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Roses | |
Genus: | Rosa |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Type: | Shrubs |
Pest issues: | Many |
Disease issues: | Many |
Pollination: | Insect |
A rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa, and the flower of this shrub. There are more than a hundred species of wild roses, all from the northern hemisphere and mostly from temperate regions. The species form a group of generally thorny shrubs or climbers, and sometimes trailing plants, reaching 2–5 m tall, rarely reaching as high as 20 m by climbing over other plants.
editGrowing conditions
editRoses thrive in temperate climates, though certain species and cultivars can flourish in sub-tropical and even tropical climates, especially when grafted onto appropriate root-stock.
editMany thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use, mostly double-flowered with many or all of the stamens mutated into additional petals. Twentieth-century rose breeders generally emphasized size and color, producing large, attractive blooms with little or no scent. Many wild and "old-fashioned" roses, by contrast, have a strong sweet scent. A few cultivars, such as the Lady Banks rose have been selected for having no thorns.
Rose hips are sometimes eaten, mainly for their vitamin C content. They are usually pressed and filtered to make rose-hip syrup, as the fine hairs surrounding the seeds are unpleasant to eat (resembling itching powder). They can also be used to make herbal tea, jam, jelly and marmalade.
There is no single system of classification for garden roses. In general, however, roses are placed in one of three main groups:
- Wild Roses - The wild roses includes the species listed above and some of their hybrids.
- Old Garden Roses - Most old garden roses are classified into one of the following (ordered by approximate age - oldest first):
- Alba - Literally "white roses", derived from R. arvensis and the closely allied R. alba. These are some of the oldest garden roses, probably brought to Britain by the Romans. Once-flowering. Examples: 'Semi-plena', 'White Rose of York'.
- Gallica - The Gallica roses have been developed from R. gallica which is a native of central and southern Europe. They flower once in the summer. Examples: 'Cardinal de Richelieu', 'Charles de Mills', 'Rosa Mundi' (R. gallica versicolor).
- Damask - Robert de Brie is given credit for bringing them from Persia to Europe sometime between 1254 and 1276. Summer Damasks (crosses between Gallica roses and R. phoenicea) bloom once in summer. Autumn Damasks (Gallicas crossed with R. moschata) bloom later, in the autumn. Examples: 'Ispahan', 'Madame Hardy'.
- Centifolia (or Provence) - These roses, raised in the seventeenth century in the Netherlands, are named for their "one hundred" petals. Once-flowering. Examples: 'Centifolia', 'Paul Ricault'.
- Moss - Closely related to the centifolias, these have a mossy excrescence on the stems and sepals. Once-flowering. Example: 'Comtesse de Murinais', 'Old Pink Moss'.
- China - The China roses brought with them an amazing ability to bloom repeatedly throughout the summer and into late autumn. Four china roses ('Slater's Crimson China', 1792; 'Parsons' Pink China', 1793; 'Hume's Blush China', 1809; and 'Parks' Yellow Tea Scented China', 1824) were brought to Europe in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries which brought about the creation of the repeat flowering old garden roses and later the modern garden roses. Examples: 'Old Blush China', 'Mutabilis'.
- Portland - These are named after the Duchess of Portland who received (from Italy in 1800) a rose then known as R. paestana or 'Scarlet Four Seasons' Rose' (now known simply as 'The Portland Rose'). This group was developed from that rose. Repeat-flowering. Example: 'James Veitch', 'Rose de Rescht', 'The Portland Rose'.
- Bourbon - They originated on l'Île de Bourbon (now called Réunion). Probably the result of a cross between the Autumn Damask and the 'Old Blush China'. Introduced in France in 1823. Repeat-flowering. Examples: 'Louise Odier', 'Mme. Pierre Oger', 'Zéphirine Drouhin'.
- Hybrid Perpetual - The dominant class of roses in Victorian England, they were derived to a great extent from the Bourbons. Repeat-flowering. Examples: 'Ferdinand Pichard', 'Reine Des Violettes'.
- Tea - The result of crossing two of the original China Roses ('Hume's Blush China' and 'Parks' Yellow Tea Scented China') with various Bourbons and Noisette roses. Somewhat more tender than other old garden roses (most likely because of R. gigantea in the ancestry of the Parks rose), teas are repeat-flowering roses although their fragrance is not always a tea scent. Example: 'Lady Hillingdon'.
- Bermuda "Mystery" Roses - A group of several dozen "found" roses that have been grown in Bermuda for at least a century. The roses have significant value and interest for those growing roses in tropical and semi-tropical regions, since they are highly resistant to both nematode damage and the fungal diseases that plague rose culture in hot, humid areas, and capable of blooming in hot and humid weather. Most of these roses are likely Old Garden Rose cultivars that have otherwise dropped out of cultivation, or sports thereof. They are "mystery roses" because their "proper" historical names have been lost. Tradition dictates that they are named after the owner of the garden where they were rediscovered.
- Miscellaneous - There are also a few smaller classes (such as Scots, Sweet Brier) and some climbing classes of old roses (including Ayrshire, Climbing China, Laevigata, Sempervirens, Noisette, Boursault, Climbing Tea, and Climbing Bourbon). Those classes with both climbing and shrub forms are often grouped together.
- Modern Garden Roses - Classification of modern roses can be quite confusing because many modern roses have old garden roses in their ancestry and their form varies so much. The classifications tend to be by growth and flowering characteristics, such as "large-flowered shrub", "recurrent, large-flowered shrub", "cluster-flowered", "rambler recurrent", or "ground-cover non-recurrent". Many of the most popular modern cultivars can however be assigned to one of these two groups:
- Hybrid Tea - The favourite florist's rose, with typically one to at most five or six large flowers per stem, the flower with numerous tightly arranged petals with reflexed tips (see photo, right). They are favoured in small gardens in formal situations, and for buttonhole roses.
- Floribunda - Flowers often smaller, in large clusters of ten or more (often many more) on each stem. These tend to give a more prominent display from a distance, so are more often used in large bedding schemes in public parks and similar spaces.
- Buck Roses - Griffith Buck, professor of horticulture at Iowa State University from 1948 to 1985, hybridized nearly 90 rose varieties. Buck roses are known for disease resistance and winter hardiness.
Some representative rose species:
- Rosa canina - Dog Rose, Briar Bush
- Rosa dumalis - Glaucous Dog Rose
- Rosa eglanteria (syn. R. rubiginosa) - Eglantine, Sweet Brier
- Rosa gallica - Gallic Rose, French Rose
- Rosa gigantea (syn. R. x odorata gigantea)
- Rosa glauca (syn. R. rubrifolia) - Redleaf Rose
- Rosa laevigata (syn. R. sinica) - Cherokee Rose, Camellia Rose, Mardan Rose
- Rosa multiflora - Multiflora Rose
- Rosa persica (syn. Hulthemia persica, R. simplicifolia)
- Rosa roxburghii - Chestnut Rose, Burr Rose
- Rosa rugosa - Rugosa Rose, Japanese Rose
- Rosa stellata - Gooseberry Rose, Sacramento Rose
- Rosa virginiana (syn. R. lucida) - Virginia Rose
editRoses are one of the most popular garden shrubs and are also among the most common flowers sold by florists. Roses are of great economic importance both as a crop for florists' use and for use in perfume.
