View allAll Photos Tagged comical
Daily Dog Challenge: Comical
Our Daily Topic: On Display
Miss Maggie is definitely a source of comedy in this house. She used to sleep either in her bed at the foot of ours, or on our bed. Lately we find her all over the house. This is one of her favorites -- inside my closet under my long dresses. Just makes yourself right at home, Miss Maggie.
(Alas this is an iPhone pic, and unlike many, I have not mastered the iPhone camera. Although not one of my best images, it was just too darn cute not to share!)
My images are posted here for your enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. Please contact me through flickr if you are interested in using one of my images for any reason.
...and best viewed large.
Good morning and Happy Hug a Bug Day to everyone. Today's featured insect because of its disproportionate long legs is called a crane fly. Numerous other common names include mosquito hawk, mosquito eater (or skeeter eater), gallinipper, gollywhopper, jimmy spinner, and daddy long-legs in some countries. Although the later shouldn't be confused with an unrelated spider by the same name in the United States and Canada.
This past early fall I saw numerous crane flies when afield in search of butterflies. Much more so than in past years. I apologize for these not being the best of photos, but these were extremely hard insects to photograph due to their very slender bodies and far reaching legs, which didn't make for good subjects to capture entirely in focus. With that said, I still hope you enjoy this short series on these leggy creatures and find the text in the comment section informative.
BTW...it's almost comical watching a crane fly land on something. The best way to describe it is a controlled crash landing. For the life of me I can't understand why Mother Nature gave these flies such long gangling legs. Supposedly the long legs are an adaptation that allows the fly to alight in grassy places, which does make some sense although it might be pure conjecture on someone's part.
Thank you for stopping by...and I hope you have a truly great day.
Lacey
ISO400, aperture f/11, exposure .003 seconds (1/350) focal length 300mm
The usual comical, frantic, jerky feeding behavior of this egret usually allows it to be identified from a great distance off even though you cannot discern any of its field marks. It's my favorite large wader to watch trying to secure a meal. This bird, however was remarkably subdued... it was uncharacteristically calm and patient! This behavior is more typical for its larger cousin: Great Egret.
IMG_8985; Reddish Egret
Almost comical in its representation of the endemic polar bear this rusty old sign with the caption Арктикуголь Шпицберген (Arcticcoal Spitsbergen) stands in Pyramiden, a Russian enclave occupied under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. The coal miners left it here when they deserted the place in 1998.
None of this means the Russians have given it up. They haven't. There is a permanent presence and indeed, if you visit, you will be met, greeted and guided by Russians.
In an odd twist, whereas Article 9 of the Treaty forbids the use of Svalbard for war-like purposes, Norwegian authorities have recently intercepted a Russian national at Tromsø airport in contravention of sanctions banning his alleged actions while in Norway. Descriptions of his possessions suggest espionage at a tense time where Russian expansionism, military aggression and sabotage are suspected. And where was he headed? Why, to Svalbard, of course, and a convenient location of Russian territory. Watch this space!
Construction in downtown Toronto.
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The usual comical, frantic, jerky feeding behavior of this large egret regularly allows it to be identified from a great distance off, even though you cannot discern any of its field marks. This image shows well the reddish neck and the bicolored bill... also field marks to note. This bird is my favorite large wader to watch trying to secure a meal. I usually try for stills of this feeding behavior... but it likely, the coverage would be more interesting as a video. The small wader in the background is a Yellowlegs (probably Greater).
IMG_0304; Reddish Egret
Florence Nightin’owl is our tribute to history’s most famous nurse and to all the nurses, past and present, who have worked tirelessly to care for our children, young people and families. With her smart blue uniform and comical glasses, Florence represents the cour-age, compassion, trust, respect, commitment and sense of fun that our teams show every day at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and throughout the NHS.
Artist: Deven Bhurke
Is an artist and graphic designer with a versatile style. He has previously been involved in similar WIA public art events and he was commissioned by Marwell Wildlife’s Go! Rhinos in 2013, by the National Literacy Trust in 2014, and by Transport for London.
Website: www.devenbhurke.com
Sponsor: Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Trust
Auction Price: £6000
The Big Hoot captured the imagination of everyone in Birmingham and beyond, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets with their Big Hoot Trail maps to explore the colourful invasion of individually designed owls. Taking in the city’s 10 districts, tourists and residents alike enjoyed their owl adventure, discovering and celebrating the extraordinary creativity produced by many of Birmingham’s artistic community and over 25,000 young people.
The Big Hoot owls went under the hammer on 15 October 2015 at The Big Hoot auction sponsored by Vodafone and we are thrilled to have smashed our target by raising the incredible sum of £508,035!
The money raised from the auction will support Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s £3.65m Star Appeal. This appeal will enable us to create a first of its kind, a Rare Diseases Centre in the UK specifically for children. It will provide co-ordinated care, treatment, support and most importantly hope to children and families living with a rare or undiagnosed condition.
In addition the auction raised £15,000 for G’owl’d by Temper with proceeds going to Edward’s Trust, and £7,800 for Fleet and Free with proceeds going to Birchfield Harriers.
So thank you - we simply couldn’t have done it without you.
Artists have played a major role in The Big Hoot, creating almost 100 owl sculptures. We would like to thank all the artists for their incredible creativity and hard work.
Professional artists from Birmingham, the wider Midlands region and further afield have created extraordinary giant owls that are all unique in style and character and represent the city’s creativity, history and heritage, music, fashion, architecture and attractions.
Birmingham is home to a wealth of artistic and creative individuals and communities and many award-winning and nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. We are delighted with the response from Birmingham’s creative community and are thrilled to work in collaboration with them to transform the streets, squares and parks of the city.
For five months artists have been creating owls in their studios, at home and in The Big Hoot Artists’ Studio at the Custard Factory in Digbeth. Their inspiring and innovative designs have been realised in genres including graffiti, illustration, fine art, graphics, typography, mosaic and new media. They have worked with both community groups and with corporates to realise ideas and create their stunning designs.
The Big Hoot not only provides a high quality and ambitious free public event for families but also supports the creativity of artists and celebrates talent and diversity. The Big Hoot has provided an inspiring relationship between the city and the arts.
The artists have also reached out to communities enabling more people to participate in the arts, to experience working with professional artists and to be inspiring and inspired. From the north to the south of the city residents groups, youth groups and older peoples’ groups have been collaborating with artists to generate ideas, design and create owls for The Big Hoot.
Creativity is everywhere but the opportunity to participate is not. A range of activities have been programmed within Birmingham’s diverse communities and people from the age of 3 – 97 and from wards within the city boundaries have contributed to The Big Hoot and helped make the event extraordinary. Our projects have seen artists working with hundreds of residents and community members including children in looked after care, older peoples’ clubs, young people and residents organisations to design and decorate the owls displayed as part of the 10 week public event.
For the past two summers I have been working almost exclusively with the ever comical Atlantic Puffin. These images are a small selection from this project to view more please visit www.kevinmorgans.com or alternatively follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kevinmorgansphotography/
No known copyright restrictions. Please credit UBC Library as the image source. For more information, see digitalcollections.library.ubc.ca/cdm/about.
Creator: Unknown
Date Created: 1923
Source: Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Arkley Croquet Collection.
Permanent URL: digitalcollections.library.ubc.ca/cdm/ref/collection/arkl...
At first this behaviour looks almost comical - a bit like Punch & Judy - but it can be deadly serious. It's common for the two largest chicks to turn on the smallest one and try to kill it, often by throwing it out of the nest. However, in this particular nest it was the two larger ones who were fighting each other while the little one tried to keep its head down and stay out of trouble. The mother stood by and watched dispassionately. In Nature it's all about survival of the fittest, of course, but I couldn't help hoping the little guy managed to keep out of harm's way.
Italian postcard. 'Hobby'. 1950s.
Nino Besozzi, born Giuseppe Besozzi (Milan, February 6, 1901 - Milan, February 2, 1971), was a popular Italian comical stage and screen actor, who excelled in 1930s Italian comedy.
