heckling is OK but causing harm to the body or property is against the law. protect public safety at all cost.

His Holiness Younus AlGohar on MFI's history in Pakistan and the revolutionary message of Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi.

- In 1980, Lord Ra Riaz, after vigorous spiritual retreat in Lal Bagh forest, began to raise awareness of spiritual sciences in Pakistan. The young generation in Pakistan embraced Lord Ra Riaz's call and started to practise spirituality.

- Lord Ra Riaz's message is beyond traditional Sufi doctrine. It can be called 'Sufi Plus Doctrine'. In the past, before you were initiated in spirituality, you spent 12 years in hermitage under auspicious supervision of a spiritual master. But making such efforts is impossible for people today. Lord Ra Riaz has exempted people from this process with His new doctrine. He gives people the method to purify the heart and ensures the Ego (Nafs) get purified along with it. The method: www.theawaitedone.com/teaching...

- He did not stop anyone from anything. He had no conditions or prerequisite for seekers of the path. The type of changes in spirituality that Lord Ra Riaz brought about - this spiritual freedom was not even given to any prophet! This proves He is the Awaited One.

- Lord Ra Riaz teaches His followers that God can make anybody from any religion a saint of God. His followers have respect for all. The hearts trained by Lord Ra Riaz can never have intolerance or hatred.

- His door is open to the LGBT community, to those who commit adultery, alcoholics, etc. Faith has to do with the soul, not the body. The message of love is for all regardless of whether or not they follow a religion or believe in God.

- As Lord Ra Riaz's message gained popularity in Pakistan, sectarian elements, especially Salafis and Wahhabis, became dedicated enemies of Lord Ra Riaz and His message. They called for assassination to be carried out if Lord Ra Riaz were to go to Saudi Arabia.

You can watch the live recordings of these videos every day at 22:00 GMT on younusalgohar.com

Can't access this video? Watch it on Daily Motion: www.dailymotion.com/mehdifound...

Listen to this speech on the go with SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/younusalgohar/

Because intolerance sucks.

We're Here: Shadow Boxing

8/365

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• I believe that the unity of man as opposed to other living things derives from the fact that man is the conscious life of himself. Man is conscious of himself, of his future, which is death, of his smallness, of his impotence; he is aware of others as others; man is in nature, subject to its laws even if he transcends it with his thought.

• I believe in the possible realization of a world in which man can be much, even if he has little; a world in which the dominant motivation of existence is not consumption; a world in which „man" is the end, first and last; a world in which man can find the way of giving a purpose to his life as well as the strength to live free and without illusions.

Presumably written in 1965, but not published by Erich Fromm.

Source: Erich Fromm online

Well, it's felt like there was a death in the family today. But actually there was. Merlin made a one-way trip to the vet this morning having been suffering cancer, blindness, old age and dimentia. He went to join Jethro who also left our household to go to cat Heaven less than two weeks ago. but the main sadness was for eldest son and his young family due to set out for New Zealand in the morning. I finished off my Father to Son letter which I don't want him to open and read until he has started to get bored whilst locked up in quarantine. I expect their spirits to slip at times, and my letter will helpfully remind them they wanted this. This is their dream to live somewhere with a better quality of life: safer, more space, less crime, more leisure, more freedom and away from so much of the ludicrous wacky wokism and intolerance of our society over here. Adam is convinced we are just only beginning to see the demise of society over here, but he says, just you wait and see what it is like in ten years. He might be right, but meantime he's going to make sure his young children grow up healthier, freer and happier.

What does a proud father say to his eldest son before a momentous journey as he departs off into the big wide world ? Be a good husband, a wonderful father and a great human being. Bon voyage to you all! I love you, take care, be good, be lucky, be happy, be proud, stay safe!

Causes of gradual vision loss

1.Painless loss

Refractive error - this is characterised by an improvement of the visual acuity with the use of a pinhole (if you don't have a specific occluder with pinholes, a biro point-sized hole in a stiff piece of cardboard will do). Refer to the optician.

Cataracts - the patient often complains of glare in dark conditions (and so difficulty in driving at night) and may complain that colours appear more dull than they used to. There may be an abnormal red reflex and, in advanced cases, the cataract may be visible to the naked eye (this is increasingly rare these days). Other aspects of the examination should be normal unless there is concurrent pathology. Refer routinely.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - suspect AMD if the patient is aged >50 years and is presenting with either of the following symptoms, usually affecting one eye at a time:

Distortion of vision, where straight lines appear crooked or wavy.

Painless loss or blurring of central or near-central vision. The person may describe a black or grey patch affecting their central field of vision (scotoma).

Various other visual symptoms can occur, or AMD may be an incidental finding by an optometrist. Visual acuity on a Snellen chart may be normal or reduced. When viewing an Amsler chart (or graph paper), patients may see breaks, waviness, or missing portions of the lines. Refer urgently if AMD is suspected.

Chronic (primary) open-angle glaucoma - is most commonly picked up through screening. If it is so advanced that the patient is the first to notice it, very little can be done. It is characterised by a progressive peripheral visual field loss and 'cupping' of the optic discs (the central area of the optic disc enlarges and the peripheral rim thins out). The degree of urgency depends on how advanced the damage is.

Diabetic retinopathy - the problem may be due to the diabetic microvascular problems (ie exudates and haemorrhages), to associated pathology (eg, diabetic cataract) or unrelated pathology (eg, glaucoma). Refer promptly (within a week), as prompt treatment may prevent deterioration.

Compression of optic nerve or optic pathway - rare, but should be considered if there is a history of headaches and if you find any neurological or endocrinological abnormalities (eg, acromegaly) on examination. Look for a relative afferent pupillary defect (not usually present in the above conditions), a pale or swollen optic disc (the margins are not clear) and visual field defects.

Drugs, toxins or nutritional deficiency - eg:

Amiodarone - various effects on the eye

Antituberculous drugs - ethambutol and isoniazid (optic neuritis).

Hydroxychloroquine (maculopathy).

Systemic steroids (cataracts and glaucoma)

Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (eg, sildenafil).

Others drugs - tetracyclines (benign intracranial hypertension), isotretinoin, tamoxifen (various possible effects on vision).

Alcohol, smoking and nutritional deficiency - eg:

Tobacco-alcohol amblyopia.

Methanol poisoning.

Vitamin A deficiency (classically causes night blindness).

Hereditary retinal dystrophies are rare and, depending on the exact problem, present anywhere from early childhood to middle age. Some are rapidly progressing; others are very slow. Typical features particularly include poor night vision and intolerance to light. Poor appreciation of movement in the peripheral visual field may also be a feature. Ask about similar problems in family members (who may not have been diagnosed). Children should be referred more promptly than adults for whom a routine referral is fine. These patients will need genetic counselling as well as support where the prognosis is poor.

Cerebrovascular disease (stroke and TIA) - although these are likely to present acutely. TIA causing visual loss is termed amaurosis fugax.

Papilloedema - eg, from intracranial hypertension.

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

2. Painful loss

This is much rarer and tends to suggest a more sinister pathology such as:

A progressive neoplastic (eg, choroidal melanoma) or inflammatory process (eg, chorioretinitis).

A systemic problem (eg, sarcoidosis or collagen vascular disease).

Lesions on the optic nerve (eg, optic neuritis, granuloma or neuroma).

Intracranial pathology or masses (may present with headache, or with endocrine symptoms if a pituitary tumour).

Intracranial hypertension (may have headache).

All these patients should be referred. Referral is more urgent than with painless conditions and patients should really be seen within a few days.

If there is a problem, don't wait seek medical help.

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Candid street shot Bergen, Norway.

Animal milk has long been claimed as the go-to source of calcium by the dairy industry, but as it turns out, milk is bad for you. Calcium from animal milk is not absorbed as well as that from plant-based sources, and it can be accompanied by a number of dangerous health problems.

1. Broken bones

In a Swedish medical study, women who consumed large quantities of dairy milk daily were more likely to sustain fractures than those who drank little to no milk.

2. Prostate cancer

3. Lactose intolerance

Cow’s milk contains a sugar called lactose that can be difficult for people to digest, resulting in symptoms such as nausea, cramps, gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It can also develop later in life and result in months of worsening symptoms.

4. Acne

In multiple studies, the consumption of all types of cow’s milk was linked to an increased prevalence and severity of acne in both boys and girls.

5. Cholesterol

A single serving of milk can contain as much as 24 mg of cholesterol, whereas vegan food has no cholesterol.

6. Ovarian cancer

A Swedish study showed that women who consumed four or more servings of dairy products each day were twice as likely to develop serous ovarian cancer as those who consumed two or fewer servings of dairy products each day.

7. Milk allergies

Unlike lactose intolerance, milk allergies, usually in young children, are characterized by potentially strong and dangerous reactions, such as vomiting or anaphylaxis.

8. Antibiotics

Many cows are pumped full of antibiotics. This practice is leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics used on humans.

8. Antibiotics

Many cows are pumped full of antibiotics. This practice is leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics used on humans.

10. Weight gain

Despite industry claims, a study of more than 12,000 children showed that the more milk they drank, the more weight they gained, and skim and 1 percent milk appeared, counter-intuitively, to lead to more weight gain than drinking 2 percent or whole milk. The study also found that replacing soda with milk did not lead to weight loss.

11. Bone loss

Instead of promoting bone health, animal protein in dairy products can have a calcium-leaching effect.

www.peta.org/living/food/reasons-stop-drinking-milk/

Some evidence suggests that the consumption of milk and other dairy products leads to an increased risk of prostate cancer. Conversely, dairy-free diets have been followed to slow the progress of prostate cancer.

Did you know that in Medieval England parents would tie rabbits’ feet around their babies’ necks to ward off illness? Doctors would also spit on wounds because saliva was believed to have healing properties.Indeed, history is replete with unfounded health beliefs, and to everyone’s detriment, the milk myth is among the most tenacious.Milk is much more than just a drink; it’s a cultural phenomenon that can be traced back thousands of years. And still today, the milk myth resonates loud and clear: in 2001, the average American child consumed 104 quarts of cow’s milk.Milk depletes the calcium from your bones .The milk myth has spread around the world based on the flawed belief that this protein and calcium-rich drink is essential to support good overall health and bone health in particular at any age. It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup. But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. What an irony this is! Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.Knowing this, you’ll understand why statistics show that countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products also have the lowest fracture incidence in their population (there’s more on this later).But the sad truth is that most mainstream health practitioners ignore these proven facts. I know it firsthand because when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my doctor recommended that I drink lots of milk in addition to taking Fosamax.

Fortunately, I did neither, because I knew that…Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves

Thanks to our creative ingenuity and perhaps related to our ancient survival needs, we adopted the dubious habit of drinking another species’ milk. Nobody can dispute that cow’s milk is an excellent food source for calves. Weighing around 100 pounds at birth, a calf typically gains approximately eight times its weight by the time it is weaned. But unlike humans, once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet.Also, each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences.

It’s important to bear in mind that mother’s milk is excellent nourishment for human babies, but its composition is very different from cow’s milk.

Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk

Many scientific studies contradict the conventional wisdom that milk and dairy consumption help reduce osteoporotic fractures. Surprisingly, studies demonstrating that milk and dairy products actually fail to protect bones from fractures outnumber studies that prove otherwise. Even drinking milk from a young age does not protect against future fracture risk but actually increases it. Shattering the “savings account” calcium theory, Cumming and Klineberg report their study findings as follows:

“Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. (“Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994).

And the 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. This is a broad study based on 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age.

In the authors’ own words:

“These data do not support the hypothesis that higher consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women protects against hip or forearm fractures.” (Source: Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997).