Rose perfumes are made from attar of roses or rose oil, which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam-distilling the crushed petals of roses. The technique originated in Persia (the word Rose itself is from Persian) then spread through Arabia and India, but nowadays about 70% to 80% of production is in the Rose Valley near Kazanluk in Bulgaria, with some production in Qamsar in Iran and Germany. The Kaaba in Mecca is annually washed by the Iranian rose water from Qamsar. In Bulgaria, Iran and Germany, damask roses (Rosa damascena 'Trigintipetala') are used. In the French rose oil industry Rosa centifolia is used. The oil, pale yellow or yellow-grey in color, is sometimes called 'Rose Absolute' oil to distinguish it from diluted versions. The weight of oil extracted is about one three-thousandth to one six-thousandth of the weight of the flowers - for example, about 2,000 flowers are required to produce one gramme of oil.
editPests and diseases
editRoses are subject to several diseases. The most serious is rose rust(Phragmidium mucronatum), a species of rust fungus, which can defoliate the plant. More common, though less debilitating, are rose black spot, caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae, which makes circular black spots on the leaves in summer, and rose mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca pannosa. ; Bacterial Leaf Spots
- Sphaerotheca pannosa var. rosae
- Botrytis cinerea: Flowers, buds, and stems
- Cane Blight Canker: Botryosphaeria dothoidea
- Graft Canker: Coniothyrium rosarum
- Brand Canker: Coniothyrium wernsdorffiae: black, sooty patches
- Brown Canker: Cryptosporella umbrina: cankers brown with a purple margin
- Cryptosporium minimum
- Crown Canker: Cylindrocladium scoparium
- Cytospora
- Diplodia
- Griphosphaeria corticola
- Common Stem Canker: Leptosphaeria coniothyrium: becoming cracked and sunken
- Nectria cinnabarina
- Phragmidium americanum
- Phragmidium fusiformae (on wild roses)
- Phragmidium mucronatum (in dry climates)
- Phragmidium montivagum (on wild roses)
- Phragmidium rosae-arkansanae (on wild roses)
- Phragmidium rosae-californiacae (on wild roses)
- Phragmidium rosae-pimplinellifoliae
- Phragmidium rosicola (on wild roses)
- Phragmidium speciosum
Stubby Root Trichodorus christiei
Leaf Curl: Transmitted through grafting
Chlorosis:Caused by iron deficiency
Dwarfing: Rose Spring Dwarf: transmitted through grafting (virus?)
Mercury damage: Caused by mercury vapor
- Melon Aphid, Cotton Aphid: Aphis gossypii
- Potato Aphid: Macrosiphum euphorbiae
- Rose Aphid: Macrosiphium rosae
- Aphid: Myzaphis rosarum
- Green Peach Aphid: Myzus persicae
- Rose Grass Aphid: Metolophium dirhodum
- California Red Scale: Aonidiella aurantii
- Rose Scale: Aulacaspis rosae
- Florida Red Scale: Chrysomphalus aonidum
- Greedy Scale: Hemiberlesia rapax
- European Fruit Lecanium Scale: Lecanium corni
- Oystershell Scale: Lepidosaphes ulmi
- Walnut Scale: Quadraspidiotus juglansregiae
- San Jose Scale: Quadraspidiotus perniciosus
- Black Scale: Saissetia oleae
- Camphor Scale: Pseudaonidia duplex
- Cottony Maple Scale: Pulvinaria innumerabilis
- Latania Scale: Hemiberlesia lataniae
- Olive Scale: Parlatoria oleae
- Rose Leafhopper: Edwardsiana rosae
- Fourlined Plant Bug: Poecilocapsus lineatus
- Campylomma Bug: Campylomma verbasci
- European Earwig: Forficula auricularia
- Western Flower Thrips: Frankliniella occidentalis
- Flower Thrips: Frankliniella tritici
- Tobacco Thrips: Frankliniella fusca
- Greenhouse Thrips: Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis
- Onion Thrips: Thrips tabaci
- Rose Midge: Dasineura rhodophaga
- Rose Stem Girdler: Agrilus aurichalceus
- Rose Chafer: Macrodactylus subspinosus
- Asiatic Garden Beetle: Maladera castanea
- Raspberry Cane Borer: Oberea maculata
- Japanese Beetle: Popillia japonica
- Rose Curculio: Rhynchites bicolor
- Hoplia Beetle: Hoplia callipyge
- Oriental Beetle: Exomala orientalis
- Tenlined June Beetle: Polyphylla decimlineata
- Japanese Weevil: Callirhopalus bifasciatus
- Oblique Banded Leafroller: Choristoneura rosaceana
- Fall Webworm: Hyphantria cuneata
- European Corn Borer: Ostrinia nubilalis
- Rose Budworm: Pyrrhia umbra
- Fall Cankerworm: Alsophila pometaria
- Green Fruitworm: Lithophane antennata
- Hag Moth: Phobetron pithecium
- Io Moth: Automeris io
- Oriental Fruit Moth: Grapholita molesta
- Saddleback Caterpillar: Sibine stimulea
- Speckled Green Fruitworm: Orthosia hibisci
- Spotted Cutworm: Xestia spp.
- Stinging Rose Caterpillar: Parasa indetermina
- Tobacco Budworm: Heliothis virescens
- Variegated Leafroller: Platynota flavedan:
- Western Tent Caterpillar: Malacosoma californica
- Bristly Rose Slug: Cladius isomerus
- Rose Slug: Endelomyia aethiops
- Curled Rose Sawfly: Allanthus cinctus
- Raspberry Horntail: Hartigia cressoni
- Rose Shoot Sawfly: Hartigia trimaculata
- Mossy Rose Gall Wasp: Diplopepis rosae
- Two Spotted Mite: Tetranychus urticae
- European Red Mite: Panonychus ulmi
edit- Britton, Nathaniel Lord (1913). An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Volume 2 (second edition ed.). Dover Publications, inc. pp. 282–286.
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suggested) (help) - Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block (2000). The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. Anna Anisko, illustrator. Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 618–621.
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(help) - P. D. Strausbaugh and Earl L. Core (1977). Flora of West Virginia (Second ed.). Seneca Books, Grantsville, W. Virginia. pp. 530–534.
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(help) - Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (1997). The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. DK Publishing. pp. 888–913.
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(help) - Staff of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. pp. 974–978.
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(help) - Pirone, Pascal P. (1978). Diseases & Pests of Ornamental Plants (Fifth Edition ed.). John Wiley & Sons, New York. pp. 462–474.
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(help) - Cranshaw, Whitney (2004). Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs. Princeton University Press. p. 618.
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(help) - Pippa Greenwood, Andrew Halstead, A.R. Chase, Daniel Gilrein (2000). American Horticultural Society Pests & Diseases: The Complete Guide to Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Plant Problems (First Edition ed.). Dorling Kindersley (DK) Publishing, inc. p. 197.
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The New Trailer for 'A Quiet Place Part 2' Will Freak You Out
Paramount Pictures has released the first trailer for A Quiet Place: Part II, the highly anticipated sequel to John Krasinski's 2018 directorial horror debut. The clip packs a lot of information in its two and a half minutes, including a much-needed backstory to the alien invasion plaguing its lead characters. Watch the trailer here, but make sure to muffle your screams: They can hear you.
A Quiet Place: Part II picks up right where the first movie left us, with Emily Blunt's Evelyn Abbott leading her now-traumatized kids away from their burning house and into the dark unknown. They stumble — quite literally — upon another survivor (Cillian Murphy)'s hideout, who takes them in and debriefs them on the progress of the invasion. Evelyn believes that there are suffering people who need to be saved from the aliens' wrath, but he assures her, "The people that are left... are not the kind of people worth saving."
Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds reprise their roles as Marcus and Regan Abbott, the poor children that just wanted to play some Monopoly in peace. Since part of the trailer flashes back to Day 1 of the invasion, does that mean Krasinski will be making an appearance as the ill-fated Lee Abbott? We can only hope.
A Quiet Place: Part II is scheduled to hit theaters March 20, 2020.
Gallery — The Best Horror Movies of the 2010s

subset: commoncrawl


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Second Age 729 (abbreviated to S.A. 729) is the 729th year of the Sun of the Second Age of Middle-earth.
Notable events in this year include:
- Birth of Almiel, youngest daughter and child of Tar-Meneldur.[1]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife", "The earlier generations of the Line of Elros"


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$120 (allow 90 mins)
Your initial consultation will be an opportunity to discuss your full health history and prioritise your current health issues that require attention. Together we will devise a simple natural treatment protocol for you to implement over the next four weeks.
All clients will receive a NES Health Scan during an initial consultation.
