I was always amused, when overtaking one of these great monsters as it was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a heavy sound, as if struck dead." The tortoises can vocalise in aggressive encounters, whilst righting themselves if turned upside down and, in males, during mating. The latter is described as "rhythmic groans". The tortoises are herbivorous animals with a diet comprising cactus, grasses, leaves, vines, and fruit. Fresh young grass is a favorite food of the tortoises, and others are the 'poison apple' (Hippomane mancinella) (toxic to humans), the endemic guava (Psidium galapageium), the water fern (Azolla microphylla), and the bromeliad (Tillandsia insularis). Tortoises eat a large quantity of food when it is available at the expense of incomplete digestion. Its favorite food is grasses. The tortoise normally eat an average of 70 to 80 pounds a day. Tortoises have a classic example of a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with some species of Galápagos finch. The finch hops in front of the tortoise to show that it is ready and the tortoise then raises itself up high on its legs and stretches out its neck so that the bird can pick off ticks that are hidden in the folds of the skin (especially on the rear legs, cloacal opening, neck, and skin between plastron and carapace), thus freeing the tortoise from harmful parasites and providing the finch with an easy meal. Other birds, including Galápagos Hawk and flycatchers, use tortoises as observation posts from which to sight their prey. Mating occurs at any time of the year, although it does have seasonal peaks between January and August. When two mature males meet in the mating season they will face each other, rise up on their legs and stretch up their necks with their mouths open to assess dominance. Occasionally, head-biting occurs, but usually the shorter loser tortoise will back off, leaving the other to mate with the female. In groups of tortoises from mixed island populations, saddleback males have an advantage over domebacks. Frustrated non-dominant males have been observed attempting to mate with other males and boulders. The male sniffs the air when seeking a female, bellows loudly, and bobs his head. The male then rams the female with the front of his shell and bites her exposed legs until she withdraws them, immobilizing her. Copulation can last several hours with roaring vocalisations from the males. Their concave shell base allows males to mount the females from behind. It brings its tail which houses the penis into the female's cloaca. After mating (June-December), the females journey up to several kilometres to reach nesting areas of dry, sandy ground (often near the coast). Nest digging can last from hours to days and is elaborate and exhausting. It is carried out blindly using only the hind legs to dig a 30 cm deep hole, into which she lays up to sixteen hard-shelled eggs the size of tennis balls. The female makes a muddy plug for the nest hole out of soil mixed with urine and leaves the eggs to incubate. In rocky areas, the eggs are deposited randomly into cracks. The young emerge from the nest after 120 to 140 days gestation later (December-April) and may weigh only 80 grams (2.8 oz) and measure 6 centimetres (2.4 in). Temperature plays a role in the sex of the hatchling: if the nest temperature is lower, more males will hatch; if it is high, more females will hatch. When the young tortoises emerge from their shells, they must dig their way to the surface, which can take up to a month. All have domed carapaces, and subspecies are indistinguishable. Galápagos Hawk used to be the only native predator of the tortoise hatchlings, as Darwin remarked: "The young tortoises, as soon as they are hatched, fall prey in great numbers to buzzards". Sex can be determined only when the tortoise is 15 years old, and sexual maturity is reached at 20 to 25 years old. The tortoises grow slowly for about 40 years until they reach their full size. Reproductive prime is considered to be from the ages of 60–90. The shape of the carapace of some subspecies of the tortoises is said to have reminded the early Spanish explorers of a kind of saddle they called a "galápago," and for these saddle-shaped tortoises they named the archipelago. Up to 250,000 tortoises inhabited the islands when they were discovered. Today only about 15,000 are left.

 

The inhabitants...state that they can distinguish the tortoise from different islands; and that they differ not only in size, but in other characters. Captain Porter has described those from Charles and from the nearest island to it, namely Hood Island, as having their shells in front thick and turned up like a Spanish saddle, whilst the tortoises from James Island are rounder, blacker, and have a better taste when cooked.---Charles Darwin 1845

 

