View allAll Photos Tagged easygoing

Anyone who thinks Americans have no instinct for royalty should have been in the Convention Center at SXSW for the beaming entrance by Emmylou Harris. I was already on my knees for photo-pit reasons, so I didn't have to decide whether to get down there or not. Other people seemed a bit more conflicted.

 

This is a show that Harris has done dozens of times, and she makes it fresh for us all over again. As she tells her story she is appreciative and involved: she was a singer; she was a waitress; she stepped in on backup vox for a friend; there was Gram Parsons; there was Emmylou Harris. It's an enchanted story, and she is entirely the fairy-tale girl to play the title role - there's something about her autobio conversation with director Jonathan Demme that trembles with magic made into matter-of-fact.

 

When she mentions that she's about to turn 60 - on April 2, between the time this photo was taken and when it was posted here - there's a gasp that rustles the room. It's a little hard to believe. But there she is, easygoing and friendly, bright and gracious and genuine. We're not here for any secrets or tricks of the trade - her trick was being Emmylou Harris, after all, and that's not a role anyone else can play. It's just good to hear her talk, and to see for ourselves that she's the straight shooter you always figured she'd be. Simple and true.

 

She punctuates her stories with songs, and after talking some about Gram Parsons she sings "Love Hurts." It's a moment that trembles; there are some yearning tears in the crowd.

 

Sitting back in her chair, she comments that it feels strange to sing a song with the line "I'm young" in it. "No," says Demme. "No, it's even better now."

 

The rest of my pictures from the festival will crop up over the next few weeks in the eponymous SXSW 2007 set. If you're interested, there's also a set of last year's photos from SXSW 2006 posted here on Flickr.

   

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the Genral Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....! (Here the dignitaries of the Royal Court ... ) .....

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! (Qui i dignitari della Corte Reale ... ) .....

   

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

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Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

"Eins muß man haben: entweder einen von Natur leichten Sinn oder einen durch Kunst und Wissen erleichterten Sinn."

 

"A person must have one or the other. either a disposition which is easygoing by nature, or else a disposition eased by art and knowledge."

 

"Een ding moet men hebben: ofwel een van nature lichte aard, ofwel een door kunst en kennis verlichte aard."

 

(Menschliches, Allzumenschliches, Der Mensch mit sich allein, Nietzsche)

(Human, all too human, Man Alone with Himself, Nietzsche)

(menselijk al te menselijk, De mens met zichzelf alleen, Nietzsche)

File name: 10_03_001433a

Binder label: Sewing Machines

Title: The New Home sewing machine is the best - The easygoing, accurate and light running New Home sewing machine. (front)

Date issued: 1870-1900 (approximate)

Physical description: 1 print : chromolithograph ; 8 x 13 cm.

Genre: Advertising cards

Subject: Women; Clowns; Horses; Sewing machines

Notes: Title from item. Retailer: C. P. Bell, Nashua, N. H.

Statement of responsibility: New Home Sewing Machine Co.

Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards

Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department

Rights: No known restrictions.

Slinky Dog is among one of Woody's most faithful, loyal companions; a plastic dachshund with a Slinky replacing a midsection. He shares a particularly close bond with Woody, as mentioned earlier, and is depicted as being typically easygoing, relaxed, and friendly. As an occasional gag, his abdomen may either benefit or burden him with its uses and disadvantages, such as its capability to stretch to convenient lengths or it becoming intertwined with various objects. He first debuted in the first film of the franchise, in which he appeared to be among the most faithful to Woody even after his betrayal of Buzz (albeit he still seemed skeptical of Woody after his return, but seemed reluctant to accept the facts of the cowboy's vengeance). He may usually play a slightly minor role, but peppered with moments of vitality in the film, such as endeavors embarked upon by the toys, where the advantages presented by his convenient Slinky midsection can be used as a weapon or helpful tool. He reappeared in Toy Story 2 in a slightly larger role, accompanying the other toys on their quest to locate Woody who has been snatched by a toy collector named Al at a yard sale, but still filling a similar purpose as on other occasions. Naturally, he made an appearance in Toy Story 3 as well, where, like the others, he was crestfallen by Andy's maturity and donation of the toys to a daycare center in which they are subjected to violent play and abuse, joining the others on missions and on accomplishing goals, and was later adopted by Bonnie. In this film, his Slinky body was very useful in one scene, when he helped to bridge a gap between a ledge and a bin when they try to escape the daycare.

  

E52

 

In recent times many motor manufacturers, particularly those with a significant sporting heritage, have felt the need to reference iconic models from the past when launching their latest. BMW has proved adept at exploiting this 'retro' trend, commencing in 1996 with the Z3 coupé and convertible, the styling of which brilliantly recalled its fabulous '328' sports car of pre-war days. Its next effort along similar lines - the 'Z07' concept car of 1997 - took its inspiration from the post-war Albrecht von Goetz-designed '507', a luxurious limited-edition roadster.