To prepare for your initial consult, please bring any pathology reports (blood test results), a list of all medications prescribed by your Doctor, and a list of all your current supplements or bring along the supplements.
$45 (allow 30 mins)
The Holistic Chemist has invested in the latest technology to provide a rapid and easy to understand interpretation of your heart health.
It is very important that no coffee, tea or caffeine is consumed on the day of the test.
The Max Pulse Scan – Heart and Circulation Assessment machine is very sensitive and gives an indication on the health of your arteries.
Please bring a list of all prescribed medicines and nutritional supplements to this scan.
$55 (allow 60 mins)
The Pain Clinic involves treatment with the NES miHealth Device.
All patients will receive a NES Health Scan and all areas of pain will be discussed.
You will then be given the most suitable treatment for your condition.
Treatment time will be 30-40 minutes.
Please wear loose casual clothing.
$55 (allow 60 mins)
Your Follow-up consultation will be an opportunity for you to give feedback on how your protocol has worked for you.
If you have had a Comprehensive Assessment, this will be the time that your natural treatment protocol will be presented.
This will give you an opportunity to ask any questions about all reports.
$175 (allow 60 mins)
An OligoScan Tissue Analysis is available for all patients that wish to assess their heavy metal toxin load and mineral analysis in the tissues.
This is specifically for people that have been exposed to chemicals during their lives. This may have been through your work (e.g. Hairdresser) or just the fact that you have spent most of your life in polluted cities or heavily sprayed rural properties or lived in mining towns.
To prepare for your OligoScan test, please ensure that your hands are clean, with no applied creams. For an accurate test, we need to know your height, weight, and blood type (O, A, B or AB). These can all be measured at our clinic. A finger prick blood type test is available for an additional cost of $15.
Please bring a list of all prescribed medications and nutritional supplements for your consultation.
$350 (allow 90 mins)
Includes: NES Health Scan + OligoScan Tissue Analysis + Epigenetic Hair Analysis Test + Max Pulse Scan – Heart and Circulation Assessment.
This is the type of assessment that is suitable for all chronic disease states.
We will take a comprehensive case history and will need to look at all recent pathology (blood tests).
You will also need to bring a list of all prescribed medications and nutritional supplements.
The idea is to gather all information from energetic and tissue sources to determine the major contributing factors for your health problem.
This consultation will include a free follow-up consultation where a natural treatment protocol will be determined that focuses on the core source of your imbalance.
$150 (allow 60 mins)
An Epigenetic Hair Analysis Test provides information on vitamins and mineral deficiencies, antioxidant deficiencies, amino acid deficiencies, 115 food sensitivities and food additive sensitivities, microbiology status including presence of viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, moulds and spores, omega 3,6 and 9 deficiencies, and interference from environmental pollution and electrical frequencies.
This is summarised in a 31-page report.
Please bring a list of all prescribed medication and nutritional supplements to this consultation.
Importantly, this test needs to be performed 6 weeks after a tinted or coloured hair treatment.


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Monday, November 10, 2008
INTERVIEW: The J-Film Pow-Wow talks pinku eiga with Jasper Sharp
Interviewed by Chris MaGee
After much anticipation and a successful launch at this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas Jasper Sharp's "Behind the Pink Curtian: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema" has finally been released in Canada. (Check it out at Amazon.ca.) Japanese film fans of course know Sharp from his work with Tom Mes on the highly influential website MidnightEye.com and their now seminal book "The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film" published by Stone Bridge Press. With the release of "Behind the Pink Curtian" from Britain's FAB Press I truly believe that Sharp has cemented his reputation as one of the most important Japanese film critics and historians working today. Far from being a simple overview of the pinku eiga genre "Behind the Pink Curtain" is an exhaustively researched and entirely comprehensive exploration of the role that sexuality has played in the history of Japanese cinema. From the very roots of motion pictures in Japan to the present day boom in interest in pinku eiga Sharp's book places these films into social, political and artistic context, giving us not only a history of sex cinema, but of the history of the Japanese film industry at large.
I was very lucky to ask Sharp a few questions about the writing and research of "Behind the Pink Curtain", whether or not the present interest in pinku eiga could be the next wave of success for Japanese films in North America and what he has planned next.
CM: "Behind the Pink Curtain" definitely deserves the subtitle "The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema". You don't just explore pinku eiga but the role that's sex and sexuality has played throughout the history of Japanese cinema. This must have been a major undertaking for you. Can you tell us a bit about the genesis and writing of the book? Is it true that you'd originally set out to make a documentary about the pink film industry?
JS: I was basically in Japan from 2002-2005, exploring Japanese film, working on the Midnight Eye website and working on my half of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film. I also started doing some video interviews for a DVD company so they sent us out a camera. Around this time I met a number of directors working at the company Kokuei – Shinji Imaoka, Mitsuru Meike, Hisayasu Sato and a few others. Around this time I also did an interview with one of the big figures from the 90s, Takahisa Zeze for Midnight Eye, who'd moved into more mainstream productions. So I knew very little about the modern face of the pink industry at the time, and was more than a little surprised that around 100 of these films were being made a year. I started chatting with a couple of friends, and we all thought it would be an interesting subject for a documentary. We spent a few years ingratiating ourselves with our subjects, worming our way behind the scenes, but the project fell through for a number of reasons. Well, it's not as straightforward making documentaries as I first thought, and obviously if you're doing a film-related one, you need a fairly decent budget to pay for telecine-ing the clips, paying for the rights etc. We shot quite a few interviews, but basically the whole thing petered out, and I ended up back in England thinking, well, I've done all the research so why not actually sit down and right about it. In fact, I hadn't really done all the research at all at this time, so it actually took a whole lot longer than I initially envisaged, because it was such a huge subject. I don't think I'll bite off anything this big ever again!
CM: You're very specific in "Behind the Pink Curtain" to define what is and what isn't pinku eiga. I think there's a real confusion with the general public especially because I've seen the term pinku eiga used to describe everything from Nikkatsu Roman Porno, Toei Pinky Violence, Ero-Guro, Japanese AV (adult video), etc. I have to admit that I've even made the mistake at times myself. Could you give a simple definition of what constitutes a pinku eiga?
JS: The term refers specifically to independently-produced films, made by a small number of companies specifically for cinemas who play their products. The films are all rated R-18, so that's the adult ('seijin') category, but really the definition is more about their production and exhibition circumstances than their content – so Roman Porno films, for example, can't be considered pink, as Nikkatsu owned its own cinema chains as well as studios. It's an important distinction, because the whole field arose in the 60s very much in opposition to the major studio system, which had a virtual monopoly on Japanese cinema until this time.
It's not just me emphasizing this point. Roland Domenig of the University of Vienna outlined the basic definition for me, as well as giving lots of other invaluable help and introductions to key figures, but everyone else I met in the industry was quick to stress what was and what wasn't a pink film.
CM: You must have seen quite a few of these films while researching "Behind the Pink Curtain", but you mention in the book that a great deal of the films were either lost or destroyed after their initial runs. You even mentioned that over 800 films were produced by Nikkatsu during the years they were producing Roman Porno, but only a fraction of these remain. How did you track down the actual films to write about them?
JS: There were a number of sources for those unreleased outside of Japan. Firstly, going to the pink theatres themselves – there's places like the Roman Gekijo in Shinbashi that showed old pink and Roman Porno films alongside the newer releases. Several of these were in such scratchy prints that you could never use them for DVD releases, and as I mention, a lot of the newer films never even make it to DVD. Secondly, there was what was available on old video or DVD in Japan. Thirdly, I got quite a lot given to me by the directors or the companies themselves – you'll notice in the book that I've mainly focussed on the history of Shintoho and Kokuei, as opposed to the other two big companies still churning these films out, OP Eiga and Xces, simply because these studio are far more cooperative, and therefore easier for foreigners to see. Finally, I have to say a big thanks to Kunihiko Tomioka of Planet Studio +1 in Osaka, who had archived prints of some really obscure stuff from the 60s which he gave me private screenings of – for example, "Yakuza Geisha", the first ever pink film directed by a woman.
