The Serenity Thread - For relaxation, positivity, inspiration, and joy

[Resurgence]

This thread is intended to be a stress-free environment where you can unwind from anxiety and relax. It is meant to be a refuge from the sadness, negativity, worry, angst and conflict that is sometimes a part of our lives.


Here, we foster the following themes:

Serenity
Peacefulness
Relaxation
Joy
Wonder
Stresslessness
Wholesomeness
Decency
Goodness
Positivity
Friendliness
Kindness
Inspiration
Faith
Love
Hopefulness
Spirituality
Reflection
Celebrating culture that is uplifting
Introspection


You can think of this thread as our own TV channel of serenity. You can share videos, pictures and music as long as they foster the concepts
above.


Here Are A Few Ideas For Things To Share In The Thread:


*Ambient, relaxing music (soundscapes)

*Uplifting culture

*Celebrating the beauty of nature

*Animal videos or pictures

*Travel programs

*Wholesome TV programs

*Beautiful instrumental music

*Nature sounds

*Peaceful classical music

*Cultural videos like singing and dancing festivals

*Live music events that foster our ideals listed above (no metal, no rowdy country music, no rock, etc.)

*Vintage photographs

*Vintage footage of cultural events

*How-to videos that support our ideals above (for example, how a classical guitar is made)

*First-person video touring (museum tours, train rides, etc.)

*Exploring the beauty of old churches

*Uplifting art



Basic Rules:


1.) Only post things that induce calm and relaxation and coincide with the themes listed above.

2.) Negativity of any kind, as well as arguing or criticizing, will not be allowed. We want positivity and fun times here.

3.) Where applicable, please give a short description of what you are sharing so we have some background (for example, if you share a documentary, tell us a little about it).


Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the thread!



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I will begin the thread with a TV program I consider to be one of my personal favorites, The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. When the world gets to be a bit too much, I seek refuge in the calm presence of Mr. Ross in this positive, uplifting program. His programs are not only about art instruction, but also a form of therapy. If you seek a short escape from troubles in your life, spend a little while with Mr. Ross and suddenly, all doesn't seem as dark as you once thought.





The Joy of Painting was an American half-hour instructional television show hosted by painter Bob Ross which ran from January 11, 1983, until May 17, 1994. In each episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. There were 31 seasons with an incredible 403 episodes.

Broadcast by non-commercial public television stations, the show was initially produced by WNVC in Falls Church, Virginia, then by WIPB in Muncie, Indiana, from 1984 until the show ended in 1994, and later by Blue Ridge Public Television in Roanoke, Virginia. Most of the series was distributed by what is now American Public Television (PBS). The show was also broadcast in Canada, Latin America and Europe.



Autumn Glory:





Mountain Waterfall:





Bubbling Stream:





Towering Peaks:





Winter Stillness:





A Biography Of Bob Ross:


















Robert Norman "Bob" Ross (October 29, 1942 - July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, author, and television host. He was best known as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting. In 1991, he did a separate TV series entitled, Beauty Is Everywhere, which consisted of 26 episodes. That show is nearly identical to The Joy of Painting. It recently appeared on Netflix. Ross is also known for his painting supplies and books.

He was born in Daytona Beach, Florida and raised in Orlando, Florida.

He had two sons, Bob and Steven, with his first wife, Lynda Brown. Steven, also a talented painter, occasionally appeared on The Joy of Painting and became a Ross-certified instructor. Ross and Brown's marriage ended in divorce in 1981.

Ross and his second wife, Jane, had a son named Morgan, who is also an accomplished painter. In 1993, Jane died from cancer, and Ross did not remarry.

He focused his painting entirely on landscapes, wildlife and nature in general. He was a gentle soul who loved animals and nature.

Some of his paintings can be seen today in The Bob Ross Art Workshop located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. They also offer art instruction.


http://www.bobrossartworkshop.com/


It is not known how many paintings he did in his lifetime. In a 1991 interview with the New York Times, Ross claimed he'd made over 30,000 paintings since he was an 18-year-old stationed in Alaska with the Air Force. Up to his passing, the number is unknown, but presumably higher than 30,000, an impressively prolific output.

