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"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...
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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 !
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."
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
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Excerpt from Wikipedia:
Hollywood & Highland is a shopping center and entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district in Los Angeles. The 387,000-square-foot (36,000 m2) center also includes TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and Mann's Chinese Theatre) and the Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre), home to the Academy Awards. The historic site was once the home of the famed Hollywood Hotel. Located in the heart of Hollywood, along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it is among the most visited tourist destinations in Los Angeles.
The complex sits just across Hollywood Blvd. from the El Capitan Theatre and offers views of the Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Sign to the north, Santa Monica Mountains to the west and downtown Los Angeles to the east. The centerpiece of the complex is a massive three-story courtyard inspired by the Babylon scene from the D.W. Griffith film Intolerance. The developer of the shopping center built parts of the archway and two pillars with elephant sculptures on the capitals, just as seen in the film, to the same full scale. It gives visitors an idea of how large the original set must have been.
The center has over 70 shops and 25 restaurants. Major retail tenants that face Hollywood Boulevard include American Eagle Outfitters, Forever 21, and Sephora. The complex also houses a Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley, a six-plex movie theater, and a nightclub. Hollywood & Highland also houses 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of gathering spaces including the Grand Ballroom, used for the Oscars Governors Ball. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck operates his regional headquarters out of the complex. The center also includes television broadcast facilities that in 2004 included the studios for the daily talk show On Air With Ryan Seacrest. Currently, the studio is home to Revolt TV.
The 637-room Loews Hollywood Hotel is also part of the site. The Metro B Line's subway station of the same name is beneath the structure.
Society is always hostile to those who are somehow different from the majority...
Despite the fact that I put a particular original character here, this is not a scene for the story I mentioned. Actually this shot was inspired by some recent discussions I read this week out of my usual curiosity, and a lot of negative feedback there drove me to make a picture with a social commentary again, because there were too much emotions. :)
Vuk: "I told you they could never understand you. And what they don't understand, they fear. And what they fear..."
Jean Grey: "...they seek to destroy."
© X-Men: The Dark Phoenix
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Galerius_and_Rotunda
The Arch of Galerius (Gr.: αψίδα του Γαλερίου) (or Kamara, Gr.:καμάρα) and the Rotunda (ροτόντα) are neighboring early 4th-century monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. The Rotunda is also known as the Church of Agios Georgios or (in English) the Rotunda of St. George.
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
The Arch of Galerius
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.
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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.
Rotunda of Galerius
Location and description of the Rotunda
UNESCO World Heritage Site Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Ac.galerius2.jpg
The Rotunda of Galerius
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iv
Reference 456
UNESCO region Europe and North America
Coordinates 40°38′00″N 22°57′10.5″E
Inscription history
Inscription 1988 (12th Session)
The Rotunda of Galerius is 125m northeast of the Arch of Galerius at 40°37'59.77"N, 22°57'9.77"E. It is also known (by its consecration and use) as the Greek Orthodox Church of Agios Georgios, and is informally called the Church of the Rotunda (or simply The Rotunda). The cylindrical structure was built in 306 AD on the orders of the tetrarch Galerius, who was thought to have intended it to be his mausoleum. It was more likely intended as a temple; it is not known to what god it would have been dedicated.
The Rotunda has a diameter of 24.5 m. Its walls are more than 6 m thick, which is why it has withstood Thessaloniki's earthquakes. The walls are interrupted by eight rectangular bays, with the south bay forming the entrance. A flat brick dome, 30 m high at the peak, crowns the cylindrical structure. In its original design, the dome of the Rotunda had an oculus, as does the Pantheon in Rome.
Uses of the Rotunda
View of the interior with remnants of the mosaics.
After Galerius's death in 311, he was buried at Gamzigrad (Felix Romuliana) near Zajecar, Serbia. The Rotunda stood empty until the Emperor Constantine I ordered it converted into a Christian church in the 4th century. The church was embellished with very high quality mosaics. Only fragments have survived of the original decoration, for example, a band depicting saints with hands raised in prayer, in front of complex architectural fantasies.
The building was used as a church for over 1,200 years until the city fell to the Ottomans. In 1590 it was converted into a mosque, called the Mosque of Suleyman Hortaji Effendi, and a minaret was added to the structure. It was used as a mosque until 1912, when the Greeks captured the city during the Balkan War. Greek Orthodox officials reconsecrated the structure as a church, and they left the minaret. The structure was damaged during an earthquake in 1978 but was subsequently restored. As of 2004, the minaret was still being stabilized with scaffolding. The building is now a historical monument under the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture, although the Greek Orthodox Church has access to the church for various festivities.
The Rotunda is the oldest of Thessaloniki's churches. Some Greek publications claim it is the oldest Christian church in the world, although there are competitors for that title. It is the most important surviving example of a church from the early Christian period of the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire.
(fr) : où Malthus rencontre Schumpeter . .
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Outlining a Theory of General Creativity . .
. . on a 'Pataphysical projectory
Entropy ≥ Memory ● Creativity ²
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Study of the day:
There is nothing, I say, that men can desire better to preserve their being than to agree with each other in all things, so that the spirits and the bodies of all compose, so to speak, one Spirit and one Body, to strive together to preserve their being, as far as they can, and to seek together, and each for oneself, the useful which is common to all. But (...) As men are subject to passions, it can not be said that they agree together in nature. (...) It is only as they live under the guidance of reason that men can agree together in nature.
Il n’est rien, dis-je, que les hommes puissent souhaiter de mieux pour conserver leur être que de se convenir tous en tout, en sorte que les Esprits et les Corps de tous composent pour ainsi dire un seul Esprit et un seul Corps, de s’efforcer tous ensemble de conserver leur être, autant qu’ils peuvent, et de chercher tous ensemble et chacun pour soi l’utile qui est commun à tous. Mais, (...) en tant que les hommes sont sujets aux passions, on ne peut pas dire qu'ils conviennent en nature. (...) C'est en tant seulement qu'ils vivent sous la conduite de la raison que les hommes peuvent convenir en nature.
( Baruch Spinoza, Eth. IV-18, IV-32..35 )
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rectO-persO | E ≥ m.C² | co~errAnce | TiLt
the Apricot Kernels Nonsense
In November, 1921, a great English physician, Sir Robert McCarrison (after whom the McCarrison Society for Nutrition and Health is named), visited the USA at the invitation of the University of Pittsburgh, to deliver the annual sixth Mellon Lecture before the Society for Biological Research.
The subject of his paper was “Faulty Food in Relation to Gastro-Intestinal Disorders,” and its salient points centered on the marvelous health and robustness of the Hunzas, who dwell on the northwestern border of what was then British India (now Pakistan).
The sturdy, mountaineer Hunzas are a light-complexioned race of people, much fairer of skin than the natives of the northern plains of India. They claim descent from three soldiers of Alexander the Great who lost their way in one of the precipitous gorges of the Himalayas. They always refer to themselves as Hunzukuts and to their land as Hunza, but ignorant modern writers insist on calling the people Hunzas.
Most of the people of Hunza are Ismaili Muslims, followers of His Highness the Aga Khan. The local language is Brushuski. Urdu and English are also understood by most of people.
The Hunza valley is one of huge glaciers and towering mountains, below which are ice-fields, boulder-strewn torrents and frozen streams.
The lower levels are transformed into verdant gardens in summertime. Narrow roads cling to the crumbling sides of forbidding precipices, which present sheer drops of thousands of feet, with many spots subject to dangerously recurrent bombardments of rock fragments from overhanging masses.
The Hunzas live on a seven-mile line at an elevation of five or six hundred feet from the bottom of a deep cleft between two towering mountain ranges. Some of the glaciers in this section of the world are among the largest known outside the Arctic region. The average height of the mountains is 20,000 feet, with some peaks, such as Rakaposhi, which dominates the whole region, soaring as high as 25,000—a spectacle of breath-taking beauty, too steep to hold snow and usually scarfed by clouds.
Because of the scarcity of food, supplies and transport, the region is closed to the general public and special permission is required to enter it. Travellers to the region have thus been few but those who have seen the wonder of Hunza have returned with glowing tales of the charm and buoyant health of this people.
Snow is a constant factor; long winters keep the entire population more or less housebound for several months at a time. Yet in summer the mercury may climb to 95 degrees in the shade.
For months in the winter the landscape is all one drab, monotonous, monochromatic stretch of grey houses, apricot trees, fields and walls, all are of a uniformly dingy and depressing gray, with lifeless, low-hanging clouds.
Then in life miraculously returns and color is reborn in the rich greens and yellows of the crops and trees. Leading the explosion of awakening, the apricot blossoms in spring stud the landscape with a riot of pastel-tinted pink and white, in vast profusion.
However, it’s not all about the landscape and crops; Sir Robert McCarrison and other travelers who have visited the Hunza-land, have all been particularly impressed by its atmosphere of peace and by the splendid health and amiability of its people.
Cancer researchSo vibrant was the health of those Hunzas with whom McCarrison came into contact that he reported never having seen a case of asthenic dyspepsia, or gastric or duodenal ulcer, of appendicitis, mucous colitis or cancer. Cases of over-sensitivity of the abdomen to nerve impressions, fatigue, anxiety or cold were completely unknown.
The prime physiological purpose of the abdomen, as related to the sensation of hunger, constituted their only consciousness of this part of their anatomy.
McCarrison concluded this part of his lecture by stating, “Indeed, their buoyant abdominal health has, since my return to the West, provided a remarkable contrast with the dyspeptic and colonic lamentations of our highly civilized communities.”
In fact the Hunzas are not perfect: there is one tiny aspect of ill-health. They seem to suffer from eye disorders that are due to the lack of stoves and chimneys. A fire is made in the middle of the floor and the smoke escapes from a small hole in the roof. The gathering smudge in the air is a constant irritant to their eyes.
