Philly's phlowers phlourish pictures

You just thought you were at a Halloween House of Horror.  No, Jack, you were just reliving Jack the Ripper as in Great Britain, this year's theme at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  This is a bed of red roses at "Jack" by Schaffer Designs to recognize (?), "in honor of" (?) the criminal who murdered at least 11 people. It won "Best Achievement in a Dramatic Setting." More pictures of "Jack," below/Patricia Leslie

Phloriculture phills phrilly Philly at this time of year for the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, celebrating its 174th year, and if you've been once, you know how phloriferous it is, and if you've never been, well, there's next year since the show ends today.

Michael Petrie's Handmade Gardens won "Best in Show" for Landscape/Patricia Leslie

A side view of Michael Petrie's Handmade Gardens for "Best in Show" for Landscape/Patricia Leslie

Phlipping phlowers, we can phly up to Philly today. 

Just look at the pictures.

Stop and smell the roses/Patricia Leslie

Phloribunda!

My begonias don't look like this. To gauge the size, please see the person standing nearby/Patricia Leslie

On a bad hair day, here's something to hide under/Patricia Leslie

Signs warned visitors not to get too close or risk being grabbed by a green monster/Patricia Leslie

This won a red ribbon for best use of a large plant in a small pot/Patricia Leslie

The winner of several prizes was "Welcome Wanderer" from William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream by Abington Senior High School/Patricia Leslie

How about a green roof for your bow wow? The sign says "sempervivums" were used as roof plants as far back as Roman times/Patricia Leslie 

A moving statue would dress up your yard like this one which captured a yellow ribbon. She is based on the Congressional model of women: She moves but doesn't speak/Patricia Leslie

A yard sculpture for every budget/Patricia Leslie

Primary

Another hairy green monster which earned Second Prize in its category for Lynn Cook and Troy Ray of the Liberty Bell Gesneriad Society/Patricia Leslie 

Daniel P. Clark of Lower Merion High School won an Honorable Mention for his lavendar crown made of statice, moss, walnut, pussy willow, rosebud, rice flower, blue thistle, leucadenron, and limonium for the Great Britain theme, Brilliant (?)/Patricia Leslie

This bracelet is made of allspice, yucca, lemon grass, spaghetti squash, oak, and palm/Patricia Leslie

This necklace is made of acorn, almond, Brazil nut, centaurea, cinammon stick, chickpea, garlic chive, hazelnut, kumquat, lentil, licorice root, lotus root, mustard seed, mung bead, navy bean, orange peel, pistachio shell, pomegranate, poppy pod, pumpkin seed, soybean, wheat, raffia, and squash seed/

This necklace is made of crape myrtle, fern, pieris, lotus, pea, grapevine, and heptacodium/Patricia Leslie

Keith Cavell Long, Jr. won a Blue Ribbon and three other ribbons for "An Eye of Style" window display/Patricia Leslie

Primary

These red-tipped long fingernails greeted guests in a long line for "Jack"/Patricia Leslie

Upside-down roses try to obliterate mother-in-law's tongue in "Jack"/Patricia Leslie

Your eyes do not deceive you:  Those are arm parts and hands coming from the wall in "Jack"/Patricia Leslie

This won in the category of Giant Hair Brushes and another ribbon for Lynn Cook and Troy Ray of the Liberty Bell Gesneriad Society/Patricia Leslie

Whenever you go, whatever you do, do not miss the wine tastings. So many to sample, and so were the samplers, but the wine sippers were not numerous enough to make the waits too long on a Friday afternoon.   Plus the chocolate martini was worth whatever wait and almost, almost sent me over to the purchasing table, however, I was able to rein in myself since I don't drink martinis or hard liquor (what? Margaritas are not hard liquor?) except then, and the Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Vodka was better than the name.

These on top of champagnes and wines, and mustard with some dog and some British pale ale at lunch, and I was pretty well sloshed (and unable to aim and take more photographs) but able to miraculously crawl over to the chocolate and cheese sites for samples (to die for: tomato reggiano, at $16/pound, another purchase I skipped) and almond toffee which became dinner before we (Smithsonian Associates) boarded the bus back to D.C., and were served sherry en route. Oh, my!

