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Stranger #76 – Kornel – I spotted him in the centre of Wrocław, Poland where his get-up immediately caught my attention. I approached him, asked for a photo and he instantly agreed. I started explaining the project anyway but Kornel interrupted me and told me he is a photographer himself :) We moved a few meters towards the shadows and I took a few pictures as usual. I’m happy with the result and I think Kornel’s very serious expression really makes this portrait great :)
This picture is #76 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Hours have passed since Iris’s phone called me. Nothing but silence was heard on the other end. I searched the house, heck I searched all of Central City, but there’s been no sign of Iris anywhere. I’m getting worried. Where could she be? Did she leave Central City? Did she get kidnapped, or worse? I call Wally to come to Central City. Within minutes he’s at my house and we both suit up. We scour the city. We each take a half and search every building, alleyway, and sewer. Still no sign of her anywhere.
“Barry, I’ve searched everywhere with no sign of her. What about you?”
”Nothing on my end. Meet me at Jay’s, we’ll try to think of something there.”
“Alright.”
I have to stay strong. Iris would want that. “Man up, Allen” she would say. She says that because my Dad would say that whenever I was afraid of doing something. Heck, it worked too. I don’t know where I’d be without either of them. I don’t know where I’ll be if I lose Iris.
Barry and Wally arrive at Jay Garrick’s house. The two make their way to the door and Wally quickly rings the doorbell to alert Jay of their presence. Moments pass and the door opens up. Jay smiles as he sees who’s there.
”Wally! Barry! Come in you two. Grab a seat in the living room, I’ll get a pot of coffee ready.”
”No need, Jay. We’re here for your help.” Jay’s smile left his face as Wally said this.
”Someone took Iris.”
”Come in.” Jay leads the two other speedsters into his living room and took a seat in his favorite chair. Barry and Wally took a seat on the couch. ”Who did this?”
”I think it’s the man responsible for the murders at the museum.”
”The man who used mirrors as weapons?”
”Yeah. Barry found a small shard of a mirror at his house but there were no mirrors broken around where he found it.”
”Do you have any leads on where he could be?”
”Not a single one.”
”Well, that’s not entirely true. Tell him Barry.”
”Uh… So the man was never seen entering the museum, the only thing the camera found of him was him coming out of the bathroom just seconds before he killed the teacher and the two security guards. Then he went to the bathroom after the security guards consent, but when the police arrived, he was gone.”
”So you think he made his way through a secret door in the bathroom?”
”At first, yes, but on further inspection of the bathroom, there were no hatches or secret doors. The man literally appeared and vanished just the same.”
”So magic?”
”Well, that’s kind of farfetched, right?”
”Actually, not so much. When Max was still alive, he told me about his time back from where he came from. There was a shaman in the village he frequently visited. The shaman was said to vanish and appear seemingly from nowhere.”
“You think that this was the same thing?”
”Could be. When asked how he did it, the shaman said that he mastered the art of ‘Espestro.’ Loosely translated from Spanish as ‘the ability to vanish into reflections’.”
“Any reflection?”
”That’s what Max said. I didn’t really ask him anything more about the subject.”
”Thank you, Jay. Really.”
”No thanks necessary. If Joana was still with us and someone took here, I’d do anything to find whoever took her.”
“Well, we’ll be seeing you soon.”
”Good bye you two, and Godspeed…”
Photo from the Michael Riedl collection, scan kindly provided by him for inclusion on this page.
München-Riem
ca. June 1983
N790FA
Boeing 707-138B
17697 / 39
Private Jet Services
This airframe had visited Riem before as D-ADAP with Air Commerz and as TC-JBN with THY Turkish Airlines, and it was seen several times as N790FA: on 7 and 8 December 1979 with Jet Aviation, from 3 to 5 July 1980 with Private Jet Services, as well as on 4 February 1981, 5 November 1982, 11 to 12 June 1983 and 18 June 1983 with Private Jet Services.
This was the first Boeing 707 delivered to Qantas (as VH-EBB) and the first Boeing 707 to land at Honolulu and Brisbane. There’s lots of information to be found on this airframe due to its significance for Australian aviation.
Information on this airframe from flickr - thanks to Paul:
New to Qantas as VH-EBB in 1959. To Standard Airways as N790SA in 1967, Air Commerz as D-ADAP in 1971 and back to FB Ayer as N790SA in 1973. To Pan Ayer and leased to Turk Hava Yollari as TC-JBN in 1976. Back to Pan Ayer as N790FA in 1977. To Jet Aviation in 1978, Lowa Ltd in 1979, Comtran in 1986, Exec-Aire and Jetran in 1988 and Comtran in 1989. Reregistered as N138SR in 1990. Damaged beyond repair by arsonist at Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1998.
Based on Google Earth imagery, the aircraft was present on 24DEC03 but gone by 26DEC07 (source: 707.adastron.com).
Registration details for this airframe:
rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=124357
Very detailed history of this airframe with many photos:
www.aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-ebb/vhebb.html
Another detailed history:
www.707.adastron.com/qantas/VH-EBB.htm
This airframe as VH-EBB with Qantas in Australia ca 1959 (before conversion to -138B with turbofan engines):
www.flickr.com/photos/nickant44/8143539882
VH-EBB with Qantas in the original 'V-Jet' livery at LHR in August 1963:
www.aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-ebb/4604.157l.jpg
This airframe as N790SA with Standard Airways at SYD in May 1967:
www.aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-ebb/4604.315l.jpg
This airframe as TC-JBN with THY at DUS ca. 1976:
www.flickr.com/photos/154191970@N03/30713739267
This airframe as N790FA with Private Jet Servicves at LBG in June 1979:
www.flickr.com/photos/pslg05896/31363223521
N790FA with Private Jet Services at Riem in March 1983 (revised livery):
www.aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-ebb/4604.162l.jpg
This airframe as N138SR with Republique du Congo at LBG in May 1994:
www.aussieairliners.org/b-707q/vh-ebb/4605.354l.jpg
N138SR with Comtran International at GVA ca. 1995:
www.flickr.com/photos/154191970@N03/48008401091
N138SR with Comtran International/Kingdom Entertainment under charter for Michael Jackson's HIStory World Tour at STN in October 1996:
www.flickr.com/photos/chrischenn76/5733909039
N138SR stored and rotting away at PHC in April 2005:
imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/1/1/3/0865311.jpg
Scan from Kodachrome slide.
