#a.d. 614 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

engelspolitics · 3 years

Text

Bethlehem

https://www.grunge.com/620656/the-untold-truth-of-bethlehem/

Aside from Christ's birth, the town is associated with other biblical figures revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

The original name, which persists today in English, essentially originates from the Hebrew words for "bread" and "house,” so Bethlehem" means "house of bread."

· Interestingly, "Bethlehem" can also mean "house of war" in Hebrew, since both bread and war come from the same root.

· In Arabic, Bethlehem means "house of meat." According to Christianity Today, the name might refer to the importance of animal husbandry and meat production.

Pre-biblical references to Bethlehem are rare. In fact, there may only be one reference to the town in the written record from Egypt.

· The Amarna Letters are a cache of texts found in Egypt that detail the correspondence of Egypt's pharaoh with numerous foreign rulers; Bethlehem is possibly mentioned in these letters, but scientists and historians disagree

However in 2012 that excavations in Jerusalem had unearthed a piece of an administrative seal inscribed with the words "Bethlehem," "seventh," and "king."

· The seal's inscription proved that the artifact was an administrative item used to stamp tax shipments sent to the royal seat in Jerusalem.

o Thus, in the eighth or seventh century B.C., the town was paying tribute to the kings of Judah and was important enough that its officials had their own seals

Bethlehem is mentioned in the Bible well before Jesus. The first mention is in Genesis in the context of the burial of one of Jesus' distant relatives, the matriarch Rachel.

· Her tomb, originally on a lonely roadside in the middle of nowhere, is shrouded in a beautiful tradition and has attracted controversy as of late due to its disputed status.

o According to Jewish tradition, Jacob had a vision of his suffering descendants crying out to her. So when she died, he buried her along the road so her suffering children would pass by and beg for her intercession with God. For this reason, Israel has controversially insisted on retaining control of the tomb.

o The tomb has seen its share of violence because of its centrality to Jewish tradition. According to Chabad, Jordanian forces banned Jewish prayer at the site in 1948. Today, according to the city website, Bethlehem is part of the Palestinian Territories.

The town was also the home of an ancestor of Jesus named David.

· David was selected over his elder brothers to become king of Israel, despite his humble station in life. According to Christian Foundations, he was anointed in Bethlehem

According to tradition, Jesus was born in a stable, but the Church of the Nativity is built over a cave that served as a shelter to shepherds and their flocks

· Used by shepherds to this day

· Justin Martyr, an early Father of the Church, corroborated the tradition of the cave birth.

o As a native of nearby Nablus, he would have known the area and its traditions well, so his testimony should be taken seriously.

Three controlling churches have divided the Church of Nativity among themselves.

· The Greek Orthodox Church holds approximately 80% of the property and is the majority shareholder. The Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches own the rest, including the grotto.

o To ensure peace between the three churches and put an end to the squabbles, the Ottoman Empire in 1852 instituted the Status Quo. This balance, which is still in force today, means that the different denominations adhere to a strict schedule, ensure that each other’s services begin on time, and avoid touching each other's stuff

The fight over the church even helped ignite the Crimean War in 1853, a mere year after the Status Quo was enacted.

· France and Russia favored the Catholic and Orthodox churches' claims for primacy and guardianship of the church, forcing the Ottoman Empire to pick sides.

The Church of the Nativity has been burned and looted multiple times. A Jewish-Samaritan revolt against the Byzantines in 529 A.D. damaged the original church so badly that it had to be rebuilt.

Forces of the Persian Empire invaded the Byzantine Empire's territories in 614 A.D, sacking and looting churches for their valuables.

Eventually, they arrived in Bethlehem and prepared to loot the Church of the Nativity, but the commander noticed a mosaic depicting the Magi (Persian Zoroastrian priests), and he spared the church, not wishing to damage the mosaic.

· The mosaic hasn’t survived into modern times

There are fears that the Christian community Bethlehem is in danger of disappearing forever.

· Over 85% of the town's inhabitants were Christians of various denominations in 1950; by 2016, that number had declined precipitously to 12% and probably is less now due to mostly economic factors combined with a tense political situation.

· Economic and educational opportunities are fleeting in the Palestinian Territories but are plentiful in neighbouring Israel and in Western countries.

o Pope Francis has determined that there will be no Middle East without Christians, so steps must be taken to create a safe environment for the world's oldest Christian communities and discourage emigration. Bethlehem's first female mayor, Catholic Vera Baboun, made this a central part of her platform

Despite the collapse of Bethlehem's Christian population, the town is still a place of pilgrimage whose remaining Christians take their faith very seriously.

Christmas is celebrated three times in Bethlehem; on December 24-25 by the Catholic Church, on January 6—7 by the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches, which use the Revised Julian Solar Calendar, and on January 19 by the Armenian Apostolic Church, which uses the old Julian Solar Calendar à a month of festivities, processions, and masses/liturgies

Modern Bethlehem is famous for its bridal dresses

famous technique involves couching gold or silver thread onto their base materials to produce beautiful floral and linear patterns

#christianity #ancient

3 notes · View notes

met-africa-oceania · 3 years

Photo

Nine Feathered Panels, A.D. 600–900, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 Size: H. 81 1/2 in. × W. 20 ft. 1 3/4 in. (207 × 614 cm) Medium: Feathers on cotton, camelid hair

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/776429

#themet #metmuseum

4 notes · View notes

tlatollotl · 6 years

Photo

Mirror-Bearer

Date: 6th century

Geography: Guatemala or Mexico, Mesoamerica

Culture: Maya

Medium: Wood, red hematite

This Mirror-Bearer figure is the best-preserved example of portable Maya wood sculpture and one of the highlights of the Early Classic period (ca. A.D. 250–550) Maya art. The artist created this figure out of a solid piece of hardwood from the genus Cordia, known locally as bocote. Research determined a radiocarbon age for the wood of 1425 years before present (± 120 years), or a range of A.D. 410 to 650. It was said to have come from the border region between Guatemala and Tabasco, Mexico. Most likely, to judge from its extraordinary preservation, the findspot must have been a dry cave or well-sealed funerary chamber. The damage on its left side is the result of some wear or decay in that context, perhaps from resting against a surface or being subjected to varying passage of air. The person, a male, wears an elaborate knee-length woven skirt with ties that cover his navel. The waistband of the skirt shows a braided and fringed design with circular rosettes on the hips and at the spine. The hem of the skirt displays a jagged starburst-like pattern bordered above by a twisted braid and below by flaring fringe. The square knot at the figure’s stomach accentuates the realistic portrayal of the garment that sags between its slightly splayed knees. In addition, the Mirror-Bearer dons a shawl that goes around his neck and falls through his arms to connect to the rear rosette and is gathered in a bunch that sags away from the figure’s back.

