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When Is National Champion On The Same Day?
The internet history of Champion On The Same Day
22nd of March is National Champion On The Same Day
First detected on the 22nd of March 2015
About Champion On The Same Day
Is It Champion On The Same Day Today?
It's Champion On The Same day on the 22nd of March.
The most recent detection of references to Champion On The Same Day was 4 years, 10 months ago.
There were many celebrations relating to national holdiays written about on social media that our algorithms picked up on the 22nd of March. In total we detected 71 total unique days being shared such as Get High As Fuck Day which had 570 people talking about it, or Goof Off Day having 335 tweets.
How Is The Date For Champion On The Same Day Calculated?
The day shown for 'National Champion On The Same Day' is based off how much chitter-chatter and buzz there was on March 22, 2015 across social media making references to 'Champion On The Same Day'. Our algorithms examine all of the references to National Days across social media and updates whatnationaldayisit.com hourly, with our homepage displaying the current national day, including others such as: Down Syndrome, Geographic Photo Of The or Fragrance Day. This crowdsourcing of data method to assess the National Champion On The Same Day date is used as opposed to being connected with any Government sacntioned lists :D Hurrah for democracy by concensus!
I'd Like To Promote National Champion On The Same Day
We've put together the following resources full of nifty tips on how to increase the reach of Champion On The Same Day. The resources include: graphs, badges, and resources on what steps to take to boost Champion On The Same Day's visibility.
Can I Register Champion On The Same Day?
We don't have an international authority or governmental remit to declare any officially celebrated "national Champion On The Same day". We only aim to programatically reflect what 'National Day' it is based of what The Internet Says It Is. We believe this is much more fun as it reflects the nature of how the most amusing / interesting national days are often created organically and grow based off popular social trends and sharing, as such we don't add new days to our database unless they are organically observed on social media.
Is it National Champion On The Same Day Everywhere?
We're now tracking the sentiment around every mention of Champion On The Same day to show how people feel about Champion On The Same. See if people like Champion On The Same here.
We're detecting how Champion On The Same affects other things more widely than just being a celebrated day. See how Champion On The Same affects company share prices.
Hang On, It Was National Champion On The Same Day Already This Year..!?
Yes, this is strangely enough entirely possible. The date shown for National Champion On The Same Day can change, if for instance several hundred people tweeted about Champion On The Same Day in early April, then in May a few thousand people tweeted about Champion On The Same day, then the date shown for National Champion On The Same Day, could come up twice :D
We have also detected mentions of Champion On The Same day on;
mar 22nd5
It's Champion On The Same Day
On March 22nd
For people who wish to promote National Champion On The Same Day, we've put together the following resources.
See also: How does Champion On The Same affect the share price of Apple, Facebook, Microsoft?
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NOWCAST WLKY News at 11pm
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Woman pleads guilty to killing pregnant neighbor so she could steal baby
Updated: 8:34 AM EST Dec 12, 2017
Warning: Details contained in this article may be upsetting to some readersA North Dakota woman pleaded guilty Monday in the killing of a pregnant neighbor so she and her boyfriend could keep the baby, though officials are still saying little about how the victim died.Brooke Crews, 38, could face life in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law officers in the death of 22-year-old Savanna Greywind, of Fargo. Her boyfriend, William Hoehn, 32, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law officers.He is scheduled for trial in March, which a prosecutor cited as a reason for continuing to withhold information on the case.Crews’ attorney, Steven Mottinger, said afterward that the guilty pleas will help his client argue for less than the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.“Ms. Crews early on indicated that she wanted to take responsibility for her actions,” Mottinger said. “From where I stand, she took responsibility today by entering a guilty plea to the three charges.”Greywind was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in August. Kayakers found her body wrapped in plastic in a river. The baby was found alive in the apartment Crews shared with her 32-year-old boyfriend, William Hoehn. Hoehn is scheduled for trial in March.Crews didn’t offer details on how Greywind was killed. Authorities haven’t said either, but Fargo Police Chief Dave Todd has said her death was a “cruel and vicious act of depravity.”Cass County State’s Attorney Birch Burdick said further details aren’t likely to be released until after Hoehn’s case is finished.“As you’re well aware, this is one important step in two cases that are intertwined,” Burdick said outside the courtroom. “At least our office will be rather circumspect until we’ve got both cases resolved. Then we can elaborate more fully.”Although Crews and Hoehn are not facing murder chargers, Burdick said that the conspiracy charges are in the same offense category and carry the same maximum penalty as murder.“At the time we charged the case, it seemed like an appropriate charge based upon our then-available evidence,” he said. “As the case moved forward, we did not see a reason to change the charges. We believe it makes no difference from a sentencing perspective.”Crews initially claimed that Greywind gave up her newborn daughter, but she later admitted taking advantage of the woman to get the child, according to court documents. Crews told police she arranged to have Greywind come to her apartment and told her how to induce labor. Greywind came back two days later to give her the newborn baby, Crews said.But Hoehn told police a different story, according to the documents. He said he came home on Aug. 19 to find Crews cleaning up blood in their bathroom. Hoehn said Crews presented him with an infant girl and said: “This is our baby. This is our family.”Hoehn told police he took garbage bags containing bloody shoes and his bloody towels and disposed them away from the apartment complex, according to the court documents. Hoehn is scheduled for trial in March.Authorities have not said how the baby was delivered. The baby is now in the custody of her father, Ashton Matheny, who was Greywind’s boyfriend.East Central District Judge Frank Racek on Monday asked Crews about letters she sent to the court complaining about a delay in receiving evidence. Crews told the judge that the issue was resolved.“Cases like this we start with initial police reports, lab reports,” Mottinger said. “Things come in over a period of time. It’s a step by step by process.”
FARGO, N.D. —
Warning: Details contained in this article may be upsetting to some readers
A North Dakota woman pleaded guilty Monday in the killing of a pregnant neighbor so she and her boyfriend could keep the baby, though officials are still saying little about how the victim died.
Brooke Crews, 38, could face life in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law officers in the death of 22-year-old Savanna Greywind, of Fargo. Her boyfriend, William Hoehn, 32, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder and lying to law officers.
He is scheduled for trial in March, which a prosecutor cited as a reason for continuing to withhold information on the case.
Crews’ attorney, Steven Mottinger, said afterward that the guilty pleas will help his client argue for less than the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
“Ms. Crews early on indicated that she wanted to take responsibility for her actions,” Mottinger said. “From where I stand, she took responsibility today by entering a guilty plea to the three charges.”
Greywind was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in August. Kayakers found her body wrapped in plastic in a river. The baby was found alive in the apartment Crews shared with her 32-year-old boyfriend, William Hoehn. Hoehn is scheduled for trial in March.
Crews didn’t offer details on how Greywind was killed. Authorities haven’t said either, but Fargo Police Chief Dave Todd has said her death was a “cruel and vicious act of depravity.”
Cass County State’s Attorney Birch Burdick said further details aren’t likely to be released until after Hoehn’s case is finished.
“As you’re well aware, this is one important step in two cases that are intertwined,” Burdick said outside the courtroom. “At least our office will be rather circumspect until we’ve got both cases resolved. Then we can elaborate more fully.”
Although Crews and Hoehn are not facing murder chargers, Burdick said that the conspiracy charges are in the same offense category and carry the same maximum penalty as murder.
“At the time we charged the case, it seemed like an appropriate charge based upon our then-available evidence,” he said. “As the case moved forward, we did not see a reason to change the charges. We believe it makes no difference from a sentencing perspective.”
Crews initially claimed that Greywind gave up her newborn daughter, but she later admitted taking advantage of the woman to get the child, according to court documents. Crews told police she arranged to have Greywind come to her apartment and told her how to induce labor. Greywind came back two days later to give her the newborn baby, Crews said.
But Hoehn told police a different story, according to the documents. He said he came home on Aug. 19 to find Crews cleaning up blood in their bathroom. Hoehn said Crews presented him with an infant girl and said: “This is our baby. This is our family.”
Hoehn told police he took garbage bags containing bloody shoes and his bloody towels and disposed them away from the apartment complex, according to the court documents. Hoehn is scheduled for trial in March.
Authorities have not said how the baby was delivered. The baby is now in the custody of her father, Ashton Matheny, who was Greywind’s boyfriend.
East Central District Judge Frank Racek on Monday asked Crews about letters she sent to the court complaining about a delay in receiving evidence. Crews told the judge that the issue was resolved.
“Cases like this we start with initial police reports, lab reports,” Mottinger said. “Things come in over a period of time. It’s a step by step by process.”
WLKY Louisville
©2020, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WLKY-TV.
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AVENGED SEVENFOLD AND PROPHETS OF RAGE
SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 - CANCELLED
Preferred parking is available at all Ticketmaster locations for $20 plus service charge. FREE guest parking is available in lighted and patrolled lots convenient to The Pavilion.
more parking info
PAVILION RULES:
Permitted and non-permitted items may vary per show. Camera policies are set at the discretion of the artist and may vary at each show. For a full list of rules and permitted items please check the Pavilion Rules.
All shows, especially opening acts are tentative and subject to change without notice. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Service charges will apply. Ticketmaster and Live Nation Ticketing is the official ticketing source of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Pavilion does not endorse or recommend any other ticketing source for events held at The Pavilion. The only exception is when purchasing tickets through an official artist fan club website.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD have announced the cancellation of their upcoming summer tour, as lead singer M. Shadows is under doctor’s orders to rest his damaged vocal cords.Ticket refunds will be available at point of purchase.
Jason Bonham
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Interview with Jodie Archer
The Bestseller Code is about massive success in the world of fiction—how it happens, what the hallmarks of bestselling are, and just what is it about certain novels that has the whole world clamouring to read them. It shares the research of an algorithm I developed with Prof. Matt Jockers, which is able to predict which manuscripts will hit the lists with over 80 percent accuracy. It’s really a book that celebrates reading and writing.
What advice do you have for other writers?
http://amzn.to/2fNzaau
My background is publishing: before I went to do the PhD in contemporary literature that led to The Bestseller Code, I worked with many writers. I still believe in writing what you know, persevering, writing in your own voice and having faith in its authenticity. The worst thing you can do is to try to imitate. But there are also many more practical things prospective writers could do that they are not doing. Get educated about the industry. Make sure your manuscript has absorbed the feedback of at least five trusted readers before you submit it. Listen to constructive criticism. Consider self-publishing. And if you are writing fiction, many writers have written to us telling us that the revelations in The Bestseller Code have totally changed their writing lives for the better.
What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?
“A word after a word after a word is power.” Margaret Atwood.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
Matt and I have a website and blog at www.archerjockers.com. You can find me on Goodreads and follow us on Twitter @jodiearcher11 and @mljockers.
How long did it take you to write your book?
The research behind the book began at Stanford in 2010 and went through several iterations. The writing itself took Matt and I three very intensive months, writing about 8 hours per day. Co-writing is an interesting experience—you definitely need to be with the right person!
Matt Jockers and Jodie Archer
What is your work in progress? Tell us about it.
I’m still working in the industry helping other writers, but on my own writing desk I currently have a memoir in progress and the start of a young adult work in fiction. I’m excited about both!
What are your thoughts on self-publishing verses traditional publishing?
I haven’t self-published anything yet but I am open to it. I have learned a lot about self-publishing over the past few years working in the book industry and I know some authors who have been very successful at it. Romance especially seems like a genre that many self-published writers are finding success with, followed by mysteries and thrillers. I like the control self-publishing offers, but to be good at it I think you have to find a businessperson and marketer somewhere within yourself, alongside your inner writer. I am grateful to be traditionally published so that marketing and publicity is well taken care of, and I have more time to work on new projects. It’s always great to have the support of a good editor in a good house.
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I think writing, like any calling, comes from within. I lived with the call to write for a long time before I pursued it. Unfortunately, there is so much rhetoric out there about how writing is an unlikely full time profession, and that it pays badly, that I put it off for some years. People who feel it’s their calling to write are too often told not to daydream and to get a “proper job”. That’s a real shame. It is a proper job, and I think every successful writer I know started by following that inner pull. Confidence grows as you share snippets of your work with a variety of people and their feedback is strong.
I have a favorite reading chair in my office, and it’s currently so full of unread books for the Fall and Winter that I don’t know where to start! Lots of genres, some new books and some older ones. The top five on the stack are 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, (love this book and want to read it again), Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood, and Bark by Louise Moore. A lot of my favorite writers also have a new release this Fall, so I am going to be doing a lot of reading!
When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
I moved from California to Colorado last year and am involved in a (far too over-ambitious and intimidating) house renovation, and am also loving getting to know Colorado through hiking. I also work with other writers and businesses in the writing world on a part time basis. That, and I like to find the time to enjoy a nice cocktail with my husband now and again.
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York County to Host 2019 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships
Andrew Staub
York County Convention & Visitors Bureau
717-852-9675, ext. 103 or astaub@yorkpa.org
Chas Ford
Co-Tournament Director
2019 PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships
269-760-8487 or chasford12850@gmail.com
YORK, PA - Discs will fly across York County in 2019 as hundreds of competitors from around the globe converge for the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships, a weeklong Major that will drive more than $1 million in estimated economic benefits to the region while growing the sport locally.
Coming to York County for the first time, the event will give the area's status as a hotbed for disc golf a significant boost, with the top qualified amateurs, both male and female, competing across several age divisions. It will run July 20-27, 2019.
The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau expects as many as 1,800 competitors and spectators from outside the area to attend. Participants will come from across the United States, as well as countries like Finland, Japan, Australia, Brazil and more international locations.
Supported by a $10,000 York County Tourism Grant, the YCCVB's Sport York team and the Gifford Pinchot Disc Golf Club partnered to bid on the lucrative event.
Chas Ford, a member of the local club, will serve as Co-Tournament Director. He brings a wealth of experience, including serving in leadership roles for both the 2008 PDGA Pro/Am Worlds in Michigan and the 2015 Pro Worlds in Pittsburgh.
"South-central Pennsylvania has a unique blend of beautifully designed and well-maintained courses that will challenge players of all ages and leave a lasting impression on every competitor," Ford said. "Our local club is committed to promoting the sport of disc golf, and we're proud to play a part in bringing this marquee event to York County. PDGA majors offer an opportunity to not only introduce visitors to York County, but also grow a sport everyone can enjoy."
The PDGA will use disc golf courses at Codorus State Park, Gifford Pinchot State Park, Codorus Township Park, Muddy Run and Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center.
Similar in concept to traditional golf, disc golf is played with a disc instead of a ball. Competitors must throw their disc from a tee area to a marked target, accruing "strokes" along the way. The fewer strokes needed to reach the target, the better a competitor's score.
York County will offer disc golfers a fun and challenging array of courses that will take them through hilly terrain, scenic wooded areas and more dynamic locations.
"In addition to York County's excellent selection of disc golf courses, the PDGA also appreciated the tremendous outpouring of community support from York County," said Michael Downes, PDGA Events Manager. "The Gifford Pinchot Disc Golf Club provides an experienced, on-the-ground team to help coordinate the event, while the York County CVB proved instrumental in compiling a bid that ensured the 2019 World Championships will be a success. We're thrilled to bring one of the Majors back to Pennsylvania in 2019."
Previous host locations include Quad Cities, Iowa; and Madison, Wisconsin. Charlotte will host the event in 2018. York County bested five other destinations to land the 2019 event.
"This is an opportunity to position York County as a premier destination for a growing sport that's accessible to people all over the world," said Laura Gurreri, Sales Director for the York County CVB. "In just the past five years, the number of PDGA-sanctioned events and leagues has more than doubled. We're tapping into this market by hosting a major event and believe a successful World Championships will position York County as a destination for disc golf for years to come."
Participants will range in age from 16 to 80 years old, offering another chance for York County to connect with youth visitors.
"Hosting youth sports offers the greatest return on investment, considering the compounding economic potential for our community," said Mark Sindicich, Chair of the YCCVB's Board of Directors. "Youth athletes have the greatest opportunities to return as visitors, students and residents, ensuring York County's vitality for years to come."
For more information about the PDGA and the sport of disc golf, please visit www.pdga.com.
The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Sport York program is designed to recruit events and generate additional economic impact in York County. Sport York positions York County as Pennsylvania's Premier Sports Destination, highlighting the area's dynamic facilities and central location on the East Coast. For further information about Sport York, visit www.yorkpa.org/sports.
The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Mission is to maximize tourism expenditures and their economic impact in York County, PA, through comprehensive tourism sales and marketing programs. The York County CVB's Vision is for a York County where tourism is recognized for the value of its economic impact and its role in raising the profile of York County as a sought-after destination. For more information on the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 1-888-858-9675 or visit www.yorkpa.org.
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Ian Abbott on Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring at The Place
Posted: May 29th, 2019 | Author: Ian Abbott | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Ash Mukhurjee, Celine Lepicard, Indu Panday, Kamala Devam, Moritz Zavan, Sarah Gasser, Seeta Patel, Sooraj Subramaniam | Comments Off on Ian Abbott on Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring at The Place
The Rite of Spring – reimagined by Seeta Patel, The Place, May 18
The six dancers in Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring (photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou)
Last Summer at Tanzmesse I saw an eight-minute excerpt of Seeta Patel’s reimagining of The Rite of Spring; nine months later I’m here at The Place to see how it has grown. Patel is presenting the completed work with six dancers alongside two shorter and complimentary works that establish the relationship between western classical music and group bharatantyam choreography. Celine Lepicard ably performs Bach’s cello suite 1 and a seven-minute group bharatanatyam and contemporary dance choreographed by Patel on alumna from the National Youth Dance Company and Kadam Dance readies the eye and ear palette for what is to come.
There have been over 200 choreographic attempts at matching Stravinsky’s score since it premiered in 1913; it’s a choreographic equivalent of scaling Everest or circumnavigating the globe — there’s a psychology in a certain type of person to see if they’re able to endure, match and conquer it whilst marking their own place in dance history. (Having only seen Marie Chouinard’s version at the Attakkaalari India Biennial in 2017 I do not have Rite fatigue).
At the moment there’s at least two other versions circulating in the UK: Jeanguy Saintus’s interpretation for Phoenix Dance Theatre and Yang Liping’s version but Patel’s is the first time in 106 years that bharatanatyam has been used. As a side note, when I listen to Rite I cannot avoid thinking about how the musical thief John Williams appropriated a number of the key Stravinsky/Rite passages, so even you’ve not heard Stravinsky’s version in full, you’re likely to have heard Williams’ lift in Star Wars (The Dune Sea of Tatooine).
With Ash Mukhurjee, Indu Panday, Kamala Devam, Moritz Zavan, Sarah Gasser and Sooraj Subramaniam as the dancers, Patel has brought together the Avengers of classical and contemporary bharatanatyam; this suite of highly skilled performers deals with and executes the choreographic complexity demanded of them with a finesse and grace that makes visual music. The score envelops the auditorium and although it is played too loud, distorting slightly, you feel it surrounding you; the music is in you as you attempt to take in all the visual information. The dancers are pin sharp, have been rehearsed exceptionally and deliver thunderous synchronised foot work; it’s one body echoed across six as they duet with the weight of history and the music. One of the most impressive aspects is how the dancers travel; they gobble up the width of the stage with ease; if you were to trace the dancers on a Strava map they’d have covered miles by the end of the work.
The visual composition, anatomical layering and choreographic cannon is satisfying and demonstrates for the first time that bharatanatyam can be a group dance form; imagine a miniature corps de bharatanatyam. If the dancers are the Avengers then Patel is Nick Fury — the architect of this work bringing together the finest dancers from across Europe but with Patel’s ambition and skill they level up again, combining to deliver a work that marks a shift in the UK bharatanatyam ecology. This Rite of Spring is begging for a bigger stage, with double/treble the dancers and live orchestral accompaniment and could easily tour internationally for the next five years.