 

The sensation of the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show, the Z07 was received so enthusiastically that BMW took the decision to press ahead with a production version: the Z8. For the most part the Z8 remained remarkably faithful to the original concept, retaining the 507-like twin-nostril front grille and distinctive front-wing vents. A period-style interior had been one of the Z07's most remarked upon features, and that too made it into the Z8.

 

The Z8's body panelling and spaceframe chassis were fabricated in lightweight and corrosion resistant aluminium, while the 32-valve 4.941 cc V8 engine, shared with the M5 saloon, was built by BMW's Motorsport division. With 400 bhp on tap, the Z8 raced to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds and only the built-in rev limiter stopped it from exceeding 250km/h (155mph). Power reached the run-flat tyres via a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox. Needless to say, the Z8 also came with all the modern appurtenances one would expect of a flagship model: traction control, stability control, front and side air bags, GPS navigation, climate control and power operation of the seats, steering wheel and convertible hood all being included in the package.

 

The fact that the Z8 was a low-volume model assembled, for the most part, by hand, enabled BMW to offer customers considerable freedom in personalising their cars. Further enhancing its appeal to collectors, the factory announced that a 50-year stockpile of Z8 parts would be maintained. Despite a (US) launch price of over $ 128.000, initial demand was so high that a bidding war broke out, with many Z8s selling for well in excess of that figure. By the time production ceased at the end of 2002, 5.703 of these fabulous cars had been built.

 

But that was not quite the end of the Z8 story, for BMW tuning specialist Alpina then introduced its own, even more exclusive version: the Alpina V8 Roadster. Alpina's product was less hard-edged and considerably more refined than the original, being equipped with a 4,8-litre engine from the 5-Series Alpina B10 V8 S and an Alpina-specified ZF five-speed 'Switchtronic' automatic transmission with paddle-shift operation. With a maximum of 375bhp on tap, the Roadster's slightly smaller engine was re-tuned for greater torque at lower revs, which better suited the automatic transmission. Top speed was limited to 161 mph, with 60 mph coming up in 5,0 seconds, only a couple of tenths slower than the original Z8.

 

The suspension was revised to provide a more supple ride, and the original 18" wheels and run-flat tyres replaced with 20" rims and tyres with taller sidewalls. Re-trimmed in softer Nappa leather, the interior boasted many Alpina-specific touches including the steering wheel, gauges, and gear selection display. As its specification suggests, the Alpina V8 was targeted at the North American market, which took 450 units out of the 555 scheduled for production.

 

Car & Driver reckoned the car was well suited to its newly acquired persona: 'In fact, some of us, who regard the Z8 more as a design icon than a serious sports car, reckon the Alpina Roadster V8, with its easygoing power delivery and automatic transmission, is what this car should have been all along.'

 

First registered on 1st September 2004, the limited edition Alpina V8 offered here has had only three owners – all collectors – from new. The first owner, David Michael of Florida, USA kept the car until March 2010 when it passed to a Mr Scholdra Germany. The current vendor purchased the BMW for his private collection in July 2014, by which time it had covered only 17.948 kilometres from new. The current odometer reading is circa 20.000 kilometres.

Superior to those of the original Z8, this car's special features include heated seats; climate control; AM/FM stereo; CD changer; centre-mounted Alpina gauges in blue; xenon headlights with Dynamic Auto-Levelling; hand-stitched Alpina steering wheel with shift buttons and Alpina centre cap; 20" Alpina Dynamic alloy wheels; and a battery charger for when the car is in storage. It has also had over mats fitted since new.

 

Finished in black with two-tone cream/black leather interior, the car comes complete with hardtop, hardtop cover, hardtop stand, and hardtop stand cover; wind deflector and cover; original tools; front cup holder; phone pack (new in box); original wallet; and the Alpina key pouch containing both numbered keys, chauffeurs key, and plastic key. Accompanying documentation consists of the original US Certificate of Title; original German registration document; German Klassische document (dated 2012) and a current UK V5C registration document and MoT certificate.

Recently serviced by Sytners BMW in the UK, this Z8 Alpina Roadster is in immaculate condition throughout.

 

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 320.000 - 380.000

 

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2017

Such an exciting double #psychedelicportrait shoot with husbands Glen Grayson and Paul Prentiss who split their time between Halesite NY and Palm Springs CA.

 

One of those wonderful easygoing connections where I finished the session with tons of wonderful shots to choose from, and two new friends. Thanks so much to Karl Renner for connecting us up.

 

Paul (in next post) is an attorney and retired administrative law judge … although when I asked him how to describe his profession he quipped that he’d prefer to leave this planet as a "noteworthy potter” if only he could muster the energy to retrain between bouts of hiking, holidaying and daydreaming ;-)

 

Glen(in this post) is enjoying his soft retirement from his architectural practice, celebrating a lifelong penchant for design and creating, and pursuing bouts of hiking, holidaying and daydreaming with his husband ;-)

 

Colours achieved in studio.

3 gridded beauty dishes with gels - 1 above camera and 1 oblique each side.

1 long softbox with gel, projected up backdrop.

Wireless trigger on camera.