This time another approachable Buzzard, but a different bird.
I just disturbed him a bit with his lunch...
D300 200-400VR 220mm F4,5 1/640sec iso400 full frame
HONEY: "I wonder where Emmet is? I haven't seen him since Halloween. The full moon is shining so beautifully today."
That is, fire him first, before he has the Constitution go completely up in flames.
I wanted to get this sign, but it wasn't until I got home and edited it on my computer that I noticed how the flags in the shot worked so well. This was shot not long before 11:00 AM. So things were just getting more interesting by this time.
Riding Hood & Bad Wolf - Issue #3 "Shoot the Messenger"*
In the past...
The man thought they were his, an old hookup of his that had consequences. He felt obligated to take them in out of the cold, maybe it was the alcohol messing with his head again. The bitter resentment made him regret taking them in, but nevertheless he raised them anyway. Once the boy said his first word he would become independent, watched the TV in the background through the stairs banister, sneaked into school, listened to phone calls. He even named himself and his little sister...
________________________________________________________________
Riding Hood: "Followed? By who?"
*RH draws his pistols looking at the door. Bad Wolf shrugs smelling the air cautiously as he gets to his paws standing in front of RH who peeks under his armpit at the door. Suddenly a white blur shakes through the it vibrating intensely. RH fires his pistols at the blur only to see it speed away past them.*
Riding Hood: "Oh F me in the A. It's a Spe-"
*Before RH can finish his sentence the figure zooms past RH striking him across his jaw making him stagger back against BW who swipes at the empty air with his huge paw*
Riding Hood: "As I was saying! It's a Speedster."
Bad Wolf: *Growls* "I hate them."
Riding Hood: "Yeah they cheat at cards, trust me."
*The white blur circles them like a tornado speeding around, drawing the oxygen out from their lungs. RH knows this trick though, he nods at BW who has a mutual understanding of what to do. BW holds out his paw and RH fires a round between his claws, the blur slows down ever so slightly avoiding the oversized paw only to be shot in the shoulder by the hidden gun. A bright red patch stains the blur as it comes to a skidding halt against the wall dropping on its hands and knees.*
Riding Hood: "Yeah take that speedy!"
*RH grins under his visor as he aims his pistols at the White costumed figure who groans clutching his shoulder trying to get up. RH's pistols auto-lock onto the target just in case he decides to speed away this time. He's about to shoot until BW holds out his furry arm looking down at RH.*
Bad Wolf: "Wait... that's E-Race. He's a hero."
Riding Hood: "Who cares?! Last time I checked we were villains."
*E-Race quickly gets to his feet, his injury fully healed. RH mutters a curse but sees that E-Race is standing still. RH laughs to himself how easy killing him is going to be but BW steps in front of him gently nudging RH's pistols down. He grits his teeth angrily lowering them down.*
Riding Hood: "What?!"
Bad Wolf: "I don't think he wants a fight."
E-Race: "You're friend is right, I've come to warn you both. A source of mine is saying that a team called the 'Convicted 5' are after you, they want blood. Mainly Riding Hood's."
*RH snorts and rolls his eyes under his visor*
Riding Hood: "Tell them to get in line."
E-Race: "These guys are serious though. All psycho's and sociopaths. It would be wise if you just surrendered and came to A.N.G.E.L. to face punishment and avoid them."
*BW looks down at RH meeting his gaze, silently agreeing to surrender, RH cocks his head gripping his pistols*
Riding Hood: "Seriously?! No. We've handled worse. Sorry hero, why not just try and take us in yourself?"
E-Race: "That's what worries me. All heroes have been told not to engage with you both if seen, just to report back about the location."
Bad Wolf: "Which is what you have already done."
Riding Hood: "And are now saying this to stall us."
*E-Race's eyes widen through his mask at how fast they both caught on. RH aims his pistols at E-Race who phase shifts through the wall he's pressed against and winks leaving them both alone. RH fires his guns at the wall in a rage.*
Riding Hood: "Son of a bi-"
Bad Wolf: "RH, language."
Riding Hood: "I was going to say biscuit, jeez!"
*Bad Wolf sniffs the air raising his head and snarls pouncing at RH, he uses his whole body to shield him as the door suddenly flies off its hinges smashing off BW's shoulder. He turns his head growling and stands helping RH gets to his feet. They both look at the doorless entrance, a white bunny suited figure stands there swinging his sledgehammer around giggling crazily*
Riding Hood: "Can nobody use doors?!"
So here we have Han Solo in his Episode 4: A New Hope outfit. Made him to go along with Luke and Leia, while I think Lego's official Episode 4 Han Solo is great, I still wanted him to have a 3d vest, and improve his legs. The head, hair, and belt on the legs are all Lego's design. The torso was just a standard Lego torso with a painted design on it. The black vest started out as a CapeMadness jacket that I modified to my liking, painted a few pockets on it.
The legs started out as the official Han Solo legs however I painted black boots on him, gave him the Corellian bloodstripe, and a gun holster that I made by cutting up an old credit card, painting it, and gluing it to the side of his leg. Oh and the blaster is the DL-44 from Brickarms.
Lastly there's Chewbacca, who is also in this picture, but I didn't do much with. Just took the original Chewbacca design Lego made, and painted a fur pattern on his arms and legs, and darkened up the fur in places on the head piece, also gave him eyes and touched up his belt with some metallic silver paint.
So that's pretty much it, I'm also going to post a custom Darth Vader, and then move on from Star Wars Episode 4 and do some Star Wars figures from Legends and the Prequels, and continue to do some DC Comics customs.
Photo from the Stephan Barth collection, scan kindly provided by him for inclusion on this page.
München-Riem
April 1990
OE-LAU "Johann Strauss"
Boeing 767-3Z9/ER
23765 / 165
Lauda Air
OE-LAU was noted at Riem on 20 April 1990.
Information from airportclubgraz.at:
Delivered new to Lauda Air on 29 April 1988. The introduction of this aircraft type marked the beginning of Lauda Air's scheduled long-haul flights. From May 1988, regular flights were operated to Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney with the Boeing 767.
In its 24 years of operation, OE-LAU changed ownership several times and was in service with the following airlines: Lauda Air, Vietnam Airlines, Lauda Air Italy, Royal Nepal Airlines, and Air Atlanta Icelandic, Excel Airways, XL Airways and Ryan International. For the last three, the registration changed to G-VKNG and N763BK, respectively.
