Category Archives: Immortality

Confederate statues and statues of other historical figures, including slave traders and Christopher Columbus, are being toppled throughout the U.S. and around the world this week an outgrowth of weeks of protests over entrenched racism in the United States, reignited by the killing of George Floyd in police custody.

This follows years of debate about public display of Confederate symbols, following the 2015 murder of nine black church congregants in Charleston, S.C., by a Confederate-flag-bearing white supremacist, and the deadly clash in 2017 between white nationalists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va., over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.

The art historian Erin L. Thompson, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, has spent her career thinking about what it means when people deliberately destroy icons of cultural heritage. On Thursday, we called her to talk about the statues.

What are the some of the issues that arise when we talk about statues being torn down?

As an art historian I know that destruction is the norm and preservation is the rare exception. We have as humans been making monuments to glorify people and ideas since we started making art, and since we started making statues, other people have started tearing them down. There are statues from the ancient Near East of Assyrian Kings that have curses carved on them that say he who knocks down my statue, let him be in pain for the rest of his life, that sort of thing. And so we know from those, oh, that one strategy of rebellion was knocking down a statue in 2700 B.C.

So its not surprising that we are seeing people rebelling against ideas that are represented by these statues today.

I feel as if the reflexive instinct in the academy for a long time has been to preserve anything that can teach us more about history. Is that not the case?

I think a lot of people assume that since Im an art historian that I would want everything preserved but I know that preservation is expensive. Its expensive literally in that people have to pay for maintaining these statues a couple of journalists in 2018 did an amazing investigation for Smithsonian magazine and found that in the previous ten years, taxpayers had spent at least 40 million dollars preserving Confederate monuments and sites.

And then at U.N.C., when protesters in 2018 tore down the Silent Sam Confederate statue, U.N.C. proposed building a new museum to house it that would cost over 5 million dollars and almost a million dollar a year in ongoing maintenance and security. So I look at these statues as money sinks. And think about all of the amazing sites of African-American history or Native American history that are disintegrating from lack of funding and think those dollars could be better spent elsewhere.

You mentioned that were seeing people rebel against the ideas represented by these statues. Are there other aspects of tearing a statue down that people may not immediately understand or consider?

Throughout history, destroying an image has been felt as attacking the person represented in that image. Which we know because when people attack statues, they attack the parts that would be vulnerable on a human being. We see ancient Roman statues with the eyes gouged out or the ears cut off. Its a very satisfying way of attacking an idea not just by rejecting but humiliating it. So it feels very good in a way that is potentially problematic. Im certainly not advocating for the destruction of all offensive statues in the U.S., in part because its very dangerous. Protesters have already been severely injured tearing down statues.

What do the attacks on statues in recent weeks tell us about the protests themselves?

The current attacks on statues are a sign that whats in question is not just our future but our past, I think, as a nation, as a society, as a world.

These attacks show how deeply white supremacy is rooted in our national structure that we need to question everything about the way we understand the world, even the past, in order to get to a better future.

Whats a statue?

I think a statue is a bid for immortality. Its a way of solidifying an idea and making it present to other people. So that is whats really at issue here. Its not the statues themselves but the point of view that they represent. And these are statues in public places, right? So these are statues claiming that this version of history is the public version of history.

You wrote an encyclopedia entry about the destruction of art in which you wrote that the perceived legitimacy of the destruction of art has changed since antiquity. Can you talk about that a bit?

So lets think about bronze, because many Confederate statues are made out of bronze, which is a metal that you can melt down and make into something else. The ancient Greeks made their major monuments out of bronze. Hardly any of these survived because as soon as regimes changed, as soon as there was war, as soon as someone could steal the statue, it got melted down and made into money or cannon balls or a statue of somebody else.

This is the history of art, of changing loyalties and changing pasts. We have been in a period of peace and prosperity not peace for everybody, but the U.S. hasnt been invaded, weve had enough money to maintain statues. So I think our generation thinks of public art as something that will always be around. But this is a very ahistorical point of view.

What do you make of the comparisons between what protesters in the U.S. are doing and, say, what the Islamic State did in destroying monuments in Palmyra?

I dont think we can say that destruction is always warranted or that destruction is never warranted. We have to think about who is doing the destruction for what purposes. ISIS was destroying monuments of a tolerant past in order to achieve a future of violence and hate. These protesters are attacking symbols of a hateful past as part of fighting for a peaceful future. So I think theyre exactly opposite actions.

And even practically: Look at ISISs destruction of monuments at Palmyra, these Roman temples. The effect of that was to destroy the tourist economy of the modern city of Tadmor, next to Palmyra, which made achieving peace and stability in the region even harder because you now have thousands of people out of a job.

ISIS also raised a lot of money: Their destruction was a propaganda act to get people to make donations to the jihadist cause. They sold antiquities that they stole from the museum of Palmyra in order to conduct war. Its a very different context to what is happening now.