Besozzi made his stage debut in Siena in 1919 with the Calò Company, and then joined various companies alongside artists such as Irma Gramatica, Luigi Cimara, Andreina Pagnani, Ruggero Ruggeri, Vera Vergani, Virgilio Talli, and Vittorio De Sica, revealing particular talents in the comic genre. From 1931 to the second post-war period he alternated theater and cinema, specializing in parts of a casual and brilliant young man in the context of the comic-sentimental repertoire of "white telephones" and often paired with Elsa Merlini in films such as Goffredo Alessandrini's La segretaria privata (1931), Besozzi's film debut, and T'amerò sempre by Mario Camerini (1933). In the first he is a banker who treats a new typist (Elsa Merlini) as a flirt, so he is taught a lesson. In the latter, he is a shop accountant who defends a hairdresser (Elsa de Giorgi) with an illegitimate child against the aristocratic scoundrel (Mino Doro) who wants to keep her his mistress despite an upcoming marriage. In the same years, Besozzi made his first fleeting appearances before the radio microphone, as in Goldoni's Le gelosie di Lindoro (1932), with Dina Galli. As for the theater, in this period he founded the famous Besozzi-Falconi Company, together with Armando Falconi.
Distinguished also in dramatic roles, from 1946 he imposed himself on the theater especially in the brilliant repertoire, interpreting works such as Siamo tutti milanesi by Arnaldo Fraccaroli and I morti non pagano by Nicola Manzari. Gifted with a flexible voice, with which he also played through nasal effects, he took part in various radio broadcasts, especially in the 1950s: from magazines such as Zig Zag (1950) and Fermo posta (1956) to comedies such as Gondinet's Viaggio di piacere (1956, directed by Convalli), Bettina by de Musset (1958, directed by Meloni) and Ricordati by Cesare di Davion (1959, directed by Brissoni), with Lina Volonghi and Alfredo Bianchini.
Besozzi made his debut on television in 1956 participating in the variety Lui, lei e gli altri, a sort of sitcom ante litteram. Later he engaged in television prose, but also in variety shows such as Un due tre and Con loro (1956), he was among the interpreters of the TV series Mont Oriol (1958) and Il Conte di Montecristo (1966). Among his latest radio interpretations were Ipotesi strutturale by Plebe and Di Martino (1969, directed by Giuseppe Di Martino) and Bowen's Il vestito di pizzo (1970, directed by Michele Bandini). Nino Besozzi was also an outstanding caricaturist, draftsman, and painter.
Sources: Wikipedia (Italian), and IMDb.
Comical
Grumpy never finds anything funny, but everyone else thought Dopey was comical balancing that pitcher on his head. Lighten up there Grumps!
Triptych of the cow Norman, capturing a quite comical expression.
__
I was initially intrigued by Norman because he made eye contact with me when I walked over. I started taking photos of him after about 5 minutes of observation. In our animal, food, and justice class, we always talked about making the animal more concrete and how talk about factory farming always abstracts the animal in a way that prevents action.
Norman is an especially calm and collected cow, but he punctuates this with moments of quite surprising facial expressions. While I was taking photos of Norman, he stayed perfectly still and gazed deeply into my eyes, watching my every move. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I think he decided I wasn’t going to eat him and promptly laid down, munching the grass at his feet. He reminded me of an old grandfather, possessing an unlimited amount of patience. His calmness was infectious. Usually, I get really excited when I’m taking pictures, trying to get the perfect shot in the moment. In this case, I ended up calming myself down quite a bit after realizing that Norman wasn’t going to walk away at a moment’s notice. I guess this is somewhat what people mean when they say that you have to try to “become the animal” when you try to understand them. I think this is also a lesson that I’ll take away for future photographs as well - the idea of how patience can allow you to notice things about the composition and subject matter that you don’t observe at first glance. By noticing those things, you can compose the frame in such a way that can communicates that insight, telling an entirely different story.
Comical figure of Boreas, the north wind, blowing Odysseus across the sea on a raft made of amphorae. The hero holds a trident. The head of the wind god with bloated cheeks in the corner of the scene is also found in Roman era mosaics and post-classical maps. www.theoi.com/Gallery/T28.5.html
Vintage French postcard. Édition Pathé Frères, 1910s.
Charles Prince (1872-1933), aka just ‘Prince’ ,was a French film actor, director and writer. He was famous for his countless comical shorts with his alter ego Rigadin.
Charles Ernest René Petitdemange - better known as Charles Prince - was born at Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) on 27 April 1872 – though some mention his birthplace as Petitdemange, near Paris. Prince’s father was a manufacturer of artificial silk and had planned for his son to study commerce and assist him. Prince chose otherwise. He had his theatrical debut in 1896 at the Theatre de l’Odéon in the play La Bodinière, using a first pseudonym: Seigneur. Around the turn-of-the-century Charles took the stage name of Prince and became a popular boulevard theatre star, cherished for his comic performances at the Theatre des Variétés, as in Ma Tante de Honfleur. After a decade Pathé Frères managed to hire him in 1908 to act in their films. Right from the beginning almost of his films were directed by Georges Monca, mostly for the Pathé subsidiary SCAGL (Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettres). Already in 1909 Prince acted in almost 20 shorts such as a few with Mistinguett (e.g. Fleur de pavé, Michel Carré/ Albert Capellani 1909). This number greatly increased in the subsequent year 1910, when Prince introduced his character of Rigadin: ¾ of his film performances that year – over 30 films - were as Rigadin. Monca also directed all of the Rigadin shorts. While in 1911 Prince played in some 23 Rigadin comedies, 1912 was a top year with some 45 Rigadin shorts. In 1913 some Prince did some 30 Rigadin shorts and in 1914 22 ones despite the outbreak of the First World War and the temporary collapse of the French film industry then. In the early 1910s Prince/Rigadin was extremely popular throughout the world, rivalling with – the now better known - Max Linder. What both actors helped, was that they worked for Pathé, the first multinational in film history, which had a clockwork production output, massive distribution and promotion around the globe, and even its own global network of cinemas. In Germany Rigadin was known as Moritz, in Britain and the US as Whiffles, in Italy as Tartufini, in Spain as Salustiano, and in Russia as Prenz. Prince/Rigadin had a remarkable face with a curling lip showing his teeth and an upturned nose, which he even mocked himself in Le Nez de Rigadin (1911).
As Rigadin, Prince often played the bourgeois who gets in trouble with authorities or with love interests, because of his timidity and clumsiness. Just like Prince’s previous stage performances, the Rigadin comedies thus mocked pre-war bourgeois drama and their main topic of amour, even if Prince himself occasionally acted in these bourgeois dramas as well. In contrast to the previous anarchic comedy at Pathé and other companies, Rigadin was inspired by vaudeville and light stage comedy, and so Prince’s character stuck to ‘white collar’ respectability and convention, while being pestered by mother-in-laws or his own mistresses. In Rigadin n’aime pas le vendredi 13 (1911) for instance, Rigadin has a dinner with his fiancée and her parents, but it is Friday the 13th and Rigadin is so superstitious that everything goes wrong. In La Garçonnière de Rigadin (1912) Rigadin lends his bachelor flat to his future father-in-law, not knowing ‘papa’ is going to use it for his secret rendez-vous. In contrast to Linder, Prince also made Rigadin do countless transformations in all kinds of professions, from domestic, cook, chestnut seller, poet, singer and explorer to the president of the French Republic and Napoleon. In Rigadin peintre cubiste (1912) Prince mocked avant-garde art by having Rigadin and his model wear angular clothes. In Rigadin aux Balkans (1912) Prince played a war cameraman who fakes scenes for the camera in France. During the First World War the number of Rigadin comedies went down from some 20 films in 1915, to 16 in 1916, 13 in 1917, and 11 in 1918. Still, all in all Prince must have acted in some 200 shorts as of 1908, mostly Rigadin comedies. Prince also experimented with the exchange between stage and screen. In the war revue show Nouvelle Revue, shown at the Paris Theatre Antoine in 1915, a notary Rigadin from the countryside is appalled about a film poster suggesting he has an affair with a girl and visits a Parisian cinema. There he speaks to the Rigadin on the screen, until the other turns around and starts to speak with him. When the notary tries to pursue him, he is suddenly within the film…
In all of these years, the number of films in which Prince wasn’t Rigadin was really small. As of 1913, Prince acted in long(er) features as well, mostly dramas. In 1913 he thus acted opposite Léon Bernard and Suzanne Demay in the SCAGL production Les Surprises du divorce, directed by Monca. Then followed Le Bon juge, Le Coup de fouet, Ferdinand le noceur, Le Fils à papa and Monsieur le directeur, all co-directed in 1913 by Monca and Prince himself. Subsequent long films co-directed by Prince were in 1914 Les Trente millions de Gladiator, Bébé, La Famille Boléro, La Femme à papa (all co-directed by Prince) and Les Fiançés héroïques (Monca 1914), in 1915 L’Auréole de la gloire and La Main dans le sac (both by Monca), in 1916 La Mariée récalcitrante (Monca, Prince). In 1919-1921 Prince played in a few feature-lenghth comedies, again all directed by Monca, such as Les Femmes collantes (1919-1920) and Madame et son filleul (1919). One last time he played in a Rigadin short, probably mocking his own dissatisfaction or that of the spectators, as the title was Prince embêté par Rigadin (1920). By the early 1920s, though, not only the popularity of Rigadin but also that of Prince had faded, and for years Prince didn’t act in film anymore. After one last silent film in 1928 (Embrassez-moi by Robert Péguy and Max de Rieux), he did have an active career in early French sound cinema between 1930 and 1933, but now in supporting roles, as in Maurice Tourneur’s Partir (1931) and Pierre Colombier’s Sa Meilleure cliente (1932), starring Elvire Popesco and René Lefèvre. Prince died at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne) on 17 July 1933. Unfortunately his tomb was destroyed.