McCarrison was otherwise amazed at the health and immunity record of the Hunzas, who, though surrounded on all sides by peoples afflicted with all kinds of degenerative and pestilential diseases, still did not contract any of them.
Travelers who have lived and worked with the Hunzas are unanimous in praising their general charm, intelligence, and physical stamina.But the Hunzas were not entirely a benign or benevolent people, by our standards. There is a paradox here.
In his Mellon Lecture McCarrison told us, “They (the Hunzas) are unusually fertile and long-lived, and endowed with nervous systems of notable stability.
Their longevity and fertility were, in the case of one of them, matters of such concern to the ruling chief that he took me to task for what he considered to be my ridiculous eagerness to prolong the lives of the ancients of his people, among whom were many of my patients.
The operation for senile cataract appeared to him a waste of my economic opportunities, and he tentatively suggested instead the introduction of some form of lethal chamber, designed to remove from his realms those who by reason of their age and infirmity were no longer of use to the community.”
But there is no questioning the physical fitness and stamina of this race of men. One writer, R. C. F. Schomberg, commented, “It is quite the usual thing for a Hunza man to walk sixty miles at one stretch, up and down the face of precipices to do his business and return direct.” This author passed through the Hunza country many times. He describes how his Hunza servant went after a stolen horse “and kept up the pursuit in drenching rain over mountains for nearly two days with bare feet.”
Schomberg also tells of seeing a Hunza in mid-winter make two holes in an ice pond, repeatedly dive into one and come out at the other, with as much unconcern as a polar bear.
Sir Aurel Stein records a trip of 200 miles made on foot by a Hunza messenger, a journey that imposed the obstacle of crossing a mountain as high as Mont Blanc. The trip was accomplished in seven days and the messenger returned fresh looking and untired, as if it had been a common, everyday occurrence. The word “tired” does not seem to exist in their lexicon.
In the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts for January 2, 1925, Sir Robert McCarrison wrote: “The powers of endurance of these people are extraordinary; to see a man of this race throw off his scanty garments, revealing a figure which would delight the eye of a Rodin, and plunge into a glacier-fed river in the middle of the winter, as easily as most of us would take a tepid bath, is to realize that perfection of physique and great physical endurance are attainable on the simplest of foods, provided these be of the right kind.”
Now we are getting down to the real message.
McCarrison postulated four main reasons in explanation of their fabulous health. I think it both interesting and advisable to give them all in his own words. He said:
1) “Infants are reared as Nature intended them to be reared–at the breast. If this source of nourishment fails, they die; and at least they are spared the future gastrointestinal miseries, which so often have their origin in the first bottle.”
McCarrison is absolutely in tune with (or rather modern holistic and food experts like me are in tune with HIM!), in saying that if anything other than Mother’s colostrum is put in the infant’s mouth at birth, disastrous food intolerances follow, as night follows day.
2) “The people live on the unsophisticated foods of Nature: milk, eggs, grains, fruits and vegetables. I don’t suppose that one in every thousand of them has ever seen a tinned salmon, a chocolate or a patent infant food, nor that as much sugar is imported into their country in a year as is used in a moderately sized hotel of this city in a single day.”
I’m surprised at the dairy but raw milk fans will make a lot of this. But the number one here is, without question, NO SUGAR and not the apricots!
No manufactured food is also crucial. Never never eat anything that doesn’t look the way Nature created it (and never never eat anything that Monsanto and similar biotech companies have had their dirty hands on).
3) “Their religion (Islam) prohibits alcohol, and although they do not always lead in this respect a strictly religious life, nevertheless they are eminently a tee totalling race.”
(Colonel Lorimer says that the Hunzas occasionally drink a little wine at festivals. Alcohol is not forbidden to Ismalai Mohammedans, but in Hunza the distilling of alcohol has been prohibited in recent years, since McCarrison’s time). So a little quiet wine drinking seems to be no big hazard, if everything else is in place.
4) “Their manner of life requires the vigorous exercise of their bodies.”
No surprise here; we know that staying active is an essential part of health and definitely does protect from cancer.ers take note.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Oscar-winning Hollywood star Cate Blanchett has been appointed as a goodwill ambassador. In a statement from bmmky, Blanchett, where he met with Syrian refugees in Jordan and was said to have witnessed the difficulties faced by refugees. Blanchett, "I'm proud to take on this role. Could not be a more important time to show to and solidarity alongside refugees. Wife are having a crisis unprecedented and needs to be shared by all the world's responsibility. We fork in Current road, or did the compassion road intolerance Does the way we choose? I want my children to choose the path of compassion as a mother because that way more opportunities, there is more optimism and resolution."
Prints available on my website HERE.
As time passes, I feel more and more disillusioned by human beings. Of course, I can't deny the fact that, as a whole, Humanity achieved impressive things, but as sub-groups or even individuals, results are frankly pathetic. I remember that, as a kid, I was looking at adults with much respect, as models, as goals: now that I am one of them, I see the truth, and I am ashamed.
The key word here is intolerance. It's simply everywhere, everyday. I don't think I need to be specific, but I can point out a few obvious examples: money, religion, sex orientation, skin color, nationality, education level, artistic tastes, etc. Everything is an excuse to start some kind of war, of crusade, against. Always against. Crush the rest to prove your value. Pathetic.
When it comes to those"end of world" discussions, I thought a bit about the subject, and failed to see much reason to actually regret human beings disappearance, besides the usual egocentric thoughts. I don't see how our presence is useful to anything, except to ourselves. So I simply imagined how I would feel the last day, and tried to depict it metaphorically: cold, dry, hopeless, defenseless, scared to the bone, still breathing thanks to the survival instinct, which would be obviously useless in such case.
The image is by no mean a realistic situation: reality is not my point, generally speaking. I don't care about it when I create my pictures, I am much more driven by emotions, impressions, feelings. A vision of the mind, not of the eye. I'm sure you can understand my point of view, even if you disagree with it. Some technical considerations:
- Everything was shot in my home studio, using the very same lighting setup to keep it consistent. This means I had to cover the floor with ashes (coming from my barbecue and chimney cleanings)
- I used 4 different photos of the two subjects holding themselves: my wife and I were posing, and it is always tricky to do it correctly without anyone to guide you. In fact, no photo was satisfactory, so I selected one for the general position, one for the heads position, one for the left arms position, and finally one for the legs.
- The smoke was shot there too, using a smoke machine.
- The hand and face in the ashes were also shot on the place.
- The ghostly faces in the smoke are mine (deformed of course, I don't look that bad).
Hope some will like it!
Shoes On The Danube Bank Memorial: A Poignant Tribute to Holocaust Victims
Introduction:
The Shoes On The Danube Bank Memorial, situated along the majestic Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, stands as a poignant testament to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Created by sculptor Gyula Pauer and filmmaker Can Togay, this memorial serves as a powerful reminder of the countless lives lost during one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Historical Context:
The memorial is a tribute to the Jewish victims of the Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II. In 1944-1945, Budapest witnessed a series of mass executions where thousands of Jews were ordered to remove their shoes before being shot at the edge of the Danube. The river carried away their lifeless bodies, leaving only their empty shoes behind.
Design and Symbolism:
Gyula Pauer and Can Togay's design for the Shoes On The Danube Bank Memorial is simple yet deeply symbolic. Along the riverbank, 60 pairs of iron shoes, ranging from children's shoes to adult footwear, are arranged in a somber fashion. The shoes symbolize the diverse ages and walks of life of the victims who met their tragic end on the same riverbank decades ago.
The arrangement of the shoes is not random; each pair is strategically placed, suggesting a sense of chaos and haste. Some shoes lay scattered, others leaning against each other, creating a haunting scene that reflects the chaotic and harrowing circumstances under which these innocent lives were taken.
The Cold, Unyielding Iron:
The use of iron for the shoes serves as a stark contrast to the vulnerability and humanity associated with footwear. Iron, unyielding and cold, signifies the brutality of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. The decision to use this material amplifies the emotional impact on visitors, as the weight and rigidity of the shoes become a metaphor for the harsh reality of the events that unfolded along the Danube.
A Call to Remember:
The Shoes On The Danube Bank Memorial is not just a static representation of the past; it serves as a living memorial, urging visitors to reflect on the consequences of hatred and intolerance. As people stroll along the Danube, the sight of the empty shoes resonates with the collective memory of humanity, inviting a collective commitment to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.
Conclusion:
In the heart of Budapest, where the Danube River silently flows, the Shoes On The Danube Bank Memorial stands as a poignant and timeless tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. It is a powerful call to remember, to empathize, and to actively work towards a world where tolerance and compassion triumph over hatred and prejudice. This unassuming memorial, with its iron shoes echoing the footsteps of those who suffered, challenges each visitor to embrace the lessons of history and strive for a future free from the shadows of such dark chapters.
St Peter, Stutton, Suffolk
The Ipswich to Manningtree road cuts off a long tongue of land from the rest of Suffolk. As the great Rivers Orwell and Stour roll towards the sea, the edge inexorably closer to each other, until at Shotley gate they meet before emptying into the North Sea. This huge natural harbour is now home to England's largest container port, but you wouldn't think anything of the kind could be so close in the gentle woods and lanes of the Peninsula, except for the cranes which occasionally peep above the treetops, of course. The setting of St Peter is idyllic: you head down through Holbrook, and then into the woods. It sits in a close with several awesomely grand houses for company, and the Stour estuary is below, wild Essex beyond.
The appearance of the church is a little unusual, and requires some investigation. This is one of the south towers found commonly in the Ipswich area. No south aisle was ever built beside it as at neighbouring Holbrook, but several successive Victorian restorations saw the addition of a long south transept which contains an organ chamber and a vestry which is largely invisible from inside the church, and the rebuilding of the chancel with the addition of a north aisle and transept. But the original tracery of the chancel east window was moved into the chancel aisle, which explains why such an overwhelmingly 19th century extension has a medieval window.