Also, I wish that what is happening now with statues being torn down didnt have to happen this way. But there have been decades of peaceful protest against many of these statues, in many cases before the statues were even erected which have come to nothing. So if people lose hope in the possibility of a peaceful resolution, theyre going to find other means.

You said in a tweet that, when pulling down a statue, a chain works better than a rope. Why?

It has less give, so more of the force of the pull will be directly conveyed to the statue.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Excerpt from:

What Does It Mean to Tear Down a Statue? - The New York Times

They say celebrities die twice: once when they stop breathing, and a second time when their name becomes a winning answer on Pointless. It is a mark of the gameshows ubiquity. First appearing on BBC Two in 2009, Pointless reverse-engineered the Family Fortunes formula, polling the public in 100-second bursts to see how many examples of a subject they could provide (People who married into the royal family etc). Pairs of contestants then compete to provide the least obvious answers, like greedy pigs sniffing out obscure knowledge truffles, in exchange for 250 being added to the jackpot for each pointless one. A loving tribute, then, to how poorly we can recall types of tree, or remember the periodic table.

Presided over affably by the comedian and part-time opera singer Alexander Armstrong with Richard brother of one of Suede Osman impressively avoiding haughty condescension as the know-it-all sidekick, Pointless appeals to our inner pedant, amplifying quiz-based dopamine surges by cherishing rarer (and, by extension, better) knowledge. In an age when we spend hours Googling and then immediately forgetting things, the Pointless jackpot incentivises the retention of irrelevant info. Half-remembering Scorsese films, European capitals and Things Rick Astley Is Never Gonna Do suddenly became worth if not big, then respectable, bucks.

However, the formats original final round one all-or-nothing question, requiring a perfectly pointless zero left most contestants stumped, with the rolling jackpot gaining another 1,000. But when you won, you won: father and son David and Jonathan Hammond Williams took home the biggest pot 24,750 in March 2013; a handsome reward for namechecking the Enrique Iglesias banger Maybe.

Three months after this triumph, however, the show tweaked its final round. Previously, contestants would select a category (Jazz; Golf; Mars etc), getting one question in return (Name: Miles Davis records; Holes at Augusta; Rocks etc). The categories now, however, yield three questions, contestants picking and choosing which to answer. Victories became more frequent but less impressive. Less likely to keep rolling over, the prize money now meanders around the 3,000 mark, and the regularity with which perfect zeroes are scored only reminds us that theres a lot the British public doesnt know.

Contrastingly, the finale of tea-time ITV rival The Chase remains barrelling anarchy, where contestants spend two minutes answering as many questions as possible, before a professional (usually) demolishes their total in seek-and-destroy fashion. Unlike Pointless, challengers rarely leave with the cash, but when they do it feels epic. In making victory an inevitability, Pointless has diluted its dramatic satisfaction, leaving behind a tensionless tea party: 45 leisurely minutes of anodyne pleasantries, a participatory prize and a thanks for coming.

Watching a pair of contestants halve a grand instead of having a pop at immortality over on ITV seems, well

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Less than zero: how Pointlesss tweaked finale made fools of us all - The Guardian

Seven games to go, 13 goals needed. The equation presented to Robert Lewandowski as he chases down a 48-year-old record for individual goalscoring looks starker perhaps than it did in early March. But then you remember this is Lewandowski, spearhead of a Bayern Munich for whom the pause in the season has applied no brakes, and a man who can conjure up hat-tricks in the time it takes to grill a steak.

Lewandowski will on Tuesday return to the arena where he first made his world-class reputation, Borussia Dortmunds Westfalen stadium, entrusted with stymying his former clubs latest attempt to deprive league-leaders Bayern, four points above Dortmund, of the Bundesliga title.

It is the purpose for which Bayern hired the prolific Pole in 2014; Dortmund had become potent enough with Lewandowski as their centre-forward to win consecutive leagues, in 2011 and 2012. Since Lewandowski moved south, every single Bundesliga has been his and Bayerns.

Plainly, there is no No 9 of the past 10 years in elite European football who so guarantees a league title, and, plainly, at 31, Lewandowski is still gaining in potency. His 41 goals this season, across competitions, are a staggering yield, though it is the 27 from the 25 Bundesliga fixtures he has played that may yet usher him to immortality. Reach 40 for the league season, and he will match the record that could never be broken, Gerd Mullers 40 for Bayern in 1971/72.

Seven games to go, 13 needed. A tall order. But for a footballer who once scored five in a second half against Wolfsburg and rattled in four within 15 minutes at Red Star Belgrade, it is a stimulating, not an overbearing target. All the more while Lewandowski hears it being murmured that his pre-eminence as the finest finisher in the Bundesliga is under lively challenge from a sensational newcomer.