Devam, Subramaniam and Mukhurjee leave the eyes tired after darting in between where we spend our attention. Patel’s composition delivers wave after wave, and it’s a relentless first half that is unforgiving in its attack. The second half wanes a little in impact as The Sacrifice demands an alternate energy and concentration but it is still a joy to watch and a welcome addition to the choreographic canon. Cyril W. Beaumont — a British book dealer, balletomane, and dance historian — saw each and every one of Nijinsky’s performances in the Ballet Russes’ 1913 London season (which included Nijinsky’s original Rite of Spring) and said: “The chief attraction for the season was to be Nijinsky, presented as a strange, exotic being who could dance like a god. His slanting eyes and his finely-chiselled lips were to be emphasized with grease-paint; his roles were to be of the most unusual type.”
There is a relationship that warrants further exploration around new classicism and the exoticisation of how Nijinsky was written about and presented, what Patel has done with her re-imagining and how it has been written about in terms of ‘otherness’.
Dance is always presented in a context and Patel’s context needs wider acknowledgement. She is performing and touring in Not Today’s Yesterday, a contemporary solo work co-authored and choreographed with Lina Limosani; she developed in partnership with Gandini Juggling an award-winning work Sigma in which she’s a central pillar; she has co-developed The Natya Project with Shane Shambhu and Magdelene Gorringe — a training programme for younger bharatanatyam dancers in response to the lack of dancers in the profession — and she is still creating/touring her own classical evening of works. If she were male with a name like Khan, McGregor or Shechter she’d have her own choreographic centre, be heralded as a UK pioneer with regular funding to match.
Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring
Posted: May 20th, 2019 | Author: Nicholas Minns & Caterina Albano | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Anshu Arora, Ash Mukherjee, Celine Lepicard, Igor Stravinsky, Indu Panday, Jason Cheriyan, Julien Kottukapally, Kamala Devam, Moritz Zavan, Sarah Gasser, Seeta Patel, Sooraj Subramaniam, Talvin Singh, Warren Letton | Comments Off on Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring
Seeta Patel’s re-imagining of The Rite of Spring, The Place, May 17
Sooraj Subramaniam in Seeta Patel’s Rite of Spring (photo: Joe Armitage)
In 1913, when Vaslav Nijinsky was starting to choreograph a new work by the young composer Igor Stravinsky, Serge Diaghilev hired a eurythmics student, Marie Rambert, to assist his protégé with counting the score. The new ballet was The Rite of Spring which famously premiered in Paris in May of that year. After a mere eight performances, Nijinsky’s choreography was lost for almost 70 years until Millicent Hodson painstakingly reconstructed it for the Joffrey Ballet in 1987, but since the latter half of the twentieth century Stravinsky’s celebrated score has become a rite of passage for choreographers eager to challenge the rich complexity of its musical structure. Seeta Patel is the latest to tackle the score but she is perhaps one of the first to formulate her response through the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam. It’s a revelation.
Patel is known for her exquisite solo work but she has also devoted her considerable artistic intelligence to dealing with issues of identity that affect her as an artist and Bharatanatyam as a traditional dance form, from her film with Kamala Devam, The Art of Defining Me, to her dark cultural fable created with Lina Limosani, Not Today’s Yesterday. While her work remains firmly anchored in the Bharatanatyam technique, she has also begun to explore collaborations with complementary art forms, notably in Sigma with Gandini Juggling where her mastery of both rhythm and gesture complement the mathematical precision of the jugglers. In the process she is subtly moving Bharatanatyam away from its original context to reinvent it in a contemporary idiom. This process has reached a new level of maturity in her re-imagining of The Rite of Spring; everything she has struggled to achieve has come to fruition.
Patel approached what she calls ‘this beast of a score’ by studying Stravinsky’s rhythms with pianist Julien Kottukapilly which she then translated into a carnatic vocabulary with which her dancers could identify. This attention to a score until it becomes embodied — similar to the way Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker approaches her work — is to enter into the music by the same door as the composer; only then is it possible to deliver a response that is true to its structure. To see Patel’s choreography is to hear The Rite of Spring in a new cross-cultural perspective.
The original score is subtitled ‘Pictures of Pagan Russia in Two Parts’, a scenario devised by Nicholas Roerich who also designed the original costumes and scenery. Patel initially follows Roerich’s outline; in the first part, she writes, ‘the excitement is palpable, the dancers still youthful and full of hope, being pushed and pulled by the energy around them.’ The energy is in the music and Patel opens up a dynamic spatial world within it by defining geometric pathways for her dancers. From the opening languorous poses that pay homage to Nijinsky’s faun she builds up the suggestion of a community waking up and setting out into the fields in a spirit of worship. Using Bharatanatyam’s vocabulary of complex rhythmical coordination punctuated by eloquent hand gestures, facial expressions and precise percussive footwork her six dancers — Ash Mukherjee, Indu Panday, Kamala Devam, Moritz Zavan, Sarah Gasser and Sooraj Subramaniam — make the intricacy of the musical textures and rhythms visible while maintaining their ritual allusions.
Separating the two parts of the score with a brief vocalised interlude, Patel then inverts Roerich’s idea of the Chosen One as sacrificial victim; it is the community who chooses a leader to whom they cede their autonomous power. The tall, imposing Subramaniam is deified, wrapped in blood-red trappings and at the score’s final chord of sacrificial exhaustion he is the one remaining upright spiralling slowly into his trailing adornments as the community crouches behind him in his shadow.
The setting for this re-imagining is a bare white stage with a white backdrop; the element of scenery is subsumed in Warren Letton ’s subtle washes of colour and in the luminous silk costumes and elaborate makeup of Jason Cheriyan and Anshu Arora. So closely do all the elements of this creation align with the music that it appears effortless; whatever orchestral forces Stravinsky throws at her, Patel transforms them into a field of light.
The evening begins with Patel’s Dance Dialogues, a short choreographic conversation between six young performers trained in either Bharatanatyam or contemporary dance. The music is by Talvin Singh with live accompaniment by cellist Celine Lepicard who bridges the two choreographic works with a recital of Bach’s first cello suite.
Kamala Devam Company: Ankusha and Other Mysteries at Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Posted: December 12th, 2018 | Author: Nicholas Minns | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Ankusha and Other Mysteries, Danny Keane, Kamala Devam, Kamila Lewandowska, Martina Trottman, Pirashanna Thevarajah, Seeta Patel, Swati Seshadri, Tamzen Moulding | Comments Off on Kamala Devam Company: Ankusha and Other Mysteries at Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Kamala Devam Company, Ankusha and Other Mysteries, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, December 1
Franco Conquista, Kamala Devam and Tamzen Moulding in Ankusha (photo: Vipul Sangoi)
Kamala Devam has a lot going for her and she is making the most of it. Ankusha and Other Mysteries, presented at Bernie Grant Arts Centre, is an ambitious program of five works, four of which she has choreographed on herself or on her company, and the fifth is the 2013 film, The Art of Defining Me, which confounds the political box-ticking of cultural assimilation in which she is inevitably caught up. As she quips in the film, she’s the ‘white pinup girl for Indian dance in England’. As a child of California Hippies she began learning bharatanatyam at the age of five and has reached a level where she can command the stage in a classical solo. She also studied western contemporary dance so inevitably her style blurs the edges of both techniques; this is what makes her fascinating to watch. The energy and motivation of a contemporary arm movement will suddenly make an appearance in the course of a bharatanatyam solo, and in contemporary work her clarity of gesture derives from her classical training.
The opening work of Ankusha and Other Mysteriesis a case in point. Less of Meis a solo Devam created in 2014 in which she ‘reflects on the space she has inside her’ following surgery to remove a cyst. Sitting on the floor facing away from us, she seems to tell the story through her expressive back while using text to provide her thought processes. It’s a gem of a work that explores her disbelief in losing an internal growth only to find the body is still miraculously fully functional without it. It is reminiscent of Laura Dannequin’s Hardy Animal; both works are concerned with deepening the psychological and somatic understanding of the body as an expressive medium while using the body as the means of investigation.
Seeing the short film, The Art Of Defining Me, directed by Devam and Seeta Patel, in the interval between Less of Meand Devam’s bharatanatyam solo, Jati-Swara-Leela, is to watch the very fluid question of identity first in satirical theory and then in practice. It says a lot about the pioneering work of Patel and Devam that five years after the film’s launch its influence can be felt in the programing of such works as Patel’s Not Today’s Yesterdayand Devam’s Ankusha and Other Mysteries.
In the great Indian tradition of the intimate, often improvised connection between dancer and accompaniment, Jati-Swara-Leelais graced with three accomplished musicians on stage playing a composition by Prathap Ramachandra: Danny Keane on cello, the versatile Pirashanna Thevarajah on percussion and Swati Seshadri as nattuvana. Choreographing on herself and costumed by Martina Trottman, Devam naturally inhabits the traditional style and at the same time suffuses it with contemporary sensibility; for all her refinement of bharatanatyam gesture and pose, she employs a spatial awareness and attack that redefines the form in her own image.
The title of the next work, Babushka vs. Renaissance Man, points to another amalgam of cultural identity but despite the geographical allusions Devam describes it as ‘a choreographic investigation into the meeting points between the movement cultures of popping and kalaripayattu, a South Indian martial art’. The solo, set on popper Kamila Lewandowska, extends Devam’s choreographic evolution by negotiating a dialogue between two separate dance forms on a body that is not her own but it’s a more artificial composite than Jati-Swari-Leela where her intrinsic ability to channel two forms is entirely organic. It also raises the question of what you do once the two dance forms have met; Devam has made the introduction and Lewandowska’s body engages in the conversation but the choreographic form of Babushka vs. Renaissance Man remains too self-consciously contained to fully develop the relationship.
The final work, Ankusha, moves in another direction in which Devam develops the action through three performers: herself, Tamzen Moulding and Franco Conquista. An ankusha is an elephant goad but Devam suggests it’s symbolic connotation as the Hindu god Lord Ganesha directing souls toward their destiny and keeping them on track. Ankusha keeps the vast theme of fate intimate in the way the paths of the three performers wrap tightly around and over each other, but while the philosophical idea is clear the acrobatic authority of Moulding and Conquista, who are both circus performers, too easily governs the narrative elements. Nevertheless Devam is clearly taking the lessons of Ankusha to push — and pull — the boundaries of her work in a direction that arises from her own unique identity.
Seeta Patel and Lina Limosani: Not Today’s Yesterday at The Place
Posted: October 12th, 2018 | Author: Nicholas Minns & Caterina Albano | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Chris Faulds, Guy Hoare, Ian Abbott, Lina Limosani, Lydia Cawson, Not Today's Yesterday, Seeta Patel, Sharmila Chauhan | Comments Off on Seeta Patel and Lina Limosani: Not Today’s Yesterday at The Place
Seeta Patel and Lina Limosani, Not Today’s Yesterday, The Place, October 3
Seeta Patel in Not Today’s Yesterday (photo: Stephen Berkeley-White)
This review was commissioned by and first appeared in Pulse and appears with the kind permission of its editor, Sanjeevini Dutta.
Seeta Patel’s response to Brexit and Donald Trump is a post-colonial fable, Not Today’s Yesterday, that challenges not so much fake news as fake history. As a distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer, Patel takes a critical look behind the history of her art to discover some whitewash she aims to challenge. The past is the backstory of today, which is why the philosopher George Santayana claimed that ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ What Patel and choreographer Lina Limosani extrapolate from Santayana is that if history is whitewashed then not only is it of no value to remember but it fuels ‘a distorted sense of nationalism.’ Not Today’s Yesterdayis both a statement and an attempt to put some of the original colour back into history.
Paradoxically Patel and Limosani have co-opted whitewash as their metaphor which proscribes the colour palette to shades of black and white that imposes its own set of rules on the fable’s imagery, from Lydia Cawson’s costumes to Chris Faulds’ set to Guy Hoare’s sharply contrasted lighting. The text, written by Patel with script support from Sharmila Chauhan is in the form of a cautionary fable that begins in sparkling wonder and turns progressively cynical.
Emerging into the light from a darkened stage Patel is dressed in a silver-grey robe on a pedestal in front of a reflecting screen; in another context she might be the embodiment of an Indian goddess telling her story of a bountiful land where people live in harmony, animals have no horns or claws, and forests are sacred, which is what Patel does so well, illustrating the enchantment of the story with the enchantment of her eloquent eyes, gestures and movements. But there’s a difference: the endgame is already in sight. She incorporates the dark complexity of her secular fable in gestures that begin to cross time and space where ancient and modern mythologies collide; at times she lip-syncs her recorded text so her mouth becomes an additional choreographic motif. From behind the screen she slides out what look like framed glass set squares that transform into a fleet of East India Company ships plying their trade while a hanging rope becomes a length of hair whose silken strands she braids and wraps around her head as a metaphor for ancestral bonds, lineage, and memory. This is the seductive, silver era of exchange between East and West but it turns into a dark epoch of conquest and exploitation just as the whitewashing begins. We hear Limosani’s audio collage of key phrases from war speeches by British and American leaders as Patel’s narrator effaces herself behind a screen of poured rivulets of white paint — an image made more powerful when she is further obscured by trying to clean it — and she becomes a dark force clashing horns and spitting claws in an exquisitely grotesque shadow puppet show behind the whitened screen.
Patel is still within the considerable range of her gestural artistry, but now the indignation of her unraveling fable takes her into new territory. Donning a transparent plastic crinoline and wearing her whitened, braided hair pinned with a diadem she begins a vaudeville romp as Queen Victoria, Empress of India, to Johann Strauss’s An Artist’s Life. It’s as if one of Gerald Scarfe’s more venomous satirical cartoons had taken to the stage. She finally folds her braid into the shape of a baby in her arms and holds it up. A shot is heard and the braid drops to the floor to recorded applause and the reprise of political voices in an operatic finale. Patel’s gestures are contorted and tense, her figure dark in a final rumble of thunder.
After each performance there’s a discussion curated by Ian Abbott to engage the audience in the issues of Not Today’s Yesterday: what happened, what did not happen and what could yet happen. It’s outspoken dance in an intelligent, provocative package.
Ian Abbott at Tanzmesse 2018
Posted: September 10th, 2018 | Author: Ian Abbott | Filed under: Coverage, Performance | Tags: CCN Ballet de Lorraine, Daniel Leveillé, Dieter Jaenicke, Hodworks, Nick Power, Oona Doherty, Seeta Patel, Tanzmesse | Comments Off on Ian Abbott at Tanzmesse 2018
Ian Abbott at Tanzmesse, Dusseldorf, Aug 29 – Sep 1 2018
Oona Doherty in HOPE HUNT & The Ascension into Lazarus (photo: Simon Harrison)
Tanzmesse 2018 is the first under the new directorship of Dieter Jaenicke. In his introduction he talks of this edition as one of change, a stepping stone towards something different in 2020: “Tanzmesse is going to change in the direction of an ideas fair where the most important topics (which are moving the international dance world) will be discussed and performed: topics like migration, democracy, on how to deal with the post colonial division of the world and its resources…from now on contemporary dance, contemporary ballet and urban dance will be presented on an equal level.”
Solos by Hodworks (Hungary) is a joyful, carefully crafted hour by Adrienn Hod with three exquisite performers (Emese Cuhorka, Csaba Molnar and Imre Vass). Hod has created a Generation Game prize belt of ever changing 4-6 minute solo choreographic scenes for an audience in the round. With each scene chained together by the end/start level of emotional intensity it’s an interesting way to view the range and versatility of the performers alongside the dozen or more miniature ideas that Hod wants to explore wrapped in a faux-fur creature singing big numbers from Cats and Disney classics, a gentle lingering hug for a single audience member, a hyper-inflated word stream outlining the trouble of the choreographic process or a sweet pepper eating trial. Solossits well in the late night cabaret slot of Tanzmesse and adds to the reputation of both Hod and Hodworks.
Crépuscule des Océans by Daniel Leveillé Danse (Canada) self describes as ‘a human tide, animated by opposing currents: busy, but at the same time on guard — concentrated to make no mistakes — resistant, ambitious and obsessive.’ The reality is a woeful 55 minutes in the 1200-seater Capitol Theatre of seven dancers, naked for 70% of the time, pairing up in small areas of the stage to repeat the same 8 minutes of out-of-time tippytoe-tensing, 80s-lungeing-with-pointy-fingers choreography to piano music by Jean-Sébastien Durocher. Heralded in the 1990s as the Canadian pioneer of presenting the unclothed body on stage, Leveillé’s concept or choreography appears not to have changed since; how ironic to be presenting this 11-year-old work on Jaenicke’s first program of ‘change’. As Crépuscule des Océans lurches on, one dancer makes three clear mistakes, forgetting the choreography and freezing in one group section and making two large stumbles elsewhere; as the audience leaves after a smattering of slow claps, there is angry talk of wasted time, the mistakes and the possibility of what could have been experienced on stage instead.
There is a suite of talks each day with one entitled The Future of Performing Arts Market featuring Sophie Travers (APAM), Jaenicke (Tanzmesse), Asa Richardsdottir (Ice Hot) and Alain Paré (Cinars): four current performing arts markets talking about their future? Unsurprisingly there is no real sense of what the future might look like because the speakers have no desire to erase their own presence and with no input from anyone outside a performing arts market there is no alternative perspective; the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. If the purpose of these events (the majority of which are still replicating near 30-year-old models) is to act as a meeting point, to stimulate new relationships and to ‘offer more space for communication, exchange and contact’ then we need voices from outside (in both programming and construction) to widen possibilities and ensure representation and intersectionality are considered at the centre of future editions.
In the Women’s Voices in Choreography talk, chair Andrea Snyder from American Dance Abroad highlighted the percentage of women represented in each part of the programme; it’s around a third. For every two performances or pitches by a male in the biggest dance trade fair in the world there is one by a female. This is unacceptable. Insightful contributions from the floor by Emma-Jayne Park (Scotland) and Annabelle Guérédrat (Martinique) as well as by Christine Bonansea (USA) on the panel are counterbalanced with some eyebrow-raising talk from other women in the room on how ‘women lack ambition and lack the ability to be strategic.’ There is a call for a consistent sisterhood that does not keep cutting each other down and a clear call for action in the Tanzmesse evaluation where we should demand an equal number of performances and programming slots for women as a minimum in future editions.
Alongside the talks programme there are some fifty 20-minute open studio/pitching slots over the two days where artists can offer a flavour of something new that is coming down the pipeline to generate interest in future international touring or building co-production partnerships. Seeta Patel presents a polished 8-minute excerpt of her bharatanatyam reimagining of The Rite of Spring that will tour the UK with 6 dancers from May 2019 and scale up to the Sadler’s Wells main stage with 12 dancers in 2021. Group bharatanatyam is a rarity and it is refreshing to see the intricate patterns multiplied and echoed across many bodies as the power and collective sound of the jattis leave me wanting to see and hear more.
HOPE HUNT & The Ascension into Lazarus (HHATAIL) by Oona Doherty blasts the dusty roof off Tanzmesse 2018 and if the rarely-heard decibel level of applause and the length of standing ovation are anything to go by, then the Belfast-based performer/choreographer is about to collect some serious air miles. With the audience starting out on the street, sardined on the narrow paths outside the FFT Kammerspiele, an ageing Volkswagen blaring 90s UK dance music screeches to a halt, the driver pops the boot and out onto the concrete night floor lands Doherty. As she discovers her Bambi legs and staggers into and out of the crowd, up and down the road, the audience begins to absorb her, spits her out and takes her back, in an exchange of energy that stays charged till the end. Dressed in three stripes, Shockwaves hair and gold-chained neck, Doherty screams at us to get inside into the black as we are about to witness ‘a man who is many men telling his story, a hunt for hope as we are twisted and contorted with ideas of masculinity, morality and nostaligia.’ With HHATAIL we are in the arc of an eruption; Doherty coughs and conjures up words, memories and choreographies that bite and nestle under the skin offering us a glimpse of an underclass, of Belfast and of a resistance. As we continue to see the repeated crunch of her body biting the floor it is her energy and performance that stains the mind. Injecting a fire and spirit into the audience against the relentless Tanzmesse schedule and the wearisome neoliberal politics of the West HHATAIL is testament to the quality of Doherty’s dramaturgy and performance.
