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The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain course (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
Tags:
me - portrait - pain - sadness - loss - cruelty - depression - tears - a deer caught in the headlights - sorrow - disappointment - weep - hollow words - anger - lost joy - resentment - duplicity - broken dreams - indignation - gullible - dashed hopes - used - loss of trust - despair - broken promises - weep - foolish - loosing myself - finding myself - seeing a light at the end of the tunnel
www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm
1) WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY?
How well it worked. I found exactly what I was looking for during that year of traveling. In fact, I found more than I’d dared to hope for. Looking back on it now, though, I think that this amazing result was sort of inevitable. I’ve come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call “The Physics of The Quest” – a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: “If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself….then truth will not be withheld from you.” Or so I’ve come to believe. I can’t help but believe it, given my experience.
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Al Amazonas
Documental sobre el viaje de la vida de mi mamá: desde su infancia en Inglaterra hasta su encuentro con la naturaleza en la selva amazónica.
La mayoría de los mortales aprenden a sentir miedo desde temprana edad, miedo que reprime la curiosidad y tranca el crecimiento interior. El miedo del niño a perderse transmuta en miedo a la soledad, miedo al fracaso, miedo a depender del dinero, bloqueando toda noción de escape a la rutina diaria. Pero existen unos que se han arriesgado a dejarlo todo y saltan a lo desconocido. Este documental es sobre una de ellas: mi mamá, Valeria Meikle (Londrés, 1937).
En este mundo frenético, ‘Al Amazonas’ es una invitación a detenernos y entender que, “si tienes el valor de dejar atrás todo lo que te es familiar y te consuela, desde tu casa hasta viejos rencores, y embarcarte en un viaje en busca de la verdad, ya sea hacia adentro o hacia afuera, y si estás dispuesto a entender todo lo que te pase en ese viaje como una clave, y si aceptas como maestro a todo el que te encuentres en el camino, y si estás preparado, sobre todo, para enfrentar y perdonar algunas de las realidades más duras de ti mismo, entonces la verdad no te será negada.” (Elizabeth Gilbert)
To The Amazon
Documentary on the truth-seeking journey of my mother: from a traditional English-lifestyle to her encounter with nature in the amazon jungle.
The vast majority of mortals learn fear from an early age, a disabling device that stifles curiosity and stunts inner growth. The child’s fear of getting lost transmute into loneliness-fear, mortgage-fear and career-fear, blocking all notions of escape from everyday routine. But there are some who have taken the risk, left everything and jumped into the unknown. This documentary is about one of them: my mum, Valerie Meikle (London, 1937).
In this frenetic world, ‘To the amazon’ is an invitation to understand that “if you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.” (Elizabeth Gilbert)
John R. Robinson would have been well suited to the internet age. The style “Black Jack” employed editing the Telegram between the Victorian era and the Roaring Twenties easily fits Twitter and other social media platforms—short, snappy, obsessed with local politics, and filled with bile and venom. His outbursts knew few grey areas, an attribute which pleased politicians the paper supported and aggravated anyone who aroused his wrath. As one biographer put it, “to Robinson, every battle was Armageddon.”
In person, Robinson wasn’t a dashing figure. His black hair was dishevelled and his clothes were so baggy that they looked as if they’d been sewn in a tent factory. Mail and Empire columnist J.V. McAree depicted him as someone who was always on the prowl, who strode the streets with eyes down, coat flapping and full of newspapers, so lost in thought that he was oblivious to his daughters if they passed by him. He read little more than the Bible, didn’t seem to have any cultural interests, and gave all of his children names beginning with J.
Born in 1862, Robinson’s journalism career began at age 13 when he apprenticed at the Guelph Mercury. Moving to Toronto in 1881, he worked as a reporter at the Globe before joining the Telegram two years later. He developed a strong rapport with Telegram owner John Ross Robertson to the point where they anticipated each other’s thoughts. Both were extremely loyal to the Orange Order and the British Empire, dedicated to exposing municipal corruption, and loathed Americans, Catholics, and Quebecois. “The gospel according to one John was the gospel of the other,” one historian noted.
Both men’s sentiments captured the essence of working class conservative populism in Toronto. The Telegram voiced the resentment of an unsophisticated, poorly educated audience toward snobs and anyone with an air of superiority. As media historian Paul Rutherford observed, “all this served to express class antagonisms (the poor against the rich) and yet emphasize a sense of community (the people of the nation against its enemies). The contradictory blend, perhaps best labelled populist, had proved a fine way to curry the public’s favour.”
Robinson mastered the concise style of covering local news and dispensing political commentary Robertson developed over the previous two decades in reaction to the long-winded rambling that characterized the Toronto press. As Saturday Night editor E.E. Sheppard noted in 1888, Robinson was “a young writer who can draw blood in fewer words than any daily scribe in town.” After Robinson became editor-in-chief in 1889, Robertson ceased writing editorials. “Whenever Robinson attacked the language Robertson was satisfied,” observed Robertson biographer Ron Poulton, “because he felt that he could not have covered the subject better himself.”
One of Robinson’s first editorial battles stemmed from work begun as a reporter in 1887 to demand asphalt paving for city streets. With another reporter he filled sacks of rotten block paving from a stretch of Arthur Street (present-day Dundas between Bathurst and Ossington) and placed them in the Telegram’s lobby. The paper accused the contractor of being part of a ring which ignored the city engineer’s specifications and profited from using poor materials. The contracted sued for $20,000 in a libel suit. The court ruled in favour of the Telegram, prompting Robinson to proclaim “the utter failure of this attempt to silence this journal is the shadow cast before the coming event of a thorough reconstruction of the Works Department.”
Of politicians, Robinson observed that “you can’t appeal to their heads because they have been turned. You can’t appeal to their hearts because they haven’t any. But thank God they all have hides.” Combined with the efforts of the Orange Order, the Telegram shaped city council, often playing kingmaker when it came to mayoral candidates who suited the paper’s view of municipal governance. Some of Robinson’s opponents felt his relationship with City Hall was so cozy that ruled over the city in a dictatorial manner.
Robinson was especially loyal to Tommy Church, who received praise so breathless that you’d think he was a god walking among Torontonians. Support of Church reached an absurd climax in 1923, when Church attempted a mayoral comeback after sitting as an MP for several years. Page after page deified Church, printing letters of praise from foreign dignitaries, depicting him as the staunch defender of prohibition and all other things “Toronto the Good” stood for, and printing praise from politicians who’d been dead for years. Allies of Church’s opponent W.W. Hiltz were portrayed, under rambling headlines, with photos resembling rows of mug shots, all in thrall to the evils of the Globe, Star, and Conservatives who disagreed with the Telegram’s favoured politicians.
For once, the paper’s fearmongering failed: when voters cast their ballots on January 1, 1924, Hiltz won.
Theme Song:
Disturbed - the animal
LINK: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwxUgefMStM
GENDER: Male
SPECIES / RACE: Werewolf / Toa of Twilight (Light + Shadow)
WEAPONS: Natual claws and Teeth, Moonlight Sword
POWERS: Enhanced Strength & Agility, Sonic Howl. He is also occasionally able to tap into his light or darkness / shadow powers but it is difficult for him to control and use because he is not a full toa. These instances usually happen at night, when the moon is out.
BACKSTORY:
Born on the Planet Zarl.
Son of Lunara, Brother to Haku.
Wulf was once an ordinary Matoran who was abandoned by his parents for reasons unknown to him (more information will be revealed in Lunara's Bio / backstory, whenever I post her) and was experimented on by Slithzer with Rahi DNA in attempts to create a super soldier. The results were inneffective, thus turning him into a Werewolf-Matoran hybrid.
Having failed the experimentation, he was outcast as nobody would accept the monster he was turned into. He was traded between villages under contracts to be used as a weapon / hired killer. As a child of war, he became extremely deadly and unpredictable.
One day he was to be escorted to the fire village. It was Phyra's mission, but instead she befriended Wulf as she was able to see past the hardened beast. She was the one who was able to access the soft, "human" side of Wulf and help him “tame" & control his rage.
While traveling with Phyra, attempting to become refugees and leave their lives of war and suffering behind, they met a mysterious yellow/grey armored being claiming to be a Toa. This "toa" sacrificed himself in order to turn both Phyra and Wulf into Toa. This gave them power but also put them at serious risk since the constant wars / genocide started by the group D.A.T. (Destroy All Toa) still continued.
Phyra and Wulf went into hiding together once again, both went training in combat as well as learning to survive. They formed a powerful bond and fell in love.
Eventually they ran into other Toa such as Luja and even Wulf's brother (unknown to him at the time) Haku.
Wulf did NOT get along with Luja at first: He could not handle the Toa of air's sarcastic humor and careless attitude. Eventually they were able to put their differences aside and get along. Together (with Phyra) they led a team of all the remaining toa they recruited into a war against Slithzer and D.A.T. Some of the villages recognized that Toa were not evil, and sided with the Toa… but others did not, falsely blaming them for the destruction and bloodshed.
After a lot of casualties (Including Wulf's brother, Haku) , loss, and suffering: the toa were able to defeat Slithzer with the help of a being named Brutaka. Wulf and his friends knew that although they may have defeated evil on their planet Zarl, the people of each village were broken and would never be able to truly get along and live in harmony. There was nothing good left on the planet and they were unwanted, blamed for the chaos and outcast.
Toa Wulf and his friends abandoned their home planet and traveled to the planet of Boto-Magna (After the Great Spirit of Mata Nui was reawakened)
On Boto-Magna, the toa of Zarl had to quickly earn the trust of the Toa Council. They were sent on a mission to stop the weakened Teridax, who was living in the Infinity Tablet's Shadow realm dimension (which Luja had gone before the mission was even approved)
Luja, Wulf and Phyra all grew even closer during this period of time and were all able to mature quite significantly (especially Luja). Eventually they killed Makuta Teridax once and for all and were transported back to Boto Magna.
It was Wulf, Phyra and Luja's idea to propose to the Toa Council to grant immunity to all Makuta unless proven guilty of crimes. Wulf played a major role in advocating for this and made it about a chance at redemption. This led to a more peaceful Boto Magna, with fewer crimes. Many of the Makuta fled to new islands to live their own lives.
Wulf currently lives a calm life with his wife Phyra, occasionally taking on jobs where he can help the Matoran and Turaga villagers construct buildings, settlements, and various other things of use. Wulf and Phyra have also been trying to have a child of their own. (In my “Cannon”, the beings from the planet Zarl are more “Biological” and are capable of reproduction.)
Wulf still remains friends with Luja to this day, although it has been a while since anyone has seen him.
Wulf’s relationship with his mother Lunara is strained, due to a lot of drama and resentment towards her abandoning / “selling” him to the Nidhak to experiment on when they were on the Planet Zarl (PS: Lunara was never one to choose sides, often helping both but only ever looking out for herself)
Also, Haku (Wulf’s brother) has been resurrected as an Angelic Toa by Mata Nui himself after Teridax was defeated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Yes, this MOC was heavily inspired by MoonWerewolfAir’s Self-Moc: Moonstalker
I intentionally used Galva’s mask instead of Vamprah’s to avoid confusion. The foot design was pretty much ripped-off from it too, although I did add the claw.
The final photo is the original version of Toa Wulf, built LONG ago. It was actually one of my very first MOCs that became one of my established characters. Also, Wulf used to be considered my secondary self-Moc (Whenever people wanted to build my Self-Moc but didn’t have a Miru to make Luja, they could possibly make Wulf instead)
forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain Square (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
Central Station- 1905
Antwerp/Antwerpen/Anvers
Belgium/Belgie/Belgique
March 9, 2011
Antwerp is a most cosmopolitan city. There seems to be a certain indescribable ennui throughout much of Belgium- but not in Antwerp. There is a causal sophistication here. Unlike Bruges, which is stuck in time, and Brussels which seems to have lost its identity in its role on the international stage, Antwerp is vibrating through another golden age.
The area has been settled at least since the Roman era, but really rose to prominence in the 1500’s after the Zwin River silted up and Bruges’ economy collapsed. If Bruges was an incredibly prosperous port whose realm of trade stretched throughout medieval Europe and the Levant, Antwerp was a port of intercontinental scale- one of the first such ports in the world. As part of the Spanish Empire, it brought in goods from as far as the Americas and Asia. Some sources say that in the early 1500’s, Antwerp saw up to 40 percent of global trade, and was one of the largest cities in Europe.
This, of course, is where the city’s cosmopolitanism originated. Merchants from across Europe set up shop in Antwerp, and the spirit of tolerance inherent in most port cities attracted a large population of orthodox Jews. And, as always, wealth attracted the arts, including some of the most prominent painters and musicians of the Northern Renaissance.
Despite this boom period, there was a great underlying tension rising. The Low Countries became swept up by the Protestant Reformation and by a growing resentment of Spanish rule. Violence erupted in 1566, with the Iconoclastic Fury, in which Protestants ransacked towns and churches, destroying Catholic icons. A reason why many Medieval churches in Belgium have interiors adorned in the style of the Renaissance and the Baroque is that so many of the items made before 1566 were lost. The fiercely Catholic Spanish came down hard, and thus began the Eighty Years’ War which resulted in the independence of the Netherlands.
As a city at the heart of the Dutch Revolt, Antwerp suffered mightily. In November of 1576, Spanish troops sacked the city, plundering property and killing 6,000 residents - an event which became known the “Spanish Fury”. In 1585, Spain took full control of Antwerp and expelled the Protestants to the north. The population was reduced by half, and Amsterdam became the new center of international trade.
After this, the city fell into a long period of decline and was revived only in the early 19th century, when Napoleon invested in upgrading the long-neglected port (which the British attempted to capture in a disastrous campaign). In the 1890’s, Antwerp hosted a World’s Fair, and in 1920, the Olympics. The city was heavily damaged by German bombs in WW2, but today is on the rise once again- today ranking among the top 20 of busiest ports in the world- certainly larger than the port of New York. Standing on the bank of the River Scheldt, one can see shipping facilities stretching to beyond the horizon.
And once again, Antwerp is a cosmopolitan place. There is a diverse immigrant community, the arts have returned, and the city is taking a seat among the most prominent fashion centers of the world. 80 percent of the world’s rough diamonds pass through its diamond markets (unfortunately though, this includes many blood diamonds).
In short, there is a lot of action here. By day, the streets bustle with a certain vibrancy and lust for life. By night, bars and restaurants host a sophisticated conviviality. It feels like a new city.
It’s interesting how history works though. Walking at dusk through the Grote Markt, with its magnificent Golden Age houses of trade, under the sublime carillon of the Cathedral, you realize that, though the faces and much of the cityscape have changed, it is, in essence, the same city it was half a millennium ago.
The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain course (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
youtu.be/KcPcJ9ycEu4?t=2m22s Full Feature
Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
1957/58 / B&W / 1:78 anamorphic 16:9 / 82, 95 min. / Street Date August 13, 2002 / $24.95
Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham, Athene Seyler
Cinematography Ted Scaife
Production Designer Ken Adam
Special Effects George Blackwell, S.D. Onions, Wally Veevers
Film Editor Michael Gordon
Original Music Clifton Parker
Written by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester from the story Casting the Runes by Montague R. James
Produced by Frank Bevis, Hal E. Chester
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Savant champions a lot of genre movies but only infrequently does one appear like Jacques Tourneur's superlative Curse of the Demon. It's simply better than the rest -- an intelligent horror film with some very good scares. It occupies a stylistic space that sums up what's best in ghost stories and can hold its own with most any supernatural film ever made. Oh, it's also a great entertainment that never fails to put audiences at the edge of their seats.
What's more, Columbia TriStar has shown uncommon respect for their genre output by including both versions of Curse of the Demon on one disc. Savant has full coverage on the versions and their restoration below, following his thorough and analytical (read: long-winded and anal) coverage of the film itself.
Synopsis:
Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews), a scientist and professional debunker of superstitious charlatans, arrives in England to help Professor Henry Harrington (Maurice Denham) assault the phony cult surrounding Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall McGinnis). But Harrington has mysteriously died and Holden becomes involved with his niece Joanna (Peggy Cummins), who thinks Karswell had something to do with it. Karswell's 'tricks' confuse the skeptical Holden, but he stubbornly holds on to his conviction that he's " ... not a sucker, like 90% of the human race." That is, until the evidence mounts that Harrington was indeed killed by a demon summoned from Hell, and that Holden is the next intended victim!
The majority of horror films are fantasies in which we accept supernatural ghosts, demons and monsters as part of a deal we've made with the authors: they dress the fantasy in an attractive guise and arrange the variables into an interesting pattern, and we agree to play along for the sake of enjoyment. When it works the movies can resonate with personal meaning. Even though Dracula and Frankenstein are unreal, they are relevant because they're aligned with ideas and themes in our subconscious.
Horror films that seriously confront the no-man's land between rational reality and supernatural belief have a tough time of it. Everyone who believes in God knows that the tug o' war between rationality and faith in our culture has become so clogged with insane belief systems it's considered impolite to dismiss people who believe in flying saucers or the powers of crystals or little glass pyramids. One of Dana Andrews' key lines in Curse of the Demon, defending his dogged skepticism against those urging him to have an open mind, is his retort, "If the world is a dark place ruled by Devils and Demons, we all might as well give up right now." Curse of the Demon balances itself between skepticism and belief with polite English manners, letting us have our fun as it lays its trap. We watch Andrews roll his eyes and scoff at the feeble séance hucksters and the dire warnings of a foolish-looking necromancer. Meanwhile, a whole dark world of horror sneaks up on him. The film's intelligent is such that we're not offended by its advocacy of dark forces or even its literal, in-your-face demon.
