royal wedding celebration

A decade or two ago, working in an educational establishment, I listened to some young people speaking of going on a march in protest about one thing or another. When asked what it was about they replied, "To speak up for the poor!" A little later, in the same conversation, they spoke of passing by a tramp in the street and how disgusting it was to be approached by some drunk in a bus shelter....Ho hum. A cause is great - it makes you feel good. A person is different.At the recent BAFTA awards, Vanessa Redgrave, whom I admire as an actress and who was at one time a raging Marxist, almost fell to the floor before Prince William. Who can blame her for seeing the light after all these years? A quotation from her in the papers this week sums up the difference between causes and what really matters in the day-to-day:

'My paradox is that though I care a great deal for the masses - the orphans in Vietnam, the starving in India - I seem to care little for the individuals around me.'

Vanessa Redgrave

Causes are often distractions from the nitty-gritty of life around us. We can all feel great when we're championing an underdog but it's very different when we are faced with an individual.

That having been said, there seem to me to be people who love the role of the victim or the sick person and they are more tyrannical than the greatest despots in history. From a position of helplessness, it is possible to have everyone running to your aid, and the welfare society in Britain has pampered to this for far too long. A person appeared on the local news recounting a long list of her illnesses, caused (she said) by living close to a mine. In a previous chapter of this life as a nurse, I met dozens of people who loved being ill and recounting their sad stories of one illness after another. Some people thrive on illness, others on causes...and so the game goes on.

Let's wake up to appreciating that each of us has the power to change our own lives without acting a role. Charities are brilliant if they meet an immediate need and offer a helping hand (since all of us go down sometimes), but if they become causes, they are nothing more than players perpetuating the same game, and the the givers and receivers are simply playing roles, neither is serving any purpose other than continuing the farce.

Lacey Brown, I love the look, soulfoul voice, she's cute and I love her hair too.
Her rendition of "What a Wonderful World" from Hollywood round was great and very endearing and what a great attitude about not getting through last year. I really liked Megan Joy (who got thru instead of her) but Megan didn't quite deliver although she was good. I'm glad Lacey was given another chance this week. Some people say her hairstyle is called "The Suspicious Duchess".

A couple of years ago, Queen Victoria's large bloomers - complete with the royal crest - were put up for auction, and now - according to last night's Yorkshire Evening Post - a pair of her silk stockings are about to be auctioned in Edinburgh.
I can't help wondering what the Queen would make of her undergarments being displayed to all and sundry, and wondering how these items end up in the hands of private sellers. Did someone rifle her drawers (literally!) after her death, or were they given away when they no longer fit her? Maybe they were lost in the laundry?

Thirteen-year-old Beatrice of Provence was alone in the fortress. Her father was dead. Her mother had fled. Her three older sisters were resting their crowned heads in faraway places.

Outside the walls, the Holy Roman Emperor’s navy was sailing into port, the King of Aragon’s army was encamped, and the Count of Toulose and the Count of Anjou were each leading armies to capture the wildly gorgeous young girl.

Unlike her older sisters, each of whom had had little to offer a medieval bridegroom except their beauty, Beatrice was a prized heiress. Their father, Count Raymond Berenguer of Provence had left everything to her—including castles that had been provided as collateral for her eldest sister Marguerite’s dowry when she wed the King of France, the same ones which had also been used as collateral when Raymond borrowed money from his daughter Eleanor’s husband, the King of England. Asserting that his other daughters, who had all married well, did not need any part of the inheritance, Raymond not only left them nothing, he added insult by saying to Beatrice that she was “more beloved by me than all your sisters.”

The girls’ mother, Beatrice of Savoy, had agreed to her husband’s plan because his real intention was to leave her completely in charge of the land they had ruled together. Neither had anticipated that their youngest daughter would be literally besieged. Although Raymond had habitually overspent on wars and luxuries, Provence was a lucrative province with a rich salt monopoly and a burgeoning role in commercial trade. Lovely little Beatrice’s suitors all desired to get their paws on that money pot even more than they longed for a pretty girl.

Once it became clear that things were getting out of control, Beatrice the senior slipped out of Provence to seek help from the Pope. Several suitors also applied to the Pope, who soon assumed wardship of young Beatrice. That meant the excommunicated Emperor was out of luck—he was currently at war with the Pope. Needing a strong ally against the Emperor, the Pope had little inclination to side with Toulose or Aragon; what he really wanted was an alliance with France. Fortunately, the King of France’s youngest brother, 19-year-old Count Charles of Anjou was still unmarried.


