View allAll Photos Tagged disarray
Kargil was the same. It was in the same mess and disarray we saw it in 3 years back. The same stares, the unavailability of food when you want, and disgusting hotel rooms.
It was a wonder they had lemon tea, but the cup was so dirty, i couldn't even finish the whole thing.
Walked into Flutter with Jami Cakes and Zoey...OMG..I LOVE it..it's fantastic with all the array of items they have and the cat...poses for pix...
Via Flutter Website: Flutter opened its doors in 2006 and is located on Mississippi Avenue in North Portland. Flutter, true to its tagline, is a delightful disarray of found objects and clutter. With its peacock blue walls, sparkling chandeliers and charming displays, this elegant shop combines classic, vintage and one-of-a kind items from around the world. Specializing in pieces carefully chosen for their elegance, charm and beauty, you’ll find classic vintage furniture, vintage clothing and sweetly packaged gifts including perfumes, candles, paper goods, jewelry and vintage inspired toys.
Owners Cristin Hinesley and Sara Kolp worked at Flutter from the very beginning, and bought the place in 2013. They look forward to sharing their ideas and local discoveries with fans of Flutter. The big gray shop kitty King is a great distraction: he loves to get brushed and photographed.
3948 N Mississippi Ave, North Portland, Oregon (May 9, 2014)
©2014 Rebecca Dru Photography All Rights Reserved www.rebeccadru.com www.flickr.com/rebeccadru www.twitter.com/rebeccadru www.facebook.com/rebeccadruphotography www.instagram.com/rebeccadru
while going threw old files from the summer, i came across this picture from Kings Park i had taken. so i decided to post it up .
BOX DATE: 1982
MANUFACTURER: Greenleaf Products Inc.
MISSING ITEMS: Shelves; clock; 4 frames; coffee table; dining table; kitchen table; ice box; cheval mirror; dresser; rocking horse; vanity & mirror; bathtub; toilet; wing chair; piano bench
IMPORTANT NOTES: This set was sold as plywood punch out sheets that were meant to be assembled and decorated. Due to the age of some of these pieces, there are broken/missing components, or improperly assembled items.
PERSONAL FUN FACT written by my sister: My Pepere started to put this furniture together in the early 90s to furnish a dollhouse that I inherited from a friend of his and Memere. I'm not sure where he got them--he may have gotten them with the actual house that their friend Flora left to me, or he could have gotten it secondhand. As we were missing items as far back as we know, it is likely that Flora purchased the set for the dollhouse and Pepere received it for me with the dollhouse. (The set was about ten years old when I inherited the dollhouse from Flora.) He never finished them, but I know for a fact he started. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing the tall dark "cabinet" at his house when he was staining it! I definitely was over, playing in their basement, when he worked on some of these items. Somehow, after he passed away, the remainder of the punch out furniture, still on the plywood, wound up in our basement. Shelly and I unearthed it while we were cleaning the basement. Shelly is pretty sure she remembered seeing the sheets with most of these uncut (all the ones that are now floral) in Pepere's old woodworking area shortly before Memere moved in with us in fall 2000 and she thinks she remembers Dad scooping these up, with the intent to finish making it for me. My father...he was one to start and never finish projects (he liked to buy all the materials, then leave everything in a state of disarray). And the fall when Memere moved in, a lot of my childhood treasures wound up missing or in an unusable state. Dad disassembled my actual dollhouse to make it easier to store that fall (not sure why--it doesn't take up that much room) and left it on a shelf in the basement (we were missing a floor panel for quite some time). The punchout sheets wound up being near the disassembled dollhouse. The assembled furniture, on the other hand, wound up in a popcorn tin, along with my other furniture in this scale, and got taken out from time to time to use with Kelly dolls. At a glance, you can tell which pieces Pepere assembled and stained apart from the ones Shelly put together. The ones he did are in the traditional wood grain motif. These are the pieces of my childhood. The "cabinet" is actually meant to be a desk! There's a part of it that's supposed to pop out! I used it as a kitchen cabinet as a kid. The item beside it--as a child, I thought it was a very fancy chair. (I used it as a throne sort of chair.) However, it's actually meant to be a hall tree. A hall tree is like a coat rack, which explains why there are little hook like protrusions on it. I googled and vintage ones look just like this, with a seat. (Shelly thinks so you can put your shoes on.) It should be noted that the hall tree had arms, but one snapped off/disappeared, so Shelly trimmed the other down. The piano I knew was obviously a piano and the wooden box beside it often was utilized as a piano bench. Occasionally, it was employed as a toy chest (which is the intended use) but I had a fancier, larger toy chest with hinges that I used as a toy chest/storage chest and a treasure chest looking box, so I didn't need another chest. When this wasn't a piano stool, it was sometimes a nightstand, side table, or seat of sorts. The elegant side table I often used in the kitchen, but sometimes in the living room or bedroom (as a nightstand). I can't believe the bed survived all this time! It fell apart many years ago and the fact that both pieces survived and Shelly was able to reunite them is astounding. I used this bed a lot. When I was really little (first grade) I used my dollhouse for my Bambi McDonald's toys to live in, but when I was a little older (definitely before I had Molly in third grade), my Madeline doll lived in it. She couldn't fit any of the beds I had. But I wanted her to be forced to be my Georgette figurine's servant, so Madeline got the REALLY small bed (not pictured here because it wasn't from this set) that she could only sit on and Georgette had this large bed--in which she sat and ordered Madeline to wait on her in. (This good guy as the servant to bad guy thing was a running theme with me as a child.) These pieces saw a lot of play until about fourth grade, when Madeline wound up more as a "doll" for Molly than her own little person. After that, I didn't play with this house as much as I used to. When cleaning our (scary) basement and making it our own (a process that took years to fully complete), Shelly planned on fixing up as much of my surviving furniture as she could and assembling/painting the items still on punch out sheets (all the floral items pictured here, and more that weren't workable). Part of what held us back is that, until we finished clearing out the area Dad wanted to turn into a bathroom downstairs, we were missing an entire floor panel from my dollhouse. In fall of 2017, our friend's dad helped us remove a large shower our dad never installed, so that we could finish cleaning out that section of the basement and put our plastic shelves for Barbie campers and such in there (because we needed