The remarkable Curse of the Demon was made in England for Columbia but is gloriously unaffected by that company's zero-zero track record with horror films. Producer Hal E. Chester would seem an odd choice to make a horror classic after producing Joe Palooka films and acting as a criminal punk in dozens of teen crime movies. The obvious strong cards are writer Charles Bennett, the brains behind several classic English Hitchcock pictures (who 'retired' into meaningless bliss writing for schlockmeister Irwin Allen) and Jacques Tourneur, a master stylist who put Val Lewton on the map with Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie. Tourneur made interesting Westerns (Canyon Passage, Great Day in the Morning) and perhaps the most romantic film noir, Out of the Past. By the late '50s he was on what Andrew Sarris in his American Film called 'a commercial downgrade'. The critic lumped Curse of the Demon with low budget American turkeys like The Fearmakers. 1
Put Tourneur with an intelligent script, a decent cameraman and more than a minimal budget and great things could happen. We're used to watching Corman Poe films, English Hammer films and Italian Bavas and Fredas, all the while making excuses for the shortcomings that keep them in the genre ghetto (where they all do quite well, thank you). There's even a veiled resentment against upscale shockers like The Innocents that have resources (money, time, great actors) denied our favorite toilers in the genre realm. Curse of the Demon is above all those considerations. It has name actors past their prime and reasonable production values. Its own studio (at least in America) released it like a genre quickie, double-billed with dreck like The Night the World Exploded and The Giant Claw. They cut it by 13 minutes, changed its title (to ape The Curse of Frankenstein?) and released a poster featuring a huge, slavering demon monster that some believe was originally meant to be barely glimpsed in the film itself. 2
Horror movies can work on more than one level but Curse of the Demon handles several levels and then some. The narrative sets up John Holden as a professional skeptic who raises a smirking eyebrow to the open minds of his colleagues. Unlike most second-banana scientists in horror films, they express divergent points of view. Holden just sees himself as having common sense but his peers are impressed by the consistency of demonological beliefs through history. Maybe they all saw Christensen's Witchcraft through the Ages, which might have served as a primer for author Charles Bennett. Smart dialogue allows Holden to score points by scoffing at the then-current "regression to past lives" scam popularized by the Bridey Murphy craze. 3 While Holden stays firmly rooted to his position, coining smart phrases and sarcastic put-downs of believers, the other scientists are at least willing to consider alternate possibilities. Indian colleague K.T. Kumar (Peter Elliott) keeps his opinion to himself. But when asked, he politely states that he believes entirely in the world of demons! 4
Holden may think he has the truth by the tail but it takes Kindergarten teacher Joanna Harrington (Peggy Cummins of Gun Crazy fame) to show him that being a skeptic doesn't mean ignoring facts in front of one's face. Always ready for a drink (a detail added to tailor the part to Andrews?), Holden spends the first couple of reels as interested in pursuing Miss Harrington, as he is the devil-worshippers. The details and coincidences pile up with alarming speed -- the disappearing ink untraceable by the lab, the visual distortions that might be induced by hypnosis, the pages torn from his date book and the parchment of runic symbols. Holden believes them to be props in a conspiracy to draw him into a vortex of doubt and fear. Is he being set up the way a Voodoo master cons his victim, by being told he will die, with fabricated clues to make it all appear real? Holden even gets a bar of sinister music stuck in his head. It's the title theme -- is this a wicked joke on movie soundtracks?
Speak of the Devil...
This brings us to the wonderful character of Julian Karswell, the kiddie-clown turned multi-millionaire cult leader. The man who launched Alfred Hitchcock as a maker of sophisticated thrillers here creates one of the most interesting villains ever written, one surely as good as any of Hitchcock's. In the short American cut Karswell is a shrewd games-player who shows Holden too many of his cards and finally outsmarts himself. The longer UK cut retains the full depth of his character.
Karswell has tapped into the secrets of demonology to gain riches and power, yet he tragically recognizes that he is as vulnerable to the forces of Hell as are the cowering minions he controls through fear. Karswell's coven means business. It's an entirely different conception from the aesthetic salon coffee klatch of The Seventh Victim, where nothing really supernatural happens and the only menace comes from a secret society committing new crimes to hide old ones.
Karswell keeps his vast following living in fear, and supporting his extravagant lifestyle under the idea that Evil is Good, and Good Evil. At first the Hobart Farm seems to harbor religious Christian fundamentalists who have turned their backs on their son. Then we find out that they're Karswell followers, living blighted lives on cursed acreage and bled dry by their cultist "leader." Karswell's mum (Athene Seyler) is an inversion of the usual insane Hitchcock mother. She lovingly resists her son's philosophy and actively tries to help the heroes. That's in the Night version, of course. In the shorter American cut she only makes silly attempts to interest Joanna in her available son and arranges for a séance. Concerned by his "negativity", Mother confronts Julian on the stairs. He has no friends, no wife, no family. He may be a mass extortionist but he's still her baby. Karswell explains that by exploiting his occult knowledge, he's immersed himself forever in Evil. "You get nothing for nothing"
Karswell is like the Devil on Earth, a force with very limited powers that he can't always control. By definition he cannot trust any of his own minions. They're unreliable, weak and prone to double-cross each other, and they attract publicity that makes a secret society difficult to conceal. He can't just kill Holden, as he hasn't a single henchman on the payroll. He instead summons the demon, a magic trick he's only recently mastered. When Karswell turns Harrington away in the first scene we can sense his loneliness. The only person who can possibly understand is right before him, finally willing to admit his power and perhaps even tolerate him. Karswell has no choice but to surrender Harrington over to the un-recallable Demon. In his dealings with the cult-debunker Holden, Karswell defends his turf but is also attempting to justify himself to a peer, another man who might be a potential equal. It's more than a duel of egos between a James Bond and a Goldfinger, with arrogance and aggression masking a mutual respect; Karswell knows he's taken Lewton's "wrong turning in life," and will have to pay for it eventually.
Karswell eventually earns Holden's respect, especially after the fearful testimony of Rand Hobart. It's taken an extreme demonstration to do it, but Holden budges from his smug position. He may not buy all of the demonology hocus-pocus but it's plain enough that Karswell or his "demon" is going to somehow rub him out. Seeking to sneak the parchment back into Karswell's possession, Holden becomes a worthy hero because he's found the maturity to question his own preconceptions. Armed with his rational, cool head, he's a force that makes Karswell -- without his demon, of course -- a relative weakling. Curse of the Demon ends in a classic ghost story twist, with just desserts dished out and balance recovered. The good characters are less sure of their world than when they started, but they're still able to cope. Evil has been defeated not by love or faith, but by intellect.
Curse of the Demon has the Val Lewton sensibility as has often been cited in Tourneur's frequent (and very effective) use of the device called the Lewton "Bus" -- a wholly artificial jolt of fast motion and noise interrupting a tense scene. There's an ultimate "bus" at the end when a train blasts in and sets us up for the end title. It "erases" the embracing actors behind it and I've always thought it had to be an inspiration for the last shot of North by NorthWest. The ever-playful Hitchcock was reportedly a big viewer of fantastic films, from which he seems to have gotten many ideas. He's said to have dined with Lewton on more than one occasion (makes sense, they were at one time both Selznick contractees) and carried on a covert competition with William Castle, of all people.
Visually, Tourneur's film is marvelous, effortlessly conjuring menacing forests lit in the fantastic Mario Bava mode by Ted Scaife, who was not known as a genre stylist. There are more than a few perfunctory sets, with some unflattering mattes used for airport interiors, etc.. Elsewhere we see beautiful designs by Ken Adam in one of his earliest outings. Karswell's ornate floor and central staircase evoke an Escher print, especially when visible/invisible hands appear on the banister. A hypnotic, maze-like set for a hotel corridor is also tainted by Escher and evokes a sense of the uncanny even better than the horrid sounds Holden hears. The build-up of terror is so effective that one rather unconvincing episode (a fight with a Cat People - like transforming cat) does no harm. Other effects, such as the demon footprints appearing in the forest, work beautifully.
In his Encyclopedia of Horror Movies Phil Hardy very rightly relates Curse of the Demon's emphasis on the visual to the then just-beginning Euro-horror subgenre. The works of Bava, Margheriti and Freda would make the photographic texture of the screen the prime element of their films, sometimes above acting and story logic.
Columbia TriStar's DVD of Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon presents both versions of this classic in one package. American viewers saw an effective but abbreviated cut-down. If you've seen Curse of the Demon on cable TV or rented a VHS or a laser anytime after 1987, you're not going to see anything different in the film. In 1987 Columbia happened to pull out the English cut when it went to re-master. When the title came up as Night of the Demon, they just slugged in the Curse main title card and let it go.
From such a happy accident (believe me, nobody in charge at Columbia at the time would have purposely given a film like this a second glance) came a restoration at least as wonderful as the earlier reversion of The Fearless Vampire Killers to its original form. Genre fans were taken by surprise and the Laserdisc became a hot item that often traded for hundreds of dollars. 6
Back in film school Savant had been convinced that ever seeing the long, original Night cut was a lost cause. An excellent article in the old Photon magazine in the early '70s 5, before such analytical work was common, accurately laid out the differences between the two versions, something Savant needs to do sometime with The Damned and These Are the Damned. The Photon article very accurately describes the cut scenes and what the film lost without them, and certainly inspired many of the ideas here.
Being able to see the two versions back-to-back shows exactly how they differ. Curse omits some scenes and rearranges others. Gone is some narration from the title sequence, most of the airplane ride, some dialogue on the ground with the newsmen and several scenes with Karswell talking to his mother. Most crucially missing are Karswell's mother showing Joanna the cabalistic book everyone talks so much about and Holden's entire visit to the Hobart farm to secure a release for his examination of Rand Hobart. Of course the cut film still works (we loved the cut Curse at UCLA screenings and there are people who actually think it's better) but it's nowhere near as involving as the complete UK version. Curse also reshuffles some events, moving Holden's phantom encounter in the hallway nearer the beginning, which may have been to get a spooky scene in the middle section or to better disguise the loss of whole scenes later. The chop-job should have been obvious. The newly imposed fades and dissolves look awkward. One cut very sloppily happens right in the middle of a previous dissolve.
Night places both Andrews and Cummins' credits above the title and gives McGinnis an "also starring" credit immediately afterwards. Oddly, Curse sticks Cummins afterwards and relegates McGinnis to the top of the "also with" cast list. Maybe with his role chopped down, some Columbia executive thought he didn't deserve the billing?
Technically, both versions look just fine, very sharp and free of digital funk that would spoil the film's spooky visual texture. Night of the Demon is the version to watch for both content and quality. It's not perfect but has better contrast and less dirt than the American version. Curse has more emulsion scratches and flecking white dandruff in its dark scenes, yet looks fine until one sees the improvement of Night. Both shows are widescreen enhanced (hosanna), framing the action at its original tighter aspect ratio.
It's terrific that Columbia TriStar has brought out this film so thoughtfully, even though some viewers are going to be confused when their "double feature" disc appears to be two copies of the same movie. Let 'em stew. This is Savant's favorite release so far this year.
On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon rates:
Movie: Excellent
Footnotes:
Made very close to Curse of the Demon and starring Dana Andrews, The Fearmakers (great title) was a Savant must-see until he caught up with it in the UA collection at MGM. It's a pitiful no-budgeter that claims Madison Avenue was providing public relations for foreign subversives, and is negligible even in the lists of '50s anti-Commie films.
Return
Curse of the Demon's Demon has been the subject of debate ever since the heyday of Famous Monsters of Filmland. From what's on record it's clear that producer Chester added or maximized the shots of the creature, a literal visualization of a fiery, brimstone-smoking classical woodcut demon that some viewers think looks ridiculous. Bennett and Tourneur's original idea was to never show a demon but the producer changed that. Tourneur probably directed most of the shots, only to have Chester over-use them. To Savant's thinking, the demon looks great. It is first perceived as an ominous sound, a less strident version of the disturbing noise made by Them! Then it manifests itself visually as a strange disturbance in the sky (bubbles? sparks? early slit-scan?) followed by a billowing cloud of sulphurous smoke (a dandy effect not exploited again until Close Encounters of the Third Kind). The long-shot demon is sometimes called the bicycle demon because he's a rod puppet with legs that move on a wheel-rig. Smoke belches from all over his scaly body. Close-ups are provided by a wonderfully sculpted head 'n' shoulders demon with articulated eyes and lips, a full decade or so before Carlo Rambaldi started engineering such devices.
Most of the debate centers on how much Demon should have been shown with the general consensus that less would have been better. People who dote on Lewton-esque ambivalence say that the film's slow buildup of rationality-versus demonology is destroyed by the very real Demon's appearance in the first scene, and that's where they'd like it removed or radically reduced. The Demon is so nicely integrated into the cutting (the giant foot in the first scene is a real jolt) that it's likely that Tourneur himself filmed it all, perhaps expecting the shots to be shorter or more obscured. It is also possible that the giant head was a post-Tourneur addition - it doesn't tie in with the other shots as well (especially when it rolls forward rather stiffly) and is rather blunt. Detractors lump it in with the gawd-awful head of The Black Scorpion, which is filmed the same way and almost certainly was an afterthought - and also became a key poster image. This demon head matches the surrounding action a lot better than did the drooling Scorpion.
Savant wouldn't change Curse of the Demon but if you put a gun to my head I'd shorten most of the shots in its first appearance, perhaps eliminating all close-ups except for the final, superb shot of the the giant claw reaching for Harrington / us.
Kumar, played (I assume) by an Anglo actor, immediately evokes all those Indian and other Third World characters in Hammer films whose indigenous cultures invariably hold all manner of black magic and insidious horror. When Hammer films are repetitious it's because they take eighty minutes or so to convince the imagination-challenged English heroes to even consider the premise of the film as being real. In Curse of the Demon, Holden's smart-tongued dismissal of outside viewpoints seems much more pigheaded now than it did in 1957, when heroes confidently defended conformist values without being challenged. Kumar is a scientist but also probably a Hindu or a Sikh. He has no difficulty reconciling his faith with his scientific detachment. Holden is far too tactful to call Kumar a crazy third-world guru but that's probably what he's thinking. He instead politely ignores him. Good old Kumar then saves Holden's hide with some timely information. I hope Holden remembered to thank him.
There's an unstated conclusion in Curse of the Demon: Holden's rigid disbelief of the supernatural means he also does not believe in a Christian God with its fundamentally spiritual faith system of Good and Evil, saints and devils, angels and demons. Horror movies that deal directly with religious symbolism and "real faith" can be hypocritical in their exploitation and brutal in their cheap toying with what are for many people sacred personal concepts. I'm thinking of course of The Exorcist here. That movie has all the grace of a reporter who shows a serial killer's atrocity photos to a mother whose child has just been kidnapped. Curse of the Demon hasn't The Exorcist's ruthless commercial instincts but instead has the modesty not to pretend to be profound, or even "real." Yet it expresses our basic human conflict between rationality and faith very nicely.
Savant called Jim Wyrnoski, who was associated with Photon, in an effort to find out more about the article, namely who wrote it. It was very well done and I've never forgotten it; I unfortunately loaned my copy out to good old Jim Ursini and it disappeared. Obviously, a lot of the ideas here, I first read there. Perhaps a reader who knows better how to take care of their belongings can help me with the info? Ursini and Alain Silvers' More Things than are Dreamt Of Limelight, 1994, analyzes Curse of the Demon (and many other horror movies) in the context of its source story.
This is a true story: Cut to 2000. Columbia goes to re-master Curse of the Demon and finds that the fine-grain original of the English version is missing. The original long version of the movie may be lost forever. A few months later a collector appears who says he bought it from another unnamed collector and offers to trade it for a print copy of the American version, which he prefers. Luckily, an intermediary helps the collector follow up on his offer and the authorities are not contacted about what some would certainly call stolen property. The long version is now once again safe. Studios clearly need to defend their property but many collectors have "items" they personally have acquired legally. More often than you might think, such finds come about because studios throw away important elements. If the studios threaten prosecution, they will find that collectors will never approach them. They'd probably prefer to destroy irreplaceable film to avoid being criminalized.
Justin Jones @ Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC on Saturday, February 29, 2020
#Setlist:
California
I Don't Know
Prairie Rain
I Don't Want To Wait
Love Lies
When You Die
My Baby Girl
Good Life
The River
As It Turns Out
Resentment
Ain't No Way
Don't Close Your Eyes
Outgrown
All Of These Years
Make Me The Moon
Bonhams
Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris
The Grand Palais Éphémère
Place Joffre
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2023
Estimated : 1.800.000 - 2.600.000
Withdrawn
The most famous performance car based on the Volkswagen Beetle is, of course, the Porsche 356, but before then there was another from an unlikely source: the Luftwaffe. Specifically, the Luftwaffe's 'courier car' was based on the very first Volkswagen: the KdF Wagen Typ 60, which was in production from 1937 to 1944. The Luftwaffe's requirement was for a fast small car that would serve as a courier vehicle, while at the same time being light, reliable, cheap to build and simple to maintain. The car took its name from its German designer, Kurt C Volkhart, while the low-drag body was designed by Baron R König von Fachsenfeld, who would later produce many streamlined designs for mainstream German manufacturers.
