#what is the most common stone in Paris

[4pmbookstacks]

✩ You can't escape! (the Music of the Night) Tsukasa / reader ; Aname / reader; Kou / reader — home ; masterlist - previous chapter : next chapter

II . . . LITTLE LOTTIE, FRANCE AWAITS

The bustling city of Paris rolled by the carriage window, citizens, women, men, and children alike, walking down the stone sidewalks and carriages were being pulled on the cobbled streets. The architecture that built one aspect of French culture spiraled above me, small details that would be missed by the unwatchful eye sitting in wait as it composed a scene of beauty and passion; France, Paris!, it was all so intoxicating even from within the carriage, I couldn’t resist taking in a deep breath as the song of hooves clanking away on the street and laughter and chatter from the streets filtering into the carriage, continued on. “Don’t get used to it all yet, Lottie,” Kou would tease upon seeing my deep breath in and out, noticing as my relaxed and almost homey expression; One I frequently wore once I was able to assure myself that I was in France, and this wasn’t another daydream. “Oh hush, Kou! Let me soak it all in.” The grin stretched upon my face, “It’s going to be my new home for the season, after all! Well, that is, if I’m able to pass through auditions well enough that I can be a part of the ensemble.” There was always an itching feeling in the back of my head, a doubt that was too far of a leap; That I should have picked somewhere else in France to start, slowly building myself up until I was truly ready for the Lotus Populaire. But, then, there were also the years of courage I had built up from countless sessions in London, where I ran as lead in the Operas there! So surely, this shouldn’t be so different.

Kou would let out a snicker-like-huff at my words, “I know, but just remember what we’re here for. . .an audition-” “-an audition, which I’m sure you will ace,” The words came out slightly mocking towards Kou, though all was meant in good fun, as he seemed fairly unamused that I spoke alongside him; seeming to know what he was going to say. “-which I’m sure you will ace!” He would finish abruptly, cutting me off and gaining a rather amused look. He would shake his head, “But we cannot forget that while beautiful, Paris can also be equally as dangerous! We’re going in and out, alright?-” Kou’s words would be interrupted once more during our trip as a melodramatic sigh was drawn out from my lips. There was a silence that followed after, at least, for a moment before Kou filled it. “For being brought up in wealth, you surely act like a commoner.” He would quip, watching as I took a playful, dramatic offense to his words. Like it had been a dagger in my heart, for he had insulted not only me yet my family and bloodline, including my dead relatives into the mix! Like it had been the most unproportional insult to the situation ever! Though then he would receive a scoff, “At least I’m not acting as a babysitter!” “At least I don’t need a babysitter-” “Kou Minamoto!”

“What? It’s true! What am I here for? Surely not just for moral support, you said it yourself!-” Kou rushed out, his hands gesturing out towards me before being held up as though a cop had found him guilty of a capital crime. “I’m here to act as a guard, babysitter, and moral support! With you? I have my hands completely filled playing those three roles and I don’t need for you to get injured or hurt or into some sort of trouble while we’re overseas!” While we’re overseas; He had a point, we were quite a bit away from home, and though we would have lavish accommodations during our three day stay, just long enough for the auditions and final casting, we were still not home. We were not with our families, in the safety and comfort of familiarity. Not even the Lotus Populaire was familiar to Kou nor I, as this would be both of our first instances seeing the new theater in all of its standing glory. And, throughout all of this, Kou was here to ensure I was both happy, suited, and safe. Even if he did call himself my babysitter, which was far from absurd because I simply did not need a babysitter at 21, almost 22! . . . He had a point.

And I would sink back against the seat, a defeated sigh leaving through my nose as Kou quirked a smile up at me. Carefully, he would rise from his seat parallel to mine and plop himself down next to me, drawing his arm over my shoulder and bringing me in close; A comforting side hug, his odd specialties, especially in a carriage ride. “Let me hear your wisdom today, grandfather.” I would tease before Kou even got a chance to speak. There was a roll of his eyes as his hand rubbed against my arm, both a playful warning to watch my wording and a comforting sensation that he was here; That while we were away from familiarity and home, he will do his best to fill such voids and gaps. “Maybe, I’ll let you have a little fun.” Kou started, peaking my attention, “A night in Paris, we can try that restaurant that you always wanted after your auditions tomorrow.” He would offer as the carriage began to come to a slow halt, drawing out until the driver stopped it completely on the cobble streets. There was a moment of blissful silence between Kou and I, a small moment shared in the comfort of the privacy of the carriage. Where not much had to be said other than a small, “I would like that,” as the comfortable silence continued, with some sort of hesitation that lingered in the air. I would notice as Kou seemed to be debating something within his head, he always grew this slightly pensive look with frowned eyebrows and a slightly pouty lip; It was adorable.

“Come on, let’s get out of the stuffy carriage!” I would exclaim, breaking the silence after a long, needed moment, as I grabbed Kou’s hand all too suddenly for him. He would jerk at the motion, seemingly being brought out of his thoughts as I opened the carriage door and, carefully, rushed down the steps to Kou’s protest. Though I barely was listening, it was Paris! And all at once it felt like the homesickness washed away, even for a moment, as I stood in front of the familiar apartment that the Minamoto’s used when they would travel down during season. Kou seemed just as relieved to see the old, but luxurious building as I was, as he parted to go pay the carriage driver and to handle one bag we each brought, full of belongings. It had been a while since Kou and I had been able to visit the old Minamoto France apartment, for the family sparingly came to France anymore due to the old Opera House burning; And I’m convinced that his father believes that it’ll surely happen once more, and of course with the news of the mysterious chandelier–that had been remade countless of times from the Opera Populaire and not moved into the Lotus Populaire, hanging above the seating in the auditorium–falling a handful of times for seemingly no reason solidified such fears within him.

So the apartment sat untouched, saved for some maids that did a routine bi-weekly clean on the old girl, simply to keep out the rats or possible insects that would enjoy to claim an untouched lavish apartment; Dressed in silks and fine leather and even finer wood, all importanted from the best salesman around the globe to provide the utmost comfort on a trip away from home.

“Louise!” A smile beamed onto my face upon the door of the apartment opening. It stifled my giggle as I heard Kou, slightly, struggling with the baggage behind me.

Louise paused with a start, glancing over upon hearing the familiar yet aged voice of a girl she had known all too well. When her eyes rested on mine, a grin couldn’t help but form on her more wrinkled face before she left her post at the door, rushing over to press two greetings kissing upon my cheek. I would return in kind. Despite being Minamoto's French-hired maid, Louise was nothing short of a miracle worker! Though by her appearance, I was sure not many would realize as such; For she was definitely on her aging years, where everything was slowly starting to take a toll on her yet she couldn’t bother to let such ‘absurdities’ – in her own words – show! She was a paler woman, who leaned upon the shorter side as well, who worked in the same clothes she had when she started, though you were sure she cleaned them well, with her hair graying caramel tied up in a tight bun. Yet, no matter her age, her eyes were as motherly as they always had been from the day I met her. “Ah, it has been simply too long!” Louise would grin, her more boney hands finding their way around my shoulder, “Come! Come inside! Mrs. Minamoto already let me know of Kou’s and your arrival! Everything has been prepared, no need to stress. I’m sure you had enough of that during your travels.” Her voice came off soothing, eager and chipper, as she led me into the living room of the flat, motioning for me to sit down on the couches. As I would do so, happily chatting to Louise about our journey from the little old Kingdom to France, Kou would stumble into the flat carrying two bags with a huff. The sound of the carriage’s horse trotting off could be heard through the door, yet you paid it no mind, as Kou would try to heavy the bags once more. . . despite his previous struggles. Louise was quick to notice, and quick to have nothing of the sorts happening under this roof, “Ah, ah! Little Viscount, put those bags down.” She would scold, “You’ve had a long journey yourself, the luggage can be carried by another.” “Louise,” Kou let out an airy laugh as she rushed over to him, ushering the bags to be placed by a wave of her hand. Kou, defeated and not wanting to hurt the old maid, placed the baggage down on the floor with a small, yet charming, smile. “We don’t have anyone else to carry the baggage up, it’s completely alright. I can do it, no need for you too–”

