#robert diel | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aboutanancientenquiry · 2 years ago

Text

Reinhold Biechler and Robert Rollinger in the Encyclopedia Iranica on the image of Persia and Persians in ancient Greek Literature

I reproduce below the article of two eminent historians, Reinhold Bichler and Robert Rollinger, “Greece vi. The Image of Persia and Persians in Greek Literature,” in Encyclopædia Iranica, XI/3, pp. 326-329, The article is available with its bibliography on line on https://iranicaonline.org/articles/greece-vi This is an interesting article, especially about the ambivalence of the Greek attitudes toward Persia. I think however that one should bear always in mind that the Greek-Persian relation was largely antagonistic and that this antagonism started with the Persian conquest of the Greek cities of Asia Minor and the further efforts of the Persian kings to conquer mainland Greece. I think that remembering these facts should make us more sympathetic to the Greek perspective on the Persian Empire than what it is fashionable currently. Moreover, if the Greek perspective(s) on the Persians may seem “stylized”, it is far more ambivalent and often nuanced than the depiction of the enemy in the previous records of the Near East, in which enemies are usually stereotyped just as “vile” and ‘cowardly” or are even seen as almost non-human (see for instance the description of the Gutian invaders in the Mesopotamian sources). This is especially true about Herodotus, whose Persians are complex and multifaceted. And, despite their biases, the Greek sources often offer important information on the Persian Empire, information which is unavailable in the Persian sources (above all about the crises of the Empire) and, in their depiction of the Persians, their customs and way of life, what the Greek authors say contain often an important core of truth.

And now the article of Reinhold Bichler and Robert Rollinger in the Encyclopedia Iranica.

‘GREECE

vi. THE IMAGE OF PERSIA AND PERSIANS IN GREEK LITERATURE

The image of Persia in Greek literature is highly stylized and may not be considered as a reflection of actually experienced cultural contacts (for a comprehensive treatment see Miller). Greece’s perception of the Persians was initially influenced by her impression of the Median Empire, which was situated in “upper” Asia as a counterpart to the Lydian Empire (Bichler, 2000, pp. 213 ff.; Bichler and Rollinger, 2000, pp. 68-70). The expansion of the Persian Empire under Cyrus II the Great (q.v.), which affected the Greek cities in western Asia Minor (Walser, 1987), was experienced as the sovereignty “of the Mede” (Xenophanes, in Diels, ed. F. 18). The Persian wars, following the Ionian rebellion of 499 B.C.E., were considered as “Medika” and the political cooperation with the opponent as “Medism” (Graf; Tuplin, 1994 and 1997). In 472 B.C.E., Aeschylus still presented the Persian kings as descendants of an eponymous Medos (Persae, l.765). Diodorus Siculus (10.27) refers to the latter as an exiled Athenian. From Herodotus on (cf. Herodotus, 7.61.3, 7.150.2), however, the prevailing belief was that they were descendants of Perseus (Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.2.1) or Perses (Hellanicus of Lesbos, in Jacoby, I, pp. 122 f., F 59 f., no, 4, III C 1, pp. 412 f., F 1, no. 687a; Abydenus, in ibid., III C 1, p. 407, F 6b, no. 685).

The part of Athens in the victories at Marathon and Salamis (in 490 and 480 B.C.E.) was stylized into mythical dimensions in Aeschylus’s tragedy Persae, written in 472 B.C.E. (regarding Persian-Greek contacts in general, cf. Vickers, 1990; Miller, pp. 3 ff.). Although the kings that followed Cyrus II were said in this tragedy to rule the whole of Asia, their despotism had to admit defeat before the freedom of the Greeks, who only obeyed their ancestral rules (see Miller, esp. pp. 176 ff., 230 ff.; cf. Georges, pp. 76 ff.; Schmal, pp. 74 ff.; for detailed treatment see Hutzfeld; Hall). Despotism and lack of defensive power appear in the pseudo-Hippocratic writings as the typical results of Asia’s lush nature and its climate (Peri Aeron, chaps. XXIII-XXIV). The Persian Empire’s association with despotism and luxury was established with the expansion of Athenian propaganda. Prostration was shown on stage as a mark of barbarian despotism, and the taste of Greek politicians for Persian luxury was the subject of mockery (see esp. Aristophanes, pp. 73 ff., cf. esp. line 100 about an old Persian quotation; see Brandenstein).

A systematic record of Persian customs and history can be found in Herodotus’ Histories, written around 427-424 B.C.E. Simple ways of life, strict education, regular habits, and an elementary religion are the source of the original strength of the people (Herodotus, esp. 1.131 ff.). Herodotus’ view that the ancient Persians did not erect temples, statues, and altars to their gods, but considered the latter as natural forces to whom they sacrificed in the open air (1.131), was taken at face value. He was followed by Strabo (15.3.13) and a number of other authors (e.g., Berossus, in Jacoby, Fragmente III C 1, p. 394, F 11, no. 680; cf. Jacobs). In contrast, Dinon states (Jacoby, Fragmente III C 1, p. 531, F 28, no. 690) that the Persians also erected statues to honor fire and water (Fragment 28), but to what extent can this be traced back to actual cult reforms under Artaxerxes II is a moot point (Briant, 1996, pp. 260-62, 696, 941; Stevenson). Though Herodotus described the life of the ancient Persians as simple, he added that luxury, pomp, alcoholism, polygamy, and pederasty made the great men of the empire appear full of conflicts. He provided vivid examples: intriguing court ladies and eunuchs, deceitful satraps as well as noblemen and brave officers. The dignified queen mother Atossa contrasts with the cruel, demonic queen Amestris, and Xerxes’s uncle Artabanus (qq.v.) faces the thoughtless general Mardonius as a wise counselor. The kings indeed incorporate all the potential qualities of a monarch: the patriarchal founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, Cyrus the Great; the mad, despotic Cambyses; the shrewd Darius I (qq.v.) seeking his own advantage and wavering between magnanimity and despotism; and the ambitious but overtaxed Xerxes, whose image as sinner against gods and temples is depicted by Aeschylus and Herodotus. They all fail in the end due to their immense policy of conquests (Descat; Georges, pp. 167 ff.; Rollinger, 1998; idem, 1999; Bichler, 2000, pp. 263 ff.; Bichler and Rollinger, pp. 87 ff.).

A new situation arose in the Peloponnesian war (431-404 B.C.E.); the great king was able to join in the Greek hegemonic wars on the side of Sparta. Thucydides very soberly describes the thus resulting relations between Greeks and Persians (Thucydides, 8.18, about Sparta’s first agreement with Tissaphernes or Darius II; cf. Miller, pp. 109 ff.; Walser, pp. 63 ff.). In individual cases, however, the adoption of Persian customs, and particularly despotic allures, were considered as questionable (cf. Herodotus, 1.130 on Pausanias).

Through the writings of Xenophon, who personally witnessed the unsuccessful campaign of Cyrus the Younger (see CYRUS vi), the pretender to the throne, against his elder brother Artaxerxes II (q.v.) in 401 B.C.E, and described it in his Anabasis, more light is thrown into the Persian army and administration (Walser, pp. 101 ff.; Georges, pp. 207 ff.). In his Oeconomicus (4.4 ff.) he also provided a brief description of the great king’s household. The Persiká of Ctesias (q.v.), who, as the personal physician of the great king Artaxerxes II Mnemon (405-359 B.C.E.), claimed to have carried out an autopsy (cf. Dorati), is of great importance, despite the fact that only fragments of this work have reached us (Momigliano 1979, pp. 156 ff.; Sancisi-Weerdenburg, 1987a; idem, 1987b; Wiesehöfer, tr., pp. 79 ff.). Ctesias painted a gaudy picture of a kingdom that was marked with decadence and decline, had become a toy between courtiers and the harem, and was drowned in oriental luxury (König; Auberger, pp. 340 ff.; see also Lenfant). Even Nicolaus of Damascus (Jacoby, Fragmente II/1, p. 361, F 66.3, no. 90) largely followed Ctesias. He considered Cyrus as a Median (Mardos genos) and presented him as the son of a shepherd, who was capable of winning the throne (Jacoby, Fragmente, F 66.3; Balcer, pp. 217-18). Xenophon, on the other hand, is very objective in his Anabasis, but his ethnographic notes are equally stereotyped. The character studies of the Persians are sharper: Cyrus the Younger incorporates the features of an ideal ruler (esp. in Anabasis 1.9), while the satrap Tissaphernes is a sly, deceitful figure. In his Hellenica, Xenophon depicts the honest satrap, Pharnabazus, struggling with his problems of loyalty (cf. 4.1.28 ff.) and pays tribute to a courageous woman named Mania, who, as a widow, performed the functions of a satrap (cf. 3.1.10 ff. on her). His Cyropaedia, which was probably written after 362 B.C.E., is an admiring homage to ancient Persia, though set in an idealized early period. This was the prototype of a state novel, in which the universal monarchy founded by Cyrus II the Great appears as the paradigm of a just reign, sharply contrasting with the sad image of contemporary decadence (see Cyropaedia 8; cf. Sancisi-Weerdenburg, 1980, pp. 184 ff.; Briant, 1989; Tatum; Briant, 1987b; Janni p. 129).

