I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had a great time visiting my husband’s grandmother in Bristol. Bristol is a neat town divided between Virginia and Tennessee. It’s so confusing to me and half the time, I never know which side I’m on. Bristol is also the birthplace of country music and I bet most would think that this honor belonged to Nashville. My daughters and I walked a little in the old downtown area and it is full of eclectic little shops, quaint cafes and restaurants, and the buildings themselves are architecturally beautiful and most still have original neon signs.

Train Station: Bristol TN or VA? I don't really know!

TALL monument!

Tottiford Reservoir, north east Dartmoor has recently been drained by South West Water to show a previously unknown ceremonial complex. A local man noticed two stone rows and some cairns and informed the National Park Authority who then surveyed the area and confirmed there was a standing stone, a double stone row, a single stone row a series of cairns, a stone circle 22m wide and many flint tools.

Great stuff, there has been some geophysics done in the area before the reservoir is filled up, although there are no plans of the site on the Park website. The site being in a reservoir would seem odd as I thought most of these types of sites had at least one larger vista. It seems amazing though that there are no antiquarian accounts of this complex, what I’d like now is for Chris Tilley to put on a deep sea diving suit and give us a phenomenlological account of strolling about the area!

This area has until now had a relative lack of such sites which means it will be even more interesting to see the results of the survey and how it complements the previously known prehistoric archaeological features on Dartmoor, which is well known for the clarity of it’s relict landscape.

http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au_totarchpr1109

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: SOUTHAMPTON IN THE TOWER
Sonnet 53
Strange Shadows On You Tend
6 March 1601

Now, with Essex dead and the other conspirators also condemned, time grows short for Southampton’s fate to be decided.  The great shadow of Elizabeth Regina’s imperial frown, the “region cloud” of Sonnet 33, spreads over Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton in the Tower.  The tone of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford is of increasing worry even as he writes in praise of his son, whom he likens to Adonis of “Venus and Adonis,” the 1593 poem dedicated to him by “Shakespeare.”

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,

And you, but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen’s cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new.

Speak of the spring and foison of the year,
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear,
And you in every blessed shape we know.

In all external grace you have some part,
But you like none, none you, for constant heart.

(Following is an edited “short” version of the treatment of Sonnet 53 in my edition THE MONUMENT):

The Tower of London, where Southampton was held captive until James of Scotland became King James I of England

1 WHAT IS YOUR SUBSTANCE, WHEREOF ARE YOU MADE,
YOUR SUBSTANCE = your inner reality, i.e., your royal blood; “No, no, I am but a shadow of myself: you are deceived, my substance is not here” – 1 Henry VI, 2.3.49-50;

2 THAT MILLIONS OF STRANGE SHADOWS ON YOU TEND?
MILLIONS = countless; expressing, by exaggeration, the outrageousness of the “stain” or “disgrace” that has covered his royal son; SHADOWS = the darkness cast by the Queen’s dark cloud or negative view; (“But the world is so cunning, as of a shadow they can make a substance, and of a likelihood a truth” – Oxford to Burghley, July 1581); “Which, being but the shadow of your son, becomes a sun and makes your son a shadow” – King John, 2.1.499-500; TEND = “attend” or wait upon him as those who attend upon a king; “They ‘tend the crown” – Richard II, 4.1.199; echoing the “tender” (or offer) for acceptance by which Oxford has offered to pay “ransom” for his son’s life.

Title Page of "Venus and Adonis" (1593), by which "Shakespeare" entered the stage of history by his dedication to Southampton inside the book

3 SINCE EVERY ONE HATH, EVERY ONE, ONE SHADE,
EVERY = E. Ver, Edward de Vere; ONE = Southampton, his motto One for All, All for One; EVERY ONE = father and son together; EVERY ONE, ONE SHADE = you and I suffer together under the shadow that is cast over you; Note: “one” occurs six times in this sonnet, “every” occurs three times, “none” twice.

