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How do you find out if platonic meet single italians romantic relationships are what you wish in a relationship or not? Light beer healthy and will they develop into a long term commitment? These are generally questions that lots of people ask themselves. While some people immediately visit the nearest book and pull out the definition from the word “platonic”, others give up the idea after having not any success how to find the correct that means of the expression.
The concept of the word “platonic relationship” is a bit vague. It commonly refers to any kind of non-adversarial relationship where one person maintains a degree of intimacy with another nonetheless is none exclusive neither committed to the other. These types of relationships normally occur within relationships, dating connections and everyday partnerships. In general, these types of connections tend to fail for one reason – insufficient intimacy.
When a platonic relationship will grow to a stage where it becomes intimate, this often marks the beginning of two people progressively more serious about each other. At this point, the two individuals included may find themselves feeling a great need to generate a commitment. Whether they trust in what they are undertaking or certainly not is immaterial – to tell the truth that a platonic relationship is without hope of surviving except if one of the lovers decides that she or he wants to take it to the next level.
If you are a female, you should know that men hardly ever initiate the thought of starting an absolute, meaningful marriage. They do this because they are fearful of the conceivable loss of lasting love that would complete such a move. Women want to know that their guy will always be presently there to look after these people. A platonic romantic relationship is the best method to foster this kind of security within a marriage.
There are also occasions when both parties in a relationship to feel like they may have hit the wall which there seriously isn’t everthing else left to allow them to do. This is a common component to every relationship, and one which often result in the breaking up of the romance. These are typically known as “lasting” relationships. Although platonic relationships are built over a foundation of friendship, love and trust, ultimately these elements set out to erode. Because of this , it is important to understand that you should always continue to be open and honest with all your partner if you need to keep the relationship alive.
Both women and men can fall into the old mistake of assuming that platonic connections are easy to maintain. In fact , this really is sometimes precisely why they not necessarily actually devoted to the relationship to start with. Of course , retaining a platonic romance is hard do the job. It takes time and energy, and unless you are willing to make an honest work towards making the relationship something special, afterward chances are you will not likely last long. Here are a few of the best guidelines that you can use if you need to maintain a relationship with your partner:
Typically jump the gun – If you think that your partner is falling for someone else, then it is very important that you step back and look in the specific situation. This is an important step to consider, because or else you could potentially explode your romance and make things even worse. It is also imperative that you remember that in case you have already downed for someone, then you need to move on. A lot more you try to push your spouse away or perhaps take them for granted, the more unlikely you should be remain dedicated.
Remember that happiness comes from within – While you are in a platonic relationship it is essential that you give each other the room and freedom to be happy also to let your individual true emotions come out. In case you allow you to ultimately feel those activities then you are much less likely to rush into a commitment and to risk the relationship stopping. It is far too easy to let your partner know what you are feeling while you are in a romantic relationship. If you want the relationship to be healthy then you definitely need to allow your true feelings to come out every time they are required. If you rush into commitments you are environment yourself up for failure. Be happy and become real; this is actually most important idea to remember if you want the relationship with their life.


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Staying inspired as a designer and artist is a very difficult task. Sometimes the ideas just flow through me and I know exactly what to do and other times I have to really search for that perfect inspiration. I made this inspiration board years ago to place in my office to keep all my pictures, quotes, memories, postcards, and anything else that inspires me.
And this is another one I made that my daughter has taken over. She is one of my biggest inspiratons. I wish I had half the confidence and talent she has. She amazes me everyday:)
Here are some inspiration boards that inspire me....
Photo found here
Photo from here
Photos from here

domain: hobby


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AN ANC leader appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrates Court yesterday in connection with a rape charge.
The man is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl on 24 October.
The man allegedly drugged the girl, took her to his house and raped her.
He apparently held the girl hostage for a number of days before letting her go home. A case was opened.
The man handed himself over to De Deur police in the south of Joburg.
The girl’s mum (33) told Daily Sun she was told by residents that they saw her daughter being driven by the suspect.
“I asked her but she hid stuff from me. I asked members of the family to talk to her, and only then did she speak out,” said the mum.
ANC regional treasurer Mkhonto Radebe said: “We indicated before that we stand for justice. I detest this barbaric act by one of our own and call for consistency in our support for the victim. Gender-based violence perpetrators must fall.”
The DA’s Kingsol Tshabalala condemned the incident.
“We condemn the barbaric action of the ANC man.
“We call on the police to speedily investigate and resolve this case.
“As the DA, we say gender-based violence perpetrators must be permanently removed from society.”
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Simon Mofokatsane confirmed that a case of rape was opened and that the man was arrested.

domain: news


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This gorgeous round turquoise charm with cool earth tones can be worn on ourRaina Huggies or our Solara Huggies as an earring. In the future, you will be able to purchase our Elements Loop to add your charms to a necklace or bracelet. We believe versatility is the key to sustainability, and our charms are meant to be worn any way you choose!
8mm round turquoise in 14k yellow recycled gold TDW .06ct This is a single charm. All other components must be purchased separately.

domain: design


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Quick and easy bioengineering procedures: Yeast (S. cerevisiae) colony PCR
This is the last post in a series of 4 in which I want to share a quick and easy to use procedure for engineering a yeast strain. The idea is to go from the cloning stage, right after doing a PCR (or order) to get the DNA you want to clone, up to the process of transforming the yeast and selecting the positive clones. Keep in mind that the goal here is to make it quick and easy, so I'm targeting those who are not experimental biologists and want minimal lab work, or those who have a super wonderful, really cutting edge protocol, but maybe go overwhelmed in terms of time and resources and want to simplify the cloning and transformation stages of the project.
In this last post on the process of engineering a yeast strain, I share a simple procedure to perform PCR directly from yeast colonies on an agar plate, namely yeast colony PCR. It is a very common procedure performed on bacterial colonies, but with yeast it is a bit tricky. I have never tried it on any species other than S. cerevisieae, and it is probably complicated to do it on other species, as the cell wall can complicate things.
Colony PCR is intended to detect positive clones beyond phenotype, and is the step one would do after transforming the cells, as shown in the third post in this series. This procedure for yeast is a bit more subtle than for bacteria. Basically, the lysis is done with NaOH for 20 minutes at 90C (I assume this is to break down the yeast cell wall), and the maximum recommended length for the amplicon is around 1kb. I have never used the resulting amplicon from colony PCR for sequencing, in the cases I want to sequence, I perform genome extraction using a commercial kit, and then amplify the purified DNA with high-fidelity PCR.
Briefly, the process consists of three steps. First, the yeast cells are lysed by incubating the small part of the colony in NaOH at high temperature, then the PCR itself is performed, and finally the product is resolved on an agarose gel. Once you have found your positive clones, the usual step is to sequence the introduced DNA to check for mutations, and finally store your engineered strain in glycerol at -80ºC. Then you have your strain and can phenotypically characterise and use it!
The detailed protocol goes as follows:
Yeast Cell Lysis
1. Aliquot 20uL of 0.02M NaOH into PCR tubes.
2. Pick a small part of the colony and resuspend in the NaOH.
3. Boil the samples on a PCR machine by incubating the tubes at 99C for 20 minutes
4. Prepare the master mix solution containing on ice, here what I use per reaction:
- Primers (at 10uL): 2uL each (so in total 4uL)
- Water: 9 uL
- 10 PCR buffer: 2uL
- dNTPs (10mM): 2uL
- Taq: 1uL
5. Mix 18uL of the master mix solution with 2uL of boiled samples with the yeast sample
6. Run the following PCR cycle:
- Cell breakage: 95C, 5 minutes
Repeat 30 times:
- Denaturation: 95C, 30 seconds
- Annealing: 50C, 30 seconds (the temperature here would depend on the primers)
- Extension: 72C, 1 minute (1 minute for 1 Kb, I don’t recommend to go for longer
- Final extension: 72C, 10 minutes 7. Load the PCR product in a 1% agarose gel
Then, select the positives, those with the electrophoresis band at the proper size, according to its migration respect to a ruler.
GOOD LUCK! And don’t hesitate to contact me if anything needed.
Our protocol used essentially the same approach, but boiling only for 10 min, and we were particular about letting the samples sit at room temp for a while post-boil for the particulate matter to settle out before drawing from the top of the liquid for PCR.
Also notable, I've used this for frozen samples as well with good success -- scraping from a frozen culture, boiling, then using (for example) to quickly check if it's carrying the right plasmid :)

