Workshop on the Judicial Reforms under the Revitalized Peace Agreement

Since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 and after independence in 2011, South Sudan has been governed under the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan 2005 (ICOSS) and the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan 2011 (TCOSS).

After independence in July 2011, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) initiated a permanent constitution making process, led by the National Constitutional Review Commission, which was truncated by the outbreak of conflict in December 2013. The Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) 2015 contained provisions for a permanent constitution-making process, but these were not activated before the outbreak of further conflict in Juba in July 2016, which ultimately resulted in the collapse of the ARCSS.

A critical element of the governance reforms stipulated in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018 is the process of making a Permanent Constitution. Chapter 6 of the R-ARCSS outlines the permanent constitution making process, which is expected, inter alia, to pave the way for elections at the end of the transitional period.

In terms of peacebuilding in post-conflict South Sudan, the role of the judiciary as a primary accountability and conflict resolution mechanism cannot be overstated especially given that many key political and other disputes will eventually come before the judiciary.

The judiciary in South Sudan has attained many significant milestones since the independence of the young nation. In the current post-conflict context of the country, the judiciary is facing major infrastructure, capacity and financial challenges.

In the case of South Sudan, accountability mechanisms include statutory judicial institutions and traditional or customary system both of which discharge justice across the country. In cognizance of the interdependence of these two systems, judicial reforms will encompass all these areas. It is instructive to note that judicial reforms must ‘culminate in strengthening institutions of government, thereby enhancing constitutional democracy.’

The scope, content and process of the judicial reforms envisaged under the R-ARCSS therefore require in-depth discussion and review by the relevant stakeholders in order to ensure effective implementation of the judicial reforms and the permanent constitution-making process.

Segovia, Spain

Men's fashions of 1901.

Ads such as this one do not just depict clothing styles of the past. When they feature people wearing the clothing, they also reveal the ideal man and woman of the era. It can be instructive to follow the changes in the ideal look over time. But that's not what today's exercise is about.

The past can challenge one's vocabulary. I'm finding that's especially true in the case of advertisements for clothing.

For example, the paragraph under the heading "America's Greatest Values in Suits and Overcoats at $15" mentions "black Thibets in Varsity cut; . . ."

What is "Thibet"? Why am I only now hearing about it?

No, Google, I did not mean "Tibet." Or did I? It turns out that "Thibet" is an archaic spelling of "Tibet," and "Thibet cloth (Tibet cloth or Thibet) is a camlet made of goat's hair, originally from Tibet." So says Wikipedia.

Wikipedia continued: "Thibet cloth is a weave of goat's hair made by Tibetans in Asia. It is a heavy and coarse material. The cloth is normally used in local men's clothing."

"Thibet can also be 'a fine woolen fabric formerly used for dresses' or a fabric used for suits and coats and 'finished with a soft smooth heavily-felted

It's highly improbable that an American volume discount clothier was selling garments made of goat hair in 1901 or at any other time in US history.

How the name Thibet came to be applied to a type of cloth - "a fine woolen fabric" - that's the opposite of a "coarse and heavy material" is a historical linguistic mystery.

Realizing that I was floundering, I turned to Google Advance Search for a technical definition from within the textile industry. To hell with Wikipedia.

I found one right away on page 96 of Posselt's Textile Journal of May 1920:

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

Thibet: An all-wool stout dress goods or coating, well felted and given a smooth and soft face, showing an indistinct twill. Often made with a cotton warp. It comes usually in solid piece dye or in mixtures.

Thibet Cloth: A fabric occupying a place midway between a Melton and Cheviot. It is more elastic and softer than a Melton and not so nappy as a Cheviot, the nap being slight and laying close to the surface of the cloth, causing the goods to assume a rough, unfinished appearance. A camlet formerly made of goat's hair, but not of wool, being of shaggy appearance, used for ladies' dresses, etc.

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

At last, something concrete (“twill” “warp” “felted“ and “nap.”), yet at the same time confounding. Why does Thibet merit two entries?

My theory is that time and quality separate the two. The camlet, from which Thibet cloth is derived, dates back to at least the 17th and 18th centuries. It was woven in some of the great European centers of textile production. Melton and Cheviot are two types of wool that were a substitute for the goat and camel hair used in the East. It just sounds expensive, so its cost might have limited its market to the economic and social elite.

Thibet, on the other hand, sounds like a mass-produced modern knockoff that resembled Thibet cloth from a distance of ten paces. The word "Thibet" must still have connoted exclusivity and quality at the turn of the 20th century or the retailer wouldn't have mentioned it.

The Topeka State Journal 29 November, 1901, page 5.

Crater of Monte Nero (also known as Monte di Ponente), a cone sitting at the western shore of Linosa island. The crater truncates the upper portion of the cone, which consists of reddish and black scoriae overlying yellow tuffs of an earlier hydromagmatic phase of the eruption that formed the cone. No date is available for this eruption, but the youthful shape of the crater indicates that it took place maybe a few thousand years ago. A significant portion of the western side of the cone has been lost due to erosion, leaving a spectacular, colorful and instructive section that shows the inner structure of the cone. Photomosaic taken 28 July 2007.

I couldn't figure this photo out. it has some nice elements, a clear foreground, and a scenic view out over the harbor and town beyond. but it doesn't work for me. I look at it and there's no actual subject, nothing to lead or anchor the eye. too busy. help! uncensored, what would you have done differently? put the edge of the ledge higher in the frame, possibly losing some of the elements that way, but gaining visual appeal? another lens perhaps? very curious to hear people's constructive/instructive thoughts.

there's a sort of funny story behind the title that'll have to wait for another day :o)

You're sure to be stained, if you play with the ink!

You're sure to get black, if you play with the ink-well,

Before you begin it, just stop once, and think well!

All over your fingers, all over your face,

All over your clothes, and all over the place!

Your mother'll be angry, your father'll say, "There!

I said not to touch it; you said you'd take care!"

When Goops are so mischievous, they have to drink

Forty-four dozen bottles of raven black ink!

More Goops and How Not to be Them: A Manual of Manners for Impolite Infants. Authored, published and copyrighted 1903 by Gelett Burgess. A Manual of Manners for Impolite Infants Depicting the Characteristics of Many Naughty and Thoughtless Children With Instructive Illustrations.

Found at www.gutenberg.org/etext/13004.

The second stop on our ''Highlights of Ephesus'' sightseeing excursion was the Ephesus Archaeological Site (Efes Ören Yeri). We entered through upper (south) gate, and began our sightseeing near the State Agora (Devlet Agorasi). Numerous carved marble tablets can be found in and around the vaulted substructure of a building known as the Temple of Domitian (Domitianus Tapinaği). Here, you can see a carved tablet inscribed with Greek text -- one of the many works featured as part of Ephesus' Inscriptions Museum.

A few details on these ruins:

Temple of Domitian

The area in front of the Water Palace was known as Domitian Square. Just west of the square, there was a temple that was erected in honor of Emperor Domitian; it was built between 81-96 A.D. and included a vaulted substructure. The temple featured columns as well as an altar decorated with warriors and arms, which is now exhibited at the Ephesus Museum. (A nearby informational placard provided more details and images of the Temple of Domitian.)

The Inscriptions Museum

The Inscriptions Museum is housed in the vaulted substructure of the Temple of Domitian. In the corridors, more than 3,000 complete or partial inscriptions are currently preserved. A selected exhibition contains approximately 60 exceptionally instructive examples, including a death sentence against sacrilegious persons, Hellenistic citizenship rights, Imperial letters, honorific inscriptions for the members of the imperial and civic aristocracy, and funerary inscriptions.

Brief History of Ephesus:

Ephesus -- known as Ἔφεσος in Greek and Efes in Turkish -- was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia. It was originally established in the 10th century B.C. by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. Ephesus flourished after it came under Roman control in 129 B.C., during which time it is estimated to have had a population of 33,500 to 56,000 people. It was renowned for its splendid architecture, including the Temple of Artemis (circa 550 B.C.), which was recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World until it was destroyed during a Goth raid in 268 A.D. During the Byzantine era (395-1308), Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The city was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 A.D. and was later sacked by Arabs during the mid 600s and early 700s. Its role as a commercial center declined as its harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River and the town lost its trade access to the Aegean Sea. Ephesus eventually fell under Turkish control; after a brief period of renewed prosperity and building during the early 14th century, the city was eventually abandoned by the 15th century. Excavations of the site were conducted by British archaeologists in the 1860s-70s, and later by German and Austrian architects in the 1890s. Today, the Austrian Archaeological Institute still continues ongoing conservation and restoration of Ephesus.

Gold Golden Square and Compasses on what looks to be quartz.

Masonic Square and Compasses.

The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry. Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lessons in conduct: for example, Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains them as: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind".