In a secret meeting, the Pope, the King and Beatrice of Savoy agreed to award young Beatrice and Provence to Charles, who immediately set off with an army provided by his brother. En route, he outflanked the Count of Toulose and he quickly sent the King of Aragon into retreat after a brief skirmish. (The Emperor’s navy had been forced to retreat when the locals made it impossible to land.)

Beatrice and Charles were ideally suited for each other. They were both the spoiled youngest children who still felt slighted by comparison to their highly accomplished older siblings. Together, they set out to turn their new territory into a highly profitable one. The first order of business was to push aside Beatrice’s mother, much to her protest. Young Beatrice had now earned the ire not only of her disinherited sisters but also their well-connected mom.

Nevertheless, her eldest sister who was now also her sister-in-law could not completely ignore her. In fact, when Louis and Marguerite set off on crusade, Charles and his heavily pregnant teenaged wife went with them. Marguerite, who had suffered from barrenness for many years after she married, was forced to watch as her upstart little sister had a child every other year. The first, a boy named Louis, was born on Cyprus as the French royal party made its way across the Mediterranean. Concerned for the infant’s well-being on a military crusade, Beatrice left the baby on Cyprus to be cared for in her absence. By the time the French reached Damietta, both Beatrice and Marguerite were pregnant.

Beatrice’s second child, Blanche, was born while the French were being decimated by the Egyptians. (See Marguerite for the story of Damietta.) Perhaps the sisters grew closer because of their shared circumstances on this difficult sojourn, but any goodwill Beatrice had gained quickly evaporated. Although Louis sent Charles back to Europe to seek reinforcements and secure France, which was suffering some rebellion, Marguerite felt that Charles and Beatrice had abandoned the sickly king. The merry young pair was only too-eager to escape the dire situation with the added motivation of seeing their firstborn child again. That anticipation turned to bitter sorrow, however, when they discovered that Baby Louis had died while they were gone.

Charles carried his brother’s plea for reinforcements to the Pope, who refused to help. However, he offered Charles a consolation: the Kingdom of Sicily, if he could pay for the cost of taking it from the current king. (The same deal that the Pope would also offer Beatrice’s brother-in-law Richard of Cornwall—see Sanchia—and her nephew Edmund—see Eleanor.) Although the ambitious Charles would have loved a crown of his own, at the time, he didn’t have enough money to secure it. With his brother’s attention focused on holy war, he knew he couldn’t get the money from him either. He regretfully declined.

Instead, he set about making himself wealthy. Not only did he and Beatrice set up a highly efficient and lucrative administration in Provence, he also gained control of the extremely rich county of Hainault by offering military assistance to its heiress. Charles quickly began squeezing every fine or tax that he could out of Hainault. By the time the King finally returned from crusade, the people were fed up and Louis paid Charles a fortune to get him to surrender his authority.

This gave Charles and Beatrice enough money to pay off her quarrelsome mother and to repay (at a substantial discount) her father’s outstanding loan from King Henry and Queen Eleanor. Marguerite, however, was still livid with Beatrice and took any opportunity to put her sister in her place. When the entire Provencal family gathered together, Marguerite invited her sisters Queen Eleanor and Queen Sanchia to sit with her at the highest table. Countess Beatrice was left to fume at a lower table, prompting her husband to promise, “I will shortly make thee a greater queen than them.”

By this time, more than a decade had passed since Charles had turned down the throne of Sicily and the English claims on it had proven unachievable. Once again, the Pope offered the crown to Charles with the same condition as before. This time, however, Charles was independently wealthy enough to say yes. Beatrice set out on a charm campaign, persuading not just the young men of Provence but also of France to join her husband’s cause. She used her own jewels and her abundant beauty to raise an invasion force.

Charles led a small contingent by sea while Beatrice led tens of thousands across the Alps to join him in Rome. Through skill and with some luck, the couple rapidly achieved what so many others had failed to do: they captured the crown of Sicily, having killed the King in battle.

Beatrice had finally secured her place at the high table and the little county of Provence had produced four queens in one generation. Like her sister Sanchia, however, Beatrice would enjoy her crown for a short period. She died after only 18 months. Charles initially buried her in Rome, but later moved her to Provence to lie for eternity next to the father who had left everything to her.