“Oh no need for that! Your father has hired a new assistant, due to my ‘old age’ he says. I told him it was simply unneeded yet he insisted,” There was a playful frown that twinged on Louise’s lips as she spoke about the new assistant, or maybe her aging. I was sure it was a combination of both as she waved Kou to sit on the couches and make himself comfortable, all the while claiming she would go find the new butler. “Well,” Kou started as he stifled back a chuckle, walking around the couches and over to me. He would plop down on the couch, rather dramatically in my opinion, as his arms sprung out on the backside of the couch and his legs extended forward. “I’m glad to know Ms. Louise is as living as ever.” Kou would only receive a head shake in return, his foolishness sparingly getting a remark from me; As instead, I decided to take in the new furnishings of the apartment, as it had changed from my last visit. No longer was everything draped in pretty blues that compliment one another, yet instead had shifted to more browns mixed with maroon. It created a homey feeling, for sure, and no longer stuck out as strange to passersby on the street, who just so happen to peek inside. The living room in particular changed more, as the velvet deep navy couches no longer sat parallel to each other with a oak coffee table in between, yet was now replaced with  two maroon red couches shaped like an L, both plush and wrapped in silk, with a small table between them and a matching wool carpet below them. It was a large change from the usual cooling blue tones to now a soothing, yet striking, maroon and spruce; Though it was somehow comforting, almost as though the room and furniture was enclosing to give me a great big, warming, hug after such a long journey–which was enhanced more by the warm orange and pinks hues that filtered in through windows thanks to setting sun. I wouldn’t notice how my muscles would relax against the softer couches, how I had slumped a little, or how my eyelids began to droop ever so slightly.

Yet, Kou noticed and alerted me, gently, to the problem as soon as it came to his attention with a gentle nudge. I had possibly already dozed off, having been awoken to his soft voice, “Maybe you should head to bed,” was his warming suggestion to my cold reply of a head shake. It would be improper to leave before meeting the new assistant that had been hired, furthermore to leave Kou by himself on the first night of Paris when we already have plans made! “Lottie,” Though his sterner voice would seep through, mimicking that of his brothers, as he rose to his feet. His hands grabbed ahold of and intertwined with my own, slowly and carefully dragging me upon my suddenly aching feet. “It was a good few hours from the steamer boat to the carriage ride, and frankly I feel the  fatigue nipping away at myself. We’ll push our plans back until tomorrow, you may simply just head to bed and I’ll stay to meet the new Butler.” There was a protest that dared to fall from my lips, though Kou was quick to hush the concerns, especially since he practically left me with no choice. He was stubborn, much so like his elder brother, and I was sure he would not quit until I was tucked into bed. So there was reluctant agreement on my part to his whole ordeal. “Good, thank you, now to bed.” There was a sly hint of concern that filtered through Kou’s words as he gave my hands one final squeeze, before the teasing followed, “I assure you the layout of the flat has not changed.”

He would only get sarcasm in return, “Very funny Kou.” Though I wouldn’t stay around longer than that, as I parted our hands every so slowly before turning sluggishly and exited the living room, walking down the hallways to Kou shouting something along the lines of ‘good night!’ which I would mimic. My hand would rise to slide along the walls of the apartment, feeling the textured walls made out of the smooth wallpaper that I was too tired to pay attention to, run across my fingers as I walked up the hard wooden stairs. They still creaked, even if just a little in my imagination, as I walked up to them as they had done all the years ago. Then down the hallway upstairs to a room nuzzled in the far end of the hall, on the left, near the window that peaked out onto the Paris streets, I would find my room–or more promptly the guest bedroom that I had claimed my own, due to my constant visitation–and would open the door with a familiar swing. Slugging off my shoes, leaving them by the door, I found myself by the mirror that laid by my bed, though not facing it. Without much care, feeling the drowsing hands of sleep caressing my body, I would work on the layers of my clothing, dropping each one until I was suitable enough for bed; Most likely my under clothes that poor Louise would iron out later with a fuss, as a proper citizen would not sleep in such conditions! Though, that would be a problem she would have to fuss about tomorrow, as I would climb into the plush bed and snuggle my way under the blankets. It all felt heavier, comforter, softer than I remembered them being and the question of if the Minamoto family had changed the bedrooms too crossed my mind. It didn’t get to linger long once my eyes fluttered closed, as the sweet release of sleep washed over my clouded mind. It would simply have to be a question for tomorrow.

— home ; masterlist ; next chapter

© 4pmbookstacks, teeful-corner, March 2024. do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or copy my works without permission asked beforehand.

[the-hinky-panda]

The Winter Series: Part I

Title: The Winter Series

Pairing: Aramis x OFC (written as a reader)

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Aramis is making good on his promise to God to become a monk. At least he's trying to make good on that promise. But you burst on the scene, a French spy from across the border of Spain with all sorts of temptations to lead him astray.

Taglist: @bullet-prooflove @kmc1989, @trublu2u, @nsr-15

It’s been two months since Aramis has arrived at the monastery and he’s beginning to think that this is a monumental mistake. The first month he threw himself into this new life. First one to prayers, helping in the kitchens, studying scriptures outside and enjoying the birdsong, tending the small garden. He felt at peace, confident in his decision to be here. 

That feeling doesn’t last as he enters into the second month. The birds are grating on his nerves. The fresh air is irritating to his nose. The prayers are repetitive and his mind wanders more and more. To the war, to his friends…to the Queen, to his son. He longs for the feel of his sword in his hand, the smooth grip of his pistol, the excitement of the fight. At least he had felt useful as a Musketeer, actively righting the world’s wrongs instead of just praying for things to change. 

That is why when the Abbot asked for someone to pick up supplies from the town below the monastery, Aramis was the first one to volunteer. It wasn’t exciting at all, just a collection of vegetables, eggs, and grain but it gave him an opportunity to see the bustling life of the common man. The village wasn’t far from a port town close to the Spanish border. The marketplace was better supplied than most given that proximity to a port, so it was always fascinating to see the handmade trinkets or foods that would never make it up to Paris. 

“Stop her!” 

Every instinct as a trained soldier flares to life at the shout that echoes across the marketplace. Aramis sees the culprit fleeing, ducking around vendors, before making a sprint to an old stone church. Three men follow close at your heels and Aramis joins in the chase before he remembers this isn’t his business any more. But that hesitation only lasts a moment before he makes his way to the back door of the church. Where else is he going to find a bit of excitement? Certainly not back at the monastery delivering food. Besides, you could be in need of help and what kind of monk would that make him if he didn’t offer help to those in need? 

When he comes through the back door, he sees four men now, armed with pistols and swords. They’re dressed in plain clothes, Spanish clothes, but their movements are most certainly that of soldiers. He stays hidden behind the table of candles, half of which are lit when he sees the confessional box on the other side of the sanctuary. A confessional that has a tip of a cloak peeking out from under the curtain. 

The door opens and two more men come in and start conversing in Spanish at the back. He catches phrases, I saw her come in here, Not too many places to hide, Confessional…

Aramis goes around the back of the dias and is able to reach the priest’s side of the confessional. So far, he can’t see any priest on that side of the box and there’s no whispered conversations happening. He takes the opportunity and slips into the confessional, quietly closing the door behind him. He hears a sharp intake of breath from the other side but there are no other sounds. You must be sitting as still as death to warrant not so much as a creak from the old wood bench. With a deep breath, he pulls back the slider that reveals the latticed window into your side of the box. 

“Your cloak is peeking out from under the curtain.” 

He hears the soft rustle of fabric as you pull it into the confessional. “Thank you. Uh, forgive me Father for I have sinned-” 

“I’m sure you have but that’s not why I’m here.” He can’t see much of your features but he can see your eyes, wide with surprise and a color caught between blue and gray. 

“You’re not a priest?” 

How to answer that question. “I’m afraid that’s a bit complicated at the moment but I can assure you that I’m not the one to give you absolution for your sins. There are six men, Spanish from the looks of it, out in the vestibule. Why are they here?” 