We never had a chance to get over to the Reading Market.

Next year!

I was happily phulphilled, but enough of my phlummery.

Philicious phobia!

I can't say enough good things about another phantastic, phun Smithsonian Associates tour.  Really.  Thanks to Cindy Brown, Bill Ulman, Alex D (from the other bus) and Danny Mott, the driver.  Great job! 

But so saddened to hear of the take-down of the healthy 100+ year-old ginkgo tree at Pharragut Square. Shhhhhh….Where is that tree commission when you need it?

SPRING COUPON_MARCH MADNESS_Save 15% on hotels near the Big Game with code MARCHBBALL15

patricialesli@gmail.com

Justice Antonin Scalia and Nina Totenberg talk for the Smithsonian

Justice Antonin Scalia/Catholicvote.org

:

It pays to be a member of the Smithsonian Associates which hosted the event.

You may disagree with him, but you’ve got to admire his candor and humor.

Live and on stage at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium Tuesday night were two obviously old friends in "conversation."

 
It was the same night as the president's State of the Union speech which U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia hasn't attended for about 16 years, he affirmed, and why is that, NPR's Nina Totenberg asked.

“It’s not unique….It has become a very political event [which] is not appropriate for justices” or “for military officers to be there”….and has “turned into a rather silly affair….a childish spectacle, and I don’t think I want to be there to lend dignity to it.” The audience applauded.

Well, said Nina, he goes to inaugurations. What’s the difference?

Hats.  Hats are one difference, and the justice and the NPR celebrity spent 10 minutes talking about the different hats he wears to inaugurations.

Justice Scalia’s obvious pride and joy is the U.S. Constitution.

“They should call it the changing Constitution, the morphing Constitution…. I sometimes call it dead to get a rise out of people….It’s an enduring Constitution….The Constitution means what the people understand it to be when the people ratified it. Why do I have to explain this stuff? It seems like common sense,” he said.

The Supreme Court is "a very noisy court," Nina said, and the justice said:  "I think I started it."

Sometimes Scalia asks questions "because it's so inherently dull and you try to liven things up a bit.  I often ask a question just for the hell of it."

At times audience members got the feeling that the exchange between the two was a well-rehearsed comedy hour,  a re-play of a re-play since they were both quite relaxed and so was the approximately 95 percent Caucasian crowd, about 70 percent of whom were over age 50, and who filled all 1,500 Lisner seats.  There were no security checks.

Nina said she gets asked more often about the Citizens United court decision than anything else and what does the justice have to say about it?

Well, “the sky has not fallen. [The] states have not been taken over by Daddy Warbucks. To get a fair campaign law, we’re going to let the incumbents write the restrictions?” (The crowd laughed heartily.)

The incumbents seek to protect the incumbents, and the political parties throw money at races when results are in doubt. They favor an “incumbent protection bill.”  (In the 5-4 Citizens decision, the Supreme Court held the government could not restrict political spending by corporations and unions.)

Asked about his disappointment with Chief Justice John Roberts' decision to affirm President Obama’s health care act, Justice Scalia said: “Who said that?...I don’t work for him and he doesn’t work for me. You win some; you lose some. That’s life. You just have to be resigned to it….I am disappointed [sometimes], but I stumble on.”

The outcomes of court decisions are not as important as the reasoning which “will affect hundreds of cases,” the justice said.

Yes, it is true:  He has given Justice Elena Kagan hunting instructions.   "I think she likes it [hunting]."

She started out with quail and pheasant, he said, and on a trip to Wyoming, he showed her how to nab antelope and mule deer, but that was a failure since she bagged none, but with one shot (and audience groans) she took out a white tailed doe "which she could have done in my driveway," Justice Scalia said to laughter.

Yes, as a teen, he had a radio show, dispensing advice to teenagers.  No, it was not about love, the justice enlightened Nina, but about manners and dating etiquette.  Mind Your Manners was the name, and the moderator was the late Allen Ludden who was married to the Betty White.

