The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb, Hans Holbein the Younger, Holy Saturday: Saw this image today, Hans Holbein the Younger between 1520–22. I can only say, it struck me off guard.
The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb is an oil and tempera on limewood painting created by the German artist and printmaker Hans Holbein the Younger between 1520–22. The work shows a life-size, grotesque depiction of the stretched and unnaturally thin body of Jesus Christ lying in his tomb. Holbein shows the dead Son of God after he has suffered the fate of an ordinary human.
The painting is especially notable for its dramatic dimensions (30.5 cm x 200 cm),[1] and the fact that Christ’s face, hands and feet, as well as the wounds in his torso, are depicted as realistic dead flesh in the early stages of putrefaction. His body is shown as long and emaciated while eyes and mouth are left open.[2]
via The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Philomena, RedBox: I got lucky! The movie has so many themes consistent with Holy Week, forgiveness, marginalized people, role of the Church, atonement, confession, tragedy … and what if he was obese?
via ▶ Philomena – Size of Portions – The Weinstein Company – YouTube.
Philomena: “Now we’re getting closer, all these years wondering if Anthony was in trouble or prison or goodness knows where. But as long as I didn’t know I could always turn myself he was happy somewhere and that he was doing all right.”
Martin: “Don’t upset yourself.”
Philomena: “What if he was obese?”
Martin: “Obese?”
Philomena: “I watched this documentary that says a lot of Americans are huge. What if that happened to him?”
Martin: “What on earth makes you think he’d be obese?”
Philomena: “Because of the size of the portions!”
As they learn more about Anthony and draw closer, Philomena wonders about his lifestyle and health. A documentary about obese Americans has her wondering if Anthony is obese, among other things.
Oh my goodness, it’s the best movie I’ve seen in the last five years. It’s a rather somber movie, although positively holy. I’d go for something more lighthearted for an exhausted Wildcat.
Loved it!
A must see
One of the best talks about forgiveness
Excellent story. Worth watching.
Philomena seems to have broad appeal: men women, protestant, jew, young, old (or at least middle aged) …
The most wrenching scene in the film is when she spots her young son being taken away from the convent by the American couple who adopt him, almost as an afterthought, to be a companion to the young girl they had originally come to claim. (Plot spoilers abound in this article.)
Throughout the film, Mr. Hess remains something of an enigma to the audience, which is why his real-life story may seem so tantalizing to viewers. Yes, there are those artfully staged flashbacks, but Mr. Hess is always “a little out of reach” to quote Mr. Coogan, who plays the journalist who helps Philomena track him down and who was a co-writer of the screenplay.
This was apparently intentional. If you are going to make a movie based on a true story, and if that story centers on a woman’s search to find the son she was forced to give up for adoption, it makes a certain amount of sense not to flesh him out too much.
“We didn’t want to become overly involved in the life of Anthony Lee or Michael Hess,” Mr. Coogan said. “What appealed to me was the search for the son and the tragedy of not being able to see him grow up. That’s how Philomena experienced it; it was just out of reach, just beyond her.”
via Behind ‘Philomena,’ the True Story of Michael Hess – NYTimes.com.
…
60 MINUTES CLASSICS
THE MAGDALEN LAUNDRIES
The movie “Philomena,” which opens this week and stars Judi Dench, tells the true story of an unwed, pregnant Irish girl who is sent off to a convent, where her baby is given up for adoption against her will. Years later, as an elderly woman, Philomena tries to find her son.
The convent where Philomena was sent was a “Magdalen Laundry,” one of many convents across Ireland where thousands of girls – pregnant out of wedlock or otherwise deemed morally wayward – were placed by the church or their families. At the laundries, the girls endured harsh, unpaid labor to make restitution for their sins.
Steve Kroft reported on the Magdalen Laundries in 1999, only two years after the last one had closed and when the full story of the laundries was coming to light. “The women had been virtual prisoners,” Steve reported. “Confined behind convent walls for perceived sins of the flesh, condemned to a life of servitude.”
Earlier this year, the Irish government released a report on the laundries. The report acknowledged, for the first time, that the state was directly involved in the laundries, having sent as many as one quarter of the women to these institutions — most of them in their twenties, but at least one as young as age 9.
“The chronicle of the Magdalen Laundries was for many years characterised primarily by secrecy, silence and shame,” the report says. “The psychological impact on these girls was undoubtedly traumatic and lasting.”
via “Philomena” and Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries – CBS News.