Kurt Volkhart, born in 1890, constructed the first rocket car for Opel in 1928 based on an idea by Max Valier. He also drove it until Fritz von Opel recognised the publicity value of driving the car himself. Volkhart left Opel in resentment; he competed in car races, built his own rocket car, and briefly worked on the construction of a rocket-powered aircraft.
Volkhart had long ago recognised that performance could be improved by careful aerodynamic design, and towards the end of the 1930s planned a small, inexpensive sports car: the two-seater V1. The rear-mounted 1,172cc engine was the same as that found in the Ford Eifel and produced only 32bhp, which in the donor car was good enough for a top speed no better than 100km/h (62mph). But thanks to its extraordinarily low claimed drag coefficient of only 0.165, the slippery Volkhart was capable of speeds of up to 138km/h (85.7mph). Modern aerodynamicists later recalculated the V1's likely drag coefficient as 0.30, but when the V2 was tested in Volkswagen's wind tunnel in 2013 it was found to be 0.216, as good as the very best of modern designs.
Development continued but was stopped later in the war, and the project would not resurface until 1947, following an injection of funds from Sagitta. Based on a Volkswagen chassis that Volkhart had purchased during the war (which was confiscated by the British Army before being retrieved by its owner), the new V2 offered accommodation for 4/5 passengers but never came close to series production, not the least because Volkswagen refused to provide chassis. Construction of the aluminium body was entrusted to Helmut Fuchs in Niederwenningern, Ruhr, with additional work by Hans Daum's body shop. One of the V2's many interesting features was a novel 'anti-skid' mechanism mounted at the rear behind the engine as an early form of 'stability control'.
Only one example of the V2 Sagitta was built in 1947; it was purchased by Hugo Tigges, who had sourced the raw materials necessary for its construction. Tigges used the V2 as his 'daily driver' for six years before consigning it in 1953 to his garden where it served as a chicken coop!
In 1955, the V2 was so neglected that Helmut Daum, son of the aforementioned Hans Daum, was allowed to relocate the chickens and recover the car from the garden. Over the succeeding decades, it was rebuilt and repainted several times and then laid up before coming to Austria in 2011, finding a new home with an Austrian Porsche collector. "I always wanted a one-off," said the new owner in 2015. "I immediately drove to classic car events, including Villa d'Este." There, in 2012, the Volkhart V2 was declared a personal favourite by the television team's presenter, who interviewed only the owner to the chagrin of the many Ferrari owners!
When he later refused to sell the V2 to a friend, the latter offered to restore it for him. The aluminium body has been restored and the non-original British Racing Green livery replaced by silver metallic (the original finish), with the result that its sculptural lines are revealed to their full effect. We are advised that the Beetle engine's 24 horses are in good shape and sound even stronger in the lightweight V2.
The Postcard
A postally unused carte postale by Sanson-Vanneste of Poperinghe.
Poperinghe
Poperinghe (also spelled Poperinge) is a town in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It has a history going back to medieval times.
Poperinghe is situated about 8 miles to the west of Leper/Ypres. As well as lace production, the region is famous for growing hops, and supplies 80% of Belgian production.
The town is home to the National Hops Museum, and is nicknamed 'Hops City'. A hop festival and parade is held every three years in September. One of the local brews is known as Hommel (which means hops in the local dialect).
There are over 800 different types of beer in Belgium. Another of the famous local beers is Sixtus, which is brewed in the St.-Sixtus Abbey near Proven, about 2.5 miles (4 km) north-west of Poperinge.
Poperinghe in the Great War
During the Great War, the town was one of only two in Belgium that was not under German occupation.
Throughout the Great War Poperinghe, or 'Pops' as British soldiers called it, was used by the British Army as a gateway to the battlefields of the northern Ypres Salient.
Poperinghe was an important rail centre just behind the front line, and was used for the distribution of supplies, for billeting troops, for casualty clearing stations and for troops at rest from duty in the forward trench areas. Vast numbers of troops passed through this small town at some time or other.
The main square of Poperinghe formed the hub of five main roads leading into the town, and was therefore constantly bustling with military traffic, military personnel and those civilians who had stayed on in the town.
Artillery and Aerial Bomb Attacks
Because of its importance to the military behind the front Allied lines, the town was frequently targeted by long range German artillery. During the Third Battle of Ypres (31st. July - 10th. November 1917) Poperinge and the surrounding area was repeatedly bombed by German aircraft. Some bombs landed on the Casualty Clearing Stations nearby.
Toc H
The town formed an important link for soldiers and their families, especially through the rest house known as Talbot House (or 'Toc H'). It was established by the Reverend 'Tubby' Clayton in December 1915 as an 'Everyman's Club' for soldiers and officers of the British Army. It is now a museum.
'Toc H' is a shortened form of Talbot House, with 'Toc' signifying the letter T in the signals spelling alphabet used by the British Army in the Great War.
Death Cells
A grim reminder of that time remains within the town hall, where two death cells are preserved, and outside in the courtyard, where there is a public execution post that was used by firing squads.
Military Cemeteries
Another reminder of the Great War is the location of a number of military cemeteries on the outskirts of the town which contain the graves of Canadian, British, Australian, French, German, and American servicemen, as well as men of the Chinese Labour Corps.
One of these cemeteries is Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery for soldiers who had been wounded near Ypres and later died in the large Allied casualty clearing stations located in the area.
Shot at Dawn
Sergeant John T. Wall of Bockleton, near Tenbury, Worcestershire had enlisted in the Worcestershire Regiment as a drummer boy aged 16 in 1912, and served bravely in many actions on the Western Front from the beginning of the Great War.
At 5.25 am on the 6th September 1917, Sergeant Wall was executed by firing squad at Poperinghe for desertion. He was 22 years of age.
He is buried in Poperinghe New Military Cemetery. His parents William and Harriet Wall placed the following inscription on his gravestone:
'For ever with the Lord'.
He was one of hundreds of British soldiers of the Great War who were shot by their own men for supposed cowardice or desertion.
Sergeant Wall was executed at dawn for refusing to take his men to a near-certain death. He had spent the night before in one of the death cells referred to above.
The ground he was supposed to cover was a pestilent porridge of poison gas-soaked, bomb-cratered mud that had been turned into a glutinous, knee-deep swamp by a previous heavy thunderstorm. The area was intensively raked by enemy shells and machine gun fire.
He was charged with desertion and executed, although refusing to lead his men in a suicidal attack was in reality good soldiering common sense. Common sense was however, sadly often in short supply in the upper hierarchy of the British Army during the Great War.
A Typical Execution
The condemned private spends his last night in a small room, alone with his thoughts before his execution at dawn. He might be writing painful letters to family and friends. He is also likely to be encouraged to drink heavily in order to be insensible during execution. The private is guarded by two military policemen (MPs or redcaps) and ministered by a chaplain.
The condemned man’s commanding officer (CO) orders a company of men to witness the execution, wanting to set an example to other would-be deserters. Meanwhile a firing squad assembles, sick with nerves, in the dawn light. Some of the men know the condemned and have mixed feelings about his fate, some even carrying deep resentment at having to execute him. Their rifles have been pre-loaded—one with a blank—to take some of the individual responsibility away from shooting their fighting pal.
The condemned man is led, blind drunk, to a post by two redcaps, his hands tied behind his back. The lieutenant waits at the side of the shooting party, with a medical officer (MO). The lieutenant (Lt.) gives the order to shoot the prisoner. Some deliberately shoot wide. Two of the men vomit on the spot. The MO checks the prisoner over and concludes that the private is mortally wounded, but not dead. The young lieutenant, with shaky hands, administers the coup de grâce: a bullet to the head.
A military ambulance stands by to take the corpse off to be buried. That same evening the battalion colonel writes a letter to the private’s parents informing them that their son has been shot at the front. He leaves the message deliberately ambiguous, sparing the man’s family any difficult feelings about his execution.
Posthumous Pardons
The 'Shot at Dawn' Memorial in Alrewas, Staffordshire, originally contained the names of 306 men who were executed for 'cowardice' or 'desertion'.
With many now recognised as having been suffering from mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, these men were posthumously pardoned by Royal Assent in November 2006.
The Staffordshire memorial was created to honour their sacrifices, along with all those who died in combat fighting for the British Empire during the Great War.
200,000 serving soldiers were officially court-martialled by the British High Command during the Great War.
Of these, 20,000 were found guilty of offences that carried the death penalty. 3,000 officially received it, although most of these sentences were subsequently commuted.
In the end, of the 3,000, 346 executions were carried out by firing squad.
Now, of the 40 names left off the Shot at Dawn Memorial, three have been added, thanks to the persistence of memorial creator Andy DeComyn.
They are New Zealander Jack Braithwaite, Gunner William Lewis from Scotland, and Jesse Robert Short, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
Jack Braithwaite
Braithwaite's 'mutiny', according to the Birmingham Mail, consisted of nothing more than a misdemeanour.
The bohemian former journalist, who'd confessed at his trial to not being a natural soldier, had tried to calm down a belligerent prisoner at Blargies prison in Rouen by taking the man to his tent to feed him.
The soldier, Private Little, had been a ringleader in a small uprising against the prison guards. But Little was an Australian, and couldn't be executed because Australia's government wouldn't allow Great Britain to execute its soldiers.
Unfortunately Braithwaite was a New Zealander, and could be executed. His attempt to defuse the potential riot (sparked by appalling conditions at the prison) involved him leading Little away from the custody of a staff sergeant, which officially amounted to mutiny.
Jack was subsequently shot by firing squad on the 28th. August 1916.
Gunner William Lewis
Jack's execution occurred within five minutes of Gunner William Lewis, who'd also been involved in the uprising at the prison.
Corporal Jesse Short
Meanwhile, Corporal Jesse Short was condemned to death for uttering:
"Put a rope around that bugger's neck,
tie a stone to it and throw him into the
river".
He was said to be inciting guards barring his exit from the infamous 'Bull Ring' training camp to rebel against their officer.
This was the September 1917 Étaples Mutiny, an uprising by around 80 servicemen rebelling against what are now acknowledged to have been harsh and unreasonable conditions at the camp.
The uprising was depicted in the 1978 book (and 1986 BBC series) 'The Monocled Mutineer', the lead character in which is said to have been based at least partially on Corporal Short.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, confirmed Short's death sentence (as he had Lewis's a year earlier).
Short, Lewis, and Braithwaite received their pardons and have been honoured along with comrades who fell in battle.
The remaining 37 men who were shot, according to Richard Pursehouse of the Staffordshire military history research group the Chase Project, were not executed for mutiny, but murder.
As this also would have resulted in a death sentence even under civil law codes of the time, it was decided that their names should not be added to the memorial.
A juvenile inmate sits on February 19, 2014, shackled, during a visit by a psychiatrist from the Germany-based humanitarian organisation, Sign of Hope (Hoffnungszeichen) at the central prison in Rumbek, Lakes state, South Sudan. Independent for nearly three years as of mid-last December when South Sudan fell into wide-spread, deadly ethnic violence the shortlived peace is seen to be sacrificed at the altar of a corrupt albeit fledgling government. Influenced principally by the two largest ethnic groups, Dinka and Nuer respectively, also traditionally fierce rivals -- government efforts to contain simmering intercommunal resentment, led to rifts within the ruling SPLM, according to US special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth. AFP PHOTO/Tony KARUMBA
SSUDAN-UNREST
In the 1760's a bill to replace the old bridge was carried through parliament by the Bristol MP Sir Jarrit Smyth. By the early 18th century, increase in traffic and the encroachment of shops on the roadway made the bridge fatally dangerous for many pedestrians, but despite a campaign by Felix Farley in his Journal, no action was taken until a shopkeeper on the bridge employed James Bridges to provide designs. The commission accepted the design of James Bridges after many long drawn out disputes which are still unclear. Bridges fled to the West Indies in 1763 leaving Thomas Paty to complete it between 1763 and 1768. Resentment at the tolls exacted to cross the new bridge occasioned the Bristol Bridge Riot of 1793. The toll houses were turned into shops before they were removed. In the 19th century, the roadway was again congested, so walkways were added on either side, the supporting columns disguising the classical Georgian design. The current metal railings date from the 1960s.
Museum of London
On the evening or night of Tuesday 28 November 1290 Eleanor of Castile, the beloved wife of Edward I and mother of his 14 children, died aged 49, at Harby in Nottinghamshire. The places where her body rested during the journey south to its tomb in Westminster Abbey were marked by stone crosses.
The twelve crosses were at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham (Cross), Westcheap (Cheapside), Charing (Charing Cross). Of these only three of the original crosses survive, those at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross.
Queen Eleanor was three times buried. The tomb, containing her viscera, is in Lincoln Cathedral. Her heart was buried at Blackfriars Monastery in London and her body in Westminster Abbey.
Edward was determined to mark the death of his remarkable Queen in significant and elaborate fashion. There has been nothing like the cortège of Eleanor, before or since, on this island. Her embalmed body was dressed in loose robes, crowned, and placed on an open bier. The procession, with the Queen’s chaplain at its head and Edward following the bier, left Lincoln on 4 December. The journey back to Westminster took just under two weeks, with much of the route following the ancient roads of Ermine Street and Watling Street, and most of the overnight stops on or close to Eleanor’s landholdings. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December 1290.
Eleanor's bier reached the City of London on 14 December 1290. The cortège entered the city through the northern gate of Bishopsgate. Here they turned left, skirting the city wall until they arrived at Holy Trinity Priory in the east of the city where it rested for the night of 14th December.
On Friday 15 December the funeral party journeyed slowly westwards along the city’s busiest street, Cheapside. Passing the little priory of Sack Friars that Eleanor had refounded in the late 1260s, they reached the large Franciscan friary of Grey Friars. After a mass there, the procession entered the precinct of St Paul’s Cathedral where it rested for the night of 15th December.
A site for the cross was selected in Westcheap (now Cheapside). Her heart was buried in the Blackfriars priory on 19 December. The Cheapside cross was built from 1291 onwards by Michael of Canterbury at a total recorded cost of £226 13s. 4d.
Under a licence granted by Henry VI in 1441, the cross was extensively restored or rebuilt in 1484–86. It was subsequently re-gilded several times in the 16th century on the occasion of coronations and royal visits to the City. John Stow included a detailed account of the cross and its history in his "Survay of London" of 1598, updating it in 1603.
Although a number of images of the cross and its eventual destruction are known, these all postdate its various refurbishments, and so provide no certain guide to its original appearance. However, the chronicler Walter of Guisborough refers to this and Charing Cross as being fashioned of "marble"; and it is likely that it was similar to the Hardingstone and Waltham Crosses, but even more ornate and boasting some Purbeck marble facings.
The cross came to be regarded as something of a public hazard, both as a traffic obstruction and because of concerns about fragments of stone falling off; while in the post-Reformation period some of its Catholic imagery aroused resentment, and elements were defaced in 1581, 1599 and 1600–01. Matters came to a head during the years leading up to the Civil War. To puritanical reformers, it was identified with Dagon, the ancient god of the Philistines, and was seen as the embodiment of royal and Catholic tradition. At least one riot was fought in its shadow, as opponents of the cross descended upon it to pull it down, and supporters rallied to stop them. After Charles I had fled London to raise an army, the destruction of the cross was almost the first order of business for the Parliamentary Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, led by Sir Robert Harley, and it was demolished on 2 May 1643. The downfall of the Cheapside Cross is an important episode of iconoclasm in English history.
Two Purbeck marble fragments of the original cross, displaying shields bearing the royal arms of England and of Castile and León, were recovered in 1838 during reconstruction of the sewer in Cheapside. They are now held by the Museum of London.
A paving stone with a carved inscription, outside the western door of St Mary-le-Bow church tower, in Cheapside, was installed in 2015 to record the former existence of an Eleanor Cross nearby.
"When routine bites hard, and ambitions are low
And resentment rides high, but emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart again --"
Rocinha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
Rocinha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
"Nena nunca voy a ser un súper hombre…" "Soda Stereo"
Aunque no soy un súper héroe (eso está claro!)
en la vida diaria nos encontramos con muchas cosas que nos debilitan!
Mi Kriptonita es: La indiferencia, el odio, la gente ruidosa, el rencor, la mentira, la impuntualidad, la incompetencia, los gritos, la terquedad, el Amor (en muchas ocasiones)!
y lo peor de todo es que llevo todo eso dentro!
-------------
"Baby I'll never be a super man ..." "Soda Stereo"
Although I am not a superhero (that's for sure!)
in daily life we find many things that make us weak!
My Kryptonite is: indifference, hatred, loud people, resentment, lies, tardiness, incompetence, the screams, the stubbornness, the Love (many times)!
and worst of all is that I have all this inside me!
