Adolf Hitler attending a rally in Munich

A famous image shows Adolf Hitler attending a rally in Munich, Germany, at the outset of World War I in 1914. Historian Gerd Krumeich told a German newspaper this week that he determined the image was almost certainly a fake.

BERLIN (Oct. 16) -- A new exhibit about Adolf Hitler and the Germans breaks taboos and treads new ground as it explores the relationship between the Fuehrer and his Volk.

The exhibit, which opened this week in Berlin to crowds of curious visitors, is packed with Nazi memorabilia, from swastika-bearing beer mugs to SS uniforms, in a bid to show how pervasive propaganda images of Hitler were throughout German society as the Nazis gained and then held power. By coincidence, it includes one famous image purportedly showing Hitler at at World War I rally that was revealed this week to have almost certainly been doctored.

Called "Hitler and the Germans: Nation and Crime," the exhibit at the German Historical Museum is careful not to open itself to charges that it is fueling a personality cult. It contains no memorabilia of Hitler himself, seeking only to show how his image was used in Nazi society.

"We don't want to focus on Hitler as a personality," Hans-Ulrich Thamer, curator of the exhibit, told reporters at a preview of the exhibit Wednesday. "We want to look at the rise of the regime, how it operated in power and how it fell, and the tremendous destructive potential that National Socialism unleashed."

The exhibit comes at a time when racism appears to be on the rise in Germany. A study published this week by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is financed by the Social Democratic Party, showed that 35.6 percent of those polled believe Germany is being "overrun by foreigners." More than one in 10 Germans polled agreed with the statement that the country needed a "Fuehrer" to rule "with a strong hand," and about a third said foreigners should be sent home when jobs are scarce.

"In 2010, there has been a significant increase in anti-democratic and racist attitudes," the study's authors, Elmar Braehler and Oliver Decker, told reporters. "We are experiencing a dramatic turning point."

That poll comes on the heels of a heated debate over a book by Thilo Sarrazin, a former Social Democrat politician, that criticized German immigration policy and appeared to make racist comments about Muslims living in Germany. As a result of the row, Sarrazin was forced to resign from his post on the board of Germany's influential central bank, the Bundesbank.

Against that backdrop, Stephan Kramer, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, considers the Hitler exhibit important.

"I think this exhibit takes place at the right time because the various debates taking place right now, for example about the Sarrazin book, show how the lower middle class can be used and misled by pandering to their fears," Kramer said. "My only concern is that the wrong people will come and visit the exhibit."

The curators went to great lengths to deflect the seductive power of images of Hitler and other artifacts by placing them side by side with documentary presentations of Nazi atrocities and the path of destruction that Hitler wove through Europe. There are plenty of Nazi symbols in the exhibit -- swastikas, parade flags bearing the Nazi call to arms "Deutschland erwache!" (Germany awake!) and an extensive presentation of Nazi propaganda films.

Michael Sohn, AP

Various Nazi paraphernalia including cigars, a wallet and a quartet decorated with a swastika are shown at the exhibit "Hitler and the Germans: Nation and Crime" in Berlin on Wednesday.

Not all those images are what they seem to be.The exhibition contains one iconic photo of Hitler cheering amid a crowd at a Munich war rally at the outset of World War I, which the Nazis touted as evidence of the Fuehrer's patriotic common touch. This week historian Gerd Krumeich told Die Welt newspaper that he had determined that the picture, frequently reproduced during and since the Nazi era, was almost certainly a fake and that Hitler's image had been superimposed on the photo. Other similar plates in the studio of Munich photographer Heinrich Hoffmann looked very different, and the Hitleresque figure appears in no other images of the Aug. 2, 1914, rally.

The curators declined to exhibit objects they feared could draw neo-Nazis or sympathizers. While they exhibited a number of authentic Nazi uniforms, for example, they did not request a uniform held in Moscow that was actually worn by Hitler.

Simone Erpel, one of the curators of the exhibit, says it was important to treat these objects with a certain "critical distance," adding that this is the first museum exhibit to seriously explore why the Germans were so fascinated with Hitler.

Sponsored Links

"We are not making Hitler a hero," she said.

An absorbing subplot in the exhibit is how Germany has dealt with the Fuehrer in the postwar period. Demonstrating the continued fascination -- or morbid curiosity -- with Hitler, one corner of the exhibit displays a wall of photos of Hitler that have emblazoned the cover of Germany's leading weekly magazine, Der Spiegel. Since the 1990s, the curators said, Der Spiegel has put Hitler on the cover at least once a year.

In recent years, Germany has begun more openly debating the Fuehrer and the fascination he exerted over ordinary Germans. In the past Hitler was often presented as pure evil, beyond human. But the 2004 film "Downfall," a portrayal of the last days of the Third Reich, broke the final taboo and presented an image of Hitler as a deranged, feeble and ultimately broken man. It was "Downfall," more than any other recent event, that paved the way for the German Historical Museum to approach this sensitive subject.

The effort seems to have paid off in the minds of foreign tourists visiting Berlin.

