Month: February 2022

ANCIENT GARDENS

Did The Hanging Gardens of Babylon Truly Exist?

The story is quite fascinating in case you haven’t heard it before. King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon was said to have constructed the luxurious gardens as a gift to his wife, Amytis, in the 6th century BC. She was homesick for the beautiful vegetation and mountains. It is said that these were just fabled gardens; one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. One of the only wonders whose existence, historians dispute. Scholars agree that the idea of cultivating these gardens purely for pleasure, originated in the Fertile Cresent and spread throughout the ancient Mediterranean. These gardens were not just about the flowers. Architectural, sculptural, and water features were added. These gardens became a desired feature. Fresco painters, such as Pompeii, would cover entire walls of the villas which gave the illusion of entering a garden when you entered a room. These pleasant places owed their existence to The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Some scholars believe that the Babylonian gardens idea is a mixup and that it was Nineveh who actually had this fabled wonder. There is actual evidence, archeological and textual, of the gardens of Nineveh, and is sometimes referred as ‘old Babylon’. Visitors were impressed with the monuments of the ancient world, that they became a must see for the ancient travelers and pilgrims. Author P. Jordan suggested that these gardens made it on the list of The Seven wonders of the ancient World because “they appealed for sheer luxurious and romantic perversity of endeavor. ” Excavations in 1899 CE, began in ancient Babylon, and although ancient structures such as the double walls and the Ishtar Gate have been found, there seems to be no trace of the legendary gardens.

What are your thoughts? Even if the gardens haven’t been found, the idea that something so beautiful existed, is inspiration enough for me.

I hope you enjoyed and find inspiration in whatever art form you choose.

Curiosity Killed The Cat

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

“The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don’t know,”-Sherman Alexie

“The production of a work of art throws a light upon the mystery of humanity.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

COLD WAR

Voices of the present and future would like to bring to you a post that effects many.

Due to recent events around the world, let’s dive into the definition of the Cold War.

It was a period of geological tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as respected allies that followed WWII.

The term Cold War was used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between these superpowers, but each of them supported major regional conflicts.

It is said that the Cold War shaped American Foreign Policy, impacting the domestic economy which effected the personal lives of the Americans, which created a climate of expected conformity and normalcy.

Flash forward to today if you will. Putin raises tensions by announcing that he has put his nuclear forces on special alert.

The sanctions put on Russia although too late to prevent war, still hold the capability of crippling Russia financially by targeting its central bank and possibly freezing its $630 bn foreign exchange reserves.

Because of these sanctions, Putin says that the sanctions are illegitimate and thus caused him to heighten the nuclear responses.

I am not one to bring these types of stories to my table, but it does fall in line with Voices of the Past, Present, and Future. Many of us are biting our nails, nervous, and listening to every news channel, wondering how all of this will effect us.

Please let us know your thoughts or fears, whichever that may be for you.

As always, support your fellow bloggers.

CAMPING

Due to the slow internet connection because of the nasty weather where I live, it takes a bit longer to provide you with the JAW DROPPING stories I know you love.

Here is one story that is similar to the one I presented to you a few days ago and trust me, the likeness is uncanny.

This is a story that was presented on CNN.COM. It involves two campers and their beloved dog.

Steve Haugen and Jeanette Bauman, along with their Labrador Retreiver, Ceasar head out for an overnight camping trip. Destination was Willamette National Forest, Oregon on July 30,2005. The day was perfect for what they had planned, some hiking and camping.

Police believed that this couple was chose at random, possibly because they had been camping in what he may have considered “his woods” or just that he may have considered them prey.

The couple had been found shot to death the following day at their campsite. This predator took their license plate from their 1997 GMC JIMMY SUV, along with some of their camping supplies.

The police are finding some similarities in other cases one such case being that of a mother and daughter who were also slain in a rural area on public lands.

The police have a number of suspects but have not released their names.

To me, being a woman who loves camping, I find it terrifying and I hope they catch this killer soon.

Curious as to your thoughts on these cases, PLEASE leave a comment so that we may discuss this together.

And as always support your fellow bloggers.

FOCUS

Voices of the present would like to propose a question for you.

Are you a present-focused person or a future-fosed person?

Let me offer some insight into each of these according to psychologists.