"They’d put us up at the Algonquin Hotel on Saturday nights" before the show on Sunday mornings.  "I liked it a lot."

Was he a wild teenager?

"Let’s just say I was an active teenager.” And adult.

Justice Scalia has nine children and 33 grandchildren, and his wife, Maureen, calls the shots about everything except the Constitution.

Justice Scalia, appointed to the Court by Ronald Reagan in 1986, looks good for 76.  He wore a suit and tie and spoke nonchalantly, without notes, sitting squarely in the chair, often with his hands on his knees.  Nina had done her homework and came with notes.

Photographs were prohibited.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Van Gogh Film Premiere in Washington

It was a sold-out audience at the Natural History Museum’s IMAX theatre on St. Patrick’s Day Night. We came to see anything about Van Gogh; we were not disappointed.

The title was "Brush with Genius," and it was the Washington, D.C. premiere.

The music, the telling, the art, the scenery gave much to delight. The paintings became the scenes which became the paintings in gentle descriptions. All told by Van Gogh "speaking" mostly from the letters he wrote describing his life, his passion, his tribulations.

Many galleries in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam served as locale for some scenes all of which were filmed on location in the Netherlands and in France. Many of the paintings were new to me. Van Gogh “said” his passion near the end of his life drove him to paint sometimes three canvasses a day.

Effectively interspersed throughout was actual filming of the movie by the co-creator (with Francois Bertrand), Peter Knapp, passionate Van Gogh aficionado.

By the minute (about 40 total) it was likely the most expensive movie I've ever seen, however, the value far exceeded the cost. Another hit by the Smithsonian Associates!

A Bell of a Night with the Smithsonian Associates

by the Queen of Free (for members)

It was a dull and listless night at the Smithsonian Associates’ “free” lecture presented by artist, art critic, poet and nephew of Virginia Woolf, Julian Bell, at the S. Dillon Ripley Center Tuesday night.

Maybe it was his British accent. Maybe it was the rapid rush of his words, or the almost slurring of them which made comprehension difficult. Maybe it was too much art presented all at once. Maybe it was Mr. Bell's facing the screen rather than the audience. Maybe it was all of these things which combined to make it a lacklustre showing, unusual for the Smithsonian.

The acoustics did not seem to impair the presentation on 17th century art, but after 10 or 15 minutes the first audience members departed, followed stealthily by others, like mice scurrying in a hole (the exit), to hurry home and catch President Obama’s first major address.

About 150 mostly senior citizens* attended and 100 percent were Caucasian (or the ones I could see). (*Overheard conversation subjects: swimming lessons, pills, aching feet, late breakfast.)

Julian Bell said the period 1600 – 1670 was a “uniquely exciting phase in the history of art," and he finds a connection between early modern and present day art. Some of the artists and the works he mentioned included Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Velasquez, Vermeer. One of the most fascinating pieces he described was the sculpture, "The Head of the Damned," terrible and horrifying, which he said (if I understood correctly) that the artist made from studying himself in the mirror.

Mr. Bell is the author of Mirror of the World: A New History of Art which he planned to sign after his lecture.

Surrealism at the Smithsonian

At the Smithsonian Associates’ recent presentation on “Surrealism,” the Institution’s representative described Judy Pomeranz, the evening’s featured speaker, as one of its favorite guest lecturers in art.

Ms. Pomeranz is an attorney, a freelance writer, and an art aficionado and clearly one impassioned by art, but I suppose it was information from a professional I was seeking rather than art commentary which was delivered.

I wanted to hear the “why,” the “how come,” and analysis which form the basis for Dadaism and Surrealism, but I heard little of it at the lecture. More of the history of these two movements would have been desirable.

World War I, its death and horror gave birth to Dadaism, Ms. Pomeranz said.