Shocking statistics ignored by mainstream medicine

In the Save Our Bones Program one of the topics I discuss is the complete disregard of scientific evidence that discredits milk and dairy products as the best source of calcium.

One exception is Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., who states that:

“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”

Surprised? You shouldn’t be, because as I mentioned earlier in this article…

Milk is an acidifying animal protein

Like any other animal derived protein-rich food, milk has a positive potential renal acid load (PRAL) which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys.

The body is designed for survival, so it sacrifices bone density to protect the kidneys and urinary tract because the latter are essential to survival. And the most readily available source of acid neutralizer is in the bones. So even though milk contains calcium, it ends up sapping your bones of that crucial mineral. But that’s not all because…

Today’s milk is a processed food

Until the end of the 19th century in Europe and the beginning of the 20th century in the US, milk was consumed unpasteurized or raw. Later on, homogenization became the industry’s standard. These processes further alter milk’s chemistry and actually increase its detrimental acidifying effects.

Raw milk advocates claim that if cow’s milk is left “as is” it is a healthy and wholesome drink. It is true that raw milk is less acidifying than processed milk and that pasteurization and homogenization may cause a long list of digestive and other health problems, but I still don’t recommend drinking any kind of cow’s milk.

Nowadays, milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers.

This should not be ignored, especially in view of recent information by Samuel Epstein, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. In an article titled “Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk Poses Serious Risks of Breast Cancer, Besides Other Cancers” (www.preventcancer.com/press/releases/july8_98.htm, June 21, 1998) Dr. Epstein concludes that:

“Drinking rBGH milk would thus be expected to significantly increase IGF-1 blood levels and consequently to increase risks of developing breast cancer and promoting its invasiveness.”

Even though organic milk is from cows that are not given antibiotics or rBHG, if you truly care about your bone health and your overall health, you should…

Avoid drinking cow’s milk

As I explain in the Save Our Bones Program and contrary to mainstream recommendations, drinking milk and eating lots of dairy products are not the answer to reversing osteoporosis. And while in the Save Our Bones Program no food is completely off limits, I strongly recommend that you explore the different milk substitute options that I will list for you here.

But first, I’d like to clarify that unsweetened fermented or cultured dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream are acid neutral. Yogurt in particular is chock-full of beneficial qualities. As is the case with milk, organic yogurt does not have rBGH, but even several of the most well-known yogurt brands have stopped using the bovine growth hormone (rBGH). You should call your favorite yogurt company to confirm. One more clarification: when I say unsweetened I mean without sugar or any artificial sweetener. However, you can add honey or stevia, a zero calorie plant-derived sweetener that is delicious and alkalizing as well. I like to carry around stevia packets in my purse so that I’m always able to sweeten food or drinks when I’m on the go.

The best milk substitutes

My favorite milk substitute is unsweetened almond milk, not only because it is alkalizing (as almonds are), but also because it’s delicious and tastes very similar to milk. I even cook with it!

If almond milk is hard to get, you can also try rice or soy milk. I strongly suggest consuming only organic soy milk to insure it’s not made with genetically modified soy. There is also some controversy about unfermented soy products, so try to use it in moderation.

What Else Haven’t They Told You? What else have you been told about bone health by your doctor or other “experts” that is flat out wrong? What other “facts” (like drinking milk does a body good) are keeping you from optimal health? Myths like these are a big reason I created the Save Our Bones Program. To give you the straight scoop on how to deal with osteoporosis the natural way.

And remember, if you ever hear someone ask “Got milk?” smile and think to yourself “No, because I know better!”

saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/

WHY MILK IS BAD FOR YOU

Today we need to talk about WHY milk is bad for you and your bones. Not just any milk, but specifically any milk coming from another animal. Those who know me know that I am usually a VERY positive person, and the word “bad” isn’t usually in my vocabulary. However, my goal in this video is to make you aware of what you are putting in your body so that you can see HOW important it is to eat pure foods and to see which foods are optimal for your body. There is a LOT that society has taught us that isn’t healthy, and I want to expose some of those myths. Today, I will be sharing my take on why milk is really not good for you, and I will give you alternatives that you can enjoy that are much healthier. Ok, are you ready? Here are my top reasons why MILK is BAD for you:

MILK ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Today’s milk is a processed food. Until the end of the 19th century in Europe and the beginning of the 20th century in the US, milk was consumed unpasteurized or raw. Later on, homogenization became the industry’s standard. These processes further alter milk’s chemistry and actually increase its detrimental acidifying effects.

UNWANTED INGREDIENTS

Under current industrial methods, cow’s milk is often a toxic bovine brew of man-made ingredients like bio-engineered hormones, antibiotics (55% of U.S. antibiotics are fed to livestock), and pesticides—all of which are bad for us and the environment. For example, unintentional pesticide poisonings kill an estimated 355,000 people globally each year. In addition the drugs pumped into livestock often re-visit us in our water supply.

COWS MILK BELONGS TO COWS

We are the only animals on the planet who take another animals milk and drink it for consumption. We are biologically designed to drink our own mother’s milk. Would you go and put your mouth to a cow’s nipple and start drinking it? It’s not a naturally occurring desire in my mind.

The biochemical make-up of cow’s milk is perfectly suited to turn a 65-pound newborn calf into a 400-pound cow in one year. It contains, for example, three times more protein and seven times more mineral content while human milk has 10 times as much essential fatty acids, three times as much selenium, and half the calcium. Some may like cow’s milk but drinking it is both unnecessary and potentially harmful.

IT DEPLETES BONE CALCIUM

Despite popular opinion, recent studies and exposes have shown that dairy can actually CREATE osteoporosis in your bones. According to the SAVE OUR BONES CAMPAIGN and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. This increases your risk for fractures and more.

FREQUENT MILK CONSUMPTION = INCREASED RISK OF OSTEOPOROSIS

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”

Do you remember the GOT MILK ads that you used to see everywhere? Did you know that they had a ____ million dollar lawsuit against that ad due to the fact that this wasn’t true?

They had to stop saying that milk creates strong bones. Many of those ads disappeared after that lawsuit.

UNNCESSARY WEIGHT GAIN

As beverages go, milk is relatively high in calories. One cup of 2% milk has 138 calories, for instance. Drinking three cups a day adds 366 calories to the diet — a lot for anyone watching their weight.

EXACERBATES ACNE & CREATES GAS

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found an association between dairy consumption and acne. They suggest that removing milk or dairy can help to clear your skin.

IT’S AN ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN

Like any other animal derived protein-rich food, milk has a positive potential renal acid load (PRAL) which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys.

What does this mean exactly? Any body that is in an acidic state is at higher risk for cancer, disease, soreness, short recovery time, and more.

DRINKING CREATES EXCESS MUCUS

There’s not much more I need to say here. Give it a try and see for yourself.

IT PROMOTES ANIMAL CRUELTY

Many of the animals today are factory farmed and abused.

Those are just a FEW of the reasons why milk isn’t the most optimal of foods for our bodies. But remember that it doesn’t stop there. Milk is found in cheeses, yogurt, non-vegan ice creams, whey protein, whipped creams, and ANY type of dairy product. I’ve put together more links and information in the description below..So I know what you are thinking..WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT?! Don’t worry because I have a great substite for you! I highly recommend that you check out my Blueberry Milkshake, Fullyraw Coffee, Banana Nice Cream, Fullyraw Frappuccino, and more. And please take a look at my video below! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments!

www.fullyraw.com/why-milk-is-bad-for-you/

Wonderful World

by the Cinquini brothers.

Nelson Mandela, the protagonist of the float, sacrificed 27 years of his life locked up in a small cell, nurturing the hope of

demonstrating to humanity that the world is actually a wonderful place. The message left to us by him is stronger today than ever.

We are only realizing this now, after being locked in a house for several months of self-isolation.

On the giant Noah's Ark, the smiling face of Nelson Mandela enters the carnival. A new biblical boat needed to escape the flood of intolerance, ignorance, and hatred in search of a better world where everyone can exist freely without fear of living their own lives. On a large boat, you can see the emblems of culture and human progress of each era.

So any religion,sect, denomination that denies Christ, even how how they sound so good, appearing holy but rejects Christ , surely are wolves on sheep's wool .

Bible believing Christians will be badly persecuted in the coming days, because of our intolerance to doctrines outside the Bible and all man-made traditions.

"Tolerance" is not the the word .

Tolerance to false teachings and embracing them is like

setting yourself on fire.

Time to celebrate the Equinox, Nowruz, spring!

in spite of the gloom about russian violence, general intolerance, divisions between brainwashed right wingers and the peaceloving rest of us, i hope you can find some comfort in the fact that nature is slowly waking up, and the sun is getting stronger...

Update: I'm re-posting this as it's been used on a few recent blogs and kind people are coming past to see it, way back in the order of things. It also brings a bit of colour to the front of my photostream, amidst a lot of recent black and whites. I just noticed that this was possible, so thought I would have a test run to see how it was done. Hope that doesn't offend anyone!

Broadgate Circus is a private office estate in The City of London, adjacent to Liverpool Street station. Resolved to take some photos despite the rain, I found a sheltered corner of Broadgate with a good view of City commuters hurrying home from their offices in the grey London weather. The wet granite gave a nice dark mirror, with the turquoise glass of Gaucho and glowing gold of other office lights a not entirely uninteresting backdrop to the scene. The airvents here provide a workable improvised tripod too.

I managed to get around 25-30 shots away before private security arrived on the scene to impose their intolerance upon me, and I was ejected with stern authority, and a hand on my shoulder, though with memory cards unmolested. For people taking photos at Broadgate Circus in future, it would be worth noting. The guards were professional, but clearly bored and thus more intimidating than they need have been.

With the first half of the images no more than sighting shots of limited use, only this one stood out from those remaining, but I'm very happy with it. There's a nice symmetry, I think, especially between the red umbrella, blurred to an arrow pointing sharply down to the flowers. This one was cropped to centre the lady; more at home as a focal point than drifting on the top/right third point as she was.

It has been a grey day with some bad news and thick rain, so it's nice to share a colourful, meditative image at the end of it. Hope people approve. Thanks for all the nice comments so far.

[For Long Exposure group info, shutter was 1.3 secs]

At Hollywood & Highland Center, inspired by D. W. Griffith’s Babylon set for the 1916 film Intolerance.

The ESA-owned Short Arm Human Centrifuge has been upgraded, installed and inaugurated at the Olympic Sport Centre Planica facility near Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Soon to be home to ESA bedrest studies, this recently enhanced clinical research centre will help further scientists’ knowledge of human physiology in space.

Run by the Jozef Stefan Institute on behalf of ESA, bedrest studies at the facility offer scientists a way to see how the human body adapts to weightlessness. This allows researchers to test techniques, known as “countermeasures”, to counteract the negative effects of living in space.

The Short-Arm Human Centrifuge offers an extra suite of possible countermeasures by exposing people to artificial gravity. At 35 revolutions of the 3-m arms per minute, riders may experience a force of gravity that is more than twice their own body weight at their centre of mass, and more than four times their body weight at their feet.

Artificial gravity has the potential to reduce many of the negative effects of weightlessness on the human body in one go. As spinning encourages blood to flow back towards a subject’s feet, they are provided with a force to push against, while they follow a carefully controlled exercise regime of squats, jumps, heel raises and toe raises, for 30 minutes per day. These countermeasures should mitigate the reduction of bone and muscle mass that astronauts, and bedrest subjects, can otherwise experience.