Registration details for this airframe:
www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/OE-LAU/533943
OE-LAU leased to Vietnam Airlines at MEL in August 1991:
cdn.jetphotos.com/full/1/15885_1072957119.jpg
OE-LAU with Lauda Air/Royal Nepal Airlines at SIN in May 2001:
imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/8/5/9/2344958.jpg
OE-LAU with Lauda Air Italy at GLA in September 2001:
www.flickr.com/photos/105925977@N03/50024355863
This airframe as G-VKNG with Excel Airways at MAN in March 2005:
www.flickr.com/photos/andy2982/26663692334
G-VKNG with XL Airways at LGW in August 2007:
www.flickr.com/photos/85374400@N03/15944461901
G-VKNG with XL Airways in December 2007:
www.flickr.com/photos/80186658@N06/49977400482
This airframe as N763BK with Ryan International at BWI in July 2009:
www.flickr.com/photos/bwi2muc/3730586596
N763BK at MZJ in May 2013:
imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/4/0/0/2392004.jpg
Scan from Kodachrome slide.
"-Perhaps I'll remind him of that night some day, remind him of the power I now hold over him... I, am the Riddler. And I just made the Joker frown." Joker finishes reading, and laughs. "Good one Eddie," he cackles, and, taking a lighter, Gar's lighter, from his pocket, he sets the green book alight, leaving nothing but the broken lock-
unsurprisingly shaped like a question mark, behind.
"You would not *believe* the amount of trophies I had to find to get this! Ha! Credit where credit is due, at least he's consistent."
The figure stirs. "Whatabout Lyyyyyyynnssssssss?"
"What about him! Such a curious child... and the baby too, haha! Don't you worry about a thing, my petit pois, just you remember this is an *equal* partnership. 50:50, 60:40."
=====The Belfry=====
"Get back inmates! All of you get ba-!"
The guard's words are cut off as a frosty cocoon covers his body, trapping him in a thin sheet of ice. Conscious, but unable to move. His mouth, is the only thing that he can still feel. Freeze holds his hand in his, and snaps it off.
"You have three limbs left. If you value them, you'll answer my questions."
The guard's eyes dart about, pleading with the spectators. Ten is about to step forward, until Needham sticks his arm out.
"Where, is my wife?"
"Your wife? Your *wife*? Do you like her? Do you looooove her? No! No, you don't." A high pitched voice echoes down the halls, and a strange red and black man skips towards them. Manic eyes peak out from behind his golden mask. Just before the guard can talk, the Pirate pushes him to the ground, and he shatters. "Who, wants *your* wife?"
"What is-"
"You don't want to fight. You don't want your wife. You'll put down your gun- all of you will put down your guns. We can all have tea, cake, fun!"
Reardon's hand twitches. He can hear the others struggling, as they lay their weapons onto the floor, and put their hands on their heads. Ten can hear Hayden's rapid breathing. He's salivating.
"You too. This is where you put the gun down." A challenge... Hayden enjoyed a challenge. This orange man is resisting... Impressive, no one resists the Pirate. "You don't want to fight. You want to put the gun down. We can be friends! The best of friends! Just put the gun down."
But Hayden didn't count on something. Philip Reardon is blind. No matter how many funny faces The Pirate made, he wasn't going to put the gun down.
Blam.
Hayden screams, and his hold over the others breaks. "Mr Krill! Mr Krill! They shot me!"
A disheveled looking Polka Dot Man emerges from a portal, a can of beer in his hand. "I told ya, ya shouldn't have gone the scenic route. Lads." He grabs the wounded Pirate, and the two vanish.
=====The Court=====
Deep underground, two swords clash together. One belongs to The Demon's Head- He favours a steel blade, one forged in the fires of an ancient volcano off the course of Nanda Parbat. Six hundred years on and still just as effective. The second belongs to his former student, Miranda Gaige, belonging to the people of Antiquity, the sea faring warriors she's descended from. An iron sword marked with arabic writing, that translates loosely to "Daughter of the Seas." It is the name she took on as a member of the League of Assassins.
Her strikes are less refined, more aggressive. Ra's is on the defensive, he is able to make each parry look remarkably easy. Drury, Norbert, and a legion of their enemies watch on. No one dares speak. "That should be me," Drury thinks to himself. "That should be me." She can't keep it up.
Miranda may be slowing down, but Ra's is as strong as ever. Whatever they've pumped into him, it's made him faster, more agile, and more deadly. But, Miranda's not useless either. She knows she could still win this, and sure enough, after ten minutes of grinding, Ra's holds his finger to his cheek. Blood.
He's open now. Miranda speeds up, swiping at his arms, cutting the tendons apart, next, going for the legs. It's looking like she's winning, that *they're* winning. And then his wounds start to heal.
Miranda stumbles backwards as he switches tactics, swinging his sword towards her like an animal, slashing at her feet. She's on the ground, she has but a split second to move or else- "Yes!" Drury cries. She's up. She's going to win. She's-
And then, Ra's Al Ghul pulls his sword from her chest. She splutters, as blood fills her lungs. Ra's bows his head, and plants his sword in the ground, marking the end of their duel. He won.
"Activate the device."
====Ace Chemicals====
A cold autumn wind hits his faces. The scarred side gets the worst of it, its' exposed muscle shrivells up; its' eye swells. Annoyed, Dent growls.
A mile away, the Penguin and the Black Mask scale the prison walls, battling guards they claim work for the Court of Owls. Owls that, Penguin claims, intend to blow Arkham to hell, with them in it.
Half of him wants to flee, leave Scarecrow to die. The other half, the other half actually wants to help him.
It's true, Crane may be the only one that can "fix" them. It's also true that he's a psychopath, who cares about nothing else but his experiments.
They flip their coin and the good side, the "moral" side lands up. Dammit.
Two-Face puts the coin into their breast pocket, and walks inside, the smell of fumes filling their lungs.
"We're evacuating, Crane. Penguin-"
"-Is no longer our concern. It's been a year since I first endeavoured to perfect my newest formula, and it's still-! It's still not done. Even with the Deacon's flowers, even with all of Ace Chemicals at my disposal, I still can't create a simple virus... Oh, there were days I could whip up a formula in a hour... But, those are long past. Perhaps it was Spider's bullet, perhaps it was Electrocutioner, but I'm... afraid. I'm not the man I was."
