For the first time ever, you will realize how your Physical Body is interconnected with your Spiritual Body. Our relationship with our Soul(Inner Self) decides how our relationships are going to be with our Spouse/Girlfriend/Boyfriend/Parents/Siblings/Friends & Children. This workshop has been created because I have been observing, most of my students are suffering in some or other Relationship at one point of time or other. Lot of people are trying to find their Life Partners/Soul Mates from long time but they are not able to find. Lot of them have found their life partners but their relationship with their Parents are not good so their parents are not supporting them in getting married. Lot of them are married but not happy with their married life. Can you relate yourself here..? If "Yes", then this workshop is definitely for you.
"22 Days Magical Relationship" Workshop is an online workshop. Everyday you will get mail from me in the morning, first thing you have to do daily is, wake up and read my mail and practice accordingly. I will also add you in my Facebook Group where you have to post your practice on daily basis for me to check. If you have any doubts you can mail me or ask me of Facebook chat, and I will solve your doubts on same day itself.
Answers to most important questions about relationship will be answered.
– Skip this if you have already done.
Fees for "22 Days Magical Relationship" Workshop is Rs 3000/- (for people from India) & $100/- (for people living outside).
Once you make the Payment and Enroll in our Workshop, you cannot Cancel and there is no Refund.
For this workshop, the date shows from 1st August. What if i would like to Join soon?
This is a Special Workshop, we conduct once a year. Only those students who have done our "31 Days Mind Power Magic" Workshop can join this "22 Days Relationship" Workshop. So I will suggest you to join my "31 Days Mind Power Magic" Workshop from 1st July.


text:
"Astrobiologist" sues NASA, says Mars rock a "mushroom-like fungus"
Remember the mystery rock? One man believes it's a "composite organism."
Cyrus Farivar - Jan 29, 2014 10:14 pm UTC
The same patch of Martian landscape, imaged 12 Martian days apart.
with 121 posters participating, including story author
Earlier this month, scientists announced that they were mystified by the presence of a rock that suddenly appeared in front of the Opportunity rover on the surface of Mars. Twelve days earlier, Opportunity had been in the exact same spot and the rock wasn't there.
"We're looking at the legacy of Opportunity's first decade this week, but there's more good stuff ahead," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University, the mission's principal investigator, in a NASA statement. "We are examining a rock right in front of the rover that is unlike anything we've seen before. Mars keeps surprising us, just like in the very first week of the mission."
While most NASA scientists chalked it up to a curiosity and nothing more, one California man has decided that this explanation was not enough. On Monday, Rhawn Joseph, a self-described "astrobiologist" filed a writ of mandamus against NASA. In his 11-page brief, he accused NASA of a "dereliction of duty," and wants to compel the agency to take "100 high-resolution photographs" of the rock in question.
Neither Squyres nor NASA immediately responded to Ars' request for comment.
UPDATE Thursday 10:15am CT: NASA spokesperson Bob Jacobs did respond to Ars late Wednesday night, saying:
This is an ongoing legal matter and we are limited in what we can discuss about the filing. However, NASA has been publicly sharing our ongoing research into the rock dubbed "Pinnacle Island" since we originally released the images from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity earlier this month. The rock, which NASA is studying to better understand its chemical composition, also was widely discussed during a Jan. 22 NASA Television news conference. As we do with all our scientific research missions, NASA will continue to discuss any new data regarding the rock and other images and information as new data becomes available.
"An explanation which is preposterous, absurd, and ridiculous"
Joseph further argues that he "immediately recognized" the rock for what NASA officials apparently could not: a "mushroom-like fungus, a composite organism consisting of colonies of lichen and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecium."
He writes in the petition:
Petitioner made these discoveries whereas the rover team did not, simply because NASA's rover team inexplicably failed to perform the basic demands of science, which is "re-search," look again.
The refusal to take close up photos from various angles, the refusal to take microscopic images of the specimen, the refusal to release high resolution photos, is inexplicable, recklessly negligent, and bizarre. Any intelligence adult, adolescent, child, chimpanzee, monkey, dog or rodent with even a modicum of curiosity, would approach, investigate and closely examine a bowl-shaped structure which appears just a few feet in front of them when 12 days earlier they hadn't noticed it.
Yet NASA insists the structure is a rock or a meteor, an explanation which is perposterous, absurd and ridiculous. The description of this structure as a rock or meteor, coupled with the inexplicable failure to take close-up and microscopic photos and refusal to make high resolution photos available, raises the specter of a purposeful attempt to deceive the public and scientific community so that administrators at NASA can continue gutting planetary exploration programs and diverting funds to private corporate interests without opposition. The only other explanation is that NASA's rover team is outrageously negligent, obscenely incompetent, shockingly ignorant about basic biology, and prone to magical thinking.
This isn't the first time that Rhawn Joseph has come up with some... interesting theories. In 2012, Joseph sued NASA for what he dubbed a "terrorist campaign of lies, deceit, fraud, defamation, libel, and slander, to discredit all discoveries which demonstrate the existence of extraterrestrial microbial and other forms of extraterrestrial life."
He also has a pending lawsuit against Amazon for the company's refusal to "directly sell books authored or published by the Plaintiff." (A search on Amazon for Rhawn Joseph turns up a handful of books, which all appear to be self-published titles.) A prior suit against Amazon in 2001 was also dismissed.
The earlier lawsuit against NASA appears to have been dismissed or withdrawn.
Promoted Comments
MujokanArs Praetorian
Space mushrooms are a hell of a drug.
(Or at least I hope so, I'm plotting a trip to Amsterdam.)
Cyrus Farivar Cyrus is a Senior Tech Policy Reporter at Ars Technica, and is also a radio producer and author. His latest book, Habeas Data, about the legal cases over the last 50 years that have had an outsized impact on surveillance and privacy law in America, is out now from Melville House. He is based in Oakland, California.
Email cyrus.farivar@arstechnica.com // Twitter @cfarivar
Death_wish01 Ars Praetorian
Mujokan wrote:
http://imageshack.com/scaled/medium/203/kl.gif
Ein seems to think so.
Last edited by Death_wish01 on Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:08 pm
BioTurboNick Ars Praefectus et Subscriptor
'LilRedDog wrote:
BioTurboNick wrote:
rick*d wrote:
lordcheeto wrote:
Thought you'd find this image more better than the one from the article. Not sure if it's been colorized after the fact.
OK, look closely at the place in the left (before) picture where the rock appears in the right (after) picture. There's a shape that is almost exactly the same shape as the rock. Dark triangular "doughnut" with a light "hole" in the middle. Why NASA didn't mention this I have no idea. I suspect the rock was simply bumped by the rover, as NASA claims, and flipped in place, not moved to this location.
No offense intended here, but this is a prime illustration of the all-to-human tendency to see false positive patterns in random noise.
The "shape" in the before picture is still visible in the after picture. Look, just below the rock, you can see the same parts that correspond with the bottom of the "shape" in the before picture. The images are at different angles, so there is some distortion, but all the elements match up. On the left that shape is just a feature of the rock surface, pebbles, and dust. On the right some other rock landed on top of that surface.
Well, NASA says it was most likely displaced by Opportunity...:
http://www.space.com/24330-mars-rover-m ... pears.html
The impact ejecta theory, however, is the least likely of the two.
"So my best guess for this rock … is that it's something that was nearby," said Squyres. "I must stress that I'm guessing now, but I think it happened when the rover did a turn in place a meter or two from where this rock now lies."
Right, not flipped in place. I've seen a number of people online, beyond just here, comment on the "similar shape" in the place that the rock appeared though.
bburdge Ars Scholae Palatinae et Subscriptor
crashworks wrote:
DyDx wrote:
DiavoJinx wrote:
While he does sound a bit crazy, it is worth noting he has a Ph.D. form The Chicago Medical School and did his internship at Yale.
All that says to me is that he or his family has a lot of money.
But what do I know, I don't have a PhD nor do I associate with Yale. I'm sure it's a club with 100% sanity for all members, no exceptions, right? :-P
A tangent, but this bugged me. Having a PhD or interning at Yale does not imply he has a wealthy or privileged family, not even a little bit. To get into a STEM PhD program you have to actually be smart and have the grades and know-how to back it up, your family has little or nothing to do with it. Now, in the humanities, where funding is tight and most graduate students don't receive a stipend without teaching courses or earning a fellowhip, having a wealthy family is a much bigger benefit.
Yes, this. Getting a STEM degree from Yale is no joke. The admissions process is brutal, the competition fierce, and expectations from your peers and professors very, very high. There are too many supremely talented applicants for someone to just buy their way to the front of the line, and the admissions process is needs-blind (as I remember, anyway).
The tragedy of schizophrenia is that it typically sets in at right around the age people are in college or grad school. Students who were fine when they were admitted suddenly start showing symptoms in their third year. I've seen it happen, and it sucks.
And just as a further point, I saw it mentioned that a PhD just means he took some classes and passed some tests. You can possibly get a Master's degree that way, but not a PhD. My committee (not at Yale, but Yale would be no less rigorous) requires a small pile of conference papers, at least 2 accepted journal papers, a 150+ page thesis, several milestone presentations of my research, and the final 3 hour thesis defense in front of the committee (5 experts in the field) and half of it open to the public. This of course after completing my BS and MS degrees.
Really gets to me when people write it off as some classes and a few tests
That said, this guy needs to talk to a good therapist, and throw away his overused X Files DVDs. I am fairly sure if the NASA guys thought they had an extraterrestrial fungus they would be poking, prodding, sampling, and generally researching it to death. Oh and dancing around yelling about it as loudly as they could. With perhaps a "neener neener neener" to competing space programs. =)
gravcrash Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Yeah everybody knows that mushrooms love below zero temperatures and extremely dry conditions!
Alan Gilbertson Seniorius Lurkius
Well, shoot, we already know there's life on Mars. Gale Crater is evidently a favorite hangout for the locals, for example. (Note: I know this is an authentic image. I made it myself...)