“You’re a soldier.” 

“In another lifetime. But I can still help you.” 

You take half a heartbeat to answer. “Do you know the innkeeper here, Jean Luc Moreau?” 

“I’m fairly new, I don’t know anyone yet.” 

“I was supposed to meet him but when I went by the inn, it was filled with Spanish,” you pause, “visitors.” 

“Soldiers.” You don’t say anything and that silence tells Aramis everything he needs to know. “You’re a French spy.” 

“I just need to wait for them to leave so I can deliver the letters to Moreau. He has someone who’s going to take them back to Paris but they’re not arriving until tomorrow afternoon.” 

“So we have some time to hide you.” Aramis starts planning an escape route but the sound of the Spanish soldiers outside the confessional interrupt him. “Stay in here, no matter what.” 

He steps out of the confessional and greets the soldiers that are circling the confessional. “Greetings, gentlemen. I’m afraid I’m the only Priest available at the moment, so if you would please just take a seat, we will be done momentarily.” 

“We’re not here for forgiveness,” the largest of the group says in heavily accented French. “We’re looking for a runaway.” 

“Ah, I’m afraid we haven’t had any children arrive-” 

“Not a child,” another man says, tall and blade thin. “A woman. Her father is in high standing, she was betrothed to a nobleman. We fear she may have gotten nervous about the marriage.” 

Aramis lays a hand over his heart. “I shouldn’t reveal anything about a parishioner’s confession, but I can assure you the lady currently in there is already married. And not much of a lady.” 

“We would like to wait to make sure it is not our master’s daughter, if you don’t mind.” 

“Of course,” Aramis bows respectfully. There’s little he can do facing down six Spanish soldiers with no weapons other than his hands. He’ll have to rely on his brain then and hopefully some luck. As he goes back around to the priest’s entrance of the confessional, he runs into one of the priests. He immediately puts a finger to his mouth and the priest’s surprise turns quickly to understanding. Aramis tells him quickly about your plight and the need to get you to safety. He nods, telling Aramis to stay there safely out of sight of the six men who are now sitting in the pews. When he returns, he has a set of nun’s robes and he unlatches a false door that opens the confessor’s side of the box. 

It’s the first clear sight Aramis has had of you. You’re dressed in simple clothing, no jewelry. Your dark hair is braided and coiled at the base of your neck and your eyes, still that odd coloration, are even larger without the lattice barrier between you two. You’re scared, but your mouth is pressed in a firm line. It’s not your first tight spot, Aramis bets, but it’s definitely an alarming one nonetheless. The priest hands you the nun’s clothes. 

“Dress in these and leave your clothes in the confessional,” he whispers to you. “I’ll have one of the sisters wear your clothes out of here.” 

“You have a way for us to exit?” Aramis asks. 

“Yes,” the priest answers. “Take her up to the monastery with you. Dressed as one of our sisters, no one will say anything.” 

“Thank you, Father,” you say as you take the robes. 

Aramis touches the Priest’s arm. “Yes, thank you.” 

He closes the door so you can change privately. “Mademoiselle Sartre is a friend to our parish and this town. See that she remains safe.” 

“I will.” 

The hidden door opens again and you appear now in the simple nun robes. The priest points to the side hallway and Aramis pulls his hood up over his head. The two of you hurry through the side hallway and open the back door to the church, bringing you directly into the graveyard. Aramis lightly touches your elbow. 

“Keep your head down, leave the watchfulness to me.” 

“Alright.” 

Thankfully the food order had already been acquired so making their way back to the horse and wagon is a quick and efficient process. He helps you up into the front seat before climbing up himself. 

“Take a pass by the inn on the way out of town.”  

He nods and turns the horse in that direction. The innkeeper, Moreau, is standing outside the door feigning interest in the shoppers passing by. When his eyes land on the cart, you lay a hand on your heart. He responds similarly. 

“Do you want me to stop?” 

“No, keep going.” You turn your eyes forward again and Moreau goes back inside the tavern. “He knows I’ll return tomorrow. Besides, I don’t want to put him in danger of having the documents with the Spanish soldiers still around.” 

“Understandable. I’ll return with you tomorrow just in case our Spanish friends are still in town.” 

“That’s not necessary. I don’t want to put you in any more danger than I already have.” 

“I do have to say,” Aramis gives the town one last glance over his shoulder to make sure no one is following them, “today was a nice jolt of excitement.” 

You give him a smile, albeit a slight one. “You are the strangest monk I’ve ever come across.” 

“You will find no argument from me.” 

[blueiscoool]

Sprawling 2,000-Year Old Cemetery Discovered in France

In the middle of the first century B.C. — more than 2,000 years ago — scattered graves were dug next to a roadside in France.

For the next 600 years, what started as a few burials evolved into a sprawling cemetery filled with various types of graves and teeming with burial treasures. About 1,300 years ago, the site finally fell out of use, and its contents were left alone.

That is until now.

The development of a park near what is now the village of Saint-Vulbas led archaeologists to the discovery of the huge burial site in 2018, according to a Jan. 22 news release from the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP). Since then, they’ve discovered more than 1,000 funerary structures — including 550 burials, 200 cremations, 30 funerary enclosures and 200 structures of an unknown nature.

After the initial burials, the cemetery, which was delimited by ditches and the road, became more densely populated toward the end of the first century B.C. and the start of the first century A.D., officials said.

The majority of these early burials belonged to toddlers. Archaeologists said they discovered 160 child graves. Most children were buried in a container made of wood or stone. Four children were cremated.

An area of pyre pits that was used through the second century was also found at the site, archaeologists said. Later, graves appeared closer to the edges of the site, marked by ditches, and were organized in rows.

Experts said they found evidence of both burials and cremations. Early on, burials were most common, but cremations became more popular between 60 A.D. and 100 A.D. before declining and mostly disappearing by the start of the fourth century A.D.

Cremated remains were usually found in single containers — such as a vase or box — but there were some double and triple containers, according to officials.

A variety of burial types were discovered at the site. Archaeologists unearthed some burials from the ground, but they also found covered pits and coffins.

Some burials were full of treasures, including an abundance of furniture and small vases, experts said.

Archaeologists found more furniture and grave deposits in child graves in early period burials at the cemetery.

However, the connection between age and burial treatment seemed to weaken over time. Ceramic objects and small pieces of furniture were found in later burials of all aged people.

A ditch at the site was also excavated, and researchers found a trove of cooking pots and jugs that might have been used to bring food and drinks for funeral meals or commemorations at the cemetery, officials said.

Saint-Vulbas is about 300 miles southeast of Paris.

By Moira Ritter.

[stephensmithuk]

The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Retrospection

It was common to refer to foreigners by the foreign versions of their titles; much less common today.

Costa Rica declared its independence from the defunct Federal Republic of Central America in 1838. Bar three small exceptions, most of Latin America was independent by 1889.

It was much easier for people to establish new identities back then - documents were much easier to forge.

The British Museum opened in June 1753; its two most controversial exhibits, the Elgin Marbles and Rosetta Stone had long been present by this time.

Dr Mortimer would be facing a professional conduct hearing today - he's blabbed about a man's heart condition to a stranger with no good reason!

Fulham Road, aka the A304, runs from the bottom end of Chelsea to Fulham Palace, then the home of the Bishop of London and now a museum. It passes Stamford Bridge, home ground of Chelsea FC.

Ross and Mangles sounds a rather on-the-nose name for somewhere that sells big, vicious dogs.

The "West Country" is an area covering SW England; precise definitions vary, but it would include Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, along with the city of Bristol. There is an ITV region called ITV West Country that covers this area, with its own local news programme.

One assumes that the page survived despite Stapleton/Baskerville shooting him like that.

"It is suggestive that Anthony is not a common name in England" - although there have been quite a few well-known people with that name since, such as Anthony "Tony" Blair or Anthony Ainley, the latter being the Master in Doctor Who from 1980 to 1989.

I can't find a white jessamine, but there are several plants called "white jasmine".