What connected Dadaism and Surrealism? How are they different? Little explanation was offered other than Dadaism (the name came from where?) began as a completely absurd movement whose artists rejected all tradition as they responded to the War. When it became too mainstream, Surrealism took over around 1922, Ms. Pomeranz said. (A definition of each with contrasting examples would have been welcomed.) If she included criticism it was so mild it was hidden.


Man Ray, Marcel Deschamps, Giorgio De Chirico, Magritte, Joan Miro and lots of Salvador Dali were the highlighted artists whose works were shown. Since just a third of the paintings were familiar to me, how can I complain about lack of satisfactory content?

But I do. Others may have felt the same since several left before Q&A ended. Of all the educated and trained art critics in this town, why isn’t one of them delivering lectures?

Lecture specifics:
Cost: $30, SA members; $40, others
Average attendee age: 55
Number who attended: 60 approx.
Location: Ripley

12 Hours Chasing John Wilkes Booth

Yes, it is possible to do it on your own. But the time! The wonderful little side trips and the hard-to-find locations. Plus all the spoken history as you ride. The camaraderie of like minded individuals who have the same curiosity as you.

I am speaking of another of the Smithsonian’s excellent day trips, this one entitled, “John Wilkes Booth’s Escape Route,” a 12-hour tour of the places and stops he made after he shot Abraham Lincoln on the night of April 14, 1865, in Washington, D.C. which Ed Bearss, the famous historian and narrator, led last Sunday.


(One of my new comrades told me: “When you see Bearss is the guide, jump on it (the trip) since his tours sell out quickly.”)

Bearss is the retired chief historian for the National Park Service who also leads tours to Civil War battlefields and other places more than 200 days per year, one of the day trippers said.

Whatever, Sunday’s trip was superb.

We began at 8 a.m. sharp (don’t be late or you’ll miss the bus) making the first stop at Lafayette Park, the location of the home (now demolished) of Secretary of State William Seward. Mr. Bearss laid the groundwork for the evening of April 14 describing an attack upon the Secretary in his home by one of the conspirators. (Seward survived.)

From there, we stopped at (hold on):

the Peterson House (where Lincoln died on April 15),

the alley behind Ford’s Theatre (the theatre is closed for renovation),

Mary Surratt’s boarding house a few steps from Sixth and H streets (now a Japanese/Chinese restaurant),

the Surratt Tavern in Clinton, Maryland,

Samuel Mudd’s home near Bryantown, Maryland where lovely costumed Civil War ladies greeted us standing out beside tents. Uniformed Confederate soldiers fired muskets into the field. One played “Dixie” on a flute.

We stopped briefly at St Mary’s Church where Dr. Mudd met Booth in 1864 and where Dr.and Mrs. Mudd are buried, and:

Rich Hill, the home of Samuel Cox,

a thicket like the one where Booth and his accomplice David Herold hid for four nights (the exact location is unknown),

Cleydael, the home of Richard Stewart, where friendly horses, sheep, the current homeowner and four McCain signs greeted us,

Port Royal where Booth and friends crossed the Rappahannock River,

the Peyton House (now boarded up and unlikely to be restored, Mr. Bearss said because a Kansas museum, I think it was, owns most of the artifacts. Kansas? ),

and ending at the location of the Garrett House and Barn where Booth was shot and died.

All that remains of the Garrett structures on the hill between highway lanes amidst vines, trees, and a leaf-strewn path is a small plaque placed within the past year, Mr. Bearss said, by the 21st Century Confederate Memorial group to honor Booth.

And there was more, but don't ask me what.

Mr. Bearss knows all the details of the tragedy and the players upside down and backwards, and after speaking almost non-stop all day, answering questions and describing events and people, times, and places, he took questions on the way back.

The dictionary does not have enough superlative adjectives to adequately describe the day. An excellent detailed map is supplied so you can easily follow the route and timing by the half hour in some cases.

The price ($114 for Smithsonian Associates members) includes a delicious, quick lunch at Captain Billy’s Crab House in Popes Creek, MD, and light refreshments on the way back. (The "Smithsonian Sherry" is better left undrunk.)

A splendid trip in every regard, but perhaps I exaggerate.