In the ensuing period, the image of Persia was a mixture of fascination and contempt. Plato viciously criticized the education of women at court, which wrecked even the works of great kings such as Cyrus II and Darius I from the outset (Nomoi 3.694a ff.). At the same time, he picked up the image of Persian alcoholism already described by Herodotus (Nomoi 3.637d-e), which was to enjoy great popularity in the ensuing ancient tradition (Maurtitsch-Bein). Theopomus stylized the great king as a receiver of lavish gifts (Jacoby, Fragmente II/2, p. 592, F 263a, no. 115), an image which also formed a tradition (cf. Aelianus, Varia Historia 1.31-33). The royal table and royal eating habits also awakened the interest of Greek authors within the context of a luxurious life at court (cf. Heraclides Cumaeus, in Jacoby, Fragmente, 689, F 2; Polyaenus, 4.3.32; Lewis). A wealth of negative clichés about the Persian Empire is contained in Plutarch’s Life of Artaxerxes, which is mainly based on Ctesias and Dinon: court intrigues, a brutal empress (Parysatis, the queen of Darius II), and horrible scenes of executions. At the same time, however, Artaxerxes II is shown as a magnanimous ruler and patron of his friends. A series of further Persica is preserved in meager remnants: Charon of Lampsacus (Jacoby, Fragmente, 262), Dionysius of Milet (Jacoby, Fragmente, 687), Hellanicus of Lebos (Jacoby, Fragmente, F 4), Pharnouchus of Nisibis (Jacoby, Fragmente, 694 T 1), Hermesianax of Colophon (Jacoby, Fragmente III, C 1, p. 531, no. 691; cf. Drews, pp. 20 ff.; Balcer, pp. 210 f., 213, 216 f.).

The so-called king’s peace in Greece of 387-386 B.C.E. had boosted Persia’s influence even more, but had led to much counter-propaganda. Ephorus created the impression that formerly, in 480-479 B.C.E, Greece had been threatened by a combined attack of Persians and Carthaginians (Jacoby, Fragmente II/1, pp. 95 f., F 186, no. 70; cf. Bichler, 1985), and that Pindar had already praised the western Greek victories against the Carthaginians and Etruscans in 480 and 474 B.C.E. as battles equaling those of Salamis and Plataea for the freedom of the Hellenes (Pythia 1.71 ff.). Ephorus’s conception remained effective (cf. Diodorus, 11.1.3-2.1, 11.20.1-22.6, 11.24, 126.2), even though his opinion concerning the intentional dual attack was criticized by Aristotle, who called it a mere coincidence (Poetics 32, p. 1459a). As early as 380 B.C.E., the Athenian orator Isocrates recommended waging war against Persia as a means of creating harmony among the Greeks. Against the natural enemy, even a breach of contract was legitimate (Panegyricus, 160 ff.). In 346 B.C.E., Isocrates directly approached Philip II of Macedonia with this idea, pointing out the military weakness of the opponent as well as the treasures held by the barbarians (Philippus, 83 ff., 130 ff.; cf. Walser, pp. 115 ff.). Alexander’s court historiographer, Callisthenes, finally stylized the war against Darius III as a campaign of revenge for Xerxes’s misdeeds. With Alexander’s campaign of 334-324 B.C.E., the Persian Empire became the contrasting image against which Alexander’s kingship measured itself. He had vanquished an empire, the original strength of which had been based on strict morals (cf. Arrian, Anabasis 5.4.5). Now the adoption of Persian court customs, above all obeisance (proskynesis), was considered to exercise pernicious effects on the victor (Diodorus, 17.77; Plutarch, Alexander 45 ff.). But Alexander’s alleged plans to mix the populations of Asia and Europe (Diodorus, 18.4) and to bring about friendship between East and West (Plutarch, De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute 1.329c) bear witness to the ambivalence of the Greek image of Persia. Peucestas, the only Macedonian satrap in Persia to have learnt Persian, appreciated it (Arrian, 6.30.3), and Alexander’s prayer in Opis on the Tigis expressed the hope of ruling Persians and Macedonians together according to the principles of concord (homonoia) and partnership (koinônia; Arrian, 7.11.9).”

#ancient greece #persian empire #ancient greek classics #herodotus #encyclopedia iranica

4 notes · View notes

robert-diel · 4 years ago

Text

Boarding a tram in the evening after dark at Leidseplein in Amsterdam.

#street photography #street photographer #night photography #photography #black and white photography #photographers on tumblr #original photographers #amsterdam #robert diel

4 notes · View notes

teenyfish · 4 years ago

Text

Marine Biology Story of the Day #8

Before I start in on this one I would just like to say how all of your reblogs and likes totally make my day—thanks so much for the support! I put a lot of effort into these so they read well!

Okay, so as promised, this is part 2 of what it’s like to live on a working tallship. You can check out part 1 and other information about this voyage here: post 7 and post 1 . Today we are going to talk about what it’s like to do science on a sailing vessel. Our baby was the Robert C. Seamans, a 134 ft brigantine.

We were limited to what we could research-wise do since a sailing vessel does not have the same power as a modern vessel with an engine. We were mainly researching plastic concentration (from trash and garbage that gets released into the ocean) in the north pacific subtropical gyre. A gyre is basically a big ocean current, and they tend to concentrate plastic and garbage into central regions (shown below) we were studying the garbage patch off the California coast.

We did see a lot of large plastic, mostly in the form of in-tact plastic containers, buoys, or derelict fishing gear (known as ghost fishing, because this gear continues to catch and kill fish even though no one is benefiting from it).

But, in actuality, most of the plastic found in these patches is nano or micro, basically little pieces that have broken off of larger pieces and get worn down by the wind and the waves. This also includes little pieces of fishing line (monofilament). These pieces are often more dangerous because very small organisms (including plankton!) can swallow them, and the plastic can rip up their insides and release harmful chemicals.

How did we sample for this micro plastic? The same way we did plankton! We used a net with very very fine mesh called a neuston net, which we towed along side the ship, and then we filtered the water into increasingly smaller sizes of mesh. After that, used a microscope to sort and count plastic, and to identify species within the plankton community.

We caught a lot of interesting organisms and species in these tows, including these types of zooplankton below:

Top row: Copepods and amphipods, which sort of form the bottom of the food chain out in the open ocean, Bottom left: pteropod, or a swimming snail, these guys have modified their “feet” to form wings that the flap to get around in the open ocean, Bottom right: velella velella, or by-the-wind sailors, are siphonophores (similar to jellyfish) that use their big sail to push them around the surface of the ocean.

We also caught a variety of larger organisms, including flying fish (which are a real treat to see IRL, they really do glide for hundreds of feet) and various species of squid.

We also collected water samples. Water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen are all important parameters that help us understand why certain species live where, and how climate change could impact these species habitats and ranges. We used a hydrocast (shown below) to do this:

A hydrocast has multiple canisters that are all opened before the hydrocast is lowered down, and each cannister is programmed to snap shut at a different depth. This way we could collect water samples at a variety of different depths, all the way down to the sea floor.

We also sampled at night to collect deep sea plankton and fishes as they migrated up to the surface to feed (called diel vertical migration). During the nighttime, there are less predators, so it’s more beneficial for them to come up to the surface and access the nutrients and phytoplankton on the surface. If you want to check out some of these deep sea critters, check out my previous post! In the meantime though, to pass time, we would sometimes fish for squid. This involved shining a light down in the water to attract the squid, and then throw baited handlines down in the water—we were not often successful.

We were more successful at fishing for tuna and mahi mahi however, during the daytime. We would throw a baited line off the back of the ship while the ship was running at full sail. These fish would get fin clips for genetic studies, and would also get turned into some pretty boss cerviche, poke, and fish tacos (our stewards, or boat chefs, were AMAZING). Don’t worry, we didn’t catch too many of these guys, but they were still pretty cool to see up close and in person.

Left, A mahi mahi, (or dolphinfish or dorodo, depending on where you come from) slowly loosing color; these fish die pretty quickly out of water, and they quickly become grey, loosing their bright blue and yellow coloration. Right, a skipjack tuna; these are one of the smallest tuna species and are usually considered trash fish—the endangered bluefin and yellowfin tuna are like, bigger than a person. It will blow your mind.

One last thing before we go—by the end of the trip they started letting us, the students become the chief scientist during our watches, which was an amazing learning experience, and we were bestowed the magical tutu of chief scientist-dom (made out of a torn neuston net).

This picture of me was taken in the science lab when we officially hit 1000 nautical miles into our journey—at 3 am in the morning. Yes, being a scientist was a 24 hour job on this trip, if you couldn’t tell from my dark circles.

Alright, well that’s about all I have for today. Next week I’ll reveal to you all what I do as a marine biologist currently, and while I’m no longer sailing on the pacific, I’m still doing big studies---and this time, they are all

And as always, PLEASE don’t hesitate to ask about this research or anything else on this trip!

12 notes · View notes

dark-and-twisty-01 · 6 years ago

Text

David Richard Berkowitz (Son of Sam)

New Yorkers are accustomed to reports of violent death in every form, from mundane to the bizarre. They take it all in stride, accepting civic carnage as a price of living in the largest, richest city in America. But residents were unprepared for the commencement of an all out reign of terror in July 1976. For 13 months, New York would be a city under siege, its female citizens afraid to venture out by night while an apparent homicidal maniac was waiting, seeking prey.

