Michael Ramirez from Creators Syndicate

www.creators.com/editorialcartoons/michael-ramirez/15856....

Response to Article:

"Village that towers above China" by

Jonathan Watts

November 14, 2011

www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4623-Village...

Comment by Philip McMaster:

People favourably respond to Change

Generally speaking, people don't change for the better when criticized. But they do respond favourably to praise.

Huaxi Cun is not the worst place in China, and it has been following and sometimes leading the objectives and trends of the government and Chinese people - first it was to get rich - and clean up the mess later. We did this in the West on our own schedule, some Chinese are doing it now under the generally hypocritical pressure of the global community.

人们对改变的有利反应

总体上，当人们受到批评的时候，不会变得更好。但他们受到表扬的时候，总是积极反应。华西村不是中国最差 的地方，它跟从着-有时也领导着中国政府与人民的目标与潮流。这个目标首先是变富，然后再处理垃圾。西方按照自己的日程表也这样做过。现在有些中国人也这 么做，就面临虚伪的国际压力。

An aspirational monument - if you choose to see it that way..

When I was invited to Huaxi Cun for the inauguration of the “Village in the Sky”, (www.tudou.com/programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ ) I spoke of the new tower as a beacon for all to see, not in terms of opulence and excess, but as a towering 3 element "Symbol of Sustainability" - an aspirational symbol rising above all else - including the cookie-cutter villas, the grubby factories, the money focus and the faux world landmarks - to shock and awe viewers into realizing that all monuments have a message – and this one should inspire people to make the connection between Heaven, Earth and the People (Tian, Di, Ren 天地人) and that to achieve Wu Renbao’s “Heaven on Earth”… the Triple-Bottom-Line balance between Society, Environment and Economy （社会,环境,经济）must become Huaxi’s new ethic.

一个振奋人心的里程碑——如果你从另一个角度解读

我应邀了参加华西村“空中新农村大楼”授牌仪式(www.tudou.com /programs/view/05XpJXkiNwI/ )，当时我谈到这栋大楼并不是炫富和挥霍，而是华西村的一个新地标。比起那些千篇一律的别墅，脏乱差的工厂，一切向钱看的态度和人造世界景观，这栋摩天大 楼是一个振奋人心 里程碑，它作为可持续发展的标志建筑让人感到震撼和心生敬畏，它能让人们感到天地人和谐发展的信息，体现了吴仁宝“人间天堂”的理念。以社会，环境和经济 作为三条支柱，寻求三者的平衡发展是华西村的新理念。

菲利普•麦克马斯特

麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。

"Now that Huaxi village is rich, what's next?"

Following my presentation, the new building’s architect Ma Xusheng, in turn praised my interpretation of his building’s design, saying that no one had thought of it before, but that “with your new ‘Society, Environment, Economy ‘meaning attached, our building is even richer”.

At a private dinner with village leaders the evening before, I had shamelessly asked: “Now that Huaxi village is rich, what’s next?” – hoping to encourage them to expound on how they were going to share Huaxi’s wealth and expertise with other communities and to build sustainable enterprises based on a model ecological civilisation… however the response was understandable, as a bit more thinking is required; and considering most people’s focus was still on showing off and celebrating what they have achieved so far, the answer was a simple “Gambei!”

Philip McMaster,

Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce

Founder, World Sustainability Organization

“现在华西村富了，接下来呢？”

我的演讲结束后，这栋新大楼的建筑师马旭升（音）反过来称赞了我对他的建筑设计的诠释，说以前从未有人想到这个方面，“加上您说的‘社会、环境、经济’意义后，我们的摩天大楼更加富裕了”。

前一天晚上和华西村领导的聚餐上，我厚着脸皮问了一句：“现在华西村富裕了，接下来呢？”我当时希望他们能够详细阐述下怎样和其他地区分享华西村的 财富和技术，以及在生态文明模型的基础上建立起可持续发展的企业。但是，他们的回答很简单，就是：“干杯！”当然，这是可以理解的，因为回答这个问题需要 一些思考，而且当时大多数人的注意力仍然在炫耀和庆祝他们至今已取得的成就上。

菲利普•麦克马斯特

麦克马斯特商务可持续发展研究所首席研究员，世界可持续发展组织创始人。

...Huaxi must have liked 3 Fingers - we're invited back_\!/

Our “Peace Plus One -World Sustainability Project” (www.SustainabilitySymbol.com ) and the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol is about promoting LOHHAS – a Lifestyle Of Health, Happiness And Sustainability, first for the 1/5th of the world in China, then to be exported as a sustainable philosophy for the entire planet. The Leaders of Huaxi must have liked something about our discussions, as they wholeheartedly embraced the3 Finger Sustainability Symbol and invited us back to share more_\!/

Philip McMaster,

Principal Researcher, McMaster Institute for Sustainable Development in Commerce

Founder, World Sustainability Organization

...华西村一定喜欢“三指禅” —— 我们又被邀请了_\!/

我们的“和平 + 1 - 世界可持续发展项目” （www.SustainabilitySymbol.com）和“三指禅”可持续发展符号旨在促进“乐活”——一种健康、快乐、可持续的生活方式。起初 是为了中国占世界五分之一的人口而提出，后来作为一个可持续发展的理念被推广到全世界。华西村的领导们肯定是欣赏我们的一些讨论成果，因为他们热烈欢迎了 我们的“三根手指可持续发展符号”并且再次邀请我们去分享更多信息。

Philip McMaster（大龙），

商务可持续发展麦克马斯特学院，首席研究员

世界可持续发展组织创始人

I worked with Bob Randall to get a bill passed at the federal level to make marijuana available for medicinal purposes. We obviously failed. It was a bitter lesson in the hypocrisy of government. We had more than 300 co-sponsors in the House -- including Newt Gingrich as one of the two primary co-sponsors -- but Henry Waxman's staffer (good liberal) told us he would make sure the bill never got out of commiteee and he was right. Another low point was an FDA official telling me that there were no studies showing the medical efficacy of marijuana and then just weeks later forcing him to turn over the 7 studies that he was personally aware of that showed marijuana was effective in treating the nausea caused by chemotherapy.

The hypocrisy and lying I encountered while working on this matter was a big push toward my politics becoming libertarian.

As thanks for my work on this matter and some related litigation, Bob gave me an empty tin and a pill bottle in which his joints had been shipped. Unfortunately, Bob passed away a few years ago.

Photocredit: unknown.

Do you ever wonder that people used to make shirts of a decent length, for a reason?

The purpose of this upload is not to bring disgrace to someone (anymore than they bring it to themselves!) but to point out how some people should smarten up, and clean-up their act, so as to not contribute to making the whole society look hypocritical.

TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously --cautiously (for the hinges creaked) --I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights --every night just at midnight --but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers --of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back --but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; --just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief --oh, no! --it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself --"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney --it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel --although he neither saw nor heard --to feel the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little --a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it --you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily --until, at length a simple dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye.

It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eve. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man's terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! --do you mark me well I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me --the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eve would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye --not even his --could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out --no stain of any kind --no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all --ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o'clock --still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, --for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbour during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

I smiled, --for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search --search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: --It continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definiteness --until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound --much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath --and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly --more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men --but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed --I raved --I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder --louder --louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now --again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Edgar Allan Poe

1843

The heart is like a fort and Satan the advancing enemy, who is intent on infiltrating and occupying it. Hence, only by guarding the gates, entrances and vulnerable positions, will it be impenetrable. Yet, a person who is unacquainted with the structure of the fortress, particularly its access points, cannot adequately defend it. By the same token, the obligation of guarding the heart from the whispers of Satan cannot be fulfilled and he cannot be warded off, unless a person knows the gates to the heart that Satan may take.

