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(English, German below)
Deep in the woods of the Spitzberg, this abandoned concrete structure marks one of Tübingen’s most intriguing hidden places — the remains of the old zoo, closed back in 1919. A century later, nature has reclaimed the site: moss creeps over the crumbling walls, stones lie scattered on the forest floor, and bright graffiti adds a surreal contrast to the silence of the trees. Exploring this forgotten corner felt like stepping into the past, where every weathered surface whispers stories of an era long gone. A small adventure into history, wrapped in forest light and quiet decay.
(Deutsch)
Tief im Wald des Spitzbergs liegt dieses verlassene Betonrelikt — einer der spannendsten „Hidden Places“ Tübingens. Es sind die Überreste des alten Zoos, der bereits 1919 geschlossen wurde. Heute, rund 100 Jahre später, hat die Natur das Gelände zurückerobert: Moos bedeckt die bröckelnden Mauern, Steine liegen verstreut im Unterholz, und farbenfrohe Graffiti setzen einen fast surrealen Kontrast zur stillen Umgebung. Unser kleiner Ausflug dorthin fühlte sich an wie eine Reise in die Vergangenheit, bei der jede verwitterte Fläche Geschichten aus einer längst vergangenen Zeit erzäht
It was a snowy morning in Ogden, but the new artificial turf at Stewart Stadium was cleared off and the snow had no impact on the game whatsoever.
I liked the old turf better for action photograpy. Nothing like six inches of snow on the field, mud, grass flying from the cleats and player impact to give you a sense of action. It ain't the same.
Terry would just pester my MOM he was just so funny taking care of anything he saw she was going to do he would jump up and say oh MOTHER let me do it for you it was a riot
Another picture of the photoshoot "Alice in Real-land". Recreating "Alice in Wonderland" the way I see it in actual days!
Model: Ana Lorena Gonzalez
The perfect use for my alternative cube, since its size can easily be changed by shifting the rods, so it fits the icosahedron perfectly!
Verschandeltes Schloss Oberhofen mit Schlosskapelle ( Château - Castle ) in Oberhofen am Thunerseee im Berner Oberland im Kanton Bern in der Schweiz
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Hier frage ich mich warum so etwas erlaubt ist. Das Bild des Schloss ist zerstört.
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Schloss Oberhofen
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Das Schloss Oberhofen ist ein Schloss in der Gemeinde Oberhofen am T.hunersee im
Berner Oberland im Kanton Bern in der Schweiz.
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Es gehörte einst Walter IV. von E.schenbach, der 1308 zusammen mit weiteren
Verschwörern König Albrecht von H.absburg ermordete.
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Der Bergfried stammt aus dem 12. Jahrhundert, der Palas mit der K.apelle aus dem
15. Jahrhundert.
Im 14. Jahrhundert gelangte das Schloss an die H.absburger und wurde nach der
S.chlacht bei S.empach von bernischen Truppen besetzt.
Die Burg und die dazugehörende Herrschaft gingen zuerst an die Familie von
S.charnachtal und danach an andere bernische Patriziergeschlechter über.
1652 bis 1798 war das Schloss Sitz eines bernischen Landvogts und gelangte 1801
in P.rivatbesitz.
1954 wurde hier eine Z.weigstelle des H.istorischen M.useums B.ern eröffnet.
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( BeschriebSchlossOberhofen SchlossOberhofen KantonBern AlbumSchlösserKantonBern AlbumSchweizerSchlösserBurgenundRuinen SchlossBern SchlossKantonBern Berner
Oberland BernerOberland Schloss Castle Château Castello Kasteel 城 Замок Castillo Mittelalter Geschichte History Gebäude Building Archidektur Schweiz Suisse Switzerland
Svizzera Suissa Swiss Sveitsi Sviss スイス Zwitserland Sveits Szwajcaria Suíça Suiza )
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Thunersee
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Daten
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- Lage : Berner Oberland
- Fläche : 48,3 km²
- Inhalt : rund 6,5 km³
- maximale Tiefe : 217 m
- Zuflüsse : A.are, K.ander, L.ombach
- Abfluss : A.are
- Höhe : 558m
- Grössere Orte am Ufer : T.hun, S.piez, I.nterlaken
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Der Thunersee ist ein Alpensee im Berner Oberland am nördlichen Alpenrand im Kanton Bern
der Schweiz.
