Monday 31 May 2010

Handicrafts


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Handiarts is a site which is comprised of the diverse Indian cultures, lifestyles, traditions etc. have lent the most vibrant and exquisite designs to handicrafts. They come in a spellbinding variety of vibrant motifs and designs. The beautiful artifacts that have surfaced from the Harrappan and Mohanjodaro civilization sites reveal the artistic inclinations of the ancient man. Today, the same technique and crafts perfected over centuries continue to captivate the aesthetics of the modern person. Click through a variety of products that lend grace and beauty to your homes... or you, if you are wearing them through handiarts.com. We offer an unending variety of handicraft items, intriguing in its form and captivating in its beauty. The raw materials go through a number of processes, like carving, enameling, embroidery etc., giving expression to the craftsman's skills. Some of these crafts take months to prepare. Exquisite and vibrant designs combine to make the most artistic artifacts. Indian handicraft items are so coveted that they are passed on from generation to generation. Read on about the various processes employed in the creation of these exquisite crafts.

Warli painting, one of the most intriguing forms of Indian folk paintings, is a gift from a small tribe of the same name living in Maharashtra, India. Executed in white on austere mud walls, these tribal paintings are spontaneous expressions of folk life, customs and beliefs. Indian Handicraft Store is happy to present a unique online gallery of these treasured Indian tribal paintings.

A statue is a sculpture portraying a specific entity, generally a person, incident, occasion, animal or object. The primary concern of a metal statue is depictive and representational. Statues are generally built to venerate any historical event. Adding serenity to beauty, wholesale statues are perfect collectible items to decorate your home or workplace to bring life into your environment. Wholesale religious statues can add elegance on to your home décor. On the other hand wholesale Buddha statues can add sophistication to your office décor and also serves as lucky charms. Statues are available in a variety of metals and can be the reproductions of anything from classical Greek statues like the Venus de Milo to mythical garden gargoyle statues. Wholesale statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been a central theme of Hindu Art since the 9th century and the beginning of the Chola Empire. The wholesale brass statues of Hindu gods are seen not as being an icon to worship but as the actual Hindu gods present within the metal statues. Bringing home wholesale religious statues symbolically means inviting a living Hindu God into your home and into your life. Buddha statues serve as lucky charms in your lives. Proportion and balance are very much needed to carve a statue out of any metal because any wrong proportion would not help in bringing out the delicate beauty of the religious statues. Thus not only the creator's imaginative power but also the concentration while pouring of the liquid metal into the mould is vital for carving a piece of delicate beauty.

Sunday 30 May 2010

The Greek Cycle - Iphegenia, The Greek Cycle - Orestes


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Iphegenia

And so it comes to this:

That I, a maiden of tender years,

Must be sacrificed, so that the

Pride of Greek manhood be

Redeemed, and in unrepentant

Fury be launched against the

Shores of Troas and reclaim

That golden apple which the

Gods in their unfeeling contest

Did bestow upon that unwitting

Son of Priam. O father, what

Fate has so compelled you to

Sacrifice that which lately

You held so dear? We, unlike the

Deathless gods cannot discern the

Paths down which our actions

Lead: perhaps to glory and

Renown of arms; or by more

Sinister windings to come at

Last to justice meted out at

Furies' hands. Beware the clamor of

Men's acclaim! Where now they

Cry for death to mark their

Bold departure, in later times

Their cries, like those of my

Mother near at hand, will mark

The passing of a vengeful spirit

Taking life before its appointed time,

And dashing hopes of many a

Regal line, bereft of heirs.

Come now, father, the time to

Act descends upon us. Consecrate

Your host by this unworthy deed.

Give life to those doomed

Sometime for death; and in my

Death, grant life immortal.

Orestes

I am; I wait.

Like some half-remembered

Augury, abandoned by cruel fate,

To wait in silent longing

For catharsis unrequited,

As years slough by,

In suspended anticipation,

Of action uncompleted,

And justice unredeemed.

I am: I wait.

As from the shores of Troas,

Heroes late returning,

With struggles greatly gaining,

Their storied fathers' homeland,

And welcome then receiving,

Unwelcome and unlooked-for,

A final desecration for deeds

Instead for praise deserved.

I am; I wait.

The last remaining branch,

Of that insidious tree watered

By the blood of kin most dear,

And intimacy not permitted,

By gods nor man. An end

To make of this foul curse,

Ordained at last through son's

Fell deed.

I am; I wait.

Festering, mouldering, hate grown palpable,

The fruit of some dour tree,

That grows more rank when

Cultivated with revenge, instead

Of human sympathy. For sympathy

There is none, in this heart

Schooled in patricide, and

Inflamed by incestuous tyranny.

I am; I wait.

Slowly to unwind my longed-for

Revenge, like some serpent coiled

Upon a throne not earned,

But with deception and violence

Undeservedly gained. Balanced

Here between longing to strike,

And patience for a time

Propitious to the gods.

I am: I wait.

Soon the time will come,

When justice will be served,

Like some feast of children

To their parents given,

But lacking in appreciation,

That gift so grimly served.

Put off such thoughts of idleness,

Now to the deed be reconciled.

I am: I wait no longer,

But rush headlong to the throne,

Where to avenge the death of sister and father,

Must sever ties to one once held dear,

And avenge the loss of life beloved,

Through death's fruit most bitter.

And so with unreserved fury,

I go to render justice, and

Action take against the tyrant.

I am; I pause;

The deed completed, sword uncoiled,

Fury sated, delay undone,

And duty to the dead requited.

And wonder, what augury, what

Prophecy from the gods can

Unmake the curse still

Hanging like some shriveled tree,

Of malice over this house?

I am; I wait.

In terror for the answer

To my prayers, soon revealed

In further retribution to be meted out.

As from the furies, new violence bloom,

Like trees giving shade to generations

Unborn, waiting, with pregnant anticipation

To redeem those they loved,

Whose death came by hands once loved.

I am; I wait.

Saturday 29 May 2010

How To Plan For An Ancient Greek Wedding Theme


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Most women, if not all, hope to marry the man of their dreams. So, if you are one of the lucky women who are doing just that, then you just might see your husband-to-be as one of the remarkable Greek gods. For your own wedding, why not go for an ancient Greek wedding theme? Now, do no think of your wedding to be like your ordinary Greek toga party held during college because this is certainly not the case. This is actually a popular misconception because of the usual Greek parties help by fraternities and sororities in just about any college. Although these parties are indeed fun in nature, they do not encompass the elegance of weddings. It is also because of this popular association that this wedding theme has been overlooked by so many people these days. Still, if you do take the time to consider this option, you just might find the perfect theme for your wedding.

Of course, when you are implementing this theme, you definitely have a lot of things to deal with. An ancient Greek wedding goes way beyond just the decorations of the environment. You also have to consider the aspects of appearance for you and your husband-to-be, as well as that of your guests.

Your wedding gown has to be patterned and designed in such a way that the ancient styles favored by the Greeks during their time would be properly manifested. There are so many tasteful designs that you can choose from. Have you ever seen sculptures of Greek goddesses, such as Aphrodite? Their delicate dresses can be used as patterns for your wedding dress. Imagine how timeless, classic, and elegant you would look! Complete your gown with simple wedding sandals so reminiscent of ancient Greek fashion, and you are good to go!

Try to find a facility that comes with pillars, so that you can get that Greek atmosphere for your wedding. But if you cannot find such a facility, you can then use Styrofoam to create your pillars. This is not as easy as it may seem, but with the help of friends and family, you can still capture that ambiance you are aiming for. You can also place Greek urns at strategic locations all over the room. These urns can be purchased at just about any craft store you can find. You can even purchase these online.

But if you really want that stellar ancient Greek wedding theme, then you should consider renting a fog machine. The presence of fog can add to that Mount Olympus feeling for your wedding. You can use the fog machine for your ceremony itself or for your reception!

Friday 28 May 2010

Why Not Consider Greek Islands Holidays?


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Ever wonder where would be the best place to spend your holidays or maybe your vacation? If you want to enjoy a peaceful and relaxing getaway while being surrounded with beautiful beaches you may want to experience Greek islands Holidays! Greece is known to be the place for Greek Gods and Goddesses. But other than these beliefs, Greece has much more to offer tourists and visitors who want to know more about what it has to offer. Other than the cooling view of the beaches and breath taking landscape of Greece you should also look forward to the sumptuous meals served by Greeks! Enjoy gourmet food at its finest and appreciate lamb as well as veggies in a whole new different way.

Expect to have the freshest and healthiest foods on your Greek Islands Holidays. Greek people love to cook but they prefer to use only the freshest ingredients available. This is one the greatest things you would love about your stay in Greece! If you want to relax for a few days and then go clubbing afterwards, the best place to be in is at Skiathos. Skiathos has a lot of beaches and hotels that you can choose from. Have a good tan on the shore then dip your body in the deep blue beach anywhere in Skiathos; once the day is over you can go partying all night long in the same area.

If you are looking for the perfect vacation or getaway; whether it's with family, friends or your partner in life, Greek Islands Holidays will surely be perfect. If you want more information on different packages for a Greece vacation you can simply rely on the internet and a reliable search engine like Google. Check out the nice beaches and islands you can visit and see in Greece that will convince you to book a flight as soon as possible. Relax your way to an enchanting getaway on Greek islands holidays while enjoying the great view of the beach and ocean reflecting the stars. All your money spent will surely be worth it.

