In great disarray, this young man seemed concerned about his foot.

Near the frontline oil refinery at Ras Lanuf, rebels captured and occupied a small military post, which had been looted and mostly deserted except for a collection of bedding in various states of disarray and some food.

The Toy Strewn House

When he rests where a baby plays

I found this lovely poem in the net, but not the author's name. Does anybody know anything about it? I think it was written in or about 1916...

Abandoned industrial wood mill in decay

here, my little sister started to give me her famous (infamous) attitude, but I think/hope it worked for the shot.

Sept 20, 2014: Piecing together a small injection molding machine. Originally this had a bimetal temperature control but it had disintegrated. Here it's been rewired to use a modern controller; still in a bit of disarray.

If you watched our video about our adventures at the Tower of Johnston, you'll have known that the magnificent Den Finella Viaduct would be the next structure to end up appearing on my photostream. This is the only photo I took on the day as the misty sky didn't really inspire me too much. However, the major advantage this photo has is that it's showing the northern face of the viaduct. Normally, any attempts to take photographs in this direction are obliterated by the sun.

At one point, this gorge contained a Victorian path network, which has unfortunately fallen into a state of disarray. I climbed down what looked like an easy enough section of the former path to get to this clear vantage above the gorge (trees block most of the other views) but when I went to climb back up, I realised the entire underside of the stone step had been undermined and pretty much nothing was holding it onto the hillside...

In the far reaches of northern Scotland, within a village where time meanders at its own tranquil pace, a series of images unfolds, painting a tableau of life's relentless march amidst the shadows of climate's dismay and the distant rumbles of war that threaten to engulf Europe. It is a Wednesday evening, draped in the quietude of rainfall, a scene reminiscent of an Edward Hopper collection—imbued with solitude, emptiness, yet a profound continuance.

A Poem:

In this hamlet 'neath Scottish skies so wide,

Where the rains whisper and the winds confide,

Looms the spectre of a world in disarray,

Yet within these bounds, life finds its way.

Upon the cusp of night, shadows merge and dance,

In the pub's warm glow, eyes steal a glance.

The hearth's soft crackle, a comforting song,

In this northern retreat, where hearts belong.

The world outside may churn and roar,

With climates wracked and the drums of war.

Yet here we stand, in this time-suspended place,

Where tomorrow's worries are but a trace.

The local pub, our living room, our sphere,

A sanctuary from doubt, from dread, from fear.

We'll return come dusk, as sure as the tide,

In the rhythm of the ordinary, we take pride.

For what are we, but passengers in time,

Through days mundane, through nights sublime?

The question lingers, in the air, it floats,

Is this all there is? In whispers, it denotes.

Yet, as we stand 'neath the gentle pour,

We find beauty in the repeat, in the encore.

For in these moments, life's essence we distill,

In the quiet of the village, in the peace, so still.

A Haiku:

Rain veils the night's face,

Quiet pub bids farewell—

Life's quiet march on.

I discovered this location while driving to the franco-cypriot school in Nicosia, Cyprus. These are governmental buildings next to the police academy. The complex is to be destroyed in the near future. I was interested in catching the effects of time on official government owned buildings.

Been a rough, but blessed week. Sometimes crying till your eyes hurt feels like being outside after a storm.

Things are in disarray, but somehow in order.

Got a few goofy books from the library (this gross guy farted and then tried to cut me in line, but that fart did not stop me from giving him the evil eye and getting my place back).

The hard stuff has reminded me

to let my hair down

to drink up awesome moments

and love what I do.

It reminded me that I'm only a little bit in control of a whole lot of crap that effects me.

I still don't like that part.

Discussion during the Book Launch: Agricultural Policy in Disarray: Reforming the Farm Bill

Co-Hosted by IFPRI and American Enterprise Institute

Trying - Richard Thompson

Brean Down - BEAK>

Disarray - Low

Adaline - The Other Years

Blue Vapor - Marissa Nadler

We Can't Win - The Goon Sax

Doesn't Matter - Christine And The Queens

I'm Your Man - Spiritualized

Unrequited to the Nth Degree - Loudon Wainwright III (With Kate McGarrigle)

Norrin Radd Dreaming - Oliver Coates

Lonely - Swamp Dogg

Kill Yourself Live - Mudhoney

Something Blue - Alejandro Escovedo

Murmuration Song - Eric Bachmann

Why They Name Whiskey After Men - Dawn Landes

It turns out we haven't left Rundāle Palace in Latvia, after all.