domain: biology


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It’s not every day that you meet a smart boy who turns down a college scholarship to concentrate on acting. Blair Redford gave up everything for his passion.
Blair Redford Biography
Blair Redford is an American actor who is famous for his boyish charm and boyish appearance. He was born on July 27, 1983. He grew up in the suburbs of Canton, Atlanta Georgia, and attended Sequoyah High School. His birth name is David Blair Redford.
After high school, he was offered a scholarship to attend college because of his impressive academic achievements. Blair turned down the offer to pursue an acting career. He started with television appearances and his career as a presenter. His career received a small boost when Warner Bros. offered him a chance as a team member of the WB Road Crew, but after spending a year on the Road Crew, he moved to LA.
To improve his acting chances, Blair worked on small gigs in the city for a short time. His big breakthrough, however, came when he got the role of Scott Grainger, with which he won the hearts of so many viewers in The Young and the Restless.
That was in 2005, in February 2006, when he left the show after a year of working on the project. Nonetheless, he was first noticed and came to the fore in The Other Side when he got the character Reaper #3. His performance in portraying the character remains one of the most remarkable achievements of his life.
He was also featured in Lincoln Heights, 90210, Dance of the Dead, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Goy, Voodoo Moon, October Road, Passions, The Lying Game, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Beauty and the Beast.
Blair also played the role of Simon Waverly in Satisfaction. He then appeared in two episodes of The Red Road. He also got role-playing the character of John Proudstar/Thunderbird in the movie The Gifted in 2017. As Thunderbird, he played the role of a strong-willed leader of an underground community.
Since Blair is very popular and successful, he has withdrawn from the camera and kept his private life out of the limelight. He has also kept the number of his children hidden. He is a very demanding person who loves to spend time with children. And in a recent interview, he indicated that he needs time to think about whether to get married or enter into a committed relationship. He is not a dwarf and is an impressive 5’11” tall.
He also boasts an impressive salary, which has increased his net worth to around $300,000. It is also important to mention that he is an avid tennis player.
The good-looking actor is your very own classic racial hybrid and comes from a very complicated and strongly mixed ethnicity and lineage. He is primarily of American descent, but his mixed pedigree includes German, French, Irish, and Indian bloodlines. He also has distant Welsh, Dutch, and distant Danish ancestors.
As we all know, Blair Redford is a private person and it will not be a walk in the park to dig up facts about his dates or his married life. His fans know that the actor is currently dating no one. Blair Redford is not married and he has no children. It was previously speculated that he had a relationship with Jessica Michel Serfaty, and rumors were fuelled even further when the couple posted pictures at an awards ceremony. But that was put to rest when photos of Jessica and her boyfriend appeared on Instagram.
Blair Redford has a well-documented pedigree. However, very little is known about his father, his mother’s name is Deborah Warner Corrao.
Quick Facts You Should Know About Blair Redford
- At the Georgia Renaissance Festival Blair performed as a pirate named Rusty Compass.
- Blair was a very good tennis player and was captain of his high school tennis team.
- Blair worked as a stuntman for an Atlanta-based stunt team Black Knight Stunts.
- He has a highly mixed ethnic background and lineage that includes German, French, Irish, and Indian bloodlines as well as distant Welsh, Dutch, and remote Danish ancestors.

domain: celebrity


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Sudhakar Reddy, CEO of Al Habib & Co. speaks about the latest trends, investment opportunities and challenges in Oman’s real estate sector. Excerpts from an interview
Real estate has over the years become an attractive investment option and a common investment vehicle. Has Oman’s property sales market been affected by the current market sentiment?
Oman’s real estate returns are volatile unlike those from non GCC countries where the returns are steadier. This is because the overall nominal GDP (which is a better measure than the real GDP) grows and shrinks with oil prices. Right now although oil prices are up compared to where they were last year, the average oil price over blocks of 5-10 years is a more reliable indicator of how the economy is performing and hence how real estate is performing. By this measure we are still in a period of low oil prices as the average oil price post mid 2014 is about half of what it was before that. Therefore, the softness in real estate prices at the moment. However, returns from real estate are to be measured over a long span as real assets last decades. By that measure, we are at a lower point in real estate prices compared to their average and the next few years will be a good time to invest in real estate.
As you rightly said, real estate prices are tied to oil prices in the Sultanate. Will the recovery in oil prices boost the investor confidence?
I have explained the linkages with oil earlier. However, the government is pushing hard on diversifying the economy and we can expect the correlation of real estate with oil prices to diminish over a period of time.
Can you talk about the latest trends, opportunities and challenges in Oman’s real estate sector?
Real estate is a bit like stocks. It is not that all stocks go up equally. One has to pick the right stocks. Similarly, one has to pick the right real estate asset. Right now the highest values are in real estate in Muscat. Within Muscat, the city is moving towards the airport and beyond and we can expect property to appreciate in location beyond the airport and decline in the older areas of CBD/MBD, etc. However, the water front project may revive interest in the old part of the city. The challenge at the moment is to pick the right asset and ride out the downturn.
What is your future outlook for 2019 and beyond? Do you thinks prospects are still bright for domestic and foreign property buyers In Oman?
I expect real estate prices to be subdued in the next couple of years and if one invests in the right assets now, one can enjoy good returns in future.
Muhammed Nafie is an Assistant Editor at Oman Economic Review.


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The Nike Air Force 1 Low Graffiti Baznian Special is a special edition sneaker that features a colorful graffiti-inspired design. The upper is made of white leather with graffiti-style accents in a range of bright colors such as blue, green, orange, pink, and purple. The Nike swoosh is outlined in black, while the heel tab features a “Baznian” graphic in black and white.
The shoe sits on a white midsole with a visible Air-Sole unit in the heel for cushioning and support. The outsole is made of durable rubber with a traction pattern for grip and durability. Other details include perforations on the toe box for breathability and a padded collar for a comfortable fit.
Overall, the Nike Air Force 1 Low Graffiti Baznian Special is a bold and eye-catching sneaker that combines classic design with modern street style.
Item No.: CW2288-211


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Quetta News (June 5th, 2021): Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (BISE) Quetta Baluchistan is going to announced the (SSC-II) 10th Class Matric annual examination results 2021 in the month of June.
BISE Quetta Matric Result 2021
The online SSC part-2 Matric annual result online 2021 is Matric in June 2021. Quetta, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Quetta is allowed to hold BISE Quetta SSC Part- 1 & 2 annual exams 2021 for normal and private students of Baluchistan province.
The regular and private applicants attended Quetta Board magnificence 9& 10 annual exams 2021 after receipt in their date sheet and roll no slips and they started out wait to declare BISE Quetta ninth & tenth classes result 2021. Quetta Board exams department declared its BISE Quetta matric result 2021 after three months of the exams.
Quetta Board management organized announcement of its Quetta Board SSC- 1&2 end result 2021 with the names of position holder students and the students will get received marks in Quetta Board magnificence nine & 10 result 2021 online. The applicants check site of the board to download Quetta Board matric 1& 2 results 2021 with the toppers online quickly after the announcement of their end result.
The result will be uploaded soon…
Keep visiting the page for online results and Datasheets.
Note: If you are unable to get the result then please comment in the comment section below.


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Lack of communication and financial stress are two major issues that can put a lot of strain on a marriage. If these important issues are not addressed, they can ultimately lead to unhappiness in the relationship and possibly divorce. There are also the “three A’s” that can occur in marriages that can become the breaking point for a spouse. The “three A’s” are: Abuse, Addiction, and Affair.
Abuse can come in several forms, including: sexual, physical, verbal and emotional. Forcing a partner into unwanted sexual practices is more common in marriages than one would expect. Just because you are married does not mean that you should feel like you must engage in something you are not comfortable with. If you are pushed into any unwanted situation, it could constitute abuse. Physical abuse can range from grabbing, hitting, and shoving to much more extreme cases. Verbal and emotional abuse involves, among other things, shouting, cursing, belittling and restricting someone’s personal liberty. While all forms of abuse can be a reason to seek out a divorce, sometimes they can be corrected and addressed with appropriate professional help and assistance. Often there is success if the abuser seeks counseling on his or her own, addresses the anger issues, and/or is willing to engage in group counseling to heal the marriage. If this is not the case, it is often in the best interest of the abused person to escape from a toxic and possibly life-threatening relationship.
Addiction is a complicated issue to understand and sometimes people sympathize with the addict. Drug and alcohol abuse creates a toxic environment for the spouses and family. While one spouse can try to be supportive with the matter, if it is not resolved, there comes a tipping point where one spouse cannot deal with the behavior any longer, especially if children are involved. If the person with the addiction is willing to get help, then there can be a light at the end of the tunnel for the marriage.
Affairs can also have a detrimental effect on a marriage. One spouse may have engaged in a physical affair. The thought of your spouse being physically intimate with someone else can be devastating to the relationship. These days, with social media so easily accessible, one spouse can engage in an emotional affair as well. While each type of affair can carry certain emotions and consequences with the other spouse, both can be just as damaging to a marriage. Just as is the case with addiction and abuse, getting professional help and counseling for the parties involved can help to heal the marriage.
Abuse, addiction, and affairs can be detrimental to any marriage, sometimes resulting in a divorce. However, if both parties truly want to save the marriage, counseling can help to resolve all three of the problems. The one thing to keep in mind is that it will take time.

domain: sociology


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I have been a professional musician and teacher all my adult life. Music is my passion and has always been how I make a living. I teach piano/keyboards, guitar, voice, bass and ukulele. I studied classical piano at SUNY at Buffalo and I initially learned to play guitar and singing on my own. Years later I studied voice and guitar with great professional instructors. I am familiar with different ways of learning music: from very structured and traditional methods (that we use in classical music) to more improvisational and "by ear" approaches as we often do in popular music. This helps me tailor my music teaching specifically to each student based on his/her musical preferences, abilities and learning style. I can teach all styles of music including: Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, Bluegrass, ...
Alex has been playing music for 10 years and teaching guitar for 6 years. He received his Bachelors Degree in Music from the University of Colorado. With over 8 years of touring and performing experience, Alex is capable of teaching all levels and styles from beginner through advanced. He provides lessons for all ages including children as young as 5 as well as adults on acoustic/electric guitar and electric bass. Available for private or group lessons, Alex teaches all styles of music including Rock, Country, Jazz, Experimental, Pop, Metal, Reggae, Blues, Folk, Classical as well as Theory, Improvisation, Composition, Notation, and Ear Training. Alex understands that every student is unique in their own way and caters his teaching style accordingly in order to keep each student ...
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I've been playing piano since I was 6 yrs. old, and guitar and organ since I was 13. I've been able to use music in so many ways, and that is the opportunity I want for my students. From singing in school and church choirs, to accompanying and directing them, I've had a lot of enjoyable experiences. I've had the fun of performing solo and with bands, and have been teaching music for about 25 yrs, both privately and in the schools. My BA is in music education and my Masters is in individual performance. I've taught K-Jr College music classes in general music, chorus, piano, guitar, and theory. I think my favorite form of teaching is still one-on-one lessons. Working with one student allows me to adjust my teaching to their particular learning style and needs. *** Lesson Details *** I'm
My name is Austin M. and I am a music education major at Metropolitan State University of Denver. I have been in multiple ensembles in the music program including the wind ensemble, brass quartet, the symphonic band, and the symphony orchestra. I am currently a member of the Colorado Wind Ensemble in Denver, CO. I have marched with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps based here in Denver (2010 - 2011). I am also a marching band music arranger for multiple high schools here in Colorado, Texas and Indianapolis. My current trumpet teacher is Dr. Michael Hengst. I am in my junior year at Metro and am starting my education courses to complete my degree. I have been under the direction Dr. David Kish and Dr. Brandon Matthews for the past two years. I have taught at many high schools ...
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domain: artistic