to move it out of the laundry room due to the working wood stove being in that room). It was the last of the "wild places" we tamed in the basement. Having found the missing floorboard from my dollhouse, Shelly decided to start a dollhouse project. She began to assemble some of the pieces from this set. However, it was difficult--some of the punchout parts to items were missing or didn't fit together very well. She got discouraged, took a break, and after a while, the project was forgotten. In 2023, we found some cool dollhouse furniture/accessories on Amazon Vine and the dollhouse project was brought up again. Shelly decided to paint her childhood dollhouse, which Dad made, in a groovy floral pattern with vivid colors. She decided that, since it would be dull to stain all of this wood grain, to paint it groovy! That's why you can easily spot the items Shelly painted compared to the more traditional ones assembled and decorated by Pepere. Some of these pieces had already been put together back in 2017, but they were painted with the ones she assembled in 2023. Apart from the colors, these pieces might not match others made from the same set. For one thing, not all the pieces included in the punch out sheets made it all the way to the painting phase. Some of it, like the dining room table parts, were nowhere to be found and may have been missing when Pepere obtained the punch out set (which I still strongly suspect he got with my dollhouse, from his friend Flora). And the chairs are actually meant to be split into different "rooms"--one was intended for a desk chair and the other eight were meant to be split between two different (missing) tables. Shelly painted the chairs pink and green to look like watermelon. The bathroom components--sink, tub, and toilet--all made it to the assembly phase, but are not pictured here because Shelly didn't like the way they looked--too many gaps, and thought they'd look weird painted. (Plus we didn't have little metal fixtures to make them look more real.) We are also missing the rocking horse because the pieces broke when Shelly tried to punch them out. Shelly opted to paint all the bedroom furniture green and purple. I think this combo might be my favorite of the ones she decided to use. I love the two little beds and would greatly have enjoyed them if they'd been assembled when I was a little girl. There are actually three nightstands--one for each bed (counting the big bed that is not painted with flowers). One is missing the "drawers", which don't actually open, because they weren't anywhere to be found when Shelly was assembling the furniture. The slightly wider item that looks like a nightstand is actually a laundry hamper. So cute! The green and purple dresser thing with a bit of a lip is made from leftover pieces that didn't go with anything we had all the parts to assemble. Shelly fashioned it using spare parts. I think it is very charming. I'd have used it as a dresser or perhaps baby changing table. Or as added counter space in a kitchen or a place to put supplies (bathroom supplies, bedroom supplies, dishes, etc). Shelly accidentally assembled the wardrobe upside down, so it doesn't stand quite right. It's also supposed to have a mirror backing. The little washstand shoes the era these pieces are intended for--it's like something out of American Girl catalogs, a table to put a bowl for washing oneself on. I'm really thankful to have the two living room seating options. The floral fabric couch I had as a child had to be thrown away in summer 2023 because I tried to clean it and, as it turns out, most of the components were cardboard. The cute little sofa here is such a sweet little replacement for it and I LOVE the big lounge chair! It's awesome! (It also makes me think of a deck chair.) Last but not least, the blue and orange kitchen furniture--The cabinet has some gaps in it, but I honestly don't think Shelly did a bad job. I know lots of the stuff Pepere put together had little gaps too. It actually reminds me of the cabinet-that-is-meant-to-be-a-desk that Pepere put together and stained. I LOVE the sink! Like, how cute is this sink? I actually used several of these pieces--the chairs, the sink, etc--before Shelly painted them in our "My Story Snow White" photo because I thought the wood grain would really suit (I wanted it to look like the Bikin dwarf cottage.). I'd have really enjoyed the skinny shelf as a kid. Not that I had that many little items to put on it, but still. And I like the other thing...I think it's supposed to be a stove? Or maybe just a very odd countertop? There's also the little thing with faux drawers that I think is a hutch. Super charming. The short cabinet is odd to me. Firstly, because it's got no back. Second, it's the sort that I think is supposed to hang on a wall--which I could easily do with putty, if it had a back! These pieces here probably aren't super helpful if you're looking to identify dollhouse furniture (especially because everyone's probably came out looking a little different). However, I thought they were interesting to post, not just because they do reflect punch out kits for dollhouses that were popular in their time, but also because of the family history associated with them. This project was started by my Pepere in the 90s and finished by my sister 30 years later!
burnet road from justin lane to 34th st. was a long stretch of mostly downhill, after the mid-point of the 2006 3-m half-marathon, where you can be inspired like by scenes like this King Liquor sign. Indifference is queen, and the princesses are in varying stages of disarray, where liquor is king.
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.
featured: Sophie Quick
Mindful of the stakes at play in the museum’s role as cultural conduit, Upset and Disarray investigates diverse and challenging strategies that promote innovation rather than stagnation, fluidity rather than austerity. This symposium collects timely graduate presentations that address a range of topics, reconfiguring relations between the institutional, the curatorial, and the cultural.
Keynote: Srimoyee Mitra, Art Gallery of Windsor
Professional Panel: Lisa Daniels, Josh Thorpe, and Sophie Quick
Graduate Presenters: Taylor Davison, Genevieve Flavelle, Keely McCavitt, Samantha Noseworthy, Katie Oates, and Carling Spinney.
March 11, 2016
John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, Perth Drive, Western University, London, Ontario
© 2016; Department of Visual Arts; Western University
Garbage pile in cemetery with:
Wood Pallet, tree branches, stone,
plastic chair, cement, TOMB STONE!!!
(Richard Encalade Sr. - US Army)
Tombs are now laying on their sides, are open,
broken, or grave stones have been left in disarray.
Many tombs have been uprooted from their
given locations. This cemetery in particular was
in upheaval due to the mississippi river across the
street, the storm surge, flood waters from the broken
levee....etc. There were many reports of tombs, coffins,
and the dead all floating in the flood water.
Merrick Cemetery
St. Bernard Parish in Violet, LA
(next to Camp Hope)
Walked into Flutter with Jami Cakes and Zoey...OMG..I LOVE it..it's fantastic with all the array of items they have and the cat...poses for pix...