None of the restorations were the work of a major local architect. There seems to have been a rolling programme of refurbishment throughout the 1840s and 1850s, probably at the behest of a Tractarian-minded Rector. The two major restorations came in the 1860s and 1870s, and although Richard Phipson, as Norwich Diocesan Architect, certainly oversaw the work, the combination of, first, Hawkins of London, and then the firm of Francis, has left something unusual and interesting.
Stepping inside, this is an almost-entirely early Victorian interior of some high quality. The furnishings are the work of the great Ipswich woodcarver Henry Ringham, who, despite going bankrupt after overspending on his infamous Gothic House, was still sufficiently highly thought of some decades after his death to have an Ipswich road named after him. If they really date from 1842 then they are the major example of his early work.
An outstanding feature of the west end is Stutton's millennium window. These were installed in many churches at the turn of the century, and are too often kitschy and dull. No such charge could possibly levelled against Stutton's. The window is absolutely outstanding of its kind, at once enthralling, theologically articulate and inclusive. The artist was Thomas Denny, whose work is more familiar in the west of England. The upper part depicts a passage from Isaiah: And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest; as rovers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The lower part depicts the counterpoint passage from the book of Revelation: And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Either side of the west end are memorials to 17th century Jermys. These are rather striking - they were moved here at the time the chancel was rebuilt, and depict Sir Isaac and Lady Jane Jermy on the south wall, with their son Sir John and Lady Mary Jermy opposite. The verses are well worth a second glance for an insight into 17th Century eloquence.
A remarkable memorial from more than a century earlier is at first sight rather unexciting. It is under the carpet at the east end of the nave, commemorating John Smythe of Stutton Hall, who died in 1534. It is a brass plaque in English, reading O(f your charity pray for the soule) of John Smythe, Knight. John deceased the XIIIIth day of August in the year of Our Lord MCCCCCXXXIIII O(n his soul)e Jesus have mercy. There is no figure, no heraldic devices, no trimmings at all. So what makes it so interesting? Well, at some stage, probably in the late 1540s, possibly in the early 1640s, or perhaps at some time between or shortly afterwards, all the parts of the inscription that reflect Catholic theology and doctrine have been viciously raked out, with either a sword-tip or chisel. So, we have lost f your charity pray for the soul and, at the end, n his soul. A fascinating document of the protestant intolerance of early modern England.
The chancel has been reordered in a curious manner. The rood screen is almost certainly also by Henry Ringham, making it a work of some significance, and was installed here before the chancel arch was rebuilt in 1862. It has been set further east, with the altar brought forward, and now provides an elegant backdrop to the sanctuary.
All the 19th Century glass is worth a look, being a record of work through the decades of the 19th century. Some is the 1840s work of Charles Clutterbuck, which as Pevsner points out makes them rare survivals in Suffolk. As often on the peninsula, the church suffered blast damage during the last War and several windows are lost, but these losses are recorded in their replacements. The Ward & Hughes-style window of St Helen and St Peter appears to date from the 1850s, and if so it is a remarkably early example of such a thing in Suffolk, where such papistry would have been controversial until well into the 1860s. Powell's glass of the post-Resurrection Christ greeting his Disciples on the shores of Galilee of a couple of decades later must have struck a chord of familiarity in this coastal parish, and remains a good example of the workshop's early work in Suffolk.
There is more good work in the north transept and chapel, but unfortunately this is now used as a meeting room, and is kept locked. You can see it through the glass partition, but it is impossible to photograph. Otherwise, this is a interesting and welcoming church, with a beautiful setting and a strong sense of continuity.
"ON JULY 28th Catalonia’s regional parliament outlawed bullfighting. It is a bit like a German state banning wurst or a French region condemning those pesky berets.
As is the way in fiercely independent Catalonia, the debate over bullfighting became caught up in regional politics. Many Catalans are concerned less about animal welfare than they are about rejecting the bull as a symbol of Spain and distancing Catalonia from Spaniards’ habit of referring to the corrida as the “national fiesta”.
One local newspaper reported that several nationalist parliamentarians had decided to back the ban as “revenge” for a recent decision by Spain’s constitutional court to strike down parts of Catalonia’s autonomy charter, approved by Catalans in a referendum four years ago. Never mind that bullfighting, although in decline in this part of Spain, was once an important part of local culture, or that plenty of Catalans find other ways of tormenting bulls at village fiestas.
Catalans are getting a taste for outlawing whatever irks them. The bar on bullfighting follows a decision by many Catalan towns and cities to ban the Islamic face-covering veil in municipal buildings. Parties are competing to come up with French-style proposals for taking burqa bans further, even though the garment is rarely seen on Catalan streets.
This spasm of intolerance has been incited by campaigns for elections to the Catalan parliament, which are due in late autumn. Many Catalans are tired of the uneasy three-way coalition of socialists, greens and separatists that has governed the region since 2003. Polls predict victory for the business-friendly Convergence and Union coalition (CiU), which preaches greater autonomy for Catalonia but not independence. By providing CiU with a mandate to press for reforms at national level, the return of the nationalists may be good for Spain’s economy, but the impact on Catalonia itself is more difficult to predict. Reaffirming the region’s Catalan identity, and use of the Catalan language, will still be priorities. The politicians are worried, but at least the bulls can sleep easier."
(The Economist - Jul 29th 2010)
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Plaza de la Monumental (Barcelona), 01.08.2010
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Panasonic GF1 + Minolta 58mm Rokkor-X PG f/1.2
I took this shot about 20 minutes after we had returned home from the vet where Fynn had his ultrasound examination. Fynn hadn't been out in the garden all morning because only a masochist or an incurable optimist lets a cat out who is supposed to go to the vet later during the day. I don't fall in either of these categories (anymore). Thankfully we didn't have to wait long at the vet. Fynn hated that they shaved his belly but the rest of the procedure wasn't too stressful for him. The good news is that they didn't find anything really bad (like a tumor). His lymph nodes look normal and the mucosa is only slightly swollen. The bad news is that his intestines are almost completely empty although he eats which means that his digestion doesn't work at all and we still don't know why. As his diarrhea seemed to get worse under the medication which he received because of his coccidia problem, it's possible that it's some sort of intolerance. For the moment he doesn't have to take these pills anymore and instead receives some other medicine which is supposed to regulate the bowel function. For the moment we can only wait if things will get better within the next few days. In the meantime Cleo and Fynn are comparing their naked bellies.
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BK-900 "Burgermeister Rex" -- clearly this creation is the byproduct of what happens when I'm brainstorming what to build next, and I suddenly get really hungry.
In all truthfulness, on one weekend afternoon I sat and pondered what sort of whimsical thing to build, when I realized I hadn't eaten all day. I then came up with the idea of the iconic Burger King "King" piloting a bipedal mechwarrior Whopper!
The construction was rather streamlined and straightforward, with many of the design aspects borrowed from last year's Mecha Mouse. The only real challenge was in the brainstorming phase when I was considering building a rival McDonald's mech unit, but alas didn't want to spend $20 on a custom-printed Ronald McDonald minifigure from eBay. Maybe I'll just build a Colonel Sanders one next instead.
Fact: during construction, I actually took a break and went to my nearest Burger King for lunch and inspiration. I ate four regular burgers, a large order of fries, and 20 chicken nuggets.
Fact: I have a severe food intolerance for mayonnaise, which means I'm unable to eat a Whopper anyway. This is why I only eat plain hamburgers with nothing but ketchup.
STAND4LOVE is an awareness project set to launch this summer 2012 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!
For More Information: stand4love.wordpress.com/
♥ Thanks to my dear SL friend Rico for brining awareness to all of us♥
You can see this peculiar shadow on the ruins at Ephesus, a city which was known in Biblical times as a hub for sorcery, idol worship, superstitions and witchcraft. Paul the apostle's account in the Book of Acts describes a riot in the amphitheatre when the crowd chanted “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” when faced with the new religion of Christianity. Acts tells us that their main concern was financial, in that the silversmiths made a good living from fashioning the idols though Paul was put into prison later and faced death. Acts later describes how a number of citizens of Ephesus, who had been practicing sorcery, brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire, the value of which was a day's wages for them. In 380 Christianity became the state religion.
Today, although Turkey is classed as secular, it is 99 per cent Muslim with a dubious history of intolerance of Christianity as witnessed through the atrocities of the Armenian massacre.
I do celebrate on Halloween but not the dark arts, I celebrate because it's my birthday!
I've several photos where this strange shadow is visible.
More Essex Churches
These are more examples of Essex Church images that show the Architecture, the Interiors, the Exteriors and especially the Stained Glass Windows that I have taken over the last two to three years. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did visiting them.
Billericay is a large town of Essex of approx 35,000 people and close to the now City of Chelmsford (8.9 miles) with close ties to rail and motorway (M25).
The United Reformed Church had it’s original building in Billericay High Street, this building still stands and is a remarkable survivor of religious intolerance. This early building was believed to have been owned by Christopher Martin who later became the Governor of the ship ‘The Mayflower’, he unfortunately was not able to fllow his dream of Non-Conformism and died shortly after his arrival in America. However 4 or 5 others from Billericay did.
The Church itself is now in Chapel Street and in 1725 a lease was obtained and by the 1750’s the freehold was purchased. This now was taken down (now called the Old Burial Ground) and a new building was erected further up Chapel Street at the cost of £1,455, Architect was James Fenton, who had a blue plaque unveiled in 2012 in Chelmsford and was buried in the Non-Conformist Graveyard in London Road, Chelmsford.
Unfortuately I haven’t been inside the building so I have managed to find out more about this historical place.
The center courtyard of the complex includes themes taken from the sets of the Iraq/Babylon scenes from the DW Griffith movie "Intolerance".
In 2021, the faux Mesopotamian elements and elephants were removed in an effort to distance the complex from the racial views of DW Griffith.
Hollywood/Los Angeles; June 2018
* www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-07-31/hollywood-highl...