Clearly defined notches in the skirt and under the arms would have held a removable plaque approximately 5 inches square, probably covered in a mosaic mirror of pyrite or obsidian. The plaque would have been inserted under the arms and then hooked into the skirt notches. In fact, the artist thinned the shawl under the figure’s right arm by chiseling. This enabled a better "fit" for the plaque, which, at a roughly 60-degree angle, matched the pitch of the figure’s face. The Mirror-Bearer wears a distinct hairstyle or headdress and is shown with a curled moustache. The eye sockets are carved out, possibly to hold eye inlays of shell and obsidian. He arches his back, his head slightly tilted upward, his upper arms parallel to the ground, and his feet, which, though eroded, are folded under his body. He is shown holding his fists tightly to his chest, clutched under an elaborate pectoral. The pectoral ornament depicts an anthropomorphic portrait, with a headdress, ear flares, and a wide collar of jade beads. The elaborate multi-tiered ear ornaments of the figure consist of a flare through the stretched lobe, with two other jade discs hanging below it, terminating in a graceful portrait of a jawless reptilian creature. Such luxurious jade jewelry would have only been reserved for a high member of the elite. Surviving reddish iron oxide pigment on the surface indicates that he would have been brightly painted and vivid in effect. Although the artist seems to have depicted this individual at a small scale but with normal bodily proportions at approximately 1/3 scale, he is most likely a royal court dwarf, as seen in many palace scenes. The unusual facial hair, bulbous forehead, and profile are consistent with Maya artists’ depictions of individuals with achondroplasia or other types of genetic dwarfism. In Maya art, dwarves represented a type of antithetical beauty in contrast to the graceful Maize God. They were also very special in the eyes of Mesoamerican societies; they had divinatory powers and were sought after as entertainers in royal courts. The mirror-bearer to the ruler was an important role, sometimes filled by a woman, but more often by courtly dwarves. Their primary function was to reflect the image of Maya lords and ladies as those dignitaries preened in self-regard. Many of these mirror plaques have been found in Mexico and Central America, especially from the Classic Maya and Teotihuacan cultures. They are usually rectangular or circular ranging from 7 to 30 cm. in diameter. Mirrors are also known as objects for divination in Mesoamerica. The mirrors themselves were planes of luminous reflection, conceived as portals. The semi-permanence of a mirror held by a stone or wooden character implies that a mirror needed to be aimed at the ruler at all times when he was on the throne. There may be a connection with the wooden Mirror-Bearer and K’awiil, the Maya god of lightning, who is closely associated with mirrors or highly polished stones in artistic representations. When excavators at Tikal, Guatemala encountered a tomb they labeled Burial 195, it was flooded with sediment, allowing them to detect voids in the mud. When injected with plaster, the voids revealed small wooden deity figures covered in blue-green stucco from which the wood had rotted away. These wooden K’awiils are seen as holding a square elements in front of them, much like the Mirror-Bearer. Only two other wooden mirror-bearers are known. The first, in the Princeton University Art Museum (y1990-71), is of similar scale to the Met’s figure. The bearer is shown with standard bodily proportions but bears traces of an abnormal hairstyle and raised bump representations of scarification on the chin. Probably a youthful courtier, for young men also did much service to kings, he is adorned with a plain loincloth tied in the back and also exhibits vestiges of red pigment and stucco on the weathered surface. The only archaeologically excavated example of a wooden mirror-bearer comes from the site of Becan, Campeche, Mexico. It was recovered from a disturbed funerary chamber within the elevated tiers of Structure IX, the largest pyramid at the site. Along with the wooden sculpture, excavators found a conch shell (Strombus sp.), a frame with mosaic tesserae of hematite, three obsidian blades and fifteen Early Classic ceramic vessels. The wood was also identified as of the genus Cordia, perhaps chosen for its sturdiness but light weight relative to denser woods. Carved from one piece, the bearer is a standing male dwarf, leaning forward with his chin slightly raised and his arms held bent at the side of his body, which was originally covered in red pigment. There is other evidence that the Mirror-Bearer of the Metropolitan Museum would have been placed in the center of scenes of feasting, tribute, or other rituals. A wooden mirror-bearer may appear on a cylinder vessel in the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (NGA 82.2292), originally made in the mid-8th century at the Ik’ kingdom of the area of Lake Petén Itza, Petén, Guatemala. The central figure is a portly king surrounded by his attendants, musicians, and even a hunchback and a dwarf drinking out of a large bowl. The key figure of this composition is the small dwarf holding the mirror: this is possibly an object of wood. It has a markedly differential color and scale that contrast with that of the nearby drinking dwarf, and resemble more closely that of the wooden mirror bearers from the Metropolitan. Though painted roughly two centuries after the creation of the Metropolitan’s Mirror-Bearer, this object appears in the company of other courtiers. Thus there was continuity through generations of portraying a wooden object in a group of humans as an equal participant in courtly life, gesturing and interacting with the king. James Doyle, 2016 References Alonso Olivera, Alejandra, and Khôi Tran. Nueva tecnología aplicada a la restauración y estudio de una escultura arqueológica de madera. Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2010. Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas from the Museum of Primitive Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969, 614. Easby, Elizabeth Kennedy, and John F. Scott.Before Cortez: Sculpture in Middle America. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970. Ekholm, Gordon F. A Maya Sculpture in Wood. New York, The Museum of Primitive Art, 1964. Fields, Virginia M., and Dorie Reents-Budet. Lords of Creation: The Origins of Sacred Maya Kingship. London and Los Angeles: Scala Publishers Limited, 2005, 9, 106–107. Gallaga Murrieta, Emiliano, and Marc G. Blainey, eds. Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm. Boulder, University of Colorado Press, 2016. Newton, Douglas, Julie Jones, and Kate Ezra.The Pacific Islands, Africa, and the Americas. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. Pillsbury, Joanne. "The Pan-American: Nelson Rockefeller and the Arts of Ancient Latin America." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. Vol. 72 (2014), p. 24. Further Reading

Just, Bryan. Dancing into Dreams: Maya Vase Painting of the Ik’ Kingdom. New Haven, Yale University Press, 2012. Stone, Andrea, and Marc Zender. Reading Maya Art: A Heiroglyphic Guide to Ancient Maya Painting and Sculpture. New York, Thames & Hudson, 2012. Taube, Karl A. Through a Glass, Brightly: Recent Investigations Concerning Mirrors and Scrying in Ancient and Contemporary Mesoamerica. In Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm, edited by Emiliano Gallaga M. and Marc G. Blainey, pp. 285–314. Boulder, University of Colorado Press, 2016.

The Iconography of Mirrors at Teotihuacan. In Art, Ideology, and the City of Teotihuacan, edited by Janet Catherine Berlo, pp. 169–204. Washington, Dumbarton Oaks, 1992.

The Met

#archaeology #arqueologia #maya #mesoamerica #guatemala #mexico #wood #hematite #art #arte #history #historia

194 notes · View notes

stirlingmoss · 2 years

Text

Within a few years. With Allah (God) is the Decision, in the past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice-

{Bidh'un in the text means a short period-a period of from three to nine years. The period between the loss of Jerusalem (614-15) by the Romans and their victory at Issus (622) was seven years, and that to the penetration of Persia by Heraclius was nine years. See last note.

See n. 3506 and Appendix No: 6. The battle of Badr (2 A.H. = 624 A.D.) was a real time of rejoicing for the Believers and a time of disillusionment for the arrogant Quraish, who thought that they could crush the whole movement of Islam in Madinah as they had tried to do in Makkah. but they were signally repulsed. See n. 352 to iii. 13.}

#30:4 #The Romans

0 notes

jordandaytour · 4 years

Photo

Madaba

Location:

In Jordan, 30 Km South of the capital Amman On the Kings Highway

Age:

Back to the Bronze Age.

Historical Fact About Madaba:

1. Roman And Byzantine empires ruled Madaba from 2nd to 7th centuries, During This Time the city formed part of the Rome's Arabian Province that built by the Roman emperor Trajan to replace the Nabatean kingdom of Petra.

2. The Region around Madaba Has been inhabited for around 4500 years.

3. Chronology of Madaba

- Fourth millennium B.C.

In the early Bronze Age (3300 - 2000 B.C.).

- 9th - 7th century B.C.

As part of the kingdom of Moab.

- 2nd / 1st century B.C.

The Ammonites had conquered Madaba in 165 B.C. but lost it again to the Hasmonean Hyrcanus I around 110 B.C.

30 B.C. Herod, vassal king of the Roman Empire, occupied Madaba in the war against the Nabataeans.

- 2nd / 3rd century A.D.

The Roman Emperor Trajan (ruled 98 - 117 A.D.).

- 4th century - Christianity

After the Constantinian shift and the Edict of Milan of 313, Christianity spread rapidly in the Roman Empire and became the state religion in 380.

451 First evidence for a Christian community with its own bishop in Madaba.

- 6th - 8th century A.D.

Emperor Justinian I (527 - 565).

Around 530, beginning of the "Golden Age" of mosaic art in Jordan.

614 - 628 Madaba under the rule of the Sassanids.

636 The victory of the Muslim army in the Battle of Yarmuk marked the end of the Byzantine.

- 661 - 750 Umayyads.

746 Madaba was largely destroyed by an earthquake

_____________________________________________

Request your tour via the link below:

https://jordan-car-and-driver.com/quota-itinerary/

also, you can see our Planned tour via the link below:

https://jordan-car-and-driver.com/jordan-planned-tour/

#jordan #jordandaytourandmore #madaba #roman #earthquake #mosais #madabajordan #madaba_jo #trajan #muslim

0 notes

dannycaing · 4 years

Text

AWAY FROM IT ALL

AWAY FROM IT ALL by Danny Caing Date Written: March 31, 2019

CHAPTER 1 THE FUTURE

Location: Planet Earth Date: 52,083 A.D.

Floating glass city soaring above the sea of clouds glittering in the sky like Dodecahedron diamond. Eighty percent (80%) of the earth's continent is ice and on the surface have virulent weather conditions. The earth was struck by Coronal Mass Ejection 50,000 years ago. There were few survivors on the north and south pole underground bunkers when the CME hits the earth. During this period Hugen-1 was created, an advanced human being that lives up to 350 years. The underwater bunkers survivors who were taken by the aliens left some videos as a piece of evidence that there is another advanced civilization in our Milky Way galaxy. New world order was established under the Earth Corporation. The central committee is composed of twelve leaders from different races. The North and South were united. The problems come in between them. The in-betweens were humans who mutated with the poisonous environment. They were savages and cannibals. Their skin easily peels off when exposed and they live up to thirty years old. Later, the Earth Corporation took control of them for labor in exchange to extend their life up to one hundred years.

In the next two millenniums, Hugen-1 had created Hugen-2 then Hugen-3. The DNA structure is 100 times better than an ordinary human being. An era of robotics and Android used in planetary exploration and establishing space stations. During the 3rd millennium, humans were given freedom when they discover to become normal beings. But in a few decades, they wage war against the Hugen-2 destroying space stations on the moons and asteroid belts. Hugen-1 escapes to the space station above the earth in fear of contaminating deadly human virus. Once again humans dominated the earth.