Dortmunds Erling Braut Haaland is, in many respects, exactly where Lewandowski was a decade ago. In the summer of 2010, Dortmund signed the then 21-year-old Lewandowski from Lech Poznan. He was already an international, a rapid riser in his domestic league, but it was still a capture of great foresight, like many Dortmund would make in the decade to follow.

In the first month of 2020, Haaland, 19, became the latest, a centre-forward of enormous potential, a striker recruited young from abroad as Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic and Jadon Sancho were and encouraged by the clubs willingness to give opportunity to ambitious tyros.

The Norwegian Haaland, who joined from RB Salzburg in Austria, half expects that, like Aubameyang (now of Arsenal), Dembele (Barcelona) and Pulisic (Chelsea), he will move on from Dortmund with much of his career still ahead of him. Dortmund can confidently anticipate, even in the likely recession following the coronavirus crisis, they will sell him having done very well on the investment.

Haaland, 19, cost around 20 million (Dh80m) in January. He joined the Bundesliga mid-season, a tricky time for a freshman to come in, and he made his Dortmund debut as a substitute 11 minutes into a hazardous trip to Augsburg, where at 3-1 down, the visitors title aspirations were being derailed. Enter the blond blitz: Haaland had his first goal, set up by Sancho, within three minutes. He had completed his hat-trick 20 minutes later.

Thats the sort of trick only a Lewandowski, or a Messi or a Ronaldo, tends to pull off more than once. Except Haaland, tall, immensely powerful and apparently fearless, kept on. In the Bundesliga he already has 10 goals from as many appearances. In the Champions League, where he scored eight times in the group stage for Salzburg, he scored both Dortmunds goals in the 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in February. His Dortmund strike-rate is a goal every 70 minutes. Thats the sort of trick that put Muller into the record books 48 years ago.

Lewandowski and Haaland share certain characteristics. Theres the genes. Both come from sporting families, Haaland the son of the former Norway midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, who had a long career in the English Premier League. Lewandowski is the son of an international judoka and a top-level volleyball player. A drive for self-improvement seems second-nature to both. While the opposition penalty area is their most productive domain, neither would gladly be classified as solely a target man, or merely a finisher.

On these two figures, the greatest goalscorer in German football of the 2010s, and perhaps the dominant centre-forward of the 2020s, may the outcome of the Bundesliga title hang. Win on Tuesday, and Haaland will sense his Dortmund have seized the momentum.

Updated: May 25, 2020 05:38 PM

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Erling Braut Haaland is Robert Lewandowski's heir apparent we have been waiting for - The National

The rest of the Arrowverse has wrapped up for the year due to production shutdowns, but Legends of Tomorrow is still going strong keeping the action rolling with a full-on zombie apocalypse and some jaw-dropping deaths.

Spoilers ahead for I Am Legends, the latest episode of The CWs Legends of Tomorrow, which aired Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

This is far from the first time Legends of Tomorrow has dipped its toe into the horror genre heck, weve seen zombies from time to time already, too but this one was some killer (pardon the pun) execution on the subgenre. We get the new-age, fast-moving zombies here (think 28 Days Later instead of Dawn of the Dead), and the framing and effects work is spot-on to really play into the terror of having a zombie outbreak dropped right on top of you.

The zombie apocalypse comes courtesy of Charles god-like sisters, who called in a favor with Astra and had her turn on her new pals, allowing the Fates to steal the Waverider and the Loom all in one quick twist. As for the Legends, theyre stuck in London with no access to a time courier to return to the ship, and the Fates start a zombie uprising to slow them down. Their mission is to reach an old Time Bureau safe house, and they steal a bus (and food truck) along the way to finally get there. Turns out without a space ship at their disposal, the Legends arent real good at getting around.

The journey takes them toe to toe with the undead at plenty of turns, which make for some stellar fight scenes with all the teams myriad superpowers on display. We also get some bonding moments among the team, which arent uncommon, though they have an air of sadness hanging over them which we later learn is due to the fact that Sara has seen a vision of her own death at the safe house. Yeah, Sara seemingly doesnt make it through this one. But even though she cant see what happens past her death, she has complete faith in the team to complete their mission and save the world. Which is no surprise, because Sara is the superhero leader any team would be lucky to have. Even in death, she fully trusts her crew.

Back on the Waverider, a hallucinating and electrocuted Gary (who teams up, in his mind at least, with the human version of Gideon) is all that stands in the way of Charlies sisters and Astra. With the odds stacked against him, he manages to steal the rings and keep them from the Fates for a bit until hes busted and threatened with impaling. But even then, Gary manages to hide the rings and hold out a while longer. He even reaches the inner-good in Astra, after the Fates broker her heart and showed her the eventual death of her mother if she did bring her back to life. Gary makes the point that she didnt get to see all the years of new memories shed get to make with her mother which she realizes would still make it worth the resurrection to have that time, even if it is fleeting. Hey, thats life.