The terror came with darkness on July 29th, 1976. Two young women, Donna Lauria and Jody Valenti, had parked their car on Buhre Avenue in Queens, remaining in the vehicle and passing time in conversation. If they saw the solitary male pedestrian at all, they didn’t take note of him. In any case, they never saw the pistol that he raised to pump five shots through the windshield. Donna Lauria was killed immediately; her companion survived and got off “easy,” with a bullet in one thigh. The shooting was a tragic incident, but in itself was not unusual for New York City. There was scattered sympathy but no alarm among the residents of New York’s urban combat zone...until the next attack.

On October 23rd, Carl Denaro and Rosemary Keenan parked outside a bar in Flushing, Queens. Again, the gunman went unnoticed as he crouched to fire a single bullet through the car’s window. Wounded, Carl Denaro survived. A 44-caliber bullet was found on the floor of the car, and detectives matched it to slugs from the Lauria murder. Just over one month later, on November 26, Donna DeMasi and Joanne Lomino were sitting together on the stoop of a house in the Floral Park section of Queens. A man approached them from the sidewalk, asking for directions, but before he could complete the question he had drawn a pistol, blasting at the startled women. Both were wounded, Joanne paralyzed forever with a bullet in her spine.

Again the slugs were readily identified, and now detectives knew they had a random killer on their hands. The gunman seemed to favour girls with long, dark hair, and there was speculation that the shooting of Denaro in October may have been an “accident.” The young man’s hair was shoulder length; a gunman closing on him from behind might have mistaken Carl Denaro for a woman in the darkness. Christmas season passed without another shooting, but the gunman had not given up his hunt. On January 30, 1977, John Diel and Christine Freund were parked and necking in the Ridgewood section of New York, when bullets hammered out their windshield. Freund was killed on impact, while her date was physically unscathed.

Virginia Voskerichian, an Armenian exchange student, was walking toward her home in Forest Hills on March 8, when a man approached and shot her in the face, killing her instantly, Detectives noted that she had been slain within 300 yards of the January murder scene. On April 17, Alexander Esau and his date, Valentina Suriani, were parked in the Bronx, a few blocks from the site of the Lauria-Valenti shooting. Caught up in each other, they may not have seen the gunman coming; certainly they had no time to dodge the fusillade of bullets that killed them both immediately, fired from point-blank range.

Detectives found clearly a crudely printed letter in the middle of the street, near Esau’s car. Addressed to the captain in charge of New York’s hottest manhunt, the note contained a chilling message.

I am deeply hurt by your calling me a weman-hater [sic]. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the Son of Sam....I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game - tasty meat/ The weman [sic] of Queens are the prettyest [sic] of all....

The note described “sam” as a drunken bute who beat members of his family and sent his son out hunting “tasty meat” compelling him to kill. There would be other letters from the gunman, some addressed to newsman Jimmy Breslin, hinting at more crimes to come and fueling the hysteria that had already gripped New York. The writer was apparently irrational but no less dangerous for that, and homicide investigators had no clue to his identity. On June 26, Salvatore Lupo and girlfriend Judy Placido were parked in Bayside, Queens, when four shots pierced the windshield of their car. Both were wounded; both survived.

On July 31, Robert Violante and Stacy Moskowitz parked near the Brooklyn shore. The killer found them there and squeezed off four shots at their huddled silhouettes, striking both young people in the head. Stacy died instantly; her date survived, but damage from his wounds left Violante blind for life. It was the last attack, but homicide detectives didn’t know that yet. A woman walking near the final murder scene recalled two traffic officers writing a ticket for a car parked close to a hydrant; moments later, she had seen a man approach the car, climb in, and pull away with squealing tires. A check of parking ticket records traced the old Ford Galaxy belonging to one David Berkowitz, of Pine street, Yonkers. Staking out the address, officers discovered that the car was parked outside, a semiautomatic rifle lay in the “Son of Sam’s” distinctive, awkward style. When Berkowitz emerged from his apartment he was instantly arrested and confessed his role in New York’s reign of terror.

The story told by Berkowitz seemed tailor-made for an Insanity Defense in court. The “Sam” referred to in his letters was a neighbour, one Sam Carr, whose Labrador retriever was allegedly possessed by ancient demons, beaming out commands for Berkowitz to kill and kill again. One one occasion he had tried to kill the dog, but it was useless; demons spoiled his aim, and when the dog recovered from its wounds, the nightly torment had redoubled in the intensity. A number of psychiatrists described the suspect as a paranoid schizophrenic, suffering from delusions and therefore incompetent to stand trial. The lone exception was Dr. David Abrahamson, who found that Berkowitz was sane and capable of understanding that his actions had been criminal. The court agreed with Abrahamson and ordered Berkowitz to trial. The gunman soon pled guilty and was sentenced to 365 years in prison.

Ironically, Berkowitz seemed grateful to Dr. Abrahamson for his sanity ruling and later agreed to a series of interviews that Abrahamson published in his book Confessions of Son of Sam (1985). The interviews revealed that Berkowitz had tried to kill two women during 1975, attacking them with knives, but he turned squeamish when they tried to fight him off. (”I didn’t want to hurt them,” he explained, confused. “I only wanted to kill them.”) A virgin at the time of his arrest, Berkowitz was prone to fabricate elaborate lies about his bedroom prowess, all the while intent upon revenge against the women who habitually rejected him. When not engaged in stalking female victims, Berkowitz reportedly was an accomplished arsonist: a secret journal listed details of 300 fires for which he was allegedly responsible around New York. In his conclusion, Dr. Abrahamson described his subject as a homicidal exhibitionist who meant his crimes to be a public spectacle and harbored fantasies of “dying for a cause”.

There is another side of David Berkowitz, however, and it surfaced shortly after his arrest, with allegations of his membership in a satanic cult. In letters mailed from prison, Berkowitz described participation in a New York cult affiliated with the lethal “Four P Movement,” based in California. He revealed persuasive inside knowledge of a California homicide, unsolved since 1974, and wrote that “There are other Sams out there - God help the world.”

According to the story told by Berkowitz in prison, two of neighbour Sam Carr’s sons were also members of the killer cult that specialized in skinning dogs alive and gunning victims down on darkened streets. One suspect John Charles Carr, was said to be the same “John Wheaties” mentioned in a letter penned by Berkowitz, containing other clues that point to cult involvement in the random murders. Calling themselves “The Children,” the cultists operated from a base in Untermeyer Park, where mutilated dogs were found from time to time. Cult members represented the “Twenty-two Disciples of Hell” mentioned in another “Son of Sam” letter. Suspect John Carr fled New York in February 1979 and “committed suicide” under mysterious circumstances in Minot, North Dakota, two days later. Brother Michael Carr died in a single-car crash in October 1979, and New York authorities reopened the “Sam” case after his death.

Newsman Maury Terry, after six years on the case, believes there at least five different gunmen in the “Son of Sam” attacks, including Berkowitz, John Carr, and several suspects one a woman who have yet to be indicted. Terry also notes that six of the seven shootings fell in close proximity to recognised occult holidays, the March 8 Voskerichian attack emerging as the sole exception to the pattern. In the journalist’s opinion, Berkowitz was chosen as a scapegoat by the other cultists, who then defaced his apartment with weird graffiti, whipping up a bogus “arson ledger” which includes peculiar, out-of-order entries to support a plea of innocent by insanity.

Berkowitz himself confirmed the occult connection in conversations with fellow inmates and letters mailed from prison. One such, posted in October 1979 reads:

I really don’t know how to begin this letter, but at one time I was a member of an occult group. Being sworn to secrecy or face death I cannot reveal the name of the group nor do I wish to. This group contained a mixture of satanic practices which included the teachings of Aleister Crowley and Eliphaz [sic] Lebi. It was (still is) totally blood oriented and I am certain you know just what I mean. The Coven’s doctrine are a blend of Druidism, the teachings of the Secret Order of the Golden Dawn, Black Magick and a host of other unlawful and obnoxious practices.

As I said, I have no interest in revealing the Coven, especially because I have almost met sudden death on several occasions (once by half an inch) and several others have already perished under mysterious circumstances. These people will stop at nothing, including murder. They have no fear of man-made laws or the Ten Commandments.

The latest near-death experience for Berkowitz had been a July 10th prison assault that left his throat slashed, requiring fifty-six stitches to close the wound. Less talkative following his narrow escape, Berkowitz still agreed to a January 1982 meeting with attorney Harry Lipsig. In that Conversation, he referred to the killer cult as follows:

Q: You had some connection with the church of Scientology, did you not?

A: It wasn’t exactly that. But I can’t go into it. I really can’t.

Q: Were you connected in any way or an adherent or covert of the Church of Scientology?

A: No, not that way. It was an offshoot, fringe-type thing.

Q: Were John and Michael [Carr] with the Church of Scientology?

A: Well, not really that church. But something along that line. A very devious group.

Q: Did this devious group have a name?

A: I can’t disclose it.

Q: Roughly, how large would you say it’s membership was?

A: Twenty.

Q: Were they all residents of New York metropolitan area?

A: No.