I told the extremely awesome Miss Theresa that I'd throw something together for her from some of the malachite chips I already had laying around (which made a cameo in this picture. I made a spirally sterling silver bead, and strung the malachite on that, and then strung the whole thing on a piece of leather cord.
I'll send it off as soon as I've got the scratch for shipping. Theresa, let me know if you like it or want anything changed!
(And if you're interested in having me make you something, poke me and let me know. I'm pretty reasonable; extra reasonable if I already have the materials lying around.)
Here's the description of malachite, for those of you into this kind of hippie stuff. ;)
Malachite's gift is assisting one to be comfortable in changing situations.
Excellent stone for identifying, recognizing and releasing negative experiences, especially one that you cannot recall.
This is particularly useful for people on a spiritual path, or in recovery, for releasing guilt.
How does one make amends for that which you have no recollection or knowledge? Malachite will help you clear the past that you may have no conscious awareness of, yet remains a burden you are carrying.
It can be helpful in gaining insight into the cause of specific conditions, such as relationships, resentments, and anxiety so that you can release them.
The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain course (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJtJXtROPEQ&t=28s
Is the US economy heading down, and taking the world with it? | The Bottom Line
www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-economic-forecast-has...
The economic forecast has ‘darkened significantly’ in the last 3 months and a global recession can’t be ruled out, warns IMF’s chief
Business conditions in the last three months have “darkened significantly,” and the risk of a global economic recession is on the rise, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund.
“It’s going to be a tough ’22, but maybe even a tougher 2023,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told Reuters on Wednesday.
Georgieva cited the global spread of inflation, dramatic interest rate hikes by central banks, a slowdown in China’s economic growth and unprecedented sanctions against Russia among the factors affecting worldwide markets.
The IMF’s last outlook called for the global economy to expand by 3.6% this year, but Georgieva said the fund would be releasing a new estimate in the coming weeks that lowers the expected growth rate. The move would represent the IMF’s third downward revision of its estimate this year.
“We are in choppy waters,” Georgieva told Reuters, noting during the interview that an economic recession is something that cannot be ruled out.
www.reuters.com/markets/europe/nobodys-perfect-german-eco...
Analysis: 'Nobody's perfect': German economy, engine of Europe, splutters
▫️ Germany breaks 30-year winning streak as export champion
▫️ Europe's economic icon faces u-turn in fortunes
▫️ Divisions could hamper German action
FRANKFURT, July 8 (Reuters) - Long one of the globe's economic stars, Germany is on a brink of a reversal of fortune which some fear imperils the prosperity built by its post-war generation.
While on the surface, the German economic engine is purring, a recent reversal in exports and steep stock price falls betray deep-seated problems in the continent's most populous and industrious country, a central pillar of the European Union.
In May, Europe's biggest economy imported more than it exported for the first time in three decades, breaking a winning streak as "Exportweltmeister" or "global export champion" since the country's reunification.
Finance minister Christian Lindner compared it with a "profit warning" - a red alert companies issue if earnings are set to disappoint. Selling more than it buys has been a central tenet of Germany's ascent to the global economic elite.
Just weeks earlier, on the same day as Berlin edged towards rationing energy, shares in Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Commerzbank(CBKG.DE) , the country's flagship lenders and bellwethers for its economy, tumbled around 12%.
German regulators put that collapse down to fears for the country's economy in the face of curbs in the supply of Russian gas that underpins industry, said one person with knowledge of the matter.
"This may really be the beginning of a weaker period for Germany," said Achim Truger, one of the government’s chief economic experts that advises the chancellery.
"If ever somebody viewed Germany as a role model, maybe it's time to have a realistic view about strengths and weakness. Nobody's perfect."
After the World War Two, Germany, bolstered by U.S. aid, built its economy on cars, machinery and chemicals, controlled through banks such as Deutsche Bank owning stakes in industrial firms - a system known as Deutschland AG, or Germany Inc.
The country's Bundesbank held its currency steady, cheap Russian gas powered industry and unions were tied into management boards to control wages. The result: an icon of industrialism grudgingly admired around the globe.
All this fuelled leaps in exports through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, by which time the Deutsche mark had been replaced by the euro at a rate which made German exports attractive.
Germany, thanks to labour market reforms, overcame a spell as the "sick man of Europe" at the turn of the millennium, but its success in selling more to its European neighbours than it bought, antagonised many countries that borrowed to buy German goods.
Then Berlin's insistence in the debt crisis that countries such as Greece accept tough conditions for emergency loans fuelled more resentment. But many Germans rejected such criticism, crediting their efficiency for the nation's success.
Seeking to rekindle the collaborative spirit that led to this success, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this week met trade union and employer association leaders to discuss what he called a "historic" cost of living crisis.
Scholz, a Social Democrat, said he was reviving a model of cooperation established in 1967 when Germany fell into recession for the first time since its post-war boom.
But it will be harder now to placate trade unions, following a national drive to keep wages low through tax-free "mini-jobs" that capped hourly earnings for many low-skilled workers at about 10 euros - just enough to buy 20 McDonald's chicken McNuggets.
Reforms to curb unemployment payouts, introduced by Social Democrat chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who forged close ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin and later worked for a Russian oil giant, further soured relations with unions.
Although Germany appears more stable than Britain, which is facing government upheaval, or France, where people clad in yellow vests protested against soaring costs of living, tensions are simmering.
Growing worker discontent can be seen in the rise of strikes. Those peaked recently in 2015, with roughly 28 strike days per 1,000 workers compared with almost none in 2000, and more recently, unions have warned of more strikes to push for wage hikes.
"I saw this risk ... when there was discussion of a gas embargo," said Monika Schnitzer, another economic adviser to the government. "I would be seriously worried about stability."
SYMBOLIC SHIFT
Economists now believe that Germany could be opening a bleak chapter.
Although it held up better than the euro area as a whole during the pandemic in 2020, its economy did not rebound as strongly as the bloc in 2021 and is expected to lag this year.
The European Commission forecasts Germany to grow 1.6% this year compared with 3.1% for France and 4% of Spain.
"Globalisation, just-in-time supply chains and cheap energy from Russia - those are things that are changing and they are changing for good," said Carsten Brzeski, an economist with Dutch bank ING.
Those advantages have helped make German industry, from giants to hundreds of medium-sized champions, so successful.
"This is a real turning point for Germany," he said.
Germany's critical engineering and machinery sector, which outfits factories throughout China and the world, is on edge.
Ralph Wiechers, executive board member at the industry's VDMA trade body described the trade balance swinging into the red as a "warning".
"The question now is to what extent customers worldwide will scale back projects," he said.
Fielmann (FIEG.DE), the German eyewear manufacturer that operates in 16 countries, is pessimistic. Its shares have tumbled a third this year.
"We are feeling the considerable increase in transport and energy costs and the pressure in the supply chains," said its chief executive Marc Fielmann.
Gunther Schnabl, an economist with Leipzig University, blames German penny pinching for the country's predicament.
For years, Germany has saved money on defence and infrastructure while helping exporters by keeping wages low and importing cheap gas from Russia, he said.
"But it wasn’t investing the money. Instead it was using it to hide an erosion of prosperity. This isn’t going to work for much longer. Divisions and dissatisfaction are growing."
Museum of London
On the evening or night of Tuesday 28 November 1290 Eleanor of Castile, the beloved wife of Edward I and mother of his 14 children, died aged 49, at Harby in Nottinghamshire. The places where her body rested during the journey south to its tomb in Westminster Abbey were marked by stone crosses.
The twelve crosses were at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham (Cross), Westcheap (Cheapside), Charing (Charing Cross). Of these only three of the original crosses survive, those at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross.
Queen Eleanor was three times buried. The tomb, containing her viscera, is in Lincoln Cathedral. Her heart was buried at Blackfriars Monastery in London and her body in Westminster Abbey.
Edward was determined to mark the death of his remarkable Queen in significant and elaborate fashion. There has been nothing like the cortège of Eleanor, before or since, on this island. Her embalmed body was dressed in loose robes, crowned, and placed on an open bier. The procession, with the Queen’s chaplain at its head and Edward following the bier, left Lincoln on 4 December. The journey back to Westminster took just under two weeks, with much of the route following the ancient roads of Ermine Street and Watling Street, and most of the overnight stops on or close to Eleanor’s landholdings. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December 1290.
Eleanor's bier reached the City of London on 14 December 1290. The cortège entered the city through the northern gate of Bishopsgate. Here they turned left, skirting the city wall until they arrived at Holy Trinity Priory in the east of the city where it rested for the night of 14th December.
On Friday 15 December the funeral party journeyed slowly westwards along the city’s busiest street, Cheapside. Passing the little priory of Sack Friars that Eleanor had refounded in the late 1260s, they reached the large Franciscan friary of Grey Friars. After a mass there, the procession entered the precinct of St Paul’s Cathedral where it rested for the night of 15th December.
A site for the cross was selected in Westcheap (now Cheapside). Her heart was buried in the Blackfriars priory on 19 December. The Cheapside cross was built from 1291 onwards by Michael of Canterbury at a total recorded cost of £226 13s. 4d.
Under a licence granted by Henry VI in 1441, the cross was extensively restored or rebuilt in 1484–86. It was subsequently re-gilded several times in the 16th century on the occasion of coronations and royal visits to the City. John Stow included a detailed account of the cross and its history in his "Survay of London" of 1598, updating it in 1603.
Although a number of images of the cross and its eventual destruction are known, these all postdate its various refurbishments, and so provide no certain guide to its original appearance. However, the chronicler Walter of Guisborough refers to this and Charing Cross as being fashioned of "marble"; and it is likely that it was similar to the Hardingstone and Waltham Crosses, but even more ornate and boasting some Purbeck marble facings.
The cross came to be regarded as something of a public hazard, both as a traffic obstruction and because of concerns about fragments of stone falling off; while in the post-Reformation period some of its Catholic imagery aroused resentment, and elements were defaced in 1581, 1599 and 1600–01. Matters came to a head during the years leading up to the Civil War. To puritanical reformers, it was identified with Dagon, the ancient god of the Philistines, and was seen as the embodiment of royal and Catholic tradition. At least one riot was fought in its shadow, as opponents of the cross descended upon it to pull it down, and supporters rallied to stop them. After Charles I had fled London to raise an army, the destruction of the cross was almost the first order of business for the Parliamentary Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, led by Sir Robert Harley, and it was demolished on 2 May 1643. The downfall of the Cheapside Cross is an important episode of iconoclasm in English history.
Two Purbeck marble fragments of the original cross, displaying shields bearing the royal arms of England and of Castile and León, were recovered in 1838 during reconstruction of the sewer in Cheapside. They are now held by the Museum of London.
A paving stone with a carved inscription, outside the western door of St Mary-le-Bow church tower, in Cheapside, was installed in 2015 to record the former existence of an Eleanor Cross nearby.
The subtle body language visible through the holo projection of Lord Hassat hinted at his resentment. He caught the eye of the Grand Moff, and bared his teeth as his projection flickered and disappeared.
Museum of London
On the evening or night of Tuesday 28 November 1290 Eleanor of Castile, the beloved wife of Edward I and mother of his 14 children, died aged 49, at Harby in Nottinghamshire. The places where her body rested during the journey south to its tomb in Westminster Abbey were marked by stone crosses.
The twelve crosses were at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham (Cross), Westcheap (Cheapside), Charing (Charing Cross). Of these only three of the original crosses survive, those at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross.
Queen Eleanor was three times buried. The tomb, containing her viscera, is in Lincoln Cathedral. Her heart was buried at Blackfriars Monastery in London and her body in Westminster Abbey.
Edward was determined to mark the death of his remarkable Queen in significant and elaborate fashion. There has been nothing like the cortège of Eleanor, before or since, on this island. Her embalmed body was dressed in loose robes, crowned, and placed on an open bier. The procession, with the Queen’s chaplain at its head and Edward following the bier, left Lincoln on 4 December. The journey back to Westminster took just under two weeks, with much of the route following the ancient roads of Ermine Street and Watling Street, and most of the overnight stops on or close to Eleanor’s landholdings. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December 1290.
Eleanor's bier reached the City of London on 14 December 1290. The cortège entered the city through the northern gate of Bishopsgate. Here they turned left, skirting the city wall until they arrived at Holy Trinity Priory in the east of the city where it rested for the night of 14th December.
On Friday 15 December the funeral party journeyed slowly westwards along the city’s busiest street, Cheapside. Passing the little priory of Sack Friars that Eleanor had refounded in the late 1260s, they reached the large Franciscan friary of Grey Friars. After a mass there, the procession entered the precinct of St Paul’s Cathedral where it rested for the night of 15th December.
A site for the cross was selected in Westcheap (now Cheapside). Her heart was buried in the Blackfriars priory on 19 December. The Cheapside cross was built from 1291 onwards by Michael of Canterbury at a total recorded cost of £226 13s. 4d.
Under a licence granted by Henry VI in 1441, the cross was extensively restored or rebuilt in 1484–86. It was subsequently re-gilded several times in the 16th century on the occasion of coronations and royal visits to the City. John Stow included a detailed account of the cross and its history in his "Survay of London" of 1598, updating it in 1603.
Although a number of images of the cross and its eventual destruction are known, these all postdate its various refurbishments, and so provide no certain guide to its original appearance. However, the chronicler Walter of Guisborough refers to this and Charing Cross as being fashioned of "marble"; and it is likely that it was similar to the Hardingstone and Waltham Crosses, but even more ornate and boasting some Purbeck marble facings.
The cross came to be regarded as something of a public hazard, both as a traffic obstruction and because of concerns about fragments of stone falling off; while in the post-Reformation period some of its Catholic imagery aroused resentment, and elements were defaced in 1581, 1599 and 1600–01. Matters came to a head during the years leading up to the Civil War. To puritanical reformers, it was identified with Dagon, the ancient god of the Philistines, and was seen as the embodiment of royal and Catholic tradition. At least one riot was fought in its shadow, as opponents of the cross descended upon it to pull it down, and supporters rallied to stop them. After Charles I had fled London to raise an army, the destruction of the cross was almost the first order of business for the Parliamentary Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, led by Sir Robert Harley, and it was demolished on 2 May 1643. The downfall of the Cheapside Cross is an important episode of iconoclasm in English history.
Two Purbeck marble fragments of the original cross, displaying shields bearing the royal arms of England and of Castile and León, were recovered in 1838 during reconstruction of the sewer in Cheapside. They are now held by the Museum of London.
A paving stone with a carved inscription, outside the western door of St Mary-le-Bow church tower, in Cheapside, was installed in 2015 to record the former existence of an Eleanor Cross nearby.
Racincha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain course (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
Wat Waramatayaphanthasadaram or popularly known as Wat Khun Chan, is an old temple in the Talat Phlu area. with outstanding art, architecture, and sculpture buddha statue Or many models in a large temple It also has bright colors. The highlight of Wat Khun Chan is Worshiping Rahu
The architecture of Wat Khun Chan It is a combination of Thai and Burmese arts. And there are many sacred things to worship, including Luang Pho To, Luang Pho Yok Khao Beautiful Goddess of Mercy reclining Buddha image Buddha Chinnarat And the highlight that people are popular with is Rahu with a prayer ceremony for Rahu. Every year to dispel or exorcise bad luck.
Wat Khun Chan was built around 1827-1837 during the reign of King Rama III, about 177 years old, by Phraya Maha Amatayathibodi (Form Amatayakul) Phra Suriyapakdee. Chief of Police, the Right Military Concubine in the reign of King Rama III, which at that time was named "Wat Khun Chan" because the builder of this temple was victorious from Vientiane. Until the reign of King Rama V, Thao Pantasaranurak (Wan), the youngest daughter of Phraya Amat (Pom), restored the temple. And asked for a new name from the reign of King Rama V, called "Wat Waramatyaphanthasararam" in the year 1883
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population of 10.539 million as of 2020, 15.3 percent of the country's population. Over 14 million people (22.2 percent) lived within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region at the 2010 census, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in both size and importance to the national economy.
Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew and became the site of two capital cities, Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam, later renamed Thailand, during the late-19th century, as the country faced pressures from the West. The city was at the centre of Thailand's political struggles throughout the 20th century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rule, and underwent numerous coups and several uprisings. The city, incorporated as a special administrative area under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in 1972, grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact on Thailand's politics, economy, education, media and modern society.
The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters in Bangkok. The city is now a regional force in finance and business. It is an international hub for transport and health care, and has emerged as a centre for the arts, fashion, and entertainment. The city is known for its street life and cultural landmarks, as well as its red-light districts. The Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including Wat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the nightlife scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. Bangkok is among the world's top tourist destinations, and has been named the world's most visited city consistently in several international rankings.
Bangkok's rapid growth coupled with little urban planning has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure. Despite an extensive expressway network, an inadequate road network and substantial private car usage have led to chronic and crippling traffic congestion, which caused severe air pollution in the 1990s. The city has since turned to public transport in an attempt to solve the problem, operating eight urban rail lines and building other public transit, but congestion still remains a prevalent issue. The city faces long-term environmental threats such as sea level rise due to climate change.