There is a growing presence of work made for non-theatrical spaces at Tanzmesse and a highlight of that programme is DISCOFOOT by CCN Ballet de Lorraine (Petter Jacobsson and Thomas Caley). Two teams of 11 classically-trained dancers in short short gold lamé shorts, play/perform football with a mirrored disco football to a bass-heavy disco soundtrack played over two 10-minute halves on a marked out 5-a-side pitch outside Forum with a referee, live DJ and a set of ice-dance judges marking their performance alongside goals scored. It’s an absolute hoot and demonstrates a rarely seen lighter side of large-scale ballet companies. Tackling via the splits, twerk grinding whilst holding the ball up and with elaborate simulation when a foul has been committed, all demonstrate a clear knowledge of football with a wry sense of the growing theatricalisation and entertainment arena in which football and dance sits. As a model it could be exported to other events; imagine at the UK Dance Showcase having a 5-a-side beach version of DISCOFOOT with Avant Garde Dance vs Ladd Light and Emberton or Russell Maliphant vs Barrowland Ballet.
On the final day there is an addition of an ‘Urban Dance Art Day’ with a programme curated by Takao Baba at Welkunstzimmer presenting a conversation, Urban Dance Goes Theatre, and two 90-minute showcase blocks of works (in progress, excerpted, improvised) by the likes of The Ruggeds, Gladness, House as well as two 15-minute excerpts of longer works, Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច by Nick Power and Tangle by Kinetic Art. Presented on the classic taped b-boy cardboard floor we’re offered a series of quarter-baked ideas and a poor sound system so we’re unable to hear the names of performers and what the works are about. The only work to come out with any sense of quality, presentation or theatricality is Power’s: the audience is placed in a cypher, providing energy for the two b-boys (Erak Mith and Aaron Lim) as they skirt the edges, playfully mock the tropes of the genre and each other and fake and play like boxers in the ring sussing out their opponent before attempting to land the knockout blow/move. Nevertheless, presenting ‘Urban Dance Art Day’ in this context shortchanges the audience but more pertinently reveals an uneasy, ongoing attempt by presenters to box/shoehorn hip hop culture into existing theatrical conventions.
With advisors Malco Oliveros, Christian Watty and Carolelinda Dickey, Jaenicke’s first Tanzmesse displays not only an embarrassing lack of female choreographers and performers across the performance and pitching programme, but a geographical exclusion of dance from vast tracts of the world like Africa, the Middle East and South/Central America. I have only written about a very small percentage of the programme and one of hundreds of possible routes through the event but until the gender and geographical bias is acknowledged and altered then Tanzmesse will continue to feel like a central meeting place in Europe where the elite wield their power, position and privilege and deepen the chasm between those who are here and those who are not.
Company of Elders, Mixed Bill at Lilian Baylis Studio
Posted: July 7th, 2018 | Author: Nicholas Minns & Caterina Albano | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Adrienne Hart, Betsy Field, Company of Elders, Dickson Mbi, Mary O'Mahony, Monica Duck, Sadler's Wells, Seeta Patel | Comments Off on Company of Elders, Mixed Bill at Lilian Baylis Studio
Company of Elders, Mixed Bill, Lilian Baylis Studio, July 6
Sadler’s Wells publicity photograph for Company of Elders (photo: Matt Austin)
The program of this mixed bill by Company of Elders is made up of three short works interspersed with three films, two from the Sadler’s Wells Learning and Engagement team about the company and one featuring the 2016 video portrait by Jonathan Burrows, Matteo Fargion and Hugo Glendinning, of Betsy Field and Mary O’Mahony, both dancers in the company. What emerge from the first two films are two major themes in Company of Elders, social and artistic. This mixed bill shows unequivocally the social underpinning of the group of seventeen dancers who Sadler’s Wells describe rather patronizingly as ‘demonstrating the power of lifelong creativity and proving it is never too late to start dancing.’ What the program affirms less convincingly is the artistic vision that comes with the creation of works by numerous choreographers over the past 29 years. This year Seeta Patel, Adrienne Hart and Dickson Mbi still only scratch the surface of the artistic capability in these dancers. Is Sadler’s Wells using these choreographers to advertise ‘the power of lifelong creativity’ in their flagship over-60’s company or does it wish to see the company develop its artistic potential? What parameters dictate that all seventeen dancers have to appear on stage in each work, for example? When Field and O’Mahony appear in their filmed portrait, they are given the freedom to establish their identity within a proscribed frame, sitting at a table, and with a minimum of gestural means. What comes across is an artistic endeavor that highlights the two performers in a way the three stage performances do not. Patel, Hart and Mbi introduce short solos and duets to differentiate dancers from the crowd and some highlighting is achieved, either through text or gesture, but the group as social entity is what each performance seems to endorse. It is a shame, as the group will always be limited in its physical reach by what the weaker performers can do, just as in a younger company. The general effect of this kind of choreography as social organization is a romantic, stereotypical vision of what being older means: waving arms in a tight group is one of the tropes that turn up again and again. And why (except for Patel’s work) keep these seventeen individuals in brightly coloured t-shirts like children at a summer camp? Is it not possible to allow each performer to suggest a costume they treasure and work it into a performance? The resemblance of one performance to another suggests a ceiling of artistic decisions that governs Company of Elders. In what strata of society will you find such conformity among seventeen individuals? Only where it is imposed from the outside.
There are attempts in this mixed bill to break up this conformity. Patel in her Fragments, Not Forgotten finds inspiration in potent individual memories and uses a variety of groupings and a differentiation of gesture to indicate a more organic approach. In her A Tentative Place of Holding Hart unites the goals of Company of Elders with the inspiration of Arakawa and Madeline Gins’ ‘reversible destiny’; she uses more intimate gestures, gets the dancers off the ground in partnering lifts and a hopping step, and finishes with a plucky group challenge to the audience. Mbi in his Abyss separates the men and has them popping in slow motion and stamping out rhythms while he coaxes the women to develop the power of their arms in a semi-circular gestural dance that borders on wild. You begin to see possibilities opening up. A newcomer to the company, Monica Duck, clearly has rhythm in her bones. Mbi knows it and let’s us enjoy her movement, but Duck too quickly withdraws into the surrounding group as if such natural ebullience is frowned upon.
The employment of choreographers to create work on Company of Elders and to present that work on stage shifts its purpose in a parallel direction to its social benefits. The current mixed bill pushes the envelope of community dance closer towards the goal of artistic expression. If Sadler’s Wells is proud of their flagship company — and they should be — it is time to withhold the empty rhetoric of its Learning and Engagement team, stop patting itself on the back for presenting Company of Elders as bodies in a social ageing experiment and work towards bringing out the expressiveness of age as an artistic virtue. They might even consider paying them as artists.
Gandini Juggling and Seeta Patel, Sigma
Posted: January 20th, 2018 | Author: Nicholas Minns & Caterina Albano | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Gandini Juggling, Guy Hoare, Indu Panday, Kati Ylä Hokkala, Kim Huynh, London International Mime Festival, Sean Gandini, Seeta Patel, Sigma | Comments Off on Gandini Juggling and Seeta Patel, Sigma
Gandini Juggling and Seeta Patel, Sigma, Lilian Baylis Studio, January 15
Iconographic collage of Seeta Patel in Sigma (photo: ASH)
In Sigma, presented at Lilian Baylis Studio as part of the 2018 London International Mime Festival, Sean Gandini, artistic director of Gandini Juggling and Seeta Patel, an accomplished bharatanatyam soloist and choreographer, propose a dialogue — or flirtation as Gandini calls it — between juggling and bharatanatyam. Sigma is the second of three such dialogues Gandini has curated, the first being with classical ballet (4×4 Ephemeral Architectures) and the third, Spring, with contemporary choreography by Alexander Whitley, which will premiere at Cambridge Junction next month.
The term ‘sigma’ means ‘sum of small parts’, aptly describing the structure of Gandini’s and Patel’s dialogue that examines aspects of their respective arts from their two distinct perspectives. Clearly nothing much will result from a dialogue where perspectives are too closely aligned, and on the surface there appears to be little in common between juggling and classical Indian dance. The history of juggling suggests it has always been an artistic form on the informal edges of entertainment; while it has developed its own virtuosic routines it has eschewed a formal musical or physical framework for the improvised freedom of the street or circus. By contrast, bharatanatyam has a long history of formalized representation with an improvisational core based on a close relationship with its musicians. In formalizing such a dialogue Gandini and Patel run the risk of either framing juggling too tightly or unframing bharatanatyam, but in their irrepressible curiosity they set out to explore how the geometries and dynamics of their respective arts intersect within their common experience of space and time.
By putting the two forms on the same stage, Sigma immediately reveals a formal affinity, a double intricacy of gesture and rhythm that initially sets the dialogue alight. It is in the inordinate physical dexterity, agility and coordination of hand and eye, as well as in the use of complex musical rhythms that the two art forms thrive. Seeing Patel’s refined hand gestures against the juggling hands of Kim Huynh and Kati Ylä Hokkala and to juxtapose the complex rhythms of bouncing balls with Patel’s and Indu Panday’s intricate footwork is to appreciate both arts in a fresh light. There are notable similarities, too, in the use of improvisation (uncommon in the western classical ballet tradition) and in the dynamic tension between concentration and relaxation that allows the performers of both forms to appear at ease as they negotiate demanding routines. Perhaps one of the most interesting developments in Sigma’s dialogue, one in which both art forms find themselves in new territory, is the section ‘Tribute to London’ in which both dance and juggling are performed to the syncopated rhythms of chanted tube station names. There are also some notable disagreements between the two forms: gesture in bharatanatyam is embedded in meaning, whereas in juggling it is a function of the dynamic act. This fundamental difference renders the section in which Patel and Huynh compete in physical expressivity rather flat because there is no standard of comparison. Another disagreement is in a contrasting sense of humour. Humour in juggling is a response both to the inherent illusion and the nonchalant virtuosity of the act. In bharatanatyam humour is embedded in the story that the artist expresses. Sigma carries no story in itself — except in the ethnological, autobiographical framing — so Patel and Panday are roped into Gandini’s sense of humour that appears to be less a result of dialogue than of acquiesence.
There is an external element in Sigma that enhances its presentation: the stage setting and Guy Hoare’s atmospheric lighting. What we see as we arrive is a bare stage with two bland, institutional dividers on wheels. As the performance unfolds, so do the screens, revealing mirrors on the hidden side that reflect both the audience and the performers. In the duet between Patel and Huyhn to the aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Panday and Hokkala circle the performers with the mirrored panels, extending the sculptural forms of the choreography to which Hoare’s lighting gives a visual unity even if the full effect is evident only to those sitting in the middle of the stalls.
Out of the sum of its many components, however, Sigma fails to create a cohesive whole. The initial exploration throws up ideas like balls and keeps the dialogue afloat, but the joint dynamics fall off, and balls drop as the exchange deconstructs into its constituent soliloquys. At the end illusion peters out with a muted chorus of regrets.
Seeta Patel: Something Then, Something Now
Posted: October 5th, 2014 | Author: Nicholas Minns | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Divya Kasturi, Guy Hoare, Mavin Khoo, Pushkala Gopal, Seeta Patel, Something Then Something Now, Wild Card | Comments Off on Seeta Patel: Something Then, Something Now
Seeta Patel, Something Then, Something Now, Lilian Baylis Theatre, September 25
Seeta Patel in Something Then, Something Now (photo © Stephen Berkeley White)
Wild Card is a series of specially curated evenings from a new generation of dance makers bringing fresh perspectives to the stage. For each Wild Card, an up-and-coming artist is given the opportunity to present work that excites them alongside their own.
Something Then, Something Now is both the title of Seeta Patel’s Wild Card evening and a way of understanding it. The evening is divided into two, with Patel dancing a Bharatanatyam solo to live Carnatic music in the first, and Pushkala Gopal performing a series of Abhinaya — the facial, gestural and character aspects of the Bharatanatyam tradition — with the some of the same Carnatic musicians in the second. In both cases, the compositions originate in the past (between the twelfth and the eighteenth centuries) but the interpretations are very much in the moment. Because both the artist and the art form are inextricably linked, we are not simply watching historical compositions reconstructed for the present: it is the past in the ever-present that makes the evening so rich.
Patel is one of a new generation of dancers who are born in England of Indian parents but she is considered an Indian dancer because she looks Indian and she dances an Indian form. Identity is something Patel has already tackled with playful irony in a short film she made with Kamala Devam, The Art of Defining Me, but for her Wild Card program she sets out to dispel the equally equivocal notion that Indian dance is an exotic, ethnic import. She sees Bharatanatyam as a classical form in the same way, perhaps, that Beethoven’s or Rossini’s music is part of the classical tradition independent of its cultural origin. It is a differentiation that may be lost on those who thrive on compartmentalization but for the two packed houses at her Wild Card program, the freshness of her approach and the quality of her dancing are indisputable.
Lighting designer Guy Hoare creates a cocoon of hazy light that engulfs the musicians seated at one side of the stage in the preamble to the performance. The violinist’s sliding fingers, the flautist’s swaying torso, the percussionist’s lightning fingers on the taut skin and the vocalist’s rich voice all prefigure Patel’s dance. Mavin Khoo, who sits with the musicians as conductor and vocal percussionist, half explains, half intones the story of praise and love Patel is about to dance, after which Hoare lowers the lights to prepare us for her entrance: first her hand and then her arm, then her entire body appear through a thin sheet of light. For the next fourty minutes Hoare integrates Patel’s dance and the Carnatic music into an intoxicating drama of mystery and light.
The focus of this eighteenth century work from the Raga Anandabhairavi is the relationship between three characters (the heroine, her friend and Lord Krishna) and the dual nature of love and devotion. Patel as the heroine and sole narrator is exquisitely beautiful, dressed in a turquoise costume accented with filigree gold and adorned with jewels that themselves seem to dance in the light. She uses her richly expressive facial features to convey the full spectrum of feeling and emotion and her graceful hand and arm gestures symbolize the motifs and details of her story.
Throughout the dance there is a heady sense of improvisation between Patel and the musicians that requires a heightened musicality from both. I don’t want to take my eyes off her, and the musicians never do. Between the narrative sections are the pure dance or rhythmical sections in which she becomes one with the music like a human instrument. Her rapid footwork, darting arm gestures and fast — unbelievably fast — turns are nevertheless clear and fully articulated as if there is a still point within her around which, and from which, everything moves. No wonder Anna Pavlova recognized the parallels between Indian dance and classical ballet.
In the second part of the evening, Pushkala Gopal sits authoritatively on a platform surrounded by the same group of Carnatic musicians with Divya Kasturi as an additional vocalist. Abinhaya are performed to explore texts written mostly, Gopal says in her introduction, by men fascinated by heroines in love. Her gestures arrive out of the words and the layers of meaning in the song. As in Patel’s dance, the symbiotic relationship between Gopal and the musicians is exhilarating.
The final song is about an Untouchable whose interest in seeing Lord Shiva is so pure that he succeeds against all odds in achieving his goal. It is appropriate that such a story should conclude the evening in which Patel has put her talent and passion at the service of an art form she wants to champion in this country. Patel is, to our eyes, an accomplished dancer but in the timeline of her art she can be seen as just a beginner, as Khoo — her teacher — pointed out in the post-show talk. It is lifelong artistic investment that lies at the heart of classical art, but with a public funding system that cannot look with confidence beyond the five-year political cycle there seems little hope of an enduring solution. Great art for all requires great artists, and great artists can’t mature on a fast-food project basis. But if an untouchable can see Lord Shiva then we can look forward to enjoying Patel’s long-term development in her chosen art.
South Asian Dance Summit
Posted: June 1st, 2013 | Author: Nicholas Minns | Filed under: Performance | Tags: Anusha Subramanyam, Ash Mukherjee, Asian Arts Agency, Breathe, Erhebung, Jeff Lowe, Kamala Devam, Mayuri Boonham, Pavilion Dance, Power Games, Seeta Patel, Shane Shambhu, South Asian Dance Summit, Subathra Subramaniam, Under My Skin | Comments Off on South Asian Dance Summit
South Asian Dance Summit, Pavilion Dance, May 17-18
The Art of Defining Me photo: Peter Schiazza
The purpose of the 24-hour South Asian Dance Summit presented by Pavilion Dance South West and Asian Arts Agency was to demystify South Asian dance for presenters and producers by allowing them to get up close and personal with the traditional form and contemporary developments. What the summit achieved was to take South Asian dance out of its cultural, indigenous box and to put it on display as a communicative art. Paradoxically, it was seeing Seeta Patel interpreting Marvin Khoo’s Bharatanatyam solo, Dancing My Siva — with all its cultural associations — that put the entire summit in perspective. Here was a classical dance form with its unmistakable sophistication in gesture and rhythm that has been developing for hundreds of years; the way Patel danced it communicated effortlessly a beauty and an excitement that was timeless. At the same time the performance contextualised the efforts by other summit choreographers to derive a contemporary form.
Of the full-length works, Subathra Subramaniam’s Under My Skin takes gesture from another kind of theatre (that of the operating room) as its inspiration in her challenge to ‘the traditional boundaries between clinical practice and dance’. Where Subramanian dips in to the Bharatnatyam form becomes a point of self-identification, a vestige of a glorious past that has nevertheless embraced the present. In his latest work, Power Games, Shane Shambhu adopts the gestures of the trading floor in his comic-strip style story of the rise and fall of a market trader and in Erhebung, Mayuri Boonham marries the sculptural form of the body with a rigid sculptural framework by Jeff Lowe, resulting in a meditative play of movement against stillness, of ripe fruit on a tree.
The summit also presented ChoreoLAB2, a series of shorter works that are still in development. Subramaniam takes her inspiration for a solo from observations of mental illness; in Breathe, Ash Mukherjee crashes deliriously into the traditional form to see what remains; Anusha Subramanyam retains the humanity of the narrative form to depict the humanity of Aung San Suu Kyi and finally Seeta Patel and Kamala Devam play devil’s advocate in a short film called The Art of Defining Me. It raises impertinent yet pertinent questions for audiences and presenters alike, for while it thumbs its nose at cultural claustrophobia and narrow mindedness (as does Seeta Patel’s series of vignettes, What is Indian Enough?), its light-hearted approach effectively transforms our perceptions.
The summit organisers were keen to provide ample opportunities for dialogue between artists and presenters and to cross-reference the dance with other practices. In the lobby of Subramaniam’s Under My Skin were a bespoke tailor, Joshua Byrne, and the surgeon Professor Roger Kneebone (Subramaniam’s collaborator on the project), both of whom demonstrated their respective forms of hand gesture. What the summit showed is thus a broad, interrelated universe of creative expression showing not only the origins but also the new directions of the traditional form. We should not be impatient; we do not have the time to see the development of these forms over the next hundred years, but both past and future exist in the present moment, and that is where the summit unequivocally placed us.
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Tim Storey - Author, Speaker & Life Coach
Tim Storey is an acclaimed author, speaker and life coach, well known for inspiring and motivating people of all walks of life, from entertainment executives, celebrities and athletes to adults and children in the most deprived neighborhoods in the country. Tim has travelled to over seventy countries and spoken to millions of people. He often meets privately to counsel high-profile leaders in various industries.
Tim Storey helps people create the future they desire. He has inspired people from all walks of life, from entertainment legends to professional athletes... from executives to deprived children in third world countries. Using seasoned foundational principles and humor to get honest with people so they can overcome the obstacles that are holding them back.