I came across a trove of photos I took in the palace basement on the way out of the complex.

It's essentially Rundāle Palace's historical society, full of cases of artifacts, photos of the palace when the interior decoration was in a state of great disarray, and many paragraphs of text that explain numerous aspects of the interior.

My room always tends to be in a state of disarray. In the coming days and months I'll be going through every inch of my space and getting rid of a lot of my stuff. Why? you may ask. Well, next year I'm moving to L.A. I don't know when exactly, as I still have quite a lot of saving to do first, but I'm hoping by May. I plan to only take what I can fit in my car, and while I don't have an absurd amount of things, I do have more than what I can pack in my Xterra.

You can see why Mom wanted to cut her hair.

[Notes from the BBC website]

This window lights the chapel of the Manchester Regiment, demolished by a German bomb in 1940.

It was originally designed by Margaret Traherne to commemorate the cathedral's rebuilding after the blitz.

She supervised its reconstruction after it was itself destroyed by an IRA bomb in 1996. The glass required was brought from Germany.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although I took this photo after the main floor of the Cathedral had been renovated, there was still work being done in this chapel - hence the disarray!

I discovered this location while driving to the franco-cypriot school in Nicosia, Cyprus. These are governmental buildings next to the police academy. The complex is to be destroyed in the near future. I was interested in catching the effects of time on official government owned buildings.

This is the current view of the 68 and despite the contract changeover it will remain this way for the next few years. However, existing E40H MMCs are expected to work the N68 service, which does bring some interest into this element of the disarray of the 68-group.

A forgotten elementary school left in disarray.

The Cosmic Hunger.

Legends Galactus lands in the collection at a time when my collection is in complete disarray from Hurricane Ian’s destruction!

Still feels like Christmas morning. Had to pop some champagne and celebrate.

I’ve had scenes ready to shoot with these guys for over a year, may have to wait a little longer as I get a new studio set up.

These 3 generations of Galacti are the cornerstones of my Marvel Universes: ToyBiz, MU, and now Legends!

#HasLabGalactus #LegendsGalactus #Galactus #Galacti #Galan

#CosmicPower #HeraldsOfGalactus #TheDevourerOfWorlds

#marvel #marvelComics #MarvelLegends #actionFigures #toyPhotography #ComicBookToys #MarvelComics #Haslab

Food Policy in Disarray

On July 18 2012 Melbourne Airport experienced a power outage, throwing the airport into disarray, and delaying flights by a number of hours

The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).

youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer

Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.

Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.

Synopsis

When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.

The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.

The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.

Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.

Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.

Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.

The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.

Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's

classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.

The Movie Club Annals … Review

The Lost World 1960

Introduction

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.

Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.

Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:

"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972

Review

A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.

The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.

Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl

She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.

By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.

Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.

Vitina, as Sarit

Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.

Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.

And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.

For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with

unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.

The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.

In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.

Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:

Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.

Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.

Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.

Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.

Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.

With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.

Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger

And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.

I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.

Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.

To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.

In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.

1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.

And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.

The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.

But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.

While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.

The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.

Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.

Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.

Carl R.

The newest edition to my bead room or 'studio' if one wants to be 'professional' 38 drawers of beading bliss. This bead tower stocks all of my Swrarovski, gold and silver findings, sea glass and semi/precious gemstone collection. I still have 6 or so drawers to fill. Now that I have this I was able to use the round plastic containers for my seed beads, which were in an awful state of disarray.

Summon the Swarm

"Summon the Swarm and prepare to move to Korhal" The Queen of Blades ordered.

"The Swarm is in disarray and will not answer your call." Izsha replied.

This is a personal remake of the scene in StarCraft 2 when Sarah Kerrigan comes back to the Leviathan to claim her ownership of the Swarm and speaks with Izsha, the Zerg who were made to store all ideas and memories of the Queen.