=====The Court=====
"It should've been me." Drury grabs Ra's sword, and runs at him. In seconds, Ra's disarms him, and pins him to the ground. Norbert rushes to Cobb, to try and remove him from the device, but tentacles pull him back, dragging him across the concrete. If Cypher could talk, he'd be begging his forgiveness. In two minutes, Cobb would die, and Arkham would join him.
"You should have stayed in your bunker, left the heroics to the Detective, but you just have to cement your legacy, don't you? Criminal, politician, "hero." All means to an end, all attempts to create a linage, to put the name "Drury Walker" in writing. I have known many of your kind, many have challenged me- none have succeeded."
"I'll... I'll..."
"Drury... Don't." Miranda smiles at him, her face bloody, colour draining from her cheeks.
=====Arkham City=====
"They've opened the gates!" What follows is a mad dash, as floods of inmates rush through the doors, through to freedom. Chuck laughs. They did it! Drury did it! And then the rumbling starts. Behind him, there's a noise. Cobb lets out a scream like no other, as hundreds are pulled down into the abyss, swallowed by the ground. "Chuck!"
"Rigger, move it!"
"What about-?" Rigger asked anxiously.
"I'll find them!" Chuck replies, as Rigger salutes him, and joins the others on the other side of the gates. He pulls a lever on his backpack, and a kite springs out, and he soars into the air, below, he sees the city break apart- Elliot Heights, The Iceberg Lounge, Sionis Industries, all gone. He sees people still running to the gates, knowing there's nothing he can do to save them, and knowing they're not going to make it, and he sees Ten and Needham at the base of the Belfry. He can only carry the two of them.
"Freeze wouldn't leave," gasps Ten. "He was in the property lockers last I saw."
====
"Nora..." Freeze places a hand on the container, and smiles. "I found you... I found you, my Sunflower." Beams and rubble fall from the ceiling... They'd be trapped here... killed, unless someone could-
"*Ahem* Let me help you."
His cell broken apart by the earthquake, Julian Day stands a free man, offering Freeze a pale hand.
====
"Tell Professor Strange he may have the Walker brother. And Ubu, I require transport out of here in five minutes."
"Yes, master."
"What about him-?" March asks.
Ra's looks down at Drury, in pity, almost, and relents, allowing Miranda a chance to say goodbye. "Let him mourn."
"I'm... It should've been me"
"It's not your fault. It's not *cough* I want you to promise me... Don't give up. Be good to Cammy and Kitten and Axel, tell Cammy... Tell Cammy his mommy loves him. And tell my father... Ha, well, don't tell he was right... Just look after him. He'll need it. Look after all them"
"Please, don't"
"Don't you dare give up, Drury. Don't ever give up"
Drury winks a teary eyed wink, and kisses her, one last time.
=====
Jonathan Crane lets out a yell. A steel girder has him trapped, the floor itself is cracking apart, and he's been separated from Dent.
"Two-Face! Two-Face!"
He lets out a whimper, as he falls through the ground. He's dead, dead with his formulas still unfinished... Dead, and leaving nothing behind. Every bone in his body breaks as he falls to the ground like a ragdoll, hundreds of meters underground. The fall... The fall should've killed him, but-
"Jonathan Crane. You have the ability to instill great fear."
A yellow ring slides onto his finger. With it, it's as though he can see it- all of it. Fear incarnate. And it's beautiful.
"Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."
=====
"Take them!" Chuck pleads, handing Needham and Ten over to Sionis. "Take them and get them help!"
Li pulls them up. At least, Chuck thinks, they're safe. Kite's running out of power, debris has damaged the motor... He offers his own hand to Roman now, urging him to take it. Hesitant at first, Sionis grabs it, then smirks.
"Help yourself," he grins, before letting Chuck fall.
=====Chinatown=====
Through cracked glass, the TV still blares. Already, hundreds are confirmed dead, with the body count still rising with no signs of stopping. Strange shares a smile with Bolton. The Mayor tried her best, bless her, but there are things that a simple video can't stop... Behind them, the door creaks open. Strange already knows what's about to happen. Bolton marches towards her, baton in hand.
"Madam Mayor this is most-"
Bang. A bullet hits Strange in the stomach, staining his lab coat red.
"Crazy bitc-!"
Bang. Bolton falls down. Dead.
"How does it feel-? Their blood... on your hands" Strange splutters. Grange throws the gun to the ground disgusted. But she knew, that so long as the Court existed, people like Hugo Strange would never face justice.
"It feels like this."
====Gotham City====
Noah Kuttler checks his watch, and stepping out his car, a metal-clad figure emerges.
"Your intel was correct."
Gate tuts. "200 years of history, gone."
Kuttler hands him the suitcase, and grimaces, gazing off into the burning skyline. "Yes, I was rather partial to the Gotham Library myself. It's all there, $50,000,000 as requested. The Society thanks you for your assistance."
Penn Station, Philadelphia
This is my brother, Bob.
Bob has a heart of gold. He could not hurt a fly. He was a great tour guide when we visited him in Philadelphia. He took us to see a surround sound movie of Alaska years ago- it was wonderful - I still have the brochure somewhere. He knew all the bus routes incredibly well. He relayed his many adventures and kind hearted deeds throughout the years. He said yesterday he'd taken an 8-yr old girl to a Philles ball game as her dream was to see the Philly Phanatic. She got her wish!
Today (April 25, 2024) is his birthday. He will be 74 today. I just spoke with him and he sounds happy. His voice mail is not set up and I'm unsure whether he would be able to access it anyway. That is a frequent issue for so many people.