In-phone Panorama Stitched (Samsung Note 8)
Support this project on LEGO Ideas: ideas.lego.com/projects/8320b852-59f7-4edb-9baa-54f01b3bc7c1
BK-900 "Burgermeister Rex" -- clearly this creation is the byproduct of what happens when I'm brainstorming what to build next, and I suddenly get really hungry.
In all truthfulness, on one weekend afternoon I sat and pondered what sort of whimsical thing to build, when I realized I hadn't eaten all day. I then came up with the idea of the iconic Burger King "King" piloting a bipedal mechwarrior Whopper!
The construction was rather streamlined and straightforward, with many of the design aspects borrowed from last year's Mecha Mouse. The only real challenge was in the brainstorming phase when I was considering building a rival McDonald's mech unit, but alas didn't want to spend $20 on a custom-printed Ronald McDonald minifigure from eBay. Maybe I'll just build a Colonel Sanders one next instead.
Fact: during construction, I actually took a break and went to my nearest Burger King for lunch and inspiration. I ate four regular burgers, a large order of fries, and 20 chicken nuggets.
Fact: I have a severe food intolerance for mayonnaise, which means I'm unable to eat a Whopper anyway. This is why I only eat plain hamburgers with nothing but ketchup.
When I was a kid, I was a great fan of all the biblical stories. I thought they were perfect illustrations of how Humanity should live: tolerance, love, hard work, solidarity. These values really meant something for me, and I was convinced that spreading the word was the best thing to do to make the world a better place.
Then, as the years passed, I realized that these nice parables were mostly for children. Adults would literally fight each other to *force* anyone not thinking the same way to do so. Despite those values, anyone not willing to follow the very same ideas would be considered as an enemy, and treated as such.
Don't get me wrong, I am not talking about one religion particularly: if one takes a look at History books, it is easy to see how all of them have been used as reasons to conquer, divide, exterminate. They still are: turn your TV set on any news channel, and you are going to see many outrageous examples, from many sides.
While there are lots of good things to be learned from religious books, I really cannot understand how something supposed to raise the spirit have led to intolerance, segregation, violence, wars, and deaths by millions. It really is a great, great shame, and definitely contributed to turn me away from religion. Maybe it is time, in this 21st century, to really forget about religion being used as a political tool. Mixing governments and spirituality sounds so anachronistic to me.
A few words about the creation of this image: I photographed and edited everything, no stock have been used. I first sketched the scenery, to identify the various positions I was going to need, then wore that armor in my home studio and photographed the various crusaders. My wife also posed for the victims. The rest has been shot around my hometown: clouds, ground, fire. Thanks for watching, much appreciated!
built in 1158, this became a powerful centre for the Catholic Church which made it an obvious target for the reformation in the 1500's.
Here it stands as a testament to the quality builders/masons of the time and, perhaps, a symbol of intolerance.
of anger, hatred, intolerance and miseducation!
"Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding." - Mahatma Gandhi
Watch La Haine
Mr. Brown Pelican's true goal is to convert lush forests into arid deserts. That's why Mr. Pelican spends his leisure time devising ever more dysfunctional ways to exercise control through indirect coercion or through psychological pressure or manipulation. That's why he's trying so hard to prevent whistle blowers from reporting that wherever you look, you'll see him enforcing intolerance in the name of tolerance. You'll see him suppressing freedom in the name of freedom. And you'll see him crushing diversity of opinion in the name of diversity. Does anybody else feel the way I do, or am I alone in my disgust with Mr. Brown Pelican?
The shop windows along State Street celebrate the Holiday Season, and the good reverend has set up shop in front of a window pane with the words "give warmth."
Unfortunately his message is one of intolerance and hatred. He's been spewing his venom at unsuspecting passersby for decades, and will undoubtedly continue to do so until the day he croaks.
Mahatma Gandhi October 2nd, 1869 - January 30th, 1948.
"My life is my message"
"Where there is love there is life"
"An eye for an eye only leaves the whole world blind"
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever"
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
"Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding"
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong"
"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver"
This wonderful statue of Mahatma Gandhi is in the bay area of San Francisco. Above are some of my favorite quotes from this amazing man. This Albert Einstein quote best describes the man.
"Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth"
Excactly one year ago on 20th november 2020, on TDoR, I got my court order to be legal Awena, a woman. This was the best gift in my life. I never will forget this day.
We still must fight together against intolerance, non-acceptance, discrimination, refusal of our right of self-determination, violation of our human rights, murderung transgender for being themselves, for being trans.
We are humans, we love and live our life.
Have a nice weekend and week, stay safe and healthy.
Awena 💋💋
Hollywood & Highland Center, 2007 winner of Curbed L.A.'s Ulgiest Building in Lost Angeles contest. The courtyard is a replica of the Babylon set in D.W. Griffith's 1916 epic, "Intolerance," filmed nearby on Sunset. [10 of 12]
It's nice to finally have a book out.
www.amazon.com/UnValentine-Sam-Beeson/dp/1590388437/ref=p...
""Exactly mid-way through the frigid month of February A day is celebrated by the dumb and ordinary. And all around me, notes are passed by idiots and stupids-- Packed tight with sugar-mottoed hearts and naked pudgy cupids. This ritual, conducted under heart-shaped, crimson flag, Does absolutely nothing for me, but to make me gag!"
Written by Sam Beeson.
Paintings by me. :)
Reviews:
Told in verse, the story is of young Lily and her distaste for the whole Valentine's Day hoopla until she meets a boy in her class who seems to find it equally distasteful. I thought the story was a cute one but the best things about the book was the artwork. I found it delightfully macabre in a way. I think Lily reminds me of a blond Wednesday from the Addam's Family. The whole book is like a Valentine's Day gift from Tim Burton. ( )
icedream | Feb 2, 2008 |
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This is a lovely book. The illustrations are gorgeous, the poem cute but not sappy, and the sentiment is perfect. I was completely taken with the detail on each page and in each drawing. This is a perfect little book for the little piece of all of us who secrectly (or not secretly) hates Valentine's Day. ( )
ElizabethEWS | Feb 2, 2008 |
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There are two ways to approach this little volume. The first is as a sumptuous, long-form Valentine-card-with-character. As such, it succeeds beautifully.
The other option would be to approach this as an actual book. In which case, you get a cloying and patronizing tale of a modern-day Harriet the Spy, documenting in her notebook her disdain for her schoolmates' Valentine's Day dither. However, she's merely a bitter wallflower! For when she receives her own Valentine---from a disaffected, pseudo-goth boy---she becomes a Valentine's Day Booster, and we close with a shot of her and her beau running hand-in-hand together through a field of...
...dead grass. (I have to admit, I do like the illustrator's sense of humor.)
Approach it as a Valentine's Card. And if you're going to give it to someone who's actually disaffected with the day, make sure to graffiti it first.
sanguinity | Jan 31, 2008 |
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The poetry inside the 32 page book describes a tween named Lily. A blond, blue-eyed, pigtailed girl dressed simply in the wonderful paintings by Jesse Draper, and is described by Mr. Beeson as "sour" and that she "didn't believe in love." He then describes her anti-love positions and her especially virulent hatred of Valentines Day (it makes her "gag").
Then, in true Valentines Day fashion, she receives a wadded up note of poetry from a kindred soul, a BOY named Ray! And love blooms between this anti-love pair, proving once again, love conquers all.
The last three pages of the book are real Valentines. Or should I say UnValentines. Two to a page, with perforations in the middle, the fonts are reproductions of the paintings in the book. On the back is a wonderful UnValentine statement. Very novel and useful.
The book is gift-book sized, designed to fit on the greeting card rack. Priced at $12.95 US, it fits in with the other gift-books and yet is definitely not your usual sugary poetry book. The paintings are also very realistic and when combined with the Victorian typefaces and adornments lend an air of elegance to the whole package. Overall I am reminded of Chas. Addams' cartoons in the New Yorker and the wonderful family he created in the type of ironic humor attempted. All in all an intelligent take on a holiday that is all too often inducing of a diabetic coma.
Get it for those you don't love. The UnValentine by Sam Beeson, paintings by Jesse Draper.
posted also on: speechguy.blogspot.com
Speechguy | Jan 30, 2008
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Lily doesn’t believe in love. Within her journal she chronicles her intolerance of cutesy Valentines and mocks the idiots who send them. Yes, Lily doesn’t believe in love UNTIL… you’ll have to pick up this Gothic inspired tale, as I’ll not give away it’s wonderful secrets.
So much can be said for this little book: imaginative, expressive, and heartening. The artwork, by Jesse Draper, is fantastic. I can’t wait to send out the Valentines included in the back!
This book may be marketed to the general public, but as a former secondary educator, I can promise this story will be a huge hit with the teen crowd. Guys, if you want to score points with your girl, skip the flower shop and head over to the bookstore.
Finally, a classic for this sorely unrepresented holiday.
Tasses | Jan 28, 2008 |
Copyright Jesse Draper
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Galerius_and_Rotunda
The Arch of Galerius (Gr.: αψίδα του Γαλερίου) (or Kamara, Gr.:καμάρα) and the Rotunda (ροτόντα) are neighboring early 4th-century monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. The Rotunda is also known as the Church of Agios Georgios or (in English) the Rotunda of St. George.
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
The Arch of Galerius
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.
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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.
Rotunda of Galerius
Location and description of the Rotunda
UNESCO World Heritage Site Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Ac.galerius2.jpg
The Rotunda of Galerius
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iv
Reference 456
UNESCO region Europe and North America
Coordinates 40°38′00″N 22°57′10.5″E
Inscription history
Inscription 1988 (12th Session)
The Rotunda of Galerius is 125m northeast of the Arch of Galerius at 40°37'59.77"N, 22°57'9.77"E. It is also known (by its consecration and use) as the Greek Orthodox Church of Agios Georgios, and is informally called the Church of the Rotunda (or simply The Rotunda). The cylindrical structure was built in 306 AD on the orders of the tetrarch Galerius, who was thought to have intended it to be his mausoleum. It was more likely intended as a temple; it is not known to what god it would have been dedicated.