Harvest Moon appears on a dark and smoky stage in a black velvet cape with red lining, its cowl imperiously draped over her face: the picture of mystery. Soon enough, she is revealed in a stylized sort of Vampirella outfit in black with red highlights, easing into her graceful signature acrobatics.

 

The Sunday night show at this year's Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is a relaxed and easygoing affair: with the bulk of the weekend behind us, we're all glad to be in this room together, surrounded by like-minded folks.

 

Many more photos from the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend will appear in the days to come.

   

.... to visit Mezzojuso gives a little bit the feeling of being abroad (while being in Sicily ...) a lively particular feeling; here a portrait of one of its friendly inhabitant ........

  

.... visitare Mezzojuso dona la sensazione stranissima e vivacissima di trovarsi un po' all'estero, pur stando in Sicilia; qui un ritratto di un suo gentilissimo abitante .........

  

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

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Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

It was a Tuesday afternoon at about 7PM. For some reason Chinatown wasn't full of drunk office workers debating whether to go home or not and people on Holiday from Sydney.

 

Maybe it was because it was the start of a nice balmy night, and in laid-back December, but it was full of people just cruising around.

 

I only shot a few frames of Nui. He was as casual as he looks.

 

"What are you up to tonight, Nui?"

"Just hanging out"

"Okay. Thanks for the photo"

"Take it easy my man".

 

Sure. I will

 

This picture is #02 in my second 100 strangers project.

 

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Limoges 1841 – Cagnes-sur Mér 1919

Der Spaziergang - The Promenade (1870)

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

 

In The Promenade, both figures are crucial to the scene, but they are treated very differently. Brightly lit and wearing a white dress, the woman is the dominant focus of the picture. Sporting a dark jacket and pressing back against the foliage, the man is a far more shadowy figure, only partially lit by scattered flashes of sunlight on his trousers, hands, collar, and hat. The trail into the depths of the wood may be well lit, but there is the hint, in the young man’s heavily shaded, almost caricatural features, that his intentions might be less than pure.

 

There is nothing in the painting that allows us to pinpoint the exact location of Renoir’s scene, but it’s clear from the dense, overgrown foliage and rough, uneven terrain that this is not the cultivated space of a park or garden.

 

The most telling clue is the figures’ relatively informal urban dress, which suggests that they are Parisian pleasure seekers on an excursion outside the city. The distinctive ribboned hat worn by the man identifies him as a canotier, or boater – a common sight along the Seine River valley to the west of Paris. Have these two just left their boat by the riverbank in a search for greater privacy?

 

The Promenade is considered a genre painting, meaning it depicts a familiar scene of everyday life whose characters are recognizable social types. The canotier can be imagined in his weekday life as a petit bourgeois, belonging to the lower-middle class and his companion as one of the legendary grisettes, the good-hearted girls common in the mythology of Parisian bohemian life who were interested in handsome young men for their charm, not their money. Together, these day-tripping Parisians evoke an easygoing, semi-bohemian world in which the pursuit of fleeting pleasures is paramount and social strictures are relaxed in the context of unbound nature.

 

The informality of the picture’s youthful, romantic subject is complemented by that of its lively, energetic technique. The Promenade rejects traditional notions of drawing and the imperative to clearly delineate and carefully model forms. Instead, Renoir works in a vibrant, painterly mode, animating the whole picture surface with fluid, broken brushstrokes and flecks and dashes of contrasting tone and color. Through brushwork and the modulation of light and color, he creates a dynamic interplay between the figures and their natural surroundings, responding in his way to one of the defining challenges of the Impressionist generation: how to depict large-scale figures outdoors in sunlight.

 

Despite the apparent informality and speed of Renoir’s loose, flickering technique, The Promenade is a work of great artifice, its composition is carefully framed and orchestrated. While dark foliage in the upper left corner sets off the woman in white, sun-dappled greens in the upper right corner set off the man’s dark figure.

 

In the bottom corners, the scene is framed by a delicate spray of leafy twigs and a massive tree trunk - contrasting natural elements that wittily echo the gendered opposition of Renoir's female and male figures.

 

And just as the man leads the woman up the path, so a sequence of pink and red touches lead the viewer’s eye across the composition from the woman's face and hat through the joined hands to the man's face and the remarkable red ribbon on his hat . and finally to his left hand, pointing to where he wishes her to go.

 

"I like a painting which makes me want to stroll in it.” Renoir

 

Source: "Taking a Stroll in Renoir's The Promenade" published online in 2021 via Google Arts & Culture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

  

Hi there, my name is Jinsei.

Let me try to describe myself... or at least, what I know about myself: I'd say that I'm a rather complicated person. But after all, aren't we all complicated?

I'm an easygoing person, unless you say or do something that's against my principles. I can't stand prejudices, about emo/goth/other scene's, race, background or whatever. I hate drunks and droggies.

If you want my honest opinion, I'll give it to you, no exceptions. I'm not a backstabber, I always speak my mind.