Models:

The Queen of Blades: myself

Izsha: Zephyra Gilgandra

0717-27-21

Corrick's Ford Battlefield

Union Maj. Gen. George McClellan won a victory at the Battle of Rich Mountain on July 11, 1861. That night, Confederate Gen. Robert S. Garnett and 3,500 Confederates abandoned their camp at Laurel Hill and marched south toward Beverly. Fearing trap, they turned northeast in a daring bid to escape. Union troops pursued the Confederates over Pheasant Mountain in a driving summer rain along muddy roads and rain-swollen river crossings. Garnett's army tossed tents and supplies along the way to lighten the load and block the path of their pursuers. The running battle continued through the night and into the early morning hours of July 13th, when the exhausted armies reached Corrick's Ford, a river crossing on the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. Garnett and his troops broke off the fight and retreated down river to make a final stand. Sharpshooters of the 23rd Virginia Infantry were positioned behind driftwood along the riverbank in a desperate bid to stall the Yankees. Garnett remained with his troops as bullets hissed across the stream. As he turned to give an order, a ball struck him and he toppled from his horse. Federal skirmishers splashed across the ford and found the general's body among the wildflowers. Garnett became the first general officer to die in the Civil War. His troops fled in disarray, escaping over the mountains and along the river. The events in western Virginia during these first campaigns of the Civil War won fame for McClellan and secured Union control of the area, and in June 1863, the new state of West Virginia was born.

Kermit Hinkle, an old school craftsman, passed away some over a year ago. A widower, he made it to 92. Unfortunately, I didn’t see much of him in his last few years. My connection with him came about because he sharpened saw blades, a service I occasionally needed. He provided it well, doing excellent quality work at an extremely reasonable price.

When I dropped off or picked up a blade or two, it would take a while, because he loved to show off his shop and talk about his latest projects. Likewise, he couldn’t resist talking about his gardening efforts, which resulted in both floral and edible forms of produce.

The auction of his estate was held the other day. Despite it being a hard-edged, cold day, I went to the house. I’d been thinking it would be nice to have a tool or two which Kermit had used and diligently maintained. Or should I say, had lovingly taken care of.

His house was sold quickly, in ten minutes or less. Then it was on to his garage and workshop. In typical auction company modus operandi, the “littles” were grouped into lots for convenience – a few clamps here, an assortment of hand tools there, some garden items in a corner, and so on. It didn’t appear that much if any thought had been given to putting things into batches.

When we – the auction team and a dozen or so older guys – moved on to Kermit’s compact shop building, “it” hit me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a bid in pursuit of anything from his collection. The entropy factor had been accelerating over the last several years of Kermit’s life. The shop was packed with way too much stuff and it had degenerated into dusty, grimy disarray. Disarray, of course, is always at its worst when it involves a collection of things crammed into too little space.

So, the auctioneer dealt with the situation in what must have seemed like the only practical, expedient manner. Everything between a vaguely designated Point A and Point B – perhaps one half of a wall, or one corner of the shop, loosely speaking, was offered as “Lot 42” or whatever. He was an efficient auctioneer and didn’t waste any time trying to push bidding beyond its natural bounds or comfort zone. Each lot typically sold within a couple minutes, often for five or ten dollars, occasionally $15 or $20.

It was over in 45 minutes. I stepped out into the cold again, my bidder number still safely in my pocket. Walking to the car, I found myself wondering what Kermit would’ve thought if he’d been there. No ... not really wondering. For him, I’m sure the stuff was priceless.

I discovered this location while driving to the franco-cypriot school in Nicosia, Cyprus. These are governmental buildings next to the police academy. The complex is to be destroyed in the near future. I was interested in catching the effects of time on official government owned buildings.

This is the headstone of the man who built our house in 1859. It is hidden in an overgrown bush in Calvary Cemetery in Aurora. More about Mr. Heaton later.

I am going to see the city will let us cut the brush back. The cemetary is abandoned and in terrible disarray.

Another old shot that I thought was interesting/amusing. Taken whilst putting groceries away. (In other words, my kitchen is not normally in such a state of disarray.) ;)

The kitchen bandit is often seen in conjunction with the grocery ghost.

It turns out we haven't left Rundāle Palace in Latvia, after all.

I came across a trove of photos I took in the palace basement on the way out of the complex.

It's essentially Rundāle Palace's historical society, full of cases of artifacts, photos of the palace when the interior decoration was in a state of great disarray, and many paragraphs of text that explain numerous aspects of the interior.

I need to get the base and leg off the back of my monitor. The base with the V shape takes up far too much real estate on my desk and is fundamentally driving me up the wall.

I bought a 4-position Monitor Arm about a year ago and have just never got around to mounting it. Given my study is in total disarray atm, with the computer rebuild I figured, now is as good a time as any.

Huh.

It's nearly 6 pm and I have been trying to get the base and leg off since approximately midday (you need to take out a 2 hour nap in there as well - lets call it a frustrated snapping point).