And a friend put me on to this … beautiful!
emmylou harris – magdalene laundries
Electoral College, kith/kin: A long time ago on a family vacation, my brother and sister discussed the pros and cons of the electoral college (yes, really). It was a very heated discussion (yes, really). So I always click on news items discussing it and its alternatives. Somehow my childhood never leaves me.
I think, like most colleges, the cost of the EC has become outrageous!
It was the statewide and/or nationwide debate topic when I was in high school. I’m well versed on both sides. Would welcome the opportunity to referee.
Maybe you are the cause of the lifelong debate in our house!! I had to interest in the matter at the time. I really think the Great Electoral College Debate began on a Jekyll beach trip.
I used to ask my dad to explain the Electoral College to me when we were driving on trips and he seemed sleepy. He would get all fired up and it would wake him back up.
Why does that not surprise me about V. Stuart!
Pros/cons of the Electoral College was one of the national debate topics when I was in high school – I never thought I was very convincing when I had to support it. We also debated unilateral intervention in Vietnam, abortion rights, and the role of the military- industrial complex. I loved debate!
Deadliest Everest Avalanche, adventure travel, Sherpas: This link is a Sype interview with Diana Williams, the wife of a Davidson friend , who is just down from Everest Base Camp. You never think that you might know someone who is at such a phenomenal place. Prayers for the Sherpas who lost their lives and the families and the adventurers who are up there.
VIDEO: Deadly Everest Avalanche.
On April 17, at about 6:30 a.m. local time, an avalanche swept down off the west shoulder of Everest and killed 16 climbers. To anybody who’s familiar with Everest climbing, it should come as no surprise that all of the men were Sherpa porters. Sherpas are Everest’s workforce—the literal backbone of the climbing industry there. The men who were struck were either carrying 80-pound loads to Camps 1 and 2, or they were on their way back to Base Camp. Without the hard work of the Sherpa porters, it would be largely impossible for Americans and Europeans with slightly above-average physiology, and well-above-average disposable income, to scale the world’s tallest mountain.
Increasingly, the pinnacle of adventure tourism—the summit of Everest—comes at too steep a cost. In the August 2013 issue, I wrote a story titled “Disposable Man,” about the routinization of Sherpa deaths on Everest. Today’s avalanche was the worst accident in the history of the mountain. Add to this the April 2 death of Sherpa Mingma Tenzing, who was working for the Peak Freaks expedition, as well as at least a dozen serious injuries from the avalanche, and 2014 stands out as the bloodiest year in Everest history— all before most teams have even set foot on the mountain.
Yes, something needs to be done.
via The Value of a Sherpa Life | Mountaineering | OutsideOnline.com.
Homeless Jesus statue, Timothy Schmalz, audience with an admiring Pope Francis, Toronto Star: The Pope likes Homeless Jesus; no surprise there. Maybe St. Albans/Davidson should ask him to drop by and see it installed.
For two years, it was the sculpture nobody would take: a life-sized Jesus sleeping on a park bench with his bare feet, wounded from his crucifixion, poking out from under a blanket.
But now Jesus the Homeless and its Canadian sculptor have a new fan in the Vatican: Pope Francis.
Timothy Schmalz brought the original wooden model of his sculpture to St. Peter’s Square last Wednesday to present to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. After his weekly general audience, the Pope prayed over the statue and blessed it, Schmalz said.
“It is very, very amazing for a sculptor to have that,” he said. “After, the Vatican officials introduced me to Pope Francis and he said he thought Jesus the Homeless was a beautiful sculpture. So needless to say, I’m very excited about that.”
The model is going to stay in one of the Vatican houses, he said, and he is working to find an outdoor location near St. Peter’s for the full-sized bronze version.
via Homeless Jesus statue gets audience with an admiring Pope Francis | Toronto Star.
clear quartz, follow-up: I’m trying to figure out what to do with my quartz. Infuse me with optimism … I like that! 🙂
Crystal Properties – Clear Quartz
Color: Clear with a glassy look.
Associations:
Associated Crystals: Diamond, white sapphire and white topaz.
Candle Color: Gold.
Chakra: Crown.
Element: Fire.
Flowers & Plants: Golden chrysanthemum, marigold and sunflower.
Herbs – Incenses – Oils: Bay, frankincense, orange and rosemary.
Planet: Sun.
Zodiac: Leo.
Metaphysical Properties & Uses:
Animals: Use clear quartz with old animals to help give them an energy and health boost.
