The Emperor Tiberius
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A shot from earlier in the year, when every night seemed to be a perfect sunset, and i was living on the beach. I do get a bit obsessive and hate to miss good skies, I should relax more, there's always another one. Grounds for divorce is a great and appropriate title by Elbow, and perhaps it would be.
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“The scene seemed somehow divorced from reality, although reality, he knew, could at times be terribly unreal.”
― Haruki Murakami
36/52-2018
it's a brave new world...
PEACE
Der Astropfad ist ein Planetenweg in Wuppertal und damit ein Modell des Sonnensystems.
Das unter der Projektleitung von Hans Joachim Hybel mit 16 Schülern des Gymnasium Sedanstraße ab Oktober 1987 entwickelte Modell wurde im Maßstab 1:5,5238 10^8 auf einem fast geraden Radius mit einer Länge von ca. 10,7 km gebaut.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astropfad_Wuppertal
In Wuppertal a model of the solar system has been installed. Its length is 10.7 km and runs almost straight through the city.
A couple of summers ago, I witnessed the most meaningful ceremony I've ever seen. My friend G married her longtime love. And before I go on... a word about their love.
It's something you can feel when you walk into their house. It emanates... not just from them, but from the house itself... the furniture... the animals... the garden... the bric a brac. Entering that house is like walking into some big yellow-warm sunshine embrace; it is nothing short of palpable. And seeing them together is even more powerful.
These are two people who just so clearly delight in each other's company. Like all of us, they have their share of less than stellar days, but they're strong for each other, they support one another, they complement each other... and, like I said, when you see them together, you can't help but share a little hiccup in your heart... a skip-step of giddiness. In short, if ever two people should be married, G and her love were those two people. And they're both from backgrounds that value marriage; that see it as the highest expression of togetherness.
But there was one more factor at play that made their wedding the specialest occasion. Until that year, they had not had the legal right to marry. Why? Because G and her One True Love are women. To which I say... So fucking what??
Marriage, as I understand it, is all about love and commitment. And no two people were ever more in love or more committed.
And to those who argue same-sex marriage somehow undermines the so-called sanctity of the so-called institution of marriage... I say heterosexual couples... with their soaring divorce rates, and rampant infidelity, and vicious child-custody disputes... are doing that themselves.
Besides. Why should anyone's choice of who to love... or who to marry... be anyone else's business? As long as no one's being victimized, what's the problem?
One of the arguments advanced here in Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal (for the time being, anyway)... is that, if THIS is okay, then what's next? Polygamy?
To which I say... what's the hairy issue with polygamy? If three people (or four or five or whatever) choose to form a legal bond and raise their family collectively... again, as long as no one's being victimized... what is the problem?
Oh, say the critics, but polygamy's tied to child abuse. Uh, right. That's the same thing they say about same-sex unions... based on their ludicrous assumption that all homosexuals are somehow pedophiles, or sex fiends. Ridiculous.
I've heard otherwise rational men say... I'd never go to a gay male doctor.
To which I say.... don't flatter yourself. Just because a man may be in a love with another man, that doesn't mean he's uncontrollably flinging himself at every damned man who walks through the door. I mean... I have a straight male doctor. That means... oooooohhhh.... gasp.... he has sex with women!!!! But that has absolutely nothing to do with him examining me in his professional capacity.
We have a polygamist sect here in British Columbia, and it's under near-constant scrutiny for child abuse. The allegation is that very young girls are married off to men, against their will.
To which I say... if that's the case, it's child abuse, for sure. But it's an entirely separate issue from the marital status of the parents involved.
Sorry if I'm ranting here, but this whole issue gets my knickers in a major twist. I think it's because... as one of those kids who was teased and taunted for simply being who I was... I sort of understand what it must be like to face such senseless discrimination.
We have today, in too many parts of North America, a culture that says... while most other forms of organized hate and discrimination are frowned upon... it's okay to ostracize and mistreat people... solely on the basis of who they love.
It's insane. I mean... I remember when I first encountered boys. There was an instant ZING! From that time on, I pretty much always had a crush on some boy or other and... lucky me... I was part of a majority, so having those feelings was a-okay.
The gay and lesbian people I've talked to had similar experiences somewhere in their lives.... where they felt that overwhelming sense of attraction and excitement and curiosity. But... unlucky them, they were part of a minority, and made to think that what they felt was somehow bad or wrong.