Read about her sisters:
Marguerite | Eleanor | Sanchia

Work Consulted for This Post

In memory of Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich, murdered 105 years ago today, this is an extract from Most Beautiful Princess. Ella and Serge are sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, after the consecration of the Russian Orthodox church in Jerusalem.

“It sometimes feels to me,” he said, “as though there is a gap, like a great well, inside us. A sort of wound, an inner loneliness and, no matter how close or intimate our relationships, the wound is so deep that nothing on earth can alleviate it. Do you ever feel that?”
“Yes,” she murmured, “I do.”
“Perhaps everyone does. Some people run around trying to assuage the pain of it; the pain of being alive. Some try to numb it with vodka or opium or laudanum and all kinds of excesses. Others fill every spare moment with activity or seeking out company, small talk, chatter, noise, any noise, being so afraid of silence and solitude because when we’re alone and silent we feel it most deeply. But no matter how we try to avoid it, we know it’s there and there is nothing we can do to be rid of it.”
“Perhaps it’s a reminder that we’re not simply creatures of the earth. We’re pilgrims passing through, longing for heaven.”
“Longing for death?” he frowned.
“No, not death but the Infinite. Perhaps it is a kind of death, though I cannot think that God would create all this beauty, nature, oceans, skies, dawns, sunsets, flowers and creatures to be so ephemeral. I can only believe that what we see here is the reflection of an even greater beauty beyond this life.”
“For here,” he said, “we see ‘but darkly as through a glass’. Isn’t it strange how desperately and deeply we feel this longing that can only be satisfied when our souls are free of these bodies, and yet, faced with prospect of death, we cling to life how ever mundane, dull, empty and meaningless it seems. Even those who live in the most abject poverty, whose lives are nothing but drudgery and misery, would, if faced with the prospect of death, cling with all their might to this existence how ever painful or sad.”
“Perhaps they’re afraid of what is beyond.”
“Or perhaps they fear there is nothing beyond except total annihilation.”
She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Are you afraid of death, Serge?”
“Not now. Not in this moment when everything is peaceful. Heaven seems so close that I would happily step out of my body and into that life. But,” he sighed, “when we’re back in the city, amid all the clamour and routine and petty irritations, death will no longer seem like a radiant angel welcoming us home, but rather a dark spectre hovering menacingly over our shoulders. That is what I fear, being caught unprepared as my father was. One minute there, walking, talking, breathing...the next minute, blown to pieces.” He was thoughtful for a moment. “If it were not for my faith, I don’t think I would have been able to live with that. For those who don’t believe, such times must be unbearable.”

When Sanchia of Provence first met her Prince Charming, she was a beautiful 13-year-old and he was the rich and dashing brother of the English king. At 31, he might have appeared old to the shy girl, but he almost certainly seemed heroic. Having been received with royal honors in Paris, Richard Earl of Cornwall was passing through Provence on his way to the Middle East to fight the infidel and protect Christendom. If that wasn’t enough to make him a romantic figure, he also had recently lost his beloved wife.

Rich and brave. Sad and brilliant. What more could a young girl want in a shining knight?

Unlike her older sisters, Queen Marguerite of France and Queen Eleanor of England, however, Sanchia didn’t have royal ambitions or scrupulous intelligence. Nevertheless, she did share their legendary beauty which Richard undoubtedly found alluring.

But, he had a war to fight. Besides, Sanchia was already engaged.

A quiet soul, Sanchia preferred the warmth of her close-knit family and her parents initially planned to keep her close to them. She had been promised to Guigues, the son of a local lord.Then, calamity struck. Her father’s quarrelsome neighbor, the Count of Toulose, attacked Provence. Sanchia’s parents scrambled for help—beseeching their royal sons-in-law in England and France, begging the Holy Roman Emperor, pleading with the Pope—seeking anyone who could protect their sunny domain from the aggressive ambitions of Toulose. In his forties, the Count of Toulose was a desperate man: he needed a son to keep his proud territory independent of France. So, in the end, the only way Provence could assuage him was with a virgin sacrifice: the lovely Sanchia was offered.

Meanwhile, Richard of Cornwall was becoming one of the most celebrated men of his day. When he arrived in the Holy Land, things were going terribly for the Christians: the Knights Templar no longer controlled Jerusalem and hundreds of Frenchmen were being held captive. Richard used his diplomatic prowess—and his deep pocketbook—to gain freedom for the French, restore Jerusalem and he even refortify Christian defenses in the region. He never fought a single battle, but he left the Holy Land after only four months with the reputation of a great hero.