In the end, the Fates kill Astra when she betrays them. Then they kill Gary. Yeah, those are some big deaths. Charlie uses the Time Bureau device to jump back to the ship, but after getting the rings from Gary, she then offers them to her sisters once confronted. Is she making a play to use her sisters to power the rings to set things back right with the Legends crew? Probably, but only time will tell.

Constantine on the bus, with a Smoking Will Kill You sign hanging behind him. Also, the zombies ignore Constantine because his soul is already damned.

Hook-up alert: The sexual tension between Constantine and Zari came to a head this week, as the two hooked up after yelling at each other. This felt like a strange match at first, but the more weve gotten to know the new Zari, it really is clear to see how opposites attract.

The team acquired immortality last week for 24 hours, which theyd planned to use to fire up the Loom of Fate. But, by episodes end, their immortality runs out. But they took full advantage of it with Ava even taking a Wolverine-style bullet to the head and getting back up from it. Yeah, it was a jolt.

"Co-captains for life." Just try not to tear up in that moment, when Ava and Sara realize fate is bearing down on them as the undead swarm the pub.

Gary got a heros moment, and of course it was a team-up with a rabbit and a hallucination. But hey, a hero nonetheless.

Next week: The team is stuck in fake realities made to look like different TV shows, ranging from Star Trek to cheesy sitcoms. This looks like a fun one.

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A zombie apocalypse, a surprise hook-up, and brutal deaths in the latest Legends of Tomorrow - SYFY WIRE

Death affects the Sith and Jedi in a similar way. They both come back from it stronger than before.

"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

These words spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi towards Darth Vader during their final fight in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope are now ingrained in cinematic history andhave held true for the Star Wars universe. Many characters whodie orare assumed dead often make surprising returns. The Sith and the Jedi have both been able to return from their supposed deaths in different manners, but death seemingly affects all of those in the Force, regardless of alignment, in one key way. They become much more powerful after death.

Most Jedi become one with the Force when they die; however, a select few Jediare able to learn how to continue to maintain their consciousness even after the Force absorbs their soul. Qui-Gon Jinnis able to discover the secret to unlocking immortality within the Force after his death, and heis able to reach out to Yoda and Obi-Wan so they can begin their training to become Force ghosts as well. Theyare then able to teach this ability to otherslike Luke and Leia, as well as Anakin post-mortem.

RELATED: Force Ghosted: Why Only SOME Jedi Disappear After They Die

Both Luke and Yoda's ghostsarealso shown to be able to perform impressive feats, such as easily lifting a submerged X-Wing using the Force as well as calling for a lightning strike from seemingly nowhere. These are abilities that are far beyond what a typical Jediiscapable of achieving. Although unconfirmed, the scene in The Rise Of SkywalkerwhereRey hears all the voices of the past Jedi could also suggest that those who didn't become ghostsare still able to continue to maintain some form of consciousness and affect the universe even after their deaths.

Unlike the Jedi, those who are aligned with the Dark Side of the Force are unable to manifest spirits of themselves upon their death. In the Season Six finale episode "Sacrifice" of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Yoda mentions to Mace Windu after arriving from his training with the Force Priestesses that, "open to us, a path remains that unknown to the Sith is. Through this path, victory we may yet find. Not victory in the Clone Wars but victory for all time." According to Yoda, Force ghosts are an ability that the Sithhave yet to learn, and it can be seen as a tactical advantage for defeating the Sith once and for all.

Despite not being able to become Force ghosts, many Sithare able to find a way to come back stronger than ever after their supposed deaths. Darth Maul, who was famously cut in half by Obi-Wan during the events of The Phantom Menace,is assumed dead for years before his surprise return in The Clone Wars, sporting a pair of enhanced robot legs, giving him a significant upgrade. Furthermore,during Solo, Maulrunsa large criminal syndicate called Crimson Dawn, showing he's developed anew, more successfullife after his brush with death; however, he ultimatelymeets his end at the hands of Obi-Wan in Rebels, but not beforehe causes much conflict and destruction following his initialnear death experience.

RELATED: She-Ra's Finale Is The Rise of Skywalker Done Better

Another Sith who managed to come back fromthe dead significantly stronger is Emperor Palpatine. Also known as Darth Sidious, Palpatinemeets his end in Return Of The Jedi when Darth Vaderthrows him down the shaft of the Death Star. For decades, most fans assumedthis was the endofPalpatine, but then he shockingly returns in The Rise Of Skywalker.

Itis revealed in the novelization that the film's version of Palpatineis in fact a clone of himself that houses his spirit. This cloneis seemingly more powerful than the original, given that heis able to manifest entire Sith armies as well as launch a massive lightning strike at a level never seen before in the Star Wars universe.