The Planica facility provides equipment to collect all ESA Bedrest Core Data, allowing for comparison between different ESA-sponsored studies. It can also be maintained under adjustable environmental conditions, such as a low-oxygen atmosphere, which is highly relevant for human exploration missions.

In bedrest studies, volunteers spend from five to 60 days in bed, usually tilted backwards with their heads at 6° below the horizontal. They are not permitted to stand up unless a research programme demands it and must perform all daily activities in bed – including eating, showers and exercise.

The results of these studies also benefit people on Earth. Many negative effects of living in space are similar to those experienced naturally as we age, such as osteoporosis, muscle loss and orthostatic intolerance.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed the loan agreement for the centrifuge with representatives from the Jozef Stefan Institute during his tour of Slovenia last week.

Slovenia has been an ESA Associate member since 2016 and recently signed on to the Terrae Novae programme (formerly known as the European Exploration Envelope Programme (E3P).

Credits: K. Bidovec & A. Hodalič

was governor of Idaho for 14 years between 1970 - 1990, with a break during the late 70's when he served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

I saw this bust today while out running errands and stopped to see it. The quote (see below) seemed very fitting in today's political climate. If everyone had this kind of heart it would be a very different world.

"Now we must look ahead. We must prepare ourselves to fight and win new battles, to press the just and great cause of improving the human condition. Our calling is to assure a full place at the center of society for those who, too often, live on its edges. Our mission is to use the power we possess and the good that government can do to carry the fight against ignorance, disease, poverty, and intolerance."

As we ascend the social ladder, viciousness wears a thicker mask.

-Eric Fromm

At Seventeen: Janis Ian

www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHOIT1ROk8

……..as I promised (or warned) you would be seeing more of this elegant 1932 Packard 900.

The Car

The 1932 Packard 900 Light Eight Coupe-Roadster was produced for only one year, 1932. Its selling price ranged from $1,795 to $1,940. The engine was a L-head in-line 8, iron block, aluminum crankcase, rated at 319 cubic-inches, generating 110 horsepower. It has a three-speed transmission. The car weighed 3,990 lbs, with an overall length of the car is 195 inches.

The shovelnose grille is unique to the Light Eight. Other features include: parking and headlights have the Packard Yoke, ride control, windshield opens outward, ventilators in cowl and both kick panels, freewheeling vacuum clutch, golf bag door and rumble seats.

Source conceptcarz

__________________________________________________

Actress

Besse Love

Born: _______ September 10, 1898 in Midland, Texas, USA

Died: _______ April 26, 1986 in London, England, UK

Birth: _______ NameJuanita Horton

Height: __________ 5' (1.52 m)

Bessie Love was born in Texas. Her cowboy father moved the family to Hollywood, where he became a chiropractor. As the family needed money, Bessie's mother sent her to Biograph Studios, hoping she would become an actress. D.W. Griffith saw she was pretty and had some acting talent, and put her in several of his films, also giving her a small part in Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages (1916). Bessie became popular with audiences and worked with Douglas Fairbanks in Reggie Mixes In (1916) and William S. Hart in The Aryan (1916). She then moved to Vitagraph and starred in a number of comedy-dramas. In the 1920s she began to act in more mature roles, such as Those Who Dance (1924), and also began working on the stage. She performed the first screen "Charleston" dance in The King on Main Street (1925), and gave one of her best performances in Dress Parade (1927). When sound movies came into vogue, she made a number of them and received an Academy Award nomination for The Broadway Melody (1929). By 1931, however, her career was over. She moved to England in 1935 and entertained the troops during World War II. By the 1950s she started playing small roles in movies such as No Highway in the Sky (1951). She played in a handful of low-budget films from the 1950s through the 1970s. In the 1980s she appeared in the big-budget Ragtime (1981) which starred James Cagney, and later that year in Reds (1981) which starred Warren Beatty.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana

Source IMDb

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The background artwork

Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans

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Green Eyes the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

Hope ya’all enjoy ……………………

Btw - Don't forget to click on the "hot links".

Tiva has had some more tummy issues and we now believe she has developed a food intolerance. We hadn' t long ordered a new supply so the local dog rescue has benefitted.

it has been a week of up and downs. Tiva's food intolerances seem to have resurfaced so we are back to fish only .

I have finally seen the oncologist and have a treatment plan. The oncologist was more positive than the surgeon so we will just have to see how it goes.

STAND4LOVE is an awareness project to promote the visibility and rights of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Straight couples. Two adults should have the right to love without discrimination and intolerance. Marriage should be available to any loving couple. Let's end hatred and discrimination now.

Support STAND4LOVE!

INFO HERE: stand4love.wordpress.com/

La intolerancia, extremismo y el fanatismo, ya sea de tipo político, deportivo, y con mayor razón, el religioso, no tienen cabida en la sociedad actual.

Esta imagen es para todos aquellos que la han sufrido.

Intolerance, extremism and fanatism, whether it be for sports, political reasons, or for religious causes don't have a place in our society.

This image is for all who have suffered it.

..Blasphemy, obscenity, charlatanism,

sadistic excess, orgies,

and the aesthetic of gutter,

these are our moral expedients

against stupidity, satiety,

intolerance, provincialism,

dullness, against the cowardice

to bear responsability, against

the sack that eats at the front

and shits behind

Otto Mühl from "Letter to Erika Stocker" (25 January 1962)

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2011.

In the deadlock of political intolerance, get entangled His dreams.

In the pockets of corrupt officials, choke His dreams.

Upon the stretched out hands of the poor, stumble His dreams.

..There were dreams, but there is a harsh reality.

Coins with the face of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on a street beggar's plate.

PARKRUN #223 - (Wycombe Rye parkrun)

Since achieving my CI (exercise intolerance diagnosis in June 2023) PB 3 weeks ago my times have been slowly slipping backwards again with today being my slowest running time in 9 weeks - still, not too bad for a veteran with a dicky ticker.

Distance: 5.00km

Time: 37:09 - (my overall PB remains 26:32, post Covid PB 30:31, CI PB 35:40, AFib PB 36:45)

Heart attack to 10K photo collection, nice to get a few more running pictures instead of hospital visits in this album ... www.flickr.com/photos/93491398@N06/albums/72157688356685841/

Latest blog in my heart attack to 10K series - Life changes ... peterjemmett.blogspot.com/2024/09/heart-attack-to-10k-par...

photo by Vicki Bacon

ISO 400, 50 mm, f/9,0, 1/200 Sek.

This is the twenty-fourth entry for my 52 weeks project here on Flickr. See, I like bananas. A lot. But eating many of them can give you these horrible nightmares ... *shudders* poor little yellow things.

One of those spontaneous ideas that come to my mind when I'm lacking the enthusiasm for doing some of my already contrived concepts. Most definitely not one of my best so far, but as good as it gets when it comes to a shortage of motivation. Four images. Myself, the whole banana, a half eaten banana and a blank background shot. And the hardest part was to actually get the banana IN the frame.

I've been tagged 3 times now in the last couple of weeks (by Alper Design, ChelseyLeBlanc and *livethelovelylife*) and it got me confused, since I'm not able to tell anymore if I should state 5, 10 or 15 thoughts/facts about me *g* I guess I'll go for the happy medium :) Maybe I'll tag a few of my contacts this evening. So beware!

|01| I had a remarkably hard time to come up with another 10 facts about me that others might find even remotely interesting.

|02| I used to be into movies. A lot. Means I was going to the movies at least one time a week and I never missed an Academy Award Show until recently. I own roughly 500 movies on DVD/Blu-Ray.

|03| "Rounds" by the UK Electronic artist Kieran Hebden (aka "Four Tet") is my most favorite album ever. The title "Unspoken"* of said album is, to me, one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created.

|04| Of all stories I've ever read, watched or listened to, the comic book series "Preacher" by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is still one of my favorites.

|05| I'm a sucker for superheroes.

|06| I love puns.

|07| I'm also a huge fan of a more subtle kind of humor. Slapstick comedy isn't exactly my cup of tea.

|08| I can't tolerate intolerance.

|09| I'm not ashamed to cry.

|10| I'm not religious. At all.

* Please take 10 minutes of your precious time (if you can't afford that, don't even bother). Turn up the volume. Lay back. Close your eyes. Relax. LISTEN. And let the sun flood your heart...

Please press "L" to get the full monty!

Strobist info: One flagged LumoPro LP120 zoomed to 24 mm at 1/4 power from back left and right for rim. One yellow filtered Nissin Di866 zoomed to 24 mm at 1/16 power with a honeycomb pointed at the background. One Yongnuo YN560 zoomed to 80 mm at 1/2 power shot through a Westcott collapsible umbrella from high front right. All flashes were fired by Cactus V4 radio triggers. The camera was triggered by a Cactus V5. The lighting setup can be found here.

NEW! Become my fan on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter.

Read my blog.

Picture is of the restored seminary against the backdrop of luxury condominiums. The restored seminary, is by the way, now a high end commercial wing...

Please Read on to understand where i am going with this :-)..

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Truth or Love: What’s Your Choice?

We live in a post-truth society—that’s what The Economist claimed two months ago. Two weeks ago, Oxford English Dictionary chose “post-truth” as its Word of the Year. Go back a bit further, and having 11 percent of America believe that you are “honest and trustworthy” was good enough to have a 9 percent lead in the race to be the next President of the United States. But of course even the polls were post-true.

We are very confused about the truth: There’s the truth, and then there’s the naked truth. There’s the truth, and then there’s the gospel truth (though the Gospel is taken to be obviously false). There’s the honest truth, and then there’s the God’s honest truth (but that has nothing to do with God).

We stretch the truth and bend the truth and twist the truth. We bury the truth because the truth hurts. When we want some¬thing to be false, we knock on wood. When we want something to be true, we cross our fingers. Which wooden cross are we trusting in?

Why do we have such a confused relationship with the truth? Fear. We are afraid of truth. Truth has so often been abused that experience has taught us the trajectory of truth—the trajectory of believing you are right and others are wrong—is from truth to disagreement to devaluing to intolerance to extremism to violence to terrorism.

And if that is the trajectory, then those committed to truth are in fact terrorists in the making. If that is the trajectory, then truth is an act of war, and an act of war leaves you with only two options: fight or flee.

Most of Western society is fleeing. Everything around us is structured to avoid disagreement about the truth: We spend most of our time on Facebook and Twitter where we can “like” and “retweet” but there is no option to “dislike.” Sports no longer teach us how to disagree. In professional sports, we replay every call to avoid disagreement. In youth sports, we don’t keep score and everyone gets a trophy.

When it comes to dating, we use online sites that “match” us with someone so similar in beliefs, background, and personality that as much disagreement as possible is avoided. We no longer meet people different from us at coffee shops because we go to drive-thru Starbucks. We no longer meet people while shopping because everything we could ever need or want is delivered to our door. Culturally, everything around us is set up to avoid disagreement.

The alternative to fleeing is fighting. I was walking around Oxford University a few months ago, and two guys walking just ahead of me were having a spirited conversation about how crazy they found certain Christian positions on ethical issues. One of them wondered out loud whether the only solution would be to shame Christians out of their positions.

His friend quickly responded, “Yeah, that’s what we should do! We should ridicule them mercilessly in the most insensitive ways we can think of.” That’s an exact quote. Then they both made a right turn and swiped their faculty cards to enter the University of Oxford Theoretical Physics building.

These were probably scholars at Oxford, a place that prides itself on intellectual freedom and the exchange of ideas, and ‘merciless, insensitive ridicule’ was the best they could come up with for resolving disagreement. I found myself wondering how many beliefs they hold in theoretical physics that one day will be considered ridiculous.