31 posts | registered Jul 6, 2011
bluloo Ars Legatus Legionis et Subscriptor
Enhance... ENHANCE...
28790 posts | registered Oct 6, 2002
Naito Wise, Aged Ars Veteran et Subscriptor
What really needs to be done is to ignore whacky claims like this instead of giving them their 15mins of fame over the internet. It's a waste of everyone's time.
Veritas super omens Ars Praefectus et Subscriptor
They need to "UNCROP" so we can see the rest of the field of mushrooms.
nathand496 Ars Scholae Palatinae
...mushroom-like fungus, a composite organism consisting of colonies of lichen and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecium.
I'd throw out the case for this statement alone. The guy clearly isn't a qualified astrobiologist, as a fungus is a fungus, not a composite organism. A lichen is a composite organism composed of a fungus and a cyanobacteria (or a green algae). It's obvious he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Tijger Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius et Subscriptor
Naito wrote:
And take away our opportunity for laughs and puns? What are you, a communist??
CuriousChris Ars Praetorian
EDIT: Nuh Nothing to say that wasn't said before
Last edited by CuriousChris on Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:42 pm
Did he get a lawyer to file the complaint?
Windlasher Ars Centurion
Dude needs a job.
Pubert Ars Tribunus Militum
Fungus? Pfft.
It's obvious that this is a bagel -dropped by one of the stage hands on the set. This one to be specific:
No tin foil required. Just sun glasses and a big stogie.
wyrmhole Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius et Subscriptor
axia777 wrote:
wyrmhole wrote:
They could just take samples, then analyze said samples. If it is organic NASA would ecstatic at the results.
I guess they did analyze it and it is not organic. This man needs to STFU and go home.
Well really Opportunity doesn't have the capability to determine that. It can determine elemental composition using APXS, and some phase information (type of mineral) in iron-containing minerals using MIMOS II. So it can identify it that a sample contains carbon (or doesn't), but it can't say whether it is present in organic molecules or not.
Detecting organics is something Curiosity can do by delivering either scooped soil or powdered drill tailings to its internal chemical analysis engines SAM and ChemMin, but it's not a simple task at all.
But you're certainly correct that the MER team would be ecstatic to find organics, or anything that might contain organics, or anything novel like that at all. The idea that they're suppressing their own science results so that they end up not getting any more funding is just dumb.
Could Opportunity drill into the discussed object to take a more detailed sample, then analyze that sample to determine if it is organic or not?
Opportunity doesn't have a drill. That's also on Curiosity. What Opportunity does have is a Rock Abrasion Tool, which can be used to do some minor scouring of the surface of a rock and hopefully expose older, fresher material. But since the RAT is a 3000rpm diamond-dust-coated disk, it's not suitable to use on a small rock resting on the surface, rather than bedrock or something large and heavy.
Even if it could abrade this mystery rock, Opportunity still simply lacks the science tools to detect organics.
mtnrunner2 Smack-Fu Master, in training
I'm 99% sure that's an Entenmann's cherry danish.
TroyQ wrote:
Edit - just saw the quote above that the origin may have been a meter or 2 from where it is now. I'm still having a hard time visualizing the rover moving or turning in place and flinging a rock a 3 to 6 feet. Wouldn't the torque required for that register as a high current draw on one of the wheel motors?
Torque doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. The rover weighs 400 lbs. All that needs to happen is for it to roll over a small rock like this one with the edge of its wheel and the rock could easily be spit out a meter or two. They actually refered to this scenario as "tiddly-winking" the rock. Since I've seen this happen accidentally with heavy objects on earth, I find it plausible. In fact I'd bet money that Opportunity has kicked rocks in such a fashion before, and if you searched carefully enough through the image archives you might even find evidence, but it was only noticed this time because the rock looks different than the surroundings.
'LilRedDog Ars Tribunus Militum
cfarivar wrote:
I would have, respectfully, said this in a private email but since you do not provide an email in your bio, I think this is fair game:
I'm pretty sure that by this point you should have shown some contrition to your challenging reply to me (or at the least kept my post, now downvoted into oblivion, viewable as "controversial") and/or capitulate you wrote an article in which you, ignorantly, portrayed the highly educated paranoid-man as uneducated paranoid-man.. Pick any one of those three.
I mean: I did prove he had a Ph.D. from The Chicago Medical School and did his internship at Yale as you requested.
Tijger wrote:
That's the spirit!
FrankM Ars Tribunus Militum
kleinma wrote:
This has the makings of a history channel special
http://thevinprabhu.files.wordpress.com ... aliens.jpg
For your information, Ars uses BBCode, and can be used to embed images.
That image needs its own BBCode, maybe :aliens:
trinsic Ars Centurion
You will do much better if you stop using government propaganda, I.E the crazy "label". To try and marginalize his speech. I really doesn't work as intended anymore, or did you not get the memo?
trinsic wrote:
You missed my memo:
We ( the smart) are all paranoid; just in different shades of grey.
If not trusting the government (in any amount) is schizophrenic, then most, smart, people are schizophrenic to some extent and its just different shades of grey.
Then I replied to:
I said it was noteworthy... That's it..
I agreed he is paranoid (well I agreed with schizophrenia just to reduce arguing, to no avail) but so am I since Snowden..
I'm sure Cyrus will sort out his credentials; at the very least he has a Ph.D. based on trusting the article's link.
( I cannot link my own quote)
Last edited by 'LilRedDog on Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:55 pm
Hence, the word "Crazy" has no meaning. Its just a derogatory word use to cast doubt before a case is even made on the truth of a statement. Its not necessary and it misleads people to start down the path of outright disregarding information that is important. The same goes for the rest of the people in this forum using the that irrational statement.
derogatory (dɪˈrɒɡətərɪ; -trɪ)
1. tending or intended to detract, disparage, or belittle; intentionally offensive
If you use a word to disparage, or belittle someones speech you probably need a head check yourself. It cuts both ways.
Last edited by trinsic on Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:56 pm
I was not fast enough.
please see my edit
FTR: Most of us distrust the government: that does not make us crazy ( I never used that word but for you...)
He just distrusts the government more than most and, as it turns out, got what he wanted: high resolution pictures.
I do not think he is crazy, I think he is jaded and I, truly, understand jaded.
Yep, I heard you the first time. I was speaking generally to this thread. There a lot of labels being thrown around and it doesnt serve to educate people, at all. Im calling it out ,and I will continue to call it out every change I get. It does zero good.
pooplasers Seniorius Lurkius
I'd like to remind everyone that negligence and incompetence are not unheard of from NASA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Clim ... of_failure
I don't know about crazy, interesting theory about the fungus. Why just speculate about how it got there...I agree that they should have investigated it. How hard is to poke at a rock with your robot?
1 post | registered Jan 29, 2014
uno2tres Ars Centurion
Ragnarredbeard wrote:
EmeraldArcana wrote:
My wife managed the webmaster email for a government agency that I will not name.
She said that she got all manner of crazies who would write to the agency, wondering why they hadn't considered their "perpetual motion machine" or why they refuse to acknowledge the truth or why they didn't visit the Facebook page. She said that one particular person wrote like 200 times and was asking why the Government was putting his ideas down. She said she visited the web site and it looked like it was done in the 90s with colored wallpapers and intensely colored text.
So, really, this is just par for the course.
Ages ago I went to a class in DC at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Part of the class was tours of most of the intelligence community headquarters and op floors. When we went to the CIA there was a desk in one corner with a phone and a pad of paper. We were told that it was the crank phone; apparently the phone number in the DC phonebook for the CIA rang to this phone. I never checked to see if that number was real, but I know intel agencies get calls/letters from cranks a lot.
When I worked at a MAJCOM Intel shop in the 80s we used to get calls from some organization protesting US involvement in El Salvador and occasionally they would protest at the front gate. They generally accused of us spraying chemicals from C-130s, running drugs, etc. Pretty normal crank fodder. Always the same two people, the same sign, and the same lack of a sense of humor. They completely didn't appreciate it when a couple of us showed up with lawn chairs and a cooler full of beer to counter-protest.
While there are a lot of crazies, it would be stupid to deny, post-snowden, that our government is involved in a lot of shady stuff. Anecdotally, my second cousin was recruited right out of college by the CIA in the late seventies. He was initially an analyst, but, presumably because he spoke Russian with no accent, he was sent overseas . He now suffers from severe PTSD but is unable to speak about what he went through (actually, his life for three year period) becuase it is still highly classified. It is a horrid situation.
kearabiloe Seniorius Lurkius
his argument has scientific validity, but the lawsuit method of bringing attention to his argument diminishes his credibility by this much!
9 posts | registered Feb 27, 2013
Vulpis Smack-Fu Master, in training
Sounds like bubba there is trying to volunteer himself to get sent on that one-way Mars mission. Then he can examine his 'shroom' up close and personal.
kearabiloe wrote:
Lets be fair ( this is all confirmed in the thread):
He asked for unreleased, high-resolution/raw images on the 27th arguing (paraphrased)"we have a right to them now or you are hiding something".
The next day NASA released the pictures.
Now, in hindsight, he is incredible.
But on the 27th, he had a point.
Honestly, I think (and, admittedly, so do you) it was a valid question and I cannot see a way to have asked it loudly enough to get them to release them, that quickly, in any other way.
Now: if you can suggest a way(s) to get results that quickly, I'm open to ideas.
p.s. and for gawd's sake: please do not make me read his website to see if he asked nicely before the 27th..
You do it.
Last edited by 'LilRedDog on Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:12 am
omniron Ars Praefectus
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ ... p3544.html
That looks like the origin of this rock.
Doesn't nasa release all their images anyway? There's an iOS app that has these images as they're being downloaded from the rover (updated each sol).
This guy is a crank, has always been a crank, and has NEVER had a point.