Q: Were they spread across the nation?

A: Yes.

Q: Did they meet on occasion?

A: Yes, but I really can’t say more without counsel.

As Maury Terry noted, both satanic Process Church of Final Judgement and it’s spin-off successor, the “Four P” cult, were “offshoot, fringe-type” movements spawned by Scientology. Both groups were also linked to the Charles Manson Family in California as was convicted killer William Mentzerm named by Berkowitz in prison interviews as the triggerman in the January 1977 shooting of John Diel and Christine Freund. Investigation of the alleged cult continues, supported by testimony from convicted cannibal-killer Stanley Dean Baker, but no further indictments have been filed to date.

29 notes · View notes

dustdry03-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Taking place the keto diet: your five recipes to try

My close friends Mike and Robin happen to be on the keto diet program with regard to a good couple involving years. They misplaced the ton of weight, plus they look fit and even trim — better when compared with I’ve possibly seen these people, and I’ve recognized all of them more than 30 decades. Their own results are not really unusual. Often the keto diet plan often leads to rapid excess weight damage. The key lies throughout keeping it off. Robert in addition to Robin have completed it properly, but a good lot of folks cannot. And therein is situated a new problem, according to Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietitian and the owner involving McDaniel Nutrition Therapy throughout St Louis. “While an individual might obtain benefits around the short term just simply like any other hard to stick to diet, most people — just like, 90% of often the people — own challenges staying on it. Whenever they lose the weight plus they can’t manage often the weight that they obtained, this is just an additional failed diet plan, ” she explained. BEST ARTICLES 1/5 READ MORE Match the Parker medical professional who moved the range to fight coronavirus: “There is no playbook” This keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrates diet — “it’s like the Atkins diet on steroids, ” McDaniel said. Individuals on the diet strive to ingest 70% to 80% of the calories through fats, less than 5% through carbohydrates and the rest through protein. It will help us lose weight because it causes our physiques to burn fat regarding energy instead of their preferred fuel, carbohydrates. McDaniel recommends that her clients not go on the keto eating habits. The diet regime changes the microbiome within their bodies (the bacterias, fungi and more the fact that live on the inside us). This is challenging for persons on the diet to eat enough fiber, which are able to lead to costiveness and other gastrointestinal nastiness. And due to the fact carbohydrates hold onto liquid, people on the diet program can be often dehydrated, she mentioned. And yet, like Mike plus Robin and even thousands of other individuals can certainly attest, it is effective. Thus I decided to consider a handful of recipes to be able to see how they tasted. The rules of the particular keto diet plan are highly restrictive, which can produce cooking food tough. You want to prevent berry, all kinds of sugar, grains, beans plus dried beans, rice, oranges, sweet and even juice. Most effective keto snacks: Benefits plus nutrition for being encouraged incorporate meat, fatty species of fish, eggs, butter in addition to ointment, cheese, nuts and seeds, a number of oils (olive, avocado, coconut) and low-carb vegetables — most vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers and the like. Is considered a lot to get in, therefore i began together with a new simple and entirely fantastic dish connected with Citrus-Marinated Olives. These are a wonderful treat, combining typically the heady earthiness of olives having bright notes of orange and lemon. Although the flavour are disparate, these people job surprisingly well jointly. Greatest of all, you help to make them in only minutes. Another winner has been Keto Egg Cups, a new dish that concisely provides everything that will is good about keto cooking: Little cups manufactured from prosciutto hold eggs blended with cream, spinach, roasted reddish colored peppers and mozzarella plus Parmesan cheeses. It’s a good delightful conglomeration of high-fat goodies that come together in a hand-held snack. And is considered just as enjoyment at bedroom temp like it is warm. A pair of entrees came next. 1st, I took the menu for Instant-Pot Keto Mediterranean sea Chicken and made the idea the recipe for Keto Cities Chicken Without a Instant Pan. This merely took concerning five short minutes longer than the Instant-Pot version, and the idea seemed to be deeply satisfying.

I’ll admit, though, that My spouse and i could hardly commit to full keto cooking with this a single. As written, the formula calls for agonizing half a dozen chicken thighs and legs and after that cooking food the dish from the ensuing fat. My six to eight legs rendered out some sort of 50 % cup of excess fat. My partner and i just couldn’t perform the idea. I couldn’t make meals together with — and I definitely couldn’t eat — a whole lot fat. I know this keto diet requires what may seem like a shocking amount of money of body fat to do the job, but My spouse and i just could not see that. We added out half of the excess fat, and the plate still believed greasy to help me. Dirty, nonetheless yummy. Meaty chicken thighs may be paired with olives, capers, oregano and a cutting a little vinegar. It’s introduced with a fresh-tasting natural yoghurts sauce, generating an outstanding business presentation. I’d fortunately eat this anytime, particularly if My partner and i poured out most but one tablespoon of that body fat. The other diele, Keto Breaded Chicken Cutlets, is not bad — although I’d only make that again if I had been about the keto diet. Typically the chicken is definitely dredged by means of almond flour in advance of frying, which gives the idea a duller flavor than rice flour. With wheat flour, the same recipes would be excellent, if familiar. Should you be on the keto eating habits, salted peanuts flour is undoubtedly the way to get. Just be sure to use a good deal of salt. The final recipe My partner and i made was a treat called Black and White Keto Fat Bombs. Significantly, that’s the name, in addition to seriously, that certainly is what these people are. They are chocolate-and-vanilla candy that are designed with coconut olive oil together with almonds, plus low-carb, powdered sweetener, sugar-free vanilla get and unsweetened cocoa powder powdered. How did many people preference? Not bad, actually, or at least not also negative. But the structure was thus oily plus off-putting that most taste testers threw at a distance their free templates. One stated the idea seemed to be like eating garnir. If you’re on the keto as well as you’re looking to get an extra infusion regarding fat, then I’d state to go ahead and even make it. Otherwise, this particular is one to keep away from. My friend Robin assures by the keto diet and claims she is passionate about it. The woman health indicators are almost all excellent, and she tells she has better electricity and alertness. Even though this diet is restrictive, the lady likes what she can consume: cheese, olive engine oil, butter, nuts and darkness chocolates. The biggest thing she does not show for is berry, nonetheless she does not really miss the forty five excess fat she lost. Then again, I have another friend, Roger, who lost sixty five excess fat. How you can Order Keto From McDonald's... Because Sometimes All An individual Need Is usually A Lil Fast Food feeds on a lot more healthfully and mindfully, and even walks every day. Of which sounds easier.

#keto supplements #keto diet supplements

0 notes

godsiwasstrong · 8 years ago

Note

Prompt thing -- I'm sorry

Drabble prompt

I'm Sorry: My character feels guilty for being behind the wheel during the accident that left yours in the hospital.

He was 100% Certain he had never sobered up so quickly in his life before. the shock, the fear, the gult, had seemingly grabbed him by the guts and pulled him out of his buzz.

They had both been intoxicated, Ned had wanted to call a Taxi, but Robert had been in a poor mood, and not willing to wait, and had insisted he was more than capable of driving. proven it by walking a ‘straight’ line, before the other would get in the car. the poor mood had been replaced by a more merry one, music booming, and Ned had said something which Robert hadn’t quit been capable of hearing, so rather than turning the music down, he had leaned over closer to him, to hear what ever it was he had to say about Catelyn. when suddenly the tree had been there.

The front side of the car had seemed to crumble up around them, he had called out for Ned, but had gotten no answer, which had filled him with desperation and dread. having ignored the state of his leg, Robert had kicked his door open and crawled out on the ground, only to realize that his phone was out of power. ❝useless piece of shit❞ he had frown the phone though the air in pure fustration, faintly hearing it shatter on the road. Though pure force of will he had limped his way to Ned’s side. having forced that door open too, he was met by a sight that made his stomach turn.

Ned was bleeding, heavily, and unconscious, from a heavy bump to the head - at least. Robert hoped he was just knocked unconscious - don’t move him, a faint voice told him, and he decided to listen, and instead searched Ned’s pockets. ❝It’ll be okay, Ned, we’re gonna get help. okay, just hang in there.❞ He found what he was looking for, and dieled 911.

That was two days ago, and Robert still hadn’t gone to see Ned. he’d be okay, the doctors and the Stark family had promised him, He’d make a full recovery, and had been awake for some time, but still Robert couldn’t see him, couldn’t begin to imagine what to say. So instead he sat around the hospital, his own leg, trapped in a black boot, a set of crutches by his side grumping.

Ned had found him, despite struggling with a wheel chair and what not. dark blue met grey eyes and Robert felt as though he was about to burst.

❝I’m sorry okay, so so sorry.❞

#handofhonor

2 notes · View notes

robertdiel · 17 days ago

Text

Singel in Amsterdam.