text:
When it comes to theatrical roles, you could say that Jackie Hoffman has always been a bridesmaid but never a bride.
New York’s go-to comic character actress has portrayed a boozy vocal coach in “On the Town,” a ghoulish grandma in “The Addams Family,” a meddlesome maid in “Regrets Only,” an uptight mother in “Hairspray,” and dozens more. All of them marvelously mugging and cracking wise in support of major players.
So when it was announced that Hoffman would star as Princess Winnifred in the Transport Group’s revival of “Once Upon a Mattress,” I couldn’t help wondering, can she lead an entire show or will her shtick get stuck?
Jackie Hoffman wears the crown in this fractured fairytale tuner
Not to worry. Under the savvy direction of Jack Cummings III, Hoffman’s turn is the perfect marriage of talent and role — her highly physical, exaggerated, winking delivery is precisely what the show requires. The 1959 musical comedy (with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and a book by Barer, Jay Thompson, and Dean Fuller) is a twisted retelling of “The Princess and the Pea” fairytale.
The role was originated by none other than Carol Burnett and subsequently taken on by Ann B. Davis (yep, Alice from “The Brady Bunch”), Imogene Coca, and much later, Sarah Jessica Parker. Hoffman is a worthy successor to the crown.
The bespectacled, comic dynamo nails it from her first musical number “Shy,” where she proves she is anything but. She works her highly expressive, rubbery facial features to marvelous comic effect. To see her stick her fingers in her mouth and pull it open to outsized cartoonlike proportions is a wonder to behold. Her throaty, unpolished vocals work to her advantage here.
Not that Hoffman has to carry the whole enterprise. John Epperson (aka Lypsinka) dazzles as Queen Aggravain, the devious, overprotective mother of Prince Dauntless (a perfectly schlubby Jason “SweetTooth” Williams, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Seth Rogen). Epperson borrows generously from his bag of Lypsinka mannerisms (think Gloria Swanson and Betty Davis) to ramp up the hilarity. Also on hand is the Obie-winning downtown theater veteran David Greenspan as the mute King Sextimus, a bearded Zak Resnick as the dashing Sir Harry, Jessica Fontana as Harry’s not-so-demure beloved, Lady Larken, and Hunter Ryan Herdlicka as the adorable Minstrel.
As any musical theater fan knows, the plot is exceedingly goofy, set in motion by a marriage law that states: “Throughout the land no one may wed, ‘til Dauntless shares his wedding bed.” Problem is, any prospective princess must pass an impossible test devised by the smothering Queen, who refuses to let another woman come between her and docile Prince Dauntless. Winnifred’s test is to see if her night’s sleep is disturbed by a tiny pea placed under a stack of 20 downy mattresses (only a true princess would detect it). Can the others concoct a scheme to ensure Winnifred passes the test?
The energetic, 19-person cast is exceptional, though there are moments when the choreography (by Scott Rink) is not as tight as is should be, in part due to overcrowding on the small stage. Still, it is a special treat to see a show at the historic Henry Street Settlement Playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center — once home to such legends as Martha Graham, Orson Welles, Aaron Copland, Eartha Kitt, Merce Cunningham, and Paul Taylor — which is celebrating its centennial this year. (Speaking of theaters, “Once Upon a Mattress” was born at the old Phoenix Theater, currently home to the Village East movie multiplex on Second Avenue and East 12th Street.)
Granted, the vaudeville-esque musical is beginning to show its age, and the campy, puerile humor is not for everyone (The equally lampoonish “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” which premiered a couple of years later, suffers from a similar affliction).
The production is greatly enhanced by Kathryn Rohe’s candy-hued medieval costumes and Sandra Goldmark’s appropriately rudimentary scenic design, featuring cartoon drawings by Ken Fallin.
When the yuck-inducing yarn reaches its inevitable, happily-ever-after conclusion, Hoffman appears in a dazzling white bride’s gown. After more than two decades of being a bridesmaid, I must say it suits her remarkably well.
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS | The Transport Group | Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St. at Pitt St. | Through Jan. 3: Tue.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. at 2 p.m.; Sun. at 3 p.m. | $45 at transportgroup.org | Two hrs., 20 mins., with intermission


It's a big moment for Skoda India as the company unveiled its full size SUV - Kodiaq - in India. The Kodiaq is Skoda's first 7-seater SUV in India and with it, the company takes on the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and even the Volkswagen Tiguan (though it is a 5-seater). Internationally, the Skoda Kodiaq SUV was first unveiled last year in September in Berlin and production of the SUV began a month later in October 2016. Just about a year later, it's come to India and that shows how important a market it is for SUVs. We have already driven global-spec Skoda Kodiaq and were truly impressed by its build quality, features and performance which is why we expected most of them to come to India.
Also Read: Skoda Kodiaq Price Expectation
The Skoda Kodiaq is built on the same MQB platform as the Volkswagen Tiguan and shares most of its underpinnings with the latter. It will come to India as a CKD and we'll see the car being assembled at the company's Aurangabad plant. In terms of styling, the Kodiaq SUV employs the company's latest crystalline design language, which is now commonly seen in all new-generation Skoda cars like the Superb and the Octavia. There are sharp lines, creased metal and very layered, bejewelled lighting elements. The Kodiaq SUV also comes with the signature butterfly grille flanked by sharp headlamps and LED daytime running lights. The bumper design is bold and aggressive, while the squared wheel arches and the larger roof rails give the Kodiaq that macho SUV stance.
Also Read: Skoda Kodiaq Bookings Commenced
Under the hood, the new Skoda Kodiaq will come with a mix of both petrol and diesel engines. We're glad that the petrol engine has made it to India as with it, customers have more to choose from. The 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit that churns out 177 bhp and a peak torque of 320 Nm, the 2-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine will produce 147 bhp of max power output and 340 Nm of max torque. Transmission options include a 7-speed DSG unit and there'll be no manual transmission on offer.
The Skoda Octavia will be launched in the last quarter of 2017 and the India-specific prices, details and features will be announced at that time itself.


Country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is set to release its new powerful off-roading SUV Maruti Jimmy in the domestic market soon. Although the company has started production of a three-door version of this SUV in India, it is being exported to other countries. The five-door version is almost ready to be released to the Indian market.
According to a report published in Autocar for the launch of the SUV, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at Maruti Suzuki India, said, “We are working on marketing projects and will launch this SUV.” It is clear that the company will soon sell it.
There has been no official response from the company regarding the launch of the SUV in the Indian market. A company official has said that the possibility of launching this SUV in the past is being looked at. But for the first time, by proposing marketing plans, Shashank Srivast has given the company a clear indication that it is ready to launch in the market here.
According to media reports, the company is currently evaluating the price of this SUV so that it can be released to the market with the right price. Its launch date has not yet been determined, but experts say it could be introduced early next year. No information about this has yet been officially shared.
What is the new Maruti Gym:
The company used the 1.5 liter K15B petrol engine in this SUV. You can find this engine in new vehicles like Bresa, Ertiga and Ciaz in the market. This engine is compatible with a 5 speed manual and 4 speed torque converter gearbox. On the other hand, it has features like 6 airbags, ISOFix child seat mounts, autonomous emergency braking system (AEB), seat belt reminder, lane assist system.
The long wheelbase version of the gym is based on the Sierra model and is 300mm long. Better cabin space available inside the SUV. Recently, a report about the size of this SUV has leaked, which according to it is 3,850mm, width 1,645mm and height 1,730mm. It also has a 2,550mm wheelbase and 210mm ground clearance.
What’s the price:
It’s hard to say anything about its price before the Maruti Gimney launches. However, experts say the company could release it in the market between Rs 10 and Rs 12 lakh. After coming to market, this SUV will compete with models like Mahindra Thar and Force Gorkha. However, for safety’s sake, this SUV only got a 3 star rating on the Euro NCAP crash test.


