Latest news with #Sunlight
04-07-2025
- General
The Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas at Tōdaiji, Nara
These two images of the Bodhisattva of Sunlight (Nikkō/Suryaprabha) and Moonlight (Gekkō/Candraprabha) from Nara's Tōdaiji temple form a representative masterpiece of figurative sculpture made using the sozō technique from the Tenpyō era (729–49). The sozō technique refers to sculptures formed by building up layers of clay. First, a wooden core is constructed. Straw rope is wound around this inner framework, and clay is then applied in multiple layers. The form is shaped with a spatula, and the surface finished with a fine-grained clay. This method was brought to Japan from the continent around the seventh century, and flourished during the Nara period (710–94) before giving way to wooden sculpture in the Heian period (794–1185). These images are considered to rank among the finest Buddhist sculptures of the Tenpyō era, alongside other sozō works such as the shūkon gōshin statue of a guardian deity, also at Tōdaiji. The images stand with their hands joined gracefully in prayer before the chest. They were relocated to the Tōdaiji Museum when it opened in 2011; before that, they stood on either side of Fukū Kensaku Kannon, the main image in the Lotus Hall at Tōdaiji. The long, narrow eyes of the main image and its two flanking bodhisattvas are strikingly similar, suggesting they were the work of the same sculptor or workshop. Although the two images look similar at first glance, there are subtle differences between them. The robes of the Sunlight Bodhisattva are marked with numerous flowing lines, their wave-like patterns expressed with varying intensity, evoking a sense of strength and vitality. In contrast, the Moonlight Bodhisattva's robe has fewer folds, creating an impression of calm serenity. The contrast between movement and stillness is skillfully rendered, revealing the artistry and skill of the Buddhist sculptor who made the images. When the images were originally created, their entire surfaces would have been painted in vivid colors. Today, much of that color has worn away, revealing a translucent whiteness that enhances their pure, unadorned beauty. Standing images traditionally said to represent the Sunlight (left) and Moonlight Bodhisattvas. (© Muda Tomohiro) Bodhisattvas are figures still engaged in their spiritual training toward enlightenment, and are typically depicted barefoot. However, the fact that both these images wear shoes has given rise to a persuasive theory that they do not represent bodhisattvas at all but the deities Bonten (Brahma) and Taishakuten (Indra). The Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas are typically attendant figures to Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaiṣajyaguru), the Medicine Buddha. For Kannon Bodhisattva (Avalokiteshvara), Bonten and Taishakuten make more appropriate companions. Since another pair of images of Bonten and Taishakuten (designated National Treasures) also stood in the Lotus Hall at Tōdaiji, it may be that these two became known as the Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas to avoid confusion. Moonlight (left) and Sunlight Bodhisattvas. (© Muda Tomohiro) Photographer Muda Tomohiro remembers the distinctive atmosphere when the two images still stood in the Lotus Hall at Tōdaiji: 'There were more than ten images crowding this dim hall, with the main image of Fukū Kensaku Kannon in the center. It was overwhelming, like stepping into another world. The main image, resplendent with gold leaf over a black base, was an image of majesty and gravitas, flanked by these two bodhisattvas in pure white, a silent presence like beams of light illuminating the universe.' Though strongly influenced by Buddhist sculpture brought from Tang China by court emissaries, the expressions of these two images possess an individuality and strength that goes beyond mere imitation. It's easy to understand why the critic Kamei Katsuichirō praised them so highly in his collection of essays on temples around Nara, Yamato Koji Fūbutsu-shi (Scenes from Ancient Temples of Yamato), where he wrote that 'the beauty of their gesture of prayer is unmatched.' Standing image traditionally believed to represent the Sunlight Bodhisattva. (© Muda Tomohiro) Standing image traditionally believed to represent the Moonlight Bodhisattva. (© Muda Tomohiro) Standing Images Traditionally Believed to Represent the Sunlight Bodhisattva and the Moonlight Bodhisattva Height: 2.063 meters (Sunlight Bodhisattva), 2.068 meters (Moonlight Bodhisattva) Date: Tenpyō era (Nara Period); 729–49 Tōdaiji (Nara Prefecture) National treasures (Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Figures of the Moonlight (left) and Sunlight Bodhisattvas. © Muda Tomohiro.)