In 1900 Prince was married to vaudeville and film actress Miss (Aimée) Campton (1882-1930), whose original name was Emily Strahan Cager. They had one daughter Renée (1901-1993). In 1914 Prince married his second wife Gabrielle (1883-1974). Campton was the cousin of Paul Derval, director of the Folies-Bergères. Prince's great-grandson is French film director Cris Ubermann.
Sources: IMDB, French and English Wikipedia, Bibliothèque du Film, Richard Abel, The Ciné Goes to Town, The Bioscope (thebioscope.net/2007/09/07/slapstick-european-style-part-1/), Eva Krivanec (in the volume Theatre und Medien/Theatre and the Media), Adrien Vernardin (Le Musée du Music-Hall), various obituaries in newspapers.
Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentals pauses between preening sessions in the late evening light, Pensacola FL
The wonderful, comical and beautiful Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) here photographed with a haul of sand-eels on the superb Isle of May off the East Coast of Scotland.
Spanish postcard. Photo Pathé.
Charles Prince (1872-1933), aka just ‘Prince’, was a French film actor, director and writer. He was famous for his countless comical shorts with his alter ego Rigadin.
Charles Ernest René Petitdemange - better known as Charles Prince - was born at Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) in 1872 – though some mention his birthplace as Petitdemange, near Paris. Prince’s father was a manufacturer of artificial silk and had planned for his son to study commerce and assist him. Prince chose otherwise. He had his theatrical debut in 1896 at the Theatre de l’Odéon in the play 'La Bodinière', using a first pseudonym: Seigneur. Around the turn-of-the-century, Charles took the stage name of Prince. He became a popular boulevard theatre star, cherished for his comic performances at the Theatre des Variétés, as in 'Ma Tante de Honfleur'. After a decade, Pathé Frères hired him in 1908 to act in their films. Right from the beginning almost all of his films were directed by Georges Monca, mostly for the Pathé subsidiary SCAGL (Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettres). Already in 1909, Prince acted in almost 20 shorts such as a few with Mistinguett, e.g. Fleur de pavé (Michel Carré, Albert Capellani, 1909). This number greatly increased in the subsequent year 1910, when Prince introduced his character of Rigadin: ¾ of his film performances that year - over 30 films - were as Rigadin. Monca also directed all of the Rigadin shorts. While in 1911 Prince played in 23 Rigadin comedies, 1912 was a top year with 45 Rigadin shorts. In 1913 some Prince did 30 Rigadin shorts and in 1914 22 ones despite the outbreak of the First World War and the temporary collapse of the French film industry then. In the early 1910s Prince/Rigadin was extremely popular throughout the world, rivalling – the now better-known - Max Linder. What both actors helped, was that they worked for Pathé, the first multinational in film history, which had a clockwork production output, massive distribution and promotion around the globe, and even its own global network of cinemas. In Germany Rigadin was known as Moritz, in Britain and the US as Whiffles, in Italy as Tartufini, in Spain as Salustiano, and in Russia as Prenz. Prince/Rigadin had a remarkable face with a curling lip showing his teeth and an upturned nose, for which he even mocked himself in Le Nez de Rigadin (1911).
As Rigadin, Prince often played the bourgeois who gets in trouble with authorities or with love interests, because of his timidity and clumsiness. Just like Prince’s previous stage performances, the Rigadin comedies thus mocked pre-war bourgeois drama and their main topic of amour, even if Prince himself occasionally acted in these bourgeois dramas as well. In contrast to the previous anarchic comedy at Pathé and other companies, Rigadin was inspired by vaudeville and light stage comedy, and so Prince’s character stuck to ‘white collar’ respectability and convention while being pestered by mothers-in-law or his own mistresses. In Rigadin n’aime pas le vendredi 13 (1911) for instance, Rigadin has dinner with his fiancée and her parents, but it is Friday the 13th and Rigadin is so superstitious that everything goes wrong. In La Garçonnière de Rigadin (1912) Rigadin lends his bachelor flat to his future father-in-law, not knowing ‘Papa’ is going to use it for his secret rendezvous. In contrast to Linder, Prince also made Rigadin do countless transformations in all kinds of professions, from domestic, cook, chestnut seller, poet, singer and explorer to the president of the French Republic and Napoleon. In Rigadin peintre cubiste (1912) Prince mocked avant-garde art by having Rigadin and his model wear angular clothes. In Rigadin aux Balkans (1912) Prince played a war cameraman who fakes scenes for the camera in France. During the First World War, the number of Rigadin comedies went down from some 20 films in 1915, to 16 in 1916, 13 in 1917, and 11 in 1918. Still, all in all, Prince must have acted in some 200 shorts as of 1908, mostly Rigadin comedies. Prince also experimented with the exchange between stage and screen. In the war revue show Nouvelle Revue, shown at the Paris Theatre Antoine in 1915, a notary Rigadin from the countryside is appalled by a film poster suggesting he has an affair with a girl and visits a Parisian cinema. There he speaks to the Rigadin on the screen, until the other turns around and starts to speak with him. When the notary tries to pursue him, he is suddenly in the film…
In all of these years, the number of films in which Prince wasn’t Rigadin was really small. As of 1913, Prince acted in long(er) features as well, mostly dramas. In 1913 he thus acted opposite Léon Bernard and Suzanne Demay in the SCAGL production Les Surprises du divorce, directed by Monca. Then followed Le Bon juge, Le Coup de fouet, Ferdinand le noceur, Le Fils à papa and Monsieur le directeur, all co-directed in 1913 by Monca and Prince himself. Subsequent long films co-directed by Prince were in 1914 Les Trente millions de Gladiator, Bébé, La Famille Boléro, La Femme à papa (all co-directed by Prince) and Les Fiançés héroïques (Monca 1914), in 1915 L’Auréole de la gloire and La Main dans le sac (both by Monca), in 1916 La Mariée récalcitrante (Monca, Prince). In 1919-1921 Prince played in a few feature-length comedies, again all directed by Monca, such as Les Femmes collantes (1919-1920) and Madame et son filleul (1919). One last time he played in a Rigadin short, probably mocking his own dissatisfaction or that of the spectators, as the title was Prince embêté par Rigadin (1920). By the early 1920s, though, not only the popularity of Rigadin but also that of Prince had faded, and for years Prince didn’t act in film anymore. After one last silent film in 1928 (Embrassez-moi by Robert Péguy and Max de Rieux), he did have an active career in early French sound cinema between 1930 and 1933, but now in supporting roles, as in Maurice Tourneur’s Partir (1931) and Pierre Colombier’s Sa Meilleure cliente (1932), starring Elvire Popesco and René Lefèvre. Prince died at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne) in 1933. Unfortunately, his tomb was destroyed. In 1900 Prince married vaudeville and film actress Miss (Aimée) Campton (1882-1930), whose original name was Emily Strahan Cager. Campton was the cousin of Paul Derval, director of the Folies-Bergères. They had one daughter Renée (1901-1993). In 1914 Prince married his second wife Gabrielle (1883-1974). Prince's great-grandson is French film director Cris Ubermann.