Via Flutter Website: Flutter opened its doors in 2006 and is located on Mississippi Avenue in North Portland. Flutter, true to its tagline, is a delightful disarray of found objects and clutter. With its peacock blue walls, sparkling chandeliers and charming displays, this elegant shop combines classic, vintage and one-of-a kind items from around the world. Specializing in pieces carefully chosen for their elegance, charm and beauty, you’ll find classic vintage furniture, vintage clothing and sweetly packaged gifts including perfumes, candles, paper goods, jewelry and vintage inspired toys.
Owners Cristin Hinesley and Sara Kolp worked at Flutter from the very beginning, and bought the place in 2013. They look forward to sharing their ideas and local discoveries with fans of Flutter. The big gray shop kitty King is a great distraction: he loves to get brushed and photographed.
3948 N Mississippi Ave, North Portland, Oregon (May 9, 2014)
©2014 Rebecca Dru Photography All Rights Reserved www.rebeccadru.com www.flickr.com/rebeccadru www.twitter.com/rebeccadru www.facebook.com/rebeccadruphotography www.instagram.com/rebeccadru
I went to Coney Island in Brooklyn NY with a friend and had a really good time. We went to the Coney Island Sideshow Circus and saw The Freakshow Deluxe perform. They were great. Fire eater, sword swallower, and the like. It was so interesting we decided to start our own circus take a look at Cirque of Disarray.
Just a picture of an adorable child looking at the world around her. Coney Island is defiantly a place to see new and exciting things. It sounds like it is going to be turned into condos instead of amusement parks. It is a shame.
Bad Landlords of the U.S.A. and Bad Landlords from Hell. Part 1.
December of 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Allegations of Abuse Caught on Film
New developments have taken place at Executive Square House reportedly involving the same property manager, Odis Coleman.
Executive Square House was a major topic in a prior news report titled "Fires Rage in Hartford Connecticut" where a near disaster took place involving the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly and disabled tenants.
Tenants of Executive Square House filed complaints with authorities in 2005 regarding the reported fire hazards. Tenants took photographs of the actual hazards as proof of the reckless endangerment allegations.
The same property manager, Odis Coleman, using a supposed " inspection clause" of the tenants lease, is the subject of a new rash of complaints involving tenants and their relatives. The complaints graphically outline random unannounced forced entries of tenant’s apartments, searching closets, cabinets, bedrooms and bathrooms. Reportedly the property manager then proceeds to take pictures of tenant’s bathrooms and bedrooms in disarray as though they are in violation of some code when of course, they are not. The complaints also outline other unusual behavior as well as taking pictures of tenants with next to no clothes on, ramming tenants bare feet and limbs with doors upon forced entry and making swift hand arm gestures to see if the tenant will flinch or swing at him.
Video footage taken by a victimized tenant who has asked the sound track be muted and had previously been victimized shows the alleged property manager in their home after a forced entry, going from room to room in their home taking photographs of their belongings, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Reportedly the property manager Odis Coleman, has openly chosen to engage in open intimidation and retaliation against tenants entrusted to his care, and specifically targets those who he believes has filed complaints against him.
Executive Square House is subsidized low income housing for the elderly and chronicle disabled located in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
FIRES RAGE IN HARTFORD CONNECTICUT
THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAD LANDLORDS
Hartford, Connecticut 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Hartford Connecticut has had to respond to too many high-profile fires in its history.
Most notable is the 1944 circus fire that killed 168 and chronically disabled 373 more. Most were children.
Hartford Connecticut has also had to respond to too many high-profile fires involving the elderly.
The first is The Niles Street Convalescent Hospital Fire of December 24, 1945 which left 21 dead. The second is The Hartford Hospital Fire of December 8, 1961, which left 16 dead. This fire was the result of a flash fire in a trash chute.
The third is The Greenwood Health Center Fire, Hartford Connecticut, February 26, 2003, which left 16 dead.
Arson was supposedly to blame . This fire is the most famous, now known worldwide.
Among those killed was a 17 year old boy who had been in a coma; 23 more are now permanently disabled by high intensity burns and the inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes of burning plastics.
December 24 of 2006 marks the anniversary of Executive Square House, of Wethersfield Connecticut, a town adjacent to Hartford. Executive Square is where a near disaster took place involving an industrial sized waste container filed with flammable and highly flammable construction waste.
Fire Hazards Caught On Film.
Located behind Executive Square House, a 12 story apartment building that houses the elderly and disabled.
All flammable articles or highly flammable articles, the debris in the 30 ft long industrial container are located directly underneath tenants living and bedroom areas.
The property manager of Executive Square House responsible for the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly tenants, identified as Odis Coleman, is pictured.
Executive Square House is housing for the elderly and disabled, most are with income at the poverty level or below.
The reported reason the 22 ton industrial waste container filled with flammable construction waste was placed directly under tenants living and sleeping areas was to save money on construction costs.
Workers simply dragged waste through living rooms and threw it out windows, rather than having to walk to a container away from the building.
Fire Simulation images provide a graphic frame by frame, detailed list of events that show why things would so quickly lead to another Greenwood style death by smoke and flames disaster.
Unusually strong inward drafts in the building are created by hot air rising and the elevator bays present within the 12 story apartment structure, especially in the middle of winter.
With open windows, broken windows, open doors, open air conditioning sleeves mounted in the side of each apartment, if the container were to catch fire in the middle of the night, smoke and toxic fumes would be drawn into tenants sleeping areas quickly.
Many would perish as living and sleeping areas would be instantly flooded with dense toxic smoke, the same events that led to the 16 deaths at Greenwood Health Center and 16 more deaths at the Hartford Hospital fire. Smoke detectors give a degree of warning, but many have died in past fires nonetheless.
“Smoke was everywhere. An entire bedroom burst into flames. The roar and the flames were like a blast furnace. The screams, the screams, there were people on fire, some still in their beds. There were people on fire. I will never forget the sounds they made.” –E.M.T. Official, Greenwood Health Center.
Smoke produced from burning cardboard and treated wood contain many toxic gases. It is not only smoke. PVC pipe, present in the debris emits heated hydrogen chloride gas when burned. And there is polyurethane in the container from old couches and furniture.
With an ignition source, polyurethane catches fire and acts as its own accelerant, turning to a liquid, then giving off hydrogen cyanide and cyanide gas in the process.