These gateways are, generally, personal characteristics, of which there are many, but, here, we will only refer to the ones that are so wide so as to accommodate all the numerous soldiers of Satan. These include:

- Anger and desire: Anger is the ghoul of the psyche; when it weakens the guards of one's mind, Satan's soldiers immediately seize the opportunity to attack. Furthermore, when a person becomes enraged, Satan toys with him in the same way children play with a ball.

- Envy and greed: No matter how careful man is, his covetousness makes him deaf and dumb. The light of insight reveals the gates of Satan; when envy and greediness mask this light, man becomes at risk. Hence, Satan seizes that opportunity and adorns for an acquisitive person whatever leads to his or her desires, even if it is heinous and evil. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, spoke of avarice: "If two starving wolves were left in a flock of sheep, they would not be as harmful [to them] as a person’s hunger for money and status is to his [or her] faith." [At-Tirmithi, Hasan Saheeh]

- Satiating oneself: This is one of Satan's gateways to the heart; although lawful, eating in excess strengthens one's desires, which, in turn, are his weapons.

- Impetuosity: Haste and recklessness are among the widest gates of Satan to one's heart, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Hastiness is from Satan and deliberateness is from Allaah the Almighty." [At-Tirmithi]

- Miserliness and fear of poverty: They prevent a person from giving in charity, instead justifying hoarding, which only leads to a painful punishment.

- Bigotry toward a specific school of thought or an inclination toward a desire, bearing grudges against opponents or treating them with contempt: This destroys the immoral and pious alike. Defaming people and calling attention to their faults is one of the predatory characteristics inherent in human nature.

- Thinking ill of Muslims: Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins.} [Quran 49: 12]. Indeed, only hypocrites seek out flaws in others, whereas believers seek excuses for them.

A person may now ask: “How can one ward Satan off? Is it enough to be in constant remembrance of Allaah the Almighty or to utter [phrases like] ‘Laa hawla wala quwwata illaa billaah (There is no power or strength except in Allaah)’?” The answer is that you must know that the course of treatment to save one's heart from the whispers of Satan is to block the gateways [he takes] and to purify the heart from the aforementioned bad characteristics.

This needs to be further elaborated. The remembrance of Allaah the Almighty should indeed suffice in stopping Satan from passing by or whispering in one’s heart. However, that cannot happen unless the heart itself is already of a pious nature and purified from evil characteristics. If not, words of His remembrance will be no more than mere thoughts without any impact on the heart or substance to deflect Satan. Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, those who are pious - when an impulse touches them from Satan, they remember [Him] and at once they have insight.} [Quran 7: 201]. Therefore, since this is only confined to the pious, once a person manages to uproot evil traits from within, Satan may pass by or whisper, but will never be able to reside in the heart.

You see, Satan is like an approaching starved dog; if a person has neither bread nor meat, it will move away just by your voice which commands it to “go away”. However, if you have meat in your hands and the dog is hungry, it will attack the flesh and your mere words will not be enough to keep the animal at bay.

Similarly, if the heart is free from anything Satan can feed on, Thikr (remembrance of Allaah The Almighty) will be enough to fend it off. On the other hand, if a person’s desires dominate his or her heart, the influence of Thikr is restricted to the outer edges of the heart and instead, its core becomes a residence for Satan. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "The heart is touched twice: [one of it is] a touch by the angel [which constitutes] a command of goodness and an acceptance of the truth. So, if a man experiences this, he should know that it is from Allaah the Almighty and he should consequently thank Him. On the other hand, [there is] a touch from the enemy [Satan, and that constitutes an] insinuation of evil, disbelief in truth and being barred from good. So, if a person experiences this, he should seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Satan.” Then, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, recited the Saying of Allaah the Almighty (which means): {Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality.}.[Quran 2:268].”[An-Nasaa’i and At-Tirmithi]

Expounding on this, Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "They [i.e., the two touches] are actually two concerns that occur to the heart: one from Allaah the Almighty and the other from the enemy [Satan]. May Allaah have mercy upon a slave who examines his concerns and lets that affect him which is from Allaah The Almighty, and strives against whatever he deems from the enemy.”

By nature, the heart equally accepts both the inspiration of an angel and the incitement of Satan, such that there is a balance. However, the latter aspect dominates when a person acts ravenously and indulges in desires, whereas the former overrules it if a person turns away from wants and whims, and resists them.

When man becomes subservient to his desires and his actions become driven by rage, the influence of Satan will prevail via whims, which are his haven, and the heart will become Satan’s nest and pasture. On the other hand, if a person strives against his or her desires, barring them from impacting him or her and adopts some angelic traits, his or her heart will become the dwelling and station of angels. Thus, the soldiers of angels and of Satan are in an epic struggle, until the heart opens to one of them, allowing them to reside within and dominate; the other party, then, will only be able to pass with stealth.

Unfortunately, most hearts are conquered by the soldiers of Satan, sustained by obedience to desires and whims, and, therefore, the organs are riddled with base notions that give preference to this temporary life, with clear disregard of the Hereafter. The heart cannot be recaptured except when it is purified from the nutrition of Satan and is supported with the remembrance of Allaah the Almighty, which is the haven of angels.

Responses of the heart to temptation

Huthayfah ibn Al-Yamaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"Temptations are presented to hearts in the same way as a reed mat is woven, stick by stick. Any heart which is saturated by them will receive a black mark, whereas any heart that rejects them will have a white mark put on it. The result is that there will be two types of hearts: a black and dusty heart, which is like an uneven vessel that neither recognizes good nor rejects evil, except what is impregnated into it of desires; and a white heart that will never be harmed by any temptation, as long as there are heavens and the earth." [Muslim]

When the lure of desire and doubts are presented to the heart, it transforms into either of two types:

- The first is a heart that absorbs temptation in the same way a sponge soaks up water. This one will get a black stain every time it gives in to a temptation, until it becomes wholly dark and uneven. When this happens, the heart will be susceptible to two dangerous diseases: firstly, it will be unable to differentiate between good and evil, to the extent that it will not recognize either of them. Thereafter, the illness will pervade the organ until a person believes that good is evil and evil is good, the Prophetic Sunnah is a religious innovation and vice versa, and that truth is falsehood and the opposite holds true as well. Secondly, the heart will begin to be subservient to its whims, making them a criterion for judging the teachings of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sallam.

- The second is the white heart that is illuminated by the light of faith. When temptations are presented to it, it will immediately deny and reject them, thereby increasing in brightness and radiance.

As for the temptations themselves, they are categorized into two: desires and doubts. While the first leads to the corruption of both intentions and one’s will, the second taints a person’s knowledge and belief.

Accordingly, diseases of the heart are also of base desires and doubts; the former can be interpreted by the verse in which Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {Do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet.} [Quran 33: 32] Unlike a healthy person, a patient is more sensitive to the slightest changes in heat, cold or movement; likewise, when the heart suffers from an illness, even a small amount of whims or doubts harms it and it is unable to ward them off. On the other hand, a sound heart powerfully fends off these temptations, even in the face of more attacks.

As for the other kind, Allaah the Almighty referred to the disease of doubt, when He Said (what means): {In their hearts is disease, so Allaah has increased their disease.} [Quran 2: 10] Commenting on this verse, Qataadah and Mujaahid, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated that “disease” here refers to misgivings.

Although illnesses of the heart come in these two forms, the Glorious Quran is a remedy for both. It includes decisive proofs that distinguish between truth and falsehood; with them, the disease of doubt, which corrupts a person’s knowledge and intellect, is removed, and a person can perceive things in their real form. Thus, the Quran is the true cure for malicious allegations and doubts. Yet, its effectiveness is contingent on understanding the Quran and comprehending its essence. And, if Allaah the Almighty grants that to a person, his or her heart will as clearly distinguish between truth and falsehood, as it does between night and day.