There were probably twelve subspecies of Geochelone nigra in the Galápagos Islands, although some recognise up to 15 subspecies. Now only 11 subspecies remain, five on Isabela Island, and the other six on Santiago, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Pinzón, Española and Pinta. Of these, the Pinta Island subspecies is extinct in the wild and is represented by a single individual (Lonesome George). In the past, zoos took animals without knowing their island of origin. Production of fertile offspring from various pairings of tortoises largely confirmed that they are subspecies and not different species. All the subspecies of giant tortoise evolved in Galápagos from a common ancestor that arrived from the mainland, floating on the ocean currents (the tortoises can drift for long periods of time as they are buoyant and can stretch head upwards to breathe). Only a single pregnant female or breeding pair needed to arrive in this way, and then survive, for Galápagos to be colonised. In the seventeenth century, pirates started to use the Galápagos islands as a base for resupply, restocking on food, water and repairing vessels before attacking Spanish colonies on the South American mainland. The tortoises were collected and stored live on board ships where they could survive for at least a year without food or water, providing valuable fresh meat, whilst their diluted urine and water stored in their neck bags could also be used as drinking water. Of the meat, Darwin wrote: "the breast-plate roasted (as the Gauchos do 'carne con cuero'), with the flesh on it, is very good; and the young tortoises make excellent soup; but otherwise the meat to my taste is indifferent." In the nineteenth century, whaling ships and fur-sealers collected tortoises for food and many more were killed for high grade 'turtle oil' from the late 1800s onward. Darwin described this process thus: "beautifully clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, the man makes a slit in the skin near its tail, so as to see inside its body, whether the fat under the dorsal plate is thick. If it is not, the animal is liberated and it is said to recover soon from this strange operation." A total of over 15,000 tortoises is recorded in the logs of 105 whaling ships between 1811 and 1844. As hunters found it easiest to collect the tortoises living round the coastal zones, the least decimated populations tended to be those in the highlands. Population decline accelerated with the early settlement of the islands, when they were hunted for meat, their habitat was cleared for agriculture and alien mammal species were introduced. Feral pigs, dogs, cats and black rats are effective predators of eggs and young tortoises, whilst goats, donkeys and cattle compete for grazing. In the twentieth century, increasing human settlement and urbanisation and collection of tortoises for zoo and museum specimens depleted numbers even more. The Galápagos giant tortoise is now strictly protected. Young tortoises are raised in a programme by the Charles Darwin Research Station in order to bolster the numbers of the extant subspecies. Eggs are collected from places on the islands where they are threatened and when the tortoises hatch they are kept in captivity until they have reached a size that ensures a good chance of survival and are returned to their original ranges. The Galápagos National Park Service systematically culls feral predators and competitors where necessary such as the complete eradication of goats from Pinta. The conservation project begun in the 1970s successfully brought 10 of the 11 endangered subspecies up to guarded population levels. The most significant recovery was that of the Española Tortoise, whose breeding stock comprised 2 males and 11 females brought to the Darwin Station. Fortuitously, a third male was discovered at the San Diego Zoo and joined the others in a captive breeding program. These 13 tortoises gave rise to over 1000 tortoises now released into their home island. In all, 2500 individuals of all breeds have been reintroduced to the islands. However, persecution still continues on a much smaller scale; more than 120 tortoises have been killed by poachers since 1990 and they have been taken hostage as political leverage by local fishermen.

 

Santa Cruz

With the largest human population in the Galapagos archipelago, Isla Santa Cruz is the most important of the Galapagos Islands. Meaning Holy Cross in Spanish, this island is also known as Indefatigable, after the HMS Indefatigable landed here long ago. The second largest island terms of land area at 986 sq km, Isla Santa Cruz is home to the key town of Puerto Ayora, the Charles Darwin Research Station and the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park Service. With its own airport on Isla Baltra a few miles away, Isla Santa Cruz is where most visitors who come to the Galapagos Islands usually stay. With a number of bars, hotels, restaurants and shops in Puerto Ayora, most tours of the Archipelago also usually begin from here.

 

Galapagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, some 900 km west of Ecuador. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature. Because of the only very recent arrival of man the majority of the wildlife has no fear of humans and will allow visitors to walk right up them, often having to step over Iguanas or Sea Lions.The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters are part of a province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of around 40,000, which is a 40-fold expansion in 50 years. The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

La Cartuja de Santa María de Miraflores es un monasterio de la Orden de los Cartujos, edificado en una loma conocida como Miraflores, situada a unos tres kilómetros del centro de la ciudad de Burgos (Castilla y León, España).

Es una joya del arte gótico final. En el conjunto destaca la iglesia, cuya portada occidental, en estilo gótico isabelino, está decorada con los escudos de sus fundadores. El templo es de una sola nave, capillas laterales y ábside poligonal. La nave está cubierta con bóveda estrellada.