Along with a rigorous speaking calendar and private life coaching sessions, he also holds regular spiritually motivating intimate sessions across the world called The Study. He hosted an exclusive Saturday morning series on SiriusXM Radio. Recently, Tim was interviewed for a full hour segment of Oprah Winfrey's OWN "Super Soul Sunday". The episode aired on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015. Since then, he was a speaker for "Super Soul Sessions" LIVE from UCLA and was a guest speaker at the ultra-exclusive PTTOW 2015 conference in Palos Altos, CA. He began a church in Yorba Linda, CA called The Congregation, which meets weekly and provides spiritual insight and direction for people of diverse ages, backgrounds, and needs.
The loss of his father at 12 years of age and the passing of his sister right after turned Tim's life upside down. Seeking hope and purpose, he began the journey to seek an environment for discovery and recovery for himself and for others. His dream was to reach all people, so he began traveling throughout the world, speaking to people in Sweden, South Africa, Nigeria, Philippines, and more.
His ability to listen and genuinely care for those he comes in contact with has led to unique favorability among some the most influential leaders in the world. Though his realm of influence has evolved since the age of 12, his heart is the same.
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The Thing About Yahweh, the Creator, Is He Foretells the Future
It is said and proven that the Scriptures written by Yahweh’s Prophets and Yahshua’s Disciples were inspired by Yahweh, and they foretell future events that came to pass hundreds, even thousands, of years later. That statement is an absolute fact.
Yahweh, the Being Who created the heavens and the earth, is the only Being Who has the Knowledge, Wisdom, and ability to actually foretell the future. Fulfilled Prophecies prove this fact.
Let me give you an example. Yahshua Messiah spoke these Words for this present, prophesied generation, saying it would be the worst time of trouble of any generation in history, with nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
He also said that this generation would have weapons of mass destruction that would be used in this generation, and they would darken the sun.
Mattithyah 24:29, 21-22, 33-34
Yahweh’s Prophet Isayah
Yahweh’s Prophet Isayah spoke of this same time period and showed that the earth would be burned and few men left.
Yahweh’s Prophet Malakyah also wrote of this present generation of nuclear burning. He showed that the wicked, those who practice sin, will burn themselves up with their own creation of weapons of hatred and lust.
Malakyah 4:1-2
1 For the Word of Yahweh was given to me, saying: Behold, the day comes that will burn like an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all who do wickedly, will be stubble—the day that comes will burn them up, and it will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But for you who reverence My Name, the Light of Righteousness will arise with healing in its wings; and you will go out, leaping like calves released from the stall.
Verse 2 shows clearly that sinners—all 4,199 religions—will burn themselves up in this present, prophesied generation.
Yahshua Messiah in the Last Revelation Shows the Same Time and Same Burning
We see part of this Prophecy in Mattithyah 24 where Yahshua says the sun and the moon will be darkened. He also shows it will take place in at least a 24-hour period.
Yahweh’s Prophet Isayah was inspired to write the same thing concerning the sun and moon.
Isayah 24:23 – Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed before Yahweh, before the Scepter; rulership, is taken away from Yahdah (the Coptic Catholics later called Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Herodians, and now called Roman Catholics) and Yahweh begins to reign over the children of man.
Isayah 24:33 shows Yahweh will take the reign, in this present generation, when the sun and moon are darkened.
Notice carefully:
In this same time period of the greatest tribulation ever…
Verse 22 shows that Yahweh has already arranged to cut short the last three and one-half year time period to save the Elect from destruction. The Elect are shown in Psalm 91:1-16.
When the sun is darkened with wars in this generation…
Mattithyah 24:29, 33-34
With few men left but before the very Elect perish too, Yahweh will take control.
Then, at that precise time, Yahweh will be chosen.
Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed, then Yahweh our Father will gloriously reign through those who think to keep all His Laws, and through the Priest who teaches peace, and through the teaching of His Priests.
Please notice, the time that Yahweh takes reign is when the war-raging religions are led by the Vatican (Roman Catholic Church), the leader of the kings (religions) of the earth.
And the woman whom you saw, is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
This woman will cause a one-hour burning that will finally stop the sinners as shown in Malakyah 4:1.
They are far from Righteous. In fact, they hate Righteousness. This is shown in:
3 Who also eat the meat of My People, who strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them into pieces, as meat for the pot, as flesh within the caldron.
The house of Israyl or house of the Gods of Israyl who moved to Rome in 70 AY after destroying Yerusalem—now calling themselves the Vatican or Roman Catholic Church—still has more Gods than cities, just as they did in Israyl.
Yeremyah 2:28
But where are your Gods (elohim, teraphim) that you have made for yourselves? Let them rise, if they can, and save you in your time of trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your Gods (elohim), O Yahdah.
Notice the word “Yahdah” in that verse.
Yahdah holds the ruling scepter, it’s stationed in Rome at this time. Yahdah is the leader of the 4,199 religions—translated as kings of the earth—and will continue to hold that ruling staff until they burn the earth, with few men left.
Then Yaaqob called for his sons, and said; Gather together, so I may tell you what will befall you in the Last Days.
Verse 1 – Did you notice this chapter is speaking of the Last Days?
8 Yahdah, your brothers will praise you…
That shows praise a religious entity.
…your hand will be on the neck of your enemies…
That shows authority with armed forces.
…your father’s sons will bow down to you.
This shows power by majority; no means of defeat.
9 You are a lion’s cub, O Yahdah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion, he crouches and lies down; like the lion’s breed, who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Yahdah…
The city that sits on seven hills is leader of the kings of the earth.
…nor a ruling staff; lawgiver, from between his feet, until He comes to Whom tribute belongs, and the obedience of the nations is His.
11 Tethering His donkey to the Vine; tethering His donkey colt to the Choicest Branch; He will wash His garments in wine; He will wash His robes in the blood of grapes.
Notice the word until in verse 10. It means a limited time is allowed in order to prove what sin brings.
Did you see the word “Yahdah”?
Read again and compare:
Yahdah still practices the same Godworship, but now in Rome.
Catholic means universal; meaning, they worship all the Gods in the universe, even the host of heaven. That is the meaning of Catholic.
Speaking of Yahdah and the twelve tribes brought out of Egypt by Mosheh, compare:
37 This is that Mosheh, who said to the children of Israyl: Yahweh your Father will raise up for you a Prophet like me, from your brothers. Him you will hear.
38 This is he, who was among the called out ones in the wilderness with the malak who spoke to him on Mount Sinai; and with our fathers, who received the Doctrine of Life to give to us,
39 Whom our fathers would not obey, but they rejected him. So in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,
40 Saying to Aaron: Make us Gods (elohim) to go before us. As for this Mosheh who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.
41 And they made an image of a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the God (el), and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
42 Then Yahweh turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, just as it is written in The Book of Yahweh: Was it to Me you brought sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israyl?
43 No! But you have lifted up the idolatrous temple of Molech; your God (el), and Chiun your star-God (el); Saturn, the star of your God (el) which you made for yourselves. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
They destroyed Yerusalem and moved the Temple and all the artifacts beyond Babylon to Rome in 70 AY (After Yahshua).
Genesis 10:9-10 shows this Babylon, from the beginning of this kingdom, as a school of deception and tyrants who turned people against Yahweh.
9 He was a tyrant who deceived, who turned against Yahweh; therefore it is said: Like Nimrod the tyrant who deceived, who turned against Yahweh.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and all of them in the land of Shinar; that is, Babylon.
Today, they call the Temple, which is in Rome, the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel has the exact same measurements as the Temple shown in the First Book of Kings.
The “sacking of Israyl” is depicted on the arch of General Titus, who became another of their Gods after he murdered millions of Sabbath-keepers in Israyl, destroyed Yerusalem and moved all the wealth, the Temple and its artifacts to Rome.
The Victory Arch of Titus commemorates Titus’ victorious conquest of Judaea, leading the sacking of Jerusalem and ending the Jewish wars. The arch was constructed after Titus’s death in 81 C.E. (A.Y.) after his becoming a god.
The Arch of Titus is located on the highest point of the Via Sacra, a road leading to the Roman Forum. This is a single arch, 15.4m high, 13.5m wide, and 4.75m deep. The marble reliefs stand nearly 2.5m in height. On the Arch of Titus is a relief depicting the Romans’ triumphal procession, returning with spoils from the (House of Yahweh) in Jerusalem. Especially prominent is the sacred Menorah, but we can also see the Table of the Shewbread, and the silver trumpets which called Jews to Rosh Hashanah.
“And [Yahshua] went out, and departed from the Temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the buildings of the Temple. And [Yahshua] said unto them, “See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2)
About 40 years later, (32 A.D. [A.Y.]-70 A.D. [A.Y.]) and exactly as prophesied by [Yahshua Messiah], the magnificent “…Temple” was completely (removed), leaving not one stone upon another. It was an event that marked the beginning of the long and arduous Jewish Diaspora. Yet, it was definitely an event foreseen in Bible prophecy. [Yahshua] not only prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem … but added the following statement: (Luke 21:24; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.)
In 70 A.D. (A.Y.), after a 143-day siege which began at Passover, a Roman military force consisting of about 30,000 troops under the command of Titus battered the walls and entered the city. They destroyed everything… (and took down every stone of The House of Yahweh) …exactly as spoken by [Yahshua Messiah] 40 years earlier. The population and the great number of Passover visitors who had been trapped there were brutally slaughtered, with an estimated 600,000 to 1,000,000 people killed. Roman General Titus took the precious booty and treasury of the Jerusalem Temple back to Rome, where many suspect it remains to this day. (arch of Titus)
By 70 A.D. (AY), Jerusalem and Judea were left desolate, most of the people either killed or being held in captivity, or had become refugees fleeing to remote lands (even the lands now called America). All that remained in Israel was the defiant little garrison atop the mount at Masada, a fortress complex south of the Dead Sea, which was built by Herod the Great. Thus when the (House of Yahweh) was (removed–taken down as Yahshua said) in A.D. (A.Y.) 70 the period of the second exile began.
The great move to Rome beyond Babylon:
No! But you have lifted up the idolatrous temple of Molech; your God (el), and Chiun your star-God (el); Saturn, the star of your God (el) which you made for yourselves. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
The thing about Yahweh, He told them and us, in the Inspired Prophecies, all the moves they would make before they commit mass-suicide with nuclear burning.
There were no bombs to burn the earth in 96 AY when the Prophecy in Revelation was written. Yet, Yahweh shows us the exact amount of time—one hour—it will take in this generation to burn the earth.
Oh, if only the world’s religions would listen to and believe Yahweh instead of Satan.
Read now the time given in this generation to burn the earth.
1 And after these things I saw one Messenger, who was sent from Yahweh. He had great Authority; and the nations were taught Righteousness by him.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a place where its priests reject knowledge and they teach everyone to be unclean; to hate and get away from keeping the Laws.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
11 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her; for no one buys their merchandise anymore:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all kinds of scented wood, and every kind of article of ivory, and every kind of article of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and incense, fragrant ointment, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, that is, souls of men.
14 And the fruits that your soul lusted after have departed from you, and all things which were dainty; luxuries, and splendid have departed from you, and you will find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying: Alas! Alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing! And every sea captain, and all the company in ships, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying: What city is like this great city?
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying: Alas! Alas, that great city, in which all who had ships in the sea were made rich through her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.
Verses 10, 17, and 19 all show the earth will be burned in one hour.
Yes! 100% sure
Atomic Armageddon is just 30 minutes away – former US Navy advisor
Published time: 7 Dec, 2015 07:31 Edited time: 7 Dec, 2015 09:50
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/324941-nuclear-co;c-war-us/
Dr. Theodore Postol, former advisor to the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, a professor at MIT, nuclear technology expert.
…US and Russia once again are pumping up their nuclear arsenal, and the Doomsday Clock shows it’s just three minutes before midnight. Is nuclear destruction looming once again over humankind? …could Atomic Armageddon happen by accident?…
Sophie Shevardnadze: …Ted, President Obama came into the White House calling for “Global Zero” – now, there are plans to spend a trillion dollars on an overall of entire nuclear arsenal. Why is this happening?
Dr. Theodore Postol: I think this is a consequence of the domestic politics.
SS: Now, do you believe the U.S. is readying its nuclear forces for direct confrontation with Russia? Do you think nuclear war is possible now? At any scenario, do you see that?
Dr. TP: I do think that an accidental nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia is possible. …I do think we are in danger.
SS: What happens, hypothetically, if there is a nuclear war? Will a doctrine like a mutual destruction doctrine ever work again?
Dr. TP: …somebody makes a bad decision with incomplete information, which is almost certainly what happens in the real world – information is never complete – you could have a massive use of nuclear weapons, and that, of course, would end civilization as we know it…
SS: Now, Ted, tell me something. Explain to an amateur, to me, how does one launch a nuclear weapon? Is it as easy as pressing a button? How long does it take for a nuclear missile to reach its target?
Dr. TP: The ballistic missile could be fired, basically, within 50 or 60 seconds, more or less, after alert being given to the operators. The rocket will then ignite…then it would release warheads. The warheads would float in the near vacuum of space under the influence of gravity and momentum, and in about 20-28 minutes would arrive at their targets, re-enter the atmosphere and explode. So the world could be, basically, finished off in anywhere from half hour to an hour upon the arrival of these warheads. …most nuclear warheads would be delivered in a very short time, probably within half hour or an hour interval.
Think of what a magnificent Being Yahweh is.
This Being has told us everything that sin will bring, if practiced.
Mankind proved the Prophecies to be 100% true and correct when he started the nuclear bomb in 1934. The start of the nuclear bombs was 1838 years after the Prophecy was written in Revelation 18.
Think of the Wisdom Yahweh has to be able to foretell our future and results of our every action.
Yahweh even warns those of mankind who will repent and convert.
Yahweh even offers those who will repent and convert His Protection.
But you are to seek the Habitation of your Father; The House of Yahweh—the place which Yahweh your Father shall choose out of all your tribes to establish His Name—and there you must go.
That House has Yahshua as High Priest. Read on:
And I also say to you who are Kepha: That upon this Rock, YAHWEH UNITY; I will build this house; family: The House of Yahweh, and the gates of sheol (hell) will not prevail against it.
Did you get that? Yahweh allowed Yahdah—the Catholics, which means evil like the Gods—to murder His people and to destroy and steal His property. Yet, Yahweh brought His seven prophesied Works through. The Seventh Work of The House of Yahweh was established in this generation by a person named in Scripture and born in 1934, the year that started this last generation.
This House, Yahshua said will not be destroyed. Mattithyah 16:18…the gates of hell will not prevail against this House.
Yahweh shows that sin cuts you off from Him and your prayers go unanswered.
Salvation starts withy keeping the Seventh Day Sabbath at Yahweh’s House.
13 If you turn away your foot from breaking the Sabbath: from doing your pleasure; your own business, your own pleasure, on My Holy Day, and call the Sabbath a delight; the Holy Day of Yahweh honorable, and will honor Him by not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor engaging in idle conversation:
14 Then you will find your joy in Yahweh; and I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Yaaqob your father—for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.
Remember, those who practice sin—4,199 religions—will destroy themselves in this generation.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make will remain before Me, says Yahweh: so will your seed and your name remain.
23 And it will come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh will come to worship before Me, says Yahweh.
24 And they will go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against Me; for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.
3 And the Word of Yahweh was given to me saying: the wicked will be trodden down; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that this will be done.
4 Remember the Laws of Mosheh My Servant, which I commanded through him in Horeb for all Israyl, with the Statutes and Judgments.
There is a Protected Place.
3 But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where they have been driven, and bring them back to their folds, and they will be fruitful and increase.
That Protected Place is shown in:
We await your call.
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BLACK PEOPLE-STOP BLEACHING BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF WITH SKIN CANCER!-AMIRA ADAWE FIGHTS BLEACHING 000!
FARIDA DAWKINS, at 09:04 am, July 17, 2018, CULTURE
This Somali anti-skin bleaching crusader in the U.S. is ending stigma against dark-skinned women
Amira Adawe on her radio show, ‘Beauty Wellness Talk’…NHPR
Despite the dangers associated with skin-bleaching, the desire for some to change their skin tone has anything but lessened. Many skin-bleaching creams include mercury, cortisone and hydroquinone; chemicals linked to skin cancer, high blood pressure, thinning of the skin, other forms of cancer, and kidney and liver failure.
Yet many women and men are willing to undergo drastic measures to be regarded as desirable and beautiful, including applying skin-lightening creams and lotions to their skin while pregnant.
The risks associated with skin bleaching inspired Minnesota public health advocate, Amira Adawe, who has made it her personal mission to seek out shops selling skin-bleaching creams and report their activities.
Skin bleaching isn’t passe in Africa, it’s just been re-branded
Ghana to Ban Sale of Skin Bleaching Products in August
African Singer Dencia Encourages Skin Bleaching With ‘Whitenicious’?
The Universality of Skin Bleaching: Looking Beyond Africa
Amira Adawe…Minn Post
Adawe can often be seen in Karmel Square, a meeting point for Somali immigrants in Minneapolis to socialize and purchase goods from their native land. It is also a prime location for the sale of skin-bleaching products. Adawe uses her visits as an opportunity to scout and report merchants who still sell the controversial products.
As a county public health educator and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Adawe purchased 27 samples of creams in 2011 and had them tested by pollution control agency specialists. Their finding revealed that there were 33,000 parts of mercury per million in the samples given. The Food and Drug Administration only allows one part per million.
Adawe’s actions caused the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to raid and investigate establishments selling lightening creams. The Minnesota Department of Health then issued warnings about the dangers of skin-bleaching creams.
Mercury is a neurotoxin that eats away at the skin, damages membranes and causes death by poisoning. “Just touching a washcloth or a mother’s cheek that has been rubbed with the products could be harmful to a baby, the FDA notes, interfering with brain and nervous system development.”
Adawe is now a manager for the Children’s Cabinet of Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and host of a weekly radio show dubbed “Beauty-Wellness Talk.” It launched in November 2017. More than being on a crusade to stop the illegal sale of skin-bleaching creams, Adawe feels it’s important to discuss the issues that prompt women to alter their skin in the first place.
Though it is difficult, Adawe is now allowing women to speak out about the underlying issues such as colorism, self-esteem, social media and how the ideas of self-hate are a seed often implanted by one’s surroundings.
Salma Ali, 19, a Somali-American college student reveals, “Growing up, if somebody in my family was mad at me, they’d call me koor madow, which means, ‘Hey darker-skinned,’” “And it was an insult.” Ali goes on to say, “I’ve had my aunts come up to me telling me, ‘Salma you’re not ugly, it’s just that your skin is just a little dirty. You need to clean it up. I got some products from China. I’mma hook you up.’ I’m like, ‘How is my skin dirty? I’m taking care of myself.’ But because of the fact that I have darker skin, I’m seen as ugly. And that’s just part of the way we’ve all been socialized.”
“My dream is that every woman stops using skin-lightening creams and trying to change their color,” Adawe proclaims. “And that they are happy for who they are.”
FARIDA DAWKINS , Staff Writer
Farida Dawkins is a blogger, video content creator and staff writer at Face2Face Africa. She enjoys writing about relatable and controversial lifestyle issues that pertain to women in Africa and the African diaspora.
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Tags:A BLACK STANDARD OF BEAUTY-NO MORE BLEACHING, AFRICA, beyonce is bleaching ati she is a "disgrace to the Black race" as Iya mi used to say, BLACK GIRLS, BLACK PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE DON'T BLEACH YOUR BEAUTIFUL GOD-GIVEN SKIN AWAY!, BLACK WOMEN, BLEACH AND DIE!, BLEACHING, colorism
BLEACHING IN AFRICA OOO-RWANDA USES Police TO REMOVE BANNED BLEACHING CREAMS FROM SHELVES!-BLEACH AND DIE OOO!
ISMAIL AKWEI, at 11:00 am, December 04, 2018, LIFESTYLE
As Africa loses fight against skin bleaching, Rwanda deploys police to enforce laws
Kagame touring Rwanda Police headquarters — Photo: Rwandan Government
Many African countries have banned skin bleaching products but the laws are not enforced as many skin whitening creams and soaps flood the markets in countries such as Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Mali and Cote d’Ivoire.