He died of lymphoma in 1995 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He was only 52.



Interesting Facts About His Life:


1.) He was a military man. He spent 20 years in the United States Air Force and retired with the rank of master sergeant. He later told the Orlando Sentinel, "I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work. The job requires you to be a mean, tough person. And I was fed up with it." This experience was perhaps the primary inspiration in him to live a more peaceful, kind life.

2.) He worked for free. Considering that the The Joy of Painting had so many episodes, one might think that Mr. Ross would have become very wealthy from the TV series. However, he did the series without compensation. His income was derived from Bob Ross Inc., the company that sold art supplies, how-to videotapes, and taught classes. The company grew to be very successful, estimated at one time to be a $15 million dollar business.

3.) He didn't sell his paintings. Most of his paintings ended up with charities or with PBS.

4.) He was a big fan of country music. In 1987 he was invited on stage by Hank Snow at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The audience gave him a huge ovation. He was a little nervous at first, but felt better after cracking a joke to the crowd. Snow was later given a private painting lesson by Ross.

5.) He helped injured, orphaned and stray animals. During his childhood in Florida, he once shocked his mother by trying to nurse a wounded alligator back to health in the family's bathtub. Throughout his adult life, he maintained his soft spot for animals; his Florida home usually housed any number of critters that Ross was trying to help rehabilitate. At various times he played host to birds with broken wings, orphaned baby squirrels, and an epileptic squirrel who lived in his empty jacuzzi. Ross liked animals so much that he would tape squirrels in his backyard. One of his memorable animal friends to appear on his shows was a squirrel named "Peapod". During the early 1990s, Ross had hoped to develop a new non-painting show that would introduce children to a variety of new wildlife. Unfortunately, this series was not to be. However, considering his frequent mentioning of animals in his painting show, that dream was somewhat fulfilled already.

























Favorite Bob Ross Quotes:


"If we're going to have animals around, we all have to be concerned about them and take care of them."

"The secret to doing anything is believing that you can do it. Anything that you believe you can do strong enough, you can do. Anything. As long
as you believe."

"We spend so much of our life looking, but never seeing."

"This was my freedom. I'd go home and paint. And there I could create any kind of world I wanted. It was clean. The water wasn't polluted. Everyone
was happy."

"I guess I'm a little weird. I like to talk to trees and animals. That's OK though; I have more fun than most people."

"Shwooop. Hehe. You have to make those little noises, or it just doesn't work."

"Happy little trees..."

"Happy little clouds..."

"Talk to the tree, make friends with it."

"That's a crooked tree. We'll send him to Washington."

"People look at me like I'm a little strange when I go around talking to squirrels and rabbits and stuff. That's OK. Thaaaat's just OK."

"There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend."

"Try to imagine that you are a tree. How do you want to look out here?"

"We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents."

"We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news."

"Any time you learn, you gain."

"Don't forget that trees get lonely too."

[About a tree:] "Look at that little rascal shining out there in the sun."

[About a tree:] "This is my little friend Clyde here. I give 'em names, shoot. People look at you like you're a little weird, but you know, painters are expected to be a little different. Little different. And that's all right. I've always been a little weird, so, no big deal. Everybody who knows me expects that."

"Bet you didn't realize you had that much power. But on this piece of canvas, you have total and complete power here. You can do anything that
you want to do. You can move mountains, rivers, trees. You can determine what your world is like. It's a tremendous amount of freedom on this
canvas. And that's what makes it fun. That's what makes it fun."

"Maybe there lives a happy little evergreen tree right there. We just use the corner of the brush and just go back and forth, see there? That easy.
And let's give him a few friends, we don't want him to get lonely back here. My gosh, with a scene like he's got to look at here, he would have
to invite all his friends over to see it too. This is just too nice for him to keep for himself."