However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Square and Compasses:

Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

These two symbols have been so long and so universally combined — to teach us, as says an early instruction, "to square our actions and to keep them within due bounds," they are so seldom seen apart, but are so kept together, either as two Great Lights, or as a jewel worn once by the Master of the Lodge, now by the Past Master—that they have come at last to be recognized as the proper badge of a Master Mason, just as the Triple Tau is of a Royal Arch Mason or the Passion Cross of a Knight Templar.

So universally has this symbol been recognized, even by the profane world, as the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, that it has recently been made in the United States the subject of a legal decision. A manufacturer of flour having made, in 1873, an application to the Patent Office for permission to adopt the Square and Compasses as a trade-mark, the Commissioner of Patents, .J. M. Thatcher, refused the permission as the mark was a Masonic symbol.

If this emblem were something other than precisely what it is—either less known", less significant, or fully and universally understood—all this might readily be admitted. But, Considering its peculiar character and relation to the public, an anomalous question is presented. There can be no doubt that this device, so commonly worn and employed by Masons, has an established mystic significance, universally recognized as existing; whether comprehended by all or not, is not material to this issue. In view of the magnitude and extent of the Masonic organization, it is impossible to divest its symbols, or at least this particular symbol—perhaps the best known of all—of its ordinary signification, wherever displaced, either as an arbitrary character or otherwise.

It will be universally understood, or misunderstood, as having a Masonic significance; and, therefore, as a trade-mark, must constantly work deception. Nothing could be more mischievous than to create as a monopoly, and uphold by the poser of lacy anything so calculated. as applied to purposes of trade. to be misinterpreted, to mislead all classes, and to constantly foster suggestions of mystery in affairs of business (see Infringing upon Freemasonry, also Imitative Societies, and Clandestine).

In a religious work by John Davies, entitled Summa Totalis, or All in All and the Same Forever, printed in 1607, we find an allusion to the Square and Compasses by a profane in a really Masonic sense. The author, who proposes to describe mystically the form of the Deity, says in his dedication:

Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity,

Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our Creed.

In Masonic symbolism the Square and Compasses refer to the Freemason's duty to the Craft and to himself; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and there significantly adopted as the badge or token of the Fraternity.

Berage, in his work on the higher Degrees, Les plus secrets Mystéres des Hauts Grades, or The Most Secret Mysteries of the High Grades, gives a new interpretation to the symbol. He says: "The Square and the Compasses represent the union of the Old and New Testaments. None of the high Degrees recognize this interpretation, although their symbolism of the two implements differs somewhat from that of Symbolic Freemasonry.

The Square is with them peculiarly appropriated to the lower Degrees, as founded on the Operative Art; while the Compasses, as an implement of higher character and uses, is attributed to the Decrees, which claim to have a more elevated and philosophical foundation. Thus they speak of the initiate, when he passes from the Blue Lodge to the Lodge of Perfection, as 'passing from the Square to the Compasses,' to indicate a progressive elevation in his studies. Yet even in the high Degrees, the square and compasses combined retain their primitive signification as a symbol of brotherhood and as a badge of the Order."

Square and Compass:

Source: The Builder October 1916

By Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa

Worshipful Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days, when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.

As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.

Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God, and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass, and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.

The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat, symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material, and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions. Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another, "Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."

Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts, let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and persistently tells each one of us,

"You should not in the valley stay

While the great horizons stretch away

The very cliffs that wall you round

Are ladders up to higher ground.

And Heaven draws near as you ascend,

The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.

All things are beckoning to the Best,

Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest."

The romantic Snežnik Castle in Notranjska boasts authentic interiors from the second half of the 19th century

A stroll through the four castle floors evokes the atmosphere of 150 years ago because rooms boast genuine furniture and other household objects from the latter half of the 19th century. The parlours and bedrooms of Princes Herman and Ulrich, of Princess Ana and the guest rooms are pleasant and comfortable fitted out with a number of originally upholstered historical seating suites and ornamental stoves. The walls are decorated with family portraits, old photos, and prints. One distinct feature is the Egyptian room from the early 20th century. To make the ambience of the holiday residence cosier, the family had a piano, the billiard table, and the theatre corner. Gradually, the owners gathered many hunting trophies, including the stuffed bear that has been at the castle for over a century. The stonefaced bailey area is intended for temporary exhibitions, and there is a wedding room on the ground floor.

The ancient castle in its beautiful natural surroundings is providing a whole day of pleasant and instructive entertainment.

For the Jan26 Virtual Meeting, themed 'Maps, Facts and Science'.

An instructive article about traditional industries (Facts), was used for this jigsaw.

-

March 2020, 2020 House Party Themed Rural Life

Post Script for the BCD Just Jigsaws Group

'My Country' - is full of art and craft, culture and history - and long may it remain so. I photographed this at the 2020 House Party and it is very appropriate - cut on a treadle saw by a dynasty whose cutting dates to 1915, showing a craft industry whose origins go back centuries. I'm not sure I could live happily on Shetland - I love a landscape with fields and deciduous trees too much - but I treasure their local culture.

It was good to see this jigsaw. A few years back, its owner recognised a similar jigsaw I had put in one of my BCD theme folders (when the theme was very similar to today's, Rural Crafts & Activities) and I was able to tell him that I knew of other examples.

This collage jigsaw cut by Enid Stocken of Leisure & Pleasure, shows Weaving in a Shetland Cottage. Its owner says it is difficult. You can see the dense carpet of Enid's whimsies clearly against the dark areas in the photo. Enid must have cut a few of these collage type jigsaws because I have a couple too, all in the same format. I wonder if they all came from the same magazine, calendar or book? (850pc Lace Making - see next photo; 825pc Gilding and Stained Glass are in a different collage)

25/05/2022: 15W actinic trap; Hockenhull Platts Nature Reserve, near Chester.

This was my first Dog’s Tooth anywhere, and I almost missed it. I thought I’d completely checked my little LED trap, but as I walked off the reserve I found it clinging to the bottom of the trap, having had ample time to escape. At first I thought it was the closely-related Pale-shouldered Brocade, but it looked strangely ‘fuzzy’ so I photographed it and, with the aid of folk on the Cheshire Moths F/B group, got it correctly identified.

There’s a fabulous book called ‘The Scientific Names of the British Lepidoptera’ by Colonel A Maitland Emmet, and he is instructive about the Dog’s Tooth. Its specific name, suasa, apparently derives from ‘suasum’ and ‘a colour is called ‘suasum’ which is produced by a smoky spray on a white garment’. It was the ‘fuzziness’ or perhaps ‘smokiness’ of this moth’s colouration which made me sit up and take notice of it.

More details

www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/lacanobia-suasa/

species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0021144817

15W actinic trap

Clouded Border (1)

Common Carpet (1)

Common Swift (2)

Foxglove Pug (1)

Green Carpet (5)

May Highflyer (4)

Pale Pinion (1)

Pale Tussock (1)

Poplar Hawk-moth (2)

Silver-ground Carpet (2)

Small Phoenix (1)

Small Square-spot (3)

White Ermine (2)

5W LED trap

Dog’s Tooth (1)

Flame Shoulder (1)

Poplar Hawk-moth (1)

White Ermine (3)

Aurora Masonic Hall wall keystone decoration.

H.T.W.S.S.T.K.S. symbolizes: Hiram, Tyrian, Widow's Son, Sendeth to King Solomon (used on coins & gravemarkers). It is used in Royal Arch Masonry to describe someone in the Royal Arch ritual.

Square and Compasses - This symbolic stone was removed from above the entrance to the Lambton Mills Masonic Temple erected by Mimico Lodge on the north side of Dundas Street in 1882.

Masonic Square and Compasses.

The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry. Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lessons in conduct: for example, Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains them as: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind".

However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Square and Compasses:

Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

These two symbols have been so long and so universally combined — to teach us, as says an early instruction, "to square our actions and to keep them within due bounds," they are so seldom seen apart, but are so kept together, either as two Great Lights, or as a jewel worn once by the Master of the Lodge, now by the Past Master—that they have come at last to be recognized as the proper badge of a Master Mason, just as the Triple Tau is of a Royal Arch Mason or the Passion Cross of a Knight Templar.

So universally has this symbol been recognized, even by the profane world, as the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, that it has recently been made in the United States the subject of a legal decision. A manufacturer of flour having made, in 1873, an application to the Patent Office for permission to adopt the Square and Compasses as a trade-mark, the Commissioner of Patents, .J. M. Thatcher, refused the permission as the mark was a Masonic symbol.

If this emblem were something other than precisely what it is—either less known", less significant, or fully and universally understood—all this might readily be admitted. But, Considering its peculiar character and relation to the public, an anomalous question is presented. There can be no doubt that this device, so commonly worn and employed by Masons, has an established mystic significance, universally recognized as existing; whether comprehended by all or not, is not material to this issue. In view of the magnitude and extent of the Masonic organization, it is impossible to divest its symbols, or at least this particular symbol—perhaps the best known of all—of its ordinary signification, wherever displaced, either as an arbitrary character or otherwise.

