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With the wirst behind them, people in Myanmar are now hoping that nature will be less ferocious the next time a cyclone strikes. Photo: Myanmar Red Cross Society (p18465).
To find out more, go to www.ifrc.org/myanmar.
I previously found and photographed the stone on the right intact a few days ago, and then saw it in two pieces the next day. Apparently someone needed to destroy something. Tonight I found it again on a park bench near the start of my walk with a new stone I had not seen before. The cracked stone with the other one with the CF Strong message seems so appropriate in these trying times. If you see art, or something nice, try to leave it alone and let others enjoy it.
Optimism is a very powerful tool. When we create a vibrant image of good things surrounding us, it is much more likely that our reality will follow suit.
THINK GOOD THOUGHTS!
Tú eres el optimismo.
Dedicada a mi queridÃsima sobrina Jackeline Aristy.
"Vamos a salir, juntos, pronto y bien"
Dios te bendiga. Besos
TÃa
Cielito Lindo
Alternativamente, alguno optimistas creen que a pesar del mundo exterior o situación, uno elige sentirse bien al respecto y a sacar lo mejor.Este tipo de optimismo no dice nada sobre la calidad del mundo exterior; es un optimismo interno sobre los sentimientos propios.
Alternatively, some optimists believe that regardless of the external world or situation, one should choose to feel good about it and make the most of it. This kind of optimism doesn't say anything about the quality of the external world; it's an internal optimism about one's own feelings
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Do not use this picture without permission
Mentally challenged children present a play at Navjivini School of Special Education, Patiala, India www.navjivini.org
© Gurbir Singh Brar 2008 all rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.
This is pretty terrible and was taken relatively late at night, but I had to somehow capture the happy epiphany I had on Tuesday this week.
I went out to dinner and saw the Vow with a couple girlfriends on Valentine's Day, and it was so incredibly great. I haven't had that much silly fun in a long time. I got home and started jumping around my room and taking pictures to express this burst of happiness before going to sleep (way too late).
On Wednesday I woke up with a newly optimistic view about my current life and what I think the future will hold. I haven't felt this free and genuinely good in what feels like a really long time.
The past is the past. All I want now is to move forward with peace of mind and high, happy hopes.
"You've Got To Knock The Dixie Cup Off. It's Not Over. "
At the end of their first year at the U.S. Naval Academy the freshmen, known as plebes (for plebeian), undergo a ritual rite-of-passage that symbolizes their transition from lowly plebes to full-fledged midshipmen. This event is known simply as "Herndon" or the "Plebe Recognition Ceremony." The tradition has endured at the Naval Academy for many years.
The challenge: to scale the 21-foot tall gray granite obelisk, remove the "dixie cup" plebe hat on top and replace it with a midshipman's cover. To make it more difficult the tower is greased; this year with 36 pounds of butter, two gallons of canola oil and several tubs of vegetable shortening.
At the sound of a cannon blast, more than 1,000 eager, screaming plebes charge toward the Herndon monument. As they attempt to climb the lard-covered monument and sweaty bodies mix with the slippery slime, early optimism succumbs to gritty determination. Agony shows on the faces of those at the bottom of the pyramid as they support upon their shoulders three or four tiers of bodies above them. Those at the top strain to climb as high as possible in order to switch out the hats before losing their balance and falling into the mass of classmates below. Only by using discipline, teamwork and courage can they achieve success.
The fastest time for climbing a greased monument was 20 minutes in 1972. The longest time was 4 hours and 5 minutes in 1995.
«Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.»
«L'optimisme perpetuel est une force multiplicatrice.»
Colin Powell
(View in large on A day on Earth)
The Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, afterall there are echoes of the gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, when all it's stained glass had been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days, but now charges an entry fee (a fix for recent financial worries; gone are the frequent days I used to wander around it in search of inspiration!)and sadly visitors are also encouraged to enter by the far end of the building, contrary to Spence's intentions.
For more see below:-
so what is beyond green leaves and blue sky ? I was in such a good mood when taking this picture.
Today, back to my quest on college's exams and papers!