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Established in 2010 with the recommendations of friends and family Dani decided to bake sugar cookies for the world. Her cookies are quite unique due to the fact that they're made from scratch, and she takes the time to make sure that they're always soft and chewy with a special ingredient, and not to mention her fabulous homemade Icing/Frosting. Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
Mark Adrianreviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies - 5 star
February 18, 2018
We recently received our goodies package from Dani including Walnut Fudge and Chocolate covered peanut butter balls ..Wow Family and friends loved them! Thx Dani. Keri Hawkinsreviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies - 5 star
February 16, 2018
Amazing! Wonderful tasting and looking cookies! And sweet service!
Paula Madden Gibbs
February 10, 2018
We got the goodies Dani .....we are all enjoying them now and they're great!!!!!!!!! Sooo good thank you.
Gayle Knauss reviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies — 5
November 2, 2017 ·
My Halloween sugar cookies were excellent! The attention to
detail on the icing was very impressive! I will be ordering more soon!
Wanda Banks reviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies — 5
October 25, 2017 ·
When I received my box of cookies they were in excellent
sharp. I open my box with so much anticipation I wasn't disappointed,. These
Dani'z cookies are delicious. My family love them and so do I, clearly my
portion of the cookies are wiped out. I have a few left to share with more
family and friends. Good Eat!
Jill Jill Morrill Millerreviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and
Goodies — 5 star
October 21, 2017 ·
Absolutely a joy to work with! She shipped a custom order of
seahorses, sea shells, and starfish all the way to California and my mom was
Hope Cody reviewed Dani'z Sugar Cookies and Goodies — 5 star
October 9, 2017
I love Dani'z custom made to order cookies, as well as her
incredible candies. Best Peanut brittle I've ever had! I highly recommend
Dani'z sugar cookies and goodies! Dani has the most amazing cake pops and sugar cookies!! And Exceptional delivery!!! Order your goodies today!!!!!!!!! - Terri
They loved their sugar cookies! Thanks again - Aprill Ridgeway
I've had your cookies and they are delicious! - Brooke Hyde
Just got to taste them! They are great! And so cute I don't want to bite them ..... But, oh well, there went a bunny foot! Lol - Laura Sadeghi
They were absolutely delicious. -Linda Dyer
Had one of your goodies. It was delish!!!! -Becky Blehm
Thank you and they loved them! My Mother was your biggest fan! - Jetta Brooke Moore
He loved them!! He eats the ears first (; They look too good to eat, but there's no way I'm not getting into those!! Love them! Thank you for making Steele's first birthday extra special, Dani Cody Phillips! Thanks to Dani for making the really cute Bunny Cookies for me! Noah, and Emee will Love them! They are so cute, and taste Great... Of course I had to taste one!:) - Dee Bryant
Every thing i have tried has been great!!!!!!! - Gary Mace
Your Peanut Brittle is the BEST I've ever had!! The Peanut Chocolate marshmallow cups are Amazing!! The cookies are sooo good and always custom made to order! Anything you want, Dani can make it perfect!! - Hope Cody
Simply D'Lishhhh!!!!! We all "L O V E D" your Happy Face Cookies!!!! - Ronda Cech
Thank you so much Dani Cody Phillips/dani'z sugar cookies &goodies. Your birthday goodies are so awesome !!! As soon as you left kiki tore into the chocolate peanut butter rice crispy balls . She said mom these are the best ever. We love !!# - Karrie Bowes Steckman
Miranda Brock BigBow: "These cookies were amazing. Tasted excellent. Julian really liked them with his Lego themed birthday party. A+ from us."

domain: food


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This was a fun project that evolved as I was working on it. This was the first time I ever used glitter in any painting.
Here is a fun one that I did of a wolf recently. Below are a couple WIP pictures. I used the airbrush to add some nice depth to picture.


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Youth Theatre Plays
Hello and welcome to this small portal into my world. I like to write plays, predominantly youth theatre plays. I also perform and direct in any number of different formats. I have a love for all things theatrical.
Whilst I am available for commissions, you can see from the current projects page, I am rather busy. I will always try to be completely honest as far as deadlines are concerned.
I am currently writing my first novel. This keeps me entirely busy, and entirely happy.
I am politically active, in that I have opinions, which I will sometimes share. I was not a member of any political party, but the disgusting treatment of the Arts and Education in general under this government changed my mind.. I am a Trade Union member in that I belong to Equity. I am also a Town Councillor, which is a new departure for me, and one that I am enjoying tremendously.
This page represents my own personal views on all sorts of things, and does not represent the views of any of the organisations that I run, own, or am in any way associated with. That’s the excuses out of the way…..


Covid-19 (coronavirus) can be heard by AI: In the market, we witnessed a rush of new creative technological apps emerge.
Covid-19 symptom tracker applications are available on the market that let you to record your symptoms from anywhere. People may use these applications to keep track of their health on a regular basis.
With the midst of Covid-19, companies have also developed robots to assist individuals in maintaining sanitization and social distance.
Australian computer scientists have developed a unique AI-based model that can detect the effects of Covid-19 in a cough even in those who are asymptomatic.
In related news, according to IANS, Australian computer scientists at RMIT University have developed a unique Artificial Intelligence-based (AI) model that can detect the effects of Covid-19 in a cough even in those who are asymptomatic.
“We’ve cleared a key roadblock in the creation of a reliable, easy-to-use, and contactless preliminary diagnosis tool for Covid-19,” said Xue, a Research Fellow at RMIT’s School of Computing Technologies.
Scientists also stated that the sophisticated AI approach they created may be used to treat other respiratory illnesses such as TB.
RMIT researchers have developed a smartphone app that can detect Coronavirus (Covid-19) diseases.
According to the article, this new development can aid in the detection of infectious disease using diagnostic mobile phone apps.
A group of academics from RMIT University used self-supervised learning to train the app’s algorithm. For the method, researchers used datasets such as Covid-19 Sounds App and COSWARA.
“This might have a big impact on reducing the spread of the virus among those who don’t show any symptoms.” The type of creative tool we need to effectively handle this pandemic is a smartphone app that can provide you peace of mind during community outbreaks or urge you to get a Covid test”.


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Advanced Tumbling (Mon. at 7:45pm-8:45pm) Jumps, flips, kicks and twists! These are all things we emphasize in this class. As dance has adopted more acrobatic and gymnastics- inspired moves into its curriculum, the pressure felt by dancers to incorporate harder and flashier moves into their routines has skyrocketed. Luckly, at Xscape, we have the class to meet these challenges! Taught by Coach Lucas, who has over ten years of gymnastics experience, and twenty years of martial arts experience. Your children will learn in a fun and patient environment. The goals of this class include learning backwards tumbling: handsprings, flips, and contortions, Strength Training: hand stands, holds, and partner tumbling, and finally Safety, Comfort, and Control. Due to the advanced nature of this class, sign-ups will be initially limited to placement only.
Little Dancers (Tues 6:00-6:45pm & Thurs, 4:30-5:15pm) Little Dancers ballet and tap class is a fun, energetic, and enjoyable class for little ones which will help spark an interest in dance. The Little Dancers class will incorporate interactive activities to keep them entertained as well as educating them in ballet / tap techniques.
Contemporary (Friday 6:45-7:30) Borrowing classic, modern and jazz styles, contemporary dance uses emotion, bringing out the raw side dancers. Contemporary dance makes dancers feel vulnerable, open up, be free and let go, helping dancers to be less shy and enjoy dance!
Technique 2/3 (Tues. 6:00-6:45pm & Tues.6:45-7:45pm) This class is designed for dancers who want to take their dance training to a higher level, helping advance dancers to a competitive level by taking their ballet technique and putting it into a competition technique. This class, along with ballet, is the most important for any competition/ future competition dance.
Singing (Mon. 6:15-7:00pm) Important for any dancers with goals to perform on broadway or in musical theater, this class teaches students not only to sing, but to feel comfortable finding their voice, allowing them to explore different musical styles and techniques they might not otherwise try. They will learn to sing almost any genre they put their mind to, timing, rhythm, vocal keys and proper breathing techniques, to name just a few. This is a fun, judgement free area for students to open up to other artistic styles that will go hand in hand later on!
Beg. Tap Class (Weds. at 5:30-6:15pm) This class is designed for those with little to no experience in tap dance. The core of the class focuses on the development of basic technical skills: shuffles, flaps, pull backs, cramp-rolls, etc. As well, students will better understand the ear and ability to understand music and rhythm. A small portion of the course will be dedicated to learning about and honoring historical tap figures to gain a holistic understanding of the art form.
Int./Adv. Tap Class (Weds. at 3:45-4:30 & Fri. 4:00-4:45) These classes will be fast-paced and exciting, designed for those with prior experience in tap. These classes focus on further developing both technical skills and the ear. Other course objectives include: the ability to quickly learn combinations without vocal instruction, a deep understanding of tap history and an ability to improvise comfortably.
Jazz 2/3/4 (Tues. at 5:00-6:00, Thurs. 5:00-6:00 & Tues. 4:00-5:00) One of the most popular and well known forms of dance, Jazz includes strength, flexibility, conditioning technique and progressions, including turns, kicks and leaps. In a Jazz, dancers also learn many fun and trendy dance steps used for all forms of dance. It is a wonderful class to get a well rounded variety of all dance steps. Students will learn choreography to popular, age appropriate music of today, along with vintage styles of jazz from the last decades. This is a perfect class to start your dance training.
Beg. Jazz (Mon. at 5:15-6:00) Beginning Jazz is a fun and engaging class for any young dancer starting out. Students learn many fundamental jazz moves such as jazz walks, turns, leaps and kicks. Every two weeks, dancers will learn a small jazz combo, where they can apply what they have learned, improving their musicality, stage presence and confidence as a dancer.
Beg. Tumbling (Mon. at 7;00-7:45pm) Tumbling and acrobatic skills are important for any dancer, helping with strength, flexibility, power and even technique! In beginning tumbling, young dancers will learn entry level acrobatics skills, including handstands, cart wheels, round-offs, as well as walk-overs and handsprings. Many skills taught in this class are intended to not only make better acrobats, but also better dancers. All in a safe and fun environment.
Slay the Stage (Mon. at 7;00-7:45pm) Acting and Improv are skills that will be slayed in this class. From pantomime to monologues to scene work, many skills will b worked on to help performers understand the important of performing and not just dancing. At the end of each class, students will learning and practice basic improv skills. Students will have some homework in this class an be asked to bring bask props and costumes from home.