That the container can catch fire from a greasy rag in the middle of the night was brought to the attention of many in authority, and ignored.
Greasy rags and other simple wastes are famous for spontaneous combustion, becoming self-igniting waste. The industrial container shown here contains not hundreds, but thousands of pounds of flammable debris. Industrial waste measuring in the tons that resided day after day, week after week, directly next to and underneath tenants living rooms and bedrooms.
Greenwood Health Center had many fire retardant materials in use. The Center also had 12 nurses and aides on duty at the time of the fire, and they had numerous smoke detectors. Yet 10 died from smoke inhalation, 6 more died in the weeks to come. In the Hartford Hospital Fire of 1961, the cause of the fire was flammable waste in a garbage chute, which in turn resulted in a flash fire. Sixteen died in that blaze.
Thirty days prior to the blaze at Greenwood Center, the premises had undergone a thorough fire inspection by officials and found to be in compliance with fire codes.
As a matter of public record, the hazard of the container was reported to officials yet nothing was done. The property manager responsible for the placement of the container was also told by tenants to move the container a safe distance away from sleeping areas, yet the property manager reportedly refused.
The disaster at Greenwood was covered by the Hartford Courant city newspaper in one edition. The disasters at Greenwood and The Hartford Hospital and other fire disasters involving the elderly were covered by The USA TODAY nationwide newspaper in numerous editions
Concerned neighbors and tenants trying to protect their own home, and others very concerned for the safety and welfare of their parents have assembled with symbols and leaflets of protest in Connecticut. Pictured are some of the designs in protest of the near disaster that could have killed 240 persons at The Executive Square House Disaster.
A Six-Spot Burnet Moth (Zygaena filipendulae), seen on what must have been the middle finger of my left hand, Wednesday 10th July 1974. Ilford HP4. Mmmmm ....graaainn ...gloggalloghgh...
It pains me to record that my blundering, ill-bred intrusion into its little moth life had fatal consequences for the moth. I was on the embankment above Narroways Junction, Bristol, hoping that a "Western" or two might pass. Seconds after taking the photo I heard the unmistakeable twang of a Western's twin-tone horn. Pirouetting around, I saw the locomotive approaching fast, "light engine", from Stapleton Road. Arrgh! There was an extension tube between the camera and the lens. I tried to get the moth off my finger without harming it, but it clung. When I'd managed to detatch it I feverishly unscrewed the extension tube from the camera, the lens from the extension tube, and re-screwed the lens back onto the camera. I'd also brought my little Hitachi cassette recorder, loaded with an "own brand" C60 tape from F W Allen in The Arcade. I'd procured a plug-in microphone for the recorder, to eliminate the motor whirr which was audible if you used the built-in mike. The recorder could be activated from this microphone's on/off switch. I leapt across the sward and switched on the recorder, which I'd left on the ground. Adjusting shutter speeds and apertures I scrambled into position as the locomotive approached. When it was nicely in the viewfinder I depressed the shutter-release button. Nothing happened. In my confusion I'd neglected to wind on after taking the moth photo. I advanced the film and managed an inadequate shot as the locomotive passed beneath me ...by now partly obscured by a southbound freight.
Sheesh kebab, what a cock-up. I turned. And discovered with remorse that, in my disarray, I'd stepped on the moth. I am sorry to mention this rather revolting detail, but its eggs had been forced out of its rear end. The mother moth was still living; squeamishly I administered euthanasia. Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I felt such a brute. I write as one who can't even swat a fly, and traps spiders in a tumbler, often walking down the street in darkness to deposit them in a neighbour's garden.
When I played back the tape, I found that the recorder had been accidentally activated from the microphone's on/off switch during the journey up to Sussex Place on the no. 11, which I'd boarded at Straits Parade. It had recorded my conversation with its conductress before "running out". I knew the conductress, a dyed blonde, heavily made-up middle-aged woman whose name I've forgotten. Long dead now, I suppose. Her thick east Bristol tones were immediately apparent on the tape. I rather regret having recorded over it.
At the end of May 1942, the Free French 1st brigade occupied the southern sector of the British 8th Army's deployment in the heart of Libyan desert, facing German and Italian Axis troops. This was a key point on the extreme left of the position since it could prevent any potential encirclement from the south of Allied forces retreating in disarray from the defeat and the fall of Tobruk that had opened the road to Cairo for the German tanks.
Last Sunday this newspaper said eyebrows were raised in Colombo over Palitha Kohona’s visit to the Middle East as chairman of a UN Committee investigating Israeli human rights practices in occupied Arab territories. It queried whether UN officials ‘entrapped’ Kohona into heading the committee.
It might not be generally known that from the inception of this Committee- with an official title too long to mention- 41 years ago Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) has chaired it. The first official visit of this Committee to Arab countries neighbouring Israel to hold on-the-spot hearings was in April or May 1970.
I was privileged to cover these sessions for the “Daily News”. I was the only Sri Lanka journalist there and my presence at the hearings was through fortuitous circumstances. I was on a stopover in Cairo on my way back from the German Democratic Republic, popularly known as East Germany, when I received an invitation from the Arab League to cover the forthcoming visit of the Committee to four Arab countries bordering Israel.
That was due entirely to Elmo Joseph, Counsellor at our embassy in Cairo, who took me to meet his counterpart at the Jordanian Embassy, an influential diplomat and a close relative of the then Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi al Tal who was assassinated one year later by a Black September unit of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The chat with the Counsellor who was at the time the Jordanian representative in the Arab League, turned to journalism. He suddenly remembered the impending visit of the Committee and said he will arrange for the Arab League to invite me as its guest to cover the hearings. The UN selected this three-member Committee, the other two members being Somalia and the former Yugoslavia. Somalia was represented by its Ambassador to the UN. The Yugoslav representative was a professor of International Law. After 40 years I just cannot recall their names.
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN at the time was the controversial and flamboyant Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe who had moved to New York from his posting as our High Commissioner to New Delhi. The silver-haired and sharp-nosed Shirley was easily distinguishable by the red rosebud he wore regularly in his buttonhole. He was selected to head this Committee which the West, especially the US, saw as an anti-Israeli move orchestrated by the Arabs trying to regain some mileage after the disastrous effects of the Six-Day War of June 1967 in which Israeli forces scored a decisive military victory.