Additionally, the Quran heals the other of the two diseases: desire; for, it includes wisdom, admonition and encouragement. It also contains verses warning people against indulging in the worldly life and instead urging them to work for the Hereafter. Furthermore, it has parables and stories that illustrate various lessons and warnings. Contemplating all this, a sound heart will surely incline towards what benefits it in both worlds and turn away from what will be of harm. The heart will then love guidance and detest vice.

Thus, the Glorious Quran removes diseases that result in corrupt yearnings; it reforms the heart, and so, reforms its wants, thus restoring it to the natural, pure state that it was created in. Referring to this, Allaah the Almighty Says (what means):

· {And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.} [Quran 17: 82]

· {O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.} [Quran 10: 57]

The heart feeds on faith and the Quran, taking from it what purifies and strengthens it. Both the heart and body require growth and development until they become perfect and sound. Hence, just as the body needs nutrients that build it and a healthy diet that protects it from harm, so does the heart. But, it can only obtain its nourishment from the Quran; and if it attempts to get something similar from another source, it would be provided with very little and not be able to reach its potential. Similarly, plants do not grow or become ripe without nutrients and proper environment; only when those are available, can we say they do.

Therefore, a person should study the signs of an ill and a sound heart, so he or she is able to discern which type he or she possesses. If the heart is sick, a slave of Allaah The Almighty must do his or her best to treat it before he or she meets Him with a sick heart, which will deprive him or her from entering Paradise. If the heart is sound, then he or she must nonetheless continue to safeguard its soundness until he or she dies in this state. If, however, the heart is dead, he or she can take solace in the fact that Allaah the Almighty gives life to the dead, as He Says (what means): {Know that Allaah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand.} [Quran 57: 17]

George Honey (25 May 1822 – 28 May 1880) was a British actor, comedian and singer. He was in the original productions of Caste by T. W. Robertson, and Engaged by W. S. Gilbert.

His acting career began in November 1848 at the Princess's Theatre, London, in the role of Pan in Midas. He was not regarded as a comedian in his early career, but as a singer; he joined the Pyne & Harrison Opera Company and appeared in several operas. One of these was The Rose of Castille, in which he appeared in the original production in 1857 at the Lyceum Theatre, London. Another was Martha in 1858 at the Drury Lane theatre, in an English translation; a reviewer in The Musical World wrote, "Mr. George Honey made an amusing caricature of Lord Tristan, but was not always to be praised for his extravagances."

From the early 1860s he concentrated on the dramatic stage, mainly in comic roles playing dissipated characters, for which he became popular.

In 1865 he appeared in William Brough's burlesque Prince Amabel; in 1866 he was in Watts Phillips's The Huguenot Captain.

In 1867 he appeared at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the original production of Caste by T. W. Robertson, which opened on 6 April; he played the part of Eccles. In the Daily News on 8 April, a critic wrote about this production:

Instead of the conventional clowns who are put in by slop-work dramatists to lighten the serious interest of their work, we have real characters who think, speak, and act like human beings, and yet are intensely amusing and interesting. The drunken father, evidently made up from Mr. George Cruikshank's pictures of The Bottle, is admirably played by Mr. George Honey, who made his first appearance at this theatre, and who never acted better.... The make-up, the voice, the manner, the savagery in one part, the hypocritical maudlin grief in another, the toadying to wealth in another, the disgust and abuse when wealth refuses to deposit even a sovereign, the exits and entrances of this character, are things to be gratefully remembered....

He was in the original production, which opened on 16 April 1870 at the Vaudeville Theatre, of For Love or Money by Andrew Haliday.

He appeared in the play Money by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, playing the part of Graves. He first took this role in 1869; the play was revived at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1872 and 1875, where it made a greater impression on audiences. In the Standard on 31 May 1875, a critic wrote:

A noticeable and welcome feature in the revival is the return of Mr. George Honey, who resumes his part of Graves, one of the most genuine and unexaggerated examples of pure humour the modern stage has witnessed. Before Mr. Honey has uttered three sentences the character of Graves is distinctly placed before the spectator. The manner in which the sigh of grief for the memory of "sainted Maria" gives place to the approving criticism on the glass of sherry, and the aspect of bereavement changes to a look of gratification as his eye lights on the pleasant face of Lady Franklin, is irresistibly amusing; and the subsequent scene between the two is the perfection of comedy acting....

He was successful in the original cast of W.S.Gilbert's comedy Engaged, which opened on 3 October 1877 at the Haymarket Theatre; he played the part of Cheviot Hill. He returned to the role of Eccles in Caste, from January to May 1879 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

He retired due to ill-health in 1879; he died in London in 1880

Highgate Cemetery, Swaine's Lane, London.

President Meles Zenawi is cuddling Somalia's different factions. His favorite faction, the TFG, represented by President Sharif, is being put on the chest. The rest of them on different positions.

Up to now, the world is still letting Meles Zenawi take the lead of solving Somali problem. Was there ever a nation that has been let to hijack another nation's reconciliation process and keep it while it is causing more destruction to that nation for the last twenty years of peace process? What a hypocritical world are we living today! How long it will take for the world leaders to realize that Meles Zenawi is not there to solve Somali civil war problem but to prolong it?

Month 34 - Swan calling the Tessa white.

Greenwich Village .. waited for ages for something to happen here .. then the young woman walked past in front of these two utterly bored, waiting older new yorkers.

Everything wrong with humanity, yet American liberals still cling to the idealism promoted by these dictators, communists and thugs.

Momus: "Lucky Like Saint Sebastian"

Once upon a time there was a man called Saul

Who persecuted Christians until he saw

The work was bearing fruit for the Christians

So the man changed his opinions and his Christian name to Paul

He says "Tell me, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"

My good ol' friend Mira tagged me and has asked to share 16 random facts about me

A bit late in collating the facts but nevertheless here they are -

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

1 - I'm a man of few words

(how I wish I could stop here!)

ending with my fav. quote - "I could've been anybody, thankfully I'm me!"

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

So these were some uncanny facts about me which you wished you never knew!

Thanks for reading and be nice to me if you don't want to be tagged too! ;-)

The hypocrites who are taking photos of me are the people who called the police on me, for taking photographs. The dumbass cop was too stupid to recognize the irony, that he was threatening and reprimanding me for shooting street photography while my accusers photographed me multiple times with multiple cameras.

The same cop and his partner stopped me a few weeks before this. I had been shooting street photography and was being chased by drug dealers who had previously threatened me. When the cop confronted me, he told me:

"You take pictures of people without their permission?"

"You're a fucking asshole photographer."

He made no effort to deal with the drug dealers, only the fucking asshole photgrapher.

Gotta love how tight the cop wears his shirt. He can't have any issues, no, none at all.

___________________________

"Although Cst. Hynes had the power to seize Dean's entire camera, it appears that he inconvenienced Dean less by simply deleting the images in question and then returning the camera to him."

(The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner)

"Sgt. Sawyer located numerous concerning photographs in your internet collection, including dolls manipulated into sexual positions..."

(The Victoria Chief of Police)

"Your complaint and the outcome is a classic example of why we have no faith in the police complaints system in B.C."

(David Eby, Executive Director of the B. C. Civil Liberties Assoc.)

"...the investigation report aims to discredit Mr. Dean and to treat the complaint as not being a serious matter. That is, with respect, inappropriate." (Robert Holmes, President of the B. C. Civil Liberties Assoc.)

"Mr. Dean’s allegations should have been taken seriously and should have been subject of further investigation."