It will be universally understood, or misunderstood, as having a Masonic significance; and, therefore, as a trade-mark, must constantly work deception. Nothing could be more mischievous than to create as a monopoly, and uphold by the poser of lacy anything so calculated. as applied to purposes of trade. to be misinterpreted, to mislead all classes, and to constantly foster suggestions of mystery in affairs of business (see Infringing upon Freemasonry, also Imitative Societies, and Clandestine).

In a religious work by John Davies, entitled Summa Totalis, or All in All and the Same Forever, printed in 1607, we find an allusion to the Square and Compasses by a profane in a really Masonic sense. The author, who proposes to describe mystically the form of the Deity, says in his dedication:

Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity,

Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our Creed.

In Masonic symbolism the Square and Compasses refer to the Freemason's duty to the Craft and to himself; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and there significantly adopted as the badge or token of the Fraternity.

Berage, in his work on the higher Degrees, Les plus secrets Mystéres des Hauts Grades, or The Most Secret Mysteries of the High Grades, gives a new interpretation to the symbol. He says: "The Square and the Compasses represent the union of the Old and New Testaments. None of the high Degrees recognize this interpretation, although their symbolism of the two implements differs somewhat from that of Symbolic Freemasonry.

The Square is with them peculiarly appropriated to the lower Degrees, as founded on the Operative Art; while the Compasses, as an implement of higher character and uses, is attributed to the Decrees, which claim to have a more elevated and philosophical foundation. Thus they speak of the initiate, when he passes from the Blue Lodge to the Lodge of Perfection, as 'passing from the Square to the Compasses,' to indicate a progressive elevation in his studies. Yet even in the high Degrees, the square and compasses combined retain their primitive signification as a symbol of brotherhood and as a badge of the Order."

Square and Compass:

Source: The Builder October 1916

By Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa

Worshipful Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days, when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.

As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.

Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God, and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass, and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.

The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat, symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material, and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions. Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another, "Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."

Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts, let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and persistently tells each one of us,

"You should not in the valley stay

While the great horizons stretch away

The very cliffs that wall you round

Are ladders up to higher ground.

And Heaven draws near as you ascend,

The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.

All things are beckoning to the Best,

Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest.”

The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with its traditional modes of recognition. It is not a secret society, since all members are free to acknowledge their membership and will do so in response to enquiries for respectable reasons. Its constitutions and rules are available to the public. There is no secret about any of its aims and principles. Like many other societies, it regards some of its internal affairs as private matters for its members. In history there have been times and places where promoting equality, freedom of thought or liberty of conscience was dangerous. Most importantly though is a question of perspective. Each aspect of the craft has a meaning. Freemasonry has been described as a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Such characteristics as virtue, honour and mercy, such virtues as temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice are empty clichés and hollow words unless presented within an ordered and closed framework. The lessons are not secret but the presentation is kept private to promote a clearer understanding in good time. It is also possible to view Masonic secrecy not as secrecy in and of itself, but rather as a symbol of privacy and discretion. By not revealing Masonic secrets, or acknowledging the many published exposures, freemasons demonstrate that they are men of discretion, worthy of confidences, and that they place a high value on their word and bond.

Masonic Square and Compasses.

The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry. Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lessons in conduct: for example, Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains them as: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind".

However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Square and Compasses:

Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

These two symbols have been so long and so universally combined — to teach us, as says an early instruction, "to square our actions and to keep them within due bounds," they are so seldom seen apart, but are so kept together, either as two Great Lights, or as a jewel worn once by the Master of the Lodge, now by the Past Master—that they have come at last to be recognized as the proper badge of a Master Mason, just as the Triple Tau is of a Royal Arch Mason or the Passion Cross of a Knight Templar.

So universally has this symbol been recognized, even by the profane world, as the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, that it has recently been made in the United States the subject of a legal decision. A manufacturer of flour having made, in 1873, an application to the Patent Office for permission to adopt the Square and Compasses as a trade-mark, the Commissioner of Patents, .J. M. Thatcher, refused the permission as the mark was a Masonic symbol.

If this emblem were something other than precisely what it is—either less known", less significant, or fully and universally understood—all this might readily be admitted. But, Considering its peculiar character and relation to the public, an anomalous question is presented. There can be no doubt that this device, so commonly worn and employed by Masons, has an established mystic significance, universally recognized as existing; whether comprehended by all or not, is not material to this issue. In view of the magnitude and extent of the Masonic organization, it is impossible to divest its symbols, or at least this particular symbol—perhaps the best known of all—of its ordinary signification, wherever displaced, either as an arbitrary character or otherwise.

It will be universally understood, or misunderstood, as having a Masonic significance; and, therefore, as a trade-mark, must constantly work deception. Nothing could be more mischievous than to create as a monopoly, and uphold by the poser of lacy anything so calculated. as applied to purposes of trade. to be misinterpreted, to mislead all classes, and to constantly foster suggestions of mystery in affairs of business (see Infringing upon Freemasonry, also Imitative Societies, and Clandestine).

In a religious work by John Davies, entitled Summa Totalis, or All in All and the Same Forever, printed in 1607, we find an allusion to the Square and Compasses by a profane in a really Masonic sense. The author, who proposes to describe mystically the form of the Deity, says in his dedication:

Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity,

Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our Creed.

In Masonic symbolism the Square and Compasses refer to the Freemason's duty to the Craft and to himself; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and there significantly adopted as the badge or token of the Fraternity.

Berage, in his work on the higher Degrees, Les plus secrets Mystéres des Hauts Grades, or The Most Secret Mysteries of the High Grades, gives a new interpretation to the symbol. He says: "The Square and the Compasses represent the union of the Old and New Testaments. None of the high Degrees recognize this interpretation, although their symbolism of the two implements differs somewhat from that of Symbolic Freemasonry.

The Square is with them peculiarly appropriated to the lower Degrees, as founded on the Operative Art; while the Compasses, as an implement of higher character and uses, is attributed to the Decrees, which claim to have a more elevated and philosophical foundation. Thus they speak of the initiate, when he passes from the Blue Lodge to the Lodge of Perfection, as 'passing from the Square to the Compasses,' to indicate a progressive elevation in his studies. Yet even in the high Degrees, the square and compasses combined retain their primitive signification as a symbol of brotherhood and as a badge of the Order."

Square and Compass:

Source: The Builder October 1916

By Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa

Worshipful Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days, when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.

As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.

Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God, and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass, and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.

The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat, symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material, and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions. Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another, "Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."

Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts, let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and persistently tells each one of us,

"You should not in the valley stay

While the great horizons stretch away

The very cliffs that wall you round

Are ladders up to higher ground.

And Heaven draws near as you ascend,

The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.

All things are beckoning to the Best,

Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest."

West Bengal is located in eastern part of India. There are lots of tourist destinations in this state. A tour to West Bengal to be more enjoyable and instructive. The state is having historic importance, beauty of the nature, adventures and other entertaining tourist places. West Bengal is found to be very rich in tradition and cultures. The place attracts many tourists from each and every corner of the world every year. West Bengal Tourist Places is a perfect option for you because it is rich in its diversity of flora and fauna.

westbengaltouristplaces.wordpress.com/

A photo-a-day for A Hobbling A Day. Group theme for week of May 9 : Up.

A photo-a-day for A Hobbling A Day. Group theme for week of May 16: Anger.

When they built the new office building, they built this elevated walkway so that people would have a convenient way to get between the two buildings during the winter. They put a driveway under it so that trucks would have an easy route to the loading dock in the new building. Great care was taken to insure that there would be sufficent clearance.

I don't have a picture of the first semi that tried to go through there, but I'm told it made quite a site, stuck tight under the walkway. Yes, they had measured to insure that there was enough clearance, but the measurement had been taken on the south side of the road, which was several inches lower than the north side of the road. It was up, but not up enough.

I also don't have a picture of the chief contractor throwing his hard hat on the ground in a rage, jumping on it, and kicking it across the yard, but I'm told that was very instructive, as well.

All I have is a picture of the walkway after they lowered the level of the road by 18 inches and reinforced the foundations of the pylons.

This picture was taken through the open roof window of a canal cruise boat while sailing on the Spaarne river.