CM: There doesn't seem to be the same stigma in Japan attached to filmmakers working in the world of sex films as there is here in North America . Many mainstream and critically acclaimed filmmakers like Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Rokuro Mochizuki, Ryuichi Hiroki got their start directing pinku eiga, isn't that right? Not to get into a major discussion of the differences in morality between the two cultures, but why do you think it's easier for filmmakers in Japan to make that shift from pinku eiga to mainstream films?
JS: Well, I think we should emphasize that Pink Films aren't hardcore pornography – they're generally pretty mild in terms of their sexual content. But I guess in general North America, by which I mean Hollywood, is a lot more puritanical about sex, so maybe there'd be a big public furore if a commercial director was discovered to have made his name making porno, although I can think of people like Wes Craven or Abel Ferrara who started out in this field.But it's more that the industry structure in Japan is very different. The bulk of so-called "mainstream" films in Japan are still independently produced by a reasonably large number of pretty small companies, and the budgets are considerably lower, so this accounts for the huge output in general in the Japanese film industry. There's not that same dichotomy between "independent" and "commercial" studios, so it's not like filmmakers have to be really ambitious and good at helming huge productions before they get to make a commercial film as they might if they wanted to make their Hollywood debut. If someone has proved they can make a 60 minute narrative feature on 35mm in three days and on a budget of $30,000 within the pink genre, then they're pretty well equipped to go the next step up and make a 90 minute feature in a month on $200,000, regardless of subject matter or content. I mean, obviously going from a low-budget pink film to helming the latest Toho Godzilla flick is quite a leap, but to something like Ryuichi Hiroki making "Vibrator" or "It's Only Talk", it's not a huge step.
CM: You definitely don't gloss over some of the gross misogyny in a many pinku eiga, I'm thinking specifically of films like "Sex Document: Serial Rapists" or the "Angel Guts" series. At the same time you go into how during the 90s and onwards there's been a rise in female consumers of these films. How did you reconcile those to extremes while researching and writing the book? Do you think the reputation of the more violent films in the genre will prevent more pinku eiga to be screened or released on DVD in North America?
JS: I think generally the types of films that have been released in North America have been the more extreme, violent and morally suspect stuff, which has skewed people's opinions about what pink cinema or Roman Porno really is. While I think there is more to the "Angel Guts" series for example than pure misogyny, there are some films which are pretty irredeemable when you try and justify them from any sort of moral or feminist perspective, although this isn't to say they are completely without merit. But more importantly, a lot of Western writers have focussed on this one, more extreme side of the genre, and ignored the fact that the average pink film is not necessarily like this, especially nowadays. It's also true, there has been a significant rise of female viewers in Japan in the past 10-15 years, as much due to the changes in the way they are distributed and exhibited as in the content of the films, and this new audience has in turn influenced the content. I hope future DVD releases of pink films outside of Japan take this into account.
CM: Japanese cinema has had a real ride in North America in the past decade, specifically through the huge interest in the J-Horror and the "Asian Extreme" genres. Takashi Shimizu, Hideo Nakata, Takashi Miike and others became buzz names in Hollywood. Remakes were made, some by the original directors themselves, but the bloom has kind of fallen off the proverbial rose. The box office returns on the Asian horror remakes have fallen off drastically, distributors who built their catalogues on the genre like Tartan UK and USA have closed up shop and now North American companies like Media Blasters are bank rolling films "extreme" films like "The Machine Girl" and "Tokyo Gore Police" to fill whatever niche market is left.
The reason I mention this is that it seems like the rise of interest in pinku eiga in North America has come hand in hand with the surge in interest in 60s and 70s grindhouse and exploitation films. What do you think the ramifications of this will be? Could pinku eiga become the next J-Horror? Will we be seeing North American companies financing sex films in Japan or with a Japanese flavour to capitalize on this interest?
JS: The reason J-horror's audience, and that of Japanese films in general, dropped off was because most of the films being released were the same. Most of the overseas distributors weren't interested in looking particularly hard for anything that deviated too far from the formula of the last hit. I'd say the reason why no one has picked up on pink films before is because no one really knew about the subject, but the beauty of pink film is it is a lot cheaper to license than the latest Ring retread, and there's a lot more variety: the individual films might be comedies, romantic dramas, exploitation movies, even horror in fact. They may be low budget softcore sex films, but within this format basically anything goes.Certainly there's going to be a lot more of this stuff coming out soon though. There's an LA based company, Pink Eiga who are just about to unleash a whole load of titles. I've also heard rumours already of another European company co-funding pink films, so it might well happen.
I am not sure whether pink could become the subject of the next boom in interest in Japanese cinema. It remains to be seen. What I do think though is that there is some kind of a market for well-made theatrical films that are erotic but not necessarily pornographic, and pink cinema might go some way in fulfilling this need.
CM: Even now that the book has been published you're continuing to organize screenings and retrospectives of pinku eiga. There was the tie-in programme at this year's Fantastic Fest, your involvement with the releases of "The Watcher in the Attic" and "Assault! Jack the Ripper" from Mondo Macabro and in December you're helping to organize a retrospective of pinku eiga side by side with Japanese classics at the BFI Southbank called "Wild Japan". Are you happy to keep exploring the pinku eiga genre or are you ready to move onto something else now? What's next on the agenda for you?
JS: These seasons, DVD commentaries, retrospectives etc are all pretty much related to spreading the word about the book and creating a dialogue around the subject, letting people know about the pink film. As far as writing more about it goes, I think I've said as much as I can say within the 200,000 words contained in Behind the Pink Curtain – that includes all the connections with radical left-wing groups, the history of Japanese censorship, foreign co-productions the changing nature of distribution, audience composition and all the rest.
I'm usually working on some film curating project or other in Britain, like for example I did the stop-motion animation season centred around Kihachiro Kawamoto earlier in 2008 with the Watershed Cinema in Bristol and am looking into doing some interesting India-related stuff early on next year. It is sometimes more fun to bring new films across and introduce them in an accessible context that gets people interested than to write about obscure films which people don't have any chance to see.
That said, I'm busy on two other book projects at the moment – one more complete introduction to Japanese cinema since its very beginning, and the other a non film-related 'true crime' work about a well-known murder case of a foreigner in Japan.
I've got plenty of ideas lined up for new things in the future, at least temporarily moving away from film, and also moving slowly away from Japan, but its all a bit too early to talk about them. I don't want to even think about starting them until well after I've finished these two now though. I could do with a bit of a rest first.
5 comments:
- Paul said...
Awesome interview!
- November 10, 2008 at 11:37 AM
- logboy said...
...and even some of the discussion of the book itself - the little i've see in forums - does little more than express a disappointment that the focus isn't on the extreme stuff, and people are still pointing out non-pink (i.e pinky violence) to those looking for recommendations specifically (or generally) surrounding the hazy definition of pink films that's still commonplace... odd. you'll see these misconceptions (the misunderstandings that aren't going to do pink film much good) continue, for some time to come, i think. shame, because it's a very varied and fascinating, often very artistic genre, and to cherry pick on preconceptions is wrong on many levels...
- November 10, 2008 at 11:56 PM
- Chris MaGee said...
I think that if folks read through the book, logboy, that a lot of those misconceptions will be cleared up. Just seeing "The Watcher in the Attic", which Jasper talks about in the book, I was really impressed with how poetic the film felt. Ron Jeremy can't say that about his films LOL!
- November 11, 2008 at 10:42 AM
- Marc Saint-Cyr said...
Great interview, Chris! That book looks like a worthy read...
- November 11, 2008 at 5:40 PM
- Bob Turnbull said...
Yep, excellent job Chris. I was pretty much sold on picking up the book, but Jasper's answers have sealed it - I'm glad that he's providing so much context to the origination of the films as well as their evolution.