(Jakob S. de Villers Q.C.)

_____________________________

Privacy was a beautiful girl - but she proved unfaithful for this photographer.

I lost her one night on the Rock Bay stroll. I’m not saying she sold herself to the police, but she proved I couldn’t trust in her.

Without a warrant , my camera was seized, the images destroyed, and since then, the police treat my privacy like a door mat. My camera and my medicine cabinet have been repeatedly searched by the police like the bottom of an empty donut bag.

After needlessly searching my internet site, the Victoria Chief of Police stated that my photograph collection contained “numerous concerning images” - and my privacy could no longer be found.

If you happen to see the most beautiful Privacy, that walked out on me, “tell her I’m sorry, tell her I need my baby, and oh, won’t you tell her, that I love her.” (cha cha cha)

___________________________ _____________________________.

"I've got to expose hypocrisy in my own self. The consciousness of my own self, before I ever stand up and speak for other individuals who are trying to be the same."

“Inside me, I think that an animal goes through a lot of pain in the whole cycle of death in the slaughterhouse; just living to be killed. That whole situation is really messed up for animals, growing up in those little cooped-up pens. I just don't think its worth eating that animal. I think animals should be free. There's so much other food out there that doesn't have to involve you in that cycle of pain and death.”

"And there were men in this country who gave us the power to think critically again. There were men in this country who rose up and lifted there minds out of the choices and lifted there minds up and showed all of us that we are individuals who can use our mind and our spirit to fight a hypocritical and brutal system.used in spirit to speak to all of us regardless of color, regardless of up bringing, and regardless of class and showed us all that this is a country that for 500 years has murdered, and enslaved, and stolen our land, and kept us from seeing ourselves as who we truly are."

"It is important for me, as a popular artist, to make clear to the governments of the United States and Mexico that despite the strategy of fear and intimidation to foreigners, despite their weapons, despite their immigration laws and military reserves, they will never be able to isolate the Zapatista communities from the people in the United States."

"This next song goes out to those who still believe that there is an american dream. And still believe that within that dream there is something called freedom. It is time to fucking wake up, and begin to truly think for ourselves, and find new sources of information... otherwise - things like what's happening in the persian gulf will continue. They will be able to make decisions for you, unless you fucking wake up, and take that veil of complacence from your eyes, and fucking begin to remove the bullet from your head."

"When I say no more lies...I'm telling you that we're not hear to celebrate this lie that is Christmas. With images of Santa, this prosperous white man, bringing presents and good hope to the communities of our countries is a fat lie. And is one installed only to legitimize the falsehood which is white supremecy. So no more lies...no more lies…"

"For hundreds of years America has sent people into the fuckin Middle East in the name of freedom, in the name of democracy and have murdered innocent women and children to rape, conquer and divide them of there resources. Today the situation still stands and people are still being murdered in the name of freedom. Wake up to your powers as an individual and speak out and act against fucking imperialistic actions like this."

"Check it out, check it out. Apparently just before this concert, there was some friends of ours in an organization called "The Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal". And somebody that came out here to pass out some information were sweated for wearing this very t-shirt right here (Zack points to his shirt and it has a picture of Mumia in cuffs and it say's "Free Mumia Abu-Jamal" underneath it). Now apparently it wasn't one of the promoters, and it wasn't some security guard, and I'm not going to make any assumptions but we're not nieve enough to think that there aren't members of the intelligence community right here in this fucking crowd who wanna prevent you from understanding why Mumia Abu-Jamal should be free. So let this be a message to you mister whoever the fuck you are and whoever they think they are. You're not going to intimidate us, and your not going to intimidate anyone in here from becoming a part of the movement to free Mumia Abu-Jamal. Yes. So in the back over here there's a table setup, and any of you can go over there and pick up as much information as you want. You should really check that shit out. Please do."

-'Sometimes we deliberately step into those traps'

-'I was born in mine; I don't mind it anymore'

-' Oh but you should, you should mind it''

-'Oh I do, but I say I don't'

while i was working in my office today, it suddenly hit my mind that i'm gonna leave this place soon.

i know im not gonna get this kind of environment back in dhaka.

and i will be trapped, once again, in that poisonous, selfish world with some hideous hypocrites.

the only thing im happy about is that i'll get to see my mom and sisters after all this time.

thats the reflection in the courtyard well in the office.

My best friend's father smoked weed and snorted cocaine with our president . . . really, truly.

Bush is a hypocrite. I don't respect him.

senators mcConnell, Boner and Graham who want to kill any reform,,and there are a lot of people who can't wait for better health care they can afford,,,

www.flickr.com/photos/30835791@N07/sets/72157614241935013/

thanks for the clown photos

She was sitting outside in

a parking lot in North Hollywood,

outside of the ice-cream store where I

take my six-year old lad quite often. She was

with a male friend, who looked like a model,

as did she. When I asked if I could take their

photo - okay, I'll admit I was more interested

in her photo, but I didn't want to be rude or

sexist - just hypocritical - they both said yes

instantly, as if they were frequently asked to

pose, and they both lit up with bright,

beautiful smiles.

I quickly took a few, and then asked if they

were models, as both knew how to turn on

the charm for the camera, and both were

naturally beautiful. "No, actors," they said

in unison, and thanked me.

Pribeta, 2003

'Don't eat anything you are not willing to kill yourself!' -said a hypocrite.

It's the 21st century, globalisation is thriving, people go by their highly specialised daily business and to be honest hunting and gathering is not on the top of our to-do list. Luckily, 'the dirty job' has been taken off our hands, but we must remember to treat meat with respect.

Quotes About Hanuman

Vikram Chandra

“Ask him why there are hypocrites in the world.'

'Because it is hard to bear the happiness of others.'

'When are we happy?'

'When we desire nothing and realize that possession is only momentary, and so are forever playing.'

'What is regret?'

'To realize that one has spent one's life worrying about the future.'

'What is sorrow?'

'To long for the past.'

'What is the highest pleasure?'

'To hear a good story.”

― Vikram Chandra, Red Earth and Pouring Rain

tags: hanuman, hinduism, pleasure, poetry, sorrow 40 likes Like

“Lord Ram gave Hanuman a quizzical look and said, "What are you, a monkey or a man?" Hanuman bowed his head reverently, folded his hands and said, "When I do not know who I am, I serve You and when I do know who I am, You and I are One.”

― Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas

tags: bhakti, devotion, hanuman, love, ramayana, service 10 likes Like

Pitoyo Amrih

“Terkadang, salah dan benar hanya dipisahkan oleh sesuatu yang tak pernah ada.”

― Pitoyo Amrih, The Darkness of Gatotkaca

tags: hanuman, literature, wayang 9 likes Like

Aravind Adiga

“Do you know about Hanuman, sir? He was the faithful servant of the god Rama, and we worship him in our temples because he is a shining example of how to serve your masters with absolute fidelity, love, and devotion.

These are the kinds of gods they have foisted on us Mr. Jiabao. Understand, now, how hard it is for a man to win his freedom in India.”

― Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger

tags: devotion, freedom, hanuman, india, servants, serving 8 likes Like

Munindra Misra

“॥दोहा॥

श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज, निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि।

बरनउँ रघुबर बिमल जसु, जो दायकु फल चारि॥

Doha

With the dust of guru’s lotus feet having,

I cleanse the mirror of my soul sparkling,

Raghuvar’s spotless glory I be singing,

The four fruits of life it ever is giving.

