On the western edge of the village of Eaglesfield in the Scottish Borders lies the ancient church and churchyard of Kirkconnel. There one can find the remains of a medieval church. It is tiny; probably the remnants of a much larger building have long disappeared: the stone, fine and ready cut, having found a better future than to lie unused when the parish of Kirkconnel was amalgamated with that of Kirkpatrick Fleming in about the year of 1610

In the burial ground of Kirkconnell is the grave of Helen Irving, recognised by tradition as Fair Helen of Kirkconnell, and who is supposed to have lived in the sixteenth century. It is also the grave of her lover, Adam Fleming – a name that once predominated the district. Helen, according to the narration of Pennant (Pennant’s Tour in Scotland, 1772), “was beloved by two gentlemen at the same time. The one vowed to sacrifice the successful rival to his resentment, and watched an opportunity while the happy pair was sitting on the banks of the Kirtle, that washes these grounds. Helen perceived the desperate lover on the opposite side, and fondly thinking to save her favorite but received a wound intended for her beloved, fell and expired in his arms. He instantly revenged her death; then fled into Spain, and served for some time against the Infidels: on his return, he visited the grave of his unfortunate mistress, stretched himself on it, and expiring on the spot, was interred by her side.

Photograph taken during the thirty degree record breaking heat of a long overdue British Summertime, at 12:34pm on Thursday July 18th 2013 off Hythe Avenue in Chessington Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent, England.

  

Model: MANDY FROST

  

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Nikon D800 70mm 1/200s f/3.2 iso100 RAW (14-bit) Handheld

  

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL15 batteries Lowepro Transporter camera strap.Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag.Sandisc 32GB Ultra Class 10 30MB/s SDHC card. Hoodman HGEC soft viewfinder eyecup. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit. Overhead tabletop umbrella for shade & a high speed oscillating fan to help prevent the model from fainting in the heat.

  

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LATITUDE: N 51d 28m 28.40s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 8m 10.52s

ALTITUDE: 60.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 11.80MB

  

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.

Mahotella Queens

South Africa

 

The Mahotella Queens - Hilda Tloubatla, Mildred Mangxola and Nobesuthu Mbadu - belong to the legend of urban South-African music. In the early 60s, together with Mahlathini (The Lion of Soweto) and the musicians of the Makgona Tsothle Band, they invented the Mbaqanga, an explosive style blending traditional music forms (Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Shangaan) and Marabi (South-African jazz in Apartheid times) with American rhythm'n'blues, soul and gospel, then heard throughout the townships.

 

The Queens were far more than just a female chorus: their velvety voices, their charisma and their sense of show and stage were an essential element in the band.

 

Indeed, behind this amazing vocal trio are inspired soloists, composers, lyricists and arrangers who have greatly contributed to the group's rich recording work and concert tours. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens sold millions of albums all over Southern Africa before the government of Pretoria broke up this impulse with a discrimination policy that doomed all forms of cultural activity.

 

The hassles and problems confronting all artists, along with marriages and pregnancies, made them take a break in the 70s, but they rejoined Mahlathini and the band in the early 80s. Since then, they have not stopped recording and touring all over the world. The end of apartheid has allowed a whole new generation to discover the glories of their musical heritage.

 

Since the death of Mahlathini and the main members of the Makgona Tsothle Band, the three queens have taken up the torch of the Mbaqanga. Their talent and vocal colour have been called upon by many artists, including Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, Ray Lema, Manu Dibango, Johnny Clegg and Baaba Maal. Boosted by all these experiences, they have enriched their musical range. These young, engaging, exceptional sexagenarians have gone through one of South Africa's most sombre periods without anger or resentment, managing to retain the energy and humour of their twenties.

 

The Mahotella Queens have been touring since the 1960s and, with male 'groaners' such as Robert Mbazo Mkhize and their long-term lead singer Mahlathini, have sold out shows in South Africa, the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

 

Their international touring career started in 1988, beginning with concerts in the United Kingdom (most notably a performance for Nelson Mandela's 75th birthday in Wembley Stadium) and North America. The Queens completed a tour of Britain as the support act for Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in June 2006, then toured France, Germany and Asia and were a headline act at WOMAD UK in July.

Let yourself embark on a journey to the rainbow nation - to dance and to dream!

Noder y Ty Toll / Note the Toll House.

 

Lleoliad Rhodfa'r Brenin ac Eglwys St. Tudwal 'rwan. / Location today of Kings Crecent and St. Tudwals Church.

 

Bu i " Ddeddf y Priffyrdd 1862 " roi diwedd a'r dalu tollau am ddefnyddio'r mwyafrif o ffyrdd .

 

The " Highways Act of 1862 " put an end to the practice of paying tolls on the majority of roads.

 

Caewyd y toll-dy yn 1888 / Toll house was closed in 1888.

  

Dywed Leslie Darbyshire states :-

 

" It hung on the wall in the comer of the antique shop, a faded photo in a shabby frame, the caption underneath just stated "Old Toll House Barmouth". On the back somebody had written Handlith Terrace built by John Griffith 1874 and that it had been a wedding present from Mam a Mrs G E Owen, Wern Barmouth.

The picture shows the Toll house the gate with Handlith Terrace. Kings Crescent had as yet not being built its location being where the Roman Catholic Church St Tudwal is sited. Also on the back of the frame we have another name for the Toll house namely Turnpike House.

The history of Toll houses or Turnpikes houses or "Tyrpec" in Welsh is fascinating, nearly all towns and villages had their Toll house which were erected to collect tolls for the repair and maintenance of road in that particular place.

The term Turnpike refers to the military practice of placing a pikestaff across the road to block and control passage, this would be "turned" to one side to allow travellers through. The first turnpike road, whereby travellers paid toll for its upkeep was authorised in 1663 for a section of road in Hertfordshire and the first Turnpike Trust was established by parliament through a Trust Act in 1706 placing a section of the London-Coventry-Chester road in the hands of a group of trustees.

The trustees could erect gates as they saw fit, demand statute labour or cash equivalent, and appoint surveyors and collectors. In return they repaired the road and put up mile posts. Trusts were established for a limited period of office, often for twenty one years. Before the 18th century each parish looked after its own roads but the traffic increased as part of the Agricultural Revolution and the parishes could no longer afford the upkeep without help. The law was changed; companies could be set up to look after the roads. They made money to look after the roads by charging people a toll to use them. The money was collected at toll houses (Turnpike House) and a gate to the turnpike opened to allow further passage. The collected money went to the investors and maintenance of the road and bridges .The companies who set up and maintained these roads were called Turnpike Trust. The Parliament of England had placed the upkeep of bridges to local settlements or the containing county under the Bridges Act of 1555 and similarly the care of roads were devolved to the parishes as statute labour under the Highways Act 1555. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four consecutive days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses, the work being overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the surveyor of Highways

It was not until 1654 that road rates were introduced; the improvements by paid labour were offset by the rise in the use of wheeled vehicles greatly increasing wear and the Government put a curb on wheeled vehicles and regulated their construction, by having wider rims which would be less damaging and for a period led to carts having sixteen inch wheels which did not cause ruts, but neither did they roll or flatten the road as was hoped. Many of the trust were fraudulently administered, the Turnpike Act of 1822 required trusts to keep accounts. In 1744 an act had made milestones compulsory on most turnpike roads.

At first there were no permanent toll houses, gates were closed at night, but when it was realised that turnpikes were not temporary, toll houses were built at road junctions with a clear view of the gates and roads. There were complaints that gates were found locked because the keepers were missing or that they were drunk or asleep. The wages of 9 shillings per week did not induce the right sort of staff.

However this changed in the 1770’s when the operation of turnpikes was “farmed” out to the highest bidder at a public auction. This meant that the successful bidder paid annual rent to the trust but kept the tolls collected. He would either run the tollgate himself or pay a gatekeeper. It is interesting to note that the North End Tollhouse at Barmouth, according to the census of 1851 was kept by a farmer but in the subsequent census we have a toll keeper.

At the beginning of the 18th century Daniel Defoe comments “Turn Pikes have been set up on several great roads of England, at which all carriages, droves or cattle and travellers on horseback are obliged to pay an easy toll: that is to say – a horse one penny, a coach three pence and a cart four pence at some or six to eight pence, a wagon six pence,in some a shilling. Cattle pay by the score or by the herd and in some places more. But in no place is it thought a burthen that ever I met with, the benefit of a good road abundantly making amends for the little charge the travellers are put to at the turn pikes …..” However they weren’t universally popular, people rioted against toll tax in 1726 and “gate crashing” was common practice.

The county of Merioneth did not escape the toll pike era, remains of toll houses are seen throughout the county and Barmouth itself can boast of three. The toll house depicted in the photo was on the North End of town.

Dr Lewis Lloyd, in his book of Harlech, gives valuable information about the condition and history of the local Trust. Turnpike Trust had been established in Ffestiniog and Maentwrog in 1833 and similarly the Barmouth Talybont Turnpike Trust was formed to develop a new road between Barmouth and Talybont and to improve the existing road from Talybont to Harlech. The condition of the road was so improved that a coach company started an express service between Barmouth and Caernarfon and was called the Mountaineer Coach; it took ten hours to do the journey and it operated on alternate days. It connected with the Mail Coach for Bangor or the Morning Coach at Seven for the Steam Boats at Menai Bridge and according to the advert in the Caernarfon Herald as soon as the road between Dolgellau and Aberystwyth was improved this public accommodation would be extended to the latter place; the advert was dated July 26th 1833.

The trust instituted three tollgates on the Harlech Barmouth route, one at Barmouth at the North end of the town and two at Harlech, Clogwyn-Twtil and Llechwedd. The toll road did not follow the route as we know it, at the Clogwyn tollgate the road proceeded through Pentre’r Efail and down Tryfarto Ty’n y Groes where it turned sharply up Twtil, past the castle and out of the town along Llechwedd. It is a mystery how four horse mail coaches negotiated the sharp bend and steep slope in either direction. The Ffestiniog- Maentwrog and Harlech-Barmouth merged in 1851 and was eventually wound up in 1851.

Dr David Craik made an interesting observation in a recent e-mail to the writer, “The Turnpikes were a source of great resentment throughout Wales, because of the charges made to farmers coming to marts (Helyntio Becca). This may well explain the diversity of roads approaching Harlech over the eastern top which were used by the drovers to catch up with the road to and from Bala.”

Barmouth had three tollgates, one up on the old road by Gorllwyn, which still retains the lookout. This presumably dealt with the drovers before the bottom road was made. The other was sited where Birmingham Garage stands today, the owner said recently when, years ago, they were excavating down for a petrol tank, they came across foundations of a building. This Toll House was called the East Toll House, not far from the present garage is an old quarry which, according to Dr David Craik, the poor of Barmouth were “offered” work in this parish quarry, the stone of which would be used for road ballast by the local turnpikes.

The income from the gates was quite high. Hugh J Owens’ book “The Treasures of the Mawddach” in which a notice of Public Auction to be held at the Angel Inn Dolgellau on Tuesday 11th February 1862 that the tolls arising at the under-mentioned Turnpikes will be let by auction…….. to the highest bidder. Amongst the thirteen gates included were Barmouth and Llanelltyd, which stated these two tolls produced the current year exclusive of collecting the sum annexed to each viz:- Barmouth gate £120. Llanelltyd Gate & Side Bar £163.

In 1800 the road between Dolgellau and Harlech was not more than a cart track, from Bontddu it took to the uplands past the mansion of Gorsygedol to lower ground at Talybont where Llanddwywe Inn was sited. It then followed the present road to Llanfair except for the length between Llanbedr and Pensarn whence it took to the high ground past Pant Mawr into Harlech.

Gate crashing of tolls has been mentioned and in his booklet “The Old Order” by B.Bowen Thomas based on the diary of Elizabeth Baker, it has an entry about the toll gate near Bryn Adda Dolgellau for the night of August 7th 1780. “The conversation was ended by the entrance of one of the maid servants, who with offrighted countenance spoke to her Mistress in Welsh. The Mistress caught the horror and cried out “the man’s shot – on asking who? was told my Charioteer – the Master and Mistress descended quick – I followed and found the man’s wounds not mortal. It was given by the person who keeps the Turnpike. The waggoner with his fellow servt returning home cry’d …..Gate ….. Gate usual enough the keeper coming out and finding no one there on horseback he ask’d ….. who had call’d? being told teo or three had pass’d fetch’d his gun and pursued them two or three hundred yards at least, then fir’d yhe wound was on the crown of his head, his companion receiv’d some shot in his legs, the poor fellow were fortunately more affrighted than hurt, yet the Gate-Keeper merits punishment of some kind to deter him from such a prank in future.”

 

In this period the wealthy had their private coaches for long journeys. They could take their time and so mitigate their discomforts. Ordinary folk had no alternative but to complete the task even at some peril to health and limb and life.

 

Elizabeth Baker records the plight of one “Richard Jones” who had travelled on the coach. “Poor Richard Jones returned last Saturday from London … poor man! The journey has emanciated him… left Salop together designing to be conveyed together upon the top of the Stage coach but poor RJ, when he had gone about six miles found it impossible to keep his seat and changed it for the basket – unluckily the rain was incessant till they reached Oxford: at that place a female, who went passenger within, terminated her journey and Richard Jones filled her room on paying three shillings out of his Exchequer ….. he, by rolling in the basket was dreadfully bruised ….. Lewis Jones continued on the top of the coach all the way.

 

The only coach service ran from Dolgellau to Bala and thence to Oswestry. The road to Barmouth as already mentioned had not been opened and traffic used the tidal river. The road to the old county town of Harlech went over Llawllech and passing Corsygedol, reached the coast at Dyffryn. This road and others which went through the mountains to Dinas Mawddwy and Welshpool to the south east and to Towyn to the west were only fit for cattle drovers and horse traffic.

However the days of the Turnpike Trust were numbered, various parliamentary acts were made and in 1885 the last turnpike trust ended in 1889. Newly formed county councils took over responsibility for local roads. The last toll gates to close were on the London to Holyhead road in Anglesey which closed in 1895. In 1909 central government began to give grants to local authorities for road maintenance. The Ministry of Transport was set up in 1930, County Councils accepted responsibility for all roads. Trunk roads became the financial responsibility of the Ministry of Transport. The Motorway system began in 1960. The evolution from cart /mud roads to modern high speed highways in a little over a century, but in certain areas, motorway tolls have been re-introduced ".