- November 12, 2008 at 6:51 AM


text:
Strand Union Policy Manual
Subject: | Strand Union Policies and Procedures |
Policy: | Policy Manual |
Revised: | April, 2004; February, 2009; September 2012. |
Review Date: | September 2015 |
Responsible Party: | Butch Damberger, Director |
Introduction and Purpose: To provide definite guidelines for priorities, types of, and conditions pertaining to reservations for building space.
Policy: This is the guide for decision making.
Procedures: The sequential steps necessary to carry out the policy.
- Table of Contents
- 100.00 Categories of Users for Reservations
- 200.00 Space Rental Charges
- 300.00 Easels/Banner Space/Display Case/Info Tables/Etc.
- 400.00 Fund Raising/Merchandise Sales
- 500.00 Distribution or Sale of Literature and/or Solicitation of Signatures (Petitions)
- 600.00 Food
100.00 Categories of Users for Reservations
The following categories of building users have been established to provide definite guidelines for priorities, types of, and conditions pertaining to, reservations for building space.
Category I: University Community
- A. Registered student organizations
- B. Alumni activities
- C. Administration, faculty, staff, and department activities that are directly connected with the University
Category II: University Guests
- A. Administration, faculty, staff, and department activities that are of a social
nature, or are not directly connected with the regular business of the University
- B. Unrelated state and federal government agencies
- C. Bozeman community organizations
- D. Bozeman government organizations
- E. Regional, national, and international organizations
- F. Commercial organizations
200.00 Space Rental Charges
It is the intent of the following policies that whenever Strand Union facilities are used by groups for the purpose of making money, for whatever purpose, a rental fee will assessed. ASMSU organizations, which include Registered Student Organizations, are excluded.
A. No room rental fees or set-up/tear down/custodial (STC) shall be charged for Category I users provided these groups do not charge admission or assess fees for the events and/or open the event to the public and/or do not have attendees other than students, faculty, or staff. When admissions, assessments, or fees exist, even if they are meant just to cover costs, a rental fee or STC charge will be assessed to both Category I and Category II users. ASMSU Organizations, which include Registered Student Organizations, will be exempt from all rental and STC charges.
B. Groups in Category I shall have priority in the order listed. Groups in Category
II will be allowed to make reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.
C. Advance reservations may be made only for groups of five persons or more and shall
be limited to five (5) hours per week per organization.
D.While student groups are offered priority under this policy, other reservations
which were made in good faith will not be cancelled to accommodate higher priority
programs, however worthy. All building users are encouraged to anticipate room needs
well in advance of their event and are further encouraged to make definite room reservations
for legitimate room needs as far in advance as policies allow. Every effort will be
made to explore all alternatives with conflicting groups.
E. Regular room reservations will be accepted for the current academic calendar year.
Reservations for registered student organizations will not be accepted prior to the
first business day in April for the following academic year. Exceptions are granted
for the specific annual events, including but not limited to: Commencement and MSU
Friday. Requests for consideration for exception should be made, in writing, to Conference
Services. These requests will be reviewed by the Strand Union Director and/or Conference
Services Manager. Exceptions will only be reviewed for one calendar year in advance.
It is the responsibility of all user groups to be aware of this policy and to make
their reservations early enough to avoid the disappointment of finding the preferred
dates have been taken.
F. Room rental privileges will be denied, for one academic year, Category I users
who abuse the above policy and make long-term room reservations (beyond one academic
semester) in bad faith for the purpose of holding the room without having a planned
event scheduled.
G. When room use is obviously being sponsored by an organization for purposes of avoiding
room rental rate, the organization will be charged the full rental charge. Generally,
the sponsored event must have some relationship to the organization's stated purpose.
Organization members must be directly involved in the planning and direction of the
event in order to be exempted from room rental charges.
H. Category II users making long-term reservations (beyond one academic semester)
may be required to submit a deposit on all rooms that have been definitely confirmed.
If a cancellation occurs less than three months prior to the first reservation date,
the deposit will be used as a cancellation fee. Otherwise, the deposit will go toward
the final invoice.
I. Confirmed reservations for fund-raising events will not be made until a completed
"SUB Sales Request Form" is filed with and approved by the Director.
J. Cancellation and No-Shows:
Due to the heavy use of the Strand Union Building and the many requests for reservations, it is important that meeting room space be managed as efficiently as possible for maximum usage with the number of cancellations and no-shows kept to an absolute minimum. All cancellations must be in writing, preferably by electronic correspondence and made through the Conference and Event Services Office. All groups and organizations will be charged a cancellation fee for failing to comply unless the user can show that the cause of the late cancellation was for reasons beyond the user's control.
Category 1. Small meeting rooms (230, 232,234,236, and Union Market North and South) require a notice of 24 hours for cancellation with no penalty. All groups who fail to comply will be charged a cancellation fee.
Category 2. Medium size meeting rooms (168, 233, 235, Procrastinator Theater, Single Ballroom Sections): Require a notice of ten days for cancellation with no penalty. All groups who fail to comply will be charged a cancellation fee.
Category 3. Ballroom (two or more of the ballroom sections): Require a minimum thirtydays notice for cancellation without penalty. All groups who fail to comply will be charged a cancellation fee.
Five or more cancellations and/or two or more no-shows within one academic year may result in the loss of room privileges for the remainder of the academic year as well as the following academic year. [revised 8/14/13]
J-1 Challenge for Space:
A Strand Union space which is "Tentatively reserved" may be challenged by a group with a viable offer on the tentatively held space. At the time a "Tentatively Reserved" space is challenged, the group with the "Tentative Reservation" must either confirm or release the room. If the group that ultimately "Holds" the space fails to utilize the space, they will be charged a cancellation fee equal to the full rental rate for that space. [revised 8/14/13]
- K. The Union does not permit food to be brought into the building by groups. An exception to this rule allows for student organizations meeting in the SUB after 5:00 p.m. with a gathering of fewer than 40 people. All groups are encouraged to utilize existing Strand Union food venues after hours. However, groups may order food from off campus restaurants after 5:00 p.m. Groups with an anticipated attendance of 40 people or more must use the University Catering for food.
- Off campus beverage service or caterers are not allowed for any groups using the SUB.
Individual sack lunches will be allowed. (See also Section 400.00 "Fund Raising/Merchandise
Sales). Violations to this policy will result in a warning letter for a first offense,
and the loss of reservation privileges for six months (excluding June-August) for
the second offense.
- L. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the Strand Union unless arrangements have
been made with MSU Catering to serve such beverages at a catered food event. All requests
for serving alcoholic beverages in the Strand Union must be submitted to University
Catering on the appropriate form for approval by the Vice President for Student Affairs
three weeks in advance.
- M. Curricular classes, workshops, or seminars held in the Strand Union, for which
credit is given, tuition charged, or attendance required must be contracted with Conference
Services. Exceptions are lifetime skills classes sponsored by the Recreation Center.
Study groups are encouraged to use a section of the Union Market except between the
hours of 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., or one of the many lounges, and will not be allowed to
reserve meeting space for such purposes.
- N. With the exception of service animals for the disabled, animals are not permitted
in the Strand Union.
- O. Equipment Rental:
1. The Union shall make available equipment and services which complement the Union's multi-service facility concept. Audio-visual equipment and services are available to all users of Union facilities. Their use can be arranged through Conference Services.
2. Equipment charges will be assessed to all users, and are necessary to maintain and periodically upgrade and/or replace old equipment.
3. The person who reserves the equipment will be responsible for its proper operation and care during the reservation period. Missing equipment or damages to equipment will be charged to the person or organization that reserved the equipment reserved during the time it was damaged.
4. No Equipment or furnishings may be removed from the building without written permission from Conference Services. Audio-visual equipment is to be used only in conjunction with meetings scheduled in the Strand Union. -
5. Equipment rental charges will be established and changed when necessary by the Strand Union Director.
P. Hanging Items on Strand Union Ballroom and Meeting Room Walls.
1. Check with the Conference Services office before hanging any items.
2. No items can be hung on curtains, windows or electronic screens.
3. No tape or adhesive can be used to hang any items on walls.
4. T-pins or masking tape is preferred to hang items on portable walls.
5. All items must be hung from the top header board above the wood trim
that is approximately 8-10 feet from the
floor in the Ballrooms.