It was a critical time for Shirley Amerasinghe whose name was being mentioned as a possible candidate for the UN Secretary-General’s post soon to be vacated by the respected U Thant of Burma. As far as the West was concerned Shirley was a tainted man. He was etched in the collective western mind as pro-Arab. Shirley the classicist’s verbal duels with the Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban, a brilliant orator and fluent in 10 languages, was looked-forward to at UN sessions, according to UN-wallahs of the day.
Some of the non-aligned nations that were rooting for Shirley Amerasinghe as Secretary General were rather fearful that his chairmanship of a committee which was already characterized as anti-Israel in particular and anti-western in general, would ruin his chances in the run-up to a contest for the top job. In the event it never came to such an election and Shirley Amerasinghe was later to stamp his competence and tenacity by steering the fractious Law of the Sea Conference to its conclusion. After his death in 1980, the UN established a fellowship in his name for the sterling work he did on the Law of the Sea.
Watching Shirley Amerasinghe at work at close range was an absolute treat. During the hearings in Cairo two Egyptian soldiers gave evidence saying they were tortured by the Israelis after their capture and they carried physical marks of it. Okay, said Chairman Amerasinghe, so step forward and show us the marks. I happened to sit at the same table as the Committee, a few feet away. So I saw the marks as distinctly as the three committee members when the soldiers raised their trouser legs to display the marks on their thighs. Shirley Amerasinghe rose from his chair, peered over the table at the two darkened patches on their thighs and said “but you could have got that playing rugby.”
I am not sure whether many of those who were at the hearing knew very much of the game. But Shirley’s voice carried an unmistakable sneer and it certainly did not escape the notice of the several officials of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry who were present, for some of them visibly turned a couple of shades darker. Why he picked on these two soldiers I could not say. Was it because it became rather obvious as the hearing progressed that they had been running away from the battle front when they were captured or because Shirley was trying to shed some of his anti-Israel ballast as perceived by others. Or it might well have been because the bad day all of us had when we left Cairo for Luxor the previous day.
It was a Sunday morning when the whole UN team, some Egyptian officials and I flew to Luxor for the day hoping to get back to Cairo early enough for dinner and a good night’s rest before sittings resumed next morning. Having visited the Valley of the Kings and King Tutankhamun’s Tomb with me carrying Shirley’s photographic paraphernalia while the camera buff was shooting on his 35mm Leica (if I remember correctly), we returned to the hotel to refresh before flying back.
But then the Egyptians broke the bad news. A severe sandstorm in Cairo had closed down the airport and there would not be a flight back. While others would have been happy to stay overnight in Luxor and get back the next day though we had no fresh clothes, Chairman Amerasinghe was determined to go back to Cairo even if it was to be done on the back of camels. He was concerned because witnesses had been summoned to appear before the committee which was to resume at 9 am.
Egyptian officials were running hither and thither trying to find transport for nearly 30 of us. Eventually they told Shirley there was a night train that would reach Cairo by 7 am. Quite invigorated by the news he told them to reserve 1st class seats for us all. Half an hour or so later one official returned to say that it was not possible to reserve the seats. Why not, asked Shirley quite disturbed at the news. Well, said the foreign ministry official, it is because the railway authorities cannot say how many seats will be available until the train gets to Luxor.
At that Shirley exploded. “No wonder you lost the war,” he snapped and the Egyptians withdrew in some disarray. Eventually when the train did arrive at Luxor there were enough seats for all of us and we made it to Cairo by the scheduled time. Even then a now somewhat pacified Shirley could not but comment as he stepped on to the platform. “At least that they got right,” he remarked.
There is more to say about the remarkable Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe during this mission that took me to Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan (and sadly not Syria) but that would take too much space to relate.
(The writer is a serving diplomat in the Sri Lankan Embassy in Thailand)
(Sunday Times - 04/07/2010)
featured: Genevieve Flavelle
Mindful of the stakes at play in the museum’s role as cultural conduit, Upset and Disarray investigates diverse and challenging strategies that promote innovation rather than stagnation, fluidity rather than austerity. This symposium collects timely graduate presentations that address a range of topics, reconfiguring relations between the institutional, the curatorial, and the cultural.
Keynote: Srimoyee Mitra, Art Gallery of Windsor
Professional Panel: Lisa Daniels, Josh Thorpe, and Sophie Quick
Graduate Presenters: Taylor Davison, Genevieve Flavelle, Keely McCavitt, Samantha Noseworthy, Katie Oates, and Carling Spinney.
March 11, 2016
John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, Perth Drive, Western University, London, Ontario
© 2016; Department of Visual Arts; Western University
A collapsed bookshelf, a disgusting floor, a random houseplant, and some mud-covered furniure in the living room.
(Inspired by John Galliano)
Merry Top with corset over-lay & sleeves - White/Blue - BareRose
Russian Oksana Skirt - Russian Flower Print - RFyre
Under Skirt Layers - Black - HHC
LadyOfHighgarden Hairpiece - Blue & Red Flowers - Gold - Aisling
LadyOfHighgarden Necklace - GoldBlue & Red Flowers - - Aisling
Princess Rose Veil - White - [K~*~S]
Rose (Collar) - Red - UR
Russian Oksana Skirt (Filler Belt) added redone - RFyre
Lace - Up Gladiator Sandals - Black - Ison
Knot - Dark Red - Sangria
The Geisha Concept Make up - Lovely Disarray
Punch Eye Make Up - Silver - Glamorize
Mystica Make Up - Silver Glitter - Glamorize
Victorian Vamp Lips - Vamp Blood Red - Glamorize
To me the video of John Galliano revealed some distinctive cultural aspects in his designs in that show, Turkish and Russian, with a lot of chains on neck with medallions, flowers and wheel over-sized cutouts. The make-up was in chromed Victorian styles, face painted white. Their hair was adorned with lots and lots of hair ornaments, hats and veils.
WTH happened to Flickrville? It's in total disarray. How do I check my recent activity? I don't care who commented on my contacts after I did. AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
Bad Landlords of the U.S.A. and Bad Landlords from Hell. Part 1.