En 2015, para la aprobación por la Unesco de la ampliación del Camino de Santiago en España a «Caminos de Santiago de Compostela: Camino francés y Caminos del Norte de España», la administración española envió como documentación un «Inventario Retrospectivo - Elementos Asociados» (Retrospective Inventory - Associated Components) que incluye con el n.º 1009 a la Cartuja de Santa María de Miraflores.

La Cartuja se encuentra a 3 km al este del centro de la ciudad de Burgos, en el entorno del parque de Fuentes Blancas y al sur del río Arlanzón. El monumento está conectado con la ciudad por la carretera BU-800 y puede llegarse también a pie por una ruta natural. Es posible acudir en autobús o en taxi desde la ciudad y también existe aparcamiento gratuito para los vehículos privados y autobuses.

El rey Juan II de Castilla, cumpliendo con la voluntad testamentaria de su padre Enrique III de Castilla, dona a la Orden de los Cartujos el palacio y alcázar de Miraflores, que era un pabellón de caza ubicado a las afueras de la ciudad de Burgos, mandado construir en 1401 por su padre, Enrique III de Castilla.

La cartuja de Miraflores fue fundada en 1442. Tras algunas reticencias de los frailes, por ser muy frío y carecer de agua, la comunidad se establece y el edificio es puesto bajo la advocación de San Francisco (Cartuja de San Francisco de Miraflores). Los monjes, que procedían de otras cartujas hispanas, se instalaron en el palacio-alcázar. Pero no duró mucho este primer monasterio, porque en 1454 un incendio lo destruye.

En 1453 se decidió construir el actual edificio. Entre los años 1454 y 1488 se desarrollan las obras del nuevo monasterio, que ahora es puesto bajo la advocación de Santa María de la Anunciación (de Miraflores). Las obras se encargaron a Juan de Colonia, que trabajaba por entonces en la catedral de Burgos, y comienzan en 1454. Ese año Enrique IV sucede a su padre, Juan II, y las obras quedan casi paradas.

Es en 1477 cuando son impulsadas por la reina Isabel la Católica. En su reinado se termina el Retablo Mayor y el sepulcro de Juan II de Castilla e Isabel de Portugal, situado en el presbiterio. La iglesia de la cartuja es sobre todo un panteón real, ocupado por la familia de Isabel. Cuando muere Juan de Colonia, continua la tracería arquitectónica Garci Fernández de Matienzo. Este muere de peste en 1478 y es sucedido por Simón de Colonia , hijo de Juan de Colonia. Las obras para cubrir el templo se terminan hacia 1484.

Entre 1532 y 1539, se emprenden otras obras arquitectónicas en el monasterio bajo la dirección de Diego de Mendieta, para crear las capillas laterales (lado izquierdo solo) y dotar de mayor altura a la iglesia. Se procede también a incorporar agujas y pináculos, y se coloca la crestería gótica.

El monasterio sigue el modelo de otros monasterios cartujos de la Edad Media. La planta se desarrolla a partir de la colocación de la iglesia y el trazado de dos claustros principales para cada uno de los grupos de monjes cartujos que lo habitan: padres y hermanos. Alrededor de estos dos claustros están las ermitas individuales que permiten a los monjes vivir en la soledad y el silencio propios de la espiritualidad cartujana. Esta parte del monasterio no es visitable.

La planta de la iglesia está formada por una sola nave longitudinal cuatripartita, distinguiéndose los espacios del presbiterio, el coro de los Padres, el coro de los Hermanos y la estancia de los fieles. La nave está cerrada con bóvedas de crucería con terceletes, manteniéndose el original trazado de estilo gótico.

La portada de la iglesia se alzó en 1486 y fue ubicada originalmente en el lateral izquierdo del templo, proporcionando el acceso de los fieles directamente desde el exterior del monasterio. Está formada por arquivoltas apuntadas decoradas con vegetales, animales y algunos motivos figurativos humanos. La arquería está situada bajo un gran arco conopial con macollas. En el tímpano se representa el motivo de la Compasión de la Virgen, que conforme a los cánones iconográficos bajomedievales, presenta a la Virgen sentada sujetando con sus brazos a su Hijo muerto, y los símbolos de la luna y el sol sobre los brazos de la cruz.

