www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2010/05/14/what-a-country-...

Well, it's Friday afternoon and I'm feeling downright sassy. I got me another new job this week selling Internet satellite equipment for a huge company. That's three jobs I am currently holding. Between the two of us taking on extra work while still putting in full time at our current employer, we have nearly replaced all of the money which has disappeared when churches suddenly decided that we are no longer the flavour of the month or we are getting too old. Hah! We're just getting rolling. Eunie was elected Director (that's as high as you can get) of our organisation here in PNG. Does that sound like someone who is ready to "come hone" and sit around waiting to die?

Only one small issue remains - sleep.

However, that's not what I'm here to talk about. And neither is this: That was sunrise at my  house this morning. Sorry if it is a bit in your face.  I am hoping to get the cover of Our Way  for that one.

What I am here to talk about is a situation that is so fraught with absurdity, irony, comedy and perfidy that it should be in some kind of record book for Things Which Ought Not To Happen In A Reasonably Governed Nation.

Let me illustrate: I'll attempt to explain as best I can. I am not conversant with the facts in this case. I am only presenting the logical conclusions of a reasonably disinterested observer. If I get it wrong, somebody can scream and shout an jump up and down about it. The fact is that somebody owed the people an explanation. I'm prepared to listen to it. Let's dispense with the facts for the moment and simply deal with the appearance.

The pole belongs to PNG Power, a government  owned monopoly. The big satellite dish in the background is owned by TELIKOM, the government  owned communications momopoly (well, it was  a monopoly - read on). Got that so far? It's all government  owned stuff here. Okay, sometime ago Digicel, a cell phone peddler, came in somehow, nobody is quite sure how, and kicked the snot out of TELIKOM (remember, the big satellite dish) for the mobile communications business. At first everybody whooped and hollered, "Competition! We're saved!", but it soon developed that nefarious powers colluded and prices for mobile communications did not come down anywhere near world standards. The two competitors simply met somewhere in the middle. We're now paying only ten times the world market price for everything that communicates instead of one hundred. I suppose we should be grateful.

Stay with me, now. I'll get to the point, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have, you are already laughing.

So, My Question IS: What is a Digicel advertisement doing on a PNG Power pole outside the TELIKOM main exchange? Hey, if it were just one, I'd say that it's a very clever joke and immediately purchase the jester a beer at the Madang Club, if I were a member. But it's all over town!

At first the poles were simply painted red and everybody was scratching their heads and complaining that it ruins the look of Madang. Now Digicel has turned our entire town into one giant advertisement. That's really crappy and I don't like it one bit!  Digicel, you don't own Madang! SHAME ON DIGICEL!

What's more is the big  question of how does Digicel get the rights to place their ads on government owned property. Remember, that's the same government (I think. Nobody is really sure right now.) which owns TELIKOM, Digicel's only competitor. Exactly how did this occur? Whose money was exchanged for what rights and how was it approved? Certainly nobody consulted the citizens of Madang. How does it benefit anybody in Madang. How does it even benefit Digicel? I'm ready to throw my Digicel handset into the rubbish tip. Would any other residents like to join me? We could make a big pile of them and burn them in protest.

I haven't talked to anybody who's happy about this. I just heard a comment about what Digicel is doing along Coronation Drive, the place where many of the beautiful photos in Madang - Ples Bilong Mi  originate. Look at this monstrosity: Disgusting!

If Airlines PNG (a private company) is really smart they will now get Air Niugini (a government near-monopoly) to allow them to paint, "Fly Airlines PNG" on the sides of the Bird of Paradise fleet of Air Niugini.

Okay, that's enough rage for a Friday afternoon. Look at this incredibly warty tree: Did you ever see so many warts on a tree. I wonder what causes it.

Have a gander at this splendid crab: It's dead, I'm afraid. When I first started taking its picture I thought it was alive. Alas, not so. I placed it on this leather coral to see if I could fake a live crab. It reminds me of the Dead Parrot shtick  from Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue... What's, uh... What's wrong with it?

Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, me lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

Owner: No, no, 'e's uh, ... he's resting.

Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Owner: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, aidn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!

Mr. Praline: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.

Owner: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!

I swear: the above crab is resting. Permanently.

First Fish: Morning.

Second Fish: Morning.

Third Fish: Morning.

Fourth Fish: Morning.

Third Fish: Morning.

First Fish: Morning.

Second Fish: Morning.

Fourth Fish: What's new?

First Fish: Not much.

Fifth and Sixth Fish: Morning.

The Others: Morning, morning, morning.

First Fish: Frank was just asking what's new.

Fifth Fish: Was he?

First Fish: Yeah. Uh huh...

- Monty Python's Meaning of Life

Blogged.

Set: Food & dining

"CHIditarod is Chicago's Epic Urban shopping cart race, charity food drive, costumed beauty pageant, talent show, fundraiser and chaos generator all in one. And probably the world's largest mobile food drive, benefitting the Greater Chicago Food Depository."

Another great year of racing and pageantry! The weather held out long enough for racers to complete their course - another heavy snow dumping was to come in a few short hours. I enjoyed walking the 10 miles to observe the craziness of the event. Here are a few pictures from the race. Pictures are posted here for the personal use of the contestants. Any commercial use is strictly forbidden without my prior consent. Enjoy!

Another crew from the shopping cart themed Monty Python's Holy Grail. Sir Robin perhaps?

inspired by monty python's lumberjack song

The most obvious characteristic of the black-headed python is its black head and neck. This species of python is a long slender snake patterned with dark bands. Black-headed pythons have been known to grow up to 2.5 metres in length, with females tending to grow larger than males.

Habitat

Black-headed pythons inhabit northern Australia, from central Queensland to the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They can be found living in rocky outcrops, along water courses, in hollow logs and down burrows. During warmer weather, this species is nocturnal. During the cooler months the black-headed python is dominantly diurnal.

Diet

A black-headed python's diet consist of small mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs. Pythons wind their body coils around their prey, constricting and slowly suffocating their prey. Constriction causes the chest cavity to lapse, it then deflates the lungs and compresses the heart.

Breeding

Before breeding, males occasionally engage in combat displays, and may bite one another. Like other pythons, the females are egg layers and stay coiled around their eggs for two to three months until they hatch. Once hatched, the newborn mature slowly, taking four to five years to reach sexual maturity.

Python / Python sebae

Shot at the reptile farm near Kartong/Bambia. The shots of the snakes are not spectacular, as pictures. I put them here on flickr because these snakes are so impressive, at least to me.

The Pythons in Karton were kept in a "small house" wich could be entered. So did we. In front of us we saw three big ones. The largest apr. 6 meter. We were told that they would not attack: they look at the size of their prey; when to big they don't do anything... While taking position to capture the one on the photo I heard sissling next to my knee... hmm time to say goodbey to the python's. Outside I had a closer look through one of the windows, there were 5 guys crawling round.