Bob is currently living in the York House Apartments in Philadelphia. He does have TBI and has previously had a brain aneurysm. As of this date (june 18, 2021) we are hoping he is still alive as he is no longer returning calls. He has recently switched healthcare providers which has now dis-enrolled him from a program he enlisted in to get help. He may not have been aware of the ramifications of doing so. He has a wonderful lady named Leah D'Agostino from Allegheny who was helping him with this and she was associated with his previous healthcare provider. She was trying to get him a hospital bed once his building manager, Laura Reed, gave the ok. This building has 12 floors total, I am told. Leah had enlisted a wonderful man named Norman (with a difficult to spell last name) who was helping Bob and he is in touch with Leah. Leah has not heard from Bob either so she is going over to see if he is still alive. He lives on the 4th floor of this hi-rise building. He has had much trouble getting help for his basic needs as he is no longer able to articulate those needs coherently.as many trained professionals have looked away.. We hope Leah can turn that around. In speaking with Laura Reed just now she indicated she has seen him and of course for privacy reasons, cannot say anything more than that because the protection of their seniors living there is their concern. Laws are, after all, made to protect residents and their best interests. We have spaces on forms for ONE or TWO contacts, at most, and being a contact can sometimes be confusing.
Reminder to self: Cousin Harold is trying to get in touch with brother Bob however now we have lost contact with Cousin Harold who is somewhere in the Northwest.
Update: July 25 ,2021 - Bob returned a call today. He now has a hospital bed which Leah was able to secure for him. This weekend while this hospital bed was at it's highest position, the cord for the bed fell from the outlet. Bob has been unable to attach it - he says his nurse's aid has not returned in months and most of his clothing has been removed by this aide to launder and has not been returned. He sounds quite distraught. He has also lost his bank card. I do not know how or if he is able to take his medication. Please pray for Brother Bob. If anyone reading this lives near or is able to travel to 5325 Old York Road, Apt. 402, Phila., PA 19141 - please tell my Brother to stay strong - there is a higher power out there - I do not know where but there is one. Bob is in hospice care.
Update: Received a phone call from Mr. Gregory Benjamin from adult protective services inquiring about Bob. Mr. Benjamin said there was an ongoing investigation regarding Bob and asked me if I saw any "red flags" when speaking with Bob last. I have not felt any more red flags than usual other than Bob has now said he is in acute amount of pain and he is now totally confined to a wheelchair. When I had asked Bob how he was he said, "terrible", as opposed to his usual "I'll make it". So yes, there is some concern.
Today, Dec. 3. 2022, I received a phone call from Bob - it was a short call.
Update: April 25, 2023 - Bob is missing again. I've been told he is in a hospital although I am unable to locate him. His son, who is out west, says he has not heard from him but wants to be kept updated which I will. Unless I hear otherwise soon I will file a missing person's report. His current phone is being answered by someone else.
Update: May 16, 2023 - Spoke with a rep from the York House Senior Living Apts - the lady said she has seen him but that is all she can tell me. Don't know if it was in a vision, in the streets, in a hospital, a viewing or at home. HIPPA laws suck.
Update: April 23 2024 - Spoke w Brother Bob today - he sounds great. He said he has an appt. at Temple University Hospital to get his hearing aid checked again. He did receive his birthday cards I sent him 5 days apart, on time, as his birthday is April 25th.. They were sent from different mail boxes. Said he took an 8 year old girl to the Phillies game as she wanted to see the Philly Phanatic. All's well.
****Critical Update!!!!
Yesterday, July 24, 2024 at 3:16PM Brother Bob's heart gave out after repeatedly coding on and off and finally coding for 15 minutes in the ER and ICU.
The initial call from Dr. Eman Hamad came in at 12:47PM yesterday afternoon. She is indeed a wise, compassionate, prestigious brilliant Doctor. I cannot thank Dr. Hamad and all of the other people at Temple University Hospital for giving Bob the best care in the world. www.templehealth.org/doctors/eman-hamad
Brother Bob had never relayed to any of his family or to me that he was battling Stage 4 Lung Cancer. It's been a long road home for him in Philadelphia. He was happy there. I do not know the date when he was given this diagnosis.
As of right now we are waiting to hear from the morgue, where his body was taken to, as well as his general practitioner. As always - on standby.
Update: We did finally find his body. He was cremated and his ashes transported to his family. RIP Brother Bob. We will never forget you.
November 21st, 2042
A couple of hours after getting taken away by the Court of Owls, Batman awakens in a cell at an unknown location. Before he’s able to recover from the effects of the sedatives he got hit with and regain his strength two people dressed in black clothes, wielding sharp and gold-colored weapons, enter his cell and order him to follow them. As he struggles to stand up he notices that the exoskeleton from his suit has powered down, making it much more difficult to move around at all and leaving him in no shape to stand up against them. He complies and follows the one figure as the other one takes position behind him. After walking for a short while they end up in a long hallway, with a red carpet on the floor, expensive furniture on either side of the hall and large paintings hanging from the walls. Batman takes a look at the wall decorations and notices that every single painting features a person holding a strange owl-shaped mask in front of their face. There’s a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two people wearing the same outfit as the ones escorting him. They open the door for them, giving way to a spacious and empty courtroom. Behind the judge’s desk stands a giant wooden statue of an owl, decorated with gold accents and lit with candles around it. On the sides of the room are several giant windows, all covered with dark red curtains which prevents any natural light from entering the place. Only Helena is sitting in the room, tied to a chair at the defendant’s table.
Batman gets escorted into the room and forced to sit on the chair next to Helena as he gets restrained as well. Before he can ask his daughter if she’s okay, the gates of the courtroom swing open as a group of masked individuals march into the room. They all silently take a seat on the public benches behind the two right as the jury enters the room as well, conveniently all wearing the same owl-shaped mask too. As they all sit down at the exact same time Helena begins nervously looking around her, intimidated by the situation she is now in. A door inside the giant owl statue opens, out of which a judge appears. Batman notices the judge seems to be the same person who appeared in the Wayne Tower and ordered them to come to the Court in the first place. He takes a seat, breaks the silence by slamming his hammer on the table and demands order in the courtroom, starting their trial against Batman and Robin.
The judge starts by telling about the Court of Owls, explaining how they have been around since Gotham was established decades ago. For years they managed to rule the city from the shadows, killing anyone who found out about their existence or opposed them using a group of specifically trained assassins called the Talons. When a certain masked vigilante began running around Gotham they didn’t see him as a threat at first. Finding that having him assassinated by the Talons would be a bit excessive they instead opted to orchestrate a series of events which would lead to a deranged serial killer by the name of Zsaz escaping from Arkham. Knowing that the Batman would take it upon himself to go after him, they hoped that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the killer and get killed while fighting him. However, they found themselves astonished as Batman managed to defeat Zsaz with ease, something they had not taken into consideration. Realizing the danger of him running around Gotham they considered ordering the Talons to murder him, but changed their mind after he coincidentally started targeting several of their opponents. The Court then decided to willingly let Batman fight the criminal world of Gotham without interfering, only stepping in if he accidentally stumbled upon them or started targeting them. All the while, the Court continued to influence the city from the shadows.