Richard was returning to England wiser, richer and even more respected than when he had left. His sheer power made him a potential threat to his brother, King Henry III. The Provencal family put their collective heads together and came up with a solution to help protect Eleanor’s interests in England from a too powerful and dynamic brother-in-law by tying him even more closely to the family through marriage.

The family found another young bride to satisfy the cranky Count of Toulose and deftly reminded Richard of the strikingly beautiful girl who had caught his eye in Provence. Unlike his brother though, Richard was not blinded by enough desire to accept his bride without a dowry. This was a setback for the always cash-strapped Count of Provence. The impetuous King of England offered a solution: Henry himself would pay his brother to marry his wife’s sister. He went even further by throwing them a gigantic wedding festival.

And so, the sweet young Sanchia was married to the dashing prince. He doted on her, showering her with his wealth and she was a welcome addition to her sister’s court as her quiet manner posed no threat to the dynamic and ambitious Eleanor.

When Sanchia soon gave Richard a son, he threw a great feast, but when the baby died a few months later, the devastated Sanchia could find no consolation from her husband. A rift grew between the grief-stricken couple. It was perhaps inevitable that Sanchia’s unassuming nature could not long satisfy her worldly husband. Although gorgeous, she was no match for his beloved first wife, Isabella Marshall. Not only had Isabella been beautiful and brilliant, she and her family were politically powerful. She was a true soul mate for Richard, who as a second son was constantly seeking to make a name for himself independent of the king. Sanchia could offer him no intelligent insights and her only political power was tied directly to the king.

By the time her only surviving child Edmund was born, it was clear that she and Richard were living separate although parallel lives. There was no feast for Edmund.

Back on the continent, the political winds were changing. The death of the Holy Roman Emperor was creating two power struggles. His imperial throne in Germany went to one son while another inherited his throne as King of Sicily. This left the Papal States squished between two dangerous states. The pope, desperate to secure his territory, offered Richard the throne of Sicily, but, since the pope didn’t actually control the throne, Richard would first have to capture it. Never a great soldier, Richard had no desire to fight or to expend his wealth in a losing battle. When he turned down the crown, the pope offered it to Henry and Eleanor for their second son. They eagerly accepted and nearly lost their own kingdom in unsuccessful attempts to get it for him.

Back in Germany, the new emperor died and another German prince who had seized control was murdered by his new subjects. The imperial throne was up for grabs. Unlike Sicily, however, this was an elected position controlled by seven princes. The vacancy attracted other candidates but none was as persuasive as Richard of Cornwall. Supported by King Henry and Sanchia’s extensive and influential family network on the continent, Richard was crowned King of the Romans, the title granted to the imperial heir. Sanchia became the third queen from the little county of Provence. Richard and Sanchia traveled around the parts of their new kingdom that weren’t hostile to them. Richard reveled in all of the glorious ceremony, which he himself organized and paid for, but Sanchia longed to return to her home in England where she could live quietly.

The English political climate, thanks to Henry and Eleanor’s Sicilian ambitions, had taken a dramatic turn. The barons were threatening to relieve all of the royal family of their English properties. Richard stood to lose most of his fortune. He and Sanchia rushed back to England. Within 18 months, Richard’s diplomatic skills had left the royal family more secure. With his property safe, Richard could finally travel to Rome to be crowned by the pope as Holy Roman Emperor. He and Sanchia set off on what was supposed to be a triumphal journey through Germany. Things had become even more dangerous while they had been away. Other contenders for the throne were gaining momentum among the populace. Soon, the hostility became overbearing. More diplomat than soldier, Richard saw no way out, hurrying back to England, where he seemed content as the king of a territory he didn’t have to actually visit.

Home again at last, Sanchia, barely in her thirties, became very ill. History doesn’t record what ailed her, but it does record that her husband did not stay near her side. Richard came to see her only a few times. On his final visit, when he was told she was dying, he began giving away her goods and then returned to London. A few days later, the lovely Queen of the Romans died without her husband or any imperial trappings. Only her 11-year-old son and her servants were at her side. She was buried quietly in a church she and Richard had built together in their brief honeymoon period. Richard did not attend.

A few years later, he married again.

Read about her sisters:
Marguerite | Eleanor | Beatrice

Work Consulted for This Post

Princess Helena, born on May 25, 1846, lived a quieter life than some of her sisters. Queen Victoria remarked that Helena was lucky to live in England, away from wars and strife.