From wikipedia:

This is one of the world's largest species of snakes,with adults reaching lengths of over 6 m (20 ft). The typical adult length is 4.8 m (16 ft) and rumors of specimens over 6 m (20 ft) are generally considered reliable, but larger specimens have never been confirmed.

Southern African Python (Python sebae natalensis)

The color pattern is typically brown, with olive and tan irregular blotching, fading to white on the underside. At a glance, they can be easily mistaken for the Burmese python, P. m. bivittatus, but the two species are not closely related.

Africa’s largest snake (3) (4), the African rock python (Python sebae) has a long, stout body, patterned with blotches that vary in colour between brown, olive, chestnut and buffy yellow, often joining up in a broad, irregular stripe. The triangular head has many sharp, backwardly curved teeth and is marked on top with a dark brown “spear-head” outlined in buffy yellow. Under the eye is a distinctive triangular marking, known as a subocular mark. Like all pythons, the scales of the African rock python are small and smooth, and those around the lips possess heat-sensitive pits, which are used to detect warm-blooded prey, even in the dark. Pythons also possess two functioning lungs, unlike more ‘advanced’ snakes which have only one, and also have small, visible pelvic ‘spurs’, believed to be the vestiges of hind limbs.

INCLUDES:

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (40th Anniversary Edition):

"Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this year?"

Year Released: 1975

"The wønderful telephøne system"

Studio: Sony (Columbia)

"Including the majestik møøse"

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

"A møøse once bit my sister..."

♪ We're knights of the round table,

We dance whene'er we're able.

We do routines and chorus scenes

With footwork impeccable.

We dine well here in Camelot;

We eat ham and jam and spam a lot! ♪

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1) "Ni!"

- English (Mono) "Ni!"

- French (Dolby 5.1) "Ni!"

- Japanese (Dolby 5.1) "Ni!"

- Portuguese (Brazilian) (Dolby 5.1) "Ni!"

♪ We're knights of the round table,

Our shows are formidable.

But many times, we're given rhymes

That are quite unsingable.

We're opera mad in Camelot;

We sing from the diaphragm a lot! ♪

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, Chinese (Traditional), French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Subtitles for People Who Do Not Like the Film (From Henry IV, Part II)

♪ In war, we're tough and able.

Quite indefatigable.

Between our quests, we sequin vests

And impersonate Clark Gable.

It's a busy life in Camelot;

I have to push the pram a lot! ♪

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT:

Year Released: 1998

Studio: DreamWorks

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1)

- French (European) (DTS 5.1)

- French (Canadian) (DTS 2.0)

- Spanish (DTS 5.1)

- Japanese (DTS 5.1)

- Dutch (DTS 5.1)

- Flemish (DTS 5.1)

- Portuguese (Brazilian) (DTS 5.1)

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese

DESPICABLE ME:

Year Released: 2010

Studio: Universal

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1)

- French (DTS 5.1)

- Spanish (DTS 5.1)

"IT'S SO FLUFFY!"

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY:

Year Released: 2013

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 SCOPE

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 7.1)

- Spanish (Dolby 5.1)

- French (Dolby 5.1)

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES:

- Portuguese (Dolby 5.1)

- Russian (DTS 5.1)

- Czech (Dolby 5.1)

- Hungarian (Dolby 5.1)

- Polish (Voiceover) (Dolby 5.1)

- Turkish (Dolby 5.1)

- Ukrainian (Dolby 5.1)

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese (European), Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Turkish, Ukrainian

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE:

Year Released: 2013

Studio: Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 SCOPE

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1)

- French (Canadian) (Dolby 5.1)

- Spanish (Dolby 5.1)

- Portuguese (Brazilian) (Dolby 5.1)

E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (30th Anniversary Steelbook):

Year Released: 1982

Studio: Universal

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

"E.T. phone home."

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

- English (DTS-HD 7.1)

- Spanish (DTS 5.1)

- French (DTS 5.1)

"I'll be right here."

MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE:

Year Released: 1983

Studio: Universal

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1)

- French (Mono)

- Soundtrack for the Lonely (DTS 2.0)

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, Spanish

THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS:

Year Released: 2018

Studio: STX / Universal

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 SCOPE

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 7.1)

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, Spanish

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (UK Import):

Year Released: 1996

Studio: Disney

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

AUDIO:

- English (DTS-HD 5.1)

- French (European) (DTS-HD HR 5.1)

- Dutch (DTS 5.1)

- Flemish (Dolby 5.1)

SUBTITLES:

English SDH, French, Dutch

The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. Its red-brick facade dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus behind a small plaza near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. The Palace Theatre seats 1,400.

Richard D'Oyly Carte, producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, commissioned the theatre in the late 1880s. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and intended to be a home of English grand opera. The theatre opened as the "Royal English Opera House" in January 1891 with a lavish production of Arthur Sullivan's opera Ivanhoe. Although this ran for 160 performances, followed briefly by André Messager's La Basoche, Carte had no other works ready to fill the theatre. He leased it to Sarah Bernhardt for a season and sold the opera house within a year at a loss. It was then converted into a grand music hall and renamed the Palace Theatre of Varieties, managed successfully by Charles Morton. In 1897, the theatre began to screen films as part of its programme of entertainment. In 1904, Alfred Butt became manager and continued to combine variety entertainment, including dancing girls, with films. Herman Finck was musical director at the theatre from 1900 until 1920. The Marx Brothers appeared at the theatre in 1922, performing selections from their Broadway shows.

In 1925, the musical comedy No, No, Nanette opened at the Palace Theatre, followed by other musicals, for which the theatre became known. The Sound of Music ran for 2,385 performances at the theatre, opening in 1961. Jesus Christ Superstar ran from 1972 to 1980, and Les Misérables played at the theatre for nineteen years, beginning in 1985. In 1983, Andrew Lloyd Webber purchased and by 1991 had refurbished the theatre. Monty Python's Spamalot played at the theatre from 2006 until January 2009, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert opened at the Palace in March 2009 and closed in December 2011. Between February 2012 and June 2013, it hosted a production of Singin' in the Rain.

In June 2016, the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opened at the theatre.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_Theatre,_London

Terry Jones

Comédia

92 min

Inglaterra, 1979

Sinopse

A Vida de Brian é meu filme preferido do Monty Python. Uma sarcástica comédia que mostra o quanto o fanatismo pode ser engraçado.

Brian é um contemporâneo de Jesus Cristo, vivendo sob o jugo dos romanos que acaba se metendo com rebeldes apenas por estar apaixonado pela rebelde Judith.

Ao tentar escapar de uma batida de uma tropa romana ele acaba tendo que dar uma de Messias, e acaba convencendo um povo que não precisa de muita coisa para logo querer seguir um novo Messias a cada minuto.

Agora, além de fugir dos romanos, Brian precisa fugir de uma legião de fanáticos que querem porque querem que ele seja seu salvador.

Com o humor já peculiar do grupo e uma economia de papéis incrível, já que os mesmos atores fazem vários personagens, A Vida de Brian é uma das melhores comédias de todos os tempos!