At Io (e-yo), one of the moons of Jupiter, Hugen-3 created Hugen-4, a superhuman with telekineses. They sent Hugen-4 to infiltrate the human race on earth, identify their lairs and leaders. Capture and destroy was the objective of the mission. Hugen-2 participated in the elimination of humans using solar rays to wipe off the face of the earth the underground bunkers and cities. Hugen-1 stays neutral on the conflict but secretly protecting the humans sending advance information on Hugen-2 extermination plans. It took 238 years to exterminate the humans on earth. Hugen-1 has sympathized with humans because they were their creators. Retaliation started from Hugen-1 against Hugen-4. However, Hugen-4 won the battle and likewise decided to terminate Hugen-1, Hugen-2, and Hugen-3 for imperfection. In the 5th millennium, there were different human races exhibited in one of the museums in "io moon" Jupiter. Hugen-4 controls the asteroids, moons, and planet stations of Earth Corporation in the Solar system.

CHAPTER 2 STAR EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION

6,000 A.D. to 10,000 A.D. Cold space creates a dark mass. They have irregular shapes and sizes, from micro-dust to giant boulders, thin, larger than moons, planets, and stars. Spacecraft failed to reach the neighboring stars hence blocked by these floating debris and islands of ice. These are not ordinary debris. They can be as large as an asteroid or a chunk of boulders moving at 10% speed of light. At the 8th Millenium, Hugen-5 discovered an element in Neptune that can produce energy to protect the craft from the deadly debris. When the first Tracer craft successfully reached Proxima Centauri, the Earth Corporation decided to send Genizyn-1, the first Hugen to explore the nearest neighboring star. It took 500 years to build Genizyn spacecraft. It looks like a spoon with a scope of ice cream. Once it started spinning, the ice cream scope becomes a sphere creating like an orb of light. Genizyn runs at 20% speed of light. It will take 22 earth-years to travel to Proxima Centauri at 4.22 light-years away from the Solar system. The lifespan of Hugen-5 is 800 years old. The 1st Genizyn expedition failed, it exploded halfway on its route to Proxima. They have to redesign the craft for another 500 years. This time they tripled the spoon on the orb of light. The outer layer of the sphere is 832% debris impact-proof and supercold resistance. On 10,832 A.D., the 1st Hugen-6 set up a station at Zyzuh planet of Proxima Centauri.

10,000 A.D. to 30,000 A.D. Any Genizyn spacecraft that run beyond 40% speed of light under the supercold space reverses the spin into a cataclysmic explosion. Hugen-7 had tried to improvised the version of the spacecraft but with no avail. There are 8 to 10 Tracers ahead of the Genizyn mission to another star system. Tracers identify objects that will collide along the route of Genizyn. The allowable speed of Genizyn to the supercold space is 30% speed of light. Likewise, this will restore more energy on the spin system and give ample time to avoid collisions of floating debris.

List of nearest stars colonized:

ALPHA CENTAURI star system (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 10,832 A.D. Proxima Centauri – 4.24 LY (1 planet, 8 moons) Year 10,400 A.D. Alpha Centauri A – 4.36 LY (2 planets, 29 moons) Year 10,950 A.D. Alpha Centauri B – 4.36 LY (4 planets, 6 moons) Year 11,440 A.D. Barnard's Star – 5.96 LY (2 planets, 29 moons) Year 11,970 A.D. Luhman 16 – 6.5 LY (5 planets, 45 moons) Year 12,220 A.D. Teegarden's star – 7.5LY (1 planet, 3 moons) Year 12,420 A.D. Wolf 359 – 7.78 LY (1 planet, 14 moons) Year 12,970 A.D. Lalande 21185 – 8.3 LY (3 planets, 2 moons) SIRIUS star system (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 13,440 A.D. Sirius A – 8.58 LY (5 planets, 18 moons) Year 13,650 A.D. Sirius B – 8.58 LY (1 planet, 5 moons) Year 14,110 A.D. Luyten 726-8 – 8.73 LY (3 planets, 16 moons) Year 14,620 A.D. UV Ceti – 8.73 LY (2 planets, 12 moons) Year 15,130 A.D. Gl 65 B – 8.73 LY (12 planets, 2 moons) Year 15,680 A.D. Ross 154 – 9.68 LY (7 planets, 25 moons) Year 16,100 A.D. Ross 248 – 10.32 LY (3 planets, 3 moons) Year 16,670 A.D. WISE 1506+7027 – 10.52 LY (4 planets, 22 moons) Year 17,120 A.D. Epsilon Eridani – 10.52 LY (6 planets, 9 moons) Year 17,620 A.D. Lacaille 9352 – 10.74 LY (8 planets, 14 moons) Year 18,110 A.D. Ross 128 – 10.92 LY (8 planets, 10 moons) Year 18,700 A.D. EZ Aquarii – 11.26 LY (14 planets, 29 moons) Year 19,250 A.D. Gl 866 B – 11.26 LY (16 planets, 8 moons) Year 19,780 A.D. Gl 866 C – 11.26 LY (10 planets, 2 moons) Year 20,230 A.D. Procyon A – 11.4 LY (16 planets, 19 moons) Year 20,740 A.D. Procyon B – 11.4 LY (2 planets, 8 moons) Year 21,270 A.D. 61 Cygni A – 11.4 LY (7 planets, 4 moons) Year 21,440 A.D. 61 Cygni B – 11.4 LY (4 planets, 4 moons) GLIESE 725 star system (3 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 22,000 A.D. Struve 2398 A – 11.52 LY (13 planets, 31 moons) Year 22,140 A.D. Struve 2398 B – 11.52 LY (2 planets, 22 moons) GLIESE 15 star system (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 22,700 A.D. Groombridge 34 A – 11.62 LY (8 planets, 6 moons) Year 22,950 A.D. Groombridge 34 B – 11.62 LY (6 planets, 9 moons) Year 23,520 A.D. Epsilon Indi – 11.82 LY (12 planets, 5 moons) Year 23,990 A.D. DX Cancri – 11.82 LY (5 planets, 19 moons) Year 24,440 A.D. Tau Ceti – 11.88 LY (9 planets, 17 moons) Year 24,930 A.D. GJ 1061 – 11.92 LY (9 planets, 3 moons) Year 25,530 A.D. YZ Ceti – 12.13 LY (5 planets, 22 moons) Year 26,000 A.D. Luyten's Star – 12.36 LY (1 planet, 19 moons) Year 26,770 A.D. Kapteyn's Star – 12.77 LY (4 planets, 7 moons) Year 27,400 A.D. AX Microscopium – 12.86 LY (3 planets, 8 moons) KRUGER 60 star system (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 27,990 A.D. Kruger 60 A – 13.14 LY (2 planets, 4 moons) Year 28,000 A.D. Kruger 60 B – 13.14 LY (2 planets, 1 moon) ROSS 614 star system (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 28,400 A.D. Ross 614 – 13.34 LY (6 planets, 10 moons) Year 28,970 A.D. Gl 234 B – 13.34 LY (8 planets, 9 moons) Year 29,330 A.D. Gl 628 – 13.81 LY (8 planets, 8 moons) Year 29,940 A.D. Gl 35 – 14.06 LY (1 planet, 4 moons) Year 30,470 A.D. Gl 1 – 14.22 LY (1 planet, 2 moons) WOLF 424 star system (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 30,990 A.D. Wolf 424 – 14.30 LY (3 planets, 19 moons) Year 31,500 A.D. Gl 473 B – 14.30 LY (2 planets, 52 moons)

CHAPTER 3 THE SPIRAL ENERGY

31,000 A.D. to 55,000 A.D. Hugen-8 was born at D1n0 planet in Ross 248 star system with a lifespan of 3,000 years. The CME Extinction Level Event on earth had caused the planet to be inhabitable for more than 500,000 years. In all of the nearest stars explored, not one of their planets were identical to earth.

Hugen-4 and Hugen-5 have colonized Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. They are the engineers and architects in the construction of the orb of lights of Genizyn. An element discovered in Neptune is brought to the Triton factory to convert into energy use for Genizyn. All Genizyn project is created and launch for star exploration in Neptune. One Genizyn alone will take 500 years to 600 years to build.

Hugen-7 came into existence at one of the stations orbiting the earth. Hugen-6 directed Hugen-7 to take over all missions to the nearest neighboring stars.