 

Indonesian: Jawa; Javanese: ꦗꦮ; is an island of Indonesia. With a population of over 141 million (the island itself) or 145 million (the administrative region) as of 2015 Census released in December 2015, Java is home to 56.7 percent of the Indonesian population and is the most populous island on Earth. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is located on western Java. Much of Indonesian history took place on Java. It was the center of powerful Hindu-Buddhist empires, the Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies. Java was also the center of the Indonesian struggle for independence during the 1930s and 1940s. Java dominates Indonesia politically, economically and culturally.

 

Formed mostly as the result of volcanic eruptions, Java is the 13th largest island in the world and the fifth largest in Indonesia. A chain of volcanic mountains forms an east–west spine along the island. Three main languages are spoken on the island: Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese. Of these, Javanese is the dominant; it is the native language of about 60 million people in Indonesia, most of whom live on Java. Furthermore, most residents are bilingual, speaking Indonesian (the official language of Indonesia) as their first or second language. While the majority of the people of Java are Muslim, Java has a diverse mixture of religious beliefs, ethnicities, and cultures.

 

Java is divided into four provinces, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Banten, and two special regions, Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The origins of the name "Java" are not clear. One possibility is that the island was named after the jáwa-wut plant, which was said to be common in the island during the time, and that prior to Indianization the island had different names. There are other possible sources: the word jaú and its variations mean "beyond" or "distant". And, in Sanskrit yava means barley, a plant for which the island was famous. "Yawadvipa" is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. Sugriva, the chief of Rama's army dispatched his men to Yawadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita. It was hence referred to in India by the Sanskrit name "yāvaka dvīpa" (dvīpa = island). Java is mentioned in the ancient Tamil text Manimekalai by Chithalai Chathanar that states that Java had a kingdom with a capital called Nagapuram. Another source states that the "Java" word is derived from a Proto-Austronesian root word, Iawa that meaning "home". The great island of Iabadiu or Jabadiu was mentioned in Ptolemy's Geographia composed around 150 CE Roman Empire. Iabadiu is said to means "barley island", to be rich in gold, and have a silver town called Argyra at the west end. The name indicate Java, and seems to be derived from Hindu name Java-dvipa (Yawadvipa).

 

GEOGRAPHY

Java lies between Sumatra to the west and Bali to the east. Borneo lies to the north and Christmas Island is to the south. It is the world's 13th largest island. Java is surrounded by the Java Sea to the north, Sunda Strait to the west, the Indian Ocean to the south and Bali Strait and Madura Strait in the east.

 

Java is almost entirely of volcanic origin; it contains thirty-eight mountains forming an east–west spine that have at one time or another been active volcanoes. The highest volcano in Java is Mount Semeru (3,676 m). The most active volcano in Java and also in Indonesia is Mount Merapi (2,930 m).

 

More mountains and highlands help to split the interior into a series of relatively isolated regions suitable for wet-rice cultivation; the rice lands of Java are among the richest in the world. Java was the first place where Indonesian coffee was grown, starting in 1699. Today, Coffea arabica is grown on the Ijen Plateau by small-holders and larger plantations.

 

The area of Java is approximately 150,000 km2. It is about 1,000 km long and up to 210 km wide. The island's longest river is the 600 km long Solo River. The river rises from its source in central Java at the Lawu volcano, then flows north and eastward to its mouth in the Java Sea near the city of Surabaya. Other major rivers are Brantas, Citarum, Cimanuk and Serayu.

 

The average temperature ranges from 22 °C to 29 °C; average humidity is 75%. The northern coastal plains are normally hotter, averaging 34 °C during the day in the dry season. The south coast is generally cooler than the north, and highland areas inland are even cooler. The wet season begins in November and ends in April. During that rain falls mostly in the afternoons and intermittently during other parts of the year. The wettest months are January and February.

 

West Java is wetter than East Java and mountainous regions receive much higher rainfall. The Parahyangan highlands of West Java receive over 4,000 mm annually, while the north coast of East Java receives 900 mm annually.

 

NATURAL INVIRONMENT

The natural environment of Java is tropical rainforest, with ecosystems ranging from coastal mangrove forests on the north coast, rocky coastal cliffs on the southern coast, and low-lying tropical forests to high altitude rainforests on the slopes of mountainous volcanic regions in the interior. The Javan environment and climate gradually alters from west to east; from wet and humid dense rainforest in western parts, to a dry savanna environment in the east, corresponding to the climate and rainfall in these regions.

 

Originally Javan wildlife supported a rich biodiversity, where numbers of endemic species of flora and fauna flourished; such as the Javan rhinoceros, Javan banteng, Javan warty pig, Javan hawk-eagle, Javan peafowl, Javan silvery gibbon, Javan lutung, Java mouse-deer, Javan rusa, and Javan leopard. With over 450 species of birds and 37 endemic species, Java is a birdwatcher's paradise. There are about 130 freshwater fish species in Java.

 

Since ancient times, people have opened the rainforest, altered the ecosystem, shaped the landscapes and created rice paddy and terraces to support the growing population. Javan rice terraces have existed for more than a millennium, and had supported ancient agricultural kingdoms. The growing human population has put severe pressure on Java's wildlife, as rainforests were diminished and confined to highland slopes or isolated peninsulas. Some of Java's endemic species are now critically endangered, with some already extinct; Java used to have Javan tigers and Javan elephants, but both have been rendered extinct. Today, several national parks exist in Java that protect the remnants of its fragile wildlife, such as Ujung Kulon, Mount Halimun-Salak, Gede Pangrango, Baluran, Meru Betiri and Alas Purwo.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

The island as well as nearby islands are administratively jointly, divided into four provinces:

 

Banten, capital: Serang

West Java, capital: Bandung

Central Java, capital: Semarang

East Java, capital: Surabaya

 

and two special regions:

 

Jakarta

Yogyakarta

 

and 4 cultural zones:

 

Western Java (Banten, West Java, and Jakarta)

Central Java (Central Java and Yogyakarta)

East Java excluding Madura Island

Madura Island

 

HISTORY

Fossilised remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man", dating back 1.7 million years were found along the banks of the Bengawan Solo River.

 

The island's exceptional fertility and rainfall allowed the development of wet-field rice cultivation, which required sophisticated levels of cooperation between villages. Out of these village alliances, small kingdoms developed. The chain of volcanic mountains and associated highlands running the length of Java kept its interior regions and peoples separate and relatively isolated. Before the advent of Islamic states and European colonialism, the rivers provided the main means of communication, although Java's many rivers are mostly short. Only the Brantas and Sala rivers could provide long-distance communication, and this way their valleys supported the centres of major kingdoms. A system of roads, permanent bridges and toll gates is thought to have been established in Java by at least the mid-17th century. Local powers could disrupt the routes as could the wet season and road use was highly dependent on constant maintenance. Subsequently, communication between Java's population was difficult.

Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms era

in 640. However, the first major principality was the Medang Kingdom that was founded in central Java at the beginning of the 8th century. Medang's religion centred on the Hindu god Shiva, and the kingdom produced some of Java's earliest Hindu temples on the Dieng Plateau. Around the 8th century the Sailendra dynasty rose in Kedu Plain and become the patron of Mahayana Buddhism. This ancient kingdom built monuments such as the 9th century Borobudur and Prambanan in central Java.

 

Around the 10th century the centre of power shifted from central to eastern Java. The eastern Javanese kingdoms of Kediri, Singhasari and Majapahit were mainly dependent on rice agriculture, yet also pursued trade within the Indonesian archipelago, and with China and India.

 

Majapahit was established by Wijaya and by the end of the reign of Hayam Wuruk (r. 1350–89) it claimed sovereignty over the entire Indonesian archipelago, although control was likely limited to Java, Bali and Madura. Hayam Wuruk's prime minister, Gajah Mada, led many of the kingdom's territorial conquests. Previous Javanese kingdoms had their power based in agriculture, however, Majapahit took control of ports and shipping lanes and became Java's first commercial empire. With the death of Hayam Wuruk and the coming of Islam to Indonesia, Majapahit went into decline.

 

Spread of Islam and rise of Islamic sultanates

Islam became the dominant religion in Java at the end of the 16th century. During this era, the Islamic kingdoms of Demak, Cirebon, and Banten were ascendant. The Mataram Sultanate became the dominant power of central and eastern Java at the end of the 16th century. The principalities of Surabaya and Cirebon were eventually subjugated such that only Mataram and Banten were left to face the Dutch in the 17th century.

 

COLONIAL PERIODS

Java's contact with the European colonial powers began in 1522 with a treaty between the Sunda kingdom and the Portuguese in Malacca. After its failure the Portuguese presence was confined to Malacca, and to the eastern islands. In 1596, a four-ship expedition led by Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutch contact with Indonesia. By the end of the 18th century the Dutch had extended their influence over the sultanates of the interior through the Dutch East India Company in Indonesia. Internal conflict prevented the Javanese from forming effective alliances against the Dutch. Remnants of the Mataram survived as the Surakarta (Solo) and Yogyakarta principalities. Javanese kings claimed to rule with divine authority and the Dutch helped them to preserve remnants of a Javanese aristocracy by confirming them as regents or district officials within the colonial administration.

 

Java's major role during the early part of the colonial period was as a producer of rice. In spice producing islands like Banda, rice was regularly imported from Java, to supply the deficiency in means of subsistence.

 

During the Napoleonic wars in Europe, the Netherlands fell to France, as did its colony in the East Indies. During the short-lived Daendels administration, as French proxy rule on Java, the construction of the Java Great Post Road was commenced in 1808. The road, spanning from Anyer in Western Java to Panarukan in East Java, served as a military supply route and was used in defending Java from British invasion.

 

In 1811, Java was captured by the British, becoming a possession of the British Empire, and Sir Stamford Raffles was appointed as the island's Governor. In 1814, Java was returned to the Dutch under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

 

In 1815, there may have been five million people in Java. In the second half of the 18th century, population spurts began in districts along the north-central coast of Java, and in the 19th century population grew rapidly across the island. Factors for the great population growth include the impact of Dutch colonial rule including the imposed end to civil war in Java, the increase in the area under rice cultivation, and the introduction of food plants such as casava and maize that could sustain populations that could not afford rice. Others attribute the growth to the taxation burdens and increased expansion of employment under the Cultivation System to which couples responded by having more children in the hope of increasing their families' ability to pay tax and buy goods. Cholera claimed 100,000 lives in Java in 1820.

 

The advent of trucks and railways where there had previously only been buffalo and carts, telegraph systems, and more coordinated distribution systems under the colonial government all contributed to famine elimination in Java, and in turn, population growth. There were no significant famines in Java from the 1840s through to the Japanese occupation in the 1940s. Furthermore, the age of first marriage dropped during the 19th century thus increasing a woman's child bearing years.

 

INDIPENDENCE

Indonesian nationalism first took hold in Java in the early 20th century, and the struggle to secure the country's independence following World War II was centered in Java. In 1949, Indonesia became independent and the island has dominated Indonesian social, political and economic life, which has been the source of resentment of those residents in other islands.

 

DEMOGRAPHY

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Java has been traditionally demographically dominated by an elite class, while the masses remained agriculturally and fishing bound and thus were sustained by high birthrates. This elite class has changed over the course of history, as cultural waves after waves lapped the island. There is evidence that South Asian emigres were among this elite, as well as Arabian and Persian immigrants during the Islamic eras. More recently, Chinese have become part of the economic elite of Java, although politically they generally remain sidelined, there are notable exceptions such as the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. Today, Java is increasingly urban, modern culture has arrived in Java, yet only 75% of the island is electrified, villages and their rice paddies still are a common sight, as well as well as a youthful population. Central Java unlike the rest of the island registers very slow population growth, yet it maintains a more youthful population than the national average, this is explained by heavy outflows from the countryside or from lesser cities in search of larger incomes as the region remains economically depressed.[33] Java's population continues to relentlessly increase despite masses of Javans leaving, the island is the business academic and cultural hub of the nation and therefore attracts millions of non-Javans to its cities, the inflows are most intense in regions surrounding Jakarta and Bandung and diversity of demographics reflect this in those areas.

 

POPULATION DEVELOPMENT

With a combined population of 145 million in the 2015 census (including Madura's 3.7 million), which is estimated for 2014 at 143.1 million (including 3.7 million for Madura), Java is the most populous island in the world and is home to 57% of Indonesia's population. At over 1,100 people per km² in 2014, it is also one of the most densely populated parts of the world, on par with Bangladesh. Every region of the island has numerous volcanoes, with the people left to share the remaining flatter land. Because of this, many coasts are heavily populated and cities ring around the valleys surrounding volcanic peaks. Thus the physiological density of Java is exceptionally high, even by Asian standards.

 

Notably, population growth rate more than doubled in economically depressed Central Java in the latest 2010-2015 period vs 2000-2010, indicative of migration or other issues, there were significant volcanic eruptions during the earlier period. Approximately 45% of the population of Indonesia is ethnically Javanese, while Sundanese make a large portion of Java's population as well.

 

The western third of the island (West Java, Banten, and DKI Jakarta) has an even higher population density, of nearly 1,500 per square kilometer and accounts for the lion's share of the population growth of Java. It is home to three metropolitan areas, Greater Jakarta (with outlying areas of Greater Serang and Greater Sukabumi), Greater Bandung, and Greater Cirebon.

 

From the 1970s to the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, the Indonesian government ran transmigration programs aimed at resettling the population of Java on other less-populated islands of Indonesia. This program has met with mixed results, sometimes causing conflicts between the locals and the recently arrived settlers. Nevertheless, it has caused Java's share of the nation's population to progressively decline.

 

Jakarta and its outskirts, being the dominant metropolis, is also home to people from all over the nation. East Java is also home to ethnic Balinese, as well as large numbers of Madurans due to their historic poverty.