The manual provided by Acer gives the most INANE description of how to remove it. It looks simple enough. Depress the button in the middle of the leg | stand and at same time, slide off in direction of the arrow. Needless to say....not helpful.

A google search comes up with a lot of frustrated people on forums with the very same issue. It seems to be rampant on Acer not just this model.

One dude rang Acer for assistance and got some information which he posted and others have since built on. Apparently the initial step is still difficult however......and all of them were blokes. I am thinking my difficulty is now laying in the fact I have quite small weedy, boney little hands and just not the same strength to prise the cap off to get at what I need to. GAHHHHHHH

At this stage - all suggestions very much welcome and appreciated!

Daphne was an independent-minded, love- and marriage-hating young huntress, a follower of Artemis (Diana). Her father, the river god Peneus, wished her to marry and have children, but all Daphne that wanted was to hunt alone in the deep woods, rejoicing in her freedom.

One day Apollo saw her. She was hunting, her dress short to the knee, her arms bare, her hair in disarray. She was enchantingly beautiful and Apollo thought, "She is lovely now, but what would she look like properly dressed with her hair nicely arranged." The idea inflamed him, and he started running after the nymph. Daphne fled, and she was an excellent runner. Apollo was hard put to overtake her, although he grew steadily closer. He cried out, "Do not fear, stop and find out who I am. I am no rude rustic or shepherd but the Lord of Delphi, and I love you!" But Daphne flew on, even more frightened than before. She knew she could never outrun Apollo, but she was determined to resist to the end. She could almost feel Apollo's breath on the back of her neck when she saw her father's river ahead of her. She screamed to him, "Help me father, help me." At these words a dragging numbness came over her, and her feet seemed rooted in the earth. Bark was enclosing her body, and leaves were sprouting from her arms. She had been changed into a laurel tree.

Apollo sadly watched the transformation as he held her in his arms. "Oh, lovely tree," he mourned, "you will always be mine. I will give you the gift of eternal life. Your leaves will always be green and victors will wear your leaves as wreathes upon their brows." Poets also write that Apollo took a limb from one of her branches and made a musical instrument, the guitar.

The life's work of Reverend Morris H. Coers, the Garden of Hope is located high on a hilltop in the Peaselburg neighborhood of Covington, Kentucky, overlooking the city and Interstate 71/75 below. Constructed between 1956 and 1958, the garden was based on a visit that Coers had made to Palestine in 1938, and was meant to give those in the region the ability to experience some of the sites that the reverend visited in the Levant. Following Coers's death in 1960, the garden fell into disarray and disrepair, with the attraction having never been as successful or popular as projected during his lifetime. Several nonprofits have come and gone over the years to look after the garden, but this has been inconsistent. However, the garden is still a charming locale to visit, and features mature landscaping, a replica of what Coers believed was christ's tomb, a small chapel modeled on old Spanish missions, and a carpenter shop based on one Coers visited in Palestine.

After the conclusion of the World's Fair, Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and gardener, approached John McLaren with the idea to convert the temporary exhibit into a permanent park. Hagiwara personally oversaw the building of the Japanese Tea Garden and was official caretaker of the garden from 1895 to 1925. He specifically requested that one thousand flowering cherry trees be imported from Japan, as well as other native plants, birds, and the now famous goldfish. His family lived in and maintained the Japanese Tea Garden until 1942, when Executive Order 9066 forced them to leave San Francisco and relocate to an internment camp with thousands of other Japanese American families. The garden was renamed the 'Oriental Tea Garden', and the garden fell into disarray.

In 1949, a large bronze Buddha, originally cast in Tajima, Japan in 1790, was presented to the garden by the S & G Gump Company. The name 'Japanese Tea Garden' was officially reinstated in 1952. In 1953 the Zen Garden, designed by Nagao Sakurai and representing a modern version of kare sansui (a dry garden which symbolizes a miniature mountain scene complete with a stone waterfall and small island surrounded by a gravel river) was dedicated at the same time as the 9,000-pound (4,100 kg) Lantern of Peace, which was purchased by contributions from Japanese children and presented on their behalf as a symbol of friendship for future generations.

Nagao Sakurai also redesigned the area in front of Tea House.

San Francisco. California.

Sad day: these honey bees have lost their hive and are trying to survive on their own. The colony had swarmed and settled into a rented dumpster. That dumpster got hauled off a few days ago, leaving the colony in disarray. So far, phone calls to bee savers have yielded no response.