The history of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, dates at least to the early 15th century, when it was under the rule of Ayutthaya. Due to its strategic location near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, the town gradually increased in importance, and after the fall of Ayutthaya King Taksin established his new capital of Thonburi there, on the river's west bank. King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, who succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern bank in 1782, to which the city dates its foundation under its current Thai name, "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon". Bangkok has since undergone tremendous changes, growing rapidly, especially in the second half of the 20th century, to become the primate city of Thailand. It was the centre of Siam's modernization in the late 19th century, subjected to Allied bombing during the Second World War, and has long been the modern nation's central political stage, with numerous uprisings and coups d'état having taken place on its streets throughout the years.
It is not known exactly when the area which is now Bangkok was first settled. It probably originated as a small farming and trading community, situated in a meander of the Chao Phraya River within the mandala of Ayutthaya's influence. The town had become an important customs outpost by as early as the 15th century; the title of its customs official is given as Nai Phra Khanon Thonburi (Thai: นายพระขนอนทณบุรี) in a document from the reign of Ayutthayan king Chao Sam Phraya (1424–1448). The name also appears in the 1805 revised code of laws known as the Law of Three Seals.
At the time, the Chao Phraya flowed through what are now the Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai canals, forming a large loop in which lay the town. In the reign of King Chairacha (either in 1538 or 1542), a waterway was excavated, bypassing the loop and shortening the route for ships sailing up to Ayutthaya. The flow of the river has since changed to follow the new waterway, dividing the town and making the western part an island. This geographical feature may have given the town the name Bang Ko (บางเกาะ), meaning 'island village', which later became Bangkok (บางกอก, pronounced in Thai as [bāːŋ kɔ̀ːk]). Another theory regarding the origin of the name speculates that it is shortened from Bang Makok (บางมะกอก), makok being the name of Spondias pinnata, a plant bearing olive-like fruit. This is supported by the fact that Wat Arun, a historic temple in the area, used to be named Wat Makok. Specific mention of the town was first made in the royal chronicles from the reign of King Maha Chakkraphat (1548–1568), giving its name as Thonburi Si Mahasamut (ธนบุรีศรีมหาสมุทร). Bangkok was probably a colloquial name, albeit one widely adopted by foreign visitors.
The importance of Bangkok/Thonburi increased with the amount of Ayutthaya's maritime trade. Dutch records noted that ships passing through Bangkok were required to declare their goods and number of passengers, as well as pay customs duties. Ships' cannons would be confiscated and held there before they were allowed to proceed upriver to Ayutthaya. An early English language account is that of Adam Denton, who arrived aboard the Globe, an East India Company merchantman bearing a letter from King James I, which arrived in "the Road of Syam" (Pak Nam) on 15 August 1612, where the port officer of Bangkok attended to the ship. Denton's account mentions that he and his companions journeyed "up the river some twenty miles to a town called Bancope, where we were well received, and further 100 miles to the city...."
Ayutthaya's maritime trade was at its height during the reign of King Narai (1656–1688). Recognition of the city's strategic location guarding the water passage to Ayutthaya lead to expansion of the military presence there. A fort of Western design was constructed on the east side of the river around 1685–1687 under the supervision of French engineer de la Mare, probably replacing an earlier structure, while plans to rebuild the fort on the west bank were also made. De la Mare had arrived with the French embassy of Chevalier de Chaumont, and remained in Siam along with Chevalier de Forbin, who had been appointed governor of Bangkok. The Bangkok garrison under Forbin consisted of Siamese, Portuguese, and French reportedly totalling about one thousand men.
French control over the city was further consolidated when the French General Desfarges, who had arrived with the second French embassy in 1687, secured the king's permission to board troops there. This, however, lead to resentment among Siamese nobles, led by Phetracha, ultimately resulting in the Siamese revolution of 1688, in which King Narai was overthrown and 40,000 Siamese troops besieged Bangkok's eastern fort for four months before an agreement was reached and the French were allowed to withdraw. The revolution resulted in Siam's ties with the West being virtually severed, steering its trade towards China and Japan. The eastern fort was subsequently demolished on Phetracha's orders.
Ayutthaya was razed by the Burmese in 1767. In the following months, multiple factions competed for control of the kingdom's lands. Of these, Phraya Tak, governor of Tak and a general fighting in Ayutthaya's defence prior to its fall, emerged as the strongest. After succeeding in reclaiming the cities of Ayutthaya and Bangkok, Phraya Tak declared himself king (popularly known as King Taksin) in 1768 and established Thonburi as his capital. Reasons given for this change include the totality of Ayutthaya's destruction and Thonburi's strategic location. Being a fortified town with a sizeable population meant that not much would need to be reconstructed. The existence of an old Chinese trading settlement on the eastern bank allowed Taksin to use his Chinese connections to import rice and revive trade.
King Taksin had the city area extended northwards to border the Bangkok Noi Canal. A moat was dug to protect the city's western border, on which new city walls and fortifications were built. Moats and walls were also constructed on the eastern bank, encircling the city together with the canals on the western side. The king's palace (Thonburi Palace) was built within the old city walls, including the temples of Wat Chaeng (Wat Arun) and Wat Thai Talat (Wat Molilokkayaram) within the palace grounds. Outlying orchards were re-landscaped for rice farming.
Much of Taksin's reign was spent in military campaigns to consolidate the Thonburi Kingdom's hold over Siamese lands. His kingdom, however, would last only until 1782 when a coup was mounted against him, and the general Chao Phraya Chakri established himself as king, later to be known as Phutthayotfa Chulalok or Rama I.
Rama I re-established the capital on the more strategic east bank of the river, relocating the Chinese already settled there to the area between Wat Sam Pluem and Wat Sampheng (which developed into Bangkok's Chinatown). Fortifications were rebuilt, and another series of moats was created, encircling the city in an area known as Rattanakosin Island.
The erection of the city pillar on 21 April 1782 is regarded as the formal date of the city's establishment. (The year would later mark the start of the Rattanakosin Era after calendar reforms by King Rama V in 1888.) Rama I named the new city Krung Rattanakosin In Ayothaya (กรุงรัตนโกสินทร์อินท์อโยธยา). This was later modified by King Nangklao to be: Krungthepmahanakhon Bowonrattanakosin Mahintha-ayutthaya. While settlements on both banks were commonly called Bangkok, both the Burney Treaty of 1826 and the Roberts Treaty of 1833 refer to the capital as the City of Sia-Yut'hia. King Mongkut (Rama IV) would later give the city its full ceremonial name:
Rama I modelled his city after the former capital of Ayutthaya, with the Grand Palace, Front Palace and royal temples by the river, next to the royal field (now Sanam Luang). Continuing outwards were the royal court of justice, royal stables and military prison. Government offices were located within the Grand Palace, while residences of nobles were concentrated south of the palace walls. Settlements spread outwards from the city centre.
The new capital is referred to in Thai sources as Rattanakosin, a name shared by the Siamese kingdom of this historical period. The name Krung Thep and Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, both shortened forms of the full ceremonial name, began to be used near the end of the 19th century. Foreigners, however, continued to refer to the city by the name Bangkok, which has seen continued use until this day.
Most of Rama I's reign was also marked by continued military campaigns, though the Burmese threat gradually declined afterwards. His successors consistently saw to the renovation of old temples, palaces, and monuments in the city. New canals were also built, gradually expanding the fledgling city as areas available for agriculture increased and new transport networks were created.
At the time of the city's foundation, most of the population lived by the river or the canals, often in floating houses on the water. Waterways served as the main method of transportation, and farming communities depended on them for irrigation. Outside the city walls, settlements sprawled along both river banks. Forced settlers, mostly captives of war, also formed several ethnic communities outside the city walls.
Large numbers of Chinese immigrants continued to settle in Bangkok, especially during the early 19th century. Such was their prominence that Europeans visiting in the 1820s estimated that they formed over half of the city population. The Chinese excelled in trade, and led the development of a market economy. The Chinese settlement at Sampheng had become a bustling market by 1835.
By the mid-19th century, the West had become an increasingly powerful presence. Missionaries, envoys and merchants began re-visiting Bangkok and Siam, bringing with them both modern innovations and the threat of colonialism. King Mongkut (Rama IV, reigned 1851–1868) was open to Western ideas and knowledge, but was also forced to acknowledge their powers, with the signing of the Bowring Treaty in 1855. During his reign, industrialization began taking place in Bangkok, which saw the introduction of the steam engine, modern shipbuilding and the printing press. Influenced by the Western community, Charoen Krung Road, the city's first paved street, was constructed in 1862–1864. This was followed by Bamrung Mueang, Fueang Nakhon, Trong (now Rama IV) and Si Lom Roads. Land transport would later surpass the canals in importance, shifting people's homes from floating dwellings toward permanent buildings. The limits of the city proper were also expanded during his reign, extending to the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal, dug in 1851.
King Mongkut's son Chulalongkorn (r. 1868–1910) was set upon modernizing the country. He engaged in wide-ranging reforms, abolishing slavery, corvée (unfree labour) and the feudal system, and creating a centralized bureaucracy and a professional army. The Western concept of nationhood was adopted, and national borders demarcated against British and French territories. Disputes with the French resulted in the Paknam Incident in 1893, when the French sent gunboats up the Chao Phraya to blockade Bangkok, resulting in Siam's concession of territory to France.
With Chulalongkorn's reforms, governance of the capital and the surrounding areas, established as Monthon Krung Thep Phra Mahanakhon (มณฑลกรุงเทพพระมหานคร), came under the Ministry of Urban Affairs (Nakhonban). During his reign many more canals and roads were built, expanding the urban reaches of the capital. Infrastructure was developed, with the introduction of railway and telegraph services between Bangkok and Samut Prakan and then expanding countrywide. Electricity was introduced, first to palaces and government offices, then to serve electric trams in the capital and later the general public. The King's fascination with the West was reflected in the royal adoption of Western dress and fashions, but most noticeably in architecture. He commissioned the construction of the neoclassical Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall at the new Dusit Palace, which was linked to the historic city centre by the grand Ratchadamnoen Avenue, inspired by the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Examples of Western influence in architecture became visible throughout the city.
By 1900, rural market zones in Bangkok began developing into residential districts. Rama VI (1910–1925) continued his predecessor's program of the development of public works by establishing Chulalongkorn University in 1916, and commissioned a system of locks to control waterway levels surrounding the developing city, he also provided the city's first and largest recreational area, Lumphini Park. The Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1932 to connect Thonburi to Bangkok, which was believed to promote economic growth and modernization in a period when infrastructure was developing considerably. Bangkok became the centre stage for power struggles between the military and political elite as the country abolished absolute monarchy in 1932. It was subject to Japanese occupation and Allied bombing during World War II. With the war over in 1945, British and Indian troops landed in September, and during their brief occupation of the city disarmed the Japanese troops. A significant event following the return of the young king, Ananda Mahidol, to Thailand, intended to defuse post-war tensions lingering between Bangkok's ethnic Chinese and Thai people, was his visit to Bangkok's Chinatown Sam Peng Lane (ซอยสำเพ็ง), on 3 June 1946.
As a result of pro-Western bloc treaties Bangkok rapidly grew in the post-war period as a result of United States developmental aid and government-sponsored investment. Infrastructure, including the Don Mueang International Airport and highways, was built and expanded. Bangkok's role as an American military R&R destination launched its tourism industry as well as sex trade. Disproportionate urban development led to increasing income inequalities and unprecedented migration from rural areas into Bangkok; its population surged from 1.8 to 3 million in the 1960s. Following the United States' withdrawal from Vietnam, Japanese businesses took over as leaders in investment, and the expansion of export-oriented manufacturing led to growth of the financial market in Bangkok. Rapid growth of the city continued through the 1980s and early 1990s, until it was stalled by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. By then, many public and social issues had emerged, among them the strain on infrastructure reflected in the city's notorious traffic jams. Bangkok's role as the nation's political stage continues to be seen in strings of popular protests, from the student uprisings in 1973 and 1976, anti-military demonstrations in 1992, and successive anti-government protests by the "Yellow Shirt" and "Red Shirt" movements from 2008 on.
Administratively, eastern Bangkok and Thonburi had been established as separate provinces in 1915. (The province east of the river was named Phra Nakhon (พระนคร.) A series of decrees in 1971–1972 resulted in the merger of these provinces and its local administrations, forming the current city of Bangkok which is officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was created in 1975 to govern the city, and its governor has been elected since 1985.
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand.
Construction of the palace began on 6 May 1782, at the order of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. Throughout successive reigns, many new buildings and structures were added, especially during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). By 1925, the king, the Royal Family and the government were no longer permanently settled at the palace, and had moved to other residences. After the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932, all government agencies completely moved out of the palace.
In shape, the palace complex is roughly rectangular and has a combined area of 218,400 square metres (2,351,000 sq ft), surrounded by four walls. It is situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River at the heart of the Rattanakosin Island, today in the Phra Nakhon District. The Grand Palace is bordered by Sanam Luang and Na Phra Lan Road to the north, Maharaj Road to the west, Sanam Chai Road to the east and Thai Wang Road to the south.
Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its asymmetry and eclectic styles are due to its organic development, with additions and rebuilding being made by successive reigning kings over 200 years of history. It is divided into several quarters: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; the Outer Court, with many public buildings; the Middle Court, including the Phra Maha Monthien Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings and the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings; the Inner Court and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. The Grand Palace is currently partially open to the public as a museum, but it remains a working palace, with several royal offices still situated inside.
The construction of the Grand Palace began on 6 May 1782, at the order of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I). Having seized the crown from King Taksin of Thonburi, King Rama I was intent on building a capital city for his new Chakri dynasty. He moved the seat of power from the city of Thonburi, on the west side of the Chao Phraya River, to the east side at Bangkok. The new capital city was turned into an artificial island when canals were dug along the east side. The island was given the name 'Rattanakosin'. The previous royal residence was the Derm Palace, constructed for King Taksin in 1768. The old royal palace in Thonburi was small and sandwiched between two temples; Wat Arun and Wat Tai Talat, prohibiting further expansion.
The new palace was built on a rectangular piece of land on the very west side of the island, between Wat Pho to the south, Wat Mahathat to the north and with the Chao Phraya River on the west. This location was previously occupied by a Chinese community, whom King Rama I ordered to relocate to an area south and outside of the city walls; the area is now Bangkok's Chinatown.
Desperate for materials and short on funds, the palace was initially built entirely out of wood, its various structures surrounded by a simple log palisade. On 10 June 1782, the king ceremonially crossed the river from Thonburi to take permanent residence in the new palace. Three days later on 13 June, the king held an abbreviated coronation ceremony, thus becoming the first monarch of the new Rattanakosin Kingdom. Over the next few years the king began replacing wooden structures with masonry, rebuilding the walls, forts, gates, throne halls and royal residences. This rebuilding included the royal chapel, which would come to house the Emerald Buddha.
To find more material for these constructions, King Rama I ordered his men to go upstream to the old capital city of Ayutthaya, which was destroyed in 1767 during a war between Burma and Siam. They dismantled structures and removed as many bricks as they could find, while not removing any from the temples. They began by taking materials from the forts and walls of the city. By the end they had completely leveled the old royal palaces. The bricks were ferried down the Chao Phraya by barges, where they were eventually incorporated into the walls of Bangkok and the Grand Palace itself. Most of the initial construction of the Grand Palace during the reign of King Rama I was carried out by conscripted or corvée labour. After the final completion of the ceremonial halls of the palace, the king held a full traditional coronation ceremony in 1785.
The layout of the Grand Palace followed that of the Royal Palace at Ayutthaya in location, organization, and in the divisions of separate courts, walls, gates and forts. Both palaces featured a proximity to the river. The location of a pavilion serving as a landing stage for barge processions also corresponded with that of the old palace. To the north of the Grand Palace there is a large field, the Thung Phra Men (now called Sanam Luang), which is used as an open space for royal ceremonies and as a parade ground. There was also a similar field in Ayutthaya, which was used for the same purpose. The road running north leads to the Front Palace, the residence of the Vice King of Siam.
The Grand Palace is divided into four main courts, separated by numerous walls and gates: the Outer Court, the Middle Court, the Inner Court and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Each of these court's functions and access are clearly defined by laws and traditions. The Outer Court is in the northwestern part of the Grand Palace; within are the royal offices and (formerly) state ministries. To the northeast is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the royal chapel, and home of the Emerald Buddha. The Middle Court housed the most important state apartments and ceremonial throne halls of the king. The Inner Court, at the south end of the complex, was reserved only for females, as it housed the king's harem.
During the reign of King Phutthaloetla Naphalai (Rama II), the area of the Grand Palace was expanded southwards up to the walls of Wat Pho. Previously this area was home to offices of various palace officials. This expansion increased the area of the palace from 213,674 square metres (2,299,970 sq ft) to 218,400 square metres (2,351,000 sq ft). New walls, forts, and gates were constructed to accommodate the enlarged compound. Since this expansion, the palace has remained within its walls with new construction and changes being made only on the inside.
In accordance with tradition, the palace was initially referred to only as the Phra Ratcha Wang Luang (พระราชวังหลวง) or 'Royal Palace', similar to the old palace in Ayutthaya. However, during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) the name Phra Boromma Maha Ratcha Wang or 'Grand Palace' was first used in official documents. This change of name was made during the elevation of Prince Chutamani (the king's younger brother) to the title of Second King Pinklao in 1851. The proclamation of his title described the royal palace as the 'supreme' (บรม; Borom) and 'great' (มหา; Maha) palace. This title was given in order to distinguish the palace from the Second King's palace (the Front Palace), which was described as the Phra Bovorn Ratcha Wang (พระบวรราชวัง) or the 'glorious' (บวร; Bovorn) palace.