Other than the beach and food to look forward to in your Greek islands holidays, you can also look forward to a great tour. Visit ancient and pre-historic architecture that has been well preserved by the Greece government. Enjoy knowing and acquiring more knowledge of how Greeks lived their lives way back hundreds or even thousands of years ago. You will surely adore each and every museum that you'll be able to visit in Greece as each one offers a different history of the ancient times. Greece is a beautiful place, it's an island crafted by time into a great landscape. You will be amazed of how buildings were built in a Greece despite the irregular land it has.

You can choose to visit and enjoy a tour of two days or even a good two weeks in Greece but of course you have to consider the budget you're willing to pay. There are a lot of choices in booking Greek islands holidays but as the travel agent offers a more organize tour the more expensive it will be. As this is a fact you can always plan your vacation all by yourself to maximize your budget. You can look for quality hotel accommodations via internet and book for a flight with an airline company that offers a promo. All these may be quite a work but it's worth it if you want to save some cash.

Thursday 27 May 2010

Sadequain's Art - Influences and Inspirations


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Sadequain is a great thematic painter of Pakistan. He has worked in various styles ranging from linear to 'painterly' ones. Since he is a thematic painter with personal and individual observations of life, he opts to depict grotesque elements from inner and outer world, to find truth and reality. In this pursuit, he paints his canvases with figures which actually are characters taken from religion, history, mythology and literature, with backgrounds suggesting either the time period they belong to or the inward feelings they are spellbound with. The diversity in Sadequain's work, both in technique and in thought, encompasses the wide range of influences and inspirations owing to different reasons and circumstances, the artist comes across throughout his life.

This paper will analyze the influences and inspirations that effected Sadequain's art, intrinsically as well as extrinsically, to find out the sources and origins which generally cover mythology, religion, philosophy, drama and literature. This study will also unfold the influences of art movements or styles that inspired Sadequain's art.

These inspirations and influences have served and fed Sadequain's art in a manner that enables him to extract his themes from a variety of subject matters from gods and goddesses to the great thinkers and philosophers of Greece and Persia, in terms of characters, while in connection with literature, he touched Sophocles on one end and Shakespeare, Iqbal and Ghalib on the other. Whereas by composing his frames in a theatrical way, Sadequain has put on show conceptual as well as corporeal aspect of drama in life, an element that Baroque art is famous for.

Most of Sadequain's paintings display elements like; exaggeration, horror, metamorphosis, drama and myth in their themes while as far as figures or characters are concerned, he has looked back into history, religion and mythology (regardless of origins i.e. Greek or Indian) to portray characters that can enrich and elaborate his themes, for this purpose Sadequain has painted, celestial figures, philosophers; who had great ideology and impact like Aristotle, Socrates, Ibn-i Khaldun, scientists ranging from early periods of enlightenment like Ibn-i Haisam, al-Khwarzami, or Ibn-i Sina, to the modern era of twentieth century known for new theories, where his brush personifies Einstein or Karl Marx.

Taking his themes into consideration first, we can find him a lover and admirer of the darker and crude form of life contrary to the beautiful, subtle and aromatic aspects. Since this concept of grotesque or malamat2 is not a new one in this part of the world as it has been discussed and displayed on various levels by different schools of Sufism that has got popularity in the subcontinent.

According to Akber Naqvi:

"Sadequain's art enacted the drama of malamat in its Zahiri3 and batini4aspects-the coincidence and confusion of appearance and reality as awareness of truth in the definition of the self."

(Naqvi 370-71)

The concept of Malamat has been in vogue in the Sufi tradition here in the subcontinent, where Sufis were not of view to adapt themselves to the clear and straight rules of life, rather they groped the reality through grotesque and more ritual way of life where, dance, music, intoxication and supernatural ambiance was created and strongly believed.

With this approach in life, Sadequain is expected to reveal the realities of life through dance, drama, and rituals in an ambiance, far fetched from the physical world and close to the mystic vagueness. These subjects help him in carrying out paintings with subjects matter taken from mythologies, and enactment of the rituals, which ultimately causes him in putting dynamism within his frame along with the concepts he painted upon.

In his thirst to paint themes under the inspirations and influences he has admired throughout his life, Sadequain is seen quenching his desires, through romantic and modern painting styles and concepts when he paints with self-conscious approach and themes (a romantic attitude) at one place while with abstract expressionism and symbolic style at the other. He also follows modern art techniques, wherever needed to give expression to his inner and individual thoughts.

As his interest has never faded out of mythological and religious concepts and literary epics and stories, from where his characterization has gotten enriched, he is also found indulged in emphasis, exaggeration, hyperbole, horror, theatricality (action, drama, movement), and dynamism which reminds us of the art of baroque style. Collectively, Sadequain was inspired from diverse influences that prevailed either in European art and literature or in the Eastern tradition of grotesque mysticism (Malamat).

Historically, man has recorded his rituals, dance and religious practices of great importance in the form of cave painting; the oldest form of expression. Most of the cave paintings do possess the chronicle elements ever since those paintings have captured a performance or an activity that was related to some ritual or religious doctrine, or the adventures and hunt scenes, which can give the impression that man has always been curious to record whatsoever was around his physical and emotional existence. This practice has been the most common and respected one even in the Stone Age in the subcontinent, which has enabled us to have an idea of life and beliefs that those people were leading and following.

The earliest images in the caves of Bhimbetka with simplicity in drawing, linearity and movement of the figures, suggest the dance or hunt movements of the characters; an expression that was later partially adopted by Sadequain.

Another ancient but comparatively modern concept of religious themes and personification of sacred figures through different forms of visual art could be found in the times of Buddha. The visual expression of Jataka Stories5, which were carved in stone at the Stupa of Sanchi and Amravati, or painted on the rocks of Ajanta Caves, served the religious beliefs to be converted from intangible form to the tangible shape. These stories, at the same time provided materials for actors and dancers of Ashoka6 period (268-233 BC) to act upon.

"Jataka stories can be described as an 'encyclopedia of contemporary Indian life' in all its aspects. These stories describe various previous births of Gautam Buddha and instructive episodes relating to them.... According to Buddhist tradition, the number of these stories is 550 out of which about 547 are available in a collection. Their delineation in stone forms a major part of early Buddhist art down from Ashokan times. Many Jataka stories are artistically engraved on the stone railings and toranas of Buddhist monuments such as those at Bharhut, Sanchi and Amravati stupas and are painted on the walls of Ajanta canves. They present an approximate panorama of Indian life between 600 BC to 300 BC."

(Varadpande 116)
Since visual art is a record of events that have got immense importance in modern times, painting in particular captures figures, scenes, subjects or emotions that have been in existence prior to the moment of their rendering by the artist; so, there is possibility of overlapping of characteristics from one genre to the other. Therefore, the mythological and religious stories, characters, and moral values can get place in the paintings whenever they are rendered regardless of time. Art could adopt its characters and atmosphere from the religious doctrines, mythological concepts, literary ideas and folklore, which would be in fashion at the time, that art has been produced. As the extrinsic references have shown this quality of art as inevitable, Sadequain's art, on specific ideas of mythology (Indian or Greek), religion and poetic expressions of Iqbal7, Ghalib8 and Faiz9, clearly indicates the contrast and diversity of nature in connection with social and religious life, related to certain circumstances.

Characters have always been the main feature in visual expression, in painting; they embody tragic and joyous emotions, representing life itself. But owing to its strong appeal and gripping nature, tragedy has got pivotal place in the life of human beings and a strong motivational force for any kind of natural expression.

Aristotle argued in the Poetics that tragedy:

"is a representation, not of men, but of action and life, of 'happiness and unhappiness' and that 'happiness and unhappiness' are bound up with action"

(Aristotle 39-40)
As tragedy, according to Aristotle, is the most important factor behind any creation or expression which leads one to 'catharsis10' and enhances the total impact of 'happiness' or 'unhappiness', the embodiment of these emotions are; characters who represent these emotions through their gestures, facial expressions and movements. Any kind of expression in art gives so much importance to the characters that are going to represent the subject or the theme of the artwork. In painting, characters are represented through figures and portraits, which reflect the desired emotions and convey them to the audience through the formal quality and variation of colour, texture, chiaroscuro, line and composition.

What importance of human expressions, in visual art, is well defined as under by Goodman:

"what is expressed is metaphorically exemplified"

(Goodman 85)

Through an art such as figurative or portrait painting, expression is achieved by imitating a figure or portrait of a well-known or ordinary person or character. Keeping in view the fact that human concerns are always behind any kind of artwork, one can assume the subject matter of a certain era.

