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At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
Quixotic is a word that came about because of Don Quixote, the hero of romance written by Miguel de Cervantes. Quixotic can apply to those that are caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unrealistic goals. They are dreamers. This adjective also applies to people who are idealistic, romantic, and impractical. As we know, in modern day society, those descriptions aren’t always translated as flattering, and one can go as far as to say that these descriptions are a sign of weakness. Sometimes, quixotic people are accused of viewing life as an illusion, because they adhere to utopian models of living. (fragment from ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Quixotic?&id=657318)
Records amnèsics de Granada mentre escoltava James Blunt - You're Beautiful (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLWxHksZXxY)
At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
See the "Beach Walk #312 - Hope and Optimism" video
Hope is fed by optimism. What are you optimistic about?Jane asked in a comment a while back for Beach Walks to talk about hope (after we had been talking about faith v trust.) Meanwhile, Joe sent me a link to www.edge.org. The Edge asks a question at the beginning of each year, and many well-known thinkers provide their opinions. So I thought we could do something related as a Beach Walks episode! I would love to hear what you are optimistic about, and Secret Cameraman and I will put it al together for an upcoming episode. Here is my idea:Submit a video clip, audio clip, or text statement answering the question, "What are you optimistic about?"If you submit audio or text, please consider providing us with a snapshot of you so we can use it in the video.Please provide your name (first only is fine), your location if you want, and in 2-3 sentences your answer. (Keep it short and to the point!)Send it to us by January 10th, and we'll assemble it for episode #325. Email us with y
our answers and ideas.Ideally, submit video at 640x480 in .mov format. Deliver it to us using these free services: www.dropsend.com www.yousendit.comIf you prefer, leave your comment on the Conch line and send a photo; we'll put it together!Thank you to our closing round of Kaimoku donors! Carole, Deb & Eddie, Mike, Noel, Pauk, Peter, and Rich.Mahalo to those of you who contributed to the Kaimoku royalty drive. We raised $166 Sand Dollars. Secret Cameraman suggested that our small business, Bare Feet Studios (which underwrites Beach Walks) match that, so $322 will be given to Kaimoku! You can go purchase a CD too so you can have it at home! Jonnie mentioned that you may find it also at Booklines Hawaii. The price at Bare Feet Shop varies from time to time, so check them both if you like.We always appreciate your voteat Podcast Alley! (Mahalo.)Subscribe in iTunes so you won't miss a single episode! Try it - it's easy. Please leave a comment for us while you're t
here! Call the Conch line via skype:roxannedarling or 1-949-544-1456. Our wonderful theme music is from Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment.Hawaiian words Mana'olana: hope
At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
Detail of the tower of Old St Michael's Cathedral in Coventry. Most of the external stonework was renewed in the late 19th century as part of Scott's restoration. The present gargoyles date from this time.
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 were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). 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, after all 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, all it's stained glass having 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. For more see below:-
Hope by Amy Martin
Change We Can Believe In by Christopher Cox
Cambio by Date Farmers
America: Variations on Optimism - Unity
America: Variations on Optimism - Hope
America: Variations on Optimism - Change
America: Variations on Optimism - Progress
At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
The splashy colors of the new mural at the Dewey Square Greenway park does seem to reflect the increasing optimism of pandemic recovery. And on nice days, the crowds are returning. (Although many still manage to social distance.)
August 2016 and Buses of Somerset had vanquished Webberbus. They had won the war and virtually all of the fleet was in the attractive green livery as shown by B7RLE 69206 MV06DYU seen here at Wells bus station.
Fast forward less than 18 months and another wave of frequency cuts and the image/future looks less assured. The 77 from Yeovil to Wells is now being cut from a 3 to 2 bus operation.
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 were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). 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, after all 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, all it's stained glass having 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. For more see below:-
At the Birmingham Social Media Cafe on October 29th 2010, we asked people what they were optimistic about.
It's a spin-off from newoptimists.com. We asked scientists 'what are you optimistic about?' — and their answers are now in a brilliant book.
amzn.to/thenewoptimists
Oops, not enough room... Blogged at apinnick.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/floss-storage/. Also appeared in Craftzine: blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/01/craft_flickr_pool_week...
HISTORY OF THE PLUM STREET TEMPLE
Prior to the Civil War, the 200 families of K. K. B'nai Yeshurun (Isaac M. Wise Temple) envisioned a magnificent building to house their growing twenty year old congregation that had already gained a national prominence because of their rabbi, Isaac Mayer Wise. With his energy and vision, the congregation and Cincinnati were fast becoming a center of national Jewish life. The lot on the corner of Eighth and Plum Streets was purchased for the sum of $35,000. Construction was anticipated to cost $55, 000, but the delays caused by the Civil War and its post-war inflation meant that the building was erected in 1866 at a cost of $263,525. As a note of interest, we have recently found the original ledger book with all the entries of specific costs entailed in the construction of Plum Street Temple.
Designed by James Keyes Wilson, a prominent American architect and first president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the building reflects a synagogue architectural style that had emerged in Germany in the nineteenth century, a Byzantine-Moorish style. It hearkens to a previous era of the Golden Age of Spain in Jewish history, and reflects Rabbi Wise's optimism that the developing American Jewish experience would be the next Golden Age. All other examples of such architecture in Germany were later destroyed by Hitler. Only one other synagogue of similar style is extant in America, in New York. The complex design of Plum Street Temple mirrors many cultures: from the outside the tall proportions, three pointed arched entrances and rose window suggest a Gothic revival church; the crowning minarets hint of Islamic architecture; the motif's decorating the entrances, repeated in the rose window and on the Torah Ark introduce a Moorish theme; the 14 bands of Hebrew texts surrounding the interior were selected by Rabbi Wise and are chosen primarily from the Book of Psalms.
The building has been carefully preserved. The original flooring, pews, and pulpit furnishings are still in use. The chandeliers and candelabra, formerly gaslight, are now electrical but still the original fixtures. The original pipe organ, itself historical in nature and a unique instrument, built by the Cincinnati firm of Koehnken and Company is still in place, although in need of restoration.
The 1994-1995 restoration renewed a sense of vitality and sparkle to a building which looks much the same now as when it was built 137 years ago. Designated a national historic landmark and placed on the Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places in 1975, it was recognized then as a "splendid and exotic building." It is even more so now with its recent restoration.
Plum Street Temple is not a museum to the past; it is a living, dynamic sanctuary still retained by a congregation devoted to its maintenance and its continuation. The building is used on a nearly weekly basis for Sabbath services, programs, life-cycle events, and other religious functions.
Beyond its history and its beauty, Plum Street Temple is the fountainhead of Reform Judaism in America. It was from this building that Rabbi Isaac M. Wise founded the institutions of Reform Judaism, which prior to his active career, had consisted of ideology without an institutional structure. The founding of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (1873), the Hebrew Union College (1875) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (1889), representing the structure of Reform Judaism, was accomplished from the Plum Street Temple by Rabbi Wise who served as founder and president of these three institutions while Rabbi at K.K. B'nai Yeshurun until his death in 1900. The Temple still annually hosts the ordination of rabbis from the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College. The majestic synagogue continues to reflect Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise's vision of Reform Judaism, a religious movement with a distinctly American look, so that "a religious Jew can also be a citizen of a free country, a member of society, a reasoner of modern thought."