Sources: Richard Abel (The Ciné Goes to Town), The Bioscope, Eva Krivanec (Theatre und Medien/Theatre and the Media), Adrien Vernardin (Le Musée du Music-Hall), Bibliothèque du Film, Wikipedia (French and English), IMDb, and various obituaries in newspapers.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
I thought it was comical that Jashaya didn't know the cultural references of "High Times" which appears on his tee or "Reefer Madness".
you can view his
#teeshirttale
in "My videos album
OR
you can view entire clip and more at:
I ordered a comical number of UV filters and lens caps. In late December, I took stock of the lenses I owned that (A) were missing proper caps and filters and (B) I cared about. The number was sufficient that I now have the resulting tower of (mostly single use plastic) packaging on my table.
It actually looks a bit comical, or childish even!
xxxx
DAF (originally Van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek - "Van Doorne's Trailer-wagon Fabrication") is a major truck/ lorry bus builder based in the Netherlands. Founded in 1928, it's been part of American-based PACCAR since 1996. DAF used to build small cars also, but sold its car business to Volvo in 1975.
It’s almost comically inevitable that whenever I visit this certain lake all the mallard ducklings are in the darkest possible stretch of water. Every. Single. Time. So I was thrilled for a little help from a little patch of sunlight!
Paestum is two hours down the autostrada from Pompeii but the contrast is almost comical. A day earlier we had been suffocating in Pompeii, failing miserably to dodge tour guides and being barked at by the custodians. The next day we were on our own in the wide open green spaces of Paestum, sharing a picnic on the steps of a temple with the security guard
The site is so far off the tourist track that it is almost invisible. What they miss, as they power down the motorway on the Naples/Sicily run, is one of the greatest Hellenic sites - the three Doric temples dedicated to Hera and Athena are among the best preserved Greek temples anywhere. But don’t tell them......
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622363883/
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622365157
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622366933
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622368415
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622369969
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622372039
www.flickr.com/photos/gaznaz/5622373889
That evening we stayed at the charming resort down of Sta Maria Castellabate on the sandy (and uncrowded) Cilento coast
copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
I remain transfixed by the Berry College eagle cam. Throughout this entire time, from when they began brooding the eggs until today, I have marveled at the depth and breadth of their instinct, from how they protect the eaglet from the attacking invaders and from the elements. The pictures of the female covered with ice during that storm and of her with wings completely outstretched as she saved the eaglet from attack remain engraved in my mind, along with the tenderness the adults show each other and how gentle they are with the little one, and how they know exactly what size food too offer B3.
Well, in most cases that has been true. Right before the daytime camera turned to infrared, there was a rather comical attempt by the male to feed a looooonnng piece of coot tendon to B3, who tried and tried but just couldn't get it down his throat. But the tendon seemed too tough even for the strong bill and neck of the male to break into sections, and eventually the young one gave up and put his head down, signifying, "I'm done, Dad." There was nothing else to eat in the nest, though, because the prey had obviously been in hiding during the rain.
Another thing I noticed today was the male taking a large branch with twigs coming out at all angles, eat (or remove and spit out) some of the lichen (he was likin' the lichen!), removing some of the twigs, then moving the now-smaller branch first to one side of the nest and then, as if saying to himself, "Nope, that's not right," moving it to the other side. You can actually see in this photo how the right edge of the nest looked like it needed some building up, and that's what the branch accomplished once placed properly. I don't know whether he or the female had brought the branch. I've heard of "feathering one's nest" but never saw a bird "branch one's nest." But the eagles do keep the nest in good repair, if often messy.
This screenshot was taken during the rain, while the bedraggled female continued to shelter the eaglet from the elements.
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You might recall, our last Plague Trip put us in Colorado in the days leading up to the election, when the televisions are full of political ads. One of the most frequent ads on Denver television was from this woman. I took this picture of the TV during one of her ads because she struck me as a particularly comical kind of absurd politician for the modern era, a sort of chesty Sarah Palin wannabe who couldn't quite manage Palin's eloquence or intelligence. (And yes, I know what I'm saying there.) She's an obsessed gun nut, a Trump cultist, and a loud follower of that Q conspiracy theory.
In other words, she's the perfect representative for today's Republican Party.
She wound up winning the race for Colorado's 3rd U.S. Congressional District, and she's spent all her time since throwing fits about not being allowed to carry a loaded gun into the Capitol. Last Wednesday while taking cover with fellow House members during the attempted coup, she was tweeting out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's location to any insurgent who might want to swing by with a noose. During today's hearings about the Impeachment that resulted from that coup -- a few hours after throwing a fit at the Capitol Police for making her pass through a metal detector and refusing to show what was in her purse after she set it off -- she gave a loud and ironically combative speech demanding reconciliation and unity.
That seems to be the line a lot of Republicans want to take on this whole coup thing. They don't want to talk abut the coup itself, and they often try to deflect discussion with talk of how Black people burned down 7-11s last summer. (Of course, they ignore the fundamental differences in scale between burning down a random convenience store and storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to murder elected leaders and topple democracy.) After having spent the last two months screaming lies about a so-called stolen election and demonizing their opponents as vile conspirators, their notion -- now that they've been outed as the conspirators -- is that it's time to tone down the rhetoric. Time to put the past behind us and come together in unity for a better tomorrow.
Never mind good old Lauren Boebert up there, who would have happily led Nancy Peolsi to the gallows. Never mind the talk just now emerging that some other members members of Congress conspired with the insurgents to make the coup happen. We're supposed to let all that go. We're supposed to just drop it all and play nice.
I've seen several Republican luminaries quote Lincoln as they plea for some kind of mythical "unity." Republican news personality Hugh Hewitt quoted Lincoln's First Inaugural Address on Twitter, saying, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies." He probably forgot the response to Lincoln's plea was an attack on Fort Sumter and four years of Civil War. On the House floor today, Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise argued against impeachment with the famous line from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address about acting "with malice toward none, with charity for all." He neglected to mention the response Lincoln got was a gunshot to the head.
I know a lot of people in life who firmly believe the way past any problem is to ignore it. Have a disagreement with family? Keep it quiet. Have some sort of medical problem? Ignore it. If you don't believe it's there, it can't hurt you. Do whatever it takes to keep the peace and make it go away. I don't subscribe to that. We are well past the point where this is simple disagreement. The nation has cancer, and it's time we cut it out. We need to look this right in the eye and face it for what it it is. Forget fake charity for those who only want to escape the consequences of inciting insurgency and war. Forget false unity with those who'd be happy to put bullets in our heads. I don't want reconciliation with people who refuse to denounce a coup. They wanted a fight. It's time we stand up and give it to them.
Clone troopers do need somewhere to sleep, don't they! Please keep in mind that this is meant to be comical. Please leave feedback questions and suggestions!
This comical pair of nude ceramic shelf sitters (Adam and Eve?) are by Italian ceramic artist Federigo Fabbrini (1928-2007). Both are hand-signed "Fabbrini Italy" and were found in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
As a kid, I thought "CATSKILL HILLBILLY" was the funniest name in the world for an airplane. I knew the Catskills were in New York, and as a child in Texas, with nothing but sitcoms and old movies on TV to go by, I thought all New York was New York City, and thought the idea of any hillbillies being there was every bit as comical as what transpired--several years after I was first old enough to read the name on the aircraft--when Jed loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly. Of course, I now know that that part of New York, especially back then, wasn't all that different from the Ozarks (although, having also learned a little about the Borscht Belt, the idea becomes even more humorous). But I'm still pretty sure that that joke was exactly what whoever named the plane (Lt. Clark?) had in mind.