4 AND YOU, BUT ONE, CAN EVERY SHADOW LEND.
AND YOU, BUT ONE = and you, Southampton; ““Since all alike my songs and praises be/ To one, of one, still such, and ever so” – Sonnet 105, lines 3-4; EVERY = E. Ver; “But Henry now shall wear the English crown and be true King indeed; thou but the shadow” – 3 Henry VI, 4.3.49-50

5 DESCRIBE ADONIS AND THE COUNTERFEIT
ADONIS: the young god of Venus and Adonis, i.e., Oxford is referring to his own narrative poem  that he dedicated (as “William Shakespeare”) to Southampton in 1593; Adonis (symbol of male beauty) was once Oxford’s self-portrait (based on the Queen’s attempts to seduce him as a young man in 1571-73, if not earlier); but now Henry Wriothesley is the young Adonis in relation to his mother, Elizabeth, who remains Venus, goddess of Love and Beauty; COUNTERFEIT = likeness; that which is made in imitation of him; portrait of him; “But who can leave to look on Venus’ face … These virtues rare, eche gods did yield a mate./ Save her alone, who yet on th’earth doth reign,/ Whose beauty’s string no god can well distrain” – Oxford poem, published in 1576, writing of Elizabeth, who “doth reign” on earth as Beauty

6 IS POORLY IMITATED AFTER YOU:
POORLY IMITATED = inadequately portraying you

7 ON HELEN’S CHEEK ALL ART OF BEAUTY SET,

Southampton in the Tower (with his cat)

HELEN’S CHEEK = Elizabeth, pictured as Helen of Troy, most beautiful of women; “Within this there is a red/ Exceeds the damask rose;/ Which in her cheeks is spread,/ Whence every favor grows” – Oxford poem in The Phoenix Nest, 1593, writing of Elizabeth; ALL = Southampton; OF BEAUTY SET = expressing your “beauty” or blood from Elizabeth;“What thing doth please thee most?/ To gaze on beauty still” – Oxford poem, part of which appeared in The Arte of English Poesie, 1589

8 AND YOU IN GRECIAN TIRES ARE PAINTED NEW:
GRECIAN TIRES = Greek headdresses or attire; PAINTED NEW = recreated (given new birth) in these private sonnets

9 SPEAK OF THE SPRING AND FOISON OF THE YEAR,
SPRING = time of royal hope; Ver; FOISON = abundant royal blood, kingly bounty

10 THE ONE DOTH SHADOW OF YOUR BEAUTY SHOW,
ONE = Southampton, his motto; SHADOW OF YOUR BEAUTY = the ghostlike appearance of your royal blood from the Queen

11 THE OTHER AS YOUR BOUNTY DOTH APPEAR,
YOUR BOUNTY = your royal bounty; “I thank thee, King, for thy great bounty” – Richard II, 4.1.300; “

12 AND YOU IN EVERY BLESSED SHAPE WE KNOW.
EVERY = E. Ver, Edward de Vere; BLESSED = divine, sacred, godlike, royal; “Look down, you gods, and on this couple drop a blessed crown” – The Tempest, 5.1.201-202;  “A God in love” – Sonnet 110, line 12; “Likely in time to bless a regal throne” – 3 Henry VI, 4.6.74;

Secretary Robert Cecil, who agreed to spare Southampton and release him with a royal pardon -- once James was securely on the throne and he, Cecil, retained his power; the price, for Oxford, was loss of his son's crown and loss of his identity as "Shakespeare"

13 IN ALL EXTERNAL GRACE YOU HAVE SOME PART,
ALL = Southampton, One for All, All for One; EXTERNAL GRACE = show of royalty; “The king is full of grace and fair regard … this grace of kings” – Henry V, 1.1.22, 2 Prologue. 28;

14 BUT YOU LIKE NONE, NONE YOU, FOR CONSTANT HEART.
NONE = opposite of “one” for Southampton; LIKE NONE = like no other; NONE YOU = none like you; also, you are now a nobody; CONSTANT HEART = eternal royal power, with a heart that pumps your royal blood; always noble and royal; “our friends are true and constant” – 1 Henry IV, 2.3.17; “Crowned with faith and constant loyalty … constant in spirit, not swerving with the blood” – Henry V, 2.2., 5, 133; “Therefore my verse to constancy confined,/ One thing expressing, leaves out difference” – Sonnet 105, lines 5-8; “In constant truth to bide so firm and sure” – Oxford’s sonnet in “Shakespearean” form, to Queen Elizabeth, early 1570s

As you can see, Oxford does not use a “code” or any other kind of obscure language.  The words related to royalty and kingship are drawn from his own plays of English royal history, plays issued under the “Shakespeare” name; seeing them clearly in these lines is a matter of perception; and once you see them, you know that their presence in the Sonnets cannot be accidental.