Elenco

Graham Chapman ... Wise Man #2 / Brian Cohen / Biggus Dickus

John Cleese... Wise Man #1 / Reg / Jewish Official / Centurion / Deadly Dirk / Arthur

Terry Gilliam... Man Even Further Forward / Revolutionary / Jailer / Blood & Thunder Prophet / Frank / Audience Member / Crucifee

Eric Idle... Mr. Cheeky / Stan (Loretta) / Harry the Haggler / Culprit Woman / Warris / Intensely Dull Youth / Jailer's Assistant / Otto / Lead Singer Crucifee

Terry Jones... Mandy Cohen / Colin / Simon the Holy Man / Bob Hoskins / Saintly Passer-by / Alarmed Crucifixion Assistant

Michael Palin... Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus

Terence Bayler... Gregory

Carol Cleveland... Mrs. Gregory

Kenneth Colley... Jesus

Neil Innes... A weedy Samaritan

Charles McKeown... False Prophet / Blind Man / Giggling Guard / Stig

John Young... Matthias, Son of Deuteronomy of Gath

Gwen Taylor... Mrs. Big Nose

Sue Jones-Davies... Judith

Peter Brett

Trailer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVHhg67RVd4

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant

Who was very rarely stable.

Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar

Who could think you under the table.

David Hume could out-consume

Good ol' Freidrich Hegel,

And Wittgenstein was a beery swine

Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya'

'Bout the raising of the wrist.

Socrates himself, was permanently pissed...

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,

On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.

Plato, they say, could stick it away;

Half a crate of whiskey every day.

Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle,

Hobbes was fond of his dram,

And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart: "I drink, therefore I am"

Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed;

A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's pissed!

"The Philosopher's Song" by Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Four Seasons Theatre presents Monty Python's SPAMALOT, August 5-7 at the Wisconsin Union Theater.

Pictured is The Lady of the Lake (Samantha Sostarich)

photo credit: Mike Brown

Another Monty Python end, from Season 2.

1. Day 211 - Patiently waiting, 2. Our first pumpkin of the season, 3. Day 158 - Amazing fact of the day, 4. Omaha Nebraska, 5. Our patio pet eats breakfast, 6. Nightime in Mendoza, 7. Day 202 - 365th Flickr Warrior, 8. Day 143 - Seven Deadly Sins - Tripod Envy,

9. Day 76 - I'm such a colorful guy, 10. Matrix, 11. Day 120 - Deck of cards / Battling Ladies, 12. Day 14, 13. Day 111 - I heart u, 14. Building Art, 15. Day 26 - Lunch downtown, 16. Day 95 - Proud owner of a penis pot,

17. Day 97 - Black Friday Crowds, 18. Day 181 - Looking up, 19. Day 5, 20. Day 38 - My copycat picture., 21. Day 153 - My "other" job - CTU, 22. Day 144 - Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony "Beer, it's not just for breakfast", 23. Hit the Panic button, 24. CTU Badge template,

25. Day 141 - Pink sky at morning, sailor take warning, 26. Day 65 - On expedition, 27. Monty Python's Holy Ail, 28. Funny me, 29. Chasing the others, 30. Day 167 - Lilly and me, 31. Day 81 - Might as well jump!, 32. Day 147 - Seven Deadly Sins - Greed - My Powerball Backup Plan,

33. Day 34 - Looking up, 34. Sunset at the lake, 35. Day 219 - Reaching for the sun, 36. My last morning on alert., 37. Down by the river for a night time shot, 38. Snowfall, 39. Kitty Porn, 40. Small chapel in Nebraska,

41. Day 197 - Good morning, 42. Night snow, 43. wood, 44. Bodyscape - sans clothing (ooh la la!), 45. Day 187 - Surveying my domain, 46. Day 186 - Not paying attention in class, 47. Day 174 - Not really one of my better days, 48. Day 104 - Now and then,

49. Day 79 - Today Jim went to the VA Hospital, 50. Day 73 - A little light reading, 51. Day 58 - I ran 1000 Miles, 52. Day 117 - Sick in bed, 53. Day 107 - My kids are telling me this is an "Emo MySpace" type pose. pshaw, 54. Lotto Deficits suck, 55. A Pirate Looks at 40 (or 42, whatever), 56. cats in the tree 003,

57. Day 82 - Who's watching us?, 58. Day 80 - composite me, 59. Day 63 - How's this for typical Nebraska scenery?, 60. I'm in your Jeep, drooling on your seats!, 61. Insatiably Sassy, 62. Day 204 - Don't lay a finger on me Lucky Charms!, 63. Day 125 - If I wish very hard, do you think I can fly?, 64. Day 60 - My obligatory shot from within the fridge,

65. Whole Foods Veggie Display, 66. Water, 67. Day 172 - Cheers to all my Flickr friends!, 68. Day 140 - A Great Big Focacia Grin for Olive My Flickr Friends!, 69. Day 55 - Horrible, but happy, 70. Kindness Coin, 71. Day 40 - Long day, longer evening, time for a margarita, 72. September Monthly Scavenger Hunt Mosaic

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

"CHIditarod is Chicago's Epic Urban shopping cart race, charity food drive, costumed beauty pageant, talent show, fundraiser and chaos generator all in one. And probably the world's largest mobile food drive, benefitting the Greater Chicago Food Depository."

Another great year of racing and pageantry! The weather held out long enough for racers to complete their course - another heavy snow dumping was to come in a few short hours. I enjoyed walking the 10 miles to observe the craziness of the event. Here are a few pictures from the race. Pictures are posted here for the personal use of the contestants. Any commercial use is strictly forbidden without my prior consent. Enjoy!

Monty Python's Holy Grail!

In a scene from the BBC TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus John Cleese demonstrates some athletic footwork.

The Strutton Arms in London's Strutton Ground (formerly known as Grafton's) was the location for the drafting of the original Scripts of the famous 'Goon Show' which appeared on the BBC 'Home Service' from 1951 to 1960.

This was conceived by Spike Milligan (with some assistance from others) and was performed by Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and Michael Bentine. Others, including George Chisholm, appeared from time to time.

The series marked a break from the rather staid comedy shows that had preceded it, with much greater exploitation of radio's potential for imagined scenes, audio puns, and bizarre sound effects. It is said to be the original inspiration for what became 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'.

The plaque was, I believe, erected by the 'Goon Show Appreciation Society'; their website is at

www.thegoonshow.org.uk/

Among the Goon Show afficianados is a certain HRH Prince Charles, who is patron of the Goon Show Preservation Society. He was a great friend of Spike Milligan.

I don't mind snakes at all, though I fully accept that some people see them as slimy, oily, coily slithering things ;)

This Reticulated Python's scales actually looks like a rainbow when you get in close.

Books I have yet to read...I try not to buy more books, I really do! ...so I get some off Freecycle :P

Some of these are signed: Barbarians and Who Murdered Chaucer by (Monty Python's) Terry Jones, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, plus 24:16 by (racing driver) Derek Bell.