Estilísticamente se vincula a la obra de los Colonia (padre e hijo), que intervinieron en el levantamiento del templo. Puede relacionarse también con otras portadas de otros templos burgaleses, como la iglesia de San Nicolás de Bari o la iglesia de San Lesmes.

Entre 1657 y 1659 se ordenó su traslado a la ubicación actual, la fachada oeste, a los pies de la nave del templo. Se accede a ella desde el patio de la portería. En 2010 se procedió a restaurar la portada para devolverla a su estado original y, además, recuperar la escultura de la Compasión de la Virgen.

El retablo mayor de la Cartuja fue tallado en madera por el artista Gil de Siloé y policromado y dorado por Diego de la Cruz, con oro que procedía de los primeros envíos del continente americano tras el descubrimiento. Realizado entre 1496 y 1499, se trata sin duda de una de las obras más importantes de la escultura gótica hispana, por su originalidad compositiva e iconográfica y la excelente calidad de la talla, valorada por la policromía.

Uno de los elementos más destacados del retablo es la rueda angélica en la que se enmarca la imagen de Cristo crucificado, de belleza y expresividad acentuadas significativamente por el trabajo de policromía de Diego de la Cruz. En la parte más externa de la rueda se sitúan las figuras de Dios Padre, a la izquierda, y del Espíritu Santo, a la derecha, sosteniendo el travesaño de la cruz.

En la parte inferior del madero, completan la escena las figuras de la Virgen María y San Juan Evangelista. El pelícano situado en la parte superior de la cruz confiere al conjunto central un gran valor simbólico, alegoría del sacrificio eucarístico, porque el ave alimenta a sus crías con su propia sangre.

El conjunto de sepulcros reales fue obra del artista Gil de Siloé por encargo de la reina Isabel la Católica. Por una parte se encuentra colocado en el centro de la nave el sepulcro de Juan II e Isabel de Portugal, que tiene forma de estrella de ocho puntas. Y, en el lado del Evangelio de la iglesia, se encuentra colocado el sepulcro del infante Alfonso de Castilla. Ambos sepulcros fueron realizados en alabastro y son joyas de la escultura del gótico tardío.

El sepulcro de Juan II de Castilla y de su segunda esposa, Isabel de Portugal, está realizado en alabastro y es de estilo gótico. Tiene planta octogonal en forma de estrella de ocho puntas, resultado de la superposición de un cuadrado y un rombo. Los vértices de la estrella de ocho puntas que da forma al sepulcro están adornados con figuras alegóricas, imágenes de santos, apóstoles y, en las esquinas mayores del sepulcro aparecen las imágenes sedentes de los cuatro evangelistas. Completan la abundante decoración del sepulcro, tanto en torno al lecho mortuorio como en el soporte de la estrella, una serie de escudos reales, figuras de animales, decoraciones vegetales y motivos arquitectónicos. El zócalo que separa el sepulcro del suelo está decorado con figuras de animales y motivos vegetales.

La estatua yacente representa al rey Juan II de Castilla, con su cabeza coronada, descansando sobre dos almohadones y vuelta ligeramente hacia el exterior. El rey está cubierto con un rico manto y adornado con numerosas joyas. En la mano derecha, mutilada en la actualidad, sostenía el cetro real, y con la mano izquierda el monarca recoge los pliegues de su manto real. El rey calza chapines que se apoyan en una peana bajo la que aparecen dos leones que están luchando y tienen entrecruzadas sus patas.

La estatua yacente representa a la reina Isabel de Portugal, con su cabeza coronada, descansando sobre dos almohadones y vuelta ligeramente hacia el exterior. La estatua yacente muestra a la reina más recostada que su esposo y apoyando ligeramente el peso de su cuerpo sobre su brazo izquierdo. La reina viste ropa larga hasta los pies con sobretúnica y el manto con el que se cubre está adornado con aljófares y pedrerías. En las manos lleva guantes y varios anillos, y ambas manos sostienen un devocionario abierto. A los pies de la reina están colocados un niño, un león y un perro, símbolo este último de fidelidad conyugal.

El sepulcro del infante Alfonso de Castilla está realizado en alabastro y es de estilo gótico. Es de tipo arcosolio, y está rematado por un arco conopial con arcada angrelada, adornado todo ello con motivos vegetales, perdidos en buena parte, ángeles tenantes que sostienen el escudo del reino de Castilla y León, y una imagen del Arcángel San Miguel que remata el conjunto. El sepulcro está enmarcado por dos pilastras que, partiendo del suelo de la iglesia, se prolongan en altura más allá de los arcos escarzano y conopial. Las pilastras están adornadas con imágenes de apóstoles y santos, y están rematadas por un relieve que representa la Anunciación.