News.com.au
18-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
$1.4m boom colt Central Coast salutes as $3m baby Ernaux falls at Canterbury
High-priced colt Central Coast, the son of former Group 1 gun Sunlight, gave odds-on backers a few nervous moments before Chris Waller's $1.4m baby showed a glimpse of his promise to breakthrough at Canterbury on Wednesday. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Waller camp as $3m stablemate Ernaux went under at the same venue less than an hour later. Waller's $4.4m duo ensured there was plenty of interest at an otherwise regulation midweek metropolitan meeting. Central Coast didn't disappoint despite needing some luck to get on the board at start two in the Myplates Maiden Handicap (1250m). After being narrowly beaten as a $1.65 favourite on debut last week, Central Coast was sent out as a $1.40 elect and caught on heels throughout much of the two-year-old event. Jockey Adam Hyeronimus was able to get into the clear when it counted as Central Coast surged clear late to score from a trio of stablemates, led by Crossbow ($19). 'We are very pleased with that,' Waller's assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said. 'It was a bit of a nervous watch really. He was very keen down the back which I didn't anticipate to be honest. 'He is a beautiful and calm but he did he get up on the bridle for him and Adam (Hyeronimus) did just have to bide his time in the straight. 'He was very good late.' Regally bred Central Coast gets the job done at Canterbury, and that's the First 4 to @cwallerracing after he trained the Quinella in Race 1 at Doomben as well! ðŸ'° @aus_turf_club @coolmorestud — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 18, 2025 Central Coast is the second foal out of three-time Group 1-winning mare Sunlight, which sold for $4.2m as a broodmare prospect in 2020. Her first foal is Listed winning colt Dawn Service. Duckworth indicated Central Coast could possibly head towards the Listed $160,000 Tattersall's Stakes (1400m) in 10 days time at Eagle Farm or go for a break to begin preparing for his three-year-old season. Adam Hyeronimus rides the first two winners at Canterbury, with Kakadu Sunset winning on debut! ðŸ'° @GaiWaterhouse1 @aus_turf_club — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 18, 2025 Two-year-old filly Ernaux failed to replicate her fellow big-money buy's performance in the Ranvet Maiden Handicap (1250m). Ernaux ($2.70 favourite), a daughter of I Am Invincible out of Booker, sat outside the lead and briefly hit the front before fading late to finish third behind Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained duo Kakadu Sunset ($10) and Avenue Montaigne ($4.20).
Otago Daily Times
05-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
New life for British youths
Young British men gather with New Zealand high commissioner Sir James Allen (centre) at Waterloo Station, London before their emigration to New Zealand. — Otago Witness, 2.6.1925 Some 320 assisted settlers are travelling to New Zealand by the SS James Allen was among those who saw them off at Waterloo Station. Thirty boys selected under the terms of the Sheepowners' Fund, fifty boys under the auspices of the Salvation Army, and thirty-six domestic servants are included in the number. The High Commissioner spoke to a good many of the boy settlers and wished them every success in their new home. Numbers of high officials of the Salvation Army were on the platform to give an official farewell to their section of the young travellers. Before the train left the platform there were many hearty cheers. Greyhounds chase live hares The June meeting of the Dunedin Coursing Club was commenced at Forbury Park yesterday afternoon, the coursing being witnessed by a fair number of those interested in the sport. The plumton was in good order, and the hares ran well. Very few kills were recorded; the game, in almost all cases, being given plenty of grace before the dogs were slipped. Among the dogs competing were several from Canterbury and Southland. The judge was Mr R. Prebble, Mr J. Ronald acting as slipper. Two rounds of the Boyle Memorial Stake were run off. Relief funds strong to save The executive of the Shipwreck Relief Society of New Zealand, in its annual report, state that the past year was free from any shipping disaster involving loss of life. During the year the sum of £20 1 shilling was expended in relief for the crew of the launch Sunlight, and £230 in relief to the crew of the steamer Ngahere, wrecked at Greymouth. To the Union Steam Ship Co the executive is again deeply indebted for its handsome contribution to the funds during the year, the sum of £206 11s 4d having been received from entertainments hold on board the company's steamers. The causes of crime Is it possible to find any root cause of crime that can be dealt with practically? The