There are actually some books that didn't make it to the stack, but I can't get them all out *again* for a big group picture so I might make a second stack photo.

Oh, and this doesn't necessarily count books that I'm in the middle of reading.

Monty Python's Holy Grail is a rather mild bitter from North Yorkshire, England, brewed by the Black Sheep brewery.

I was more fond of the name and label than the taste of this 4,7% abv ESB, I honestly don't think it had any taste. Boring beer but cool bottle!

reminded me of a scene in Monty Python's "Life of Brian" movie......if you seen it you'll know

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white

You say bark I say bite

You say shark I say hey man

Jaws was never my scene

And I don't like Star Wars

You say Rolls I say Royce

You say God give me a choice

You say Lord I say Christ

I don't believe in Peter Pan

Frankenstein or Superman

All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way

So forget all your duties oh yeah!

Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today

So look out for those beauties oh yeah

On your marks get set go

Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race

Bicycle bicycle bicyI want to ride my bicycle

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine

You say John I say Wayne

Hot dog I say cool it man

I don't wanna be the President of America

You say smile I say cheese

Cartier I say please

Income tax I say Jesus

I don't wanna be a candidate

For Vietnam or Watergate

Cos all I want to do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

Bicycle Race - Queen lyrics

Bicycle Repair Man, Monty Python's Sketch

RINGO STARR REMASTERED ARCHIVES VOL.1 1970-1972 2 DVD

Finally Ringo archives are here - all material is upgraded, plus loads of new finds never on DVD before - all in one place!

All from master sources, and every clip has been remastered with both audio and video, thus sound levelled and picture perfect!

Time consuming, but the results are excellent! All presented here for the first time on DVD and/or in better quality than found before!

Video wobble on the bottom from master sources removed - makes a BIG difference! And the music sounds awesome!!

From Laugh In 1970 thru Born to Boogie 1972! Promo films, outtakes, TV appearances, 8mm Films, news reports & more!

Approx 150 minutes 42 chapters

DISC ONE:

01 700127 Ringo - NBC Studios, Los Angeles, CA - Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In aired on February 23rd

02 700315 Sentimental Journey - orig audio - Talk of the Town, London

03 700329 Interview - Wembley Studios - Frost on Sunday

04 700410 Ringo leaving Apple - London - CBS Raw Footage

05 700509 Woodstock at Cannes Film Festival - France - 20 Anni Prima

06 700830 Ringo and Maurice Gibb Home Movies - Sunny Heights, Weybridge - Who Goes There? (film source!)

07 710128 - 0205 Filming 200 Motels - Pinewood Studios, Iverheath - Making Of Special

08 710422 It Don't Come Easy #1 - Promo Video

09 710427 The Snowman Song - Ringo & Cilla Black (aired Nov 27)

10 710429 It Don't Come Easy #2 - Promo Video

11 It Don't Come Easy #3 - Promo Video

12 710505 Ringo & Kinetic Art Liberty`s, London - ITN - Rueters

13 710512 Ringo leaves for Mick Jagger's wedding - Gatwick Airport - ITN

14 710523 Ringo & Maureen - Jackie Stewart's party in Monte Carlo, Monaco - Weekend of a Champion

15 710801 It Don't Come Easy - Concert for Bangla Desh, Madison Square Garden, NYC, NY

16 710916 Ringo on Furniture Clip - BBC Television Centre, London - Blue Peter

17 711009 John Lennon 1971 Birthday Party - Hotel Syracuse, Syracuse, NY - Jonas Mekas Film

18 711110 200 Motels - Trailer

19 711115 Blindman - Trailer #1

20 Blindman - Trailer #2

DISC TWO:

01 720128 Ringo & Lulu - BBC Studios, London - Monty Python's Flying Circus - aired October 26th

02 720225 Arrival in Budapest Hungary - AP and Rueters

03 720227 Elizabeth Taylor's Birthday Party - Duna Inter Continental Hotel, Budapest, Hungary - AP and Rueters

04 720300 Harry Nilsson Sessions - Trident Studios, London

05 720318 Ringo & Marc Bolan Backstage from Born To Boogie filming

06 720320 Back Off Boogaloo #1

07 720320 Back Off Boogaloo #2

08 720320 Back Off Boogaloo 16mm Outs

09 720323 Concert for Bangladesh Movie Trailer

10 720500 Marc Bolan on holiday with Ringo - St Tropez, France - 8mm Film

11 720710 You're Breakin' My Heart - Harry Nilsson

12 Spaceman - Harry Nilsson

13 At My Front Door - Harry Nilsson

14 720800 Son of Dracula HQ Clip

15 720922 Sweet Music - Lon & Derrek Van Eaton

16 721202 Premiere Of Alice`s Adventues In Wonderland - Odeon Leicester Square, London - Movietone

17 721214 T-Rex Born To Boogie Trailer #1

18 T-Rex Born To Boogie Trailer #2

19 T Rex Born to Boogie - Ringo segments

Comedy - Tutti Frutti - Children of the Revolution - Comedy

20 T Rex Born to Boogie - Ringo segments

Garden Party - Children of the Revolution

21 721228 Back Off Boogaloo - Top Of The Pops

www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2010/09/28/guest-artist-ka...

As the interlocutor on the Monty Python's Flying Circus used to announce, "And now for something completely different." I ran across Kathleen Farago May seemingly by accident, as so often happens with social networking. Looking at her work, I was puzzled by the impressions I was experiencing. In the common parlance, the images are "spiritual" in nature. This means, of course, a lot of different things to different people.

I am very curious about the spirituality others. I lived my early years in, to say the least, a spiritually diverse environment. Finally, I had to make up my mind what I believed. For my own spiritual life, I found the "many paths" idea untenable. Nevertheless, I think that one way to become more firmly founded in one's own beliefs is by trying to understand the beliefs of others. You can take out your ideas one by one and compare them to others. If nothing else, it provides a sort of canvas on which to paint a picture of what you believe. Learning about machines in general can teach you something about how your car works. It will not allow you to fix a faluty engine, but you might figure out how to change a tyre.

This is not a very popular idea among Christians, I know. But, for me, I find validification coming with understanding. I also find opportunities to "compare notes" with others concerning their beliefs. Along this path, I occasionally find those whose confusion or lack of belief can be addressed by quiet discourse and hearing ears.

But, we're not here to talk about me today. We've had enough of that for a little while. I am curious to see if Kathleen's images speak to others as some of them have spoken to me. Maybe they have different things to say to different people. It would surprise me if they did not. Artistically, the images are an exotic blend of the real and the surreal. It sounds crazy, but Salvador Dali keeps popping into my mind. I don't know if I can explain that!  Kathleen uses photographic images, art and computer generated patterns for her compositions. Possibly this explains the "old" and "new" mix of impressions that I feel when I view them.

I'm going to present them with Kathleen's comments. If I have something to say about an image, I'll put it in after Kathleen's text.

Enjoy!

Gaia's Song:

Mother Earth is so beautiful, and one of the most lyrical creations is the sea. I feel that this is her song, because like music, the sea moves and changes through time, the beauty being perceived differently, each time one encounters a song or the sea.