Sadequain has dealt with his paintings in terms of characters, facial expressions, distortion, movement, texture, chiaroscuro and a planned and directed atmosphere, created through the collective representation of all the mentioned elements on a larger scale. His characters, in most of his paintings are 'alive' and dynamic in nature, busy in their work or duties. They do not seem to be posing or idle for the sake of painting only. He has also used facial expression of his characters within the frame to enhance his expression of the theme that is behind that painting. By distorting figures and other elements of the painting, Sadequain has always tried to get the desired effects of human struggle, and has put his idea or theme on a high pedestal in a loud style; as on stage, with the distortion of sound effect, the director of an act creates ambiguity to clear or prominent his theme or subject. His figures are actually characters of his themes and individuals full of energy, painted to convey movement or activity, according to the subject. Sometimes in his desire of conveying his concept or theme to the viewer with energy, Sadequain has also added symbolic expression with little or more exaggeration which has, in many of his paintings and drawings, created an 'abstract expression' based on ones innate and psychological experiences that can put his work under the label of 'modern art' while his self-centered approach has fashioned 'romantic' approach at the same time.

Texture and chiaroscuro are the vital elements of a painting to create the atmosphere or ambiance, Sadequain with his cross hatching brush, using dark and light areas, creates low degree of chiaroscuro. His paintings do no possess the dramatic light effects or light and dark contrasts as of some baroque style paintings by Caravaggio11, but even then his textures create an effect of 'light and dark' to suggest the positive and negative aspects of his themes. He is a romantic at some place, and modern at the other or both, at the same time. If we take him as 'romanticist' first, he is found to fall in this category due to some reasons.

As Jacquez Barzen states:

"As against poetic diction and 'noble' words, the romanticists admitted all words; as against the exclusive use of a selected Graeco-Roman mythology, they took in the Celtic and the Germanic; as against the uniform setting and tone of classical tragedy, they studied and reproduced the observable diversities known as 'local color'. As against the antique subjects of and the set scale of pictorial merits prescribed by the Academy, they took in the whole world, seen and unseen, and the whole range of colors."

(Barzun 59)

By analyzing these qualities of romanticists, we come to a point that romanticists were against restrictions and geographical bounds, first in terms of information and knowledge and later, in their expression, they were with an opinion that myths, legends, poetic expressions, pictorial merits and concepts were universal and they had nothing to do with a certain ethnicity.

By these standards, we can call Sadequain a romantic, as he adopts everything whatever he thinks to fulfill his pictorial and conceptual requirements. He goes for the mythology regardless of its origin; he takes on the journey to diverse ethnicities and derivation while painting his canvasses. He is also an observer of the whole world and universal pains, the humanity is exposed to, and rather than classical set patterns, he has also taken up the 'observable diversities' in creating his 'local color'.

Barzun has commented between classic and romantic as:

"In common speech certainly, the sentiments aroused by the word 'classical' are those of repose and serenity, while the connotations of 'romantic' suggest restlessness and disorder."

(Barzun 37)

If we apply the conditions of restlessness and disorder on Sadequain's art and personality, the same result we can find which may advocate us to call him a romanticist. As we find his work against the static and acclaimed standards of academic art (even in a developing country like Pakistan), disorder, especially within his distorted figures, crudeness of form, and the dynamism, and the shades of restlessness, force us to label him as 'greatly inspired by romanticists' if not a romanticist himself. Sadequain's own conception of life, which is also very much individual; the grotesque or Malamati, has caused a great deal of self-centeredness when he paints self-portraits within a painting or a drawing. The symbol of 'cactus' he has used for his life also refers to the individuality covered by the ego of a self-centered individual, who seems inspired of the romantic approach of inner and individual expression. The admiration of restlessness has made him quoting Iqbals concept of true Muslim (Mard-e Momin) in pictorial way; a well-known aspect of Sadequain's work regarding inscription based painting. Other than Iqbal, he also painted upon the ideology presented in Ghalib's verse, which is a direct extraction from the Persian tradition of egoistic literary expression, of which Ghalib has been proud.

In other words, contrary to the stationary and idle attitude (which is demarked as 'classic' in the west), Sadequain prefers movement and dynamism, and for that, he even goes for the associated disorder, that is obvious in his figurative distortion, this practice has proved him immensely inspired by the impatience romanticists are known for.

Moreover, Sadequain is also a modern artist, one of the reasons for this is his period, as he was born just after the World War I and saw World War II in his youth in a colonial country where agitation was on its peak by that time. He started work when the entire world was experiencing revolutionary changes, ideological as well as geographical, with new economic and philosophical theories were helping Communism12 and Socialism13 to spread around the globe. Individuality and self-respect was the new world order and it was farewell to slavery. Either it was physical or intellectual. Freedom of thought, expression, and beliefs made self-consciousness a common and accepted doctrine that strengthened the concept of 'abstract expressionism' and individual perception.

"The first striking trait of the modern ego is self-consciousness, I say self-consciousness rather than self-awareness, because I believe that in spite of much heart-searching, the modern ego is more concerned with the way it appears in others' eyes than with learning fully about itself and admitting its troubles fearlessly. The romantics were introspective, too, but they did not fear ridicule as we do, which is why we accuse them of indecently exposing their innermost souls."

(Barzun 117)

So, Sadequain is influenced and inspired by the modern ideology of self-consciousness as well. And if we could try, in the light of quoted paragraph, to put him under the category of self-consciousness or self-awareness, he would fall in the former one. But since he accepted so many diverse influences, it will be hard to categorize him under one label, but keeping his time in consideration and the approach he adopted towards life, we could say that he was more inspired by the romantic and modern ideology of painting at the same time while his work was a crucible of different inspirations and influences, regardless of origins and ethnicities.

Other than his paintings, the drawings and sketches in 'pen and ink' could also be categorized with the same qualities that could be identified as extracted from historical, mythological, religious or literary backgrounds. In his sketches, one might not find the chiaroscuro or the 'painterliness' due to the linearity of the technique, but the entire range of pivotal conceptual elements, he has used in his paintings, could be found in extremely skilled fashion.

A drawing in pen and ink under the title 'Some other things to care about (1966)' displays probability and action in its composition which, in two groups, exhibit the arrangement of an atmosphere where something is going to happen. The artist has given proper space between the two groups that may suggest the likelihood for some action as two figures are arranged in the right corner and three webbed figures in the left, but all in such a perspective that the space within and around them is visible to the onlooker. The webbed figures put on show the drama and the grotesque approach of the artist who seems concerned in portraying the pain of human beings since their birth to the eternal abode. A religious and mythical concept mostly portrayed and depicted in scriptures, mythologies and literature or in the form of holy ritual dance or the proper theatre in Athens performing Sophocles' play.

Another painting 'Two Graces (from aesthetics) 1970', in pen and ink is like gratitude by Sadequain to the great western painting 'Three Graces'. As the idea of this painting is the same as of the mythological painting by Rapheal in the early sixteenth century or by Picasso, later in the twentieth century. The movement, drama, and the characterization come by design within the frame. The stretch and the elasticity of the female bodies are endorsed as well as captured by arranging them in dance-like postures. The festivity and the lyricism have made this drawing a rhythmic performance. This work speaks high of the Western influence, Sadequain may have been under as one of many inspirations he has been exposed to.

Another pen and ink 'The snake charmer (from observation 1970)'displays the aboriginal subject but Sadequain has, with folk subject and sensuous rendering, attracted the viewer. Moreover the combination of female body and the twirling snake, the concept of Vishkannya14seems obvious behind the painter's imagination. The character of Vishkannya is associated with dance, while the curling, twisting and creeping movements of the snake, along with the venomous myth regarding Hinduism, help in creating a conceptual story as soon as one looks upon it. All these aspects make this painting 'Thespian15' in its physical as well as conceptual approach. Sadequain's involvement in the Hindu myth and the grotesque attitude towards life, attracted him towards horrifying, dynamic and exaggerated topics and themes (a semi baroque influence), especially when he was not illustrating poetry as his first choice.

Two more pen and ink drawings 'Soul and Body (from society and the stranger 1970)' and 'The Webbed (1966)', also demonstrate the thematic drama and the symbolic rendering by the artist. In 'Soul and Body', the painter by personifying the non-corporeal subject of soul into corporeal existence of body through conceptually abstract and practically tangible practice of painting, has successfully put forth a vibrant show which may be considered a step towards self-realization or self-consciousness, as a romanticist, while through exploring the depths of inner world with reference to the outer one, he could be seen as an artist inspired by the modern theories of 'expressionism' based on the Freudian16 theories of psychology.

'The Webbed' is also a drawing with an overstatement by the artist, being caught in the desolation. Here too the painter has embodied an abstract feeling through a concrete symbol of web. The human struggle has been put in focus with the suggested movements through the cognate linearity. His comprehension of life is on a subtle point where he wants to give voice to his gruesome experiences, for that the painter is found busy in painting distorted figures, putting voice to his innate feelings and experiences, the artist has always been vulnerable of.

Akber Naqvi has stated this experience of Sadequain in these words:

"He dealt with truth and illusion at more than an aesthetic level; he remained engaged, throughout his life, in pain and in sickness."

(Naqvi 365)

Other than his sketches and drawings, his paintings also display influences of diverse origins as stated in the beginning of this paper. One painting 'Quest for knowledge (1959)' presents distorted figures, dramatic arrangement (composition), and movement. Especially the characters clad in Egyptian robes on the horse back, going after the book of knowledge, depict an exaggerated approach of the artist which ultimately has added dynamism within the frame and the effect that the figure on a galloping horse will just get out of the frame from the left side, implies an event being enacted. Symbolic, romantic and expressionistic approach could be seen at a time while Sadequain's work seems greatly inspired by mentioned art movements.