I don't love going out when you're speaking of discotheques or ordinairy parties. What I prefer are gigs and festivals. Because, even though I'm a girl, I do love mushpits, crowdsurfing en stagediving.

Strangely enough, I am afraid of the dark. So after a concert, there always has to be someone to walk me home. I'm working on this though.

Oh, and I'm the kind of person that still actully BUYS CD's and LP's. That's not being stupid, it's just a matter of respect. All those bands make the effort to provide us with good music, put all there time and energy in it... than it's only fair to give them the money they earn.

 

   

.… Now the pantomime takes on a semi-dramatic look, the Master of Field goes up on a scale to reaching the top of the castle, and he challenges to a duel the King that manages to injure the head his antagonist ... so Master of Field faints and falls off the ladder, fortunately his mighty men take him saving the Hero from certain Death .....

  

.… adesso la pantomima assume un aspetto semi-drammatico, il Mastro di Campo sale su di una scala raggiungendo la cima del castello e sfida a duello il Re...che però riesce a ferire alla testa il suo focoso antagonista...cosicchè il Mastro di Campo perde i sensi e cade dalla scala, fortunatamente i suoi prodi lo prendono al volo essendosi messi sotto la scala stessa, salvandolo da sicura morte ...

   

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

Yup - another 7 hour photo shoot! But this one was immense fun!

 

Are people afraid of leaving comments? Given the high number of views it would be lovely to get some feedback!

 

Model: Emma

Obviously a super large thanks to my models who were easygoing, enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with.

 

With special thanks to Canberra BDSM for their hospitality, expert advice, and loan of "props" and wardrobe.

 

Big huge thanks also to NathanaelB for his support, assistance, humour and tolerance!

 

And I'd like to thank my mum, and ... and... and...

  

Strobist:

* Canon 430ex with shoot through umbrella camera right side on to model

   

.... to visit Mezzojuso gives a little bit the feeling of being abroad (while being in Sicily ...) a lively particular feeling;

living together with horses, donkeys, mules, in this country seems to be part of everyday life, an ancient dimension survived the passage of time .........

  

.... visitare Mezzojuso dona la sensazione stranissima e vivacissima di trovarsi un po' all'estero, pur stando in Sicilia; il convivere insieme a cavalli, asini, muli, in questo paese sembra far parte della vita quotidiana, una dimensione antica sopravvissuta allo scorrere del tempo ...........

  

-----------------------------------------------------

  

the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

The May Babies edition of Sharkbite Sideshow starts off with pole dancing, as always. This is my first time seeing Nikita Darling perform on the pole, and she's astonishing: easygoing, strong, sexy, and confident.

 

In some ways, pole dancing is marching the same slow trek to legitimacy that burlesque as a whole went through in the last decade. Not that long ago a dance pole was pretty much the sole domain of strippers. It wasn't so much a challenge for skill as it was a clever way to get rid of clothing. Which is not to say it wasn't possible to perform well, but that performing well wasn't always the major consideration.

 

A few years later on, happily, the pole is a means of expression and athleticism and skill. I'm reminded of watching gymnasts on the balance beam or the parallel bars: the dancers' routines are full of personality, tension, and grace. Also: hot.

 

I'm very fond of the annual May Babies shows, because I am a May Baby too. I'm celebrating my birthday in the audience, after a lovely afternoon shooting flowers in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and watching Antonioni's L'Eclisse at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. As days go, this is a fine one.

The Thing from Another World 1951

Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!

—Ned “Scotty” Scott

 

www.popscreen.com/v/7aMWr/The-Thing-from-Another-World Full Feature

www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer

This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.

Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.

Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013

There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.

There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.

The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...

The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.

Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:

As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.

This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)

As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.

All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):

The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."

Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)

Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)

In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing

and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.

Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.

Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.

Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.

Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.

Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.

A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.

"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”

Acting Credits

Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey

Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington

Dewey Martin - Crew Chief

Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott

Eduard Franz - Dr Stern

Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson

William Self - Colonel Barnes

Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman

John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman

James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes

Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz

William Neff - Olson

Allan Ray - Officer

Lee Tung Foo - Cook

Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose

George Fenneman - Dr. Redding

Tom Steele - Stuntman

James Arness - The Thing

Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking

 

 

Train announces Led Zeppelin cover album

| Plaincut | bit.ly/1DfNmQD

It’s difficult to hear the wistful piano of “Drops of Jupiter” or the easygoing ukulele of “Hey Soul Sister” and be reminded of Jimmy Page’s…http://bit.ly/1SPhwDl

The Thing from Another World 1951

Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!

—Ned “Scotty” Scott

 

www.popscreen.com/v/7aMWr/The-Thing-from-Another-World Full Feature

www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer

This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.

Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.

Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013

There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.

There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.

The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...

The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.

Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:

As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.

This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)

As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.

All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):

The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."

Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)

Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)

In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing

and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.

Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.

Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.

Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.

Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.

Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.

A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.