The history of windmill "De Adriaan" is a tragic one, but fortunately with a happy end. The original mill was built in 1779 on the foundations of the Goevrouwentoren, part of the medieval fortifications of Haarlem. City mills need to be built in high places in order to catch enough wind. It was used to grind trass. Later it became a tobacco mill and had a tobacco shop. In the end it was turned into a corn mill. In the second half of the 19th century it became harder and harder for windmills to compete and in 1865 a steam engine was added to "De Adriaan" as extra energy source. But by 1925 the mill was about to be broken down. Thanks to the Dutch Windmill Society it was saved. In 1932 came the big desaster: an enormous fire destroyed the mill. For the rest of the century there were several actions and attempts to rebuild the mill (since 1962 property of the municipality of Haarlem) but to no avail until 1999. Thanks to sponsors, citizens of Haarlem and mill lovers restoration was started and in november 2000 the mill again adorned the skyline of Haarlem. It was named "De Adriaan" after it's first owner, Adrianus de Booys.

Nowadays it is a mill museum that attracts many tourists. Since 2004 it is also possible to be married in the mill. Very romantic. The mill is fully functional as cornmill and now and then works. A visit to the mill is very interesting and instructive, one learns a lot about mills and milling. And the view from the stage (stelling) of "De Adriaan" is spectacular.

5856. Responding to our recent series on the historic breastwork monitor HMVS/HMCS/HMAS CERBERUS, and the latest threat to her preservation and survival at Black Rock, Victoria, Contributor John Lyall has sent us this excellent image which has several instructive points of interest.

With its clarity and the ship's presentation, we at first thought the photo may have been contemporaneous with the Nov. 30, 1898 image that we had way back at Pic NO. 153, but with which we now wish to make some comparative points of difference. Pic 1153 is here:

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/3847216747/

First, notice the fighting top which previously stood half-way up the foremast is lowered to ts base, astern of a searchlight platform. Secondly, notice that the shielded Maxim Nordenfeldt 6-pounder quick firing guns have now been moved from the waist between the breatwork deck turrets to both ends of the upper deck, where they have now replaced the two Nodelfeldt foiurbarrelled one-inch machine guns that poreviously strood there. CERBERUS has the Australian flag adopted at Federation on her bow.

CORRECTION, looking at the 'fighting top' or crowsnest we find it lowered in the Nov 30, 1898 Pic at entry NO. 5844 here.

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/7248237468/in/photostream

Out mistake stems from a reference elsewhere, but we are now of the opinion that it could be raised and lowered.

In an y event, this is a magnificent photo of CERBERUS - thanks John. A further reminder here of the Friends of CERBERUS group's appeal for history and heritage-minded people to write to Ministers and their MPs about the new threat to CERBERUS's survival. The need, and addresses to write can be found here:

www.cerberus.com.au/cgi-bin/newsscript/newsscript.pl?reco...

Photo: courtesy John Lyall.

A compendium of links to the Photostream's 35+ images of HMVS CERBERUS can be found Pic NO. 5848, here:

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/7253528494/in/photostream

This was the 1115 from Dalston to Workington this morning. The duty was the visit of Blaydon Station adopters to their counterparts at Workington Main. Four people ought to have been on a train leaving Dalton. That figure was actually zero. I think these cows were from Cardew Hall and we are clearly in a car. From start of play, few if any trains ran between Carlisle and Maryport due to a toilet mishap in Wigton signal box. Anyway Fiona and I have driven Castle Douglas. Dalston. Workington end of harbour. Haltwhistle Station, Prudhoe today. It was a very instructive visit although staff at Workington were working through a broken key in the lock to the public toilets. Other photos should you the tremendous regeneration work undertaken largely by volunteers at Workington Main.

The southern side of the garden contains galleries and, above them, the National Art Library. From the garden, the interior of the two-story library can be seen. Fifteen mosaic panels representing scientific and artistic subjects such as Engineering, Mining, Steel Smelting, Building, Fine Arts, Drawing and Astronomy, form a frieze above the library windows | John Madejski Garden, named in honor of John Madejski, who funded the design, is known as a meeting point, resting place and home to a changing display of outdoor installations, and to many the heart of the V&A. The modern-day garden was designed in 2005 by landscape architect Kim Wilkie. The stepped, elliptical pool and water feature provide a serene reflection of the surrounding buildings while the lawn and planters impart a tranquil backdrop to the array of temporary outdoor displays. The design is based on the traditional simplicity of a garden courtyard with the drama and flexibility of a stage set. The garden design sits on the borderline between Modern and Postmodern. In its early days, a wide expanse of garden surrounded the South Kensington Museum, as the V&A was known before 1899. The lawns and trees belonged to the original house on the site, Brompton Park House, at one time the home of Queen Anne's gardener, Henry Wise. These gardens were gradually built over as the Museum expanded and today the enclosed garden courtyard, formed between 1857 and 1909, is a small reminder of the gardens which once filled most of the neighborhood that we now know as South Kensington. It was intended that a u-shaped arrangement would remain open to the south, with the entrance visible from Cromwell Road, but in the end the fourth side was filled in with an art library, completed in 1884 to enclose the courtyard. Viewing the buildings around the garden, visitors are treated to a wealth of decorative ornamentation – including terracotta modelling, mosaic and tiles – on each of the buildings' façades. The Museum's founding Director, Henry Cole, employed a team of decorative designers to apply painting, sculpture, mosaic and elaborate ironwork to the buildings, so that their exteriors were as beautiful and as instructive as the collections within them. Other sculptural details on the façades of the buildings are not carved but are modelled in terracotta. A clay-based ceramic, terracotta could be easily molded by hand or by tools, was more cost-effective and quicker to carve than other materials such as stone or marble. Reusable molds were used to produce many identical pieces, which saved money as each piece of sculpture or tile could be repeated many times using the same mold. The molds for the terracotta columns above the entrance, for instance, were reused for the façade of the Henry Cole Wing on Exhibition Road.

Narrow walking paths are common across suburban Saanich, neighbour to Victoria, and the other muncipalities of the capital region in British Columbia.

The municipality has a long history of requiring development to include walking connections to allow pedestrian access between dead-end streets and neighbouring residential areas. It makes for a more walkable community in an otherwise sprawling, car dependent suburb.

Many of the pathways are years, if not decades old, and newer connectors are sometimes more open and generous with spacing. Nevertheless, municpal parks officials and local community leaders are happy with this approach and often residents are happy with the access the pathways provide.

This particular link is instructive for projects that may be coming in other areas of the region. The path is long and narrow and the alignment does not allow users to see from one end to the other - a curve in the corridor hides access points at either end.

Crime prevention experts recommend against such designs, and the bias is slowing introduction of facilities in Victoria where similar kinds of connections are supported by community activists but as often resisted by residents whose properties abut corridors. One project proposed would use a long abandoned path across a city right of way but occupied by the back yards of adjacent land-owners.

The design of this particular path in Saanich is a parallel to the corridor in Victoria, similar in length and constrained by the same narrow right of way and curved alignment that characterizes this connection.

That there seems to be no evidence of vandalism or criminal activity on many of the Saanich pedestrian connectors should be instructive for other projects in the region.

The approach of those with a policing bias is an unfortunate excuse for many of those in the community who profess support for creating walkable, livable neighbourhoods, but defer to design principles that would have us clearcut parks and greenspaces to allow the watchful eyes of the state to monitor the dangerous activities of elementary school children.

A photo-a-day for A Hobbling A Day. July 4, 2012.

This was a monument built in Center Cemetery in Southampton Massachusetts in 1866.

Erected by the Town and Hon. S.C. Pomeroy: In grateful remembrance of patriotic and brave Volunteers of Southampton, whose lives were sacrificed in defense of Liberty and Union during the great Rebellion.

These people did not waffle when it came to assigning responsibility and blame. It is instructive to see where these men died:

Fair Oaks, Va.

Chantilly, Va.

Cold Harbor, Va.

The Wilderness

Spotsylvania, Va.

Richmond, Va.

Petersburg, Va.

Augusta, Ga.

Bayou Beouf, La.

Andersonville, Ga.

New Orleans, La.

Baton Rouge, La.

Roanoke Island, NC.

Vicksburg, Ms.

As countries across Latin America work to improve transparency and accountability, public contracts—everything from infrastructure to public procurement—are a perpetual weakness. Open Contracting is a set of disclosure tools that use timely, publicly-accessible open data about contracts to increase competition, inform smarter decision-making, and foster public integrity. Paraguay has been a regional leader in embracing and implementing open contracting principles. How is its experience instructive for other countries? How can open contracting and other transparency tools help make Latin American governments more accountable and responsive? What are the economic benefits of open contracting? What are the obstacles to implementation and what other steps are needed to effectively identify, prosecute, and prevent corruption?

The Inter-American Dialogue and the Open Contracting Partnership are pleased to host an open discussion on the merits and challenges of open contracting and other public transparency initiatives, focusing on the Paraguayan example in regional context.

Education students gather for an energetic, intimate and instructive LEAD event in which practicing 3rd grade teacher discusses parent-teacher conferences on October 3, 2013 at William Woods University.

Never stay too late;

You will wear your welcome out

If you hesitate!