List of neighboring stars colonized:

Year 32,100 A.D. ADS 7251 - 20.09 LY (7 planets, 14 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 33,400 A.D. EQ Pegasi - 20.16 LY (5 planets, 18 moons) Year 34,900 A.D. Gliese 784 - 20.21 LY (2 planets, 10 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 35,500 A.D. Gliese 581 - 20.22 LY (13 planets, 5 moons) Year 37,200 A.D. HN Librae - 20.60 LY (3 planets, 12 moons) Year 38,900 A.D. LHS 3003 - 20.76 LY (12 planets, 22 moons) (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 40,100 A.D. LHS 2090 - 20.78 LY (1 planet, 3 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 42,600 A.D. LHS 337 - 20.79 LY (9 planets, 17 moons) (3 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 44,200 A.D. Furuhjelm 46 - 20.82 LY (5 planets, 14 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 45,980 A.D. LP 944-20 - 20.91 LY (7 planets, 17 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 47,320 A.D. V1054 Ophiuchi - 21.07 LY (14 planets, 41 moons) (4 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 48,860 A.D. GJ 1128 - 21.13 LY (6 planets, 11 moons) (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 50,100 A.D. Gliese 625 - 21.24 LY (8 planets, 11 moons) (2 habitable planets no intelligent species) Year 50,790 A.D. GL Virginis - 21.32 LY (4 planets, 8 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species) Year 51,490 A.D. HR 8832 - 21.35 LY (2 planets, 9 moons) Year 52,083 A.D. Ross 104 - 21.72 LY (5 planets, 10 moons) (1 habitable planet no intelligent species)

Any objects that go beyond 40% of the speed of light disintegrated. Genizyn orb of lights can go up to 30% in a spherical perspective view. Hugen-8 has modified a model that can go between 40% to 50% speed of light provided the object in perspective view is spiral within a spherical orb of lights. A planet recently discovered at Ross 104 has two kinds of elements that produces harmonious energy on the spiral orb light that can spin over 40% speed of light. The shield has to be a redesign on the supercold space that compressed the energy beyond 40% speed of light.

CHAPTER 4 PLANET EARTH 52,083 A.D.

Floating Glass City soaring above the galleons of clouds. Population: 8,320 Hugen-6. The residents were scientists, engineers, and explorers. At the command center, the crew spotted 12 humans on the ground-based on the infrared scan with no deadly weapons on site.

HG6-CP104: This is impossible. Humans ceased to exist 47,203 years ago. The location of humans reads 14.5995° N, 120.9842° E.

The twelve humans were standing in a circle on top of the mountain. As they raised their arms, the command center started to vibrate, the floor bent, and the glass cracking. Then, the Glass City exploded into pieces in the sky.

The moon station was able to monitor the incident and sent the information at once to the Central Station at Titan. The result of the analysis was triggering. There was no weapon engaged and no collision of a meteor. An invisible force coming from the twelve suspected species, they may have developed the power of telekinesis as a weapon.

CHAPTER 5 THE PAST TIME

Date: August 3, 2000, Thursday 8:32 A.M. Address: Boston Children Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA‎

MINERVA: (smiling & worried) They will destroy all the stations in the Solar system. It will be the end of the Hugens. Bad Hugens killed all the humans. And now, this is vengeance. The beautiful humans got the power from Hugen-4 yeah.

DOCTOR: Minerva. It's time for your pills. That is a good story, Minerva. Let me know what happened next after your dinner, girl.

Minerva has Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Her notes are studied by Doctors and Psychiatrists. One thing they were aware of was the coming Coronal Mass Ejection in the year 2083.

Background Music: "Away From It All" by Danny Caing https://soundcloud.com/dukesolomon/away-from-it-all-by-danny-duke-caing

0 notes

drtanstravels · 5 years

Text

In my last post we had been traveling around the Cappadocia region of Turkey, looking at old volcanic rock formations, exploring caves and underground cities, but missing out on the chance to go hot-air ballooning. Now we were going to wrap up our Turkish holiday by venturing around Izmir Province, an area surrounded by the Aegean Sea in the country’s west. Bear in mind that these events occured more than two months ago, thus I can’t really remember much from the trip anymore, however, from looking at our travel itinerary, going through the photos we took, and consulting Wikipedia as always, I should be able to put together a reasonably coherent account of this final leg of our adventure, but it won’t really be as much of a personal recollection. Again, there’s going to be a hell of a lot of pictures!

Thursday, September 27, 2018 We had flown in from Kayseri to the city of Izmir, the capital of Izmir Province, the previous night and it was quite late by the time we got to our hotel in the resort town of Kuşadası, just enough time to grab a bite to eat and a drink or two before we had to hit the hay in preparation for the following day, which was rather packed.

First on the agenda that morning was a trip to Ephesus, also commonly referred to as Ephesos or Efes, where we would be spending several hours walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marcus Cicero, and the Apostles Paul and John among others. Again, I’m not a religious person, but this could make for an interesting morning. Our guide was waiting for us at the hotel at 9:30 that morning and before long we were in Ephesus:

Ephesos was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

The city was famed for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Among many other monumental buildings are the Library of Celsus, and a theatre capable of holding 25,000 spectators.

Ephesos was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils.

The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although rebuilt, the city’s importance as a commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. It was partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD.

As like our time in Istanbul, we had a personal guide whose name neither of us can remember, however, he was an absolute wealth of knowledge on what we were seeing, to the point where there was simply too much information to take in. The first site we would be visiting in Ephesus would be the House of the Virgin Mary, both a Catholic and Muslim shrine:

The house was discovered in the 19th century by following the descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), a Roman Catholic nun and visionary, which were published as a book by Clemens Brentano after her death. While the Catholic Church has never pronounced in favour or against the authenticity of the house, it nevertheless has maintained a steady flow of pilgrimage since its discovery. Anne Catherine Emmerich was Beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 2004.

Catholic pilgrims visit the house based on the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there for the remainder of her earthly life.

The shrine has merited several papal Apostolic Blessings and visits from several popes, the earliest pilgrimage coming from Pope Leo XIII in 1896, and the most recent in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI.

I find it more than a little ironic that this post is 666 words long at the end of that Wikipedia extract. Anyway, the House of the Virgin Mary now serves as a chapel and the site has a “wishing wall” where pilgrims to the house tie pieces of fabric. Also nearby is a well that is believed to have magical healing and fertility properties. I don’t believe in this type of nonsense, but I could always do with some healing to many parts of my body, however, I wasn’t willing to risk it just in case the believers are correct, because then there’s that whole ‘fertility’ thing. I’ll take occasional illness and pain over being a parent any day. I also found it a little strange that there is a recreation of the birth of Christ in the manger at the house when this is not where he is believed to have been born, but where his mother spent her latter years. It’s kind of similar to putting your mother in a retirement home in the UK and installing a catwalk in the home after her death, complete with a statue of her as a 20-year old, posing out, because she was a fashion model in Italy in her earlier years. It doesn’t really make sense if that part of her life never occurred in that particular location, let alone country. Nevertheless, let’s take a look around, although photos weren’t permitted inside:

On the grounds

Anna out the front of Mary’s joint

The side of the house

The health and fertility well

The wishing wall

Kind of missed the point

After we finished looking around the House of the Virgin Mary we then went and walked around the streets and ruins, particularly those on the way to Harbour Street, the main hub of ancient Ephesus. Due to a combination of ancient and subsequent deforestation, overgrazing by herds of goats, erosion, and soil degradation, Harbour Street is now 3-4 km (1.8-2.5 miles) away from the coastline, the muddy remains of the ancient harbour still visible. Walking along the streets gives one a decent idea of the original beauty of the city:

Starting our walk toward the town

In typical Greek style, there are a ton of columns

A closeup

An excavation site near one of the ancient streets

Anna getting a bit ahead of me

Ruins near an aqueduct

Part of the Temple of Domitian

The carvings up close

More of the Temple of Domitian

This area of the temple is still being excavated

Carving of Nike, Goddess of Victory

Possibly a well

Another great statue

Anna in the remains of an ancient arch

The Heracles Gate

Looking down the street toward the Library of Celsus

Even cats like the sculptures

Another ruined temple

Temple of Hadrian

The engravings around the top of the Temple of Hadrian

If the ruins show the original splendour of the streets, then the remains of frescoes and terrace houses offer a look into how the wealthy lived during Roman times. Sure, we saw the mosaics and frescoes of houses and churches in Cappadocia in my previous post, but during the Roman period, Ephesus was the place to be. In 27 BC, the city became the capital of proconsular Asia, entering an era of prosperity and becoming both the seat of the governor and a major centre of commerce, second in both importance and size only to Rome so the truly wealthy wanted to live a life of luxury and style. These photos from an excavation site, some of which has been restored, some not, show how that was done:

We still had a couple more impressive sites to see in Ephesus, the first being the Library of Celsus:

The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia, now part of Selçuk, Turkey. It was built in honour of the Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, completed between circa 114–117 A.D. by Celsus’ son, Gaius Julius Aquila (consul, 110 AD). The library was “one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman Empire” and built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a mausoleum for Celsus, who is buried in a crypt beneath the library in a decorated marble sarcophagus. The Library of Celsus was the “third-largest library in the ancient world” behind both Alexandria and Pergamum.

The interior of the library was destroyed, supposedly by an earthquake in 262 A.D., (though other evidence points to a fire during a Gothic invasion in that same year) and the façade by another earthquake in the tenth or eleventh century A.D. It lay in ruins for centuries, until the façade was re-erected (anastylosis) by archaeologists between 1970 and 1978.