The Rotunda has a diameter of 24.5 m. Its walls are more than 6 m thick, which is why it has withstood Thessaloniki's earthquakes. The walls are interrupted by eight rectangular bays, with the south bay forming the entrance. A flat brick dome, 30 m high at the peak, crowns the cylindrical structure. In its original design, the dome of the Rotunda had an oculus, as does the Pantheon in Rome.
Uses of the Rotunda
View of the interior with remnants of the mosaics.
After Galerius's death in 311, he was buried at Gamzigrad (Felix Romuliana) near Zajecar, Serbia. The Rotunda stood empty until the Emperor Constantine I ordered it converted into a Christian church in the 4th century. The church was embellished with very high quality mosaics. Only fragments have survived of the original decoration, for example, a band depicting saints with hands raised in prayer, in front of complex architectural fantasies.
The building was used as a church for over 1,200 years until the city fell to the Ottomans. In 1590 it was converted into a mosque, called the Mosque of Suleyman Hortaji Effendi, and a minaret was added to the structure. It was used as a mosque until 1912, when the Greeks captured the city during the Balkan War. Greek Orthodox officials reconsecrated the structure as a church, and they left the minaret. The structure was damaged during an earthquake in 1978 but was subsequently restored. As of 2004, the minaret was still being stabilized with scaffolding. The building is now a historical monument under the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture, although the Greek Orthodox Church has access to the church for various festivities.
The Rotunda is the oldest of Thessaloniki's churches. Some Greek publications claim it is the oldest Christian church in the world, although there are competitors for that title. It is the most important surviving example of a church from the early Christian period of the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire.
Although often used the term “gluten intolerance”, celiac disease is not really a food intolerance since immune response is involved. Thus, it is rather a form of gluten allergy.
However, unlike conventional allergy, the abnormal reaction of the immune system also turns against the body by att...
lactosesintolerance.com/gluten-allergy-or-gluten-intolera...
Proof from HH Younus AlGohar in the light of the Koran that Christians and Jews are not infidels.
Main points:
Koran (109: 1-6) says, 'Say, "O' Kafireen: I do not worship the one you worship and you do not worship the one I worship. Your religion is with you and mine is with me."'
Wahhabis say Christians and Jews are infidels. But Christians and Jews worship the same God as Muslims do, so in light of this verse of the Koran, Christians and Jews are not infidels.
Muslims are bound by the fundamental principles of the religion to believe in all four books sent by God: the Torah, Talmud, Bible and the Koran.
The verse of the Koran does not show intolerance towards infidels nor does it call for them to be killed.
Wahhabis have created mischief in the religion by calling Christians and Jews infidels, and by calling for murder of infidels. They must be wiped out in order to restore peace.
These two paintings, attributed to John Hilling, depict the before and after of a church burning on 6 July 1854 in Bath, Maine. After being incited by a rabble-rouser named Brown, an anti-Catholic mob burned a Catholic church. Many Americans were opposed to those who were recent immigrants and of a different religion (in this case, Roman Catholic). The "Know-Nothing Party" was prominent in the 1840s through the mid-1850s as opponents of those not like them -- eerily similar to many of those who supported and voted for Trump in the 2016 election. Take a moment to read about them from this article in Wikipedia: www.wikiwand.com/en/Know_Nothing . While intolerance has been around an awfully long time, its echoes today just as horrifying today. Tell me how the paintings depicted above differ from any other form of terrorism -- because they do not.
“Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see - Egoism, Arrogance, Conceit, Selfishness, Greed, Lust, Intolerance, Anger, Lying, Cheating, Gossiping and Slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then will be ready to fight the enemy you can see.”
SoloEvane support Stand4Love
STAND4LOVE is an awareness project headed by RicoRacer Flux-Clarity & Editorial Clarity-Fluxto 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.
Photo by Shena Neox
Models: from left to right: Tabata Jewell; Genevieve Kamala; Calima Dufaux; Draakje Dailey; Shena Neox; Angels Milena, Mimmi Boa & Salvo Waydelich
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
― Nelson Mandela
Three Kings Day in Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and some other Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). The day when a group of Kings or Magi of the Bible arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Royal Magi) or La Pascua de los Negros (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in Chile, although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6th, three of the Kings: Melchor, Caspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. In Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay, children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings’ presents before they go to bed on 5 January. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Argentina they live water and grass for the camels.
Hollywood and Highland is a vibrant shopping, dining, and entertainment district on the world's most famous boulevard featuring over 60 shops, restaurants, and popular night spots.
The Hollywood & Highland Center is an entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district in Los Angeles. The 387,000-square-foot (36,000 m2) center also includes Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards. The historic site was once the home of the famed Hollywood Hotel. Located in the heart of Hollywood, along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it is among the most visited tourist destinations in Los Angeles.
Formerly the site of the legendary Hollywood Hotel which, built in 1903, was torn down in 1956, it is now a huge, sprawling shopping mall that also houses the Kodak Theatre, Oscar's first permanent home. A lot of money has gone into this controversial project, whose design might not be to everyone's liking. However, it is nevertheless an indicator of Hollywood's comeback as it encouraged other investors that Hollywood Boulevard has ceased to be the scruffy dive it had been for so many years. As a reference to Hollywood's rich and irretrievably lost past, the architecture includes replicas of D.W. Griffith's Babylonian set for his film Intolerance, which was shot just two miles east on the intersection of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards. This fact, however, may be lost on the casual visitor who, unless they are familiar with Griffith's epochal film, are more likely to be startled by the fake elephants and references to ancient Egypt.
Hollywood. California.
COMMON SECURITY FOR OUR COMMON HUMANITY
"At moments of great peril in the last century, American leaders such as Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and John F. Kennedy managed both to protect the American people and to expand opportunity for the next generation. What is more, they ensured that America, by deed and example, led and lifted the world -- that we stood for and fought for the freedoms sought by billions of people beyond our borders.
As Roosevelt built the most formidable military the world had ever seen, his Four Freedoms gave purpose to our struggle against fascism. Truman championed a bold new architecture to respond to the Soviet threat -- one that paired military strength with the Marshall Plan and helped secure the peace and well-being of nations around the world. As colonialism crumbled and the Soviet Union achieved effective nuclear parity, Kennedy modernized our military doctrine, strengthened our conventional forces, and created the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress. They used our strengths to show people everywhere America at its best.
Today, we are again called to provide visionary leadership. This century's threats are at least as dangerous as and in some ways more complex than those we have confronted in the past. They come from weapons that can kill on a mass scale and from global terrorists who respond to alienation or perceived injustice with murderous nihilism. They come from rogue states allied to terrorists and from rising powers that could challenge both America and the international foundation of liberal democracy. They come from weak states that cannot control their territory or provide for their people. And they come from a warming planet that will spur new diseases, spawn more devastating natural disasters, and catalyze deadly conflicts.
To recognize the number and complexity of these threats is not to give way to pessimism. Rather, it is a call to action. These threats demand a new vision of leadership in the twenty-first century -- a vision that draws from the past but is not bound by outdated thinking. The Bush administration responded to the unconventional attacks of 9/11 with conventional thinking of the past, largely viewing problems as state-based and principally amenable to military solutions. It was this tragically misguided view that led us into a war in Iraq that never should have been authorized and never should have been waged. In the wake of Iraq and Abu Ghraib, the world has lost trust in our purposes and our principles.
After thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars spent, many Americans may be tempted to turn inward and cede our leadership in world affairs. But this is a mistake we must not make. America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, and the world cannot meet them without America. We can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission. We must lead the world, by deed and by example.
Such leadership demands that we retrieve a fundamental insight of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy -- one that is truer now than ever before: the security and well-being of each and every American depend on the security and well-being of those who live beyond our borders. The mission of the United States is to provide global leadership grounded in the understanding that the world shares a common security and a common humanity.
The American moment is not over, but it must be seized anew. To see American power in terminal decline is to ignore America's great promise and historic purpose in the world. If elected president, I will start renewing that promise and purpose the day I take office.
MOVING BEYOND IRAQ
To renew American leadership in the world, we must first bring the Iraq war to a responsible end and refocus our attention on the broader Middle East. Iraq was a diversion from the fight against the terrorists who struck us on 9/11, and incompetent prosecution of the war by America's civilian leaders compounded the strategic blunder of choosing to wage it in the first place. We have now lost over 3,300 American lives, and thousands more suffer wounds both seen and unseen.
Our servicemen and servicewomen have performed admirably while sacrificing immeasurably. But it is time for our civilian leaders to acknowledge a painful truth: we cannot impose a military solution on a civil war between Sunni and Shiite factions. The best chance we have to leave Iraq a better place is to pressure these warring parties to find a lasting political solution. And the only effective way to apply this pressure is to begin a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces, with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008 -- a date consistent with the goal set by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. This redeployment could be temporarily suspended if the Iraqi government meets the security, political, and economic benchmarks to which it has committed. But we must recognize that, in the end, only Iraqi leaders can bring real peace and stability to their country.
At the same time, we must launch a comprehensive regional and international diplomatic initiative to help broker an end to the civil war in Iraq, prevent its spread, and limit the suffering of the Iraqi people. To gain credibility in this effort, we must make clear that we seek no permanent bases in Iraq. We should leave behind only a minimal over-the-horizon military force in the region to protect American personnel and facilities, continue training Iraqi security forces, and root out al Qaeda.
The morass in Iraq has made it immeasurably harder to confront and work through the many other problems in the region -- and it has made many of those problems considerably more dangerous. Changing the dynamic in Iraq will allow us to focus our attention and influence on resolving the festering conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians -- a task that the Bush administration neglected for years.