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The Sabians and the Wisdom of the Stars
Sabians of Middle Eastern tradition were a monotheistic religious group who worshiped in the names of stellar angels. They worshiped the spiritual beings in the universe, and because the celestial bodies were the most evident manifestations of some classes of these spiritual beings, this religion naturally became confused with the worship of the celestial bodies themselves as the dwellings or mansions of the regents above, in, and behind the visible orbs. This was one of the very archaic religions of the human race, found all over the globe in various forms. In its origins, Sabianism was undoubtedly an outpouring of occult teaching from the archaic Mysteries.
“And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven.
“…in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
“And I will make thy seed multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;..."
Most of what is known of them come from the writings of Maimonides and classical Arabic sources, notably Ibn Wahshiyya's The Nabatean Agriculture.
Sabianism was unquestionably the main religious belief of the ancient Chaldeans and Assyrians, but likewise the very foundation stone of practically all the great religions of all the great peoples of the past. Upon the authority of the Jewish scholar Maimonides, scholars have considered the Sabians as an ancient race whose principal religion was that of star-worship and closely affiliated with the Babylonians and Syrians.
But the Sabians were not a race, but those who followed and practiced the divine astrological “astrolatry” of the hoariest antiquity. Mohammed in the Koran mentions a sect between the Jews and Christians called Sabi una, to whom certain privileges were granted. Older Muslim theologians agreed that the Sabians possessed manuscripts which they regarded in the light of a revelation. The Mandeans (see below) came under the same protection granted to the Sabians; hence the Mandeans also came to be regarded as Sabians. Another sect of polytheists, the Harranians (approximately 830 AD), also affiliated with the Sabians and shielded themselves under the same privileges. They were a remnant of a Mesopotamian cult and star-worship had a prominent place in their system.
The Sabians were called astrolaters or star-worshipers; but it was not the physical bodies of the celestial orbs which were worshiped, but the spiritual entities, powers, or spirits which ensouled these orbs.
The Fihrist of Al-Nadim, an Arabic writer c. 987, mentions the Mogtasilah, a "sect" of "Sabians" in southern Mesopotamia who counted El-Hasaih as their founder and the vast majority of academics agree that they are probably the enigmatic "Sobiai" to whom Elchasai preached in Parthia (the Book of Elchasai is one of the Catholic Apocrypha). They appear to have gravitated around the original pro-Jewish Hanputa of Elchasai out of which the miso-Judaic prophet Mani seceded and are identified as the pro-Torah Sampsaeans, but also less accurately with the anti-Torah Mandaeans. They were said to believe that they "belonged" to the prophet Noah.
It is supposed that they influenced the practices of the Hellenic Theosebeis. While their angelology, was based around the movements of the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. They found its greatest development in the community which was based in the Harran region of south-eastern Anatolia and northern Syria, who were distinguished as the Sabians of Harran from the south Mesopotamian Sabi'una Hunafa by later Islamic writers like Ibn al-Qayyim.
The word Sabian itself has come down to us mainly through Greek (the Greek word Ephesus means “pale”) and Latin authors. But so thoroughly imbued were the ancient Hebrews with this idea of the celestial hosts or cosmic spirits that the Bible is full of references where the context even wrongly endows the heavenly hosts with the properties of the Most High God, but even Christianity itself is filled with the thought of the ancient Sabians.
Certain Arabian writers termed the Sabian language the science of astronomy, but what we now call astronomy was but a minor portion of ancient astrolatry. They also state that Seth or Set was the founder of Sabeanism and that the pyramids were regarded as the place of sepulture of Seth or Agathodaimon. We see here confusion, reductions of general principles to details, and anthropomorphizations of cosmic principles. Hermes is in many senses the same as Seth, and the pyramids were consecrated to the Regents of the stars, rather than to the orbs (SD 2:362).
The Sabians practiced initiation through submersion in water, intended to harken to the inundation of the world during the deluge of the time of Noah which cleansed man's sinful nature from the face of the earth. There has been much speculation as to the origins of the religious endonym from this practice. Some have argued that the term Sabi'un derives from the Syriac root S-b-', referring to conversion through submersion; the Syriac (and Hebrew) nouns derived from this root refer to proselytes, both "Judaizers," non-converts who followed certain basic rules of Judaism, and early Christian converts of non-Jewish origin and practice. These latter were called Theosebeians - "God-Fearers," Sebomenoi - "Believers", or Phobeomenoi - "pious ones" in Greek sources.
The Sabian book is called Kanza Rama, which is said to transmit the sayings of the ancient Prophets of Seth, Abraham and others lost to time. There is a surviving group in Iraq which call themselves “Mandaean-Sabeans” and they have adopted the teachings regarding baptism from John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Christian religion, in which they see baptism in playing a major role in purifying the soul.
It is interesting that the Bible does not identify John the Baptist as being Jewish but says that he followed what we identify with many ancient Sabian practices in his living close to nature in the wild. Some also feel that he should be identified with the Essenes sect and the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke has the lengthy account of John's birth to the Priest Zacharias and Elisabeth, a cousin of the Virgin Mary. It is difficult to tell how much of the original teachings of Sabians remain because the religion is ancient and has now interacted with so many other religions.
This etymology suggests that the Mandaeans may well be the only sect surviving from antiquity to identify themselves explicitly as Gnostics. Certainly, the Mandaean religion shares much with the ensemble of sects labeled as Gnostic, which date to the 1st century AD and the following centuries. There are, however, crucial differences, particularly in the realm of the behavioral ethics of the laity.
Sources: Theosophy Dictionary, Secret Doctrine, Mysticism Dictionary, Wikipedia.

domain: history


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China's leather footwear sector may become the second target of European Union (EU) anti-dumping charges by as early as next month, according to the China Leather Association.
"According to our information, the EU is proposing a new round of anti-dumping investigations against a wide range of leather shoes from China," said Wei Yafei, the association's spokeswoman.
This anti-dumping probe, which is predicted to cover nearly 30 classes of shoes, could be a big blow to Chinese manufacturers.
"It will affect more than 1,000 shoe factories and millions of jobs in the country," Wei said.
She added that her association has called on concerned enterprises to be prepared to respond although the European Commission has not yet published the official notice to initiate the action.
In 2004, China exported shoes in the affected categories valued at US$0.6 billion to EU countries.
This action would represent the second EU anti-dumping charge against footwear originating in China in a month. A dumping probe into two categories of work safety shoes was launched by the EU on June 30 at the request of domestic shoe makers, particularly from Italy and Spain.
To date, Chinese shoe manufacturers are actively responding to the EU dumping charges, with nearly all Chinese shoe makers involved.
The EU may also launch in the future dumping charges against footwear materials from China.
The European Commission claims that six categories of Chinese shoes, which were put under its inspection mechanism in February, experienced a great surge in quantity and had certain declines in unit prices in the past several months.
However, statistics from China's General Administration of Customs shows that China's footwear exports to the European Union (EU) stood at 257 million pairs in the first three months this year, up 2.8 per cent year-on-year. The total value of the products were US$726 million in the period, up 30.8 per cent year-on-year.
(China Daily July 7, 2005)


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After Israeli war, Gaza children speak of trauma and horror
With each round of unhinged Israeli violence visited on Gaza, it is always the children who suffer the most, and are left with indelible traumas from airstrikes, rocket fire, and scenes of carnage etched into young psyches unequipped to process war let alone cope with its aftermath.
Following a three-day bloody round of Israeli aggression against the besieged Palestinian enclave, Gazan children are reporting early signs of post-traumatic stress as they remember long, terrifying hours of Israeli shelling.
In the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the coastal Strip, eyewitnesses described how Israeli warplanes bombed a group of Palestinians standing in crowded streets without warning.
The attack killed two children who were siblings and wounded at least ten others. According to their family, Ahmed and Moamen Mohammed al-Nairab were playing with relatives in the camp at the time of the Israeli strike.
Salma al-Nayrab, their cousin, described to The New Arab the moment the missile struck.
"We were playing and laughing when the missile fell on my cousins and killed them without mercy (...) I didn't know where to run. We were covered in blood, and we didn't know who was injured and who was dead among us," she said.
"Death was close to all of us, and I could have died with my cousins," she said, noting that she miraculously escaped after hiding in a shop in the area.
The girl explained that she will never forget the traumatic experience but said she dreams of living a safe life one day.
The situation was not much different for Mohammed al-Asouli from Gaza City who was also wounded after an Israeli warplane targeted a house next to them on Sunday.
"On Sunday, I was playing with my friends next to our house, but suddenly we heard the sound of a huge big explosion (...) I felt that the sky had turned black because of the thick dust,” the eleven-year-old told The New Arab.
"I was very scared. I thought I had moved to a lonely place. I didn't know where I was, so I started screaming and calling for my mother to save me," but no one came to rescue him.
After that, the child recalls, he sank into complete darkness. "I did not feel anything (...) When I opened my eyes I found myself in hospital, and I could hear the screams of pain of the injured around me,” as his father stood next to him trying to reassure him.
On Sunday, the Israeli warplanes targeted the house of a relative of Mohammed with several missiles, injuring a number of citizens present in the area.
"The Israeli army called my cousin and asked him to evacuate his house and the neighbouring houses before targeting him," adding, "We do not know the reason for targeting safe civilian homes,” Ahmed Al-Asouli, Muhammad's father, told The New Arab.
On Friday, the Israeli army unilaterally launched a military campaign against the Gaza strip, attacking a 12-storey residential building to assassinate Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Tayseer al-Jaabari and three of his aides. Dozens of civilians were wounded.
The army proceeded to launch dozens of air attacks on military sites and residential buildings in the following two days, under the pretext of belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and its supporters.
During the conflict, at least 46 Palestinians were killed, including 16 children and four women, while at least 350 others were wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Children are among the vulnerable categories worst affected by Israel's warfare, whether through direct targeting and killing, or the traumatic impact on them.
Repeated Israeli wars have left disastrous effects on the psyche of Gaza's children, according to Fadel Abu Hein, director of the Center for Community Training and Crisis Management in Gaza. Common long-term trauma signs include panic, horror, lack of confidence in life, and a sense of safety, which makes them more introverted or more aggressive towards others, he told The New Arab.
“It is difficult to provide psychological treatment [for the children] because Gaza lives in a changing reality from time to time,” he added, explaining that psychological treatment differs from one person to another in terms of time.
Each victim needs a tailored psychological treatment programme to help them overcome the negative consequences of the Israeli wars on their lives, he added.
Following the Israeli campaign against Gaza last year, children, parents, and experts reported similar problems.
Parents mentioned their children suffer from nightmares, are wetting the bed, have a low academic achievement and have also witnessed a change in their appetite, with many now choosing to stay in isolation.
Dr Bahzad Al Akhras, MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health Psychologist at the Gaza Mental Health programme, told The New Arab, last year, "There is a collective impact on the continuous aggressions Gaza is witnessing, including domestic violence, aggressiveness." He further explained how many people in Gaza were now experiencing Continoutuos Traumatic Disorder (CTSD), "which is more critical than PTSD," he added.
After every aggression, mental health specialists believe that the Israeli occupation wipes all their efforts to treat traumatic disorders, as children witness more violent and more extreme events, it forces them to start from scratch.
Research by Save the Children after the 50-day attack in 2014 revealed that after a year, seven out of ten children in the worst-hit areas in Gaza were still suffering from nightmares, and 75 percent were still bedwetting regularly. Up to 89 percent of parents reported that their children were consistently afraid. Research in 2019 after the escalation in 2018 found similar results.
Following 2021 campaign, Euro-Med Monitor found that about 91.4 percent of children in Gaza were now suffering from some form of conflict-related trauma.
"Children in Gaza are also undergoing hypervigilance, a state of increased alertness where you're extremely sensitive to your surroundings," Dr Al Akhras explained. Such a situation leads to poor concentration, high-stress and exhaustion, meaning children can no longer enjoy their daily lives.
"Children are vulnerable. They do not have the mechanisms that adults have to cope with the difficulties they are going through. A four or five-year-old does not understand the political conflict Palestine is going through yet."