- 303 -”

― Munindra Misra, Chants of Hindu Gods and Godesses in English Rhyme

tags: chalisa, chants, culture, english, god, goddess, hanuman, hindu, hinduism, misra, munindra, prayer, rhyme 5 likes Like

Munindra Misra

“संकट मोचन हनुमानाष्टक

मत्तगयन्द छन्द

बाल समय रबि भक्षि लियो तब तीनहुँ लोक भयो अँधियारो।

ताहि सों त्रास भयो जग को यह संकट काहु सों जात न टारो।

देवन आनि करी बिनती तब छाँड़ि दियो रबि कष्ट निवारो।

को नहिं जानत है जग में कपि संकटमोचन नाम तिहारो॥१॥

When as a child you lapped the sun, darkness on triple world fell,

The worlds so got into trouble and a crisis that none could dispel,

Gods then prayed to you to spare the sun and you did so quell,

Who doesn’t know in this world your name `Problem Solver’ bells?

- 294 -”

― Munindra Misra, Chants of Hindu Gods and Godesses in English Rhyme

tags: chants, english, god, goddesses, hanuman, hanumanashtak, misra, mochan, munindra, prayer, rhyme, sankat 2 likes Like

Rahimidin Zahari

“Akulah Hanuman

musuhku yang abadi

adalah diriku.”

― Rahimidin Zahari, Kumpulan Puisi Laut Tujuh Gelombang Buih

"Cheeese!" Jehovah's Witness ministry school rep & career christian Mr Ian Stewart Shanks.

Insight on the Vaseline. Out winding people up for the great lord Jehovah.

Pedophile cultists out to annoy - evidencing that they have 'the truth'.

It should be an offence when someone puts on aftershave with a hose.

Oct 2011

___

I own copyright on any photograph/ image content i upload unless i indicate otherwise.

Me in California.

My son helped pick the title for the picture.

If you are tagged do what I did if that is your thing.

Ten things not often known about me.

1 I had really long Hair in grades 9-10-11.

2 My middle name is Romeo.

3 I believe there is no such thing as too much Lego. One may not have enough room for it all but there is never too much.

4 I once said that I would not join a Lego club because I don't want to get into the politics that goes on. I am a hypocrite because I am the VLC President now.

5 I am the undisputed limbo champ at my staff Christmas party.

6 Cycling, camping, tennis are some of the activities that I enjoy. I like golf, but have only been once.

7 I think vampire movies are seriously overrated.

8 I was 5 years old when I saw Star Wars in the drive in. If my Mom only knew the monster she was creating.

9 I share my birthday with my brother who was born two years to the day after me. The bugger cut what my parents could spend on me in half. :)

10 I took three years of fine arts in college.

( permalink | delete | edit

Home Studio, Barcelona, 12/01/2007

The worst social problem in the most heavily Progressive-dominated political districts is a lack of housing caused by selfishness and greed, two characteristics hypocritical Progressives like to criticize Conservatives for.

California has a housing problem. Anyone who lives in California copes... at Root cause of California's housing problems is homeowner greed and hypocrisy

Visit the OC Housing News, and read the OC Housing News blog. Learn why you should use a home guide. Meet the Akason Realty Consulting home guides and housing market analysts, and read our real estate agent testimonials. Discover why you should register with the OC Housing News and how to use the OC Housing News. Utilize the advanced property search, or the MLS map search.

See our special real estate offers: property search guide, housing market reports, home ownership cost guide, guide to rent or own decision, home financing guide, foreclosure 101, short sale guide, how to sell your home without a realtor, The Great Housing Bubble free PDF, 1.5% rebate on new home construction, no cost home sale program, and maximum impact real estate marketing.

Also read Renter News, SD Housing News, Housing Bubble News & Information, Housing Market Forecast US, Housing Market News & Information, Real Estate Ruin, USA Housing News, California Real Estate News, Housing Market News, USA Foreclosure News, Mortgage and Foreclosure News, Mortgage Refinance News, Real Estate Loan News, Debt Default News, Ponzi Debt, Loan Modification and Default News, Mortgage News Clips, and Fay Mortgage News.

CLIENT: Ilm Path Academy

[dp] www.dawahposters.com

[e] info@dawahposters.com

See the blog post.

The Beast being an enthusiastically bouncy, and very pointy-nosed Borzoi, called Hector. I have a soft spot for Borzois and didn't think Hector was beastly at all (even after he tried to steal dog biscuits out of my trouser pocket and in doing so, nearly knocked me into a canal!) but then, I'm not a grumpy sheepdog and evidently, Barney is. This was taken the moment Barn dashed all of Hector's hopes of finding a friend. Tired of pretending Hector wasn't there, Barney skidded to a halt, swirled about, grr-woofing at the shocked Borzoi... Then he calmly trotted to my side, sat down and waited for Hector's human staff to remove the Beast from his sight.

As a youngster Barney was a rather uppity sort of dog (as well as being grumpy), with an innate sense that other male dogs should bow to his clearly vast superiority - leading to a few conflicts when they disagreed with Barn's view point. He was also often excessively harsh in expressing his great dislike of any form of play with fellow dogs. Many times I threatened him with appointments at the vet in order to remove a certain part of his anatomy but my dad whined and moaned about it and somehow Barn escaped "the snip". (Although, that can always change - and may well do as one of my best friends is a vet who nags me about castrating dogs!).

After a lot of bribery and convincing Barney is still a grump but no longer feels the need to continually flatten friendly dogs for attempting play or, to establish his superiority over other males (females have always filled him with dread and awe, so they were never much of an issue)! We've not had more than a slightly grumpy face and a grr-woof! from him for a long time. Even when provoked by playful Borzois, or, worse: insufferable uppity youngsters (he's so hypocritical). Yep, he's now a mostly harmless grump of a sheepdog. To be fair, even as an uppity youngster, he never caused real damage (ruffled some fur maybe!) - just caused his owner some embarrassment. Ah well, we can't all be social butterflies, as long as his people-pack will play with him, Barney's quite happy in his own little one-dog world ;)

Proving that the HORDES that are DA are nothing but a bunch of HYPOCRITES!!

Lyle Blair (editor) - Famous British Short Stories

Pocket Books (G.B.) B12, 1950

Cover Artist: Peter Chadwick

Contents:

Max Beerbohm - The Happy Hypocrite

E.M. Forster - The Machine Stops

R.K. Narayan - An Astrologer's Day

W. Somerset Maugham - The Hairless Mexican

Mulk Raj Anand - The Liar

Rudyard Kipling - The Cat that Walked by Himself

Katherine Mansfield - The Voyage

'Saki' - The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope

Stephen Leacock - How I Succeeded in My Business

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - How the Brigadier Slew the Fox

Henry Lawson - The Loaded Dog

M.R. James - Count Magnus

Robert Louis Stevenson - Thrawn Janet

Baron Corvo - The Key and Purgatory

youtu.be/KcPcJ9ycEu4?t=2m22s Full Feature

Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment

1957/58 / B&W / 1:78 anamorphic 16:9 / 82, 95 min. / Street Date August 13, 2002 / $24.95

Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham, Athene Seyler

Cinematography Ted Scaife

Production Designer Ken Adam

Special Effects George Blackwell, S.D. Onions, Wally Veevers

Film Editor Michael Gordon

Original Music Clifton Parker

Written by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester from the story Casting the Runes by Montague R. James

Produced by Frank Bevis, Hal E. Chester

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Savant champions a lot of genre movies but only infrequently does one appear like Jacques Tourneur's superlative Curse of the Demon. It's simply better than the rest -- an intelligent horror film with some very good scares. It occupies a stylistic space that sums up what's best in ghost stories and can hold its own with most any supernatural film ever made. Oh, it's also a great entertainment that never fails to put audiences at the edge of their seats.