We weren’t going to get to see Celsus’ marble sarcophagus, but we weren’t left disappointed with what we did witness:

The facade from a distance

Looking through the arches to the right of the facade

Sophia, the personification of wisdom

Arete, the personification of virtue

Ennoia, the personification of intelligence

Episteme, the personification of knowledge

Looking at the ceiling

Ancient engravings

Had to get one shot of me, I guess

The final tourist attraction we’d be visiting in Ephesus was the Great Theatre. According to the details on a sign at the site, “The Great Theatre goes back to a preceding structure of the Hellenistic period (3rd-1st century BC). In the Roman period there was an extensive rebuilding under the Emperors Domitian (AD 81-96) and Trajan (AD 98-117) with at first a two-, later three-storeyed impressive façade. In addition to the theatre performances, assemblies also took place there; in the later imperial period, gladiatorial contests are also attested. Before the 7th century the Theatre was incorporated into the Byzantine city walls.”

I could post a ton of pictures that I took at the Great Theatre, but you really only need to see one, this panoramic shot I got of the stage from the top row of accessible seats:

After all of that walking around Ephesus in the morning it was finally time for lunch… Or so we thought, but first we would be stopping by a shop owned by a friend of a friend of our guide, as is often the case, this time a leather goods one. Anna and myself were ushered into a private room with a catwalk and soon we were treated to a leather fashion show before being taken into the store. It was kind of difficult to not laugh while the models were strutting because the whole situation was not only absurd and completely unexpected, but also because it wasn’t applicable to us; we live in Singapore, an equatorial country with no seasons besides the monsoon. The temperature on an average day in Singapore is usually between 31-33°C (89-91.5°F), a particularly cool night getting down to around 25°C (77°F), and the average annual humidity is 83.4%, sometimes reaching 100% when it is raining. Wearing leather pants in those conditions would chafe the entire lower half of your body raw after about two minutes, and during a thunderstorm it already feels like you’re trapped in a sauna while people urinate on you so I don’t think a leather raincoat is the solution. Anyway, I bought a much-needed new wallet from the store and then we had lunch before hitting up our next site for the day, the Temple of Artemis:

The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus (near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey). It was completely rebuilt three times, and in its final form was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site.

The earliest version of the temple (a temenos) antedated the Ionic immigration by many years, and dates to the Bronze Age. Callimachus, in his Hymn to Artemis, attributed it to the Amazons. In the 7th century BC, it was destroyed by a flood. Its reconstruction, in more grandiose form, began around 550 BC, under the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes. The project was funded by Croesus of Lydia, and took 10 years to complete. This version of the temple was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus in an act of arson. The next, greatest and last form of the temple, funded by the Ephesians themselves, is described in Antipater of Sidon’s list of the world’s Seven Wonders:

‘I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, “Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.”‘

Well, the Temple of Artemis may not be quite so brilliant today as it was 2,500 years ago, but it was still worth a look. Here’s how the site where the temple once stood, including the tomb of John the Apostle, the roped off square with the four pillars, appears today (plus a shot of our spontaneous, private, leather fashion parade):

The tomb of John the Apostle

Our day of visiting ruins may have come to an end, but we weren’t done with exploring, not by a long shot. We were going to be spending the night in Kuşadası again and this time we had plenty of time to look around. Also, I had to seek out an item; since I was in Turkey, I had decided that I wanted to buy a fez, but I wanted a proper one, not some Turkish souvenir fez that says ‘I ♥ Turkey’ or something similar that I had really only seen thus far. If you are unsure what a fez is, it is one of those short, cylindrical, peakless, felt hats that are usually red with a tassel hanging down the side as sometimes worn by Grandpa Simpson and always worn by Tommy Cooper, incidentally one of the only comedians to ever die on live television (I’m not kidding, only click that link if you’re prepared to see a clip of a man having a heart attack in front of an audience who continued to laugh, thinking it was part of the show). We wandered around Kuşadası for a few hours, absolutely gobsmacked by the insane array of counterfeit goods openly available, as well as the terrible, terrible haircuts you could get in this beautiful seaside town. I found my fez, we found a bar for a few beers, and then when it was time we found a place for dinner and another bar to settle down in for the night. A look around Kuşadası:

A shop selling genuine fake watches

Why would you do this to your child?

Walking toward Kaleiçi Mosque

Another example of awful hair desing

Some of the blue houses in an area that spans all of the colours of the rainbow

We had to try many times to get a photo of me in my new fez without cracking up laughing

A statue of what looks like Bill Murray and a pal emptying out a fishing net in front of our bar

Friday, September 28, 2018 Our final day in Turkey was upon us so we had to make it count, however, it wouldn’t be quite as packed as our previous days in Turkey because we had to catch a flight back to Istanbul at 7:30pm. There was going to be a lot of driving involved in the day’s activities so we hit the road and eventually stopped in at a kind of roadside diner-type thing that also sold some weird souvenirs, including the aforementioned ‘I ♥ Turkey’ fez, and feasted on what essentially amounted to Turkish truck-stop food before eventually landing at Laodicea on the Lycus:

Laodicea on the Lycus was an ancient city built on the river Lycus (Çürüksu). It was located in the Hellenistic regions of Caria and Lydia, which later became the Roman Province of Phrygia Pacatiana. It is now situated near the modern city of Denizli. In 2013 the archaeological site was inscribed in the Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

It contained one of the Seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Well, if this joint contains a church from the only remotely interesting book of the Bible, yes, the one about the end of the world, then this could be pretty cool. But what is still there now? More ruins, of course!:

The existing remains attest to its former greatness. The ruins near Denizli (Denisli) are well preserved and as of 2012 are being substantially renovated. Its many buildings include a stadium, baths, temples, a gymnasium, theatres, and a bouleuterion (Senate House). On the eastern side, the line of the ancient wall may be distinctly traced, with the remains of the Ephesus gate; there are streets traversing the town, flanked by colonnades and numerous pedestals. North of the town, towards the Lycus, are many sarcophagi, with their covers lying near them, partly imbedded in the ground, and all having been long since rifled.

Particularly interesting are the remains of an aqueduct starting several kilometres away at the Baspinar spring in Denizli, and possibly having another more distant source. Unusually, to cross the valley to the south of Laodicea, instead of the usual open channel carried above the level of the city on lofty arches as was the usual practice of the Romans, an inverted siphon was employed consisting of a double pressurised pipeline, descending into the valley and back up to the city. The low arches supporting the siphon commence near the summit of a low hill to the south where the header tank was located, and thence continue to the first terminal distribution tank (castellum aquae) at the edge of the hill of the city, whose remains are visible to the east of the stadium and South Baths complex. The water was heavily charged with calcareous matter, as several of the arches are covered with a thick incrustation where leaks occurred at later times. The siphon consisted of large carved stone pipes; some of these also are much incrusted, and some completely choked up. The terminal tank has many clay pipes of various diameters for water distribution on the north, east and south sides which, because of the choking by sinter, were replaced in time. To the west of the terminal is a small fountain next to the vaulted gate. The aqueduct appears to have been destroyed by an earthquake, as the remaining arches lean bodily on one side, without being much broken. A second distribution terminal and sedimentation tank is visible 400 metres (1,300 ft) north of the first, to which it was connected via another siphon of travertine blocks, and this one is bigger and supplied most of the city.

The stadium, which is in a good state of preservation, is near the southern extremity of the city. The seats are arranged along two sides of a narrow valley, which appears to have been taken advantage of for this purpose, and to have been closed up at both ends. Towards the west are considerable remains of a subterranean passage, by which chariots and horses were admitted into the arena, with a long inscription over the entrance. The city ruins bear the stamp of Roman extravagance and luxury, rather than of the stern and massive solidity of the Greeks. Strabo attributes the celebrity of the place to the fertility of the soil and the wealth of some of its inhabitants: amongst whom Hiero, having adorned the city with many beautiful buildings, bequeathed to it more than 2000 talents at his death.

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s take a look around this apocalyptic pile of stones and rubble, as well as some of the stranger souvenirs from our truck-stop. As we had to take in so much information when getting shown around, I can’t remember what any of it is now, but the above information might be able to help you piece it together:

No idea what’s going on here

What better way to prove you’ve been to Turkey than a plate written in Chinese?

The Smurfs must be from Baltimore

Walking into Laodicea

Most of these outdoor shots are from what is referred to as Temple ‘A’

This piece is under a glass floor

The Church of Laodikeia

Inside the remains of the church

Pooping here would be my worst nightmare

How they used to go about their “business”

Our final stop on our epic trek around Turkey was going to be another UNESCO World Heritage site, Pamukkale, in order to unwind and take in some natural beauty before we leave the country:

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey’s Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

The ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white “castle” which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.

Known as Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) or ancient Hierapolis (Holy City), this area has been drawing the weary to its thermal springs since the time of Classical antiquity. The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcium-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the vast mountainside, mineral-rich waters foam and collect in terraces, spilling over cascades of stalactites into milky pools below. Legend has it that the formations are solidified cotton (the area’s principal crop) that giants left out to dry.