Children: All children should be give a piece of clear quartz to be kept throughout life. It will gradually increase in power and act as their own personal talisman.
Environment: Clear quartz will send environmental healing energy to anywhere it is needed on the planet.
Finance & Prosperity: –
Health & Healing: Clear quartz is almost certainly the most versatile healing crystal there is. It can be used for any cleansing, energizing or healing.
Home: Clear quartz will help your family to live together in harmony. It will also help instill a sense of optimism and purpose when times are difficult.
Love: –
Protection: Clear quartz is protective against negative energy and will transmute it to positive energy.
Psychic: Clear quartz will amplify any healing or psychic power. It is also suitable for channeling angels and spirit guides, and can be used for aura work.
It Is The Stone Of: –
Ritual: –
Work: Clear quartz will infuse everyone with a sense of optimism, even those who are by nature pessimistic.
Other: –
See Our Clear Quartz
biological clock, reset: I have never been a big camper, but I am definitely in need a of a reset!
Inflatable Child Seat Concept, Volvo Cars, YouTube: Pretty cool.
via Inflatable Child Seat Concept – Volvo Cars – YouTube.
selfie, travel photos:
“The selfie is a new type of travel photo,” explains Dr. Lev Manovich, a professor at CUNY’s Graduate Center and the project coordinator of Selfiecity, an academic investigation into the where and why of the phenomenon. Portraits may have always been integral to travel photography, but the emergence of the two-camera mobile phone means people no longer need a friend or trustworthy stranger to take one.
“Since the face occupies a larger part of the images, these self-portraits may function differently from earlier travel photos,” Manovich continues. “They do not document the travel scene—rather they announce, ‘I was here.’”
And this year, with World Cup mania taking over Brazil, Universal Orlando opening a new section of its Harry Potter mini-park, and Coachella celebrating 15 years of wrecking the minds and bodies (and fashion sense) of music fans, there’s plenty to announce. If Kobe Bryant can have a selfie-off in a Turkish Airlines commercial and Ellen can break Twitter records at the Oscars, then you can surely make your friends and family jealous for months. And if you do it in the Philippines, home to the Selfiest City in the World, you’ll be in good company; Manhattan and Miami trail just behind.
So grab your favorite mobile camera—be it a Canon, iPhone, or GoPro—and get snapping. This year, you don’t want to spare a minute of #FOMO. We’ve even included a few hashtags for you to use along the way.
via 25 Selfies You Have to Take This Year – Articles | Travel + Leisure.
Swan House, Atlanta History Center, Flyworx.co productions, YouTube: New perspective!
via ▶ Swan House – Atlanta History Center – Flyworx.co productions – YouTube.
What I Learned Watching 150 Hours of TED Talks, Carmine Gallo, Harvard Business Review:
What makes for a great presentation — the kind that compels people’s attention and calls them to action? TED talks have certainly set a benchmark in recent years: HBR even asked Chris Anderson, the group’s founder, to offer lessons drawn from the three decades he’s run TED’s signature events in an article published last summer.
But experience and intuition are one thing; data and analysis are another. What could one learn by watching the most successful TED talks in recent years (150 hours’ worth), talking to many of the speakers, then running the findings by neuroscientists who study persuasion? I did just that, and here’s what I learned:
Use emotion. Bryan Stevenson’s TED talk, “We need to talk about an injustice”, received the longest standing ovation in the event’s history. A civil rights attorney who successfully argued and won the Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama, which prohibits mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles convicted of murder, this is a man who knows how to persuade people.
I divided the content of his talk into Aristotle’s three areas of persuasion. Only 10 percent fell under “ethos” (establishing credibility for the speaker); 25 percent fell into the “logos” category (data, statistics) and a full 65 percent was categorized as “pathos” (emotion, storytelling). In his 18-minute talk, Stevenson told three stories to support his argument. The first was about his grandmother, and when I asked him why he started with it, his answer was simple: “Because everyone has a grandmother.” The story was his way of making an immediate connection with the audience.
Stories that trigger emotion are the ones that best inform, illuminate, inspire, and move people to action. Most everyday workplace conversations are heavy on data and light on stories, yet you need the latter to reinforce your argument. So start incorporating more anecdotes – from your own experience or those about other people, stories and brands (both successes and failures) – into your pitches and presentations.
Be novel. We all like to see and hear something new. One guideline that TED gives its speakers is to avoid “trotting out the usual shtick.” In other words, deliver information that is unique, surprising, or unexpected—novel.