Another painting 'The eternal female (1962-63)' with distortion of the female body into a monstrous creeping creature advocates the mythological characterization, especially with reference to the aboriginal Hindu culture where the gods, goddesses and demons are portrayed with distortion and exaggeration in human or animal anatomy. The mythological treatment put on show the dramatic rituals, which have been part of sacred Hindu traditions as the Hindus have depicted almost each and every myth of Ramayana17 or Mahabharata18 in the form of famous dance-drama like Kathikali19 or Bharatnattyam20. The rudiments of 'Natak21', with supernatural characters and the element of horror, as the bizarre theme behind the painter's mind, are obvious in this piece of work. Moreover, metaphorical and exaggerated approach and theatrical mode help us understanding the linkage of Sadequain's perception with Indian traditions of expression and the forms of expressions all together, at an intrinsic and extrinsic analytical level.

A large mural painting at the State Bank Building Karachi under the title of 'The treasures of time' displays the historical and chronological qualities. This painting seems a tribute to human achievements and evolution with portraiture of geniuses from history, covering time periods from the Stone Age to the modern world. The panel painting is divided into four groups exhibiting four different eras of enlightened humanity through virtue and wisdom. In this painting, Sadequain looks greatly inspired by the revolutionary paintings of the modern art where the core reasons and the conceptual renderings were given more space.

Starting from the ancient world, Sadequain has painted the characters of Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Archimedes, Herodotus, Sophocles and Confucius. This group shows the philosophers busy in pondering, writers and mathematicians tiring for their goals, the atmosphere created by the background, suggest the city of Athens and some part of China. The whole painting seems like an act of the drama where the well-known thinkers and philosophers are performing, reminding the all famous line by Shakespeare;

"All the world's stage."

The second group in the same gigantic painting exhibits the famous Buddha and the Galileo, an astrologist. The painter has emphasized on the details in dress, architecture and texture, while the style seems very western in this panel since detailed realism is obvious.

Third group or act of this huge painting consists of the wizards from Arabia and Persian, the origin and cradle of the Muslim doctrine and ideology. With Avicenna, Al-Khwarzmi, Ibn al-Hasam, Ibn al-Hayan, Farabi, Firdausi, Al-Kundi, Ibn-i Rushd, Rumi, Al-Idrees and Ibn-i Khaldun, busy in their respective activities, the painter looks as if he is under nostalgic infatuations and trying to glorify the events and persons of the era bygone, here again the painter has adopted a romantic attitude and have also practiced it in a romantic manner, where he also seems looking for his own individuality within these great personalities. In this group, it appears that the composition, characters and their costumes have been changed according to the painter's own conceived requirements. Here on the upper areas behind the figures, light is cast on dramatically to spot them and their importance, which reminds us the dramatic light effects of Caravaggio in his biblical and thematic paintings of late sixteenth century.

In the fourth group of this panel, the painter has tried to cast his spot light on the genius of the western world, famous figures like, Leonardo da Vinci, Newton and Goethe put diversity and an evolved historical chronology of the European pursuit of wisdom through art, philosophy and science. The architectural background here changes as the set changes behind the performers while the theatrically postured figures put forward the idea of change in embryonic time.

Keeping the pace alive, Sadequain paints the sixth group with Iqbal, Einstein, Tagore, Karl Marx, Walt Whiteman and Darwin, as the spotlight is cast to highlight the 20th century modern theories of wisdom and philosophy around the globe. The whole panel, in figure arrangement, kinesics, postures, facial expressions, and the chronology, put forward a sense of dynamic composition and ambiance, within the whole panel and from one group to the other.

No artist could conceive an idea without prior concepts and knowledge that prevails through his mind and thoughts therefore, inspirations and influences are inevitable. One generation after experiencing diversity of life in thoughts and action, pass on the evolved wisdom and knowledge to its descendants. Sadequin was born when the entire world was on the brim of change in terms of economic and political scenario as two world wars have changed the shape and the course of the history and geographical boundaries of the globe. New theories, based on science and technology were in fashion and modern ideas in philosophy and psychology were challenging the centuries old traditions. All these elements were casting deep shadows on almost all branches of knowledge and all forms of art. Sadequain has witnessed the modern art movement at its zenith and the beginning of the post modern. But at the same time, owing to his own circumstances and geographical and conceptual linkages, he observed the indigenous traditions of expression, which were deeply rooted in the soil of Indus Valley.

Religious doctrines of Islam and Hinduism also inspired him with its association with the richness of Persian traditions and the rhythms of Vedic experiences, respectively. The diversity of cultures that the subcontinent absorbed to the maximum, with an acculturation of Arabian, Persian and local Jain, Hindu and Buddhist ethnicities, also inspired his concepts to a level of grotesque evolution. In view of the fact that subcontinent was under the British rule, Sadequain, under the western influential art movements like, romanticism, modernism and tinges of Baroque elements like horror, exaggeration, metamorphosis and theatricality, moved on to blend the western influences with the indigenous concepts derived from the epics like Mahabharta and Ramayna, while the Persian poetic ideology of Rumi and Firdausi reached him through the verses of Iqbal and Ghalib.

So by painting myths, religious doctrines (although through Malamat), poetic ideas, and epic characters, in symbolic, romantic and modern way and technique, Sadequain has given vent to varied inspirations and influences that were always behind his collective as well as individual conscience. Even in his aboriginal approach, since he is a Bengali by origin, educated in India and settled in Karachi (Pakistan), he experienced all the shades of diverse cultures; he had been living in, from Bengali-Muslim to Hindu-Indian to Muslim-Pakistani. A crucible, he became, as an artist within his approach and thought. That is why his works do not present a single shade of one individual when seen collectively.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Weather Gods and Ancient Meteorology


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The first meteorologists were the priests and shamans of early civilisations. They were tasked with appeasing the gods who, it was believed, controlled the climate and all natural phenomena. This was no mean feat as you can imagine, and sometimes their very lives depended upon favourable weather.

By 3500 BC Egyptian communities were well established along the Nile where the weather was warm and sunny, and water was abundant. However as this early cradle of civilisation was totally dependent on the Nile for its prosperity the Egyptians tried to use the movement of the stars as a guide to the annual rise and fall of the Nile and to the extent of its flooding.

This dependence on the Nile led to the belief in two powerful gods. Osiris and Ra (or Re). Osiris was considered the ruler of the dead and the source of fertility to the living, controlling the sprouting of vegetation and the flooding of the river Nile. Ra was the sun god who controlled the movement of heavenly bodies, travelling across the sky each day in his solar boat.

Other early civilisations emerging at that time also depended on the weather. The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the Indus valley were key for the survival and prosperity of the local communities. The chief god of the Babylonians was Marduk. Marduk was originally the god of thunderstorms but eventually became the god of the atmosphere. One of the most important gods of the Vedic religion of ancient India was Indra, the god of rain and storms.

In Northern Europe the Norse god Thor, whose name originates from the Germanic word for thunder, was considered to be all powerful, and was represented carrying a hammer which symbolised a thunderbolt. People would appeal to Thor for protection and he became a symbol of Norse paganism. Over time the growing influence of Christian missionaries demonized Thor and drove his believers underground, where belief remained until modern times.

Ancient Greek mythology included many climatic controlling gods. Zeus, the ruler of the heavens, controlled the clouds, rain and thunder. The brother of Zeus was Poseidon, and he was the god of the sea and shores. And yet another brother, Hades (aka Pluto) ruled the underworld. The sun god was Helios, and wind god was Aeolus. The Greeks had a more casual approach to religion and this allowed the Greek philosophers, who sought more rational explanations for natural phenomena, to flourish.

Thales of Miletus (624-547 BC) collected records from Babylonian astronomers and successfully predicted a solar eclipse in 585BC. Empedocles (495-435 BC) theorised that all matter was composed from four elements: Fire, air, water and earth.

Although these scholars made very few significant physical discoveries their work did initiate a practice of investigation and analysis for all natural phenomena, including, of course, the climate.

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Valentine's Chocolate - A Heartwarming Present to Melt Her Heart


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There is no sweeter gift than a Valentine's Chocolate! It has already been confirmed by many couples that it is the Valentine's chocolate that turns the mood from romantic to sensual. Once the taste buds of the tongue sense the sweetness of the chocolate melting inside the mouth, it sends signals to the brain.

The brain, not only processes the information and identifies it as chocolate, but would also try to locate those happy romantic memories you had with the one who gave you that chocolate. Thus, when eating chocolate, you cannot help but smile and remember those happy times. Furthermore, this is the very reason why many people lavishly eat chocolate when they get depressed.

Chocolate is one of the sought after present for Valentine's Day. The giving of chocolate as gift can be traced back even to the days of the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that in chocolate, they could obtain spiritual wisdom, superb energy and highly increased sexual performance. They usually served chocolate at wedding ceremonies.

Because they did not have the knowledge about the making of chocolate in those days, they served cocoa as a drink. It has been said that the Emperor Montezuma was greatly addicted to it, and that he lavishly consumed the drink everyday. According to the accounts of the Spanish explorer Cortes, chocolate is a "divine drink" that builds up resistance to combat fatigue, enabling you to walk the whole day without food- just chocolate.