investigation undertaken by Professor W.S. Athearn, Dean of the Boston University School of Religious Education and Social Service concluded that the cause of crime is the failure of society to teach virtue, and that the crime wave will last until society builds a system of moral and religious schools to match the public schools of the land. The implied suggestion is that the churches have too long devoted almost all their resources to preaching to the mature, and that the time has come when they must accept as their primary work the teaching of the young. Obviously the more they can agree to work in unison the more effective will their work be. A survey of the facts of juvenile crime and of the provision of moral teaching in the dominion would provide a fitting basis for drawing attention to the urgency of the problem and to the need of some whole-hearted effort to abolish the spiritual illiteracy of the child which, according to Dr Athearn, is at the basis of all crime and moral delinquency. — editorial — ODT, 6.6.1925 Compiled by Peter Dowden
New York Times
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Sunlight' Review: A Man Wakes Up in a Camper, Monkey at the Wheel
When it comes to monkey costumes, you can keep your 'Better Man' biopic C.G.I. Nina Conti's 'Sunlight' brings its own bizarro, handmade appeal: A gnarly love story that starts with a guy waking up in an RV driven by a simian-suited stranger. It's a movie within the indie subgenre of comic encounters between lost outsiders, but powered by its own fringe logic of attraction and rebellion. The stranger in the toylike disguise turns out to be a woman (Conti) fleeing her manipulative stepfather, who took over her mother's motel. That's where she found Roy (Shenoah Allen) after a failed suicide attempt in his room. Her name, we eventually learn, is Jane. The RV actually belongs to Roy, a mild-mannered radio host burdened by a hectoring mom and tough memories of his deceased father. Not exactly a meet-cute, but their cracked road trip never loses its warmth under the New Mexico sun. The big question looms: Just who is Jane, and why the blank-eyed monkey suit? But we also wonder how Roy got to his wit's end. 'Sunlight' essentially follows two people helping each other extract and preserve what's left of their sanity and will to live. Conti bases Jane's furry alter-ego on her monkey ventriloquist act, part of her career in British TV and theater. A little of 'Sunlight,' which she directs and co-wrote with Allen, goes a long way. But there's still something to seeing a performer go for broke, purging a character's shame and despair through a screwy, confessional sense of humor. SunlightNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. In theaters.
Scroll.in
20-05-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
A new book examines how Unilever used single-use plastic sachets to boost sales
Consumer goods companies in the West had occasionally used sachets to entice consumers to try new shampoos and laundry detergents. But it was in emerging markets like India that companies realised the full potential of the plastic sachet. As a mainstream, everyday package, the sachet unlocked enormous multi-billion-dollar markets that had long been out of reach, promising a rush of new growth, courtesy of some of the world's poorest people, just as sales in developed markets started to slow. Indian shopkeepers had long found their own ways to make products like soap and laundry detergent affordable for the hundreds of millions of Indians – particularly in the country's villages – who couldn't afford a full bar or bag. They opened up 1kg bags of washing detergent powder and sold 100 grams at a time for 1 rupee, dispensed into people's own containers. They cut bars of soap into smaller pieces, selling these individually. By the late 1980s, Unilever's India subsidiary – Hindustan Lever – had begun packaging its shampoo brands Sunsilk and Clinic in sachets that held just enough for a single wash. 'There was a realisation in Unilever decades ago that people on daily wages also have the same aspiration as people on monthly wages,' says Vindi Banga, former chairman of Hindustan Lever. 'That is the genesis of the single-use pack.' Unilever had been selling its products in India since 1888, when crates prominently printed with the words 'Made in England' landed at Calcutta's harbour. The crates carried Sunlight soap. More products followed and, by 1931, Unilever had set up its first Indian subsidiary, making vanaspati, a low-cost substitute for ghee. Over the years, Hindustan Lever's in-house army of psychologists and market researchers had worked to more fully understand the motivations fuelling the Indian housewives who were its main customers. They visited the women's homes and brought groups of them together for tea, spending a long time getting them to relax so they'd talk freely. Among the valuable insights this time-consuming method of market research yielded was that the company's relatively pricey soaps were often bought by poor women. 