Photo: Robert Diel

#city #cityscape #cloud photography #cloudscape #photographers on tumblr #original photographers #amsterdam #the netherlands #robert diel

7 notes · View notes

arberisht · 8 years ago

Quote

Maletë me gurë, Fushat me bar shumë, Aratë me grurë, Më tutje një lumë. Fshati për karshi Me kish’ e me varre, Rrotull ca shtëpi Të vogëla fare. Ujëtë të ftohtë, Era pun’ e madhe, Bilbili ia thotë, Gratë si zorkadhe. Burrat nënë hie, Lozin, kuvendojnë, Pika që s’u bie, Se nga gratë rrojnë! Gratë venë nd’arë Dhe në vreshta gratë, Gruaja korr barë, Punon dit’ e natë. Gratë në të shirë Në të vjela gratë, Ikinë pa gdhirë, Kthenenë me natë. Gruaja për burrë Digjetë në diell, Punon e s’rri kurrë As ditën e diel. O moj shqipëtarkë, Që vet’ e nget qetë, Edhe drek’ e darkë Kthenesh e bën vetë; Moj e mjera grua Ç’e do burrëzinë, Që ftohet në krua Dhe ti mban shtëpinë!

The mountains rich in stone, The meadows full of grass, The fields replete with wheat, Beyond them is a river.

Across from it the village With church and rows of gravestones, And standing all around it Are humble, tiny houses.

Frigid is the water, The wind blows, but no matter, The nightingale proclaims it: Gazelle-like are the women.

Lying in the shade, men Playing, busy chatting, Misfortune cannot strike them, For they’re living off their women.

Women in the fields, and In the vineyards, women, Women harvest hay, all Day and night a-toiling.

Women do the threshing, Reap the harvest, women, Leaving before sunrise, After dark returning!

For their husbands, women Scorch out in the sunshine, Working, never resting Not even on a Sunday!

Poor Albanian woman, All the time a-slaving, And when homeward’s wending, Makes both lunch and supper.

What about your husband Lounging by the fountain? Oh, my wretched woman, You run, too, the household!

[Fshati im, from the volume Baba-Tomorri, Cairo 1902. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie]

#this is just a start #albanian #shqip #poetry #andon zako cajupi #albanian lit #lingustics #currently working on some edits :D #my post

46 notes · View notes

aboutanancientenquiry · 3 years ago

Text

The “Innsbruck School” on Herodotus

Herodots Quellen – Die Quellen Herodots. Classica et Orientalia, Bd

6Boris Dunsch, Kai Ruffing, Herodots Quellen - Die Quellen Herodots. Classica et Orientalia, Bd 6. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2013. viii, 352. ISBN 9783447068840 €58.00.

Review byJan P. Stronk, Universiteit van Amsterdam. [email protected]

Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]

Even in antiquity Herodotus’s Histories were not uncontested. First Plutarch and later Lucian heavily criticised Herodotus as an unreliable author and an inventor. After them, such qualifications regularly emerge throughout history. In 1971, Detlev Fehling published Die Quellenangaben bei Herodot, an attack on Herodotus that has found both support and opposition. Fehling considered Herodotus first and foremost as a man of letters (perhaps even a novelist) , who took (too) great literary liberties in his work.1 Opponents of Fehling regard Herodotus as a historian, struggling to establish the historical truth. The book under scrutiny is the result of a 2011 conference at Philipps-Universität Marburg on the value of Fehling’s work. All contributions end with their own bibliography; a general bibliography is lacking.

In the introduction, Ruffing states that the main interest of Fehling’s work was that it questioned the views expressed by Felix Jacoby, whose view on Herodotus had dominated discussions for nearly sixty years (from 1912 onward). Fehling’s work sparked mixed reactions, most of them not very supportive. Ruffing briefly reviews the most important ones. Only after an enlarged second edition, in English, was published in 1989, did Fehling’s view find more adherents. Since then, a synthesis of views seems to be developing, to a large extent led by the so-called Innsbrucker Schule, a group of scholars working on Greek historiography, notably Herodotus, led by Robert Rollinger and Reinhold Bichler, both from the Innsbruck University. The question is (generally) no longer “True” or “False” as regards Herodotus’s work, but about Herodotus’s sources and how he dealt with them.

One of the debates is the date of composition of the Histories. Irwin argues (in by far the longest contribution, which constitutes the first section) that book 9 contains several clues indicating that this date (or at least the date of this book) should be put well after 413 BC and that it is, in fact, a response to Thucydides’ work (9). Irwin notably discusses chapter 9.73 and its context to prove her position, concentrating both on the hybris of Theseus and the importance of Decelea. She adduces a considerable amount of evidence, ingenuity, and scholarship, but at the end she fails to completely convince me, though I admit her theory may be appealing to those who believe in multiple layers hidden in the Histories.

The next four contributions, forming section two, focus on Herodotus’s sources, each starting from a different angle and/or a specific part of the work. Nesselrath argues – in spite of Fehling’s (and before him Diels’s) arguments – that no classical historian provides us with so much evidence regarding his sources as Herodotus, and sides with those acknowledging Herodotus’s merits to preserve anterior knowledge. Rollinger focuses on Herodotus’s knowledge of the East. In particular the erection of the stelai at the Bosporus by King Darius and Xerxes’ behaviour at the Hellespont fit in with a well-known Ancient Near Eastern tradition, like Darius’ claims to control the Indian Ocean: it suggests that Herodotus somehow included Oriental source material in his work. West considers Herodotus 4.88, where Darius, pleased with Mandrocles’ bridge over the Bosporus, presents him with gifts that Mandrocles uses to commission a painting. West discusses several conceptions of this picture but especially addresses its inspiration for Herodotus. Prontera discusses the particularities of Herodotus’s references to ancient situations like the Egyptian origin of the inhabitants of Colchis, an issue also mentioned by Nesselrath, concluding that Herodotus only includes those references that correspond with his interpretation of the facts.

The next section, consisting of six contributions, deals with Herodotus as “Literat.” Bichler addresses the use and function of Herodotus’s references to autopsy, notably in the Egyptian logos. Dunsch, in a long and worthwhile paper, approaches Herodotus through the eyes of Cicero, who was very interested in historiography, especially as magistra vitae. Special attention is given to Cicero’s valuation of Herodotus as pater historiae ( De leg. 1.5) and the use of history. The same goes for Ruffing’s treatment of the number 300 in Herodotus for whom the number was particularly appealing, superseded only by the number 100. The number 300 features prominently in other ancient authors as well: Dunsch considers 300 as a symbolic number, not necessarily accurately. Dorati occupies himself with narratological aspects of the Histories, especially with the relation between the so-called cognitive narratology and source references. It is a quite technical treatment, fitting in with modern developments to pay increasing attention to this side of literary works. Rösler focuses on the ‘miracle of Delphi’, the rescue of the sanctuary from a Persian attack in 480 BC (8.35-9). Fehling believed the story to be completely fictitious; Rösler admits the fictitious elements, but argues the fiction was not created by Herodotus but by the Delphians; he stresses that Fehling does not do justice to Herodotus’s position as pater historiae but treats him merely as a pseudo-historian, a view Rösler does not share. Blösel, finally, investigates Herodotus’s representation of the Athenians. Though Herodotus obviously admires Athenian actions in the period 490-480/79, he nevertheless pays attention to criticism of other poleis towards Athens and Athenian sources critical of Athenians and Athenian activities and is thus more critical than Fehling made him appear.

The penultimate section consists of only one contribution, by Wiesehöfer, on Herodotus and a Persian Hellas, a Greece that might have been if the Persian invasions had been successful. But in general our knowledge of Persian motives for invading Greece is, as yet, far from complete. Partly this is due to a lack of knowledge of Greek (and notably Athens-oriented) authors, including Herodotus, but also partly to the modern inability to discern between the nuances of Achaemenid Persian state ideology and Achaemenid Persian “Realpolitik” (279-282).

In the last section, Schmitt considers whether Aristotle’s philosophy offers viable criteria for interpreting Herodotus’s Histories. He analyses several elements of Aristotle’s famous passage on poetry and history (Arist. Poet. 1451a36-b11) in detail and concludes that Herodotus succeeds to describe particular events and/or people in such a manner that one is able to find “das Allgemeine in der Geschichte” (the general in history), precisely what Aristotle requires. Schmitt’s intricate paper may well be hard to digest, but in the end it is worth the effort, especially because his contribution (directly or indirectly) has some bearing on other contributions in this book as well, notably Dunsch’s as regards Cicero’s views on Herodotus.

Föllinger places all contributions in context, concluding that the connecting element is that “Herodot entweder als Lügner oder als naiven Sammler von Informationen erscheinen würde ad acta gelegt ist” [ “Herodotus would appear either as a liar or as a naive collector of information is shelved” ] (327). Indexes of gods, people, places, and sources conclude this attractive and well-produced volume. Whether the conference’s aim, to discuss the value of Fehling’s work for both present and future research, was really achieved might, I think, still be a matter of contention (mainly because the extreme positions in the debate on Fehling’s views, once taken, seem to be difficult to abandon, leaving only some room for compromise in the middle), but I at least came across several inspiring contributions. I believe, moreover, that the objectives of the so-called Innsbrucker Schule (represented by, e.g., Rollinger and Bichler) have been well presented and have proven their worth in this volume.