 

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartuja_de_Miraflores

www.cartuja.org

 

Miraflores Charterhouse (Spanish: Cartuja de Miraflores) is an Isabelline style charterhouse, or Carthusian monastery of the Order of the Carthusians, built on a hill (known as Miraflores) about three kilometres from the center of the Spanish city of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León.

Its origin dates back to 1442, when King John II of Castile donated a hunting lodge outside Burgos, which had been erected by his father Henry III of Castile "the Mourner" in 1401, to the Order of the Carthusians for its conversion into a monastery, thus fulfilling his father's wishes, as stated in his will. A fire in 1452 caused the destruction of the pavilion, and construction of a new building began in 1454. It is this building, which was placed under the patronage of Saint Mary of the Annunciation, which exists today. The construction was commissioned to Juan de Colonia, and was continued after his death by his son, Simón de Colonia, who completed the structure in 1484 at the behest of Queen Isabella I of Castile, surviving daughter of king John II of Castile and queen Isabella of Portugal, whose impressive buried are housed in the monastery.

It is a late-Gothic jewel, and its highlights include the church, whose Isabelline style western facade is decorated with the coats-of-arms of its founders. The monastery consists of a single nave with stellar vault and side chapels, and is topped by a polygonal apse.

The Charterhouse is 3 km east of the city center of Burgos, in the parque de Fuentes Blancas, close to the Arlanzón River. The monument is easily accessible from the city of Burgos, and can be reached along an easy footpath in a natural setting. It is possible to go by bus or taxi from the city, and it has free parking for private vehicles and buses. Visits are free and open to the public.

First in 1401 was erected the Palace-alcázar of Miraflores, built by King Henry III of Castile "the Mourner"

Later, the Miraflores Charterhouse was founded in 1442 after the donation to Order of the Carthusians by King John II of Castile inside the Palace-alcázar of Miraflores. That original monastery, originally placed under the patronage of Saint Francis of Assisi, suffered a fire in 1452 causing a new approach to the building according to the current design, which was commissioned architect Juan de Colonia, who worked at that time in the Cathedral of Burgos.

With the arrival to the throne of the John II's daughter, Isabella I of Castile, return the work in monastery from the year 1477, undertaking new projects such as the Sepulchers of the Kings or the Altarpiece. It will continue the architectural tracery of Garci Fernández de Matienzo and later of Simón de Colonia, son of Juan de Colonia, finishing the works of vaulting of the monastery in year 1484.

Between 1532 and 1539 undertaken other architectural works in the monastery under direction of Diego de Mendieta, designed to create the side chapels and give greater height to the church as well as the incorporation of spires and pinnacles, and incorporation of the cresting.

The floor of the monastery follows other Carthusian monasteries's pattern of the Middle Ages. The floor develops from the placement of the church and the layout of two main cloisters for each of the groups of Carthusian monks who inhabit: Fathers and Brothers. Around these two cloisters are individual hermitages that allows the monk to live solitude and silence own of the Carthusian spirituality. This part of the monastery is not visitable.

The floor of the church is formed by a single quadripartite longitudinal nave, distinguishing the spaces of the chancel, the choir of the Fathers, the choir of the Brothers and the faithfuls stay. The nave is closed with vaults with tiercerons, keeping the Gothic original layout.

he church's portal rose in year 1486 and was originally located on left side of the monastery, providing access to faithfuls directly from outside the monastery. It consists of pointed archivolts decorated with plants, animals and some human figurative motifs located under a big ogee with poaceaes. In the tympanum represents the motive of the Compassion of the Virgin, which according to late-Medieval iconographic canons, shows the Virgin sitting with her died Son in her arms, accompanied by the symbols of the moon and sun.

Stylistically it is linked to the works of the Colonia (father and son), who participated in the rising of the monastery. It can also relate with other portals of other Burgalese monasteries, i.e. the church of San Nicolás de Bari or the church of San Lesmes Abad.

Between 1657 and 1659 was ordered its move to the current location, accessing from courtyard de la Portería and connecting to the nave of the monastery. In year 2010 proceeded to restore the portal to returning to its original condition, especially recovering the Compassion of the Virgin's sculpture.

