Elena's Legacy. Texts written by Elena, excerpts from texts she liked, her artworks.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Fashionable Face Through the Ages

From the Rubenesque beauties of ages past to the Twiggy Look of the 1960s, culture has always had a profound effect on how one perceives beauty. Never before, however, have people had the range of opportunities to physically reinvent themselves to reflect those shifting ideals, particularly in the area that most influences one’s perception of oneself,, the face. Here’s a look at some of those perceived ideals and the techniques that emerged to allow people to realize them.

1950s and 1960s

Eyebrow and Eyelid Surgery

High-lidded eyes.

Lots of space between eye and brow.

Wide-eyed look.

Eyebrows raised very high.

Nose Surgery

Turned up, ski-jump angle, nostrils showing.

Cute, childlike.

Highly sculpted tip.

Facelift

Surface changes only,

Pulled-back, stretched appearance.

Facial Sculpting

Did not exist.

Fashionable face through the Ages. Fashion is said to come back every twenty years. Whether that is true or not, every season new collections from fashionable designers appear on the runways. Sometimes beautiful, other times strange, the world of fashion is fascinating. Photo by Elena

1970s

Eyebrow and Eyelid Surgery

Lid width narrows, brow still slightly high.

Entire eyelid sculpted, rather than lifted, for more natural look.

Nose Surgery

Transition from stylized, uniform result to more aggressive nose.

Facelift

Underlying musculature tightened.

Facial Sculpting

Did not exist.

Today

Eyebrow and Eyelid Surgery

Narrower lid.

5 to 6 millimeters of space between brow for eye.

Natural appearance.

Nose Surgery

Longer, stronger nose.

Wider bridge.

Fuller, gently refined tip.

Individualized nose.

Natural, nonsurgical look.

Facelift

Very natural, nonsurgical look.

Facial sculpting

Bone reshape improves facelift.

Solves facial balance problems not addressed before.

Frenzy for Money

In their frenzy for money, market participants throw over firm foundations of value for the dubious but thrilling assumption that they too can make a killing by building castles in the air. Such thinking can and has enveloped entire nations.

The psychology of the speculation is a veritable theater of the absurd. The castles that were built during the performances were based on Dutch tulip bulbs, English “bubbles”, and good old American real estate and blue-chip stocks. In each case, some of the people made some money some of the time, but only a very few emerged unscathed.

History, in this instance, does teach us a lesson: While the castle-in-the-air theory can well explain such speculative binges, outguessing the reactions of a fickle crowd is a most dangerous game.

“Life is simple but if you don’t put anything into it, you won’t get anything out of it.” (Auliq Ice). Illustration: Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

“In crowds, it is stupidity and not mother-wit that is accumulated”, Gustave Le Bon noted in his 1895 classic on crowd psychology. It would appear that not many have read the book. Skyrocketing markets that depend on purely psychic support have invariable succumbed to the financial law of gravitation. Unsustainable prices may persist for years, but eventually they reverse themselves. Such reversals come with the suddenness of an earthquake, and the bigger the binge, the greater the resulting hangover. Few of the reckless builders of castles in the air have been nimble enough to anticipate these reversals perfectly and escape without losing a great deal of money when everything came tumbling down.

Bibliography:

Burton G. Malkiel. A Random Walk Down Wall Street, including a life-cycle guide to personal investing. First edition, 1973, by W.W. Norton and company, Inc.

Universe

We are an impossibility in an impossible universe. But we are an advanced breed of impossible creatures (and we live on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.

Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. (Stephen Hawking). Jesus Christ in face of St. Micheal Cathedral, Toronto

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. (Buddha). A church in Greek style, Toronto, Ontario.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. (Aldous Huxley). A church in Toronto, Ontario.

The clearest way into the great Universe is through a human wilderness. (Megan Jorgensen). Rosedale Presbyteryan Church, 129 Mount Pleasant Road.

The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. (Neil deGrasse Tyson)

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. (Aldous Huxley).Trinity Lutheran Church, East District, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

While physics and mathematics may tell us how the universe began, they are not much use in predicting human behavior because there are far too many equations to solve. I'm no better than anyone else at understanding what makes people tick, particularly women. Stephen Hawking. St. Andrew United Church, Bloor street, Toronto

Stone Church: Site of Jesse Ketchum Hall. Jesse Ketchum (1780 – 1867) was a tanner, politician and generous public benefactor in the town of York. He helped to establish churches, schools and libraries. A life long opponent of the use of liquor, he worked diligently to further the cause of temperance, even calling a street which he opened his property “Temperance Street”. He built a meeting hall on site in 1848, which was used by the community for various functions. In 1853, he donated the building to the York Sons of Temperance and it remained the centre of the temperance movement in Toronto for a century. The hall was sold to the Stone Church in 1969 on condition that temperance continues to be served. In 1986, the church built a new sanctuary for their increased congregation and active downtown ministry, which maintains the temperance cause. The bricks supporting the plaque were saved from the only remaining portions of the original hall, which had undergone many alterations over the years. Toronto historical board, 1993.

We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us. (Neil deGrasse Tyson). Bloor and Huron streets United Church, Toronto, Ontario.

Rosedale United Church, 159 Roxborough Drive... wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

St. Michael’s Cathedral. The cornerstone of St. Michael’s Cathedral was laid on May 8, 1845, by the Most Reverend Michael Power, first Catholic Bishop of Toronto. Designed by William Thomas, the building is an adaptation of the 14th century English Gothic style. It was consecrated on September 29, 1848. Though the transepts remain unfinished, St. Michael’s adheres to the ancient cruciform shape of religious structures. The interior of the cathedral has undergone a number of transfromations. The great chancel window, installed in 1858, was executed by Etienne Thevenot, a gifted French artist and was donated by Bishop de Charbonnel. Construction of the tower and spire began in 1867. St. Michael’s is the principal church of Canada’s largest English-speaking Catholic archidiocese.