December of 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Allegations of Abuse Caught on Film
New developments have taken place at Executive Square House reportedly involving the same property manager, Odis Coleman.
Executive Square House was a major topic in a prior news report titled "Fires Rage in Hartford Connecticut" where a near disaster took place involving the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly and disabled tenants.
Tenants of Executive Square House filed complaints with authorities in 2005 regarding the reported fire hazards. Tenants took photographs of the actual hazards as proof of the reckless endangerment allegations.
The same property manager, Odis Coleman, using a supposed " inspection clause" of the tenants lease, is the subject of a new rash of complaints involving tenants and their relatives. The complaints graphically outline random unannounced forced entries of tenant’s apartments, searching closets, cabinets, bedrooms and bathrooms. Reportedly the property manager then proceeds to take pictures of tenant’s bathrooms and bedrooms in disarray as though they are in violation of some code when of course, they are not. The complaints also outline other unusual behavior as well as taking pictures of tenants with next to no clothes on, ramming tenants bare feet and limbs with doors upon forced entry and making swift hand arm gestures to see if the tenant will flinch or swing at him.
Video footage taken by a victimized tenant who has asked the sound track be muted and had previously been victimized shows the alleged property manager in their home after a forced entry, going from room to room in their home taking photographs of their belongings, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Reportedly the property manager Odis Coleman, has openly chosen to engage in open intimidation and retaliation against tenants entrusted to his care, and specifically targets those who he believes has filed complaints against him.
Executive Square House is subsidized low income housing for the elderly and chronicle disabled located in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
FIRES RAGE IN HARTFORD CONNECTICUT
THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAD LANDLORDS
Hartford, Connecticut 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Hartford Connecticut has had to respond to too many high-profile fires in its history.
Most notable is the 1944 circus fire that killed 168 and chronically disabled 373 more. Most were children.
Hartford Connecticut has also had to respond to too many high-profile fires involving the elderly.
The first is The Niles Street Convalescent Hospital Fire of December 24, 1945 which left 21 dead. The second is The Hartford Hospital Fire of December 8, 1961, which left 16 dead. This fire was the result of a flash fire in a trash chute.
The third is The Greenwood Health Center Fire, Hartford Connecticut, February 26, 2003, which left 16 dead.
Arson was supposedly to blame . This fire is the most famous, now known worldwide.
Among those killed was a 17 year old boy who had been in a coma; 23 more are now permanently disabled by high intensity burns and the inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes of burning plastics.
December 24 of 2006 marks the anniversary of Executive Square House, of Wethersfield Connecticut, a town adjacent to Hartford. Executive Square is where a near disaster took place involving an industrial sized waste container filed with flammable and highly flammable construction waste.
Fire Hazards Caught On Film.
Located behind Executive Square House, a 12 story apartment building that houses the elderly and disabled.
All flammable articles or highly flammable articles, the debris in the 30 ft long industrial container are located directly underneath tenants living and bedroom areas.
The property manager of Executive Square House responsible for the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly tenants, identified as Odis Coleman, is pictured.
Executive Square House is housing for the elderly and disabled, most are with income at the poverty level or below.
The reported reason the 22 ton industrial waste container filled with flammable construction waste was placed directly under tenants living and sleeping areas was to save money on construction costs.
Workers simply dragged waste through living rooms and threw it out windows, rather than having to walk to a container away from the building.
Fire Simulation images provide a graphic frame by frame, detailed list of events that show why things would so quickly lead to another Greenwood style death by smoke and flames disaster.
Unusually strong inward drafts in the building are created by hot air rising and the elevator bays present within the 12 story apartment structure, especially in the middle of winter.
With open windows, broken windows, open doors, open air conditioning sleeves mounted in the side of each apartment, if the container were to catch fire in the middle of the night, smoke and toxic fumes would be drawn into tenants sleeping areas quickly.
Many would perish as living and sleeping areas would be instantly flooded with dense toxic smoke, the same events that led to the 16 deaths at Greenwood Health Center and 16 more deaths at the Hartford Hospital fire. Smoke detectors give a degree of warning, but many have died in past fires nonetheless.
“Smoke was everywhere. An entire bedroom burst into flames. The roar and the flames were like a blast furnace. The screams, the screams, there were people on fire, some still in their beds. There were people on fire. I will never forget the sounds they made.” –E.M.T. Official, Greenwood Health Center.
Smoke produced from burning cardboard and treated wood contain many toxic gases. It is not only smoke. PVC pipe, present in the debris emits heated hydrogen chloride gas when burned. And there is polyurethane in the container from old couches and furniture.
With an ignition source, polyurethane catches fire and acts as its own accelerant, turning to a liquid, then giving off hydrogen cyanide and cyanide gas in the process.
That the container can catch fire from a greasy rag in the middle of the night was brought to the attention of many in authority, and ignored.
Greasy rags and other simple wastes are famous for spontaneous combustion, becoming self-igniting waste. The industrial container shown here contains not hundreds, but thousands of pounds of flammable debris. Industrial waste measuring in the tons that resided day after day, week after week, directly next to and underneath tenants living rooms and bedrooms.
Greenwood Health Center had many fire retardant materials in use. The Center also had 12 nurses and aides on duty at the time of the fire, and they had numerous smoke detectors. Yet 10 died from smoke inhalation, 6 more died in the weeks to come. In the Hartford Hospital Fire of 1961, the cause of the fire was flammable waste in a garbage chute, which in turn resulted in a flash fire. Sixteen died in that blaze.
Thirty days prior to the blaze at Greenwood Center, the premises had undergone a thorough fire inspection by officials and found to be in compliance with fire codes.
As a matter of public record, the hazard of the container was reported to officials yet nothing was done. The property manager responsible for the placement of the container was also told by tenants to move the container a safe distance away from sleeping areas, yet the property manager reportedly refused.
The disaster at Greenwood was covered by the Hartford Courant city newspaper in one edition. The disasters at Greenwood and The Hartford Hospital and other fire disasters involving the elderly were covered by The USA TODAY nationwide newspaper in numerous editions
Concerned neighbors and tenants trying to protect their own home, and others very concerned for the safety and welfare of their parents have assembled with symbols and leaflets of protest in Connecticut. Pictured are some of the designs in protest of the near disaster that could have killed 240 persons at The Executive Square House Disaster.