I'm not sure about the name of the crew chief. The placard is too small and the images aren't sharp enough to make out any more than the initial "J." and a four-letter last name which COULD start with a "B". The only people dad identified by name on the backs of his photographs were a Lt. Jacobson, one "Handsome" Burns, and another sergeant identified only as "Beam". Based on that, and the fact that a crew chief named "Jim Beam" (and you KNOW his nickname was "Jim" no matter what his first name really was) was too good to pass up; so, considering that (speaking of Jims) "Damn it, Jim--I'm a girlie cartoonist, not a historian!" (any BA from UTA notwithstanding) and therefore not bound by any obligation to be 100% (or even 1/100%) accurate, I went with it.
Nor am I sure that that's Lt. Clark in the cockpit, in the picture taken before takeoff. Again, the only officer dad identified by name was a Lt. Jacobson. The photo of him is almost identical to the one of dad standing in that hole in the wing root, and dad's note on the back says, "This is Lt. Jacobson, the pilot who was flying my ship when it got hit." I recall dad telling me Lt. Jacobson was not his regular pilot, but had taken the Hillbilly for the mission because his own aircraft was unserviceable that day. I also vaguely remember him telling me his regular pilot was a "Lt. Blue". I put that in quotation marks because what I heard as "Blue" could have been "Bleu" or "Bleau", or even something like "Bellew" or "Ballou", and my 8-year-old ears just didn't copy correctly. And, for that matter he could have even been talking about one of the pilots in his stateside B-29/B-25 days, before he got MOS-mismatched and sent to a jet fighter squadron in Korea as part of Truman's one-year extension of everyone's enlistments.
And, it could well be that neither Clark nor the crew chief had anything to do with dad and the pilot in the cockpit. In the "Forgotten Jets" section at www.millionmonkeytheater.com (a great B-movie review site, by the way) it says the Hillbilly was assigned to the 9th FBS/49th FGB. Dad was in the 7th FBS/49th FBG. It could be that millionmonkeytheater had a typo, or there may have been a mistake in the source of his information, but, maybe not. Maybe the information wasn't incorrect, just incomplete. In every photo of it, dad identifies it as the "...new plane", "...new ship", "...just after it was assigned to me", etc., so it could have been the case that the Hillbilly was transferred to the 7th from the 9th, and Lt. Clark and Sgt. Beam(?) were the 9th FBS guys from whom dad and the pilot inherited the plane, and they just hadn't had time to change the names on the placard.
I freely acknowledge an equally glaring historical error as regards fashion. Traditional hanbok is both loose-fitting and full-length, but, again, I'm a girlie cartoonist and know my rights as such, so my little Korean K-2 Kutie got the sweater girl version of the jeogori and a micro-mini chima. And, yes, I'm sure the Sweetheart of Tech Supply would have been embarrassed to tears to be seen in such an outfit.
But, the www is chock-full of Han River Hotties who wouldn't be embarrassed, which, their being a reflection of the modern Republic of Korea, brings me to the title, a play on the title of Clay Blair's definitive history of the war. It hasn't been forgotten by all of us, but it has been forgotten by all too many of us, due no doubt to the idiotic popular wisdom that Korea was "the first of our 'no-win' wars." To which I say, "'No-win war' my a--!"
True, we failed to accomplish MacArthur's (and Truman's, the JCS's, and the UN's initial) objective of unifying all Korea into a single nation, and "merely" restored the status quo antebellum of a free South Korea with a border at the 38th Parallel. We didn't utterly and completely destroy the enemy's will and means to fight, dictate peace terms in his capital, and set up a government in our own image, as we had done less than a decade before with Germany and Japan (and, oh, yeah, sorry, I almost forgot, Italy), so Americans, being the World Series fans they are by nature, were naturally disappointed by something that was less than a clearly-defined win.
But, by that yardstick, America has only actually "won" two wars in its entire history--the aforementioned WW II, and the Civil War. Every other war, from the Revolution on, was settled by a negotiated peace that got us some or all of what we wanted, but left the enemy nation unoccupied (and in most cases even un-invaded) and the enemy government still in power (the jury is still out on Iraq and Afghanistan--we did a good job of moving in and taking over, but I'm afraid that, like Vietnam, utter failure will fill the vacuum created by our impending departure; for that matter, given recent trends in domestic politics, I'm not altogether sure we weren't a little premature in hanging out a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner with regards to The Confederate States of America).
By any other (rational) yardstick, that "merely" in regard to restoring the status quo antebellum definitely deserves to be in quotation marks. We "merely" restored the Republic of Korea's border to the 38th Parallel, the ROK has "merely" been a democracy for the almost sixty years since, and in those six decades, the ROK has "merely" become the 11th largest economy in the world and one of America's staunchest allies, with armed forces that are among the most well-trained, well-equipped, well-led, and most highly motivated in the world. I'd call that a win, without any qualifying quotation marks. And, while I not only think Truman was right to fire MacArthur, but agree with Bradley and Marshall that he should have done it a year sooner than he did, we should never let those Old Soldiers who went on under Ridgway and Van Fleet to secure that victory fade away.
A short excerpt from an article entitled 'Royal Pains - What's in a Dame?' in the Nov. 2015 Town and Country magazine. Pages 210-211.
Britain's honours system, founded on more rugged battlefields, has been around since the a Middle Ages. Norman Kings bestowed knighthoods, orders of chivalry, and heraldry titles as part of England's feudal government, replacing the Anglo Saxon tradition of rewarding faithful service and gallantry in battle with grants of land, money, or weapons. Until the early 19th. century British chivalric orders were dispensed only to members of the aristocracy (heraldry dukes, earls, marquise's, and barons) and distinguished military figures.
These days Britain's system consists of six main orders of chivalry, each with its own ranks (as many as seven) and two orders of merit. They all have the statutes that dictate the size and colors of the corresponding insignia (badges, stars, ribbons, and sashes) ; how, when, and where they are worn; and post-nominal abbreviations. One of the cardinal rules of the current system is that British titles cannot be bought. Titles were blatantly sold by William the Conquerer during the 11th. century, and again in 1917, when the going rate for a knighthood was 10,000 £ and a hereditary baronetcy could be purchased for a whopping 40,000 £.
Today, in order of seniority and prestige, the chivalric orders are: the Most Noble Order of the Garter (relating to England and Wales); the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (for Scotland); the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (for Senior Civil Servants and military officers); the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (diplomats and colonial servants); the Royal Victorian Order (for services to the crown); the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (for miscellaneous military and civil services). For snob value no honor outranks the Most Noble of the Garter, Britain's oldest order of chivalry. Founder in 1344, it is awarded at the sovereign's pleasure, as a personal gift, and is limited to the monarch, the Prince of Wales, and 24 members, known as Knights Companions or Ladies Companions.
To some ears "Garter" is a comical name for such a coveted prize. According to the legend it was begun after "a trivial mishap" at a court ball when King Edward III was dancing with his alleged mistress Joan, Countess of Salisbury. When her garter slithered to her ankle, nearby courtiers sniggered at her humiliation. The king, in an act of chivalry, stooped to pick up the garter and affix it to his own knee, declaring in French, "Honi soit qui mal y pense. Tel qui s'en rit aujourd'hui, s'honorerea de la porter," or "Shame on him who thinks evil of it. Those who laugh at it today will be proud to wear it in the future."
The Garter has for centuries been awarded to distinguished statesmen and military figures like the dashing Earl of Moubtbatten, who was appointed to the order in 1946. By the mid-1950's, however, some knights complained that standards were slipping. "The trouble with the Order of the Garter these days," the 7th. Duke of Wellington remarked, "is that it is full of field marshals and people who do their own washing-up." To me, it was an excellent article. Unfortunately I could not locate the author's name.
Garter Day: www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/albums/721576447897...
Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense - Empire. "Shame on him who thinks ill of it".
www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/9851675205/in/photolis...