Being a sea creature and a lover of bush walking, this combination of ocean and mountain delivers an amusing experience to me. The computer generated interlocking sine waves seem to blend it all together.

Take Me Away:

A painting that is a prayer - seeking reprieve from a particularly difficult passage in my life, I was asking my angels to release me from the difficulty of this part of my journey. Within two months they did.

There are so many concepts of angels that I generally leave them alone. Whether they leave me alone or not is open to question. Life is confusing enough for me without them. However, if one is into angels, this is probably a comforting image. It has a strong Eastern feel to it, which strikes me as a little unusual. It certainly is a very nice bit of work.

Dancing in the Light:

About the joy of two souls sharing the light of life. At this point, when I painted this, I was still only imagining the joy that this could be, within three months, I had found the soul with whom that I am able to share this joy.

Well, I love to dance. Since childhood, dancing has been a part of my life. My mother taught ballet and my father taught tap. Together they taught ballroom, modern and jitterbug. Very naturally, this image strikes a chord in my heart.

Centered in Love:

Love has given me an enhanced perception of the beauty of life and I feel more able to perceive the miracle of each moment.

This one gets me where I live. It is a lovely composition. It's truly magical. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I spend some time with it.

Bliss is Movement Towards Love:

"When I see I am nothing, that is wisdom. When I see I am everything, that is love. My life is a movement between these two." ~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

I'm not usually moved by purely geometrical patterns, unless they are grounded somehow in realism. However, having dabbled with computer programs which produce them, I will say that is much more difficult than one might think to come up with patterns which are visually pleasing. Most of them just look like, well, vaguely pretty patterns cranked out by a computer. I think that the reason for my ambiquity is that I am so fixed in reality. Focusing on photography can erase appreciation for other varieties of art if one is not careful. I find this image pleasing, so I'll credit Kathleen with spending considerable time honing her skills.

Rising Clarity:

In my current state, I feel that my perceptions, both intellectual and emotional, have risen to a new level of clarity - I have emerged from the turbulence of previous passages.

I like this one better, possibly because it is not so utterly symmetrical. There is something else there. I'll back off here before I am accused of critiquing something which I do not understand.

Hydrothermal Origin of Life:

With gratitude to Jan Messersmith for permission to include his original image. This is one of my fascinations - how life can manifest in such challenging environments as hydrothermal vents. This is not meant to be a scientific depiction, just a visual expression of my wonder and awe.

Well, of course I would like this one much better for a couple of reasons. First off is that it contains one my images of a Magnificent Anemone. Another attraction is that it actually has something grounded in reality in it. Yes, I like this.

Kathleen has revealed to me a few thoughts concerning her life. They are too personal for me to pass on. I can say, however, that she has long persevered and is now blessed. I would guess that she is probably blessed beyond what she ever imagined would be possible for her. We hope for much. If we stop to think about it with a grateful mind, we probably receive many more good things than we really expect. Every day is a blessing. Every day has a value beyond purchase. We can't buy more time.

I need to listen more to my heart. That's the communications centre. The head is just an accessory.

Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster, Middlesex bank, and Lambeth, Surrey bank in what is now Greater London, England.

For over 600 years, the nearest bridge to London Bridge was at Kingston. Proposals for a bridge at Westminster had been made as early as 1664. These were opposed by the Corporation of London and the watermen. Despite further opposition in 1722 and after a new timber bridge was built at Putney in 1729, the scheme received parliamentary approval in 1736. Financed by private capital, lotteries and grants, Westminster Bridge, designed by the Swiss architect Charles Labelye, was built between 1739-1750.

The City of London responded to Westminster Bridge by removing the buildings on London Bridge and widening it in 1760-63. The City also commenced work on the Blackfriars Bridge, which opened in 1769. Other bridges from that time include Kew Bridge (1759), Battersea Bridge (1773), and Richmond Bridge (1777).

The bridge was required to assist in the development of both South London and to give access directly to the south-coast ports for the north-bank expansion of the 'West End', without traffic having to make its way through the already over-congested routes, of the Strand and New Oxford Street, into the City and across London Bridge. A group of by-pass roads were also developed to facilitate this, resulting in the complex junction at Elephant & Castle in Southwark, then part of Surrey.

By the mid 19th century it was subsiding badly and expensive to maintain. The current bridge was designed by Thomas Page and opened in 1862.With an overall length of 252 metres (826.8 ft) and a 26 metre width, it is a seven-arch wrought iron bridge which has Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). It is the oldest bridge in central London.

The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest the bridge. This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament.

In 2005 it underwent a complete refurbishment, which was finished in 2007. This sought to restore it to its former glory by replacing the iron fascias and repainting the whole bridge. The work was completed by contractors Interserve and engineers Tony Gee and Partners.

It links the Palace of Westminster on the west side of the river with County Hall and the London Eye on the east and was the finishing point during the early years of the London Marathon.

The next bridge downstream is Hungerford footbridge and upstream is Lambeth Bridge. The bridge was given Grade II* listed structure in 1981.

In the 2002 science fiction film 28 Days Later, the protagonist awakes from a coma to find London deserted, and walks over the Westminster Bridge whilst looking for people.

Westminster Bridge is the start and finish point for the Bridges Handicap Race, a traditional London running race.

William Wordsworth wrote the sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802.

In the British Science Fiction series Doctor Who, Westminster Bridge has been used for various location shots. It was used originally in 1964 in the serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth which depicts the structure as desolate and deserted. Several Daleks are seen gliding over the bridge and the adjoining Albert Embankment. The location was then re-used by the production team when the series was revived in 2005 where the ninth doctor and Rose Tyler run across the bridge in the episode Rose. It is also the name of a track in the Doctor Who Soundtrack album.

The bridge plays a prominent role in the Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch "Nationwide" ("Hamlet", Episode 43). Reporter John Dull (Graham Chapman) is sent to the bridge to find out if it is possible to sit in a chair and rest your legs whenever you want. A policeman (Michael Palin) confiscates his chair, saying it is stolen from a woman (Terry Jones in drag) who is standing across the street. Instead of giving the chair back to the woman, the policeman knocks her down and takes an identical chair from her and sits beside the reporter. He then takes different items from people walking or sitting nearby, finally breaking into a store (the crash of glass breaking is heard followed by the sound of an alarm) to get beer.

In the 2000 film 102 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil goes mad after she hears the sound of Big Ben, and while on Westminster Bridge she sees everything white with black spots (the pattern of Dalmatians).

A famous line from Monty Python's "Holy Grail" descibes the scene in the corner of Mike Burgett's garage, which serves as the Interlocking Tower for his phenomenal C&O layout in the basement of his home.