"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”

Acting Credits

Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey

Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington

Dewey Martin - Crew Chief

Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott

Eduard Franz - Dr Stern

Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson

William Self - Colonel Barnes

Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman

John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman

James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes

Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz

William Neff - Olson

Allan Ray - Officer

Lee Tung Foo - Cook

Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose

George Fenneman - Dr. Redding

Tom Steele - Stuntman

James Arness - The Thing

Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking

 

You'd think after meeting 15 or so flickrfriends, I'd be used to the surreal freak out that happens when I look at my LCD display after taking their portraits... no, no, of course not... Instead I had a total moment of childish excitement to see Esther smiling back at me from my own camera.

 

Esther is exactly who she projects to be on flickr -- and then some. So freaking cool and funny and witty and easygoing and warm and crazy in precisely the way that I like. I was blown away.

 

She's on the plane now to Arizona... Konig and I dropped her off at the airport at 10am, immediately missing the loss of her company. She better move to the East Coast, because I want to hang out with her a lot more often.

 

View On Black

 

"Pretty Jane" reminds me of the shy gal we all know... with her classic good looks, flawless skin and easygoing personality ~ she's a natural beauty, but often overlooked. Then, she knocks everyone out when she puts on a pretty dress and some jewelry! This cake is THAT girl... not really showy, the simple elegant design is a perfect showcase for beautiful flowers and a little cake-jewelry. It's like the quintescential "little black dress"; perfect in all settings, always appropriate and never goes out of style!

 

Soft ivory fondant icing on square tiers, with just a simple piped beaded border are set on lush displays of full Black Magic roses and ruby colored Gerbera Daisies. The bottom tier was placed on a "stand" of flowers, for a floating on roses effect. A simple and classy 3 letter monogram tops off the display.

 

Client/Cake info:

For Jamie and Anthony, who were married on March 15, 08 at the lovely Oak Hill Park in Danville, CA

 

Flavors: "Black Tie" (with almond) - White cake with Vanilla Custard, Dark Chocolate Truffle and creamy Almond Buttercream fillings. And "Valencia" - Chocolate cake with Grand Marnier, filled with fluffy chocolate mousse and bittersweet orange marmalade. Fondant icing over vanilla buttercream.

Check out the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) official results for me... a bit more accurate than I expected.... what do you think?

 

Extraversion (E), Intuition (N), Thinking (T), Perceiving (P) - ENTP the Originator.

 

ENTPs are inspired innovators, motivated to find new solutions to intellectually challenging problems. They are curious and clever, and seek to understand the people, systems, and principles that surround them. Open-minded and easygoing, ENTPs want to understand other people—their motivations, behavior, and ideas—without applying judgment. ENTPs enjoy engaging others in debate, and can be perceived as argumentative due to their love of critical analysis.

 

Bored by routine, ENTPs are masters of re-inventing the wheel and often refuse to do a task the same way twice. They question norms and often ignore them altogether; they would much rather try a new method (or two) than go along with the standard. Structured environments frustrate them and routine demotivates them who rely on their ingenuity in the moment, and have little patience for preparation or planning. ENTPs are multi-talented as well as non-conforming with a wide range of interests.

 

ENTps are methodically very abstract and thought driven, constantly seeking the pure potentialities of the unseen. They tend to be absent-minded, and forget appointments. They continually try to acquire new skills, and will continually engage in the pursuit of knowledge for no specific reason other than enjoyment and entertainment.

 

Life for an ENTP (and for those around them) can be a roller-coaster event with great highs, thrills, scares, occasional stops--and lots of unexpected jerks and turns.

 

ENTPs make up 3% of the world population.

Gion matsuri. Yoiyoiyama. Standing bar set up in the middle of pedestrianized Shijo-dōri. Geiko-san Makiko-san. She had an easygoing and gregarious air as she chatted with customers.

 

Tumblr bloggers: I don't mind if you post this image unedited on a respectful blog, but please link back and don't include more than one image per post. Ookini!

 

Others: I don't want this image to be posted on Facebook, Google+, etc. Thanks!

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the Genral Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....!

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! ........

   

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

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Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

   

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the General Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....! .....

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! ....

 

-----------------------------------------------------

  

the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

   

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the Genral Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....! ....

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! ....

   

-----------------------------------------------------

  

the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

Instead of eating lunch, I'm in my break on the road again. This time, in the West part of Berlin, at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Opposite there is a building with several shops, including a loudspeaker manufacturers (with the connection to something diabolical, insider will understand this hint), which has its flackshipstore here . In front of the shop I saw a young woman who distributed handouts for this loudspeaker manufacturer. Her red hair was visible from afar and it was a MUST for me to ask for a photo!

Here I met Evelina, 19 y / o. Evelina is from Berlin, makes a high school graduation and earns some money to the side.

I introduced myself and my concerns. Without hesitation, Evelina agreed.

I asked what Evelina would change if she would be the reigning Mayor of Berlin for a week. Evelina thought for a moment and answered: there should be more tolerance, only at the surface everything is easygoing in Berlin. There is too little tolerance that she has to experience herself, particularly with regard to her hair color and her piercing. Is it not easy to find a job under these conditions. Something should happen.