Just before they're tired of you,

Just before they yawn,

More Goops and How Not to be Them: A Manual of Manners for Impolite Infants. Authored, published and copyrighted 1903 by Gelett Burgess. A Manual of Manners for Impolite Infants Depicting the Characteristics of Many Naughty and Thoughtless Children With Instructive Illustrations.

Found at www.gutenberg.org/etext/13004.

4938. It's said you never learn unless you ask. A few entries back, with John Darroch's photo of HMAS KARA KARA further down this page [at pic NO. 4923] we had wondered aloud why the old ferry's funnel was so eccentrically tall. Kookaburra forwarded a few simple guesses, but for those who haven't noticed, maritime writer Graeme Andrews - ex-RAN and an ex-Sydney ferries skipper - has since arrived with the real explanation.

It's all about the tall funnels that were needed for some simple early steam boilers to create natural air induction to the boiler face, as against the electrically-powered fan forced air induction over more complex later engines, with their shorter funnels.

Simply told, we found it immensely instructive, and Kooka for one has gained a whole new understanding of historic steamships and their funnels [the old South Australian gunboat PROTECTOR, for instance, springs to mind, with the towering thin funnel that she once rolled, incredibly, into the Spencer Gulf].

Anyway, John Darroch's KARA KARA entry, and Graeme's explanation of the funnel, is here:

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/6291247896/in/photostream

Further to all that, Graeme has since sent this 1926 image of KARA KARA in her original shape as a newly-constructed, double-ended vehicular ferry built at Saltney in the U. K.

Photo: Courtesy Graeme Andrews, RAN 1955-1968, RANR 1980.

Well that's actually the first HDR (since I started last week) that I'm happy with. I have another toned version that's more subtle - which is also fine to me - though it's less colourful. This one looks to me like a drawn sketch more than a processed photo. That's what I like about it!

Your constructive & instructive feedback would be much welcome :)

The Music Pack | Michael Berkley, Ron Van der Meer

Alfred A, Knopf, Inc., New York, 1994; Conceived, devised, devised, paper-engineered and produced by Van der Meer Paper Design, Ltd.

“The Music Pack is filled with musical discovery and diversion: with paper interments you can take out and play, with instructive pop-ups, and with 3-D models.”

The Music pack is not a history of music. It is rather, a look at the development of sound into music and at what musicians do when they sing and play.

Ron van der Meer was the first paper engineer to insist that adults could be as fascinated by pop-up books as children. His ingenious mechanics show graphic designers the full potential of paper engineering.

(Paper Engineering: 3D techniques for a 2D material, Natalie Avella)

When I was younger, I’d watch films caricaturing small, isolated communities and crack jokes comparing them to Kidderminster, my hometown, often not realising that I was hitting a nerve with some locals. Looking back, I realise that I was only half-joking, the people whose nerve was hit had certain ‘ways’, and that it’s only been as I’ve aged - now 43 - that I’ve seen just how right half of me was. Yesterday I watched almost the whole of the 1999 comedy series ‘League of Gentlemen’ (www.imdb.com/title/tt0184135/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3) and saw, even more than I did 14 years ago, how so many media representations of such places as Royston Vasey get close to referencing the underlying workings of some small towns, like Kidderminster.

This morning I had a chat with a woman who works at one of the town’s banks, someone who I used to chat with occasionally when I regularly hung out at Weavers Wharf for a few years (a difficult, though instructive experience, all told), the commercial centre of the town, and a hotspot for many of its issues. The talk got round to me explaining how I’d eventually been banned last year from Caffe Nero after years of it being on the cards (see: www.flickr.com/photos/jaseanton/7780454048/in/photostream). Her response was something I’ve heard all too many times. From Birmingham, she explained how she’d worked in many places but had never even remotely come across people like those in Kidderminster: ‘There’s nowt as strange as folk and there’s definitely nowt as strange as Kidderminster folk’, she said. And she wasn’t joking, even though we laughed (compare ‘Filthy Clint’: www.flickr.com/photos/jaseanton/7844150560/in/photostream).

I explained to her that, since I don’t have to work with the public, I no longer interact much with most of the locals in town because of this. ‘You try to explain it to people outside of the town and they just don’t get it,’ I said. She agreed. It is something you have to experience first-hand to really understand it and then there’s always the danger that you become assimilated into the local ‘ways’ before you understand how the local mindset really works. Locals, meanwhile, can’t usually see it as it tends to be a natural way of life for them, so there seems no way to really address it, highly resistant as it is to adequate exposure or any attempts at disagreement, reform or even assistance.

Nowadays, knowing that it’s pretty pointless to try anything, I just keep in my zone and leave them to it. Or at least I try. Starbucks, the new coffee shop in Weavers Wharf, is already gradually losing its original independence from the local culture, as was only to be expected, though I had tried to warn the staff that it’d creep up on them without them seeing it, so intense is its existence in that little stretch of town. The danger of me now even popping there for a quick coffee, though, is that, before you know it, you have a relationship with that culture, no matter what you do, and even that can become problematic. At the moment, though, I’m keeping my distance from it and benefiting hugely from that distance.

But therein lies one of the problems. I know the local culture inside out. I know how to protect myself against becoming influenced by it, after being at times at the sharp edge of it since way back in 1996. But, still, despite all that, it only takes seconds to fall into a sequence of events before you, too, are just as local as most of the locals and recovery is a tortuous process.

Ultimately, there isn’t really an escape and there’s always something to remind you, even from the civilised world beyond. A couple of days ago, I watched 'In The Heat of the Night' (www.imdb.com/title/tt0061811/?ref_=sr_1), the classic film about an isolated community, this time linked to civil rights. In one scene, a black detective approaches a racist’s home, which has a racist statue outside, reminding me of a former friend and his gollywog. I’d felt uneasy about the gollywog on his mantlepiece whenever I visited, but I left it. We’d once had an argument with a lad from Wolverhampton who agreed with me that black people (those who aren’t assimilated, anyway) in Kidderminster tend to have a different look in their eye to what they have in other areas. My former friend tried to argue the toss, saying we were wrong, but his argument was extremely weak and didn’t stand up.

Weeks later, after I’d forgotten about it, he’d engineer an argument with someone else present so that he could ‘win’, according the local definitions of ‘winning’ (which is usually pulling any stunt to save face and suggest to others and yourself that you’re right, regardless of the facts). Soon after, we had a discussion, where I agreed that he couldn’t possibly be racist and that his gollywog was nothing more than an expression of free speech. What’s the point? We’re no longer friends because it dawned on me how, as I get older, this place can drag such people down even further than they ever were and if racism isn’t part of that, there’ll be something similarly unpalatable. It isn’t worth the hassle or the effects of having such associations, as such things can have knock on effects for other areas of your life and it really is better to concentrate on the people who’ve survived, who’ve eventually emerged to see the town’s culture for what it is and who’ve benefited from that experience.

Some people I know around here agree with my take on the area and also tend to try to keep their distance from what the place can do. Some others locally, though, clearly haven’t been happy about my criticisms of the area and its institutions. But they don’t discuss this, which is a pity. There’s some good ‘uns in that category and we’ve all got our interests and ways of dealing with things. I haven’t changed my opinion of them and I hope they haven’t of me but, if so, I suppose that’s just the way it is. However, that’s one of the ways the detrimental elements of the local culture maintains its hold over the area, with implications for yet another generation of locals whose lives will be all the poorer in later years for how this place often limits and diminishes people.

I’ve experienced how, once you come, you never leave Kidderminster, knowing the lengths people with even only links to the local community can go to shoot any messenger who tries to get the word out, even in the era of social media, as I saw in one of my Flickr posts, which concluded with a bizarre lack of irony about a joke I’d made about Birmingham’s Mailbox that was taken literally: www.flickr.com/photos/jaseanton/7850248708/in/photostream (you may need a translator to understand just what’s going on in those comments, if you don’t know the intricacies of the mindset involved, but don’t ask me. I’ve retired and could do without the inherent dangers). One of the tragedies is that I think the unwillingness of people who know better to not challenge the local culture gives more strength to the people who both suffer and yet remarkably protect, maintain and replicate it. Then again, it’s easy to feel defeated about such things and leave things be, I suppose. Nowadays, I couldn’t really give a shit, so long as I don’t have to deal with it.

Anyway, I’m looking out at Clent Hills, thinking of the world beyond...and solutions, mainly for me, rather than places such as this, which probably won’t ever change. Looking at those hills now and again is one of the only things there is to do until I get the fuck out of here, one day, though I’ll probably never really completely leave, as with those who mistakenly entered Royston Vasey. I don’t intend to post too often about the vibe in the town, but it’s a theme I will return to and something which will probably affect my output in some way, shape or form (like when I’m trying to recover from the trauma). There’s no way for it not to, it’s that endemic. This is a local place for local people and we’ll have no trouble here, so I suppose if I ever did get close to a solution or to exposing the culture to an extent where someone, somewhere, somehow would see it and do something about it, I’d yet again see how truly local Kidderminster, and places like it in the horror movies where they’re screaming to get the car started, are.