domain: psychology


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Anyone looking for signs of contemporary culture in Prague might, at first sight, find the city oppressively weighed down by history and heritage. In its almost indigestible club sandwich of architectural styles there are spartan, unadorned romanesque buildings, creepy, crow-black gothic cathedrals with needle-sharp steeples, OTT baroque churches, art nouveau facades with neo-medieval murals, grimly brutalist, communist-era constructions... it can all feel like an architectural theme park idolising the past.
Prague's quaintness is underlined by its trundling trams and rumble of cars pootling over cobbled streets. Then, you run the gauntlet of gruesome folkloric marionettes flogged in the funny Hansel and Gretel-like huts on the city's Old Town and Wencesclas squares. There are the swans on the city's serene river Vlatva: only one month after the terrible floods, it was picturebook-calm. (Après le deluge, Prague's underground was inundated and useless, many of its intricately mosaiced pavements were being relaid, while severely affected places were still closed; otherwise - aside from the whiff of raw plaster - all seemed back on track.)
But not all of Prague has a horror of the present. At one end of the spectrum, since the bloodless Velvet Revolution that toppled the communist regime in 1989, crass capitalism has taken hold of the multiplex and supermarket-riddled Smichov area, to the west. Don't expect any signs of a McDonald's backlash here: so big and blatant are the Golden Arches outside each branch that they look like portals to the promised land.
At the other extreme, the present is hungrily embraced by a younger generation now packing the stylish bar scene in the SONA area (so-called, a little tenuously, because it's south of the National Theatre, a communist-era building bizarrely clad with a grid of glass rectangles resembling TV screens). Another popular, northern quarter is Holesovice, a Shoreditch-esque blot on the landscape which despite - or probably because of - its grungy, disused factories is being colonised by cutting-edge designers. Its warehouses are morphing into groovy bars, clubs and design shops.
Prague has recently witnessed a dynamic architectural renaissance. Frank Gehry and Vladimir Milunic's Dancing Building, a wildly expressionistic, asymmetric structure, blows a raspberry at the stolidly bourgeois buildings on either side. A more recent fixture is the Kampa Museum housing avant-garde Czech art. When plans for its roof - crowned by an idiosyncratic, tilting glass cube - were revealed, net curtain-twitching conservatives blew a gasket. (Tough: it got the go ahead.)
Some may remember Prague, from trips years back, as a gastronomic backwater. That's no longer true: it's recently taken to sushi bars like a fish to water, while Thai eateries and tapas bars are a common sight. Eating out is also wonderfully cheap.
Despite this energy, don't be surprised if, by day, Prague folk appear dour and impassive. Thankfully, those frozen expressions mask a laid-back temperament, typified by the way the crowds waiting for trams - who don't queue - clamber aboard without elbowing others aside (a hangover, perhaps, of the spirit of cooperation, not competition, instilled by the communist regime). At night, however, Prague becomes instantly animated, a louche and lively pleasure dome - as two things that catch the eye by day amply hint at: the countless booze-stocked newspaper kiosks and the super-sensual stone nymphs and Adoni adorning many an art nouveau building, their self-adoring poses bordering on the auto-erotic. Prague is a city of bohemians with a big and small "b".
SONA is Prague's hedonistic nerve centre. Its chief hangouts are the Dynamo bar, with its spearmint-green interior and LCD panel showing time and temperature, and Erra Cafe , a gay/mixed venue with a moodily lit, boudoir-like decor. In the hipness stakes, Holesovice and another, more central area - Vinohrady - are snapping at SONA's heels. It's a tram trek to get to the former, but it is a must for design aficionados, boasting as it does the Holport Cafe (Komunardu 32), decked out with Verner Panton chairs, and adjoining Vitra shop (a branch of Germany's legendary contemporary furniture company). At the more accessible Vinohrady, there's Radost FX (Belehradska 120), a club-cum-restaurant with a studenty vibe that, nevertheless, welcomes all ages. Decorated like a souk (or is it an Edwardian bordello?), it's a far cry from the clean-lined, stylised caricature of a 50s American diner that is nearby Cafe Kaaba (Kubelíkova 27), with its extensive, esoteric menu of coffees and throat-scorching liqueurs.
But you don't have to hang with Prague's bohorati to experience its progressive sensibility - something inevitably fostered by its cosmopolitan position at the crossroads of Europe. As a visit to the Alphonse Mucha Museum (Panska 7) will confirm, the Czech graphic artist's 1890s proto-psychedelic, proto-60s theatre posters of a languid, coquettish Sarah Bernhardt, oozed the same hedonism a whole century earlier. Prague's party people, it seems, are re-enacting the Mucha spirit - yet very much in the present.
Where to stay
Boutique hotels have landed in Prague, with all their state-of-the-art creature comforts. First off is Andel's (Stroupeznickeho 21, Prague 5; tel: +2 9688 9688, Andels), in Andel City, in the otherwise unprepossessing Smichov area. Opened in June, it was designed by British architects Jestico & Whiles (also responsible for London's One Aldwych and Hempel). It has a swanky 300m squared gym and room rates are from Kr6,270 for a single, including breakfast.
Hotel Josef (Rynbna 20, Prague 1; tel: +2 2170 7111) has exquisitely minimalist interiors by London-based, Czech superstar architect Eva Jiricna. Singles from Kr4,500. Hotel Neruda (Nerudova 44, Prague 1; tel: +2 5753 5557, Hotel Neruda) combines a minimalist decor with rococo accents (antique gilt frames, religious statuary). Singles from Kr4,600.
Where to eat
The high-baroque Malostranske area is touristy and expensive, peopled by cashmere-clad Euro Sloanes. But don't be put off by its museum-like unreality. Try Restaurant Palffy Palac (Valdestejnska 14, Prague 1; tel: +2 5753 0522), approached, mysteriously, via a sweeping staircase. Open one of the various doors, and it finally pans into view like a scene out of Eyes Wide Shut - lavish, twinkling, candlelit. But it's very affordable: asparagus soup, salmon en papillote and carafe of wine costs around Kr1,000. In the same area is Square (Malostranske Nam 5/28, Prague 1; tel: +2 5753 2109); popular, stylish and soberly minimalist.
Mecca (U Pruhonu 3, Prague 7; tel: +2 8387 0522), in Holesovice, has a very Prague, post-punk aesthetic - Alice in Wonderland-style towering chairs and banquettes covered in a mishmash of fabrics. Chow down cheaply at the eaterie fronting its club to an upbeat soundtrack, typified by Spiller's Groove Jet. Ultra-central Bakeshop Praha (Kozi 1, Prague 1; tel: +2 2231 6823) serves delicious take-away muffins and salads. Despite its name, at Country Life (Melantrichova 15, Prague 1; tel: +2 2421 3366) there are no debs in pearls, just DIY veggie salads and hot main courses.
Where to drink
At 50s-style Café Kaaba (Manesova 20, Prague 2; tel: +2 2225 4021), listen to old Stray Cats singles while downing liqueurs. Also sells international mags and newspapers. Hang with the designerati at Holport Café (Komunardu 32, Prague 7; tel: +2 6671 2821). Soak up the cool decor at peppermint-green Dynamo (Prstrosova 220, Prague 1; tel: +2 2493 2020). Consort with the mixed/ gay crowd at Erra Café (Konvitska 11, Prague 1; sweb.cz/erra.café). Chill at laid-back Radost FX (Belehradska 120, Prague 2; tel: +2 2425 4776), where you can eat 24/seven.
Where to shop
There's been an explosion of contemporary design in recent years, spearheaded by the following shops:
De.Fakto (Vejvodova 3, Prague 1; tel: +2 603 551 563, defakto.cz) stocks furniture by Philippe Starck, Verner Panton, Driade; Qubus (Ramova 3, Prague 1; tel: +2 2231 3151, qubus.cz) sells conceptual pieces by Czech design hotshots Maxim Velcovksy and Daniel Pirsc; Konsepti (Elisky Krasnohorska 4, Prague 1; tel: +2 2232 6928, konsepti.com) is a cavernous space selling wares by Droog Design and Inflate.
If you're after 20th-century design classics, try Modernista (Konviktska 5, Prague 1; tel: +2 2222 0113, modernista.cz). For arcane art and design publications, head for Fraktaly (Betlemske Namesti 169/5a, Prague 1; tel: +2 2222 2186.
Way to go
Getting there: Czech Airlines (020-7255 1898, Czech Airlines) flies from Heathrow to Prague for £79pp plus before tax; from Stansted for £49 plus tax. Go (0870 6076543, Go) flies from Stansted to Prague return from £80 inc tax (£10 discount if booked online).
Further information: For cultural information, contact the Czech Centre in London on 020-7291 9920, Czech Centre. For general tourist information, call the Czech Tourist Authority on 020-7631 0427, Visit Czechia.
Country code: 00420.
Flight time from London-Prague: 1hr 50mins.
Time difference: +1hr.
£1 = 48.32 koruny.