Tourism is and has been a major industry in the area for thousands of years, due to the attraction of the thermal pools. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools.

Overshadowed by natural wonder, Pamukkale’s well-preserved Roman ruins and museum have been remarkably underestimated and unadvertised; tourist brochures over the past 20 years have mainly featured photos of people bathing in the calcium pools. Aside from a small footpath running up the mountain face, the terraces are all currently off-limits, having suffered erosion and water pollution at the feet of tourists.

After our hectic travel schedule over the previous few weeks that had left us beyond a little stressed and jet-lagged, not to mention the crazy amount of walking and hiking we had done on little sleep while in Turkey, it was hard to imagine a better location to wind this trip up than a hot spring. We weren’t going in for a dip, it was just an extremely beautiful, naturally calm environment to hang out in and unwind, walk around and take in the serenity, and then sit back and have a cup of coffee while playing with the particularly clean and friendly puppies that are in the area, which is exactly what we did. Naturally, it all started with some ruins, this time of Hierapolis, and then it was time for the relaxing to begin:

Some ruins of Hierapolis

A bit of a mineral buildup

More ruins

I’m calling B.S. on pretty much all of this

Some of the pools are crystal clear

The colours of water in different basins are breathtaking

Looking around Pamukkale

The calcite-laden waters

The view back the other way

And now looking down

From another angle

A section of palm trees

Most would probably assume this is a photograph of people trekking through snow

That sign probably isn’t necessary

Anna playing with some local puppies

This one decided to eat her dress

My turn now

The sight-seeing part of our trip was now officially over. We would be transferred to Denizli airport and take a 7:30pm flight to Istanbul, arriving at around 8:30. Our flight out of Istanbul was leaving at about 3:00am so we had a room booked in the airport hotel to shower and relax in before taking our early flight back to Singapore.

Turkey was incredible, far different to anything we had expected and it is amazing to think that if we had come only a decade earlier, many of the sites we explored wouldn’t have even been excavated or rebuilt yet. I also doubt we would’ve enjoyed our time in Turkey as much as we did on this trip if we had to do everything in a large tour group. I’m not trying to sound like an entitled prick, I’m just simply not a people-person. The last time we were part of a tour group was when we were in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands earlier this year and Anna and her friends knew almost immediately that there would be at least one person on each leg of the trip that would get on my nerves in a big way and they weren’t wrong. Large groups of people always irritate me, whether it be personal traits, habits, or just waiting around all day for them to get in the perfect pose for photos such as these that I snapped over the course of our Turkish trip, pictures that need to be taken, checked, and taken again to make sure they’re just right:

Don’t get me wrong, I take a lot of photos when we travel, but it’s more about capturing the moment, not holding up large groups of people because Anna’s hair wasn’t straight. It turns out that it doesn’t just bug me, the tour guides hate it too! In fact, one of our guides said that if they were able to create a photoshop patch that automatically removes Chinese tour groups from the background of your photos, that particular guide would be able to retire a rich and happy man. It wasn’t because of the fact they were Chinese, it was simply due to their habit of holding everyone up or getting in their way by taking pictures. Anna thought this was hilarious until I pointed out that it would also remove her from our pictures as well. That’s why I definitely consider ourselves lucky to now be able to do things privately at our own pace, without delaying anyone else or waiting for them either, and that is what made this trip truly brilliant.

Apologies again for making this more of a History lesson than a personal account, I’d just like to close with a big thank you to our tour guides and we may have to come back again to do the hot-air ballooning, hopefully on enough sleep. I’d also like to add that, in keeping with a recent trend beginning back in May that has plagued pretty much all of our recent international trips, with disasters or tragedies occurring while we were in, or immediately after we left Hawaii, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and China, Turkey didn’t escape unscathed. On this occasion, there was a hurricane warning in Turkey the day we were to depart and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by his own government just two days after we left.

Let’s hope nothing bad happens in South Korea as a result of us visiting Seoul next week.

The final leg of our tour of Turkey, exploring Izmir Province In my last post we had been traveling around the Cappadocia region of Turkey, looking at old volcanic rock formations, exploring caves and underground cities, but missing out on the chance to go hot-air ballooning.

0 notes

thesynaxarium · 2 years

Photo

Today we also celebrate the Holy Monastic Martyrs of the Choziba Monastery. In the spring of 614 the Persians attacked Byzantine held Palestine, sacking Jerusalem and attacking the monastery. Forty holy monk-martyrs were put to death by the Persians and the monastery was abandoned. Destroyed in 614 A.D. by the Persians, the monastery was more or less abandoned after the Persians swept through the valley and massacred the fourteen monks who dwelt there. The bones and skulls of the martyred monks killed by the Persians in 614 A.D. can still be seen today in the monastery chapel. These martyrs’ relics are so alive that during their supplication canon every week an exquisite fragrance and raw smell of fresh slaughtered blood are alternately exuded from them. May they intercede for us always + Source: https://orthodoxcityhermit.com/2017/10/11/monastery-of-st-george-of-choziba/ (at Wadi Qelt) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYgcsl0P_Yp/?utm_medium=tumblr

27 notes · View notes

silvestromedia · 1 year

Text

SAINTS NOVEMBER 17

St. Hugh of Lincoln. Hugh of Lincoln was the son of William, Lord of Avalon. He was born at Avalon Castle in Burgundy and was raised and educated at a convent at Villard-Benoit after his mother died when he was eight. He was professed at fifteen, ordained a deacon at nineteen, and was made prior of a monastery at Saint-Maxim. While visiting the Grande Chartreuse with his prior in 1160 A, D, It was then he decided to become a Carthusian there and was ordained. After ten years, he was named procurator and in 1175 A.D. became Abbot of the first Carthusian monastery in England. This had been built by King Henry II as part of his penance for the murder of Thomas Becket. His reputation for holiness and sanctity spread all over England and attracted many to the monastery. He admonished Henry for keeping Sees vacant to enrich the royal coffers. Income from the vacant Sees went to the royal treasury. He was then named bishop of the eighteen year old vacant See of Lincoln in 1186 A.D. - a post he accepted only when ordered to do so by the prior of the Grande Chartreuse. Hugh quickly restored clerical discipline, labored to restore religion to the diocese, and became known for his wisdom and justice.

He was one of the leaders in denouncing the persecution of the Jews that swept England, 1190-91A.D., repeatedly facing down armed mobs and making them release their victims. He went on a diplomatic mission to France for King John in 1199 A.D., visiting the Grande Chartreuse, Cluny, and Citeaux, and returned from the trip in poor health. A few months later, while attending a national council in London, he was stricken and died two months later at the Old Temple in London on November 16. He was canonized twenty years later, in 1220 A.D., the first Carthusian to be so honored.

St. Hilda, 614-680 A.D. Benedictine abbess, baptized by St. Paulinus. She was the daughter of a king of Northumbria, England, and is considered one of England’s greatest women. At age thirty three Hilda entered Chelles Monastery in France, where her sister was a nun. At the request of St. Aidan, she returned to Northumbria and became abbess of Hartlepool. In time she became the head of the double monastery of Streaneschalch, at Whitby. She trained five bishops, convened the Council of Whitby, and encouraged the poet Caedmon.

Bl. Salomea of Poland, Roman Catholic Nun and Poor Clare abbess. The daughter of a Polish prince, she was betrothed at the age of three to Prince Coloman of Hungary, son of King Andrew II. She became a widow in 1241 when Coloman was killed in battle. She then entered the Poor Clares, founding a convent at Zawichost (later moved to Skala). She later became the abbess of the convent and died there Feastday: Nov. 17

Martyrs of Paraguay, Roman Catholic Jesuit Priests and Martyrs. Three Spanish Jesuits - Roch Gonzalez, Aiphonsus Rodriguez, Juan de Castilo - who were slain in missions called “reductions,” including the main site on the Jiuhi River in Paraguay. They were at All Saints Mission there when they were murdered Feastday: November 17

Bl. Josaphat Kocylovskyj, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr. He was sent to the Capaivca labor camps (Kiev region), where he underwent continuous pressure to move to the Russian Orthodox Church. He died in the same camp as a result of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 71 years, Feastday: Nov. 17

ST. ELISABETH OF HUNGARY, FRANCISCAN TERTIARY, Nov. 17 When she died at the early age of 24, Elizabeth of Hungary was already considered a saint by many. Widowed at a young age, Elizabeth became a Third Order Franciscan. Despite her noble birth, she embraced Franciscan poverty, assisted the poor, and ministered to the sick. Nov 17

0 notes

studyzoneonline-blog · 5 years

Text

Second migration to Habshah took place in?