Little Helena was the 'tomboy' of the family. She liked riding, walking and swimming. She also enjoyed taking things apart. When she was on boats she wanted to know how everything worked. She was close to her brother, Alfred, and his early death at a relatively young age devastated her.

Helena suffered being Queen Victoria's 'crutch' in the Queen's old age. After Princess Alice married, Helena carried out secretarial and other duties for the Queen. Queen Victoria loved having one of her daughters nearby and wanted Helena to remain in England.

Queen Victoria also wanted the Princess to get married so she became determined to find Helena an amenable husband. Helena was the plainest of Queen Victoria's daughters so this wasn't an easy task. Queen Victoria was impressed with Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, who she thought was a 'gentleman' and quiet. He was a good friend of Fritz and Vicky. Princess Alexandra was strongly against the match for political reasons, but Queen Victoria regarded Princess Helena's marriage as more important than political considerations.

Prince Christian was fifteen years older than Princess Helena, 34, and penniless. He was easy-going and agreeable, however, and the marriage appeared to be happy. They were married long enough to celebrate a golden wedding anniversary.

Like Princess Alice, Princess Christian devoted herself to charities. She was one of the founding members of the Red Cross and the President of the Royal British Nurses' Association. She also founded the Royal School of Needlework. She hosted free dinners for children and the unemployed - this was a progressive cause in those days. She also founded a nursing home.

Princess Christian was also quite cultured. She played the piano and her friends included Jenny Lind and Clara Butt.

She had a dominating personality and could sometimes be embarassing. The Archbishop of Canterbury wanted the congregation to pray during a national dock strike for God to interceed. Princess Christian said in a penetrating whisper, "That prayer won't settle any strike!"

The couple had six children. Two of Helena's sons died - Prince Christian Victor died of enteric fever while serving in the Boer war and another son who was still-born.

Princess Christian died in London in 1923. Like Princess Alice, she was greatly loved because of her charitable work.

The images are from Wikimedia Commons. They are of Princess Helena and Princess Helena and Prince Christian shortly after their engagement.

As St. Valentine's day is nearly upon us, here are just a few of the great romances of the royalties of the recent past.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had, undoubtedly, one of the most romantic marriages! She adored him from the moment he arrived in England and, in spite of her youthful petulance, came to appreciate his many, many talents. It was a stormy and passionate relationship - at first, at least! - but in time, the Queen mellowed and learned to appreciate the lovely nobility and brilliance of this most remarkable prince. They sent each other erotic paintings and statues; they shared a deep love of their family and, with Albert, Queen Victoria was anything but the dull prude who appears through the dour statues in most of our cities. Prince Albert's tragic death at only forty-two led to her years in seclusion and the notions of her being a prude but they remain together forever in the British psyche in such things as the "V & A Museum", their memorials and the countless places named after them.


Vicky, Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, married at such an early age, a man whom she adored and who was equally enamored of her. Vicky and Fritz were totally devoted to one another and their tragedy was, yet again, that Fritz died far too soon! Had he lived, the whole course of European history might have been very different.


Franz Ferdinand and Sophie - a doomed love! A mere lady-in-waiting, Sophie was deemed unworthy of a Habsburg Archduke and heir to the throne but Franz Ferdinand was willing to sacrifice everything for her. A man who was seen as hot-tempered and unlikeable, he was devoted to his family and adored his wife. He wrote that the most sensible thing he ever did was to marry the woman he loved. It is a tragedy that they were both murdered on one of their first public appearances together (on their 14th wedding anniversary) but on the other hand, it seems fitting they they left this life side-by-side.


And, of course, another devoted couple who were murdered together - Alix and Nicholas. It is unthinkable that they could have left this world separately. Theirs was a marriage of two souls in harmony and, despite the many tragedies of their life in Russia, nothing ever shook, and nothing will ever shake, their devotion to one another.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

There's a profound irony in Pontius Pilate's question, "What is Truth?" isn't there? Whether it was said as an attempt to dismiss the profundity of the Man he was about to hand over for crucifixion, or asked as a genuine question, I don't suppose he really wanted to hear an answer.

It's a question that continues to haunt us through the ages. Looking through the annals of history, so little of what is perceived as 'truth' tells the whole story. Events can be reported factually but there is a great deal of difference between facts and truth. Events can be reported untruthfully, but there might be a grain of truth even in the lie. History is usually written by the victors but the victors' triumph is often temporary and a century or two later, someone arrives with a different version of the story.