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Tag Archives: Michael Morpurgo
An Ode to the Wilderness
One of my local parks is the Westerpark and on my frequent cycle rides through it, I couldn’t help noticing a rather large and imposing sculpture. So last week I got off my trusty iron steed and took a few … Continue reading
Wellies or Flip-flops?
Yes, the festival season is upon us. I’m not usually one for muddy fields, improvised toilets and lots of hubbub but this year I have booked two literary festivals! Firstly, the legendary Hay Festival in the Welsh Marches. Growing up … Continue reading


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Check out: Teaser Sachin A Billion Dreams
The much-awaited teaser of the upcoming flick \'Sachin A Billion Dreams\' has been recently unveiled.
New Delhi: The much-awaited teaser of the upcoming flick 'Sachin A Billion Dreams' has been recently unveiled.
The Master Blaster took to his Twitter handle and released the teaser of his biopic. He wrote, "A journey made special by your support and wishes. Presenting the teaser of @SachinTheFilm."
This flick marks the acting debut of the 42-year-old cricketer.
In the teaser, Tendulkar is heard saying, "My father always told me you have chosen to play cricket that is just one chapter in your life, but something that will stay permanently with you is the person you are."
The flick is being directed by James Epskine and is being produced by Ravi Bhagchandka along with A.R. Rehman's music.


Has it really been a year already? Indeed it has: On December 4, 2007, Port Arthur-born MC and producer Pimp C was found dead in his Hollywood hotel room; the Los Angeles County Coroner listed the cause as a combination of sleep apnea and accidental overdose of codeine-containing cough syrup. To say things haven't been the same without him would be a massive understatement.
Tonight on KPFT's "Damage Control" (90.1 FM, 12-3 a.m.), Pimp's former UGK partner Bun B and HoustonSoReal/AustinSurreal blogman Matt Sonzala will join host DJ Chill for a three-hour tribute to the late Southern rap icon. Stream the show at kpft.org. - Chris Gray
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Book Review: "The Here and Now" by Ann Brashares
I chose to read The Here and Now (Random House Children's) by Ann Brashares simply because she wrote the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and I LOVED those books. Now don't expect the same, the premise of these novels are VERY different. The Here and Now is a futuristic novel that takes place presently? I know a little confusing. The premise is a group of people from the future, time travel back to the present to save themselves, and hopefully the future as well. I had never read a book like this, but decided to give it a chance, because like I said SISTERHOOD! I had read some reviews on this before I started reading, which gave me some trepidation. There were some REALLY bad ones. And I don't understand, because although this is really meant for teenagers, I kind of enjoyed it. I wanted to find out what happened! Brashares idea (I think) was to write a novel of warning about what we are doing to the Earth and the consequences it means for the future. A warning to change that while we still can. Not quite sure she accomplished that (maybe she did, because I did get it). While I wouldn't recommend this to EVERYONE there are some specific people I know that would eat it up and I will tell them to read it. Not necessarily for lovers of The Traveling Pants but definitely for teenage girls who are sort of into dystopian novels right now.
Publication date: April 8, 2014
This book was provided for review by NetGalley

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Good morning Radicals! It’s Friday, and the last day of November! We’re in the final run of 2018 now! Let’s see what’s up in music news today:
Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody has said in a new interview that most of the big-name rappers that he has met are “about as hard as soft butter,” adding, “That’s all there is to it. I have not met a rap dude yet who intimidates me — at all.”
Moody told the Rock 108 radio station, “I just got to meet Machine Gun Kelly, opening up for Fall Out Boy, which was an awkward mix. But all in all, he’s a good kid, man. I mean, I don’t get involved in it.”
Moody continued, “I meet these rock guys, these metal guys, and we are very real. You’re talking about Corey Taylor (Slipknot) and Randy (Blythe, Lamb Of God) and myself, J.D. (Jonathan Davis of Korn) — these are real dudes, and no way am I gonna walk to up to (them) and talk s**t about their wife or their kid.”
Moody said he was surprised to hear some of the beefs and barbs that rap artists exchange via their lyrics, explaining, “It’s just hilarious to me on one level where these guys get away with that, and then I meet them, and they’re just gentle, weird kids . . . So it’s just funny to me. I don’t know where these rap guys get off trying to act so hard.”
Five Finger Death Punch is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, And Justice For None, which came out in May.
Four former members of the Sweden-based rock band Ghost have requested a new trial in their lawsuit against the band’s leader, Tobias Forge. The four musicians believe the judge who ordered the dismissal of the lawsuit last month had a conflict of interest in overseeing the case since both he and Forge are members of the Swedish Order Of Freemasons.
Forge, who founded Ghost eight years ago and currently performs as Cardinal Copia, was sued by the four ex-members in April 2017. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band’s album releases and world tours. The trial in a Swedish court lasted for six days, and on October 17th, the judge dismissed the case. The musicians were also ordered to pay Forge’s legal fees, which could amount to approximately $146,000.
The musicians have now appealed the ruling, with their attorney, Michael Berg, writing that it must have been almost impossible for Judge Henrik Ibold to “objectively and impartially assess the probative value of the information that Tobias Forge has provided.” Ibold denied in an interview that he knew Forge was a member of the Freemasons, although he admitted that he had “heard some rumors that it could be so.”
Forge has responded to the appeal or to the accusations involving Ibold. The band is currently on a massive North American fall tour that will wrap on December 15th in Brooklyn.
Fan-filmed footage of an early Linkin Park concert, captured in 2000 at the Mason Jar in Phoenix, has been posted online. The gig took place in August of that year, two months before the California-based act released its debut album, Hybrid Theory.
The concert 18 years ago may have even been considered a hometown gig for singer Chester Bennington. The late musician was born and raised in the Arizona capital, while the other Linkin Park members hailed from the Los Angeles County area.
The venue itself is somewhat regionally historic, especially for bands about to blow up nationally: Nirvana played there in 1990, a year before Nevermind was released.
Singer Mike Shinoda told us a while back that there were plenty of tough moments in those early days: ”Oh yeah. We had our ups and downs. People from the record industry were going to come out and see the band, and because of problems, this and that, we didn’t play a great show. And so things like that can get you down, but that’s the point when you’ve got to put in the extra work. And that’s what we did. We turned around and said, ‘Let’s write some more songs, let’s do these things to fix the problems that we have.’ That’s how we got where we are now.”
Linkin Park has not performed together in public since October 2017, when the surviving members staged a tribute concert in Los Angeles to Bennington. The band has not officially announced whether it intends to carry on following the death of Bennington, who committed suicide in July 2017 at the age of 41.
The wife of Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave and Prophets Of Rage bassist Tim Commerford has filed for divorce. According to The Blast, Aleece Commerford filed documents on November 28th to end the couple’s 17-year marriage.
The 50-year-old rocker and Aleece Commerford were married in 2001 and have two sons together, Xavier and Quentin. In the documents obtained by The Blast, Aleece listed the date of separation as Tuesday (November 27th), and is asking for physical custody of the two children. She is also seeking spousal support from Tim.
The family lives in Malibu. Aleece reportedly works in the medical field, and as an AIDS activist. It’s unclear what caused the split between the couple.
In a 2016 interview with Forbes, Tim stated about his family, “I love being a dad, I love my wife and my kids are amazing to me and I love the challenge of making music and family work. They influence me musically and emotionally.”
Commerford and the rest of Prophets Of Rage are reportedly preparing to release their second album sometime in early 2019.
Finally, we’d like to wish a Happy Birthday to Disturbed bassist John Moyer, Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and the legendary Billy Idol!


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I started by using The Ton’s signature Rose Gold Embossing Powder to emboss the peony from Large Peony #1. I then water colored it with my Zig markers and fussy cut it out. The card base was created with the Hero Arts Woodgrain background stamp, a definite staple in any craft room! I stamped it with black ink on a white card base, trying to stick with the semi-monochromatic color scheme. This sentiment (from the Kindness stamp set) was stamped in Versafine and heat embossed with clear powder to make it really pop.
The shaker part was a little tricky. I wanted a rose gold frame to tie into the rose gold EP, but I couldn’t find any rose gold colored foil papers in my stash, so I die cut some of the Heidi Swapp Minc toner paper and used rose gold foil and my Mini Minc to create my shaker frame. Then, I filled it with a variety of fun sequins from The Ton’s massive sequins selection. I just love how the sequins “sprinkle,” and they tie into the sentiment so perfectly! I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend! I’ve been doing some shopping for fall clothes today… Family pictures are in a month or two, and I always agonize over our clothes for weeks and weeks before finally deciding on something. But shopping for sweaters and jeans have put me in the mood for cool weather, chunky scarves, and boots! Summer, you have officially been dismissed. See you back here soon, friends!