Kudos for sure to Kay Weston, the Smithsonian representative, and to “Winfield,” the bus driver.

Because of all the steps and stairs and climbing throughout the day, I do not recommend this trip for handicapped persons, but I can recommend the book about the chase of Booth: Manhunt by James Swanson.

Oh, would that money were no object.

Smithsonian Class V: Christianity: Holy Pilgrimages

It is likely because I am a Christian and am more familiar with its “sacred sites” than the other religions, that I found the “Christianity” lecture to be the least interesting of the five presented by the
Smithsonian Associates in its "Sacred Spaces and Spiritual Journeys” series.

It was not that Anthony Tambasco, professor of theology at Georgetown University who gave the last lecture, was boring or tedious in any way. Far from it. My eagerness to learn a little about the Islamic faith and Buddhism were factors, and I was least attracted to Christianity. Anyway!

He showed class members 60 slides of sites and maps of the Christian faith, providing as much detail as 90 minutes (with questions) would allow. If you can’t go to these “sacred places,” seeing them in color photographs with a bit of their background explained by a renowned teacher is certainly a satisfactory substitute.

Professor Tambasco divided “Christian Pilgrimage” into segments: "Life As A Journey"; "Prayer, Petition, and Praise"; "Penance"; "Purification"; "Rededication"; and "Imitation."
With “prayer” Christians need to ask for healing, he said. “Penance” includes the hardships and choices Christians make during the “pilgrimage of life” while “purification” acknowledges sinfulness, confession, and renewal.

Byzantine Christians selected many of the Christian sites which lay atop former Byzantine churches, Professor Tambasco said. The size and scope of the land Jesus traveled was actually not that big. Professor Lambrusco pointed to a map of Jesus' travels from Galilee to Jerusalem to Golgotha off and on throughout his lecture.



The supposed site of Jesus' birth is now “very touristy,” and it is a difficult place to pray because of the numbers of people, yet the mountain of the “Sermon on the Mount” now managed by Italian nuns, is quite peaceful and better for prayer.

Locations where Jesus performed miracles (Capernaum, the Tomb of Lazarus) were shown. Each gospel describes a different itinerary for Jesus, Dr. Tambasco said. John’s writings tell of Jesus’ ministry over three years; the others, only 1.5 years.

It is amazing that so many sites, and/or portions of them, remain. Some, like the sites of the House of the Last Supper and the Garden of Olives are not certain, yet the supposed locations approximate the actual places, Professor Tambasco said.

The sepulcher where Jesus' body was placed is generally accepted as the right location.

Suggested readings Professor Tambusco listed were his own, In the Days of Jesus: The Jewish Background and Unique Teaching of Jesus, and The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide by Jerome Murphy-O’Connor.

Would I sign up for the series again? Without a doubt. A new acquaintance said she and her husband would not, however, and she suggested an outline at the beginning of the series would have been helpful. Agreed.

Smithsonian Class IV: Buddhism and Bodh Gaya

Is a Buddhist an atheist?

A student in the fourth of the Smithsonian Associates’ series of classes, “Sacred Spaces and Spiritual Journeys,” wanted to know.

The lecturer, Robert DeCaroli, an associate professor of history and art history at George Mason University said “no”; however, some might term Buddhism an agnostic faith. The religion does not honor a single deity.

Wikipedia says estimates vary about the number of people calling themselves Buddhists: between 230 and 500 million.

Buddha was born a prince in what is generally accepted as Nepal in and around the fifth century BC. He was named Siddhartha, and his father, a king, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps but as life seldom goes according to the parent’s plan, the son chose otherwise, Dr. DeCaroli said.

His father created an idyllic compound for his son’s living quarters, wanting to shield him from life’s turmoils. Before Siddhartha was 30, a chariot driver took him outside the compound where, in the “real world" Siddhartha experienced the “Four Sights” which affected him deeply, giving rise to Buddhism.