A. 613 A.D B. 614 A.D C. 615 A.D D. 616 A.D

View On WordPress

0 notes

scfop3 · 5 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://scfop3.org/defamation-claims-against-and-by-public-safety-personnel-part-2/

Defamation Claims Against and By Public Safety Personnel (Part 2)

Defamation Claims Against and By Public Safety Personnel

ISSN 1935-0007

Cite as: 2018 (6) AELE Mo. L. J. 101

Civil Liability Law Section – June 2018

Part 1 (First Article)

Introduction-

Defamation Claims Against Public Safety Personnel

–No Civil Rights Liability

–Truth As A Defense

Part 2 (Last Article)

Defamation Claims Against Public Safety Personnel (continued)

–Immunity and Privilege Defenses

–Damages

–Per Se Defamation

–Statute of Limitations

–Protected Opinion

–Actual Malice Standard

Part 3 (This Article)

Defamation Claims Against Public Safety Personnel (continued)

–Protected Opinion

–Jurisdiction

–Stigma Plus

Resources and References

This is part 2 of a three-part article. To read part 1, click here.

Immunity and Privilege Defenses

There are a variety of immunity and privilege defenses that public safety personnel can assert in response to a defamation lawsuit against them. These are often created under state law by various tort claim immunity statutes. Additionally, the law provides various immunities, either absolute or qualified, for testimony given in court, before a grand jury, or as part of the prosecution process. The following is an example selection of such cases.

In Watson v. City of Akron, C.A. #24077, 2008-Ohio-4995, 2008 Ohio App. Lexis 4208 (Ohio App. 2008), discretionary appeal not allowed,120 Ohio St. 3d 1524, 2009-Ohio-614, 901 N.E.2d 244 (Ohio 2009), cert. denied, #08-10746, 558 U.S.

851 (2009), the court ruled that an Ohio man’s defamation lawsuit against a police department, based on an assertion that someone from the department was telling people in various places around the country that he was a “hit man,” could not be the basis of liability. First, the police department could not be sued, as it was not a separate entity from the city. Second, the plaintiff failed to allege that the city’s conduct was covered by any stated exceptions to the tort immunity provided for political subdivisions under Ohio state statutes. Additionally, since the plaintiff failed to name any individual city employees as defendants, he was unable to argue that the statements were made outside of the scope of employment or the pursuit of official duties that were covered by the tort immunity statute.

Similarly, in Miller v. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Inc., #07AP-669, 2008 Ohio App. Lexis 1110 (Ohio App. 10th Dist.), a detective’s passing on, to a newspaper, details of an arrest warrant for a man which subsequently turned out to be dismissed, resulting in the publication of his name within a “Most Wanted” list, did not fall within any exception to immunity from liability provided by an Ohio state statute, so that defamation claims against the city and the detective were properly rejected.

There was no showing that the detective had any knowledge that warrants in the department’s files were likely to be inaccurate.

There may be a privilege in making a statement to another law enforcement agency. See Grier v. Johnson, 232 A.D.2d 846, 648 N.Y.S.2d 764 (A.D. 1996), holding that a police officer’s report to a state university law enforcement agency that a university employee had admitted using marijuana was entitled to qualified privilege against defamation, and the privilege could not be defeated, in the absence of a showing of “actual malice” in making the statements.

Statements made in the course of initiating, pursuing, or terminating a criminal prosecution will usually be granted absolute prosecutorial immunity. In Joseph v. Yocum, #01-4142, 53 Fed. Appx. 1 (10th Cir. 2002), for instance, a prosecutor was entitled to absolute immunity from liability for a decision to prosecute, even if it was purportedly based on an inadequate police investigation. The prosecutor was only

entitled, however, to qualified immunity for making statements to the media, but did not violate any clearly established constitutional rights when all that was communicated was the fact of the arrest, even if that caused the arrestee to be held up to ridicule and scorn.

Statements not made as part of the prosecutorial process will not be granted absolute prosecutorial immunity. See Harrington v. Wilber, #4:03-CV-90616, 353

Supp. 2d 1033 (S.D. Iowa 2005), ruling that statements made by a county attorney about a defendant in a press release and press conference after charges of murder against him were dropped were not protected by absolute immunity since they were not made incidental to the termination of the judicial proceeding. There were genuine issues, however, as to whether or not the statements were opinion protected by the First Amendment, and whether the statements, stating that the former defendant had committed the murder, were made with actual malice.

Also see Harris v. Bornhorst, #06-3729, 513 F.3d 503 (6th Cir. 2008), cert. denied, #07-1292, 554 U.S. 903 (2008), in which a twelve-year-old child was interrogated away from his mother and a prosecutor then ordered police to arrest him in connection with the death of a toddler. His conviction was subsequently overturned on the basis of a coerced confession in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He subsequently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the prosecutor and her employer for alleged violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. After the lawsuit was filed, the prosecutor allegedly told a Marine recruiter that the plaintiff would “always” be a suspect in the murder, resulting in the rejection of his enlistment.

A federal appeals court overturned qualified immunity for the prosecutor, ruling that the prosecutor could not reasonably have believed that there was probable cause for the arrest. The court also ordered further proceedings on claims against the county based on its alleged withholding of exculpatory (Brady) materials, and on the Plaintiff’s malicious prosecution, First Amendment retaliation, and defamation claims.

Some states provide an immunity or privilege defense for statements made to the press or in an official report. See, for example, Harris v. News-Sun, 269 Ill.App.3d 648, 646 N.E.2d 8 (Ill App. 1995), finding that Illinois state law gave a detective, who was the department’s spokesperson on the matter, absolute immunity from liability for defamation in making statements to the press concerning a criminal sexual assault investigation. In accord was Dolatowski v. Life Printing and

Publishing Co, Inc., #88-3269, 197 Ill. App. 3d 23, 554 N.E.2d 692 (Ill App. 1990), ruling that a deputy superintendent was absolutely privileged in making statements to the press concerning the arrest of women for soliciting rides and a continuing crackdown on prostitutes.

Similarly, in Carradine v. State, #92-1070, 511 N.W.2d 733 (Minn. 1994), an arresting officer was entitled to absolute immunity, under Minnesota law, for making allegedly defamatory statements about an arrestee in an arrest report, but would not have absolute, but only qualified, immunity for making statements to the press to the extent that they differed significantly from the statements in the report.

State constitutional provisions or statutes may provide an immunity defense in the absence of a certain level of culpability. In Colon v. City of Rochester, 762 N.Y.S.2d 749 (A.D. 4th Dept. 2003), the court ruled that a city and county were not liable for defamation based upon a mistaken depiction of plaintiff’s photograph from his pistol permit application as being a suspected murderer with the same name. The defendants had a constitutional privilege against liability for defamation under New York state law in the absence of any evidence that they acted in a “grossly irresponsible manner.” The plaintiff also could not recover against the defendants under a theory of negligence in supplying the photograph to a television network.

Damages

In order to recover money as compensation for defamation, it will be necessary for the plaintiff, in most cases, to show that they actually suffered a concrete injury that caused them damages.

This is illustrated by Liser v. Smith, #CIV.A.00-2325, 254 F. Supp. 2d 89 (D.D.C. 2003), ruling that a police detective was not liable for either defamation or intentional infliction of emotional distress under District of Columbia law for issuance of a press release identifying the plaintiff as having been involved in a murder, along with the arrestee’s picture. The issuance of such press releases was within the scope of the duties of police investigators and it did not cause economic or physical harm to the plaintiff. Further, the release of the information involved the public’s right to information and public safety.

When specific economic loss is caused by defamation, however, the damages can be immense. In Yammine v. De Vita, #501649, 43 A.D.3d 520, 840 N.Y.S.2d 652 (A.D. 3rd Dept. 2007), for instance, the court found that a Chief of Police was properly

held liable for damages of $200,000 to restaurant owners of Lebanese descent for his actions in making numerous statements in public asserting that they were terrorists, gunrunners, and drug dealers, as well as “associated with” Osama Bin Laden. These statements, made in a restaurant setting, caused some restaurant patrons to stop frequenting the plaintiffs’ business. The court found that the amount awarded was not excessive on the plaintiffs’ defamation claims.

Similarly, in Valentin v. County of Los Angeles, #C529739 (Los Angeles Super. Ct.), reported in The National Law Journal, p. A13 (May 28, 2001), there was a $9.9 million settlement in a lawsuit for false arrest/imprisonment and defamation brought by a couple arrested in their home without a warrant and charged with multiple child sexual molestation offenses, only to have most of their accusers recant that accusation even before a preliminary hearing.

Per Se Defamation

Certain types of false statements may be regarded as slander per se or libel per se—statements that if false are regarded as so uncontrovertibly damaging that the element of damage in a defamation lawsuit were presumed so economic damages did not need to be proven in court (although lack of such proof might still influence the amount to be awarded). Examples of per se defamation historically included accusing someone of a crime, alleging that someone has a foul or loathsome disease (such as leprosy), adversely reflecting on a person’s fitness to conduct their business or trade, or imputing certain serious sexual misconduct. Some courts have abandoned some of this analysis.