[About a tree:] "If we left him out, shoot he would probably be angry. Probably be angry. And we don't want that; we want happy trees in our painting. I get some letters sometimes, people say, "Everything in your world is happy." And that's true. We try to keep everything happy in here. Shoot, if you want bad stuff, watch the news. In this world, we only have pleasant things."

"Today, let's just do a fun little painting and just, just enjoy. I'm just going to take the brush and make little circles, little circular patterns all over; let it go just wherever you want it. This is really a nice way of just taking out your frustrations. If you're having a bad day, this is a nice painting to do 'cause it'll just make you feel good. You can just work out all your hostilities. There."

"And this painting can really and truly become a world on its own. "You can find anything that you want in here. You can find peace, you can find
calm times, anything. It's right here. Shoot, let me get off my soapbox here and find a brush and let's get crazy."

"I think there's an artist hidden at the bottom of every single one of us."

"You too can paint almighty pictures."

"Find freedom on this canvas."

"It's so important to do something every day that will make you happy."

"Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you're willing to practice, you can do."

"Painting will bring a lot of good thoughts to your heart."

"If I paint something, I don't want to have to explain what it is."

"In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home, the only thing I have power over is the garbage."

"Don't forget to tell those special people in your life just how special they are to you."

"You need the dark in order to show the light."

"This is a happy place; little squirrels live here and play."

"Remember how free clouds are. They just lay around in the sky all day long."

"Absolutely no pressure. You are just a whisper floating across a mountain."

"Relax, let it flow, think like water."

"Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is."



I will share all the episodes of The Joy of Painting that are available on YouTube.



The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 1 - "A Walk In The Woods"







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Øystein Sevåg - Norwegian Mountains

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Peter Kater & Dominic Miller - Close To You

[Resurgence]

Bedrich Smetana - Vltava (also known by its English name The Moldau)


Composed: Between November 20 and December 8 of 1874

First Premiered: April 4, 1875


Harpist: Valérie Milot

Performance Date: 2012

[Resurgence]

Positive News:



Beluga whales adopt a lost narwhal in the St. Lawrence River



An unusual visitor has been hanging out in the St. Lawrence River for the past three years: A narwhal, more than 1,000 kilometres south of its usual range.

But the lone narwhal is not alone — it appears he has been adopted by a band of belugas.

The narwhal — thought to be a juvenile male because of its half-metre-long tusk — was filmed in July playing among a pod of young belugas, thought to be mostly or all males.

The video was taken by the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), a non-profit group dedicated to whale research, conservation and education based in Tadoussac, Quebec, Canada.







https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/belug...-1.4820602

[Resurgence]

The Art of Efim Volkov



Efim Volkov by Alexandr Makovsky, 1914:




Efim Efimovich Volkov (Russian: Ефим Ефимович Волков) was a Russian landscape painter.

He was born on April 4, 1844 in Saint Petersburg.

His father was a feldsher and his family was poor. He was briefly employed by the Ministry of Justice. In 1866, he began to take drawing lessons at the "Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts". He later studied at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts and honed his skills by doing sketches from nature. In 1870, he received the title of "Free Artist" in recognition of his painting "View of Saint Petersburg and Vicinity".

In 1878, he joined the "Association of Travelling Art Exhibitions" (Peredvizhniki) and presented annual displays of his work under their aegis. The death of his daughter in 1884 caused him several years of grief but, in 1888, he was finally able to make an extensive tour of Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Palestine with his wife, where he painted landscapes with sea views. Later, they toured the Volga region.

He became a full member of the Academy in 1895 and was named an Academician four years later. After the events of Bloody Sunday, the Peredvizhniki came under police scrutiny, interest in their work began to decline and Volkov's career never recovered. He died in "genteel poverty" at his home on Vasilievsky Island, February 17, 1920 in Saint Petersburg.