I did not want to interrupt for too long the work of Evelina, so I asked her to go with me into the shade, I took the photos, although it was very windy, that just makes the charm of this photo.

Thank you Evelina, for the time you have given me for the project. All the best at school. I wish you that you only meet tolerant, open-minded people and you can find when choosing a career later the profession that makes you happy. I hope you will be accepted as a human being without prejudice.

 

This picture is #92 of my 100 Strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

*****************************

Statt Mittag zu essen, bin ich in meiner Pause wieder unterwegs. Diesmal im West-Teil von Berlin, bei der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächniskirche. Gegenüber gibt es ein Gebäude mit diversen Geschäften, unter anderem einem Lautsprecherhersteller (mit der Verbindung zu etwas diabolischem, die Insider wissen, was ich meine), der hier sein Flackshipstore hat. Vor dem Geschäft sah ich eine junge Frau, die Handzettel für diesen Lautsprecherhersteller verteilte. Ihre roten Haare waren weit sichtbar und es war für mich ein Muss, wegen eines Fotos zu fragen!

Ich begegnete Evelina, 19 j/o. Evelina ist aus Berlin, macht das Abitur und verdient sich etwas Geld nebenher.

Ich stellte mich und mein Anliegen vor. Ohne zu zögern, stimmte Evelina zu.

Ich fragte Evelina was sie ändern würde, wenn sie für eine Woche regierende Bürgermeisterin von Berlin wäre. Kurz überlegte Evelina und antwortet: Sie wünsche sich mehr Toleranz, es ist in Berlin nur alles oberflächlich locker und easy going. Es gibt zu wenig Toleranz, das hat sie schon selber erleben müssen, gerade in Bezug auf ihre Haarfarbe und ihren Piercing . Nicht einfach ist es, unter diesen Voraussetzungen einen Job zu finden. Da müsste dringend etwas passieren.

Ich wollte Evelina nicht zu lange von Ihrer Arbeit abhalten, also bat ich sie noch, mit mir in den Schatten zu gehen, es war zwar sehr windig, aber das macht gerade den Reiz dieses Fotos aus.

Danke Evelina, für die Zeit, die du mir für das Projekt geschenkt hast. Alles Gute in der Schule. Ich wünsche Dir, dass Du nur noch auf tolerante, offene Menschen triffst und Du später bei der Berufswahl den Beruf findest, der Dir Spaß macht und wo Du - ohne Vorurteile - als Mensch akzeptiert wirst.

 

Dies ist Bild #92 meines „100 Strangers-Projektes“. Mehr zu dem Projekt und Fotos anderer Fotografen auf der Gruppenseite 100 Strangers Flickr Group page.

 

Hi there, my name is Jinsei.

Let me try to describe myself... or at least, what I know about myself: I'd say that I'm a rather complicated person. But after all, aren't we all complicated?

I'm an easygoing person, unless you say or do something that's against my principles. I can't stand prejudices, about emo/goth/other scene's, race, background or whatever. I hate drunks and droggies.

If you want my honest opinion, I'll give it to you, no exceptions. I'm not a backstabber, I always speak my mind.

I don't love going out when you're speaking of discotheques or ordinairy parties. What I prefer are gigs and festivals. Because, even though I'm a girl, I do love mushpits, crowdsurfing en stagediving.

Strangely enough, I am afraid of the dark. So after a concert, there always has to be someone to walk me home. I'm working on this though.

Oh, and I'm the kind of person that still actully BUYS CD's and LP's. That's not being stupid, it's just a matter of respect. All those bands make the effort to provide us with good music, put all there time and energy in it... than it's only fair to give them the money they earn.

 

Hoagie is a full-bred English bulldog puppy. In this picture he is about 4 months old. He weighs all of about 10 pounds and is as easygoing and loving as a puppy can get.

Hi there! I'm Sophie from Muthaiga, Ruaraka Constituency in Nairobi County. I'm a lady who loves enjoying life, and I'm not ready for marriage yet. I'm looking for a young and energetic sugar boy, 18 or older, who knows how to have a good time and can bring some excitement into my busy life.

 

I'm ready to spoil a nice-looking and presentable guy for a discreet relationship. An HIV test is a must. I'm single, stable, and independent. If you think we might connect, just say hi and let's see where it goes. I'm easygoing and love good conversation.

 

If you’re interested in connecting with her or other Sugar Mummies or Sugar Daddies, feel free to contact Admin via SMS, WhatsApp, or Telegram at 0755765795. Kindly be aware that there’s a connection fee of Kes 550.

 

Originally published at www.PataMpenzi.co.ke.

It was so windy on the beach that the sand being blown against our legs actually stung a little. It was still a beautiful morning.

Edited with Isabelle Lafrance's Soulful Easygoing Vintage action

© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com

________________________________________________

 

A mime in the streets of Brussels, taken yesterday afternoon.

 

I think that guy has such a powerful profile. He reminds me a bit of Serge Gainsbourg, the French Singer.