6. No items can be hung from the ceiling in Ballroom A (20 ft. ceiling).
300.00 Easels/Banner Space/Display Case/Info Tables/Etc.
Only Category 1 Groups are authorized to utilize Banner Space/Display Case/Info Tables in Section 300.00.
310.00 Easels
1. Posters placed on easels must relate solely to the promotion of university events or events of registered student organizations. The posters must be reviewed by Conference Services to assure compliance with this policy (LT1).
2. A custodian will put up posters and remove at the end of the reservation. Posters should be picked up the next day in Room 223E SUB. Posters will be discarded if not picked up by 5:00 p.m. the following day.
3. Reservations will be accepted for a maximum of five (5) consecutive days. Groups will be allowed a minimum of two easels for any reservation.
320.00 Banner Space - Interior and Exterior
Banners must relate solely to the promotion of university events or events of registered student organizations. Banners are considered to be any advertising displayed on paper or vinyl which is larger than 36" in either length or height.
1. Interior banners cannot exceed 6' wide by 3' vertical. Exterior banners must be 10' wide by 3' vertical, constructed from commercial type vinyl, and have a nylon through the top and grommets in each corner.
2. Banners must be reserved and reviewed by Conference Services to assure compliance with this policy. There is a $25 flat fee for hanging exterior banners.
3. A custodian will put the banner up and take it down at the end of the reservation. Banners will be kept for one day and then discarded.
4. The sponsoring group's name must be on the banner.
5. Each group is limited to seven (7) days per semester.
330.00 Display Case
1. Display cases must be reserved and displays approved by Conference Services.
2. Must be put up on the first day of reservation.
3. Must be taken down the evening of the last day of reservation.
4. A clearly visible sign must be posted stating the name of the group sponsoring
the display.
5. Each group is limited to seven (7) days per semester.
340.00 Information Table
1. Information tables must be scheduled through the SUB reservationist and shall be
in areas designated by the Strand Union staff.
- 2. Information tables shall be staffed at all times by a member of the sponsoring group. People staffing the table must remain behind the table. No user will be allowed to accost the public under any circumstances.
- 3. An approved SUB Sales Request Form must be on file in the Office of the Union Director for any sales of merchandise or services. (See Section 400.00, "Fund Raising/Merchandise Sales".)
- 4. Users may serve one table per day. The use of Information Tables is limited to seven (7) days per semester per group and usage of reserved tables must begin by the pre-arranged reservation time. If the table is not set up within 30 minutes of that time, the organization forfeits their reservation for the day.
- 5. May only be reserved for five (5) consecutive days at any time.
- 6. No voice amplication devices are permitted to be used.
- 7. All distribution and displays must be confined to the desiganted areas. Materials and posters may not be mounted on walls, woodwork, etc. Any material taped to a table must be removed completely at the end of the reservation. Failure to remove materials will result in a fine and possible loss of rights to use Information Tables in the future.
- 8. Sales or distribution of food or beverages is not permitted at Information Tables.
(See Section 600.00 "Food".)
350.00 Table Tents
1. Master copy needs approval by Conference Services.
2. Groups must distribute and remove their table tents.
3. Table tents must stand. No flyers permitted!
4. Each group is limited to seven (7) days per semester.
5. The sponsoring group's name must be clearly visible on the table tents.
400.00 Fund Raising/Merchandise Sales
The Strand Union recognizes the need for University organizations to raise money to support those organizations. One method of fund raising is sales of merchandise or services. The Strand Union will accommodate sales which conform to the following policies:
A. Registered/recognized university organizations, MSU-Bozeman departments, and the
Strand Union or its lessees will be allowed to use designated Strand Union facilities
for selling approved merchandise/services. Registered Student Organizations must also
follow the fundraising requirements in the Student Organizations Handbook.
Whenever Strand Union facilities are used to provide income, rental will be charged.
Admission charges including cash, tuition, donations, pledges, collections, or offerings
of any kind will be considered income.
B. A "Request for Merchandise Sales" form must be completed and approval must be granted
by the Union Director prior to a reservation being confirmed. These forms are available
at the Conference Services Office.
C. Reservations for merchandise/service sales space must be made at the Conference
Services Office at least three (3) days prior to the date of the sale.
D. Sales of merchandise/service will only be allowed at a reserved location within
the Union.
E. Items to be sold must be owned or on consignment to the organization holding the
space reservation. The group holding the reservation must also be the party staffing
the space or table.
F. Groups may sell items produced or grown in conjunction with an academic program
or that further the stated purpose of a registered student organization.
G. The Strand Union reserves the right to limit merchandise sales subject to the following
Items not allowed
1. Any fund-raising activity or merchandise sale that is in direct competition with
activities or services of the Strand Union and its tenants.
2. Food (other than that sold by the Strand Union and University Food Service) and
those items the Union allows the Bookstore to sell.
3. Firearms and/or ammunition.
4. Items judged to be dangerous.
5. Items that are illegal, defamatory or which contain profanities or other words
or symbols that would violate university policies.
H. Groups or their representatives are not allowed to address or solicit passersby
who do not show active interest. They must remain behind their table or within their
reserved space (room).
I. Sales are limited to five (5) consecutive days.
J. Violations of any of these policies may result in loss of sales and/or reservation
privileges in the Strand Union.
500.00 Distribution or Sale of Literature and/or Solicitation of Signatures (Petitions)
The Strand Union provides space in the Union for the distribution of literature and/or solicitation of signatures (petitions) by recognized University organizations. Distribution or solicitation is permitted for noncommercial handbills, leaflets, petitions, and similar materials in designated areas of the Strand Union.
Distribution or solicitation privileges within the building are limited to student organizations registered with the Office of Student Activities, Montana State University-Bozeman, University faculty or staff groups, and non-University organizations which have received approval for use of University facilities.
The literature distribution or solicitation of signatures (petitions) policy is designed to maintain the free flow of traffic within the building and to prevent such activities from interfering with the orderly administration of University affairs.
The following are operating rules:
A. Space for distribution of literature or solicitation of signatures (petitions)
is available through the Strand Union Reservationist. Only tables provided by the
building may be used for literature distribution, solicitation of signatures (petitions),
or other information.
B. No electronic voice amplification devices are permitted at the tables.
C. All distribution and displays must be confined to the designated areas. Materials
and posters may not be mounted on building walls, woodwork, etc.
D. Sale or distribution of food or beverages is not permitted from distribution areas. (See Section 600.00, "Food.")
E. Distribution tables are solely for the distribution of literature, solicitation
of signatures (petitions), information, and promotional activities. Users must maintain
a quiet, orderly, and uncongested atmosphere and avoid interference with the right
of others to distribute information. Violations may result in the withdrawal or suspension
of the privileges to distribute literature or solicit signatures (petitions) in the
building. The Strand Union Director will have full authority in this regard.
F. MSU and registered student organizations who may wish to sell articles of value
must complete a "Request for Merchandise Sales" form.
G. Organizations can only reserve one (1) table per day.
H. Usage of reserved tables must begin by 11 a.m. If the table is not set up by that
time, the organization forfeits its reservation for that day.
I. Any material taped to a table must be removed fully when the organization leaves.
If not, the organization is subject to a fine and possible loss of rights to use literature
tables in the future.
J.Sponsoring organizations must mark the table with the organization's name on a placard.
K. A representative of the group using the table must remain at the table for all
hours of use.
600.00 Food
The Strand Union does not permit outside food to be brought into the building by groups,
except Registered Student Organizations meeting in the SUB after 5:00 p.m. may bring
in food. Other groups are encouraged to utilize existing Strand Union food venues
after hours, but also may order food from off campus restaurants.