Summer Landscape, date unknown:




An Overgrown Pond, date unknown:




Forest Stream, date unknown:




Summer Day, date unknown:




Summer Day, 1906:




River, date unknown:




Field of Daisies, date unknown:




Seascape, date unknown:




Golden Autumn, 1893:




Sunset on the River, date unknown:




Winter Landscape, date unknown:




Winter Landscape, date unknown:




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The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 2 - "Mt. McKinley"






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Michael Jones - Seascapes

[Resurgence]

Positive News:



Modern-day Noah rescues dozens of animals from Hurricane Florence







Tony Alsup has spent the last week in a school bus, rescuing dozens of dogs and cats left in the path of the deadly storm.

The bus, emptied seats, and with “EMERGENCY ANIMAL RESCUE SHELTER” emblazoned on its side, has been responsible for saving the lives of 53 dogs and 11 cats from South Carolina animal shelters threatened by Hurricane Florence.

“I’m like, look, these are lives too,” the 51-year-old Greenback, Tennessee trucker told the Washington Post. “Animals  — especially shelter pets — they always have to take the back seat of the bus. But I’ll give them their own bus. If I have to I’ll pay for all the fuel, or even a boat, to get these dogs out of there.”

While most of the pets have been transported to shelters with room to house them, many have already begun to be adopted, with some users even requesting to know where the ones Alsup is rescuing specifically would be available. All in all, he has not only saved their lives, but is instrumental in offering many of these would-be companions new ones.

Alsup’s mission is ongoing. Today, his goal is to make it through the flooding to Wilmington, N.C. There are animals in desperate need of a ride on Noah’s bus.



https://www.breitbart.com/big-government...-florence/



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The video below shows the construction of a working organ with reed pipes made from paper. This model is completely made of paper and cardboard, except for the transparent plastic used to view the internals of the pressure regulator.







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David Darling - Eight String Religion

[dueda]

Congrats, nice thread.

[Resurgence]

Congrats, nice thread.

Thank you for your support. I'm glad that you enjoy the thread.



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Fall Wallpapers:
























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The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 3 – "Ebony Sunset"







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Acoustic Alchemy – Turn The Stars On

[Resurgence]

Russian Dance:


Igor Moiseyev Ballet

"Summer"


Music by: S. Galperin, V. Zmykhov

Choreography by: I. Moiseyev


In his many arrangements of traditional Russian folk songs, Moiseyev reflects on different aspects of Russian national character. This dance, from the suite The Seasons, depicts the humor, mischief, romance and lyricism so often ascribed to the people of the countryside. The setting is a harvest festival and villagers of all ages have gathered to cheer on a young couple.







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The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 4 - "Winter Mist"







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Jim Chappell - Heartsong

[Resurgence]

Positive News:


Russian scientists discover bacteria that neutralizes nuclear waste


The unique bacteria, discovered in a nuclear waste storage site in Siberia, shows promise as a tool for the creation of a natural barrier to the spread of radionuclides.

Researchers from the Moscow-based Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Federal Research Center for Biotechnology have been able to isolate microorganisms which can be used to safeguard the surrounding environment from liquid radioactive waste.

Scientists made the discovery while conducting microbiological studies of the groundwater at the Seversky deep radiation burial site in Seversk, Tomsk region, Siberia, where liquid radioactive waste from the Siberian Chemical Combine, which supplies and reprocesses low enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, is stored.

Their research, recently published in Radioactive Waste, a Russian scientific journal, suggests that the bacteria is capable of converting radionuclide ions, including those found in uranium and plutonium, into sedentary forms, thereby preventing the spread of dangerous radiation into the surrounding environment. Through lab experimentation, the scientists were able to fine tune the conditions necessary for the bacteria to carry out its useful work.

The researchers say their findings are a first step in creation a biogeochemical barrier for radionuclides for use in deep burial sites containing liquid radioactive waste.



https://sputniknews.com/science/20181008...-bacteria/



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Julie Fowlis - A Ghaoil, Leig Dhachaigh Gum Mhathair Mi


Language: Scottish Gaelic


A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi
A ghràidh, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi
An tòir chrodh-laoigh a thàine mi.