The N&W controls the Interlocking and crossing with the C&O, and Mike has built the tower cabin in the corner of his garage, complete with HD Flat panel monitors mounted behind period windows with period roller shades. The HD flat panels are fed video from HDR micro cameras placed inside the tower, replicating the tower operators views from the windows!

special Thank for my friend Ali Al-Zaidi

نقاط القوة و الضعف من وجهة نظر زملاء الهواية

نقاط القوة

1-Nice lighting

2-Nice composition and lighting

2-Excellent Shot, Background, and Idea!

نقاط الضعف

1-the impression i get from the model's face is due to strength of light rather than the Python itself

إقتراحات لتطوير الصورة

1-How about to have more of the Python's body seen then the model's hand? Maybe exchange the right hand action with the left one so the Python is more apparent

From below. The same dinosaur change bank featured in my silly self-portrait of the day.

Anne Elk's Theory on the Brontosaurus, Monty Python's Flying Circus:

Q: You say you have a new theory about the brontosaurus.

A: Can I just say here, Chris, for one moment, that I have a new theory about the brontosaurus.

Q: Exactly. Well, what is it? …

A: Oh, what is my theory?

Q: Yes.

A: Oh, what is my theory, that it is. Well, Chris, you may well ask me what is my theory.

Q: I am asking.

A: Good for you. My word, yes. Well, Chris, what is it that it is—this theory of mine. Well, this is what it is—my theory that I have, that is to say, which is mine, is mine.

Q: Yes, I know it's yours. What is it?

A: Where? Oh, what is my theory? This is it. My theory that belongs to me is as follows. This is how it goes. The next thing I'm going to say is my theory. Ready?

Q: Yes.

A: … This theory goes as follows and begins now. All brontosauruses are thin at one end; much, much thicker in the middle; and then thin again at the far end.

If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten

And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing

When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly, chumps

Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing

Always look on the right side of life (*)

It's the bright side of life

where the clouds are not perfect

these are no mexican clouds

It's the bright side of the street

where the grass is not perfect

this isn't the neighbour's grass

It's the bright side.

(*) Monty Python's "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"

Photograph above;

17 Short's garden, Central London, where the hit comedy series Monty Python' was planned and worked on by the Team of Python's.

Photograph source; P R Wood.

Photograph Copyright; Digital Expression UK (2020)

OVERVIEW;

The editing suite's used by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

In the photograph above are the studios where Monty Python's Flying Circus was produced.

In 1976 Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam bought these offices as Animation Editing and Recording Studios for an editing suite for the Python films and other projects.

They were sold in 1987, but a blue plaque remains.

Location: Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, London

Monty Python's Flying Circus, Season 3, Episode 4

photos by Martin Kaufhold

The Royal Masonic School for Boys was an independent school for boys in England.

From 1798 charities were set up for clothing and educating sons of needy Freemasons. They originally provided education by sending them to schools near to their homes. A specific masonic boys' school was set up at Wood Green in North London in 1857 following amalgamation of the charities in 1852.[1]

A new school was built in Bushey, Hertfordshire in 1903[2] and a Junior School was added on the other side of The Avenue in 1929. By 1939 there were 800 boys at the school.[1][3] Following a decline in pupil numbers the junior school closed in 1970; the site is now occupied by Bushey Academy. Numbers continued to fall, and the senior school closed in 1977. For a time, the buildings housed the United States International University (Europe). Both schools were commonly used for films (such as Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Lucky Jim (twice), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and numerous TV shows) from the 1950s until recently. They have now been redeveloped as luxury housing.[4]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Masonic_School_for_Boys

"Look at the bones!"

I only hope you know this reference better than I do. The guy titled his print after the Monty Python's Holy Grail quote "Look at the bones!"

8x10 Contact Print

Burien, WA 2011

Beseler 23C II

Arista Ultra Semi-Matte

Dektol 1+3, 1 minute

Epson V600

Front Row to Back Row, L-R: Wolsey-Wessington – “A Pig's Tale”

Tyler Babcock, Jaron Waters, Jamie Cutshaw, Allyson Boomsma, Raquel Nelson, Josh Borah

Henry – “How to Succeed”

Martyna Shape, Briana Hotzler, Mackenzie Lutz, Elizabeth Pratt, Laney Ulschmid

Great Plains Lutheran – “Don't Play Games with Me”

Lydia Schroeder, Tyler Goens, Alexis Benson, Kristina Hegberg, Joshua Werre

James Valley Christian – “The Sneetches and Other Stories”

AbbyRose Miller, Blake Mendel, Katrina Baltzer (not pictured); Madison Aughenbaugh, Marissa Brondsema

Faulkton Area – “Death by Public Speaking”

Abbigayle Quinn, Eryka Quinn, Alyssa Meyer, John Bowar, Turner Bowar

Mitchell Christian - "Sketches from Studio C"

Gabe Douvier, Charlotte Haag, Katelyn Karhoff, Braeden Nydam, Allyson Strong

Freeman Academy - "Monty Python's Spanish...Reader's Theater?

Gabriel Miller, Amelia Morkve, Luke Allison, Ryan Brockmueller, John Andrzejek, Beau Miller

Dec. 1-2, Aberdeen. Permission granted for journalism outlets and educational purposes. Not for commercial use. Must be credited. Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting. ©2017 SDPB

Monty Python's Flying Circus -

"Four Yorkshiremen"

[ from the album Live At Drury Lane, 1974 ]

The Players:

Michael Palin - First Yorkshireman;

Graham Chapman - Second Yorkshireman;

Terry Jones - Third Yorkshireman;

Eric Idle - Fourth Yorkshireman;

The Scene:

Four well-dressed men are sitting together at a vacation resort

'Farewell to Thee' is played in the background on Hawaiian guitar

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

Aye, very passable, that, very passable bit of risotto

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

Nothing like a good glass of Château de Chasselas, eh, Josiah?

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

You're right there, Obadiah

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Who'd have thought thirty year ago we'd all be sittin' here drinking Château de Chasselas, eh?

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

In them days we was glad to have the price of a cup o' tea

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

A cup o' cold tea

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Without milk or sugar

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

Or tea

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

In a cracked cup, an' all

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Oh, we never had a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

The best we could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

But you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

Because we were poor. My old Dad used to say to me, "Money doesn't buy you happiness, son"

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Aye, 'e was right

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

Aye, 'e was

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

I was happier then and I had nothin'. We used to live in this tiny old house with great big holes in the roof

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

House! You were lucky to live in a house! We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

Eh, you were lucky to have a room! We used to have to live in t' corridor!

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

Oh, we used to dream of livin' in a corridor! Would ha' been a palace to us. We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. We got woke up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over us! House? Huh

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Well, when I say 'house' it was only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpaulin, but it was a house to us

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

We were evicted from our 'ole in the ground; we 'ad to go and live in a lake

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

You were lucky to have a lake! There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t' shoebox in t' middle o' road

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

Cardboard box?

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

Aye

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

You were lucky. We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six in the morning, clean the paper bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down t' mill, fourteen hours a day, week-in week-out, for sixpence a week, and when we got home our Dad would thrash us to sleep wi' his belt

SECOND YORKSHIREMAN:

Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at six o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of 'ot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!