Roughly 5 years later, a long series of unfortunate events led to the Dark Knight retiring. With the Batman no longer being a possible threat to the Court, they decided to start spreading out their influence more while making certain their existence was kept a secret. Over the decades, dozens of wannabe vigilantes hoping to step into the footsteps of the Dark Knight started to make their way onto the streets. As rumors of a secret underground society who are secretly controlling Gotham started leaking, many of them started to seek them out and found their way right on the doorstep of the Court. In order to preserve their secret they were forced to murder everyone who stood in their way, having to cover up the assassinations to not arouse any suspicions. After decades of doing this the Court of Owls decided they could not continue covering up the disappearances of teen vigilantes, deciding to take action by making a statement by taking down the Dark Knight. Upon discovering his identity and tracking him down using the help of a deranged Edward Nigma and a frail Hugo Strange, they began orchestrating a long plot in order to get him to put on the suit again. One of the Talons assassinated Selina and left behind evidence to make him suspect the Joker, knowing this would motivate him to return to Gotham to investigate. By using a tiny improvised explosive device hidden within the playing card they hoped to detonate it while he was holding it within Arkham. However, they did not account for Batman giving the card to Joker himself, which allowed him to survive the blast and only killed the Clown Prince of Crime along with the other Arkman inmates. After so many years, they decided enough was enough; it was time to put him on trial in front of the Court of Owls for standing in their way too much.
Batman barely has any time to process what he just heard as the crowd and jury start shouting how they think they are guilty. There’s no way they would win a case against a kangaroo court like this; their decision was already made way before the trial started. The judge slams his hammer down again, silencing the chaos as he prepares to read his verdict. Due to being found guilty of interfering with the plans of the Court of Owls, Batman and Robin get sentenced to death at the hands of the Talons right now. The judge asks if he has anything to say about his verdict, but cuts him off right as he is about to speak up. The spectators and jury start cheering and clapping as two of the Talons walk into the courtroom, each entering on opposite sides of the room. They take their positions in front and behind the two, unsheathing their golden weapons to prepare for battle. One member of the Court gets ordered to untie the Dynamic Duo in order to make the odds more fair as the rest of the crowd prepares to watch as the Batman finally gets taken down by the Court of Owls after so many years.
The Talon behind Batman strikes first and stabs him in the back, but his armor prevents the blade from piercing through his skin. He manages to reactivate his exosuit and turns around, ready to fight again as he pulls out a Batarang from his belt. His enemy strikes again, aiming for the exposed skin around his mouth instead, but Batman manages to deflect it with his own weapon. He uses the opportunity to slice the Talon in the arm, although this doesn’t phase him. Batman holds his hand in front of his face and casts a glance at the spectators, seeing they are all silently toasting for their demise with expensive drinks in their hands. His short distraction gives the Talon an opportunity to successfully hit him, but Helena deflects the attack at the last moment with her own weapon stick. He compliments her for being able to stand her ground against their opponents before continuing the battle. The Talon starts attacking more and more fiercely, slowly managing to weaken Batman’s defenses while coming closer to getting a successful strike on him. He tries his best to keep up with him, but Batman slowly starts to become weaker and weaker with every attack. Right as he is about to slash the Dark Knight in the face, the leader of the Court suddenly commands the assassins to stop attacking. Unsure of what to do, the Talons lay down their weapons for a moment as they watch what their leader’s intentions are right now. He mutters something about hearing a weird noise outside as he walks towards the window and lifts up the curtains. Batman tries to get a glimpse of the outside world to locate their hideout if they manage to get out, but he soon picks up the sound outside too; he hears the loud revving of an engine in the distance slowly coming towards them, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. The crowd gathers around the window to see what the commotion is about, but quickly runs away in terror as the Batmobile crashes through the wall at full speed.
Pieces of debris rain down everywhere as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt right in front of Batman and Robin. Chaos ensues in the room as each member of the Court desperately tries to make their escape, terrified of the imposing black vehicle which just crashed through the wall of their hideout. The door opens as the person driving the Batmobile beeps the horn, prompting them to jump inside. Batman kicks the Talon in front of him to the ground and hits the other one in the chest with several batarangs to give them a window to escape. He and Helena jump inside the Batmobile as he takes control of the steering wheel, closing the door right before the Talons can make their way inside. He puts his boot on the gas pedal and activates the rocket booster in order to make their escape from the Court. As they are driving through the streets of Gotham early in the morning, Barbara appears on one of the screens of the console, asking if they are alright. She explains that she left the Wayne Enterprises building for a short moment to check up on her case at the GCPD, but when she returned she saw the camera footage of them getting abducted. Although it was impossible for her to track them down at first since the Court of Owls covered up almost all of their tracks, Batman reactivating his high-tech suit set off a GPS signal which allowed her to pinpoint their location. With the help of a new modification to the Batmobile she was able to remotely control the armored vehicle for a while to reach the place and to help them escape.
Helena sighs of relief, tired of the confrontation they just went through when she says that they must’ve escaped the Court by now. However, right after she says this the two feel something landing on the roof of the Batmobile. Before they can react, one of the Talon’s golden weapons cuts through the armored material like butter, making an opening for himself to enter the vehicle. Batman stands up from his seat and orders Helena to drive despite her not having any driving experience yet as he deals with the Talon standing in the cramped open space in the back of the Batmobile. He makes his way towards him, feeling the cold morning air cut through his skin while he begins punching his enemy. After hitting him a couple of times the Talon catches his fist inside his hand, landing a couple of strikes on his face and damaging his cowl before Batman kicks him right in the stomach. The impact of the kick makes him land hard on the cold floor of the Batmobile, but before he can recover Batman leaps on top of him and starts pounding him in the head. He stops for a short moment to charge up his exosuit for a bigger punch, but the vehicle suddenly making a sharp turn to get outside of Gotham, makes him miss the Talon and denting the floor instead. While he recovers and tries to get another punch in, the other Talon lands on the front of the car and begins damaging the engine. Helena makes a couple more sharp turns in an effort to get him off the car but all it does is make Batman lose his balance, giving him a disadvantage in the fight. As smoke begins coming from the engine Helena loses control of the vehicle, prompting Batman to abandon the fight to prevent them from going off the road. However, he is too late; before he can do anything, the Batmobile crashes through the guardrail on the ride of the road, sending them all tumbling down a hill.