Table of Contents

Vorwort VII Kai Ruffing (Marburg), Einführung: 1 Die Entstehung der Historien Elizabeth Irwin (New York), ‘The hybris of Theseus’ and the Date of the Histories: 7 Herodot und seine Quellen Heinz-Günther Nesselrath (Göttingen), Indigene Quellen bei Herodot und ihre Erfinder – einige Fallbeispiele: 85 Robert Rollinger (Innsbruck/Helsinki), Dareios und Xerxes an den Rändern der Welt: 95 Stephanie West (Oxford), ‘Every picture tells a story’: a note on Herodotus 4.88: 117 Francesco Prontera (Perugia), Dati e fonti nell’ archeologia di Erodoto: 129 Herodot als Literat Reinhold Bichler (Innsbruck), Zur Funktion der Autopsiebehauptungen bei Herodot: 135 Boris Dunsch (Marburg), Et apud patrem historiae sunt innumerabiles fabulae: Cicero über Herodot: 153 Kai Ruffing (Marburg), 300: 201 Marco Dorati (Urbino), Indicazioni di fonti (‘Quellenangaben’) e narrazione storica: 223 Wolfgang Rösler (Berlin), Ein Wunder im Kampf um Delphi (VIII 35–9): 241 Wolfgang Blösel (Düsseldorf), Quellen – Kritik: Herodots Darstellung der Athener: 255 Herodot und die Nachbarn der Griechen Josef Wiesehöfer (Kiel), Herodot und ein persisches Hellas: 273 Abendvortrag Arbogast Schmitt (Marburg), Gibt es eine aristotelische Herodotlektüre?: 285 Sabine Föllinger (Marburg), Resümee: 323 Register: 329

Notes

1. However, the word “Literat”, usually translated as a “man of letters”, can also be understood in German as a “grub-street hack” (although not in this collection), and the context makes insufficiently clear which meaning has been intended. In fact, Fehling, when using the term “Literat” in the original publication, is precisely as ambivalent as he, occasionally, blames Herodotus for being. In this respect the English edition, Herodotus and His ‘Sources’: Citation, Invention and Narrative Art (ARCA: Classical & Medieval Texts, Papers & Monographs, vol. 21), Leeds: Cairns, 1989, is generally much less ambiguous.

https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2015/2015.02.05

#herodotus #innsbruck school #j p stronck

0 notes

robert-diel · 4 years ago

Text

Suburban landscape in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

#suburbia #landscape #landscape photography #black and white photography #amsterdam #photographers on tumblr #original photographers #robert diel

4 notes · View notes

liebenswortig · 5 years ago

Text

16. WIE EIN TRAUM

DEMETRI POV

Die Tage zogen an uns vorbei, wir liebten uns, genossen die gemeinsame Zeit und waren einfach glücklich. Die zwei Wochen gingen viel zu schnell vorbei, sodass wir schon zurück nach Hause flogen. Besonders Albert und Damian freuten sich uns zu sehen.

„Wir freuen uns so darüber, dass ihr wieder zurück seid!“, rief Damian, während Albert uns Beide in eine Umarmung zog. Trotz seiner (im Gegensatz zu mir) geringen Größe, war er breit gebaut und hatte eine sehr große Präsenz. Damian hingegen war klein und schmächtig. „Wie ist es so als Ehepaar?“, fragte Esme uns, nachdem Albert uns wieder losgelassen hatte.

Lucia lehnte sich leicht an mich, ich legte den Arm um sie. „Es könnte uns nicht besser gehen.“, antwortete sie lächelnd, durch die Tage, die wir in Frankreich verbracht hatten kam ihr leichter Akzent stärker hervor. Ich liebte ihre Stimme, sie sprach die Wörter nicht so hart aus, sondern melodisch, am Ende ihrer Sätze war immer ein leises Hauchen, nicht als würde sie die Wörter langziehen, nein, als würde sie mit ihnen fließen. Allerdings hörte sie sich am Schönsten an, wenn sie vor Verlangen stöhnte, leise seufzte oder meinen Namen schrie.

In diesem Moment kam Alice zu uns hinübergewuselt, ein strahlendes Lächeln auf den Lippen. Sie umarmte erst Lucia, dann mich. Wir unterhielten uns eine Weile, dann zogen wir uns in unser Haus zurück. Unsere erste Nacht, als verheiratetes Paar in unserem Zu Hause.

Dort wünschten wir Damian, Albert und April eine Gute Nacht, bevor wir in unser in braun und creme gehaltenes Schlafzimmer gingen. Anscheinend hatte jemand das Bett frisch bezogen. „Ich bin müde…“, murmelte meine wunderschöne Frau und zog den schwarzen Pullover aus. Es war inzwischen Anfang Dezember, deswegen trug sie darunter ein weißes Unterhemd. Das zog sie zusammen mit ihrem hellblauen BH aus. Im Gegensatz zu früher trug sie jetzt hübschere Unterwäsche.

Ich schluckte, als ich ihre nackten Brüste erblickte. So oft hatte ich sie schon gesehen, aber trotzdem war es jedes Mal eine unglaubliche Verlockung. Sie ging zum Schrank und holte einen schwarzen Schlafanzug raus, den sie anzog. Ich stand währenddessen nur da und schaute sie an. Als sie sich wieder umdrehte, hatte sie ein Lächeln auf den Lippen. „Was ist?“, fragte Lucia mich, sie hatte meine Starre bemerkt. Schnell schüttelte ich den Kopf und zog mich ebenfalls um. Ein paar Minuten später lagen wir gemeinsam im Bett, ich hatte sie an mich gezogen. „Gute Nacht, Kleine.“, murmelte ich und küsste sie kurz. Sie erwiderte es mit einem Summen… ~~~ „Wer isst eigentlich so viel Süßes wie du?“, fragte ich amüsiert, als sie eine weitere Tafel Schokolade in den Einkaufswagen legte. Sie drehte sich zu mir und streckte mir die Zunge raus. Ich schob den Wagen und sie kümmerte sich um die Sachen, die wir kaufen mussten.

„Wir brauchen noch Binden, Shampoo und dein Aftershave ist auch fast leer. Außerdem will ich heute Bœuf bourguignon kochen, deswegen brauchen wir Burgunderwein.“ Meine Augen strahlten wahrscheinlich. Lucia war die beste Köchin der Welt und ich liebte ihr Essen. Sie kochte mit so viel Liebe und Hingabe, die ich in ihren Augen nur sah, wenn sie mich anschaute oder Ballett im Fernsehen lief. Sie musste lächeln.

Ich schob den Einkaufswagen auf ihre Anweisung in die Kosmetikabteilung, wo sie ohne wirklich hinzusehen (sie wusste genau, wo alles stand) ihr Paket Binden nahm, das teure Aftershave, das ich immer benutzte und zwei Packungen meines bevorzugten Shampoos. Sie legte alles in den Einkaufswagen, dann überlegte sie welches Shampoo sie sich selbst nehmen sollte. Schließlich hatte sie sich entschieden und so bezahlten wir und trugen die Tüten zum edlen schwarzen Audi. Sie konnte kein Autofahren, da sie nie das Geld gehabt hatte um in Frankreich ihren Führerschein zu machen.

Die Fahrt war sehr kurz, es schneite in Forks, der Boden war bedeckt mit der weißen Masse. Lucia schaute fasziniert aus dem Fenster, während ich mit einer Hand fuhr und in der Anderen ihre hielt. Zuhause angekommen sahen wir Albert und Damian draußen herumtoben, sie lachten glücklich und warfen den Wagen mit Schneebällen ab, als wir in die Einfahrt fuhren. Lucia kicherte leise, ich lächelte. Ich parkte in der Garage, dann nahmen wir die Tüten aus dem Kofferraum. Albert und Damian kamen auf uns zugelaufen, sie nahmen Lucia die zwei Tüten aus der Hand und folgten uns ins Haus. April saß auf dem champagnerfarbenen Sofa und schaute einen Film im Fernsehen. Sie begrüßte uns lächelnd, dann wandte sie ihren Blick wieder auf die Mattscheibe.

Lucia und ich blieben in der Diele stehen, sie zog ihren hübschen petrolblauen Filzmantel aus, ebenso wie die schwarzen Handschuhe und den edlen Schal. Ich hauchte einen Kuss auf ihre Stirn, ihre Haare waren übersät mit Schneeflocken. Dann zog ich den hellbraunen Parka mit dem Kunstfell an der Kapuze (Lucia verweigerte mir vehement den Kauf von echtem Fell, obwohl sie selbst sich von Tierblut ernährte. Manchmal war sie wirklich komisch) aus und hängte ihn zusammen mit ihrem Mantel an den Kleiderständer. Sie zog ihre Winterstiefel aus und stellte sie sorgfältig neben meine Schuhe. Ich streichelte über ihre von der Kälte gerötete Wange, sie umarmte mich fest. „Ssarapó (Ich liebe dich)“, murmelte sie. Inzwischen war sie ziemlich gut in Griechisch geworden, nur Arabisch machte ihr noch Schwierigkeiten. „Ich dich auch.“, erwiderte ich glücklich, dann lösten wir uns. „Ich fang dann mal an Essen zu machen.“, sie ging in die Küche.

Da ich wusste, dass ich sie nur ablenkte, gesellte ich mich zu April. Wir schauten uns den Film an und, nach einiger Zeit war Lucia mit dem Essen fertig. Ich half ihr beim Tischdecken, dann aßen wir auch schon. Es schmeckte fantastisch. „Das ist wundervoll, Kleine.“, machte ich ihr ein Kompliment. Sie lächelte und nippte an ihrem Wein. Nachdem wir gegessen hatten, räumten wir alles in die Spülmaschine und da klingelte es auch schon an der Haustür. April machte die Tür auf. Es war Alice, die in die Küche getänzelt kam und Lucia umarmte. Lächelnd lehnte ich mich gegen die marmorne Arbeitsplatte.