Throughout the period of absolute monarchy, from 1782 to 1932, the Grand Palace was both the country's administrative and religious centre. As the main residence of the monarch, the palace was also the seat of government, with thousands of inhabitants including guardsmen, servants, concubines, princesses, ministers, and courtiers. The palace's high whitewashed castellated walls and extensive forts and guard posts mirrored those of the walls of Bangkok itself, and thus the Grand Palace was envisioned as a city within a city. For this reason a special set of palace laws were created to govern the inhabitants and to establish hierarchy and order.
By the 1920s, a series of new palaces were constructed elsewhere for the king's use; these included the more modern Dusit Palace, constructed in 1903, and Phaya Thai Palace in 1909. These other Bangkok residences began to replace the Grand Palace as the primary place of residence of the monarch and his court. By 1925 this gradual move out of the palace was complete. The growth and centralization of the Siamese state also meant that the various government ministries have grown in size and were finally moved out of the Grand Palace to their own premises. Despite this the Grand Palace remained the official and ceremonial place of residence as well as the stage set for elaborate ancient ceremonies of the monarchy. The end of the absolute monarchy came in 1932, when a revolution overthrew the ancient system of government and replaced it with a constitutional monarchy.
Today the Grand Palace is still a centre of ceremony and of the monarchy, and serves as a museum and tourist attraction as well.
The Outer Court or Khet Phra Racha Than Chan Nork (เขตพระราชฐานชั้นนอก) of the Grand Palace is situated to the northwest of the palace (the northeast being occupied by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha). Entering through the main Visetchaisri Gate, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is located to the left, with many public buildings located to the right.
These buildings include the headquarters and information centre of the Grand Palace and the Bureau of the Royal Household. Other important buildings inside the court include the Sala Sahathai Samakhom (ศาลาสหทัยสมาคม), used for important receptions and meetings. The Sala Luk Khun Nai (ศาลาลูกขุนใน) is an office building housing various departments of the Royal Household. The main office of the Royal Institute of Thailand was also formerly located here. The Outer Court has a small museum called the Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins. The Phimanchaisri Gate opens directly unto the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall and is the main portal from the Outer Court into the Middle Court.
Historically this court was referred to as Fai Na (ฝ่ายหน้า, literally In the front), and also served as the seat of the royal government, with various ministerial offices, a theatre, stables for the king's elephants, barracks for the royal guards, the royal mint and an arsenal. By 1925, all government agencies and workers had vacated the site and all of the buildings were converted for use by the Royal Household.
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population of 10.539 million as of 2020, 15.3 percent of the country's population. Over 14 million people (22.2 percent) lived within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region at the 2010 census, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in both size and importance to the national economy.
Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew and became the site of two capital cities, Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of the modernization of Siam, later renamed Thailand, during the late-19th century, as the country faced pressures from the West. The city was at the centre of Thailand's political struggles throughout the 20th century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rule, and underwent numerous coups and several uprisings. The city, incorporated as a special administrative area under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in 1972, grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact on Thailand's politics, economy, education, media and modern society.
The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and 1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters in Bangkok. The city is now a regional force in finance and business. It is an international hub for transport and health care, and has emerged as a centre for the arts, fashion, and entertainment. The city is known for its street life and cultural landmarks, as well as its red-light districts. The Grand Palace and Buddhist temples including Wat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other tourist attractions such as the nightlife scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. Bangkok is among the world's top tourist destinations, and has been named the world's most visited city consistently in several international rankings.
Bangkok's rapid growth coupled with little urban planning has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure. Despite an extensive expressway network, an inadequate road network and substantial private car usage have led to chronic and crippling traffic congestion, which caused severe air pollution in the 1990s. The city has since turned to public transport in an attempt to solve the problem, operating eight urban rail lines and building other public transit, but congestion still remains a prevalent issue. The city faces long-term environmental threats such as sea level rise due to climate change.
The history of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, dates at least to the early 15th century, when it was under the rule of Ayutthaya. Due to its strategic location near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, the town gradually increased in importance, and after the fall of Ayutthaya King Taksin established his new capital of Thonburi there, on the river's west bank. King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, who succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern bank in 1782, to which the city dates its foundation under its current Thai name, "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon". Bangkok has since undergone tremendous changes, growing rapidly, especially in the second half of the 20th century, to become the primate city of Thailand. It was the centre of Siam's modernization in the late 19th century, subjected to Allied bombing during the Second World War, and has long been the modern nation's central political stage, with numerous uprisings and coups d'état having taken place on its streets throughout the years.
It is not known exactly when the area which is now Bangkok was first settled. It probably originated as a small farming and trading community, situated in a meander of the Chao Phraya River within the mandala of Ayutthaya's influence. The town had become an important customs outpost by as early as the 15th century; the title of its customs official is given as Nai Phra Khanon Thonburi (Thai: นายพระขนอนทณบุรี) in a document from the reign of Ayutthayan king Chao Sam Phraya (1424–1448). The name also appears in the 1805 revised code of laws known as the Law of Three Seals.
At the time, the Chao Phraya flowed through what are now the Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai canals, forming a large loop in which lay the town. In the reign of King Chairacha (either in 1538 or 1542), a waterway was excavated, bypassing the loop and shortening the route for ships sailing up to Ayutthaya. The flow of the river has since changed to follow the new waterway, dividing the town and making the western part an island. This geographical feature may have given the town the name Bang Ko (บางเกาะ), meaning 'island village', which later became Bangkok (บางกอก, pronounced in Thai as [bāːŋ kɔ̀ːk]). Another theory regarding the origin of the name speculates that it is shortened from Bang Makok (บางมะกอก), makok being the name of Spondias pinnata, a plant bearing olive-like fruit. This is supported by the fact that Wat Arun, a historic temple in the area, used to be named Wat Makok. Specific mention of the town was first made in the royal chronicles from the reign of King Maha Chakkraphat (1548–1568), giving its name as Thonburi Si Mahasamut (ธนบุรีศรีมหาสมุทร). Bangkok was probably a colloquial name, albeit one widely adopted by foreign visitors.
The importance of Bangkok/Thonburi increased with the amount of Ayutthaya's maritime trade. Dutch records noted that ships passing through Bangkok were required to declare their goods and number of passengers, as well as pay customs duties. Ships' cannons would be confiscated and held there before they were allowed to proceed upriver to Ayutthaya. An early English language account is that of Adam Denton, who arrived aboard the Globe, an East India Company merchantman bearing a letter from King James I, which arrived in "the Road of Syam" (Pak Nam) on 15 August 1612, where the port officer of Bangkok attended to the ship. Denton's account mentions that he and his companions journeyed "up the river some twenty miles to a town called Bancope, where we were well received, and further 100 miles to the city...."
Ayutthaya's maritime trade was at its height during the reign of King Narai (1656–1688). Recognition of the city's strategic location guarding the water passage to Ayutthaya lead to expansion of the military presence there. A fort of Western design was constructed on the east side of the river around 1685–1687 under the supervision of French engineer de la Mare, probably replacing an earlier structure, while plans to rebuild the fort on the west bank were also made. De la Mare had arrived with the French embassy of Chevalier de Chaumont, and remained in Siam along with Chevalier de Forbin, who had been appointed governor of Bangkok. The Bangkok garrison under Forbin consisted of Siamese, Portuguese, and French reportedly totalling about one thousand men.
French control over the city was further consolidated when the French General Desfarges, who had arrived with the second French embassy in 1687, secured the king's permission to board troops there. This, however, lead to resentment among Siamese nobles, led by Phetracha, ultimately resulting in the Siamese revolution of 1688, in which King Narai was overthrown and 40,000 Siamese troops besieged Bangkok's eastern fort for four months before an agreement was reached and the French were allowed to withdraw. The revolution resulted in Siam's ties with the West being virtually severed, steering its trade towards China and Japan. The eastern fort was subsequently demolished on Phetracha's orders.
Ayutthaya was razed by the Burmese in 1767. In the following months, multiple factions competed for control of the kingdom's lands. Of these, Phraya Tak, governor of Tak and a general fighting in Ayutthaya's defence prior to its fall, emerged as the strongest. After succeeding in reclaiming the cities of Ayutthaya and Bangkok, Phraya Tak declared himself king (popularly known as King Taksin) in 1768 and established Thonburi as his capital. Reasons given for this change include the totality of Ayutthaya's destruction and Thonburi's strategic location. Being a fortified town with a sizeable population meant that not much would need to be reconstructed. The existence of an old Chinese trading settlement on the eastern bank allowed Taksin to use his Chinese connections to import rice and revive trade.
King Taksin had the city area extended northwards to border the Bangkok Noi Canal. A moat was dug to protect the city's western border, on which new city walls and fortifications were built. Moats and walls were also constructed on the eastern bank, encircling the city together with the canals on the western side. The king's palace (Thonburi Palace) was built within the old city walls, including the temples of Wat Chaeng (Wat Arun) and Wat Thai Talat (Wat Molilokkayaram) within the palace grounds. Outlying orchards were re-landscaped for rice farming.
Much of Taksin's reign was spent in military campaigns to consolidate the Thonburi Kingdom's hold over Siamese lands. His kingdom, however, would last only until 1782 when a coup was mounted against him, and the general Chao Phraya Chakri established himself as king, later to be known as Phutthayotfa Chulalok or Rama I.
Rama I re-established the capital on the more strategic east bank of the river, relocating the Chinese already settled there to the area between Wat Sam Pluem and Wat Sampheng (which developed into Bangkok's Chinatown). Fortifications were rebuilt, and another series of moats was created, encircling the city in an area known as Rattanakosin Island.
The erection of the city pillar on 21 April 1782 is regarded as the formal date of the city's establishment. (The year would later mark the start of the Rattanakosin Era after calendar reforms by King Rama V in 1888.) Rama I named the new city Krung Rattanakosin In Ayothaya (กรุงรัตนโกสินทร์อินท์อโยธยา). This was later modified by King Nangklao to be: Krungthepmahanakhon Bowonrattanakosin Mahintha-ayutthaya. While settlements on both banks were commonly called Bangkok, both the Burney Treaty of 1826 and the Roberts Treaty of 1833 refer to the capital as the City of Sia-Yut'hia. King Mongkut (Rama IV) would later give the city its full ceremonial name:
Rama I modelled his city after the former capital of Ayutthaya, with the Grand Palace, Front Palace and royal temples by the river, next to the royal field (now Sanam Luang). Continuing outwards were the royal court of justice, royal stables and military prison. Government offices were located within the Grand Palace, while residences of nobles were concentrated south of the palace walls. Settlements spread outwards from the city centre.
The new capital is referred to in Thai sources as Rattanakosin, a name shared by the Siamese kingdom of this historical period. The name Krung Thep and Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, both shortened forms of the full ceremonial name, began to be used near the end of the 19th century. Foreigners, however, continued to refer to the city by the name Bangkok, which has seen continued use until this day.
Most of Rama I's reign was also marked by continued military campaigns, though the Burmese threat gradually declined afterwards. His successors consistently saw to the renovation of old temples, palaces, and monuments in the city. New canals were also built, gradually expanding the fledgling city as areas available for agriculture increased and new transport networks were created.
At the time of the city's foundation, most of the population lived by the river or the canals, often in floating houses on the water. Waterways served as the main method of transportation, and farming communities depended on them for irrigation. Outside the city walls, settlements sprawled along both river banks. Forced settlers, mostly captives of war, also formed several ethnic communities outside the city walls.
Large numbers of Chinese immigrants continued to settle in Bangkok, especially during the early 19th century. Such was their prominence that Europeans visiting in the 1820s estimated that they formed over half of the city population. The Chinese excelled in trade, and led the development of a market economy. The Chinese settlement at Sampheng had become a bustling market by 1835.
By the mid-19th century, the West had become an increasingly powerful presence. Missionaries, envoys and merchants began re-visiting Bangkok and Siam, bringing with them both modern innovations and the threat of colonialism. King Mongkut (Rama IV, reigned 1851–1868) was open to Western ideas and knowledge, but was also forced to acknowledge their powers, with the signing of the Bowring Treaty in 1855. During his reign, industrialization began taking place in Bangkok, which saw the introduction of the steam engine, modern shipbuilding and the printing press. Influenced by the Western community, Charoen Krung Road, the city's first paved street, was constructed in 1862–1864. This was followed by Bamrung Mueang, Fueang Nakhon, Trong (now Rama IV) and Si Lom Roads. Land transport would later surpass the canals in importance, shifting people's homes from floating dwellings toward permanent buildings. The limits of the city proper were also expanded during his reign, extending to the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal, dug in 1851.
King Mongkut's son Chulalongkorn (r. 1868–1910) was set upon modernizing the country. He engaged in wide-ranging reforms, abolishing slavery, corvée (unfree labour) and the feudal system, and creating a centralized bureaucracy and a professional army. The Western concept of nationhood was adopted, and national borders demarcated against British and French territories. Disputes with the French resulted in the Paknam Incident in 1893, when the French sent gunboats up the Chao Phraya to blockade Bangkok, resulting in Siam's concession of territory to France.
With Chulalongkorn's reforms, governance of the capital and the surrounding areas, established as Monthon Krung Thep Phra Mahanakhon (มณฑลกรุงเทพพระมหานคร), came under the Ministry of Urban Affairs (Nakhonban). During his reign many more canals and roads were built, expanding the urban reaches of the capital. Infrastructure was developed, with the introduction of railway and telegraph services between Bangkok and Samut Prakan and then expanding countrywide. Electricity was introduced, first to palaces and government offices, then to serve electric trams in the capital and later the general public. The King's fascination with the West was reflected in the royal adoption of Western dress and fashions, but most noticeably in architecture. He commissioned the construction of the neoclassical Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall at the new Dusit Palace, which was linked to the historic city centre by the grand Ratchadamnoen Avenue, inspired by the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Examples of Western influence in architecture became visible throughout the city.
By 1900, rural market zones in Bangkok began developing into residential districts. Rama VI (1910–1925) continued his predecessor's program of the development of public works by establishing Chulalongkorn University in 1916, and commissioned a system of locks to control waterway levels surrounding the developing city, he also provided the city's first and largest recreational area, Lumphini Park. The Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1932 to connect Thonburi to Bangkok, which was believed to promote economic growth and modernization in a period when infrastructure was developing considerably. Bangkok became the centre stage for power struggles between the military and political elite as the country abolished absolute monarchy in 1932. It was subject to Japanese occupation and Allied bombing during World War II. With the war over in 1945, British and Indian troops landed in September, and during their brief occupation of the city disarmed the Japanese troops. A significant event following the return of the young king, Ananda Mahidol, to Thailand, intended to defuse post-war tensions lingering between Bangkok's ethnic Chinese and Thai people, was his visit to Bangkok's Chinatown Sam Peng Lane (ซอยสำเพ็ง), on 3 June 1946.
As a result of pro-Western bloc treaties Bangkok rapidly grew in the post-war period as a result of United States developmental aid and government-sponsored investment. Infrastructure, including the Don Mueang International Airport and highways, was built and expanded. Bangkok's role as an American military R&R destination launched its tourism industry as well as sex trade. Disproportionate urban development led to increasing income inequalities and unprecedented migration from rural areas into Bangkok; its population surged from 1.8 to 3 million in the 1960s. Following the United States' withdrawal from Vietnam, Japanese businesses took over as leaders in investment, and the expansion of export-oriented manufacturing led to growth of the financial market in Bangkok. Rapid growth of the city continued through the 1980s and early 1990s, until it was stalled by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. By then, many public and social issues had emerged, among them the strain on infrastructure reflected in the city's notorious traffic jams. Bangkok's role as the nation's political stage continues to be seen in strings of popular protests, from the student uprisings in 1973 and 1976, anti-military demonstrations in 1992, and successive anti-government protests by the "Yellow Shirt" and "Red Shirt" movements from 2008 on.
Administratively, eastern Bangkok and Thonburi had been established as separate provinces in 1915. (The province east of the river was named Phra Nakhon (พระนคร.) A series of decrees in 1971–1972 resulted in the merger of these provinces and its local administrations, forming the current city of Bangkok which is officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was created in 1975 to govern the city, and its governor has been elected since 1985.
Rocinha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
The mess of wires is an ingenious system to make sure to get electricity for free; how wlse would they get it?
The Pershing County Courthouse in Lovelock, Nevada is a Classical Revival building built in 1920-21. The courthouse's plan is hexagonal with a circular dome over the central circular courtroom. The building was designed by Frederic Joseph DeLongchamps, who had previously designed six other Nevada courthouses. DeLongchamps was involved in the design of a new courthouse for Humboldt County, where the old courthouse had burned. As a result of resentment over assessments for the replacement in Winnemucca, the new Pershing County was created from part of Humboldt County and its seat established in Lovelock. DeLongchamps, as Supervising Architect for the State of Nevada, undertook the new Lovelock courthouse.