Services across all lines were suspended just before 8am due to a communications faultat the Old Trafford control. An intermittent service was resumed on all lines around an hour later.
At around 1545 after another problem in the Cornbrook area and services in total disarray the decision was taken to suspend all services.
Departing St. Peters Square is tram 3081. All cars from East Didsbury ran through to Rochdale rather than every other car terminating at Shaw.
Puylagarde. Tarn et Garonne
These stones are in disarray. The photo was taken with the tripod at the edge of a fragile country lane - rolling up, swinging to the left, a turn and some bumps. On the other side was a field with two horses - cream and tall.. Off centre in their field can be seen a low mound that appears to be a tumulus.. There are depressions in its summit and these may be the remnants of orthostate foundation trenches, with the missing stones potentially being the monoliths pictured above. Judging from the size of the trees, if the dolmen was moved (and there are local stories of looking for treasure) then it was moved many decades ago. A project to analyse the stones, verify the scenario and rebuild the dolmen would make sense.
I am posting 10 images in this upload which will be boring for some, but I like them. The reason I like these, is the artistic points I see in them. I like free flowing lines and shapes and I think these look nice, even though they represent destruction. The way the dead branches reach upwards in a crisscross disarray often set against the late afternoon cloud, appeals to me. This area is close to Finch Bay a few kilometres out of Cooktown.
It was in 2001/2002 in very poor rainfall seasons, that the whole extensive swamp area dried out allowing the salt water to rise towards the surface into the root zone of these splendid, large paperbark trees (swamp melaleucas) - "tea trees" to some. After that the whole area was taken over by many invasive weed species and rubbish trees. The Cook Shire is trying to repair the damage but gets no help from the State Government, but some from the Federal Govt environmental schemes.
one of those fucking awful black days when nothing is pleasing and everything that happens is an excuse for anger
an outlet for emotions stockpiled
an arsenal
an armor
these are the days when I hate the world
hate the rich
hate the happy
hate the complacent
the tv watchers, beer drinkers, the satisfied ones
because I know I can be all those little hateful things and then I hate myself for realizing that
there is no preventative, directive, or safe approach for living
we each know our own faith
we know from our youth how to be treated and how we'll be received and how we shall end
these things don't change
you can change your clothes, change your hairstyle, your friends, cities, continents
but sooner or later your old self will always catch up
always it waits in the wings
Ideas swirl but don't stick.
They appear but then run off like rain on the windshield.
one of those rainy day car rides
my head imploded
the atmosphere in this car a mirror of my skull
wet, damp, windows dripping and misted with cold
walls of gray
nothing good on the radio
not a thought in my head
be safe
I know a place we can go where you'll fall in love so hard that you'll wish you were dead
let's take life and slow it down incredibly slow
frame by frame
like two minutes that take ten years to live out
yeah, let's do that
telephone poles like praying mantis against the sky
metal arms outstretched
so much land traveled, so little sense made of it
it doesn't mean a thing all this land laying out behind us
I'd like to take off into these woods and get good and lost for a while
I'm disgusted with petty concerns - parking tickets, breakfast specials
does someone just have to carry this weight?
abstract topography
methane covenant
linear gospel
Ashville saleslady
stagian emmisary
torturous lice
mad Elizabeth
(keep a better peoples)
the light within me shines like a diamond mine
like an unarmed walrus
like a dead man face down on the highway
like a snake eating its own tail
a steam turbine
frog pond
too-full closet burst open in disarray
soap bubbles in the sun
hospital deathbed
red convertible
shopping list
blow job
death's head
devils dancing
bleached white buildings
memory movements
the movie unpeeling, unreeling, about to begin
I've seen your hallway
you're a dark hallway
I hear your stairs creak
I can fix my mind on your yes and your no
I'll feel your face today in the sparkling canal
all red, yellow, blue-green brilliance and silver Dutch reflection
racing thoughts
racing thoughts all too real
you're moving so fast now I can't hold your image
this image I have of your face by the window
me standing beside you
arm on your shoulder
a catalog of images, flashing glimpses
then dawn again
untethered to this post you've sunk in me
every clear afternoon now I'll think of you up in the air
twisting your heel and your knees up around me
my face in your hair
you scream so well
your smile so loud
still rings in my ears
inhibition
distant tied-up longing
clean my teeth
stay the course
hold the wheel
steer on to freedom
open all the boxes
open all the boxes
open all the boxes
open all the boxes
Times Square mid-day
newspaper buildings
news headlines going around
we watch as they go and hope for some good ones
Those tree shadows in the park they're all whistling chasing leaves.
Around six pm shadows across the cobblestones
girl in front of bathroom mirror
she's slow and careful
paints her face green, mask-like
like Matisse
Portrait with Green Stripe
long shot through apartment window
a monologue on top but no girl in shot
the light within me shines like a diamond mine
like an unarmed walrus
like a dead man face down on the highway
like a snake eating its own tail
a steam turbine
frog pond
too-full closet burst open in disarray
soap bubbles in the sun
hospital deathbed
red convertible
shopping list
blow job
death's head
devils dancing
bleached white buildings
memory movements
the movie unreeling, about to begin
That was great
Yeah? Mine were alright. Wasn't my best one but who cares?
That's the spirit...
Bad Landlords of the U.S.A. and Bad Landlords from Hell. Part 1.
December of 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Allegations of Abuse Caught on Film
New developments have taken place at Executive Square House reportedly involving the same property manager, Odis Coleman.
Executive Square House was a major topic in a prior news report titled "Fires Rage in Hartford Connecticut" where a near disaster took place involving the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly and disabled tenants.
Tenants of Executive Square House filed complaints with authorities in 2005 regarding the reported fire hazards. Tenants took photographs of the actual hazards as proof of the reckless endangerment allegations.
The same property manager, Odis Coleman, using a supposed " inspection clause" of the tenants lease, is the subject of a new rash of complaints involving tenants and their relatives. The complaints graphically outline random unannounced forced entries of tenant’s apartments, searching closets, cabinets, bedrooms and bathrooms. Reportedly the property manager then proceeds to take pictures of tenant’s bathrooms and bedrooms in disarray as though they are in violation of some code when of course, they are not. The complaints also outline other unusual behavior as well as taking pictures of tenants with next to no clothes on, ramming tenants bare feet and limbs with doors upon forced entry and making swift hand arm gestures to see if the tenant will flinch or swing at him.
