Comment

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 15, 2012 at 8:42am

ARIES (March 21-April 19): This is a great day for socializing with people you normally take for granted. Get involved in your local neighborhood issues but do it by building alliances and trust. Avoid being unpleasant or partisan while you learn.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You're prone to accept gifts and donations today. You might be feeling a financial pinch, making this necessary. It's important to make note of whom you owe. You must resolve to be financially responsible.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Emphasize your intellectual receptivity today. You don't need to decide who is right or wrong or what is true or false. Just pay attention and gather the facts. Observe non-verbal cues as well.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You feel held back today. Your plans are stalled and your ideas don't get a following. There is a lot of criticism now; you have to answer to valid points. However much you've led the discussion before, there is delay now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're apt to take a passive attitude toward events, when you should also be providing direction and feedback. Events aren't as out of your control as you think. Press others about your preferences and intentions.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your job can cause a lot of concern today. Many will normally have the day off but cannot escape continuing issues off-work. Some can rise to public attention in some favorable way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You come into contact with friends who are far away. You're in line for a pleasant journey or else some can have a lot of fun learning through unusual methods or at least one that's not tedious.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Important financial matters come to your attention. You need to work out insurance, shared bank accounts or legal documents. For many, this encounter with officialdom generates deep fears or uncertainty.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): An important relationship can be developed and advanced today. Some may have a pleasant time traveling. A strong sense of romance and attraction dominates the day.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You want to succeed through focused effort but you would do better to diversify and have several tracks running at once. Your mind thinks in terms of just one way but you need to appreciate the value of several ways.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You're very concerned about your appearance and acceptability today. You want to look good for somebody special. An important date could be happening or some other situation where making a good impression is mandatory.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): This is a good day to shut the world out and spend quality time with your family. It's important to watch what you east but otherwise it's time to relax, reduce stress and enjoy the family life you've created.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 15, 2012 at 8:38am

Jul 15, 1606:
Rembrandt born

The great Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn is born in Leiden on July 15, 1606, the son of a miller. His humble origins may help account for the uncommon depth of compassion given to the human subjects of his art. His more than 600 paintings, many of them portraits or self-portraits, are characterized by rich brushwork and color, and a dramatic interplay of shadow and light.

After deciding to pursue painting, the young Rembrandt was taught by various teachers, among them Amsterdam painter Pieter Lastman, who interested him in biblical, mythological, and historical themes. Rembrandt was also deeply influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio, whose chiaroscuro technique--the strong use of light and shadow--would become central to Rembrandt's work. He soon developed his own distinct style and by the age of 22 was accomplished enough to take on his own students in Leiden. During this period, he painted the first of nearly 100 self-portraits produced during his lifetime.

Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 and began to achieve fame and commercial success as a portrait painter. Notable works from this period include the group portrait Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632), the biblical-themed Sacrifice of Isaac (1635), and the mythological masterpiece Danae (1636). In the 1630s, Rembrandt also began to produce ambitious etchings of biblical subjects. These masterful prints, such as Annunciation to the Shepherds (1634), had a lasting effect on printmakers for centuries. During his prosperous decade, Rembrandt's studio was filled with numerous assistants and students, many of whom became accomplished artists in their own right.

As a fashionable portraitist, he began to go out of style after the 1630s. Popular taste preferred Baroque refinement and detail over his increasingly expressive brush strokes and use of shadow. His human figures, inspired by the real people around him, were criticized as being coarse and indecorous. Despite the decline in prominent commissions, Rembrandt maintained an extravagant lifestyle, particularly as a collector, and this ultimately would lead to his bankruptcy in 1656. Financial difficulties were also coupled with personal miseries, particularly the death of his wife in 1642, the death of his mistress in 1663, and the death of his only son in 1668. These troubles scarcely affected his artistic output, however, and the 1640s saw such masterworks as the 1642 painting The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq (also known as The Night Watch) and the monumental etching Christ Healing the Sick (1643-1649). He also developed an enduring interest in landscape during this time.