The products containing harmful chemicals such as mercury, cortisone and hydroquinone have been linked to skin cancer, high blood pressure, thinning of the skin, other forms of cancer, kidney and liver failure.
To curb the harmful effects of the products and to enforce the laws, Rwanda has deployed the Rwanda National Police (RNP) together with Ministry of Health, Rwanda Food and Drug Authority, Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), and Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) among other agencies to crackdown on 1,342 brands prohibited in Rwanda since 2013.
“So far, we have seized 5,606 assorted pieces of banned bleaching products, including lotions, oils, toilet soaps and sprays. The illegal products were seized from beauty shops in Kigali, and Eastern, Northern and Western provinces where the operations have been conducted so far,” police spokesperson John Bosco Kabera was quoted by local media New Times.
The products they seized include Maxi-White, Skin White, Fair Light, Secret White, Diamond White, Carotene, Diproson, Caro Light, Clear Men, and Epiderm Crème.
The police said it will continue the operation to get the products off the shelves and to prevent importers from trafficking the products into the country.
“Right now the focus is getting them off the shelves and educating the people both on the law and dangers they pose to users, but at the same time strengthening operations on traffickers of these toxic skin whitening substances,” added the police spokesperson.
The operation was launched after President Paul Kagame joined in the debate on Twitter against the harmful skin bleaching products and ordered the police and health ministry to take action.
Despite all the campaigns against skin bleaching, Nigeria hosted American model, entrepreneur, socialite and former stripper, Blac Chyna, who launched a new skin bleaching cream in Lagos on November 25.
Blac Chyna, real name, Angela Renée White, launched the “Whitenicious X Blac Chyna Diamond Illuminating & Lightening Cream” produced in partnership with Whitenicious by Dencia, a luxury skin care line owned by a controversial Cameroonian singer, Dencia.
Her representatives told local American media that “she has been using Whitenicious dark spot corrector for a few years to deal with her hyperpigmentation” and the new product is for people of colour who suffer from skin issues. According to TMZ, a fancy jar goes for $250.
Cameroonian entrepreneur and singer Reprudencia Sonkey, popularly known as Dencia, has come under attack for her skin bleaching cream, Whitenicious, since its launch in 2014. Her luxury skin care products have been described as an “abomination” that teaches young girls to be ashamed of their skin.
The U.S. based artist has insisted on several platforms that the cream is only for covering blemishes and hyperpigmentation, but not to shame dark-skinned women.
“Some people they don’t feel confident, they don’t feel pure, they don’t feel clean with dark spots. I said seven-day, fast acting dark spot remover. It’s called reading comprehension. If people missed that class, then it’s not my fault. If they think that their whole body is a dark spot then fine, because that’s not how I feel,” she said in a television interview.
Dencia herself has gone through several phases of skin lightening and she looks light-skinned as compared to her previous dark skin.
Skin bleaching is a major problem in Africa and diaspora communities across the world. Many women and men go through the risk of lightening their skins to be regarded as “desirable and beautiful”.
The Somali anti-skin bleaching crusader is a manager for the Children’s Cabinet of Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and host of a weekly radio show dubbed “Beauty-Wellness Talk.” She discusses the issues that prompt women to alter their skin including colourism, self-esteem, social media and self-hate.
There is still a high demand for skin bleaching products in Africa which have now been re-branded as “toning,” “dark spot correction” and “lightening” creams.
AFRICAN LEADER OF RWANDA- PAUL KAGAME-CHOSEN BY FORBES MAGAZINE AS AFRICA’S MAN OF THE YEAR
Face2Faceafrica
BY NDUTA WAWERU, at 08:00 am, December 15, 2018, NEWS
Rwanda’s Paul Kagame feted by Forbes as the 2018 African man of the Year
As the winner of the African of the Year Award by the All Africa Business Leaders Award, Rwandan President Paul Kagame graces the cover of the January edition of Forbes Africa Magazine.
[NEW EDITION] @PaulKagame, Rwandan president & Chair of the AU, graces the December/January issue of our #ForbesAfrica magazine. In an exclusive interview he speaks to our editor @METHILRENUKA about intra-Africa trade, how governments can drive entrepreneurial growth & much more.
The award, which was presented on November 29, celebrates and honours leaders who have contributed and shaped the African economy.
African of the year award goes to his excellency president @PaulKagame #AABLA2018 #GautengFinale this winner is also on the cover of @forbesafrica December & January issue.
In the magazine, Kagame opened up about the award and other changes he had instituted not only as the president of Rwanda but the chair of the African Union in the past year.
Kagame has been considered a controversial leader, with heaps of praise over how he has led the country through a period of relative peace and prosperity since the genocide in 1994. In the past year, Rwanda has been named the least corrupt country on the continent and second in the ease of doing business.
The president has also come under criticism for alleged harassment, abuse and arrest of his political opponents, including Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and Diane Shima Rwigara, who were in jail for running against him for the country’s top post. In October 2018, he passed a law that criminalizes statements and publications deemed humiliating by government officials, further increasing his fame as an authoritarian.
Kagame has also been known to be vocal about the influence of the West on Africa, calling for continental leaders to work with each other than depending on aid from the West for the development of the continent. However, he has been seen making deals with companies such as Ali Baba from China, a country he says traded equally with Africa even when there is evidence on the contrary.
His choice as the African man of the year has elicited mixed reactions:
Exemplification of what is wrong with that whole continent… Kagame coludes with the multinationals to exploit the minerals of DR Congo knowingly that the people won’t benefit from it… A Blackman that sells out its own brothers and sisters so whiteman can make a profit…
— RAPHAEL BASISA (@BASISA28212) December 7, 2018
Yall still glorifying dictators with bloody hands. Cute.
— Kazimoto (@kaziimoto) December 4, 2018
Keep inspiring President
Intore izirusha intambwe ✊#ProudlyRwandan
— Prima Ines (@PrimaInes) December 5, 2018
Very well deserved … H.E is a great inspiration for Rwanda and the rest of Africa … we need to keep the momentum he has started.
— Achille Karuletwa (@AchilleKaru) December 4, 2018
respect 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 from chad
— good person (@azzzzzza70) December 4, 2018
“The Tyrant”
— Michael Demür (@michaeldemoore) December 4, 2018
Strongman in Africa
— Graphi (@keyym) December 5, 2018
NDUTA WAWERU , Associate Editor
Nduta Waweru considers herself a reader who writes. Like a duck, she’s calm on the surface, but she’s always busy paddling underneath to get you the best stories in arts, culture and current affairs. Nduta has published a poetry collection called Nostalgia, is a YALI Fellow and a member of Wandata-Ke Network.
SANTA CLAUS WAS BLACK OOO!- ST. NICHOLAS WAS A BLACK MOOR!-FROM RASTA LIVEWIRE
https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/santa-claus-was-a-black-muurish-european/https://www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/santa-claus-was-a-black-muurish-european/https:/www.africaresource.com/rasta/sesostris-the-great-the-egyptian-hercules/santa-claus-was-a-black-muurish-europeanhttps://www.africaresource
Rasta Livewire
SANTA CLAUS WAS AN EUROPEAN MOOR – BY OGUEJIOFO ANNU
DECEMBER 26, 2010 | DON JAIDE | 50
Muurish St Nicholas
Santa Claus is a shortened form of San/Saint Nicholas. He is supposed to be this easy-go happy fat Nordic fellow (Pale skin man) from the North pole yelling ho..ho..ho.. and as he merrily brings the cheer of the Christmas season to all and sundry.
Who is the real Saint Nicholas?
Nicholas, was probably born during the third century in the village of Patara, in what is now the southern coast of Turkey. He was born of very wealthy ethnic black Anatolians of the ancient Roman Empire. He was one of those ancient and dominant black Muurs of Europe that you only fleetingly come across in today’s western history, because the Gothic Europeans would hide the true Muurish history in Europe.
Nicholas’ wealthy parents, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Being a devout Christian, he followed the words of Jesus to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor.”
Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He was made the Bishop of Myra while still a young man.
The high office of Nicholas at such a young age speaks to dominant role played by Muurish black Anatolians and Africans in creating the church as we know it today.
It is a historical fact that most of the early and very famous bishops of the church, who lived and gave their lives for the church were either Muurish Africans or Muurish diaspora.
The icon of Peter the first apostle depicted as a Muurish black man in Rome
Archbishop John Chrysostom, Pope Leo the Great 400-469 AD, Pope Mithilades, Bishops of Rome, Saint Peter the Bishop of Alexandria 300 – 311 AD and innumerable Saints and Matrys were all Muurish people of African descent.
Generosity of San Niclaus
Bishop Nicholas was known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned.
After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, where he worked with other early fathers of the church to establish the standardized christian doctrine of today.
The passing of the real Santa Claus
He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave.
In the picture here that follows, one sees the funeral of St Nicholas.
Funeral of Saint Nicholas
The discovery of this liquid substance, which was said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).
The fake snow-flakes they call Santa Claus
Today, the western pagans descendants of Gothic and Slavic conquerors of Rome and Christianity have built up an idolatorous image of Odin, the god of the Goths and the Norsemen, and have passed it off as the real Saint Nicholas.
The real St Nicholas
Modern joke of a Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus:
This image of the Gothic idol Odin, is what is passed off around the world as Santa Claus. But for those who have ears and eyes, Odin the pagan god of the Goths, had nothing to do with and nothing in common with the pious and devouted life of Saint Nicholas, the young, Muurish Bishop of Myra, one of the early fathers of the church.
To know your history is to know thyself
Oguejiofo Annu
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50 THOUGHTS ON “SANTA CLAUS WAS AN EUROPEAN MOOR – BY OGUEJIOFO ANNU”
Are you serious? Levantines, such as St. Nicholas, aren’t black. They’re certainly not pasty white dudes like Santa Claus, either. They are ‘olive-skinned’, like Arabs, Lebanese people, Cypriots, Turks, and Egyptians.
all of them are black fool
Are you serious!!?? First of all that is an Ethiopian Orthodox icon above. Every Ethiopian Orthodox icon depicts saints and angles and everything as black african whether or not they really were. I am highly offended by this page because firstly, I am Greek from an island close to Turkey. I am olive-skinned and dark haired. Last time I checked, I aint black. Wait wait wait…. lemme check in the mirror again im not sure… NOPE. Im not im still Greek. Oh and by the way, all of this bullshit above about the early bishops of the church being black Africans!!??? WHAT. John Chrysostom, was a Greek from Antioch. St Peter was a Jew from Judaea. None of them were from Africa or had anything to do with Africa, they were olive skinned and dark haired, levantine and semitic. Your claim is absolute bullshit. Not to mention, Anatolia before the arrival of the Turkish sultanate was thoroughly Greek. It had been that way since mainland Greece became overpopulated and then more so with Alexander the Great’s conquest, Macedonian Greek colonization, and destruction of the Persian empire. St Nicholas of Myra was a descendent of those Anatolian Greeks. He was indisputably a Greek from Asia minor, with olive skin and dark eyes and dark hair. This is not up for debate, it is indisputable fact, as genetic tests have shown through assessment of his relics by scientists. He was not a black african moor. He was a Greek from Asia minor. Secondly, Moors, are from Mauritania. This is modern day morocco. The word Moor comes from Maur which is from the latin denonym form the province of Mauritania. I know this because Mauro or Mavro in Greek refers to a person from this area. Moors are not even necessarily black they could have been Spanish Moors, Arab moors, or sub saharan moors. The term moor has no ethnological value, but rather refers to a person from the province of Mauritania, and is made up of primarily an arabic speaking diaspora of berbers. The term really had more to do with religion: Islam. To sum up, the idea that none of these people were Moors, and even not from Africa, in addition to that I know my own ethnicity, St Nicholas was absolutely of Mediterranean stock, just like me, because I happen to be from the same part of the world and of the same stock as him, the Christian Greeks of Anatolia. He was not black.
Jahdey
One: You are arguing against archeological artefacts with your fantasy theories. A picture is more than 10,000 empty boasts. The icons presented on this page mock your desperation. LoL, those icons are not from the Ethiopian Church. They are from Greece, Turkey and Russia. Sorry you fail.
Two: The people living in Greece today were brought there in the late 19th and 20th century by the British from Serbia and Kosovo areas. The other branch are straggler Turks from the Ottoman Empire. You don’t know who you are then. Have you not read about the treaty of lausanne? Here, learn something: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Lausanne
Three: the true colour of a ripe olive is black.
Four: The Romans and the Greeks who brought the word Moor into their language existed before the Muslims, so Muur does not refer to a Muslim. Moor in ancient Greek meant black coloured man. Perhaps you are not Greek enough to know this…
im european Polish but this is fact. the true historys been hidden for a while now.. check this site http://www.realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Misc/Crests/Eastern_Christianity.htm and this
http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Dobruja_Thrace_1.htm
Ntchoro Nyunyoze Ntchorowao
You sure don’t seem to get upset when white Europeans with English accents portray themselves as the ancient Greeks who by the way still do not look white. Lol. Since you are Greek, you should know that Ci-Kam or so called Egypt influenced you so much, that the Greeks wanted to claim Egypt. The rest is history. Have you gotten a DNA test yet?
You dumb as shit check your back ground cause all nationality originally started wit black ppl trust I study this shit the first Jews japs Chinese Russians etc all started black watch the three HIDDEN COLORS DVD
To a degree, I would do some DNA and genetic research, a majority of asian and Europeans were more closley related to eachother and interbred with eachother do to our neanderthal genes at the time. Yes africans might have been our predecessors and some of our ancient ancestors but they have genes a majority of white and asians do not and vice versa.
Donnell McDowell
First off research Moorish history and African history and where they traveled to to create cities and civilizations. Secondly I’m sorry bro but you are a product of African descent like it or not don’t believe me have a DNA test and if I’m wrong I will pay for it. It’s time you stop being offended and be informed. I’m sorry there has been a negative connotation attached to black/African descent but it is what it is. See the Moors came from some where before they got to Morrocco and Spain and so on. So you can do all the denouncing you want but facts are facts. Like I said I will pay for your DNA test if you aren’t in anyway of African descent with olive or brown skin it doesn’t happen bro I’m sorry ? but it doesn’t.
resha
say it again I want to see a DNA test tpo!
Caroline Rogers
You need to do research ASAP. Everything comes from black idiot. There’s no “olive ” or “dark hair” without Africa…remember this, Black can make anything. White can only make White.
And all of you have decedent’s of “Egyptians” who mixed with Romans and Greeks, back and forth throughout history..who taught them civilization, those from the land of Kemet before the Greeks dubbed it Egypt, which means land of the blacks, whose original inhabitants that they were. That is why you all are so dark in the first place, you all have a deeply imbedded past as mulatto’s.. A beautiful mixed breed of people, afro/euro decent such as myself, why does this past of “olive” “tanned” etc. whatever you want to call it, to continue to mask in foolish shame who we all “technically” evolve from.
it’s amazing you did all your talking trying discredit thst black was powerful and I’m sorry you failed my friend
Search your own Greek history and who ruled in those times then reply again.??
Nakita
black olive skinned… not green olive… no human on earth is green. wakeup evil doer
Consciousx9
Olives are BLACK when ripe and Green. The term olive-skinned mean BLACK. Where do you people get those lies.
I don’t think you understand egyptians were originally called KEMET which means black land. Aristotle couldn’t tell the difference between ethiopians and egyptians because they looked so much alike. And remember THERE ARE BLACK OLIVES BOSS.
The original arabs and egyptians and turks were dark skinned anthropology101
The original Egyptians are black. Learn black history please “America’s best kept secret.”
How can you sit there and say Santa Claus wasn’t when once upon of time on earth there only the black race that lived on earth until the falling angels came in and invaded our land and tried to rewrite history,just like How Colombus discovered America right!!!
Learn your history and do research befor you make a comment ?
Khairi Khan Bey
Sir, there is more than one shade of “olive”, the people that you refer to as so called Blacks, also have “olive skin”, we just have the most. Where do you think the so called Arabs (who are a mixed people, by the way), Lebanese, Cypriots, Turks, and Egyptians got their olive skin from, huh ? For your information, there was an Arab invasion of Egypt, and “Egypt” is not even the original name of that land, it is rightfully called “Khemet”. Why do you think the Italians refer to the Arabs/Middle Eastern people as “sand-niggers”, huh ? Any shade of skin that is not pale, is olive. If you don’t burn up and peel in the sun, then you have olive skin. If you have dark eyes and dark hair, then 9 times out of 10, you have olive skin. If you have freckles, then that’s a bit of olive, in your genes. St. Nickolas was a Moor, this webiste, and the guy who wrote this was correct ! The Moors are in the Bible, as in the ancient Moabites. Read the book of Ruth, she was a Moabitess. She was the great grandmother of Jesus, so it can be said that Jesus was a Moor as well. Anyone with so called swarthy skin, copper, bronze, brass skin, that’s olive. You’re welcome. Peace.
Bosi Holmes
SEEMS TO ME THAT, EVERYTIME the word “Black” is mention, whites and non whites immediately think africa, we may be dark skinned, but not all black people are Africans, WE ARE NOT AFRICANS!!!! rather; a True Israelite from the tribe of Juda, our father is Jacob, who’s name was change to Israel by Yahweh his self. Why is this so hard to conceive, do your research and you will quickly start to see the cover-up and lies told by non blacks all across the globe by the Roman Catholic Church Britain, England, starting with the Kazarians (Vikings, Poland and the Northern Kingdom) for centuries and now (Obviously you can’t believe the truth right in front of your face) you’ve obviously been brain-washed by your society school Jewish scholars and the church. into believing the opposite of what you see. Just do the research for yourself, look beyond your own understanding about things, you will find the truth. God Bless You Fool!
You look at the picture of a Maurish black man named St Nicholas and you see a Turk? Are you myopic?
Turks and like races are not the original levantines. Those are recent invaders. The Turks, Mongols, Slavs, Turk-Arabs, Turk-Lebanese, are all invaders that arrived between 500 Ad and present. The Cypriots, the Turko-Egyptians all included. You should read up on the Turkic invasions of the Levantines especially the Seljulk and the Ottoman turks. This same group consist the present majority population in the levantine.
But the original people were Maurs. You see the picture of St Nicholas so dark, and yet he is not Moorish to you nor is he dark in complexion. That is what I call selective vision, or the “see no evil” complex. People with this kind of problems are unaffected by any learning or knowledge that goes contrary to their agendas.
May your eyes judge as you look at the picture of St Nicholas and declare that his “olive black skin” is like the pale pink skin of a Turk. By the way, olive skins are black and dark brown when last I checked.
Know your self.
Mr.Bey
Where in the world are you getting some of your information…..first Moor Mohr Maur Muur is just a designated title for the dark peoples of the world…however we were also referred as other titles…if arabs are not original …so called black…or invaders …you need to read about the nabatean culture …look at their features…one of my friends appears to look like what is deemed African American but her tirbe has been and are from Saudia Arabia…Secondly Turks come from Turian people and Scythians which are so called black people as well….update your knowledge….its beyond honorable dr. Clarke…Lebenese people are gentically related to the same Canaanites aka Phoenicians which means red brown people ….they are related to philitstines of the Agean sea people…they too are so called black….Phoenicians in Greek mythology was the children of Phoenix the brother of Europa whose father named Agnor was from the land of Egyptus…hmmm what country is that….EGYPT!….mongols are decendants of scythians …so called dravidians and and the manding peoples of africa…. I guess you think the original man or so called black man originally looked like the brother Nelson mandela…well if you check 99% of peoples of the world are born with 7-8 soft loose aether hair similar to what generally people commonly called “Indian” hair ….aquiline noses appear on the brothers who lived in the mountains due to the climate….like most Ethiopians JAHDEY…. furthermore you need to study preadamic man we looked very different and came as different species of so called blacks…remember the mighty earth polar shift about 3times …we were more water ..and climate was humid moist …when nappy hair is in that environment …hair gets frizzy like jerry curls….we once had gills a tail our skin scale like reptiles if not supplied with enough moisture… We were in water for roughly 9months ….we build our cultures near water….this is we are people of the water and Sun….you have lots to learn….So please rasta/Moor brother do your research….before you blasphemy people…the so called white man who I dont hate….are not related to any indigineous peoples of the world …not anglos..not saxons…which means sons of Issac…goths …irish…hindus…welsh…Egyptians…but through intermixing with these said nations….
who cares he can be pink with pokerdots for all i care and so too should you not see the colour of a mans skin it is of no signifigance whatsoever until you overstand this you are lost
If it is of no significance, then why did your gothic forebearers change his colour from olive black to pink?