Les Huguenots is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer that premiered in Paris in 1836. It's about the events leading up to the 1572 St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which was the mass murder of Protestants by Catholics in that country. A 2018 production can be viewed here:

The de Reszkes were three opera singers from this period who came from what was then the Russian-ruled "Congress Poland" - Josephine had retired at this point (and would die in 1891 aged 35), but Édouard and Jean were hugely acclaimed, making popular performances in London and later being honoured by Queen Victoria with the Royal Victorian Order.

That award, created in 1896, was and is at the sole discretion of the monarch; it is typically given for personal service to the monarch. Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, was made a Knight Grand Cross in that order in 2023 by Charles III, basically for doing the Coronation. Needing to adjust the Crown on his head clearly didn't count againat him.

That wraps The Hound of the Baskervilles. Onto The Valley of Fear!

[inspofromancientworld]

Code of Hammurabi

By Mbzt - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16931676

The Code of Hammurabi was written between 1755-1850 BCE in Akkadian and inscribed on a basalt stele, or stone pillar, that is 2.25m (7' 4.5") tall. It was rediscovered in 1901 in Susa, Iran, was taken as plunder, and now is in the Louvre Museum in Paris France. It is the longest, most organized, and best preserved legal code of the ancient Near East. It is not the oldest, though. That title goes to the Code of Ur-Nammu, which was written around 2100-2050 BCE and was still being copied when Hammurabi's code was written. There did seem to be a change in focus, though, from compensation in the Code of Ur-Nammu to punishment in the Code of Hammurabi.

By Mbzt - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59794940

The top of the stele has an image of Hammurabi and Shamash, the Babylonian god of the sun and justice, on it. The figure on the left is standing, facing the other with one hand raised and the other held across the waist with fabric draped over his arm. The other is seated, wearing a multilayered skirt, holding a rod and ring in one hand, seemingly offering or accepting it, with what might be the back of the chair or rays coming from behind his shoulders. Whether the standing figure is Hammurabi or Shamash is up for debate. The Rod and ring are thought to be measuring tools or emblems of kingship.

By Deror avi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6042133

In total, there are 4130 lines of text on the stele. The first 300 go through Hammurabi's royal authority based on his family line and being chosen by Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon, and other gods conferred on him. He then enumerates his many qualities as king, including being 'pious' repeatedly. The last lines of the introduction state that the the writing of the Code was to fulfill Marduk's request to 'establish "truth and justice"…for the people'.

The next 3330 lines enumerate the laws of the Code. These lines cover approximately 282 laws covering a wide range of topics from offenses against the law such as leveling false charges through to property law, trade law to family law, as well as labor laws. It isn't, however, a complete codex of the laws of the land as it misses laws relating to shepherds though it covers laws relating to cattle herders. The laws are also written in an 'if…then…' format, lacking any generalized laws as well as covering some extremely unlikely events, like using goats (very unruly animals) to thresh grain. It also apparently wasn't used very much by judges at the time based on the fact that no legal documentation that we have references it. The closest is two references to 'a stele', but many judgments cite royal decrees, and many judgments run counter to the Code.

Some think that the Code isn't an actual list of laws, but an example of how judgments should be formulated, that it was meant to be a work of scholarship. Supporting this is that the laws come in pairs, such as one that says a physician should be paid if they perform a service that heals while they should be punished if the treatment causes death or blindness. Laws also differed based on the offender and the victim. There were three levels of people listed, awīlum, muškēnum, and wardum (male)/amtum (female). Wardum and amtum are the slave class. The other two are uncertain, but most likely 'gentleman' and 'commoner' respectively. There were also nuances within the classes themselves, based on laws that reference one being higher than another.

The final 500 lines reiterate that Hammurabi established the law, that the law should be read aloud to anyone who wrongheadedly brings a lawsuit, and a wish for good fortune on those that follow the laws and the wrath of the gods on those who ignore it. Twelve gods are invoked to punish those who don't acknowledge or adhere to the Code.

[paingoes]

can we send Paris and Delta (destroyer) to couples therapy???????? (Not as a ship or anything just like I'm imagining them going to therapy for Paris being an ass or something and Paris being outraged at the fact that the therapist thought they were dating)

okay so here's a little fact that may surprise you: both delta and paris have already been to therapy. a lot actually!

it was really bad

the emperor pays for paris to go because paris is such a fucking problem child when he's younger. the therapy is extremely unhelpful and dismissive of all of paris's fairly legitimate concerns about his life. its very victim blamey. all it was really designed to do was make him complacent and a "better son" because his father is so sick of his shit. paris forms very negative associations with it for this reason.

delta's case is even worse because it was presented to him as if it was a legitimate therapy course but all it was really designed to do was probe for doubt/disobedience/mental instability that might have affected his functionality as a weapon. he learns very quickly that he's just supposed to tell them what they want to hear so they don't have to turn the brainwashing up to 11.

putting aside all the structures dedicated to unpersoning delta - and assuming paris can even slide you into his schedule - they would still need to be absolutely forced at gun point to even entertain this kind of thing.

unfortunately for you if you have them as a client, they are absolutely ganging up on you. paris and delta are most harmonious when they have a common enemy. paris is doing everything in his power to try and destroy this therapists self-esteem and practice. delta is kinda just slyly going along with it and backing him up (because delta is also capable of being a stone cold bitch). however delta will pause a little bit if you genuinely try to probe into his feelings and may waver in trying to tear you apart.

the dating thing is the last straw for paris and you cannot keep him in the office anymore. delta is less bothered by it. he's fairly used to the concubine comments at this point.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I think the only one I like out of those Secrets is Ivan singing heavy metal lullabies to his little sister.

Ya know what I have the list pulled up so I can go over them and give my opinions real quick!

1.) "When Alix was a child, she was given a rabbit as a gift... from her future self!" - Kinda cute. Hope she at least like, warned her dad somehow because dropping a pet on a child is a bad time.

2.) "Juleka's song: "Even if nothing is decided, nothing as solid as stone, everything can burn up and then we are alone... So love life, eternity."" - this is just the lyrics to what she sang as a record in Migration. On brand for her though.

3.) "Nino's headphones were given to him by his favorite DJ after a concert. That's why he always carries them with him!" - that's cute!!

4.) "Nathaniel naturally has chestnut brown hair. His hair is dyed by Alix." - Brunette!Nath is cursed so this isn't canon to me but it's a fun tidbit in theory!

5.) "Ivan sings heavy metal lullabies to his little sister. And she seems to like them a lot." - Adorable!!! I'm debating on yeeting into HC/LL because I always planned on him being an only child.

6.) "Sabrina's best friend before Chloé was Cléo." - Naur Cléo!!! No seriously whomst the FUCK-

7.) "André sells his ice cream at locations where famous French films were shot." - Fair enough. It works in the sense of always being able to find him.

8.) "Miss Bustier was once a student of Mr. Damoclès and once pinned a fish on his back as an April Fool's joke!" - This one's cute I love it! This one should come with an anecdote for the foreign audience that the French have a fish-themed April Fool's Day and this is a common prank for children. Doesn't make it less fun!

9.) This one was a 'sketch from Marinette' rather than a fact, and was an image of a dress. It's a pretty basic but cute dress.

10.) "Sass's favorite food is a tofu" - why??? Why is the Snake's tofu?? What happened to the fridge magnets with the gummy worm snack? Granted that didn't make the most sense either but the consistency.

11.) "Marinette wears her 2 pigtails in memory of a very good friend from school who is sadly no longer at her school." - In theory this is cute but I hate nearly everything about Socqueline's existence.

12.) "Adrien's full name is Adrien Émile Gabriel Donatien Athanase Agreste." - the absolute fucking EGO from his parents to have two of his middle names be their names.

13.) "Since Plagg adores cheese, especially Camembert, Adrien had to convince Nathalie that he is obsessed with Camembert." - Absolute fucking hilarious.

14.) "Gabriel's real name is Gabi Grassette" - I actually hate this. I hate this so much. Like it's inconsequential in the long run and it makes sense but GOD I hate it for some reason.