Financial ruin came in the 1650s, but he continued to work with undiminished energy and power. Many of the Rembrandt paintings most celebrated today came from this later period, which saw a profound penetration of character in pictures like Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer (1653) and Bathsheba (1654). Some of his biblical-themed works from this period so closely resemble portraits that their religious subjects are obscure, such as the Jewish Bride (1664). Many soulful self-portraits were also produced in the last years of his life. Rembrandt died in 1669.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 14, 2012 at 8:37am

ARIES (March 21-April 19): This is a good day for spending time with your immediate and extended family and with your neighbors as well. Create or renew contact and strengthen friendships. Easy, friendly conversation is very informative.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This is a good day to study the financial aspects of your long-term goals. You may find that it isn't as solid as you had assumed. While this is unpleasant with attention you can device a workable plan.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You rely on popularity to get ahead. This can get you only so far, even though it may be very far. At some point, today or in the future, you will have to prove your abilities as well, so don't overreach beyond what you can learn.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): So much tension comes out of you today that you are liable to abandon all discipline and fall into bad patterns. You need more, not less, positive thinking, spiritual devotions and dietary sense.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It's important to think big but to realize your present limitations. Barriers need to be overcome but you have to start small, do what you can at present, learn more. Prepare for the future.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You rely on intuition at work but there can be more experienced people who know better ways. Accept instruction from them gladly. Welcome any chance you get to become more practiced and proficient.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You are engaged in disputes today and you may have to retract from an earlier position. If you can overcome shame, you can thoroughly learn new information and a new outlook on the world.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can learn about yourself by learning about other people. Be of service to others and get to know their stories. You can find a lot to relate to and also a lot to learn vicariously.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are liable to be too protected from difficult situations. Test your strength and ability. You need practice and graduated experience. Avoid sink-or-swim situations if at all possible.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 14, 2012 at 8:37am

"It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth... The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing."

-- Chief Luther Standing Bear, TETON SIOUX

Touching the earth - getting grounded, centered. There is magic in touching the earth and feeling her healing power. This is especially healthy to do during a troubling time when our minds are racing or can't stop thinking or are locked onto fear or resentment. When I need to feel free I can go to the Mother Earth. The Mother Earth is full of life and love. She always gives her powers to those who come to her. The Mother Earth is alive.

Today, my Great Spirit, let me remember to touch the earth. Let me slow down and live just for today. Let me be gentle, patient and kind

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 14, 2012 at 8:35am

Jul 14, 1099:
Jerusalem captured in First Crusade

During the First Crusade, Christian knights from Europe capture Jerusalem after seven weeks of siege and begin massacring the city's Muslim and Jewish population.

Beginning in the 11th century, Christians in Jerusalem were increasingly persecuted by the city's Islamic rulers, especially when control of the holy city passed from the relatively tolerant Egyptians to the Seljuk Turks in 1071. Late in the century, Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comenus, also threatened by the Seljuk Turks, appealed to the West for aid. In 1095, Pope Urban II publicly called for a crusade to aid Eastern Christians and recover the holy lands. The response by Western Europeans was immediate.

The first crusaders were actually undisciplined hordes of French and German peasants who met with little success. One group, known as the "People's Crusade," reached as far as Constantinople before being annihilated by the Turks. In 1096, the main crusading force, featuring some 4,000 mounted knights and 25,000 infantry, began to move east. Led by Raymond of Toulouse, Godfrey of Bouillon, Robert of Flanders, and Bohemond of Otranto, the army of Christian knights crossed into Asia Minor in 1097.

In June, the crusaders captured the Turkish-held city of Nicaea and then defeated a massive army of Seljuk Turks at Dorylaeum. From there, they marched on to Antioch, located on the Orontes River below Mount Silpius, and began a difficult six-month siege during which they repulsed several attacks by Turkish relief armies. Finally, early in the morning of June 3, 1098, Bohemond persuaded a Turkish traitor to open Antioch's Bridge Gate, and the knights poured into the city. In an orgy of killing, the Christians massacred thousands of enemy soldiers and citizens, and all but the city's fortified citadel was taken. Later in the month, a large Turkish army arrived to attempt to regain the city, but they too were defeated, and the Antioch citadel surrendered to the Europeans.

After resting and reorganizing for six months, the crusaders set off for their ultimate goal, Jerusalem. Their numbers were now reduced to some 1,200 cavalry and 12,000 foot soldiers. On June 7, 1099, the Christian army reached the holy city, and finding it heavily fortified, began building three enormous siege towers. By the night of July 13, the towers were complete, and the Christians began fighting their way across Jerusalem's walls. On July 14, Godfrey's men were the first to penetrate the defenses, and the Gate of Saint Stephen was opened. The rest of the knights and soldiers then poured in, the city was captured, and tens of thousands of its occupants were slaughtered.

The crusaders had achieved their aims, and Jerusalem was in Christian hands, but an Egyptian army marched on the holy city a few weeks later to challenge their claim. The Egyptians' defeat by the outnumbered Christians in August ended Muslim resistance to the Europeans for the time being, and five small Christian states were set up in the region under the rule of the leaders of the crusade.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 13, 2012 at 9:35am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 13, 2012 at 9:33am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 13, 2012 at 9:32am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 13, 2012 at 9:26am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on July 13, 2012 at 9:14am

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