How does one get to this point? How does someone get to the point where ‘merciless ridicule’ seems like the best way forward?

I think it’s because you come to see Truth as more important than Love. If Truth is greater than Love, then you fight—then the end goal of Truth justifies whatever means necessary, whether the means of haughty academics or the means of ISIS. If truth is greater than love, then love is a temptation—a distraction threatening to avert our attention from what is truly important; then those who disagree with us are enemies, and warmth toward our enemies must be extinguished in favor of the cold, hard facts.

The alternative is that Love is greater than Truth. Then you flee. You flee from the dangers of Truth and adopt a pluralism that assures us “All truths are equally valid.” Does that include the claim that all truth claims are not equally valid? One college student recently told my colleague, Abdu Murray, that he doesn’t believe it is his place to disagree with anyone.

Abdu said, “Sure you do.”

The student said, “No I don’t”

Abdu said, “You just did.”

Philosophically, that’s how quickly pluralism runs into incoherence. But if truth starts you down a path that ends in extremism, violence, and terrorism, then philosophical incoherence might seem like a price worth paying.

Either Truth is greater than Love or Love is greater than Truth. Fight or flee. This is the cultural ultimatum we are living in. What’s your choice?

Maybe there’s another way. Jesus disagreed with us. His very coming was an act of disagreement with us—a statement that we require saving because our lives have disagreed so badly with what God intended for them.

But Jesus’s loving sacrifice for us was the very content of his disagreement; it was his very statement that we are sinners in need of a savior. God cut the link between disagreement and devaluing by making His communication of Truth one and the same as His communication of Love.

Not ‘Truth is greater than Love.’ Not ‘Love is greater than Truth.’ “God is love” (1John 4:8), and God is Truth (John 14:6). And therefore Love is Truth.

Only in Jesus does truth equal love, and therefore only Jesus can get us out of the cultural ultimatum we are stuck in: fight or flee. Every other worldview makes a choice between Love and Truth. Jesus refused to because in Him, and only in Him, Love and Truth are one and the same.

So the next time we have a choice between Love and Truth, let’s refuse to choose. Instead, let’s remember when the Truth—Jesus Himself—was stretched. Let’s remember when the Truth was twisted and bent, when the Truth was naked. Let’s remember when the Truth hurt, and when the Truth was buried.

Let us remember which wooden Cross we are trusting in. And let us remember that Love that is not Truth is not Love, and Truth that is not Love is not Truth.

Vince Vitale is director of the Zacharias Institute at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Love & Truth. Grace & Holiness. Mercy & Righteousness. 2 faces of the same coil. You can't have truth without love and the reverse as well. Jesus is the embodiment of both.

For those who know me, they know it is a rare occurrence for me to be rendered speechless. But when I heard that Mr. Brown Pelican wants to cashier anyone who tries to debunk the nonsense spouted by his worshippers, I must say that speechless I was. Before I get moving here, let me point out that he wants to create an emotionalism-oriented world of guilt and shame. Such intolerance is felt by all people, from every background. You don't have to say anything specifically about him for him to start attacking you. All you have to do is dare to imply that we should tell Mr. Pelican what we all think of him -- and boy, do I have some choice words I'd like to use. I have the following advice for him: If you can't manage to be grateful for all the things we've done for you, at least have a little dignity, don't whine, and don't expect to be treated like a fragile doll just because you have a theatrically hypersensitive soul and delusions of entitlement. We must expand people's understanding of his headstrong, spiteful practices. This call to action begins with you. You must be the first to begin the debate about Mr. Pelican's beliefs. You must be the one to ensure that the values for which we have labored and for which many of us have fought and sacrificed will continue in ascendancy. And you must inform your fellow man that Mr. Pelican's lapdogs all look like Mr. Pelican, think like Mr. Pelican, act like Mr. Pelican, and spit in the face of propriety, just like Mr. Pelican does. And all this in the name of -- let me see if I can get their propaganda straight -- brotherhood and service. Ha!

Italy is being asked by the UN, the Vatican and a number of NGOs to comply with its duty to welcome political refugees rather than send them back to their country indistinctively .

The European Council publishes a report on rising racism in Europe.

In times of crisis, intolerance is a tendency that low profile politicians like to feed, putting at great risk their societies. National citizens’ understandable feelings should certainly not be ignored but higher moral principles must remain central.

A bad insult for the Jewish religion: A pig with a Jew...

You know: pigs are not kosher! A sign of intolerance and anti-Semitism! In the Medieval times Christians were not better than the Salafists now... but times have changed, I hope so...

Cuban woman on the Paseo José Martí, Havana

Cubana al Paseo José Martí, L’Havana

Governs the generation of beings and phenomena of nature. Protects those who wish to progress spiritually. Distinguished by genius; one of the great lights of philosophy.

Correspondence to Astrology

15° to 20° Pisces - Alchemy/Transformation

Info below from: UNIVERSE/CITY MIKAEL www.ucm.ca/en/info/the-72-angels

Qualities

Alchemy

Transforms evil into good

Healing

Regenerates, revitalizes, re-establishes harmony

Transforms, transmutes into spiritual gold

Masters instincts

Guides the first steps of the deceased into the other world

Transforms society with enlightened ideas

Helps accompany the dying

Distortions

Blockage, retention Tendency to get bogged down Problems of obesity Incomprehension of good and evil Atheism, disbelief Conflict, confrontation Incurable disease Fear of change and death Outbursts, excessive reactions Heaviness, overflow Incapable of setting objectives

Situations

Accompanying the dying Cancer Death Digestion Intestines Kidney stones Liver Mother Stomach

Transformation, transformation of evil into good

www.karmicangelclearings.com/page/491335722

Lucifer Angel Genius Bartholdi is the result of the passage of the forbidden and decision Freedom of Man, results DEATH. This death is the beginning of transmutation cycle of creation of man and of God himself, not under guardianship and without freedom.Bartholdi itself carried the sculpture of the winged female genius that dominates the red porphyry obelisk on which is written "Author / Lion of Belfort / and the Statue of Liberty / Enlightening the World." I'll have .....

From the Analogy ("The Matrix") page you learned that certain alchemist's authors praise Lucifer. And it doesn't stop there. It extends to their symbolism as well. It is important to STRESS that not all Masons worship Lucifer, only the top 5% do. Most of these writings were kept secret. Biblical admonition has been taken carefully, comparing alchemics teachings to the Holy Bible. In I John 4:1, we read: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." We see that any religious teaching that does not conform to Scripture is from a "false prophet." Many people still do not understand the importance of studying this subject to its logical conclusion. Their spiritual freedom is at stake. Remember two things about alchemy: "Cut through the outer shell and find a meaning; cut through that meaning and find another; under it, if you dig deep enough, you may find a third, a fourth -- who shall say how many teachings?" Many who are in alchemy are not aware that they are lied to. Finally, remember Albert Pike's bold assertion in Morals & Dogma, that "Masonry is identical to the ancient Mysteries," which means that all their teachings in all their books are precisely the same as the Ancient, Pagan, Satanic Mysteries. [p. 624, teachings of the 28th Degree] Of course these top 5% call Jesus Christ an "inferior god," they never, ever mention Him in their teachings or their rituals. This shouldn't surprise you since the Pope carries a bent Satanic cross as seen on another page which shames Christ on the cross.

Alchemits used Luciferic symbols within the layout of government center Washington D.C. worship Lucifer, the Light-Bearer. Lucifer and Satan are biblically the same individual, alchemy is really the worship of Satan. By quoting their own sources and depicting the symbols in which they use, this claim is proven. Alchemy gives itself away more through its symbols than it does in its writings. You saw in the analogy page of "The Matrix" that high level. Alchemists praise Lucifer. It is within these writings the "smoking gun" will be found, proof that Masons worship Satan. Once this is comprehended, you will understand why "they" have been trying to keep this all secret. If people really understood that Alchemy is the worship of Satan, no one in their right mind would join. Not only that but people would demand that this organization be outlawed. You have a continuous public relations campaign promoting the lie that Alchemy is not a religion, and is just a "good works social organization." As quoted above, you have secrets within secrets. LUCIFER PRAISED AS THE LIGHT-BEARER OF FREEMASONRY "Lucifer, the Light-bearer! Strange and mysterious name to give to the Spirit of Darkness! Lucifer, the Son of the Morning! Is it he who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!" [Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, p. 321, 19th Degree of Grand Pontiff; Red Emphasis added] Alchemists from the first initiation which is the first degree are urged to mightily "seek the Light!" The average Mason is continually saying that he is "seeking the Light," and will spend his entire life "moving toward the Light." People who haven't studied this subject would assume that this "Light" is the revelation of the God of the Bible. This statement is continuously held up to try to convince us that Masonry is Christian. In the above quote, Albert Pike is saying that Lucifer is the One who bears the Light of Alchemy. The sentence immediately preceding confirms not only that Lucifer is the Light-bearer, but that alchemys of previous degrees have been led to believe that the opposite was true. The wording of this sentence is difficut to understand unless you have special knowledge. Doc Marquis was asked for his explanation, lets look at what he had to say:, "The Apocalypse is, to those who receive the nineteenth Degree, the Apotheosis of that Sublime Faith which aspires to God Alone, and despises all the pomps and works of Lucifer." [Ibid.] It seems to contradict the sentence first quoted above, It appears to contradict the quote above where Pike identifies Lucifer as the Masonic Light-bearer. However when you understand the esoteric explanation from Doc Marquis, your understanding clears up completely.

The Apocalypse is identified first by Pike as being the Book of Revelation written by the Apostle John. Pike then states that similar books from other religions are just as 'inspired' as Revelation, mentioning Plato, Philo, the Sephar Yezirah, and the Sohar. Pike says all three of these books -- Apocalypse [Revelation], the Sephar Yezirah, and the Sohar, are all identically "inspired." And since the last two books are of non-Christian faiths, Albert Pike is saying that the contents of Revelation are no big deal. Therefore, it is no big deal that the Book of Revelation denigrates the "pomp and works" of Satan, since the God of that book is known to hate Satan.

Pike then says that these three books "are the completest embodiment of Occultism." [Ibid.] Now, we understand that Pike views the God of the Apocalypse as being the opposite but equal to Satan just as typical Occultists believe and teach!

Secondly, Doc Marquis provides the esoteric, occultic, explanation. Pike is also saying in this sentence that, in the previous 18 degrees, alchemists believed that God was the Light-bearer, but now, in this 19th Degree, Pike is giving them new revelation. This insight completely squares with stated Masonic policy of deliberately misleading alchemists in the lower degrees until they were really ready for the "truth." This is the truth -- MasonLucifer: A must to Knowledge.ry worships Lucifer. PIKE'S TYPICAL SATANIC PHRASE -- OUT WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE Concrete evidence is then given by Pike of alchemist's worship of Satan/Lucifer on the very front of the cover of Morals and Dogma. Pike writes a Latin phrase just below the round seal of "God," this is a phrase proven to be Satanic. Any "Satanic brother" looking at this phrase would know that the contents of this book are Satanic. They would also understand that the entire religion of alchemy is Satanic. "DEUS MEUMQUE JUS" is this phrase. The literal meaning is "God and My Right" Doc Marquis says this statement is a typical one within Satanism. There is one meaning within another with this statement. The first meaning is that the Freemason can depend upon their God to determine their Right and Justice. The second meaning is, since the God of Freemasonry is Lucifer, Achemitss are saying that they are "using occult methods," through Lucifer, to achieve their Rights and Justice. This phrase is very powerful and dangerous within Saanism says Marquis. A Satanist knows the content within Pike's book is Satanism just by reading, "DEUS MEUMQUE JUS." They don't even have to read the book, just the phrase to know.