The main altarpiece of the Charterhouse was carved in wood by artist Gil de Siloé and polychrome and gilded by Diego de la Cruz (whose gold came from the first shipments of the Americas after its discovery) Made between 1496 and 1499, is undoubtedly one of the most important existing works of the Spanish Gothic sculpture, by its compositional and iconographic originality and excellent quality of carving, valued by the polychrome.

One of the most important elements of the altarpiece is the angelic wheel in which is framed the Christ crucified image for its beauty and significantly accentuated expressiveness by the work of polychrome of Diego de la Cruz. In the outer part of the wheel, are placed the figures of God the Father to the left and the Holy Spirit to the right bearing the rungs of the cross.

In the bottom of the cross, the figures of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist complete the scene. The pelican located at top of the cross gives the core set an extraordinary symbolic value as an allegory to the Eucharistic sacrifice, because the bird feeds its birdies of its own blood.

The royal sepulchers set were designed by artist Gil de Siloé commissioned by Queen Isabella I of Castile. On the one hand is the Sepulchers of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal, placed in the nave's center, eight-pointed star shaped. And in the Gospel side of the church is located the Sepulcher of infante Alfonso of Castile. Both sepulchers were made in alabaster and are late-Gothic sculpture's jewels.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraflores_Charterhouse

 

www.chartreux.org/en/houses/miraflores/index.php

  

Bayonne

On Friday 24 March, hundreds gathered in central London to protest the rolling out of a red carpet at Number 10 Downing Street for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

يوم الجمعة 24 مارس 2023 ، تجمع المئات في وسط لندن للاحتجاج على طرح السجادة الحمراء في رقم 10 داونينج ستريت لرئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو

 

ביום שישי ה-24 במרץ 2023, מאות התאספו במרכז לונדון במחאה על פריצת השטיח האדום ברחוב דאונינג מספר 10 עבור ראש ממשלת ישראל, בנימין נתניהו

 

Israeli liberals, angry at Netanyahu's attempt to crush the independence of the judiciary and protect himself from a corruption indictment, joined Palestinian and other activists infuriated by 56 years of Apartheid, since Israel's occupation of the West Bank in 1967.

 

Netanyahu is still on trial for corruption in three separate cases. In 2019 he had already been officially indicted for breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud, and, as a consequence, he lost the support of his coalition partners in parliament. However, last November, he returned to power in coalition with the ultra-orthodox and ultra nationalist factions, forming what almost commentators agree is the most right wing government Israel has witnessed since its independence in 1948.

 

Israel has been rocked by massive protests and strikes ever since Netanyahu's justice minister, Yariv Levin, revealed the government's plan to overhaul the country's justice system in January. Activists pointed out that its intent was clear. To weaken judicial independence and to shield Netanyahu from corruption charges.

 

Resistance to the government's proposals escalated even further two days after this photograph was taken when Netanyahu returned to Israel and fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant. Within an hour tens of thousands had taken to the streets in central Jerusalem and also surrounded Netanyahu's home.

 

Returning to Friday morning in London when this photo was taken, protesters waiting peacefully on the pavement opposite 10 Downing Street were doubtless surprised at the huge number of police, including dogs, deployed on Whitehall. Later, and despite heavy rain, around a hundred protesters made their way to the Savoy Hotel where Netanyahu was rumoured to be staying, where the police presence was far more low key.

 

Many activists carried placards such as "democracy and occupation cannot coexist" and "Free Palestine = Free Israel." They pointed out that Palestinians live in what both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have concluded is an Apartheid state, many without any access to clean water or electricity, many fearing the demolition of their homes and others the detention for lengthy periods of their relatives and children for protesting the continuing occupation. Meanwhile, Britain's ongoing military and diplomatic support for Israel make us complicit in the continued oppression of the Palestinian people.

 

S'il existe bien un oiseau que tout être humain sait reconnaître par le chant c'est notre siffleur noir - oiseau quasi inconnu et réfugié aux fonds des bois au 19e siècle - siffleur invétéré dès que les beaux jours reviennent; il siffle du mois de mars à septembre, excepté aux moments où il doit être plus discret, à savoir quand il nourrit sa progéniture.

  

Merci pour vos commentaires .

Thank you for your comments

Grazie per i vostri comment

  

Quedlinburg is known to have existed since at least the early 9th century. It was first mentioned as a town in 922 as part of a donation by Heinrich I (Henry the Fowler).