When Helena regains consciousness, she feels herself getting dragged out of the wreckage which was once the Batmobile. Pieces of wreckage are scattered everywhere as the smell of smoke fills her nose. Once she is at a safe distance away from the wreck, she is able to properly see the damage; the Batmobile is laying upside down with a fire having erupted in the engine as several important components of the car have been damaged or broken off. Suddenly, she notices one of the Talons crawling away from the wreck. His outfit has been torn and burned, with him being unable to walk because of the crash. Batman sees him too, and begins slowly walking towards him. The Talon notices this and for the first time he hears one of them speak as he begins pleading for him to put him out of his misery. Batman stays silent for a while before telling him to go back to the Court. He wants him to relay a message to them, warning that it will take much more than this to take down Batman. They tried their best to get rid of him, and they failed. If they try this again, he won't be taken by surprise like this time and warns that he will do whatever it takes to take down the entire Court by himself. The Talon begins crying out that the Court of Owls will just murder him for this fiasco, but Batman ignores him and turns around leaving him on his own. He calls Barbara to pick them up as he puts an arm around Helena, complimenting her for what she did today as the Batmobile continues to burn down behind them.
Roughly a week has passed since the incident with the Court. Despite Bruce and Barbara’s best efforts, they haven't managed to track down the Court again; upon returning to the place where he was taken to to be put on trial, he only found an empty and abandoned building with all of the furniture and decorations taken away. Barbara has taken the wreckage of the Batmobile back to the Wayne Enterprises building, developing plans to rework the vehicle into something else instead of simply rebuilding it.
During a boring evening at the Wayne Building, the regularly scheduled tv programme gets interrupted by a newsflash; A terrorist going by the name of Bane, suspected to be the person responsible for getting a majority of Gotham addicted to Venom, has attacked the Gotham Stock Exchang. In a publicly broadcasted video he revealed to have gotten his hands on a decaying neutron bomb which is set to detonate this Christmas Eve. In his video he directly challenged the Dark Knight, saying that he is only willing to stop the bomb from exploding if he manages to defeat him. Confident that he can save Gotham once more, Bruce suits up and sets out to bring down Bane. Helena offers to join to help take him down, but Batman declines as he fears not going to him alone could have severe consequences. Without being able to use the Batmobile to get around for the time being, he climbs to the top of the building and decides to make use out of his new experimental cape glider. He leaps off the structure as he spreads out his cape, which folds out in the shape of the wings of a bat allowing him to glide to the financial district.
After gliding for a while, Batman lands on top of the glass roof of the Stock Exchange building giving him a good look at the situation. Right below him he can make out the figure of Bane, surrounded by several of his goons, all guarding the neutron bomb. He uses a Batarang to cut a hole into the glass to grant him access into the building. After jumping down the hole he lands right in front of Bane, quickly alerting him of his presence. This is the first time he has gotten a good look at the terrorist; before him stands a very big and muscular man, wearing a black luchador-esque mask which conceals his face. Batman catches a glimpse of a big tank filled with Venom on his back with tubes attached to it, all injected straight into his skin and mask. His goons, all having taken some of the strength-enhancing drugs as well, point their guns at the Dark Knight but Bane tells them to lower their weapons. After telling them to step back he stretches out his arms, challenging the Dark Knight to a one-on-one fight. Batman agrees, taking off his utility belt and preparing for the fight. He laughs, his voice muffled by the mask, asking himself if he will be a match to him or if he will go down as easily as his other opponents as Batman charges towards him.
Batman strikes first, getting in several powerful blows, but it doesn’t even seem to phase his opponent. He pauses for a short moment and tries to continue the fight, but Bane catches his hand before it can hit him. Batman hears something crack when he clenches his fist, feeling that his glove has been damaged. Before he can recover, Bane grabs him with both arms and headbutts him with a lot of force. The blow almost makes him lose his balance, but his opponent grabs him by the throat before he falls to the ground and punches him right in the face several times. Batman starts to taste blood in his mouth but is unwilling to give up so easily. He releases himself from Bane’s grip and tackles him to the ground, using all his strength to kick him in the face several times. Again, his opponent is unperturbed by his attempts to fight back, simply taking the blows without flinching. As Bane doesn't fight back Batman becomes overconfident for a moment, not noticing as his arm reaches out for his leg. He grabs a hold of it and janks it towards him, making him fall to the ground again.
‘’You know, I used to admire you. Hearing all about your heroics back when I was growing up motivated me to be better than I already was. But now that I am not a bright-eyed and naive child anymore, I’m finally able to see you for what you really are; A pathetic elderly man, having to rely on some high-tech suit to even attempt to compete with me!’’
Bane raises his fists in the air, bringing them down with full force on the chest of the Dark Knight. Although his suit absorbs most of the strike to prevent his ribs from breaking upon impact, Batman still feels the pain from his attack and notices the armor on his chest having shattered.
‘’Over the years, I've dreamt of being the one who would kill the legendary Batman. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that killing you would only end your agony and silence your shame.’’
He attempts to fight back again and gathers his strength to reply to his opponent’s comments, but Bane silences him with a nasty kick in the gut before he can do so.
‘’I don't think you quite know who I am. I’m not some scarecrow or a riddler. I’m not a jester or a clown! I’m not a flightless bird nor a cryogenic scientist! And most importantly, i am not some rich guy playing dress-up!’’
Bane begins continuously stomping Batman in the face, slowly cracking open his mask more and more with each kick. By the time his cowl has been completely destroyed Batman has been knocked unconscious, having collapsed after all of the attacks.
‘’ I AM BANE! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!’’
As his goons cheer him on, Bane picks up the defeated body of the Dark Knight and raises it over his head. He slowly spins around like he’s showing a trophy to his friends, reveling as the realization that he has become the one to truly break the Bat begins to set in. Batman regains consciousness, but only just in time to feel himself getting driven down towards the ground as he collides with Bane’s knee.