In his 2009 TED presentation on the impact of malaria in African countries, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates shocked his audience when he opened a jar of mosquitoes in the middle of his talk. “Malaria, of course, is transmitted by mosquitoes,” he said. “I brought some here so you can experience this. I’ll let these roam around the auditorium. There’s no reason why only poor people should have the experience.” He reassured his audience that the mosquitoes were not infected – but not until the stunt had grabbed their attention and drawn them into the conversation.
As neuroscientist Dr. A.K. Pradeep confirms, our brains can’t ignore novelty. “They are trained to look for something brilliant and new, something that stands out.” Pradeep should know. He’s a pioneer in the area of neuromarketing, studying advertisements, packaging, and design for major brands launching new products.
In the workplace your listener (boss, colleague, sales prospect) is asking him or herself one question: “Is this person teaching me something I don’t know?” So introduce material that’s unexpected, surprising or offers a new and novel solution to an old problem.
Emphasize the visual. Robert Ballard’s 2008 TED talk on his discovery of the Titanic, two and a half miles beneath the surface of the Atlantic, contained 57 slides with no words. He showed pictures, images, and animation of life beneath the sea, without one word of text, and the audience loved it. Why did you deliver an entire presentation in pictures? “Because I’m storytelling; not lecturing,” Ballard told me.
Research shows that most of us learn better when information is presented in pictures and text instead of text alone. When ideas are delivered verbally—without pictures—the listener retains about 10% of the content. Add a picture and retention soars to 65%.
For your next PowerPoint presentation, abandon the text blocks and bullet points in favor of more visually intriguing design elements. Show pictures, animations, and images that reinforce your theme. Help people remember your message.
via What I Learned Watching 150 Hours of TED Talks – Carmine Gallo – Harvard Business Review.
Japan, travel:
Japan: What facts about Japan do foreigners not believe until they come to Japan?
In light of all the comments and feedback I’ve been getting, the one thing about Japan that foreigners do not believe, even if they do come to Japan for a visit, is probably this: It’s a mass of contradictions and hard to pigeonhole; your snap judgement may just be wrong. This may be why you are reading this and why Japan interests you. I addressed this in greater depth in the first half of my answer here: Makiko Itoh’s answer to Japan: What are some of Japan’s best kept secrets?
via (1) Home – Quora.
Divinity Candy Recipe, Garden and Gun, kith/kin: I saw this today as an Easter treat. It was more a Christmas confection from my memory, but that memory is a good one.
My mother made wonderful divinity, but I also remember the divinity fails if you tried to make it on a rainy day and it would refuse to set.
I like divinity every now and then, but if I’m going to mess with making meringue I’d rather make a Pavlova or just meringues.
I’m going to have to check on Pavlova … that’s a new one for me.
It’s a large – pie sized – meringue. Usually has fresh fruit w/sauce over it.
holidays can be particularly tough for homesick Southerners. Her old-fashioned Divinities make a great addition to the Easter table, wherever you are. Meringue clouds studded with hunks of pecan, they’re bound to trigger a few sweet memories, especially among Southerners of a certain age. Feel free to personalize them with your own add-ins—she recommends peanuts, chocolate, or candied fruit.
J.P. Craven, Davidson College alum, Boston Marathon after trauma, http://www.wsoctv.com:
A group from Davidson College will fly to Boston this weekend to cheer on graduate and baseball alumnus J.P. Craven. Craven was at the finish line waiting for his father to cross when the first blast went off at last year’s marathon.
Craven will be running in the race for a cause.
As Craven gets ready to take on the Boston marathon, he’s going with the support of his former baseball team, classmates and teachers at Davidson.
It’s just some of the support he’s relied on since the bombings. The first explosion knocked him to the ground.
“I realized I was bleeding and realized I had to get out of there, which is when I started running,” Craven said.
Craven found help at a Boston Medical Center tent nearby. A piece of shrapnel had hit him in the head and ear, and another piece was lodged in his nose. He asked medics to call his parents, and his dad, who hadn’t finished the race yet, ran straight there.
via Davidson College alum returns to Boston Marathon after trauma | www.wsoctv.com.
Boobypack, A Fanny Pack For Your Rack, kickstarter campaigns: The things you learn from daughters. One of her friends is interning for tho startup. 🙂
About Boobypack- The one and only fannypack for your rack | Boobypack | A Fanny Pack For Your Rack.
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