Before the mainstream media picked up this story, opportunity had already been programmed to use the microscopic imager to investigate the rock (and clearly demonstrate it was a rock).
omniron wrote:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity_p3544.html
No they don't.
You link was posted yesterday; the last picture added 08:58 UTC..
You link was posted yesterday.
Yes, they do.
Images appear automatically in the raw image archives as they are downloaded. Downlink time and bandwidth is limited (and Opportunity has much less than Curiosity), so downloads are prioritized. Eventually everything that can be will be downloaded and appear on the archive. It's actually possible that you can see an image from Mars before any project scientist looks at it.
If you check the specific images for Sol 3544, you can see when they were posted and the few I checked were posted on the 13th of January, not yesterday. Microimager shots of the rock itself from Sol 3541 posted earlier on the 11th.
These images were all on the website before this guy made his claim. Who'da thunk it, the guy who looks at one image of a thing on Mars and goes "It's obviously a mushroom! Not 'looks like', but really is!" has no idea what's going on with the mission in reality. He should join all the youtubers who have found Bigfoot and dead rodents on Mars.
Tyler X. Durden Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
Hence, the word "Crazy" has no meaning.
Absolutely. The proper technical term in this case is "Batshit", that helps remove the ambiguity that can follow from use of "a bit crazy".
pooplasers wrote:
They did.
Think. How do you know about this rock at all?
Because JPL scientists -- as in enormous Mars science nerds, to a degree few others on earth can match -- were hopping up and down going "Look! We found something weird and unexpected on Mars! 10 years on Mars and it's just as exciting as we first landed!"
Now this weird thing these nerds got so excited about that they called a press conference -- Do you think it's at all plausible that they didn't poke at it with every instrument they had on the rover sitting right next to it which they control?
Before this guy came up with his "interesting theory", the MER team had not only already taken close-in shots with their microimager, they'd used their spectrometer to measure its elemental composition. So... maybe give the folks who actually care about the science of Mars enough to get excited about "mere" rocks in the first place some credit.
And yeah, NASA et. al. can screw up, but "unit screw-up causes a crash" does not in any way lead to "Scientists running Mars rover uninterested in using Mars rover for science." That's what they are all about. They are poking at things constantly.
It's just the general populace who doesn't seem to care unless it's related to obvious signs of advanced life, or something similarly outrageous. Sorry Mars is more boring than that! But it isn't to these Mars nerds! That's why John Grotzinger, lead scientists for Curiosity, got himself in trouble when he said their latest data was "one for the history books", because in most people's history books nothing short of "evidence of Martian life" would qualify. But he was thinking of a really nerdy history book on the scientific exploration of Mars, and this really good data from a rock sample on Mars satisfying their main science goals would qualify.
Frennzy Ars Legatus Legionis et Subscriptor
If I could do a slow, standing, increasing applause for this post, I would.
Bravo, sir (or madam). Bravo.
79670 posts | registered May 16, 2001
"tip of my hat"
I checked the composite date and not the individual date.
Thank you for a respectful correction.
Ok: case solved; the Ph.D. was sloppy. (as was I)
...and it only took us 1 article and 115 posts to end this..
CQLanik Ars Praefectus
Frennzy wrote:
I believe what you're looking for is this:
RainDaemon Smack-Fu Master, in training
Why would the Mycon want to implant a deep-child in Mars?
64 posts | registered Jan 9, 2006
Hrmmm Ars Praetorian
Yeah... disregarding the crazies (and journalists), it seems a bit overhyped from even the scientists considering a broken wheel and terrain that looks like this:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Marlon Wayans Set To Host 20th Annual Golden Trailer Awards
PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire
May. 21, 2019, 01:34 PM
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Actor, Comedian, Screenwriter and Film Producer Marlon Wayans, will serve as master of ceremonies for the 20th Annual Golden Trailer Awards, it was announced today by Evelyn Brady-Watters, Golden Trailer Awards Executive Director, along with the show's executive producer Monica Brady.
The Golden Trailer Awards, the most anticipated, fun and prestigious event honoring marketing executives and companies that create movie trailers, commercials and posters worldwide will take place on Wednesday, May 29th with arrivals beginning at 6 pm and the award show starting at 7pm at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Golden Trailer Awards acknowledge excellence in motion picture marketing and are presented to nominees in 107 diverse categories. 15 of the top honors will be presented "live" on stage.
"For our 20th Anniversary, we wanted a host who is an outstanding stand-up but also someone who is an industry champion who could make our guests laugh and cheer and celebrate the best achievements in motion picture and television marketing. We could not be more thrilled or excited to have Marlon Wayans hosting our 20th show," said Brady-Watters.
In addition to Wayans serving as the show host, filmmakers and industry judges participating in this year's ceremony include producer Richard Suckle (Wonder Woman), writer/director Sam Esmail ("Mr. Robot"), producer Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), director Hugh Welchmann (Loving Vincent), advertising executive Thomas Benski, film industry veteran David Dinerstein, cinematographer Dion Beebe, and over two dozen industry luminaries.
The 20th Annual Golden Trailer Awards are presented with the support of several key sponsors, including Captivate, William Grant & Sons, Flor De Cana, BMG Music, Eternal Eclipse, Trailer Voice Artists, New Dawn, Non Stop Trailers, High Impact and Stella Artois.
About Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans is an actor, producer, comedian, writer and film director. His films have grossed more than $736-million in domestic box office, an average of nearly $50-million per outing. As a standup comedian, he is selling out nationwide and adding shows every weekend. He hit a career milestone with his highly anticipated first-ever stand-up comedy special "Woke-ish" which premiered on Netflix in February of 2018.
Wayans can next be seen starring in the upcoming Netflix movie SEXTUPLETS which tells the story of Alan (Wayans), a man embarking on a personal journey to meet his birth mother before the arrival of his first child. When Alan meets his brother, Russell, he discovers that he was born a sextuplet and decides to seek out his four other siblings (all played by Marlon). Together, the two brothers set out on a road trip to track down the rest of the family that they've never known. The film is slated to premiere on the streaming site in August of 2019.
Wayans is currently in production in Sofia Coppola's Apple-A24 movie, "On the Rocks," opposite Bill Murray and Rashida Jones.
Wayans starred for two seasons on the NBC sitcom "Marlon." Loosely based on his life, "Marlon" is a family comedy centered around a loving (but immature) father committed to co-parenting his two kids with his very-together ex-wife, played by Essence Atkins. Both seasons of "Marlon" are currently airing on Netflix.
Wayans also stars in the hit Netflix movie NAKED which premiered on the streaming site last August. Based on the Swedish film, NAKEN, the romantic comedy co-stars Regina Hall and reunites Wayans with director Michael Tiddes. Marlon, who is also a writer and producer on the movie, stars as Rob Anderson, a charming man-child, who wakes up on his wedding day, naked in an elevator, reliving the hour before the ceremony over and over again. He last starred in FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK, which he also wrote and executive-produced, in January 2016. Directed by Michael Tiddes, the film co-starred Mike Epps and Kali Hawk.
In 2014, Wayans starred in the Open Road Films comedy A HAUNTED HOUSE 2, the sequel to the hilarious and successful film, A HAUNTED HOUSE, which had a budget of $2-million and grossed $18.1-million on the opening weekend. Wayans produced A HAUNTED HOUSE, as well as A HAUNTED HOUSE 2. The sequel, directed by Michael Tiddes, is now available on DVD. Wayans starred alongside Gabriel Iglesias, Essence Atkins and Jamie Pressly. The film is a parody of the "found footage" genre, such as the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise and THE DEVIL INSIDE.
On the small screen, Wayans hosted the hit NBC show "I Can Do That!," a comedy/variety series where six celebrities are asked to put on an entertainment show with skills they didn't even know they had. He also starred in and created the TBS hit comedy competition series "Funniest Wins." In 2014, he embarked on a national comedy tour with his brothers Keenan, Damon and Shawn Wayans. This marked the first standup tour for the four Wayans Brothers in many years.
Wayans has also launched the online venture, What The Funny, with internet serial entrepreneur and Funny Or Die co-founder Randy Adams. What The Funny serves up urban comedy from established and emerging comedians, writers and actors through its web site at WhatTheFunny.com.
Wayans is commonly recognized for his role as 'Marcus Copeland' in Columbia Pictures' 2004 hit comedy WHITE CHICKS, opposite Shawn Wayans, Jamie King and Terry Crews. The film was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and grossed $69 million in the United States. He also starred alongside Shawn Wayans and Regina Hall in Dimension Films' horror comedy spoof films SCARY MOVIE and SCARY MOVIE 2, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans.
Wayans' additional film credits include the Columbia Pictures comedy MO' MONEY; New Line Cinema's drama ABOVE THE RIM; Miramax's parody film DON'T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD; Touchstone Pictures' THE SIXTH MAN; Miramax's SENSELESS; DUNGEONS & DRAGONS; Darren Aronofsky's hit drama REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, opposite Jared Leto and Jennifer Connolly; The Coen Brothers' THE LADYKILLERS, opposite Tom Hanks; BEHIND THE SMILE; Columbia Pictures' LITTLE MAN; DreamWorks' NORBIT, opposite Eddie Murphy; Paramount Pictures and MTV's parody film DANCE FLICK; Paramount's G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, opposite Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid and Joseph Gordon-Levitt; 20th Century Fox's MARMADUKE; and the hit comedy THE HEAT, opposite Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
Additionally, Wayans starred with his brother Shawn Wayans on The WB's "The Wayans Bros." which was the highest rated comedy on the network and continues to air in syndication. He has appeared on several popular television programs, including Fox's "In Living Color," Adult Swim's "Childrens Hospital," and BET's "Second Generation Wayans."