I Visited Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. Most Meaningful day of the year to visit Washington D.C. As i was waiting to board the flight i was Texting away…. (As usual) and must have set the phone down (GRRRR!). The flight was ready for take off before i was even in my seat! I was the last person to board the plane AND my seat was at the very last row so by the time i made it to my seat, bucked myself in and decided it was time to send another text… the plane was ready for take off.. and my phone was MIA!!! I flew out of PHX on flight 42 departing at 1:10pm and arrived just before 8pm DCA Time. Five hours later upon landing at DCA i asked the gate to call PHX and see if my phone had been turned in… No Dice.. The gate agent was super sweet and went out of her way to call 3 or 4 different numbers to try to track down my missing phone. She even offered me her personal cell to use while she was onthe company phone making calls!! Way to go US Airways Customer Service!!! (I didn’t even mention i was an employee so i know she was not just being partial). I called my phone several times and even left a message on my VM in case someone found it. I text myself also. I thanked the agent and went on to catch the metro. Conveniently, the Metrorail station is connected to the concourse level of terminals B and C at Reagan National Airport. These are the directions to get to the hotel: Take the Metro BLUE line to Rossalyn. Get off at Rossalyn. Take the Orange line to Ballston. Walk straight and go up two sets of escalators MAP

My fare to Rosslyn was $1.35.

Now these directions are entirely too simple for me to follow. My impulsiveness jumps on the first train i see; however i’d like to blame my intensive lack of sleep;) As soon as the doors close i realize im on the yellow line! *($)#!@ and i have no idea which direction im headed! Quickly, i exit at the first stop and walk up and over the metro in plans to take the yellow line back to the airport and start over. While waiting for the metro to take me back to to square one i glance at a MAP and see just how simple my journey was: No need to go back to the airport i simply had to take the BLUE ->ORANGE. ORANGE -> HOTEL. DUH!!!!!!! I must say the convenience factor is in huge play here in DCA. The Hotel Hilton Astoria in Arlington Virgina950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, United States 22203 is located at Ballston Station. Tel: 1-703-528-6000

SUPER!!! Guess i would have know all this prior had i installed the wheretraveler.com iphone app on my phone.. oh wait i don’t have my phone GRRRR!!! Nor the step by step instructions where to go on the website haha All these helpfull hints i found in the free magazine in my hotel room! The magazine Where: 2009 November was a great resource to me as i planned out my tour of the city.
This time i got it all figured out:
Orange line to Rossalyn. Rossalyn take blue line to Arlington Cemetery. Easy. Ballston -> Rossalyn. Rossalyn -> Arlington Cemetery.
..Rossalyn Pic here…

The Cemetery is massive.

I have been applying to architecture/construction jobs all over the country, and for the most part, the places I’d like most to work in I had never been to, including DC/Baltimore, Denver, Portland, Houston/Dallas. I love that DC was everything I had imagined it would be and better. Wonderful. It’s a good balance of city and town. I loved it there.

Here’s just some pictures I took and ran through Poladroid.

Inserez câteva imagini din Galaţi, un oraş pe care nu-l ştiu… Am îndreptat aparatul de fotografiat (24.11., seara) doar spre câteva faţade de clădiri care vorbesc despre un trecut şarmant. Biserica Precista, ctitoria lui Vasile Lupu, dă imaginea unei surprinzătoare sinteze: alură moldovenească în jumătatea ei estică, un turn transilvănean la vest, faţade cu succesiune de arcade munteneşti la partea inferioară şi discuri smălţuite, ştefaniene, moldave, sub acoperiş… Poate cândva voi avea răgazul să vorbesc mai pe îndelete despre faţetele  fabuloase ale aceste sinteze care a dat un „chivot” fortificat, loc sacru pe faleza Dunării…

Location: Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Built in:   1571 – 1585
Build By: Akbar

Fatehpur Sikri is about 37 kms from Agra and is built in Red Sandstone during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar. For only some 10 years, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire. All the complex of temples and monuments are in a uniform architectural style that includes the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India.