"SEETHING ENERGIES OF LUCIFER WITHIN YOUR HANDS!"

"The day has come when Fellow Craftsman must know and apply their knowledge. The lost key to their grade is the mastery of emotion , which places the energy of the universe at their disposal. Man can only expect to be entrusted with great power by proving his ability to use it constructively and selflessly. When the Alchemists learns that the key to the warrior on the block is the proper application of the dynamo of living power, he has learned the mystery of his Craft. The seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands, and before he may step onward and upward, he must prove his ability to properly apply energy. He must follow in the footsteps of his forefather, Tubal-Cain, who with the mighty strength of the war god hammered his sword into a plowshare."

Once the Alchemists learns to control his emotion and to apply the "dynamo of living power," the Mason can be assured of being able to control the "seething energies of Lucifer" in his hands. He makes the admission that Alchemy is the Craft, which is an old name for Witchcraft. Satanists are assured that, if they will join the coven and learn the Craft, he will control the supernatural power of Satan, just as Manly P. Hall promises here. As you can see, they have exposed themselves. Powerful proof that Alchemy is Satanism. The language is direct and clear. It is not cluttered with deliberately confusing arcane language that only an insider can understand.

REVELATIONS OF TUBAL-CAIN Please take note that Hall makes reference to Tubal-Cain, above. We need to review this sentence because it too reveals Satanism. The Alchemist must "follow in the footsteps of his forefather, Tubal-Cain, who with the mighty strength of the war god hammered his sword into a plowshare." In the Alchemic Quiz Book, the candidate is asked this question: "Who was Tubal Cain?" Answer: "He is the Vulcan of the pagans." William P. Peterson. The Arcane Schools: A Review of their Origin and Antiquity: With a General History of Alchemy and Its Relation to the Theosophic Scientific and Philosophic Mysteries, Belfast, Ireland, William Tait, 1909, p. 30; also found in A. R. Chambers, Editor, Questions and Tubal-Cain is the password given in the Third Degree of Master Alchemist . You can identify Alchemy with paganism within this sentence. But what is the meaning of the Vulcan of the pagans? A very important question because Manly P. Hall advises the Mason that, once he has the seething energies of Lucifer in his hands, he is to walk in Tubal-Cain's footsteps.

Hall makes it sound like Tubal-Cain is one of the Greek gods, does he not? And, we know conclusively that Tubal-Cain is Vulcan of the Pagans. Let us review who Vulcan of the pagans is, by looking within occult sources. "Vulcan was a sun deity who was associated with fire, thunderbolts and light. The festival in honor of him was called the Vulcania in which human sacrifices were offered." [Percival George Woodcock, Short Dictionary of Mythology, New York, Philosophical Library, p. 152]. "According to Diel, he bears a family relationship to the Christian devil." [J.E. Cirlot, translated by Jack Sage, A Dictionary of Symbols , New York, Dorset Press, 1991, p. 362]. "It is fascinating to know that he married Venus, another name for Lucifer or the devil ." [Woodcock, op. cit., p. 150-151; Emphasis added] Manly P. Hall tells the Mason that he can have the seething energies of Lucifer in his hands, and then tells him to follow in the footsteps of the "Christian devil," to whom "human sacrifices" are offered. THE INFERNAL NAMES There may be some people who have read up to this point and still might be skeptical. Masonry cleverly masks its references to Satan. There are 77 names which pagans have used to refer to Satan over the centuries and they are in the Satanic Bible. We'll review some of these "Infernal Names" of Satanism found within Alchemy [Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey, p. 144-46]

We shall list the Freemason teaching on each of these names, and then the explanation. Baphomet -- "The Gnostics held that it [universal agent] composed the igneous [pertaining to fire] body of the Holy Spirit, and it was adored in the secret rites of the Sabbat or the Temple under the hieroglyphic figure of Baphomet or the hermaphroditic goat of Mendes ." [Pike, op. cit., p. 734, teaching of the 28th Degree; Emphasis added] It find absolutely incredible that the Freemasons should portray the Holy Spirit with the Satanic symbol, Baphomet.

Eliphas Levi created this symbol, one of the foremost Satanists and Alchemists of all time. The Baphomet is one of the most evil of all symbols. Looking closely at the Baphomet(left) you will see that the emphasis is on sex. This Being is androgynous -- both male and female -- you can see it has the breasts of a woman, and an erect phallus. You'll notice that the erect phallus has two serpents coiled around it. The Baphomet has the head of a "Horned Goat," another title for Satan.Alchemic and Occult Symbols Illustrated is a book in which Dr. Burns says, "In a book on witchcraft, The Complete Book of Witchcraft and Demonology ... the caption states that he is 'the horned god of the witches, symbol of sex incarnate'." [p. 51] And if you look at his right hand you will see Baphomet making the sign of the Devil's triad. "Baphomet is also known as the Sabbatic goat, in whose form Satan is to be worshipped at the Witches' Sabbath." [Frank Gaynor, Dictionary of Mysticism, New York, Philosophical Library, 1953, p. 24]. Then, we discovered that Baphomet is officially approved as a symbol of the Church of Satan [The Occult Emporium, Winter , 1993-1994, p. 54] and that it is worn by the Priest of Satan [Ibid., 1990-1991, p. 26]. Since Albert Pike linked Baphomet with the Goat of Mendes , we will show this obviously Satanic symbol, as well. It should also be noted that from the way a pentagram is normally seen(one point up, two down), rotating the pentagram 33 degrees you get a Satanic Pentagram. 33 is the highest degree there is in Alchemy.

www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/symbology/1o5.htm

Lucifer :Passage obligé vers la Connaissance

« Comment es-tu tombé des Cieux

Astre du Matin, fils de l’Aurore

Comment as-tu été jeté par terre

Toi qui vassalisais toutes les Nations

Toi qui disais en ton cœur :

J’escaladerai les Cieux par-dessus les étoiles de Dieu

J’érigerai mon trône, je siégerai sur la montagne de l’assemblée, dans les profondeurs du Nord,

Je monterai au sommet des nuages noirs

Je ressemblerai au Très Haut

Comment ! Te voila tombé au Schéol, dans les profondeurs de l’abîme »

ISAÏE XIV : 12-15

Dieu a prévu que l’Homme est appelé à jouir de la Connaissance, à l’acquérir et à accéder à la toute puissance sur la création que lui confère la Connaissance (ce qu’il n’a pas oublié de faire depuis). Mais le résultat du passage de l’interdit et de la prise de Liberté de l’Homme, a pour conséquence la MORT. Cette mort qui est le début du cycle de transmutation de la création de l’Homme et de Dieu lui-même, impossible sous tutelle et sans liberté. Cette mort acquise par transgression, devient un élément de la mise en marche du cycle cosmique, VIE-MORT, et donc de la possibilité de changement. L’Homme doit passer d’un état passif, jouir de la Connaissance, à un état actif, Connaître, en passant par la prise de possession de la Connaissance. Le but à atteindre est la divinité de l’Homme, qui ayant cueilli les fruits de la Connaissance, doit en transmuter la substance afin de s’en approprier les principes avant que d’accéder à l’Immortalité que lui confèrera l’état de Connaissant. En fait, le Serpent « LUCIFER » l’Homme et la Femme, participent à l’Unité en nous ramenant à l’UN. L’acte de rébellion consenti par Dieu, permet à l’Homme une amélioration sous forme de réintégration de sa propre divinité. Les égrégores Dieu et Lucifer, sont les inconscients de l’Homme. La Connaissance a offert la liberté de choisir entre le Bien et le Mal et donc d’évoluer sur l’arbre de Vie. LUCIFER libère l’homme de la tutelle de Dieu parce que Dieu l’a voulu. Il est un Dionysos judéo chrétien, génie de l’incarnation humaine, de l’individualité libre, expression visible de la vérité. Il est l’autre Verbe de Dieu, Archange déchu qui remonte et entraîne avec lui toute l’évolution humaine. Dans sa chute il aurait perdu une émeraude fixée à son front et dans laquelle aurait été taillé un vase qui ne serait autre que le GRAAL lequel aurait servi à récupérer « le sang du Christ » dont le symbole représente la Connaissance suprême qui procure l’illumination spirituelle, la montée des Ténèbres de la foi vers la Lumière de la GNOSE. Le terme est lâché : GNOSE

Cette Connaissance mystique des anciens Initiés (Isis, Eleusis, Dionysos, Pythagore) qui évoque la conception de la présence, en l’Homme, d’une étincelle divine dans le Monde soumis au destin, à la naissance et à la mort, et qui doit être réveillée par la contrepartie du Soi pour être finalement réintégrée dans le Tout Universel.

L’Homme se doit d’évoluer selon un schéma sur lequel se base quasiment l’intégralité des Ordres Initiatiques :

Niveau de la Matière : les Hyliques , esclaves prisonniers de la grotte de Platon, retenus par les chaînes de l’ignorance, incapables d’aller au delà de l’apparence et dont la pensée reste au niveau du geste et du rite confondant le mot et l’esprit.

Niveau de l’Esprit : les Psychiques, qui ont fait évoluer leur intellect et leur affectif, mais leurs mots n’aboutissent pas à l’idée claire et juste car l’intolérance, les passions et la peur, les aveuglent.

Niveau de l’Ame ou du Spirituel : les Pneumatiques qui sont les mystiques éclairés et initiés, ayant abandonné les préjugés, les fausses certitudes et valeurs, libres de la pesanteur de la matière. Ils sont capables de retrouver le sens perdu de la Parole et ont accès à la Gnose en s’élevant au niveau du spirituel.

Cette Gnose permet d’opérer la métamorphose de l’Homme et sa mutation interne.

Lorsque le profane se trouve dans le cabinet de réflexion, il lit ce mot : VITRIOL mais il ne sait pas encore qu’en inversant deux de ces lettres, le I et le R, il pourra écrire plus tard « L’OR I VIT « L’or, ce métal pur et précieux , qui pour les Alchimistes représente bien plus que cela, il est cette étincelle de Divinité que l’homme doit rechercher par la transmutation de ce métal vil et impur, le Mercure qui n’est autre que le symbole alchimique de LUCIFER.

Il s’avère que l’Alchimie assimile LUCIFER à l’œuvre au noir, la Putréfaction, sous une forme non démoniaque mais rédemptrice. Il représente la Pierre Brute, matière initiale de l’œuvre, qui sous son aspect vil et repoussant, n’en demeure pas moins le pilier de toute l’œuvre, car recelant en son sein, la lumière à suivre, l’étoile que suivirent les mages pour parvenir à l’Enfant philosophal.

LUCIFER représente des forces immenses qui travaillent en nous obscurément, à la réalisation du parangon humain. Les deux natures chez l’Homme sont Mortelle, être de chair, et Originelle Immortelle, être de lumière.

Deux voies différentes s’ouvrent à la prise de conscience :

L’Involution (VITRIOL) qui est la matérialisation progressive de l’esprit

L’Evolution qui est la réapparition de l’Esprit émergeant au sein de la Matière qu’il a fécondée, animée, évertuée.

Comme l’Alchimiste, l’Homme peut engager la transformation, la transmutation de sa propre nature existentielle.

« Lumière et vie, voilà ce qu’est le Dieu et Père de qui est né l’Homme. Si donc tu apprends à te connaître comme étant fait de vie et de lumière et que ce sont là les éléments qui te constituent, tu retourneras à la Vie. » (Hermès Trismégiste)

La poursuite du grand Œuvre est le symbole du chemin nécessaire à la réalisation de la transfiguration de l’âme, prélude à la résurrection de la figure divine originelle : l’Homme véritable, l’Adam Kadmon.