The remains of the olds baths at Giles Baths and Gym, Coogee. Still a beautiful spot to swim - perhaps even more so now that it's in a bit of disarray.

Food Policy in Disarray

When Myst awoke, the room was still in disarray. The earth had stopped moving, but there was something not right in the room.

New York National Guard Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force COVID-19 at the memorial plaque dedicated to John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., on March 4, 2021. John Jacob “RIFLE JACK” Peterson was a Revolutionary War patriot of African and Kitchawan descent whose heroism helped repel British forces in Croton, New York. His actions threw Benedict Arnold’s treasonous plans into disarray and led to the capture of Major Andre. His heroism inspired the erection of a memorial plaque at Teller's Point Croton. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Spc. Marla Ogden)

365 Project Day 107: April 17, 2011

I was packing today, and I figured I could speed my process and make the move a bit easier by consuming a few consumables. This would be a bellini, 1 part peach nectar, 2 parts Prosecco. (ideally it's made with fresh peach puree, but I like the nectar just fine, and it doesn't require blending this way...) I ended up getting bored with packing, and since my stuff was already in such disarray, I went ahead and moved some tables around to experiment with shooting backlit glass (not too difficult once you know the tricks, but a huge pain if you don't). I really wanted to get it with some fresh bubbles, but had some difficulty with the process of pouring, finding my equipment, getting the flash in place, turning off the lights, and snapping the photo before the bubbles subsided. Of course, the only way to get new bubbles is to drink it and make a new one, and I had to do a fair amount of experimentation with lighting and such. So this was the end of my packing for the day, but I am 1 bottle of Prosecco and 1 bottle of peach nectar lighter for my move now... :)

Disarray.

Food Policy in Disarray

UNIFICATION OF NEPAL

Nepal was unified by King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha kingdom in the mid-eighteenth century by winning over other kingdoms and moving his capital to Kathmandu.

EARLY RULERS

Nepal's recorded history began with the Kiratis, who arrived in the Kathmandu valley in the 7th or 8th century BCE from the east. Little is known about them, other than their deftness as sheep farmers and fondness for carrying long knives. The Kirats ruled for about 1225 years (800 BCE-300 CE); they had a total of 28 kings during that time. Their first and best remembered king was Yalambar Haang, who is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.

The first record of the word Nepal is found in ancient Indian annals such as the puranas from the 4th century A.D where an area known as 'Newal' or sometimes as 'Newar' is mentioned, referring to what is now known as the Kathmandu Valley. However, the area of the sovereign state of Nepal has changed from time to time during its history, expanding and shrinking in area since ancient times.

Of the kings originating inside or outside of modern Nepal, a common characteristic of attempting to unify Nepal from mostly west to east, along the southern track of the Himalayas and the northern plain of Ganges, can be identified. No Nepalese ruler has been recorded attempting to cross the Himalayas to expand their states into Tibet or China, and none has been recorded trying to cross the Ganges plain into modern India. For the most part, Nepalese rulers seem to have been focused on the territories that more or less comprise modern-day Nepal, between the region of Kashmir in the west and Bhutan in the east.

Nepal as a political region has been united by different kings of different kingdoms at various times in Nepalese history. Common tradition holds that among the first uniters of Nepal was a king by the name of Mandev, who ultimately controlled territory from the Brahmaputra River in the east to the Gandaki in the west. Recorded details of his unification, however, are scarce, and Mandev's actions and his very existence cannot be definitively confirmed. The same may be said for various early recorded and traditional (i.e. not necessarily recorded) rulers of Nepal, all of whose kingdoms apparently broke up when their dynasties died out. While records and documents of several such rulers do exist, a lack of interest has made their accessibility difficult and limited the number of translations and analyses.