 

The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10

________________________________________________

 

For more information about my art: info@benheine.com

________________________________________________

  

Feelings Are Fine

 

A poem by Peter S. Quinn

 

Feelings are fine

In every game of life

Rain come and sunshine

For it you must strife

Love is like this too

In all its relives

So much to give and do

Inside its retrieves

 

Lonely hearts walking

Spinning wheels of time

So much nonsense talking

Downfall and its prime

Easygoing to nowhere

Only to stand and wait

Filling up lonely atmosphere

In every going debate

 

Song of hearts making

Giving an hour s touch

Anything in its waking

With every small and lots

Step by step here thru

All is revising on

What you and I should do

Before these feeling are gone

Two of my patient pets assist as I attempt to tame higher ISOs than I like to use. After a hard modelling session there's nothing quite so refreshing as fresh rainwater.

File name: 10_03_001443a

Binder label: Sewing Machines

Title: The New Home sewing machine is the best - The easygoing, accurate and light running New Home sewing machine. (front)

Date issued: 1870-1900 (approximate)

Physical description: 1 print : chromolithograph ; 8 x 13 cm.

Genre: Advertising cards

Subject: Women; Clowns; Horses; Sewing machines

Notes: Title from item. Retailer: F. W. Champagne, Westboro, Mass.

Statement of responsibility: New Home Sewing Machine Co.

Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards

Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department

Rights: No known restrictions.

Yup - another 7 hour photo shoot! But this one was immense fun!

 

Are people afraid of leaving comments? Given the high number of views it would be lovely to get some feedback!

 

Obviously a super large thanks to my models who were easygoing, enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with.

 

With special thanks to Canberra BDSM for their hospitality, expert advice, and loan of "props" and wardrobe.

 

Big huge thanks also to NathanaelB for his support, assistance, humour and tolerance!

  

Also thanks to Matt Stewart for the loan of his vivitars and cactus while I wait for mine to be delivered.

 

And I'd like to thank my mum, and ... and... and...

 

strobist:

* vivitar 285 with 2 blue gels behind cage and slightly to right

* vivitar 285 with shoot through umbrella immediately left of photographer

* canon 430ex with shoot trhough umbrella further left of photographer

   

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the General Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....! (here the Great General Garibaldi ...) ....

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! (Qui il Grande Generale Garibaldi ... ) ....

   

-----------------------------------------------------

  

the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

   

Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

Hitched to a few empties, the local switcher sits idle in the hot afternoon sun. A friendly employee took it upon himself to show me around the yard a bit - worth noting that the people in Myanmar have to be some of the most kind, easygoing and helpful I've encountered in my travels.

   

.... Many people take part in this unique and lively pantomime, there are pastors by mule or donkey, which give the people some pieces of bread, wine and sausages, there are ladies with sweet looks that have beautiful smiles, there are horsemen riding on colts, throwing sweets on bystanders, there are horrific figures like Fofori, who kidnap the rich by forcing them to pay a symbolic offering, there are the Wizards, who finally found the treasure (a chamber pot full of macaroni, drinking wine from a container of urine), there is the General Garibaldi supported by his soldiers, there are their enemies the Turks, there is 'U Remitu (the hermit) ... there are the bomb squad .. .and much others figures....! ....

  

.... i personaggi che animano questa particolare e vivacissima pantomima sono tantissimi, ci sono i pastori a dorso di mulo o di asino, che donano alla popolazione pane, vino e salsicce, ci sono dame dagli sguardi dolcissimi che regalano sorrisi incantevoli, ci sono Cavalieri a cavallo di focosi puledri, che lanciano confetti sugli astanti come se piovesse, ci sono figure orrifiche come i Fofori, che rapiscono i ricchi costringendoli a pagare un simbolico obolo, ci sono i Maghi, che finalmente trovano il tesoro (un pitale pieno di maccheroni, bevendo vino da un "pappagallo"), c'è Garibaldi sostenuto dai suoi Garibaldini, ci sono i loro nemici, ovvero i Turchi, c'è 'U Remitu (l'eremita) ...ci sono gli artificieri...i chi più ne ha più ne metta....! ....

   

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

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Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

Could you tell us about the new Twilight movie, New Moon?

It was fun for me because it was a little more in-depth for Alice’s character. It’s more about the angst part of it than the love story as far as Edward and Bella. Edward leaves Bella, so she kind of falls into a depression and gets close to Jacob, and discovers a couple more crazy things about the town. We had a blast filming. We got to go to Italy, which was amazing. It was a couple of us who got to go to Italy, and I was included. It was coming back to the people we got really close to in the movie before so it was like a little reunion. And Chris Weitz directed it, and he was incredible. I feel like the set was so chill and really comfortable, and it seemed like it was all very planned out and very put together so we weren’t going crazy and stressing out. I’m excited to see it all put together. I’m really confident that it will be good.

 

What was it like reuniting with the Twilight cast again?

Coming back to the second one was really great because we already had this relationship so we got to build on top of that. I feel like I was really close with a couple of people and then on the second one, I got close with a couple of different people, so it’s been really fun.