I'm on this topic today because our federal government (recently elected and right wing) is threatening to undo the same-sex marriage law. This is just the latest in a string of reversals that's included:
- killing the nearly-enacted bill that would've decriminalized marijuana
- killing an agreement with aboriginal people that would've finally begun addressing the deplorable conditions many of them live in
- reversing the country's commitment to do its part to address climate change, and
- killing a multi-year agreement with the provinces that would've made child care somewhat more affordable and accessible.
In the government's eyes, child care is bad. I mean, everyone knows mommies should stay home with their babies while daddies work. Climate change is just a bunch of made-up garbage; after all, those scientists are all a bunch of liberals. Aboriginal people... notwithstanding the fact that white people stole their land, stuck them on reserves, legislated away their rights and tore a whole generation of children away from their families and communities... Notwithstanding that, "those people" are just lazy; they just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. As for marijuana... well, we all know it's FAR more harmful than booze, which government not only endorses but shamelessly profits from. I mean... just look at all the domestic strife, and public brawls, and armed standoffs, and traffic carnage caused by those crazed, violent potheads. And those humsexuals... well. We can't deport them 'cause they're from here (darnit anyway). But we sure as hell owe it to the citizenry to make sure they're denied the most fundamental of human rights... the right to freely love.
I'm sorry if this is a downer but I'm sick at heart for my country today. I fear where we're going and I feel so helpless... watching our common sense progress slip away.
I guess I should just be glad that G and her One True Love are already married... and no one... not even right wing governments... can take what they have away from them.
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
I rescued this Honey bee from our polytunnel the other morning, she was tired from being stuck in there all night so I dipped my finger in a sugar water solution & after a minute or 2 she recovered & I popped her back at the entrance to the hive HWW & HBW!
So big news, Martin & I are finally getting around to setting a date to get married, we've only been together 18 years, you can't rush these things lol. Actually it's been on the "long finger" so to speak for 14 months, that was when we first approached the local Registrar. So much paperwork to sort out (quite a process as we have both gotten divorced previously in the UK). It's definitely going to happen this Autumn, no more procrastinating. Martin is 65 next month, time we started the next chapter of our lives properly as a married couple. I hate a fuss & would rather slip away & tell folks when we come back. We'll see what transpires.
The almost obscenely talented but quite lovely Salt passed me the pack of her new Arachnophilia set which will be coming to Gacha Guardians on the 1st. I knew I wanted to photograph the spider legs right away (as my Magenta threatened to divorce me if I wore them anywhere near her and I get to see her on the weekend YAY!) but I wanted to be even deadlier than just a Spiderpire.
SO I DRESSED UP AS AUSTRALIA
WEARING
Spider - Salt & Pepper
Snake - Lamia tail by Devious Mind
Crocodile - Aussie Hat by Pedlar DeCosta
Shark - The Glutton by Contraption
Sunburn - Full Lobster in Sunburned by Ama.
Moles - Full Body Moles by Le Forme
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German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. A 1639/1, 1937-1938. Photo: Atelier Willott, Berlin.
Handsome, deep-voiced leading man Frits van Dongen (1901 - 1975) was the first Dutch Hollywood star. He started his film career in the Netherlands, and in the mid-1930’s he became a matinee idol in the German cinema. From 1940 on, he worked in Hollywood, billed as Philip Dorn. A tragic stage accident caused him to retire in 1955.