15.) "Kim actually has two surnames namely "Ature" and "Lê Chiến", then after their marriage both of his fathers each kept their surname." - this would be cuter if I didn't know it was a retcon of a retcon. It was originally "Lê Chiến", then they changed it to "Ature", and then they got backlash for it. But hey two dads now if only htey'll show up on screen! (this may end up in HC/LL? Debating).

16.) "What if Lila's biggest lie so far was that her name wasn't Lila?" - so on principal I hate this whole superspy con artist plot, but this is fucking hilarious.

17.) "The real name of The Gorilla is Placide I.T." - I think I already dunked on this enough.

18.) "Alya has received various Chinese treatments from Master Fu. So, he almost chose Alya over Marinette... to be Ladybug!" - I hate this one actually. Like not that I don't like LB!Alya! But she's new to Paris but has somehow received various treatments from Fu? Yet on the other hand Fu knew her very well and could've easily mentored her, but he decided to go out and choose some rando???? the fuck???

19.) "As a child, Marinette dreamed of tailoring a hat for the Eiffel Tower to protect it from snow. And from then on, all she wanted to do was be a fashion designer!" - That's really cute I love it so much!!!

20.) "Zoé's best friend in the New York City was Jessica Keynes." - I hate this. I hate this so much. This makes Jess look like such a shitty friend.

21.) "Kagami has drawn a manga about her childhood in Japan but she hasn't dared to publish it yet." - Adorable, actually!

22.) "Rose and Prince Ali stayed in touch after they first met and have become really good friends." - We knew ofc but it's glad to have it confirmed!

[contes-de-rheio]

Monolith Do Not Exist

Let’s be honest, this sentence is one of the very few that sounds so much better in French, but I’m not here to discuss translation and adaptation issues.

What bugs me the most when I read worldbuilding posts is the impression everything is a monolith. Like you read the description of a country (sometimes a continent), and they have one architecture style, one type of traditional clothes, one religion and one language, even though communication is stuck in Middle Ages.  

Then I look at France, my home country, and, even today, you can see many differences from one place to another. Just look at architecture. In the North many buildings are built with red bricks, giving them a very distinct color. In Normandy,  Slates are used for rooftops and traditional building are one floor high (very low!), while on the coastline of this region you can see very distinctive English influences. Then Paris has this typical style called Haussmanian (6-7 floors, slate rooftop, white stone).

And the same goes on for everything else: religion (50% Christians, 40% atheists, 5% Islam), each region has its traditional clothes (though you’ll only see them in special events now), and as for languages, though French is the official language and most dialects are poorly treated by the elites and the government, some are still very much alive (Brezhoneg, Euskera, Chtimi come to mind).

So, if your world has more than one religion, consider there will be some minorities of other religions present in that country, even if your State has an official, aka State religion (France was Catholic for a long time). Immigration (forced or not) will bring new faiths in a country, trade too. Note, some minor faiths may be persecuted or discriminated against (consider the history of Jewish people).

Architecture was built with whatever materials were available in the area, because transport of heavy stones was too costly. Only the king and very rich people could afford to import other materials (in France, marble came from the southern mountain ranges, the Pyrenees and the Alps).

Traditional clothes would be made in the main materials of the area (from plants or animals), and you should also consider if people can or can’t dye them. Many traditional clothes in France have mainly black and white, with some touch of other colors... which might also be because most of these clothes were worn for mass, when people tried to look their best, but still modest in a way. Let’s note, certain dye were only available in some places (Florence had a famous blue), or legally restrained to specific social status (in Korea, gold and silver could only be worn by the royal family, bright colors were for the upper class, and the rest of the population was reduced to gray, white, brown and pale green).

Language should have variations (huge and small) unless you have modern communication or a schooling system where all children are taught a common language (it can still be their secondary language, btw). And while modern countries generally have one (sometime more) administrative language, it should be noted it hasn’t always been the case.

I don’t really have a conclusion, except please consider adding some variation in your worldbuilding, especially if you’re aiming for realism. By this, I don’t mean make detailed notes of every variation of every little thing, but even having a mention in passing can help a reader’s immersion in your story.

[gay-arsonists-lullaby]

Character introduction: Vincencia

• Vincencia -- meaning prevailing and triumphant,

• she/her, (very) aroace coded {and, well, she might be having a minor little gender crisis}

• a girl who, despite being on the brink of grief and rage induced madness, finds reason to live in a group of mythical deities she was always thought to fear after her village drowns her for “witchcraft” {but don't worry, I do find the concept of the ‘if I seek revenge against them I am no better than them’ trope quite infuriating, so yes, she will get a sickle and she will get to kill a dude, maybe even set something on fire. who am I kidding, of course she is going to set something on fire.}

• “ the river has remembered you ever since the day they drowned you in it.”

• all of this is going on in a folk-based fantasy realm (with slight horror elements), but fair warning, most of it is just vibes for now, sorry.

• once I post more of my OCs, you might notice that “dealing with horrific trauma through unconventional means” is a very common theme. does that say something about me as a person? no, of course not, what would even make you think that.

• “ here, we are all victims of the rules we were forced to live by.”

• DREAM GIRL EVIL - Florence and the Machine { “I am not your dream girl. I am the sudden shouting of crows when you enter a part of the forest you shouldn't have.” }

• “ ‘I could fix him’ this, ‘I could make him worse’ that... good for you, I guess? I could make myself worse and by doing so become the only think he'll ever truly be afraid of. ”

• “if he puts his hands on you, cut them off.” {Kiki Rockwell vibes at their finest}

• SAME OLD ENERGY - Kiki Rockwell / BURN YOUR VILLAGE - Kiki Rockwell {you do not dance everyday with the fear of living in headlights, the hunted, the deer}

• oh to be a deer in the headlights

• “ a lone boy on the highway / you think "that could be me." / but you were born a woman and you'll never be that free.” - MILES TO GO

• LABOUR - Paris Paloma / AS GOOD A RESON - Paris Paloma

• “for if I'm going down / I guess I'll take you with me / screaming birds sound an awful lot like singing” - THE FRUITS

• “ your man-made Gods mean nothing in these woods.”

• “a woman's first blood doesn't come from between her legs but from biting her tongue. ” - The No You Never Listened To | Meggie Royer

• “herr God, herr Lucifer, beware beware / out of the ash I rise with my red hair / and I eat men like air. ” - Lady Lazarus | Sylvia Plath

• “ it seems you are going to have to kill me twice after all.”

• I am not trapped in my own body, I am trapped in the way people perceive it. I think I wish to not be perceived at all. {just a raging and formless cloud, really. honestly, same, Vince, same}

• “dear mother, dear father; this is just survival. ”

• “-the real monsters do not have fangs and serpents upon their head; they are your friends, the men you defend, the hunters of the women you've condemned.” - I'd Rather Be Turned Into Stone Than Ever Be Like You | T.M.

• “it goes / all my troubles on a burning pile / all lit up and I start to smile. ” - BURNING PILE

• BOTTOM OF THE RIVER - Delta Rey

• “I am someone who did not die when I should have died.” - Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides | Anne Carson

• WHICH WITCH - Florence and the Machine

• “isn't it strange, how we were taught to fear the witches, and not those who drowned them alive?”