 

ETHNICITY AND CULTURE

Despite its large population and in contrast to the other larger islands of Indonesia, Java is comparatively homogeneous in ethnic composition. Only two ethnic groups are native to the island—the Javanese and Sundanese. A third group is the Madurese, who inhabit the island of Madura off the north east coast of Java, and have immigrated to East Java in large numbers since the 18th century. The Javanese comprise about two-thirds of the island's population, while the Sundanese and Madurese account for 20% and 10% respectively. The fourth group is the Betawi people that speak a dialect of Malay, they are the descendants of the people living around Batavia from around the 17th century. Betawis are creole people, mostly descended from various Indonesian archipelago ethnic groups such as Malay, Sundanese, Javanese, Balinese, Minang, Bugis, Makassar, Ambonese, mixed with foreign ethnic groups such as Portuguese, Dutch, Arab, Chinese and Indian brought to or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs. They have a culture and language distinct from the surrounding Sundanese and Javanese.

 

The Javanese kakawin Tantu Pagelaran explained the mythical origin of the island and its volcanic nature. Four major cultural areas exist on the island: the kejawen or Javanese heartland, the north coast of the pasisir region, the Sunda lands of West Java, and the eastern salient, also known as Blambangan. Madura makes up a fifth area having close cultural ties with coastal Java. The kejawen Javanese culture is the island's most dominant. Java's remaining aristocracy are based here, and it is the region from where the majority of Indonesia's army, business, and political elite originate. Its language, arts, and etiquette are regarded as the island's most refined and exemplary. The territory from Banyumas in the west through to Blitar in the east and encompasses Indonesia's most fertile and densely populated agricultural land.

 

In the southwestern part of Central Java, which is usually named the Banyumasan region, a cultural mingling occurred; bringing together Javanese culture and Sundanese culture to create the Banyumasan culture.[citation needed] In the central Javanese court cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, contemporary kings trace their lineages back to the pre-colonial Islamic kingdoms that ruled the region, making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture. Classic arts of Java include gamelan music and wayang puppet shows.

 

Java was the site of many influential kingdoms in the Southeast Asian region, and as a result, many literary works have been written by Javanese authors. These include Ken Arok and Ken Dedes, the story of the orphan who usurped his king, and married the queen of the ancient Javanese kingdom; and translations of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Pramoedya Ananta Toer is a famous contemporary Indonesian author, who has written many stories based on his own experiences of having grown up in Java, and takes many elements from Javanese folklore and historical legends.

 

LANGUAGES

The three major languages spoken on Java are Javanese, Sundanese and Madurese. Other languages spoken include Betawi (a Malay dialect local to the Jakarta region), Osing, Banyumasan, and Tenggerese (closely related to Javanese), Baduy (closely related to Sundanese), Kangeanese (closely related to Madurese), and Balinese. The vast majority of the population also speaks Indonesian, often as a second language.

 

RELIGION

Java has been a melting pot of religions and cultures, which has created a broad range of religious belief.

 

Indian influences came first with Shaivism and Buddhism penetrating deeply into society, blending with indigenous tradition and culture. One conduit for this were the ascetics, called resi, who taught mystical practices. A resi lived surrounded by students, who took care of their master's daily needs. Resi's authorities were merely ceremonial. At the courts, Brahmin clerics and pudjangga (sacred literati) legitimised rulers and linked Hindu cosmology to their political needs. Small Hindu enclaves are scattered throughout Java, but there is a large Hindu population along the eastern coast nearest Bali, especially around the town of Banyuwangi.

 

Islam, which came after Hinduism, strengthened the status structure of this traditional religious pattern. More than 90 percent of the people of Java are Muslims, on a broad continuum between abangan (more traditional) and santri (more modernist). The Muslim scholar of the writ (Kyai) became the new religious elite as Hindu influences receded. Islam recognises no hierarchy of religious leaders nor a formal priesthood, but the Dutch colonial government established an elaborate rank order for mosque and other Islamic preaching schools. In Javanese pesantren (Islamic schools), The Kyai perpetuated the tradition of the resi. Students around him provided his needs, even peasants around the school.

 

Pre-Islamic Javan traditions have encouraged Islam in a mystical direction. There emerged in Java a loosely structured society of religious leadership, revolving around kyais, possessing various degrees of proficiency in pre-Islamic and Islamic lore, belief and practice. The kyais are the principal intermediaries between the villages masses and the realm of the supernatural. However, this very looseneess of kyai leadership structure has promoted schism. There were often sharp divisions between orthodox kyais, who merely instructed in Islamic law, with those who taught mysticism and those who sought reformed Islam with modern scientific concepts. As a result, there is a division between santri, who believe that they are more orthodox in their Islamic belief and practice, with abangan, who have mixed pre-Islamic animistic and Hindu-Indian concepts with a superficial acceptance of Islamic belief.

 

There are also Christian communities, mostly in the larger cities, though some rural areas of south-central Java are strongly Roman Catholic. Buddhist communities also exist in the major cities, primarily among the Chinese Indonesian. The Indonesian constitution recognises six official religions.

 

A wider effect of this division is the number of sects. In the middle of 1956, the Department of Religious Affairs in Yogyakarta reported 63 religious sects in Java other than the official Indonesian religions. Of these, 35 were in Central Java, 22 in West Java and six in East Java. These include Kejawen, Sumarah, Subud, etc. Their total membership is difficult to estimate as many of their adherents identify themselves with one of the official religions.

 

ECONOMY

Initially the economy of Java relied heavily on rice agriculture. Ancient kingdoms such as the Tarumanagara, Mataram, and Majapahit were dependent on rice yields and tax. Java was famous for rice surpluses and rice export since ancient times, and rice agriculture contributed to the population growth of the island. Trade with other parts of Asia such as India and China flourished as early as the 4th century, as evidenced by Chinese ceramics found on the island dated to that period. Java also took part in the global trade of Maluku spice from ancient times in the Majapahit era, until well into the VOC era.

 

Dutch East India Company set their foothold on Batavia in the 17th century and was succeeded by Netherlands East Indies in the 19th century. During these colonial times, the Dutch introduced the cultivation of commercial plants in Java, such as sugarcane, rubber, coffee, tea, and quinine. In the 19th and early 20th century, Javanese coffee gained global popularity. Thus, the name "Java" today has become a synonym for coffee.

 

Java is the most developed island in Indonesia since the era of Netherlands East Indies to modern Republic of Indonesia. The road transportation networks that have existed since ancient times were connected and perfected with the construction of Java Great Post Road by Daendels in the early 19th century. The Java Great Post Road become the backbone of Java's road infrastructure and laid the base of Java North Coast Road (Indonesian: Jalan Pantura, abbreviation from "Pantai Utara"). The need to transport commercial produces such as coffee from plantations in the interior of the island to the harbour on the coast spurred the construction of railway networks in Java. Today the industry, business and trade, also services flourished in major cities of Java, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, and Bandung; while some traditional Sultanate cities such as Yogyakarta, Surakarta, and Cirebon preserved its royal legacy and become the centre of art, culture and tourism in Java. Industrial estates also growing in towns on northern coast of Java, especially around Cilegon, Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Gresik and Sidoarjo. The toll road highway networks was built and expanded since Suharto era until now, connecting major urban centres and surrounding areas, such as in and around Jakarta and Bandung; also the ones in Cirebon, Semarang and Surabaya. In addition to these motorways, Java has 16 national highways.

 

Based on the statistical data by the year of 2012 which's released by Badan Pusat Statistik, Java Island itself contributes at least 57.51% of Indonesia's Gross Domestic Product or equivalent to 504 billion US Dollars.

 

WIKIPEDIA

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.peter-diem.at/Monumente/russen.htm

I saw this cleaning lady in Kiev, a few days before Yuschenko's victory and the culmination of the Orange Revolution. She was cleaning the steps of the metro stop Zoloti Vorota.

 

I realized the photo had come out blurry, and wanted to take another one until I realized that it actually suited her. She moved so fast, and there was such resentment in her eyes. Her orange uniform was pure coincidence, I think.

 

I wonder about her a lot now.

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.

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The Debt Collector

 

This is our natural response to become a debt collector.

When we harbor resentment and anger, we set out to make the offender pay for what he has done to us.

We may be passive aggressive (subtle) or aggressive (overt) but until we get a satisfactory apology, until we determine an adequate penalty has been paid. We put the offender in debtors prison and reserve the right to punish them for their transgressions.

 

If we live with this type of response "You Owe Me, I will make you pay" all our lives even the smallest of offense makes us think we have to punish everyone - when in fact we are punishing ourselves by the awful behavior and ugliness that resonates out of us - it keeps people away.

By it's very nature relating to others this way puts us in bondage or prison with them - it doesn't release us from their hurt.

We grab hold of the hurt and refuse to let it go

This is one response the other is............

  

Copy of Sign-in sheet, Discount Pass sheet, Expiration Date card students receive - www.HelpYouWell.com - Licensed Nia Teacher - Certified Nia Blue Belt - www.TerrePruitt.com - Teaching San Jose Nia classes, Teaching Nia Classes for the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County Nia, South Bay Area, Nia in the San Francisco Bay Area, Workout for EveryBODY

Today I went out for a lunchtime drink - it is Sunday after all. Not something I normally do, being an abstemious character as those of you that know me will know. Not a really unusual thing for a retired old geezer to do on a sunny afternoon. But you'd expect him to drag his missus with him.

 

Not so.

 

On Sunday next is the 34th anniversary of me marrying the Current Mrs Bill.

 

I want very much to take her out for the night, or even the weekend; make a fuss of her and tell her how much I love her; as much now as I did back in 1982 when we married, or in 1976 when we first met.

 

But I can't.

 

Because she looks after her mother Rita.

 

Rita has late stage altzheimers and lives with us. Marguerita looks after her every day all day and all night, every day and every night. She feeds her, she takes her to the toilet, she gets up in the night to look after her.

 

She does this and still looks after me, her kids and her grand-daughter.

 

She does it without any bitterness or resentment.

 

She does it with love.

 

If anyone anywhere was looking for a role model in kindness, duty and love; then they need look no further than my Marguerita.

 

As for our anniversary.....

Well, being with her after God knows how many years is good enough for me.

 

She is my hero.

 

BTW.... she's the one on the left

Leica M6 with Noctilux (E58) * Fujifilm RDPIII

UNIACKE, NORMAN FITZGERALD, militia officer, lawyer, office holder, politician, judge, and jp; b. c. 1777, probably in Halifax, son of Richard John Uniacke* and Martha Maria Delesdernier; m. 23 Nov. 1829 Sophie Delesdernier in Vaudreuil, Lower Canada; d. 11 Dec. 1846 in Halifax.

 

The eldest son of Nova Scotia’s attorney general, Norman Fitzgerald Uniacke was one of 12 children, several of whom were to become famous in the province. On 1 July 1796 he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Halifax Militia Regiment. After being called to the Nova Scotia bar, he left for London in 1798 to finish his law studies and cultivate connections that would be useful in his career. Late in 1805 he entered Lincoln’s Inn, the second Nova Scotian to be admitted to the English bar.

 

In 1807 Uniacke’s father tried to have him appointed provincial secretary of Nova Scotia. The effort failed, but on 25 Aug. 1808 he was named by Lord Castlereagh to succeed the attorney general of Lower Canada, Jonathan Sewell, who had become chief justice of the province. However, Governor Sir James Henry Craig*, who had not been informed of the appointment, issued a temporary commission to Edward Bowen* on 10 Sept. 1808. Bowen was obliged to resign, and Uniacke was able to take up his post officially on 20 June 1809.

 

Craig sought to get rid of the new attorney general. On 17 May 1810, through his secretary Herman Witsius Ryland, he consulted the judges of the Court of King’s Bench about Uniacke’s competence. Sewell, Jenkin Williams*, Pierre-Amable De Bonne*, and James Kerr replied that his acquaintance with criminal law was very superficial and his knowledge of civil law often inadequate; in addition, his French was extremely poor. The other judges, James Reid, James Monk*, Pierre-Louis Panet*, and Isaac Ogden, declared that they had had little or no opportunity to form an opinion. Craig suspended Uniacke on 31 May, granting him leave to go to England, and again gave a temporary commission to Bowen, recommending his appointment to Lord Liverpool. Bowen therefore held office in an acting capacity from 1810 to 1812. On 7 Feb. 1812 the new governor, Sir George Prevost*, sent Liverpool a petition from Bowen asking for the attorney generalship of Lower Canada, and he suggested that Uniacke receive a similar appointment for Upper Canada. But shortly afterwards Uniacke was reinstated, primarily through his father’s influence.

 

Uniacke was elected to the House of Assembly for William Henry on 28 Aug. 1824. He remained a member only a short time, however, since on 1 Feb. 1825 Governor Lord Dalhousie [Ramsay] persuaded him to accept appointment as a judge in the Court of King’s Bench in the district of Montreal. On 24 May 1827 he was called to replace the judge in the district of Trois-Rivières, Pierre-Stanislas Bédard*, during the latter’s absence. Uniacke received commissions as justice of the peace in different districts in the years between 1826 and 1833, and in the period 1827–33 he held commissions of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery. He retired in August 1834 and returned to Nova Scotia, where he was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1838.

 

The charge of incompetence brought against Uniacke was probably in large part justified. But the antipathy to him in the upper levels of government was also the result of various stands he took: he favoured civil recognition of Catholic parishes set up after the conquest, whereas their legal existence was contested, particularly by Sewell, because the Catholic bishop had never been officially recognized; furthermore, early in 1825 he supported Louis-Joseph Papineau* for the speakership of the House of Assembly, thus provoking the wrath of the English party. Such behaviour could only bring him animosity and resentment.

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.

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.