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Der See ist 17,5 km lang und max. 3,5 km breit. Seine F.läche beträgt 48,3 km² (er ist damit
der grösste ganz in einem Kanton Bern liegende See ), die maximale Tiefe 217 m.
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G.eographie und G.eschichte
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An seinem nördlichen A.usfluss, der A.are, liegt die namengebende S.tadt T.hun.
Nach der letzten E.iszeit bildete sich dort, wo heute zwei Seen liegen, der so genannte
Wendelsee. Durch A.blagerungen von G.eschiebe der verschiedenen B.ergbäche (vor allem
durch den L.ombach und die L.ütschine) bildete sich ungefähr in der M.itte des Sees eine
E.bene, das „B.ödeli“, auf der heute die G.emeinden I.nterlaken, M.atten und U.nterseen
liegen. Diese S.chwemmebene teilte den See in den Thuner- und den B.rienzersee.
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Bei Normalwasserstand liegt der Seespiegel auf 558m. Der Thunersee hat ein E.inzugsgebiet
von 2500 km². Bei längeren, starken N.iederschlägen kann er über die U.fer treten, da die
A.bflusskapazität der A.are nur beschränkt ist.
Diese wichtige Staufunktion des Thunersees erspart der tiefergelegen S.tadt B.ern
einige Ü.berschwemmungen, führt in T.hun hingegen hin und wieder zu Problemen.
Der maximale A.bfluss beträgt 345 m³ pro Sekunde, der mittlere A.bfluss liegt bei 110 m³/s.
Sein H.auptzufluss, die A.are, wird im S.üdosten vom 6 Meter höhergelegenen B.rienzersee
gespeist.
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I.ndustrie
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Von der F.ischerei im Thunersee leben mehrere B.erufsfischer. Im Jahr 2.0.0.1 betrug ihr
G.esamtertrag 53'048 Kilogramm.
Seit 1.8.3.5 gibt es auf dem See eine P.assagierschifffahrt. Heute betreibt die B.L.S A.G eine
F.lotte von zehn S.chiffen, darunter der h.istorische S.chaufelraddampfer B.lümlisalp sowie
von 2.0.0.1 bis 2.0.0.3 das weit über die R.egion hinaus bekannte D.rachenschiff (umgebautes
M.otorschiff S.tadt T.hun).
An den U.fern des Thunersees wird in den G.emeinden T.hun, S.piez, O.berhofen und
H.ilterfingen W.einbau betrieben. Weisse S.orten sind M üller - T.hurgau und C.hardonnay,
rote Sorten sind G.aranoir und P.inot N.oir. Das R.ebbaugebiet Thunersee besitzt seit dem
1. J.anuar 2.0.0.8 den gesetzlichen Status einer A.OC.
Die R.üstungsbetriebe des B.undes versenkten nach dem 2. W.eltkrieg rund 3000 T.onnen
M.unition und M.unitionsbestandteile im Thunersee, da dies als sicherer und günstiger
Entsorgungsweg galt. Zurzeit ( 2.0.0.7 ) läuft ein Untersuchungsprogramm, das die
V.erschmutzung des Sees durch den M.unitionsinhalt und die B.ergungsmöglichkeiten
abklärt.