Stop stratify people
you just show pictures that his skin color is pigmented nothing is changed who are you accusing? I’ve being to asia and europe and actually a lot of places in the world. If have seen saints they did not change any image of saints. There are allot of Europeans who are pigmented and allot of Asians too.
That doesn’t make them African. African means that you are a citizen of Africa.
In some far East parts of the world the depicted Jesus as Asian looking with epicanthic fold,nobody has a problem with that and nobody should be. You can depict jesus or santa claus how you wish, everybody has the right to do so.
Black and White doesn’t exist we are all of the same humans. To call one an other black or white only stratify people make divisions instead of uniting them.
If you skin color is pigmented in colder areas overdue time and generations it change into more pigment deficient.
If you skin color is pigment deficient in warmer ereas overdue time and generations it change into pigmentend.
This is natural it is called biology.
she how wonderful nature is in order to protect ourselves from the sun humans develop pigment to protect them selfs from UV vitamin D they get more than enough. In order to get vitamin D in ereas were the sun is scare we create les pigment so the low sun radiation penetrates more easily and more quickly so vitamin D can get created quicker.
If you say he is of African decent or ancestral decent from Africa.
First of al all of ancestors came from Africa are we going to label Albert Einstein an Isaac Newton as African or black then?
Stop stratify people uniting them.
Quam’e Shabazz
However it is cant you see everything that been change over the years effects how you perceive things uknowingly. I want you to picture jesus christ now whats the fitst image that pops in your head. Smh physiological warfare
Goran Karanikic
Are you trying to say that Saint Nicholas was black skinned ?
It is people like you who are beneficiaries of an already stratified society based on false narratives and presumptions who get worried when the status quo is challenged.
If his colour was not important, then why did your melanin deficient ancestors change the Saint Nicolas’ colour from brown to pink? From a melanin rich brown, to a bleached pink?
I await your response, although I suspect you will have none to give!
You dont know my ancestors nor my roots whether they were melanin deficient or melanin rich (lets say the skin hue) and of which part of the world my ancestors came from of course of all mankind ancestors came out of Africa and migrated to the rest of the world.
I consider all of humans my roots my ancestors to the melanin deficient to the melanin rich all are my family they are all my brothers in sister (metaphoricaly) I consider you related and a part of my family :).
In Europe there are many saint who are melanin rich and they have never changed.
However you can depict santa claus however you want.
That means everybody in the world can depict santa claus how they want.
From Asian looking with epicanthic fold with a red beard, freckled, black beard or only mustache, melanin deficient to melanin rich. Can do that in statues, and in icons and other depictions.
I’m really good at drawing maybe I should do that, depict santa claus with the biological makeup I wish to give him.
And no one is obliged to depict Santa Claus in just one biological makeup.
Yes he was, why would all these things be hidden if the world wasn’t all black at one time. No one wants to be black until they want to go to the tropical islands, stupid ass hue hate , retrace your roots worse case scenario “YOU MIGHT BE BLACK”now you don’t want to live anymore do you ? Fools made black out to be a bad thing because the whole hueless world has a hand in black slavery and oppression. Guilty lies the truth is coming to light
Yes. All of ancient civilization were black people. The Hellens, the Romans, The Monguls, The Turks, and of course the less known group of Germans all tried to take over black civilization world wide in ancient times but could not. They took control of the land but could not learn thousands of years of knowledge needed to maintain a civilization that did not belong to them. It was only when the whites developed guns and cannons of their own that they finally took over the worldwide peaceful empire of the blacks. Including the Americas. This is why White governments world wide do not want blacks to know the truth. And this truth is that the civilization that we know today does not belong to the whites. It was stollen from black people. And white people world wide are in great fear that if black people knew the truth they will rise up and take back what belongs to them and the whites will have to go back to the caves where they are meant to be. And the only place they can exist without killing everything in path. Including the planet.
noble terrell ali bey
satans claws muur in the west the title of the nobles from europe the emperor a empresses qqueens n kings of del marva peninsula whose subjects was misnomered indians ,,the quisa queya chiefs ike anacaona female but not having to be called chieftess ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the berbers who are not all dark ..WE HAVE WITH US BERBERS FROM MOROCCO ONE AMAZZIGH WITH BLUE EYES SPEAKS 7 LAANGUAGES BUT ARABIC FIRST an albanians aRe muurs, , WE ARE the olive skinned people of all shades ,,patagonian blonds were not dark but had achieved elevation in the order of i.s.l.a.m before being subjugatted to wars from peru to alaska,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,muurs cant use mr or missed her or mrs so there is no mr bey in any affadavit of truth or fact for the readers information im not allowed to answer to anyting named mr nor is any othe muur mr is for 13 14 amendmen THE WORD MENT MEANS MIND APARTMEN DEPARTMENT COMPARTMENT NEW/OLD TESTA MENT =TESTICLES MIND strawman ,,instead of criticizng explaiN why these turks an lebonese of today look so paLE AN HOW THEY CAME IN POWER FROM US IN EUROPE .CAUCUS OF THE ASIAN CAUCUS MOUNTAINS ARE IN TUKEY AN THEY ARENT INDIGINOUS TO EEUROPE BUT WERE BOUGHT TO CAUCUS MOU NTAINS BY MUURS FROM WEST BEFORE COLUBMUS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,. ,,, WE DIDNT HAVE TO CCALL OURSELF BLACK CAUUSE NO ONE WAS HANGING US CALLNG THE SELF WHITE IN ANCIENT WHICH DOESNT HELP CALLING OUR PEOPLE FROM ANCIENT TIMES WHAT THEY DIDNT CALL SELF AN ADJECTIVE AS A NOUN IN ENGLISH ,AN IF ENGLISH WASSNT SPOKEN UNTIL 1828 IN AMERICA HOW LONG WE BEEN BLACK FROM MIDDLE ENGLISH BLEAC =PALE CLEAR THEY ARE THE NEGRO JAVAA HE GRAFTED BLUE EYED FROM HOLY QURAN JACOBS OLIVE BRANCH IN THE INJEEL THE BLEAC HEY THEY PUT 11TH LETTER K FOR BLACK A MOOR BRINGNG IN OO FROM UU THE O IS THE RING OF SATURN RIGHT AFTER 1492 FOR OTHELO TO BE BLACK A MOOR WITH ALBION WOMAN AN NO RACISM THN NECRO NEGRO = DEAD THE FIRST STRAWMAN BEFORE THE STRAWMAN ,,THE CALLING OF PEOPLE WHITE BY SKIN GRANTS THEM YOUR LAND BY ABANDONMENT IN ADMIRALY MARITIME LAW ,WHEN YOU TAKE THEIR NAME AS YOURS YOU ARE DEAD CIVILITTER MORTUES REDUCE TO NAVY LIBERTIES PRIVILEDGES LIKE DRIVERS LICENSE
this knowledge is impeccable an unknown by most ,we should be greatful ,many have died not knowing this after only seein bleac satans claws ,that is what is being chanted in the guise of santa ,,inmagic to make illusions exist you must invoke them y chants so tey get the pulic to chant subliminal spell to pu pn them self , like the bail out let baal out ,,sayy ot three times an is charm like dorothi the wizard of oz i wish i were home 3x stopped the illusion ,,,,can we wish we were home an be muurs an stop the illusion of after middle english color of with always in mind what jah dey is saying ,,if it didnt matter what color caus its no color why do albions kill the matter an ask the matter whats the matter when all are born from their muthers matter which is what constructs us or what we are constructed within to be our own living matter breathing matter………………..from the dark to the light the color begins an ends there from the womb to the birth ,,you c dark 9 months then light being born ,,,light not whight or white ,is the sun light white no a cloud is ,is natural light white , no but the light bulb light beezelbulb is painted white to give the illusion that light is white , u c that code ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,does the speed of light have color or clarity
the cathlic sailnts are ogun oshun an the rest of the enetties u know from voodum ,the saints are the orishas obatala shango yemeyah elegua ect ,they all come from that then they called us negro afte they /got/goat raised m by muurs into humanity .tell the albions to stop acting not the muurs to stop reacting to the actions we must answer ,,these people come sayng they white an we black ,thats where it starys tell them they not white n why ,instead ooff telling the muur to shuffle like a negro ,nn take ur argument to united natons an u s a like we do instead of here telling muurs thers no black n white,,, its not us that dont know that ,its us who is branded like cattel into this we didnt brand the bleac peope white an there are bleac people who they now call whigamore wight not white , you cannot n be a free white sovereign iin 14th amendment ,,take u argument to all employers an law enforcement agencies who still arrest people an hire based on color of law ,,no job has hired one who only says they are sentient beings , in north amexum i live in 28 deggrees latitude to a never ending point my longitude is me standing ,,when the police ask where u live thts what u say to stay out of jurisdiction,not the ciy stste zip code or adress cause tht makes u fake white or fake african american in 13 14 amendment
Exactly! Its proven that those that have no significant history have no choice but to claim others as their own.
Too bad that this very interesting and informative article has to contain such anger and racism and evoke the same in the comments. The bitterness and hatred toward White People is understandable in light of history, but let’s remember that we are all of us, all Humans, red to the elbows in the blood of our Brothers and Sisters, of all living things, both Human and Non-Human.
There is no race, no culture, no civilization which has not produced atrocities, genocides, wars both civil and national, and abuse of its own people. That is a tragic fact.
It brings some Folks to despise Human Beings as a Species and prefer the company of Non-Human Animals because they are honest, they give unconditional love, they do not enslave other creatures, they kill for food or for territory or mates and don’t pretend it’s for honor or religion or peace! The Non-Human Beings are the only Pure forms of Life on Earth, and I include in that Plantkind, Invertebratekind, Reptilekind, Amphibiankind, Fishkind, and Mammalkind…in short everything that is not us is good in all of its works and its ways.
We–not just one race but ALL RACES–are the blight upon this Earth and we are proceeding with its destruction, just as we have ever since we first left Eden. We will surely succeed and it’s interesting that we are now told (if indeed ANYTHING we are told by our Oppressors is true) that as Earth is now, perhaps Mars was once. And what is Mars now? A barren wasteland devoid of any life that we can see, probably devoid of life of any kind…there seems to be no scrap of any sort of life left behind…still, it is a warning to us which I doubt we will ever heed…
There is one spark of Hope, and that is the fact that among Humans, there are kind, compassionate, just and loving Individuals. I believe in that hope. I believe there are probably more of these than of the greedy, corrupt and cruel, but unfortunately, the latter do tend to seize and keep power. Even revolutions which begin in the purest of ideals can end in terror and abysmal cruelty. In fact, it seems that most of them do just that, because they are structured to allow too much power to too few people in the government they establish.
So I can’t give up on Human Beings but will go to my end of life believing that People really are good at heart. I think it is fear, it is mental illness, it is physical disease, it is malfunctions in genetic processes that cause us to torture, rape and slay one another…why we Humans are subject to these anomalies I don’t know…it could be that the evolution of our brains has created this infection of our will…but again, I have hope that rational, compassionate progress can bring about cures for these dreadful illnesses, such as sociopathy, the scourge of our species.
A great Singer-Philosopher asked the question, “Is there a place for the hopeless sinner, Who has hurt all mankind just To save his own beliefs?”
I believe he knew the answer and I believe it with him–yes, there is redemption for everyone! And we who understand that must work for that one love that will save us all.
clare forbes
WELL ACCORDING TO HISTORY, BOOKS OF KNOWLEDGE WERE BURNT AND REPRODUCED TO INJECT THEIR BRAND OF TRUTH, AND THAT’S HOW THEY CONQUERED THE WORLD, STEALING LANDS, RESOURCES AND EXTERMINATING NATIVES. NOW WHO WILL GO TO HEAVEN AND WHO WILL GO TO HELL?
Im a scientist and if we use Logic and Reason we can surmise that first, Dr. Leaky found the oldest know bones in his day in Africa of an African woman with the same DNA as all of us. Secondly, his daughter in the late nineties found bones in the Tigris/Uphrates river valley the same Evidence of bones that lend proof to the Out of Africa Theory. Thirdly, they found bones in New Mexico that dated back almost 10000 years and they had characteristics of African Indios people from across the Alaska/ Russia tip. Fourth, Buddha does not have any characteristics of a European and we know through research that yoga, Karate and Judo Originated out of Kemet. I just read where they made another discovery in Jamestown of skulls that were European and showed signs of cannibalism. They scientist surmize that the settlers ate each other because of a lack of food. No bones were linked to Indios people (people of God). I visited the museum of the Caribbean and its well known that Prince Henry the Navigator learn how ro sail from Muir/Blackamoors because before that period, European had no history of sailing around the globe. Now I have other information concerning Kris Kringle ( which is oftentimes linked with St Nick) and its not pretty. Look at the Netherlands and Their celebrations of Sinterklaas and Black Pete and see if ourstory has been whitewashed!! Dr. Cheik Ante Diop in his epic book ” Civilization or Barbarism” will kill any European mindset! Read it….Ptah Ra, Amen Ra ( Christians say Amen not knowing they praying to a black deity)..lolololol…Subeck Hotep
Armenian. Saint Nicholas was Armenian.
Armenians write in Ethiopic scripts. Saint Nick was an old Armenian and he was depicted as an Ethiopian or a Moor (i.e. Black man). Now I know who the ancient Armenians were. Now I know why they tried to genocide the Armenians.
And Kim Kardashian is Armenian and she is built like what group? With Olive skin. And all she like are brothas. ..lol. .Hotep
Anasomeseh
Totally agree somewhat with this article, only thing is the date is 300 years too late.
Acts 6.5 and Revelation 2.15
Mukti
BBC just did an article too, there are other old icons. So… St. Nick has just been in the news this 2014
Kojo Amissah
Wow! If anything, I don’t have any facts to add but I learned a great deal! Great information!
Every single person that did anything good in the world is black and can totally be proven. Most can even me explained by simple semantics too, like olive skinned definitely means black because ripe olives are black. Olive doesn’t refer to some word to describe dark yellowish-green color that started to appear in Late Middle English.
Every single person that did anything bad in the world is white, and all white people try to do is rewrite history to reverse these truths but leave these obvious truths for anyone to find if they open their eyes. They rewrite history and books but don’t think to actually cover up their tracks. They didn’t even realize the obvious mistake they left in the term olive skinned. It doesn’t take a bright person to realize that it actually means black.
Dynthe
Sorry, but go ahead and explain how this tradition is more popular in North-West Europe compared to Turkey. There is Germanic/Nordic influence. Ofcourse, st Nick is based upon the bisshop, but he isn’t the only inspiration. None of our religious holidays are purely Christian. Wodan explains the white horse and a couple of other things. However, Moors are popular in our st Nicks story, but we associate them with Spain and Morocco, hence him coming from Spain. Your American Santa is based upon our traditions, which are based upon our views of Spain, Turkey, Greece (Myra was Greek back then I believe) and Wodan. Is Santa more black/African than a white Northpoleman? Yes, most definitly. Is his skin black? I don’t know, probably tanned and with soot. Is he white? No, just often portrayed wrongly as white, I think the Saint we have in the Netherlands is waaay to pink in his face, then again, I thought all old people had a slightly yellow face. I suppose we make him look more Turkish next time
But who cares as long as he has a long beard that covers most of his face. Be a black/white/blue or yellow Santa if you want to be. Just bring gifts.
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Tags:AFRICA, BLACK PEOPLE, BLACK SANTA CLAUS, CHRISTMAS, images, SANTA CLAUS, Santa Claus was black, St. NICHOLAS
The True Meaning of Christmas: Paganism, Sun Worship and Commercialism
The Human Truth Foundation
Paganism, Sun Worship and Commercialism
By Vexen Crabtree
#christianity #christmas #history #paganism #sun_worship
Christmas is the celebration of the time when the days start to lengthen, which in the Northern Hemisphere, is in the middle of winter. Many religions in history have claimed the winter solstice as a holy day. The “reason of the season” is a combination of different traditions. It includes sun worship and pagan nature religions who have venerated the natural cycle for many thousands of years. Many traditional elements of Christmas pre-date Christianity1. Nowadays it is laid upon by various Christian stories, and Christians even say, quite wrongly, that they invented Christmas. In combination with these religious sources is a heavy dose of commercialism – many “traditions” are in fact invented by commercial companies trying to find nifty ways of selling goods. A sensible and modern refrain is that Christmas is simply a secular midwinter holiday season; it is important to all families as one of the three holiday seasons in between children’s school terms. Christmas is a multicultural festival with a long pagan history, and can be celebrated by anyone.
Pagan Religions and Sun Worship
A General Pagan History of Christmas
Sun Worship (the Reason for the Season)
The Date of the 25th
The Commercial Takeover of Christmas
The Origin of Christmas Cards
Father Christmas, Santa Claus: The Personification of Christmas
Commercial Christmas
Christianity Versus Christmas
Christmas Was Always Largely Secular
Early Christians Celebrated Christmas in April and May
Anti-Christmas Christians
Case Study: The United Kingdom
Statistics on Church Christmas Attendance in England and Wales
Winterval: The UK Controversy Invented by Cheap Newspapers Such as The Daily Mail
Conclusion: Christmas is Multicultural
1. Pagan Religions and Sun Worship
1.1. A General Pagan History of Christmas
Many traditional elements of Christmas pre-date Christianity1. In other words, Christmas was pagan before it was adopted (and renamed) by Christians. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1908 states that “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts”2 – those authors lived into the 3rd century. The CE article concludes that when later Christians adopted the date of the 25th of December for Jesus’ birth, “the abundance of analogous midwinter festivals may indefinitely have helped the choice of the December date, the same instinct which set Natalis Invicti at the winter solstice will have sufficed, apart from deliberate adaptation or curious calculation, to set the Christian feast there too”. Prof. Hutton, a respected and careful primary-sources historian, mentions Christmas in his valuable book on the history of modern Paganism.
“It is also absolutely correct that some British folk customs have descended directly from pagan rituals, such […] the giving of presents and decoration of homes with greenery at midwinter.”
“The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft” by Ronald Hutton (1999)3
“Most Christmas customs are, in fact, based on old pagan festivals, the Roman Saturnalia and the Scandinavian and Teutonic Yule. Christians adopted these during the earliest period of Church history. The Church, however, has given this recognition and incorporates it into the Church year without too many misgivings. Only the more radical fundamentalist elements in some churches protest from time to time about this mixing of ‘pagan’ elements into the religion.”
“The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach”
Moojan Momen (1999) [Book Review]4
And Hutton, from an earlier book, agrees:
“The habit of a midwinter festivity had come by the dawn of history (and probably very long before) to seem a natural one to the British, and not one to be eradicated by changes of political or religious fashion. […] It was general custom in pagan Europe to decorate spaces with greenery and flowers for festivals, attested wherever records have survived.”