"This is a brilliant exhibit of contrasts," said Jetin Habstaat, a tourist from Oslo, Norway. "One can see the propaganda but you can also see the opposition. It shows also the impact of the violence."
Found Here: http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/berlin-adolf-hitler-exhibit-breaks-taboos-and-reveals-a-hoax/19676166?icid=main|main|dl1|sec1_lnk2|178220

Phobos Imaged by HiRise

HiRISE acquired two dramatic views of the Martian moon, Phobos, on 23 March 2008. Observation PSP_007769_9010, acquired at a distance of 6,800 kilometers from Phobos, provides surface detail at 6.8 m/pixel scale and a object diameter of about 3,200 pixels. The second observation, PSP_007769_9015 providing a closer look at 5,800 km, views the surface at slightly more detail (5.8 m/pixel with an object diameter of about 4,000 pixels).

The two images were taken within 10 minutes of each other and show roughly the same features, but from a different angle so that they can be combined to yield a stereo view. (Watch a short clip of both observations: 204KB, QuickTime.)

The illuminated part of Phobos visible in the images is about 21 km across. Images from previous spacecraft have been of smaller pixel scale (for example, Mars Global Surveyor got data at 4 m/pixel, because this spacecraft came closer to Phobos), but the HiRISE images have greater signal-to-noise, making the new data some of the best ever for Phobos.

The most prominent feature in the images is the large impact crater Stickney, in the lower right. With a diameter of 9 km, it is the largest feature on Phobos. A series of grooves and crater chains is obvious on the other parts of the moon. Although many appear radial to Stickney in the images, previous studies show that the grooves radiate from a different point on Phobos. Hypotheses for their formation vary. Some scientists believe the grooves and crater chains are related to the formation of Stickney, whereas others think they may have formed from ejecta from impacts on Mars that later collided with Phobos. The lineated textures on the walls of Stickney and other large craters are landslides formed from materials falling into the crater interiors in the weak Phobos gravity (less than 1/1000th the gravity on Earth)

Found Here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phobos.php


Here (below) are the "global" coordinates and orbital vector for this ESA Phobos image -- as prepared by Enterprise Associate, Greg Ahrens ....

An extraordinary, geometric, clearly artificial, fractured 3-D surface ... lying just beneath the veneer of "battered, ancient asteroid stuff" that Phobos presents from most other viewing angles -- all now stunningly revealed (below) ... in this high-resolution Mars Express Phobos "face-on" image!

So ... what are these obvious (see below) "grooves of Phobos?"

This fascinating mystery ... evident in the Viking images (above) as "a series of obvious, long, narrow and mysteriously-straight striations ..." -- running parallel across almost the entire visible width of this ~15-mile-wide moon -- was eventually interpreted by NASA as merely "crater-chains of secondary meteor impacts ... caused by Phobos intersecting [running into] such meteor streams ... blasted-out across Phobos' orbit ... as fragments from primary asteroid or comet impacts down on Mars' surface ...."

Now, from this latest Mars Express ultra-high-resolution imaging ( below) -- the REAL cause of these mysterious "grooves on Phobos" is readily, geometrically apparent--

Phobos -- as a clearly "artificial moon"--

"Is literally ... Coming Apart at the Seams!"

Because of the increasing, shearing gravitational forces -- caused by its slow "death spiral" into Mars--

Because of the inevitable--

"Tides ... of Mars."

So yes, what you are staring at (probably, in shock at this point ...) is, in fact ... nothing less than what we've been saying all along ... since trying to educate the first Bush Administration on this data, in 1989 (see below):

That Phobos is, in fact--

An "ancient ... ex terrestrial ... very battered ... 15-mile-long"--

Spaceship.

Exactly like ... "Yonada."

Which now (according to our European sources -- backed up by the actual Mars Express data itself, which you will see more of - below) ESA is about to officially ... publicly announce!

Possibly -- even before President Obama's up-coming ... suddenly-called ... STILL super-secret "Space Summit"--

Which is scheduled to take place, within a few days, at the Kennedy Space Center -- personally hosted by the President of the United States of America -- in the middle of an on-going shuttle mission--

STS-131.

Which, turns out to be ... the 33rd Space Shuttle Mission ... to the Space Station ("ISS").

Can you say "the Fix is in" ... for "something?"

Read more: http://gazbom.blogspot.com/2010/04/old-space-station-destroyed-in-battle.html#ixzz0sflmVrFR

Found Here: http://gazbom.blogspot.com/2010/04/old-space-station-destroyed-in-battle.html

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is a genre intended to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic.

Many landscape photographers show little or no human activity in their photos, striving to attain pure, unsullied landscapes^[1] that are devoid of human influence, using instead subjects such as strongly defined landforms, weather, and ambient light. Despite this, there is no pure or absolute definition of what makes a landscape in photography, as such it has become a very broad term, encompassing urban, industrial, macro and nature photography. A beach full of parasols and sunbathers can be a landscape photo, but so can the view through an electron microscope, which shows a different type of landscape. Waterfalls, and mountains are especially popular in classic landscape photography, often calling for Large Format cameras^[2] and neutral density or polarizing filters. Though many photographs are inspired by traditional landscape painting, the term in photography is very broad, most places and things can be photographed as a landscape, a kitchen, a lamp, a wall, or even the human body^[3] can be turned into a rolling vista by a skilled photographer.