Video footage taken by a victimized tenant who has asked the sound track be muted and had previously been victimized shows the alleged property manager in their home after a forced entry, going from room to room in their home taking photographs of their belongings, bedrooms and bathrooms.
Reportedly the property manager Odis Coleman, has openly chosen to engage in open intimidation and retaliation against tenants entrusted to his care, and specifically targets those who he believes has filed complaints against him.
Executive Square House is subsidized low income housing for the elderly and chronicle disabled located in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
FIRES RAGE IN HARTFORD CONNECTICUT
THE CONTINUING SAGA OF BAD LANDLORDS
Hartford, Connecticut 2007
WEB BROADCAST SERVICES
CHANNEL 14 NEWS
Hartford Connecticut has had to respond to too many high-profile fires in its history.
Most notable is the 1944 circus fire that killed 168 and chronically disabled 373 more. Most were children.
Hartford Connecticut has also had to respond to too many high-profile fires involving the elderly.
The first is The Niles Street Convalescent Hospital Fire of December 24, 1945 which left 21 dead. The second is The Hartford Hospital Fire of December 8, 1961, which left 16 dead. This fire was the result of a flash fire in a trash chute.
The third is The Greenwood Health Center Fire, Hartford Connecticut, February 26, 2003, which left 16 dead.
Arson was supposedly to blame . This fire is the most famous, now known worldwide.
Among those killed was a 17 year old boy who had been in a coma; 23 more are now permanently disabled by high intensity burns and the inhalation of smoke and toxic fumes of burning plastics.
December 24 of 2006 marks the anniversary of Executive Square House, of Wethersfield Connecticut, a town adjacent to Hartford. Executive Square is where a near disaster took place involving an industrial sized waste container filed with flammable and highly flammable construction waste.
Fire Hazards Caught On Film.
Located behind Executive Square House, a 12 story apartment building that houses the elderly and disabled.
All flammable articles or highly flammable articles, the debris in the 30 ft long industrial container are located directly underneath tenants living and bedroom areas.
The property manager of Executive Square House responsible for the reckless endangerment of 240 elderly tenants, identified as Odis Coleman, is pictured.
Executive Square House is housing for the elderly and disabled, most are with income at the poverty level or below.
The reported reason the 22 ton industrial waste container filled with flammable construction waste was placed directly under tenants living and sleeping areas was to save money on construction costs.
Workers simply dragged waste through living rooms and threw it out windows, rather than having to walk to a container away from the building.
Fire Simulation images provide a graphic frame by frame, detailed list of events that show why things would so quickly lead to another Greenwood style death by smoke and flames disaster.
Unusually strong inward drafts in the building are created by hot air rising and the elevator bays present within the 12 story apartment structure, especially in the middle of winter.
With open windows, broken windows, open doors, open air conditioning sleeves mounted in the side of each apartment, if the container were to catch fire in the middle of the night, smoke and toxic fumes would be drawn into tenants sleeping areas quickly.
Many would perish as living and sleeping areas would be instantly flooded with dense toxic smoke, the same events that led to the 16 deaths at Greenwood Health Center and 16 more deaths at the Hartford Hospital fire. Smoke detectors give a degree of warning, but many have died in past fires nonetheless.
“Smoke was everywhere. An entire bedroom burst into flames. The roar and the flames were like a blast furnace. The screams, the screams, there were people on fire, some still in their beds. There were people on fire. I will never forget the sounds they made.” –E.M.T. Official, Greenwood Health Center.
Smoke produced from burning cardboard and treated wood contain many toxic gases. It is not only smoke. PVC pipe, present in the debris emits heated hydrogen chloride gas when burned. And there is polyurethane in the container from old couches and furniture.
With an ignition source, polyurethane catches fire and acts as its own accelerant, turning to a liquid, then giving off hydrogen cyanide and cyanide gas in the process.
That the container can catch fire from a greasy rag in the middle of the night was brought to the attention of many in authority, and ignored.
Greasy rags and other simple wastes are famous for spontaneous combustion, becoming self-igniting waste. The industrial container shown here contains not hundreds, but thousands of pounds of flammable debris. Industrial waste measuring in the tons that resided day after day, week after week, directly next to and underneath tenants living rooms and bedrooms.
Greenwood Health Center had many fire retardant materials in use. The Center also had 12 nurses and aides on duty at the time of the fire, and they had numerous smoke detectors. Yet 10 died from smoke inhalation, 6 more died in the weeks to come. In the Hartford Hospital Fire of 1961, the cause of the fire was flammable waste in a garbage chute, which in turn resulted in a flash fire. Sixteen died in that blaze.
Thirty days prior to the blaze at Greenwood Center, the premises had undergone a thorough fire inspection by officials and found to be in compliance with fire codes.
As a matter of public record, the hazard of the container was reported to officials yet nothing was done. The property manager responsible for the placement of the container was also told by tenants to move the container a safe distance away from sleeping areas, yet the property manager reportedly refused.
The disaster at Greenwood was covered by the Hartford Courant city newspaper in one edition. The disasters at Greenwood and The Hartford Hospital and other fire disasters involving the elderly were covered by The USA TODAY nationwide newspaper in numerous editions
Concerned neighbors and tenants trying to protect their own home, and others very concerned for the safety and welfare of their parents have assembled with symbols and leaflets of protest in Connecticut. Pictured are some of the designs in protest of the near disaster that could have killed 240 persons at The Executive Square House Disaster.
Toured an old steam engine factory a couple weeks ago. Amazing old tools and equipment in total disarray. Very cool though...
pluralistic.net/2024/07/14/fracture-lines/#disassembly-ma...
An X-ray of a broken femur. On either side of the fracture is a elephant (cropped from a medieval illumination) facing one another, in the livery of the GOP logo.
A dominant Gloucester pack continue to apply the pressure to Wasps pack. Gloucester v Wasps 14-03-09, final Score Gloucester Rugby 24-22 London Wasps
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.