Groups with an anticipated attendance of greater than 40 people are required to utilize
University Food Service. Outside beverage service and outside caterers are not allowed
for any groups. Individuals sack lunches will be allowed. (See also Section 400.00, "Fund Raising/Merchandise Sales" located at /policy/sub/). Violations to this policy will result in a warning letter for a first offense,
and the loss of reservation privileges for six months (excluding June - August) for
the second offense.


text:
This is so exciting! I've been reading the Ivy Granger series for some time and now we are getting presented with the newest cover. This is the fifth installment of the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens. Today this cover will be revealed to the earth along with a giveaway and sneak peek at the book. That makes today a great day doesn't it? Let's get to it!
Hound's Bite (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective #5) by E.J. Stevens
Release Date: July 12, 2016
Genre: Paranormal, Urban FantasyIvy Granger thought she left the worst of Mab's creations behind when she escaped Faerie. She thought wrong.
In a cruel twist of fate, Ivy has unleashed a powerful horde of Unseelie beasts upon her city, turning her homecoming into a potential slaughter of innocents. Now Ivy must gather her allies to fight a reputedly unstoppable force—The Wild Hunt.
Will the training Ivy received in her father's court be enough to save her city, or will Harborsmouth be forced to kneel before the Lord of the Hunt? She is willing risk her own life, but some sacrifices come at a cost worse than death. When an ally is bitten by one of The Wild Hunt's hounds, Ivy must face the possibility that winning this battle may mean killing the one person she has come to love most.
Add to Goodreads.
Let's get a sneak peek at Hound's Bite!
"What he's saying, Princess is that you woke up something too big for the three of us to defeat alone," Torn said.
That made me pause. We'd fought faerie queens, pyro demons, a lovesick necromancer, and a psychotic lamia, to name a few. I may not have come through those battles unscathed, or with all my guts still on the inside, but with my friends at my side, and a new arsenal of wisp powers at my fingertips, I felt nearly invincible.
I looked to Ceff, hoping he'd grab his trident and join me for some quick monster cleanup. I may not be on the clock for this one, but I didn't let hungry fae prowl the streets of Harborsmouth. And if Torn was right, I'd somehow let this one follow us out of Faerie. No way was I turning tail, no matter how tired I was.
But Ceff didn't reach for his weapons.
"We need allies," he said.
"And larger weapons," Torn said, with a wink.
The cat sidhe looked excited, which was a clue that I wasn't going to like the answer to my next question.
"And what monster do we need to gather our allies and weapons against?" I asked.
"Haven't you guessed yet, Princess?" Torn asked, eyes gleaming. "We're not just facing one howling beast."
Ceff turned to me, closing the space between us. In the moonlight, I could see my reflection in the dark pools of his kelpie eyes—eyes that were tight with worry.
"What are they?" I asked.
Ceff's voice was low and reverent, and tinged with the taint of fear.
"The Wild Hunt."
I know you guys are all anxious for release now, but let me distract you with one more thing…. a GIVEAWAY!


text:
- September 15th, 2011
- Posted in Architecture . Number . Urban Design
- Write comment
Tyrone Sandalphon posted the following comment on my Hexagons post:
I could not help but notice the empty space left at Ground Zero during the "clean up" of the world trade centre in 2002. On a huge electric billboard facing the site, were the Roman numerals for 9 11 written as "IX XI" with the two numbers being separated by a space.
First off the Roman numerals remind me of a Red Ice interview with Santos Bonacci where he explains how over the past two thousand years the Roman cult/empire has set up a system of ownership of all property and souls that exist on this Earth through their Papal bulls and trusts.
I did a bit of research and was amazed at what came up. The Jesuits made IXXI rings in the 17th century:
Left image source / Right image source
Hundreds of these Jesuit rings were recovered from the wreck of La Belle, Louis XIV's ship that left La Rochelle (the Templars' port) in 1684. It was La Salle's ill fated expedition, the same man who two years before claimed the Mississippi River valley for the Sun King, naming the territory Louisiana in his honor.
La Salle's Expedition to Louisiana in 1684 by Theodore Gudin (1844)
Ian Le Cheminant says the following: "It may be implied but you don't expressly mention that the two XXs (Dos Equis, muy buena cerveza) form a square and compass between the pillars in the IXXI diagram. This is particularly apparent in the first Jesuit rings you show."
Some of the Jesuit rings have I's (ones) that look more like towers, emphasizing the connection with the Twin Towers:
Image source
However the horizontal line running through this ring has led some to speculate that it is a schematized A over an M. A over M means Auspice Maria, or Under the Protection of Mary (Isis). Chris commented on this post and says the "Auspice Maria" symbol uses the two pillars from the visions of St. John Bosco. Note that not all the Jesuit rings have the horizontal line, but if you buy into the A over M theory then take a look at the emblem of the Jesuit Society of Saint Sulpice:
The Society of Saint Sulpice is named for the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris that featured prominently in the Da Vinci code. It's the place where the Priory of Sion villain Silas killed a Nun and pried up a stone in the floor near the obelisk, searching for the keystone. Interesting fiction but the Dossiers Secrets do mention Saint Sulpice. It's the only church I've heard about that has solar alignments and an obelisk inside. The best fiction is a vehicle for truth.
Image courtesy Daniele Raffo under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
If you bring the IX and XI closer so that the X's cross the symbol appears very much like the following logo that I wrote about in Arsenic and War:
Interestingly enough, Daniel Liebeskind, the master plan architect for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, designed the Imperial War Museum North in the UK.
Tyrone had more to say in his intriguing comment:
I got the strangest feeling that some kind of message was being relayed. I looked at the sign and wondered what it could mean. At first I thought of "X marks the spot" or "spots" in this case as the "X"s could represent the Twin Towers viewed from above. The "I" reminded me of "pillars" the towers acting as a symbolic doorway, but what really drew my eye in, was the vacant space between the two "X"s. This space forms an invisible "hexagram" and for some reason I felt that this was symbolic of an incredibly dark and foreboding place, something suppressive and imprisoning.
The void between the X's reminds me of the architect's Cesar Pelli's statement on the unveiling of his Canary Wharf Tower (aka One Canada Square) that I talked about in my Red Ice interview:
"According to Lao Tse, the reality of a hollow object is in the void and not in the walls that define it. He was speaking, of course, of spiritual realities. These are the realities also of the Canary Wharf Tower. The power of the void is increased and… with its supporting structure creates a portal to the sky … a door to the infinite."—Cesar Pelli (1991)
Tyrone tuned into the same thing I did when I wrote my post on Hexagons. Here is what I wrote:
We have seen how the hexagonal shape represents limitation, structure, and authority. If used positively these qualities can help one strengthen willpower, discipline, and perseverance.
If used negatively these same qualities can imprison.
Saturn teaches a hard lesson.
What do governments, the justice system, and religions have in common? They all strive to control the human mind in various belief systems.
Martin wrote a comment on this page revealing how the freemasons use a six-sided coffin in the Third Degree. Incidentally this ritual is the origin of the phrase "stop giving me the third degree":
Third degree tracing board by Brother John Harris (1845) Source
Incidentally IBM unveiled its neurosynaptic core that mimics the function of neurons in the human brain. Not only does the shape of the chip mimic the logo of the Knights Templar of the York masonic rite (see my Bolton post), but my friend Rick counted the pins and noticed that there are 33 on each side. In addition the voids between each side seem to have the hexagonal masonic coffin shape (like in the above image).
Image by IBM
The hexagonal coffin is the ultimate prison of the body. Note the skull and crossbones as we will see this symbol again later in this post. Remember Saturn itself has a hexagon on its North pole:
Image courtesy of NASA
Roman Saturn is the Greek Cronus.
Cronus had been conflated with the name of Chronos, the personification of time in Classical Antiquity. In the Renaissance, the combination of Cronus and Chronos give rise to "Father Time" wielding the harvesting scythe.
Rik Clay's research on time and numerology was outstanding. Here are some of the facts he brought to light:
- In the Mayan calendar, it was said that there would be 20 years of no-time. A period of unrest where the planet is making a transition from one age to another. 9/11 stood 9 years from the start of this no-time and 11 years from the end.
- The World Trade Centre stood like an 11; 9 + 1 + 1 = 11
- September 11th is 111 days until the end of the year
- The first plane to hit the World Trade Centre was Flight 11; total crew on Flight 11 was 11
- 9/11/01 stands 11 years from 2012
- The World Trade Centre took 11 years to build
- On 9/11/90 at 9.09PM, 11 years prior to 9/11/01, George Bush Senior made a speech to Congress entitled Toward A New World Order
- On 9/11/41, 60 years prior to 9/11/01, the soil was broken and the foundations set for "The Pentagon" in Washington DC
- A book written in 1981, 20 years prior to the 2001 attacks, called "The Birth of Christ Recalculated". The author, Dr. Ernest L. Martin, claims to have calculated the exact date of Jesus Christ's birth based on the celestial charts for that era. The date of Christ's birth, based on the famous Star of Bethlehem, is calculated to be September 11, 3 B.C.
- According to Hebrew Scriptures 9/11/99 was the 6,000th anniversary of Adam's creation, and year 1 on the Hebrew calendar.
Saturn rules not only over 9/11 but over all illuminist time codes. There are precisely 66 years between these dates:
- 29 April 1945 Adolph and Eva were married in the Führerbunker
- 29 April 2011 William and Kate were married in Westminster Abbey
Goro Adachi is a master at decoding illuminist time signatures. The Royal Wedding began precisely at 11:11 Universal Time. At that precise moment looking due South from Westminster Abbey, the center of the Phoenix constellation reached culmination just below the surface of the horizon in the underworld and the planet Venus simultaneously reached culmination directly above.
In Latin from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer" (from the words lucem ferre). It was the name given to the dawn appearance of the planet Venus which heralds daylight. For this meaning, English generally uses the names "Morning Star" or "Day Star", and rarely "Lucifer".
Prince William resonates with rising Lucifer energy at his wedding. William was born of the moon goddess Diana on the summer solstice. See my post on Egyptian Royals.
The end of the Mayan Calendar ends on 21 Dec 12 at 11:11 Universal Time. Coincidence?
Image courtesy Goro Adachi
Hexagons also represent cubes in isometric view. What does Reflecting Absence actually reflect? The Black Cube in Mecca. See my post on the Freedom Tower for background.
Image courtesy Mark Gray
"The Cube" in Astor Place Manhattan is yet another black cube in isometric emphasizing the connection with the hexagon. Astor Place is named for John Jacob Astor, at one time the richest person in the United States.
Image courtesy "I, DavidShankbone" under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Saturn is many things but the correlation many don't want to see is with Satan. His scythe identifies him as the grim reaper. Don't be afraid to look into the shadows or the people in the shadows will only get stronger.
Painting by Franklin LaVoie (1992)
George W Bush read The Pet Goat to a bunch of kids on the morning of 9/11/01. Here is the scene when the White House Chief of Staff whispered in his ear that the second plane had just hit the World Trade Center:
GW continued reading The Pet Goat to the kids for 7 more minutes before concluding the story and getting up. I recently read a fascinating article by Nila Sagadevan on this very subject:
"Sir, let's for a moment say you were president of your country. One morning you find yourself in a classroom reading to a group of little children a story about a pet goat…I continued, "Your Chief of Staff rushes up to you and whispers in your ear, 'Mr. President, terrorists have flown a plane into the Parliament Building; the nation is under attack.' Now, I ask you, sir, how would you respond?"
Intending the question to be rhetorical, I continued with barely a pause. "I'll tell you what my reaction would not be: It most certainly would not be the reaction demonstrated by the president of the United States on the morning of 9/11. I would be concerned for the thousands of my fellow citizens burning to death in an inferno. But I suspect before I would have a moment to react, my highly trained security detail would be whisking me out of that school to my limousine to put as many miles between the school and I as possible.
"Why? My location that morning common public knowledge, it was widely televised. So I — and my security team — would be very concerned these clearly well-organized 'terrorists' would be targeting me next by diving one of their aircraft into the school where I was located. But on 9/11, the President sat in that classroom for the next ten minutes narrating a tale about some pet goat — even after he was informed again, for the second time, that a second building had been hit.
What does the Commander-in-Chief then do in the midst of what is clearly a full-blown attack on the country? He stands up and casually drifts around the classroom taking advantage of a photo op by posing with some of the teachers, smiling as if he didn't have a care in the world."
I slowly surveyed my audience before continuing. To a man they were riveted.
"Gentlemen, that's what I call confidence — confidence not for this President's ability to remain calm under fire, but confidence that he wasn't a target of the terrorists! Mr Bush, his staff, and his entire security detail had to have known with a good deal of certainty that the president was safe, because no effort whatsoever was made to get him out of that classroom in accordance with standard emergency procedures. And when he did eventually leave the school, the presidential motorcade casually drove back to the airport along the pre-determined route — also televised and widely known in advance — instead of following standard emergency procedure and taking an alternate route. I ask you, gentlemen: How could the president have been so absolutely sure he wasn't a target when the nation was under a massive, concerted, clearly well-planned and ruthlessly executed attack?"
Everything with these people is symbolic.
Baphomet at a Freemason Session by Eliphas Levi (1890s)
Here's another cube in isometric, this time red with a hole through it. Isamu Noguchi's Cube is located in front of 140 Broadway, across the street from 33 Liberty (home of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York). See my post on 33.
Image courtesy Corn Fed Chicks under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
140 Broadway has a leasable area of 111,000 square meters. It is reported as being approximately 688 and then 677 feet in height in the same article. I submit that this building is likely to actually be 666 feet in height.
The building's main tenant is Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) which leases 40,000 square meters of the building. The firm has 40 partners and 4,000 staff globally. BBH is the oldest and largest private bank in the United States. -Source
This reminds me of the Canon of 400 I discussed in my Paris Part 3 video. Here's a quote from it:
For example, consider a solar eclipse. When one happens the Moon completely covers the Sun disc. The only reason this can occur so precisely is because the Moon is exactly 400 times smaller than the Sun and happens to be 400 times closer than the Sun during the eclipse.
Also the moon rotates at a rate of 400km per earth day and the earth rotates 40,000km a day.
On January 1, 1931, Brown Brothers And Company merged with Harriman Brothers & Company, an investment company started in 1912 with railway money. When TIME magazine announced this merger in its December 22, 1930 issue, they noted that of the company's 16 founding partners a total of 11 were graduates from Yale University. Eight of the ten initial partners were members of Skull and Bones. -Source
The logo of Skull and Bones
Prescott S. Bush (George W. Bush's grandfather) was one of BBH's 10 initial founding members.
Prescott S. Bush was also one of seven directors of the Union Banking Corporation, an investment bank controlled by the Thyssen family (one of Germany's leading industrial families). In October 1942 the United States seized the bank under the Trading with the Enemy Act and held the assets for the duration of World War II. -Source
Just an interesting coincidence, the Totenkopfring ("Death's Head Ring"), was an award of Heinrich Himmler's SS. It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler. The ring shows skull and crossed bones – the SS symbol – on its top.
It is always wise to follow the money:
A German real estate fund has paid a whopping $465 million for 140 Broadway, giving a huge vote of confidence to the downtown market. The sale of the fully tenanted building last week ranked second to the record $610 million sale of 60 Wall Street in 2001. -2004 article
See my post on the Stars of Lower Manhattan for my bit on 60 Wall Street. Of course the sale of 666 Fifth Ave for $1.8 billion in 2006 blew away the aforementioned records. See my post on 666.
In any case 140 Broadway was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Bunshaft had originally proposed a monolith type sculpture to go in front where Noguchi's Cube ended up, but it was deemed to be too expensive. -Source
Arthur C. Clarke's novel 2001: A Space Odyssey featured a monolith on Saturn.
Image from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick changed the location of the monolith to Jupiter in the film version of 2001 because the rings of Saturn were too hard to make with the special effects of 1968. Never mind that he was too busy filming the Apollo 11 moon landings.


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