Happy 4th of July

Ghost stories of the White House

1862-1863: Mary Todd Lincoln, grieving over her son Willie's death in February, began to participate in spirit circles or seances in the Red Room at the White House and the presidential cottage at the Soldiers Home. Spiritualism was wildly popular during the height of the Civil War as families sought comfort for the loss of loved ones.
1901-1904: Jeremiah Jerry Smith started working at the White House during the Ulysses S. Grant administration in the late 1860s as a footman, and served as footman, butler, cook, doorman, and official duster until his retirement approximately 35 years later. A popular character and storyteller, reporters could always count on Smith on a slow news day. He claimed to have seen the ghosts of Lincoln, Grant, McKinley, and several first ladies.
1911: One little known spirit is the unidentified 15-year old boy called the Thing that greatly frightened the Taft domestic staff in 1911. President Taft's military aide, Major Archibald Butt, wrote to his sister Clara: "The ghost, it seems, is a young boy about fourteen or fifteen years old . . . They say that the first knowledge one has of the presence of the Thing is a slight pressure on the shoulder, as if someone were leaning over your shoulder to see what you might be doing." President Taft ordered Butt to tell the White House staff that the first member to repeat stories about the Thing would be fired.

GHOST LORE AND SIGHTINGS
Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln appears in the Lincoln Bedroom and Yellow Oval Room First Lady Grace Coolidge, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands claim to have seen Lincoln.

Willie Lincoln: Willie Lincoln, who died in the White House, was seen in the White House by staff members of the Grant administration in the 1870s.

Andrew Jackson: Andrew Jackson supposedly lying in his bed in the Queens Bedroom (Rose Room) lets out a guttural laugh that has been heard in the White House since the 1860s. Mary Todd Lincoln claimed to have heard Jackson stomping and swearing.

Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson plays his violin in the Yellow Oval Room.

Dolley Madison: Dolley Madison protects the Rose Garden.

John Tyler: John Tyler haunts the Blue Room proposing to Julia Gardner, his second wife.

William Henry Harrison: William Henry Harrison haunts the attic. He was the first president to die in the White House.

Abigail Adams: Abigail Adams hung laundry in the East Room and contemporary staff can smell wet laundry and the scent of lavender.

Unnamed British Soldier: An unnamed British Soldier who perished during the War of 1812 roams the White House grounds holding a torch.

David Burnes: David Burnes owned the land on which the White House now stands; seen or heard in the Yellow Oval Room.

Anna Surratt: Anna Surratt bangs on the doors of White House, pleading to see President Andrew Johnson. She was there to beg for a pardon for her mother, Lincoln assassination conspirator Mary Surratt

The Tyger

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

By William Blake.
Artist Eric Wilson.

Artist Creates Replica of Parthenon from 100,000 Banned Books

Photo: Roman März

Argentinian conceptual artist Marta Minujín has just installed The Parthenon of Books in Kassel, Germany as part of the Documenta 14 art festival. Created from 100,000 banned books, this architectural replica of the Parthenon in Athens is a work in progress, with the public being asked to continue bringing volumes with them when visiting the exhibition.

Working with students from Kassel University, the artist identified 170 books from around the world that were at one point banned or are banned in some countries while circulating freely in others. The public was then asked to donate these texts, which were wrapped in protective plastic and hung from the structure. By placing censored material on a replica of the Parthenon—a structure symbolizing democracy—the Argentinian artist asks us to consider the role of politics in attempting to influence thought.

To build on this concept, The Parthenon of Books sits on a space where 2,000 books were burned by the Nazis as part of the so-called Action against the Un-German Spirit. It’s a stark reminder that the written word has consistently been used in actions of censorship throughout history.

Photo: si.leika

This is not the first iteration of The Parthenon of Books. Minujín first realized the piece in 1983, when she erected 25,000 books banned by Argentina’s military junta in a square in Buenos Aires. The new incarnation has been under construction since October 2016, with the official opening in June 2017. It’s possible for visitors to become part of the artwork by checking the list of banned books and bringing along a text for inclusion in the work, which will be on display until September.

“In her mass-participation projects, Minujín rediscovers the initial value of a collective treasure; she melts shared capital back down into cultural currency without remainder. She lays down the verticality of public edifices that embody confiscated cultural knowledge and a hidebound heritage,” writes curator Pierre Bal-Blanc. “She dilapidates the fortune these myths represent. By literally tilting these symbols, Minujín not only gives new meaning to these monuments, she offers them a new sensuality.”

Photo: alexgorlin

Amelia Mary Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart on this day in 1937, just 3 weeks before her birthday. She was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this record. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Earhart joined the faculty of the Purdue University aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation. She was also a member of the National Woman's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.

During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.