On the western edge of the village of Eaglesfield in the Scottish Borders lies the ancient church and churchyard of Kirkconnel. There one can find the remains of a medieval church. It is tiny; probably the remnants of a much larger building have long disappeared: the stone, fine and ready cut, having found a better future than to lie unused when the parish of Kirkconnel was amalgamated with that of Kirkpatrick Fleming in about the year of 1610

In the burial ground of Kirkconnell is the grave of Helen Irving, recognised by tradition as Fair Helen of Kirkconnell, and who is supposed to have lived in the sixteenth century. It is also the grave of her lover, Adam Fleming – a name that once predominated the district. Helen, according to the narration of Pennant (Pennant’s Tour in Scotland, 1772), “was beloved by two gentlemen at the same time. The one vowed to sacrifice the successful rival to his resentment, and watched an opportunity while the happy pair was sitting on the banks of the Kirtle, that washes these grounds. Helen perceived the desperate lover on the opposite side, and fondly thinking to save her favorite but received a wound intended for her beloved, fell and expired in his arms. He instantly revenged her death; then fled into Spain, and served for some time against the Infidels: on his return, he visited the grave of his unfortunate mistress, stretched himself on it, and expiring on the spot, was interred by her side.

  

This is a free-standing Latin cross, 9ft high and 1ft 1 1/2ins thick, with square angles at the side arms and obtuse angles at the top. One of the side arms is almost destroyed and the top is incomplete. Panels are recessed 1/2 inch in the arms and head.

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May 2023 - A lonely, abandoned and decommissioned Royal Apple Blossom Princess parade float and sometimes Queen Annapolisa float is now parked and sitting idle at town of Kentville main maintenance storage depot ? This magnificent float has always performed official transportation duties for her royal heinous Apple Blossom Princess Kentville and child attendant in magnificent fashion for the last 87 Apple Blossom Festivals ? Unfortunately her imperial duty will no longer be required since the advent of severe Town and ABF cut backs and their cruel cancellations made to historic long time community public entertainment events including the termination of the Valley's most popular and iconic Queen Annapolisa pageant and also when ending the incredible multiple Valley village Apple Blossom Princess competition ?

 

'Somebody get that King a crown and scepter '

Kentville 2025 Grand Street Parade - A new Royal rider rolls down Main Street at Apple Blossom Time ? The newcomer Mayor graces the royal throne aboard the Princess Kentville Apple Blossom float ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54557663677/in/dateposted

  

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Kentville Grand Street Parade May 27th 2023 Main Street Kentville -

  

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2023 Grand Street Parade - The exclusion of many usual participants and the denial of their valued diversity have marred the 2023 Grand Street Parade ? Many nearby Valley communities were missing in the Parade when many longtime participants are no longer included ? Where is Canning, Digby, Annapolis Royal, Hantsport Greenwood, Windsor ? Where's Queen Annapolisa ? Where's the Apple Blossom Princesses and all of the individual Town floats including Princess Kentville ? To view a complete ( newcomer version ) of the world famous Kentville Grand Street Parade press here www.dailymotion.com/video/x8lchie www.dailymotion.com/video/x8lchie

  

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On the recent 2023 edition of the Grand Street Parade :

  

"it looked as if some spectators along the route just joined in and began to walk along and make themselves a part of the parade ? "

 

May 27th, 2023 - Dismay, disillusion and some extreme disappointment prevail in Kentville over shocking changes and many missing regular entrees in this years 2023 Grand Street Parade ? Where is our famous Queen Annapolisa and where are the many Apple Blossom Princesses and their child attendants riding in their beautiful hand crafted decorated floats ? Where's the town criers ? And what about the dazzling majorette groups, the Scottish pipers and large multi instrumental marching bands that always attend ? And where are the Hantsport and Windsor floats and their large delegations ? And where are Digby, Aylesford, Annapolis Royal, Canning, Middleton, Wolfville, and more ? Why are so many of the Valley towns and villages that normally participate not included in the parade this year ? It was also a major disappointment for many when for the first time ever, Kentville Apple Blossom Princess (aka Miss Kentville) was no longer included as there are many town residents young and old who identify with the Apple Blossom Princess at this time of year ? However, the now purposeless Apple Blossom Princess float was used this year to transport a grouping of everyday town residents as they sat around together in a social scene meant to identity Kentville with diversity and inclusion ? The New Minas float also did not include an Apple Blossom Princess for this year, however her float was transformed into an advertisement for the famous New Minas UFO incident which all New Minions identify with. The Berwick float didn't include a Princess Berwick this year either. but was altered to proudly identify with the town's upcoming Centennial celebrations. And the Kingston float was also missing an Apple Blossom Princess this year but was instead promoting their long running Kingston Steer Barbecue that all Kingstonians readily identify with. It was good to see an RCMP contingent again although they sent far less officers this year than usual ? And it was notable that only 1 other large marching band appeared in the parade when usually 4 or more big bands, many with many pipers usually attend after traveling up from places like Cape Breton, Bridgewater, Dartmouth etc ? And where have all the pets and animals gone ? There's no horse teams, wooden wagons, riders or livestock this year ? Even the usual greyhound dogs weren't there ? Also noticed that some spectators must have just joined in and began walking along within the parade, and others must have come over from the Children's parade with their strollers to join in ? There was a variety of advertisers, most from out of town but some local ? There were various Political parties represented, with the largest delegation coming from the Kody Blois Liberals ? All in all, this Year's parade seemed a bare minimum and a weak effort that really missed the inclusion of royal pageantry and the 7 to 10 spectacular Princess floats, and also missed the large marching bands and majorette groups that usually enter, the usual agriculture horticulture and livestock component, the popular Scottish pipers bands that always attend, and also the many large out of town contingents that always normally participate ? This was not the famous grand street parade that patrons are accustomed to seeing, and did not represent the high standards and degree of professionalism set by all previous Grand Street Parades ? It became obvious that what was being advertised as a newer, bolder, more inclusive and more diverse parade was instead the exact opposite because this new version of our Grand Street Parade had lost the inclusion, diversity and the major contribution put forth by the absent Valley communities along with their individual Princess contestants and Child attendants that always come to Kentville to participate in the Queen Annapolisa competition, the Friday evening coronation gala at Acadia University in Wolfville, the many Princess Teas, and the Royal attendances at schools, hospitals, senior citizen homes and shut-ins, as well as appearances at the Friday night Memorial Park outdoor concert and fireworks, Royal attendances highlighting the Saturday morning Children's Parade, and a Royal trip down Main street Kentville aboard a beautiful hand crafted royal float in the famous Grand Street parade ?

And so, to quickly sum up, can a strange looking, incomplete, shortened, now Royal-less, newcomer mentality amateur version of our elite world-famous Kentville Grand Street Parade that was now missing her heinous Queen Annapolisa and also missing 7 to 10 Apple Blossom Princesses and their individual 7 to 10 beautifully handcrafted Town Princess floats, and also missing much of the unique character and diversity usually provided by the numerous Valley villages and communities who were no longer included, and that also failed to include many of the large out of town marching bands and pipers and majorettes who usually attend, and that also lacked representation from local area farming, agriculture and livestock,, now signal the end of the once glorious Grand Street Parade era ?

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The beloved Peoples Pageant has been cancelled without warning, consultation or considertion ? Directors say bold action was needed to improve, evolve and modernize the Valley's favorite and most well known yearly event ? www.saltwire.com/atlantic-

 

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A quick review of the notorious hostile takeover bid and attempt to extract the 2017 Kentville Grand Street Parade away from its natural home in the town of Kentville ?

  

February, 2017 - With only 3 months to go and parade planning and preparations well underway as per usual for the upcoming 2017 edition of Kentville Grand Street Parade, parade officials were suddenly caught totally off-guard and absolutely blindsided by the shocking news coming from out of nowhere that current ABF Management who are in charge of the festival have made a final decision in private that will take Grand Street Parade away from its historic 85-year old home in Kentville ? They would then relocate it to a new and different location of their choice ? Apparently, they had already taken it away from Kentville and moved it to New Minas without consultation, written or verbal notice, or permission ? And so it seemed that a group of rather uncaring, arrogant, covertly operating, and inconsiderate ABF Officials with radical new ideas had ignored the town of Kentville's interests and ignored 87 years of tradition and (incredibly) taken the 2017 annual Grand Street Parade ( and even future Parades ) away without consultation, notice or permission ? Drastic location changes and even the elimination of other longtime events and attractions that are always held in Kentville such as the Friday night outdoor show and fireworks, the Memorial Park Wednesday and Thursday displays with Valley student participation and numerous attractions, the bringing in of popular outside bands, and even the famous historic Kentville Children's Parade were all targeted by this group for cut-back or even elimination ? Radical changes in the Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess competition including gender, contestant rules, location of crowning ceremony, and changes in overall competition format were also discussed ? These ABF Officials defended secretive, inconsiderate and authoritarian type actions by claiming that as stewards of the festival they are entitled and obliged to uphold the integrity of the festival ? (integrity ? ) They later changed stories saying they were left with no choice due to Kentville's inability to prove they can successfully host such a large Parade event, ( Kentville has hosted this parade for the last 85 years ),and also because the people in charge of Grand Street Parade were unprofessional, indifferent and uncooperative ?

And so it came to be that a newly elected Mayor and Council in its infancy were suddenly confronted with perhaps the most serious challenge ever to be faced by the town of Kentville ever since the tragic loss of their major transportation sources, that being the loss of the railway in 1989, and then the shocking loss of aviation in 2014 when the Town CAO and the Warden and Council conspired to close out Waterville municipal Airport and evict all businesses and tenants ? This new challenge came in the form of a surprise and pernicious attack on Kentville's most beloved local commercial attraction, that being the Grand Street Parade ? The surprise attack came from an unfamiliar and unfriendly source that seemed inconsiderate, disrespectful and even a tad opportunistic when considering that Kentville had just finished installing a brand new Mayor and rookie Council ? When the newly elected Mayor Snow, was suddenly swarmed by so much news of so many harsh and deceitful actions that had already taken against her town's best interests, the shocked and disbelieving Mayor said she was overwhelmed, heartbroken and called these actions unprecedented, disrespectful and unacceptable when she commented to the local media ? All citizens agreed that any attack on Kentville's most popular and well known outdoor world class event without the courtesy of an invitation, negotiation, inclusion or consultation is unacceptable ? Needless to say, the biggest losers of all were the good citizens of Kentville who have contributed so much over the last 90 years years going back to the thirties and forties when the CNR train would bring guests to stay at the Cornwallis Inn ? The Town has invested enormous amounts of time, energy and resources into the creation of this world-famous event that continually draws a hundred or more thousand visitors.

All of our Valley towns take great pride and look forward to their individual town festivals with an emphasis placed on their yearly local parade. The citizens of Kentville are no different. And so now it appears that although Towns like Kingston, Hantsport, Wolfville, Windsor, Berwick, Canning, Greenwood etc. never have to worry about someone coming along and hijacking their yearly community parade or otherwise taking it away, the citizens of Kentville have to face the troubling prospect of losing their annual town parade without notice to an outside party and a loss of many years of time, energy, town resources, manpower, and all the other general services and contributions put forth by residents over the past years in order to create this world class event ?

The current 2017 ABF board of Directors is led by Angela Pelton and Alxys Chamberlain (Queen Annapolisa 2015), with Barb Madic, Heidi Scotney-Kinsman, John Patterson, Katie Gordon, Krista Morine, Linda Keddy, Logan Morse, Sarah Griffiths, and Steffany Cox-Lingard ?

  

news clippings :

 

Frustration growing in Kentville, N.S. over Apple Blossom parade change CTV Atlantic atlantic.ctvnews.ca/frustration-growing-in-kentville-n-s-...

 

Kings County Councilor Emma Van Rooyen calls for the de-funding of the Apple Blossom Festival

atlantic.ctvnews.ca/apple-blossom-festival-competition-di...

 

JULY 14, 2023 - Valley Pride workshops, drag performances, and more events planned for Kentville and Wolfville over the weekend.

globalnews.ca/video/9832465/first-official-pride-festival...

 

CTV Jan. 23, 2017 " A long-standing N.S. festival opens competition to all gender identities"

www.ctvnews.ca/canada/long-standing-n-s-festival-opens-co...

 

ABF 2022 - Princess competition and Queen Annapolisa pageant to be postponed this year ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/52076239848/in/datepos...

 

New Minas agrees to host the parade after approached by festival organizers ! Protest Petition is started !

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/apple-blossom-festival...

 

Kentville will host the Apple Blossom parade after all

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/kentville-gets-apple-b...

 

No Smoking in KVille, but we encourage drinking, gambling and smoking pot ? Maders tobacconist in downtown Kentville is celebrating 50 years in business,,

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/9344935900

 

may 2023 = Kids welcome at an all-age Drag show to be held at the Kings Arms in Kentville,,

www.nsbuzz.ca/life/kentville-all-ages-drag-show-draws-pro...

 

A protest against an all-age drag show at the Kings Arms ends peacefully in Kentville,

www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/communities/a-celebration-of...

 

Lunenburg - Is Queen a bad name now ? Lunenburg recently changed the name of Cornwallis Street to Queen Street. Queen was first choice of all those in a survey taken to select a new street name. But the town received another complaint from the local anti-racism committee saying they are upset by a democratic decision that would replace one colonial street name (Cornwallis) with another, (Queen ) ?

www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/ns-town-that-changed-cornwa...

  

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2022 :

  

* Update 2022 Update * This year's ABF won't be the same as the others ? For the first time ever in a long illustrious history, this ABF will be missing the better half of the Festival, that being, the coveted Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess competition and the coronation and crowning ceremony in Wolfville ? All have been postponed ? Bad news indeed for aspiring young participants, for our local communities, for the Festival itself, and for all patrons and sponsors. Perhaps the current board of Directors should focus more attention on their job of actually holding the event rather than arguing about inclusion and entrance ? We look forward to next years pageant ? It also looks like the Directors this year are not prepared to make the necessary expenditures needed to bring in outside guest performers for the Friday night concert (or for a big-name Saturday night concert ) as was always the case in previous years when bands like Eddy's Basement, or various guest Tribute Bands, or the Barra McNiels, K D Lang, Michelle Wright, and many others were brought in to entertain Wednesday Thursday or Friday night Memorial Park audiences ?

 

It seems that ABF Officials are emphasizing the word 'free' in advertisements this year ? The ABF events they advertise as free have always been free ? Is this promotion or the pointing out of the 'free' idea mean there are plans in the future to begin charging Kentville citizens for events that have always been free in the past, such as Grand Street Parade or the Friday night Memorial Park entertainment and Fireworks ? It seems more likely that if they were ever to repeat this year's lackluster bare minimum effort of our World famous festival that they may have to start paying patrons to attend ?