THIRD YORKSHIREMAN:

Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife

FOURTH YORKSHIREMAN:

Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah

FIRST YORKSHIREMAN:

And you try and tell the young people of today that ... they won't believe you

ALL:

They won't!

美国电影艺术与科学学院（AMPAS）今天宣布，今年共有21部动画片报名参加85届奥斯卡最佳动画长片的角逐。不过，它们当中还有一些并没有按照规定在洛杉矶进行商业放映，所以这21部动画片最后不一定都会有参评的资格。按照规则，只要有16部动画片符合参评要求，就将有5个提名名额。但如果符合参评要求的动画片不足8部，那么这个奖项这一年就会取消。去年有18部动画长片报名，有五部获得提名。以下就是这21部报名的动画长片（依英文片名首字母排序）：赞比西亚大冒险 （Adventures in Zambezia）勇敢传说（Brave）德里动物园（Delhi Safari）老雷斯的故事（Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax）科学怪狗（Frankenweenie）虞美人盛开的山坡（From Up on Poppy Hill）奎师那（Hey Krishna）怪物旅店（Hotel Transylvania）冰河世纪4：大陆漂移（Ice Age: Continental Drift）撒谎精自传（A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman）马达加斯加3（Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted）神秘法则（The Mystical Laws）画画（The Painting）超凡的诺曼（ParaNorman）神奇海盗团（The Pirates! Band of Misfits）犹太长老的灵猫（The Rabbi’s Cat）守护者崛起（Rise of the Guardians）小叮当：羽翼之谜（Secret of the Wings）沃尔特和唐杜里的圣诞节（Walter & Tandoori’s Christmas）无敌破坏王（Wreck-It-Ralph）长颈鹿扎拉法（Zarafa）第85届奥斯卡颁奖典礼将于明年2月24日（周日）举行，提名名单将在明年1月10日（周四）公布。以上报名动画长片可同时参与最佳影片以及其他技术单项奖角逐。转载自：Movie soon 来自http://dd.mu/ih3cv

The best thing about it was that they started quoting the scene with the two knights from Monty Python's "the holy grail".

-Will you yield, sir knight?

-Never!

Window Seat shot on AeroMexico flight in November... Hurricane Ida stirring up trouble for us to the East...

_________________

BBC Voiceover: We interrupt this program to annoy you and make things generally irritating.

--"Monty Python's Flying Circus" (BBC)

Some great books, CDs and DVDs that I got recently.

Already read or watched: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook, About Time 1 and 2, Y: The Last Man, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 volume 1, Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton, The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, Wallace & Gromit.

Want to read or watch: Mozart: 250 Years, Monty Python's And Now For Something Completely Different, Starship Troopers 2, State of Play.

Picture taken in San Francisco, California.

OK. And now for something completely different. It's... Not Monty Python's Flying Circus!

This is an ancient site located on the moors of Western Cornwall (see my map for details).

I first became aware of this site when I saw it in another photograph hanging on the wall in the holiday let in which we were staying. Having seen it, I thought "Now that looks like an interesting place to go and look at. Maybe take a photo or two!".

After locating its whereabouts, myself and my wife (Julie) went on a little walk to find it, having parked as close as we could to it. Well, the little walk ended up being a lot further than we had been led to believe, and when we got there we were just a little disappointed. What you see here is all that remains of this site, if I had panned around, you would not have seen anything else but moorland and an old derelict tin mine pump house!

Still I did get my photo, and so I have decided to share it with you all. Enjoy!

This was from Saturday when it rained most of the day. In the late afternoon the clouds broke and I dashed to this location to get this shot. Used a 10-stop filter to get the smooth water. What I didn't know at the time that this was castle Aarg in Monty Python's The Holy Grail where John Cleese threw hilarious insults in an outrageous French accent at Graham Chapman's King Arthur.

Spanish postcard by Raker no. 1132, 1965.

British comedian Peter Sellers (1925-1980) was an incredibly versatile actor. He played Chief Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films with as much ease as Clare Quilty in Lolita (1962). Stanley Kubrick asked him to play three roles in Dr. Strangelove (1964) for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Richard Henry Sellers was born in 1925 in Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth, England. He was literally born into show business. His parents, William "Bill" Sellers and Agnes Doreen "Peg" née Marks, were vaudeville performers in an acting company run by his grandmother, and Peter arrived while they were appearing in Southsea. Although christened Richard Henry, his parents called him Peter, after his elder stillborn brother. He made his stage debut at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, when he was two weeks old. Sellers remained an only child. He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the provincial theatres, causing much upheaval and unhappiness in the young Sellers' life. Sellers studied dance as a child before attending St. Aloysius’ Boarding and Day School for Boys. As a teenager, he learned to play the drums and played with jazz bands. At the age of 18, Sellers entered the Royal Air Force during World War II. There he became part of a group of entertainers who performed for the troops. Sellers played his drums and did dead-on impersonations of some of the officers. After the war, he struggled to launch his comic career for several years. After several previous attempts, Sellers managed to land work with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by winning over radio producer Roy Speer during a phone conversation. His spot-on impersonations helped to make him a beloved radio comedian. In 1951, Sellers joined fellow comics Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine for The Goon Show. The program proved to be hugely popular with listeners who tuned in to hear their absurd skits and bits. The success of The Goon Show helped Sellers break into films. In 1951 the Goons made their feature film debut in Penny Points to Paradise (Anthony Young, 1951). Sellers and Milligan then penned the script to the short Let's Go Crazy (Alan Cullimore, 1951), the earliest film to showcase Sellers's ability to portray a series of different characters within the same film, and he made another appearance opposite his Goons co-stars in the flop, Down Among the Z Men (Maclean Rogers, 1952). In 1954, Sellers was cast opposite Sid James, Donald Pleasence and Eric Sykes in the comedy Orders Are Orders (David Paltenghi, 1955). Then he landed a part as one of the oddball criminals in the classic Ealing comedy The Ladykillers (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955) with Alec Guinness. The Ladykillers was a success in both Britain and the US, and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Sellers starred with David Tomlinson and Wilfrid Hyde-White as a chief petty officer in Up the Creek (Val Guest, 1958). In 1959, his career really took off with the satire I’m All Right, Jack (John and Roy Boulting, 1959). For his part as Fred Kite, the dogmatic communist union man, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In The Mouse That Roared (Jack Arnold, 1959) with Jean Seberg, Sellers played three characters: the elderly Grand Duchess, the ambitious Prime Minister and the innocent and clumsy farm boy selected to lead an invasion of the United States. This box office hit helped to introduce Sellers to the American audiences. In 1959 he was also nominated for an Academy Award for the eleven-minute short The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (Richard Lester, Peter Sellers, 1959). Sellers portrayed an Indian doctor, Dr Ahmed el Kabir opposite Sophia Loren in the romantic comedy The Millionairess (Anthony Asquith, 1960) based on the George Bernard Shaw play. The Goon Show ended its run in 1960, but the program proved to be a strong influence on British comedy. It paved the way for such future comedy shows as Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Peter Sellers hit his stride in the early 1960s with three of his most famous roles. Stanley Kubrick asked him to play the role of the mentally unbalanced TV writer Clare Quilty in Lolita (Stanley Kubrick, 1962), opposite Sue Lyon, James Mason and Shelley Winters. Sellers introduced audiences to the world’s most bumbling detective, French Inspector Jacques Clouseau, in Blake Edwards’s The Pink Panther (1963). The film proved to be a huge success, and it was quickly followed by the sequel A Shot in the Dark (Blake Edwards, 1964) again with Herbert Lom as Commissioner Dreyfus and Burt Kwouk as Cato. Andrew Spicer in The Encyclopedia of British Cinema: “In Clouseau, Sellers combined his vocal ingenuity and skill as a slapstick comedian, yet always retained an essential humanity through the inspector's indefatigable dignity in the face of a hostile universe.” In Kubricks’s cold war satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964), Sellers once again showed his ability to tackle multiple characters the well-meaning US President Merkin Muffley, unflappable RAF Group Captain Lionel Mandrake and the nightmarish Dr. Strangelove himself, the government's adviser on nuclear warfare, who is unable to control his own body. His black gloved hand always tries to make a Nazi salute, expressing an ineradicable desire to dominate and destroy. Kubrick later commented that the idea of having Sellers in so many of the film's key roles was that "everywhere you turn there is some version of Peter Sellers holding the fate of the world in his hands". In 1964, Sellers had his first heart attack. He was reportedly clinically dead for two and a half minutes before being revived. This incident marked the beginning of his heart troubles, and he later had a pacemaker installed to help manage his heartbeat. Making a full recovery, Sellers continued to work in the cinema. What's New Pussycat (Clive Donner, 1965) with Peter O'Toole and Romy Schneider, was another big hit, but a combination of his ego and insecurity made Sellers difficult to work with. When the James Bond spoof, Casino Royale (Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, Robert Parrish, 1967) ran over budget and was unable to recoup its costs despite an otherwise healthy box-office take, Sellers received some of the blame. His films of the late 1960s and early 1970s had some decidedly mixed results.