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Mein persöhnlicher Bezug zum Thunersee :
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1.9.9.6 arbeitete ich eine S.ommersaison als L.ändter in T.hun
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1.9.9.7 - 2.0.0.7 arbeitete ich jeweils Teilzeit im S.ommer als M.atrose auf den M.otorschiffen
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- M.S N.iesen ( Nicht mehr in Betrieb )
- M.S O.berhofen ( 1.9.9.9 - 2.0.1.3 im H.olland )
- M.S S.piez ( Nicht mehr in Betrieb - Eine R.enovation ist vorgesehen )
- M.S S.tockhornn
- M.S N.iederhorn
- M.S B.eatus
- M.S J.ungfrau ( Verkehrt heute auf dem B.rienzersee )
- M.S B.ubenberg
- M.S S.tadt B.ern ( Zur Zeit nicht mehr in Betrieb )
- M.S S.tadt T.hun ( Auch während der Zeit als D.rachenschiff )
- M.S B.erner O.berland
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Seit ein paar Jahren gehe ich auch mehr oder weniger regelmässig S.egeln mit dem B.oot
meines O.nkels
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( BeschriebThunersee AlbumThunersee KantonBern Berner Oberland Berneroberland
Thunersee Alpensee See Lake Lac Sø Järvi Lago 湖 Schweiz Suisse Switzerland Svizzera
Suissa Swiss Sveitsi Sviss スイス Zwitserland Sveits Szwajcaria Suíça Suiza )
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Besuch der W.erks.tätte S.piez der B.L.S mit N.adia, M.ese und L.iliana am Samstag den 25. Mai 2013
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Mit dem Z.ug von Bern nach S.piez
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B.esuch der B.L.S W.erkstätten
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Zu F.uss nach F.aulens.ee und mit dem S.chiff M.S B.erner O.berland von F.aulens.ee nach T.hun und mit dem Z.ug wieder zurück nach Bern
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Hurni130525 KantonBern
E - Mail : chrigu.hurni@bluemail.ch
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Letzte Aktualisierung - Ergänzung des Textes : 270322
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NIF
Am 3. August 2017 eröffnete Prof. Rolf Henke, Luftfahrt-Vorstand des Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), gemeinsam mit Martin Dulig, Sächsischer Staatsminister für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Verkehr, das neue DLR-Institut für Softwaremethoden zur Produkt-Virtualisierung in Dresden. Das DLR widmet sich dort der Virtualisierung im Bereich Flugzeugbau.
Weitere Infos zum neuen DLR-Institut unter: www.dlr.de/dlr/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-23545/
Credits: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)
This photo is looking through the Mother of the Forest in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California's oldest state park and is located along the Redwood Loop Trail.
This bears an uncanny resemblance to a much older (~100 years? if you know the date, please let me know!) photo of Andrew P. Hill at the same tree:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060527080315im_/http://www.bigbasin.org/NewFiles/HillMotherofForest.jpg (as seen here)
Another one from the archives: this was taken with a 350K pixel Sony Mavica MVC-FD75 camera!
Teatro Sociale di Mantova
11 novembre 2017
DRIVE IN LIVE
Gianfranco D’Angelo
Enrico Beruschi
Margherita Fumero
Sergio Vastano
Tinì Cansino
Demo Mura
Elena Tavella: voce
Toni Casuscelli: piano
Massimo Scoca: basso
Eliano Chiappa: batteria
Emilio Foglio: chitarra
A Banking System for a Sustainable Growth in CEE
SPONSOR SESSION: UNICREDIT
10 years after the first European enlargement to CEE countries - coping also with one of the deepest financial and economic crises in our time - banking in CEE has gone through several changes. Building a more resilient financial system capable of supporting sustainable economic growth is currently one of the main shared targets of both public and private sector operating in CEE. Where we stand now in this regard? Are we moving in the right direction? What kind of role the banks need to play in order to support a sustainable economic growth? A few questions UniCredit’s sponsored panel will tried to answer.
Moderator
Carmelina Carluzzo
Deputy Head of CEE Strategic Analysis, UniCredit Bank Austria
Speakers
Luigi Lovaglio
President of the Management Board, CEO, Bank Pekao
Wilhelm Molterer
Vice-President and Governor, European Investment Bank
Beata Stelmach
Chief Executive Officer, Poland and Baltics, GE International SA
Boris Vujčić
Governor, Croatian National Bank
BV in der voestalpine, Linz, Oberösterreich, am 3.11.2010 mit Konzernbetriebsratsvorsitzenden Hans-Karl Schaller und PRO-GE Bundesvorsitzenden Rainer Wimmer.