Akbar had planned this city as his capital but the shortage of water compelled him to abandon the city. The capital of Mughals was shifted to Lahore within 20 years. Fatehpur Sikri is the finest examples of Mughal architectural splendour at its height.

During 1571 and 1585, Fatehpur Sikri was built. Today, this city has a population of about 30,000. This city has many of the old structures because of the efforts of the Archaeological department.

Fatehpur Sikri is a place where you can visit Agra and spend some time. The sunset over the ruins is sight to cherish. It is the best example of the culmination of Muslim and Hindu architecture.

It was the first planned city of the Mughals. The sloping levels of the city were connected into terraces which were utilised for many complexes like Jami masjid, tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti and Buland-Darwazah; Shahi-Bazar, Khass Mahal, Mina-Bazar, the Panch-Mahal, Diwan-i-Khass, Khwabgah, Anup-Talao, Diwan-i-Am and Chaupar. The efficient system of water-supply and drainage adopted here suggest an intelligent town-planning by the Mughal emperor.

Timings & Entry Fees

•    Indians: INR Rs 50/-
•    Foreigners: Rs 485/-
•    Open on all Days

I hope now you would like to visit Fatehpur Sikri to see its beauty.

]]> http://lynda1uk.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/photo-44-chains/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:27:12 +0000 lynda1uk http://lynda1uk.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/photo-44-chains/

Taken from the Monument to Lord Nelson.  Located Exchange Flags, Liverpool.

La Foto Salio Movida - Sandra Nakamura

Sandra Nakamura is a talented Peruvian artist who does interventions in the public space. An old friend from my california years, she has since been busy getting her BA in visual arts at UC San Diego and MFA at the Bauhaus Universität Weimar in Germany. Well done! Back to Lima, she is now a teacher and established conceptual artist, whose work has recently addressed the role of the monument in the historical memory of people.

Situated in the center of Lima, Teatro Colon was built in 1914 serving porn film fans during the last two decades of the 20th century and finally closing its doors in 2003. And while it’s now being restored, a whole generation of Peruvians have never seen the interior of a theatre that is an incredible piece of their own cultural heritage.

With that in mind, Nakamura’s work attempted to bring out the theatre’s main salon into the pulic space by ‘eliminating’ its facade. To do that the artist covered the building’s exterior with hundreds of photographs recreating the interior and introducing it to the public. The result creates the amazing illusion of an open theatre; open to the public space and open to the public. As it should be.

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Sandra Nakamura é uma talentosa artista Peruana que faz intervenções no espaço público. Uma velha amiga dos meus anos na Califórnia, ela tem-se ocupado desde então a fazer uma licenciatura em artes visuais na UC de San Diego e um mestrado em belas artes na Bauhaus Universität Weimar na Alemanha. Nada mau! De volta a Lima, ela agora ensina e se estabeleceu como artista conceitual, tendo o seu trabalho recente tomado como referencia o papel do monumento na memória histórica dos povos.

Situado no centro de Lima, o Teatro Colon foi construido em 1914, servindo os apreciadores de filmes porno durante as duas ultimas décadas do século XX e finalmente fechando as portas em 2003. E apesar de agora estar sendo restaurado, uma geração inteira no Peru nunca viu o interior deste edificio incrivel que faz parte da sua herança cultural.   

Foi pensando nisso que Nakamura conceitualizou um trabalho que tirasse o salão principal do teatro para o espaço público ‘eliminando’ a fachada. Na execução da idéia a artista cobriu o exterior do edifício com centenas de fotografias recreando o interior e apresentando-o ao público. O resultado criou a extraordinária ilusão de um teatro aberto; aberto para o espaço público, e aberto ao público. Como deve ser.