For more information about the Golden Trailer Awards or for tickets, please visit www.goldentrailer.com
For press accreditation or for any media questions, please contact:
Steve Elzer
Elzer & Associates, Inc
Steve@elzerassociates.com
Rachel Falikoff
Elzer & Associates
rachel@elzerassociates.com
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marlon-wayans-set-to-host-20th-annual-golden-trailer-awards-300854319.html
SOURCE Golden Trailer Awards
Markets Insider and Business Insider Editorial Teams were not involved in the creation of this post.
SEE ALSO: Cintas soars as a strong labor market prompts it to boost profit forecasts (CTAS) »
READ NOW: Liquid Death, the punk rock canned water startup that went viral after raising $1.6 million in May, is in talks to raise up to $20 million in Series A funding »
your MARKET VIEW
Your Personalized Market Center
Stock News /


text:
AMISH TRIPATHI THE OATH OF THE VAYUPUTRAS PDF
The Oath of the Vayuputras has ratings and reviews. Mith said: I am sad. Mr. Tripathi what happened?After the first two books, I had. The journey of the young lad named Shiva through the vibrant country of Bharat and foresees the prophecy of the destruction of the great evil. The Secret of the Nagas, Amish Tripathi's second book of the Shiva Trilogy, does that.' – Herald, Goa The Oath of the Vayuputras Book 3 of the Shiva Trilogy.
Author: Shakakazahn Goll
Country: Mayotte
Genre: Business
Uploader: Fenrit
I hate the characters of Daksha and Bhrigu. He will not fail. If that weren't enough, most of the book is devoted to intricate war strategy that caused me to think whether Amish wants to be given military command in real life! For now, much as he disliked living in Devagiri, he had no choice but to wait.
With both its right legs incapacitated, the rhinoceros collapsed to the ground, rolling sideways as it tried to stand with only two good legs, writhing in pain. I have worked with many advertising agencies in my career, including some of the biggest multinationals. There are some truths that cannot be challenged.
I hope you like the cover they have created. In keeping with vayuputeas, the family of the Mahadev took some water from their glasses and sprinkled vayuputas around their plates, symbolically thanking Goddess Annapurna for her blessings in the form of food and nourishment. That would be along the shorter route to Swadweep and Meluha, right?
The Oath of the Vayuputras (Shiva Trilogy, #3) by Amish Tripathi
Also, I should assume Shiva knows the identity of the attackers. But the spirit never refuses to help. The first pages or so were quite boring and honest to God, I was planning to shut this book and place it in an already overcrowded bookshelf in a section I have called I wish I hadn't.
Also, Atul Pargaonkar, for fabricating the bow and arrow; Vinay Salunkhe, for the make-up; Ketan Karande, the model; Japheth Bautista, for the concept art for the background; the Little Red Zombies team and Shing Lei Chua for support on 3D elements and scene set-up; Sagar Pusalkar and team for the post processing work on the vayuputrass Julien Dubois for coordinating production.
ADA HABERSHON PDF
When used to wash the Somras waste, over a period of several years, fresh water appeared to reduce its toxic strength. Archived from the original on 22 February This was proven with some experiments at Mount Mandar.
03 The Oath Of The Vayuputras Amish Tripathi Evil Alive
Since both The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas had innovative marketing techniques, Tripathi spoke about similar innovativeness with the release of The Oath of the Vayuputras. The Somras randomly has this impact on a few babies when in the womb, if the parents have been consuming it triptahi a long period. Ironically, he had not. Jun 11, It is the biggest high possible.
Along with the noise, the stench of your soldiers will also drive the animal forward. Hence, it is equally obvious that someday, it will become the greatest Vayuputraz.
But the Vayuputras are vayuputtas under represented in the novel that one wonders why the novel was titled 'The Oath Of the Vayuputras'. Like The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagasthe book contained innovative marketing techniques, including launching interactive apps, merchandise and a music album titled Vayuputrascontaining music inspired by different events in the series.
The Oath of the Vayuputras follows Since then the second part of the book The Secret of the Nagas was released and the series has become a bestseller.
The happy message for the Meluhan emperor was that the progeny Daksha cared for – Sati and Kartik – were alive and safe. Jan 15, I mean if Shiva had to use to pashupatiastra,then why take the pains of the first 40 chapters,slashing,routing,scarring and eventually 'ayurvatisng' every character possible?
The Oath of the Vayuputras : Amish Tripathi :
Laying the blame on the treachery of the Nagas and the simplicity of the Neelkanth would mean that Daksha and Dilipa would be spared the backlash. He could have brought about changes in Meluha. That damn phrase I quoted in the beginning has appeared so many times in this book that it must have easily hiked the page count by at least 20!
CONVERT SOFTPLAN TO PDF
If it came to a choice between Shiva and his avyuputras, he would choose Shiva. Wisely though, he kept his counsel. But tri;athi I go back to Ayodhya I also hated Parvateshwar and Anandmayi dying.
The Oath of the Vayuputras
It was fenced by two protective hedges. And, I haven't regretted doing so one bit, the story actually picked up, the moment I thought it had become bland and I was hooked. It looks like Emperor Daksha and my weakling father have formed an alliance against the Neelkanth. Chapter 1 The Return of a Friend Before the Beginning Blood dribbled into the water, creating unhurried ripples which expanded slowly to the edges of the cistern.
The bad thing is, Amish tries to explain it away with a feeble "everything happened exactly the way it should because the universe conspired it so". Sets one to expect more twists and turns in the point. But the ending was very bad. Your situation is, in fact, a result of completely random circumstances, an indiscriminate turn of the universe. He allied with the Nagas.
Perhaps the job was done. That is the premise of the Shiva Trilogy, which attempts to interpret the rich mythological heritage of ancient India, blending fiction with historical fact.
Shiva realised that there must be a shorter northern route to Meluha and Swadweep, which was impossible to traverse without a Naga guide, because of the impregnable forests that impeded the path. In hte left hand was a short twin-blade, like the one his elder brother Ganesh favoured. A funky mix of pseudo-science, pseudo-history and pseudo-mythology, The Oath of the Vayuputras marks a new low for this trilogy.
He explains how the Vayuputra council—an ancient tribe left by the previous Mahadev Lord Rudra, dwelling in remote land of Pariha in the West—train a member of their tribe as the Neelkanth when "evil" rises.
ANTONIO ONGARELLO METODO PER CHITARRA JAZZ PDF
BAMMERA POTANA BHAGAVATAM TELUGU PDF
CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN MANUAL PDF
DES VERMIS MYSTERIIS PDF
LORD SHANMUKHA AND HIS WORSHIP PDF
GUJARATI NAVALKATHA PDF
DURRUTI IN THE SPANISH REVOLUTION PDF
BRAHMA VAIVARTA PURANA SANSKRIT PDF
GAMES OF STRATEGY DIXIT SKEATH PDF
EARL SHOAFF HOW TO BECOME A MILLIONAIRE FREE PDF


Voters in Michigan affirmed a ballot measure to legitimize recreational utilization of cannabis on Tuesday, and two different states — Missouri and Utah — supported medical marijuana laws. Voters in North Dakota didn't join in, dismissing a measure to sanction recreational marijuana use.
Presently, 33 states have legitimized marijuana somewhat, and recreational marijuana use is currently legitimate in 10 states, alongside Washington, D.C. But under federal law, possessing, selling or using marijuana remains illegal.
Leading into the Nov. 6 vote, both Michigan and North Dakota previously had medical marijuana laws set up. Utah and Missouri didn't have sweeping enactment on the books, however Missouri had lightened the potential punishments for first-time offenses.
Marijuana legitimization advocates opened their arms to the news from Michigan, the primary Midwestern state to favor recreational cannabis. Supporters called it verification that a wide assortment of Americans need and want the nation's cannabis laws to change.
"Michigan residents over 21 years old will soon be able to buy, possess, use, and grow marijuana," reports member station Michigan Radio, which includes that Proposal 1's benefactors will now aim towards looking to cancel criminal records identified with non-violent marijuana cases.
North Dakota's Measure 3 would have required "the expungement of all marijuana-related convictions," according to Prairie Public Broadcasting reports. But critics said it went too far. The North Dakota Association of Counties opposed the measure, saying it lacked limits on how much marijuana one person could grow. It also said the state is still struggling to implement the 2016 measure that legalized medical use.
In Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert and key legislators already were working to frame a medical marijuana bill that is similar to Proposition 2, with the intention of passing it regardless of how Tuesday's vote turned out. Those backing the plan to approve medical use include the Mormon church.


text:
Sid Anderson returned as president of MacDonnell Shire
By KIERAN FINNANE
MacDonnell Shire Council reinstated its leadership duo at the first meeting of the new council yesterday, returning Sid Anderson to the presidency, with Roxanne Kenny as his deputy.
Councillor Irene Nangala nominated Cr Anderson, seconded by Cr Lance Abbott. Both are from Luritja Pintubi Ward in the north-west of the shire, as is Cr Anderson. But Cr Richard Doolan from Rodinga Ward, at the eastern end, and Cr Barry Abbott from Ljirapinta Ward in the middle, both raised their hands to back his nomination. There was no dissent.
Taking his seat to chair the meeting, Cr Anderson thanked the councillors for "having confidence" in him, adding simply, "We'll work together."
It was a quiet victory for the shire leader who in his first term had to weather protracted media controversy over his past as well as an outcry over a proposed contract out-sourcing a shire function to a firm in India.
Cr Kenny (first elected from the Ljirapinta Ward) was nominated by Cr Nangala, seconded by Cr Marlene Abbott (Iyarrka Ward, south-west).
Discussion during the meeting showed councillors to be thinking beyond their own patch. In deciding on where to hold their meetings over the coming 12 months (yesterday's was in Alice Springs), Cr Barry Abbott said this should be discussed with the communities. Cr Anderson supported him as did Cr Kenny, saying she was keen to see council go to places "that might need us out there to talk to the people". She suggested Kintore, which is "struggling", but a meeting was held there last year and the community also has limited accommodation for visitors.