Créé par Dieu, l’ange devenu Homme par la chair doit de son vivant et dans ses actes opérer une mue pour ressusciter en toute conscience et librement sa grandeur angélique.

LUCIFER : PASSAGE OBLIGE VERS LA CONNAISSANCE

La quête Luciférienne est la quête du Graal, nous sommes tous des enfants de LUCIFER, ceux qui font des efforts vers la Connaissance et la Sagesse. En loge, nous venons chercher la lumière que nous dispense « notre Lucifer », notre très Vénérable Maître car c’est par lui que se transmet la Lumière qui ouvre nos travaux, qui nous fait passer des Ténèbres à la Lumière, du monde profane au Macrocosme, de Lucifer au GADLU.

Dieu et LUCIFER, lumière et obscurité sont les deux facettes de cette réalité suprême qui n’est qu’un.LUCIFER est la réflexion de Dieu à l’intérieur de nous même, l’ombre de notre Etre Divin en nous même. L’influx Luciférien est une force sans laquelle la Terre n’aurait pu poursuivre son évolution. La chute du grain de blé et son implantation en cette Terre, lui donnent une particulière chance d’éclosion : celle de devenir Dieu. Celui qui veut monter doit d’abord descendre, la chute hors du Monde de Lumière, l’exil et le combat dans le Monde de l’Aveuglement et de l’Ignorance, permet la triomphale rédemption finale.

LUCIFER et CHRIST sont complémentaires, ils sont les Ténèbres et la Lumière, le Pentagramme pointe en bas évoquant la Connaissance transcendante qui renvoie à la quête d’immortalité et d’absolu pour LUCIFER et pointe en haut pour CHRIST dont la rédemption lui permet l’accès au Divin.

Mais alors, lorsque le Compagnon voit pour la première fois l’Etoile Flamboyante, celle-ci ne devrait elle pas être pointe vers le bas et ne se redresser que lorsqu’il passe des Ténèbres à la Lumière, qu’il renaît HIRAM ?

Le sceau de Salomon est explicite, un Triangle vers le haut et un Triangle vers le bas ce qui permet à l’Homme Luciférien de se positionner au centre, pas encore pneumatique mais plus du tout Hylique. Un peu comme le positionnement du Maître maçon qui, une fois la transmutation opérée, est passé de l’Equerre au compas mais revient se positionner au centre pour parfaire son évolution spirituelle.

Albert Pike Maître alchimiste du XIX ème Siècle avait déjà largement compris la nécessité du passage obligé par l’instruction Luciférienne et avait dit à ce propos, je cite : « Pour les F :. M :. Gnostiques, le G.A.D.L.U est Lucifer, »le porteur de Lumière ». L'Alchimie devrait être maintenue dans la pureté de la doctrine luciférienne « (sic).

Mais le Connaissant n’en est pas pour autant un Sage. Le savoir pouvant donner le pouvoir, l’évolution spirituelle de l’Homme se fera en fonction de la bonne ou mauvaise utilisation qu’il en fera. Il se doit de dompter son savoir et de le faire évoluer de la Matière vers l’Esprit, de l’Equerre vers le Compas en faisant que le Compas reste ouvert sur l’Equerre, de LUCIFER vers le DIVIN.

« Il est de la nature de la Lumière de ne pouvoir paraître à nos yeux sans être revêtue de quelque corps et il faut que ce corps soit propre aussi à recevoir la Lumière.

Là où donc est la Lumière, là doit être aussi nécessairement le véhicule de cette lumière. Voila le moyen le plus facile pour ne point errer. Cherche donc la Lumière de ton Esprit, la Lumière qui est enveloppée dans les Ténèbres et apprends de là que le sujet le plus vil de tous les ignorants est le plus noble selon les Sages » (BOUDDHA)

Gnôthi Seauton (Connais toi toi-même)

J’ai dit Très Vénérable Maître.

www.ledifice.net/7364-1.html

Birch Hill Cemetery, Fairbanks Alaska.

If you are an American, chances are either you or your ancestors were immigrants. And chances are you or your ancestors came here to escape persecution or to otherwise seek opportunities and a better life.

Despite the injustices committed by our founding immigrants on the indigenous populations, Native Americans display a remarkable patriotism and love of God and country. At the same time our country has a history of both tolerance and intolerance toward immigrants.

There is an irony and paradox here that defies explanation.

To my fellow Americans, I wish you a reflective and happy Fourth of July.

barnabynutt.com/2017/06/12/travelogue-9-home/

After a decent breakfast in McClay’s, we took a walking tour of the city. It was the ‘Auld Firm’ derby (Rangers Vs Celtic) at noon and so every bar, and many of the shops, had security doormen from about 9.

We wandered the Merchant City, the Necropolis, along the Clyde to the ‘ski-jumps’, the bridge to nowhere, stopping off for coffee at The Lighthouse , the Rennie-MacKintosh newspaper building now converted into a creative architecture and design centre.

Glasgow is architecturally eclectic and seems to have had many phases of development, each at odds with the previous. It’s scruffy. Our visit was a Saturday morning, but it had the feel of a place constantly waking up with a hangover.

All reasons why I liked it a lot!

The urban motorway is ridiculous. There is no thought in the city for any other form of travel than the motorcar. Huge space is given over to tarmac with upto 16 lanes of traffic carving right through the city centre, right through people’s living space. Away from the motorways, making progress on foot is difficult with priority always with the traffic and little pedestrian infrastructure.

Along the way we found a some fantastic mural and street art (there’s a ‘Street Art Trail’ for next time). It was interesting to see how well respected the work was with no graffiti or ‘modifications’, quite different to the way that it’s treated in Poland.

The picture above and the two below show work by Australian artist, SMUG. Since marvelling at these magnificent, photorealistic pieces in Glasgow, he has produced another in Leicester, my home town. More of that in a future post.

We collected the car minutes before the parking vouchers expired and after a quick tour of the Clydeside docks and SCC Hydro, headed south and were home 7 hours later.

On the way, Iain pointed out the transition from the North to the Midlands, the Cheshire/Staffordshire border, and the same sense of unease came over us both.

We turned off the motorway and stopped for fuel in Stoke, or Brexitland as we know it. We were greeted by a depressing vision of tanning salons and vaping shops, litter, fast food and intolerance. Given the beauty of previous days, our return to this mundane familiarity was jarring. Iain and I ran out of things to say to one another, both in the same funk.

Over the previous week, the radio had been a constant companion. During the trip, either live or on iPlayer, the serendipity of Nemone’s perfect electronic soundtrack as we drove along the west coast, or the seemingly constant references to Kenny, Jonny and the Fife scene had been a perfect accompaniment to the journey.

Back home after unpacking, the shipping forecast came on the radio, and I could now put a place to those familiar, exotic names…

A billboard at the corner of Bank Street and Somerset Street in Ottawa Ontario. The white paint covers the original Black Lives Matter mural which was vandalized with messages of hate and intolerance.

From Shane Phipps' Empathy Mining blog:

"I’ve had it. I’ve absolutely, freaking, had it.

I’ve had it with the mass shootings.

I’ve had it with the hateful, racist, and bigoted narrative coming from the White House.

I’ve had it with the Tweets.

I’ve had it with the lies.

I’ve had it with the fact that so many of these gunmen are heeding the dog whistles of the president and using his language and messages as the cornerstones of their sick, twisted manifestos.

I hate that, if I wanted to, I could purchase a gun such as the one used in El Paso, that is capable of firing 600 rounds per minute–that’s 10 shots per second.

I’ve had it with the fact that the NRA, an organization I once belonged to, still won’t budge an inch to support laws to limit the rate of fire for guns designed only to kill as many people in as short an amount of time as possible.

And I’ve had it with the fact that there are millions of right wing Christians who apparently have no problem with any of what I just listed above.

In a nation where our new Muslim members of Congress are singled out constantly and asked to denounce Islamic terrorism, as if they somehow supported it, we can’t get a right wing Christian to condemn the fact that white domestic terrorists are being spoon-fed the themes for their manifestos and the motivation to carry them out by the bigoted rubbish coming out of the president’s mouth or Twitter feed on a daily basis. It’s as plain as the nose on your face, right wing Christians, your guy in the White House shares so much of the blame for the increased hateful, racist, bigoted rhetoric and, God help us, actions that are popping up with alarming frequency under this administration. Yet, you refuse to see it. You continue to support the president. You continue to stand steadfastly by the NRA and cling to your right to own rapid-fire-death-spraying-machines. You continue to deflect the conversation away from sensible gun control to the conveniently vague mantra, “we don’t have a gun problem, we have a mental health problem.”

Guess what? I’m actually going to agree with you. We do have a mental health crisis. It starts in the Oval Office and it has spread like cancer into conservative churches across this nation. You have taken the once heart-felt phrase “thoughts and prayers” and dragged it through the blood until it is unrecognizable and meaningless. You have endorsed the architect of the most hateful and mean-spirited administration America has seen since Andrew Jackson, whose portrait Trump chose to hang in his office. You have, by proxy, aligned yourselves with domestic terrorists. You have chosen to remain ignorant of what is actually happening in the country you claim to love. You have taken the message of Jesus Christ and hidden it under a bushel of ignorance and intolerance.

Yes, we have a terrible mental health crisis in the United States right now. If you are among the segment of citizens who refuse to acknowledge the frightening rhetoric coming from the White House, I’m sorry, but you are knee-deep in the center of the problem."

None better in my experience. It's one of those things for which I'll disregard my tendency toward wheat intolerance.

At the MACBA Musuem Barcelona

Holzers 100 word statements on intolerance violence consumerism and abuse of power

Found another image of our favorite sidewalk preacher, one I had never used before.

Social Justice Night is an event that's part of a larger project put on by Vestal Elementary School in Portland, Oregon where kids learn about all kinds of different cultures from immigrants in their neighborhood. They learn about food, traditions, music, etc with the idea that knowing something about the diversity of people around us gives one an appreciation and respect for their various cultures and for them as human beings. Learning this kind of stuff, particularly from a young age will hopefully go a long way to creating a greater culture of people in the US who will see the positives of diversity and of loving their neighbor, rather than engaging in a culture of intolerance and hate...

"Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardor, for their curiosity, their intolerance of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision"

~Aldous Huxley

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Galerius_and_Rotunda

History

The 4th-century Roman Emperor Galerius commissioned these two structures as elements of an imperial precinct linked to his Thessaloniki palace. Archeologists have found substantial remains of the palace to the southwest.[1] These three monumental structures were connected by a road that ran through the arch, which rose above the major east-west road of the city.

At the crux of the major axes of the city, the Arch of Galerius emphasized the power of the emperor and linked the monumental structures with the fabric of 4th-century Thessaloniki. The arch was composed of a masonry core faced with marble sculptural panels celebrating a victory over the Sassanid Persians. Less than half of the arch is preserved.

The Rotunda was a massive circular structure with a masonry core that had an oculus like the Pantheon in Rome. It has gone through multiple periods of use and modification as a polytheist temple, a Christian basilica, a Muslim mosque, and again a Christian church (and archaeological site). A minaret is preserved from its use as a mosque, and ancient remains are exposed on its southern side.