Abia după ce anul trecut am văzut Viena cu privirea dilatată aş putea spune, reîntors în Iaşi am avut, măcar pe axa Catedrala Mitropolitană – Teatrul Naţional, între care se interpune într-o latură Palatul Roznovanu, un frapant şi cu totul special deja-vu vienez… Axa arhitecturală de care vorbeam e poate printre cele mai proeminente “decupaje” din ţară – mai pur decât în unele oraşe transilvane, chiar, – de neoclasicism vienez, edulcorat  cu detalii eclectice ale unui baroc târziu. Despre acest Iaşi vienez, exprimând sincronismul autentic, izvorât din vocaţia pentru modernitate a urbanului românesc la sfârşitul sec. XIX-lea, aş vrea să vorbesc în câteva scurte episoade pe blog. Scurte pentru că informaţii există, într-o formă lapidară sit-ul wikipedia le oferă şi nu are sens să le reiau… Însă, poate şi datorită unui reflex mental inoculat de prea mulţii ani de comunism, legătura cu modelul arhitectural vienez, ca vocaţie de modernizare accelerată, nu s-a accentuat nici măcar în tratatele de istoria  arhitecturii. Ceea ce s-a întâmplat în arhitectură a fost rezultatul acelei entuziaste deschideri culturale pentru o Românie europeană, coagulată de Junimea şi cizelată de spiritul critic maiorescian.

(Sursa reproducerii cărţii poştale aici)

Teatrul Naţional din Iaşi a fost construit între 1894 şi 1896, planurile fiind ale arhitecţilor vienezi Fellner şi Helmer despre care unele sit-uri spun că au fost celebri, din moment ce au proiectat teatre mai peste tot prin Europa, la Cluj, Timişoara, Cernăuţi, la Sofia, la Berlin,  Praga sau Viena… Frumuseţea unor astfel de edificii o dau coloanele şi ritmurile lor.

O să prezint un aspect mai puţin accesibil publicului. Când sunt dezvelite de coaja tencuielii sau a stucului, e vizibil că fusele coloanelor sunt alcătuite din câteva piese masive cioplite din piatră. Aşa au fost alcătuite din antichitate şi până la folosirea betonului armat în sec. al XX-lea. Piatra coloanelor Teatrului din Iaşi au fost cioplite cu arta unei meserii bine stăpânite. Abia după ce tencuiala a fost îndepărtată, s-au constatat şi urmele seismelor pe care le-au suportat, dar şi consolidările empirice, cu simple inele metalice ca de butoi şi doar la puţine dintre piese. În cadrul actualului proiect de restaurare coloanele vor fi consolidate în adevăratul sens al cuvântului, cu tehnologii foarte actuale, folosite în Europa pentru intervenţii cât mai puţin invazive la monumente, însă detaliile prea tehnice nu cred că îşi au locul aici…

Nellie McClung (left) and Irene Parlby

Although women in Canada achieved the right to vote in 1917, many of the improvements to the status of women that first-wave feminists no doubt hoped would follow were slow in arriving. Indeed, achieving equal rights to those of men has been a tedious journey and has required the ongoing persistent effort of countless women over the past century.

When I began work in a large Toronto office in 1970, the young man seated at the desk next to mine, who was hired after I was, and was performing exactly the same chores, was rewarded with a bigger paycheque at the end of the week, simply because he was male. Things have changed since then, but women are still under-represented in highly-paid positions.

One of the steps along the road came when women fought to be recognized as persons. You’d think this was self-evident, but Prime Minister Robert Borden, and then Prime Minister Arthur Meighen and their governments maintained otherwise. They argued that the 1867 British North America Act prevented women from holding seats in the federal Senate because Section 24 of the act stated that only “qualified persons” might be called to the Senate, and a British court had ruled that women were “persons in matters of pains and penalties, but not persons in matters of rights and privileges.”

Emily Murphy, an Edmonton magistrate, had campaigned for years for government institutions to open their doors to women. A clause in the Supreme Court Act stated that five citizens could petition for an interpretation of a part of the BNA Act if the minister of justice supported the request for a ruling. In 1927, Murphy was joined by Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards, all active participants in women’s organizations, in petitioning the Supreme Court.