What's more, Columbia TriStar has shown uncommon respect for their genre output by including both versions of Curse of the Demon on one disc. Savant has full coverage on the versions and their restoration below, following his thorough and analytical (read: long-winded and anal) coverage of the film itself.

Synopsis:

Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews), a scientist and professional debunker of superstitious charlatans, arrives in England to help Professor Henry Harrington (Maurice Denham) assault the phony cult surrounding Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall McGinnis). But Harrington has mysteriously died and Holden becomes involved with his niece Joanna (Peggy Cummins), who thinks Karswell had something to do with it. Karswell's 'tricks' confuse the skeptical Holden, but he stubbornly holds on to his conviction that he's " ... not a sucker, like 90% of the human race." That is, until the evidence mounts that Harrington was indeed killed by a demon summoned from Hell, and that Holden is the next intended victim!

The majority of horror films are fantasies in which we accept supernatural ghosts, demons and monsters as part of a deal we've made with the authors: they dress the fantasy in an attractive guise and arrange the variables into an interesting pattern, and we agree to play along for the sake of enjoyment. When it works the movies can resonate with personal meaning. Even though Dracula and Frankenstein are unreal, they are relevant because they're aligned with ideas and themes in our subconscious.

Horror films that seriously confront the no-man's land between rational reality and supernatural belief have a tough time of it. Everyone who believes in God knows that the tug o' war between rationality and faith in our culture has become so clogged with insane belief systems it's considered impolite to dismiss people who believe in flying saucers or the powers of crystals or little glass pyramids. One of Dana Andrews' key lines in Curse of the Demon, defending his dogged skepticism against those urging him to have an open mind, is his retort, "If the world is a dark place ruled by Devils and Demons, we all might as well give up right now." Curse of the Demon balances itself between skepticism and belief with polite English manners, letting us have our fun as it lays its trap. We watch Andrews roll his eyes and scoff at the feeble séance hucksters and the dire warnings of a foolish-looking necromancer. Meanwhile, a whole dark world of horror sneaks up on him. The film's intelligent is such that we're not offended by its advocacy of dark forces or even its literal, in-your-face demon.

The remarkable Curse of the Demon was made in England for Columbia but is gloriously unaffected by that company's zero-zero track record with horror films. Producer Hal E. Chester would seem an odd choice to make a horror classic after producing Joe Palooka films and acting as a criminal punk in dozens of teen crime movies. The obvious strong cards are writer Charles Bennett, the brains behind several classic English Hitchcock pictures (who 'retired' into meaningless bliss writing for schlockmeister Irwin Allen) and Jacques Tourneur, a master stylist who put Val Lewton on the map with Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie. Tourneur made interesting Westerns (Canyon Passage, Great Day in the Morning) and perhaps the most romantic film noir, Out of the Past. By the late '50s he was on what Andrew Sarris in his American Film called 'a commercial downgrade'. The critic lumped Curse of the Demon with low budget American turkeys like The Fearmakers. 1

Put Tourneur with an intelligent script, a decent cameraman and more than a minimal budget and great things could happen. We're used to watching Corman Poe films, English Hammer films and Italian Bavas and Fredas, all the while making excuses for the shortcomings that keep them in the genre ghetto (where they all do quite well, thank you). There's even a veiled resentment against upscale shockers like The Innocents that have resources (money, time, great actors) denied our favorite toilers in the genre realm. Curse of the Demon is above all those considerations. It has name actors past their prime and reasonable production values. Its own studio (at least in America) released it like a genre quickie, double-billed with dreck like The Night the World Exploded and The Giant Claw. They cut it by 13 minutes, changed its title (to ape The Curse of Frankenstein?) and released a poster featuring a huge, slavering demon monster that some believe was originally meant to be barely glimpsed in the film itself. 2

Horror movies can work on more than one level but Curse of the Demon handles several levels and then some. The narrative sets up John Holden as a professional skeptic who raises a smirking eyebrow to the open minds of his colleagues. Unlike most second-banana scientists in horror films, they express divergent points of view. Holden just sees himself as having common sense but his peers are impressed by the consistency of demonological beliefs through history. Maybe they all saw Christensen's Witchcraft through the Ages, which might have served as a primer for author Charles Bennett. Smart dialogue allows Holden to score points by scoffing at the then-current "regression to past lives" scam popularized by the Bridey Murphy craze. 3 While Holden stays firmly rooted to his position, coining smart phrases and sarcastic put-downs of believers, the other scientists are at least willing to consider alternate possibilities. Indian colleague K.T. Kumar (Peter Elliott) keeps his opinion to himself. But when asked, he politely states that he believes entirely in the world of demons! 4

Holden may think he has the truth by the tail but it takes Kindergarten teacher Joanna Harrington (Peggy Cummins of Gun Crazy fame) to show him that being a skeptic doesn't mean ignoring facts in front of one's face. Always ready for a drink (a detail added to tailor the part to Andrews?), Holden spends the first couple of reels as interested in pursuing Miss Harrington, as he is the devil-worshippers. The details and coincidences pile up with alarming speed -- the disappearing ink untraceable by the lab, the visual distortions that might be induced by hypnosis, the pages torn from his date book and the parchment of runic symbols. Holden believes them to be props in a conspiracy to draw him into a vortex of doubt and fear. Is he being set up the way a Voodoo master cons his victim, by being told he will die, with fabricated clues to make it all appear real? Holden even gets a bar of sinister music stuck in his head. It's the title theme -- is this a wicked joke on movie soundtracks?

Speak of the Devil...

This brings us to the wonderful character of Julian Karswell, the kiddie-clown turned multi-millionaire cult leader. The man who launched Alfred Hitchcock as a maker of sophisticated thrillers here creates one of the most interesting villains ever written, one surely as good as any of Hitchcock's. In the short American cut Karswell is a shrewd games-player who shows Holden too many of his cards and finally outsmarts himself. The longer UK cut retains the full depth of his character.

Karswell has tapped into the secrets of demonology to gain riches and power, yet he tragically recognizes that he is as vulnerable to the forces of Hell as are the cowering minions he controls through fear. Karswell's coven means business. It's an entirely different conception from the aesthetic salon coffee klatch of The Seventh Victim, where nothing really supernatural happens and the only menace comes from a secret society committing new crimes to hide old ones.

Karswell keeps his vast following living in fear, and supporting his extravagant lifestyle under the idea that Evil is Good, and Good Evil. At first the Hobart Farm seems to harbor religious Christian fundamentalists who have turned their backs on their son. Then we find out that they're Karswell followers, living blighted lives on cursed acreage and bled dry by their cultist "leader." Karswell's mum (Athene Seyler) is an inversion of the usual insane Hitchcock mother. She lovingly resists her son's philosophy and actively tries to help the heroes. That's in the Night version, of course. In the shorter American cut she only makes silly attempts to interest Joanna in her available son and arranges for a séance. Concerned by his "negativity", Mother confronts Julian on the stairs. He has no friends, no wife, no family. He may be a mass extortionist but he's still her baby. Karswell explains that by exploiting his occult knowledge, he's immersed himself forever in Evil. "You get nothing for nothing"

Karswell is like the Devil on Earth, a force with very limited powers that he can't always control. By definition he cannot trust any of his own minions. They're unreliable, weak and prone to double-cross each other, and they attract publicity that makes a secret society difficult to conceal. He can't just kill Holden, as he hasn't a single henchman on the payroll. He instead summons the demon, a magic trick he's only recently mastered. When Karswell turns Harrington away in the first scene we can sense his loneliness. The only person who can possibly understand is right before him, finally willing to admit his power and perhaps even tolerate him. Karswell has no choice but to surrender Harrington over to the un-recallable Demon. In his dealings with the cult-debunker Holden, Karswell defends his turf but is also attempting to justify himself to a peer, another man who might be a potential equal. It's more than a duel of egos between a James Bond and a Goldfinger, with arrogance and aggression masking a mutual respect; Karswell knows he's taken Lewton's "wrong turning in life," and will have to pay for it eventually.