Since the earliest times, chocolate has been believed to be a substance of power that generates vitality. Even the scientific name of the plant - Theobroma Cacao is Greek for "food of the gods".

The establishment of Valentine's Day in 496 A.D. by Pope Galasius I, the 14th day of every February served as the specific day when lovers express their love for one another. This has been traditionally expressed through giving romantic gifts to one another. Hence, the need for Valentine chocolate began. There has been an ever increasing need for Valentine's chocolate in the market. As the demand increases, the production of most quality Valentine's chocolate has been in an ever competitive way. They get better and better each year. They vary from taste, texture, color, smell, shape, and even presentation. Most Valentine's chocolates come to you inside fancy, mostly heart-shaped boxes.

Chocolate induces in us the feelings of passion, romance, and love. That is why it is greatly loved by women. In fact, in a study conducted on the attitude of women toward chocolate and why women need chocolate, 97% of women reported cravings. While the 50% of the women would prefer chocolate over sex, 22% prefer chocolate to set the mood.

This Valentine's day, as I always do every year, I am going to order the most mouth-watering, lusciously made Valentine's chocolate for my beloved. I just cannot wait to see how pleased she will get when I deliver to her the very yummy Valentine's chocolate, stylishly arranged inside a beautifully crafted heart-shaped box. To make it more romantic I may just hide a piece of jewelry inside the box of chocolate. I just cannot help but imagine how sensual the scenes that follow will get. Valentine's chocolate is just simply amazing!

Monday 24 May 2010

Quantum Ocean is the Mind of God


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Mind Of God

The New Age that we are now in, the Age of Aquarius is also the Age of the Mind.

One of the gifts of the New Age is the Laws of Quantum Physics. These Laws tell us that there exists an infinite Ocean of Thinking Energy called the Quantum Ocean. In Reality, it is the Mind of the Creator God. If you want to enter the Mind of God you simply have to enter the Quantum Ocean.

Since the dawn of time man has prayed and beseeched help from one God or a Pantheon of Gods one after another. With what success rate?

Gods and a pantheon of Gods come and go in predetermined cycles. These cycles are determined by the movements of our Solar System through the Galaxy.

As a Solar System, we revolve counter clockwise around our Galactic Sun. It takes approximately 241,000 years to make the great cycle around the Galactic Sun. The ancients called this "The Great Year."

But every 2000 years we move through lesser cycles. We call these 2000 year cycles "Ages."

We have just left the "Age of Pisces." (0 - 2000 AD) and here the Christian Gods held sway. Before that it was the Roman and before that the Greek Gods. Before that it was the Egyptian Gods. They are all gone or will be in the case of Christianity.

They only exist in the minds and hearts, the sacred artifacts, temples and sacred places. But as far as being the power behind any particular Age; Piscean -Christianity; Aries-Rome; Taurus- Greek; etc. they no longer exist.

They do however exist in the Quantum Ocean, Mind of Gd where everything that ever was, is or will be exists. Since there is no time in the Quantum Ocean, only the NOW, all the old Gods exist there now.

But.... they had their 2000 year cycle where they blinked out of the Quantum Ocean and into Physical Reality of man. But alas, they have blinked back in.

Who knows when the cycle to 'blink out' will come around again? Or has it and the they have 'blinked out' into a a different physical reality than the one that you and I exist in?

In the Age of Aquarius, we do not need Gods/Goddess's to show us what to do. Oh we can build inner circles within our own part of the Quantum Ocean and create a round table where we can invite them to sit and join us. But we don't need them.

The Laws of Quantum Physics have given us access right into the Quantum Ocean, Mind of God. We now have the power to co-create our destiny.

Why is it that for the past 2000 years millions of men have gone to war and have died? Despite the desperate prayers of millions of mothers, daughters and wives? Thy were sincere and devout in their novenas, rosaries, masses and prayers. They filled the churches, synagogues, mosques. Why were their pleas not answered?

Could it be that they did not use the correct procedure or method? Could it be that the purpose of Gods are to guide and teach and not to interfere and do things for us? Could it be that Gods have really done nothing for us, including dying" But they did show us how to die.

What if all the mothers, wives and daughters knew about the Laws of Quantum Physics and the Quantum Ocean? What if they understood that thoughts are things and that the Mind of God responds to our thoughts?

What if they learned how to enter the Quantum Ocean, Mind of God and thought the right thoughts right there and took the energy of these right thoughts, contacting their sons who also exist in the Quantum Ocean and used this energy to directly protect them from harm.

They could do this with no middle man. No Church, Synagogue or Mosque. No Candles or wordy novenas.

Just enter the Quantum Ocean where you and your son exists and pick out the energies you want and surround him or her with them.

This is the age we are entering. The Age of the Mind. No more believing what others tell us. Learn how to enter the Quantum Ocean, Mind of God and move around in it for yourself. Build your own spiritual reality not another's.

Sunday 23 May 2010

Gnosticism - What Does it Teach? Is it Christian?


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The word Gnosticism is derived from a Greek word which means knowledge. Gnosticism was not a movement in classic sense because it had no unity of purpose or persons. In was a grab bag of many movements, all of which stressed philosophy and empirical knowledge rather than faith. There were many little groups, led by some guru who had his own particular slant on things. But in the end each came to the position of a superior mystical knowledge of the spiritual realm, not from faith or the gifts of the Holy Ghost, but through an eastern-meditation type of discipline.

The Gnostics were the forerunners of apologists. They accepted man's need for salvation, and the idea of God and heavenly beings. They felt that they were an intellectual elite who had to purify religion of the crude and common ideas that they considered to be too materialistic. In the end, Gnosticism was a kind of dualism that believed the world to be divided between two cosmic forces-good and evil. Having much in common with Greek mythology, they believed that the evil forces were concerned with material things. Therefore they concluded that the creator of the material universe had to be evil. This creator could not have been deity because a material creation was not only evil but indecent. They therefore explained creation by a series of emanations, as the rays emanate from the sun. There were supernatural powers who were capable of producing other inferior powers. Charles Bigg, the Oxford scholar, declared that they kept at this until they had produced "a long chain of divine creatures, each weaker than its parent," and arrived in the end at "one who, while powerful enough to create, is silly enough not to see that creation is wrong." This, in their opinion, was the God of this world and the God of the Jews. I am not certain whether the Gnostics thought that this was Satan, though many commentators believe that they did.

The Gnostics responded favorably, for some unexplainable reason, to a good God sending Christ into this world, so they thought of deity as the power who sent a subordinate power into this world to rid men of matter. Christ could have no contact with matter, so at Jesus' baptism, the Christ descended into Him and at His arrest, it withdrew. That body that was scourged and slain was not the Christ.

There were factions in this group, as we noted. One such argued that Jesus did not really have a body at all, that it was a hallucination. All Gnostics agreed that Christ could not be human. Many Gnostics recognized a proletariat and a bourgeoisie. The lower spiritual class lived by faith, and the upper class, the illuminated or the perfect, lived by knowledge. Then a third class was seen by some. It was a spiritually disadvantaged class that had been created by some capricious power, and those in this class were incapable of gnosis, even under the best guru.

Saturday 22 May 2010

Brief Summary of Greek Gods


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In ancient times, the Greeks were very devoted to their beliefs. They were religious people who worshipped numerous gods. The majority of these gods represented various elements of nature. Legends and Myths of the gods and their accomplishments tend to explain the phenomenon and occurrences of winds, rains, storms, life and deaths. Some gods include, Zeus, god of the skies, Poseidon, god of the sea and Hades, god of death. Most gods were believed to live on Mount Olympus, the highest peak in Greece.

Greek gods had many human attributes and they did not set out strict rules for mortals to follow. They argued, make mistakes, and fell in love, but they did all of these things on a grand scale. Such tales are usually told into stories and myths passed down from generation to generation.

The Greeks honored their gods in detailed and complex rituals. They request the gods for their assistance or tried to soothe them. Our modern Olympic Games are based on the Greek athletic games held every four years to honor Zeus. In the early days, human sacrifices to the gods were common. Later, the Greeks used animals or food as an offering to the gods instead.

The Greeks were very cautious and superstitious when it comes to performing a significant task. To determine the best course of action, the Greeks will usually consult an oracle, which the Greeks considered a celestial being. The most well known oracle resided in Delphi. She provided information to various prominent figures regarding the best time to pass laws, initial wars, and when make peace. As a result, many oracles had heavy influences on public policies throughout the Greek Empire.

Friday 21 May 2010

Corfu Island, A Greek Island In Greece


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The Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, fell in love with
the beautiful nymph, Korkyra. As gods often did, he
simply kidnapped a bride, and whisked her off to an
unnamed island where they enjoyed a time of marital
bliss. Poseidon was so enamored of his lovely wife;
he offered to name the island for her - Korkyra, which
is now better known as Corfu Island Greece.

And this is Corfu island - a romance between beauty and
power, intimately tied to the water. The island's
position between the mainland of Greece and Western
Europe has made it a perfect geographic stepping
stone, as well as a target for the Persians,
Sicilians, Romans, Venetians, Turks, French, and
British. In 1864, Corfu Island was finally ceded to Greece,
in accordance with the Corfiots most ardent wishes.
The history of ongoing battles and conquests can still
be deciphered today. It is seen in the two castles
enclosing the main city of Corfu Greece, still called Kerkyra Greece
by the Greeks.