Henrietta Muir Edwards (left) and Louise McKinney

On April 24th, 1928, Chief Justice Anglin handed down an opinion. He held that since women did not hold public office in 1867, the BNA authors could not have intended that women would be eligible to sit in the Senate. Therefore, women were barred from sitting in the Senate. In short, women were not to be allowed to sit in the Senate because they never had.

Murphy and her companions appealed the matter to a higher court: the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Westminster, England. In October of 1929, British lord chancellor Lord Sankey stated that the BNA Act was capable of growth. A liberal interpretaion of the act was espoused and he concluded that the word “persons” includes members of both the male and female sex. Therefore, women were eligible to be summoned to the Senate of Canada. This year, 2009, marks the 80th anniversary of the decision.

A commemorative statue remembers this important moment in the history of the Canadian women’s movement. Unveiled in October of 2000, the monument is situated on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The larger-than-life sculptures were completed by Edmonton artist Barbara Paterson and were donated to the Government of Canada by the Famous 5 Foundation. The Famous Five are portrayed as they might have been as they celebrate their victory. Nellie McClung holds up a headline announcing Women are Persons! At her side, Irene Parlby looks on. Emily Murphy stands by her chair, while Louise McKinney clasps her hands and Henrietta Muir Edwards raises her cup in acknowledgment of the victory.

Unlike most of the monuments on Parliament Hill, which are formal and conventional, the Women are Persons tribute invites visitors to join the women, even sit down with them and celebrate their achievement. It’s a lovely remembrance of five important persons.

Emily Murphy

]]> http://desertplanet.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/pilgrim-monument-by-oefe-now-at-ipernity/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:58:52 +0000 eklorv http://desertplanet.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/pilgrim-monument-by-oefe-now-at-ipernity/

Earlier this month Kellvin Chavez at LATINO REVIEW asked filmmaker Roland Emmerich to discuss his movie project ANONYMOUS (formerly SOUL OF THE AGE) about Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford as “William Shakespeare” and he replied:

“Well, for me there was an incredible script that I bought eight years ago.  It was called ‘Soul of the Age,’ which pretty much is the heart of the movie still.  It’s three characters. It’s like Ben Jonson, who was a playwright then.  William Shakespeare who was an actor.  It’s like the 17th Earl of Oxford who is the true author of all these plays.  We see how, through these three people, it happens that all of these plays get credited to Shakespeare.  I kind of found it as too much like ‘Amadeus’ to me.  It was about jealousy, about genius against end (sic?), so I proposed to make this a movie about political things, which is about succession.  Succession, the monarchy, was absolute monarchy, and the most important political thing was who would be the next King.  Then we incorporated that idea into that story line.  It has all the elements of a Shakespeare play.  It’s about Kings, Queens, and Princes.  It’s about illegitimate children, it’s about incest, it’s about all of these elements which Shakespeare plays have.  And it’s overall a tragedy.  That was the way and I’m really excited to make this movie.”

Last I heard, the cameras are expected to roll next March in Germany.  Oh, Roland, you may have been controversial before, but just wait!  As they say, you ain’t seen nuttin’ yet!  What will the Folger do?  How will the Stratford tourism industry react?  The Birthplace Trust!  How will teachers and professors handle the upcoming generation and its students who will be eager to investigate one of the great stories of history yet to be told?

I predict that once those floodgates open, there will be more material about this subject matter over the coming years, in print and on video or film, than on virtually any other topic.  Why?  Because much of the history of the modern world over the past four centuries will have to be re-written!  Just think, for example, of all the biographies of other figures — such as Ben Jonson or Philip Sidney  — that will have to be drastically revised to make room for the Earl of Oxford as the single greatest force behind the evolution of English literature and drama, not to mention the English language itself.

In the end, it’s not just the Literature and Drama departments that will need to change; even moreso, the History Department will be where the action is.

Onward with those floodgates!