Present-focused

  • Better at helping others than themselves
  • Get fully immersed in the moment and lose track of time
  • Avoid anything repetitive, difficult or boring
  • Are playful, impulsive and sensual
  • Appreciate life, nature, and people around them
  • Focus on immediate gratification

There is a down side to this according to psychologists. For one, it is said that present-focused people are more likely to use drugs and alcohol. That these people may have grown up in unstable places and they tend to live in the present because imagining the future is hard. If you ask a present-focused person to to describe their ultimate career and write down the steps to get there, their focus will change to the future.

Future-focused

  • Delay gratification
  • Driven with self-discipline because they vividly see future goals
  • Love their work
  • Invest, exercise
  • Better at helping themselves than others
  • More likely to succeed, but at the loss of relationships

The loss of relationships is because it requires present focus. It is believed future-focused people tend to grow up in cold climates because they have to prepare for winter. If you were to ask a future-focused person to name every background noise, or where their body is touching a chair, their focus goes directly to present focus.

What you value tends to change your focus. Love or making art pushes someone toward a more present focus and being ambitious tends to push someone toward the future focus.

You need both minsets. A present-focus to enjoy life but too much can prevent you from having the deeper happiness that achievement brings.

I hope this article helps you take a look at yourself when you are acting out of character. Maybe, when you are acting too undisciplined it’s because you have stopped seeing the future. If you’re acting too disconnected, it’s possible you’re obsessed with your goals. You can only see your future.

Please support your fellow bloggers.

Notorious

Voices jof the past would like to bring you the story of Jack the Ripper. We have all heard of him and it is definitely a case full of mystery and one that may never be solved.

Jack te Ripper was an unidentified killer in and around Whitechapel, East End of London, 1888. This man was also called the Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron. This information I didn’t know.

As history tells us, he killed at least five women and mutilated their bodies. This indicated that he had an substantial knowledge of the human anatomy. He was never captured or even identified.

These murders took place within five miles of each other, from August 7 to September 10th, 1888. Letters were sent to London police taunting them and speculating about murders to come.

Various theories included claims accused the famous Victorian painter, Walter Sicker. More than 100 suspects were named, contributing to the folklore urrounding this mystery. The violence and crimes of that time suggested this killer had a mind that was more sociopathic and hateful than most of the citizens could comprehend.

Jack the Rippper has been in news stories for more than 120 years and I’m quite sure will continue for many more. According to common assumption, all the victims were prostitutes, except one. But, the notion that Jack the Ripper murder only prostitutes was a consequence of the prejudices of the Victorian Era.

Jack the Ripper has provided themes for many literary and dramatic works. The most notable was the horror novel, The Lodger.Several notable Londoners of that Era, Walter Sicker the painter and Sir William Gull a physician have been the main subjects of speculation.

According to a study in the Journal of Forensic Science, the killer is likely a man named Aaron Kominski. The study suggests that DNA found on one of the victims is a close match for a living relative of Kominski who is still alive today. With no conclusive evidence on Kominski at the time, he died of gangrene in an institution in 1919.

This has indeed been a very notorious crime that has never been solve and may never be.

Please support your fellow bloggers.

FUTURE

Voices of the future would like to share with you the predictions of many as to what our future holds for us.

2054-Mission to interstellar object ‘Ouamua. What does this mean? The prediction states that in 2054, close range observations are made of the interstellar object. It follows a complex and high speed Jupiter Oberth maneuver, that enables a probe to catch up with it.

In 2100-Africa is a major urban and political center. What does this mean? The prediction states that by 2100 Africa will emerge as a stronger, more confident, independent, and geopolitical influence, with a population that exceeds four billion.

Did you know that The Adam Smith Institute published a new report on property rights in space? I found out that it suggests dividing the Moon into regions and privatizing it. The institute believes that it could help end global poverty.

NASA predicts that sea levels will rise through to the year 2150.

In 2031 it is predicted that the International Space Station will be retired and crash intoa remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

What do these predictions mean to you, and do you believe someone can predict what will happen in the distant but near future?

Please support your fellow bloggers and join the conversation.

Translating Notions Of Beauty — Edge of Humanity Magazine

Artwork By Sayaka Maruyama   Translating Notions Of Beauty   PORTFOLIO On View       ABOUT The NO MIDDLEMAN ART GALLERY is designed to connect art seekers and collectors with artists DIRECTLY.  568 more words

Translating Notions Of Beauty — Edge of Humanity Magazine
%d bloggers like this: