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—masklike, adj./mask, mahsk/, n.1. a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal one's identity.2. a grotesque or humorous false face worn at a carnival, masquerade, etc.: Halloween masks.3. Also called swim mask. a device consisting typically of a transparent glass or plastic panel fitted into a flexible rubber gasket that fits snugly around the eyes, over the cheeks, and usually over the nose: used by skin divers.4. anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense: His politeness is a mask for his fundamentally malicious personality.5. a likeness of a face, as one molded on the face in plaster. Cf. death mask, life mask.6. a covering of wire, gauze, etc., to protect the face, as from splinters, dust, or a pitched ball.7. See gas mask.8. any protective covering for the face or head.9. any protective covering, as paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like, used for masking an area of something, as of a photograph or window.10. the dark shading on the muzzle of certain dogs.11. a representation of a face or head, generally grotesque, used as an architectural ornament or as a decorative device in weaponry, furniture, etc.12. a person wearing a mask; masker.13. masque (defs. 1-3).14. Also, masque. a cosmetic cream, gel, paste, or the like, that is applied to the face and allowed to remain for a short time before being removed and is used for tightening, cleansing, refreshing, or lubricating the skin.15. a piece of cloth, silk, or plastic material covering the face of an actor to symbolize the character being represented: used in Greek and Roman drama and in some modern plays.16. the face or head, as of a fox.17. Electronics. a type of stencil applied to the surface of a semiconductor to permit selective etching or deposition: used in the manufacture of integrated circuits by photolithography.18. Fort. a screen, as of earth or brush, for concealing or protecting a battery or any military operation.19. Also called braker. Shipbuilding. a sliding timber construction braced against the stern of a hull being launched to keep it from entering the water too rapidly.v.t.20. to disguise or conceal; hide; dissemble: to mask one's intentions.21. to cover or conceal with a mask.22. to cover or shield a part of (a design, picture, etc.) in order to prevent reproduction or to protect the surface from the colors used, as in working with an air brush or in painting.23. Fort. to conceal (a battery or any military operation) from the enemy.24. to hinder, as an army, from conducting an operation.v.i.25. to put on a mask; disguise oneself.[1525-35; < MF masque, perh. directly < It maschera mask, disguise < pre-L *maskara, an extended form of *mask-, prob. with orig. sense "black" (blackening the face being a simple form of disguise); another development of the same base is early ML masca witch, ghost (also, mask); see MASCOT]Syn. 20. veil, screen, cloak, cover.
* * *Object worn either to disguise or protect the face or to project the image of another personality or being.Masks have been used in art and religion since the Stone Age. In most primitive societies, their form is dictated by tradition, and they are thought to have supernatural power. Death masks, associated with the return of the spirit to the body, were used in ancient Egypt, Asia, and the Inca civilization, and were sometimes kept as portraits of the dead. Masks worn on holidays such as Halloween and Mardi Gras signal festivity and license. They have also been widely used in the theater, beginning with the Greek drama and continuing through medieval mystery plays, and the Italian commedia dell'arte, as well as in other theater traditions (e.g., Japanese No drama).
* * *▪ face coveringIntroductiona form of disguise. It is an object that is frequently worn over or in front of the face to hide the identity of a person and by its own features to establish another being. This essential characteristic of hiding and revealing personalities or moods is common to all masks. As cultural objects they have been used throughout the world in all periods since the Stone Age and have been as varied in appearance as in their use and symbolism.General characteristicsMasks have been designed in innumerable varieties, from the simplest of crude "false faces" held by a handle to complete head coverings with ingenious movable parts and hidden faces. Mask makers have shown great resourcefulness in selecting and combining available materials. Among the substances utilized are woods, metals, shells, fibres, ivory, clay, horn, stone, feathers, leather, furs, paper, cloth, and corn husks. Surface treatments have ranged from rugged simplicity to intricate carving and from polished woods and mosaics to gaudy adornments.Masks generally are worn with a costume, often so complete that it entirely covers the body of the wearer. Fundamentally the costume completes the new identity represented by the mask, and usually tradition prescribes its appearance and construction to the same extent as the mask itself. Costumes, like the masks, are made of a great variety of materials, all of which have a symbolic connection with the mask's total imagery. Ideally the costume should be seen with the mask while the wearer is in action.The morphological elements of the mask are with few exceptions derived from natural forms. Masks with human features are classified as anthropomorphic and those with animal characteristics as theriomorphic. In some instances, the mask form is a replication of natural features or closely follows the lineaments of reality, and in other instances it is an abstraction. Masks usually represent supernatural beings, ancestors, and fanciful or imagined figures and can also be portraits. The localization of a particular spirit in a specific mask must be considered a highly significant reason for its existence. The change in identity of the wearer for that of the mask is vital, for if the spirit represented does not reside in the image of the mask, the ritual petitions, supplications, and offerings made to it would be ineffectual and meaningless. The mask, therefore, most often functions as a means of contact with various spirit powers, thereby protecting against the unknown forces of the universe by prevailing upon their potential beneficence in all matters relative to life.The making of masksWith few exceptions, masks have been made by professionals who were either expert in this particular craft or were noted sculptors or artisans. In societies in which masks of supernatural beings have played a significant ceremonial role, it is presumed that the spirit power of the created image usually is strongly felt by the artist. A primary belief involved in both the conception and the rendering of these objects was that spirit power dwelled in all organic and inorganic matter, and therefore the mask will contain the spirit power of whatever material was used to make it. This power is considered a volatile, active force that is surrounded by various taboos and restrictions for the protection of those handling it. Certain prescribed rituals frequently have to be followed in the process of the mask's creation. A spirit power is also often believed to inhabit the artist's tools so that even these have to be handled in a prescribed manner. As the form of the mask develops it is usually believed to acquire power increasingly in its own right, and again various procedures are prescribed to protect the craftsman and to ensure the potency of the object. If all the conventions have been adhered to, the completed mask, when worn or displayed, is regarded as an object suffused with great supernatural or spirit power. In some cultures it is believed that because of the close association between the mask maker and the spirit of the mask, the artist absorbs some of its magic power. A few West African tribal groups in Mali believe, in fact, that the creators of masks are even potentially capable of using the object's supernatural powers to cause harm to others.Aesthetically, the mask maker has usually been restricted in the forms he can use since masks generally have a traditional imagery with formal conventions. If they are not followed, the artist can bring upon himself the severe censure of his social group and the displeasure or even wrath of the spirit power inherent in the mask. This requirement for accuracy, however, does not restrict artistic expressiveness. The mask maker can and does give his own creative interpretation to the traditionally prescribed general forms, attributes, and devices. The artist, in fact, is usually sought out as a maker of masks because of his known ability to give a vitally expressive or an aesthetically pleasing presentation of the required image.The wearing of masksThe wearer is also considered to be in direct association with the spirit force of the mask and is consequently exposed to like personal danger of being affected by it. For his protection, the wearer, like the mask maker, is required to follow certain sanctioned procedures in his use of the mask. In some respects he plays the role of an actor in cooperation or collaboration with the mask. Without his performing dance and posturing routines, which are often accompanied with certain sounds of music, the mask would remain a representation without a full life-force. The real drama and power of its form is the important contribution of the wearer. When he is attired in the mask, there is a loss of his previous identity and the assuming of a new one. Upon donning the mask, the wearer sometimes undergoes a psychic change and as in a trance assumes the spirit character depicted by the mask. Usually, however, the wearer skillfully becomes a "partner" of the character he is impersonating, giving to the mask not only an important spark of vitality by the light flashing from his own eyes but also bringing it alive by his movements and poses. But it would seem that the wearer often becomes psychologically completely attached to the character he is helping to create. He loses his own identity and becomes like an automaton, without his own will, which has become subservient to that of the personage of the mask. It appears, however, that at all times there remains some important, even if sub rosa, association between the mask and its wearer.The role of the spectatorIt is as consecrated objects imbued with supernatural power that masks are viewed by the spectators or participants at ceremonials where their presence is required. Whatever their specific identity may be, the masks usually refer back to early times, when their initial appearance occurred. This basic aspect of the mask is understood at least in essence by everyone. A paramount role of the mask is to give a sense of continuity between the present and the beginnings of time, a sense that is of vital importance for the integration of a culture with no written history. Psychologically the spectators become associated with the past through the spirit power of the mask, and this often leads the participants to a state of complete absorption or near-frenzy. This is not, however, a consistent reaction to masked ceremonials. That depends on the character whose presence the mask represents. In some cases, the spirit or supernatural being depicted is viewed with rejoicing and almost a familiarity, which leads to gaiety that has a cathartic aspect. Even so, the mask has a spirit content that is respected and revered, even if it is not showing a being with malignant potential. All of these forms have spirit and magical qualities and are thus esteemed as agents for the accomplishing of suprahuman acts.Some masks, however, do represent malignant, evil, or potentially harmful spirits. These are often used to keep a required balance of power or a traditional social and political relationship of inherited positions within a culture. The characters depicted are also prescribed by tradition and enact roles to achieve the desired ends. The drama involving these masks is often associated with secret societies, especially in Africa, where the greatest range of mask forms and functions can be observed. These forms are often used in very restricted performances, where only select persons can view them. This is also true in other areas where masks are used, such as in Oceania (art and architecture, Oceanic), the Americas, and even in some of the folk mask rites still performed in Europe.Meaning and aesthetic responseOn the basis of present knowledge, it would appear that there is not or has not been any set response or reaction by any one of the three groups involved with the mask: the artist, the wearer, the spectator. There is, however, a reaction of a very particular kind common to every culture, a response such as awe, delight and pleasure, fear and even terror: these are as traditionally determined as the forms and costumes of the masks themselves. This is a learned and inherent pattern of conduct for each culture. Masks, therefore, that have a closely comparable appearance in several unrelated groups in quite different parts of the world often have totally dissimilar meanings and functions. It is thus practically impossible to determine either the meaning or use of a mask by its appearance alone. For example, some masks in Africa, as well as in Oceania and East Asia, have such a grotesque or frightening appearance as to lead one to suspect that they represent evil spirits with an intent to terrorize the spectators; actually they may have the opposite character and function. The significance of masks can be determined only by reference to accounts or personal observations of the masks in the setting of their own culture.The aesthetic (aesthetics) effects of masks, on the other hand, since they derive from the forms and their disposition within the design, can readily be evaluated as art objects. But this evaluation is based on elements very different from those appraised within the mask's own culture. This is partly because the total artistic qualities of a mask derive both from its exterior forms and from its meaning and function within its cultural context. There exist, however, in all cultures criteria for determining the quality of objects as art. These criteria differ from one culture to another, and they may be known only from investigations carried out within the varying cultures.Preservation and collecting (art collection)The preservation (art conservation and restoration) or disposal of masks is often decreed by tradition. Many masks and often their form and function are passed down through clans, families, special societies, or from individual to individual. They are usually spiritually reactivated or aesthetically restored by repainting and redecorating, without destroying the basic form and symbolism. In many instances, however, the mask is used only for one ceremony or occasion and then is discarded or destroyed, sometimes by burning.The collecting of masks has largely been of recent origin. Not until the late 19th and early 20th century were they seriously appreciated as art objects or studied as cultural artifacts. Most masks have been obtained through archaeological excavations or in field expeditions, that is, in their place of origin.The functions and forms of masksMasks are as extraordinarily varied in appearance as they are in function or fundamental meaning. Many masks are primarily associated with ceremonies that have religious and social significance or are concerned with funerary customs, fertility rites, or curing sickness. Other masks are used on festive occasions or to portray characters in a dramatic performance and in re-enactments of mythological events. Masks are also used for warfare and as protective devices in certain sports, as well as frequently being employed as architectural ornament.Social and religious usesMasks representing potentially harmful spirits were often used to keep a required balance of power or a traditional relationship of inherited positions within a culture. The forms of these masks invariably were prescribed by tradition, as were their uses. This type of mask was often associated with secret societies, especially in Africa, where the greatest range of types and functions can be found. They were also widely used among Oceanic peoples of the South Pacific and the American Indians (Native American art) and are even used in some of the folk rites still performed in Europe.Masks have served an important role as a means of discipline and have been used to admonish women, children, and criminals. Common in China, Africa, Oceania, and North America, admonitory masks usually completely cover the features of the wearer. It is believed among some of the African tribes (art, African) that the first mask was an admonitory one. A child, repeatedly told not to, persisted in following its mother to fetch water. To frighten and discipline the child, the mother painted a hideous face on the bottom of her water gourd. Others say the mask was invented by a secret African society to escape recognition while punishing marauders. In New Britain, members of a secret terroristic society called the Dukduk appear in monstrous five-foot masks to police, to judge, and to execute offenders. Aggressive supernatural spirits of an almost demonic nature are represented by these masks, which are constructed from a variety of materials, usually including tapa, or bark cloth, and the pith of certain reeds. These materials are painted in brilliant colours, with brick red and acid green predominating.In many cultures throughout the world, a judge wears a mask to protect him from future recriminations. In this instance, the mask represents a traditionally sanctioned spirit from the past who assumes responsibility for the decision levied on the culprit.Rituals, often nocturnal, by members of secret societies wearing ancestor masks are reminders of the ancient sanction of their conduct. In many cultures, these masked ceremonials are intended to prevent miscreant acts and to maintain the circumscribed activities of the tribe. Along the Guinea coast of West Africa, for instance, many highly realistic masks represent ancestors who enjoyed specific cultural roles; the masks symbolize sanction and control when donned by the wearer. Among some of the Dan and Ngere tribes of Liberia and Ivory Coast, ancestor masks with generic features act as intermediaries for the transmission of petitions or offerings of respect to the gods. These traditional ancestral emissaries exert by their spirit power a social control for the community.Particularly among Oceanic peoples, American Indians, and African tribes, certain times of the year are set aside to honour spirits or ancestors. Among nonliterate peoples who cannot record their own histories, masked rituals act as an important link between past and present, giving a sense of historic continuity that strengthens their social bond. On these occasions, masks usually recognizable as dead chieftains, relatives, friends, or even foes are worn or exhibited. Gifts are made to the spirits incarnated in the masks, while in other instances dancers wearing stylized mourning masks perform the prescribed ceremony.In western Melanesia (Melanesian culture), the ancestral ceremonial mask occurs in a great variety of forms and materials. The Sepik River area in north-central New Guinea is the source of an extremely rich array of these mask forms mostly carved in wood, ranging from small faces to large fantastic forms with a variety of appendages affixed to the wood, including shell, fibre, animal skins, seed, flowers, and feathers. These masks are highly polychromed with earth colours of red and yellow, lime white, and charcoal black. They often represent supernatural spirits as well as ancestors and therefore have both a religious and a social significance.Members of secret societies usually conduct the rituals of initiation, when a young man is instructed in his future role as an adult and is acquainted with the rules controlling the social stability of the tribe. Totem and spiritualistic masks are donned by the elders at these ceremonies. Sometimes the masks used are reserved only for initiations. Among the most impressive of the initiation masks are the exquisitely carved human faces of west-coast African tribes. In western and central Congo (Kinshasa), large, colourful helmetlike masks are used as a masquerading device when the youth emerges from the initiation area and is introduced to the villagers as an adult of the tribe. After a lengthy ordeal of teaching and initiation rites, for instance, a youth of the Pende tribe appears in a distinctive colourful mask indicative of his new role as an adult. The mask is later cast aside and replaced by a small ivory duplicate, worn as a charm against misfortune and as a symbol of his manhood.Believing everything in nature to possess a spirit, man found authority for himself and his family by identifying with a specific nonhuman spirit. He adopted an object of nature; then he mythologically (myth) traced his ancestry back to the chosen object; he preempted the animal as the emblem of himself and his clan. This is the practice of totem, which consolidates family pride and distinguishes social lines. Masks are made to house the totem spirit. The totem (totemism) ancestor is believed actually to materialize in its mask; thus masks are of the utmost importance in securing protection and bringing comfort to the totem clan.The Papuans of New Guinea build mammoth masks called hevehe, attaining 20 feet in height. They are constructed of a palm wood armature covered in bark cloth; geometric designs are stitched on with painted cane strips. These fantastic man–animal masks are given a frightening aspect. When they emerge from the men's secret clubhouse, they serve to protect the members of the clan. The so-called "totem" pole (totem pole) of the Alaskan and British Columbian Indian fulfills the same function. The African totem mask is often carved from ebony or other hard woods, designed with graceful lines and showing a highly polished surface. Animal masks, their features elongated and beautifully formalized, are common in western Africa. Dried grass, woven palm fibres, coconuts, and shells, as well as wood are employed in the masks of New Guinea, New Ireland, and New Caledonia. Represented are fanciful birds, fishes, and animals with distorted or exaggerated features.The high priest and medicine man, or shaman (shamanism), frequently had his own very powerful totem, in whose mask he could exorcise evil spirits, punish enemies, locate game or fish, predict the weather, and, most importantly, cure disease.The Northwest Coast Indians (Northwest Coast Indian) of North America in particular devised mechanical masks (Kwakiutl) with movable parts to reveal a second face—generally a human image. Believing that the human spirit could take animal form and vice versa, the makers of these masks fused man and bird or man and animal into one mask. Some of these articulating masks acted out entire legends as their parts moved.Funerary and commemorative usesIn cultures in which burial customs are important, anthropomorphic masks have often been used in ceremonies associated with the dead (death rite) and departing spirits. Funerary masks were frequently used to cover the face of the deceased. Generally their purpose was to represent the features of the deceased, both to honour them and to establish a relationship through the mask with the spirit world. Sometimes they were used to force the spirit of the newly dead to depart for the spirit world. Masks were also made to protect the deceased by frightening away malevolent spirits.From the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1786 BC) to the 1st century AD, the ancient Egyptians (Egyptian religion) placed stylized masks with generalized features on the faces of their dead. The funerary mask served to guide the spirit of the deceased back to its final resting place in the body. They were commonly made of cloth covered with stucco or plaster, which was then painted. For more important personages, silver and gold were used. Among the most splendid examples of the burial portrait mask is the one created about 1350 BC for the pharaoh Tutankhamen. In Mycenaean tombs of about 1400 BC, beaten gold portrait masks were found. Gold masks also were placed on the faces of the dead kings of Cambodia and Siam.The mummies of Inca royalty wore golden masks (goldwork). The mummies of lesser personages often had masks that were made of wood or clay. Some of these ancient Andean masks had movable parts, such as the metallic death mask with movable ears that was found in the Moon Pyramid at Moche, Peru. The ancient Mexicans made burial masks that seem to be generic representations rather than portraits of individuals.In ancient Roman burials (ancient Rome), a mask resembling the deceased was often placed over his face or was worn by an actor hired to accompany the funerary cortege to the burial site. In patrician families these masks, or imagines, were sometimes preserved as ancestor portraits and were displayed on ceremonial occasions. Such masks were usually modeled over the features of the dead and cast in wax. This technique was revived in the making of effigy masks for the royalty and nobility of Europe from the late Middle Ages through the 18th century. Painted and with human hair, these masks were attached to a dummy dressed in state regalia and were used for display, processionals, or commemorative ceremonials. From the 17th century to the 20th, death masks (death mask) of famous persons became widespread among European peoples. With wax or liquid plaster of paris, a negative cast of the human face could be produced that in turn acted as a mold for the positive image, frequently cast in bronze. In the 19th century, life masks made in the same manner became popular. Another type of life mask had been produced in the Fayyum region of Egypt during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. These were realistic portraits painted in encaustic on wood during a person's lifetime; when the person died, they were attached directly to the facial area on the mummy shroud.The skull mask is another form usually associated with funerary rites. The skull masks of the Aztecs (Aztec), like their wooden masks, were inlaid with mosaics of turquoise and lignite, and the eye sockets were filled with pyrites (pyrite). Holes were customarily drilled in the back so the mask might be hung or possibly worn. In Melanesia (Melanesian culture), the skull of the deceased is often modeled over with clay, or resin and wax, and then elaborately painted with designs that had been used ceremonially by the deceased during his own lifetime.Therapeutic usesMasks have played an important part in magico-religious rites to prevent and to cure disease. In some cultures, the masked members of secret societies could drive disease demons from entire villages and tribes. Among the best known of these groups was the False Face Society of the North American Iroquois Indians (Iroquois). These professional healers performed violent pantomimes to exorcise the dreaded gahadogoka gogosa (demons who plagued the Iroquois). They wore grimacing, twisted masks, often with long wigs of horsehair. Metallic inserts often were used around the eyes to catch the light of the campfire and the moon, emphasizing the grotesqueness of the mask.Masks for protection from disease include the measle masks worn by Chinese children and the cholera masks worn during epidemics by the Chinese and Burmese. The disease mask is most developed among the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where 19 distinct rākasa, or disease devil masks, have been devised. These masks are of ferocious aspect, fanged, and with startling eyes. Gaudily coloured and sometimes having articulating jaws, they present a dragon-like appearance.Masks have long been used in military connections. A war mask will have a malevolent expression or hideously fantastic features to instill fear in the enemy. The ancient Greeks and Romans (ancient Rome) used battle shields with grotesque masks or attached terrifying masks to their armour, as did the Chinese warrior. Grimacing menpo, or mask helmets, were used by Japanese samurai.Many sports require the use of masks. Some of these are merely functional, protective devices such as the masks worn by fencers, baseball catchers, or even skiers. To protect their faces in sports events and tournaments of arms, horsemen of the Roman army attached highly decorative and symbolic masks to their helmets.Perhaps the earliest use of masks was in connection with hunting. Disguise masks were seemingly used in the early Stone Age in stalking prey and later to house the slain animal's spirit in the hope of placating it. The traditional animal masks worn by the Altaic and Tungusic shamans (shamanism) in Siberia are strictly close to such prehistoric examples as the image of the so-called sorcerer in the Cave of Les Trois Frères in Ariège, France.Since agricultural societies first appeared in prehistory, the mask has been widely used for fertility rituals. The Iroquois, for instance, used corn husk masks at harvest rituals to give thanks for and to achieve future abundance of crops. Perhaps the most renowned of the masked fertility rites held by American Indians (Native American art) are those still performed by the Hopi and Zuni Indians of the American Southwest. Together with masked dancers representing clouds, rain spirits, stars, earth mother, sky god, and others, the shaman takes part in elaborate ceremonies designed to assure crop fertility. Spirits called kachinas, who first brought rain to the Pueblo tribes, are said to have left their masks behind when sent to dwell in the bottom of a desert lake. Their return to help bring the rain is incarnated by the masked dancer. Cylindrical masks, covering the entire head and resting on the shoulders, are of a primal type. They are made of leather and humanized by the addition of hair and a variety of adjuncts. Eyes are represented by incisions or by buckskin balls filled with deer hair and affixed to the mask. The nose is often of rolled buckskin or corncob. Frequently the mask has a projecting wooden cylinder for a bill or a gourd stem cut with teeth for a snout. Horns are attached to some masks. Many colours are used in their painting; plumes and beads are attached, and the sex of the mask is distinguished by its shape: round head indicates male and square indicates female. In the western Sudan area of Africa, many tribes have masked fertility ceremonials. The segoni-kun masks that are fashioned by the Bambara tribes in Mali are aesthetically among the most interesting. Antelopes, characterized by their elegant simplicity, are carved in wood and affixed to woven fibre caps that are hung with raffia and cover the wearer. The antelope is believed to have introduced agriculture, and so, when crops are sown, members of Tji-wara society cavort in the fields in pairs to symbolize fertility and abundance.Festive usesMasks for festive occasions are still commonly used. Ludicrous, grotesque, or superficially horrible, festival masks are usually conducive to good-natured license, release from inhibitions, and ribaldry. These include the Halloween, Mardi Gras, or "masked ball" variety. The disguise is assumed to create a momentary, amusing character, often resulting in humorous confusions, or to achieve anonymity for the prankster or ribald reveler.Throughout contemporary Europe and Latin America, masks are associated with folk festivals, especially those generated by seasonal changes or marking the beginning and end of the year. Among the most famous of the folk masks are the masks worn to symbolize the driving away of winter in parts of Austria and Switzerland. In Mexico and Guatemala, annual folk festivals employ masks for storytelling and caricature, such as for the Dance of the Old Men and the Dance of the Moors and the Christians. The Eskimo make masks with comic or satiric features that are worn at festivals of merrymaking, as do the Igbo (Ibo) of Nigeria.Theatrical usesMasks have been used almost universally to represent characters in theatrical performances (theatre). Theatrical performances are a visual literature of a transient, momentary kind. It is most impressive because it can be seen as a reality; it expends itself by its very revelation. The mask participates as a more enduring element, since its form is physical.The mask as a device for theatre first emerged in Western civilization from the religious practices of ancient Greece. In the worship of Dionysus (Bacchanalia), god of fecundity and the harvest, the communicants' attempt to impersonate the deity by donning goatskins and by imbibing wine eventually developed into the sophistication of masking. When a literature of worship appeared, a disguise, which consisted of a white linen mask hung over the face (a device supposedly initiated by Thespis, a 6th-century-BC poet who is credited with originating tragedy), enabled the leaders of the ceremony to make the god manifest. Thus symbolically identified, the communicant was inspired to speak in the first person, thereby giving birth to the art of drama. In Greece the progress from ritual to ritual-drama was continued in highly formalized theatrical representations. Masks used in these productions became elaborate headpieces made of leather or painted canvas and depicted an extensive variety of personalities, ages, ranks, and occupations. Heavily coiffured and of a size to enlarge the actor's presence, the Greek mask seems to have been designed to throw the voice by means of a built-in megaphone device and, by exaggeration of the features, to make clear at a distance the precise nature of the character. Moreover, their use made it possible for the Greek actors—who were limited by convention to three speakers for each tragedy—to impersonate a number of different characters during the play simply by changing masks and costumes. Details from frescoes, mosaics, vase paintings, and fragments of stone sculpture that have survived to the present day provide most of what is known of the appearance of these ancient theatrical masks. The tendency of the early Greek and Roman (ancient Rome) artists to idealize their subjects throws doubt, however, upon the accuracy of these reproductions. In fact, some authorities maintain that the masks of the ancient theatre were crude affairs with little aesthetic appeal.In the Middle Ages, masks were used in the mystery plays (mystery play) of the 12th to the 16th century. In plays dramatizing portions of the Old and New Testaments, grotesques of all sorts, such as devils, demons, dragons, and personifications of the seven deadly sins, were brought to stage life by the use of masks. Constructed of papier-mâché, the masks of the mystery plays were evidently marvels of ingenuity and craftsmanship, being made to articulate and to belch fire and smoke from hidden contrivances. But again, no reliable pictorial record has survived. Masks used in connection with present-day carnivals and Mardi Gras and those of folk demons and characters still used by central European peasants, such as the Perchten masks of Alpine Austria, are most likely the inheritors of the tradition of medieval masks.The 15th-century Renaissance in Italy witnessed the rise of a theatrical phenomenon that spread rapidly to France, to Germany, and to England, where it maintained its popularity into the 18th century. Comedies improvised from scenarios based upon the domestic dramas of the ancient Roman comic playwrights Plautus (254?–184 BC) and Terence (186/185–159 BC) and upon situations drawn from anonymous ancient Roman mimes flourished under the title of commedia dell'arte. Adopting the Roman stock figures and situations to their own usages, the players of the commedia were usually masked. Sometimes the masking was grotesque and fanciful, but generally a heavy leather mask, full or half face, disguised the commedia player. Excellent pictorial records of both commedia costumes and masks exist; some sketches show the characters of Arlecchino and Colombina wearing black masks covering merely the eyes, from which the later masquerade mask is certainly a development.Except for vestiges of the commedia in the form of puppet and marionette shows, the drama of masks all but disappeared in Western theatre during the 18th, 19th, and first half of the 20th centuries. In modern revivals of ancient Greek plays, masks have occasionally been employed, and such highly symbolic plays as Die versunkene Glocke (The Sunken Bell; 1897) by the German Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946) and dramatizations of Alice in Wonderland have required masks for the performers of grotesque or animal figures. The Irish poet-playwright W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) revived the convention in his Dreaming of the Bones and in other plays patterned upon the Japanese nō drama. In 1926 theatregoers in the United States witnessed a memorable use of masks in The Great God Brown by the American dramatist Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953), wherein actors wore masks of their own faces to indicate changes in the internal and external lives of their characters. Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), a German artist associated with the Bauhaus, became interested in the late 1920s and '30s in semantic phenomenology as applied to the design of masks for theatrical productions. Modern art movements are often reflected in the design of contemporary theatrical masks. The stylistic concepts of Cubism and Surrealism, for example, are apparent in the masks executed for a 1957 production of La favola del figlio cambiato (The Fable of the Transformed Son) by the Italian dramatist Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936). A well-known mid-century play using masks was Les Nègres (1958; The Blacks, 1960) by the French writer Jean Genet. The mask, however, unquestionably lost its importance as a theatrical convention in the 20th century, and its appearance in modern plays is unusual.In many ways akin to Greek drama in origin and theme, the nō drama of Japan has remained a significant part of national life since its beginnings in the 14th century. Nō masks, of which there are about 125 named varieties, are rigidly traditional and are classified into five general types: old persons (male and female), gods, goddesses, devils, and goblins. The material of the nō mask is wood with a coating of plaster, which is lacquered and gilded. Colours are traditional. White is used to characterize a corrupt ruler; red signifies a righteous man; a black mask is worn by the villain, who epitomizes violence and brutality. Nō masks are highly stylized and generally characterized. They are exquisitely carved by highly respected artists known as tenka-ichi, "the first under heaven." Shades of feeling are portrayed with beautifully sublimated realism. When the masks are subtly moved by the player's hand or body motion, their expression appears to change.In Tibet, sacred dramas are performed by masked lay actors. A play for exorcising demons called the Dance of the Red Tiger Devil is performed at fixed seasons of the year exclusively by the priests or lamas wearing awe-inspiring masks of deities and demons. Masks employed in this mystery play are made of papier-mâché, cloth, and occasionally gilt copper. In the Indian state of Sikkim and in Bhutan, where wood is abundant and the damp climate is destructive to paper, they are carved of durable wood. All masks of the Himalayan peoples are fantastically painted and are usually provided with wigs of yak tail in various colours. Formally, they often emphasize the hideous.Masks, usually made of papier-mâché, are employed in the religious or admonitory drama of China; but for the greater part the actors in popular or secular drama make up their faces with cosmetics and paint to resemble masks, as do the kabuki actors in Japan. The makeup mask (makeup) both identifies the particular character and conveys his personality. The highly didactic sacred drama of China is performed with the actors wearing fanciful and grotesque masks. Akin to this "morality" drama are the congratulatory playlets, pageants, processions, and dances of China. Masks employed in these ceremonies are highly ornamented, with jeweled and elaborately filigreed headgears. In the lion and dragon dances of both China and Japan, a stylized mask of the beast is carried on a pole by itinerant players, whose bodies are concealed by a dependent cloth. The mask and cloth are manipulated violently, as if the animal were in pursuit, to the taps of a small drum. The mask's lower jaw is movable and made to emit a loud continuous clacking by means of a string.On Java and Bali, wooden masks, tupeng, are used in certain theatrical performances called wayang wong. These dance dramas developed from the shadow puppet plays of the 18th century and are performed not only as amusement but as a safeguard against calamities. The stories are in part derived from ancient Sanskrit literature, especially the Hindu epics, although the Javanese later became Muslims. The brightly painted masks are made of wood and leather and are often fitted with horsehair and metallic or gilded paper accoutrements. They are ordinarily held in the teeth by means of a strap of leather or rattan that has been fastened across the inside. Occasionally an actor interrupts the unseen narrator, the Dalang, who is speaking the play. The mask is then held in front of the face while the player says his line. The use of theatrical masks in Java is exceptional, since masks, being forbidden under the prohibition of images, are practically unknown in the Islamic world.In the 20th century, with the breaking down of primitive and folk cultures, the mask increasingly became a decorative object, although it has long been used in art as an ornamental device. In Haiti, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, and Mexico, masks are produced largely for tourists. The collecting of old masks has been a part of the current interest in so-called primitive and folk arts. Masks also have exerted a decided influence on modern art movements, especially in the first decades of the 20th century, when painters in France and Germany found a source of inspiration in the tribal masks of Africa and western Oceania (art and architecture, Oceanic).Additional Reading"Masks" in the Encyclopedia of World Art, vol. 9, col. 520–570 (1964), a good historical survey; William N. Fenton, "Masked Medicine Societies of the Iroquois," Smithsonian Institution, Annual Report for 1940, pp. 397–429 (1941), a very good general discussion of Iroquois masks, with illustrations; Marcel Griaule, Masques Dogons, 2nd ed. (1963), a profusely illustrated classic study of the masks of the Dogon, a people of Mali, within their cultural setting; George W. Harley, Masks as Agents of Social Control in Northeast Liberia, Peabody Museum Papers 32, no. 2 (1950, reprinted 1975), a useful, illustrated article on this topic; Edward A. Kennard, Hopi Kachinas, 2nd ed. (1971), an important study; Dorothy J. Ray, Eskimo Masks: Art and Ceremony (1967), one of the best studies of Eskimo masks, with many fine plates and a bibliography; F.E. Williams, Drama of Orokolo (1940, reprinted 1969), a classic study of masks of the Gulf of Papua, New Guinea, with fine illustrations and a bibliography; Malcolm Kirk, Man as Art: New Guinea (1981), with especially good photographs; Donald B. Cordry, Mexican Masks (1980), a study of how Mexican masks are related to both the European and the Indian traditions; Simon Ottenberg, Masked Rituals of Afikpo (1975), a survey of a Nigerian masquerade tradition; and Leon Underwood, Masks of West Africa (1948), a small book but important for the subject, with good plates.Paul S. Wingert
* * *
Universalium. 2010.


text:
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt will soon sell 3.2 million shares of Google stock, worth perhaps $2.5 billion and well over a third of his 2.3% equity share, according to a Feb 8. regulatory filing.
Investors looking for divine insights about the tech company from Schmidt's sale will probably be at a loss. The plan to sell the stock, beginning within 30 days and continuing throughout the year to avoid affecting the company's stock price, was agreed to in November 2012. It is part of Schmidt's "long-term strategy for individual asset diversification and liquidity," the filing says, and Google has assured reporters that he remains committed to the company.
It makes sense that Schmidt, 57, doesn't want to have $6 billion of his reported net worth of $7.5 billion tied up in a single company, even if it is the internet juggernaut he helped build as CEO for 10 years. But what is interesting here isn't why Schmidt will sell the stock, but how he'll do it—using what's called a "10b5-1 trading plan," which refers to a SEC rule used by corporate insiders to avoid charges of insider trading when they make big sales like this one.
Essentially, the plan certifies that the decision to sell stock occurred when the owner wasn't in possession of any pesky "material non-public information"—business secrets—that would give her an unfair advantage in the markets. By planning the sale ahead of time, they can make plain that there's no funny business. The long waiting period between the adoption of the plan, its announcement and the beginning of the sales suggests that Google and Schmidt are being cautious when it comes to allaying suspicions of double-dealing.
In the last quarter of 2012, when Schmidt and Google were finalizing the plan to sell stock several months down the road, most other executives were plotting how to sell stock or issue dividends immediately, to avoid the tax increases on capital gains and dividends that were widely expected and ultimately enacted as part of a fiscal consolidation plan agreed to by President Obama and Congress. Selling beforehand was a lucrative move: Long-term capital gains booked in 2012 were taxed at 15%, but in 2013 they'll be taxed at 20%, along with a 3.8% surtax implemented by the 2010 health care reform law.
Schmidt didn't save that money, even though a waiting period of as little as 10 days can be used by a 10b5-1 plan. Theoretically, he could have begun selling in 2012, saving at least some tax income, though a year-long sales plan would have resulted in at least some of his income falling under the new tax rates. The wait is notable, since Schmidt has famously defended Google's practice of avoiding corporate income taxes by booking profits abroad, telling Bloomberg "it's called capitalism. We are proudly capitalistic. I'm not confused about this."
But the delay isn't likely to cost Schmidt any money. Google's stock has performed strongly since he came up with the plan, rising some $140 dollars, a 22% increase. Assuming that price stays steady or continues growing over the next year, it will more than make up for any extra taxes he will have to pay by waiting to sell. Who says there's no such thing as good karma?

subset: commoncrawl


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Chapter 2
All the riches and wealth of the king are vanity and vexation of spirit—Wisdom is better than folly—God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to man.
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with amirth, therefore enjoy bpleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I abuilded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and agold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the bprovinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my alabour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 ¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth adarkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in adarkness: and I myself perceived also that one bevent happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more awise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no aremembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how bdieth the wise man? as the fool.
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and avexation of spirit.
18 ¶ Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to adespair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in aequity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is bvanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 ¶ There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his asoul enjoy good in his blabour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is agood before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.


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Peer-to-Peer Lending Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024
29 Aug, 2016, 05:42 ET
LONDON, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This report aims to provide a detailed and vital analysis of the global peer-to-peer market along with revenue and growth forecasts for the period from 2014 to 2024. The global financial crisis, subsequently resulted in the emergence of the peer-to-peer lending outside of the traditional financial system especially in countries such as the U.S., the U.K. and Europe. Typically, the peer-to-peer lending business provides a unique and transparent platform to individuals, small businesses, and start-ups to invest or borrow money in few clicks
The report offers an in-depth study of the market drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities. Using these factors, the report identifies various trends expected to impact the market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. It includes a comprehensive coverage of the underlying economic, environmental, and technological factors influencing the peer-to-peer market. It provides the competitive landscape and analysis of key players in the global peer-to-peer market in order to highlight the state of competition and to identify the various business strategies adopted by them. In this report, the global peer-to-peer lending market is segmented on the basis of end-users and business models and geographies and explains the penetration of each market segment within various geographies, and how these segments have accelerated the growth of the market as a whole.
The end-users segment of the peer-to-peer lending market is classified into consumer credit, small business, student loans, and real estate and the business models segment is classified into traditional P2P model and marketplace lending model. Geographically, the global market for peer-to-peer lending has been segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (Middle East and Africa and Latin America). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period from 2014 to 2024 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario for major countries/regions in these geographical segments.
The report includes an overview of the market strategies, annual revenues, and the recent developments of key companies operating in the market. The key market participants profiled in this study include LendingClub Corporation, Prosper Marketplace, Inc., CommonBond Inc., Upstart Network Inc., Funding Circle Limited, CircleBack Lending, Inc., Peerform, Social Finance Inc., Pave, Inc., and Daric Inc.
Market segmentation:
Global Peer-to-Peer Lending Market Analysis, By End-Users, 2014 – 2024 (US$ Bn)
Consumer Credit
Small Business
Student Loans
Real Estate
Global Peer-to-Peer Lending Market Analysis, By Business Model, 2014 – 2024 (US$ Bn)
Traditional P2P Model
Marketplace Lending Model
In addition, the report provides cross-sectional analysis of the peer-to-peer market with respect to the following geographical segments along with select country market estimates:
North America
The U.S.
Rest of North America
The U.K.
Rest of Europe
Rest of Asia Pacific
Rest of the World
Middle East and Africa (MEA)
Latin America
Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3999907/
About Reportbuyer
Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers
For more information:
Sarah Smith
Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 208 816 85 48
Website: www.reportbuyer.com
SOURCE ReportBuyer


text:
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies have approved the FY10 Appropriations Bill which includes $500,000 for the University at Albany's College of Nanoscience and Engineering. The funding would be used to further the development and deployment of new nanoscale fabrication and measurement strategies. Schumer worked closely with members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the project in this year's spending bill.
"It is critical that we continue to support the groundbreaking research at Albany NanoTech," said Schumer. "This federal funding will ensure that Albany will continue to be a global leader in nanotechnology. This funding will help support Albany as a leader in global research, attracting companies and creating jobs in the Capital Region. I will fight to see this funding through the appropriations process."
"This is a great investment for the state of the art research at our world class facility at University at Albany," said Senator Gillibrand. "Nanotechnology research and development is a critical part of the Capital Region's economic growth. I will continue to work with Senator Schumer to ensure that New York receives its fair share of federal dollars."
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany established the New York Center for National Competitiveness in Nanoscale Characterization (NC)3 as a partnership with the National Institute for Science and Technology (NIST) to assemble the synergistic intellectual assets and cutting edge physical resources necessary to complement, support, and promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, sensitive traceability, and accurate technological and industrial standards under the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI).
Funding for (NC)3 will also support the concurrent research and development of new nanoscale measurement strategies supporting the emerging "bottom-up approach" in nanotechnology fabrication protocols based on controlled self-assembly of atomic device building blocks to be used in a broad array of applications including advanced nanoelectronic devices in addition to clean energy, defense, biomedical, transportation and communications. Collaborative interactions between NIST and CNSE focusing on the "bottom-up approach" will focus more on nanoscale characterization of energy related materials and devices including solar cells, solid state lighting, optical sensors for harsh environments, fuel cells and energy storage devices.
Now that the bill has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, it will be sent to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. Following approval by the Full Committee and the Senate, the bill will move towards Conference with the House and then to the President for signature.


text:
Stanoprime Info
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Who Uses Stanozolol Depot?
Stanozolol is mainly used by bodybuilders and athletes. In the world of body building, this drug is mixed with several other anabolic steroids based on testosterone. Winstrol Depot or Stanozolol is a DHT- imitative and normally used in cutting cycles. We can say that it is considered as the economical option at the place of Anavar that is not converted into estrogen like many other DHT derivations. It is non-progestenic.
Stanozolol is not just helpful for burning fat but it is also used to treat hereditary angioedema and anemia. Bodybuilders prefer this drug because it has the capability to enhance the power without increasing weight. This effective steroid is also effective in veterinary division. Stanozolol Depot is helpful in boosting the bone density, getting better muscle growth and formation of red blood cells. It also helps in stimulating the hunger of fragile animals.
Check Out Winstrol User Reviews and Results.
Results of a Stanozolol Cycle
Even though this drug is a gentle androgen and you may consider it safe for your body, the fact remains that when compared to other kinds of steroids that have some negative effects, the WD is a little harsher. The side effects of this drug can be vary from chronic liver problems to headaches. The most common side effect it gives is acne growth in women and new users.
The severe side effect of Stanozolol is that it can cause liver damage whether the user has opted for injection or oral Winstrol Depot. However, you can reduce these side effects by using it with some kinds of liver detoxification supplements or boost the intake of pro-liver antioxidants like vitamins C and E and minerals such as Zinc and selenium.


text:
by Gregg Chadwick
If this was the way the world ended on 12 21 12, those of us gathered at UCLA's Royce Hall for the second night of Rufus and Martha Wainwright's Christmas 101 were being ushered into eternity with heavenly voices.
Rufus and Martha Wainwright, the son and daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle - who passed away in 2010 from a rare sarcoma cancer, both possess extraordinary voices and mesmerizing stage presence. Their combined talents bolstered by musical kin and comrades, including Emmylou Harris, folk singer Maria Muldaur's daughter Jenni Muldaur, the legendary Van Dyke Parks, former Eels drummer Butch Norton, Sloan Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Carrie Fisher, Rufus' husband Jorn Weisbrodt, and more, brought holiday cheer and at times poignant retrospection to last night's concert.
Christmas 101 continues a concert tradition begun in 2005 by Kate McGarrigle and her sister Anna. As well as being musical events, the shows are star splashed fundraisers for the Kate McGarrigle Fund which supports cancer care and research at the McGill University Cancer Centre and the renowned teaching hospitals of McGill University in Montreal, including the McGill University Health Centre and the Jewish General Hospital.
The evening opened with the traditional Christmas carol God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, as vocalists and musicians stretched across the stage beneath a bright blue scrim dusted with images of snowflakes. The hall overflowed with family history as if we had stepped into a McGarrigle/Wainwright Christmas reunion.
Moving from tradition to contemporaneity, Rufus next crooned his searing ode to unconditional love - Spotlight on Christmas. Rufus' richly crafted lyrics use the Christmas story as a vehicle to examine inequality and consumerism:
People love the working man
Who does the best that he can
But don't forget all the horses and toys
Never could fix the poor little rich boys
People say they love the maid
Who sweats and toils just like a slave
But don't forget all the diamonds and pearls
Never could fix the poor little rich girls
You can measure it in blood
You can measure it in mud
Let us say for these twelve days
Put the measuring away
Cause it's Christmas
And the spotlight's shining on Christmas
And the spotlight's shining on us
People love and people hate
People go and people wait
But, don't forget Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Once were a family poor but rich in hope, yeah
Don't forget Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Running from the law, King Herod had imposeth
And they were each one quite odd
And mensch, a virgin, and a God
But don't forget that what kept them aflow
Floating through the desert doesnt take a boat no
Don't forget that what kept them above
Is unconditional love
And, you can measure it in blood
You can measure it in mud
Let us say for these twelve days
Put the measuring away
Cause it's Christmas
And the spotlight's shining on Christmas
And the spotlight's shining on us
And the spotlight's shining on Christmas
And the spotlight's shining on
People love the working man
Who does the best that he can
But, don't forget all the horses and toys
Never could fix the poor little rich boys
The mood shifted, as it would all night in what seemed a conscious reflection of holiday tensions amidst a world soaked in violence and injustice, as Rufus and Jenni Muldaur played wolf and mouse in Frank Loesser's seductive standard Baby, It's Cold Outside.
Van Dyke Parks appeared almost as a white haired saint throughout the evening. His passion and musicianship lifted the music and took it into another realm, particularly when he strolled into the audience to play Royce Hall's thundering organ.
|Rufus and Martha Wainwright Perform at Christmas 101
Royce Hall, UCLA
December 21, 2012
photo courtesy @christmas_101
Lucy Wainwright Roche brought the house to tears with her poignant version of Joni Mitchell's River. Many of us remarked at intermission that Lucy's singing brought the haunting lyrics to the forefront:
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
|Van Dyke Parks and @WainBright killing it: Trois Anges
photo courtesy @christmas_101
Soon after, Rufus and Martha's aunt Sloan Wainwright shook Royce Hall with her gospel fueled Thank God It's Christmas, revving the evening into a communal celebration of birth, life, death and everything in between.
Before the break, Rufus, Martha, family and friends gathered for a lovely rendition of White Christmas, which smartly added a nod to the absence of African-Americans in the song's lyrics and the culture itself that many of the holiday tunes rose from.
|Gigi warming up Royce Hall
photo courtesy @christmas_101
After intermission, three songs in particular commanded rapt attention. Emmylou Harris dedicated her rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem to the children and the teachers gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut one week before. Harris' voice quietly conveyed the fragility inherit in all our lives. She screamed "Enough!" in a whisper.
Later, Rufus asked for the mics and monitors to be turned off before he wafted into an a cappella rendition of the lovely Cantique de Noël - the original French version of O Holy Night. Wainwright's voice carried and echoed around Royce Hall, reminding me of the countless students, educators, politicians, and performers whose voices had also echoed in this room.
|Echoes of Royce Hall - 2008
photo by Gregg Chadwick
Martha Wainwright, brought the entire night home with her haunting singing of her mother's song Proserpina. This musical retelling of the Roman goddess Proserpina's tale was the last song Kate McGarrigle wrote.
The myth recounts the abduction of the goddess Proserpina (or Persephone in Greek) by Pluto, the master of the underworld. Proserpina's mother Ceres, the goddess or mother of the earth, searched in vain for her daughter. Ceres lamented her vanished girl. Where had she gone? In time Ceres found a clue - a small belt dropped by her daughter in the abduction, but the fate of her daughter remained unknown. In anger, Ceres halted nature's growth. Plants withered and the world touched by her footprints turned to desert. Finally, to end Ceres wrath, Pluto who had hidden Proserpina in his underworld was forced by the other gods to set his abducted bride free. But a price was set. Proserpina could return for six months each year to her mother - Spring and Summer. But each year when the seasons change to Fall and Winter, Proserpina must return underground.
|Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Martha carried the song last night in a rich plaintive voice. We were honored to hear her sing and be in the presence of such a remarkable musical family.
The entire ensemble joined in on John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Happy Xmas (War Is Over) to provide a fitting ending to an inspirational evening.
Christmas 101 concludes with a final performance at Royce Hall tonight. I urge you to drop everything and attend. For me, this concert series perfectly embodies what the holidays should be all about.
|Martha Wainwright and Van Dyke Parks at Royce Hall
photo courtesy @christmas_101
Rufus & Martha Wainwright's Christmas 101
Rufus and Martha Wainwright Host 'Christmas 101' in Oakland


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In the aftermath of the unconscionable events that took place in Arizona this weekend, there's been a lot of heated discussion about tone, rhetoric, and the consequences of "inflammatory" speech. Unfortunately, commentators have occasionally confused their anger and condemnation of some of the more overheated rhetoric in our political culture with an argument against free speech itself.
There is irony in this because free speech exists in large part so we can criticize, discuss, and parse through issues -- including the accuracy of rhetoric, the tone of discussion, and the consequences of ideas. While a discussion about tone, rhetoric -- and, most of all, the wisdom of different political arguments -- should always be welcome in a free society like ours, to scapegoat the First Amendment is to fundamentally misunderstand why we have free speech in the first place.
While there is a deep and elegant philosophical rationale explaining a society's need for robust free speech (and here I will once again plug Jonathan Rauch's awesome speech on this topic), free speech is also a deeply practical rule of engagement for a society. One reason why free speech makes so much sense is because any system that allows for censorship must place an actual, flawed human being in charge of deciding what can and cannot be said. Once the power to censor has been granted, it follows like night follows day that those in charge will be more likely to use this power to punish people with points of view that they simply dislike than those with points of view they favor.
What's more, if there were no general rule protecting free speech, the first thing to go would be any speech critical of those in charge of deciding what speech is free. In other words, many people seem to have an unwritten rule: "I believe in free speech and all, but I draw the line at criticizing me."
Consider the case of Jacob Lovell, a student at the University of Georgia (UGA) who was sick and tired of the lack of campus parking for his scooter. UGA, recognizing that many students were frustrated with parking services on campus (imagine that!), set up a website to gather suggestions and complaints from students. Lovell sent a funny e-mail (seriously, I laughed out loud the first time I read it) to parking services complaining about the lack of scooter parking and suddenly found himself facing charges more suitable to a supervillain than an agitator for scooter parking.
Today, at the risk of introducing some levity into a rightfully gravely serious week, I unveil the ridiculous story of "Scootergate":
(Important note: For those of you who are not comic book geeks, the reference to Lex Luthor's harebrained schemes to create new real estate is nerdy comic gold... at least to this comic book geek.)
Thankfully, due to pressure from my organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the school quickly backed down, but do not believe for a second that this is an isolated incident. Abuses of administrative power are commonplace on campus, and we have documented many gross abuses of student rights in videos which you can view on YouTube or in my dozens of previous columns on campus censorship.
Indeed, back in 2005, my colleague Azhar Majeed and I authored a column at InsideHigherEd.com warning about the haphazard invocation of "threats" as a rationale to punish student and faculty speech.
While any discussion on the nature and importance of free speech and its relationship to provocative or inflammatory rhetoric is necessarily sprawling and vast, my main point today is simply to say that we must understand that any time you place limitations on freedom of speech, the likelihood is extremely high that it will quickly be abused to censor viewpoints disfavored by those in power.
Our nation has survived many challenges precisely because we are able to talk things out. So as we have this national discussion about tone, rhetoric, and political ideology, it is crucial that we not undermine the very principles that allow this discussion to happen.


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Tavid kasutab küpsiseid, et tagada veebilehe piisav funktsionaalsus ning samuti selleks, et muuta meie veebilehe kasutamine lihtsamaks ja pakkuda isikupärastatud kasutajakogemust. Lugege täpsemalt meie küpsisepoliitika kohta siit.
Merrill Lynch says rich turning to gold bars for safety
Merrill Lynch has revealed that some of its richest clients are so alarmed by the state of the financial system and signs of political instability around the world that they are now insisting on the purchase of gold bars, shunning derivatives or "paper" proxies.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 10:56PM GMT 08 Jan 2009
Gary Dugan, the chief investment officer for the US bank, said there has been a remarkable change in sentiment. "People are genuinely worried about what the world is going to look like in 2009. It is amazing how many clients want physical gold, not ETFs," he said, referring to exchange trade funds listed in London, New York, and other bourses. "They are so worried they want a portable asset in their house. I never thought I would be getting calls from clients saying they want a box of krugerrands," he said.
Merrill predicted that gold would soon blast through its all time-high of $1,030 an ounce, and would hit $1,150 by June.
The metal should do well whatever happens. If deflation sets in and rocks the economic system it will serve as a safe-haven, but if massive monetary stimulus gains traction and sets off inflation once again it will also come into its own as a store of value. "It's win-win either way," said Mr Dugan. He added that deflation may prove the greater risk in coming months. "It's very difficult to get the deflation psychology out of the human brain once prices start falling. People stop buying things because they think it will be cheaper if they wait."
Rich investors are spurning gold exchange traded funds in favour of krugerrands. Merrill expects global inflation to hover near zero, with rates of minus 1pc in the industrial economies. This means that yields on AAA sovereign bonds now at 3pc will offer a real return of 4pc a year, which is stellar in this grim climate.
"Don't start selling your government bonds," Mr Dugan said, dismissing talk of a bond bubble as misguided. He warned that the eurozone was likely to come under strain this year as slump deepens. "There is going to be friction as governments in the south start talking politically about coming out of the euro. I don't see the tensions in Greece as a one-off. It is a sign of social strain in countries that have lost competitiveness."


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:53 06:06 12:12 15:35 18:12 19:26
A 79-year-old woman mistakenly backed into seven people in a parking lot with her SUV, killing three of them and injuring four.
The Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release Wednesday that Doreene Landstra of Palmetto has been ordered to appear in court next month after receiving a citation for improper backing.
The collision happened Sunday at the Sugar Creek Country Club, a mobile home community about 45 miles south of Tampa. Residents had gathered for church services inside a clubhouse building.
According to a police report, Landstra began backing her 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV out of a parking space, pulled forward when she realized she needed more room to clear another parked vehicle, and then struck the seven people when she began to back up again.
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Today, I receive all God's love for me. Today, I open myself to the unbounded, limitless, overflowing abundance of God's Universe. Today, I open myself to your Blessings, healing and miracles.Today, I open myself to God's Word so that I become more like Jesus Everyday. Today, I proclaim that I'm God's Beloved, I'm God's Servant, I'm God's powerful champion, And because I am blessed, I will bless the world, In Jesus Name, Amen.
RUPTURED BRAIN ANEURYSM: Living with a Broken Brain. A unique insight into the fragility of the extraordinary human brain. A true st...
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Road Warrior Animal Pays Tribute to Hawk, Paul Ellering's daughter looks to launch WWE career
Filed to GERWECK.NET:
Just wanted to get out this interview with Road Warrior Animal paying tribute to the tenth anniversary of Hawk's passing. There are also comments from Paul Ellering remembering Hawk and Paul's daughter, Rachael, who is a champion power lifter and talks about hawk and her aspirations to get into WWE.
Road Warrior Animal pays tribute to the 10th Anniversary of Hawk's passing, Paul Ellering's daughter looking to launch WWE career
In a recent hour plus interview on WGD Weekly with Steve and the Scum, WWE Hall of Famer relived his entire career and all points before and after as part of a tribute show, honoring the tenth anniversary of Road Warrior Hawk's passing. In addition, "Precious" Paul Ellering makes comments on Hawk and Ellering's daughter, Rachael, speaks about growing up with the L.O.D. and her aspirations to become a WWE superstar. The entire "WGD Weekly Tribute to Road Warrior Hawk can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB0EhEmocqY&feature=c4-feed-u&app=desktop
Highlights of the emotional interview with Animal and Steve and the Scum include:
How they got the names Animal and Hawk: "…I played traditional sports like football and everything else, and Hawk got his nickname…because during the football games as I was playing, Hawk was underneath the bleachers beating up people, so we may have lost the football game, but Hawk was 5-0 underneath the bleachers, so that's how he got his name and I got the name Animal because everything I touched, I either broke or in high school I broke every record for lifting there was for my weight class, so that's why people started calling me the Animal…"
Working as a bouncer at Grandma B's bar with Hawk, Rick Rude, Barry Darsow, Scott Norton, and John Nord: "…You gotta understand, Grandma B's was one of these places…it wasn't your friendly neighborhood bar…you'd have had to been a real idiot to mess up at that bar, even though there was probably on any given night 2,500 to 5,000 people in the bar, you had…myself, and Hawk, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Nord the Barbarian, Scott Norton…and guys like that all working along with Barry Darsow, all working at the same time at the same bar…it was kind of crazy…Rude was probably 235 and he was the smallest guy…"
Nearly giving up on the wrestling business before the Road Warriors ever even teamed up and the formation of the team:
"…Ole Anderson had just brought me in there and was gonna call me the Road Warrior…He brought Rude and I down there together…that was back at the time…when all those guys were having this big war on who's gonna take over Georgia Championship Wrestling…that's when Ole Anderson sent me to Charlotte…if any young wrestlers are out there and think that this wrestling game is easy, let me tell you how it was in my first run with Jim Crockett Promotions…I lived one time on probably for a week on a bag of pretzel sticks and a half a gallon of milk and I only made about a hundred and fifty bucks working nine times a week…at the time Hawk went up…and tried to work…in Vancouver. ..I got in the ring with some great guys, I got to wrestle Ricky Steamboat, I got to wrestle Ric Flair, I got to wrestle Jack Brisco…those guys saw something in me that I didn't even see, that I didn't know existed…it was a learning experience, I wouldn't
want to do it again…when I left and Hawk got done in Canada, we pretty much said 'forget this wrestling business, man, it sucks…and then I got call from Ole Anderson again…the first thing I said to him was ,'You know, Ole, I really want to beat the heck out of you right now, I don't even want to talk to you…I starved, I lost fifty pounds…and he apologized and said, 'Listen, I want to bring you and Mike in and call you guys the Road Warriors'…we said ok, we'll give it one more shot… "
Initially being paired up with Paul Ellering: "…of course the best teacher we had of all, was Paul Ellering…we were like the Three Musketeers, man, Paul used to take the time out of his day and draw the ring on a napkin and say, ok Animal you're here and Hawk, you're here, he more or less talked to me more because I was more like the ring general out there…I would know what everybody had to do in the ring and that was by the help of Paul…he was terrific with that…Ole said, 'listen, you idiots just go on the camera and be big and mean and let this guy do the talking, and then that's exactly what we did. Then we started easing ourselves into it…Paul would give a suggestion, Animal say something about this, Hawk say something about this…then after a while, nobody needed to tell us what to say…they put him with us because he knew the wrestling business and he could teach us the wrestling business…we learned a lot from him…it
looked real…"
The origins of the "Road Warrior look": "…we were sitting there with Bill Watts and Ole Anderson…at the time Bill Watts had just gave Dewey, the Missing Link the paint…down there in Louisiana…they said we want you guys to put a couple lines on your face…then Hawk came up with the brilliant idea, hey, why doesn't Animal get a Mohawk and I'll do the reverse Mohawk so we can look like we can plug our heads into each other…I said, 'man, are you friggin' nuts?'…but, we ended up doing it and it worked…later on, I did the spikes in my garage…next thing you know, we had the spiked shoulder pads…"
Dealing with Greg Gagne showing them animosity in AWA: "…at the time, Greg Gagne had a little bit of an attitude toward us…he was the booker and his dad owned the company. But, we took care of that real quick…we wrestled Greg and Jim in Winnipeg and I think Hawk press slammed Greg and threw him in about the third row…that took care of that…"
The Warriors refusing to drop the titles to the Fabulous Ones: "…you guys know our gimmick, we are street fighters…they wanted to do a finish called the 'switch-a-roo'…I kept looking to Paul…we were in the locker room and I said, 'man, that ain't right…it just doesn't feel right'….they give us the finish in the locker room, we say, ok, we're gonna do it, we go to the ring…first thing Hawk says to Keirn and Lane, he says, 'We ain't doin' the finish…listen to us and nobody will get hurt'…we came back to the locker room and Greg Gagne is yelling…Verne come down to the locker room and says, 'Jeez, nobody has changed a finish on me in 25 years…I said, 'Well Verne, first time for everything, we just did…"
The Powers of Pain feud, the eye injury, and Warlord and Barbarian going to WWF before the culmination of that feud: "…Warlord…was a good friend of mine…I helped train him…Barbarian is a great guy, a good friend of mine, we all worked out together…a lot of people don't realize with that bench press contest…is the night before in Hammond, Indiana, Warlord went to do a Samoan slam with me and landed on my head and he popped out my left eye and when it went back in it went in too far…in one move I had a skull fracture, a fractured cheek bone, a broken nose, and my orbital rim was shattered…the next night…in Greensboro…my eye was shattered and I still ended up doing a ridiculous 545 or whatever it was …with my orbital socket blown out…people didn't know because I painted over the swelling…then we were supposed to do scaffold matches, Warlord and Barbarian came to me and said, listen, Joe, actually we're really kind of afraid
to go up on those scaffolds, I said, 'bro, listen, I really don't want to go up there with you two big guys anyway'…at the time, Hawk was the lightest guy and he was 270…on that three foot wide scaffold, I didn't trust it…Warlord came and talked to me, he said…we're thinking about going to the WWF, I said, …my recommendation to you is go, because…you guys are gonna fall off that scaffold, I ain't falling off that scaffold…and your too big to jump off that scaffold…they didn't refuse anything, they came as a friend and asked and respected me…I told them, 'I'd go to the WWF tomorrow if I was you'…and they actually kind of did go the next day…"
Their move to WWF and first dealings with Vince McMahon: "…at the time Vince had the Ultimate Warrior…at first he tried to tell us, nobody knows who you are up here. I said, Vince, 'come on…they know who we are…' he said well, I gotta change your name, I can't call you the Road Warriors, I got the Ultimate Warrior…Hawk and I were thinking, 'that's kind of dumb that he is acting like this…so, we said, how about the Legion of Doom…and we used that…at the time, there was no rhyme or reason to anything he did…it was just literal chaos…people that you think should be wrestling each other were not wrestling each other and it was just the opposite the other way around…
I even cornered Vince McMahon one time, I told him I feel like you're backing us in a corner here and you're really starting to piss me off
His thoughts on Ryback, John Cena and some of the problems with current product: "…one thing that they have gotten away from a little bit is now they shove people down the people's throat so much that they don't get a chance to have a relationship with the fans…one guy for instance that wasn't ready for the push, a guy like Ryback was not ready…you throw him on pay per view and you end up killing him on every pay per view, what does that do for Ryback, nothing. Guy looks like a million dollars…talk about someone similar to Goldberg, he looks just like Bill Goldberg…but then you kill him every pay per view…and god bless, John Cena who is a great champion…but he is another guy that they shove down people's throat, and a lot of people don't care for it. The people have to choose who they look up to…"
Also, the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer, Paul Ellering, Rachael speaking on Hawk and her aspirations to become a WWE superstar, these highlights include:
Growing up with the L.O.D and remembering "Uncle Hawk": "…as everybody knows, his voice is absolutely unmistakable…that is something that I will never forget is him calling up and asking how school was and to hear it in his voice…that is just something that I really miss…so many more good memories…with Uncle Hawk…he'd do anything for anybody … he was so giving…he was a beautiful person…I just remember visiting him down in Florida with his wife…sitting by the ocean…the first time I ever took a bump is when he tossed me into the ocean…those a moments I will never forget…we were all stars on the card when we were with him…"
Wanting to make a transition from being a champion power lifting into a career in wrestling: "…I only think about it 100 times a day…It's absolutely something that I would love to do…I'm naturally athletic, played three sports in high school, and now I'm a champion power lifter so it's kind of been a theme throughout my whole life…most importantly, I think I have a passion for the business…I love the business through and through, so I think that I could offer a lot, I think I could be a mouthpiece if they wanted me as a manager, but I like to think I could be the total package and take a few bumps as well…I have a few Wall Street Journal's sitting around here…so if the time came, I'm ready for it…I've got a year and a half until I finish my bachelor's degree and then after that I really want to pursue it…it's quite the roller coaster and everything has happened kind of fast, so I'm really excited about it…we'll
see once I get a little closer to graduation where that goes…"
These highlights are just a small fraction of this great interview with Road Warrior Animal. He also talks about training with Eddie Sharkey, teams who imitated the Road Warriors, their great runs in Japan, working with the Four Horseman, working with Demolition, the scaffold matches with the Midnight Express and Jim Cornette falling from the scaffold, being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and a very heartfelt verbal tribute to his longtime partner, Hawk plus much, much more.
WGD Weekly with Steve and the Scum presents new material every Sunday, where they sit down with a different figure from the "glory days" of wrestling. All of the past shows, as well as their new ones when they debut are available at WGD Weekly's Facebook page that can be viewed here https://www.facebook.com/WGDWeekly. All of their shows are also available on their YouTube channel and iTunes.


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Google Chrome is now the third-most-popular browser in the U.S., behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox, but ahead of Apple's Safari for the first time, according to a study by Web analytics company StatCounter.
Chrome overtook Safari during the week ending June 27, and now has a share of around 8.97 percent of the U.S. browser market, just ahead of Safari at 8.88 percent. Internet Explorer and Firefox still dominate with shares of 52 percent and 28.5 percent respectively, all versions combined, StatCounter said.
Outside the U.S., Chrome passed Safari some time ago, and now has a 9.4 percent share, compared to Safari's 4 percent. That may be down to the two applications' support for different languages: Safari is available in 16 languages, while Chrome covers more than three times as many.
StatCounter said it based its statistics on an analysis of 3.6 billion page views, 874 million of them in the U.S., captured from its network of counters embedded in the pages of 3 million Web sites.
Peter Sayer covers open source software, European intellectual property legislation and general technology breaking news for IDG News Service. Send comments and news tips to Peter at email@example.com.