He witnessed an old man suffering the culprits of aging; he saw disease and death, and he saw how a hermit lived. Siddhartha lived a hermit’s life for a while, realizing that his deprivations (hunger, suffering) made such heavy demands upon his body that he was not able to concentrate and bring about improvement.
He believed that life is suffering (anxiety, unrest, uncertainty) produced by desire which, if broken, can mean happiness.

To help overcome anxiety he adopted meditation and, at the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya in India, now a shrine, he received “enlightenment.”

It is almost certain that a portion of the tree with its roots remains in the tree which lives on the site today. The tree attracts Buddhists from around the world who come to the site and the nearby Mahabodhi Temple on pilgrimages.

The Temple is believed to have been built around the first century, and was rebuilt In the 1870s by Sir Alexander Cunningham, a British architect. A tree does not exist in photographs of the Cunningham period, Professor DeCaroli said.

Several Buddhist temples and monasteries built in style of the original Mahabodhi Temple may be found throughout Asia, many containing the famous Buddha statue.

Throughout his presentation Professor DeCaroli showed numerous pictures of the temple, the Buddha statue, and maps generating many questions from students. He said Bodh Gaya is “an international place.”

The series ended on July 16 with “Christianity: Holy Pilgrimages.”

Smithsonian Class III: Islam: Mecca

They keep getting better. The lectures, the art presented.

Last Wednesday evening for 90 minutes Dr. Maria Massi-Dakake of the Department of Religious Studies at George Mason University described the history and practices of Muslims in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia to a spellbound class, one of five presentations delivered by different professors in the Smithsonian Associates’ series, “Sacred Cities, Spiritual Journeys.”

Dr. Massi-Dakake said only Muslims may enter Mecca and Medina, the No. 1 and 2 holiest cities of Islam, and restrictions on entry into them have become far more restrictive since September 11.

A once-in a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca (“Hajj”) is one of five duties (or “pillars”) required of Islamic members. (The pilgrimage may be excused if one cannot pay for the journey and is in debt, which Islam reproves, or if a person is old and lacks energy, in which case, a child, who has already satisfied the Mecca pilgrimage for herself or himself, may travel for the parent after the parent’s death.)

According to the Qur'an, Abraham built the “Ka’bah” shrine (meaning “cube” in Arabic) with stones from around Mecca. Islamic tradition says the Ka'bah goes back to Adam and Eve, Dr. Massi-Dakake said.

The Ka'bah is the most sacred place in Islam, which lies in the heart of the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The Ka’bah is built in an almost rectangular shape and has been rebuilt several times.

When Muslims pray throughout the world five times daily, they turn in the direction of the Ka’bah of Mecca.

Inside the Ka'bah is the “black stone” which, according to tradition, God gave to Abraham when the Ka'bah was built. It is revered by Muslims who, when entering the Ka'bah, try to touch or kiss the stone like Muhammad did. Some believe it is part of a meteorite. Professor Dakake showed the class a 14th century illustration of the “black stone” which can be found at Wikipedia.com.

Mohammad was a follower of monotheism and established the true Islamic society in Medina. When he conquered Mecca in 630 A.D., he drove out paganism, including the idols at the Ka'bah. Mohammad is buried in Medina.

Between 1880 and the 1950 Mecca did not experience much change, however, during the 1930s the Saudis began major building improvements to the mosque surrounding the Ka'bah, and for the last 50 years vast expansion has occurred.

Before the 1940s probably 10,000 Muslims traveled to Mecca annually for the Hajj, but now, about two million Muslims make the journey every year, and many sleep in “tent cities” in the area. With so many visitors, it is not unusual for Muslims to die of the heat, and some are trampled to death.

Many countries have quotas of Muslims who travel to Mecca on special visas.

Mecca is more often associated with Abraham and his progeny since he founded it, Professor Massi-Dakake said. It is considered a “city of God.”

Islam does not have a “real purgatory." The word "Islam" means “submission” (to God) in Arabic, and is the newest of the major religions.

Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet but not the son of God nor do Muslims believe that he died on the cross.