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If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below! The Transfiguration.
Full vertical view of apse mosaic including triumphal arch, portraits of Ravenna's Bishops and altar, Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. P: AlinarilArt Resource, N. The Granting of Ravenna's Pri'lliJegia. Left panel, apse mosaic, Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. P: Alinaril Art Resource, N. The Symbolic Sacrifices.
Right panel, apse mosaic, Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. The Vision of the Cross with orant Saint Apollinaris. Central axis of apse mosaic, Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. P: Art Resource, N. The Good Shepherd and the story of Jonah, with accompanying orant First and foremost I would like to thank my teacher, friend, and colleague John Freccero, without whose encouragement and learning this book would not have been possible.danardono.com.or.id/libraries/2020-04-05/satun-mobile-locate.php
The Transfiguration of History at the Center of Dante's Paradise
I would also like to express my deep gratitude to my friend Rachel Jacoff, for her valuable readings of the manuscript at various stages. Among the many other friends and colleagues who have contributed directly or indirectly to figures. P: Benedettine di Priscilla, Pont. Roman sarcophagus. Vatican Museum. P: Archi- ous research grant for the academic year , without which Fotografico Vaticano, Vatican :ity.
Christian orant the "Donna Velata tt. Wall painting, chamber of the Noah as orant.
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Ceiling painting. Benedettine di Priscilla, Pont. Sacra, Rome. Veiled Christian orant. Ceiling painting, catacomb of Saint Callixtus, Rome. Saint Agnes as Orant. Altar fat;ade, Sant' Agnese fuori ie Mura, Rome.
AlinarilArt Resource, N. P: would like to thank the Mabelle McLeod Lewis Fund for its generthis work could not have been completed. Vatican City. Pagan Orant. Roman Statue, Vatican Museum. P: Archivio Velatio, catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. Singleton Princeton, N. English translations of all indented quotations from Dante's poem, except where noted, arc by Singlein-text translations are my own. Riccardo Patron, ]. Since Fitzgerald's line numbers diverge from those of the original, they are listed after each quoted passage for the convenience of the reader.
Inf ' I was new in this condition when I saw a Mighty One come here, crowned with sign of victory. To the Christian reader of the Divine Comedy, for whom the identity and significance of the possente in question are hardly insignificant matters, Virgil's words can only seem those of a tragic outsider. Virgil recognizes the power of Christ, just as he recognizes in the cruciform nimbus a sign of victory. Yet it is clear that he is speaking from within the discourse of Classicism, for the specificity of Christ's power and victory go unmentioned.
The harrower of Hell is consequently depicted as the last in an apparently endless series of conquerors, a bolder Theseus, a more powerful Hercules, a more courageous Mars Ultor: a rescuer of souls but not a universal saviour. Nowbere are we reminded that in the Christian. What Dante has Virgil dramatize in his description is that, in. The hopelessness of limbo is the consequent fate of Classicism: without access to the proper name of Christ, without a mastery of the Word, it is forever condemned to a tragic read behind their backs because they gaze directly into the light of the sol Christi: a principle of intelligibility which animates not only individual and collective life, but also the general movement of human history toward those ultimate events in which all creation will be bound up into eternity.
In the course of the present study I show the full extent to which the central cantos of Paradise maybe regarded as Dante's Christian response to the dilemma of Inferno 4. In the heaven of Mars-against an explicitly Virgilian backdrop-Dante reaches the center of his own celestial Elysium: a truly Christian Elysian homeland and Hall of Fame in which the name.
Dante scholarship and such names as Cosmo, del Lungo, Momigliano, Pascoli, Rajna, Rheinfelder, Vallone, Vianello, and Vossler come to mind has tended to divide into two 4 state of hermeneutic suspense, forever alienated from its own words and meanings.
DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
Like the Virgil that Statius describes in Purgatory 22, Classicism advances like a somnambulant along the path of history, facing the starless immensity of the night, and yet bearing behind its back-and for the exclusive benefit of future men-the very principle that renders it intelligible: the light of Christ. All the more poignant is that, despite the essential role performed by the Aeneid in the disclosure of Christ's historical mission, Virgil remains in death as in life a tragically flawed reader. V irgil's predicament in canto 4 clarifies the central place of Christ in Dante's literary system.
It is not that all linguistic and literary alterity simply vanishes for those who, like the poet-pilgrim, take up their cross and follow Christ. Nor is poetic vision in any way guaranteed in the wake of the Christ-event. On the contrary, the gap dividing sign and signified, letter and spirit, appearance and essence, virtue and reward, persists: indeed it continues to define what Dante saw as the essential dy- namism of human history.
Christians born into the hiatus between Christ's first and second advents thus live in suspense, occupying their own sort of historical limbo. But since they are inhabited by hope, their predicament is not a tragic one. Unlike Virgil, they are even able to 5 camps over these cantos, one emphasizing their "true Flemish miniatures and everyday household scenes," to paraphrase de Sanctisj that is, the concrete poetic particulars of Cacciaguida and of his narrative and prophecies; the other emphasizing their links to the overarching structures and themes of the poem as a whole.
I If the persistence of Croce's distinction between the "poetry" and "structure" of Dante's text can still be felt in this divi- sion, I have tried to bypass any such dichotomy. For a general bibliography of Italian and German scholarship on the Cacciaguida cantos; see the entry on "Cacciaguida" by Fiorenzo Forti in the Enciclopedia Dantesca 1.
A list of the principalltalian lecturae Dantis is given on pp. For additional bibliographical sources, see the bibliography of secondary sources at the conclusion of this study.
While this reconstruction begins with an in-depth inquiry into Dante's rewriting of Book 6 of Virgil's Aeneid, the central relay from the Classical to the Christian is provided, not by a literary work, but rather by a visual one. Dante's vision, I suggest, is modeled not only after Virgil and, to a lesser extent, Cicero's Dream of Scipio , but also after the apsidal mosaics of Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna: mosaics in which the iconographies of Christ's Transfiguration or Metamorphosis and of the Exaltation of the Cross are uniquely blended in a celebration of the victorious Christ.
These sixth-century mosaics Dante modifies and adapts for his reworking of the Elysian encounter of Aeneas and Anchises in a Christian key. Such contrasts serve to underscore the centrality of the cross in the scheme of things:. Yet the central message of the crOSS in cantos remains a more immediate and personal one as well: it exhorts the poet-pilgrim to persevere, to rise up and conquer the adversities of history, and, most of all, to complete without hesitation or fear the exemplary act of faith which is the writing of his Commedia.
Each involves an exchange of contrasting paternal and filial views whose ultimate objective is the conversion of the son-the "protagonist of history"-to an epic task: a sacrificial endeavor occupying a special place in the providential ordering of history; In the chapter that immediately follows, I explore this complex of themes with respect to Aeneid 6 and Anchises' representation of Roman history, concentrating on a number of unre- , solved tensions in Virgil's text which make it available to a "tragic" Christian reading. Dante's "tragic" reading of Book 6 does not, as does that of Saint Augustine, lead to a refutation of the entire Virgilian construct, but it does insist on the anarchic presence within Roman history of Mars: the most politically corrosive and destabilizing of the planets and Gods but-paradox of paradoxes-the mythical founder of the city and the presiding force behind its rise.
Yet Mars's role in Book 6, as in cantos , extends far beyond this propagation of political flux, for Mars becomes the symbolic bearer of an even deeper more elemental negativity. His grip on human history is ultimately revealed as the tyrannical reign of death and of its blinding perspectives over the human city. This presence of Mars at the heart of the human city condemns Rome and Florence alike-the latter is the subject of my third chapter-to the incessant cycles of natural history: the city rises, it falls, it is regenerated, it is corrupted, but most of all it undergoes the constant cycle of transmutations known to the Middle Ages as Fortune.
If in Classical political theory and historiography such naturalist metaphors arise as a matter of course, here is in Virgil, as in Dante, a powerful will to uncover a higher logic, a providential pattern, an overarching moral in the text of history. It is this desire that lends the particular pathos to both texts which is so distinctively Virgilian and Dantean: the history of the city must be more than just eternal cyclicality, and it is this symbolic more that both texts set out to uncover and represent. But the supplement required to remedy this situation could not come from "within" an urban order in which Mars himself was the city-father.
The central portions of chapters 2 and J are concerned with the remedy to this founding negativity that Virgil and Dante propose: the father's prophetic intervention from the beyond, whether Classical Elysium or Christian Paradise. With the father's fictional intrusion into the text of history comes the supplement that is required if history is to transcend its own hermeneutic and epistemological limitations. For Providence's plan to be fulfilled, the son must see beyond the tragic immediacy of the present. Yet the effect of Mars is precisely to render this impossible.
Only the "eternalized" father can supply the necessary perspective: a prophetic yision of the otherworld, of the ultimate rewards that await the son, and of the meaning of the task assigned him. The father's role is to bridge the gap between history anLl eternity, present and future, present and past; making plain the logos that underlies the apparent anarchy of historical events, and revealing history's ohstades to the achievement of the epic endeavor as what they "truly" are: mere shadows, temporary detours on a road to eternal glory.
The paradigm then that emerges in the course of chapters 2 and 3 is one structured around a number of polarities: father and son, eternity and history, reward and sacrifice. Bridging the gap between each opposing pair is the father's prophetic intervention, the success or failure of which hinges on his conversion of the son to his own otherworldly perspective.
In chapter 4 I explore Dante's own solution to the apparent negativity of human history and to the incompleteness of Virgil: the sign of the cross, a sign which in the course of cantos will indeed provide a definitive bridge between history and eternity right at the center of Dante's celestial paradise. The cross of light which appears over Dante's heaven of Mars plays a number of highly charged symbolic roles in cantos 18 , and it is these that I explore in my fourth chapter.
The chapter is divided into three distinct sections: Exaltation; Transfiguration, and Revelation--each concerned with a specific dimension of Dante's cross of light.

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