Cr Braydon Williams (Ljirapinta Ward) suggested Areyonga (also known as Utju), as they are experiencing "big problems" (he didn't say what these are and nor did the local board minutes reveal them). Everyone agreed, so the June meeting will be held there. A later meeting may be held at Imanpa where improvements are expected following the appointment of Joe Rawson, formerly a councillor, as shire services coordinator for the community.
Councillors also supported CEO Diane Hood's proposed shire-wide leadership program for young women aged 18 to 25 – "the hardest to engage" but the group representing "the greatest opportunity to close the gap". The shire has applied for funding to develop this program in conjunction with its youth development service. Proposed activities included a leadership trek and a women's law and culture gathering.
Councillors also supported a request from Cr Barry Abbott that a letter from the shire go to Centrelink about clients who wish to remain out bush being allowed to do, with their forms being sent to where they are, rather than them having to return to town to lodge their forms. Cr Barry Abbott's concern was for people who get into bad habits in town, such as drug-taking, but who stay out of trouble when they're out bush.
Councillors are important eyes and ears in communities. They had asked for an update on shire expenditure on outstations within its boundaries. This seems to have arisen as a result of complaints from families on outstations to the February meeting of the Watiyawanu/Mt Liebig Local Board that not enough money was being spent on outstations.
The update was tabled at council yesterday. There are six outstations in the Watiyawanu area, two of them (with three dwellings all up) categorised as unoccupied or only occasionally occupied. The remaining four had a total of eight dwellings and two ablutions blocks. Total expenditure for the financial year to date was $180,318, which included the purchase of a generator and pump. The average expenditure per dwelling was in the mid-range.
In all across the shire there appear to be 10 unoccupied or occasionally occupied outstations, with 31 dwellings – "If we're wrong about that, you need to tell us, councillors," said Ms Hood.
Money being spent on unoccupied outstations
One is Ngutjul near Kintore, with six houses and an ablutions block. Cr Lance Abbott wanted to know why money had been spent there and what it had achieved. It was a relatively small amount ($30,810 in this financial year to date) but it all adds up for the cash-strapped shire. Tiny outstations near Docker River, with one dwelling on each, had also had money spent them ($64,508 which included a $32,254 "rubbish tip invoice") although they too were listed as unoccupied.
Some are used for community events, said Ms Hood, others for holidays and small amounts of money are spent "just on basics".
Cr Lance Abbott suggested to Cr Anderson that "we might pop around there to have a look" at Ngutjul.
Council is also hoping for clarification from Cr Lance Abbot on why Kintore store has not made the contributions it promised towards the running of the Kintore pool. An agreement was signed in 2008 although the local board minutes suggest that such an agreement is in dispute. Cr Nangala suggested that pool users are being charged $2 which was news to Ms Hood: "Maybe someone is charging money who shouldn't be." She would look into it.
MacDonnell Shire has seven local boards. Five held successful meetings in the most recent periods, but two, Finke and Docker River, failed to reach quorum.
The minutes show some common areas of concern, one being local employment. At Haast's Bluff/Ikuntji people wanted to know if locals could do Team Leader jobs. Two are apparently in training and doing well. The same question was asked at Papunya, where there are local Team Leaders for Aged Care and Night Patrol. People at the meeting wanted to see more locals in the Youth Services jobs. They were asked to identify other community members willing to work consistently and undertake training. It is shire policy to promote local employment including in leadership roles.
Another common issue is around the use of government property, for example night patrol vehicles being used for private purposes (this has previously come up in an ordinary council meeting and was a point of discussion for the local boards at Haast's Bluff and Kintore), wanting private access to the shire workshed (Haast's Bluff), children removing airstrip lights (Kintore).
A lot of the issues are small but if responded to or resolved they all mount up to a better quality of life, although with some of them, one wonders why people could not take the initiative to do certain things themselves. Will the shire sponsor trophies for sports weekend? Will the shire buy a tyre-changer for Haast's Bluff? Will the shire organise the painting of the inside of houses, carports in the yards? Will it build a proper concrete drain around the aged care facility at Areyonga?
Pictured, from top: The new MacDonnell Shire Council in the shire meeting room yesterday, from left, Marlene Abbott, Selina Kulitja, Irene Nangala, Greg Sharman, Roxanne Kenny (deputy president), Barry Abbott, Sid Anderson (president), Braydon Williams, Richard Doolan, Lance Abbott, Jacob Hoosan. The council still has one vacancy in the Rodinga Ward. • Sid Anderson in his habitual cap during a break yesterday. • New councillors Barry Abbott (left) and Braydon Williams taking a break with deputy president Roxanne Kenny.
Posted: April 14, 2012 at 12:56 pm ⋅ ⋅ Post a comment


Purge - Are you ready?
And there are more people playing on PvE.
Das kann man in der letzten Woche machen.
Des ist schade zu hören, aber vollkommen verständlich. Ich bedanke mich dafür ,dass ich über ein Jahr auf euren Server spielen durfte und ich finde auch, dass ihr tolle Arbeit geleistet habt.
Nun noch eine kleinen Vorschlag für den letzten Monat.
I can sell you Transmitters for 80 GC or 80 basilo blubber each.
LovedOnes, Odem Mortis and Elysium is now one Tribe.
He already got a bp.
Glaub mir 175 Heavys tun sehr weh. Ich hab schon mal nen gegnerischen Golem vor meiner einen Turretwand teleportiert und der war fast instant weg. Und außerdem gibt es immer noch die Möglichkeit Tek Turrets zu bauen/kaufen die machen mehr also ordentlich schaden.
Und wenn man den Turret anheben würde dann wäre es für größere Tribes noch schwerer sich gegenseitig zu raiden.
Nah you would know if they were alpha or not right newe , Move your base to a better hidden location.
Wondering about the killing of dinos during raids.
Well if you surrender any further destruction is unnecessary destruction and as such forbidden. However, If the defending tribe is hiding stuff which they dont want to show it could be posdible that it will be allowed to search it.
I think the main argument for a tribe cap is that PvP will have more to do with the individual skills and not with pure mass.
However, I believe diplomacy and finding trustworthy members is also a big part of the PvP in ark. Also on defence you dont really need many people to defend a good spot. Like plOx already said just get a guy with transfer tool or an other way to strong thing is just getting a tek teleporter and porting every soaking dino in the middle of your base to kill it easiley.
In addition, as a bigger tribe you can just make a log out room where you can kick the members which arent playing right now and invite the online ones. With this methode you will be able to have 10 players always online, which won't even happen, because no tribe has so many active members.
Kicking and then inviting more than x people in less than y time before z happens should be considered as pvp rule when we have a cap in tribe members.
Also, my apologies if this has already been addressed. I just couldn't find the thread if it was.
This issue has indeed been addressed already. The attacker is allowed to kill your passive dinos, because you could hide your blueprints in them. The only way to prevent this is as far as I know that you surrender. Then you can unclaim the dinos temporaly so the attackers can claim those and look in their inventories.
But dont ask me what happens when the attacker doesnt gice you your dinos back.
Tribe size doesn't seem to matter to much, just seems like the amount of time you put into it is what matters, especially because of orp.
Yep I agree with you a bit. In addition, I dont know any tribe with many active or semi-active members. Like we are only 2 active guys and in a raid maye 8 people. And it seems to me that Beach Bobs doesn't have that many memebers anymore aswell. Yet, I would love to see a tribe cap at 15 people, because it would be riduculous, when a tribe would raid with 16+ members.
I was refering to you saying that Odem, Loved Ones and Elysium raided you on Island. Elysium never raided you on Island, because I was the only one in this Tribe at this moment and we were just stopping our war on each other.
I actually just want to correct false statements so nobody can spread "Fake News".
EzHero Funny how you are always bringing lies in your story Anyway, EzHero is right you are able to build up, when you know what to do. The best tipps are just stay hidden (hidden base and no comments in the chat) and get a transmitter asap (I would adivce you to buy one from a bigger). Oh and another tipp is: Focus on defence and not animals. Animals only help you to build up, but are not the none plus ultra thing for defending.
Any opinions from actual full tek, full breed alphas regarding the reward and its assumed brokeness/rareness? Nobody so far plainly disagreed with my concerns (aside from the whole discussion about how i expressed myself and what should be part of a forum conversation). The nerf to soaker saddles actually limits the harm done by those saddle bps by a lot, right?
Here is the opinoin from the Alpha Tribe Bagger 288. I think it is a very strong reward, but it is definetly not op. The only thing that could be considered as op, would be a rock golem saddle BP, because there is only one tribe (us), as far as my knowledge is concerned, that has an ascendant rock G. BP. However, the rock G. Bps which you can find in loot drops can be better than the one Le1tna has shown.


text:
Category Archives: Bad Heraldry
Do The Work
I'm very gratified whenever someone tells me that they regularly take a look at this blog. Sometimes they will mention that they have learned a thing or two in what they've read here and sometimes they also, jokingly or occasionally chidingly, tell me that they are surprised at the sharpness of my criticisms. With increasing frequency, however, I'm also hearing often in both direct contact with me or in other places on the internet where heraldic enthusiasts congregate that those of us who seem to know more about heraldry should do more to educate those who wish to learn more.
First, let me say that the "those who wish to learn more" frequently fall into two categories. There are those who, for whatever reason, have an interest in learning as much as they can about heraldry for their own enrichment. They understand that a study of heraldry means delving into a world of history, genealogy, symbolism and, lastly, art. Heraldry is a science as well as an art. It isn't just about pretty pictures or "cool" images of dragons and basilisks. It's not the domain of medieval fantasists (although many of them do enjoy it) or social-climbing faux nobles. It is a perfectly good hobby, so to speak; a wonderful subject to which one can devote a lifetime of study and learning. In addition, a few also become intimately involved in it as a profession or as an avocation and create new coats of arms for the deserving and the desirous. Whether someone becomes a practitioner of heraldic design and art or simply remains a great enthusiast it is a topic about which you can never stop learning more.