This cenotaph was placed in her honor at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, Burbank, CA.

Chirk Castle, Wrexham

Welsh photographs

 

Chirk Castle, Wrexham, Wales (AW07 04)

Chirk Castle was built by Roger Mortimer who was granted the area in 1282 after the defeat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in the Second War of Welsh Independence. The Mortimers were powerful Marcher Lords who had been important magnates in the border region since the twelfth century. Roger Mortimer had commanded a portion of the English army during the recent war and was rewarded with the grant of Chirk. However, Edward I also had other motives as the King had insufficient resources to sustain the number of castles and garrisons required for the permanent suppression of the Welsh. Accordingly he sought to share the financial burden with his richer magnates and did so by establishing a number of Lordships at Chirk, Denbigh, Hawarden, Holt and Ruthin. In each of these areas the Lord was responsible for building a castle to secure the area.

Work on Chirk Castle started in 1295 and continued through until 1310. The original design was very similar to the great concentric castles of Edward I that had been started in the preceding decade. The likeness is such as to suggest Roger Mortimer may have had assistance from personnel who had worked with Master James of St George, the King’s chief architect, on those projects. However like Beaumaris Castle, itself a late addition to the network of Welsh fortifications, Chirk Castle never seems to have been completed. The outer defences were never built whilst only four of the six intended towers of the Inner Ward were started. Even these structures were probably never fully completed.

Roger Mortimer supported the rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster in 1322. When that revolt failed, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and his estates, including Chirk, were confiscated. Roger died in the Tower in 1326 but the same year his nephew, Roger Mortimer of Wigmore who was also imprisoned, escaped and fled to France. There he joined with Queen Isabella, Edward II's estranged wife, and they returned and overthrew the King. The Mortimer estates were restored but Roger was himself overthrown and executed in 1330. Chirk once again reverted to the Crown.

Edward III granted Chirk Castle to Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel in 1335. He was one of the richest men in the Kingdom but his family seat was at Arundel Castle and he had little use for Chirk so it remained unfinished. Richard was one of the Lord Appellants, magnates who rebelled against Richard II in 1388 and forced the King to govern under supervision. When Richard II regained control of his Government he sought revenge and in 1397 Richard FitzAlan was executed. Chirk was confiscated by the Crown once more but Richard's son, Thomas FitzAlan, joined forces with Henry Bolingbroke who in 1399 overthrew the King. Bolingbroke became Henry IV and the FitzAlan estates were restored.

Thomas FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel made significant modifications to Chirk Castle presumably as a precaution against the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr which had commenced in 1400. These upgrades seemingly consisted of enhancements to the southern curtain wall doubtless filling the void that had been left by the incomplete work of the previous century. Thomas FitzAlan went on to serve with Henry V in France but died from dysentery at the siege of Harfleur in 1415. He left no male heir and Chirk Castle reverted to the Crown.

The castle passed through several owners in the fifteenth century but most notable was Sir William Stanley who made the decisive charge against Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485). However, ten years later he had fallen out of favour and in 1495 was executed by Henry VII due to his support of Perkin Warbeck. Chirk Castle was taken back into Crown ownership until 1563 when Elizabeth I granted it to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. After his death in 1588 it passed through several owners before being sold in 1595 to Thomas Myddelton, a London merchant and founder of the East India Company.

Thomas Myddelton was the younger son of the Governor of Denbigh Castle but he had left Wales to make his fortune in London. He was a founding investor in the East India Company, which brought him significant wealth, enabling him to establish a country seat in Essex. He was knighted and in 1613 became Lord Mayor of London. He also invested heavily in Copper mines in Denbighshire ultimately becoming the foremost landowner in the county. Chirk Castle was his residence as well as the administrative centre for his Welsh operations and he commenced the wholesale conversion of Chirk from border fortress to stately home. His additions included a new north range, complete with fine dining and drawing rooms, plus a new hall, buttery and kitchen.

Thomas died in 1631 and was followed by his son, also called Thomas. During the Civil War he became a prominent Parliamentary General partaking in numerous actions in the border region. Wales however remained predominantly Royalist and accordingly in 1643 Chirk Castle was seized by forces loyal to the King. The Royalists held Chirk Castle for the rest of the war but in 1646 Myddelton successfully bribed them to return control to him. Thomas moved back into Chirk but over the next decade he grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Cromwellian regime. The death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 and the ineffective leadership of his son, Richard Cromwell, prompted the Royalists to seize the initiative and, through a secret organisation known as the Sealed Knot, planned a nationwide coup to restore the King. However the mechanics of state were ahead of them and most of the would-be ringleaders were arrested before the plot could be hatched. In the North West though, Sir George Booth successfully raised Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales against the Government. Chester was taken (albeit not Chester Castle) and the bulk of the force then moved out towards York but were intercepted at Winnington Bridge on the 19 August 1659 and dispersed. The Republican forces, under General Lambert, then moved on Chirk Castle and on 24 August 1659 after a brief bombardment, which destroyed the Guard and Bell Towers plus the eastern curtain wall, the garrison surrendered.

Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660 and Chirk Castle was returned to Thomas Myddelton. He died in 1663 leaving a 12 year old son called Thomas as his heir. During his minority his grandmother, Mary Napier, oversaw the repair work on Chirk Castle which was undertaken between 1664 and 1678. The work included rebuilding the eastern portion of the castle including construction of Bachelor and Old Maid Towers (on top of the medieval foundations of the original Guard and Bell Towers) plus a substantial new range.

The Myddeltons continued to reside at Chirk Castle and in the early nineteenth century some restyling was done to create the Gothic themed courtyard frontage to the East Range as well as substantial landscaping of the grounds. Early in the twentieth century Chirk Castle was leased to Thomas Scott-Ellis who again landscaped the surrounding area including destroying portions of Offa's Dyke and submerging another section under a great artificial lake. The castle passed into State care in 1978 and was handed to the National Trust in 1981.

Text source: http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/nort…/chirk_castle.html

14 Surprisingly Inspirational Quotes from Someone who Doesn’t Give a F*ck

While quotes won’t solve our problems, they can provide a useful list of reminders and guideposts to help focus our efforts. Here are the Mark Manson quotes I found to be most helpful:

1. “As an adult, it’s your responsibility to figure out which of your traits are toxic and are negatively impactful towards other people and the ones you love and to eventually learn how to fix them.”

2. “The problem with the self-esteem movement is that it measured self-esteem by how positively people felt about themselves. But a true and accurate measurement of one’s self-worth is how people feel about the negative aspects of themselves.”

3. “Self-awareness is like an onion. There are multiple layers to it, and the more you peel them back, the more likely you’re going to start crying at inappropriate times.”

4. “You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get fucked.”

5. “The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”

6. “Unhealthy love is based on two people trying to escape their problems through their emotions for each other—in other words, they’re using each other as an escape. Healthy love is based on two people acknowledging and addressing their own problems with each other’s support.”

7. “This is the most simple and basic component of life: our strugglesdetermine our successes.”

8. “Being open with your insecurities paradoxically makes you more confident and charismatic around others. The pain of honest confrontation is what generates the greatest trust and respect in your relationships. Suffering through your fears and anxieties is what allows you to build courage and perseverance.”

9. “Acts of love are valid only if they’re performed without conditions or expectations.”

10. “If you’re stuck on a problem, don’t sit there and think about it; just start working on it. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing, the simple act of working on it will eventually cause the right ideas to show up in your head.”

11. “Some choose to believe that there is nothing they can do to solve their problems, even when they in fact could. Victims seek to blame others for their problems or blame outside circumstances. This may make them feel better in the short term, but it leads to a life of anger, helplessness, and despair.”

12. “The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it.”

13. “A lot of people hesitate to take responsibility for their problems because they believe that to be responsible for your problems is to also be at fault for your problems.”

14. “At some point, we all gotta start making ourselves better individuals. If you truly believe you don’t have to change anything yourself, even at the very least the worst in you, and that people will just have to deal with it, then sorry you’re still a child.”

His words aren’t wrapped in candy-sweet ribbons. They’re harsh and direct. And they just might provide the kick in the ass that many of us need to get to work on ourselves.

This shit is hard, and it’s real—it’s supposed to be. But it’s also incredibly rewarding for those brave enough to face our issues and give real healing a chance.

A Little Bit of Heaven

There's a dear old land of leprechauns

And wondrous wishing wells
And nowhere else on God's green Earth
There be such lakes and dells.

No wonder that the angels love
That shamrock covered shore
It draws my heart home again
And I love it more and more.

Have you ever heard the story of
How Ireland got its name
Well, I'll tell you so you'll understand
From whence old Ireland came.

No wonder that I love
That dear old land across the sea
For here's the way my dear old Father
Told the tale to me.

Sure, a little bit of heaven fell
From out the sky one day
And it nestled on the ocean
In a spot so far away.

And when the angels found it
Sure, it looked so sweet and fair
They said, "Suppose we leave it
For it looks so peaceful there"

So they sprinkled it with stardust
Just to make the shamrocks grow
'Tis the only place you'll find them
No matter where you go.

Then they dotted it with silver
To make its lakes so grand
And when they had it finished
Sure, they called it Ireland!

Song by John Gary
Songwriters: Ernest R. Ball / J. Keirn Brennan
Photographer Gareth Wray