Landscapes are often created with such tools as a pinhole camera, or a large format camera and tripod, usually with a wide angle lenses (24 mm and 35 mm are especially popular). Many serious photographers use medium or large format systems to record as much detail as possible, although the vast majority of landscapes shot today are from digital SLRs and compact cameras.

Landscape photography has become a valuable tool to inspire environmental stewardship. Capturing the beauty of unspoiled places serves to bring dwindling wilderness areas into the public eye. Many noted landscape photographers provide images to environmental protection organizations. Noted organizations use professional and amateur photographers' work to further the preservation cause. Notable landscape photographers include Ansel Adams, Bill Brandt, and Edward Weston.[

The White Shaman

The white shaman within the complex panel is in his ascendancy, leaving behind his black counterpart, his mortal body. He is headless, but his clawed feet and hands betray his feline affinities. Feathers fringe his outspread arms, enabling him to fly, and hanging from his arm is a medicine bundle that combines human, bird, and animal attributes. Surrounding the white shaman and his shadow are a number of inverted figures, their hair hanging down, signifying the symbolic death of the shaman in his ecstatic trance. Near at hand float schematic spear throwers, ready for the confrontation that lies ahead. Above him is the millipedic monster that he must pass to enter the land of the spirits, the barrier between the two worlds that separates the living from the dead. Above this serpentine obstacle, flying figures illustrate the trance state and death as experienced in this nether world. One of these figures has been reduced to the skeletal condition, his exposed backbone being an artistic convention intended to convey the rebirth from the bones, the most durable element of the body. Minor accessory figures include the delicate line drawing of a deer shaman, and a number of fantastic figures that people the supernatural world. The shaman is expected to encounter unearthly beings on his ethereal transits. These drawings may inform his audience about some of the fantastic apparitions that helped or hindered his voyage.
Found Here: http://www.rockart.org/gallery/rock7.html

Jean Jullien London, UK

Jean Jullien London, UK “There's a great deal of primitivism in the large pieces of paper torn, ripped, cut and assembled, covering the bodies, writing with big brushes and bold black ink. The process itself is full of movement.”

A French design who now lives and works in London, having recently graduated from Central Saint Martins. Jullien continues to pursue his master’s at the Royal College of Art.
Found Here:

http://www.jeanjullien.com/

Grégoire Alexandre Paris, France

Grégoire Alexandre Paris, France “Craft” integrates the possibilities and the limits of the medium, without using the computer to create impossible situations. I like my installations to be abstract but still possible.

Found Here: http://www.gregoirealexandre.com/

Normandy-born Grégoire Alexandre, now stationed in Paris. Cinema was his first interest, but he became more comfortable with photography since it gave him a greater sense of control and allowed him to take something out of reality without having to set it up first.

A Collection of Architecture

The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονική, architektonike) can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.

As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter. A wider definition often includes the design of the total built environment, from the macro level of how a building integrates with its surrounding landscape (see town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture) to the micro level of architectural or construction details and, sometimes, furniture. Wider still, architecture is the activity of designing any kind of system.

As a profession, architecture is the role of those persons or machines providing architectural services.

As documentation, usually based on drawings, architecture defines the structure and/or behavior of a building or any other kind of system that is to be or has been constructed.

Architects have as their primary object providing for the spatial and shelter needs of people in groups of some kind (families, schools, churches, businesses, etc.) by the creative organisation of materials and components in a land- or city-scape, dealing with mass, space, form, volume, texture, structure, light, shadow, materials, program, and pragmatic elements such as cost, construction limitations and technology, to achieve an end which is functional, economical, practical and often with artistic and aesthetic aspects. This distinguishes architecture from engineering design, which has as its primary object the creative manipulation of materials and forms using mathematical and scientific principles.

Separate from the design process, architecture is also experienced^[1] through the senses, which therefore gives rise to aural,^[2] visual, olfactory,^[3] and tactile^[4] architecture. As people move through a space, architecture is experienced as a time sequence.^[5] Even though our culture considers architecture to be a visual experience, the other senses play a role in how we experience both natural and built environments. Attitudes towards the senses depend on culture.^[6] The design process and the sensory experience of a space are distinctly separate views, each with its own language and assumptions.

Architectural works are perceived as cultural and political symbols and works of art. Historical civilizations are often known primarily through their architectural achievements. Such buildings as the pyramids of Egypt and the Roman Colosseum are cultural symbols, and are an important link in public consciousness, even when scholars have discovered much about a past civilization through other means. Cities, regions and cultures continue to identify themselves with (and are known by) their architectural monuments.<sup>[7]

Found Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture</sup>