It was his famed character Inspector Clouseau who gave Peter Sellers a boost at the box office with The Return of the Pink Panther (Blake Edwards, 1975) with Christopher Plummer and Catherine Schell. This hit spawned two more Pink Panther films, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (Blake Edwards, 1976), and Revenge of the Pink Panther (Blake Edwards, 1978). Sellers earned raves for his subtle, understated turn as the simple gardener Chance who becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful businessman and an insider in Washington politics in Being There (Hal Asby, 1979), a film adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's novel. His character spouts ideas and comments based on his years of television-watching, which are confused by others as words of wisdom. Sellers earned a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his performance. After making this remarkable black comedy, Sellers’s career seemed to be on an upswing. But he never lived to realise this new wave of potential. His last film was The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (Piers Haggard, 1980), a comedic re-imagining of the eponymous adventure novels by Sax Rohmer; Sellers played both police inspector Nayland Smith and Fu Manchu, alongside Helen Mirren and David Tomlinson. The film, completed just a few months before his death, proved to be another box office flop. Peter Sellers died in a London hospital in 1980, after suffering another heart attack. Sellers was only 54. In his personal life, Sellers struggled with depression and insecurities. Wikipedia: “An enigmatic figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he played. His behaviour was often erratic and compulsive, and he frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars, especially in the mid-1970s when his physical and mental health, together with his alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. Sellers was married four times”. He was survived by his fourth wife Lynne Frederick, and three children from his previous marriages. His son Michael and daughter Sarah came from his first marriage to Anne Howe and daughter Victoria came from his second marriage to actress Britt Ekland. He was also briefly married to Miranda Quarry from 1970 to 1974. Sellers was portrayed by Geoffrey Rush in the biopic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (Stephen Hopkins, 2004).

Sources: Andrew Spicer (The Encyclopedia of British Cinema), Ashley G. Mackinnon (IMDb), Biography.com Wikipedia and IMDb.

The Postcard

An Oilette Series postcard published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, Art Publishers to Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Under the Royal Warrant on the back of the card, the publishers have printed:

'City of London School.

This handsome and important

building stands on the Victoria

Embankment, where it was

erected in 1883.

Sir J. R. Seeley was an alumnus

here.

Behind in Tudor Street is the

City of London School for Girls.

Close by is the Gothic building

of Sion College, containing

66,000 volumes, comprising

the most valuable theological

library in London'.

The card was posted in Ealing, London W. on Thursday the 12th. March 1908 to:

Miss L. Fulcher,

51 Grapes Hill,

Norwich.

The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"Dear Lil,

Just a line hoping you

are keeping well.

I shall be home on

Tuesday as I am

enjoying myself up

here.

Hope to see you soon,

Love from yours

sincerely,

H".

Max Wall

So what else happened on the day the card was posted?

Well, on the 12th. March 1908, Max Wall was born. He was an English comedian and actor, whose performing career covered music hall, theatre, films and television.

In 1916, during a World War I air raid, Max and his elder brother Alex were saved from death by a cast iron bed frame, but his younger brother Bunty and their Aunt Betty, who was looking after them, were killed by a bomb dropped from a German Zeppelin which also destroyed their house.

Max is best remembered for his ludicrously attired and hilariously strutting Professor Wallofski. John Cleese has acknowledged Wall's influence on his own 'Ministry of Silly Walks' sketch for Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Death of Max Wall

On the afternoon of the 20th. May 1990 Wall fell at Simpson's-in-the-Strand in central London, fracturing his skull.

He was conveyed by ambulance to Westminster Hospital in an unconscious state, but never regained consciousness, and died there early in the next morning, at the age of 82.

Max was buried in Highgate Cemetery.

Remove the thick fibrous husk, and the pale rough nut is revealed. If the nut isb ripe and brown before the husk is removed, the hardwood will be dark brown. If the nut's husk is green and 'unripe'(?), the hardwood will be paler, tan. Using a file and sand paper and steel wool, a shiny nut will be the result.

We were watching Monty Python's ''Holy Grail'' and its coconut horse clip clopping.. and my coconut halves came to mind~

The Royal Masonic School for Boys...The scariest Building in Britain (The Guardian News Paper)

When the film-maker Merlin Ward was scouting for a location for his 2003 film Out of Bounds, a psychological thriller set in an eerie boarding school where bells toll ominously and a chill wind rarely stops moaning, he could scarcely believe his luck when he was shown the Royal Masonic School for Boys, a hulking structure built in 1903, in the Hertfordshire town of Bushey.

When Ward began filming in 2001, four other production companies were busy there. In fact, before it closed in 1977, the school had been a popular setting for murder mysteries and thrillers, including the cult 1960s TV show The Avengers. Since then, it has featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harry Potter movies, Monty Python's Meaning of Life, and 1985's Lifeforce, in which a shuttle returns to Earth carrying space vampires. Scarier still, it even served as a law court in EastEnders...