Frits van Dongen was born as Hein van der Niet in Scheveningen, The Netherlands, in 1901. he was the son of shoemaker Leendert van der Niet and maid-servant Femia Schijf. Hein made his amateur stage debut at age 14. He studied at the Acadamey for art and architecture in The Hague. He became a professional actor though. Under the stage name of Frits van Dongen he worked for the renown Dutch theatre company 'De Haeghe-spelers' from 1923 on. From 1929 he made a tour through the Dutch colonies. In 1921, he had made his film debut as an extra in the Dutch silent film De zwarte tulp/The Black Tulip (1921, Maurits Binger), but in 1934 he really started his film career with a leading part in the fisher drama Op hoop van zegen (1934, Alex Benno, Louis Saalborn). This was the third film adaptation of the most famous Dutch stage play, written by Herman Heijermans, and Van Dongen was noted for his natural acting style. Soon more Dutch films followed. Frits starred in the musical Op stap/On the Road (1935, Ernst Winar), the comedy De big van het regiment/The Regiment’s Mascot (1936, Max Nosseck, Jan Teunissen), another comedy De Kribbebijter/The Grumbler (1935, Hermann Kosterlitz aka Henry Koster, Ernst Winar) and the tempestuous tropical romance Rubber (1936, Gerard Rutten, Johan de Meester). In 1936 the German film studio Tobis offered him a contract and Frits traveled to Berlin. There he appeared in Immer wenn ich glücklich bin/Waltz Melodies (1936, Karl Lamac) with Marta Eggerth. The famous director Richard Eichberg gave him the leading part of Maharaja Chandra in the monumental two-part adventure Der Tiger von Eschnapur/The Tiger of Eschnapur - Das Indische Grabmal/The Indian Tomb (1938, Richard Eichberg). This exotic extravaganza would be his breakthrough. The popular matinee idol appeared in the mystery melodrama Verwehte Spuren/Covered Tracks (1938, Veit Harlan) with Kristina Söderbaum, Der Hampelmann/The Jumping Jack (1938, Karl Heinz Martin) with Hilde Krahl, and the psychological drama Die Reise nach Tilsit/The Trip to Tilsit (1939, Veit Harlan), based on the novel by Hermann Sudermann, which was earlier filmed as Sunrise by F.W. Murnau. Van Dongen was now top of the bill, but he disliked the Nazi regime so much that he decided to leave Germany.
In 1939, Frits van Dongen moved to America just before World War II broke out. Director Henry Koster had invited him to come to Hollywood and gave him introductions. Between 1940 and 1951 he acted in dozens of MGM productions under the name Philip Dorn. He started with the low-budget anti-nazi film Enemy Agent (1940, Lew Landers). During the war years, 10 of his 15 films were such propaganda films. He was usually cast as Continental lovers, anti-Nazi Germans or refugees. His notable films include Escape (1940, Mervyn LeRoy) starring Norma Shearer and Robert Taylor, Ziegfeld Girl (1941, Robert Z. Leonard) with Judy Garland, Underground (1941, Vincent Sherman), Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941, Richard Thorpe) starring Johnny Weissmuller, Random Harvest (1942, Mervyn LeRoy) with Greer Garson, the melodrama Reunion in France (1942, Jules Dassin) opposite Joan Crawford, Blonde Fever (1944, Richard Whorf) with Gloria Grahame, and Passage to Marseille (1944, Michael Curtiz) with Humphrey Bogart. In between films he did tours with the Freedoms War Bond Show for the army. Having long suffered from phlebitis, in 1945 he had the first of a series of strokes; and over the next few years he went on to have a heart attack and to require brain surgery. He couldn’t work for a period, but in 1947 he appeared on Broadway in The Big Two at the side of Claire Trevor. He began playing more mature film roles in the late 1940’s, notably as a tyrannical symphony conductor in I've Always Loved You (1946, Frank Borzage) and as Papa in I Remember Mama (1948) with Irene Dunne.
When his MGM contract ended in 1952, Frits van Dongen returned to Europe and acted in German films like the drama Hinter Klostermauern/The Unholy Intruders (1952, Harald Reinl) with Olga Tschechowa, the romance Der Träumende Mund/Dreaming Lips (1953, Josef von Baky) starring Maria Schell, and the circus romance Salto Mortale (1953, Victor Tourjansky). He did not succeed in making a really successful come-back in Germany, and in 1954-1955 he appeared opposite former Dutch film star Lily Bouwmeester on the Dutch stages in the comedy play Het Hemelbed (The Four-poster) by Jan de Hartog. When he was visiting his birthtown Scheveningen in 1955, he was the victim of a freak accident. While he walked along a building site, a plank fell on his head. A brain injury eventually ruined his speaking ability; and Van Dongen had to retire. He lived the last two decades of his life confined to his comfortable California home. Frits van Dongen died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, USA, in 1975. He was married twice and had several affairs. In 1921 he married Cornelia Twilt with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1930. Three years later, he married the Dutch actress Marianne van Dam. He divorced his Jewish wife in 1937 but they remarried in 1939 and would stay together till his death.
Sources: Hal Erickson (All Movie Guide), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Henk van Gelder (Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland), Mariska Gravreland (De Filmkrant), Wikipedia and IMDb.
The two Avanti West Coast Everos are about to separate, closely observed by a member of staff at Stafford on the evening of 10 December 2025. The front portion on the right will continue to Chester.