E o casă din Iaşi, pe strada Sf. Sava, la nr. 15. O jumătate e ocupată (şi urâţită de o firmă), iar cealaltă pare a fi în paragină sau poate e locuită de cineva prea în vârstă… E, dintre toate casele vechi pe care le-am văzut în Iaşi, o alcătuire oarecum bizară, cu ferestruicile acelea circulare, ca hublourile de vapor, aflate peste cornişă. Cerdacul însă, colonada lui veche, spune o poveste din vremea moldovenismului arhitectural autentic, e adevărat, edulcorat prin adăugarea unor capiteluri înflorate, din ceramică… Printre alcătuiri actuale cât se poate de hidoase, unele, cât se poate de inexpresive altele, de pe aceeaşi stradă, casa de la nr. 15 care, datorită încărcăturii ei de filiaţii cu autenticul pierdut ar fi trebuit înscrisă în lista monumentelor, evident că nu e trecută în listă. Când ea nu va mai exista, ceva din impresia de vechi peisaj moldovenesc, regăsibil doar la Văratic sau Agapia, coloanele acelei galerii zvelte (îmi vine în minte titlul romanului lui Ţoiu, Galeria cu viţă sălbatică), se va fi pierdut.

Dincolo de gardul din scânduri:

Horia Bernea, Vechi peisaj românesc

Nachtfotografie gaat me soms goed af, ik speel wat  met de openingstijd en zonder flits uiteraard, maar deze resultaten die ik onlangs een avond in Tienen maakte van de kerk op de Grote Markt, vond ikzelf bijzonder geslaagd.  De eerste is zelfs met de losse hand getrokken… misschien veel geluk en weinig wijsheid, de tweede, daar heb ik mijn tijd voor genomen.

Note: Religious content – This following post shows the inside of a Roman Catholic Church in Melgaço, if you don’t want to see the photos please skip it.  Sorry for the inconvinience.

—–

“Igreja Matriz” was also known as “Igreja de Santa Maria da Porta” which means Saint Mary of the Door because it was located near the Eastern Door of the town walls (nowadays inexistent) in the medieval ages. According to the date in the smaller door of the Temple, the church was built in 1262; however the monument was improved and restored during the centuries.

The main door has a more recent style, almost gothic, probably from the last quarter of the XIII century.

Matriz Church main door

In the interior altars are made of wood with gilded details. view photo 1; view photo 2; view photo 3; view photo 4

On the left chapel there are oil paintings from the XVI century. view photo

“La Tour Eiffel, dont la commerciale Amérique elle-même ne voudrait pas, c’est, n’en doutez pas, le déshonneur de Paris” : l’accueil fut plutôt froid, au lancement du projet !

La phrase est tirée d’un manifeste corsé et très clair sur son intention de faire capoter le projet, signé par des personnalités comme Guy de Maupassant ou l’architecte de l’opéra Charles Garnier. D’après eux, on n’aurait pu choisir pire projet, alors que 107 propositions avaient été déposées pour la construction d’un bâtiment destiné à marquer la grandeur de la France, lors de la prochaine Exposition Universelle.

Peine perdue, “l’odieuse colonne de tôle boulonnée”, comme ils la nommaient, vit bel et bien le jour en 1889. Pire ! La concession accordée pour 20 ans fut finalement prolongée à 70 ans en 1910, avant qu’elle devienne permanente. Il faut dire que l’ingénieur Gustave Eiffel a tout fait pour rendre son œuvre indispensable : vu les critiques, il savait que pour le salut de sa tour, il fallait lui donner une utilité technique et scientifique. Dès le début, il installe une station météorologique à bord, grâce à laquelle il multiplie les expériences (sur la résistance de l’air surtout). La tour est équipée d’une station de TSF en 1898, puis après la mort d’Eiffel, en 1925, sont installées les premières stations radio et TV. Aujourd’hui, celle qui s’est imposée comme LE symbole de Paris et de la France, est aussi un super émetteur pour la grande majorité des chaînes de télé et de radio.

Et puis la tour, elle présentait bien : c’était la preuve de la fougue Française, de sa maîtrise de la technologie et de la modernité du pays. Bon, les fondations ont été creusées à la pelle (véridique), mais pour le reste, le montage du Meccano géant était ul-tra moderne ! La tour Eiffel a conservé la palme du plus haut édifice du monde jusqu’en 1929, date de la construction de l’immeuble Chrysler à New-York. A sa construction, c’était “the place to be”, au point que le Figaro installera son imprimerie au 2eme étage en 1889 !