With one nasty snap, he quickly finds his body in anguish as his spine has completely shattered. Bane drops him to the ground and commands his henchmen to take the bombs and go away, taking the broken mask of the Dark Knight with him as a trophy before leaving himself as well. Batman tries to move, but becomes terrified when he notices that he is unable to even move. With this one attack, Bane has paralyzed the Bat.
Quite some time passes before someone arrives to pick up the wounded Bruce. He gets taken to the Wayne Building instead of a hospital in order to preserve his secret identity, where he gets hooked up to some medical equipment to keep him alive. As the days pass by, Gotham begins to decay more and more into chaos as the threat of a neutron bomb decimating the city gets closer. Each attempt made by the police force to disarm the explosive has led to nothing, leading to many of the city’s residents deciding to get out while they still can. Despite Bruce being in no state at all to fight back against Bane, he stubbornly refuses to leave the city as he believes his back will he recovered enough before the bomb is set to go off. Along with this he also feels personally responsible for letting this happen and does not want Gotham to fall under his watch.
Less than a week is now left before the bomb is set to go off. Bane had taken his bomb to the city centre, where his henchmen are guarding him all day to prevent anyone from interfering with his plan. With no sign of his spine recovering in the slightest, Helena and Barbara are urging Bruce to leave the city with them, as they know nobody else is left to stop him. Barbara is close to converting the damaged Batmobile to an airborne vehicle and tells him it could be fit to get them out of there. However, he does not want to hear any of it and keeps insisting that he can find a solution. In an old scientific report about the Venom drug he read some time ago, he noticed it stating that taking the drug can completely heal severe wounds within moments. With his mind set on this new opportunity to save Gotham he asks Barbara to get him a sample of the substance, hoping this will put him in a position to fight back again. Despite her hesitation she agrees to do so, although she warns him that this is only a short-term solution for a permanent problem for him.
When she returns, Bruce has removed the armor from his arms and prepared a new suit to help him control himself while under the effects of the drug. Barbara reluctantly hands him a syringe filled with Venom, but before she does so she tells him that the scientific reports he read left out some important details. It's true that taking Venom can heal severe and permanent injuries in a matter of moments, but the catch is that once the drug’s effects have worn off the injuries will just return, sometimes getting even worse as a result. Bruce tells her he is more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he is gonna be able to save Gotham once more as he grabs the syringe out of her hand. Before any of them can react, he slams the needle into his skin and presses the plunger down allowing the substance to enter into his bloodstream. Bruce feels the effects hitting him almost instantly, and before he knows it he finds himself able to stand on his own again. While he struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the drug’s effects he puts on a new suit; an outfit plated with a gold-colored metal and with a reinforced cowl and cape. Ready for battle, he makes his way to the newly designed Batwing to take himself to the city center to face off against Bane.
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Introduction
Every culture has their symbol of the triumph of "Good over Evil" . This is the statue of the Dancing Shiva, also known as Nataraj, which, in the Hindu culture, symbolizes the triumph of Good over Evil. It was a "mist"ical moment this morning. This statue of the Dancing Shiva reminded me of the Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi dancers who, before every dance recital, and especially during the Arangetram (a graduation of sorts) ceremonies, say a prayer to him.
A note relating to my roots in Physics
"Fritzof Capra in The Tao of Physics beautifully relates Nataraj's dance with modern physics. He says that "every subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of creation and destruction…without end…For the modern physicists, then Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter. As in Hindu mythology, it is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos; the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomena."
Here's an excerpt from a poem by Ruth Peel:
"The source of all movement,
Shiva's dance,
Gives rhythm to the universe.
He dances in evil places,
In sacred,
He creates and preserves,
Destroys and releases.
We are part of this dance
This eternal rhythm,
And woe to us if, blinded
By illusions,
We detach ourselves
From the dancing cosmos,
This universal harmony…"
Nataraj, the dancing form of Lord Shiva, is a symbolic synthesis of the most important aspects of Hinduism, and the summary of the central tenets of this Vedic religion. The term 'Nataraj' means 'King of Dancers' (Sanskrit nata = dance; raja = king). In the words of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, Nataraj is the "clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of…A more fluid and energetic representation of a moving figure than the dancing figure of Shiva can scarcely be found anywhere," (The Dance of Shiva)
The Origin of Nataraj
An extraordinary iconographic representation of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India, it was developed in southern India by 9th and 10th century artists during the Chola period (880-1279 CE) in a series of beautiful bronze sculptures. By the 12th century AD, it achieved canonical stature and soon the Chola Nataraja became the supreme statement of Hindu art.
The Vital Form & Symbolism
In a marvellously unified and dynamic composition expressing the rhythm and harmony of life, Nataraj is shown with four hands represent the four cardinal directions. He is dancing, with his left foot elegantly raised and the right foot on a prostrate figure — 'Apasmara Purusha', the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs. The upper left hand holds a flame, the lower left hand points down to the dwarf, who is shown holding a cobra. The upper right hand holds an hourglass drum or dumroo that stands for the male-female vital principle, the lower shows the gesture of assertion: "Be without fear." Snakes that stand for egotism, are seen uncoiling from his arms, legs, and hair, which is braided and bejewelled. His matted locks are whirling as he dances within an arch of flames representing the endless cycle of birth and death. On his head is a skull, which symbolises his conquest over death. Goddess Ganga, the epitome of the holy river Ganges, also sits on his hairdo. His third eye is symbolic of his omniscience, insight, and enlightenment. The whole idol rests on a lotus pedestal, the symbol of the creative forces of the universe.
The Significance of Shiva's Dance
This cosmic dance of Shiva is called 'Anandatandava,' meaning the Dance of Bliss, and symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy — creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion. According to Coomerswamy, the dance of Shiva also represents his five activities: 'Shrishti' (creation, evolution); 'Sthiti' (preservation, support); 'Samhara' (destruction, evolution); 'Tirobhava' (illusion); and 'Anugraha' (release, emancipation, grace). The overall temper of the image is paradoxical, uniting the inner tranquillity, and outside activity of Shiva.
[Text taken from hinduism.com, HDR by Photomatix Pro]
Disclaimer: I am not a religious person, but some people have accused me of being spiritual, which epithet I will graciously accept :)
The steps of Trinità dei Monti and the "Barcaccia" in Piazza di Spagna which I shot on an early July morning several years ago with only one human presence who unconsciously posed for me! You rarely see it so deserted...
#YBS24Urban