„Lucia, du hast mir gar nicht erzählt, dass du morgen Geburtstag hast!“, sie klang beleidigt. „Warum muss ich das in einer Vision von Demetris Geburtstagsgeschenk sehen?!“ Lucia lachte entschuldigend. „Entschuldigung, Alice… Ich habe meinen Geburtstag seit 15 Jahren nicht mehr gefeiert. Eigentlich wollte ich ihn übergehen…“ Alice verschränkte die Arme. „Auf keinen Fall! Fang nicht an wie Bella, wir werden deinen Geburtstag hundertprozentig feiern!“ Lucia lächelte bitter, ich verzog sorgenvoll die Stirn. „Ich steh‘ nicht so auf Feiertage, habe schlechte Erfahrungen mit ihnen.“, murmelte sie leise. „Demetris Geburtstag war was Anderes, aber mein Geburtstag, Weihnachten, Silvester und so weiter; Das ist nicht mein Ding.“ Alice stemmte die Hände in die Hüften, sie sah etwas erbost aus.

„Lucia, egal was an diesen Tagen passiert ist, lass dir dein Leben nicht davon versauen. Als du Demetri geheiratet hast, wolltest du ein neues Leben beginnen und die Vergangenheit hinter dir lassen. Du wolltest ihm verzeihen und es wieder gutmachen lassen, du wolltest glücklich sein! Er bereut das was er getan hat. Lucia, dein innigster Wunsch war es den Hass hinter dir zu lassen und Liebe in dich zu lassen, dann tu es auch. Du kannst nicht rückgängig machen, was geschehen ist.“

Ich fuhr mir durch die Haare. Lucia war erstarrt, dann seufzte sie. „Du…du hast recht, Alice. Tut mir leid.“ Nun erschien ein strahlendes Lächeln auf dem Gesicht der Schwarzhaarigen, sie hob triumphierend ihr Kinn. „Ich habe immer Recht. Also, morgen kommt ihr zu uns. Und Weihnachten feiern wir bei euch, wenn das okay ist? Dafür seid ihr an Silvester bei uns eingeladen.“

Lucia seufzte erneut. „Von mir aus.“, murmelte sie und lehnte sich gegen mich. Ich legte den Arm um sie. „Gut. Ich muss dann auch los, habe noch etwas vorzubereiten.“, mit diesen Worten verschwand sie wieder, sie winkte noch, dann war sie weg. Ich vergrub mein Gesicht in Lucias Haar. „Dieser eine Tag war Silvester, mh?“, wisperte ich schuldbewusst. Sie nickte langsam. Ich seufzte. „Es tut mir so leid, Kleine…“ Sie drehte sich um und legte ihre Arme um meine Mitte. „Du standest unter ihrem Einfluss, Schatz.“ Ich drückte sie fester. „Und was war an deinem Geburtstag und Weihnachten?“, fragte ich leise. „An meinem Geburtstag starb meine Tante, meine ganze Familie wurde ausgelöscht. Weihnachten wurde meiner Schwester ein Angebot gemacht, sie lehnte es ab. Dadurch wurde sie als Erste getötet.“

Ich hob sie hoch, eine Hand unter ihren Kniekehlen, die Andere an ihrem Rücken. Inzwischen hatten sich alle in ihre Zimmer zurückgezogen, da es doch schon recht spät war. Ich trug sie in das Wohnzimmer, wo ich sie auf dem Sofa abließ. Sie zog eine Braue hoch. „Wohnzimmer? Bist du nicht derjenige, der immer so früh ins Bett will und kuscheln möchte und ich diejenige, die am liebsten bis spät in die Nacht aufbleiben würde?“ Ich lächelte und zog die dünne Wolldecke von der Sofalehne, dann setzte ich mich neben sie und deckte uns Beide zu, bevor ich den Fernseher einschaltete. Sie kuschelte sich an meine Brust und seufzte zufrieden.

Pretty Woman lief gerade, Lucia kicherte in sich hinein. „Ich hab den Film nie verstanden…“, murmelte ich, gerade war Julia Roberts, alias Vivian mit diesem Hotelmanager einkaufen. Lucia schaute zu mir hoch. „Warum nicht? Der Film ist genial.“

Ich runzelte die Stirn. „Ich meine; Sie kommen aus vollkommen verschiedenen Welten, er ist reich und scheint niemand zu sein, den sie mögen könnte und sie ist vollkommen anders und eine Prostituierte. Nicht, dass das schlimm wäre, aber es ist ein extremer Unterschied.“, erklärte ich verwirrt. Lucia lächelte, doch da war noch etwas Anderes in ihren Augen. „So ist die Liebe nun mal. Wir sind auch nicht besser; Wir sind auch verschieden und eigentlich bist du ja auch niemand den ich mögen sollte. Wir kommen auch aus anderen Welten, du kommst sogar aus einer ganz anderen Zeit. Wie konntest du dich in mich verlieben? Und wie konnte ich mich in dich verlieben?“

Ich schaute in ihre goldenen Augen, dann lächelte ich und senkte den Kopf um meine Frau zu küssen. Nach einem Moment lösten wir uns voneinander, wir schauten den Film weiter.

Ich musste laut lachen, als die Liebesszene kam. Lucia schaute mich empört an. „Komm schon, das sieht echt dämlich aus!“, gluckste ich. Sie grummelte lediglich. „Also ich kann das definitiv besser. Ich würde dich nicht so merkwürdig schwächlich hochheben und deine Sachen würd‘ ich erst recht nicht an dir lassen.“ Sie musste nun auch kichern. „Und warum schreit die Frau nicht? Ich würd‘ dich zum Schreien bringen…“ Sie kuschelte sich näher an mich, inzwischen war die Szene vorbei. „Es wird ja nicht alles gezeigt, vielleicht macht sie das ja später.“, murmelte sie amüsiert. Ich musste schmunzeln.

Das Ende war einer der dümmsten Teile des ganzen Films. „Warum fährt der Typ nicht selbst? Fändest du es auch sexy, wenn ich mich die ganze Zeit herumkutschieren lassen würde? Was haben die alle mit dem Kerl? Ist es weil er Edward heißt und Klavier spielen kann?“ Lucia lachte laut, als sie meinen gespielt beleidigten Tonfall hörte. „Ich mein, wenn jemand sagt: Hey, ich bin Edward und spiele Klavier, dann ist jede sofort vollkommen bezaubert. Wenn jemand sagen würde: Hey, ich bin Demetri und spiele Violine, ist es jedem egal.“ Sie schaute zu mir hoch. „Du spielst Violine? Das wusste ich gar nicht.“, sie schürzte ihre Lippen. Ich lächelte und zuckte mit den Schultern. „Bin nie dazu gekommen, was zu sagen.“, ich verschränkte ihre Hand mit meiner und wandte sich wieder dem Film zu, wo gerade der Erzähler irgendetwas über Hollywood redete.

Der Abspann lief und Pretty Woman ertönte, ein Lied, das ich schon seit seinem Erscheinungsjahr in den Sechzigern gemocht hatte. [AN: Ich würde es empfehlen jetzt das Lied zu hören, da es den Ton dieser Szene gut trifft]Ich nahm ihre kleine Hand und zog sie hoch, sie lachte, als ich sie herumwirbelte und wir begannen zu tanzen, vollkommen unpassend, aber überglücklich lachend.

„Pretty Woman, won't you pardon me…”, sang ich leise in ihr Ohr, sie kicherte. “Pretty Woman, I couldn't help but see…”, ich kippte sie etwas nach hinten, sodass sie erschrocken auflachte. „Pretty Woman, that you look lovely as can be, are you lonely just like me…”, wieder zog ich sie nah an mich. „Roarrr...”, machte ich spielerisch und biss leicht in ihr Ohr. Sie lachte amüsiert. Wir tanzten weiter, ich wirbelte sie um ihre eigene Achse und genoss den glücklichen Ausdruck auf ihrem Gesicht. Ihre offenen Haare flogen umher.

Wir waren so in unsere Freude vertieft, dass wir Damian und Albert gar nicht bemerkten, die in der Tür standen und heimlich Fotos schossen, bevor sie genauso schnell auch wieder verschwanden. Das Lied endete, unsere Lippen trafen sich, wir lächelten in den liebevollen Kuss. „Jetzt können wir ins Bett.“, murmelte sie und streckte die Arme nach oben, damit ich sie hochhob. Ich tat was sie wollte, schaltete den Fernseher aus und trug sie aus dem Wohnzimmer, sie machte den Lichtschalter aus. Ich trug sie die Treppen hoch, vor unserem Bett ließ ich sie hinunter. Sie zog sich den Schlafanzug an, der ordentliche gefaltet auf der Bettdecke lag, dann schlüpfte sie unter die Decke.