Karswell eventually earns Holden's respect, especially after the fearful testimony of Rand Hobart. It's taken an extreme demonstration to do it, but Holden budges from his smug position. He may not buy all of the demonology hocus-pocus but it's plain enough that Karswell or his "demon" is going to somehow rub him out. Seeking to sneak the parchment back into Karswell's possession, Holden becomes a worthy hero because he's found the maturity to question his own preconceptions. Armed with his rational, cool head, he's a force that makes Karswell -- without his demon, of course -- a relative weakling. Curse of the Demon ends in a classic ghost story twist, with just desserts dished out and balance recovered. The good characters are less sure of their world than when they started, but they're still able to cope. Evil has been defeated not by love or faith, but by intellect.

Curse of the Demon has the Val Lewton sensibility as has often been cited in Tourneur's frequent (and very effective) use of the device called the Lewton "Bus" -- a wholly artificial jolt of fast motion and noise interrupting a tense scene. There's an ultimate "bus" at the end when a train blasts in and sets us up for the end title. It "erases" the embracing actors behind it and I've always thought it had to be an inspiration for the last shot of North by NorthWest. The ever-playful Hitchcock was reportedly a big viewer of fantastic films, from which he seems to have gotten many ideas. He's said to have dined with Lewton on more than one occasion (makes sense, they were at one time both Selznick contractees) and carried on a covert competition with William Castle, of all people.

Visually, Tourneur's film is marvelous, effortlessly conjuring menacing forests lit in the fantastic Mario Bava mode by Ted Scaife, who was not known as a genre stylist. There are more than a few perfunctory sets, with some unflattering mattes used for airport interiors, etc.. Elsewhere we see beautiful designs by Ken Adam in one of his earliest outings. Karswell's ornate floor and central staircase evoke an Escher print, especially when visible/invisible hands appear on the banister. A hypnotic, maze-like set for a hotel corridor is also tainted by Escher and evokes a sense of the uncanny even better than the horrid sounds Holden hears. The build-up of terror is so effective that one rather unconvincing episode (a fight with a Cat People - like transforming cat) does no harm. Other effects, such as the demon footprints appearing in the forest, work beautifully.

In his Encyclopedia of Horror Movies Phil Hardy very rightly relates Curse of the Demon's emphasis on the visual to the then just-beginning Euro-horror subgenre. The works of Bava, Margheriti and Freda would make the photographic texture of the screen the prime element of their films, sometimes above acting and story logic.

Columbia TriStar's DVD of Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon presents both versions of this classic in one package. American viewers saw an effective but abbreviated cut-down. If you've seen Curse of the Demon on cable TV or rented a VHS or a laser anytime after 1987, you're not going to see anything different in the film. In 1987 Columbia happened to pull out the English cut when it went to re-master. When the title came up as Night of the Demon, they just slugged in the Curse main title card and let it go.

From such a happy accident (believe me, nobody in charge at Columbia at the time would have purposely given a film like this a second glance) came a restoration at least as wonderful as the earlier reversion of The Fearless Vampire Killers to its original form. Genre fans were taken by surprise and the Laserdisc became a hot item that often traded for hundreds of dollars. 6

Back in film school Savant had been convinced that ever seeing the long, original Night cut was a lost cause. An excellent article in the old Photon magazine in the early '70s 5, before such analytical work was common, accurately laid out the differences between the two versions, something Savant needs to do sometime with The Damned and These Are the Damned. The Photon article very accurately describes the cut scenes and what the film lost without them, and certainly inspired many of the ideas here.

Being able to see the two versions back-to-back shows exactly how they differ. Curse omits some scenes and rearranges others. Gone is some narration from the title sequence, most of the airplane ride, some dialogue on the ground with the newsmen and several scenes with Karswell talking to his mother. Most crucially missing are Karswell's mother showing Joanna the cabalistic book everyone talks so much about and Holden's entire visit to the Hobart farm to secure a release for his examination of Rand Hobart. Of course the cut film still works (we loved the cut Curse at UCLA screenings and there are people who actually think it's better) but it's nowhere near as involving as the complete UK version. Curse also reshuffles some events, moving Holden's phantom encounter in the hallway nearer the beginning, which may have been to get a spooky scene in the middle section or to better disguise the loss of whole scenes later. The chop-job should have been obvious. The newly imposed fades and dissolves look awkward. One cut very sloppily happens right in the middle of a previous dissolve.

Night places both Andrews and Cummins' credits above the title and gives McGinnis an "also starring" credit immediately afterwards. Oddly, Curse sticks Cummins afterwards and relegates McGinnis to the top of the "also with" cast list. Maybe with his role chopped down, some Columbia executive thought he didn't deserve the billing?

Technically, both versions look just fine, very sharp and free of digital funk that would spoil the film's spooky visual texture. Night of the Demon is the version to watch for both content and quality. It's not perfect but has better contrast and less dirt than the American version. Curse has more emulsion scratches and flecking white dandruff in its dark scenes, yet looks fine until one sees the improvement of Night. Both shows are widescreen enhanced (hosanna), framing the action at its original tighter aspect ratio.

It's terrific that Columbia TriStar has brought out this film so thoughtfully, even though some viewers are going to be confused when their "double feature" disc appears to be two copies of the same movie. Let 'em stew. This is Savant's favorite release so far this year.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon rates:

Movie: Excellent

Footnotes:

Made very close to Curse of the Demon and starring Dana Andrews, The Fearmakers (great title) was a Savant must-see until he caught up with it in the UA collection at MGM. It's a pitiful no-budgeter that claims Madison Avenue was providing public relations for foreign subversives, and is negligible even in the lists of '50s anti-Commie films.

Return

Curse of the Demon's Demon has been the subject of debate ever since the heyday of Famous Monsters of Filmland. From what's on record it's clear that producer Chester added or maximized the shots of the creature, a literal visualization of a fiery, brimstone-smoking classical woodcut demon that some viewers think looks ridiculous. Bennett and Tourneur's original idea was to never show a demon but the producer changed that. Tourneur probably directed most of the shots, only to have Chester over-use them. To Savant's thinking, the demon looks great. It is first perceived as an ominous sound, a less strident version of the disturbing noise made by Them! Then it manifests itself visually as a strange disturbance in the sky (bubbles? sparks? early slit-scan?) followed by a billowing cloud of sulphurous smoke (a dandy effect not exploited again until Close Encounters of the Third Kind). The long-shot demon is sometimes called the bicycle demon because he's a rod puppet with legs that move on a wheel-rig. Smoke belches from all over his scaly body. Close-ups are provided by a wonderfully sculpted head 'n' shoulders demon with articulated eyes and lips, a full decade or so before Carlo Rambaldi started engineering such devices.

Most of the debate centers on how much Demon should have been shown with the general consensus that less would have been better. People who dote on Lewton-esque ambivalence say that the film's slow buildup of rationality-versus demonology is destroyed by the very real Demon's appearance in the first scene, and that's where they'd like it removed or radically reduced. The Demon is so nicely integrated into the cutting (the giant foot in the first scene is a real jolt) that it's likely that Tourneur himself filmed it all, perhaps expecting the shots to be shorter or more obscured. It is also possible that the giant head was a post-Tourneur addition - it doesn't tie in with the other shots as well (especially when it rolls forward rather stiffly) and is rather blunt. Detractors lump it in with the gawd-awful head of The Black Scorpion, which is filmed the same way and almost certainly was an afterthought - and also became a key poster image. This demon head matches the surrounding action a lot better than did the drooling Scorpion.