Within the current Star Wars Canon at Disney, both the Jedi and the Sith have been shown to be able to come back from their brushes with death, or in some cases their actual death, stronger than ever before. The Jedi and the Sith could not be more different, but they all have to die at some point. While they both handle death very differently, one thing that'scertain is that in death they become stronger, whether its physically or through the Force.

KEEP READING: Star Wars: Darth Vader's SECOND Jedi Purge Was His Most Brutal Fight

Star Wars: Every OTHER Member of Yoda's Species, Explained

I am a writer and film/TV enthusiast from Toronto, Canada.

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Star Wars Confirms DEATH Affects Sith and Jedi the Same - in One KEY Way - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Lane County military members went where they were sent.

Lane County military men and women fought where they were deployed.

Lane County military veterans died in war after war after war.

Memorial Day celebrates and honors those who didnt come home. Killed in combat, lost to the deprivations and dangers of battlefields, far from homes in Eugene, Springfield, Veneta, Florence and elsewhere, Lane County veterans served and they died.

Immortality through remembrance is the best Americans can offer them.

In honor of their service to their country, these are the names of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen from Lane County who died serving in American conflicts since the nation entered World War I in 1917.

Remembering Lane Countys fallen veterans

These are the names of Lane County veterans who died serving in American conflicts since World War I in 1917. Information provided varies because different sources provide different information; when available we listed branch and rank of military and city of residence.

WORLD WAR I

Charles Ackerman, Florence

John Ashworth, Springfield

Raymond Barnes, Eugene

Louis Belshaw, Eugene

James Blakely, Marcola

David Bowers, Wendling

Fred Brummond, Eugene

Howard Callaway, Eugene

Herman Carlile, Eugene

William Carson, Eugene

Edwin Cecil, Eugene

Lester Collins, Eugene

Love Conrad, Springfield

Riley Crow, Lorane

Waldo Farnham, Walterville

James Fountain, Walterville

Calvin Funk, London

Marion Garoutte, Cottage Grove

John Gibson, Eugene

Frederick Graham, Eugene

William Hoffman, Cushman

John Hurd, Eugene

Davis Johnston, Swisshome

Niels Johansen, Junction City

Kenneth Kellems, Eugene

Delbert Kelly, Dorena

Frederick Kingsbury, Eugene

John Kuykendall, Eugene

Earl Lewellyn, Junction City

Charles Man, Reed

Leland Matthews, Florence

John Maurer, Eugene

Jesse McDole, Cottage Grove

Dale Melrose, Eugene

Frank Miller, Landax

Riley Murray, Eugene

Victor O'Rourke, Thurston

Marion Pennington, Eugene

Peter Peterson, Junction City

James Pierce, Creswell

Earle Powell, Springfield

Henry Schade, Walton

John Schall, Eugene

Fern Sidwell, Springfield

Raymond Sims, McKenzie Bridge

Wilbur Sloneker, Ada

Glenn Southwick, Leaburg

Boswell Tolliver, Springfield

Emil Trombley, Eugene

William Ware, Springfield

Othmar West, Eugene

Frank Whittaker, Thurston

WORLD WAR II

Army Maj. Wayne Akers

Marine Corps Cpl. Robert Alexander, Springfield

Navy Seaman 2c John Almasie, Swisshome

Navy Reserve Ensign George Anderson, Eugene

Army 1st Lt. Leonard Arnold

Army Cpl. Wilbur Barger

Army Pvt. Paul Barkemyer

Army Sgt. Cletus Beatty

Navy Reserve Qt. Master 3c James Bennett, Eugene

Army Pvt. James Bigger

Marine Corps Cpl. Joseph Bishop, Eugene

Army Cpl. Manley Bishop

Army Lt. Ralph Blake

Army Lt. Ralph Breshears

Army Pvt. Elton Briggs

Army Pvt. Henry Bunch

Army Pvt. John Bunt

Marine Corps Pfc. Alvin Caldwell, Eugene

Army Pvt. Wayne Caloway

Army Pfc. Bennie Campell

Army Tech 5 Charles Chappelle

Army Capt. Donald Childers

Army Cpl. Howard Clark

Army Pvt. Paul Clun

Navy Machinist Mate 3c Paul Cochran, Eugene

Army 1st Lt. Walter Cole

Navy Reserves Aviation Radioman 2c Orvill Collingwood, Eugene

Army Tech. Sgt. Byron Cook

Army Pfc. Guy Combs Jr.

Navy Seaman 2c Charles Cornelison, Mable

Navy Seaman 2c Joel Cowden, Eugene

Army Staff Sgt. Clifford Cravens

Army Pfc. Jack Crowley

Army 1st Lt. Aaron Cuddeback

Navy Fireman 2c James David, Coburg

Army Sgt. Malcolm Davis

Navy Seaman 2c Harold Dawson, Creswell

Army Pvt. Donald Dellage

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They fought and died, and we remember - The Register-Guard

If a single part of Grafite can be sure of immortality, it's his right heel.