 

According to legend, Henry had been offered the German crown at Quedlinburg in 919. After his death in 936, his widow Saint Matilda founded a nunnery, where daughters of the higher nobility were educated. The main task of this abbey, was to pray for the memory of Heinrich I and the rulers who came after him.

 

The Quedlinburg castle complex, founded by Heinrich I and built up by Otto I in 936, was an imperial Pfalz of the Saxon emperors. The Pfalz, including the male convent, was in the valley, while the women's convent was located on the castle hill.

 

In 973 during a Reichstag (Imperial Convention) Otto the Great introduced his new daughter-in-law Theophanu, a Byzantine princess whose marriage to Otto II brought hope for recognition and continued peace between the rulers of the Eastern and Western empires.

 

The town became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1426. The abbey frequently disputed the independence of the town, which sought the aid of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. In 1477, Abbess Hedwig, aided by her brothers, broke the resistance of the town and expelled the bishop's forces. Quedlinburg was forced to leave the Hanseatic League and was subsequently protected by the Electorate of Saxony. Both town and abbey converted to Lutheranism in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation.

St. Wiperti was founded in the 9th century, King Henry I had this first church here demolished and a hall church built.

 

In 1146 the monastery was taken over by the Premonstratensians. The first new canons came from the Cappenberg in Westphalia, but by 1224 at the latest, St. Wiperti belonged to the Our Lady Monastery in Magdeburg. By 1266 the monastery had grown so much that the buildings had to be expanded beyond the previously walled area. The towers were also built shortly before or at least renewed.

During the feud of Count Albrecht II von Regenstein with the city of Quedlinburg in 1336, large parts of the monastery, including the towers and the cloister, were destroyed. The monastery did not recover from this blow for a long time, and in 1371 the taxes to the Pope were therefore waived.

 

In the course of the 15th century, it came under the influence of the monastery reform movement, which led to economic consolidation and subsequently helped the monastery to a second phase of prosperity. In the turmoil of the Peasants' War, the monastery was devastated again in 1525. Although it was supposed to be rebuilt at the instigation of Duke George of Brunswick, this did not happen. When the last provost married in 1547, the monastery was dissolved.

Since the Reformation, the monastery church has served as a parish church. After many offers and auctions, the mutilated domaine in 1831 (former monastery). The church was used as a barn, and the crypt as a dairy cellar. In 1936, the SS undertook some structural modifications on behalf of Himmler in order to convert the crypt into a National Socialist sanctuary. After the restoration, carried out from 1955 to 1959 it is used by the Catholic community.

 

Existen lugares especiales en los que las personas dibujan una sonrisa en su cara, sin ningún motivo concreto, creo que es cuestión de energías, magnetismo,,,,en fin, no se, …..solo se que existen.

When the critic (the most important who have made Turner as a recognized artist - I've forgot his name) have searched the right place where Turner had painted a Tamise view and have found it; he realized that the painter had turn over the current of water... This landscape doesn't exist.

Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).

 

Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions

 

"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".

 

The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.

 

The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.

 

Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.

 

Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:

 

Wet with cool dew drops

fragrant with perfume from the flowers

came the gentle breeze

jasmine and water lily

dance in the spring sunshine

side-long glances

of the golden-hued ladies

stab into my thoughts

heaven itself cannot take my mind

as it has been captivated by one lass

among the five hundred I have seen here.

 

Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.

 

Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.

 

There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.

 

Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.

 

The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.

 

In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:

 

During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".

 

Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.

 

While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’

 

Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.

 

An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.

 

Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983

 

Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture

Main article: Commercial graffiti

With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.

 

In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".

 

Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.

 

Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.

 

Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.

 

Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.

 

There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.

 

The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.

 

Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.

 

Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis

 

Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.

 

Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.

 

Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"

 

Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal

 

In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.

 

Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.

 

Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.

 

Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.

 

With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.

 

Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.

 

Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.

 

Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.

 

Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.

 

Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.

 

Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.

 

Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.

 

The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.

 

I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.

 

The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.

 

Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.

 

Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.

 

In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".

 

There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.

 

Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.

 

A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.

By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.

 

Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.

 

In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.

 

A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.

 

From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

 

In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.

 

Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.

 

Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.

 

Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.

  

In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.

 

Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.

 

In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.

 

In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."

 

In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.

 

In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.

 

In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.

 

In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.

 

In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.

 

The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.

 

To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."

 

In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.

 

In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.