[psalm22-6]

Source: the Sacramento Daily Union, 21 October 1862

This is the fourth volume of Hugo's greatest work. Above and beyond the fascination of a skilfully wrought romance, this marvelous book is an exposition of the philosophy of revolution, and a most eloquent plea for social charity and political amelioration. A notable passage in this volume treats of  “argot,” or the slang tongue in use among the pariahs of Paris. The nature of this dialect in thus set forth : In a purely literary point of view, few studies would be more curious and more prolific than that of argot. It is a complete language within a language, a sort of diseased excrescence, a sickly graft which has produced a vegetation, a parasite which has its roots in the old Gallic trunk, the sinister foliage of which creeps over an entire side of the language. That is what may be called the primary aspect, the general aspect of argot. But to those who study language as it should be studied, that is to say as geologists study the earth, argot appears, as it were, a true alluvium. According as we dig more or less deep, we find in argot, beneath the old popular French, Provencal, Spanish, Italian, Levantine, this language of the Mediterranean ports, English and German, romance in its three varieties, French romance, Italian romance, Romance romance, Latin, and finally, Basque and Celtic. A deep and grotesque formation. A subterranean edifice built in common by all the miserable. Each accursed race has deposited its stratum, each suffering has dropped its stone, each heart has given its pebble. A multitude of evil, low, or embittered souls, who have passed through life and vanished in eternity, are preserved here almost entire and in some sort still visible under the form of a monstrous word. Paris in the throes of revolution is powerfully depicted in this volume. It is the uprising of 1830 of which the novelist treats, and his obvious aim is to bring to light the causes working toward that outbreak, and which will continue to threaten the peace of society as long as they exist. Through all the exciting scenes of this stirring epoch, Jean Valjean, Cosette, Marin, Gavroche, the gamin, and other characters that have become familiar, pursue their way, performing their respective parts in the grand social drama and tending toward an end which seems to be foreshadowed. When we receive the final volume, "Jean Valjean," we shall devote some space to an analysis and consideration of the character and tendency of "Les Miserables."

[stylewhiz]

The Fantastical City Of Light

'The Fantastical City Of Light'

So here we are in 2023 in a world where epidemics, price hikes, and fear of what's to come are the topics most people are concerned with while in a distant European city, there is magic to be felt and seen. Paris, France is a magnetic metropolis alive with regal history and quaint sidewalk cafes offering a unique passersby perspective. The city of light is expansive and filled with curious ideals as love is the French currency and embellished by the eloquent tone of its native language. To sum up, this city of light delivers a sermon of ancient architecture copied by worldly architects for their unique visual in the format of Art Deco - Gothic - Romanesque - Renaissance and lavishly adorned Rococo. To say the French are genius when it comes to creating is magnified in one permanent structure situated on the Champ de Mars Park ground where it holds court as an iron composition referred to as La Tour Eiffel. The magnificent imagination of Gustave Eiffel a young engineer who inspired the world with his metal God Of Wonder. And now potentially the most visited and loved monument on the planet.

'The Eiffel Tower is the pride of France and was originally designed for an 1889 World Fair (Exposition Universelle)'

Mademoiselle Eiffel was assigned to stand for Frances's victories in the industrial age and was not entirely popular with many Parisians who considered this iron lady a blight on the horizon of the more common stone monuments such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc De Triomphe. A design by Napoleon Bonaparte to celebrate his numerous war victories and today a legacy of those who died in honor of France. Paris is a light in the dark as everywhere you turn the history is bright and even at night the Eiffel Tower sends light into the far reaches of the cosmos with a spectacular light show that leaves you wanting for more. Paris has the 'ooh la factor' with her cobblestone streets and bridges that hold the padlocks of hearts from every corner of the globe. This is a sanctuary in an ever-changing world where one can fall in love or forget their troubles as the city emulates eternal magic. Yes, this city is magical and a time warp of evolution as each building tells a story of life, love, and French liberty. Paris was home to royals who reigned from the Palace of Versailles until a revolution spearheaded by Napoleon saw the change to an Emperor's rule.

'The Chateau de Versailles is a monument to opulence and a landmark of beauty with emblems of gold and picturesque ceilings'

. It was here the Louis Kings reigned but let's not forget the influence of Queen Marie Antoinette and her fashionista influence in the world today. The era of the French monarch brings a fantasia effect that reminds us of times gone by and fairytale royals who lived a life of privilege and authority in surroundings that inspired luxury and grandeur. What makes Paris so inviting is its insatiable addictive quality of escape from the climate we are living in right now. Its European culture, history, and captivating vibes are so endearing lovers choose to marry by the Eiffel Tower. A photoshoot no doubt revered and remembered for the course of the couple's marriage. The infectious joie de vivre that motivates an aura of amore is what makes Paris a unique place on Planet Earth. And once you have experienced this vibrant French capital you will feel a haunting to return.

Author ~ Linda (Style Whiz) 

paristhemedecor.com

[sunaleisocial]

Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/artificial-reef-designed-by-mit-engineers-could-protect-marine-life-reduce-storm-damage/

Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme weather events become more common, coastal communities are left increasingly vulnerable to frequent flooding and erosion.

An MIT team is now hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs — sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life.

The team’s reef design centers on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four rudder-like slats. The engineers found that when this structure stands up against a wave, it efficiently breaks the wave into turbulent jets that ultimately dissipate most of the wave’s total energy. The team has calculated that the new design could reduce as much wave energy as existing artificial reefs, using 10 times less material.

The researchers plan to fabricate each cylindrical structure from sustainable cement, which they would mold in a pattern of “voxels” that could be automatically assembled, and would provide pockets for fish to explore and other marine life to settle in. The cylinders could be connected to form a long, semipermeable wall, which the engineers could erect along a coastline, about half a mile from shore. Based on the team’s initial experiments with lab-scale prototypes, the architected reef could reduce the energy of incoming waves by more than 95 percent.

“This would be like a long wave-breaker,” says Michael Triantafyllou, the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Professor in Ocean Science and Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “If waves are 6 meters high coming toward this reef structure, they would be ultimately less than a meter high on the other side. So, this kills the impact of the waves, which could prevent erosion and flooding.”

Details of the architected reef design are reported today in a study appearing in the open-access journal PNAS Nexus. Triantafyllou’s MIT co-authors are Edvard Ronglan SM ’23; graduate students Alfonso Parra Rubio, Jose del Auila Ferrandis, and Erik Strand; research scientists Patricia Maria Stathatou and Carolina Bastidas; and Professor Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Center for Bits and Atoms; along with Alexis Oliveira Da Silva at the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, Dixia Fan of Westlake University, and Jeffrey Gair Jr. of Scinetics, Inc.

Leveraging turbulence

Some regions have already erected artificial reefs to protect their coastlines from encroaching storms. These structures are typically sunken ships, retired oil and gas platforms, and even assembled configurations of concrete, metal, tires, and stones. However, there’s variability in the types of artificial reefs that are currently in place, and no standard for engineering such structures. What’s more, the designs that are deployed tend to have a low wave dissipation per unit volume of material used. That is, it takes a huge amount of material to break enough wave energy to adequately protect coastal communities.

The MIT team instead looked for ways to engineer an artificial reef that would efficiently dissipate wave energy with less material, while also providing a refuge for fish living along any vulnerable coast.

“Remember, natural coral reefs are only found in tropical waters,” says Triantafyllou, who is director of the MIT Sea Grant. “We cannot have these reefs, for instance, in Massachusetts. But architected reefs don’t depend on temperature, so they can be placed in any water, to protect more coastal areas.”

MIT researchers test the wave-breaking performance of two artificial reef structures in the MIT Towing Tank.

Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

The new effort is the result of a collaboration between researchers in MIT Sea Grant, who developed the reef structure’s hydrodynamic design, and researchers at the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), who worked to make the structure modular and easy to fabricate on location. The team’s architected reef design grew out of two seemingly unrelated problems. CBA researchers were developing ultralight cellular structures for the aerospace industry, while Sea Grant researchers were assessing the performance of blowout preventers in offshore oil structures — cylindrical valves that are used to seal off oil and gas wells and prevent them from leaking.

The team’s tests showed that the structure’s cylindrical arrangement generated a high amount of drag. In other words, the structure appeared to be especially efficient in dissipating high-force flows of oil and gas. They wondered: Could the same arrangement dissipate another type of flow, in ocean waves?

The researchers began to play with the general structure in simulations of water flow, tweaking its dimensions and adding certain elements to see whether and how waves changed as they crashed against each simulated design. This iterative process ultimately landed on an optimized geometry: a vertical cylinder flanked by four long slats, each attached to the cylinder in a way that leaves space for water to flow through the resulting structure. They found this setup essentially breaks up any incoming wave energy, causing parts of the wave-induced flow to spiral to the sides rather than crashing ahead.

“We’re leveraging this turbulence and these powerful jets to ultimately dissipate wave energy,” Ferrandis says.