The more commonly known name, Corfu, comes from the
Italian corruption of the word koryphai, which means
crests. Again, this refers to the site of the two fortresses.

Corfu Greece is an Ionian Island, a 60 km long sickle shaped
formation with its hollowed side looking toward
Albania. The island is separated from Albania by
straits varying from 3 to 23 km across. This
protected side, on the inside of the curve, is home to
the town and harbor of Corfu. The Ionian University in Greece
is also located here.

Two high, well defined mountain ranges divide this Greek
island into three parts. In the north it is
mountainous. The less-steep central portion rolls
into the third area, the low lying southlands. The
interior has traditionally been quiet with not much
tourism. These are the agricultural lands, away from
the rocky coasts, the salt water and the pirates.
Corfu boats 217 km of coastline.

This island is steeped in history. Homer mentioned
it, naming the fruits grown here - olive, oil olive,
pear, pomegranate, apple, fig and vine (grapes).
Although pears and apples are not grown here much any
more, all the other fruits prized by Homer still
thrive on Corfu island.

Corfu Greece has long been an important port of call, the
source for olive oil. The island's port city terminates in a
Venetian citadel, cut off from the rest of the city by
a natural gully that functions much like a marina.
The old city, with the fortifications, offers a
labyrinth of narrow, cobbled streets, many too narrow
for any kind of vehicular traffic. Modern residents
keep these streets bright and sparkling.

In World War II, Corfu Greece was bombed by German aircraft,
destroying most of the buildings on the island of Corfu. Visitors can still find remains of a temple built to honor Poseidon,
numerous monasteries, and a German palace.

But Corfu island, protected by St. Spyridon survives. St.
Spyridon expelled the plague in medieval times. St.
Spyridon appeared to Turks besieging Corfu, causing a
panic and saving the city. Corfu island survives and
thrives, and every August 11 they celebrate their
patron saint's feast day.

Here are also a couple of more travel tips which can help you out while visiting Greece

Thursday 20 May 2010

School Library Literacy - Where Are the Books, Babe?


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Books are not dead yet--at least not in my book--no matter how much technology surrounds us, nor should they be if we value our children's future.

On a recent tour of the newly-built home of our local high school open just a year now and constructed at a cost of several millions, we observed state of the art facilities for sports (three-court gymnasium), theater (auditorium, stage, pit orchestra, back-stage area to build and store sets, dressing rooms), orchestra and band (separate practice rooms).

When we came to the library, we saw a beautifully designed and technologically well-equipped space. But, where are the books? For thousands of students, there were barely three books per student. The last six stacks were completely empty. The stacks were prominently marked with pictures and smaller language labels.

When I asked our guide "Isn't the library a little light on books?", he told me that no one reads books anymore. No one needs books anymore. It's the technology. Everything is done on computer. Books are a thing of the past.

I don't think so.

Seeing the sparsely stocked library space and the guide's nonchalant answer shocked me. Rather than seeming progressive, it seemed a sign of declining literacy. I spend many hours getting my needs met by computer and belong to an organization of electronic publishers promoting e-books and e-book readers. My book and my father's latest book are both available in e-book format. But, at the end of the day, I sit down with a book I can turn the pages of.

My great-nieces, 11 and 7, have spent the summer reading--book--real books--the old-fashioned kind, the page-turning kind. Waking up in the morning, in leisurely slowness, the older sister asks the younger one to run get "The Tempest," and she reads out loud to us from a beautifully adapted version of Shakespeare's classic. The younger sister plays peacefully with her Pretty Ponies while I relax on the bed, listening, transported to Prospero's Magic Island. You can take a computer to bed, but not like this.

Of course I was a shameless, bookish child and that led to my doom...to be a writer...to be an observer and participant in the world.

Bring back the books folks. Otherwise, there's a half-nelson on your children's futures.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

History of Gemini Constellation


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One of 88 constellations defined by the Astronomical Union is the Gemini constellation. It is a group of galaxies and stars visible in northern and southern hemisphere during the winter and autumn. Two long spurs form the Gemini constellation joined at one end by the stars Castor and Pollux, and the other ends splits again into four short spurs. The constellation has four main stars that are visible to human eye, they are Wasat, Alhena, Pollux and Castor.

The name of the Gemini constellation is of Greek origin. However the stars forming Gemini as a constellation under different yet similar names and symbols were identified by other cultures of the near east and further away in the Indian subcontinent. It cannot be said with confidence that the ancient Greeks had more knowledge of stars and their positions, although it can be surely said that in modern times Greek names are continued to be used for the constellations.

More than 6000 years back, the Rigveda which is the Indian religious and historical text mentions the two primary stars of the Gemini constellation which appear as twin horseman early at dawn. They were part of the Ashvins known as Sahadeva and Nakula. During that time, the two stars were only visible at dawn during spring season. This led to the idea that they were twins and linked with the spring equinox. The two horseman were related to the two stars that are commonly known as Castor and Pollux. Mithuna is the Sanskrit name which means that the twins match almost the same as the modern Gemini constellation.

The constellation spreads from India to west to the ancient near east civilizations. The ancient Babylonian people had adopted the constellations for their own astronomy 5000 years back. They used it for navigations and to track the seasons. Gemini was known as Mastabba Galgal To the ancient Babylonian people. This is believed to be the translation for the great twins and heroes whose names were Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They fought with the gods in a series of epic battles on a quest for gaining immortality.

The twin stars were adopted by ancient Egyptians as an important part of their astronomy. They used two goats for symbolizing the two stars that were mentioned in the Ramissede Hour Tables which is a method to determine the time during any point at night which stars followed each other. These two Gemini constellation stars were known to rise at dawn.

The ancient Greek society was in its ascendency by the 1st millennium BC. However most of the ideas put forward by the Greek astronomers were not unique among the Gemini constellation's history. Many Greek constellations directly came from the astronomy of Babylonia although the legends about the origin of the constellation inspired from the Greek mythology. In particular, the Gemini constellation was believed to be the immortal twins called Castor and Polydeuces.

In Roman times, Castor and Polydeuces were known as Pollux. They were twin boys who were born to the Queen Leda of Sparta, the wife of King Tyndareus. The Greeks are of a view that Castor and Polydeuces were conceived on the same night along with their two sisters Helen and Clytaemnestra. Castor and Clytaemnestra were immortal and were the offspring of Tyndareus while Polydeuces and Helen were the offspring of Zeus, they were therefore immortal but not gods. The twins Castor and Polydeuces were inseparable in spite of having different fathers.

Castor and Polydeuces together had a lot of adventures which were a test of their different talents. Castor had the talent of horsemanship and archery while Polydeuces had the talent of his strength and boxing skills. Throughout known world, the twins were famous. They joined on his quest to find the Golden Fleece. The exact story behind the formation of Gemini constellation however relates to the tragedy of their love for two women who were promised to another man.

The two sisters were Phoebe and Hilaeira who were the daughters of Leucippus, he was an uncle of Castor and Polydeuces. He had made an agreement with Aphareus that his sons Lynceus and Idas would marry the daughters. The legend does not mention the love of Aphareus's daughters for Castor and Polydeuces. However in any event, they had found themselves in Sparta and they were married to Castor and Polydeuces, within a short time their sons were born. The unfortunate sons of Aphareus could not let this slight go unchallenged as it is definite in all great Greek tragedies.

Castor was ambushed and killed with spear by Idas who was returning from a cattle raid. Later it was felled by a thunderbolt hurled by Zeus in anger for Castors death. The immortal Polydeuces killed Lynceus in a fit of rage, he then pleaded with Zeus his father to let Castor live. Zeus agreed at a condition if he would either return to Olympus or share his immortality with Castor between Hades and Olympus. The constellation of Gemini is a picture of Castor and Polydeuces in the heavens.

Regardless of the knowledge of Gemini sign as representing the twin brothers, Castor and Polydeuces or Castor and Pollux as Romans used to know about them. The reality is that the story is not directly related to the two heroes.

The real meaning of the story is related to the stars having the same name of the boys which are the first to rise early in the morning at dawn. More importantly, the two stars only rise in the spring. Gemini sign has a particularly special position because of its association with rebirth and spring equinox.

Before the story of Castor and Polydeuces was told by the Greeks and Romans, other civilizations around were already aware of the twin stars. The twin stars were seen by Early Egyptians as two goats who return to their goat herd at dawn, including the two stars in their Ramissede Hour Tables. It was a useful scientific measurement of time during the day.

The name of Polydeuces was changed to Pollux by the Roman legends. All succeeding civilizations including the golden age of the Arab caliphate did not leave the Roman name for Pollux. Since then, the Gemini constellation has taken on a single personality owing to a legend that Castor and Pollux are the protectors of sailors and ships and manifested as St Elmo's fire. In ancient times, the sailors would call out 'By Gemini' for invoking their help. Today it has been corrupted to 'By Jimmy'.

In the Gemini constellation, Pollux is the brightest star. It is known as beta Geminorum in astronomical terms. It was announced in 1993 that Pollux, which is a bit more than 33 light years from the solar system has an extra solar planet which is thought to be nearly 2.3 times in size as compared to Jupiter. It takes 590 days to orbit Pollux. Astronomers were also expecting in 2006 that more technological advancement in telescopes and the search for other planets will surely verify planet covered by rocky water outside the habitable zone and further away from the star.