 

Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".

 

Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)

In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.

 

Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.

 

Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.

 

In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.

 

Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.

 

Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.

 

To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.

 

When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.

“I do not exist: there exists only the thousands of mirrors that reflect me. With every acquaintance I make, the population of phantoms resembling me increases. Somewhere they live, somewhere they multiply. I alone do not exist.”

 

― Vladimir Nabokov

Cette fois, l'hiver est bien installé, non pas qu'il fasse très froid, mais le mauvais temps est bien présent. Nous avons eu droit à quelques belles gelées matinales.

 

Les oiseaux les plus précoces commencent leurs parades. C'est le cas des Canards colverts et des Sarcelles d'hiver. Les mâles de ces dernières poussent un sifflement aigu, courbant le dos de manière à joindre l'arrière de la tête avec le croupion. La période donne lieu à quelques disputes. La parade des Canards souchets est un peu plus discrète, en tout cas chez nous, où nous pouvons apercevoir les hochements de tête des mâles et des femelles.

 

Autour des étangs il est possible d'observer les hivernants qui restent discrets, comme les Bécassines des marais, bien souvent camouflées dans la végétation.

Les Bruants des roseaux sont un peu plus actifs, mais tout aussi difficiles à photographier. Il existe chez nous deux groupes de bruants des roseaux : les plus largement répartis, ceux à bec fin (sous-espèce schoenilus) et ceux à bec épais (sous-espèce intermedia). La deuxième sous-espèce se rencontre sur le pourtour méditerranéen, les hivernants de Mazères sont donc tous des "bruants des roseaux à petit bec".

 

Il est plus facile en cette période défoliée d'observer la chasse du Roitelet triple-bandeau. Sautillant et voletant de branche en branche, cet insectivore cherche activement les invertébrés se cachant sous les feuilles encore accrochées aux arbres, dans les herbes hautes et les branchages. Les photographes le savent, c'est un petit oiseau très remuant ! Le plus petit d'Europe.

 

Les plus chanceux pourront observer les Foulques macroules brouter dans la pelouse de l'affût du chasseur. Elles ne sortent de l'eau, qui est réellement leur élément, que lorsqu'elles se sentent en sécurité. Et y retournent aussi vite au moindre dérangement.

 

Le plus gros de l'activité se trouve encore à la mangeoire. Ce mois-ci, un Tarin des aulnes s'est aventuré dans la zone. Mais pour le moment, les autres n'ont pas suivi. Autre visiteur assez peu courant, le Chardonneret élégant. Vous pourrez l'observer en bien plus grand nombre sur les fruits des platanes qui bordent le parking principal du domaine.

 

La petite bête du mois est un arachnide assez discret et très petit, le Pseudoscorpion. Les Pseudoscorpions sont un ordre d'arachnides, au même titre que les araignées (Araneae) et les Opilions (Opiliones). Leurs pédipalpes sont modifiées en pinces, comme les scorpions, mais ils ne possèdent pas la queue de ces derniers. Ils sont capables de produire de la soie, par un orifice qui sort des chélicères (qui correspondent chez les araignées à l'appendice qui porte les crochets). Il en existe 120 espèces en France. Pour en trouver, il faut chercher dans la litière, le bois mort, dans les cavernes et parfois aussi dans les nids d'oiseaux. Ils se nourrissent de collemboles et d'acariens. Bien que capables de se déplacer grâce à leurs pattes, certains d'entre eux prennent un "taxi", ils s'accrochent avec leurs pinces à d'autres invertébrés (surtout des diptères et des coléoptères). Ce mode de déplacement s'appelle la phorésie. En ce qui concerne l'individu photographié, il appartient à la famille des Chthoniidae, qui se reconnait à ses deux paires d'yeux et au céphalothorax rétréci à la base (au point de jonction avec l'abdomen). Il mesurait 2mm de long.

 

Bonne découverte.

LADDDO

 

Sélections photos : Edith & Jessica

Recherche et rédaction : Jessica

Coordination : Christophe

 

DECOUVREZ LA SELECTION :

lesamisdudomainedesoiseaux.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/les-s...

Hi everybody.

Existem momentos bons, ótimos, complicados, difíceis, demorados, leves, pesados, felizes, tristes, de espera, de correria.

 

Enfim, são muitos momentos. Ando enfrentando alguns deles, um dia de cada vez, um dia de cada vez.

 

Bom domingo pra todos nós.