Meanwhile, Netflix is calling me.

The Best Beaten Spice Will Smoke In Your Censer

"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, ..." [Matthew 26:39]

There are several instructive features in our Saviour’s prayer in his hour of trial. It was lonely prayer. He withdrew even from his three favoured disciples. Believer, be much in solitary prayer, especially in times of trial. Family prayer, social prayer, prayer in the Church, will not suffice, these are very precious, but the best beaten spice will smoke in your censer in your private devotions, where no ear hears but God's. It was humble prayer. Luke says he kneeled down [Luk.22:41], but another evangelist says he “fell on his face.” [Mat.26:39] Where, then, must be your place, your humble servant of the great Master? What dust and ashes should cover your head! Humility gives us good foot-hold in prayer. There is no hope of prevalence with God unless we abase ourselves that he may exalt us in due time. It was filial prayer. “Abba, Father.” [Rom.8:15] You will find it a stronghold in the day of trial to plead your adoption. You have no rights as a subject, you have forfeited them by your treason; but nothing can forfeit a child’s right to a father’s protection. Be not afraid to say, “My Father, hear my cry.” [Psa.39:12] Observe that it was persevering prayer. He prayed three times. Cease not until you prevail. Be as the importunate widow, whose continual coming earned what her first supplication could not win. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. [1Th.5:17-18] Lastly, it was the prayer of resignation. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” [Mat.26:39] Yield, and God yields. Let it be as God wills, and God will determine for the best. Be content to leave your prayer in his hands, who knows when to give, and how to give, and what to give, and what to withhold. So pleading, earnestly, importunately, yet with humility and resignation, you will surely prevail. Hallelujah, God bless

This is a RockyPix Cover/Screen collage of various scenes and views many of which are historic to the Rocky Mountain area. All images were taken on the D70. We use the pictures from the catalog to assemble illustrations for instructive and genealogical publications.

Laura helped me by flagging down this student and her friend for portraits as part of our photography class this week. The light was great, and this particular subject yielded quite a few good pictures, so it was hard to narrow it down to just one.

The earring was interesting of course, but the freckles also add some visual interest. Working with a new subject was very instructive, in that this person wanted to smile all of the time, probably out of nervousness, but I thought the final result would look better with a different look, and so instructed her to just stare off into space.

2013-05-09. Sometimes, life is strange (most of the time actually...); it unpredictably brings your way people that you were meant to meet sooner or later (I tend to believe that it always happens at the right time and for a reason). These are people that remind you of the past, people that pull you to your future and people that bring sense to your present. This is rarely planned, sometimes annoying, but always worth it!

I came to Montréal for work and I met a bit of all these kind of persons; persons I was meant to exchange with and who make sense in my life.

I am really glad for this nice instructive experience and hope it will lead to a lot of other unexpected and enriching ones.

Taken for ODC - On the Road.

Picture taken at f/5 because it suits you best Caroline!

© Maïlis Bietenhader

May 2013 - Skin Tone

Wall memorial - "BENEATH rests what was mortal of THOMAS SYMONDS of Pengethly, esq, whose distinguished natural and acquired abilities, inflexible integrity, and condescensive sweetness of disposition, would have done honour to the most conspicuous station; but his singular modesty, the surest test of merit,, ambitious of no advancement but in knowledge & virtue, preferred a more retired scene; where his politeness, affability & engaging manners, his extensive erudition & instructive conversation, his piety humility & every virtue united in the gentleman, the scholar & the christian. attracted the admiration , esteem & love of his County; and prepared him for the congenial society of their beatified spirits he so nearly resembled; to whom he was called hence March the 5th 1750 aged 75

Happy was his life in a joint partner of his virtues, happier in assurance of meeting again in glory her who ascribes this short, but sad memorial of departed merit, his affectionate, disconsolate relict, PENELOPE, daughter of Sir John Williams of Pengethly, bart, interred in the tomb adjacent to this chappel; And of Mary daughter of Sir William Powell, bart, who are both deposited in the vault beneath;

As is William Symonds Powell esq, eldest son , and Robert Symonds, third son, of Thomas Symonds esq & Penelope his wife

PENELOPE SYMONDS died December 11th 1774 aged 80"

(Thomas was the son of Robert Symonds of Sugwas by Jane daughter of Dr Thomas Willis & Mary Fell

He was a MD at Ludlow before marriage

He m Penelope daughter of Sir John Williams, 2nd Bart of Eltham and Mary co-heiress of Sir William Powell, 1st Bart of Pengethley www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/G524sD by Elizabeth heiress of John Pearle of Aconbury (Penelope brought the Pengethly estate to him on marriage)

Children

1. William Symonds Powell died unmarried

2. Thomas Symonds Powell of Pengethley m Sarah www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/2CWnoW daughter of Joseph Chester of Gloucester & Sarah

3. Robert died unmarried

4. John died unmarried

2. Penelope m John son of John Skipp by Jane Wellington)

books.google.co.uk/books?id=FlI4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1345&am... - Church of St Tesiliog, Sellack Herefordshire

At the Elizabeth Board of Education meeting of May 10 at Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28, Taneka Bowles presented Elizabeth Public Schools with a very generous donation of $25,000 on behalf of Taneka and Todd Bowles for Elizabeth’s Special Olympics program. This marks the fourth straight year the Bowles family has supported the district’s Special Olympics program, raising the total to $100,000 in donations.

The evening also took on a multicultural theme as the Board recognized the Cuban, Haitian, and Portuguese heritages.

In honor of Cuban heritage, Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28 Kindergarten students performed “Mambo numero 8” by Damaso Perez and “Mi Tierra” by Gloria Estefan and community members Julio Sabater, Miguel Socarras, and Marita De Varona were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community.

In honor of Haitian heritage, John E. Dwyer Technology Academy student Kerline Francois performed a lyrical solo to "Human" Written by Christine Perry and the Dwyer Technology Academy Haitian Club was recognized for its commitment to promoting the beauty of the Haitian culture through educational and social opportunities available within the school environment.

In honor of Portuguese heritage, Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy students Karina Almeida and Tiago Matos performed “Vira do Minho”, Danca E Cantares De Portugal from the Portuguese Instructive Social Club performed a Portuguese folklore dance, Portuguese world language teachers were recognized for their outstanding efforts to instill the passion of the Portuguese culture into our students, and the Elizabeth Portugal Day Pageant 2018-2019 Royal Family was recognized for their contributions to the Elizabeth community.

Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28 Principal Evelyn Rodriguez-Salcedo presented to the Board the approach she has taken to be able to address various issues that resulted in School No. 28 being designated a Focus School by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). In April 2012, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration announced the final list of Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools as part of its new statewide accountability system, which included 183 Focus Schools. A Focus School is a school that has room for improvement in areas that are specific to the school. As part of the process, Focus Schools receive targeted and tailored solutions to meet the school’s unique needs. The types of Focus schools include those with low graduation rates, largest within-school gaps, and lowest subgroup performance.

As a result of this approach by Rodriguez-Salcedo and the team members of School No. 28, the NJDOE has announced that School No. 28 will be exiting Focus School status in June 2018.

During the meeting, the Board celebrated and recognized excellent achievements of members of the Elizabeth Public Schools Professional Learning Community and the greater Elizabeth community.

British Museum, London 2005.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Bronzes

"The Bronzes depict a variety of scenes, including animals, fish, humans and scenes of court life. They were cast in matching pairs (although each was individually made). It is thought that they were originally nailed to walls and pillars in the palace as decoration, some possibly also offering instructive scenes of protocol."

www.britishmuseum.org/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum

A partially embroidered Masonic Square and Compasses pillow case that MAC will start colour matching thread so that she can complete the project.

Square and Compasses - This symbolic stone was removed from above the entrance to the Lambton Mills Masonic Temple erected by Mimico Lodge on the north side of Dundas Street in 1882.

Masonic Square and Compasses.

The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry. Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lessons in conduct: for example, Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains them as: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind".

However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Square and Compasses:

Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

These two symbols have been so long and so universally combined — to teach us, as says an early instruction, "to square our actions and to keep them within due bounds," they are so seldom seen apart, but are so kept together, either as two Great Lights, or as a jewel worn once by the Master of the Lodge, now by the Past Master—that they have come at last to be recognized as the proper badge of a Master Mason, just as the Triple Tau is of a Royal Arch Mason or the Passion Cross of a Knight Templar.

So universally has this symbol been recognized, even by the profane world, as the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, that it has recently been made in the United States the subject of a legal decision. A manufacturer of flour having made, in 1873, an application to the Patent Office for permission to adopt the Square and Compasses as a trade-mark, the Commissioner of Patents, .J. M. Thatcher, refused the permission as the mark was a Masonic symbol.