 

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Following a 2 year absence due to Covi,, the 2022 Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival. (and Parade) will be held as per usual this year.. Unfortunately the Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess competition has had to be postponed until next year due to time constraints.

  

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Shocking news from ABF,

  

* There's been a stunning development at ABF. *

 

Apparently in a new younger generation there are those who harbor resentment towards our nations history, for English colonialism, and even for the Monarchy ? Other minority groups have voiced discontent over the diversity and inclusion issue ? And so it seems that the current ABF Board of Directors has listened to the concerns and complaints of a few small minority groups while apparently ignoring and excluding the overwhelming majority of Valley residents ? And it appears that this current Board of Directors chose to resolve such discontent by simply moving to implement and execute the nuclear option and the final solution ? And therefore after a highly successful lengthy run of 87 consecutive years in a row, the extremely anticipated, very popular, family oriented, inclusive and diverse, multi village Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess Pageant along with the prestigious Royal Coronation crowning ceremonies held in Wolfville have all been terminated forever by this current board of Directors ?

  

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-----------------------It's The End of an Era-----------------------------

  

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."

  

Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival 2023 - ABF Board of Directors has announced drastic new changes in format and even deeper cut-backs to the annual People's Festival ? Concerns over ceremony, symbolism, the monarchy and colonialism, along with some complaints over inclusion and diversity may have had an influence on the current ABF board of Directors and they have seen a need to update the long running Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess pageant in order to bring it up to a standard they view as being more relevant to the current times ? And so the Directors must have held an extremely private 'think tank' last Winter, and without notifying, caring, considering or consulting with any of the long time participating Valley communities, they had decided that rather than trouble themselves any further with this pesky issue, why not just take the easy way out and simply get rid of it ? And so it seems they made a final decision in private last Winter and moved to execute the final and fatal solution to their problem by ordering that the iconic 87 year old Pageant competition be immediately shut down and terminated forever ? And therefore, as a result of an uninclusive and uncontested decision made in private, one of the longest running, popular, identifiable, well known, highly anticipated, most inclusive and diverse, proud all family events that has ever benefited Valley residents of every age, has just been taken away ?

This unconditional act of finality will now end the long running 88 year reign of her royal Heinous Queen Annapolisa and will terminate all participation of the 7 to 10 Apple Blossom Princess contestants and their child attendants that represent 7 to 10 local Valley communities ? It will also mean the end of the many beautiful hand crafted award winning Princess floats that always highlight Grand Street Parade, and it will also signal the end of the ultra glamorous Queen and Ladies-in-waiting Crowning ceremonies held annually and televised each year from Acadia University in Wolfville ? This also puts an end to the many popular community Princess Tea events, and also ends all Royal Party visitations to local Schools, hospitals and old folks homes that are so welcome and appreciated by Students, Seniors and shut-ins ? This also signals the end of Royal Party appearances at Kentville Children's Parade, at the Memorial Park Friday night open air concert and fireworks, and all Royal attendances at many other events held annually throughout the Valley and the Province ?

It appears now that current ABF Officials led by President Logan Morse along with Kentville town rep Lindsey Young have not only interrupted the Pageant in 2022 when they temporarily postponed it, but have now in 2023 moved to terminate this prestigious event forever explaining that their radical decision has been made to improve, include, modernize and evolve the famed beauty pageant ? This final act of termination ends almost 90 years of royal pageantry and also leaves a huge gap in the Festival itself ? It will also negatively affect so many of the nearby Valley communities who always participate and enter contestants in the Pageant ? The ending of such an important multiple community event and the taking away of the better half and Star of the Apple Blossom Festival brings forth the question of what replacement is planned, and what are local towns and villages that always play major roles in both the Queen and Princess competition suppose to do now ? And what about Valley youth and the childhood dreams of one day becoming a child attendant or an Apple Blossom Princess or even a Queen ?

You have to marvel at the level of ego and disrespect shown by this latest Board of Directors who have dared appoint themselves as the ones that will end the Pageant and then to think that Valley residents are stupid enough to believe that by cancelling and taking away a cherished and long running event, that they have in some perverted way of thinking moved the Valley forward or improved and modernized anything ? It seems far more likely that they have taken the Valley on a giant step backwards and they have robbed the people of a much beloved, long running, multi community, all inclusive, local production that has always been a highly anticipated all Valley highlight for the past almost 90 consecutive years ?

Why current ABF Management who have applied themselves to be the stewards who are in charge and responsible for the promotion and presentation of this event, appear as unable to perform their duties and do the job they are compensated to do and do what their predecessors have always done so well before them each and every year for the past 87 years often in far more trying circumstances and in far less prosperous times, is hard to understand ? And you have to wonder, Whatever happened to the # 1 rule in business that says that if you can't do the job because of inexperience, immaturity, inability, incompetency, bias, or just plain stupidity, then,, You're all FIRED ! (and a Class action recovery suit may be forthcoming ?)

  

ABF news updates :

  

Logan Morse and a newcomer ABF Board of Directors break the hearts of Valley families especially the Children when they move to terminate the historic and long running Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess Pageant after 88 years ? ABF Directors show no remorse, while boasting that their bold action was needed to improve, evolve and bring the pageant up to their modern standards ? www.pressreader.com/canada/annapolis-valley-register/2023...

 

May 26, 2023 - We Are the Ones. An unusual degree of arrogance and disrespect is shown when the long running Valley Peoples Pageant is cancelled without either of consideration or consultation ? A modern generation of newcomer ABF Directors with bold new ideas have apparently proclaimed themselves to be the one generation to interrupt and permanently end 88 years of wonderful multi Valley village Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess enjoyment ?

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/apple-blossom-festival...

 

Annapolis Valley families are in shock and children cry upon learning their beloved Queen Annapolisa Pageant has been cancelled without notice, consultation, consideration or compassion ? Newcomer Directors say they are taking their bold action to improve, evolve and modernize the historic Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival ? www.saltwire.com/atlantic-

 

Valley residents lose long time major yearly entertainment event when the ever popular ABF Greenwood Airshow is terminated and will be no more. Fast forward to Aug 24, 2024, and to corporation greed ? Air Show Atlantic Inc. now charges big bucks to see taxpayer owned aircraft at a taxpayer owned airport in their vastly inferior airshow ? Air Show Atlantic Inc. does not offer a discount Seniors ticket category for Senior citizens ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/52345513615

 

How dare They ! Kentville IS the Cornwallis Inn and the Cornwallis Inn IS Kentville ! If you were to google the 2 words Cornwallis Inn you will get over 600,000 entries with almost all of them married to the word Kentville.. (what a great promotional tool) . The world famous Cornwallis Inn is the source of many fond memories for all local and Valley residents.. "It was the centre of everything’: The past and present of Kentville’s iconic Cornwallis Inn"

www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/lifestyles/it-was-the-centre...

 

Kentville identity crisis. Help, Is there a Superhero anywhere out there to save Kentville from the newcomer agenda ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54418705157/in/album-7...

 

The controversial 2017 Grand Street Parade - Has Kentville once again been targeted for exploitation ? After Warden Brothers, (Greenwood ) and Liberal MP L Glavine (Kingston) had all but hijacked Waterville Airport before relocating it to their own home riding in the Kingston/Greenwood area, it seems that the town of Kentville must face yet another attack from the Kingston area when Alxys Chamberlain, the Kingston Apple Blossom Princess, and other ABF Directors attempt to take yet another major source of revenue and major attraction away from the town of Kentville ?

Et tu, Madama Chamberlain ? The unconscionable attempted hijacking and subsequent recovery of Kentvilles's most beloved yearly event ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/18506181065

 

2023 Kentville Grand Street Parade - Disregard for safety shown as unrestrained Senior citizens are precariously perched atop an unsheltered, open sided, stop and go, large unstable jerking motion moving platform ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/53900780519/in/album-7...

 

Exploiting Queen Annapolisa for a photo op ? Politicians at the official opening ceremony of the 2023 Apple Blossom Festival pretending there's still a Pageant in a photo while knowing full well that Queen Annapolisa and the Apple Blossom Princesses have been terminated forever and will no longer be a part of this year's Festival ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/53755100811/in/album-7...

 

2023 Kentville Grand Street Parade - Newcomer ABF stewards seem to defy and ignore our Liberal Government special plea for diversity and inclusion ? Many nearby local Valley towns and villages that normally attend are excluded from this year's parade ? This exclusion means the loss of the enormous diversity that is always provided by the attendance of these many nearby local communities ? Where is Canning, Digby, Annapolis Royal, Hantsport Greenwood, Windsor ? Where's our Queen Annapolisa ? Where's the Apple Blossom Princesses and wdrtr's all of the individual Town floats including Princess Kentville ? To view complete 2023 Kentville Grand Street Parade press here, www.dailymotion.com/video/x8lchie www.dailymotion.com/video/x8lchie

 

Facebook, Friends of Kentville - The site Administrator, a new arrival from PEI, says she wants to see Kentville as the queerest town in all of Nova Scotia ? www.facebook.com/groups/2588266877982288

 

Will a drag Queen replace an apple blossom Queen in Kentville ? www.nsbuzz.ca/life/kentville-all-ages-drag-show-draws-pro...

 

Nov 16 2023 - Apple Blossom Princesses call for a return of Queen Annapolisa,

www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/communities/former-apple...

 

The Town of Kentville has moved to cut back and eliminate many hours of traditional public outdoor entertainment that have always been a standard part of the Apple Blossom Festival ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/52094784785

 

A medley of the guest Tribute bands that have performed at Memorial Park Kentville - Always free of charge in the past when performing at the Apple Blossom Festival : Petty Larceny, Fleetwod Mix, Keep the Faith, Stones Tribute, Green River Revival, Viscious, Eddy's Basement, Matt Minglewood,

www.dailymotion.com/video/x5hqti9

 

Corporate greed shown by newcomer ABF directors in this year's Apple Blossom Festival ? Instead of providing a free guest Tribute band as per normal at the free Memorial Park Friday night concert, it will now cost 50.00 pp to see a 'Queen tribute band' performance. that's 50.00 per ticket in 2025 ? acadiau.universitytickets.com/

 

Town of Kentville rips off its own citizens right at Apple Blossom Festival time ? Cold heartless capitalism shown by Kentville and by the newcomer ABF management ? Citizens burdened with out of pocket expense of TWENTY DOLLARS each just to attend an outdoor street dance held downtown on taxpayer owned property during the Apple Blossom Festival ? Is there no shame ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54546051832/in/photost...

 

They've Ruined It ! Our great Festival is no longer even recognizable ? How could anyone take a world class event and turn it into something that can only be described as stupid ? President Erica Gillis has to be the worst ever ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54418705157/in/album-7...

 

Directors Erica Gillis, www.appleblossom.com/about/

Mayor Andrew Zebian www.facebook.com/andrewzebian

 

2025 Kentville Grand Street Parade - is this a joke ? A brief 45-minute bare minimum compact Kentville Grand Street Parade this year ? Zero in large marching street bands and majorettes other than the one RCMP (mini version) marching unit, no Sottish pipers or pipe bands, zero in Apple Blossom Royalty and their famous royal floats, Most of the regular nearby Valley village participants not there, no horse and wagon entree, no armaments, soldiers, bands or displays from Aldershot or Greenwood, etc etc, ? And yet Guest parade announcer proclaims in quote @ 29:17, " this parade is the largest in Canada, incl Toronto - it's the longest with the largest route and the most entries. " Wha-a-a-t ? Where did she come from and what is she talking about ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQuaIdrQi00

 

A different Royal rider now sits on a makeshift throne that has been set aboard the historic Apple Blossom Princess float for its famous trip down Main Street on Apple Blossom festival Saturday. It seems our new Mayor will now grace the famous Town Princess float on its annual trip in Kentville's famous Grand Street Parade ?

' Somebody get that King a crown and sceptre '

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54557663677/in/dateposted

 

They've ruined it part 2 ! May 31st, 2025 Grand Street Parade - From 100,000 down to 10,000, Parade attendance shrinks to all time low - They've ruined the Festival and the Parade too ! www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54568017261/in/photost....

www.facebook.com/avabf

 

ABF Directors may disapprove of and have terminated the beloved Queen Annapolisa pageant and the multiple village Apple Blossom Princess competition but Valley residents will always admire, support, respect and remain fond of the British Monarchy. The majority of Valley citizens are delighted to hear that his Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla are invited and will be coming for a royal visit to Canada on May 26 and 27, 2025. This year's incomplete and now Royalty-less ABF starts on the 28th, www.cbc.ca/news/politics/king-charles-canada-visit-1.7524946

 

A long and proud history of past Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess winners has been removed from sight and erased from the official Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival website ? A special honorary history page dedicated to previous Queen Annapolisa winners from 1933 thru 2019 has been taken down and apparently replaced with jumbo size portraits of the newcomer President and other ABF directors who have taken over and ruined the world famous Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival ? www.appleblossom.com/history/past-queens

Meet the directors,

www.appleblossom.com/about/

 

May 30th, 2025 - 20 dollar burgers and bouncy castles ??? High level security enforcement hired for this year's Memorial Park Friday night rock concert ? ( must have taken up most of the budget ) ? Town of Kentville brings in outside police, closes roads, and sets up a defensive security perimeter around the event with manned traffic guard posts to provide heightened G7 level security for their Friday night Memorial Park Apple Blossom outdoor concert that in past years had always featured guest rock bands, interesting demonstrations and displays, and a Royal Queen Annapolisa visit following her prestigious coronation ceremony in Wolfville, but appears now to have deteriorated into some kind of an outdoor romper room type family show featuring food trucks, inflatable air bouncy castles and the usual band that always plays around here as the featured invited guest star main stage star performer, with nothing much to do for anyone over elementary grade school level other than purchase some food at the upscale restaurant prices to dine on a paper plate using plastic utensils while standing up in a crowd of unruly kids and being lustfully observed by hungry saliva drooling pet dogs leashed to their owners ? And thanks to the upgraded crowd control, the heavy police presence, and enforcement of the strict traffic control surrounding the site perimeter, there was a report of a parking violator being successfully apprehended and a runaway pet was captured and returned to its owner ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54558198569

 

May 30th, 2025 Memorial Park Kentville - Seniors and those with disabilities made to walk long distances in order to reach this year's disappointing ABF Friday night outdoor rock Concert that didn't bring in a rock band, (nor much of anything else) ? www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54558198569/in/photost...

