Sunday, May 31, 2020

Pentecost and time to leave your rooms

 a small tongue of fire
And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place:  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them — Acts ii. 1-3.
the liturgical color of the day is red
Sunday, 31 May was the first Sunday, here, after covid-19 quarantine, that public celebration of Mass could occur. The Apostles and Mary were in hiding, after the Ascension of Jesus. And on this day, the Holy Spirit came to fortify them.

The re-opening of the Catholic churches were accompanied by guidelines for sanitation. One was the wearing of facial coverings, most people wore ones that looked like surgical masks. The guidelines were not very well adhered to at St. Casimir.

In Cleveland, it was an odd day. The day before, a protest against police brutality became a riot, downtown. Downtown was now under curfew, except for four hours of morning clean-up.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

2020 Miscellany #8

 parts of a mural on State Road with sports of Parma High Schools
one of a pair of horse heads at the Mystic Knights Motorcycle Club Cleveland
 trash can holder, near St. Rocco's, foto September 2019
 stage at Cleveland Cultural Gardens; cement incised and then painted

 two statues of Ukrainian Garden appear as giant chess pieces
 sun through Goethe-Schiller wreath

Monday, May 25, 2020

quarantine blues

Looking over a couple of years posts, some with fotos i really like, i see a yearly cycle of events. I foresee several events not taking place this year. I have also noticed, that i made it to some spots that are already gone; learning to take the picture now, it may not be possible later.

There are places in parks that are currently prohibited.  In many places to keep social distancing is not easy, some people refuse. The spring bird migration, by reports, have been good; but it has rained many days, and lighting has not been good; also i seem to hitting the spots at the wrong times.

Outdoor concerts and festivals will be cancelled. In the last few years, i missed some because of weather so hot.

There are a couple of downtown Akron churches (and one in Columbus) which i have been waiting to photograph their interiors. Last couple years, i made a few trips seeing interesting windows.  I have narrowed down the list. Perhaps, i could find others still.

I have written on many subjects, so those are covered enough. There is politics, and all you need to know is every disgusting, crazy, criminal thing said about Trump is true, and there is so much that has not been made public. Also nothing that he attacks is true. That so many support him, and his party is a great indictment on the American populace.

Friday, May 15, 2020

2020 Miscellany #7—mid-May semi-quarantine

Approaching Rocky River Metropark Nature Center is this electrical installation (now) inside of a beech tree.
Carolina Wren
 
Newly rebuilt stairs, now forbidden.
top of same stairs are visible
East 82nd near Saint Casimir's
look down at small steel manufacture
mural on Broadway (Newburgh)
off Broadway, old beer sign

Friday, May 8, 2020

Franz matters

To-day is 75 years after V-E Day, the German Nazis surrendered.  Before they were defeated, they had much power. Many people succumbed to their evil, some opposed it, and some who did not succumb were their victims.
Franz and Franziska Jägerstätter
I have been trying to see Oscar nominated films.  “A Hidden Life” did not win an Oscar, i don't think it was nominated for any Oscar.  It did win best cinematography from a number of other organisations. Of the recent nominees, i think “1917” was deserving. “Parasite” won for best film, and other things. No, it was not that good. “Parasite” raises questions about society, but “A Hidden Life” does so even more, and the story is real, and its questions are more incumbent.

Terrence Malick made a nearly three hour film on Blessed Franz Jägerstätter. The film is entitled, “A Hidden Life”. One might think it is an allusion to particularly religious writing, but it is the last sentence from George Eliot's novel “Middlemarch”. She wrote:  
“But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
Jägerstätter became a conscientious objector to the Hitlerian war machine. The government and the military could come to accept that, IF he made an oath of loyalty to Hitler. His village, and the Church would not defend him. He is repeatedly told to go along, your recalcitrance is of no value. The ostracism, and punishment do not relent.

The film is beautiful, and languidly slow while in the Austrian Alps. It is cruel, and almost a horror film in prison. The main characters speak in English, and others in German. The film is made for English speakers, so the German is just noise (as much speech is). It is a quiet film. Franz says little. His wife, and children love him.

The film is “subversive”, and i am not sure if reviewers catch it all. A church painter says that he paints Christ to His admirers, not to His followers. He makes a living doing this, he would like one day to be brave enough to paint a portrait of the real Christ.
“What we do, is just create... sympathy. We create-- We create admirers. We don't create followers. Christ's life is a demand. You don't want to be reminded of it. So we don't have to see what happens to the truth. A darker time is coming... when men will be more clever. They won't fight the truth, they'll just ignore it. I paint their comfortable Christ, with a halo over his head. How can I show what I haven't lived? Someday I might have the courage to venture, not yet. Someday I'll... I'll paint the true Christ.”
There are enthusiastic supporters of Hitler and the state he rules; we and you are not important, and there are those who just want to get along, and are willing to compromise with the will of evil.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

more signage

on Broadview Rd. in Old Brooklyn
 


 near Cleveland Zoo
After many years, this place is closed. Expect more new construction in Ohio City's Lorain.
 __________________________
postscriptum: hot dog sign taken down to-day, 8 June 2020, and will be in an antique shop

Monday, May 4, 2020

posing with greyhounds


Saturday, May 2nd was a great, and comfortable day to promenade with the hounds, Karma and Cassius. The Cultural Gardens are usually vacant, but there were a few people about. Shawn and Chrissy wanted to be photographed with greyhounds.

This may become a series of posts.

Sunday, May 3, 2020

on broadway

 Mail Pouch chewing tobacco advertisement
The Bloch Brothers of Wheeling had a grocery, and cigar business in 1879. From 1884 they only dealt in tobacco. As people used to chew the clipped off ends, they started flavoring and bagging the waste tobacco as Mail Pouch chew. In 1925 the painting of barns to advertise began, but before that they painted grocery stores. 

On Newburgh's Broadway, the Zverina Block building was built in 1889. This ghost sign of over a century is still partially legible. In the black rectangle to the left of the word 'tobacco' are the words, "no drugs to chew"

Now, Czech and Slovak are similar. Both alphabets use diacritical marks, which are absent in English. Perhaps this in Czech, or in Slovak. I do not think the painter understood, and marks are missing. In the black rectangle to the right of the word 'tobacco' are the words, "no stems to smoke". Trying to make out the black boxes in the upper right:
Cisty a Trvani?? K ZVYKANI
Prijemny a Sladky KE KOURENI

Clean and lasting?? to use
Pleasant and Sweet
Daily Market
A. Zverina
Fine & Staple Groceries    
Fresh & Salt Meats
Oysters in Season
Fruits and Vegetgables
Flour & Poultry
 fleur-de-lis window
Atlas exercising his office