The courthouse features a shallow Ionic portico on a raised basement backed by a plain rectangular mass. Behind this is the hexagonal main body of the courthouse, built with curving walls. A shallow dome, reminiscent of Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia Library, crowns the central courtroom. The primary building materials are brick with stone trim and terra cotta detailing. Construction cost amounted to $99,138.68.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pershing_County_Courthouse
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...
Hand & Pen Orange Hall Lodge room - Ulster Folk Museum
The Orange Order, a Protestant religious/political society, was founded in 1795 at a time of heightened sectarian animosity and economic resentments. It was dedicated to sustaining the "glorious and immortal memory" of King William III and his victory over his father-in-law, King James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
At first the Order was both loyalist and intensely anti-unionist; it was associated with the bloody suppression of the 1798 Rebellion and, because of the prospect of Catholic Emancipation, with opposition to the Act of Union (1801).
With the changing character of Irish society and politics during the 19th century, and fearing Catholic domination in an independent Ireland, by 1900 the Order was in the forefront of opposition to Home Rule - the repeal of the Act of Union and the restoration of an independent Irish parliament.
The Order was mostly confined to Ulster and in the latter quarter of the 19th century when it experienced massive growth, Orange halls became a common feature in both town and countryside. This hall was built at Silverstream, in the heart of the Monaghan countryside, in 1884, although the associated Orange Lodge, Hand & Pen LOL 597, had been in existence from at least 1843. The reason for its curious name remains a mystery but it is thought to have originated from a local shop that had an illustrated sign featuring a hand writing in a ledger.
Original location: Silverstream, County Monaghan
looks like it's electioneering time. Spotted these on the junction of Templemore Ave and the Newtownards rd. Apparently there are quite a few in the city centre.
There is no name on them probably becasue fly postering is now illegal and comes with heavy fines. I do so hope that we find out who is responsible and that they get a heavy fine because playing the immigration card and causing fear and resentment is hardly conducive to good community relations
I have a lot to say here and I am not sure how to say it and to whom I am speaking.
I do not wish to sound too full of anger and resentment nor do I wish to gush with appreciation and thankfulness. My past is what it was and it is now past.
Forgivness is my only defence against those haunting ghosts .If I were to let them, they would consume me and I would be a sour person indeed.
My early years got off to a rough start. I was born a "blue baby". That is , the stepum that divides the chambers of the heart did not finish closing before I was borne and this resulted in a condition that allows the aeriatiated blood from the lungs to mix with the used blood from the body. Weakness, illness, and many bouts with pneumonia marked my early life.
These pictures were taken at the Queen Alexandria Solarium in about 1954 when it was located in Mill Bay BC. It was a residential hospital for sick children. These were the days when the "residential" model was the norm. The Queen Alexandrea Foundation Still operates in Victoria BC but it operates under the more modern "out patient" model. The patients stay at home and go to the hospital facility for treatments.
A residential hospital meant that the patient lived there. I was there for a year and a half. I was supposed to be there longer but I was angry and acted out by whipping another boy in the face with my belt buckle.
The hospital staff and volunterrs meant well but I missed my family. My mom and dad were only allowed to visit on Saturday and I could not see them together. Each could visit me for only 30 mins. The idea was that I was confined to bed to rest up for a new surgical procedure, the open heart operation.
What a conflict I feel. I had the operation (number 50 open heart patient in the world) and it was a sucess (there was a second one 2 years later). This I am thankful for but I have trouble with the sickness, the weakness and the scars.There is pride and gratefulness for my survival on one side and shame and anger for my pain and weakness on the other.
There was fear of death at such an early age. There was death all around me. The boy in the Iron Lung beside me died one night and the hospital that was annexed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minn. was filthy. One blond 5 year old boy wandered the halls and ate off the used food trays. He would sit on the air conditioner at the end of the hall. He died too.
Someone reading this will get mad at me and shout "Let it go- Get on with it. -Focus on thankfulness" and of course they are correct.
Everyone is scarred, both inside and outside and the courage we need to go on is inside if we choose to look for it.
Racincha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
The mess of wires is an ingenious system to make sure to get electricity for free; how wlse would they get it?
Coptic Christians in Cairo Egypt living in El Zabaleen, or garbage city. For generations families would work together to collect all the rubbish from the streets of Cairo and take it back to their homes. They then sift and sort through all the items which are then sold on to merchants. 85% of all solid waste is thus recycled from the city.
Families used to own pigs that used to eat the organic waste but everyone of them was slaughtered during 2009 during the outbreak of the H1N1 'swine' flu, even though there were no cases reported in Egypt. It was the only country that carried out a mass cull, and was also reported that it was done in an inhumane manner. This increased tension and resentment with the Government.
From Wikipedia: "The Maya and Inca believed that the scent of petunias had the power to ward off underworld monsters and spirits. Their flower-buds were bunched together for magical drinks. According to New Age folklore, Petunias will only thrive where there is "positive energy" and will not grow in places where there is "negativity".
When given as a gift, Petunias have (in the language of flowers) two mutually exclusive meanings, symbolising on the one hand being comfortable with someone, and on the other anger and resentment."
A somewhat clichéd image, the interpretation of petunias in the language of flowers feels appropriate right now.
It's a tribute to how comfortable I felt with my friend Anthony at all times. And the anger and resentment I feel in waves (mingled with melancholy and intense, overwhelming sadness) for the fact that his life was cut short.
And so many of the comments and posts I've seen about him since he passed highlight his gentle nature, positivity and enthusiasm.
I posted this early access for my Patreon patrons a week ago.
Greetings. Currently I am focused on assisting my responsible, caring, concerned American neighbors with SHARING credible evidence of America's MUCH IGNORED, oppressive, unjust African American Child Care HEALTH CRISIS that I, as well as a growing number of my caring, concerned, responsible American neighbors believe is impeding our American neighbors of African descent from experiencing the equality and respect all peaceful, reasonably responsible Americans are entitled to enjoy.
Please join US!
Are you familiar with America's current HEALTH CRISIS, aka America's #T_H_U_G_L_I_F_E Culture of African American Child Abuse & Emotional Neglect/Maltreatment the late American story-TRUTH-teller Tupac Shakur, as well as many of his urban story-truth-teller peers, including a number of Mr. Barack “My Brother’s Keeper” Obama and Mrs. Michelle "Girl Power" Obama White House guests and friends, vividly describe in their American artistry or public interviews?
*"The Hate U Give Little Infants Fvvks Everyone"* ~Tupac Shakur
Are you aware of the #A_F_R_E_C_A_N remedy for the potentially life-scarring #T_H_U_G_L_I_F_E CHILD CARE HEALTH CRISIS experienced, *through no fault of their own*, by significant numbers of American newborns, infants, toddlers, children and teens?
Are you aware before he discovered how to properly promote his #T_H_U_G_L_I_F_E Child Abuse *AWARENESS* concept, Tupac was brutally murdered by *OTHER* suicidal/homicidal thinking emotionally or mentally ill victims of America's Culture of African American Child Abuse, Neglect and Emotional Maltreatment!
medium.com/@AveryJarhman/tupac-addresses-african-american...
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Please click the following link to visit Avery Jarhman’s Signature Page - 'Recognizing America’s 1960s-2017 African American CHILD CARE HEALTH CRISIS: Resources & Evidence' - where I share SHARE credible evidence describing or portraying America’s MUCH IGNORED, oppressive, unjust African American Child Care HEALTH CRISIS I believe is impeding my American neighbors of African descent from experiencing the equality and respect all peaceful, reasonably responsible Americans are entitled to enjoy.
medium.com/@AveryJarhman/americas-1960s-2017-african-amer...
Peace.
___
Tagged: #EthanAli, #KingstonFrazier, #JamylaBolden, #TyshawnLee, #RamiyaReed, #AvaCastillo, #JulieDombo, #LaylahPetersen, #LavontayWhite, #NovaMarieGallman, #AyannaAllen, #AutumnPasquale, #RamiyaReed, #TrinityGay, #ChildhoodTrauma, #Poverty, #ChildAbuse, #ChildhoodMaltreatment, #ChildNeglect, #ChildhoodDepression, #TeenDepression, #TeenViolence, #GunViolence, #GangViolence, #CommunityViolence, #CommunityFear, #PTSD, #PoliceAnxiety, #TeacherEducatorFrustration, #CognitiveDissonance, #KendrickLamar, #TupacShakur, #EmotionalIllness, #MentalHealth, #MentalIllness, #FatherlessAmericanChildren, #ShamirHunter, #DemeaningGovernmentHandouts, #Resentment, #MATERNALRESPONSIBILITY, #DonaldTrump, #HRC, #BarackObama, #MichelleObama, #ObamaAdministration, #ObamaWhiteHouse, #WillfulIgnorance, #AmericanSociety, #Racism, #T_H_U_G_L_I_F_E, REMEDY>>>, #A_F_R_E_C_A_N,
"America’s Firm Resolve to End Childhood Abuse and Neglect”
I have been thinking lately about conflict and truth in the railfan community. I recognize that I often feel a need to be right and when I know something is wrong, I feel a strong desire to speak up. I don’t know how much of that has come from my own upbringing vs. my own experience as an engineering student, but it can almost be compulsive to prove a desire to be right. As I approach making the transition into my first engineer job proper soon, I often question what is the fine line between corrective behavior and antagonism; and I wonder how my behavior online in the railfan community has conditioned me to respond to such issues.
There is a family event which still makes me chuckle regarding my late grandfather. We were out to lunch with him at a Thai restaurant, and he began to discuss (in his thick central Utah accent, similar to Wilford Brimley’s voice) how “Thai food ain’t that spicy, they just sprinkle the spice onto the top of the food and it burns off quickly, it ain’t that bad.” Almost to prove a point he ordered the spiciest thing on the menu, and as he began to eat it, we watched his face turn a bright red. Tears were streaming down his eyes, and sweat forming on his brow, gulping down water as if it could quench the flames. It seemed as if steam was coming out of his ears like a Looney Tunes escapade. Yet he persisted “see it’s not THAT spicy, it’s not that spicy, look I’m fine!” Even as more evidence mounted that grandpa’s assessment was wrong, he stubbornly held his ground to prove a point, and I am sure if we had asked him about it before he went to his grave, he would have asserted he was still right, although we’d never see him order Thai food that spicy ever again.
Such stubbornness is not always an inherently wrong trait. It gives someone the ability to dig their heels in and do hard things. It can allow people to hold firm in their beliefs and prevent the world from causing them to yield to error. Such stubbornness though when mixed with pride can make people antagonistic, and harsh. It can turn people callous and cruel. Like many human attributes there is a fine line in stubbornness, to much can cause damage, to little can cause people to yield to falsehoods.
There has been a lot said about the idea of a “post-truth” society, but the railfan world has in many ways always teetered on being a post-truth hobby. Early pioneering railroad authors, erudite people of their age; often wrote in business journals and scholarly reports. Textbooks on the operation and design of steam locomotives were found on the shelves of respected engineers. Knowledge in railroading was a matter of trade, and only the occasional interjection of yellow journalism from outside parties could taint that knowledge. An extensive folklore tradition of truisms and tall tales also arose, but it was the type of stories comrades could share with each other while working a locomotive together; the type of story to brighten the mood during a day of hard work.
The early-20th century saw this world of railroad knowledge open up to the masses through people such as Lucius Beebe. A rich socialite, Beebe and his partner Charles Clegg published many comprehensive books on railroad topics that became like a Biblical canon to early rail enthusiasts, capturing the moment many shortlines began to fold and steam began to yield to the diesel. Beebe injected his writing with romanticism and turned the railroad into a symbol of American mythology. However, Beebe carried with him biases that impacted his work from ideas of strict classism (much of rural America and its diverse peoples was regarded by Beebe with a rich New Englander’s disdain) and a desire to expound the folkloric history of railroads as the definitive history. When aspects of history didn’t match the artistic brush Beebe cast, he changed them or tweaked them to better suit his narrative. Lucius Beebe was equally pioneering and pompous, and when faced with criticism he stated his ambitions clearly “Neither Clegg nor I have ever been a member of the tractive-force and cylinder-dimension contingent of railfans. We prefer the beauty and romantic aspects of railroading.” (You can see why as a mechanical engineer my own attitude comes to clash instantly with Beebe’s dismissal of the mechanical nature of the railroad)!
The school of Beebe-isms spread to other prominent railroad authors and figures of the era and those who followed. Ward Kimball the Disney animator with his love of women, music, and fire truck red tones; playfully mixed his own image of railroad history with that of his cartoonist background; casting an image of gaiety along the American frontier. Stephen Ambrose, famed for his World War II histories; bungled through the history of the Transcontinental Railroad like a sledgehammer, producing a tome of history that would have been forgotten for its apparent sloppiness had it not been for the author’s own Band of Brothers fame. Countless authors turned the history of the Denver & Rio Grande Western and its predecessors into a lopsided focus, romanticizing the San Juan narrow gauge routes which were part of steam’s last stand in the Rockies; and omitting much of the standard gauge history of the railroad from their records. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway, the Rio Grande Western and almost anything west of Grand Junction became after-thoughts; and if you pick up any Rio Grande book from the mid-20th century, I dare you to try and find more than five or ten pages about anything beyond the state-line that says anything more meaningful than “Oh yeah I guess Utah had Soldier Summit.”
Even the children’s stories of Reverend Awdry set about a romantic notion of the steam era, and while he vividly captured the emotions of rail enthusiasts watching British steam come to a close; he perhaps accidentally caused thousands of railfans who were introduced to the hobby through his Thomas stories to harbor a resentment towards the new, towards change. Don’t believe me? Look at the comments under any article about battery locomotives or hydrogen locomotives. A Stadler FLIRT running on hydrogen power just ran 1700 miles without refueling on the Pueblo test-track, but reactions from commenters online continue to be angry cries of the “Gadgetbahn” and how such technology is a waste when overhead catenary already exists. The notion that soon diesels might yield to strange battery and hydrogen engines, even if not fully proven yet; seems to awaken a fear in railfans who seem poised to witness another technological shift in locomotive power soon that will rival the change from steam to diesel in the last century. I chuckle at the thought of a future 2060’s equivalent to Rev. Awdry, writing stories for children mourning the romantic loss of the diesel locomotive and creating a fanciful freelanced railroad where diesels can still roam free thanks to the kind heart of a stuffy British businessman.
Historian Carl W. Condit noted the impact of these attitudes on the railfan community, “I referred earlier to this paradoxical combination of love for facts and a propensity for erroneous assertions. The reason, I think is that the buff’s infatuation with the accumulation of exact and detailed information convinces him that he possesses knowledge when he does not.” Oh, how many times have I felt the fury of watching someone go off on a tirade with facts I know are inherently untrue, insist on maintaining falsehoods which have no foundation in reality! Oh, how many times have I been shut up by somebody more skilled than me in the railfan world, people with real world experience calling out my own fanaticism from being someone sitting on the sidelines, leaving egg on my face for espousing false ideas I had fervently defended! It turns out that my engineering degree was not an instant achievement of unlocking “all knowledge that has and ever has been” and oftentimes I find myself reflecting that I am the very creature Condit warns about, enough knowledge to know some truth and enough to stubbornly stand by falsehoods, my face red, tears streaming out of my eyes and sweat on my brow as I continue to stand by a false observation. The creature Condit warns about is also my enemy, and I watch in frustration as others dig in and hold onto falsehoods, I exist in a state of duality knowing the people in this hobby who frustrate me the most seem to hold a mirror up to myself.
I worry about those confident in their thoughts though who refuse to learn. I am only 30 so maybe complaining about "them kids" only prematurely ages me further, but there are many railfan conversations I have seen shutdown by the smug image of "Thug Yoda" with 'Mucho Texto' as it's caption. I feel an early 2000's desire to tell somebody in the voice of former First Lady Laura Bush to "GO READ A BOOK FOR ONCE" instead of relying on TikTok reels and shorts for all their world view, but that suggestion to read a book seems self contradictory with my own knowledge that the railfan literary canon is flawed at it's core. Still, I fear a generation that rather than searching for new information under self initiative is content to have it spoon fed to them. I praise the cohort of talented railfan video makers who are trying to make knowledge accessible to all, but I worry for their own sanity in the process. I would recommend some rather frank discussions from Steam Locomotives in Profile on the matter on how working for the YouTube content machine is taxing on mental health, and the greater need for people to take care of their own being while trying to endeavor to make history and art.
Now a new dangerous aspect has entered the railfan world, the rise of artificial data generation. I am not perfectly AI-less, Adobe Photoshop’s AI assisted upscaling capability is one of my favorite tools and I have used it on almost all my rail photos (including the one attached to this essay) since it was first introduced. But I have also seen a rise of poorly AI colorized photos, the ChatGPT writing on railroad history, the image that the railfan world already so poorly unawares of its own true history will soon be stuck in a cycle of bias-affirming AI garbage. Even the AI tools in Photoshop which I rely so heavily on are in a bundle, sure I have only used the upscaling feature to shove more pixels into my images; but it sits in a suite next to generative abilities that in a click of a button could expand an image with a false reality; create landscapes and trains that don’t exist in an instant. It is frightening and fascinating, a Pandora’s Box sitting right at my fingertips, a nuclear football that if I were but to play with it could create a fantasy around the reality my camera hopes to capture. I do not know how the railfan community will weather this, especially as the algorithm demands creators churn out content; more content. Truth must yield to money creating content. It’s like Orwell’s 1984 but somehow stupider; the Ministry of Truth isn’t some intelligent conspiracy but a stupid profit searching snake eating its own tail, a machine that can’t begin to understand its own purpose but runs without opposition because of the profits it manages to generate for those at the top. Yes, we’re still the peons beneath Big Brother here; but Big Brother is blatantly stupid and emotionless and yet we collectively yield to it; while the tech giants reap the profits.