Ich folgte ihr kurz danach, wir kuschelten uns aneinander, die warme, gelbliche Nachttischlampe schenkte uns Licht. Nach einigen Minuten, schaltete ich das Licht aus, wir lagen Beide auf der Seite, ich hatte meinen Arm um sie gelegt und eng an mich gezogen. Ich atmete ihren vertrauten Aquamarinduft ein und seufzte zufrieden.

Mein Lebenslicht lag sicher und gesund in meinen Armen. "Gute Nacht.", gähnte sie. "Träum süß.", erwiderte ich sanft. Sie schlief schnell ein, kurz danach folgte auch ich ihr in das Reich der Träume, obwohl kein Traum so schön sein konnte, wie diese Realität.

#dh: kapitel 16

0 notes

dbpmsnews · 6 years ago

Text

Ignite Live Blog - BRK2189: Success with Teams Customer Panel – Best practices for deployments

If your organization is moving to Teams soon (or already has), this session can help you find success with end user adoption and usage. At the start of the session, a 9-person panel spanning many industries around the world were asked, why did you choose to move to Teams? I tho...

"Ignite Live Blog - BRK2189: Success with Teams Customer Panel – Best practices for deployments" by Heather Severino originally published October 7th 2018 in Microsoft Teams Events Blog articles

If your organization is moving to Teams soon (or already has), this session can help you find success with end user adoption and usage.

At the start of the session, a 9-person panel spanning many industries around the world were asked, why did you choose to move to Teams? I thought the answers would all be similar, focused around communication or collaboration. Wow, was I wrong!

Jacob Lindgren explained that his colleagues had thousands and thousands of emails and this was something he wanted to change. Carol Roberts described the new hire sprawl within her organization and that they didn’t know what to turn to, too many tools. Teams solved for that – to have one tool.

When asked how Teams is improving collaboration?

One panelist said it’s the one place users don’t feel lost. It’s the first platform that they get good file sharing for now. They have 8,000 1-to-1 chats per day.

8,000 1-to-1 chats per day! I started thinking about this and the thousands of emails mentioned earlier. If thousands of daily email messages within an organization can be turned into Team channel conversations and private chats (1-to-1 and 1-to-many), the return on investment can be tremendous in so many ways:

To start it can help with productivity. Team members share information quickly, ask questions and get answers quickly. They can be notified in many ways with team, channel and individual @ mentions. Have visibility to entire conversations as they are persistent, this means less time spent triaging their email inboxes and performing email cleanup/organization.

Knowledge sharing and searching is simplified. Tribal knowledge is shared in a space that team members and guests have access to over time and can easily search for key words topics within the Teams app.

For those administering Teams and Office 365 it means less mail to manage, simplified methods for archiving teams and taking teams offline.

When the panelists were asked about scenarios or examples that help people adopt the tool, Bernd Diel said they introduced features in a small way, like chat. Cashiers and warehouse staff started using audio calling like a walkie-talkie to check stock inventory. When Microsoft looked at the call data they thought something was wrong because it was used in such a short calling type of a way. Something they didn’t think was possible.

As the panel chat wrapped up advice for other companies transferring current workloads to Teams were shared. Here are the key takeaways:

Plan but don’t over plan.

The speed of change must always be slower than the speed of adoption.

Don’t wait too long. Users will find other tools and go around IT.

Collaborate – this is a whole new level of really understanding who you are working with in an organization and it really opens up who you are working with.

Making sure your users understand the value. How does this impact my productivity? How does it make my day to day better? Progress, not perfection. Simplifying the experience for the user so that its intuitive, just like picking up the phone to make a call.

If you can encourage your users to use it on the mobile app it becomes sticky and gets them to adopt it much faster.

Attendees had several questions for the panel. Here the are:

Question: Do any of you use Yammer? What to use when?

Answer: Yes, we do. Yammer is the first took we introduced to the company and then later we introduced Teams. We made a 2-minute video to explain the outer loop - Yammer - to ask a question and get feedback, when in Teams have a faster conversation. Really it depends on how you want to work. Some colleagues need more guidance.

Question: What are some of the creative ways you have used Teams?

Answer: Memeatropolis -we have lots of colleagues in their 20s and the memes were out of control. We created a space where the happy birthdays go, the fun responses and the noise is in one area. That team has 75 to 80 people.

Question: For anyone that was on-prep, did Exchange cause any issues or slow you down.

Answer: Exchange is the last tool we are moving to the cloud. We should have started with Exchange.

Question: Do any of you have use cases for external communications?

Answer: We are open federation as well. We have brought some guest users in. Federation should work for Teams, Teams to Skype online and on-prem.

Question: How do you prevent Teams sprawl so that members of many teams do not get frustrated?

Answer: We have champions documentations, we do renamed teams as needed, but we don’t want to get in the way if they want to create a team. There are ways to control teams, can set expiration for teams so that after so many days of not being used its closed.

Read Full Post

#Microsoft Teams Events Blog articles

0 notes

citacka-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Trainspotting 2: The boys are back and they're looking for trouble

Ako za starých čias

Autor recenzie: Michal Rodziňák

"It better not be shite, Danny". Túto nie práve sebavedomie povzbudzujúcu vetu si vraj pri natáčaní T2 režisér Danny Boyle vypočul mnohokrát. Neprekvapuje to, vzhľadom na závažnosť úlohy, ktorú si zobral na plecia. Nadviazať pokračovaním na úspešný film je samo o sebe dosť náročná úloha, a o to náročnejšia, ak sa prvý diel stal kultovou záležitosťou, dokonale zosobňujúcou náladu celej generácie. A naozaj, nový Trainspotting je viditeľne iný ako prvý diel, ale nie je to na škodu.

youtube

Za dvadsať rokov sa toho veľa zmení. Z mladistvých protagonistov prvého dielu sú dnes muži v strednom veku, hudba sa zmenila, svet je iný. Staré krivdy a minulosť však ostávajú rovnaké. Renton (Ewan McGregor) sa po dvadsiatich rokoch vracia späť do Škótska, kde sa od jeho kumpánov pochopiteľne nedočká vrelého privítania. Sick Boy, dnes už Simon (Johnny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle) a Spud (Ewen Bremner) na neho nezabudli, a hoci sa ich životy rozdelili rôznymi smermi, Rentonov príchod pre nich znamená začiatok nového, nostalgiou, priateľstvom, peniazmi a pomstou poháňaného príbehu. Aby toho nebolo málo, do ich životov zasiahne aj Simonova "partnerka", tajomná imigrantka Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova).

T2 viackrát odkazuje na prvý diel z roku 1996

Nostalgia je naozaj silnou zložkou filmu, nie len na plátne, ale aj v samotných divákoch. Nie je to však prvoplánové spomínanie v štýle "takí sme boli", hoci už len samotný pohľad na hercov vo svojich kultových rolách v sálach vyvoláva blažené úškrny. Naopak, minulosť je tu silne konfrontovaná so súčasným svetom, zmenami ktorými za dvadsať rokov prešiel. Rentonov slávny "choose life" monológ, legendárna scéna z prvého filmu, sa objavuje opäť v "updateovanej" verzií, tentoraz však už nie ako mladícky manifest revolty voči systému, ale skôr ako "ventil" tápajúceho muža v strednom veku. Postava Veroniky nastavuje zrkadlo problémom mužov okolo nej, tak,že hoci podľa legendárnych Rentonovych slov"it shite being scottish", inde je to ešte tažšie. Štvorka protagonistov sa snaží nájsť si miesto v novom, multikulturálnejšiom, technologickejšiom svete, každý ťahajúc za sebou batožinu z minulosti. Táto snaha je často úžasne zábavná (Spudove trampoty sú, napriek jeho neľahkému osudu, miestami najzábavnejšiou časťou filmu), film si rozhodne zachoval niečo z tej nespútanej hysterickosti prvého dielu. Na pretras príde aj politika, najmä vo vynikajúcej scéne, v ktorej musí Renton improvizovať pesničku pre sálu plnú protestantských hej-škótov.

Robert Carlyle v úlohe psychopata Begbieho exceluje

Pokračovanie Trainspottingu by však nefungovalo bez kvalitných dialógov a pevného príbehu. To sa mu viac menej podarilo, hoci záver filmu je možno príliš triler-ovitý, čo trochu nekorešponduje zo zvyškom príbehu. Herecké výkony sú veľmi dobré. Vynikajú najmä Ewen Bremner ako smoliarsky starý feťák, ktorého však jednoducho nemôžete nemilovať, a Robert Carlyle v úlohe ešte viac psychopatického a strašidelnejšieho Begbieho, ktorý túto úlohu zvládol naozaj virtuózne. Soundtrack je tiež dobre zostavený, hoci v ňom nenájdeme toľko vyčnievajúcich zapamätateľných momentov, ako v predošlom dieli.

Trainspotting 2 zrejme nedosiahne rovnako kultový status ako jednotka. Zopakovať dvakrát rovnaký recept by mu možno viac uškodilo ako pomohlo, čo si tvorcovia zrejme dobre uvedomili. Pôsobí však ako dôstojné a kvalitné doplnenie nedopovedaných príbehov, ktoré prvému dielu nerobí hanbu. Svetom možno nezatrasie, ale vidieť znova Rentona a spol. v kvalitne napísanom a natočenom príbehu padne dobre každému fanušikovi pôvodného filmu.

0 notes