The class members had lots of questions and interrupted Professor Massi-Dakake throughout her lecture, but she did not seem to mind. Responding to a question she recommended the following books for further study:
The Heart of Islam by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islam: The Straight Path by John Esbosito, and Islam and The Muslim Community by Frederick Denny.

The two final classes remaining are: Buddhism: Bodh Gaya, India and Christianity.
(Thanks to Wikipedia for some clarification.)

Smithsonian Class II – Hinduism and Vrindavan

It was lots better than the class taught the first week about Jerusalem. Then, Professor Jonathan Ray of Georgetown University showed little, if any, preparation and no art, with only a meager handout to share with the class of mostly senior adults.

Last Wednesday's class, "Hinduism: On the Earth and in the Heart" was led by a passionate professor, Graham Schweig from Christopher Newport University, whose love affair with all things of India was palpable and welcomed.

It was part of a series of five lectures, “Sacred Space and Spiritual Journeys,” offered by the Smithsonian Associates, each led by a different professor, at the Ripley Center on the Mall.

Music from India and low lights greeted students upon entry to the class, setting a pleasant stage for Dr. Schweig’s presentation about Vrindavan, "the most famous holy place of Krishna. " The talk focused on pilgrimages, not just to earthy places but the places in and of the heart which, Professor Schweig said, Hindus believe is the holiest place of all. And I believe he does, too.

"We all are humans whose tendency is to be a pilgrim in search of one's heart."

What we do in the 'outside world' affects our inside world and our own hearts. This generally is the basis for the Hindu faith, partially symbolized by the blue lotus flower which Hindus consider the most beautiful flower, and the peacock, both with circulating patterns and magnificent colors representing the outer world, the inner world, the innermost world and "the presence of the divine."

Professor Schweig showed many landscape photographs of India, and paintings and art of the divinity of Krishna and the Hindu faith. He described the creation of the word "Hindu": When the Persians invaded the area in the ninth century, they could not pronounce a river's name and gave it one they could pronounce: “Hindu.”

About 900 million people consider themselves Hindus, Professor Schweig said.

The remaining classes are about Islam: Mecca; Buddhism: Bodh Gaya, and Christianity: Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem.

Smithsonian Class: "Sacred Spaces and Spiritual Journeys"

Content supplied by Q+A is almost always better than what comes in a presentation.

At least, that's my experience at countless author presentations and lectures in and around D.C.


Last Wednesday night's lecture in the first of five classes about holy cities of major faiths offered by the Smithsonian Associates was no different.

Jonathan Ray, professor of Jewish studies in the Theology Department at Georgetown University, presented "Judaism: Beyond the Holy City." But, alas, no art! None shown! No pictures, maps, graphics, or charts. So disappointing.

So many opportunities to show the class of about 35 mostly senior citizens, a look at Jerusalem: The Western Wall, the only remnant of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives Cemetery. I cannot believe that I was the only one disappointed. Depending upon membership level, this series of classes starts at $76.

Professor Ray said that many Jews today believe they are secular Jews. He gave brief histories of Jerusalem and the Jewish faith.

He talked for almost an hour exactly and then answered questions for 30 minutes.

England and France continue to resist entry of Jews to attend conferences and conduct business, using the Middle East situation as the reason for the rebuff which Professor Ray said he doubts is the real basis for the rejection.

He said it was increasingly difficult for Jews to live in Western Europe; however, Spain and Czechoslovakia and Eastern Europe, especially Poland, are more welcoming. Many Jews are taking "spiritual journeys" to Spain and even New York City from the West Coast to see where their parents and grandparents once lived.

Answering a question, he said politics was part of religion (and vice-versa?) and includes culture, land, people. "What isn't included?"

About half the class members raised hands when Dr. Ray asked who had been to Jerusalem.

Different professors will lecture at each of the four remaining classes which are: Vrindavan, India (Hinduism), Mecca (Islam), Bodh Gaya (Buddhism) , and Bethelehem, Jerusalem, and Galilee (Christianity). They all meet at the Ripley Center on The Mall.

I hope the remaining professors have some art to share. Of any kind. The classroom is fully equipped for it.