For my issues with Beebe’s pompous false realities, he carries with him a human element of emotion I can understand. His love of the fine things of life, his impeccable dress and rigid ideas of photographic composition are emotionally driven. The tragic death of Charles Clegg after years of mourning his partner’s own passing; cries for sympathetic understanding from modern day critics. I can cry foul about the myths and lies perpetuated by Beebe’s pen, but I can’t fault his desire to see the romanticism of the rails. Sure, I may consider myself now to be more of the “school of Richard Steinheimer” than that of Beebe’s camera lens, but even as a poster child of the “tractive-force railfans” I am seeking with my own photos to capture a romantic image of the railroad (even I have to note the faults in some of the captions in Steinheimer’s books, mistakes by him and David P. Morgan in trying to use words to give justice to the imagery). I travel hundreds or thousands of miles to see steam locomotives at preserved railroads, to mourn alongside Awdry for the loss of a motive power that ceased to be mainstream before my own parents were born, and am fascinated by the vivid imagery of steam evoked in the words of William Gould (perhaps it is only appropriate that William Gould’s son shares my same academic degree and alma-matter, a reminder of how the emotional love of the steam engine can drive men in the mad pursuit of engineering mastery). A human emotion drives us all, even in our clashes and disagreements. The algorithm and the AI lack this emotion, and letting it touch the railfan community could rob us of the heart of the hobby.
So, we sit at a strange crossroads. A broken foundation of half-truth railfan literature guides us as our collective canon, while a mindless machine regurgitates it back at us. Emotions run high, and everyone (myself included) wants nothing more than to prove we’re right and we’ve won some sort of moral and intellectual high-ground. The railfan hobby is hostile and self-destructive. It is also welcoming, and home to many great people I call friends. It is a hobby which attracts outsiders and losers, and is a place where many of us have been able to share in our collective interest despite disparate backgrounds. Do our conflicts threaten to destroy that, or is it merely part of the same passion which drove us here to begin with?
I wish I had easy solutions to hard problems, but all I can say to each other is to take care. Mind your own health and emotions; and also try and consider the other person on the side of the screen. But never lose that crazy passion, the emotion which burns at the heart of this absurd hobby. Be humble and open to correction, but never let critics or the machine destroy the fire that burns inside us. Even if you disagree with every word I said, I hope that this rant inspires you to continue healthy discourse on the nature of this hobby.
Oh the train photo is at Bauer Utah, the same autorack train I posted earlier, for anyone still wondering.
Rocinha slum - favela - , Río de Janeiro, Brazil. An agency arranges tours of the favelas and spends part of the gains is on charity in the favelas, mostly on building schools. This means that you're actually welcome - even though some of the young men, reasonably enough, showed signs of resentment.
The mess of wires is an ingenious system to make sure to get electricity for free; how wlse would they get it?
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
This is, as far as I know, the only place consecrated to the cult of Ariald of Carimate, a very Milanese saint that few churchmen like to remember.
Stemming from a family of valvassores, the lower aristocracy of the 11th century, lords of Carimate on the hills of Brianza, Arialdus was probably a cadet son, became a deacon and travelled far and wide studying and preaching, and earning a reputation for wisdom and justice.
In 1045 he was among four candidates sent by the people of Milan to emperor Henry the Black, to be chosen as archbishop. Henry chose none of them and instead imposed a man of his retinue, the corrupt Guido da Velate, as metropolitan.
Guido's rule spurred a reaction among the people, especially the lower classes, demanding honesty and transparency in the clergy and above all advocating the end of practices such as "simony" (the sale of ecclesiastic offices) and "nicolaism" (the promiscuity of priests with concubines and wives). Ariald found himself as one of the leaders of the movement, whose members were branded by the high clergy as "patarin", rag-sellers.
The "patarin" grew in power and influence, soon forming a religious community of their own, where clerics and laymen mixed freely ad lived together, united by faith and respect for a saintly life. They rejoiced in poverty, continence and true faith opposed to empty ceremonies. They denounced the crimes of the powerful clergy and never failed to expose the archbishop's corruption. When ordered to desist, they appealed to the higher authority of the Pope, spurring anti-Roman resentment among the Milanese.
When finally the patarin and the high clergy came to violence in 1066, the Pope asked achbishop Guido to report to Rome the situation, and Arialdo to leave Milan in order to calm the spirits of his followers. Arialdo was captured in a forest by assassins sent by Guido, brought to the fortess of Angera on the lake and tortured for days. They cut away from him eyes, ears, nose, tongue, hands and feet, and threw his body in the lake. Guido apologised and was absolved by the Pope.
Nobody among the patarin knew anything of Arialdo's fate until the following year, when shortly before easter a fishermen found his body, whole, perfectly preserved and diffusing a pleasant perfume, floating on the waters. The body was brought in haste to Milan and exposed in St. Ambrose.
The ensuing riot for Arialdo's assassination ended Guido's rule: he fled the city and was later deposed and abandoned by the Emperor. That same year the Pope proclaimed Arialdo a saint, and the patarin movement became mainstream, effectively becoming one of the pillars on which the Gregorian Reform of the Church was built.
Museum of London
On the evening or night of Tuesday 28 November 1290 Eleanor of Castile, the beloved wife of Edward I and mother of his 14 children, died aged 49, at Harby in Nottinghamshire. The places where her body rested during the journey south to its tomb in Westminster Abbey were marked by stone crosses.
The twelve crosses were at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St. Albans, Waltham (Cross), Westcheap (Cheapside), Charing (Charing Cross). Of these only three of the original crosses survive, those at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross.
Queen Eleanor was three times buried. The tomb, containing her viscera, is in Lincoln Cathedral. Her heart was buried at Blackfriars Monastery in London and her body in Westminster Abbey.
Edward was determined to mark the death of his remarkable Queen in significant and elaborate fashion. There has been nothing like the cortège of Eleanor, before or since, on this island. Her embalmed body was dressed in loose robes, crowned, and placed on an open bier. The procession, with the Queen’s chaplain at its head and Edward following the bier, left Lincoln on 4 December. The journey back to Westminster took just under two weeks, with much of the route following the ancient roads of Ermine Street and Watling Street, and most of the overnight stops on or close to Eleanor’s landholdings. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December 1290.
Eleanor's bier reached the City of London on 14 December 1290. The cortège entered the city through the northern gate of Bishopsgate. Here they turned left, skirting the city wall until they arrived at Holy Trinity Priory in the east of the city where it rested for the night of 14th December.
On Friday 15 December the funeral party journeyed slowly westwards along the city’s busiest street, Cheapside. Passing the little priory of Sack Friars that Eleanor had refounded in the late 1260s, they reached the large Franciscan friary of Grey Friars. After a mass there, the procession entered the precinct of St Paul’s Cathedral where it rested for the night of 15th December.
A site for the cross was selected in Westcheap (now Cheapside). Her heart was buried in the Blackfriars priory on 19 December. The Cheapside cross was built from 1291 onwards by Michael of Canterbury at a total recorded cost of £226 13s. 4d.
Under a licence granted by Henry VI in 1441, the cross was extensively restored or rebuilt in 1484–86. It was subsequently re-gilded several times in the 16th century on the occasion of coronations and royal visits to the City. John Stow included a detailed account of the cross and its history in his "Survay of London" of 1598, updating it in 1603.
Although a number of images of the cross and its eventual destruction are known, these all postdate its various refurbishments, and so provide no certain guide to its original appearance. However, the chronicler Walter of Guisborough refers to this and Charing Cross as being fashioned of "marble"; and it is likely that it was similar to the Hardingstone and Waltham Crosses, but even more ornate and boasting some Purbeck marble facings.
The cross came to be regarded as something of a public hazard, both as a traffic obstruction and because of concerns about fragments of stone falling off; while in the post-Reformation period some of its Catholic imagery aroused resentment, and elements were defaced in 1581, 1599 and 1600–01. Matters came to a head during the years leading up to the Civil War. To puritanical reformers, it was identified with Dagon, the ancient god of the Philistines, and was seen as the embodiment of royal and Catholic tradition. At least one riot was fought in its shadow, as opponents of the cross descended upon it to pull it down, and supporters rallied to stop them. After Charles I had fled London to raise an army, the destruction of the cross was almost the first order of business for the Parliamentary Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, led by Sir Robert Harley, and it was demolished on 2 May 1643. The downfall of the Cheapside Cross is an important episode of iconoclasm in English history.
Two Purbeck marble fragments of the original cross, displaying shields bearing the royal arms of England and of Castile and León, were recovered in 1838 during reconstruction of the sewer in Cheapside. They are now held by the Museum of London.
A paving stone with a carved inscription, outside the western door of St Mary-le-Bow church tower, in Cheapside, was installed in 2015 to record the former existence of an Eleanor Cross nearby.
The Liberation Monument ("Russian monument")
(Further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Officially, one can find various names: (Russian) Liberation Monument, Russian War Memorial and Monument of the Red Army. The Viennese call the towering monument at the southern end of the Black Mountain course (Schwarzenbergplatz) usually disparaging "Russian monument (Russendenkmal)".
The monument commemorating the 18,000 in the liberation of Vienna fallen soldiers of the Red Army was designed by Major Intazarin, the sculptures were created by Lieutenant Jakoviev. The overall direction of the yet in April 1945 ordered and as first monument building after the war completed structure had major Ing. Mikhail Scheinfeld. In the construction were temporarily 400 workers involved, 18 tons of bronze and 300 cubic meters of marble were used. The monument was on 19 August 1945 with the assistance of Karl Renner, Leopold Figl and Theodor Körner unveiled on then so designated Stalin Square.
On a in total 20 m high, marble-clad base, the lower part in the form of a five-pointed red star, decorated with flags and guard badges, stands the 12 m tall figure of a Red Army soldier. The soldier is wearing a gold helmet and the famous Russian submachine gun with rotary magazine. With his left hand he has the flag with the right hand he holds a round shield with the Soviet coat of arms. In the background arises a broad, eight meter high balustrade, at its end respectively one group of two fighting men is situated, a prime example of the style of socialist realism, which gradually has become an art-historical rarity.
One of the inscriptions in Russian only in the early 80s have been translated into German and is:
"Eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, killed in action against the German-fascist invaders for the freedom and independence of the peoples of Europe (Mikhalkov)".
Until 1956, there were also graves of Soviet soldiers in the area, and a Soviet tank stood before the monument.
The monument is in the custody of the City of Vienna. As is generally known, Austria is according to the detailed provisions of Article 19 of the State Treaty of 15 May 1955 committed war graves and war memorials of the Allied Powers on Austrian soil "to respect, to protect and to preserve".
Between 1945 and 1956 stood in front of the fountain on the former "Stalin Square" a Russian tank, which is now in the Museum of Military History.
=> Marschik/Spital, Vienna The Russians monument, architecture, history, conflicts, Vienna, 2005
=> Hannes Leidinger/Verena Moritz, Russian Vienna, Böhlau, Vienna, 2004, 182 f
Sometimes leads the memory to the bad experiences which have been made by Austrian people with the occupation forces - particularly the Soviet - in the ten years of Allied occupation to open resentment against monuments such as the "Russian monument". Nevertheless - the greater the distance from the war and post-war period is, the more one had to give account about the fact how much innocent blood just the peoples of the former Soviet Union have sacrificed in the fight against Hitler's rule, and how little the Austrian people to its own liberation has contributed. Such thoughts have got to come to one's mind when one takes some time to decipher the Cyrillic letters of gold on a "Russian monument" - whether on that at Vienna Schwarzenberg Square or somewhere out in the vast realms of Lower Austria, where up to the Waldviertel (part of Lower Austria) little Soviet military cemeteries exist.
A survey by the Gallup Institute, published in the "standard" on 11th February 1992 shows that 71% of Viennes people do know the monument. A clear majority (59 %) is for the preservation of the monument. Only 9% of the 1,000 respondents agreed with the opinion that the monument should be eliminated as a remnant of Stalinism. So, have the Austrians made peace with the contemporary history?
Hochstrahlbrunnen
Before the liberation monument arises the to the occasion of the completion of the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline on 24th October 1873 in the presence of the emperor put into operation Hochstrahlbrunnen (high jet fountain), which should have been standing according to the original plans in front of the Votive Church, then opposite the New Town Hall. The builder of the aqueduct and the fountain, Anton Gabrielli, was a friend of astronomy. Accordingly, symbolizes the respective number of the jets of water the days of the year, the months, the days of the month, the days of the week and the hours of the day.
Alan Westin who defined privacy as “the claim of individuals, groups, or institutions to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them is communicated to others” explained that “just as a social balance favoring disclosure and surveillance over privacy is a functional necessity for totalitarian systems, so a balance that ensures strong citadels of individual and group privacy and limits both disclosure and surveillance is a prerequisite for liberal democratic societies. The democratic society relies on publicity as a control over government, and on privacy as a shield for group and individual life.”
It was, therefore, surprising to have the former Attorney General assert that privacy is not a Fundamental Right. Privacy is a guarantee of due process providing an assurance that the government operates within the law and guarantees a fair procedure.
In fact whether the Constitution was read as a textualist would (Justice Scalia defined textulaism as an interpretation “guided by the text and not by intentions or ideals external to it, and by the original meaning of the text, not by its evolving meaning over time”) or whether it was construed as a Living Constitution that favours a broad not a conservative or mechanical approach “not condemning civilized society to remain under the regimen of its barbarous ancestors” the conclusion is inescapable that privacy is in fact guaranteed by the Constitution.
Privacy can be best understood by identifying an “intruder”. N A Moreham,Senior Lecturer in Law, Victoria University of Wellington in a scholarly article on privacy quoted Stanley Ben who described an intruder as one who “fails to show a proper respect for persons; he is treating people as objects or specimens — like “dirt” — and not as subjects with sensibilities, ends, and aspirations of their own, morally responsible for their own decisions, and capable, as mere specimens are not, of reciprocal relations with the observer. These resentments suggest a possible ground for a prima facie claim not to be watched, at any rate in the same manner as one watches a thing or an animal. For this is to “take liberties”, to act impudently, to show less than a proper regard for human dignity.”
Denial of privacy thus robs one of dignity. But the right to live with dignity has been held to be a core constitutional value by our Supreme Court and guaranteed by Article 21. And as privacy is an assurance of dignity the guarantee of privacy cannot but be implicit in the Constitution.
Even otherwise as Edward Bloustein says: “The man who is compelled to live every minute of his life among others and whose every need, thought, desire, fancy or gratification is subject to public scrutiny, has been deprived of his individuality …. Such an individual merges with the mass. His opinions, being public, tend never to be different; his aspirations, being known, tend always to be conventionally accepted ones” Visibility itself provides a powerful method of enforcing norms and as Westin tellingly puts it “naked to ridicule and shame they will be put in control of those who know their secrets.” As Moreham said freedom of expression – again guaranteed by the Constitution – would lose much of its value if people do not have the chance to learn to think for themselves and have anything unique, creative and controversial to express. Similarly freedom of action and belief – also guaranteed by the Constitution – will be lost where one is kept under the spotlight and on the stage in perpetuity robbing life of its spontaneity sparkle and exuberance, pillaging imagination of its resourcefulness, curbing individual genius and even idiosyncrasies, and enforcing conformity.
The right to privacy though unspecified is yet clearly reflected in the language of the Constitution and the existing state of law also clearly showed that the society believed that such a right existed. Merely being alive and alert to this fact even without being activist was sufficient to acknowledge the same.
The utter incongruity of the exercise of constituting a Bench of Nine Judges to decide if Privacy was a Fundamental Right at the instance of the Government which denied the proposition is apparent in the wholehearted endorsement of the decision as a vindication of its stance. What then was the need to rely upon the judgments on M.P.Sharma and Kharak Singh to insist that larger benches of the Supreme Court had held privacy not to be Fundamental Right, insisting that the framers of the Constitution had expressly excluded the right from the list of Fundamental Rights and asserting that the right was merely a common law right – an argument of the Attorney General which sat rather uncomfortably with that of the Additional Solicitor General that the right was recognized in different statutes? It could have been conceded that Sharma and Kharak Singh did not lay down the law correctly, that on a contemporaneous not historical exposition of law the want of explicit inclusion of privacy as a Fundamental Right could not be considered decisive and that a common law right was elevated to the status of a Fundamental Right and clearly emerged from the guarantee of Article 21 and other facets of freedom guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.
Split verdicts often create doubts about verdicts and are open to criticism of policy and expediency trumping law. The Supreme Court spoke in one voice in recognizing the right to privacy. The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court is a momentous moment in India’s legal history decisively showing that existence of the right to privacy as an undisputed reality and vindicating India’s position as a confident, mature and vibrant liberal democratic state.