Des exploits ont émaillé l’existence de l’édifice, ils n’ont pas tous brillé par leur réussite : en 1912, l’homme oiseau se jette du 1er étage pour une démonstration et s’écrase lamentablement au sol devant un parterre de curieux, de journalistes et… de la première caméra. L’homme était en fait un tailleur d’origine autrichienne qui avait sur le dos ni plus ni moins qu’un poncho amélioré. Poncho qui ne lui aura pas évité la mort.

En 1984, deux britanniques prennent plus de précaution en choisissant le parachute pour sauter clandestinement depuis le 3ème étage. Cinq ans plus tard, Philippe Petit part du Trocadéro pour rejoindre le 2ème étage de la tour Eiffel sur son fil : le funambule parcourt 700 mètres sans protection !

Supplément crânerie : En 1953, le 25 millionième visiteur de la Tour Eiffel reçut comme cadeau une voiture, quelle surprise ! Quelle suprise aussi en 1983 pour le cent millionième visiteur qui eut… Mireille Mathieu comme hôtesse pour sa visite sur la tour… Quant au 150 millionième visiteur, en 1993, il ne reçut rien, ni Mireille Mathieu, ni voiture : tout se perd ma bonne dame !

Truc utile : la tour Eiffel, c’est toujours bondé. Pour avoir une chance de moins faire la queue, il faut choisir le pilier sans ascenseur : on gravit les étages à pied, ça maintient en forme et on n’a pas l’impression de faire partie d’un troupeau de moutons géant. C’est plus gratifiant, quelque part !

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St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester is to be illuminated by 14 floodlights as part of a project to light up historic buildings…. From BBC News. Full story

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Monuments often bear witness to those who are missing, but the design of the granite monument unveiled to “Soviet Mennonite Victims of Tribulation, Stalinist Terror and Religious Oppression” in Zaporizhia, Ukraine on October 10, 2009 is particularly poignant about absence. Designed by Paul Epp, it consists of three life-size silhouettes: a woman, a man, and two children. The base is meant to represent a mantel upon which we keep pictures of those who we want to remember, says Epp, except that here “we are left with a void, with all of what that can represent.”

The International Mennonite Memorial Committee for the Former Soviet Union, has erected a number of memorials in the former Soviet Union, but according to a report of the event by Anne Konrad, this is the first one within the former USSR to memorialize all Soviet Mennonites.

Committee co-chair Peter Klassen (left) said, “This monument bears enduring witness to the suffering of many thousands who cannot speak for themselves,” and co-chair Harvey Dyck (at mic) said, “The story of 30,000 Soviet Mennonites… chronicles a tragic past and opens us more fully to the suffering and heroism of Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, peoples of Siberia and Central Asia and people around the world.” (Photo credit: T. Dyck)

My grandparents were among those fortunate to escape what World War I and then the Russian Revolution unleashed, not to mention World War II and the long terrors of the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union. But as was the case in so many families, others in their family were not. The difference in the fates of those who left and those who stayed were often literally the difference between life and death.

I can’t get my head around how arbitrary it all sometimes seems, except to engage in the linked theological practices of thanksgiving and lament, but let me raise to the void of the new memorial just a few faces and names that belong there.

My grandmother Helena (Harder) and her family came to Canada. Her older sister Tina (Woelk) did not. Here is Tina with her 9 children, photographed at the burial of her husband in 1917. The oldest son, David, third from the left, was murdered in the political turmoil of 1919. As for the three boys on the right: Jakob reached Germany during the Second World War and did not return to Russia; Gerhard disappeared in that same war; Kornelius simply disappeared. Helena, second from the left, died of cancer in Siberia in 1956, Siberia being shorthand for the family’s exile to the work settlements of the north. Peter, on the left, died in Karaganda, that name shorthand for exile to the coal-mining southeastern region.

This is about all I know about these relatives of mine, told by the daughter of Katharina (standing at her mother’s shoulder), who grew up in the Soviet system and eventually, after the Cold War ended, moved to Germany with her husband.

So many empty spaces, children and youth without descendants. Just faces on a photo and names on a scrap of paper.