But then there is the other type who, again for whatever reason, have an interest in heraldry but don't really care all that much about learning the "why and wherefore" of heraldic history or design. They have no interest whatsoever in the many ways the development of heraldry differs from country to country or during different centuries. They have, perhaps, read one or two books on heraldry (or maybe even as many as three!) and have now decided that they've "got this". They are now as expert on the topic as the Garter King of Arms. Therefore, the time has come for them to hang out a shingle and begin creating coats of arms themselves…as a "herald".
Ironically, despite being convinced of their own expertise, it is this second category who seem to complain the most and the loudest that those individuals and organizations online who offer criticism of heraldic designs owe it to everyone else to educate them more.
Well, first of all, reading someone's criticism of a design should actually help the less educated to learn more in itself. Although, having said that, I must admit that when I come across really appalling examples I often don't go into a detailed analytical criticism of the coat of arms but just express my great displeasure by means of some exclamation like, "Awful!". I'll grant you that someone is hardly likely to learn much from that other than that I didn't like it.
My area of particular interest is, obviously, ecclesiastical heraldry. This is an interesting sub-set of heraldry that crosses over time and boundaries and has many rules, customs and traditions of its own despite the fact that there is no umbrella heraldic authority over the entire Church. In places where a heraldic authority does exist the coats of arms of clerics are just as subject to that local authority as the armorial bearings of anyone else. The Church makes no claim to having some kind of supra-national jurisdiction over the regulation of heraldry worldwide. Famously, St. John XXIII (himself a heraldic enthusiast) wanted to establish a Pontifical Office of Heraldry. His former secretary and good friend, Abp. Bruno Heim, talked him out of it. Heim said that one couldn't legislate in matters of taste. He also had a healthy respect for the different ways heraldry developed in different countries and a real love of heraldic creativity. He knew such a Pontifical Office would tend to standardize Church heraldry and stifle creativity.
So, that's one of the reasons there isn't now, nor is there likely to be, an office to regulate the armorial bearings of clergy, prelates and institutions in the Church.
Throughout history the Church has primarily concerned itself with the external ornaments of heraldry. That is, those things that are placed around the shield rather than on it which indicate the rank and/or function of the armiger in question. What actually goes onto the shield is a matter of individual taste or family history or inheritance or anything else that would make for a unique mark of identification for the bearer of the coat of arms. The Church has no great desire to get into that. Those are precisely the kinds of things some heraldic authorities do get into. I know someone who had applied for a grant from the College of Arms in England and the individual wanted the shield divided per bend. He was told to modify that request because, in England, they preferred not to divide the field that way. I know of another case where a bishop wished to receive a grant from the Court of Lord Lyon. His arms were designed by a very competent expert in heraldry but they contained a field chequy and Lord Lyon didn't allow such a field so the design had to be changed. The Holy See has neither the time, the resources to devote, or the desire to get into that kind of heraldic regulation. Rather, it tends to concern itself with things like the appropriate color of the tassels on a galero to indicate a Prothonotary Apostolic, etc.
So claiming that it is the job of the Holy See to provide guidance in this area isn't the answer especially as they already do to some extent. Similarly, it isn't the job of the various heraldic societies that exist to make sure everyone knows every and any rule of the heraldic science. For the most part those societies exist for people who already know and appreciate heraldry somewhat and wish to share their love of the subject with other enthusiasts. There is an educational element to that but it comes primarily from mutual enrichment rather than mere instruction. There are the many heraldic artists in the world, many of whom now have a website to display their work and solicit business. But they are not necessarily experts in heraldry. Rather, many of them are happy to provide heraldic artwork, itself a speciality that not every competent artist can undertake, but it is not necessarily their task to educate. Finally, there are the heraldic enthusiasts like myself who have a website or blog and who, sometimes a bit flippantly, offer exposure and criticism in an effort promote good heraldic practices and, perhaps, help some people to avoid bad ones. But, I put it to you that while having such a blog may help others to learn that does not make it incumbent upon me to attempt to provide an exhaustive course of study in the particulars of ecclesiastical heraldry. After all, this is something I do for fun!
No, the problem in the world today, especially since the advent of the internet and social media, is that, as usual, people want something for nothing. They want some quick and easy way to skip over the hard stuff and be provided with all the answers they need at the click of a mouse. To put it another way, they don't want to do the work.
Occasionally, someone is kind enough to describe me as an "expert" in ecclesiastical heraldry, especially Catholic heraldry. That's very kind. To the extent that it may be true it is so for one reason and for one reason only. It's because I undertook to begin a serious study of heraldry when I was a young man and have stayed with it for over 35 years. I started doing this before there was an internet (or one to speak of) and it was difficult to communicate with others who shared my enthusiasm. But, I was willing to delve, to do research, to read extensively, to slowly build up a personal heraldic library, to seek the advice of experts and then eventually to come under the tutelage of a person who could critique my own ideas and help me to learn by making mistakes. I did the work!
There are a lot of resources available…if you're willing to roll up your sleeves and do some good, old-fashioned research. You can't learn about heraldry by reading an book, or two, or even three. You definitely can't learn about ecclesiastical heraldry by looking at pictures of other bishop's coats of arms alone. For example, if you look in the back of a really good book on Church heraldry like Bruno Heim's Heraldry in the Catholic Church you'll find not only a bibliography but several appendixes quoting papal documents. How many people have undertaken to look up and obtain full texts of those documents and then have them translated into their own language if they don't have a good command of Latin?
How many people who claim to really love Church heraldry look at the books in Heim's bibliography and then set out to obtain as many of them as possible for your own library, or at least track copies of them down in a lending library?
How many heraldic enthusiasts who can draw reasonably well have said no to undertaking heraldic commissions because they realize they don't really know enough about heraldry to create a coat of arms for someone else so they wait several years in order to learn more and become more competent in the field before daring to be so bold as to design a coat of arms for someone else?
To become really good at this -not the world's greatest, but just really good- takes a lot of effort, a lot of time and a lot of work. Sadly, there are too many people involved with the creation of heraldry who simply don't want to make the effort, put in the time or do the work. THAT'S why there is so much bad heraldry floating around the Church. It's because too many people who have no business whatsoever creating coats of arms are doing so. For a bishop to go to a friend, or relative, or seminarian and say, "You draw well. Why don't you do my coat of arms?" is like me going to a friend and saying, "You know how to sew on a button so why don't you make me a chasuble?" It's preposterous! But, it happens all the time. Ignorant dilettantes who don't have the sense to seek out the advice of someone with greater expertise, let alone refer their "client" to someone with greater expertise, are getting involved in droves in the design and creation of coats of arms in the Church. Not only are the resulting designs really bad but then they have the audacity to say that someone else: the Holy See, a heraldic society, or even a blogger should provide more guidance and instruction to them so that they can avoid mistakes.
Well, I don't agree. I'm living proof that the resources and material are out there and can be found with a little effort. What is required is having the humility to start out as a student and not jump immediately into attempting to do something about which you know very little as though anyone can do it. It requires the ability genuinely to learn from criticism instead of simply becoming defensive in the face of it. Most importantly, instead of expecting someone else to provide you with ready-made answers at your fingertips so that you can reap all the benefit of the years of effort someone else has made to increase their knowledge and expertise while at the same time barely lifting a finger yourself you need to…
DO. THE. WORK!
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Fr. Guy's designs, Heraldic Mistakes on September 7, 2020 by guyselvester.
Bishop Lewandowski, C.Ss.R.
The coat of arms assumed by the Most Rev. Bruce Lewandowski, CSsR who will be ordained the Titular Bishop of Croae and Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore on August 18th:
While many reactions leap to mind such as: incorrect, poorly-designed, clashing styles (the dove's wing going right up off the shield is particularly ridiculous) among others there is really only one word to describe this:
HIDEOUS!
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Heraldic Mistakes, Work of Other Artists on July 17, 2020 by guyselvester.
Three New Ones That Don't Quite Hit the Mark
Recently, there have been several new bishops ordained and/or installed in the U.S. and in each case their new coats of arms are very disappointing. One of the most valuable sections of the famous book on ecclesiastical heraldry by the late (great) Bruno B. Heim entitled, Heraldry in the Catholic Church concerns the design and adoption of new coats of arms by clergy. In that section, among other pieces of advice, Heim cautions that the new armiger should seek out the advice of someone competent in heraldry and, in particular, ecclesiastical heraldry if they can. That person to be consulted may not be the one who actually does the artwork but they can advise on what is and, more importantly, isn't appropriate in a coat of arms.
Sadly, none of these new bishops seems to have done that.
I would also add a piece of advice which I have found myself repeating so often over the years to clergy who wish to adopt a coat of arms that it has become, perhaps, the most important piece of advice I can offer. Your coat of arms is not your CV in pictures! A coat of arms is a unique mark of identification. It isn't a pictorial mission statement, a review of every aspect of your life, a personal history in symbols, a catalogue of all your likes and dislikes or a statement on your ideas of ecclesiology and ministry.
Too many clergy, especially new bishops, don't seem to understand this. As a result they do too much or they include things that are inappropriate. Let's take a look.
First, is the armorial bearings of Bishop Francis I. Malone (69) who was ordained and installed as the Third Bishop of Shreveport, Louisiana on January 28. The arms of the See of Shreveport are in the dexter impalement and they are not of any interest. However, the personal arms…oh boy! The chalice overall at the center is inappropriately placed and is also an almost photographic depiction of the bishop's own personal chalice. Heraldry makes use of symbols, not portraits or photographs. An appropriate charge would be "a chalice" not a particular chalice.