Across a 17-year career, the Brazilian with the footwork of an assassin found numerous ways to hurt opponents, methods as spectacular as his trademark chipped finishes across the goalkeeper or as simple as a deft layoff to Edin Deko.

The subtlest and most devastating weapon in his arsenal will live longest in the memory, however, in the Puskas-nominated goal which saw Grafite's graceful waltz send four Bayern Munich players spinning while the back of his heel sent the ball pirouetting in the other direction.

To get us started with a heavy-handed metaphor, the brief but unforgettable contact of the ball with Grafite's heel encapsulates the fleeting fascination he had for European audiences in a career which seemingly flickered out as quickly as it exploded into life.

The result? He has become a player whose story can be all too easily condensed into the glories of a single season, or even worse, a single YouTube video.

Yet Edinaldo Batista Libnio is a player who has lived multiple footballing lives, and whose diverse, strange and trophy-laden CV is so much more than one two-minute video.

Al-Ittihad v Sao Paulo - FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Semi Final

The man who grew up selling bin liners door-to-door in his hometown of So Paulo found glamour hard to come by in the early stages of his career, getting his professional start with fourth division Ferroviria.

After a breakthrough year with Santa Cruz, where the young Grafite couldn't stop the Recife club's relegation to Serie B, he struggled to grasp hold of the progression that was meant to follow, with frustrating stints with Gremio and FC Seoul following.

Even before his arrival in Germany, Grafite had to prove himself, and just like with Wolfsburg an unprecedented period of success followed.

Grafite, delantero del Sao Paulo de Bras

A successful return to Brazil with Gois led to Grafite's hometown club So Paulo recruiting the marksman, who returned the favour by helping them deliver the 2005 Copa Libertadores - Liverpool fans might remember his 15 minute cameo as the Tricolor shocked them in the 2005 Club World Cup final to cap off a glorious period in their history.

That year was a momentous one for Grafite, who had to contend with the contrasting emotions of a surprise Brazil call-up, which saw him score on debut against Guatemala, and then be at the centre of global headlines after Argentine defender Leandro Desbato was arrested under suspicion of racially abusing him in a match.

Perhaps both this affirmation of his talents and the vortex of controversy in which he found himself contributed to his 2006 move to Le Mans, where he came close to overhauling the legendary Pauleta in the Ligue 1 scoring charts in his first full season in Europe.

Le Mans's Brazilian forward Grafite jubi

He didn't stay for long in France, checking into Germany just in time for the most storied chapter in his career to begin.

Of all the coaches he could have been lumped with, Grafite must thank his lucky stars every day that his 2007 arrival in Lower Saxony saw him meet Felix Magath for the first time.

He might not have been so thankful at first, with the famed disciplinarian - known for the 'Mount Magath' hill which he loved to install at each of his sides' training grounds - causing his new signing to pass out during a particularly taxing pre-season run in the Swiss Alps.

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Once Grafite recovered a bit of puff, however, it were Bundesliga defenders who were hitting the floor.

Magath's charges had a promising first season together, but nobody could have anticipated the sequel, with Wolfsburg winning their first ever German top-flight title and doing it rather stylishly.

Grafite was front and centre as the Bundesliga's top goalscorer with an obscene 28 goals, forming a record-breaking 'Sturmduo' - what a brilliant word for a strike partnership - with Edin Dzeko. He contributed a total of 54 goals combined with Dzeko, outdoing the previous 53-goal record of a certain Gerd Mller and a certain UliHoene.

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With another hyper-talented Bosnian, Zvjezdan Misimovi, breaking another Bundesliga record with his 22 assists, Germany's next dynasty was ready for lift-off.

Until it wasn't.

Magath took advantage of an early exit clause in his contract to leave for Schalke, and with him the control he exercised over the club was gone.

While Grafite added to the increasing list of his extraordinary achievements by scoring a Champions League hat trick on debut, a rudderless Wolfsburg slipped to eighth.

FBL-C1-ASIA-HILAL-AHLY

Growing old, dogged by knee injuries and having struggled to reproduce his form of the previous season, a 32-year-old Grafite dutifully departed for Al Ahly.

Typically of a career where surprises were commonplace, the beginning of Grafite's decline also saw him achieve the career landmark of representing his country in a World Cup, albeit in a five minute cameo against Portugal.

Even in retirement mode, however, Grafite was determined to add to the narrative of his career.

Brazil's striker Grafite gets a hug from

Despite losing out to none other than Asamoah Gyan in the goalscoring stakes, Grafite was voted the UAE Pro League's International Player of the Season after blasting in 24 goals in 20 games.