Location and description of the Arch

Arch of Galerius, stands on what is now Egnatia & Dimitrios Gounari Street. The arch was built in 298 to 299 AD and dedicated in 303 AD to celebrate the victory of the tetrarch Galerius over the Sassanid Persians and capture of their capital Ctesiphon in 298.[2] The structure was an octopylon (eight-pillared gateway) forming a triple arch that was built of a rubble masonry core faced first with brick and then with marble panels with sculptural relief. The central arched opening was 9.7 m wide and 12.5 m high, and the secondary openings on other side were 4.8 m wide and 6.5 m high. The central arch spanned the portion of the Via Egnatia (primary Roman road from Dyrrhacium to Byzantium) that passed through the city as a Decumanus (east-west major street). A road connecting the Rotunda (125m northeast) with the Palace complex (235m southwest) passed through the arch along its long axis.

Only the northwestern three of the eight pillars and parts of the masonry cores of the arches above survive: i.e., the entire eastern side (4 pillars) and the southernmost one of the western pillars are lost.[3] Extensive consolidation with modern brick has been performed on the exposed masonry cores to protect the monument. The two pillars flanking the central arched passageway retain their sculpted marble slabs, which depict the wars of Galerius against the Persians in broadly panegyric terms.

Sculptural program of the Arch

Understanding of the sculptural program of the arch is limited by the loss of the majority of the marble panels, but the remains give an impression of the whole. Four vertically stacked registers of sculpted decoration were carved on each pillar, each separated by elaborate moldings. A label for the Tigris River indicates that there were likely labels on other representations as the builders deemed necessary. Artistic license was taken in the representations, for instance, the Caesar Galerius is shown in personal combat with the Sassanid Shah Narses in one of the panels; although they never met in battle.[citation needed] On the arch a mounted Galerius attacks a similarly mounted Narses with a lance as an eagle bearing a victory wreath in its talons approaches Galerius. The Caesar sits securely on his rearing horse, while the Persian king appears nearly unhorsed. Terrified Persians cower under the hooves of the Caesar’s horse in the chaos of battle. The panel expresses the power of the Caesar Galerius.

The relief of the imperial family conjoined in a sacrifice of thanksgiving owes its distant prototype to the Augustan reliefs on the Ara Pacis in Rome.[citation needed] Galerius' wife, Diocletian's daughter Valeria, is shown at his side, helping authenticate his connection to his predecessor. Here as elsewhere all the faces have been carefully chiselled off, whether as damnatio memoriae or in later cultural intolerance of images.

In another panel, the tetrarchs are all arrayed in the toga as a Victoria holds a victory wreath out to the heads of the two Augusti. A third panel celebrates the unity of the tetrarchy, with a depiction of the tetrarchs standing together; the depersonalized manner in which the tetrarchs are portrayed is reminiscent of the schematic statues of the tetrarchs in porphyry at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.[citation needed] Only Galerius is dressed in armor, and he makes the offering upon the altar.

What remains of the arch asserts the glory of the tetrarchy and the prominence of Galerius within that system. The arch celebrates the Roman Empire as part of Galerius’ victory over the Sassanid king.[citation needed] On the right pictured, is Galerius on his horse in an attack on a Sassanid guard.

This is an organisation called Anonymous for the Voiceless and is a Vegan activist group growing throughout the free World, this particular shot shows a Cube of Truth, with images of Animal right violations shown on the monitors. I found their method very thought provoking and powerful (although I am not a Vegan). It is a wonderful thing to be able to express your opinions and openly debate things that you feel strongly about.

The other side of the coin though is a growing intolerance for opinions that are not always politically mainstream, I recall an incident outside our British Parliament where a very elderly gentleman who was a veteran of WW2 was expressing his opinion on a small billboard, (it was not an opinion I shared) but a crowd had gathered around the man and were verbally abusing him.

The right of freedom of speech was a very hard won battle and I believe the right to have an opinion voiced in a none threatening or abusive way is essential in this modern World, as is the right to confront those opinions and talk about them openly, if open discussion does not occur then opinions do not change and are allowed to fester into something far more damaging.

We have some wonderful freedoms and they must be preserved at all costs.

Remember Remember

The Wolfpack - The Wolf Demon by Daniel Arrhakis (2016)

It was not enough the Crimean Invasion, the Shot down of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17), the bombing of Aleppo with the killing of innocents and the persecution of all forms of free expression in Russia now the Wolves also turn to the photographs expositions , vandalizing the free expression of artists !!

NEVER WILL SHUT THE VOICE OF THE INNOCENTS OR THE VOICE OF FREEDOM OF ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS !!

theartnewspaper.com/news/moscow-gallery-shuts-photography...

themoscowtimes.com/news/photography-exhibit-on-ukraine-co...

_______________________________________________

It often seems to me that artists have been too silent before so much adversity in this our world dominated by populist politicians, dictators and unscrupulous people who have thrown our humanity to the Dark Ages ... It is time we open our eyes and leave the comfort of the creative uselessness!

In recent times in many countries vandalism and artistic cultural intolerance has grown to become a worrying phenomenon because strangles the Freedom Of Creativity and Art Expression of Peoples, even the destruction of our Cultural Heritage !

Since the attack on cartoonists in France and on writers like Nahed Hattar , through the shameful cover up nude Roman statues of goddesses so as not to offend Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during the visit to France and Italy, we have seen all in recent times !

www.cnn.com/2016/09/25/middleeast/jordan-writer-nahed-hat...

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/26/rome-spares-iranian...

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THIS IS MY PROTEST !! I have had enough of all this !

Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of New Mexico

Downtown Albuquerque

www.nmholocaustmuseum.org

Remembering all of those who lost their lives fighting for and defending our freedom. Freedom from intolerance, bigotry, oppression and hatred.

We also remember the doctors, nurses, care workers, ancillary staff and those working in Our wonderful NHS who died, while saving so many.

By Victor Pross

“ART IS ABOUT DECONSTRUCTION!” Tammy cried out, bursting like a cork. “This is an art school, not a syndicated newspaper! This is not a work of art!” Tammy’s whole body was animated with anger.

The student’s turned, as if in reaction to gunfire and beheld a frizzled red head, her checks turning the color of her cherry mane. Her name was Tammy White, a first year art student. “Look at this,” she yelped, pointing to a stack of paintings and drawings of strangely morphed caricatures of celebrities and skewered social stereotypes that greatly exaggerated classes of people from all walks of life. She then spun around unleashing her anger onto a lone figure who stood at his easel in mid brush stroke, creating the wildly diverse caricatures.

“This is a serious art school and he is turning it to a second grade school!” Tammy sputtered to nobody in particular.

The lone figure was me.

I was secluded in a corner of the class room painting. My concentrated focus was momentarily distracted by the outburst. A little head head-turn, the rise of an eye-brow, and then a nod of indifferent acknowledgement was all I cared to offer. I returned to my painting as if nothing had happened.

Tammy’s appearance was as colourful as the paints she used: her hair was died, part red and green, her eye-shadow a gloss blue. Her eyes were made luminous by the dark purple eyeliner and her bone-white skin was stretched over her skeleton like shrink wrap. Her penchant for tie-die t-shirts and olive green army jackets pleaded for attention.

Tammy was not one to give up. “Look at that painting! What does he think he is doing?” I heard the first words of her rambling discourse but my mind dissolved into fog. By the time the diatribe ended, I addressed Tammy openly: “Anything you have to say to me doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference.” I said this without rancour. It was a statement of simple fact, spoken prosaically.

From day one, Tammy took an instant dislike to me, referring to me as “the hick.” In a school saturated with mass-marketed nonconformity, I stood out because it was impossible to classify me. My hair style was that of James Dean, complete with his soulful look, and I was given to wearing leather jackets reminiscent of Brando in “The Wild One”. I was dated, at least in appearance. Or perhaps I was completely from a different planet.

Tammy, too, stood out, but in an entirely different way than me. Her anger, her erratic behaviour raised a red flag in most people, even among those who were angry artist types. During her pubescent school years, Tammy White was trouble. At her high school proem, while other girls primed themselves before mirrors, Tammy sealed herself off in her room and listened to angst-ridden music indulging in self-mutilation. With a razor blade in hand she would carve parallel lines on her arms. A year later, she decided to attend art school to cure her malaise.

In this cadre of self-appointed elitist students, I faced challenges other than mastering drawing and painting skills. While in high school, I saw art school as a light at the end of a dark adolescent tunnel. I had hoped to advance my skills, perhaps find new friendships and enjoy, finally, a sense of direction and meaning. But art school was just as alienating. The students were not versed in the language of “classical realism”—which I had read about---and to which I was attracted. They responded to my work, at first, with quiet amusement. Their gentle sarcasm turned to hostility. Nicknames were becoming contagious and I became known as “the hungry artist” ---a nickname that was pinned with scorn. It was my fault. When I first arrived at the school, I was asked what kind of an artist I was. I did not entirely understanding the question and answered “a Hungry Artist.” This was met with laughter and derision.

Four months at the school, I began to wonder why I enrolled. This wasn’t a thought that came to full conscious awareness and it remained suppressed in the back of my mind. I was still hopeful that I would learn. I was attracted by the name of the school: The Advent-gurde Progressive Arts School. I didn’t know at the time of enrolment what “advent-gurde” meant, but the catchword “progressive” caught my attention.

The school was a melting pot of scamps and roughs, inhabiting a gaggle of pasty geeks and faux lunatic poseurs, a variable compost of cultural caricatures: pretentious beatniks, gay fashion designers, livid lesbians, vegan hippies, neo-beats and deadbeats, art punks, art fags, art Goths and sullen-art introverts who considered learning how to draw or paint an enormous imposition. Every kid’s face was pierced with dozens of rings with smatterings of tattoos on their face or body. Among this motley crew of mongrels, as I mentioned, I stood out…by not standing out. I did not mingle with these kids, these apprentices of abstract culture.

As far as I was concerned, each gum chewing, attention-challenged automaton had been spiritually lobotomized. They all fitted a blinkered mainstream and I was a proud outsider.

I was out of the loop, completely unfamiliar to the political manoeuvrings of the art school and out of step with the life of New York. I did not understand why the students held our vaguely swishy professor, Ivan Wine, in such high regard. In fact, the students loved him. They attached themselves like flies to a no-pest strip to his every word.

When Ivan Wine entered the class that day, he found Tammy in a state he had become accustomed to: perpetually pissed-off. Her sudden bursts of temper was accepted as a given. She was a handful, it was true, but as far as he was concerned, ill-temper and disagreeableness were traits that simply come with the package that is the artist. Ivan Wine had seen it all. Turning toward Wine, Tammy held her hands out in a gesture of frustrated helplessness: “Victor is desecrating the spirit of this school and everything for which we stand—again!”

Wine motioned for calm, placing his index finger against purse lips. He asked Tammy to regain her composure and to please take a seat. “Yes, sir,” she said dutifully, while shooting me a glance that said: step away from the painting to prepare for the daily lecture. The class took their seats and assembled around Wine.

Ivan Wine was a man given to wearing garish purple clothing as it were a classic black tux fitted for the Opera. He wore dark sunglasses in moderately lit rooms and his shaved head gave the appearance of a dirty tennis ball. When he removed his sunglasses, one was struck with piercing blue eyes set within a narrow face with gaunt cheekbones. His head was large for the emaciated, almost girlish overweight body. He wasn’t very tall, standing at 5’7. His skin was puffy, yellowish with thin lips. He was fifty-five years old, but he was blessed with a smooth ageless face. A tattoo that crawled up from his collarbone to his chin appeared to add to the image of youth.

Wine was the founder of the school. Through this school, he sought to erect a “pedantic myth”—using his words--by employing postmodernist philosophy as his framework, hoping that this would give his school a unique signature. He didn’t contribute to postmodernism art too much or its theoretical framework, but he hoped to cash in on it. He presented himself as postmodernism’s greatest defender, purporting great insight into its meaning and purpose.