Savant wouldn't change Curse of the Demon but if you put a gun to my head I'd shorten most of the shots in its first appearance, perhaps eliminating all close-ups except for the final, superb shot of the the giant claw reaching for Harrington / us.

Kumar, played (I assume) by an Anglo actor, immediately evokes all those Indian and other Third World characters in Hammer films whose indigenous cultures invariably hold all manner of black magic and insidious horror. When Hammer films are repetitious it's because they take eighty minutes or so to convince the imagination-challenged English heroes to even consider the premise of the film as being real. In Curse of the Demon, Holden's smart-tongued dismissal of outside viewpoints seems much more pigheaded now than it did in 1957, when heroes confidently defended conformist values without being challenged. Kumar is a scientist but also probably a Hindu or a Sikh. He has no difficulty reconciling his faith with his scientific detachment. Holden is far too tactful to call Kumar a crazy third-world guru but that's probably what he's thinking. He instead politely ignores him. Good old Kumar then saves Holden's hide with some timely information. I hope Holden remembered to thank him.

There's an unstated conclusion in Curse of the Demon: Holden's rigid disbelief of the supernatural means he also does not believe in a Christian God with its fundamentally spiritual faith system of Good and Evil, saints and devils, angels and demons. Horror movies that deal directly with religious symbolism and "real faith" can be hypocritical in their exploitation and brutal in their cheap toying with what are for many people sacred personal concepts. I'm thinking of course of The Exorcist here. That movie has all the grace of a reporter who shows a serial killer's atrocity photos to a mother whose child has just been kidnapped. Curse of the Demon hasn't The Exorcist's ruthless commercial instincts but instead has the modesty not to pretend to be profound, or even "real." Yet it expresses our basic human conflict between rationality and faith very nicely.

Savant called Jim Wyrnoski, who was associated with Photon, in an effort to find out more about the article, namely who wrote it. It was very well done and I've never forgotten it; I unfortunately loaned my copy out to good old Jim Ursini and it disappeared. Obviously, a lot of the ideas here, I first read there. Perhaps a reader who knows better how to take care of their belongings can help me with the info? Ursini and Alain Silvers' More Things than are Dreamt Of Limelight, 1994, analyzes Curse of the Demon (and many other horror movies) in the context of its source story.

This is a true story: Cut to 2000. Columbia goes to re-master Curse of the Demon and finds that the fine-grain original of the English version is missing. The original long version of the movie may be lost forever. A few months later a collector appears who says he bought it from another unnamed collector and offers to trade it for a print copy of the American version, which he prefers. Luckily, an intermediary helps the collector follow up on his offer and the authorities are not contacted about what some would certainly call stolen property. The long version is now once again safe. Studios clearly need to defend their property but many collectors have "items" they personally have acquired legally. More often than you might think, such finds come about because studios throw away important elements. If the studios threaten prosecution, they will find that collectors will never approach them. They'd probably prefer to destroy irreplaceable film to avoid being criminalized.

I have the permission to bind and loose things on Earth

Listen carefully to what I say

Mark my word

I am the gatekeeper of time

The authority of office

The power to bind

To admit or exclude

The power to trample

I Walk in Boldness

Nothing will harm me

Impulsive and yet cowardly

Being both hot-tempered and tenderhearted

Insightful and yet ignorant

Courageous and solid after Pentecost

Yet was hypocritical

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To Alex Stehouwer , don't forget I have the right to my own beliefs . Don't act like having the big head that all people in the world stand and think like you , you Godless Christian hater !

Psalm 14:1

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. "

This verse should best describe yourself.

God deserves the praises. Only demonized person like you can't stand it or even listen neither read it.

If reading through my post of praising God and his goodness is not your cuppa tea , then leave and don't even spend minutes to type a message just to ruin me. But you love to impart such a bad heart to other people , with intention to insult and hurt . You find some satisfaction of such action.

My beliefs are personal and intimate for me . Since I haven’t posted my own views right on your flickr stream , then why were you be angry for what my beliefs are ? It seems your world is getting smaller around you and you can’t understand others have their own different belief system too different than yours.

Do I need to conform with you and post my neutral post to please you. Are you paying my meals or my bills. Be ashamed of yourself and have decency to think before you act.

Your nasty comment posted didn’t go unnoticed. I couldn’t even believe such a person I thought as fine as you is a hypocrite and a bully , that even online you left some projection of what you are in person . Thinking big about yourself ? Such a shame for a man like you who hates God . You can’t even be grateful with the natural air you breathe comes from one creator of the universe who I was giving my praises to . You are so puffed up with self pride , thinking you’ll exist forever in comfort .

If I praise God for the goodness and great things He has done , that’s my personal experience shared , period.

It has nothing to do with you . I don't know you !

I have understood that Christians can’t have the whole world in agreement with us all . In fact someday Christianity will be a minority group . Such concept I have understandably accepted. However, as early days as this , your attitude displays your hate for Christianity and thereby I conclude you are a potentially a great persecutor of Christians someday if you continue to exist with your great anger and hate of God . People deserves to know your attitude problem .

I hope one day when you reach to that very point gasping of your last breathe of air , you may learn to acknowledge there is God who gives and takes that very life you have enjoyed in comfort, yet the same mighty God you've hated .

That ungodliness of you will lead you to die with your lost sinful nature without God if you don't come into repentance to the one living God and accept his son as your savior Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 3:18-19

" If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. "

Pope Francis departs the U.S. Capitol after his address to Congress.

Used on DCist.com Overheard in D.C.: The Pope.

Used by Les Carnets du Parvis blog post Hypocrite, le pape ? Réponse à Lysiane Gagnon.

Used on Your Daily Vegan blog post How Pope Francis' U.S. Visit Informed My Veganism.

Used, without attribution, on Catholic Vote blog post Pope Makes Strong Statement on Marriage. Is that a seventh commandment violation?

Used on LA20s.com article "Secret Service Improves Security Protocols During Pope Visit".

Used on Catholic News Live article Broken dolls, injured kittens . . . Beth March, Cassidy the miracle kitten, and the message of Pope Francis

Used on Kicker article Controversy of the Day: The Pope met with Kentucky Clerk and anti-gay marriage advocate Kim Davis.

Used on Pollution Solutions' article First Ever Pontiff-to-Congress Address Sees Pope Francis Urge Environmental Action.

I've been reading Paulo Coelho's "The Devil and Miss Prym" . Its a fabulous account of the struggle between deciding and doing what is good and selfless vs what is bad and selfish...

Whether i like it or not, there is a darker side of me...although i try to conform to society and show that which i think they think acceptable, i do have a side that i don't show to society. And as Bertrand Russell once said , "We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side: one which we preach but do not practice, and another which we practice but seldom preach". That applies to me too...

Don't you have two sides? Shadows? A little hypocrisy, perhaps?

This car runs on hot air, bull-crap and broken promises.

It has three wheels that speed the vehicle through tight left turns.

It comes complete with two Tele Prompters programmed to help the occupants talk their way out of any violations.

The transparent canopy reveals the plastic smiles still on the faces of all the happy owners.

Comes in S, M, L, XL and 2XL.

It won't get you to work, but hey, there aren't any jobs anyway!

Michael Ramirez @ Investor's Business Daily

www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/PhotoPopup.aspx?id=521815

Dramatic images of World Trade Centre collapse on 9/11 released for first time

By Mail Foreign Service

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249885/New-Wo...

Many would say that Banksy's work amounts to nothing more than vandalism - so would it be hypocritical to complain about this??

Anyway I don't even get it. Any ideas?

Also, the yellow lines have been removed from the pavement.