For more than three decades, Israelis, Palestinians, Arab leaders, and the rest of the world have looked to America to lead the effort to build the road to a lasting peace. In recent years, they have all too often looked in vain. Our starting point must always be a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel, our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That commitment is all the more important as we contend with growing threats in the region -- a strengthened Iran, a chaotic Iraq, the resurgence of al Qaeda, the reinvigoration of Hamas and Hezbollah. Now more than ever, we must strive to secure a lasting settlement of the conflict with two states living side by side in peace and security. To do so, we must help the Israelis identify and strengthen those partners who are truly committed to peace, while isolating those who seek conflict and instability. Sustained American leadership for peace and security will require patient effort and the personal commitment of the president of the United States. That is a commitment I will make.
Throughout the Middle East, we must harness American power to reinvigorate American diplomacy. Tough-minded diplomacy, backed by the whole range of instruments of American power -- political, economic, and military -- could bring success even when dealing with long-standing adversaries such as Iran and Syria. Our policy of issuing threats and relying on intermediaries to curb Iran's nuclear program, sponsorship of terrorism, and regional aggression is failing. Although we must not rule out using military force, we should not hesitate to talk directly to Iran. Our diplomacy should aim to raise the cost for Iran of continuing its nuclear program by applying tougher sanctions and increasing pressure from its key trading partners. The world must work to stop Iran's uranium-enrichment program and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It is far too dangerous to have nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical theocracy. At the same time, we must show Iran -- and especially the Iranian people -- what could be gained from fundamental change: economic engagement, security assurances, and diplomatic relations. Diplomacy combined with pressure could also reorient Syria away from its radical agenda to a more moderate stance -- which could, in turn, help stabilize Iraq, isolate Iran, free Lebanon from Damascus' grip, and better secure Israel.
REVITALIZING THE MILITARY
To renew American leadership in the world, we must immediately begin working to revitalize our military. A strong military is, more than anything, necessary to sustain peace. Unfortunately, the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps, according to our military leaders, are facing a crisis. The Pentagon cannot certify a single army unit within the United States as fully ready to respond in the event of a new crisis or emergency beyond Iraq; 88 percent of the National Guard is not ready to deploy overseas.
We must use this moment both to rebuild our military and to prepare it for the missions of the future. We must retain the capacity to swiftly defeat any conventional threat to our country and our vital interests. But we must also become better prepared to put boots on the ground in order to take on foes that fight asymmetrical and highly adaptive campaigns on a global scale.
We should expand our ground forces by adding 65,000 soldiers to the army and 27,000 marines. Bolstering these forces is about more than meeting quotas. We must recruit the very best and invest in their capacity to succeed. That means providing our servicemen and servicewomen with first-rate equipment, armor, incentives, and training -- including in foreign languages and other critical skills. Each major defense program should be reevaluated in light of current needs, gaps in the field, and likely future threat scenarios. Our military will have to rebuild some capabilities and transform others. At the same time, we need to commit sufficient funding to enable the National Guard to regain a state of readiness.
Enhancing our military will not be enough. As commander in chief, I would also use our armed forces wisely. When we send our men and women into harm's way, I will clearly define the mission, seek out the advice of our military commanders, objectively evaluate intelligence, and ensure that our troops have the resources and the support they need. I will not hesitate to use force, unilaterally if necessary, to protect the American people or our vital interests whenever we are attacked or imminently threatened.
We must also consider using military force in circumstances beyond self-defense in order to provide for the common security that underpins global stability -- to support friends, participate in stability and reconstruction operations, or confront mass atrocities. But when we do use force in situations other than self-defense, we should make every effort to garner the clear support and participation of others -- as President George H. W. Bush did when we led the effort to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991. The consequences of forgetting that lesson in the context of the current conflict in Iraq have been grave.
HALTING THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
To renew American leadership in the world, we must confront the most urgent threat to the security of America and the world -- the spread of nuclear weapons, material, and technology and the risk that a nuclear device will fall into the hands of terrorists. The explosion of one such device would bring catastrophe, dwarfing the devastation of 9/11 and shaking every corner of the globe.
As George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn have warned, our current measures are not sufficient to meet the nuclear threat. The nonproliferation regime is being challenged, and new civilian nuclear programs could spread the means to make nuclear weapons. Al Qaeda has made it a goal to bring a "Hiroshima" to the United States. Terrorists need not build a nuclear weapon from scratch; they need only steal or buy a weapon or the material to assemble one. There is now highly enriched uranium -- some of it poorly secured -- sitting in civilian nuclear facilities in over 40 countries around the world. In the former Soviet Union, there are approximately 15,000-16,000 nuclear weapons and stockpiles of uranium and plutonium capable of making another 40,000 weapons -- all scattered across 11 time zones. People have already been caught trying to smuggle nuclear material to sell on the black market.
As president, I will work with other nations to secure, destroy, and stop the spread of these weapons in order to dramatically reduce the nuclear dangers for our nation and the world. America must lead a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons and material at vulnerable sites within four years -- the most effective way to prevent terrorists from acquiring a bomb.
This will require the active cooperation of Russia. Although we must not shy away from pushing for more democracy and accountability in Russia, we must work with the country in areas of common interest -- above all, in making sure that nuclear weapons and material are secure. We must also work with Russia to update and scale back our dangerously outdated Cold War nuclear postures and de-emphasize the role of nuclear weapons. America must not rush to produce a new generation of nuclear warheads. And we should take advantage of recent technological advances to build bipartisan consensus behind ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. All of this can be done while maintaining a strong nuclear deterrent. These steps will ultimately strengthen, not weaken, our security.
As we lock down existing nuclear stockpiles, I will work to negotiate a verifiable global ban on the production of new nuclear weapons material. We must also stop the spread of nuclear weapons technology and ensure that countries cannot build -- or come to the brink of building -- a weapons program under the auspices of developing peaceful nuclear power. That is why my administration will immediately provide $50 million to jump-start the creation of an International Atomic Energy Agency-controlled nuclear fuel bank and work to update the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. We must also fully implement the law Senator Richard Lugar and I passed to help the United States and our allies detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world.
Finally, we must develop a strong international coalition to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Iran and North Korea could trigger regional arms races, creating dangerous nuclear flashpoints in the Middle East and East Asia. In confronting these threats, I will not take the military option off the table. But our first measure must be sustained, direct, and aggressive diplomacy -- the kind that the Bush administration has been unable and unwilling to use.
COMBATING GLOBAL TERRORISM
To renew American leadership in the world, we must forge a more effective global response to the terrorism that came to our shores on an unprecedented scale on 9/11. From Bali to London, Baghdad to Algiers, Mumbai to Mombasa to Madrid, terrorists who reject modernity, oppose America, and distort Islam have killed and mutilated tens of thousands of people just this decade. Because this enemy operates globally, it must be confronted globally.
We must refocus our efforts on Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the central front in our war against al Qaeda -- so that we are confronting terrorists where their roots run deepest. Success in Afghanistan is still possible, but only if we act quickly, judiciously, and decisively. We should pursue an integrated strategy that reinforces our troops in Afghanistan and works to remove the limitations placed by some NATO allies on their forces. Our strategy must also include sustained diplomacy to isolate the Taliban and more effective development programs that target aid to areas where the Taliban are making inroads.
I will join with our allies in insisting -- not simply requesting -- that Pakistan crack down on the Taliban, pursue Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants, and end its relationship with all terrorist groups. At the same time, I will encourage dialogue between Pakistan and India to work toward resolving their dispute over Kashmir and between Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their historic differences and develop the Pashtun border region. If Pakistan can look toward the east with greater confidence, it will be less likely to believe that its interests are best advanced through cooperation with the Taliban.
Although vigorous action in South Asia and Central Asia should be a starting point, our efforts must be broader. There must be no safe haven for those who plot to kill Americans. To defeat al Qaeda, I will build a twenty-first-century military and twenty-first-century partnerships as strong as the anticommunist alliance that won the Cold War to stay on the offense everywhere from Djibouti to Kandahar.
Here at home, we must strengthen our homeland security and protect the critical infrastructure on which the entire world depends. We can start by spending homeland security dollars on the basis of risk. This means investing more resources to defend mass transit, closing the gaps in our aviation security by screening all cargo on passenger airliners and checking all passengers against a comprehensive watch list, and upgrading port security by ensuring that cargo is screened for radiation.
To succeed, our homeland security and counterterrorism actions must be linked to an intelligence community that deals effectively with the threats we face. Today, we rely largely on the same institutions and practices that were in place before 9/11. We need to revisit intelligence reform, going beyond rearranging boxes on an organizational chart. To keep pace with highly adaptable enemies, we need technologies and practices that enable us to efficiently collect and share information within and across our intelligence agencies. We must invest still more in human intelligence and deploy additional trained operatives and diplomats with specialized knowledge of local cultures and languages. And we should institutionalize the practice of developing competitive assessments of critical threats and strengthen our methodologies of analysis.
Finally, we need a comprehensive strategy to defeat global terrorists -- one that draws on the full range of American power, not just our military might. As a senior U.S. military commander put it, when people have dignity and opportunity, "the chance of extremism being welcomed greatly, if not completely, diminishes." It is for this reason that we need to invest with our allies in strengthening weak states and helping to rebuild failed ones.
In the Islamic world and beyond, combating the terrorists' prophets of fear will require more than lectures on democracy. We need to deepen our knowledge of the circumstances and beliefs that underpin extremism. A crucial debate is occurring within Islam. Some believe in a future of peace, tolerance, development, and democratization. Others embrace a rigid and violent intolerance of personal liberty and the world at large. To empower forces of moderation, America must make every effort to export opportunity -- access to education and health care, trade and investment -- and provide the kind of steady support for political reformers and civil society that enabled our victory in the Cold War. Our beliefs rest on hope; the extremists' rest on fear. That is why we can -- and will -- win this struggle.