A possible seal for sealing envelopes with sealing wax. I didn't look at it closely. Who knows, it may be a broken spoon fixed to a base. I'll have to return. I returned and it looks like a sealing stamp.
K.G. - The Most Noble Order of the Garter -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an English order of chivalry with a history stretching back to medieval times; today it is the world's oldest national order of knighthood in continuous existence and the pinnacle of the British honours system. Its membership is extremely limited, consisting of the Sovereign and not more than twenty-five full members, or Companions. Male members are known as Knights Companions, whilst female members are known as Ladies Companions (not Dames, as in most other British chivalric orders). The Order can also include certain extra members (members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs), known as "Supernumerary" Knights and Ladies. The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order; the Prime Minister does not tender binding advice as to appointments, as he or she does for most other orders.
As the name suggests, the Order's primary emblem is a garter bearing the motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (which means "Shame on him who thinks ill of it") in gold letters. The Garter is an actual accessory worn by the members of the Order during ceremonial occasions; it is also depicted on several insignia.
Most British orders of chivalry cover the entire kingdom, but the three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent nation only. The Order of the Garter, which pertains to England, is most senior in both age and precedence; its equivalent in Scotland is The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. Whilst the Order of the Thistle was certainly in existence by the sixteenth century and possibly has medieval origins (or even, according to more fanciful legends, dates to the eighth century), the foundation of the institution in its modern form dates only to 1687. In 1783 an Irish equivalent, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was founded, but since the independence of the greater part of Ireland the Order has fallen dormant (its last surviving knight died in 1974).
History:
The Order was founded circa 1348 by Edward III as "a society, fellowship and college of knights." Various more precise dates ranging from 1344 to 1351 have been proposed; the wardrobe account of Edward III first shows Garter habits issued in the autumn of 1348. At any rate, the Order was most probably not constituted before 1346; the original statutes required that each member admitted to the Order already be a knight (what would today be called a knight bachelor), and several initial members of the Order were first knighted in that year.
Various legends have been set forth to explain the origin of the Order. The most popular one involves the "Countess of Salisbury" (it may refer to Joan of Kent, the King's future daughter-in-law, or to her then mother-in-law, whom Edward is known to have admired). Whilst she was dancing with the King at Eltham Palace, her garter is said to have slipped from her leg to the floor. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the King picked it up and tied it to his own leg, exclaiming "Honi soit qui mal y pense." (The French may be loosely translated as "Shame on him who thinks ill of it"; it has become the motto of the Order.) According to another myth, Richard I, whilst fighting in the Crusades, was inspired by St George to tie garters around the legs of his knights; Edward III supposedly recalled the event, which led to victory, when he founded the Order.
Composition:
Sovereign and Knights
Since its foundation, the Order of the Garter has included the Sovereign and Knights Companions. The Sovereign of the United Kingdom serves as Sovereign of the Order.
Queen Elizabeth II in Garter Robes:
The Prince of Wales is explicitly mentioned in the Order's statutes and is by convention created a Knight Companion; aside from him, there may be up to twenty-four other Knights Companions. In the early days of the Order, women (who could not be knighted), were sometimes associated with the Order under the name "Ladies of the Garter," but they were not full companions. Henry VII, however, ended the practice, creating no more Ladies of the Garter after his mother Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Derby (appointed in 1488).
Thereafter, the Order was exclusively male (except, of course, for the occasional female Sovereign) until 1901, when Edward VII created Queen Alexandra (his wife) a Lady of the Garter. Throughout the 20th century women continued to be admitted to the Order, but, except for foreign female monarchs, they were not full members of the Order until 1987, when it became possible, under a statute of Elizabeth II, to appoint "Ladies Companions."
In addition to the regular Knights and Ladies Companions, the Sovereign can also appoint "Supernumerary Knights". This concept was introduced in 1786 by George III so that his many sons would not count towards the limit of twenty-five companions set by the statutes; in 1805, he extended the category so that any descendant of George II could be created a Supernumerary Knight. Since 1831, the exception applies to all descendents of George I. Such companions, when appointed, are sometimes known as "Royal Knights."
From time to time, foreign monarchs have also been admitted to the Order; and for two centuries they also have not counted against the limit of twenty-five companions, being (like the Royal Knights aforementioned), supernumerary. Formerly, each such extra creation required the enactment of a special statute; this was first done in 1813, when Alexander I, Emperor of Russia was admitted to the Order. Many European monarchs are in fact descended from George I and can be appointed supernumerarily as such, but a statute of 1954 authorizes the regular admission of foreign Knights and Ladies without further special statutes irrespective of descent. The appellation "Stranger Knights," which dates to the middle ages, is sometimes applied to foreign monarchs in the Order of the Garter.
Generally, only foreign monarchs are made Stranger Knights or Ladies; when The Rt Hon. Sir Ninian Stephen (an Australian citizen) and Sir Edmund Hillary (from New Zealand) joined the Order, they did so as Knights Companions in the normal fashion. The British Sovereign is the head of state of both these countries, which were formerly British colonies.
Formerly, whenever vacancies arose, the Knights would conduct an "election," wherein each Knight voted for nine candidates (of which three had to be of the rank of Earl or above, three of the rank of Baron or above, and three of the rank of Knight or above). The Sovereign would then choose as many individuals as were necessary to fill the vacancies; he or she was not bound to choose the receivers of the greatest number of votes. Victoria dispensed with the procedure in 1862; thereafter, all appointments were made solely by the Sovereign. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Sovereign made his or her choices upon the advice of the Government. George VI felt that the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle had become too linked with political patronage; in 1946, with the agreement of the Prime Minister (Clement Attlee) and the Leader of the Opposition (Winston Churchill), he returned these two orders to the personal gift of the Sovereign.
Knights of the Garter could also be degraded by the Sovereign, who normally took such an action in response to serious crimes such as treason. The last degradation was that of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, who had participated in the Jacobite Rebellion and had been convicted upon impeachment, in 1716. During the First World War, Knights who were monarchs of enemy nations were removed by the "annulment" of their creations; Knights Companions who fought against the United Kingdom were "struck off" the Rolls. All such annulments were made in 1915.
The Knights who were removed were:
Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria
William II, Emperor of Germany
Ernst August, 3rd Duke of Cumberland
Prince Albert William Henry of Prussia
Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine
William, Crown Prince of Germany
William II, King of Württemberg
The only Knight Companion to be struck off the Rolls was Prince Charles Edward, 2nd Duke of Albany.
Poor Knights:
At the original establishment of the Order, twenty-six "Poor Knights" were appointed and attached to the Order and its chapel at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The number was not always maintained; by the seventeenth century, there were just thirteen Poor Knights. At his restoration, Charles II increased the number to eighteen. After they objected to being termed "poor", William IV renamed them the Military Knights of Windsor.
Poor Knights were originally impoverished military veterans. They were required to pray daily for the Sovereign and Knights Companions; in return, they received a salary, and were lodged in Windsor Castle. Today the Military Knights, who are no longer necessarily poor, but are still military pensioners, participate in the Order's processions, escorting the Knights and Ladies of the Garter, and in the daily services in St George's Chapel. They are not actually members of the Order itself, nor are they necessarily actual knights: indeed few if any have been knights.
Officers:
The Order of the Garter has six officers:
the Prelate
the Chancellor
the Registrar
the King of Arms
the Usher
the Secretary
The offices of Prelate, Registrar and Usher were created upon the Order's foundation; the offices of King of Arms and Chancellor were created during the fifteenth century, and that of Secretary during the twentieth.
The office of Prelate is held by the Bishop of Winchester, traditionally one of the senior bishops of the Church of England. The office of Chancellor was formerly held by the Bishop of the diocese within which Windsor fell— at one point, the Bishop of Salisbury, but after boundary changes the Bishop of Oxford. Later, the field was widened so that, for example, the Stuart courtier Sir James Palmer served as Chancellor from 1645 although he was neither a prelate nor even a companion (although he was a Knight Bachelor). Today, however, one of the companions serves as Chancellor. The Dean of Windsor is, ex officio, the Registrar.