“The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain” by Ronald Hutton (1996)5
1.2. Sun Worship (the Reason for the Season)
#mithraism #zoroastrianism
Sun worship formed the basis of Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, other Roman religions and many other pagan traditions. It is the reason Sun-day is a holy day in many religions, and why major festivals are held at spring and at the Solstices. The real meaning of Christmas is sun worship; a reminder to all life on Earth that we owe everything to the Sun. Sun worship is one of the main pillars of all religion, especially older religions. Sun worshippers and nature religions held major celebrations at the Winter Solstice the victory of the strength of the Sun over the forces of darkness that try to suppress it. Osiris-Dionysus represented and was represented by the sun, as was Jesus, whom the Church father Clement of Alexander calls ‘The Sun of Righteousness’6. When old relics and religious symbols (such as Human faces) are given a light backdrop of rays of light or a corolla it means they represent the sun.
“Sir James Frazer says, “The largest pagan religious cult which fostered the celebration of December 25 as a holiday . . . was the pagan sun- worship, Mithraism . . . This winter festival was called . . . ‘the Nativity of the SUN.’ […] Franz Cumont, perhaps the greatest scholar of Mithraism, wrote, quoting Minucius Felix, “The Mithraists also observed Sun-day and kept sacred the 25th of December as the birthday of the Sun. Many scholars have pointed out how the Sun- worshipping Mithraists, the Sun-worshipping Manicheans and the Christians were all syncretised and reconciled when Constantine led the take-over by Christianity[…]”
However, other Sun-worshipping groups were included too, because of the general importance and popularity of Sol Invictus, the Invincible Sun-deity. Mario Righetti, a renowned Catholic liturgist, writes, “the Church of Rome, to facilitate the acceptance of the faith by the pagan masses, found it convenient to institute the 25th December as the feast of the temporal birth of Christ, to divert them from the pagan feast, celebrated on the same day in honour of the ‘Invincible Sun’, Mithras. […] The mixing of pagan Sun-worship and Christianity is exemplified by the testimony of a Syrian scholiast on Bar Salibi, who said, “It was a custom of the heathen to celebrate on the same 25th of December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and festivities the Christians also took part.” Practically all the known Sun-deities were born on the 25th December. In S.E. Titcomb, Aryan Sun myths, the Origin of Religions, we find it cited, quoted from primary sources, that the following Sun-deities were all born on 25 December, according to their legends: Crishna (Vishnu), Mithra (Mithras), Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Dionysus (Bacchus), Tammuz, Indra, Buddha. Therein we also read of the Scandinavian goddess Frigga in whose honour a “Mother-night” festival was held at the winter solstice (+ – 25 December), as well as a similar great feast of Yule, where a boar was offered at the winter solstice in honour of Frey.”
http://www.iahushua.com/ST-RP/xmas.htm, accessed 2005 Dec 06
Hutton highlights the role that the celebration of light has had through all the threads of history that combined to become part of the symbols of modern Christmas.
“What the Scots did emphasize, in common with many of the English, was light. In 1725 Henry Bourne, a Newcastle clergyman, commented that many people in the North of England lit huge ‘Christmas candles’ on Christmas Eve. […] The Scots and] the Irish were also fond of them. […] Yule candles were also common in Scandinavia, a region which had strong contacts with those parts of Britain which maintained them.”
It must also be clear that many Christmas customs are, as we heard from Moojan Momen and Prof. Hutton, very ancient. But they have in present centuries been combined with the very modern phenomenon of commercialism.
1.3. The Date of the 25th
#christianity #mithraism
Christmas day, by other names, “was the ancient feast-day of the Sun, in the depths of winter”, pre-dating Christianity1. But the exact date of the Winter Solstice changes slowly over time. “So, although the solstice moved progressively from 6 January to 25 December, some traditions continued to celebrate it on the familiar night. Today it falls around 22 December”6. The Roman religion of Mithraism, which existed for hundreds of years before Christians started celebrating Christmas, holds that the birth of Mithras was on the 25th of December. In another coincidence, the birth of Mithras was also said ‘to have been witnessed by three shepherds’7.
2. The Commercial Takeover of Christmas
The most skeptical view of modern Christmas is that the fads, decorations, festive goods and all the paraphernalia are a commercial scam to make us spend money on over-priced useless goods. However true this is, it has also become a secular social festival much akin to the American thanksgiving. Families come together at Christmas even if they do not for the rest of the year. It probably helps that Christmas and New Year’s celebrations have become institutionally intertwined. These make Christmas in essence a meaningful family celebration, even if on top of that there is a thick cover of shallow commercialism.
The festivities are largely led by commerce and retail outlets: The relevant decorations, cards, food and goods are all marketed for Christmas, and it is the High Streets that press Christmas upon the populace way before the populace itself is ready. It is a frequent complaint that stores start Christmas “too early” and too aggressively. Several elements of Christmas are the invention purely of commercial advertisements.
2.1. The Origin of Christmas Cards
Take the example of the commercial invention of the Christmas card; with corporate effort, these would have remained an expensive privilege of the rich.
“The Christmas card represented a convenient and sophisticated evolution of the ancient custom of giving blessings or good wishes for the New Year. By 1840 it was often carried on among the wealthier classes by sending a short poem engraved within an ornamental framework. […] This, and some imitations, proved to be commercial failures because they were too expensive. In 1862, therefore, a fresh start was made by the stationers Messrs Charles Goodall, which printed cheap plain greetings. By the end of the decade they were becoming decorated, and other firms were producing them. […] In 1878 the volume sent was sufficient for the Post Office to commence a separate record of Christmas mail, and in the 1890s the cards became a popular craze, and continued to expand their market over the next century. In 1992 1,560 million were sent, and the commercial value of the Christmas card trade was £250 million.”
“The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain”
Ronald Hutton (1996)8
2.2. Father Christmas, Santa Claus: The Personification of Christmas
The human figurehead of the festive season is a modern creation; before the seventeenth century such a figure has no history.
“Nobody seems to have thought of personifying Christmas until the early seventeenth century. It was done then partly because of the general taste of the age for allegory and partly because the criticism of observation of the feast by radical Protestants made a representation of it convenient to writers determined to defend it. Thus in 1616 Ben Jonson introduced to the world, Christmas His Masque, presented a figure ‘in a round hose, long stockings, a close doublet, a high-crowned hat with a brooch, a long thin beard, a truncheon, little ruffs, white shoes, his scarfs, and garters tied cross.’ […] Over the next 250 years this sort of character was to feature repeatedly in pictures, stage plays, and folk-drama, known variously as Sir Christmas, Lord Christmas, or (increasingly) as Father Christmas. He was essentially concerned with the adult world, personifying feasting and games, he had no connection with presents, and he was not treated with much respect, being generally a burlesque figure of fun. Then Santa Claus turned up. In origins he was, of course, the medieval patron of children, St Nicholas, who remained a favourite popular figure amongst the Dutch.”
This figure gradually moved from St Nicholas Eve to Christmas Eve.
“In 1809 Washington Irving, whose sentimental interest in traditional Christmases has been mentioned, drew attention to the old tradition in his Knickerbocker’s History of New York, rescheduling it from St Nicholas’s Eve to Christmas Eve. Irving’s portrait was repeated in an 1821 issue of the Children’s Friend, published in the same city, and that may have been the direct inspiration to another New Yorker, Clement Clark Moore, to create the modern Santa. […] His saint was not the traditional, sentimental, figure of the Dutch, but a magical sprit of the northern midwinter. He wore fur cloths, had a bushy white beard, traveled through the sky merrily in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, and came down chimneys with a sack of gifts. […] Soon after 1863, he was frequently depicted wearing a red suit, trimmed with white fur.”
From 1931, Haddon Sundblom the illustrator for Coca Cola “drew a series of Santa images in their Christmas advertisements until 1964″10, which is where the tradition of a Santa Claus wearing red comes from. The colours red and green had always been prominent in Christmas card greetings, however.
2.3. Commercial Christmas
Prominent elements of Christmas are commercial inventions, from Father Christmas (and his suit) to Christmas Cards. The history of commercialist Christmas is older still than those creations. From the 1870s onwards, The Times broadsheet could be relied upon to attack the commercialism of Christmas11. Clearly, its commercialisation has not destroyed it and since the nineteenth century, it has become even more popular than ever.
To remove the commercial aspects of Christmas would be largely to destroy it; religious activists would create in its place a series of historically-challenged myths and break it into a sectarian event. Without commercialism the general populace, Protestant Christians, secularists and evangelical Christians would all cease to have anything in common during the festive season.
3. Christianity Versus Christmas
3.1. Christmas Was Always Largely Secular
Despite the nature-reveration, pagan festivals and sun-worship that formed the basis of the Christmas period, Christians sometimes complain that the ‘original’ Christian message is ignored at Christmas. Such modern Christians do not know its history. Christian Churches have themselves led long and bitter campaigns against the observance of Christmas and in various times and places banned it completely. The religious content was always very small, with most celebrations and rituals being secular (i.e., organized by the people, not by clerics). Major elements of Christmas are simply commercial inventions based on themes of nature, such as Christmas cards:
“From the beginning, the proportion of religious themes in [Christmas card] designs was small. Examples from before 1890 (of which the Jonathan King collection has 163,000) show an overwhelming concentration upon the natural world and upon jollity. […] The choice of imagery has remained more or less constant ever since; an evocation of survival, rejoicing, and the resilience of nature, usually constructed around the (literally) vivacious colours red and green.”
Modern-day Christmas frequently contains modern Christian elements. Not least of all, in English, the word ‘Christmas’ is the one we are all familiar with, moreso than Yule or Winter Solstice. Nativity stories are taken from the Christian tradition – even though the ideas of shepherds, wise men and the like were all originally pagan, the stories are now told with Christian overtones at Christmas.
3.2. Early Christians Celebrated Christmas in April and May
44% of English children think Christmas is about Jesus12
“Mostly derived from pagan myths, Jesus’ birth stories are very dubious, and it very likely that all such beliefs were written retrospectively by the Roman gospel writers, or were assumed from the outset. There is no evidence or reason to believe that they actually occurred.”
“The Birth of Jesus and the Christmas Story: Pagan and Unhistorical” by Vexen Crabtree (2014)
Christians of the first few centuries did not know for certain where Jesus was born, where he died, or where he was buried. This fact is bemoaned by early Christian leaders. When they did celebrate Christmas, they generally did so in April and May. “Pope Julius I, in the fourth century commanded a committee of bishops to establish the date of the nativity of Jesus. December 25 (the day of Sol Invictus, the invincible sun) was decided upon. Not coincidentally, that is the day when the “pagan world celebrated the birth of their Sun Gods — Egyptian Osiris, Greek Apollo and Bacchus, Chaldean Adonis, Persian Mithra — when the Zodiacal sign of Virgo (the sun is born of a virgin) rose on the horizon. Thus the ancient festival of the Winter Solstice, the pagan festival of the birth of the Sun, came to be adopted by the Christian Church as the nativity of Jesus, and was called Christmas”13. The reasons that the Christians annexed the Winter Solstice, and chose to celebrate Christmas in December instead of Spring, was that influential Roman religions celebrated the birth of the sun-of-the-sun on the Winter Solstice, and the first Christian emperor fused paganism and early Christianity, to create the Pauline Christianity that we know today14.
3.3. Anti-Christmas Christians
#christianity #judaism #paganism
The rhetoric that Christians have used against the celebration of Christmas pre-dates Christianity and originated with Jewish mores against the celebration of birthdays plus their wish to avoid pagan practices. In the book of Jeremiah, 7th century BCE15, it warns Jews and Christians not to “learn the ways” of pagans who bring trees into their homes and decorate them with silver and gold:
“This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.”
Jeremiah 10:2-4 (NIV)
The first Christians were Jewish converts such as the Nazarenes and Ebionites. Such early Christians and Jews did not celebrate birthdays because they considered it a pagan practice. There are no Christian birthday celebrations in the Bible. It was related, said early Christians, to pagan representation of sun cycles. For these reasons, Biblical fundamentalists do not celebrate birthdays, including Christmas. One such group is the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“There is no evidence that the first-century disciples of Jesus observed such a holiday. […] Even if Jesus’ disciples had known the exact date of his birth, they would not have celebrated it. […] The only birthday observances mentioned in the Bible are those of two rulers who did not worship Jehovah. (Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21). […] Those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship.”
“What Does the Bible Really Teach” by The Jehovah’s Witnesses (2005)16
The suspicion of birthdays and the fact that there are no written first-hand records of Jesus or his life, mean that it has long been impossible to work out when he was born.
Modern Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals tell Christians not to celebrate Christmas. “Three and a half centuries ago the English Puritans used their influence within the Cromwellian Republic (Protectorate) to ban Christmas celebrations. […] They asserted (quite correctly by their own lights) that the 25 December had no biblical connection with the birth of their messiah and that the Christmas festival was therefore essentially pagan”13. The Scottish reformers of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, for example, claimed that the “Papists” (Catholics) had invented all the rites of Christmas so they abolished the lot of them.
“A literary debate […] broke out in December 1643 and was to continue intermittently […] until 1656. Despite a few desperate efforts upon both sides to find some scriptural indication of the true date of Christ’s birth, a common ground was established almost at once; that as there was indeed no objective evidence of when Christ was born, the feast of the Nativity was wholly a creation of later authorities and supported by tradition and not the Bible.”
Ronald Hutton (1996)17
“In 1647 the English Parliament ordered that Christmas, along with other pagan holidays, should cease to be observed. A 1652 Parliamentary act repeated [the ban on Christmas]18. In New England, where celebrating Christmas was considered a criminal offense and remained forbidden until the second half of the nineteenth century… […] as late as 1870 in Boston, students who failed to attend public schools on Christmas were punished by public dismissal.19”
“The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe (1995)20
Christians nowadays who proclaim that we should “remember the reason for the reason” are ignorant of their own religion and of the history of paganism.
4. Case Study: The United Kingdom21
4.1. Statistics on Church Christmas Attendance in England and Wales21
These graphs are from data published by the Church of England which show the percent of the total population of England and Wales involved. The marriages graph has “Anglican” mean “Church of England” or “Church of Wales”, and also shows the % as the total population of England and Wales (excluding the Isle of Man and Channel Islands).22 You might expect that the National Secular Society would have found statistics that show lower attendance, therefore supporting their cause that organized religion should not be an official part of public politics. However in 2011 they commented on Christmas attendance and state higher values23. They mention that surveys before Christmas in 2010 saw about a quarter of respondents say that they were going to go to Church over Christmas, but, actual counts of attendance shows that only 11% did, which is less than half of those who said they would. This is very similar to the phenomenon by which in official polls, about twice as many say they are religious as actually are. See “Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls” by Vexen Crabtree (2009). The Church of England think that just over 2% of the population attended Christmas or Easter in Church in 2010.
“Religion in the United Kingdom: Diversity, Trends and Decline” by Vexen Crabtree (2012)
“Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls” by Vexen Crabtree (2009)
4.2. Winterval: The UK Controversy Invented by Cheap Newspapers Such as The Daily Mail21
#atheism #christianity #islam
See: “The Worst of the Modern Mass Media” by Vexen Crabtree (2009) for an analysis of UK news outlets.
Some low-brow newspaper outlets pushed the idea for many years that the ‘political-correctness-gone-mad’ idea of Winterval was officialdom’s replacement for Christmas. The sensationalist idea was that because Christmas has the word ‘Christ’ in it, then, modern secular governments and councils could not support it. So, the types of newspapers that peddle anti-foreigner positions took up the story with gusto. The Guardian blogger Kevin Ascott reported that the Daily Mail repeated the myth the most between 1998 and 2011, a total of 44 times. The Times and The Sunday Times together repeated it 40 times, The Sun 31 times, The Express 26 times and The Daily Telegraph 22 times. The Guardian even mentioned it a few times however, it also ran several articles debunking the myth and in 2011, the Daily Mail eventually faced its critics and admitted that it was wrong.
“After years of perpetuating the Winterval myth, the Daily Mail Corrections and Clarifications column this week admitted it was all made up. It said: ‘We stated in an article on 26 September that Christmas has been renamed in various places Winterval. Winterval was the collective name for a season of public events, both religious and secular, which took place in Birmingham in 1997 and 1998. We are happy to make clear that Winterval did not rename or replace Christmas.”
National Secular Society24 Newsline (2011 Nov 11)
The true source of the story is that of one event promoter who combined several winter events (including Christmas) into one Winterval event in order to simplify marketing. From the Guardian:
The myth was not just repeated, either. It was also gradually distorted to become ever more removed from the original misconception. What started as a myth that one council had rebranded or renamed Christmas became a pluralised, open-ended narrative that ‘councils’ and ‘authorities’ were rebranding or renaming Christmas as ‘Winterval’.
It then mutated from a simple rebranding to a calculated attack on Christianity by ‘atheists’, ‘Muslims’, or the ‘PC brigade’ who feared offending ‘other faiths’ or ‘ethnic minorities’. In one extreme example, the South Wales Echo claimed that Winterval was the result of ‘virulent attacks on religion by atheists’, which had led to ‘new rules such as Christmas being renamed as ‘Winterval’. […]
In all, at least 15 articles directly claim that Christmas was renamed Winterval because of a fear of offending ‘other faiths’. At least a further 10 articles directly claim that Winterval was used to avoid offending ‘ethnic minorities’.
So now, thanks to perhaps one repetition too far, the Daily Mail has finally admitted that Winterval is a media fiction. But what impact will those few lines of correction have compared with the huge body of journalism that has been repeating it for so long as fact? And, more important, will Melanie Phillips offer her own apology for repeating the myth?
http://www.guardian.co.uk (2011 Nov 08)
When I first heard the story, I thought ‘ridiculous’ and didn’t believe it was true. I spent a few minutes researching it, and found out that I was right to doubt. Therefore, my world-view was not distorted. Journalists broadcast their opinions to others, and it is downright criminal that failures in basic fact-checking can be so endemic amongst them.
5. Conclusion: Christmas is Multicultural
#christianity #christmas #history #paganism #polytheism #sun_worship
Christmas is a multicultural, multi-religious festival. It combines sun worship, polytheism, pagan nature religions who have venerated the natural cycle for many thousands of years, Christianity and other myths and traditions. When Christians complain it is too pagan, or when lay folk complain it is too religious, or when both groups complain it is too commercial, then they are all in need of realizing that Christmas is a commercial fusion of diverse nature-based festivals. The date of the 25th accords with Sun Worship thousands of years old, the Christmas tree and some of the decorations are pagan, even the Nativity stories are originally pagan, Mithraistic, Roman and Christian.
The main outstanding issue in the West is the Christian assertion that Christmas has something to do with the Christian figure of Christ or his birthday. These elements should be disclaimed. Firstly, the paganism inherent in Christmas, such as decorating trees, is warned against in the Bible (Jeremiah 10:2-4). Second, there are no Christian birthday celebrations in the Bible. Thirdly, early Christians celebrated Christ’s birthday in April or May – it was only changed to match with 25th of December, a major pagan holiday, by Emperor Constantine, in order to harmonize Christianity with paganism. It is certain that Christians should not attempt to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, and they certainly shouldn’t do so at Christmas.
In addition to its rich history, Christmas has now become largely a secular holiday, a social festival based on the family, and a commercial enterprise. Critics largely concentrate of the portions of Christmas they don’t like, and claim that those portions ruin the rest of it. As long as no-one tries to “capture the flag” and exclude others, then there need be no modern conflict over the nature of Christmas. The non-religious can celebrate the commercial and social event, Christians can pretend Christmas has something to do with Christ, pagans can celebrate nature, and all can be happy. There are even alternative and well-known names for Christmas, such as Yuletide, which can be used according to taste. Whether or not one choses to celebrate Christmas is mostly a matter of mood!
Current edition: 2008 May 24
Last Modified: 2014 Dec 13
http://www.humanreligions.info/christmas.html
Parent page: Human Religions
DMOZ links for category dmoztools.net/Society/Holidays/Christmas/Opinions/
Religion in the United Kingdom: Diversity, Trends and Decline
The Birth of Jesus and the Christmas Story: Pagan and Unhistorical
Modern Paganism (Neopaganism)
“We asked Satanists to describe their perfect Christmas” by Mike Rampton (2017)
All #tags used on this page – click for more:
#atheism #christianity #christmas #history #islam #judaism #mithraism #paganism #polytheism #sun_worship #zoroastrianism
References: (What’s this?)