 

Oct 4th, 2025 - the annual Harvest Festival in Centre Square

Kentville - A disappointing harvest festival effort this year that seemed to forget about the family horse-drawn hay wagon ride, the pumpkin people scarecrow making class and group demo, the Valley harvest, Valley livestock and the Valley farmer ? They are replaced with multiple kiosks selling merchandise unrelated to the harvest, childrens bouncy castles and expensive food trucks ?

 

Upgrade 2025 ? photo taken from front of Phinneys dept store - A massive expenditure budgeted for a major upgrade to the Mayor's business backyard - Downtown Kentville Webster Street gets a complete and total beautification makeover with new installations of street paving, paint, new double sidewalks both sides, driveway entrances, and new curb and gutter both sides ? All other streets that surround the Phinneys' downtown business block have also been upgraded including Aberdeen Street, Cornwallis Street, and Main Street ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/54835340734/in/photost...

 

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An Identity Crisis ;

  

Can an identity crisis be looming in the town of Kentville ?

 

A proud, neighborly salt of the earth working class community with generous hard working friendly citizens and a rich historic Railroad, agriculture and farming background is losing many of its longtime local traditions, themes and trademarks while elected Town officials, many of them new arrivals, just stand still, watch, and even enable ? Having always been identified as a main Provincial railroad center ever since the old Dominion Rail days dating back to 1869, the town has since lost all of its passenger and freight train rail service in and out including a modern passenger Dayliner service that traveled back and forth to Halifax every day ? And after the railway had been shut down it seemed they couldn't clear out the now useless brand new station, dig up the tracks and demolish the old roundhouse fast enough ? And so now, in what seems to be cruel mockery, the only railroading in Kentville left over from past glory days and from what was once the largest and most important and active railroad center west of Halifax, is just an old and faded hand painted train mural etched onto the weather beaten side of one of the downtown business establishments ?

Unfortunately the loss of the railway wasn't the last humiliating major transportation loss forced on the people of a small rural town as Kentville was soon to become even more isolated from the outside World when for no apparent logical, rational or reasonable reason the aviation community at Waterville municipal Airport CCW3 were told to get out when they had done nothing wrong and had no where else to go ? This long time invaluable contributor to the local area economy was lost when an established municipal airport, a well known Canadian sky diving facility, and an internationally known pilot training and licensing academy, and many privately owned aircraft with local owners, and many other established aviation businesses were told to get out ? The cold hearted eviction also left our young Air Cadets over at Camp Aldershot without a base to train on and so now the next generation has to grow up without their nearby aviation training and education facility ?

And so, a group of out-of-towners that mostly don't even live in this community had transformed an active thriving local Aviation business center that had taken decades to build and establish, into a barren and useless place where unsupervised Michelin children now ride bikes and dodge weeds poking their heads thru a deteriorating asphalt runway that was once a platform for private and commercial aircraft to fly in and out of the local area on a daily basis ? To add salt to the wound, this unwarranted calculated forced closure and loss of a vital member of the local economy was to be hailed by the executioners at Kings Council, ( and also by the prestigious Ivany Report Committee ) as being a bold and brilliant business decision that will greatly improve and benefit the local area ?

After months of homelessness and uncertainty over the future, a few evicted tenants found new sites elsewhere and relocated at their own expense to start all over again, while others just quit, while others were finally redirected to a new location in Greenwood which just happened by chance to be the Kings Council County Warden's home riding ? And so, in the end this devastating loss for Kentville and local area became a windfall for the Kingston Greenwood area, and, Kentville was left to carry on without either a Railway or an Airport ?

 

When the original KCA town School closed down, existing high school students were separated from their home school and had to be bused to the nearby town of Canning ? This would leave only the Grade 1 to 8 age groups to now identify Kentville as their home school, an education reality that still exists in Kentville ? There is no longer a movie theater in Kentville as the downtown movie theater has been closed forever, and the popular Edge sports bar, eatery and pool hall also closed down and never replaced ? Harvey's Hamburgers drive thru closed down and it never was replaced ? The longtime bowling alley in New Minas was bought out by developers, torn down, and replaced with a business office complex ? We lost the local salvage, reclamation and disposal site in South Alton when ordered shut down by the Provincial Government, but these same people who shut it down never ever offered to replace it with another leaving the community without this vital facility ? One day a portion of roof blew off the long time town funeral home and it never re-opened leaving only one such establishment left in town ? And, just as the citizens of Kentville were learning that both the Apple Blossom Princess and the Queen Annapolisa pageants were to be cancelled after 87 consecutive years, at the same time there was an all age Drag Queen show getting ready to entertain at the Kings Arms Pub in a total flip flop from the popular Irish Rovers or Scottish pipers that most Kentville citizens identify with at this time of year ? Numerous local restaurants and small businesses have all come and gone - mostly gone - and the main town supermarket Jasons IGA had a fire and was forced to close down for over a year so there was no supermarket to provide groceries for the local citizens ? The ever popular multi venue Wandlyn Inn burned down with all venues now lost to the community ? It wasn't replaced after the fire and now there's just a fast food MacDonald's take out to replace all of Wandlyn's many facilities including hotel rooms, indoor swimming pool, whirlpool and sauna, nightclub, dual convention centers and dual restaurants ? Not a very good exchange for the community ?

 

The traditional July 1st Canada Day town sponsored party event of fun, food,speeches and local entertainment held each year at the wading Pool was curtailed by the Town due to budget considerations ? And so now, if you want to enjoy July 1st entertainment or fireworks you have to go to New Minas, Hantsport or Berwick ? Access to clean drinking water is well known as one of the most identifiable entitlements provided by a town ? Billions are currently being spent by the Canadian taxpayer to provide First Nations people with free safe drinking water ? Yet the Kentville water commission charges the customer 10,000 dollars just to turn their town water on at roadside ? And then after this rather large up front financial layout paid for by the brand new customer, he will still have to pay for all of his yard trenching and household plumbing work ? And in return for this large initial forced surcharge, the valued new customer will be rewarded with a water bill courtesy of the town of Kentville each month hereafter ?

They even managed to take away Kentville's most famous of all and most instantly identifiable town landmark in the hotel name Cornwallis Inn ? Cornwallis Inn is a well known trademark hotel name that is synonymous World wide with the name of Kentville, and this name represents a multitude of fond memories for the local area residents and for other residents living all over the Valley ? It was hard to understand why the Town would ever allow this historic name to change,, and also hard to understand why a previous Town of Kentville planning dept would ever allow subsidized apartment units to be built onto the side of such a respected Town centerpiece and also block the access lane to the rear parking lot while doing it ? The Cornwallis Inn will always be an important Valley landmark and a future protected Canadian heritage site ?

They have even changed well known identifiable names of some Streets and even the local traffic bridge traversing the Cornwallis River ? And so now many local residents and delivery drivers don't know what they're talking about when these stupid new names are used ? This name change is especially hard on Kentville's Seniors who can become confused with such absurd name changes and has in some cases, created safety hazards ?

In 2017 ABF Directors tried to move Kentville's 87 year old yearly Grand Street Parade to different location in the Valley, and the town was forced to claw and battle its way just to get its own local yearly parade returned back home to them after hosting it for the last 90 years ? And in yet another major step backwards that same year, ABF and the Town decided to cease and desist all public ABF Wednesday, Thursday and weekends of fun, food, music, displays, amusements, local student performances, etc. etc. held at Memorial Park during the Apple Blossom festival week ? No explanation was given and no replacement or apology was ever offered by the Town for such a devastating loss to be absorbed by the citizens of Kentville ? Kentville has now lost its most identifiable of all citizens, that being their beloved Apple Blossom Princess Kentville, when newcomer ABF Directors had shown an uncommon degree of disrespect, as well as their disregard and insensitivity when presuming to appoint themselves as the ones entitled to end the long running iconic 88 year old iconic Queen Annapolisa and Apple Blossom Princess competition ? This termination means all public Royal party appearances including the Princess Teas, Kentville Children's Parade, all Royal visitations to schools, shut-ins, Seniors, and hospital attendances that are normally made by Queen Annapolisa and the Royal Princesses are now cancelled and no longer take place ?

In 2022 the Kentville Grand Street Parade was quite understandably very limited and downsized following the 2 previous Covi year cancellations, but this year's 2023 effort wasn't much better ? The immense contribution and the wonderful diversity supplied by nearby Valley communities from Windsor to Digby was no longer included in the Parade ? Apple Blossom royalty and all Princess floats were no longer included in the Parade ? And many local residents expressed disappointment when Apple Blossom Princess Kentville and her child attendant were no longer seen or to be included in the Town Parade ? It seemed that Kentville had lost yet another identifiable citizen and wonderful Ambassador that always performed her official duties including advertising, promoting the town and representing Kentville with charm, grace, dignity, talent and beauty wherever she went ?

After the long running 3 consecutive Apple Blossom weekdays of afternoon and evening mid week entertainment at the Park were all cancelled and Apple Blossom Week entertainment was cut down to a bare bone single Friday night affair, ( which btw will no longer include the highlight of the evening Royal Party visitation and rock music by Eddy's Basement ), it seems Officials were still unsatisfied and found yet another way to take away even more ? And this year they want to charge inflation stressed locals a fee to see entertainers like Matt Minglewood and Kevin Davison at private shows when in the past these entertainers appeared on a public stage free of charge ? Cut backs were also apparent in fireworks, (which btw will no longer be started by Queen Annapolisa at her official Royal Party visitation to the Park following Coronation ceremonies in Wolfville) ?

And so, in summing up, the citizens of Kentville are frustrated with cutbacks, the many steps backwards, and the cancellations and closures that never seem to be replaced once gone ? Both the Provincial Railway and municipal Airport are now permanently closed down and even Acadia Van lines inter provincial bus transit no longer stops ? The Wandlyn Inn complex and all of its popular hotel and restaurant services were lost by fire and never replaced ? Extreme cut backs were made to the historic Apple Blossom Festival that saw a week long fun filled period of public entertainment at Memorial Park reduced to one minimal Friday night affair followed the next day by a shortened mundane parade of less than an hour ? Concerns also remain about the absence of an in-Town High School for Teens, the loss of a key funeral home, the loss of the Pool Hall, the absence of a movie theater, the loss of Harveys drive thru burgers, the loss of one of the 2 dt Tim Hortons, the loss of the dt pizza parlor, the loss of Chinese food take out, the loss of the local fruit and vegetable market, the absence of a 7/24 convenience store, the closure of the bakery, and also the loss of the local disposal site when no replacement was ever offered by the Government that shut it down ? There was also the shocking cancellation and heartbreaking termination of her royal heinous the Apple Blossom Princess Kentville and the end of the prestigious Acadia U Coronation ceremonies in Wolfville ? There was also the erasing of, and then the changing of the name of Kentville's biggest most identifiable internationally known Cornwallis Inn name logo that is instantly recognizable world wide and symbolically married for decades to the Town name of Kentville ? There remains the problem of a serious local shortage of rental rooms and local dining spots for tourists created when the Wandlyn hotel complex burned down and when not one of these many hospitality, business, tourist, restaurant, hotel, night club, and recreational venues were ever replaced ?

And now, in a more recent issue, we are seeing more and more small businesses located all over the Valley that have not only provided local employment but also served as popular meet and greet gathering spots for friends and neighbors for years and years now, changing hands after being bought out and turned over to total strangers that are not from Halifax or from N.S. nor even Canada but have come here from another Continent ? A strange new phenomenon of foreign take-overs has arrived in the Valley that includes replacing the management, assuming full control of the business and taking over the labor force of many traditional Valley fast food, gas, and coffee businesses ? Some of these now include : the Petrocan in New Minas, many Valley Tim Hortons, the Subway, KFC, DQ, Burger King, and the Mary Brown's in New Minas to name a few ? And in another concern, because many newcomer employees are unfamiliar with the currency it is advisable to count your change carefully if paying by cash ? There are also some indications that nepotism is now being shown in the hiring of employees once these establishments are taken over by new foreign management, and that our local students can't get Summer jobs any more ? Another major local employer, Eassons Trucking, also seems affected by the current influx of new foreign workers with some reports of untrained, unlicensed, unqualified, (and Government subsidized) drivers behind the wheel, and rumors of some units with multiple drivers on board having a hole drilled in the floor of the sleeper cabin to accommodate a long piece of ABS plumbing pipe used to transfer raw shidzen sewage directly from the interior of the truck down onto the open highway below to avoid pit stops at the Big Stop ?

And, from the looks of a recent Town municipal election, most candidates might be unfamiliar with the Town's long time traditions, customs, character, and past history ? Some candidates even naively describe the town as a kind of happy go lucky, blissful, Hallmark or Who-ville movie set type of place teaming with busy villagers and joyful munchkins frolicking up and down picturesque cobblestone streets lined by colorful quaint shops and internationally known boutiques and fancy eateries which does not accurately describe the Town ?