Garter King of Arms is the head of the College of Arms (England's heraldic authority) and thus the "principal" herald for all England (along with Wales and Northern Ireland). As his title suggests, he also has specific duties as the heraldic officer of the Order of the Garter, attending to the companions' crests and coats of arms, which are exhibited in the Order's chapel (see below). The modern (1904) office of Secretary has also been filled by a professional herald.
The Order's Usher is the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. He is also the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords (although his functions there are more often performed by his deputy, the Yeoman Usher). The title of his office comes from his staff of office, the Black Rod.
Vestments and accoutrements:
Sovereign and Knights:
For the Order's great occasions, such as its annual service each June in Windsor Castle, as well for coronations, the Companions wear an elaborate costume:
Today Knights of the Garter wear their distinctive habits over ordinary suits or military uniforms. For the coronation of George IV in 1821, this version of Jacobean dress was devised.
Most importantly (although hardly visible), the Garter is a buckled velvet strap worn around the left calf by men and on the left arm by women. Originally light blue, today the Garter is dark blue. Those presented to Stranger Knights were once set with several jewels. The Garter bears the Order's motto in gold majuscules.
The mantle is a blue velvet robe. Knights and Ladies Companions have worn mantles, or coats, since the reign of Henry VII. Once made of wool, they had come to be made of velvet by the sixteenth century. The mantle was originally purple, but varied during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries between celestial blue, pale blue, royal blue, dark blue, violet and ultramarine. Today, mantles are dark blue in colour, and are lined with white taffeta. The mantles of the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family end in trains. Sewn onto the left shoulder of the mantle is a shield bearing St George's cross, encircled by a Garter; the Sovereign's mantle is slightly different, showing instead a representation of the star of the Order (see below). Attached to the mantle over the right shoulder are a crimson velvet hood and surcoat, which have lost all function over time and appear to the modern observer simply as a splash of colour. Today the mantle, which includes two large gold tassels, is worn over a regular suit or military uniform.
The hat is of black velvet, and bears a plume of white ostrich and black heron feathers.
Like the mantle, the collar was introduced during Henry VII's reign. Made of pure gold, it weighs 30 troy ounces (0.93 kilogram). The collar is composed of gold knots alternating with enamelled medallions showing a rose encircled by the blue garter. During Henry VII's reign, each garter surrounded two roses—one red and one white—but he later changed the design, such that each garter now encircles just one red rose. The collar is worn around the neck, over the mantle.
The George, a three-dimensional figurine of St George on horseback slaying a dragon, colourfully enamelled, is worn suspended from the collar.
Queen Victoria wearing the Garter around her arm.
Aside from these special occasions, however, much simpler insignia are used whenever a member of the Order attends an event at which decorations are worn.
The star, introduced by Charles I, is an eight-pointed silver badge; in its centre is an enamel depiction of the cross of St George, surrounded by the Garter. (Each of the eight points is depicted as a cluster of rays, with the four points of the cardinal directions longer than the intermediate ones.) It is worn pinned to the left breast. Formerly, the stars given to foreign monarchs were often inlaid with jewels. (Since the Order of the Garter is the UK's senior order, a member will wear its star above that of other orders to which he or she belongs; up to four orders' stars may be worn.)
The broad riband, introduced by Charles II, is a four inch wide sash, worn from the left shoulder to the right hip. (Depending on the other clothing worn, it either passes over the left shoulder, or is pinned beneath it.) The riband's colour has varied over the years; it was originally light blue, but was a dark shade under the Hanoverian monarchs. In 1950, the colour was fixed as "kingfisher blue". (Only one riband is worn at a time, even if a Knight or Lady belongs to several orders.)
The badge (sometimes known as the Lesser George) hangs from the riband at the right hip, suspended from a small
Insignia of the Order of the Garter:
gold link (formerly, before Charles II introduced the broad riband, it was around the neck). Like the George, it shows St George slaying the dragon, but it is flatter and monochromatically gold. In the fifteenth century, the Lesser George was usually worn attached to a ribbon around the neck. As this was not convenient when riding a horse, the custom of wearing it under the right arm developed.
However, on certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar over their military uniform or eveningwear. The collar is fastened to the shoulders with silk ribbons. They will then substitute the broad riband of another order to which they belong (if any), since the Order of the Garter is represented by the collar.
Upon the death of a Knight or Lady, the insignia must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. The badge and star are returned personally to the Sovereign by the nearest male relative of the deceased.
Poor Knights:
Poor Knights originally wore red mantles, each of which bore the cross of St George, but did not depict the Garter. Elizabeth I replaced the mantles with blue and purple gowns, but Charles I returned to the old red mantles. When the Poor Knights were renamed Military Knights, the mantles were abandoned. Instead, the Military Knights of Windsor now wear the old military uniform of an "army officer on the unattached list": black trousers, a scarlet coat, a cocked hat with a plume, and a sword on a white sash.
Officers:
The officers of the Order also have ceremonial vestments and other accoutrements that they wear and carry for the Order's annual service. The Prelate's and Chancellor's mantles are blue, like that of the knights (but since the Chancellor is now a member of the Order, he simply wears a knight's mantle), those of other officers crimson; all are embroidered with a shield bearing the Cross of St George. Garter King of Arms wears his tabard.
Assigned to each officer of the Order is a distinctive badge that he wears on a chain around his neck; each is surrounded by a representation of the garter. The Prelate's badge depicts St George slaying a dragon; the Garter within which it is depicted is surmounted by a bishop's mitre. The Chancellor's badge is a rose encircled by the Garter. The badge of Garter Principal King of Arms depicts the royal arms impaled (side-by-side) with the cross of St George. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod's badge depicts a knot within the Garter. The Registrar has a badge of a crown above two crossed quills, the Secretary two crossed quills in front of a rose.
The Chancellor of the Order bears a purse, embroidered with the royal arms, containing the Seal of the Order. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod carries his staff of office, the Black Rod. At the Order's great occasions, Garter Principal King of Arms bears his baton of office as a king of arms; he does not usually wear his crown.
Chapel:
The Chapel of the Order is St. George's Chapel, Windsor, located in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. It was founded for
At the order's annual gathering and service, the sovereign and companions — such as George VI and Queen Elizabeth, shown here — process through Windsor Castle to St. George's chapel.
the Order in 1475. The order once held frequent services at the Chapel, but they became rare in the eighteenth century. Discontinued after 1805, the ceremony was revived by George VI in 1948 and it has become an annual event. On a certain day each June, the members of the Order (wearing their ceremonial vestments and insignia) meet in the state apartments in the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle, then (preceded by the Military Knights) process on foot down through the castle to St George's Chapel for the service. If there are any new knights, they are installed on this occasion. After the service, the members of the Order return to the Upper Ward by carriage.
Each member of the Order, including the Sovereign, is allotted a stall in the quire of the chapel, above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest. Under English heraldic law, women other than monarchs do not bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the Lady's rank is used (see coronet). The crests of the Sovereign and Stranger Knights who are monarchs sit atop their crowns, which are themselves perched on their helms. Below each helm, a sword is displayed.
Above the crest or coronet, the knight's or lady's heraldic banner is hung, emblazoned with his or her coat of arms. At a considerably smaller scale, to the back of the stall is affixed a piece of brass (a "stall plate") displaying its occupant's name, arms and date of admission into the Order.
Upon the death of a Knight, the banner, helm, mantling, crest (or coronet or crown) and sword are taken down. No other newly admitted Knight may be assigned the stall until (after the funeral of the late Knight or Lady) a ceremony marking his or her death is observed at the chapel, during which Military Knights of Windsor carry the banner of the deceased Knight and offer it to the Dean of Windsor, who places it upon the altar. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the Order's Knights (and now Ladies) throughout history.
Precedence and privileges:
Knights and Ladies of the Garter are assigned positions in the order of precedence, coming before all others of knightly rank, and above baronets. (See order of precedence in England and Wales for the exact positions.) Wives, sons, daughters and
The arms of Knights and Ladies (as well as the Sovereign) may be encircled by the Garter.
daughters-in-law of Knights of the Garter also feature on the order of precedence; relatives of Ladies of the Garter, however, are not assigned any special precedence. (Generally, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.)