If this emblem were something other than precisely what it is—either less known", less significant, or fully and universally understood—all this might readily be admitted. But, Considering its peculiar character and relation to the public, an anomalous question is presented. There can be no doubt that this device, so commonly worn and employed by Masons, has an established mystic significance, universally recognized as existing; whether comprehended by all or not, is not material to this issue. In view of the magnitude and extent of the Masonic organization, it is impossible to divest its symbols, or at least this particular symbol—perhaps the best known of all—of its ordinary signification, wherever displaced, either as an arbitrary character or otherwise.

It will be universally understood, or misunderstood, as having a Masonic significance; and, therefore, as a trade-mark, must constantly work deception. Nothing could be more mischievous than to create as a monopoly, and uphold by the poser of lacy anything so calculated. as applied to purposes of trade. to be misinterpreted, to mislead all classes, and to constantly foster suggestions of mystery in affairs of business (see Infringing upon Freemasonry, also Imitative Societies, and Clandestine).

In a religious work by John Davies, entitled Summa Totalis, or All in All and the Same Forever, printed in 1607, we find an allusion to the Square and Compasses by a profane in a really Masonic sense. The author, who proposes to describe mystically the form of the Deity, says in his dedication:

Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity,

Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our Creed.

In Masonic symbolism the Square and Compasses refer to the Freemason's duty to the Craft and to himself; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and there significantly adopted as the badge or token of the Fraternity.

Berage, in his work on the higher Degrees, Les plus secrets Mystéres des Hauts Grades, or The Most Secret Mysteries of the High Grades, gives a new interpretation to the symbol. He says: "The Square and the Compasses represent the union of the Old and New Testaments. None of the high Degrees recognize this interpretation, although their symbolism of the two implements differs somewhat from that of Symbolic Freemasonry.

The Square is with them peculiarly appropriated to the lower Degrees, as founded on the Operative Art; while the Compasses, as an implement of higher character and uses, is attributed to the Decrees, which claim to have a more elevated and philosophical foundation. Thus they speak of the initiate, when he passes from the Blue Lodge to the Lodge of Perfection, as 'passing from the Square to the Compasses,' to indicate a progressive elevation in his studies. Yet even in the high Degrees, the square and compasses combined retain their primitive signification as a symbol of brotherhood and as a badge of the Order."

Square and Compass:

Source: The Builder October 1916

By Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa

Worshipful Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days, when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.

As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.

Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God, and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass, and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.

The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat, symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material, and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions. Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another, "Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."

Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts, let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and persistently tells each one of us,

"You should not in the valley stay

While the great horizons stretch away

The very cliffs that wall you round

Are ladders up to higher ground.

And Heaven draws near as you ascend,

The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.

All things are beckoning to the Best,

Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest.”

The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with its traditional modes of recognition. It is not a secret society, since all members are free to acknowledge their membership and will do so in response to enquiries for respectable reasons. Its constitutions and rules are available to the public. There is no secret about any of its aims and principles. Like many other societies, it regards some of its internal affairs as private matters for its members. In history there have been times and places where promoting equality, freedom of thought or liberty of conscience was dangerous. Most importantly though is a question of perspective. Each aspect of the craft has a meaning. Freemasonry has been described as a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols. Such characteristics as virtue, honour and mercy, such virtues as temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice are empty clichés and hollow words unless presented within an ordered and closed framework. The lessons are not secret but the presentation is kept private to promote a clearer understanding in good time. It is also possible to view Masonic secrecy not as secrecy in and of itself, but rather as a symbol of privacy and discretion. By not revealing Masonic secrets, or acknowledging the many published exposures, freemasons demonstrate that they are men of discretion, worthy of confidences, and that they place a high value on their word and bond.

Masonic Square and Compasses.

The Square and Compasses (or, more correctly, a square and a set of compasses joined together) is the single most identifiable symbol of Freemasonry. Both the square and compasses are architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. Some Lodges and rituals explain these symbols as lessons in conduct: for example, Duncan's Masonic Monitor of 1866 explains them as: "The square, to square our actions; The compasses, to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind".

However, as Freemasonry is non-dogmatic, there is no general interpretation for these symbols (or any Masonic symbol) that is used by Freemasonry as a whole.

Square and Compasses:

Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

These two symbols have been so long and so universally combined — to teach us, as says an early instruction, "to square our actions and to keep them within due bounds," they are so seldom seen apart, but are so kept together, either as two Great Lights, or as a jewel worn once by the Master of the Lodge, now by the Past Master—that they have come at last to be recognized as the proper badge of a Master Mason, just as the Triple Tau is of a Royal Arch Mason or the Passion Cross of a Knight Templar.

So universally has this symbol been recognized, even by the profane world, as the peculiar characteristic of Freemasonry, that it has recently been made in the United States the subject of a legal decision. A manufacturer of flour having made, in 1873, an application to the Patent Office for permission to adopt the Square and Compasses as a trade-mark, the Commissioner of Patents, .J. M. Thatcher, refused the permission as the mark was a Masonic symbol.

If this emblem were something other than precisely what it is—either less known", less significant, or fully and universally understood—all this might readily be admitted. But, Considering its peculiar character and relation to the public, an anomalous question is presented. There can be no doubt that this device, so commonly worn and employed by Masons, has an established mystic significance, universally recognized as existing; whether comprehended by all or not, is not material to this issue. In view of the magnitude and extent of the Masonic organization, it is impossible to divest its symbols, or at least this particular symbol—perhaps the best known of all—of its ordinary signification, wherever displaced, either as an arbitrary character or otherwise.

It will be universally understood, or misunderstood, as having a Masonic significance; and, therefore, as a trade-mark, must constantly work deception. Nothing could be more mischievous than to create as a monopoly, and uphold by the poser of lacy anything so calculated. as applied to purposes of trade. to be misinterpreted, to mislead all classes, and to constantly foster suggestions of mystery in affairs of business (see Infringing upon Freemasonry, also Imitative Societies, and Clandestine).

In a religious work by John Davies, entitled Summa Totalis, or All in All and the Same Forever, printed in 1607, we find an allusion to the Square and Compasses by a profane in a really Masonic sense. The author, who proposes to describe mystically the form of the Deity, says in his dedication:

Yet I this forme of formelesse Deity,

Drewe by the Squire and Compasse of our Creed.

In Masonic symbolism the Square and Compasses refer to the Freemason's duty to the Craft and to himself; hence it is properly a symbol of brotherhood, and there significantly adopted as the badge or token of the Fraternity.

Berage, in his work on the higher Degrees, Les plus secrets Mystéres des Hauts Grades, or The Most Secret Mysteries of the High Grades, gives a new interpretation to the symbol. He says: "The Square and the Compasses represent the union of the Old and New Testaments. None of the high Degrees recognize this interpretation, although their symbolism of the two implements differs somewhat from that of Symbolic Freemasonry.

The Square is with them peculiarly appropriated to the lower Degrees, as founded on the Operative Art; while the Compasses, as an implement of higher character and uses, is attributed to the Decrees, which claim to have a more elevated and philosophical foundation. Thus they speak of the initiate, when he passes from the Blue Lodge to the Lodge of Perfection, as 'passing from the Square to the Compasses,' to indicate a progressive elevation in his studies. Yet even in the high Degrees, the square and compasses combined retain their primitive signification as a symbol of brotherhood and as a badge of the Order."

Square and Compass:

Source: The Builder October 1916

By Bro. B. C. Ward, Iowa

Worshipful Master and Brethren: Let us behold the glorious beauty that lies hidden beneath the symbolism of the Square and Compass; and first as to the Square. Geometry, the first and noblest of the sciences, is the basis on which the superstructure of Masonry has been erected. As you know, the word "Geometry" is derived from two Greek words which mean "to measure the earth," so that Geometry originated in measurement; and in those early days, when land first began to be measured, the Square, being a right angle, was the instrument used, so that in time the Square began to symbolize the Earth. And later it began to symbolize, Masonically, the earthly-in man, that is man's lower nature, and still later it began to symbolize man's duty in his earthly relations, or his moral obligations to his Fellowmen. The symbolism of the Square is as ancient as the Pyramids. The Egyptians used it in building the Pyramids. The base of every pyramid is a perfect square, and to the Egyptians the Square was their highest and most sacred emblem. Even the Chinese many, many centuries ago used the Square to represent Good, and Confucius in his writings speaks of the Square to represent a Just man.

As Masons we have adopted the 47th Problem of Euclid as the rule by which to determine or prove a perfect Square. Many of us remember with what interest we solved that problem in our school days. The Square has become our most significant Emblem. It rests upon the open Bible on this altar; it is one of the three great Lights; and it is the chief ornament of the Worshipful Master. There is a good reason why this distinction has been conferred upon the Square. There can be nothing truer than a perfect Square--a right angle. Hence the Square has become an emblem of Perfection.