And apparently the new Mayor who is also a new local business owner, appears to have befriended the ex- Kings County Warden Brothers who represents and resides in the Kingston/Greenwood area and who had previously sold out Kentville when she led the charge to shut down and evict our local municipal Airport, the well known skydiving academy, the international flight training academy and many other prosperous Waterville airport aviation businesses ? And who could forget the Mayors' recent New Year's message of congratulating himself on enlarging the size of his downtown retail store and expressing personal happiness over a new (taxpayer funded) installation of a brand new sidewalk in front of it, but failing to mention serious town issues like terrible poverty and youth unemployment, racial profile hiring at Tim Hortons, the opioid drug crisis, high cost of living crisis, the homelessness crisis, the devastating cancellation of thr Princess Kentville competition, the vacationers and travelers concerns over there being no place to stay in Kentville, and the much needed indoor town recreation facility, (no one wants to get their daily exercise by hiking down crude outdoor trails while attacked by mosquitos or witness a homeless user shoot up in the privacy of the forest) ? There was also the decimation of the Apple Blossom Festival and sad deterioration of the world famous Grande Street Parade ? And there's also the current Town housing crisis, the sudden high increases in rent, the alarming rate of downtown business bankruptcies, and also the urgent need to honor Kentvilles glorious past railroading history with a museum and outdoor display of some sort ? Adding to this there appears to be a newly elected Town Council that has immediately started to cancel and cut back on important traditional town public events when, ( due to a drop of rain ) they had cancelled this year's Military march-on and (best in the area) outdoors Remembrance Day ceremonies traditionally held at the Memorial Cenotaph on Park Street ? There was also this years' poor presentation of a Grande Street Parade and one unsafe situation in the newcomer Parade where normal residents (incl Seniors) were seen perched precariously aboard a stop and go, unsheltered, jerking motion, no sided vehicle without restraining devices, water or protection from the sun ? There was also the ridiculous changing of many of the long time well known town names including the most famous of them all the Cornwallis Inn ? There's also local residents plea to 'bring our high school students back home again' , and some complaints about the Town's failure to provide public outdoor entertainment events exceeding the grade school level ? There was also the controversy over the hanging up of the biggest pride flag money can buy above the main entrance of the honored heritage site Cornwallis Inn, and of course, also the recent down town flooding crisis ? The mayor did not address the question of why a Provincial Government would force the local reclamation and disposal site to permanently close down its operation and then those who ordered this major loss to the welfare of the community would not offer to replace it but would just leave the area without such a facility ? And, there was no mention of the need for an inquiry into the exorbitant five figure fee charged to customers by the Kentville water commission just to turn water on at the road ? And there are also concerns over the recent rash of sudden unopposed takeovers of small businesses by newly arrived foreigners from Asia when our locals around here can't find work ? And what about growing concerns over the formation of an exclusive Ontarioville newcomer type town growing within an already established town ? There were also many concerns expressed over the Spring pothole epidemic that made some streets unfit to drive on, at a time when a brand new double lane sidewalk was being installed in front of Phinneys that was smooth as a baby's bum ? And then there was the refusal by the Town to help citizens with expensive auto repairs caused by their dangerous unattended potholes ? And there was also the inadequate street lighting and residential streets and sidewalks that are still in need of attention ? There was also the inconvenience felt by many local residents when ultra slow motion repairs on Canaan Ave moved at three legged turtle racing speed causing this vital access route to remain closed to traffic, incl emergency vehicles, for many many Months, (very much unlike the speedy workmanship and high priority given to the new downtown sidewalk installation in the front of Phinneys) ?

And so, can it be time to stop the come from away newcomer mentality, and make it mandatory for all candidates bidding on these important Town governing positions to be born and raised and reside in Kentville in an effort to preserve, protect and retain the Town's unique character, history, diversity, identity, and its many longtime local traditions ?

 

OUCH ? ( could someone please remove the daggers from our back ), Et tu, Warden Brothers and u tu Leo ? March 10th 2014 - A Date That Will Live on in Infamy - Warden Brothers, (Greenwood riding) and the Kings County Council use a calculated forced eviction to shut down the Waterville Airport aviation complex and then relocate some components to the Kingston/Greenwood area ?

www.flickr.com/photos/74039487@N02/28588465413/in/album-7...

 

Newcomer ABF directors trying to erase history ? The page showing all past Queens and Apple Blossom Princesses has been removed from the official Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival site ? The popular history page honoring all past Queen Annapolisa winners 1933-2018 with photos and bios has been taken down and apparently replaced with huge portraits of the newcomer directors ?

Meet the newcomer directors,

www.appleblossom.com/about/

 

How dare They ! Kentville IS the Cornwallis Inn and the Cornwallis Inn IS Kentville ! If you were to google the 2 words Cornwallis Inn you will get over 600,000 entries with almost all of them married to the word Kentville.. (what a great promotional tool) . The world famous Cornwallis Inn is the source of many fond memories for local and Valley residents.. "It was the centre of everything’: The past and present of Kentville’s iconic Cornwallis Inn"

www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/lifestyles/it-was-the-centre...

  

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Some previous parades :

 

2011 Grand Street Parade Kentville 79th ABF

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVgh3Dh2xn8&t=208s

  

2012 Grand Street Parade Kentville www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1VBx50b18

  

2014 Kentville Grand Street Parade www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEo14IZKxp8&t=11s

  

2015 Kentville Grand Street Parade

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBifeG2SdPY&t=47s

 

2016 Kentville Grand Street Parade www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2wedvN5_Iw&t=8s

 

2017 Kentville Grand Street Parade www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozwyGpvfSY&t=1978s

 

2018 Kentville Grand Street Parade www.youtu

For November Scavenge Challenge #14 Lawn and garden ornaments are common. Bonus points for gnomes!

 

It is not uncommon for Hero status in Australia to be afforded to 'the larrikin' who thumbs the nose at authority and oft times pushes the boundaries. Ned Kelly was such a man, who won the hearts of the common people of his time and for more than a century on.

 

Born at Beveridge in 1854 into an Irish family typical of migrants of that time, Ned was to become known for his athletic ability and bravery. The politics of the time, the introduction of government legislation designed for the poor, but badly drawn up, interpreted and administered, together with the growing resentment of an authority believed among the community to be corrupt, all combined to influence Ned's personal attitudes.

 

He was eventually ambushed and shot in a siege and then hanged in the Old Melbourne Goal, whereupon he became an Australian Legend, and his name gained immortality.

 

As always there are two sides to the story and his motivation is a source of debate even today.

 

This little Garden Ned wears his own suit of armour as did the authentic Ned who created an iconic suit of home-made armour. ( minus the teddy of course )

  

13 August 2008

8:45 am

 

1.

Lately I've noticed that I'm slowly regaining back my balance. The past few months have been a bouquet of heartaches, and if that isn't cliché enough, allow me to say that I've been rolling with the punches as they come and go.

 

2.

I think I grow tensions like flowers, little pressures spreading their roots. But these days the world is slightly more forgiving. Or maybe it's just my heart telling me that I'm strong enough for it.

 

3.

The heart is a like a fist wrapped in blood, says a man in a film I love, his voice hoarse, his chest heaving, his eyes glinting with resentment at the callousness of youth. I feel mine thumping in my chest in a most auspicious manner.

 

4.

I got out my rainmaker tonight and sat on the floor, feeling the sound of rain on the palm of my hands. In my head Beethoven plays the Moonlight Sonata, and my heart slowly uncurls its fingers like a flower in bloom. Inside the hollow bamboo spiked with nails, pebbles fall slow and steady.

I make no excuses for uploading six images of this amazing wood sculpture. Here's some information taken from a plaque beside the artwork:

 

The history of the Rebecca Riots is one of the most dramatic chapters in Welsh history. Against a background of agricultural crisis and grinding rural poverty, associations known as Turnpike Trusts established a network of tollhouses on country roads. Whether taking cattle to Market or collecting lime to fertilise their fields, hard pressed farmers had to pay tolls at every turn.

Resentment built up over many years until 1839 when there was a sudden explosion of violence directed at a new tollgate at Efailwen in north western Carmarthenshire. The attack was led by the stirring figure of 'Rebecca', a man disguised with a blackened face, wig and women's clothes, astride a white horse and waving a sword.

When the Main Trust placed a new tollgate near the Mermaid Tavern in St Clears on 18th November 1842, it marked the start of a four month battle between 'Rebecca' and the authorities. Positioned to make it impossible for traffic to pass through the area without paying a toll, it was pulled down by 'Rebecca' and her followers within hours. The Mermaid Gate was smashed a second time on 12th December that year when seventy to a hundred men, dressed in women's clothes and armed with scythes and guns, descended on the town at midnight. The rebuilt gate was torn down on 20th December and a fourth gate was destroyed in April 1843.

Every area seemed to have its own 'Rebecca' who became, and remains an almost mythical figure - a Welsh Robin Hood. Police and troops were called in to help protect the gates but 'Rebecca' and her daughters were usually one step ahead of the law. The protests came to an end in 1844 when a government Commission of Inquiry led to a reform of the Turnpike Trusts and answered many of the grievances of the rural population.

 

Wood sculpture by Simon Hedger (2008), commissioned by St Clears Council, standing close to the site of the original tollgate.

www.simonhedger.com

   

Bill Clinton spoke at Toledo's Waite Senior High School on September 28th, 2016. President Clinton promoted Hillary Clinton as someone who as president would govern through empowerment, not resentment. He provided a different perspective on the trade deals that have fueled much of Republican Donald Trump’s appeal in Ohio. The 42nd president spoke to an estimated 800 supporters inside the gymnasium of Waite High School, with many local Democratic elected officials present. As it was National Voter Registration Day, he urged people to register to vote and to remind family and friends of the Oct. 11 deadline.

 

“We‘ve got a chance to do something together where nobody is left out and left behind. We need to go seize it, and it all starts in Ohio by registering and voting,” Mr. Clinton said.

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.

peter-diem.at/Monumente/russen.htm

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.

peter-diem.at/Monumente/russen.htm

As Xi Jinping gets ready for China’s 19th communist party congress on October 18th, the 64-year-old ruler of the Chinese nation is keeping a wary eye on Kim Jong-un, the 33-year-old dictator of North Korea.

Lately, Kim Jong-un has begun expressing a long-felt resentment of the Chinese, in...

 

www.jg-house.com/2017/10/03/xi-keeps-wary-eye-kim/

 

China, On the Brink Asia Pacific, China, North Korea, Xi Jinping

After the great Pirate-Imperial war of 1789 was over, an era of peace between the two enemies began. Laughter, beer, and many great stories were shared between Pirates and Imperials.

 

But anger and resentment still lied deep inside both sides. And instead of taking out their anger on each other, they found a common enemy. Seagulls. Loud, annoying, and messy, seagulls were the one thing both sides hated. And so began the great sport of Seagull Blasting, where the Pirates and Imperials would compete to see who could shoot down more seagulls using a cannon. In the background the big wigs of both sides were making bets, because neither side wanted to stop looking for treasure...

 

Please let me know ASAP of any suggestions you may have. Thanks!

Vietnam was under Chinese control for a thousand years before becoming a nation-state in the 10th century. Successive dynasties flourished until it was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th century, leaving a nation divided politically into two countries. Bitter fighting between the two sides continued during the Vietnam War, ending with a communist victory in 1975.

 

Emerging from a long and bitter war, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. The government's centrally-planned economic decisions hindered post-war reconstruction and its treatment of the losing side engendered more resentment than reconciliation. In 1986, it instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth had been among the highest in the world in the past decade (Wikipedia).

 

Read more about my two-year trip around the world on my travelogue at www.noboundaries.org

 

Please do not use these photos without expressed written consent of the author.

gate, and as I wouldn't go in to have a cup of tea there was

nothing for it but to say good-bye. She was dressed in a

fresh-looking print blouse and dark skirt, and wore a white hood that

fell back from

her head; she was a little girl, with sweet, small, freckled

features, and red-gold hair, and kind, sympathetic grey eyes. I

thought her the freshest, and fairest, and daintiest little woman in

the district. I was Jack's mate, so she always treated me as a sort

of brother-in-law, and called

me by my Christian name. Mates are closer than brothers in the bush.

I turned

my back and pretended to tighten the straps and girths on the

packhorse while she said good-bye

 

to Jack. I heard

her speaking earnestly to him, and once I heard her mention Peter

M`Laughlan's

name. I thought Jack

 

answered rather impatiently. "Oh, that's all right, Clara," he said,

"that's all over--past and gone. I wish you

would believe it. You promised never to speak of that any more." I

know how it was. Jack never cared to hear about Peter; he was too

ashamed of the

past, perhaps; besides, deep down, we feel a sort of resentment

towards any reference to a man who has helped or saved us in the

past. It's

human nature. Then they spoke in low tones for a while, and then Jack

laughed,

and kissed her, and said, "Oh, I'll be back before the time's up."

Then

he ran into the house to say good-bye to Mary's sister, who was

staying with her, and who was laid up with a sprained ankle. Then

Clara stepped up to me and laid her fingers on my shoulder.

I trembled

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.

Namibia.

Swakopmund.

Mondesa township.

Video of the township with locals singing and dancing

 

The township tour offers a chance to experience the cultures of Mondesa, a large township in the heart of Swakopmund.

  

Mondesa is a township in Swakopmund started in 1960 by the then South African government. Approximately two-thirds of Swakopmund’s population apparently resides in Mondesa. Mondesa includes an informal settlement housing some 6,000 people at it’s eastern periphery.

read more about the housing scheme in the township

 

Members of distinct Namibian ethnic groups inhabit the townships, and under apartheid’s “divide and rule” policy, they were kept separate enough from one other that each tribe has retained its own language, beliefs, cuisine and dress. As well as enforcing curfews to keep the residents apart, the government treated each tribe differently to foster resentment between them. To unite could have led to them overthrowing the minority white powers. So the Ovambo people, numbering just over half the population, were given tiny houses and communal toilets. The Herero enjoyed three bedroom bungalows with inside bathrooms. And the Damara were placed in two bedroom housed with shared toilets. They were pitted against each other.

lanomadita.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/apartness-and-forgive...

 

Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles PC (31 October 1599 – 17 February 1680) was an English statesman and writer, best known as one of the five members of parliament whom King Charles I of England attempted to arrest in 1642.

 

Holles was the second son (John was one of his brothers) of John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare (c. 1564–1637), by Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanhope. The favourite son of his father and endowed with great natural abilities, Denzil Holles grew up under advantageous circumstances. Destined to become one of the most formidable antagonists of King Charles's arbitrary government, he had been Charles's childhood friend. The Earl of Clare was, however, no friend to the Stuart administration, being especially hostile to the Duke of Buckingham; and on the accession of Charles to the throne the king's offers of favour were rejected. In 1624 Holles was returned to parliament for Mitchell in Cornwall, and in 1628 for Dorchester. He had from the first a keen sense of the humiliations which attended the foreign policy of the Stuart kings. Writing to Strafford, his brother-in-law, on November 29, 1629, he severely censures Buckingham's conduct of the expedition to the Isle of Ré; "since England was England," he declared, "it received not so dishonourable a blow"; and he joined in the demand for Buckingham's impeachment in 1628.