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. (Lao Tzu). Bloor street United Church, Huron Street

Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations. (Alan Watts). Bloor Street United Church, Toronto, Bloor and Huron Street

Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. (Guy Finley). St Thomas's Anglican United Church of Canada

Monday, June 18, 2018

Good to Know in Iceland

Here you’ll find the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts of life in Reykjavík. Althoug the capital of Iceland is a relatively small place, it may take some time to figure out how to navigate the city. Most of downtown can be covered by foot, but when you leave the centre things get a little trickier.

Domestic Air Terminal

Air Iceland Connect maintains a domestic network based in Reykjavík with destinations around the island and links to the Faeroe Islands and Greenland – Reykjavík Domestic Airport + 354 570 3000.

From & To the Airport

The airport bus service is the staightforward option, taking you from the airport to the BSI bus terminal at Vatnsmyrarvegur 10, downtown, or, for an added fee, straight to your hotel. You could also grab a taxi that takes you from door to door. Driving time through the mossy laval fields of Reykjavík peninsula to the capital is about 50 minutes. There are no trains in Iceland. Flybus (flugrutan) – +354 562 1011. Airport Express + 354 540 1313, takes you from Keflavik to the center of Reykjavík.

Taxis in Reykjavík

Taxis are normally summoned with a phone call or by going to a taxi stand. Taxis in Iceland accept both cash and cards. Hreyfill-Baejarleidir + 354 588 5522. Bifreidastöd Reykjavíkur + 354 561 0000.

Driving in Reykjavík

Speed limits: On city streets the speed limit is generally 50 km/30 miles per hour, unless otherwise posted.

Seatbelts: Wearing seatbelts is mandatory and children under the age of five must be strapped into an approved child seat.

Parking: Free parking can be hard to find in the city centre, and violators are towed away literally within minutes. The city uses both parking meters as well as dashboard slips for metered parking.

Cell phones: If you get caught using your cell phone while driving, you’ll get a ticket.

Drunk driving: If you are caught driving with a blood alcohol level of .05 or more, you will be charged and your car will be impounded.

Rush hours: Weedays from 7:30 to 9:30 and from 17 to 18:30.

Gas stations: Most gas stations are open every day from 8 to 23:30 – many with 24-hour pay at-the pump facilities.

City bus (Straeto)

Bus maps are available at bus stations and tourist information centers. Most bus stops also include a route map. You can download the Straeto mobile app and get precise directions about which buses to take.

Operating hours : Daily from 6:30/7 until midnight, except on Sun period and most holidays, when it runs from 11:30/noon until midnight. There is no bus service on Good Friday, Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Fares and tickets : Singl trip ticket can be bought from the driver (who does not give change) or the mobile app. If you need to change buses remember to ask for a transfer or skiptimidi.

Weather

Be sure to check the weather forecast regularly while in Iceland, especially if you’re driving out of the city, hiking, cycling, sailing or otherwise exposing yourself to the elements. The weather in Iceland is famous for changing at a moment’s notice, so plan accordingly. Weather forecast : + 354 902 0600.

Phone Home

Dialing: When dialing internationally, dial 00 for a line out of the country, select the appropriate country code, then the number.

Cell Phones/GSM: Cell phones work almost all over Iceland and you can get an Icelandic pre-paid (Frelsi) SIM card and use a pre-paid. There are four major service providers in the country : Nova, Siminn, Tal and Vodafohe. You can top up your phone through the company’s service number or buy cards from convenience stores.

Phone Centre: There is a phone centre at the tourist office at Adalstraeti 2.

Internet Access & Hot Spots: The tourist office at Adalstraeti 2 offers Internet Access on their own computers for a fee. If you have your own device, you can use Wi-Fi at almost any café or bar downtown for free (sometimes you have to buy a coffee). Many hotels and guesthouses also offer free Wi-Fi.

Phonebook & Online Maps: the Icelandic phone book lists people by their first names and offers an interactive searchable map.

Directory information and international assistance: Dial 1818 or 1819 the 24/7 service for information about names, addresses and numbers, Yellow Pages, be connected to international numbers or make collect calls.

Useful numbers: The emergency number in Iceland is 112. Use it in any emergency for ambulance, fire department, medical help, police and doctors.

Doctors on duty: 1770.

Dentists on duty: + 354 575 0505.

Police non-emergency: Hverfisgata 113, + 354 444 1000.

A typical Icelandic landscape. Photo by Olga.

Opening hours

Public Institutions: Monday – Friday 10 to 15 or 16.

General office hours: Monday – Friday 9 -17.

Banks: Most banks open Monday – Friday from 9 to 16. The Arion and the Islandsbanki bank branches at Kringlan shopping mall have longer hours and are open on S

Pusha - Part I

Pusha the Cat

The most intelligent Cat on Earth. No doubt exists that he is an extraterrestrial agent controlling what happens on the planet and if the mankind is not damaging this part of the Galaxy.

All the Pusha's picture have been taken by Elena.

Pusha's official portrait.

Pusha said he liked this picture more.

Pusha walking and looking for violators of the order.

Pusha the child

Although unrelated to cats, the name itself of famous American writer Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the derivative 1958 drama film, are just one example among many.