After researching a little of the life of Franz Ferdinand (whose murder sparked the outbreak of the First World War) I find myself surround by so many different viewpoints about the subsequent events. The initial reaction is that so many people used his death to their own ends. There was the vile Montenuovo, who so cruelly sabotaged the funeral of Franz Ferdinand and his beloved wife by denying the public the opportunity to pay their last respects by arranging for the train, bearing their bodies home, to arrive late in the night and ensuring they had only the shortest time to lie in State (with Sophie's coffins considerably lower than Franz Ferdinand's). There was Von Hotzendorf baying for war, and Berchtold and the rest of the 'war party' using the tragedy to their own ends...and into the slaughter. These same people hated Franz Ferdinand and saw his death as a relief, while using it as an excuse to further their own ends in a show of self-righteousness. It's the 'truth' of little boys. The 'truth' of gangs and gangland killings and it is nonsense. It's the idea that 'truth' means upholding whatever we happen to believe and so it goes on throughout ages.

What if we all found our own truth? What if we turned to our own demons and outed them rather than projecting them; and then turned to our own beauty and lived it - lived our own lives and our dreams, lived our reality, without a need to make someone else wrong, or to avenge perceived attacks? Then, we would know the Truth and the Truth would make us free. Alas, in this world, we complicate so many things and make people innocent or guilty; decide that the world is wrong because it doesn't match our version of Truth; or else we hand over all of our power to ministers who, we think, know better than we do but who are really equally small beings seeking their Truth but, often, finding it easier to impose notions onto others than to look inside themselves and see what is driving them.

"What is Truth?" said Pilate.

"I am." sounds like the most accurate reply.

Emo, is a term which is given to the subculture of hardcore punk and pop, which originated from the Washington DC area, but which later spread like wildfire to the rest of the US and also to other parts of the world. Emo has since evolved into a musical and fashion experience which is embraced by quite a number of young adherents.

The word “Emo” actually originated from the term "emocore" which refers to the hardcore punk music scene which started in the mid-1980s. The term is a variation of the word "emotive hardcore", which is what the bands in the DC area sounded like. They have developed a unique punk-rock style of music, which blended the characteristics of the electric guitar with smooth sounded mellow tracks, which are typically screamed from the top of the lungs, hence the term emotive hardcore. Amongst the bands which pioneered this genre were groups such as One Last Wish, Embrace, Fire Party and Moss Icon.

The Emo subculture is also heavily influenced by the Indie scene, with the likes of people such as Fugazi heading off the first wave of Emo, with bands which included Far and Texas Is The Reason, which pumped Indie music into the Emo subculture.

The sound feels more like a chaotic blend of instruments laced with emotional singing which emanates deep inside the lungs. This attracts crowds of young people. Their chants and raves have become characteristic as far as Emo concerts are concerned. These concerts have in turn become some of the most vibrant in the entire rock industry.

The Emo culture is not all about music however. There are fashion statements and stereotypes associated with the Emo subculture which spread to other facets of culture. Black is considered the color of choice in the Emo universe and it permeates almost all aspects of the Emo dress code. The hair is typically dyed jet-black, and in some instances it is spiked and can contain other colors as well. For the ladies, black nail polish is also widely used. In the Emo world, make-up is utilized by both males and females.

There is now a wide range of products which cater to the needs of the Emo subculture. Cities such as Austin have fully embraced it and have great places which have an Emo theme such as restaurants, record stores and other joints. It is now common to even see special clothing lines, merchandise, toys and even TV programs and movies. Today, the Emo subculture has caught influences from both pop and rock and is beginning to be accepted as a lifestyle choice.

No matter how often I hear this, I have to say that this song is the most beautiful expression of life! Soon, in spite of the endless winter it will be spring!

Bread & Fishes

I hope to publish a new post this week.

Following the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death was the catalyst to the outbreak of the First World War, a member of the 'Black Hand' (the group responsible for his killing) wrote an open letter which, while claiming that the act was patriotic rather than criminal, stated that he was unaware that the Archduke was a father and he was greatly touched by Franz Ferdinand's last words to his wife, "Sophie, you must live for our children." (Sophie, by the way, had just died at the hand of the same gunman).