REBUILDING OUR PARTNERSHIPS
To renew American leadership in the world, I intend to rebuild the alliances, partnerships, and institutions necessary to confront common threats and enhance common security. Needed reform of these alliances and institutions will not come by bullying other countries to ratify changes we hatch in isolation. It will come when we convince other governments and peoples that they, too, have a stake in effective partnerships.
Too often we have sent the opposite signal to our international partners. In the case of Europe, we dismissed European reservations about the wisdom and necessity of the Iraq war. In Asia, we belittled South Korean efforts to improve relations with the North. In Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina, we failed to adequately address concerns about immigration and equity and economic growth. In Africa, we have allowed genocide to persist for over four years in Darfur and have not done nearly enough to answer the African Union's call for more support to stop the killing. I will rebuild our ties to our allies in Europe and Asia and strengthen our partnerships throughout the Americas and Africa.
Our alliances require constant cooperation and revision if they are to remain effective and relevant. NATO has made tremendous strides over the last 15 years, transforming itself from a Cold War security structure into a partnership for peace. But today, NATO's challenge in Afghanistan has exposed, as Senator Lugar has put it, "the growing discrepancy between NATO's expanding missions and its lagging capabilities." To close this gap, I will rally our NATO allies to contribute more troops to collective security operations and to invest more in reconstruction and stabilization capabilities.
And as we strengthen NATO, we must build new alliances and partnerships in other vital regions. As China rises and Japan and South Korea assert themselves, I will work to forge a more effective framework in Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements, such as the six-party talks on North Korea. We need an inclusive infrastructure with the countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity and help confront transnational threats, from terrorist cells in the Philippines to avian flu in Indonesia. I will also encourage China to play a responsible role as a growing power -- to help lead in addressing the common problems of the twenty-first century. We will compete with China in some areas and cooperate in others. Our essential challenge is to build a relationship that broadens cooperation while strengthening our ability to compete.
In addition, we need effective collaboration on pressing global issues among all the major powers -- including such newly emerging ones as Brazil, India, Nigeria, and South Africa. We need to give all of them a stake in upholding the international order. To that end, the United Nations requires far-reaching reform. The UN Secretariat's management practices remain weak. Peacekeeping operations are overextended. The new UN Human Rights Council has passed eight resolutions condemning Israel -- but not a single resolution condemning the genocide in Darfur or human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Yet none of these problems will be solved unless America rededicates itself to the organization and its mission.
Strengthened institutions and invigorated alliances and partnerships are especially crucial if we are to defeat the epochal, man-made threat to the planet: climate change. Without dramatic changes, rising sea levels will flood coastal regions around the world, including much of the eastern seaboard. Warmer temperatures and declining rainfall will reduce crop yields, increasing conflict, famine, disease, and poverty. By 2050, famine could displace more than 250 million people worldwide. That means increased instability in some of the most volatile parts of the world.
As the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, America has the responsibility to lead. While many of our industrial partners are working hard to reduce their emissions, we are increasing ours at a steady clip -- by more than ten percent per decade. As president, I intend to enact a cap-and-trade system that will dramatically reduce our carbon emissions. And I will work to finally free America of its dependence on foreign oil -- by using energy more efficiently in our cars, factories, and homes, relying more on renewable sources of electricity, and harnessing the potential of biofuels.
Getting our own house in order is only a first step. China will soon replace America as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Clean energy development must be a central focus in our relationships with major countries in Europe and Asia. I will invest in efficient and clean technologies at home while using our assistance policies and export promotions to help developing countries leapfrog the carbon-energy-intensive stage of development. We need a global response to climate change that includes binding and enforceable commitments to reducing emissions, especially for those that pollute the most: the United States, China, India, the European Union, and Russia. This challenge is massive, but rising to it will also bring new benefits to America. By 2050, global demand for low-carbon energy could create an annual market worth $500 billion. Meeting that demand would open new frontiers for American entrepreneurs and workers.
BUILDING JUST, SECURE, DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES
Finally, to renew American leadership in the world, I will strengthen our common security by investing in our common humanity. Our global engagement cannot be defined by what we are against; it must be guided by a clear sense of what we stand for. We have a significant stake in ensuring that those who live in fear and want today can live with dignity and opportunity tomorrow.
People around the world have heard a great deal of late about freedom on the march. Tragically, many have come to associate this with war, torture, and forcibly imposed regime change. To build a better, freer world, we must first behave in ways that reflect the decency and aspirations of the American people. This means ending the practices of shipping away prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far-off countries, of detaining thousands without charge or trial, of maintaining a network of secret prisons to jail people beyond the reach of the law.
Citizens everywhere should be able to choose their leaders in climates free of fear. America must commit to strengthening the pillars of a just society. We can help build accountable institutions that deliver services and opportunity: strong legislatures, independent judiciaries, honest police forces, free presses, vibrant civil societies. In countries wracked by poverty and conflict, citizens long to enjoy freedom from want. And since extremely poor societies and weak states provide optimal breeding grounds for disease, terrorism, and conflict, the United States has a direct national security interest in dramatically reducing global poverty and joining with our allies in sharing more of our riches to help those most in need. We need to invest in building capable, democratic states that can establish healthy and educated communities, develop markets, and generate wealth. Such states would also have greater institutional capacities to fight terrorism, halt the spread of deadly weapons, and build health-care infrastructures to prevent, detect, and treat deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and avian flu.
As president, I will double our annual investment in meeting these challenges to $50 billion by 2012 and ensure that those new resources are directed toward worthwhile goals. For the last 20 years, U.S. foreign assistance funding has done little more than keep pace with inflation. It is in our national security interest to do better. But if America is going to help others build more just and secure societies, our trade deals, debt relief, and foreign aid must not come as blank checks. I will couple our support with an insistent call for reform, to combat the corruption that rots societies and governments from within. I will do so not in the spirit of a patron but in the spirit of a partner -- a partner mindful of his own imperfections.
Our rapidly growing international AIDS programs have demonstrated that increased foreign assistance can make a real difference. As part of this new funding, I will capitalize a $2 billion Global Education Fund that will bring the world together in eliminating the global education deficit, much as the 9/11 Commission proposed. We cannot hope to shape a world where opportunity outweighs danger unless we ensure that every child everywhere is taught to build and not to destroy.
There are compelling moral reasons and compelling security reasons for renewed American leadership that recognizes the inherent equality and worth of all people. As President Kennedy said in his 1961 inaugural address, "To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required -- not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." I will show the world that America remains true to its founding values. We lead not only for ourselves but also for the common good.
RESTORING AMERICA'S TRUST
Confronted by Hitler, Roosevelt said that our power would be "directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. We Americans are not destroyers; we are builders." It is time for a president who can build consensus here at home for an equally ambitious course.
Ultimately, no foreign policy can succeed unless the American people understand it and feel they have a stake in its success -- unless they trust that their government hears their concerns as well. We will not be able to increase foreign aid if we fail to invest in security and opportunity for our own people. We cannot negotiate trade agreements to help spur development in poor countries so long as we provide no meaningful help to working Americans burdened by the dislocations of a global economy. We cannot reduce our dependence on foreign oil or defeat global warming unless Americans are willing to innovate and conserve. We cannot expect Americans to support placing our men and women in harm's way if we cannot show that we will use force wisely and judiciously. But if the next president can restore the American people's trust -- if they know that he or she is acting with their best interests at heart, with prudence and wisdom and some measure of humility -- then I believe the American people will be eager to see America lead again.
I believe they will also agree that it is time for a new generation to tell the next great American story. If we act with boldness and foresight, we will be able to tell our grandchildren that this was the time when we helped forge peace in the Middle East. This was the time we confronted climate change and secured the weapons that could destroy the human race. This was the time we defeated global terrorists and brought opportunity to forgotten corners of the world. And this was the time when we renewed the America that has led generations of weary travelers from all over the world to find opportunity and liberty and hope on our doorstep.
It was not all that long ago that farmers in Venezuela and Indonesia welcomed American doctors to their villages and hung pictures of JFK on their living room walls, when millions, like my father, waited every day for a letter in the mail that would grant them the privilege to come to America to study, work, live, or just be free.
We can be this America again. This is our moment to renew the trust and faith of our people -- and all people -- in an America that battles immediate evils, promotes an ultimate good, and leads the world once more."
There is a superhighway between the brain and GI system that holds great sway over humans
"There is a muscle that encircles the gut like a lasso when we are sitting… creating a kink in the tube," Giulia Enders explains in Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ. She calls the mechanism "an extra insurance policy, in addition to our old friends, the sphincters" (you have two sphincters – keep reading) and cites studies showing that squatters, with their unkinked guts, are less susceptible to haemorrhoids and constipation.Enders, a 25-year-old student at the Institute for Microbiology in Frankfurt, inside an underground public lavatory in central London. "Is there a toilet in this toilet?" she asks when she arrives. There is not, a barista tells her. The Victorian urinals, abandoned in the 1960s, have been converted into cafe with booths and stools, and no room for anything else.After a dash to a pub loo above ground, Enders talks with infectious energy about the wonder of the gut. She has been delighted to discover how many people share her fascination with a subject that can suffer for being taboo. "Even today in the taxi, I told the driver what I was doing and within about two minutes he was telling me about his constipation," she says in perfect English, which she owes to a year of study in the US. "And it's not just him. It's ladies with chic hair at big gala dinners, too. Everyone wants to talk about it."Enders first got noticed after a self-assured turn at a science slam in Berlin three years ago. Her 10-minute lecture went viral on YouTube, and now, weeks after completing her final exams as a doctoral student, she is a publishing sensation. Her book, called Darm Mit Charme ("Charming Bowels") in Germany, has sold more than 1.3 million copies since it came out last year. Rights have been sold to dozens of countries.