The bishop has also quartered the field in such a way that he has marshaled arms that do not belong to him and appropriated them as his own. In the upper left and right of his arms he has, whole and entire, depicted the arms of the See of Philadelphia and the arms of the See of Little Rock; one because he was born there and the other because he served there as a priest. However, by including them entirely in his own arms it appears he is claiming jurisdiction over both! The better way to handle this would have been to borrow a single charge from each and incorporate them into the design of his own coat of arms rather than illicitly stealing the arms of two dioceses.
The charge on the lower left, the fleur-de-lis is fine and on the lower right the cross and crown is a logo used by his former parish which in and of itself is fine and even makes a nice heraldic charge but the overall arrangement is sloppy, and an attempt at a heraldic CV against which I warn people all the time.
Finally, the smaller Celtic cross superimposed over the episcopal cross which is an external ornament behind the shield is heraldically unsupportable. Whoever designed this coat of arms had the clear (and quite good intention) of including as many things from the bishop's life and ministry as possible but arranged them in a way that suggests he really wasn't that well versed in heraldic design to pull it off. Everything included in the coat of arms could have been correctly included in a more aesthetically pleasing manner if only someone who knew about heraldic design had been involved.
Second, is Bishop John McClory (56) a Detroit priest who was ordained and installed as the Fifth Bishop of Gary, Indiana on February 11. Again, the arms of the See are of no concern and, actually, are one of the better diocesan coat of arms in use in the USA with a nice reference to the Guardian Angels (titular patrons of the cathedral church).
This coat of arms is really rather nice. There is a good choice of the symbols to be used as charges. There are no tincture violations or indiscretions and, I would say the overall appearance of the coat of arms is aesthetically pleasing and harmonizes well with the arms of the See.
My criticism concerns the arrangement of the charges on the field which is rather like what has come to be known as the "lucky charms" style of heraldry. Namely, a bunch of charges scattered on the field and slapped onto a shield and called heraldry. In addition, trying to "personalize" the episcopal cross which is an external ornament which indicates the rank of the bearer and not a charge on the field which communicate the identity of the bearer is a mistake. It is in the form of a Jerusalem cross to indicate membership in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. This is not the way to depict such membership. Either a charge on the field would have been appropriate, or placing the Jerusalem cross near but outside the shield is also acceptable. In addition, the actual insignia of the Order can be depicted suspended below the shield by a black ribbon or, as a bishop, he could have placed the shield on the Jerusalem cross. But, shaping the episcopal cross to a personal preference is not an option.
Nevertheless, this is the best of the three.
Finally, we have the armorial bearings of Bishop Donald DeGrood (54) a priest of St. Paul-Minneapolis who is being ordained a bishop and installed as the Ninth Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota today, in fact, even as I write this post.
For the third time I take no issue with the arms of the See and also think it is one of the better designed diocesan coats of arms in the USA.
As for the personal arms he has, once again, tried to do too much. The tincture combinations are unfortunate and, actually, rather sad looking. The purple priest's stole on a green field violates the so-called tincture "rule" which dictates that a metal on a metal and a color on another color should be avoided. The sheaf of wheat looks rather anemic (but, in fairness, that may simply be an issue involving this particular depiction of the arms). The charge of the gold letter "M" in the upper right is borrowed from the arms of St. John Paul II. There's nothing wrong with that, per se. Many warn against using letters as charges but it is well known that John Paul II argued with Bruno Heim for maintaining the "M" in his arms which he has used as a bishop and cardinal. Certainly, that charge became widely known as John Paul's coat of arms was used extensively during his historic 27-year-long pontificate.
However, in the official version of John Paul's arms, painted by Bruno Heim himself, the letter "M" was depicted, correctly, as filling the whole space of the field on which it was depicted. So, the charge followed the contours of the shield shape upon which it appeared. This explains why one side of the "M" is longer than the other. However, depicting it this way, floating in the middle of the field, it is completely unnecessary, and also quite ridiculous to depict the "M" with one side shorter than the other. The "M" was not blazoned to be depicted that way, Rather, that was merely an artistic convention. There seems to be the erroneous and utterly stupid notion floating around out there that the "M" must be unevenly drawn to make it the "John Paul II M". WRONG!
The black cross on a field that is blue and green is a bad choice of tinctures. Once again, it appears as though the new bishop consulted someone who was not very well acquainted with proper heraldic design.
These three represent a situation that is all too common in the Church in general and in the United States in particular. With all the competent assistance available, especially since the advent of the internet, it's really rather sad that such amateurish and, in some cases, frankly ugly coats of arms continue to be created.
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Chivalric Orders, External Ornaments, Heraldic Mistakes, Work of Other Artists on February 13, 2020 by guyselvester.
Bishop Austin Vetter of Helena
On Wednesday, November 20, the Most Rev. Austin Vetter (52), a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, was ordained a bishop and installed as the 12th Bishop of Helena, Montana. He was formerly a Spiritual Director at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, the seminary which he himself attended. Like so many other American bishops coming from that source he decided to have his coat of arms designed and emblazoned by an amateur heraldist, a man with another profession, who has begun to work extensively in the field of ecclesiastical heraldry due to his many contacts in Rome. The results are usually somewhat disappointing – not bad; not incorrect; not poorly rendered – but just drab, unimaginative and a ceaseless repetition of the same things over and over again plugged into a basic template making all of them appear, essentially, the same.
From the program prepared for the Ordination we read the following description prepared by the person who designed the coat of arms: "Bishop Vetter's personal coat of arms blends images representing his origins: the crescent moon is for the Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States, the Diocese of Bismarck, and the Pontifical North American College (Bishop Vetter's alma mater where he also later served on faculty); the sheaves of wheat which combine the concept of the Eucharistic symbol and the principle product of the farm where Bishop Vetter grew up; a "wavy barrulet," the water representing "the spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14) and the Missouri River which begins in Montana and flows through Bismarck, North Dakota; and a "gemel in chevronwise," one of them recalling the rafter holding the roof of the church which is set upon the foundation of the apostles with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone (meaning protection) and the second representing the Rocky Mountains of Montana.
The color blue (Azure) symbolizes the separation from the worldly values and the ascent of the soul toward God, therefore the run of the Celestial Virtues which raise themselves from the things of the earth toward the sk y. It als o represents the Blessed Mother and the "Big Sky" of Montana. The silver (Argent) of the crescent symbolizes the transparency and the purity of the Virgin Mary. The garb, sheaves of wheat, is in gold (Or), the first among the noble metals, then the symbol of the first of the Virtues , the Faith which enables us to believe in the Eucharistic Host, fruit of wheat, real body of Christ."
Yeah…blah.
The second paragraph which goes on and on about the symbolism of the colors betrays an error that many amateur heraldist make. Namely, assuming that there are definite meanings assigned to different colors in heraldry. There aren't. Perhaps, the armiger has chosen to assign meanings to certain colors for himself personally but if that is the case the explanation should stipulate that, as in, "The bishop feels that the color blue means XYZ to him because…" Otherwise, it's simply made up out of whole cloth.
Another interesting thing in the explanation which goes to my point about the repetition in this person's designs is the explanation of the use of the "gemel". In heraldry the word gemel means "twin". It is a term taken from Scottish heraldry primarily and does not describe a particular charge or object. Rather, it is an adjective that describes certain ordinaries or subordinaries as being depicted twinned, or in a pair. So, it's not an object, a gemel "chevron wise" (i.e. arranged in the shape of a chevron). Instead, it should be blazoned "Two chevronels gemel", that is, two thinner chevrons paired.
What is also interesting is this explanation of the coat of arms of a bishop this same artist did several years ago, "The chevron is an heraldic device, best described as an inverted "V"; it signifies the rafter, which holds the roof of the church, and symbolizes the concept of protection." Does that sound familiar? Perhaps it is supposed that every bishop must have a chevron of some kind in his coat of arms as a symbol of a church? Are there no other symbols of a church, or of the Church, or of protection?
This bishop's last name – Vetter – comes from the German for "cousin" and yet there was no attempt to try and symbolize that. His first name, Austin, is derived from the name Augustine and yet none of the symbols associated with that saint were used. Why do I point this out? Because a coat of arms is first and foremost a mark of personal identification. As I have written here numerous times, it is not a CV in pictures! It's not supposed to be about where you are from, where you lived, where you went to school, etc. It is, instead, supposed to identify you, personally. So, using charges that in some way alluded to his name or family name, while far from a necessity in any coat of arms, might have proven a better starting point and certainly would have made for a mark of identity that was more personal.
Instead, there is another cookie-cutter coat of arms. And yet the question persists of "Why are so many bishops' coats of arms so poorly done?" It is, I believe, because too many bishops are content to copy what they have seen before for the sake of "getting it done" instead of consulting with someone who is well versed in heraldic science as well as someone who can provide real heraldic art instead of something using a computer generated template. This coat of arms, like others is not, as I wrote above, bad, incorrect or poorly rendered. But, it is rather disappointing.
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Heraldic Mistakes, Work of Other Artists on November 21, 2019 by guyselvester.
Valuable Information
This is of the utmost importance…
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Blazonry, Heraldic Mistakes, Work of Other Artists on October 19, 2019 by guyselvester.
Most Rev. Robert F. Christian, O.P. – RIP
The Most Rev. Robert Christian, a Dominican friar, who has been the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco passed away on July 11, 2019 at age 70.
His coat of arms was assumed by him at the time of his episcopal ordination.
Umm…no. Sorry, but "beige" isn't a heraldic color and, no, you may not just simply make up new rules and use whatever color you wish in heraldry. The science of heraldry limits the tinctures to be used and beige isn't one of them. The Dominican cross and the usual Franciscan conformities (the arms of Christ and St. Francis crossed with each other) made for a nice combination of symbols for his Religious Community and the Archdiocese.
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Work of Other Artists on July 18, 2019 by guyselvester.
Archbishop Vigneron's Arms
As promised when the Archdiocese of Detroit unveiled its disastrously and comically redesigned coat of arms the Archbishop has had his own coat of arms redesigned both to impale his personal arms with the new coat of arms of the See and to have a rendering in the same artistic style.