The term alpha Geminorum is also used for Castor. It is located nearly 51.6 light years away and is a featured star actually made up of six stars that are close to each other as a gravitational union. Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered for the first time in 1678 that Castor is a visual binary star but the truth of this enigma was finally known in the 20th century when technological advancements in spectroscopy allowed astronomers to identify each star as a binary. These two sets of binary stars take 350 years to orbit each other fairly close together. While the third binary system orbits the four main stars from a bit greater distance but takes 10,000 years to complete.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Hera - Greek Deity


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Hera was a Greek deity of a different sort, one that displayed the tendency of the ancient Greeks to have a religious figure for everything they deemed significant.

Hera - Greek Deity

While many of the most important deities throughout history have been male, a select few females have risen to the highest levels of religion. In ancient Egypt, Isis and Set were worshiped by many followers, and seen as being even more integral to their lives than certain male figures. This was also true in ancient Greece. Some of the most important deities in this pantheon were goddesses, and Hera, wife of Zeus, was one of them.

Hera was both the older sister and wife of the most important deity in Greek times, Zeus. She was often pictured as being wise and solemn with a large crown known as polos. In some cases, Hera was also seen holding a pomegranate, used as a symbol of blood - representing both fertility and death. Her cult cities - the places she was most often worshiped in - were Argos and Mycenae. Hera's Roman counterpart was known as Juno.

The tale of Hera goes further back than even the stories of Zeus; as she was said to be his older sister. Her name is not traceable to any Greek roots, rather, it is hypothesized that her presence in the area dates back to unidentified pre-Greek people, collectively called the Pelasgians. While some writers, such as Homer, spoke of Hera's power as being drawn from her marriage to the "king of gods", others were even less kind to her. Later myths about Hera seem to mostly focus on her anger at Zeus's many consorts, and the ways she plotted revenge against these women.

Hera is also associated with cattle. Masks created from bull skulls that were worn during ceremonies to celebrate Hera have been found. Later Greeks rejected the association, however, preferring to not think of her as a cow-faced creature, and instead, chose to speak of her as "cow-eyed".

Hera's powers were mostly concentrated on punishing others that angered her, and she was not noted for being particularly benevolent. She tried killing (and succeeded) many of her husband's offspring by other consorts. Not a traditional Green Mother figure, Hera was described as spiteful and jealous.

Monday 17 May 2010

History of Aloe Vera


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In ancient times people had to depend on what they could produce to stay healthy and cure their sick and wounded bodies.

How this was done is well recorded in authentic facts, testimonies and legendary narrations. In the history of Aloe Vera, records have been found that the Kings of Akkad knew how to apply Aloe Vera for therapeutic use.

In the famous Ebers Papyrus from the 15th century A.D. record the 3000 year old knowledge they had in the healing formulas of Aloe Vera.

In roman culture, in the history of Aloe Vera, it was considered sacred and was offered to their gods. The Phoenicians dried the pulp extracted from the leaves and placed it in bags made of goat skins and then exported them throughout the Greco-roman world. The Romans discovered the astonishing virtues of the Aloe Vera plant in treating their wounds.

In the ancient Egypt, Aloe Vera had the reputation as a beauty product for women. The pharaohs considered it an elixir of long life. The ancient Egyptian inventors of the syringe used it as an enema. There are many ancient references to the baths made of the pulp of Aloe Vera.

The Greeks and Romans praised the Aloe Vera as symbol of beauty, patience, fortune and good health. The Greek physician, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, describes in his treatise some of the curative properties of Aloe Vera. This included

* Growth of hair,

* Healing of tumors,

* Relief of dysentery

* Stomach aches.

It is said that 330 B.C. Alexander the Great during the siege of Gaza recurred an arrow wound which became badly infected. The famous Aristoteles sent his student to him in while he was at the oasis of Amon. He treated the bad wound with an oil based Aloe, which healed the wound. Aristoteles convinced Alexander the Great to ensure to have a great supply of Aloe Vera at hand, as the juice of this plant would render good health and healing to his soldiers.

Dioscoride, the Greek doctor who had served many years in the roman army, described with great enthusiasm in his "de materia medica" the properties of Aloe Vera. He mentioned its virtues of

* Coagulating the blood of the wounds,

* To heal open wounds,

* To heal boils and hemorrhoids.

He also claimed that the fresh pulp of Aloe Vera stopped the falling of hair and cures eye inflammations.

Pline the Old 23 - 79 A.D. described in his book "Natural History" an original way to cure dysentery by injecting Aloe Vera juice into the rectum.

The history of Aloe Vera shows its true virtues in many different cultures. Through the many centuries the virtues of Aloe Vera have been recorded in a diversity of cultures. This is enough evidence that Aloe Vera is what it is claimed to be and that it actually works.

In our modern day as research continues we are sorting out the scientifically proven evidence from the cultural superstitious claims.

Sunday 16 May 2010

Rock And Roll Movies


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Elvis' adventures in Hollywood

August 1977, the world is in shock - Elvis Presley, the worlds most popular recording star in history is dead. The worldwide outpouring of grief is incredible and radio stations and TV channels in every corner of the globe sounded out with the unmistakable Presley baritone. The Presley image, sometimes young and viral, more often middle aged and bloated sat beneath the headlines of newspapers everywhere. The King of Rock and Roll was gone, his legacy would be his music but few mentioned the films that Presley had left behind and his own peculiar contribution to the acting field. He made 31 films, not including a couple of concert movies, and not all of them were as bad as you remember.

Elvis famously told interviewers in 1971 that every dream he had ever dreamed had come true a hundred times. There was however one unfulfilled ambition that burnt away behind his public image, the desire, sadly never realized, to become a serious dramatic actor. Even as late as 1977 sources close to Elvis have revealed that the singer was considering giving up touring and getting back into acting. In 1956 Elvis himself told reporters that acting was his greatest ambition and that all his life he had wanted to be an actor, like his idols, Tony Curtis and James Dean.

In fact much has been made of the young Elvis' love of roots blues music and of him lugging a guitar about at Humes High School in Memphis, it was by Elvis' own admission that as a child he dreamed of being Tony Curtis. He also claimed that when he became a cinema usher in 1951 it was not only for the much-needed money but also to see all the movies for free. Childhood friends of Elvis have said that the young singer was a huge fan of Rudolph Valentino who actually died some nine years before Elvis was born. Billy Smith, a cousin of Elvis', said that the young Presley was fascinated with the way Valentino projected so many emotions with his eyes. And of course the teenage Elvis modeled his hairstyle on that of Tony Curtis.

When Elvis went to Hollywood, arriving on Friday August 17 1956, to make his first film, The Reno Brothers, eventually re-titled Love me Tender, for Hal Wallis he was under the impression that he would act and not sign in his films. The previous year Presley had read for Hal Wallis and had believed he was being lined up to play alongside Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn in The Rainmaker. And as strange as it may now seem there were hopes that Presley would be the next James Dean - the singer idolized Dean and by his own admission had seen Rebel without a Cause 44 times. Later when Presley met the film's director, Nicolas Ray he reportedly got down on his knees and recited entire chunks of Rebel's script. He had memorized not just Dean's lines but also those of everyone else, a habit Presley would keep for his entire movie career.

'I have no problem memorizing,' Presley told a reporter on the set of his first film. 'I once memorized General Macarthur's farewell address and I can still reel off Lincoln's Gettysburg speech which I learned in school.'

As soon as shooting began on The Reno Brothers the now familiar media circus went berserk. When Elvis had arrived at the airport thousands of fans had gathered, many of them holding up banners that proclaimed, "Elvis for President" but that was only the tip of the iceberg and day after day fans and journalist lay siege to the film studios. Security was set at an all time high - Elvis was in town and no one in Hollywood, no stranger to big stars, had ever seen anything quite like it.

The first recording session for the soundtrack took place on the second day of filming. That first day Elvis cut the ballad that was to be a running theme throughout the movie. The song was a rewrite of the Civil War ballad, "Aura Lee" and everyone was amazed at the way Elvis nailed it - at that point he was known for belting out rock and roll songs and the tenderness with which he sang this beautiful little number was refreshing. The song, Love me Tender, would become the name of the movie after the original Reno Brothers tag was dropped.

When the film was released the critics were not impressed - "Elvis is an obscene child." Cried out the Hollywood Reporter while Time famously compared him to a goldfish and a sausage. The New York times were also under whelmed by the film but impressed with the vigor of the young singer, saying that he went at his role as if it were Gone with the Wind. In fairness the film is no worse than a lot of B-western made around the time and a lot better than most. Presley, while often awkward on screen, proved his ability in several key scenes.

Elvis was quickly into his second movie and this time it would be better suited to his image. Loving you, 1957, was a thinly veiled autobiography of the actual Elvis story. In the movie Elvis plays Deke Rivers, a singer who is manipulated from the top by his press agent, Miss Glenda, played with relish by Lizabeth Scott. Colonel Tom Parker was furious when he saw some of the dailies, feeling that the press agent was a deliberate swipe at himself. However Elvis's screen managers would all follow this blueprint. In Jailhouse Rock, his cellmate tricks him into singing away fifty per cent of all future earnings. In the dismal Fun in Acapulco, a 12-year-old character gets half of the singer's earnings for securing spots at a nightclub. And in King Creole, arguably the singer's greatest film, Walter Matthau plays a darker version of the Parker/Svengali figure.