Standing up to storms

Once the researchers identified an optimal wave-dissipating structure, they fabricated a laboratory-scale version of an architected reef made from a series of the cylindrical structures, which they 3D-printed from plastic. Each test cylinder measured about 1 foot wide and 4 feet tall. They assembled a number of cylinders, each spaced about a foot apart, to form a fence-like structure, which they then lowered into a wave tank at MIT. They then generated waves of various heights and measured them before and after passing through the architected reef.

“We saw the waves reduce substantially, as the reef destroyed their energy,” Triantafyllou says.

The team has also looked into making the structures more porous, and friendly to fish. They found that, rather than making each structure from a solid slab of plastic, they could use a more affordable and sustainable type of cement.

“We’ve worked with biologists to test the cement we intend to use, and it’s benign to fish, and ready to go,” he adds.

They identified an ideal pattern of “voxels,” or microstructures, that cement could be molded into, in order to fabricate the reefs while creating pockets in which fish could live. This voxel geometry resembles individual egg cartons, stacked end to end, and appears to not affect the structure’s overall wave-dissipating power.

“These voxels still maintain a big drag while allowing fish to move inside,” Ferrandis says.

The team is currently fabricating cement voxel structures and assembling them into a lab-scale architected reef, which they will test under various wave conditions. They envision that the voxel design could be modular, and scalable to any desired size, and easy to transport and install in various offshore locations. “Now we’re simulating actual sea patterns, and testing how these models will perform when we eventually have to deploy them,” says Anjali Sinha, a graduate student at MIT who recently joined the group.

Going forward, the team hopes to work with beach towns in Massachusetts to test the structures on a pilot scale.

“These test structures would not be small,” Triantafyllou emphasizes. “They would be about a mile long, and about 5 meters tall, and would cost something like 6 million dollars per mile. So it’s not cheap. But it could prevent billions of dollars in storm damage. And with climate change, protecting the coasts will become a big issue.”

This work was funded, in part, by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

[jcmarchi]

Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/artificial-reef-designed-by-mit-engineers-could-protect-marine-life-reduce-storm-damage/

Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme weather events become more common, coastal communities are left increasingly vulnerable to frequent flooding and erosion.

An MIT team is now hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs — sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life.

The team’s reef design centers on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four rudder-like slats. The engineers found that when this structure stands up against a wave, it efficiently breaks the wave into turbulent jets that ultimately dissipate most of the wave’s total energy. The team has calculated that the new design could reduce as much wave energy as existing artificial reefs, using 10 times less material.

The researchers plan to fabricate each cylindrical structure from sustainable cement, which they would mold in a pattern of “voxels” that could be automatically assembled, and would provide pockets for fish to explore and other marine life to settle in. The cylinders could be connected to form a long, semipermeable wall, which the engineers could erect along a coastline, about half a mile from shore. Based on the team’s initial experiments with lab-scale prototypes, the architected reef could reduce the energy of incoming waves by more than 95 percent.

“This would be like a long wave-breaker,” says Michael Triantafyllou, the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Professor in Ocean Science and Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “If waves are 6 meters high coming toward this reef structure, they would be ultimately less than a meter high on the other side. So, this kills the impact of the waves, which could prevent erosion and flooding.”

Details of the architected reef design are reported today in a study appearing in the open-access journal PNAS Nexus. Triantafyllou’s MIT co-authors are Edvard Ronglan SM ’23; graduate students Alfonso Parra Rubio, Jose del Auila Ferrandis, and Erik Strand; research scientists Patricia Maria Stathatou and Carolina Bastidas; and Professor Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Center for Bits and Atoms; along with Alexis Oliveira Da Silva at the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, Dixia Fan of Westlake University, and Jeffrey Gair Jr. of Scinetics, Inc.

Leveraging turbulence

Some regions have already erected artificial reefs to protect their coastlines from encroaching storms. These structures are typically sunken ships, retired oil and gas platforms, and even assembled configurations of concrete, metal, tires, and stones. However, there’s variability in the types of artificial reefs that are currently in place, and no standard for engineering such structures. What’s more, the designs that are deployed tend to have a low wave dissipation per unit volume of material used. That is, it takes a huge amount of material to break enough wave energy to adequately protect coastal communities.

The MIT team instead looked for ways to engineer an artificial reef that would efficiently dissipate wave energy with less material, while also providing a refuge for fish living along any vulnerable coast.

“Remember, natural coral reefs are only found in tropical waters,” says Triantafyllou, who is director of the MIT Sea Grant. “We cannot have these reefs, for instance, in Massachusetts. But architected reefs don’t depend on temperature, so they can be placed in any water, to protect more coastal areas.”

MIT researchers test the wave-breaking performance of two artificial reef structures in the MIT Towing Tank.

Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

The new effort is the result of a collaboration between researchers in MIT Sea Grant, who developed the reef structure’s hydrodynamic design, and researchers at the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), who worked to make the structure modular and easy to fabricate on location. The team’s architected reef design grew out of two seemingly unrelated problems. CBA researchers were developing ultralight cellular structures for the aerospace industry, while Sea Grant researchers were assessing the performance of blowout preventers in offshore oil structures — cylindrical valves that are used to seal off oil and gas wells and prevent them from leaking.

The team’s tests showed that the structure’s cylindrical arrangement generated a high amount of drag. In other words, the structure appeared to be especially efficient in dissipating high-force flows of oil and gas. They wondered: Could the same arrangement dissipate another type of flow, in ocean waves?

The researchers began to play with the general structure in simulations of water flow, tweaking its dimensions and adding certain elements to see whether and how waves changed as they crashed against each simulated design. This iterative process ultimately landed on an optimized geometry: a vertical cylinder flanked by four long slats, each attached to the cylinder in a way that leaves space for water to flow through the resulting structure. They found this setup essentially breaks up any incoming wave energy, causing parts of the wave-induced flow to spiral to the sides rather than crashing ahead.

“We’re leveraging this turbulence and these powerful jets to ultimately dissipate wave energy,” Ferrandis says.

Standing up to storms

Once the researchers identified an optimal wave-dissipating structure, they fabricated a laboratory-scale version of an architected reef made from a series of the cylindrical structures, which they 3D-printed from plastic. Each test cylinder measured about 1 foot wide and 4 feet tall. They assembled a number of cylinders, each spaced about a foot apart, to form a fence-like structure, which they then lowered into a wave tank at MIT. They then generated waves of various heights and measured them before and after passing through the architected reef.

“We saw the waves reduce substantially, as the reef destroyed their energy,” Triantafyllou says.

The team has also looked into making the structures more porous, and friendly to fish. They found that, rather than making each structure from a solid slab of plastic, they could use a more affordable and sustainable type of cement.

“We’ve worked with biologists to test the cement we intend to use, and it’s benign to fish, and ready to go,” he adds.

They identified an ideal pattern of “voxels,” or microstructures, that cement could be molded into, in order to fabricate the reefs while creating pockets in which fish could live. This voxel geometry resembles individual egg cartons, stacked end to end, and appears to not affect the structure’s overall wave-dissipating power.

“These voxels still maintain a big drag while allowing fish to move inside,” Ferrandis says.

The team is currently fabricating cement voxel structures and assembling them into a lab-scale architected reef, which they will test under various wave conditions. They envision that the voxel design could be modular, and scalable to any desired size, and easy to transport and install in various offshore locations. “Now we’re simulating actual sea patterns, and testing how these models will perform when we eventually have to deploy them,” says Anjali Sinha, a graduate student at MIT who recently joined the group.

Going forward, the team hopes to work with beach towns in Massachusetts to test the structures on a pilot scale.

“These test structures would not be small,” Triantafyllou emphasizes. “They would be about a mile long, and about 5 meters tall, and would cost something like 6 million dollars per mile. So it’s not cheap. But it could prevent billions of dollars in storm damage. And with climate change, protecting the coasts will become a big issue.”

This work was funded, in part, by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

[skye-cady]

Blog #19/Jan 23. From the Colosseum to the Eiffel Tour. Compare/contrast our first and last structures, and discuss what it means for a city to have such iconic features.