Now a few words as to the Compass: Astronomy was the second great science promulgated among men. In the process of Man's evolution there came a time when he began to look up to the stars and wonder at the vaulted Heavens above him. When he began to study the stars, he found that the Square was not adapted to the measurement of the Heavens. He must have circular measure; he needed to draw a circle from a central point, and so the Compass was employed. By the use of the Compass man began to study the starry Heavens, and as the Square primarily symbolized the Earth, the Compass began to symbolize the Heavens, the celestial canopy, the study of which has led men to think of God, and adore Him as the Supreme Architect of the Universe. In later times the Compass began to symbolize the spiritual or higher nature of man, and it is a significant fact that the circumference of a circle, which is a line without end, has become an emblem of Eternity and symbolizes Divinity; so the Compass, and the circle drawn by the Compass, both point men Heavenward and Godward.

The Masonic teaching concerning the two points of the Compass is very interesting and instructive. The novitiate in Masonry, as he kneels at this altar, and asks for Light sees the Square, which symbolizes his lower nature, he may well note the position of the Compass. As he takes another step, and asks for more Light, the position of the Compass is changed somewhat, symbolizing that his spiritual nature can, in some measure, overcome his evil tendencies. As he takes another step in Masonry, and asks for further Light, and hears the significant words, "and God said let there be Light, and there was Light," he sees the Compass in new light; and for the first time he sees the meaning, thus unmistakably alluding to the sacred and eternal truth that as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so the spiritual is higher than the material, and the spiritual in man must have its proper place, and should be above his lower nature, and dominate all his thoughts and actions. That eminent Philosopher, Edmund Burke, once said, "It is ordained that men of intemperate passions cannot be free. Their passions forge the chains which bind them, and make them slaves." Burke was right. Masonry, through the beautiful symbolism of the Compass, tells us how we can be free men, by permitting the spiritual within us to overcome our evil tendencies, and dominate all our thoughts and actions. Brethren, sometimes in the silent quiet hour, as we think of this conflict between our lower and higher natures, we sometimes say in the words of another, "Show me the way and let me bravely climb to where all conflicts with the flesh shall cease. Show me that way. Show me the way up to a higher plane where my body shall be servant of my Soul. Show me that way."

Brethren, if that prayer expresses desire of our hearts, let us take heed to the beautiful teachings of the Compass, which silently and persistently tells each one of us,

"You should not in the valley stay

While the great horizons stretch away

The very cliffs that wall you round

Are ladders up to higher ground.

And Heaven draws near as you ascend,

The Breeze invites, the Stars befriend.

All things are beckoning to the Best,

Then climb toward God and find sweet Rest."

This was passed to us to complete by W.Bro. Ernie Derry of Scarboro Lodge No. 653 which went dark or joined with other local lodges after their Masonic Temple was sold to a Muslim mosque.

www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/albums/72157623980224393

Rockingham Speedway - Olympus Experience Day.

A day spent at the races - a club event - trying out lenses in the company of a major sports photographer and fellow photog's. A hugely enjoyable and instructive day.

Rockingham Speedway, Corby, Leicestershire

April 2017

Artist: Jene Highstein (American, b. 1942)

Materials: concrete, steel frame

Provenance: Commissioned by the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park

Jene Highstein was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and educated in New York, at the University of Chicago, as well as in London, England. He makes his home in Salem, New York.

While Highstein's sculpture may have affinities to Minimalism in its simplicity, significant differences can be observed between his post-Minimalist works and Minimalism's severe formalism. Artists steeped in that aesthetic often emphasized geometry, machined edge, and pristine surface. Highstein applies and manipulates materials by hand to create what seem to be organic, fundamental forms. He has worked variously with wood, stone, glass, and concrete over the past 30 years.

Flying Saucer grew out of a group of works created between 1976–77. Large spherical sculptures were made by hand-troweling concrete over an armature of wood or steel. All were painted black. An untitled example of these works remains in front of the student union at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park.

Comparing the formal elements of Flying Saucer with its companion on this path, Edvins Strautmanis' Phoenix, can be instructive: Phoenix is an open, hard-edged and primarily linear form which defines space more through its negative presence and color than anything else. Flying Saucer is a hulking, massive shape that, in contrast, connotes black holes of space or a huge, organic, living thing. The comparison of these two objects highlights the essential difference between these artists: the geometric approach of Strautmanis and the biomorphism championed by Highstein. Finally, we can simply enjoy the lumpy friendliness of this benign "alien visitor."

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, put on every year since 1947 to entertain the huge volumes of foreign visitors who descend on the city each year to take in the pleasures of the International Festival, the Festival Fringe and numerous smaller spin-off festivals dedicated to such things as jazz, film, TV and books, takes place on the Castle Esplanade, around which temporary seating is erected for the duration. I guess things may have improved in recent years, but certainly in the early days those seats were very hard and cold. The whole thing is exposed to the elements, and being raised up on tiered seats built on something akin to scaffolding, high on the castle rock, on a cold September night, tends to send shivers to parts of the body of the tourist best not mentioned. Cushions were essential: you either brought your own, or hired one from the cushion-hire bloke at the entrance. Wise people also brought woolly tartan blankets to wrap around their nether regions. (Did I mention it was cold?) I'm delighted to be able to say I haven't been to an Edinburgh tattoo since I was old enough to say, "No more! Enough!" to my parents.

Tenuous Link: Instructive sign

Pamela Shields

Ghost Dance

1990

Liquid Light on Muslin

Pamela Shields (Blackfoot/Blood Band), who was born in 1956 in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Calgary, Canada, currently lives and works in San Francisco, California. After receiving her BA in Fine Arts from San Francisco State University and a MA in Art from Mills College in Oakland, she began to turn to collage to visually explore her community's history. In Ghost Dance Remnant she comments on the religious revival that was bringing renewal to many western tribes before the United States government suppressed it as a threat to its control in the late 1890s.

Since the 1970s, Native women, like Shields, have produced an astounding body of images in printmaking and photography. They have confidently moved into the role of photographer, using film to bear messages to their own cultures, not to the outside world. A contemporary of Shields, photographer Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, sees herself and others who use film as an integral part of Native communities. These photographers are people, she says, who "help keep the community strong with their visions." This attitude contrasts to the outsider perspective of the photographers from the earlier part of the century. It is instructive to recognize these differences in the study of how portraiture has functioned in the last hundred years in the west.

At the Elizabeth Board of Education meeting of May 10 at Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28, Taneka Bowles presented Elizabeth Public Schools with a very generous donation of $25,000 on behalf of Taneka and Todd Bowles for Elizabeth’s Special Olympics program. This marks the fourth straight year the Bowles family has supported the district’s Special Olympics program, raising the total to $100,000 in donations.

The evening also took on a multicultural theme as the Board recognized the Cuban, Haitian, and Portuguese heritages.

In honor of Cuban heritage, Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28 Kindergarten students performed “Mambo numero 8” by Damaso Perez and “Mi Tierra” by Gloria Estefan and community members Julio Sabater, Miguel Socarras, and Marita De Varona were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community.

In honor of Haitian heritage, John E. Dwyer Technology Academy student Kerline Francois performed a lyrical solo to "Human" Written by Christine Perry and the Dwyer Technology Academy Haitian Club was recognized for its commitment to promoting the beauty of the Haitian culture through educational and social opportunities available within the school environment.

In honor of Portuguese heritage, Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy students Karina Almeida and Tiago Matos performed “Vira do Minho”, Danca E Cantares De Portugal from the Portuguese Instructive Social Club performed a Portuguese folklore dance, Portuguese world language teachers were recognized for their outstanding efforts to instill the passion of the Portuguese culture into our students, and the Elizabeth Portugal Day Pageant 2018-2019 Royal Family was recognized for their contributions to the Elizabeth community.

Juan Pablo Duarte - José Julián Martí School No. 28 Principal Evelyn Rodriguez-Salcedo presented to the Board the approach she has taken to be able to address various issues that resulted in School No. 28 being designated a Focus School by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). In April 2012, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s administration announced the final list of Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools as part of its new statewide accountability system, which included 183 Focus Schools. A Focus School is a school that has room for improvement in areas that are specific to the school. As part of the process, Focus Schools receive targeted and tailored solutions to meet the school’s unique needs. The types of Focus schools include those with low graduation rates, largest within-school gaps, and lowest subgroup performance.

As a result of this approach by Rodriguez-Salcedo and the team members of School No. 28, the NJDOE has announced that School No. 28 will be exiting Focus School status in June 2018.

During the meeting, the Board celebrated and recognized excellent achievements of members of the Elizabeth Public Schools Professional Learning Community and the greater Elizabeth community.