In Anderson v. City of Troy, #01-761, 2003 MT 128, 68 P.3d 805 (Mont. 2003), for example, the court held that a police chief’s statements calling a resident a “gang banger” were not “slander per se” because they did not accuse him of any specific criminal activity, and could either refer to an actual member of a street gang or a “wannabe,” which adds up to “nothing more than innuendo.” Similarly, in Tourge v. City of Albany, 285 A.D.2d 785, 727 N.Y.S.2d 753 (A.D. 2001), the court ruled that an officer’s statement to a school secretary that “we have a complaint about one of your teachers” did not constitute “slander per se” allowing the teacher to sue for slander based on accusation of criminal conduct without showing specific resulting damages.

Statute of Limitations

Claims for defamation are subject to varying statutes of limitations in different states. Statements made via media may be subject to different statutes of limitations when printed or broadcast in multiple states. Accordingly, a defamatory statement that can no longer be the basis of a lawsuit in one jurisdiction because of a one or two-year statute of limitations may still be sued for elsewhere under another state’s three, four, or six-year statute of limitations.

There are often issues about when the right to sue on the claim “accrued” and whether the running of the statute of limitations may be “tolled” (extended).

In Tourge v. City of Albany, 285 A.D.2d 785, 727 N.Y.S.2d 753 (A.D. 2001) (also discussed in the last section), a man sued the U.S. government, contending that it violated his Fifth Amendment due process rights by accusing him of a crime during a criminal proceeding in which he was not a defendant. The trial court properly granted the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The claim accrued when the accusation was first made. His mistaken belief that his claim had not yet accrued until he was notified that he would not be indicted (or such an indictment was time barred), the reason he did not file suit earlier, did not serve to toll (extend) the time period to sue, so his claims were barred by a six-year statute of limitations. Doe v. United States, #16-20567, 853 F.3d 792 (5th Cir. 2017). Federal courts apply the state statute of limitations in defamation lawsuits, including those brought against the U.S. government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

In Churchill v. State of New Jersey, 876 A.2d 311 (N.J. Super. A.D. 2005), a lawsuit by animal protection volunteers against employees of a government investigating commission who allegedly published defamatory material about them on a government website, the claim was time barred by a one-year New Jersey statute of limitations for defamation claims. The statute of limitations began to run on the date the material was first published on the website, and that time period was not extended by the fact that the website was subsequently updated or modified while continuing to contain the same allegedly defamatory material.

In Shively v. Bozanich, #S094467, 7 Cal. Rptr. 3d 576, 80 P.3d 676 (Cal. 2003), a statute of limitations barred defamation claims brought by a grand jury witness against a deputy district attorney and county based on statements made to the author of book allegedly falsely describing her as a “felony probationer.” The time within

which to bring the defamation lawsuit started to run, at the latest, when the book was published and distributed to the public, and was not extended based on the fact that the plaintiff allegedly did not discover that the material was in the book until she subsequently read it.

Protected Opinion

Viable claims for defamation must involve false statements of fact—not opinion. Opinions, even misguided, unpopular, or outrageous opinions, are protected by the First Amendment.

In Weiner v. San Diego County, #98-55752, 210 F.3d 1025 (9th Cir. 2000), for example, a prosecutor’s statements to a newspaper following a murder suspect’s acquittal could not be the basis for a defamation lawsuit under California state law since they only expressed opinions protected under the First Amendment and could not be interpreted as statements of facts; even if defamatory, they could not be the basis for a federal civil rights lawsuit, as a prosecutor was a state, not county, official for purposes of a wrongful prosecution claim, and therefore entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity in their official capacity.

Some “opinions,” however, may imply the existence of specific “facts” which may constitute grounds for a defamation claim. In Weinstein v. Bullick, #92-5127. 827 F. Supp. 1193 (E.D. Pa 1993), for instance, an investigating officer’s television interview expressing skepticism about woman’s report that she had been abducted and sexually assaulted in a car could be the basis of a defamation lawsuit. The officer’s statements, although “opinions,” could reasonably be viewed as implying undisclosed facts that the woman had fabricated a story of abduction and rape.

Defamation Claims By Public Safety Personnel

Actual Malice Standard

The U.S. Supreme Court, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, #39, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) established the rule that for a public official (or other legitimate public figure, such as a celebrity or someone who injects themselves into a public controversy) to win a defamation case, the defamatory statement must have been made or published knowing it to be false or with reckless disregard to its truth

(this is also referred to as actual malice). Negligence in determining whether the statement is true before making or publishing it is not enough.

This is a tough—but not impossible—burden for a plaintiff to meet. In Lake Park Post, Inc. v. Farmer, #A03A0841, 590 S.E.2d 254 (Ga. App. 2003), for example, a deputy sheriff sued a newspaper, its editor and publisher, and one of its columnists for libel under Georgia state law after the paper published a series of articles written by the editor and columnist which stated that he had murdered a man by “brutally and repeatedly hitting” him with a flashlight while he was handcuffed and not resisting arrest. The article claimed that “enhanced video footage” showed the deputy beating the man, and that the beating caused the man’s death.

The deputy demanded a retraction, but the defendants refused to publish one, and continued to publish articles repeating their version of the incident. In all, according to the deputy, the newspaper called him a murderer 17 times and reported that he brutally beat the arrestee with the flashlight 48 times. In at least one instance, the columnist said that the deputy had “lynched” the arrestee.

A jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff deputy and awarded him $65,000 in compensatory damages and $10,000 in punitive damages against each defendant, for a total award of $225,000. On appeal, the defendants contended that the statements published were true, and that the trial court erred in refusing to grant their motion for a directed verdict because the plaintiff failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the statements were made with “actual malice,” i.e., knowing that they were false or with a reckless disregard for their falsity.

An intermediate Georgia appeals court disagreed with the defendants, and upheld the jury’s award to the deputy.

The court found that evidence in the case plainly demonstrated that the defendants had no reason to believe that the statements made in the article were true. The deputy had stopped the arrestee for driving on the wrong side of the road, and arrested him after he was unable to produce a driver’s license or proof of insurance, and furnished the deputy with a name and date of birth that did not match the computer records. He also had slurred speech and a strong smell of alcohol.

The arrestee allegedly resisted the deputy, disobeying orders by putting his hands in his pockets and trying to resist handcuffing. When he was handcuffed, the deputy found a prisoner identification card and a pocketknife on him, and a computer search

showed that a warrant for the motorist’s arrest existed. The arrestee resisted entering the patrol car and began pulling, pushing, and kicking the deputy, according to the court, escaping from the deputy’s control, at which point the deputy executed a maneuver known as an “arm-bar take down” to regain control.

The deputy denied hitting the arrestee with a flashlight, and a video of the event taken by a camera in the patrol car of a backup officer who responded showed that the deputy’s flashlight was attached to his police belt during the incident. All eyewitnesses to the incident testified that the deputy never hit the arrestee with anything. Videos taken by cameras in two patrol cars were played to the jury.

A medical examiner testified, after performing an autopsy, that the arrestee had died from blunt force trauma to the head that was received when the deputy took him to the ground, and not from a beating. The death was attributed to what otherwise would have been a minor injury except for the arrestee’s brain atrophy and liver damage caused by his chronic alcoholism. An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) found no evidence that the deputy hit the arrestee with a flashlight or with anything else.

Evidence in the lawsuit showed that when the columnist wrote his first article stating that the arrestee was murdered by the deputy, he had not seen the videos, attended the coroner’s inquest or read its complete transcript, and had not reviewed the GBI report or interviewed any witnesses.

The evidence, the appeals court found, fully supported the jury’s conclusion that the articles were published with “constitutional malice” and without a reasonable belief in their truthfulness. Anyone reading their articles would not know that the eyewitnesses, the coroner’s inquest, the medical examiner’s report, and the GBI report all contradicted the statements in the articles.

We conclude that the defendants so doubted the truthfulness of their articles that they refused to print any information that contradicted their version of the events.

Public safety personnel are public officials and/or public figures. See Smith v. Russell, #64086., 456 So.2d 462 (Fla 1984) (police officer is considered a public official requiring that actual malice be shown for defamation). That does not, however, mean that their family members are. See Sellers v. Stauffer Communications, Inc., 684 P.2d 450 (Kan App. 1984) (sheriff’s wife was not considered a public figure).

It is worth mentioning here again that defamation, by itself, cannot be the basis for a constitutional claim, either by private individuals or government employees. See Walker v. Wilson, #01-6455, 67 Fed. Appx. 854 (6th Cir. 2003), ruling that a state investigator’s allegedly defamatory statements to the FBI concerning an

FBI agent’s purported addiction to drugs and homosexual relationship with his psychiatrist were insufficient to support a federal civil rights claim for violation of his protected liberty interests in his employment. Defamation itself is not a constitutional claim, and an injury to reputation does not violate a protected liberty interest, nor does the disclosure of medical records. “Even an allegation of diminished employment opportunities resulting from harm to reputation is insufficient to state a due process claim.”

In the next section of this three-part article, in the section on “stigma plus,” we will examine what kind of claims can be made when there has been defamation and it has caused very specific damage to the public safety officer’s career prospects.

#Legal Updates #Local Police News

0 notes