The Colosseum is one of the most iconic buildings of Rome, and Italy as a whole. It was built around AD 70-80, and thus is around 2000 years old. The land has served many purposes, initially belonging to the city before being seized by the emperor Nero. Later, the Colosseum was built as a way to return the land to the people. It then became an amphitheater featuring bloody gladiator battles and animal killings, and later became a church, a fortress, and a source for flammable marble. Only recently have city officials taken an interest in restoration and preservation of the structure. The building has changed quite a bit with extraction of marble and stabilization work, but but the arches and stone are still common in Rome. Thematically and color-wise, the structure fits in with the rest of the city. In comparison, the Eiffel Tower is significantly younger and serves a much different purpose. Construction began in 1887, and was meant to honor the centennial of the French Revolution at the World's Fair. It is constructed of various sets of parallel metal beams, which have been interconnected similar to the style of a truss. This is a unique design that does not appear often in the typical architecture of Paris, so it stands out against the rest of the city. While the tower has always been climbable and even has a variety of radio and communication equipment, it fundamentally does not serve the public in the same way that an amphitheater can. That being said, the tower has also seen far less death and destruction. After serving it's purpose for several decades, the tower's license ended and it was set to be dismantled. This is both similar and different to the Colosseum, which had no plans to be demolished but ended up meeting a similar fate. Both structures survived this, and went on to become very important pieces for their respective cities. In the current day, they are both a source of historical record as well as a tourist attraction. Having a structure like this means a city develops two personalities- one for tourism, and another for the citizens who live there. Each structure was conditionally open to the public (you had to have a ticket to enter), and the people we saw there were generally large tourist groups and people from outside the city. The surrounding area was not necessarily pleasant, with congestion, pickpockets, and scammers at each. Thus an iconic structure is going to draw people in just as much as it drives them away, and create a two-sided city that accepts and rejects the structure at the same time. There is no real way to reconcile them either- iconic buildings will always be built (because they are interesting and people like interesting things), the iconic will always bring tourism, and tourism can never fully capture the feeling of a city. None of this is strictly good or bad, and Rome and Paris will continue to grapple with those intricacies for years to come.

[mariacallous]

United Nations heritage body UNESCO announced on Thursday evening that six ex-Yugoslav republics agreed to renovate Block 17 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a former shared exhibition space which has stood empty for many years because the six countries could not agree how the events of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia should be represented.

The deal was made after 14 years of negotiations and UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said that it “fills a void, an absence of memory at the very site where these horrors unfolded”.

“It shows our joint commitment to learning from the past and healing the wounds of history, which transcends borders and generations,” Azoulay said at a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to announce the agreement, according to a press release.

Around 20,000 people from Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, most of them Jews, but also Roma.

In the mid-1960s, a Yugoslav national exhibition was opened in Block 17 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oswiecim. The exhibition was last updated at the end of 1980s, just before the violent break-up of Yugoslavia.

During and after Yugoslavia’s collapse, memorialisation of World War II events became a contentious issue between its successor republics, who often interpreted history differently for contemporary political purposes. This meant there was no further cooperation over the Auschwitz exhibition and the Yugoslav pavilion was eventually closed in 2009.

The Serbian Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Thursday that the agreement “envisages the joint financing of the renovation and conservation of the first floor of Block 17 and the common rooms and structures that the former Yugoslav republics share with Austria”.

The agreement also envisages “the joint financing of the costs of implementing a joint permanent exhibition at the place of remembrance for the victims from the territory of the former Yugoslavia in the concentration camp and Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp”.

Montenegrin Culture Minister Tamara Vujovic said that “through this agreement, Montenegro and other former Yugoslav republics are showing solidarity and commitment to preserving the memories that connect us”, Radio Television Montenegro reported.

The director-general of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, Wojciech Soczewica, said after the signing that it was “a clear sign” that the governments of the six ex-Yugoslav states “are willing … to contribute to memory and our responsibility towards future generations”.

The announcement of the agreement came ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when ceremonies are being held in countries across the region to commemorate the victims.

On Friday in Zagreb, a Croatian parliament delegation led by speaker Gordan Jandrokovic laid a wreath at the monument to Moses at the Mirogoj cemetery, while deputy prime minister Davor Bozinovic did the same on behalf of the government.

“This is also a moment to remember what the Jewish people contributed to Croatian society,” said Zvonimir Troskot from the MOST (Bridge) party, who was part of the parliamentary delegation.

A wreath was also laid on behalf of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, whose president, Pedja Grbin, said the Holocaust was a crime that “must never happen again”.

“Unfortunately, today we see the hatred that is flourishing in Europe and the world. Again, people are attacked because they are different,” Grbin warned.

“If you look around the world, the number of people who deny that the Holocaust even happened is frightening,” he added.

Traditional Jewish visitation stones were also placed at the monument in memory of the Holocaust’s victims by the president of the Jewish Municipality of Zagreb, Ognjen Kraus, and Rabbi Luciano Moshe Prelevic.

In the Bosnian capital on Friday, the Jewish Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Jewish Municipality of Sarajevo also organised a commemorative event to honour Holocaust victims.

Jakob Finci, president of the Jewish Community, noted that six million Jews perished in the Holocaust, but some survived.

“Today, despite the passing years, we have nearly 245,000 people who survived the Holocaust. Of them, 54 live in our country. Therefore we should, not only for them who are alive but for ourselves, remember it and speak about it to others,” Finci said.

In Montenegro, parliament and the Jewish Community will hold a commemoration on Saturday.

[alanjoseph21]

Krishna statues in India

Krishna statues represent the Hindu god, Krishna, who is highly revered in Hinduism. These statues can be found in Hindu temples, homes, and are also popular souvenirs among tourists.

There are many different types of Krishna statues, each with its own unique features. Some common types of Krishna statues include:

Murtis: These are traditional Hindu statues that are made from stone, metal, or wood. Murtis are often used for worship in temples. Plaster of Paris statues: These are less expensive than murtis, and they are often used as home decor.

Resin statues: These are durable and lightweight, making them ideal for outdoor us. Clay statues: These are made from natural materials, and they often have a rustic charm. Krishna statues can be found in a variety of sizes, from small figurines to life-size sculptures. The size of the statue will be determined by its intended purpose.The size of the statue will be determined by its intended purpose.. For example, a small figurine might be used as a personal meditation object, while a life-size sculpture might be used in a temple.

The pose of a Krishna statue can also be significant. For example, a statue of Krishna playing the flute is often seen as a symbol of love and compassion. A statue of Krishna dancing is often seen as a symbol of joy and energy.

The location of a Krishna statue is also important. In a temple, a Krishna statue is usually placed in the main shrine, where it is the focus of worship. In a home, a Krishna statue is often placed in a puja room or other sacred space.

Krishna statues are a popular way to bring the divine presence of Krishna into the home. They can also be a beautiful and peaceful addition to any space.

Here are some of the benefits of having a Krishna statue at home:

It can help to create a sense of peace and calm in the home. Krishna is commonly portrayed as a lively and cunning youngster, but he is also an intelligent and empathetic educator.. His presence in the home can help to remind us of the importance of love, forgiveness, and understanding. It can promote spiritual growth. Krishna is a complex and multifaceted deity, and his teachings can offer guidance and inspiration on many levels. Having a Krishna statue at home can help us to connect with his wisdom and to learn from his example. It can attract positive energy. Krishna is a symbol of love, joy, and abundance. His presence in the home can help to attract positive energy and to create a more harmonious environment. If you are considering adding a Krishna statue to your home, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you will need to decide what type of statue you want. There are many different styles and materials to choose from, so take some time to browse different options and find one that you feel drawn to.

Second, you will need to choose a location for the statue. The statue should be placed in a place where it will be respected and appreciated. It is important to make sure that the statue is not positioned in a location that is exposed to direct sunlight or moisture. Finally, you will need to decide how to care for the statue. Most Krishna statues are made from durable materials, but they should still be cleaned and dusted regularly. You may also want to consider having the statue blessed by a priest or guru.

With a little care and attention, a Krishna statue can be a beautiful and enriching addition to your home.