Hundreds of runners got their pink on for the BAF in Pink Breast Cancer Awareness run Oct. 6. Thanks for supporting this great cause. HOOAH!!!
About the 401st:
The 401st Army field Support Brigade provides Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines, the tools and resources necessary to complete the mission. If they shoot, drive it, fly it, wear it, eat it or communicate with it, the 401st helps provide it. The brigade assists coalition partners with many of their logistical and sustainment needs. The brigade also handles the responsible disposition of equipment in Afghanistan to support evolving missions. We are the single link between Warfighters in the field, and working through Army Sustainment Command, we leverage Army Materiel Command’s worldwide Materiel Enterprise to develop, deliver, and sustain materiel to ensure a dominant joint force for the U.S. and our Allies.
For More information please visit us online:
An ancient city well studied in the arts of war.
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland.
Limerick grew rich through trade in the late 18th century, but the Act of Union in 1800 and the famine caused a crippling economic decline broken only by the recent economic boom known as the "Celtic Tiger".
Sadly the Republic of Ireland is going through a major economic crisis and based on what I saw during my visit I get the horrible feeling that Limerick is entering a new cycle of economic decline.
The city dates from at least the Viking settlement in 812. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral.
During the civil wars of the 17th century the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and twice by the Williamites in the 1690s. This turbulent period earned the city its motto: Urbs antiqua fuit studisque asperrima belli (An ancient city well studied in the arts of war).
Question:
Why do all the schoolgirls in the city wear such ugly looking full length uniform skirts?
An ancient city well studied in the arts of war.
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland.
Limerick grew rich through trade in the late 18th century, but the Act of Union in 1800 and the famine caused a crippling economic decline broken only by the recent economic boom known as the "Celtic Tiger".
Sadly the Republic of Ireland is going through a major economic crisis and based on what I saw during my visit I get the horrible feeling that Limerick is entering a new cycle of economic decline.
The city dates from at least the Viking settlement in 812. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral.
During the civil wars of the 17th century the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and twice by the Williamites in the 1690s. This turbulent period earned the city its motto: Urbs antiqua fuit studisque asperrima belli (An ancient city well studied in the arts of war).
Question:
Why do all the schoolgirls in the city wear such ugly looking full length uniform skirts?
Enrico Berlinguer.
La morte a Padova
Dopo una legislatura da parlamentare europeo (eletto nel 1979 per le liste del PCI), in vista delle successive elezioni del 1984 Berlinguer si recò a Padova il 7 giugno, sul palco di Piazza della Frutta, dove svolse un comizio. Mentre si apprestava a pronunciare la frase "Compagni, lavorate tutti, casa per casa, strada per strada, azienda per azienda" venne colpito da un ictus. Si accasciò in diretta televisiva, terreo in volto e tuttavia, palesemente provato dal malore, continuò il discorso fino alla fine[46][47], nonostante anche la folla, dopo i cori di sostegno, urlasse: "Basta Enrico!". Alla fine del comizio rientrò in albergo dove si addormentò sul letto della sua stanza, entrando subito in coma. Dopo il consulto con un medico, venne trasportato all'ospedale Giustinianeo e ricoverato in condizioni drammatiche. Morì l'11 giugno, a causa di un'emorragia cerebrale. Il comunicato del sovrintendente sanitario affermò che il politico sardo era venuto a morire alle 12:45.Il Presidente della Repubblica Sandro Pertini, che si trovava già a Padova per ragioni di Stato, si recò in ospedale per constatare le condizioni di Berlinguer. Fece in tempo a entrare in stanza per vederlo e baciarlo sulla fronte. Poche ore dopo il decesso, si impose per trasportare la salma sull'aereo presidenziale, citando la frase: "Lo porto via come un amico fraterno, come un figlio, come un compagno di lotta". Commovente fu il suo saluto al funerale (13 giugno), al quale partecipò circa un milione di persone[48], dove si chinò con la testa sopra la bara, baciandola tra gli applausi dei presenti.[49] Sonori fischi, che ricambiavano quelli subiti da Berlinguer al congresso socialista, si levarono quando Nilde Iotti citò il presidente del consiglio Craxi.