BLECH!
This entry was posted in Archbishops, Bad Heraldry, Heraldic Mistakes, Work of Other Artists on December 23, 2017 by guyselvester.
Bishops Schlert and Wack
Two bishops were recently ordained and installed as Diocesan bishops in the United States and some have asked for my comment on their coats of arms.
Bishop Alfred Schlert of Allentown, PA
Bishop William Wack, CSC of Pensacola-Talahassee, FL
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Work of Other Artists on September 1, 2017 by guyselvester.
Detroit Coat of Arms Redesign: EPIC FAIL
By now so many people have seen the redesign of the archdiocesan coat of arms undertaken by the Archdiocese of Detroit and unveiled last Saturday (below, right).
Where does one even begin? Perhaps a good place to start is by saying that this was done in conjunction with the release of Archbishop Vigneron's post-synodal pastoral letter entitled, "Unleash the Gospel". This letter addresses issues that arose during the archdiocesan synod and outlines the pastoral approaches to be implemented by the archdiocese as it faces the future. As a part of this entire effort someone had the idea that redesigning the coat of arms to reflect the current "realities" of the archdiocese and certain aspects of the archdiocese's identity would be a good idea. I suppose the thinking was that with a new approach should come a new symbol. The archdiocese's Moderator of the Curia, Msgr. Robert McClory, who was in charge of the redesign, said, "Initially, we thought about, 'What is the identity of the archdiocese?' When people think of the Archdiocese of Detroit, what do they think of, and what visuals are connected to that?"
So, it seems clear that this jettisoning of the former coat of arms and redesigning an entirely new one was done with all the very best of intentions. That seems abundantly clear and, I think, it's worth pointing out and keeping in mind. There was no malicious iconoclasm motivating a desire to discard outmoded symbolism. Rather, there seems to have been a sincere effort to look to the future in a positive manner with a symbol for the local church that would be more evocative to both members of that local community and those outside of it as well. They were trying to do something good, and new, and fresh.
More is the pity. It is precisely all these good intentions that underscores the appalling ignorance with which this process, in the works for more than a year, proceeded. An article in the archdiocese's publication, "The Michigan Catholic" indicates the following:
"Archbishop Vigneron consulted with a wide range of people, including laity and the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, before deciding to go ahead with the changes, Msgr. McClory said. While the archdiocese enlisted the help of a Cleveland-based design firm for the project, the process also benefited from Archbishop Vigneron's experience redesigning the coat of arms of the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., where he served as bishop from 2003-09."
Apparently, the Archbishop's previous experience left him feeling confident in doing a wide and varied consultation with just about everyone, except someone well versed in the customs, rules and traditions of good heraldic design. That really baffles me. In these days even a simple Google search will easily yield at least some possibilities of contacting a group or individual who has some knowledge or expertise in designing a coat of arms. Consulting such a person or group really wouldn't be so difficult. I have to ask why it was deemed important to solicit the opinions of laity and the Presbyteral Council? What experience or learning do they possess that would enable them to determine a good heraldic design? I can appreciate the Archbishop's desire to avoid making such a change by episcopal fiat and to seek the input of various people in his archdiocese. Nevertheless, the way to design or redesign a coat of arms is not by committee. I think the end result is clear evidence of that.
What they have come up with is, simply put, bad. The artwork is cartoonish and dated. The overall composition bears little to no resemblance to anything remotely like a coat of arms. The mitre on top has the appearance more of a royal crown than an episcopal mitre. The confusing miss-mash of charges float all over the place on the field. You cannot simply take a bunch of logo-like symbols, slap them onto a shield and call it "heraldry"!
Most of all, however, I think the epic fail has its origins in a basic misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of a coat of arms in the first place. Monsignor McClory goes on to say:
"A major difference between the old coat of arms and the new, Msgr. McClory said, is one's ability to tell the story of faith using its symbols: Starting with the Old Testament in St. Anne and continuing through the revelation of the New Testament through her daughter, Mary, one comes to Christ through the waters of baptism and is invited through the open doors of the Church to bring others with them to their ultimate fulfillment with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in heaven. I think you can really tell a story with this. You can't do it with the old coat of arms."
And there you have it. Once again, because something is connected to the Church it becomes about "telling a story", or "tracing a history". Not everything connected to the Church has to be a catechetical tool; not everything is a means of evangelization. Just as a personal coat of arms is not supposed to be one's pictorial C.V. so, too, a corporate coat of arms is not supposed to be a visual mission statement or pictorial history.
Heraldry was developed as a means of creating a unique identifying mark. Full stop.
In addition, because even modern heraldry still hearkens back to the medieval period in which heraldry has its origins there is supposed to be both a timelessness and a sense of permanence to heraldry. It's quite wrong to change a coat of arms simply because it was designed and adopted in a different time and because the thinking has changed about what should be on it. A coat of arms doesn't have to "tell a story"; it doesn't have to "reflect present realities"; it is supposed to be immutable. Since it becomes the identifying mark of the individual or corporate body that uses it the permanent character of it must be respected.
That is not to say that there are no instances of changes being made to a coat of arms. Even within the science of heraldry itself techniques such as marshaling (combining two or more coats of arms on the same shield), augmentation (adding a new element to an existing coat of arms to reflect an honor, event or accomplishment) and differencing (slightly changing an initial design to indicate its use by a relative, descendant, or protégé) exist to make changes within the accepted framework of heraldic custom and practice. But, simply throwing out the former coat of arms and redesigning the thing from scratch is foreign to the nature of heraldry. Let me be clear: it is sometimes done and whenever it is, it is always wrong.
Rather, the archdiocese has fallen victim to a not uncommon phenomenon present today. That is, equating heraldry with a logo. Corporate logos frequently change. Whether it's to mark the takeover of the corporate body by another, or simply to refresh and renew the artwork, or to indicate the corporate body embarking on a new phase or vision the transitory nature of corporate logos almost necessitates their periodic updating or full-scale redesign. I note that the archdiocese consulted with a Cleveland based design firm. But, what does this firm know of heraldry? How much experience do they have designing a heraldic achievement? I would hazard a guess that its very little compared with their experience of coming up with a first time logo or doing a redesign for a group interested in "re-branding". But, a coat of arms is neither a logo nor a brand.
The simplest solution to their present situation would have been to leave their diocesan coat of arms alone and design a logo which would be used not only for the roll out of this most recent pastoral letter and the ensuing archdiocesan efforts at implementing it but could have also become the favored symbol used by the archdiocese in place of the coat of arms. Things like letterhead, signage, etc. could easily have borne this newer logo and simply ignored the coat of arms. Its not the solution that those of us who prefer heraldry might like but it certainly is far from unprecedented. Numerous ecclesiastical institutions have desired a symbol that was considered more in keeping with the times. They have chosen to respect the existence of a previously adopted coat of arms and merely make minimal use of it in favor of the newer logo they have adopted as more fitting to their situation.
The Archdiocese of Detroit could have done the same. They could have tried, with the help of a competent heraldic designer, to truly re-design the present coat of arms. They could have, for example retained the gold field, the black cross and three gold stars on the cross and removed the antlers and martlets. Then in those now empty quadrants they could have placed charges symbolic of what they desired. They could have augmented the current coat of arms by means of placing a smaller shield at the center of the design bearing whatever symbols they wanted. They could have adopted a kind of heraldic badge (a symbol composed of heraldic charges but separate from a shield) and used that in conjunction with the archdiocesan coat of arms as well as had new artwork prepared for both. They could have decided to adopt an archdiocesan logo to be used instead of the coat of arms while leaving the former alone.
Instead, they chose the ill-advised path of completely throwing out the coat of arms first adopted 80 years ago and used regularly throughout the archdiocese in many ways and in many places, and coming up with an entirely new design, poorly executed, which bears little to no resemblance to the original and destroys any visual continuity with what had been used.
It has been announced that over time the former coat of arms will slowly but systematically be expunged and the Archbishop plans to have a new rendering of his own coat of arms impaled with this mess. I think that's a very bad idea. Rather, if he wishes no longer to use the older archdiocesan arms the Archbishop should simply use his personal arms on the shield alone. That way, if his successor wishes to correct this error and revert to the former coat of arms he can do so easily.
I suppose that it shouldn't really come as a surprise that this kind of thing happened considering what the archdiocese did to redesign what had been its beautiful cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Much of that renovation is quite nice (I'm thinking in particular of the floor of the sanctuary) but most of it doesn't fit at all with the style of a neo-gothic structure. Once again in the interest of "updating" the archdiocese has an epic fail on its hands. What I find particularly sad is the failure isn't because of a difference of opinion regarding taste. Rather, the fail occurred because of inexcusable ignorance of the subject at hand. They simply don't get what a coat of arms is supposed to be. What they've ended up with is unheraldic and ugly.
This entry was posted in Archbishops, Bad Heraldry, Corporate Bodies, Heraldic Mistakes on June 5, 2017 by guyselvester.
A Gallery of Banality
In January several new Auxiliary Bishops have been ordained in the USA. Their choices regarding armorial bearings have been, shall we say, underwhelming. I am not commenting on the quality of the artwork, at least not for the moment. This post is concerned with the content and composition of these coats of arms from a heraldically correct viewpoint. Let's have a look.
Most Rev. Timothy Freyer, Auxiliary of Orange, CA (ordained January 17)
Most Rev. Mark Brennan, Auxiliary of Baltimore, MD (ordained January 19)
Busy.
Most Rev. Adam Parker, Auxiliary of Baltimore, MD (ordained January 19)
Gag. (and not entitled to the quarter of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher)
Most Rev. Gerard Battersby, Auxiliary of Detroit, MI (ordained January 25)
Most Rev. Robert Fisher, Auxiliary of Detroit, MI (ordained January 25)
Blech.
This entry was posted in Bad Heraldry, Bishops, Uncategorized on March 1, 2017 by guyselvester.