KING PRITHVI NARAYAN SHAH

King Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723-1775) was born in the Shah dynasty of Gorkha on 11 January 1723 (27 Poush 1779 B.S.) After the death of Narabhupal shah on 25th chaitra he became the king of Gorkha. He ascended to the throne of Gorkha kingdom on 3 April 1743. He was interested in politics and diplomacy and had interests in both visiting and conquering other countries since his days as prince. He decided to enlarge his kingdom that was confined to the small Gorkha region of present-day Nepal and had an area of just 2,500 square km (approx. 50 km x 50 km). He defeated major principalities in wars and unified them under his rule starting from the 1740s ending with shifting of his Gorkha Kingdom’s capital from Gorkha region to Kathmandu in 1769. While he was successful at conquering the Kathmandu valley and the Sen kingdoms further east of the Kathmandu valley, his efforts were limited to the west of his homeland. He then attacked and absorbed dozens of other small principalities and gave a new name "Nepal" to his Gorkha kingdom. He was able to conquer some of the 22 principalities or kingdoms, known as the (thebaise raj-ya, and some of the 24 kingdoms (the chaubasi raj-ya), which were two sets of allies west of the King's homeland of Gorkha, in what is now called western Nepal.Soon after he ascended the throne of Gorkha Kingdom, Shah tricked his way into the royal household of Bhaktapur for a number of months. He wanted the rich agricultural soil of the valley, and the strategic point of the Kathmandu valley as a transit point for expanding trade with both Tibet and India. Then he planned the conquest of the valley. To this end, he decided to first capture Nuwakot, which belonged to the state of Kantipur, as a strategic point. He also foresaw that taking over Nuwakot would significantly strengthen the position of his Gorkha nation and weaken the states occupying the Kathmandu Valley. Nuwakot held strategic importance, as there was already a fort there, and it had remained as a connecting pass the valley and Tibet.

NUWAKOT

Prithivi Narayan was a very ambitious king. Along with the invasion of the Gorkha he wanted it to protect it from the Gorkha troops, so he started to unify the small kingdoms to be a single country . One year after becoming King, in 1744 AD, Prithvi Narayan Shah attacked Nuwakot but was repelled because the Gorkha army was not well equipped. In addition, conflicts of interest between the Pandeys and Basnets - two important warrior clans in the Gorkha palace - arose to add domestic political tension. Shah then made Kalu Pande "Mul Kaji (equivalent to Prime Minister)" of his state and thus strengthened his domestic political position. Almost a year later, on 2 October 1744, he attacked Nuwakot again and won, thus expanding the bounds of his Gorkha state.

KIRTIPUR

Kalu Pandey employed a strategy involving a blockade of the Kathmandu Valley, and subsequently took over the surrounding settlements and strategic positions around the valley. In the next two years (during 1745-46) he captured Mahadevpokhari, Pharping, Chitlang, Dharmasthali, Naldrum, Siranchok and Shivapuri. He then focused his attention on Kirtipur and Makawanpur, two palaces which were also strategic military targets. Kirtipur was in an elevated position with a fort surrounded by walls and jungles, an ideal place to make inroads into the valley. Shah thought that if he could take over Kirtipur, occupying the rest of the valley would be much easier. On 4 December 1757 he made his first attack on Kirtipur. In this war he lost his strong general Kalu pandey which was a great loss for gorkha. Kalu Pandey had told him that it was not the right time to attack Kritpur. His body was buried in Kirtipur. Prithvi Narayan Shah himself was nearly killed in the battle. As a result, the Gorkha army, having lost a great deal of morale, was defeated. It is said that as revenge for his two earlier defeats, The Gorkha army was repelled again in August 1765.

After two defeats, the Gorkha army changed its strategy again and surrounded Kirtipur during the harvest season, effectively laying siege to the stronghold. The Gorkha army also took over the nearby Balaju fort. After several months of this blockade, the people of Kirtipur could not even get water to drink and were forced to surrender to the Gorkha army on 17 March 1766. This time the Gorkha army took over Kirtipur without a fight. Prithvi Narayan Shah had his army cut off the noses and lips of all the people of Kirtipur.

Conquest of Southern Nepal and the Kathmandu Valley

As Nuwakot was a key point for Kathmandu’s trade with Tibet, Makawanpur in the south was equally important for trade with India. While the battle to surround Kathmandu was going on in the north, the Gorkha army captured Sindhulikot, Timilakot and Hariharpur in the south and southeast of modern-day Nepal before it entered into the Makawanpurgadhi territories. Makawanpur was captured after only 10 hours of battle in August 1762. In 1763 AD, the Gorkha army conquered seven other villages, including Dhulikhel and Banepa, and expanded the Gorkha state's border line further north. With this, the Kathmandu Valley was completely surrounded and blockaded. After all the four passes (Sanga, Baad, pati and Chandragiri Bhanjyang, also known as Char Bhanjyang) of the Kathmandu Valley were controlled by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the eventual lack of salt, oil, spices, and even clothes led to turmoil in the valley and disaster struck Kathmandu. When the local government failed to pay its soldiers, the morale of its military dwindled.