Il corteo con la bara, accompagnato dalla musica dell'Adagio in sol minore di Remo Giazotto sfilò dalla sede del PCI, in via delle Botteghe Oscure, a piazza San Giovanni[50], rendendo così palese l'ammirazione che una larga parte dell'opinione pubblica italiana aveva nei suoi confronti. Persino il segretario del MSI Giorgio Almirante si recò a rendere omaggio al feretro dell'avversario, suscitando lo stupore della folla in coda per entrare nella camera ardente[51]. A ricevere Almirante fu Giancarlo Pajetta, al quale venne dato l'incarico di pronunciare l'orazione funebre di Berlinguer.
Il giorno delle elezioni europee, il 17 giugno 1984 il PCI, nonostante la scomparsa di Berlinguer, decise di lasciare il suo segretario capolista e chiese di votarlo in modo plebiscitario. Le elezioni, forse anche per gli eventi precedenti, decretarono la vittoria del PCI che, per la prima e unica volta nella storia, sorpassò seppur di poco la DC, affermandosi come primo partito italiano (33,3% contro il 33,0%): questo "sorpasso" è ricordato come dovuto all'"effetto Berlinguer". Precedentemente, con Berlinguer, il PCI nel 1976 aveva toccato il massimo storico dei suoi voti, col 34,4%.
Per decisione della famiglia, seguendo la volontà che avrebbe espresso alla moglie, Berlinguer è stato sepolto a Roma nel Cimitero di Prima Porta, nonostante il Partito desiderasse che fosse tumulato al Cimitero del Verano, nel Mausoleo dove riposano i grandi dirigenti comunisti Palmiro Togliatti, Giuseppe Di Vittorio, Luigi Longo, e dove nel 1999 fu sepolta anche Nilde Iotti.
Soprannominato subito "il più amato" (a differenza di Palmiro Togliatti che era "il migliore"), Berlinguer fu seguito alla guida del PCI da Alessandro Natta; il suo posto alla Camera dei Deputati fu preso dal sindaco di Marino, Lorenzo Ciocci.
Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera;
Foto By Wikypedia;
Raccolta Foto de Alvariis
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
(Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park), Jakarta, Indonesia.
North Sumatra Province Pavilion. The picture is the replica of rumah adat or the traditional vernacular house of the Nias people, a unique tribe living on Nias island and the adjacent islets and reef off Sumatra. The boat-shape rumah adat is called Omo Hada. The materials used to built the house are forest products and thatched palm leaves for roofing. Its houses were erected on stilts and are notable for their distinctive steeply pitched roofs and skylights, many of which face a central plaza. The buildings at Omo Hada offer a glimpse into traditional building techniques in this region of Indonesia. These lasting construction techniques have allowed the buildings to survive the assault of the elements and seismic activity. In fact, the buildings are so inherently stable that when an earthquake of a 7.9 magnitude hit in 2007, carpenters working on restorations continued work on the roof barely noticing the tremors.
Note: The massive Omo Hada called omo sebua (meaning big house) was once the residence of king of Tano Niha. The house was built on massive ironwood pillars with towering roofs. Not only are they almost impregnable to attack in former tribal warfare, but flexible nail-less construction provide proven earthquake durability.
Ref. and suggested reading:
min.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suku_Nias
budayaniasku.blogspot.com/p/asal-usul-suku-nias.html
sugionosejarah.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/suku-nias/
alvianhia.blogspot.com/2012/06/house-of-traditional-nias-...
The Thing from Another World 1951
Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!
—Ned “Scotty” Scott
www.popscreen.com/v/7aMWr/The-Thing-from-Another-World Full Feature
www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer
This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.
Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.
Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013
There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.
Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.
There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.
The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...
The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.
Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:
As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.
This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)
As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.
All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):
The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."
Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)
Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)
In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing
and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.
Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.
Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.
Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.
Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.
Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.
A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.
"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”
Acting Credits
Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson
Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey
Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington
Dewey Martin - Crew Chief
Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott
Eduard Franz - Dr Stern
Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson
William Self - Colonel Barnes
Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman
John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman
James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes
Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz
William Neff - Olson
Allan Ray - Officer
Lee Tung Foo - Cook
Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose
George Fenneman - Dr. Redding
Tom Steele - Stuntman
James Arness - The Thing
Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking
2 Clarinets: Moritz Roelcke & Caroline Interbitzen, Concert in Seillans
Musique Cordiale International Festival 2012
The Peppermint Stick Insect (Megacrania batesii) has a very small and patchy distribution along some beach areas in Cape Tribulation, Etty Bay and Mission Beach. They range in colour from bright green to turquoise and they feed only on a few species of Pandanus plants and these spikey-leaved palms also provide some shelter from predators. The Peppermint Stick Insect spends all its time on the Pandanus, feeding, sheltering, mating and laying its eggs on the leaves where they roll down to the tight-fitting leaf axil to 'incubate'. Why is it called the Peppermint Stick Insect? As a defense mechanism, it sprays an irritating fluid at any predators (which include curious tourists) and this fluid smells like peppermint. This is a strenuous act for the frightened stick insect so if you are lucky enough to find one in your travels through the Wet Tropics, please don't try to touch it.
Tour operators, especially at Cape Tribulation, have been observed pulling back leaves and poking the insect to provoke a minty reaction. Nature lovers say this stresses the insect and damages the pandanus.
Most species of stick insects live in the trees, feed on the leaves and look just like a branch. The easiest way to pinpoint one is to look for a branch that seems out of alignment to the other branches or a branch that appears to be attached to the outside edges of leaves.
The female's body is much larger than the male's and both have wings - but the males' wings are larger. Females don't travel around much and emit a hormonal perfume (called a pheromone) to attract the males to them for breeding. The males have larger wings to enable them to fly longer distances in search of females.
Although the stick insects are well camouflaged to aid their invisibility to predators such as birds, their wings provide a backup defence system. Normally, their wings fold up very neatly along the body but the stick insect can spring the wings out suddenly. The colours of stick insect wings can be vivid colours which can startle a potential predator momentarily - just long enough to enable the stick insect to fly away.
The saddes labradore in the world. When you've got an itch... know when to STOP scratching it!
The poor boy was bumping into walls. He was so disoriented.
One late late night I got up for a nature call and found him standing with his head stuck against the wall. Who knows how long he had been standing there.
We're so glad it is over!
In 2019, ESCP Europe is celebrating its 200th year. For two centuries, our School has been making history by upholding its standards of excellence.
On 26th November 2019, the School closed its Bicentenary festivities with a prestigious celebration at the Atelier des Lumières with 900 members of our community. For a year, on every campus and on every continent, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of a community built under the seal of excellence.
Participants introducing themselves. The workshop objective was to engage with regional crop improvement institutions to Identify potential improvement scenarios and begin to incorporate them into models and Build a community of breeders and modelers alike to work together over the coming 3 years in the development of climate-smart breeding strategies. Photo: L. Dejene (ILRI).
Read more about this workshop in the related CCAFS Blog post "Mitigating change in climate relations: breeders and modelers of Africa unite for climate-smart crops"
Want to prove your driving skills in a Toyota GT86? Then we would like to offer you the perfect opportunity...
With the launch of the Toyota GT86 well under way, we've discovered a brand new sport that will give you the chance to race our new car against the clock.
Called Drift Sprint, we developed the challenge with the help of "Drift King" Keiichi Tsuchiya, who joined us earlier this year to approve the course on which you will compete.
Our track has also been fine tuned with help from Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe and Top Gear Magazine's Ollie Marriage -- both highly capable drivers.
As our pictures show, the idea is simple. Racing against clock, you'll need a combination of car control and raw speed to complete the course as quickly as you can.
For details of how to register for the event, visit the Toyota UK Blog and watch the video.