Jailhouse Rock followed in 1957 and with this grim prison melodrama Elvis hit his stride and was given some meaty material to play around with. The result was the best Elvis acting experience to date.

"A dreadful film. An unsavory nauseating, queasy making film, to turn even the most insulated stomachs." Said the UK newspaper, The Daily Mirror.

The newspaper missed the point though. All the characters are sleazy, no one is wholly good and everyone has a hidden agenda. But that is the point in this grim and gritty movie, which could in face be termed, Rock and Roll Noir. Elvis plays Vince Everett, a young man sent to jail for manslaughter. While there he is cell mated with a one-time country singer who tutors Elvis and after he appears on a prison TV special he becomes a huge star. Course Elvis knows nothing about this as his cellie, a trustee bribes someone in the mail room to hide all the fan mail. When Elvis is finally released he realizes what a sensation he is and quickly turns his back on everyone until the inevitable redemption at the end of the film.

Jailhouse Rock grossed $4 million at the box office and fans rioted in the cinemas. Today, along with King Creole and Flaming Star, this stands as one of the three truly great Elvis movies.

King Creole followed in 1958 and represents Elvis's best ever screen performance - on times he even manages to sulky intensity of his idol, James Dean. Based on the novel, A Stone For Danny Fisher, the film turned the main character from an up and coming boxer to a signer but retained the gangland milieu.

Elvis knew he was involved in a quality project here and he quickly read the book upon which the film was based in order to get a hook on the character. If Jailhouse Rock had touched on a noir sense of style then King Creole took it all one step further and the world of Danny is one of failed ambitions and a weary cynicism. Elvis rebels against his screen father, horrified with the way the man is able to swallow anything so as not to rock the boat and sees mobster, Walter Matthau as a kind of surrogate father. And for once the critics were impressed.

"Elvis can act." Said the New York Times.

"The part gives him (Elvis) the scope to stop acting like a baboon and to act like a human being. Which he does with a new skill, a new restraint and a new charm." Said The News Chronicle.

However following the film the army beckoned for Elvis and his films would never hit these heights again. One wonders what would have happened if Elvis had been able to carry on with films as multi-layered as King Creole but, as Colonel Parker noted, it might have been a fine picture but it took less at the box office than later films like, Tickle Me.

For Parker it was always about the fast buck, art was secondary, and sadly Elvis never quite managed to break away from the man who had made him what he was but would ultimately destroy the raw and unique talent. Within a few short years Elvis Presley was merely a sad parody of his former self. There were still occasional flashes of brilliance to come, both on the screen and on record, but to paraphrase John Lennon, "Elvis died when he went into the army."

Saturday 15 May 2010

Ten Facts About Cyprus


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If you're planning a trip to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, then take a look at our top ten facts. You'll soon be able to impress friends and family with your knowledge about this beautiful country!

1. Cyprus gained independence in 1960. The country had previously been controlled by Great Britain and joined the British Commonwealth in 1961, meaning that Cyprus sends a team to the Commonwealth Games every four years.

2. This is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

3. The country joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Nine other countries joined the EU on the same date - they were: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.

4. According to its 2007 census, Cyprus has a population of 788,457 people.

5. Cyprus uses the Euro as its currency, in common with many member states of the European Union. At the present time, the Euro is the common currency for more than 300 million people throughout the continent.

6. The national anthem of the country is known as the Hymn to Liberty, which is also the national anthem of Greece.

7. The vast majority of Shakespeare's play, Othello, was set on the island of Cyprus. The play is believed to have been written in 1603 and is still seen by many as being very relevant to today's world.

8. Cyprus was also the mythical birthplace of one of the most famous Greek Gods - Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the Greek God of love and beauty. She should be be confused with Venus, who was her Roman equivalent.

9. It is believed that people first lived on the island more than 12,000 years ago.

10. The United Kingdom still retains control over 3 per cent of the island's land and sea territories.

Friday 14 May 2010

In the Beginning Was the Sacred Breath of Life - The Force That Binds the Elements and Universe


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The Sacred Breath of Life is The Almighty God's creative spiritual force. The force is most commonly referred to as the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit. We define it as the Sacred Spirit. The Hebrew word for Sacred is Kodesh. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament defines Kodesh as "Something consecrated and set aside for Sacred Use only." The Term translated here, as Spirit is Ruakh. Ruakh comes from the idea of breath, or wind. It is an Nth Dimensional wind that has a unique Spirit and intellect of its own, and is set aside for sacred use only. This Spirit responds to God's voice and when instructed, and binds subatomic matter into orbits around nuclei in differing arrangements and patterns to make the elements, molecules, and life.

Before Raysheeth, God spoke and created a fabric of Nth dimensional time and space. God uttered the audible rules for the astrophysical properties of time, space, gravity, the electromagnetic spectrum, the elements of the periodic table, and spoke them into existence. A vast vacuum was created forming the boundaries of time and space and the elements were created and assembled and then God formed the Planet Earth from the elements and forces at play. Inside The Earth, a nuclear reactor core is buried below miles of layers of elements, compounds, and gasses. It churns with a constant intensity that provides the forces necessary for rotation, gravity, and the flow of the oceans and the atmosphere. We hypothesize at this time that there is no Sun or Stars in the atmosphere. The Universe was just a complex clean room filled with dark matter and planets, or terra firma. One planet, Earth, was populated with prehistoric plants and creatures. There was no need for the Solar Radiation that today's Earth relies upon for its life force.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
KJV - John 1:1-5

In The Book of John the Author speaks of a time before Raysheeth, in the real "beginning." When the Word, or Messiah, was born, he was extracted and painfully squeezed out of The Almighty. Then Word was with God before the Earth was created. Then Messiah became Almighty after his anointing, and all things were made by him. The Word is God in that he is the only begotten son and he has the right of first born and he is an only child. He is "of the Essence of" the Almighty and has his own intellect. He is the only natural Offspring of God, and he was the light of men.

The translation of the Greek word, Anthropoidos, as "men" is misleading. Anthropoidos means, "Man faced." There are many other Greek words for Man, Human, etc. The Author could have been inspired to choose any of these if they wished to merely communicate the concept of a "Carnal" Man. Webster defines Anthropoid as "resembling" a person, especially in the shape of the face. "The Light of Anthropoidos" is a reference to the illuminating rays of energy provided to the Man faced Angels by the presence of The Almighty. These man-faced individuals were Supernatural Entities created in God's image.

The conclusion is that God's natural form resembles the human figure. This verse is traditionally used to reinforce the concept that humans existed in the beginning but we know from the scientific record that there are no human remains below the Cretaceous - Paleogene Extinction Event Line. The Dinosaurs were here first and they treaded on grass that was grown in the presence of God's light. Organic plants and animals do not necessarily need "Solar" radiation for survival. We hypothesize that the Sun is a facsimile of the Supreme Life-force that emanated from The Word in Raysheeth. The current sun is the exact distance necessary to facilitate all life. The Sun's nuclear reaction provides two basic planetary needs. They are heat and the unfiltered frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum necessary for photosynthesis. The energy from the Sun replicates the light and life giving wavelengths of God's essence.

We live in the 2nd creation of God's ways, a very detailed account of our current solar system, biosphere, and life forms begins in Genesis 1:3. What happens in Genesis 1:2? Let's just say all hell broke loose and the Dinosaurs and all living things on the face of the planet were destroyed. We hypothesize that Genesis 1:2 describes the Cretaceous - Paleogene Extinction Event and it happened over 65 million Geologic Years ago.

Thursday 13 May 2010

Guidelines For Online Family Tree Maker


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You must have heard the term, online family tree maker. Do you know what it is? If you do not know, then read on.

People generally are curious about their family history. They can easily do it by making a genealogy tree. However, you should understand that a family tree creating task is not very easy. This is because the family might have seen a lot of deaths or events like separations as well as divorces. Such things can complicate the task. This is where the online family tree creator service, comes in.

Such a service is designed to help in making a family tree from even a really confusing family background. They just require the user to enter his or her surname or family name. The service will then present the various results it has pulled from its database as well as the other databases.

Since there are a number of online genealogy tree creator services, they all have something different to offer to the users. The difference typically is in their search mechanisms. Most of the services provide the users with lots of fun facts. These include the meaning of their family surnames. Also, they offer an international record related to the paying members in the users' family.

In some cases when the individual has a fairly common surname, it may seem to him or her that the search for the family background can be a really confusing task. This is especially true in the case of people with common surnames. For such users some of the online services allow them to utilize their special software.

The special software allows the users to link his or her lineage with his or her global ancestry. He or she is allowed to browse through the various records that already exist. The service will then automatically update the user's family tree with the new information.

The online genealogy tree creator also helps the users with customizing their family tree. It allows them to introduce tags and other things that will make the genealogy tree unique and easy to follow.

For people who are interested in uncovering their family history and who want to come up with really interesting and solid results, the online genealogy tree creator service can help a lot. It can help them to uncover all the facts even from the most confusing family backgrounds.