The Chancellor of the Order is also assigned precedence, but this is purely academic since today the Chancellor is always also a Knight Companion, with a higher position by that virtue.
(In fact, it is unclear whether the Chancellor's tabled precedence has ever come into effect, since under the old system the office was filled by a diocesan bishop of the Church of England, who again had higher precedence by virtue of that office than any that the Chancellorship could bestow on him.)
Knights Companions prefix "Sir," and Ladies Companions prefix "Lady," to their forenames. Wives of Knights Companions may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Ladies Companions. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms.
Knights and Ladies use the post-nominal letters "KG" and "LG," respectively. When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, KG or LG appears before all others, except "Bt" (Baronet), "VC" (Victoria Cross) and "GC" (George Cross).
The Sovereign, Knights and Ladies Companions and Supernumerary Knights and Ladies may encircle their arms with a representation of the Garter; and since it is Britain's highest order of knighthood, the Garter will tend to be displayed in preference to the insignia of any other order, unless there is special reason to highlight a junior one. (They may further encircle the Garter with a depiction of Order's collar, but this very elaborate version is seldom seen.) Stranger Knights, of course, do not embellish the arms they use at home with foreign decorations such as the Garter; likewise, while the UK Royal Arms as used in England are encircled by the Garter, in Scotland they are surrounded by the circlet of the Order of the Thistle instead. (In Wales and Northern Ireland, the English pattern is followed.)
Knights and Ladies are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. These are relatively rare among private individuals in the UK. While some families claim supporters by ancient use and others have been granted them as a special reward, only peers, Knights and Ladies of the Garter and Thistle, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights Grand Commanders of certain junior orders are entitled to claim an automatic grant of supporters (upon payment of the appropriate fees to the College of Arms).
Current members and officers:
Sovereign: HM The Queen
Knights and Ladies Companions:
HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB OM AK QSO PC ADC (1958)
His Grace The Duke of Grafton KG DL (1976)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Richardson of Duntisbourne KG MBE TD PC DL (1983)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC JP DL (1985)
His Grace The Duke of Wellington KG LVO OBE MC DL (1990)
Field Marshal The Rt Hon. The Lord Bramall KG GCB OBE MC JP (1990)
The Rt Hon. The Viscount Ridley KG GCVO TD (1992)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG (1992)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Ashburton KG KCVO DL (1994)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Kingsdown KG PC (1994)
The Rt Hon. Sir Ninian Stephen KG AK GCMG GCVO KBE (1994)
The Rt Hon. The Baroness Thatcher LG OM PC FRS (1995)
Sir Edmund Hillary KG ONZ KBE (1995)
Sir Timothy Colman KG JP (1996)
His Grace The Duke of Abercorn Bt KG (1999)
Sir William Gladstone of Fasque and Balfour Bt KG DL (1999)
Field Marshal The Rt Hon. The Lord Inge KG GCB DL (2001)
Sir Antony Arthur Acland KG GCMG GCVO (2001)
His Grace The Duke of Westminster KG OBE TD DL (2003)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Butler of Brockwell KG GCB CVO PC (2003)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Morris of Aberavon KG PC QC (2003)
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major KG CH (2005)
The Rt Hon. The Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG PC (2005)
The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames LG DBE (2005)
(one vacancy following the death of The Rt Hon. Sir Edward Heath KG MBE)
Royal Knights and Ladies (supernumerary knights and ladies descended from George I):
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT OM GBE AC QSO PC (1947)
HRH The Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO (1985)
HRH The Princess Royal LG LT GCVO QSO (1994)
HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO (1997)
HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy LG GCVO (2003)
Stranger Knights and Ladies:
HRH Grand Duke Jean sometime Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1972)
HM The Queen of Denmark (1979)
HM The King of Sweden (1983)
HM The King of Spain (1988)
HM The Queen of the Netherlands (1989)
HIM The Emperor of Japan (1998)
HM The King of Norway (2001)
Officers:
Prelate: The Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt (Lord Bishop of Winchester)
Chancellor: The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC DL
Registrar: The Rt Revd David Conner (Dean of St George's Chapel, Windsor)
King of Arms: Peter Llewellyn Gwynn-Jones Esq. CVO (Garter Principal King of Arms)
Secretary: Patric Dickinson Esq. CVO (Richmond Herald)
Usher: Lt-Gen. Sir Michael Willcocks KCB (Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod).
Try this beam of Masonic light:
~Walt Streightiff
Went to Kanheri caves today.. Its at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Mumbai)
There, in the stream two lil kids were playing with their parents.. this was the youngest one.. One year old.
His name " Zeus" .... Was so adorable.. Clicked him the instance i saw him.
Even his lil older bro was adorable. Will soon post his snaps too..
Zeus din want to get wet....completely..! So he was crying..!
He din want to sit in the water...
Loved his expressions.. so posting a series of it..
"That this will be in potentially millions of magazines …what a statement!"
-- Zaadz latest ad!
I got this image of a squirrel who has obviously been burying nuts in a muddy bit of the forest judging by his nose, brings a whole new meaning to brown nose!
Abracadabra! A comical character made by me. He is a witch that want to be an evil that rules the world, but exactly he is goofy. Gallery : www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=483636
Original painting using Derwent Inktense watercolour on Strathmore tan paper. 8 x 6 inches
www.britishartclub.co.uk/profile/suemassey
Also Ebay uk.
Italian postcard. ASER (A. Scarmiglia Ed., Roma), No. 106. SAGFS. Photo by Pesce..
Giuseppe Porelli (1897–1982) was an Italian film, theatre, radio and TV actor, who worked in almost 120 films and TV series.
Giuseppe Porelli was born Giuseppe Porcelli in Naples, on 24 Novembre 1897, as the son of Giuseppe Porcelli and Teresa Fiore. Porelli attended l'Istituto Tecnico superiore and found employment at the National Railways. In his free hours he recited with a drama company. In 1918, driven by a passion for the stage, he left his job to join as generic actor the company of Irma Gramatica. Changed his surname from the inconvenient Porcelli to Porelli, he landed in the brilliant genre by reciting in different formations directed by Picasso, Palmarini, Falconi and Tofano, refining his role as co-protagonist in which he would be particularly appreciated.
In the early forties he joined Enrico Viarisio, whom he physically resembled and was often mistaken for him, and Isa Pola. He then composed, in 1949 another successful company together with Ave Ninchi and Andreina Paul. Together with Margherita Bagni, Giulietta Masina, Franco Scandurra, Lea Padovani and Carla Del Poggio, he performed the theatrical adaptation of Alberto Moravia's novel Gli indifferenti. He also experienced an extraordinary season of success at a riper age, acting in musical comedies written by Garinei and Giovannini such as Al Grand Hotel in 1948 and Rinaldo in campo in 1962, frequently returning to the theater where he had particular success with Liolà by Pirandello in 1971.
Porelli was also very active in cinema, where he made his debut in 1926 with Garibaldi, l'eroe dei due mondi /Anita, directed by Aldo De Benedetti. But his real start in film began in the early sound era of Italian cinema, from the film La telefonista (1932) onward. He would continue for about half a century to interpret countless character roles of sympathetic and communicative characters - albeit petulant or bad-tempered and clumsy (Parigi è sempre Parigi of 1951 by Luciano Emmer) - while on other occasions people of rank and sophistication (the Totò film Miseria e nobiltà by Mario Mattoli in 1954), however almost always positive. Porelli was directed by Carmine Gallone, Mario Camerini, Giorgio Simonelli, Mario Monicelli, Vittorio De Sica, Camillo Mastrocinque and above all by Mario Mattoli.
Porelli was also very active on the radio and in several prose TV shows. He also played a successful television edition of Questi Fantasmi alongside Eduardo De Filippo, Biblioteca Studio Uno, as well as the TV mini-series L'Alfiere (1956), Scaramouche (1965), and The Buddenbrooks (1971). His last film part Porelli had in the Giancarlo Giannini comedy Stasera mi butto (Ettore Maria Fizzarotti, 1967), also with the comical duo Ciccio and Ingrassia. Giuseppe Porelli died in Rome on 5 March 1982.
Sources: Italian WIkipedia, IMDB.