That line from the Black Hand member is so telling. There is no doubt that the Serbs felt oppressed by the way that the Slav people of Bosnia Herzegovina had been amalgamated into the already crumbling Austro-Hungarian Empire and they had every reason to feel aggrieved but, at the same time, Franz Ferdinand had gone to Sarajevo with high hopes of eventually granting a kind of federal autonomy to the region. The members of the Black Hand did not see him as a human being, but rather as a symbol of an empire. They 'did not know that he was a father' - that says it all. They did not see him as a human being at all.

And so it is with all wars. Forgetting they are killing human beings who have lives, families, people who love them and whom they love, soldiers and terrorists are taught and trained to become dispassionate and see only 'causes'. It is a de-humanising thing and it has never achieved anything...and on and on it goes and every war is always seen as 'just' by both sides.

Franz Ferdinand is often viewed as a bad-tempered man whom few people liked. I think his utter devotion to his wife and children, his many interests, and his desire to create harmony among the many different cultures in Austria-Hungary far outweigh his short-temper. He was fascinating but, like Tsar Alexander II of Russia, a man who might have brought about peace in his empire and created contentment among his people had to be murdered by radicals who were so obsessed with their 'cause' that a mediator was more frightening than a tyrant.

There is an incredible irony that a man who - for marrying 'beneath him', a woman he deeply loved - was always an outcast in his own country, but that country then went to war - at the cost of millions of lives - over his murder.

Short emo hairstyle like Adam Gontier.

If only it were possible for everyone in the world to see this film....

Peaceable Kingdom

Men Haircuts, Männerfrisuren Trends aus dem neuen Jahr 2010. Allgemein kann man sagen dass die aktuellen Männer Haar Trends wohl am ehesten dem Schul- und Rockerlook zugleich kommen. Meistens ist der moderne Männer Haarschnitt eher ein bisschen länger, und relativ Simpel und Leger gestylt. Hier ein paar Bilder..

Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria, was open-minded and interested in intellectual pursuits like her sister Vicky. She was an interesting woman. Unfortunately, she had a very sad life.

The Princess was only a teenager when her beloved father died. She was very close to Prince Albert and nursed him a lot during his illness. She played the piano to him and read to him. When the grief overcame her she quietly left the room and came back when she had calmed down. "Her fortitude amazed their doctors and servants."

After the Prince died the poor Princess then had to take over many of Queen Victoria's duties and try and nurse her through her terrible grief. This proved impossible but the Princess was a great help to her.

Princess Alice's wedding to Prince Louis of Hesse, soon after her father's death, was more like a wedding than a funeral. Almost everyone dressed in black and spent the ceremony crying. Even the Archbishop who married the couple cried.

The Princess joined her husband in Darmstadt. Her marriage was not happy because Prince Louis liked military parades and shooting, instead of reading and cultural pursuits. He hardly ever read a book. Princess Alice was quite disappointed in him.

In spite of this, they had five children in quick succession. The children included Princess Alexandra, who became the tragic Tsarina, and beautiful Grand Duchess Ella, who was also killed by the Bolsheviks in a terrible way. Princess Alexandra's son, Alexai, inherited his haemophilia from his mother. Her brother, Fritti, was a haemophiliac. Princess Alice was distraught when the young boy fell out of the window and died shortly afterwards. She never really recovered from her grief.

The Princess devoted herself to charity work. Soon after her marriage there was a war between Austria and Prussia. Hesse was on the side of Austria which made Princess Alice and Vicki enemies. Princess Alice admired Florence Nightingale and nursed the sick and wounded with great devotion. After the war she continued her interest in charity work. She founded a mental asylum and worked for many charities, and established schools and hospitals.

She caused controversy when she became interested in a controversial theologian, David Strauss. He believed in the historical aspects of Jesus's life, but not the 'supernatural' aspects. Princess Vicky invited him to the palace and liked to discuss Christianity with him. Many Germans didn't like this, and the Empress Augusta even accused her of being an atheist.

Princess Alice was sickly. She suffered from severe headaches, neuralgia, and rheumatism. She wore herself out with her charity work. After her little daughter May died of diptheria, Alice soon caught it from her son, Ernest, who also had the illness. She died at only 35 on the anniversary of her father's death.

Queen Victoria wrote that 'the princess who behaved so admirably during her dear father's illness...should be called back on this very anniversary, seems almost incredible, and most mysterious.'

Princess Alice was greatly beloved in Germany and England because of her charity work. The Princess Alice hospital in Eastbourne was opened in her memory in 1883.