 

To these discontents were now added the abuses arising from the king's arbitrary administration. On March 2, 1629, when Sir John Finch, the speaker, refused to put Sir John Eliot's Protestations and was about to adjourn the House by the king's command, Holles together with another member, Sir Walter Long, thrust him back into the chair and swore "he should sit still till it pleased them to rise." Meanwhile Eliot, on the refusal of the speaker to read the Protestations, had himself thrown them into the fire; the usher of the black rod was knocking at the door for admittance, and the king had sent for the guard. But Holles, declaring that he could not render the king or his country better service, put the Protestations to the House from memory, all the members rising to their feet and applauding. In consequence a warrant was issued for his arrest with others on the following day.

 

They were prosecuted first in the Star Chamber and subsequently in the King's Bench. When brought upon his habeas corpus before the latter court Holles offered with the rest to give bail, but refused sureties for good behaviour, and argued that the court had no jurisdiction over offences supposed to have been committed in parliament. On his refusal to plead he was sentenced to a fine of 1000 marks and to imprisonment during the king's pleasure. Holles had at first been committed and remained for some time a close prisoner in the Tower of London. The "close" confinement, however, was soon changed to a "safe" one, the prisoner then having leave to take the air and exercise, but being obliged to maintain himself at his own expense. On October 29 Holles, with Eliot and Valentine, was transferred to the Marshalsea. His resistance to the king's tyranny did not prove so stout as that of some of his comrades in misfortune. Among the papers of the secretary Sir John Coke is a petition of Holles, couched in humble and submissive terms, to be restored to the king's favour; having given the security demanded for his good behaviour, he was liberated early in 1630, and on October 30 was allowed bail.

 

On the outbreak of the Civil War Holles, who had been made lieutenant of Bristol, was sent with Bedford to the west against the marquess of Hertford, and took part in the unsuccessful siege of the latter at Sherborne Castle. He was present at Edgehill, where his regiment of Puritans recruited in London was one of the few which stood firm and saved the day for the parliament. On November 13, 1642 his men were surprised at Brentford during his absence, and routed after a stout resistance. In December he was proposed for the command of the forces in the west, an appointment which he appears to have refused. Notwithstanding his activity in the field for the cause of the parliament, the appeal to arms had been distasteful to Holles from the first. As early as September he surprised the House by the marked abatement of his former "violent and fiery spirit," and his changed attitude did not escape the taunts of his enemies, who attributed it scornfully to his disaster at Brentford or to his new wife.

 

He probably foresaw that, to whichever side victory fell, the struggle could only terminate in the suppression of the constitution and of the moderate party on which all his hopes were based. His feelings and political opinions, too, were essentially aristocratic, and he regarded with horror the transference of the government of the state from the king and the ruling families to the parliamentary leaders. He now advocated peace and a settlement of the disputes by concessions on both sides; a proposal full of danger because impracticable, and one therefore which could only weaken the parliamentary resistance and prolong the struggle. He warmly supported the peace negotiations on November 21, 1642 and December 22, 1642, and his attitude led to a breach with Pym and the more determined party. In June 1643 he was accused of complicity in Waller's plot, but swore to his innocency; and his arrest with others of the peace party was even proposed in August, when Holles applied for a pass to leave the country.

 

On January 26, 1648 the eleven members, who had not appeared when summoned to answer the charges against them, were expelled. Not long afterwards, however, on June 3, these proceedings were annulled; and Holles, who had then returned and was a prisoner in the Tower with the rest of the eleven members, was discharged. He returned to his seat on August 14. Holles was one of the commissioners appointed to treat with the king at Newport on September 18, 1648. Aware of the plans of the extreme party, Holles threw himself at the king's feet and implored him not to waste time in useless negotiations, and he was one of those who stayed behind the rest in order to urge Charles to compliance. On December 1 he received the thanks of the House. On the occasion of Pride's Purge on December 6 Holles absented himself and escaped again to France.

 

From his retirement there he wrote to Charles II in 1651, advising him to come to terms with the Scots as the only means of effecting a restoration; but after the alliance he refused Charles's offer of the secretaryship a state. In March 1654 Cromwell, who in alarm at the plots being formed against him was attempting to reconcile some of his opponents to his government, sent Holles a pass "with notable circumstances of kindness and esteem." His subsequent movements and the date of his return to England are uncertain, but in 1656 Cromwell's resentment was again excited against him as the supposed author of a tract, really written by Clarendon. He appears to have been imprisoned, for his release was ordered by the council on September 2, 1659.

 

His long and eventful career closed by his death on February 17, 1680. He was buried at Westminster Abbey on 21st February 1680[1]. The character of Holles has been drawn by Burnet, with whom he was on terms of friendship. "Holles was a man of great courage and of as great pride... He was faithful and firm to his side and never changed through the whole course of his life." He argued well but too vehemently; for he could not bear contradiction. He had the soul of an old stubborn Roman in him. He was a faithful but a rough friend, and a severe but fair enemy. He had a true sense of religion; and was a man of an unblameable course of life and of a sound judgment when it was not biased by passion. Holles was essentially an aristocrat and a Whig in feeling, making Cromwell's supposed hatred of "Lords" a special charge against him; regarding the civil wars rather as a social than as a political revolution, and attributing all the evils of his time to the transference of political power from the governing families to the "meanest of men."

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.

... of resentments and fears,

making room for serenity.

 

related to this blog post.

  

Namibia.

Swakopmund.

Mondesa township.

Video of the township with locals singing and dancing

 

The township tour offers a chance to experience the cultures of Mondesa, a large township in the heart of Swakopmund.

  

Mondesa is a township in Swakopmund started in 1960 by the then South African government. Approximately two-thirds of Swakopmund’s population apparently resides in Mondesa. Mondesa includes an informal settlement housing some 6,000 people at it’s eastern periphery.

read more about the housing scheme in the township

 

Members of distinct Namibian ethnic groups inhabit the townships, and under apartheid’s “divide and rule” policy, they were kept separate enough from one other that each tribe has retained its own language, beliefs, cuisine and dress. As well as enforcing curfews to keep the residents apart, the government treated each tribe differently to foster resentment between them. To unite could have led to them overthrowing the minority white powers. So the Ovambo people, numbering just over half the population, were given tiny houses and communal toilets. The Herero enjoyed three bedroom bungalows with inside bathrooms. And the Damara were placed in two bedroom housed with shared toilets. They were pitted against each other.

lanomadita.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/apartness-and-forgive...

 

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.

peter-diem.at/Monumente/russen.htm

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.

Eight vertical curved and truncated elements stand along a high black hole. They are covered with questions about threats to the future of the human species:

  

Could weapons of mass destruction and rivalries between states or populations lead to the disappearance of

  

Could an excessive increase of human population and social inequalities lead to the disappearance of

  

Could aggressivity, resentment, contempt, greed and hate lead to the disappearance of

  

Could pollution of human origin and excessive biodiversity loss lead to the disappearance of

  

Could excessive greenhouse gas emissions of human origin lead to the disappearance of

  

Could an excessive exploitation of natural resources lead to the disappearance of

  

Could an excessive deforestation and the melting of permafrost and glaciers lead to the disappearance of

  

Could religious wars and an excessive instrumentalization of gods lead to the disappearance of

  

Technique: wood, paper, cardboard. Size: 150 x 95 x 95 cm.

Done for BattleArtist semi final Grudge Match with the theme Chinese Folklore.

  

Chinese culture is filled with amazing stories with even more amazing characters so it was a bit difficult for me to choose from such a great array, but the one that stroke me the most was the story of Nüwa, King Zhou and Daji the Huli Jing.

  

And as usual with centuries' old legends, you always get a few different versions, so I went with the one I liked the most! :P

  

Here goes.

  

King Zhou was an outstanding individual, "had abilities which surpassed those of the ordinary man, was quick-witted and quick-tempered. In legend, he was intelligent enough to win all of his arguments, and he was strong enough to hunt wild beasts with his bare hands."

One day he visits Nüwa's Temple to pay his deepest respects "After Zhou was completely overcome with lust at the very sight of the beautiful ancient goddess Nüwa, he writes a small poem on a neighboring wall and take his leave. When Nüwa later returned to her temple she sees the foulness of Zhou's words. In her anger, she swore that the Shang Dynasty will end in payment for his foulness."

Therefore, she summons three subordinates, in which is included an Huli Jing or Fox Spirit (the chinese counterpart of the japanese Kitsune) called Daji. "When Daji arrived in Zhaoge, she became the centre of attention of King Zhou and caused the king to be extremely obsessed with her. King Zhou neglected state affairs to keep her company and ignored the advice of his subjects."

"Daji was blamed for the fall of the Shang Dynasty by corrupting King Zhou and causing him to neglect state affairs and rule with tyranny and despotism. This ultimately led to the dynasty's decline and widespread chaos. King Zhou's tyranny incurred the anger and resentment of the common people, who eventually rose up in revolt against him under King Wu of Zhou's leadership."

  

After all this, it took me a while to basically get that this emperor messed with the wrong Goddess.

  

I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoyed doing it as well as all the research behind this image.

  

Cheers!

  

(I'm sorry for some gramatical errors, but its so freaking late my brain is already off. I'll check on this later... maybe.)

 

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.

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.

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.

While on a recent western road trip I was very interested to find this Confederate Monument in Purcell, McClain County, Oklahoma. What makes this monument interesting is the fact that Oklahoma was not a state at the time of the War for Southern Independence. It was Indian Territory; and Purcell was a town of the Chickasaw Nation.

 

The Chickasaw Nation became the first of the Five Civilized Tribes to be allies of the Confederate States of America when the Chickasaw Legislature passed a resolution signed by Governor Cyrus Harris on May 25, 1861. One of the main quarrels the Chickasaw Nation had with the Union was economic. There was evidence that the federal government had mishandled the nation’s funds. Also, the federals did not always honor their treaty obligations and there was the lingering resentment of being forcefully removed from their traditional homeland on the infamous Trail of Tears.

 

With the Treaty of 1866, the Chickasaws, along with the Choctaws, were the last Confederate community to surrender following the War Between the States. In spite of many decades of mistreatment by the United States government, the only time in history that the Chickasaws ever made war against an English speaking people was in defending themselves against the Yankee invasion during the War of 1861-1865.

 

This Confederate Monument, one of several in Oklahoma, was erected by members of the Mrs. Stonewall Jackson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy of Purcell, Indian Territory, in December 1906. The center stone of the monument reads: "To the Memory of those who fought and those who fell in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865."

 

The lower stone of the monument bears this inscription:

 

But their memories e're shall remain for us,

And their names, bright names, without stain for us,

The glory they won shall not wane for us,

In legend and lay our heroes in gray,

Shall forever live over again for us.

  

Ratanakiri's tourist industry is rapidly expanding: visits to the province increased from 6,000 in 2002 to 105,000 in 2008. The region's tourism development strategy focuses on encouraging ecotourism. Increasing tourism in Ratanakiri has been problematic because local communities receive very little income from tourism and because guides sometimes bring tourists to villages without residents' consent, disrupting traditional ways of life. A few initiatives have sought to address these issues: a provincial tourism steering committee aims to ensure that tourism is non-destructive, and some programs provide English and tourism skills to indigenous people.

In the 1960s, the ascendant Khmer Rouge forged an alliance with ethnic minorities in Ratanakiri, exploiting Khmer Loeu resentment of the central government. The Communist Party of Kampuchea headquarters was moved to Ratanakiri in 1966, and hundreds of Khmer Loeu joined CPK units. During this period, there was also extensive Vietnamese activity in Ratanakiri. Vietnamese communists had operated in Ratanakiri since the 1940s; at a June 1969 press conference, Sihanouk said that Ratanakiri was "practically North Vietnamese territory".[18] Between March 1969 and May 1970, the United States undertook a massive covert bombing campaign in the region, aiming to disrupt sanctuaries for communist Vietnamese troops. Villagers were forced outside of main towns to escape the bombings, foraging for food and living on the run with the Khmer Rouge. In June 1970, the central government withdrew its troops from Ratanakiri, abandoning the area to Khmer Rouge control. The Khmer Rouge regime, which had not initially been harsh in Ratanakiri, became increasingly oppressive. The Khmer Loeu were forbidden from speaking their native languages or practicing their traditional customs and religion, which were seen as incompatible with communism. Communal living became compulsory, and the province's few schools were closed. Purges of ethnic minorities increased in frequency, and thousands of refugees fled to Vietnam and Laos. Preliminary studies indicate that bodies accounting for approximately 5% of Ratanakiri's residents were deposited in mass graves, a significantly lower rate than elsewhere in Cambodia.

After the Vietnamese defeated the Khmer Rouge in 1979, government policy toward Ratanakiri became one of benign neglect. The Khmer Loeu were permitted to return to their traditional livelihoods, but the government provided little infrastructure in the province.[12] Under the Vietnamese, there was little contact between the provincial government and many local communities. Long after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, however, Khmer Rouge rebels remained in the forests of Ratanakiri. Rebels largely surrendered their arms in the 1990s, though attacks along provincial roads continued until 2002.

 

Ratanakiri's recent history has been characterized by development and attendant challenges to traditional ways of life. The national government has built roads, encouraged tourism and agriculture, and facilitated rapid immigration of lowland Khmers into Ratanakiri.[29] Road improvements and political stability have increased land prices, and land alienation in Ratanakiri has been a major problem. Despite a 2001 law allowing indigenous communities to obtain collective title to traditional lands, some villages have been left nearly landless.[28] The national government has granted concessions over land traditionally possessed by Ratanakiri's indigenous peoples, and even land "sales" have often involved bribes to officials, coercion, threats, or misinformation. Following the involvement of several international non-governmental organizations , land alienation has decreased in frequency. In the 2000s, Ratanakiri also received hundreds of Degar (Montagnard) refugees fleeing unrest in neighboring Vietnam; the Cambodian government was criticized for its forcible repatriation of many refugees.

 

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