After a short spell in Qatar, Grafite was set for a poignant final act in Brazil, where he righted the wrongs of his first spell at Santa Cruz.

Flown in by helicopter to a baying mob of fans, Grafite, now the highest-salaried player in the club's history, took them back to the Brazilian top-flight.

FBL-SUDAMERICANA-RECIFE-SANTACRUZ

With the ageing Brazilian also instrumental in securing Copa do Nordeste and Campeonato Pernambucano glory in 2016, closure was finally possible in a career where he had needed to prove himself so many times.

After one last shot at the big time with Athletico Paranaense, Recife's prodigal son would end up retiring at Santa Cruz.

It was a quiet, humble ending for a player who had so emphatically announced his footballing gifts to the world in 2009, but with Grafite, who was important to so many more clubs than just Wolfsburg, it was a way of giving back.

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Grafite: The Tale of One of the Bundesliga's Greatest Ever One-Season Wonders - 90min

The Rapture Cont.(1) Just prior to the rapture, as Christ is descending from heaven for His church, the resurrection of the dead in Christ will occur (1 Thes 4:16). This is not the same resurrection described in Rev 20:4, for the latter is an event occurring after Christ returns to earth, destroys the wicked and binds Satan (Rev 19:11-20:3). The resurrection in Rev 20:4 relates to the martyred dead of the tribulation and possibly to OT saints (see Rev 20:6).

(2) At the same time as the dead in Christ rise, living believers will be transfigured. Their bodies will be clothed with immortality (1 Cor 15:51,53). This will happen in a very short time, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:52).

(3) Both the resurrected believers and the transfigured believers will be caught up together to meet Christ in the air, i.e., in the atmosphere between earth and heaven.

(4) They will be visibly united with Christ (1 Thes 4:16-17), taken to His Fathers House in heaven (see John 14:2-3) and united with loved ones who have died in Christ (1 Thes 4:13-18).

(5) They will be removed from all distress (2 Cor 5:2,4; Phil 3:21), from all persecution and oppression (see Rev 3:10), from the entire realm of sin and from death (1 Cor 15:51-56); Christ thereby delivers them from the wrath to come (see 1 Thes 1:10; 5:9), i.e., from the great tribulation.

(6) The hope that our Saviour will soon return to take us out of the world to ever be with the Lord (1 Thes 4:17) is the blessed hope of the redeemed (Tit 2:13) and a major source of comfort for suffering believers (1 Thes 4:17-18; 5:10).

(7) Paul uses we in 1 Thes 4:17 because he knows the Lords return could have happened in his own lifetime, and he communicates this same anticipation to the Thessalonians. The Bible insists on a continual waiting with eagerness for the return of our Lord. Believers today must be ever watchful and hopeful for Christs return to take them to Himself (cf. Rom 13:11; 1 Cor 7:29; 10:11; 15:51-52; Phil 4:5).

(8) According to this view of the rapture, professing Christians who do not have a saving relationship with Christ will be left behind (see Mat 25:1; Luke 12:45), will be left with a false system of religion (see Rev 17:1), and be subject to Gods wrath.

(9) Following the rapture is the day of the Lord, a time that brings distress and wrath to the ungodly (1 Thes 5:2-10). That will be followed by the second stage of Christs coming when He comes to destroy the ungodly and to reign on earth (see Mat 24:42,44).

The Events Of The Rapture 1 Cor 15:51, 52; 1 Thes 4:16, 17 Christ will return visibly, with a loud command

There will be an unmistakable cry from an angel

There will be a trumpet fanfare such as has never been heard

Believers in Christ who are dead will rise from their graves

Believers who are alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ

While Christians have often disagreed about what events will lead up to the return of Christ, there has been less disagreement about what will happen once Christ does return.

The Timing Of The Rapture: Different Views

RAPTURE Gods taking the church out of the world instantaneously. The Latin term rapio, which means to snatch away or carry off, is the source of the English word.

Email:mercyolumide2004@yahoo.co.uk http://www.thebiblicalwomanhood.com Mobile: +234 803 344 6614; +234 808 123 7987

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The last days of history - Part 13Sunday Magazine - Guardian

The LAFC star says he was inspired while watching the 10-part series on the Chicago Bulls

Like virtually every sports fan across America and the world, Carlos Vela developed a Sunday routine over the last five weeks.

For the first time since Game of Thrones went off the air in summer 2019, the U.S. was united by a true television phenomenon: The Last Dance. The documentary, a 10-part event broadcast over five weeks, followed Michael Jordan's rise to his place as the most revered basketball player of all time while focusing on his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98.

With American sports suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Last Dance became a phenomenon. The series of episodes offered deep dives into one of the greatest athletes and one of the greatest teams of all time, filling everyone's Sunday with larger-than-life stories about Jordan and his six NBA titles.