Gur ann a-raoir a chuala mi
Mo ghaol a bhith ri buachailleachd
’S ged fhuair thu ’n iomall na buaile mi
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh mar fhuair thu mi.

’S mi dìreadh ris na gàrraidhean
’S a’ teàrnadh ris na fàirichean
Gun d’ thachair fleasgach bàigheil rium
’S cha d’ dh’ fheuch e bonn ga chàirdeis rium.

Ged bheireadh tu crodh agus caoraich dhomh
Ged bheireadh tu eachaibh air thaodaibh dhomh
Ged bheireadh tu sin agus daoine dhomh
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh mar fhuair thu mi.

Trodaidh m’ athair ’s mo mhàthair riut
Trodaidh mo chinneadh ’s mo chàirdean riut
Ach marbhaidh mo thriùir bhràithrean thu
Mura tèid mi dhachaigh mar thàine mi.

Gheall mo mhàthair gùn thoirt dhomh
Gheall i ribean a b’ ùire dhomh
Is gheall i breacan ùr thoirt dhomh
Ma thèid mi dhachaigh mar fhuair thu mi.



Love, Let Me Home To My Mother


Love, let me home to my mother
Darling, let me home to my mother
Love, let me home to my mother
I only came for the cattle.

It was only last night
That I heard that my love was herding
And though you found me at the perimeter of the cattle fold
Love, let me home as you found me.

I was clambering up the dykes
And descending the ridges
When a friendly lad met me
And he did not enforce his friendship on me.

Though you were to give me cattle and sheep
Though you were to give me tethered horses
Though you were to give me that and men
Love, let me home as you found me.

My mother and father will chastise you
My clan and my relatives will chastise you
But my three brothers will kill you
If I don’t return home as I came.

My mother promised me a gown
Decorated with the newest of ribbons
And she promised me a new plaid
If I return home the way you found me.










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Calum Graham - Waiting





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The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 5 – "Quiet Stream"

[Resurgence]

Positive News:


'Twisted' fibre optic light breakthrough could make the internet 100 times faster


A new development in fibre optics could make internet speeds up to 100 times faster – by detecting light that has been twisted into a spiral.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, can be used to easily upgrade existing networks and significantly boost efficiency, scientists say.

Fibre optic cables use pulses of light to transmit information, but currently information can only be stored through the colour of the light, and whether the wave is horizontal or vertical.

By twisting light into a spiral, engineers effectively create a third dimension for light to carry information: the level of orbital angular momentum, or spin.

“It’s like DNA, if you look at the double helix spiral,” said Min Gu from RMIT University. “The more you can use angular momentum the more information you can carry.”

Researchers in the US had previously created a fibre that could twist light, but Gu’s team is the first to create a reasonable-size detector that can read the information it holds.

Previous detectors were “the size of a dining table”, but the new detector is the width of a human hair.

Gu continued:

“We could produce the first chip that could detect this twisting and display it for mobile application.”

“New communications technologies are continually being tested in labs many years in advance of being commercialised. They require widespread acceptance from equipment manufacturers and network operators before they are ready for operational deployment.”



https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2...mes-faster



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Annbjørg Lien - Galadriel






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Ascanio Trombetti (1544-1590) - Diligam te, Domine (I love thee, O Lord – from Psalm 18)


Composed: 1575


Musicians: The Royal Wind Music -

Petri Arvo, Alana Blackburn, Stephanie Brandt, Ruth Dyson, Eva Gemeinhardt, Arwieke Glas, Hester Groenleer, Karin Hageneder, Marco Paulo Alves Magalhâes, María Martínez Ayerza, Belén Nieto Galán, Filipa Margarida da Silveira Pereira, Anna Stegmann.


Conducted By: Paul Leenhouts


Instruments: Renaissance Recorders


The video was recorded in April, 2010 at De Duif, Amsterdam.







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The Joy of Painting


Season 1, Episode 6 – "Winter Moon"