'It is not necessarily the rich woman who buys Sunlight,' explained Hindustan Lever's chairman SH Turner at the company's annual shareholder meeting in 1958. 'It may be the poor woman who values its lather and the ease with which she can do her washing with it; the rich woman whose washing is done for her by servants often feels that they are so wasteful to [sic] soap anyway that it is best to buy for them the cheapest brand on the market.' Hindustan Lever's researchers also found that there was little knowledge of the company's brands, particularly in rural India. Farmers spent the most on food, tube wells, fertilisers, seeds and farming equipment. Weddings were a high priority too – these needed to be opulent in order to raise the family's standing. Next came consumer durables like bicycles, sewing machines and radios. At the very bottom were the kind of packaged goods Hindustan Lever sold, like soap and vanaspati. To convince Indians they needed products they had long done without – like liquid shampoo and powdered laundry detergent – Hindustan Lever deployed its multi-million-dollar marketing machine. 'All consumer goods manufacturers must spend a lot of money on advertising – particularly in India,' said Turner in his 1958 speech. Advertising, he explained, 'may often be required to introduce the product as one which is a necessary part of a higher standard of living'. Decades later, in 2014, Unilever's Southeast Asia head would once again describe the industry's approach to demand creation, outlining for investors how Unilever was creating a market for dishwashing soap. 'You can actually clean dishes with ash and salt. It works,' he said. 'But my task is to convince consumers that there is a better, more hygienic, faster, less residual solution. You need to convince consumers that their proxy is not good enough anymore.' To create new markets in rural India, Unilever employed a totally different model to the one it relied on in the West. Back in the 1960s, most Indian villages were 'media dark'. Hardly anyone had a TV and most people were illiterate. Hindustan Lever found ways to advertise to them anyway. It had a fleet of 12 vans that drove around villages showing Bollywood and local language films, either on TVs played from the backs of the vans or on roll-down screens. People happily sat through dozens of Hindustan Lever advertisements in exchange for the entertainment. Another seven vans drove around doing demonstrations: Hindustan Lever's marketers showed people how to use its soaps and detergents by physically washing clothes and half-clothed bodies in public. They performed skits and puppet shows. They travelled around the country painting advertisements for Unilever's brands on the walls of village compounds. Operating and maintaining the vans across enormous distances on bumpy rural roads was expensive. The cost of marketing to each viewer of Unilever's rural cinemas was 25 paise, a whopping 125 times higher than the 0.2 paise it cost to similarly reach an urban consumer. The efforts didn't justify the paltry sales of low-cost soaps and cooking oil they drummed up. But Unilever stayed the course. Its polling showed that once workers received regular pay, their interest in buying packaged food and soap rose. Unilever's executives saw the potential to turn millions of Indians into consumers by stirring what the company claimed were their nascent desires. The key to making money from low-priced (and hence inevitably low-margin) products was driving enormous sales volumes – selling billions upon billions of products. 'Economies come largely from mass production and mass selling of standardised lines,' Turner told Hindustan Lever's shareholders in his 1958 speech. 'We must have products which are acceptable alike to the rich and the poor.' The single-use multilayer plastic sachet, which Unilever would only successfully roll out some three decades later, enabled the kind of mass selling that Turner knew was needed to turn a fat profit in a poor country. Sachets would become Unilever's primary way to level the playing field in India, offering the same products to rich and poor. In time, they'd catch on widely, with thousands of different consumer goods brands opting to use the tiny plastic packs. 'In India, everything is sold single. You can buy one banana, one cigarette, one egg and – whether it's pickle, hair oil or salt – you can buy it in a sachet form,' says Anand Kripalu, who worked at Unilever for more than two decades before leaving in 2005 to become Cadbury's south Asia head. 'The best example of how sachets exploded a category is shampoo,' he adds. 'They put shampoo within reach of hundreds of millions of people overnight.'