Vela, a massive basketball fan, was instantly hooked.

"Of course. Every Sunday I was there," Vela told Goal. "My wife wasn't happy. But I said, 'these two hours, these are for me'."

The Los Angeles FC star has long been a fan of the NBA. In the past, Vela has stated that he actually prefers basketball to soccer and, in his free time, he chooses to spend his moments away from his own sport by following the NBA.

Vela recently uploaded a video of him, in full Los Angeles Lakers gear, dunking on his own hoop while the Mexicointernational also expressed excitement at starring alongside James Harden in a new ad for sports drink BODYARMOR.

Over the last five weeks, Vela, like the rest of the country, was offered an insight into Jordan's mindset as a leader, for better or worse. The series detailed the famous grudges and perceived slights that fueled his career. It discussed Jordan's gambling, or as he calls it "competition", problems.

Most poignantly, the series revealed Jordan's leadership style, which often pushed teammates to their limit physically and mentally. At the end of the seventh episode, an emotional Jordan reflected on criticisms of how far he pushed those that played alongside him before tearfully calling for a break in the interview.

"When people see this they are going say, 'Well he wasn't really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant'.Well, that's you. Because you never won anything," Jordan said.

"I wanted to win, but I wanted them to win to be a part of that as well. Look, I don't have to do this. I am only doing it because it is who I am. That's how I played the game. That was my mentality. If you don't want to play that way, don't play that way."

Throughout his career, Vela has played with a number of big players. And, having watched Jordan's leadership style and his ability to push teammates further than they thought they could be pushed, the Mexican star says he was reminded of former Arsenal star Thierry Henry.

Henry and Vela never took the field together at Arsenal, as Vela was loaned out throughout his early years with the club due to a work permit issue. But Velasays Henry's leadership still stood out, giving him a Jordan-like presence.

"Thierry Henry was a really hard guy," he said. "He tried every day to be the best and he pushed the young guys to work more, to be professional, to try to bring everything to every training.

"He would say, 'if you train hard, you can play hard'. Thierry Henry was an inspiration to me and you can see the career he had. I'm proud to have said I can play with him. He's a good leader."

Vela's personality, meanwhile, is a bit more laid back, but he's still found plenty of success since making the move to MLS ahead of LAFC's expansion season.

The winger smashed MLS records last season by scoring 34 goals in 31 matches, helping guide LAFC to a Supporters' Shield and an MLS record for points in a season.

But, as he looks to add an MLS Cup to his resume, Vela says he learned a lotfrom watching Jordan's rise to NBA immortality.

"I wasn't surprised. You are not there to see it day by day, but when you see what Michael Jordan did, you feel something special, something different than the rest," he said.

"I feel like I have a lot of things to learn from Michael Jordan to try and be the best. I take it as motivation. Maybe I have to be more hard, do more things to help my teammates to be better so we can win more championships."

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'Henry tried every day to be the best' - Vela says Jordan's Last Dance documentary conjured memories of Arsenal icon - Goal.com

With Gov. Andy Beshear requesting Kentuckians to light their houses and businesses green to honor those that have died from COVID-19, Elliott Mortuary is hosting a tree-lighting ceremony Saturday evening.

The ceremony is open to anyone to attend as long as you adhere to social distancing guidelines, said CEO Peter Bowles.

Were doing our part in the community to help healing to come, he said. Thats what were having on Saturday at around 8 p.m., at dusk, to show and give hope.

Michael Lowery, a staff member at the mortuary, said the reason they want to host this event was rooted in the color greens meaning. Green represents the Word of God and also symbolizes immortality, he said.

We are trying to show that these people, although they have passed and gone, that we are still looking at them in the light that there will be a resurrection, he said. We want to give light to the community and to let them know that this is something we can deal with and show that God is involved in this. Together we can pull through this. Thats one of the reasons we want to have this; we want to give hope to the hopeless.

Because of the restrictions that have come from COVID-19, Bowles said he understands if people dont want to physically come to the lighting ceremony, so they will attempt to have a live video streaming of the service. Bowles said it could be found on their Facebook page.

At noon on Memorial Day at Elliott Memorial Gardens, they are holding short service with a song and a prayer. Then they will decorate the graves of veterans, said Lowery.

One of the things we want to do is look at it from a historical perspective, he said. In days past, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day to decorate the graves right after the Civil War. They had decorated all of those who had fallen in battle. In the African American community, it was a day when people would meet and greet one another and talk about their loved ones, and it would be an all-day celebration.

The tree-lighting ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday at 151 E. Noel Avenue. The Memorial Day ceremony will be at noon Monday at Elliott Memorial Gardens, which is located on Halson Avenue. Both events are in Madisonville.

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Elliott Mortuary to host events in Madisonville | Local News - The Messenger