The Guardian. UK newspaper. See Which are the Best and Worst Newspapers in the UK?. Respectable and generally well researched UK broadsheet newspaper.
The Bible (NIV). The NIV is the best translation for accuracy whilst maintaining readability. Multiple authors, a compendium of multiple previously published books. I prefer to take quotes from the NIV but where I quote the Bible en masse I must quote from the KJV because it is not copyrighted, whilst the NIV is. Book Review.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. 15 volumes were produced between 1907 and 1912. Updates occurred in 1914 (an index) and 1914 (supplementary volumes). Published by the Robert Appleton Company, New York, USA (later renamed to The Encyclopedia Press). Reproduced on newadvent.org.
Breuilly, O’Brien & Palmer
(1997) Religions of the World. Subtitled: “The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions, & Festivals”. Published by Lionheart Books. By Elizabeth Breuilly, Joanne O’Brien & Martin Palmer. Published for Transedition Limited and Fernleigh Books. A hardback book.
Crabtree, Vexen
(1998) “Christianity” (1998). Accessed 2018 Apr 23.
(2014) “The Birth of Jesus and the Christmas Story: Pagan and Unhistorical” (2014). Accessed 2018 Apr 23.
Ellerbe, Helen
(1995) The Dark Side of Christian History. Published by Morningstar & Lark, Windermere, FL, USA. A paperback book.
Freke, Timothy & Gandy, Peter
(1999) The Jesus Mysteries. 2000 edition. Published by Thorsons, London, UK. A paperback book. Book Review.
Hutton, Ronald
(1996) The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. 2001 re-issue. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. A paperback book.
(1999) The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. 2001 edition. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. A paperback book.
Martindale, C.C.
(1908) Christmas. Date last accessed 2014 Dec 11. An Entry in The Catholic Encyclopedia. 15 volumes were produced between 1907 and 1912. Updates occurred in 1914 (an index) and 1914 (supplementary volumes). Published by the Robert Appleton Company, New York, USA (later renamed to The Encyclopedia Press). Reproduced on newadvent.org.
Momen, Moojan
(1999) The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach. Published by Oneworld Publications, Oxford, UK. A paperback book. Book Review.
NSS. The National Secular Society, London, UK.
Newsline. Weekly news letter. See: “Secularism” by Vexen Crabtree (2011).
Roberts, Jenny
(1997) Bible Facts. Originally published 1990. Current version published by Grange Books, London. A hardback book.
Weiser, Francis X.
Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs (1983) 64-65. Published by Random House, New York, USA. In Ellerbe (1995) P153..
Breuilly, O’Brien & Palmer (1997). Chapter “Introduction” p21. Added to this page on 2014 Aug 31.^^^
Martindale (1908) .^
Hutton (1999). P122.^
Momen (1999) .^
Hutton (1996). P34,38.^^
Freke & Gandy (1999). P41-42.^^
Freke & Gandy (1999). P40.^
Hutton (1996). P115-116.^^^
Hutton (1996). P177-178.^
Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance (OCRT), http://www.religioustolerance.org website accessed 2005 Dec.^
BBC Newsround survey of 1,063 children aged from 7-11. 44% thought Christmas was about the birth of Jesus. The figures were similar for most of the UK, apart from Northern Ireland, where 71% of children said so. Source: National Secular Society 2006 Dec 22 newsline.^
National Secular Society 2006 Dec 15 newsline. Letter submitted by Steve Radford.^^
“How Modern Christianity Began: The Cappadocian-Nicene-Pauline Roman Amalgamation” by Vexen Crabtree (2008)^
Roberts (1997) .^
Jehovah’s Witnesses, The (2005). Ch.16 “Take Your Stand for True Worship”.^
Hutton (1996). P28.^
Ellerbe (1995). P153. . Refers to Weiser (1983).^
Weiser (1983) in Ellerbe (1995) p153^
Ellerbe (1995). P153. Added to this page on 2011 Oct 20.^
Added to this page on 2013 Apr 03.^^^
Church of England Archbishop’s Council “Church Statistics 2010/11” on chuchofengland.org, accessed 2013 Feb 13.^
Newsline (2011 Dec 09) .^
NSS .^
2008 Sep 30: Page moved from the Bane of Monotheism website to here.
©2018 Vexen Crabtree all rights reserved.
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Tags:AFRICA, BLACK PEOPLE, CHRISTIANITY, christians, CHRISTMAS, HOLIDAYS, pagan holidays
YORUBA OOOO!- E KU ODUN OOO!- LATI YORUBANEWSALERT
https://twitter.com/YorubaNewsAlert/status/1077314336639598592?s=09
YorubaNewsAlert/status
Tags:AFRICA, BLACK PEOPLE, NIGERIA, YORUBA, YORUBAS
YORUBA PROVERB OOO!- DON’T BE PRESUMCIOUS!
Check out @lagospedia’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/lagospedia/status/1074911042663313410?s=09
Tags:AFRICA, BLACK PEOPLE, NIGERIA, proverbs, Yoruba proverbs
BLEACH AND DIE O!-Ivory Coast BANNED SKIN- BLEACHING PRODUCTS SINCE 2015
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/skin-bleaching-ivory-coast
BY ABENA AGYEMAN-FISHER, at 10:35 am, May 08, 2015, LIFESTYLE
Skin Bleachers Banned in Ivory Coast
Even though the health risks associated with skin-bleaching creams has long been documented in places, such as India — where the industry is described as “thriving” — many “fairness cream” patrons continue to purchase these products with the hopes of attaining lighter complexions. This week in Cote D’Ivoire, though, the health ministry officially banned the products, saying they are “now forbidden,” reports the BBC.
Speaking to the AFP news agency, Ivory Coast pharmaceutical authority member Christian Doudouko explained that the health ministry came to the decision to ban skin lighteners due to their adverse health effects, “The number of people with side effects [in Cote D’Ivoire] caused by these medicines is really high,” he said.
Consequently, the ministry released a statement, saying, “Cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams…that de-pigment the skin…are now forbidden.”
Justine Kluk, a British dermatologist, further explained to the BBC the side effects associated with skin lighteners.
“[Skin bleaching creams] cause acne, thinning of the skin, glaucoma, or cataracts if applied near the eyes.
“Or if applied liberally to the whole body, [they can] cause high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, weight gain, mood disturbance due to absorption of large amounts of steroids.”
Still, many expect the ban to do little to stop those who wish to permanently change their God-given hues.
For example, even though South Africa has the world’s “toughest laws” against skin lighteners — with an added ban against most-active skin bleaching ingredient hydroquinone — more than a third of South African women still purchase them.
While many health officials worldwide are quick to rattle off the severe health risks associated with bleaching, many officials fail to acknowledge society’s treatment of its darker skinned citizens.
Face2Face Africa Contributor Sanna Arman wrote to this very issue in her op-ed, “How We Crucify Victims of Oppression Without Crucifying the System“:
Dear Black men and women, I urge you to join the fight against skin bleaching by questioning why “light skin” is promoted in the lyrics of mainstream media, questioning why billboards are promoting the Eurocentric idea of the ultimate beauty, questioning why White privilege still exists.
Question why your local media stations would spend airtime showing you the “ultimate” idea of beauty on the runways, but those are rarely men or women who look like your sister or brother.
In Jamaica, where skin bleaching is reportedly wildly popular, the Ministry’s Director of Health Promotion and Protection Eva Lewis-Fuller further explained, “Bleaching has gotten far worse [in Jamaica] and widespread in recent years. [Bleachers] want to be accepted within their circle of society. They want to be attractive to the opposite sex. They want career opportunities. But we are saying there are side effects and risks. It can disfigure your face.”
And University of the West Indies Literary and Cultural Studies Professor Carolyn Cooper more pointedly added, “If we really want to control the spread of the skin-bleaching virus, we first have to admit that there’s an epidemic of color prejudice in our society.”
In other words, in many regions of the world, one’s complexion is linked to professional and personal opportunities.
In Africa, 77 percent of Nigerian women reportedly buy the most skin whiteners, according to the World Health Organization, followed by 59 percent of women in Togo and 27 percent of women in Senegal.
Who thinks it is time for the “Black is Beautiful” movement to be revived?
ABENA AGYEMAN-FISHER , Editor-in-chief, F2FA
Abena Agyeman-Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of Face2Face Africa. Most recently, she worked for Interactive One as the Senior Editor of NewsOne, she worked for AOL as the News Programming Manager of Black Voices, which later became HuffPo Black Voices, and for the New York Times Company as an Associate Health Editor. Abena, a Spelman College graduate, has been published in Al Jazeera, the Daily Beast, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, the Grio, BlackVoices, West Orange Patch, About.com, the Source, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Jane, and Upscale Magazines. She has interviewed top celebrities, icons, and politicians, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Civil Rights activist and diplomat Andrew Young, comedian Bill Cosby, Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott, actress and singer Queen Latifah, Olympic Gold winner Cullen Jones, international supermodel Alek Wek, and five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. Most recently, she served as the First Lady’s press reporter during President Barack Obama’s U.S.-Africa Summit, Young African Leaders Institute event, and the 2013 presidential trip to Senegal, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Tanzania. Abena is also a 2015 International Women’s Media Foundation Africa Great Lakes Fellow, where she reported on women candidates and Chinese sweatshops in Tanzania for CNN and Refinery29.
Tags:AFRICA, BEAUTIFUL BLACK SKINNED MEN AND WOMEN-DO NOT BLEACH AND KILL YOURSELF SLOWLY WITH CANCER!, BLACK PEOPLE, BLACK WOMEN, BLEACHING, colorism, NIGERIA, skin
AFRICA SET TO BE WORLD’S LARGEST SOLAR POWER ZONE IN 2025 OOOO!
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/africa-poised-to-become-the-worlds-largest-solar-power-zone-in-2025&grqid=ayTdyMb6&s=1&hl=en-NG
BY MILDRED EUROPA TAYLOR, at 06:00 am, December 13, 2018,
Africa poised to become the world’s largest solar power zone in 2025
The African continent has been facing tough times with shortage of power. The frequent cuts in power supply have been having a toll on businesses and domestic consumers.
It is estimated that in the Sahel region – Senegal, Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea, about 64% of the population lives without electricity, hindering economic and social development.
Energy poverty in Africa is estimated to cost the continent 2-4 % GDP annually, cites figures from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
This is how the world’s 10th and Africa’s biggest solar roof looks like
Ivory Coast eyeing eco-efficient city status with solar-powered tricycles
This 48-year-old businesswoman is bringing the biggest solar farm to Ghana in 2019
Africa’s third solar-powered car built by a 30-year-old Kenyan student
Thanks to an initiative that will harness the exceptional solar resource of the Sahel region, the trend is likely to change.
Known as the Desert to Power programme, the initiative is led by the AfDB and other partners to turn Africa’s deserts into new sources of energy.
Outlined as part of the Paris Agreement climate change talks at COP24 in Katowice, Poland this week, the project will provide green electricity to 250 million people through the development of 10,000MW of solar power systems by 2025.
Magdalena J. Seol in the AfDB’s Desert to Power Initiative said: “Energy is the foundation of human living – our entire system depends on it. For Africa right now, providing and securing sustainable energy is in the backbone of its economic growth.”
“A lack of energy remains as a significant impediment to Africa’s economic and social development,” she added.
The Sahel is a semi-arid region on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, stretching across the African continent from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.
The programme to turn the desert into energy was first highlighted in June 2018 when the African Development Bank and its partners – the Green Climate Fund, and the Africa50 investment fund signed a letter of intent on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank.
AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina at the time indicated that with investment from the private sector, the initiative could ultimately become the world’s largest solar power zone.
The Desert to Power Programme which will help developing countries adapt to and mitigate climate change, will also create employment and attract private sector involvement in renewable energy in the region.
Electricity will also be more affordable for low-income households while people will “transition away from unsafe and hazardous energy sources, such as kerosene, which carries health risks.”
Currently, renewables projects in Africa include the Ouarzazate solar complex in Morocco, which is one of the largest concentrated solar plants in the world as well as the Climate Investment Fund that has helped fund the Sere Wind Farm in South Africa.
Watch the video below for details about the Desert to Power programme:
African Development Bank Group
@AfDB_Group
The African desert is a huge solar power plant in the making. ‘Desert to Power’ aims to make use of this territory together with countries in the Sahel region to light up and power the region – enough to support 250 million people.
Tags:electricity, light, solar, zones.africa
BLACK PEOPLE OOO!-APPRECIATE THE BLACK BEAUTY OF THIS BLACK ALBINO FAMILY OOO!
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November 13, 2013 at 7:04 pm 1 comment
Two Tiny Legionaires
My husband Jack is a witty guy. Seeing the commercial for those Huggies pull-ups designed for toddlers who can’t quite make it through the night without an accident, he is inspired to provide the perfect line of dialogue for the proud three-year-old who has just tumbled out of his dry sheets to flash a huge, triumphant grin at the camera: “Now I don’t wet my bed, I wet my pants!!” Cracks me up.
I suppose it would be surprising if Jack didn’t have a gift for the humorous observation, growing up as he did among a family of wits. With his parents setting the pace, and genetics reinforcing the proclivity, Jack and his two brothers started early tossing out quips and pithy observations. His ten-months-younger brother Paul was the sly trickster of the group while little Terry, six years behind, carried his own weight into the bantering arena. I would love to have tape recordings of some of their youthful dinner table wordplay.
The next best thing to an audio soundtrack? Discovering among their mother’s effects written documentation of some of her sons’ most fondly remembered, and mostly intentional, early witticisms – just plain old cute anecdotes, which flowed from the mouths of her babes.
I’m reprinting them here, lightly edited, in the same order in which my mother-in-law laid them down on the quarter-folded, yellow-edged sheet she had tucked away with other mementos. After all, we are her posterity. They were saved, I presume, for us to savor. So, bon appétit to all who choose to partake.
– “I’m not foolin’, I’m realin’,” a four-year-old Jack replies to the comment, “Aw, you’re foolin’.”
And when someone instructs him, “Don’t argue,” he replies, “Don’t you arg!”
– “I like that song the choir sang, The Lord is Exhausted,” observes Paul upon hearing the hymn The Lord is Exalted.
-Brother Terry, at around three years of age, to their balding father: “Dad, bend down and let me see the hole in your head.”
And a teenaged Terry, to the humorless surgeon who has just announced the need for an appendectomy: “Well, you can take my appendix, but please don’t touch my table of contents.”
-A very young Paul, watching his aunt nurse her first-born, as she shifts the infant from one side to the other: “That tank is empty, huh?”
And on a family road trip, as his parents remark on the pleasant grouping of individual motel cabins, Paul offers, eyes a-twinkle, “I like the way Mom is grouped.”
-When Jack returns from a day of kindergarten and recounts that a girl classmate was conversing with him while he was sitting on the toilet, his parents express alarm over that scenario. Jack replies, “Oh, it was alright. She was just washing her paint brushes.”
-“Dad, can I have a two-handed bike?” says Terry, apparently thinking that, in quantitative terms, those second-hand conveyances certainly must be better than the mere first-hand ones.
-While helping to count contributions from Sunday school offering boxes, Paul notices that one box contains a single coin, a quarter, instead of all those nice big piles of pennies in the other boxes, and declares, “Jesus sure got gypped on this one.”
Then, two weeks before Easter he drags home a dead rabbit he found in the woods, asking if his medical technologist father won’t operate on the carcass to see if there are Easter eggs inside.
-Jack, young enough to still be called Jackie by his parents, responds to a girl school mate who has complimented his mother on her appearance: “She sure doesn’t look that way at home.”
-Having been raised to honor the virtue of frugality, Jack and Paul boldly announce, as their Grandfather unwraps his Christmas tie, “It was the cheapest one we could find!”
-Generous Terry, sizing up a new acquaintance to his pensive and cautious big brother Jack, “She’s a nice girl, isn’t she.” Jackie: “Hmm, can’t tell yet.”
-Paul, rushing through the back door with an accidentally sliced angleworm, shouts, “Mom, quick! A little tiny piece of tape!”
Again, a very young Paul, observing as his mother lay on the floor, playfully jostling his teddy bear on her chest: “Ted thinks he’s riding a camel.”
And finally, the holy grail of K family lore, an account of ultimate boyhood cunning versus a trusting, philosophic soul.
-Five-year-old Jack and four-year-old Paul are receiving a gift of toy race cars from their grandparents. Unbeknownst to anyone, the bag containing the friction-powered miniature vehicles has been dropped at some point, cracking off part of the roof on one. Paul peers eagerly into the package and immediately proclaims, “Aw, Jack; yours got broken!”
Quick-thinking Dad comes to the rescue here: “That’s okay Jack. Yours can be a jalopy!”
I think most of us have a collection of family stories that bring a grin to the face. We would love to hear your “tales from the crib” – from yesteryear or yesterday – so please do leave comments below. You’ll be passing along a few smiles.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: Cute Kid Quotes.
October Creeps The Persistence of Memories
1 Comment Add your own
1. Craig | December 16, 2013 at 1:50 am
When watching a Gopher basketball game with our son who was around 7 years old, he said he wanted to play for the Gophers. So we say to him, so you want to go to school at the U, he said no I just want to play basketball for them.
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In Syria, Western Efforts Should Be On Ending War, Not Banning Medicine
by Leen Othman
BALAMAND AL KURAH, Lebanon – When put together, war and sanctions can lead to a catastrophic situation, one that is being experienced in Syria today.
Over the past five years, a war has been ravaging in Syria. This conflict led to the destruction of Syrian infrastructure, but it was not the only factor that contributed to what Syria looks like today.
In the last five years, there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not European and United States sanctions are damaging Syria’s medical services, or if they are helping in ending the ongoing struggle, as some might believe.
As a Syrian premed student at the University of Balamand in our neighboring country of Lebanon, I believe that the embargo imposed on Syria is playing a major role in bringing down the Syrian medical infrastructure at a time when therapeutical demand is most needed.
That fact that medical supplies are listed in the Syria sanctions program is primary evidence that these prohibitions are
damaging Syria’s medical services.
The Syrian sanctions program is one of the most comprehensive penalty programs currently applied. The agenda did not include curative stock at first, but as the combat escalated, international pressure on the fighting parties also increased.
Expansion in prohibitions was how Europe and the United States expressed their growing frustration with the Syrian situation. Soon, the embargo included medical trade, which led to potentially irreversible consequences on health services.
A 2013 U.S. Treasury Department document detailing sanctions on Syria prohibits “direct or indirect exportation, re-exportation, sale or supply of any services to Syria from the United States or by a U.S. person, wherever located.”
Evidently, medicine and health disbursements are classified under what is denied from entering Syria.
The restrictions have played a significant role in weakening the Syrian economy and elevating prices of medical necessities. It’s led to the collapse of the exchange rate, which reduced the living standards of the Syrian community and impacted public health.
Restrictions also imposed on crude oil caused a deficiency in electrical and heating services, which further stressed public health.
Ostracizing Syria through sanctions is not only playing a small, limited role in ending the crisis, but worse, is creating a negative counter effect on Syrian lives. The obstructions have only succeeded in keeping the attention on the struggle instead of directing efforts towards ending the warfare.
Sanctions imposed on Syria wrecked the medical institutions at a time of conflict when they are needed most. Weapons are getting through, but not medical supplies.
An obvious solution would be to lift the sanctions as a first step towards putting an end to the crisis. The future of Syria will be quite dark if the world’s nations do not cooperate soon to end the struggle.
Leen Othman is a Reporter from Syria for Youth Journalism International.
Your tax-deductible contribution helps students
served by this nonprofit. Please give generously.
www.HelpYJI.org
Balamand Al Kurah health care Lebanon Leen Othman politics Syria War
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