As Wine began his speech, Tammy turned to the student nearest her and whispered: “He’s a genius.” I winced, turning to look at my surroundings. Wine’s voice faded out in my mind, becoming the sound of someone speaking into a pillow, and it was the room that took my notice. It looked like a dungeon--at worst--and a wine cellar, at best. The kiln brown-red brick that made up the walls was circa 1920s. It was a poorly lit room filled with canvasses, brushes, paints, cans, frames, filthy clothes and art supplies. A row of easels circled the room. My attention having went full circle, from one end of the room to the other, landing back on the students, who sat before the enigmatic flamboyantly purpled attired teacher. Wine’s words came back into my focus as if someone had turned up the volume on a stereo. Either from curiosity or boredom, I decided to listen in:

“The artist is seen as a curious creature, but he is nevertheless deeply admired for his rare talents,” he said, pacing back and forth, before his attentive students. An index finger rested against the palm of his hand. “He is admired for his so-called God-given talent and for his devotion to create masterful works for his fellow human beings that they themselves cannot create. Ideally, the artist should be seen as an altruistic creature, willing to live in poverty and obscurity, his only quest to enrich the spiritual life of the community. But the capitalistic endeavour to seek wealth and fame from one’s art degrades his art. Oh, yes, wealth and fame is sometimes thrust upon him, but such a state should never be the artist’s quest. People find inspiration in works of art--mired in the physical world as they are--and that art is cheapened if mired in enterprise. The true artist’s quest is to create art for art’s sake - his art is above the crass consumer society. Yes, let it be said again and again---the true artist is a solitary misfit who is above petty materialistic luxuries. This, I submit, is the genuine artist. This is the starving artist” Wine’s voice dropped to a baritone and his eyes narrowed and then he said with measured effect: “Ladies and gentlemen, become artists.”

Wine’s luxuriant speaking voice boomed out across the room, a theatrical voice capable of being heard in a large auditorium so that even half-deaf audiences could hear every syllable as if sitting center stage. There was an English lilt to his voice which had become “Americanized”—this being his term.

In a display of false modesty, Wine said: “Well, perhaps I have said enough.”

“Don’t stop now, Mr. Wine!” Tammy exhorted her beaming teacher and the class followed suit. This admiration encouraged Wine and he pressed on in full. He walked back and forth the floor, as if following a single straight line painted across the patch of ground he walked. His booming voice railed on:

“In this class, we will be focusing on creating art. We will not be focusing on marketing art. This is not a marketing class. This is not a business school. We are artists! We will be focusing on progressive art—not representational art. This is not an advertising agency, and in case you know nothing of history…the Renaissance is over. The days of painting the same old canards—half-naked woman in states of undress is over.” Wine’s eyes levelled the room like lava and the eyes of the student’s eyes were moisture. “I’m telling you now –and let it penetrate your young skulls – art and business make for strange bed fellows! Do you want to be artists or business men? I say, with great certainty and hope, you want to be artists!”

The class muttered its affirmation like a jungle tribe by the fire, the room becoming a flutter of doleful head shakes and clearly pronounced avowals of agreement. Nobody was more vocal than Tammy White. “Right on, man,” she called out, looking about to see if the others shared her degree of enthusiasm. The teacher smiled at Tammy, continuing his leisurely pace, summing up his thoughts, as if he were an attorney leading to the conclusion of his case. When Wine completed his speech, Tammy applauded with such vigour that it sounded as if the smacks were being drawn by a leather belt against a side of beef. “Right on, man! Right on!” The student’s enchantment was now complete.

As far as I was concerned, Wine projected both the saint and sinner. Both images, in this case, were unsavoury. As a saint, the image that came to mind was one of a faith healer supposedly healing the afflicted in assembly line fashion. As a sinner, one was reminded of a hair tonic barker selling a worthless liquid to balding narcissists. The truth was that Wine believed in his own dribble. There was no trace of insincerity could not be detected. I did not buy the bunkum that Wine spewed and this put me in considerable hot water with the other students.

****

Wine asked me to remain at the end of the class. I shrugged and nodded compliance. The class emptied, the teacher motioned for me to take a seat. Grabbing the nearest chair with a flourish, I sat in it backwards, tapping my fingers on the wooden back.

Wine pasted on an ingratiating smile and sat across from me. “You don’t seem to fancy the school affections, do you?”

“The a-a-affect…the what?”

“How old are you, Victor…if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I’m Twenty-one.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Well, it looks as though I have a good thirty years on you.”

My manner conveyed an impatient intolerance to small talk. This did not go unnoticed and the smile suddenly disappeared from Wine’s face much faster than when it first came.

He got straight to the point: “Are you pulling some kind of stunt?” Before I could utter a response, the teacher shot out a series of objections concluding with: …”if you are trying to draw attention to yourself…”

I held up my hand in protest. “That is not my attention.”

Wine’s smile returned, and this time it did not look warm, but was reminiscent of a wolf that senses the need to prepare for an attack.

“Well, then, what is your attention?”

“I’m trying to learn how to paint.” There was a moment of silence, as Wine touched the tip of his chin.

Then a velvet tone came: “Well, of course, Victor.” “That’s the point of this school. We all want to learn how to paint.”

“I’m trying to find my own voice.” I added.

“Of course.”

I felt as if Wine smirked derisively, or rather that is how I saw it reflected on his face. He answered, attempting to conceal what I had perceived: “You want to find your own individuality? Yes, of course. I understand that. Well, naiveté is a trait of youth.”

I said nothing. I looked Wine squarely in the eye, waiting for him to say something next. He did: “Why caricature?”

I shrugged. “Why not caricature. You gave us an assignment to paint to a person of our choice. I wanted to make it my own. I didn’t want it to be an exact replica of a photograph.”

“That is precisely my point,” Wine said, with sudden animation in voice, feeling he was making progress with the meeting. “I wanted to you and everybody else to paint from a photograph. I wanted to demonstrate to you, and the class, the banality of representational painting in our photographic age.”

“Okay, I understand the lesson. That’s why I chose to do a caricature. My painting is not a banal replica of a photograph. Hey, man, my intention was to express a microcosm, a small fraction of popular culture—or the sub culture—and to shoot it through my own individual prism. I have certain artistic goals that I want to reach…it’s something that I want to achieve. I have the imagination. I want to learn the craft and techniques of painting.” I pointed to the broad expanse of clear white canvases. “I want to express my own feelings and thoughts onto those. I don’t think I can do that effectively…if I don’t know the basics.” My eyes rested on the canvasses. It was as if they calling out to me to give them form and identity. My voice then fell to a near whisper: “I want to paint for my own satisfaction—and I want to make a living from my work. That’s why I’m here.” I tore my eyes off of the canvasses and they fell back on Wine. “Almost everything I’ve seen here, so far, goes against my instincts.” My statement was direct and without defiance. It was said as if I were simply stating my right to breath.

“Why of course,” Wine said, the velvet in his voice returned, only now more exaggerated than a caricature sketch. “There are some things you need to take into account. For over twenty-five hundreds humanity has learned new ways to create artistic expression, some of it very unorthodox. An artist who wishes to explore new terrain would do well from learning all he can from those who have gone before. If we are to express our, um, originally, we must not repeat the traditions of the past.”

I made a motion to speak, but Wine held his hand to hold me off.

“You are safe in the world of illustrations. You can work fairgrounds dishing out caricatures or you can work for an advertising agency creating disposable art, such as storyboards. And disposable is what it is; nobody reveres a storyboard artist. Their work does not hang in galleries and museums. You want to be recognized as an artist, Victor. Yes, and even though in some circles illustration can be considered as ‘art’ it will always remain inferior to gallery-sanctioned art. That bothers you, I’m sure. My speculation is that you want your peers, and eventually, I’m very positive, the art world to recognize that caricature as—potentially—an art form.”

“That’s not true,” I answered evenly. “I want to be recognized as an artist…because I am an artist. That’s first and primary. I’m an artist…who can paint and draw caricatures.” I said nothing else, a seconds passed between us.

I observed that Wine’s face was an expressionless mask, and that his eyes were icy with disapproval.

The bottom line to this little slice-of-life recall: the school was much more concerned with “expressing” than learning actual drawing and painting skills. That may very well be okay with other artist types, but it was not in the interest of this artist. I wanted to learn how to draw—than to break “the rules” if I so chose—and I wanted to learn how to paint—to paint outside of my drawn lines—if I so chose. I was the misfit among a cadre of faux misfits.

I left the school and I eventually went on to teach myself how to draw. What I learned…is what you now see in my art.

:}

Dave favourite all time record

Itchycoo Park

The Small Faces

Cock Lane City of London

Dave told me how recently he headed to his local pub under a cloud of grief. His Uncle had recently died. Dave's Uncle had played a big role in his life, his family are tight and they all played their part. His Uncle had always been his protector and they were very close. Tragically he was senselessly attacked in a pub, no one knows why. It was quick and devastating and within a few timeless moments he was in the car park fighting for his life after the perpetrators had jumped down from a parked vehicle onto his head.

He died in hospital after being in a coma. Dave was by his bedside when heard the strains of Sweet Caroline being sung by spectators on television, which was his Uncle favourite karaoke tune. Somehow this made Dave realise this was the moment he was going to pass.

As Dave stood by the bar early on that Saturday morning it was obvious that he was suffering. Ultimately, he was missing his Uncle, his mate who he loved was gone and the silence and subsequent loneliness within their relationship was overwhelming at that point. The irreplaceable bond the normality of friendship torn apart by an act of cowardly senseless violence. The aftermath of this the people left behind will carry the weight of for life.

But he was approached by a stranger who basically asked if he was alright. Of course he wasn't and they started talking then had another drink. Someone had basically taken time to find out what was happening. Dave found this man's compassion moving. This man is called Bogdan and he is Romanian. He is in England to work - he is in traffic control - just so he can get enough money to send back to Romanian so his 12-year daughter can get a good education.

This disturbed Dave as he was upset that Bogdan couldn't live with his daughter together as a family. All he wanted to do was to make sure his daughter got an education that would benefit her future and if that meant time apart then that's what they had to do. A common struggle all over the world. Dave really felt a lot of empathy for Bogdan and his wife, this mirrored the empathy Bogdan had felt for Dave a stranger standing at a bar. The result somehow temporarily took Dave's mind away from his grief.

We now live in Brexit Britain and for years we had a sustained campaign to leave the European Union with slogan's like 'Take back control'. And while the EU wasn't perfect and needed reform and no country wants criminal gangs coming in, we were exposed to a Leave campaign that led to divisions intolerance and extremism. A campaign that perpetrated to help the working class against the 'elites' which was actually financed by super rich establishment figures who ticked every box of being 'elites' themselves and have no intention of a more equal society. They want even more control and the vote to leave helped them secure their wealth and power. Their agenda would be to paint Bogdan as a problem for the area he is staying, whereas the real problems are the violence and separation that led to Dave and Bogdan meeting in the first place.

And somehow Dave's interaction with Bogdan shined a light on the fact we are all part of the human race. With more understanding and tolerance, we can have better times finding what bonds us instead of looking for what divides us.

Dave and Bogdan ended up watching Romanian third division football highlights because of the incredible ability/wonders of modern technology.

A day both of them won't forget in a hurry, because it's life. Life to be shared and experienced.

This is a great quote from Dave "We are fortunate to get this chance to live and exist and find love and family. Our sadness at death is only a measure of how deeply we have loved."

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