The king of Kathmandu at the time, Jaya Prakash Malla, then asked for military aid from the British in British India. In August 1767, when the forces of the British India arrived in Sindhuligadhi, the Gorkha military conducted guerrilla attacks against them. Many of the British Indian forces were killed and the rest eventually fled, leaving behind a huge amount of weapons and ammunitions, which were seized by the Gorkha army.

This boosted the morale of the forces of Prithvi Narayan Shah and further demoralized the kings of the Kathmandu Valley, among which was the king of Kantipur. In addition to this, the political situation of the valley, political wrangling inside the palace, and personal enmity had rendered the people of Kantipur very weak because Jaya Prakash Malla, the king of Kantipur, was of a paranoid nature, and his own brother and courtiers became dissatisfied with him. The state of Lalitpur had also faced chaos after the death of its king Yogendra Malla. Six pradhans (courtiers) then took power into their own hands, and put Tej Narsingh Malla on the throne; but the actual power in Lalitpur remained with the pradhans. In Bhaktapur as well, the palace of King Ranjeet Malla was in disarray due to domestic political wrangling. When Ranjeet Malla wanted to declare his two-year-old son as his heir, a queen (not through marriage) opposed it. This forced the king to declare his older illegitimate son as his heir to the throne. This only fueled conflict in the palace, as a result of which the palace was weakened further.

While the three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley were engaged in clashes and enmity, Prithvi Narayan Shah used this opportunity to impose an economic blockade against the entire valley region. He closed the trade route to Tibet, which passed through Nuwakot. The Gorkha army marched into the valley. On 25 September 1768, when the people of Kathmandu were celebrating the Festival of Indrajatra, Prithvi Narayan Shah won an easy victory over Kantipur.

Some historians doubt this version of the history written by the conquerors. They say that the valley was overtaken not in September but in cold December. The official version of overwhelmingly large force that captured Kathmandu is considered historically inaccurate. The truth, however, is that the powerful Pradhan courtiers of Kathmandu were promised lucrative positions in the new Kingdom in exchange for their help in killing the beleaguered king. The king realized that he had enemies galore and fled to the neighboring Bhaktapur, leaving the throne empty in Kathmandu. Upon easing his way to the throne of the Kathmandu, the very next day, he ordered the beheading of all of the Pradhan courtiers and their extended society.

Eleven days later (6 October 1768), he conquered Lalitpur. On 14 April 1769, he gained the town of Thimi and seven months later (17 November 1769) he took over Bhaktapur. In this way, the whole Kathmandu Valley came under the control of Prithvi Narayan Shah.

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Prithivi narayan Shah was very effortful to have good relations with different states for making his unification campaign a success. As a representative of his father, he had a pact with Lamjung, the old age enemy. Later he himself signed a treaty with King of Lamjung through the efforts sought be Kalu Pandey. Relations with the Malla Kingdoms was also important. PNS signed separate treaties with Kantipur and Bhaktapur, which are as follow : 1) to circulate the currency of either states in both states. 2) to carry joint trade with Tibet and share the incomes. 3) to enjoy rights to depute a state representative to Tibet. 4) to allow Kantipur to use the territory of Nuwakot for trade with Tibet. (Anush)

ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNITED KINGDOM OF NEPAL

After his conquest of the Kathmandu Valley, Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered other smaller countries south of the valley to keep other smaller fiefdoms near his Gurkha state out of the influence and control of the British rule. After his kingdom spread out from north to south, he made Kantipur the capital of expanded country which was known as Kingdom of Gorkha (Gorkha Samrajya).It was renamed as Kingdom of Nepal in 1930. by King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah.

WIKIPEDIA

On July 18 2012 Melbourne Airport experienced a power outage, throwing the airport into disarray, and delaying flights by a number of hours

Whatever you do today

For God's Sake!

Don't vote for May

For if you do

You will be a fool

And

The whole country will be in disarray

We will have no police, NHS or CCTV

Making it more easy

For terror attacks

We will have to watch our backs

Every single day

Because I have to say

The enemy is May

She will make us pay

With cash, blood and tears

Also a lot of fears

Realise the real enemy

I am sure you are able to see

They sit in power

Draining us until the very last hour!

Do not take it anymore

Go out the door

And vote for any fuck

Who will give us a bit of luck!