Her way into the gut is a lightness that some reviewers have found too childish or lacking in scientific rigour to be taken seriously. But there is something compelling and refreshing about her curiosity and popular approach. "When I read the research, I think, why don't people know about this – why am I reading about it in some paper or specialist magazine? It's ridiculous because everyone has to deal with it on a daily basis." After she explains the inspiration for her fixation (the suicide of an acquaintance who had had severe halitosis, and her own teenage skin condition, which turned out to have been caused by a wheat intolerance) Enders starts at the end of the digestive tract with what she calls the "masterly performance" that is defecation. "There is so much about the anus that we don't know," she says, reaching for a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. "The first surprise is the sophistication of our sphincters… you know about the outer one because you can control it, but the inner one nobody knows about."
This inner opening is beyond our conscious control, releasing waste material into a sort of anal vestibule where, in Enders words, "a small taster" hits sensor cells that tell the body what it's dealing with and how to respond using the outer sphincter. This opening, and our mouths, are the recognisable and controllable ends of a system that, stretched out, would be almost as long as a bus. But it's the bits in between, and their link with the rest of our bodies, including our brains and emotions, that really interest Enders.
"Medical diagrams show the small intestine as a sausage thing chaotically going through our belly," she says. "But it is an extraordinary work of architecture that moves so harmonically when you see it during surgery. It's clean and smooth, like soft fabric, and moves like this." She performs a wavy, pulsating motion with her hands. Enders believes that if we could think differently about the gut, we might more readily understand its role beyond basic digestion – and be kinder to it. The great extent to which the gut can influence health and mood is a growing field in medicine. We speak of it all the time, whether we describe "gut feelings", "butterflies in our stomachs", or "pooing our pants" in fear, but popular understanding of this gut-brain axis remains low.
A primal connection exists between our brain and our gut. We often talk about a “gut feeling” when we meet someone for the first time. We’re told to “trust our gut instinct” when making a difficult decision or that it’s “gut check time” when faced with a situation that tests our nerve and determination. This mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis and it provides constant updates on the state of affairs at your two ends. That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach after looking at your postholiday credit card bill is a vivid example of the brain-gut connection at work. You’re stressed and your gut knows it—immediately.
The enteric nervous system is often referred to as our body’s second brain. There are hundreds of million of neurons connecting the brain to the enteric nervous system, the part of the nervous system that is tasked with controlling the gastrointestinal system. This vast web of connections monitors the entire digestive tract from the esophagus to the anus. The enteric nervous system is so extensive that it can operate as an independent entity without input from our central nervous system, although they are in regular communication. While our “second” brain cannot compose a symphony or paint a masterpiece the way the brain in our skull can, it does perform an important role in managing the workings of our inner tube. The network of neurons in the gut is as plentiful and complex as the network of neurons in our spinal cord, which may seem overly complex just to keep track of digestion. Why is our gut the only organ in our body that needs its own “brain”? Is it just to manage the process of digestion? Or could it be that one job of our second brain is to listen in on the trillions of microbes residing in the gut?
Operations of the enteric nervous system are overseen by the brain and central nervous system. The central nervous system is in communication with the gut via the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, the involuntary arm of the nervous system that controls heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is tasked with the job of regulating the speed at which food transits through the gut, the secretion of acid in our stomach, and the production of mucus on the intestinal lining. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is another mechanism by which the brain can communicate with the gut to help control digestion through the action of hormones.
This circuitry of neurons, hormones, and chemical neurotransmitters not only sends messages to the brain about the status of our gut, it allows for the brain to directly impact the gut environment. The rate at which food is being moved and how much mucus is lining the gut—both of which can be controlled by the central nervous system—have a direct impact on the environmental conditions the microbiota experiences.
Like any ecosystem inhabited by competing species, the environment within the gut dictates which inhabitants thrive. Just as creatures adapted to a moist rain forest would struggle in the desert, microbes relying on the mucus layer will struggle in a gut where mucus is exceedingly sparse and thin. Bulk up the mucus, and the mucus-adapted microbes can stage a comeback. The nervous system, through its ability to affect gut transit time and mucus secretion, can help dictate which microbes inhabit the gut. In this case, even if the decisions are not conscious, it’s mind over microbes.
What about the microbial side? When the microbiota adjusts to a change in diet or to a stress-induced decrease in gut transit time, is the brain made aware of this modification? Does the brain-gut axis run in one direction only, with all signals going from brain to gut, or are some signals going the other way? Is that voice in your head that is asking for a snack coming from your mind or is it emanating from the insatiable masses in your bowels? Recent evidence indicates that not only is our brain “aware” of our gut microbes, but these bacteria can influence our perception of the world and alter our behavior. It is becoming clear that the influence of our microbiota reaches far beyond the gut to affect an aspect of our biology few would have predicted—our mind.
For example, the gut microbiota influences the body’s level of the potent neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates feelings of happiness. Some of the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. for treating anxiety and depression, like Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, work by modulating levels of serotonin. And serotonin is likely just one of a numerous biochemical messengers dictating our mood and behavior that the microbiota impacts.
Most of us can relate to the experience of having butterflies in our stomach, or to a visceral gut-wrenching feeling, and how often are we told not to ignore our “gut-instinct” or “gut-feeling” when making a decision.
Even from our simple slang, it’s clear just how symbolically connected the gut is to our emotions. Now, there’s tangible proof to support these popular metaphors.
We all have a microbiome, and they are as unique as our neural pathways
Research has shown that the body is actually composed of more bacteria than cells. We are more bug than human! Collectively, these trillions of bacteria are called the microbiome. Most of those bacteria reside in our gut, sometimes referred to as the gut microbiota, and they play multiple roles in our overall health.
The gut is no longer seen as an entity with the sole purpose of helping with all aspects of digestion. It’s also being considered as a key player in regulating inflammation and immunity.
A healthy gut consists of different iterations of bacteria for different people, and this diversity maintains wellness. A shift away from “normal” gut microbiota diversity is called dysbiosis, and dysbiosis may contribute to disease. In light of this, the microbiome has become the focus of much research attention as a new way of understanding autoimmune, gastrointestinal, and even brain disorders.
The benefit of a healthy gut is illustrated most effectively during early development. Research has indicated just how sensitive a fetus is to any changes in a mother’s microbiotic makeup, so much so that it can alter the way a baby’s brain develops. If a baby is born via cesarean section, it misses an opportunity to ingest the mother’s bacteria as it travels down the vaginal canal. Studies show that those born via c-section have to work to regain the same diversity in their microbiome as those born vaginally. Throughout our lives, our microbiome continues to be a vulnerable entity, and as we are exposed to stress, toxins, chemicals, certain diets, and even exercise, our microbiome fluctuates for better or worse.
The gut as second brain
Our gut microbiota play a vital role in our physical and psychological health via its own neural network: the enteric nervous system (ENS), a complex system of about 100 million nerves found in the lining of the gut.
The ENS is sometimes called the “second brain,” and it actually arises from the same tissues as our central nervous system (CNS) during fetal development. Therefore, it has many structural and chemical parallels to the brain.
Our ENS doesn’t wax philosophical or make executive decisions like the gray shiny mound in our skulls. Yet, in a miraculously orchestrated symphony of hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrical impulses through a pathway of nerves, both “brains” communicate back and forth. These pathways include and involve endocrine, immune, and neural pathways.
At this point in time, even though the research is inchoate and complex, it is clear that the brain and gut are so intimately connected that it sometimes seems like one system, not two.
Our emotions play a big role in functional gastrointestinal disorders
Given how closely the gut and brain interact, it has become clear that emotional and psychosocial factors can trigger symptoms in the gut. This is especially true in cases when the gut is acting up and there’s no obvious physical cause.
The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a group of more than 20 chronic and hard to treat medical conditions of the gastrointestinal tract that constitute a large proportion of the presenting problems seen in clinical gastroenterology.
While FGID’s were once thought to be partly “in one’s head,” a more precise conceptualization of these difficulties posits that psychosocial factors influence the actual physiology of the gut, as well as the modulation of symptoms. In other words, psychological factors can literally impact upon physical factors, like the movement and contractions of the GI tract, causing, inflammation, pain, and other bowel symptoms.
Mental health impacts gut wellness
In light of this new understanding, it might be impossible to heal FGID’s without considering the impact of stress and emotion. Studies have shown that patients who tried psychologically based approaches had greater improvement in their symptoms compared with patients who received conventional medical treatment.
Along those lines, a new pilot study from Harvard University affiliates Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that meditation could have a significant impact for those with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Forty-eight patients with either IBS or IBD took a 9-week session that included meditation training, and the results showed reduced pain, improved symptoms, stress reduction, and the change in expression of genes that contribute to inflammation.
Poor gut health can lead to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders
Vice-versa, poor gut health has been implicated in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Disturbances in gut health have been linked to multiple sclerosis, autistic spectrum disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. This is potentially related to pro-inflammatory states elicited by gut dysbiosis-microbial imbalance on or inside the body. Additional connections between age-related gut changes and Alzheimer’s disease have also been made.
Further, there is now research that is dubbing depression as an inflammatory disorder mediated by poor gut health. In fact, multiple animal studies have shown that manipulating the gut microbiota in some way can produce behaviors related to anxiety and depression. (Maes, Kubera, Leunis, Berk, J. Affective Disorders, 2012 and Berk, Williams, Jacka, BMC Med, 2013).
Our brain’s health, which will be discussed in more depth in a later blog post, is dependent on many lifestyle choices that mediate gut health; including most notably diet (i.e., reduction of excess sugar and refined carbohydrates) and pre and probiotic intake.
The brain-gut connection has treatment implications
We are now faced with the possibility of both prevention and treatment of neurological/neuropsychiatric difficulties via proper gut health. On the flip side, stress-reduction and other psychological treatments can help prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders. This discovery can potentially lead to reduced morbidity, impairment, and chronic dependency on health care resources.
The most empowering aspect to the gut-brain connection is the understanding that many of our daily lifestyle choices play a role in mediating our overall wellness. This whole-body approach to healthcare and wellness continues to show its value in our longevity, well-being, and quality of life: that both physical and mental health go hand-in-hand.