 

What was the process of being cast for the role of Alice? Were you familiar with the book series beforehand?

It was a really long, tedious process. I hadn’t read the books, but I read them because they wouldn’t release the script or breakdown. My manager told me to go into the audition and to do a good job and not to mess up because the casting directors were sticklers. So, I was like, “How am I supposed to do a good job? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be playing!” I originally auditioned for Bella, and so I read the first book and kind of fell in love with it. I went in and auditioned and actually they called me back in and said, “No, you’re not right for Bella,” so I was bummed, and then they brought me back for Alice. I worked more on it – that was all I did for a couple of days before I went in. I came in probably like five times before I actually got the role – and then I went home for Christmas and literally just had to wait and wait. I thought that I didn’t get it again, and then I got the call that I was Alice and I freaked out and called my dad and mom.

 

Did you have any idea, going into it, that it would have this much fan appeal? Did you feel any pressure to deliver, or did that just develop over the course of making the film and its release?

I did because it was really my first film where I had a bigger part and was a studio thing – I was nervous. I think I was more nervous than most of the cast because it was my first thing. It definitely kept building and turned into kind of a different type of nervousness. We knew that it was probably going to go to theaters because so

many people love the books, and in the course of filming we realized that it probably wasn’t just going to go to theaters, it was going to do quite well. Then [the film] opened really, really huge, which was incredible.

 

Do you tend to have more guy fans or more girl “tween” fans?

I definitely get more girls. There’s been guys – I’m used to the girls, so with the guys I’m kind of awkward, I feel like. But, some of them are really sweet.

  

What do you make of this Robert Pattinson craze? It’s starting to get to the point where the pandemonium is putting him in dangerous situations. What’s your take on that?

It’s sad for Rob! It’s a hard thing because we absolutely adore our fans, and he does too, and they helped us get to where we are now so you have to be thankful for that. I applaud him – with my fan encounters, there’s a process. It’s kind of like this chisel effect where there’s one and then it’s two and then it’s five, so I was kind of able to ace it. But he got slapped with 25,000 screaming girls so I definitely think he’s taking it in stride. They love him so much and I know they don’t want to hurt him, but people just don’t realize that when they’re that many people coming with a force, it can be very dangerous sometimes.

 

Now that you are in the public eye, how do you deal with people speculating about your personal life all the time?

It’s kind of laughable because it’s amazing that people are so intrigued by who I have lunch with and whatnot. This is my thing: If I was in a relationship with someone that I really cared about, it would upset me if they speculated something about me and someone else because that other person has to read it. That’s the part which I haven’t encountered yet because I’m not in a relationship, but I’m just waiting for it – and then I’m sure I’ll hate it. It’s something I have to get used to, I guess. It’s all apart of this job. It’s like the little fine print of dating me – “You will now be thrown into this Twilight whirlwind.” The fans embrace everything that we do, so if I started dating some guy they would probably embrace him too.

 

How has it been with the other Twilight castmates? Is there anyone on set that you happen to be closer with?

Kellan [Lutz] and I are very close. I have different relationships with different people – and it’s really great, I kind of get the best of everything. Rachelle [Lefevre] and I have this, like, zest for life. She and I can just go and have a glass of wine and unwind, and we work out together and stuff like that so she and I have that kind of relationship – I think we’re both easygoing, fun people. Kristen [Stewart] and I recently got closer. I feel like in the first film, we were friends, but with our schedule we were never in the same place at the same time. So, with the second one, it was more intimate as far as the amount of people involved. After the first week or two of production, it was just me, Kristen, Rob and Taylor [Lautner], and then Rachelle was there for a little bit. Taylor’s super, super sweet, and Jackson [Rathbone], I adore. I love them all. They’re great.

 

Do you prefer that people come up to you and say something when you’re recognized? That’s something fans always wonder.

Before, it was just like one or two people and I totally would rather them come up [to me] because I think it’s really sweet. They say hello and I go back to what I’m doing and it’s better than having them just stare the whole time because then you feel like you’re being watched and then you’re not really comfortable. But, it’s getting to be more and more people, so I don’t know. If everyone wants to come up and say hello… I guess I’m going to leave it up to them. It’s working fine now. I’m not going mess up the process.

 

Do you ever worry about being always thought of as Alice Cullen when you go off to make your other film projects? What kind of other projects are you hoping to do?

Maybe Kristen and Rob will kind of have a little bit more of a shadow behind them that always links them to Twilight, but Alice is a vampire, yes, but she has this human heart. She’s really lovable and really likable, sort of

like the best friend, and so I think that might help me in the other films. I think the fans already love me and love Alice. I think it’s a positive. I don’t think I’m going to be pigeonholed. If I always played the hot, stupid chick, then I might be pigeonholed as that. I get to kind of choose my films, which hopefully I will choose wisely and

build off of that versus pissing the fans off. I want to do an action film just because there’s already a bit of action in Twilight, and when I did it I absolutely took to it and loved it.

 

When we see these other film series based off of books, like Harry Potter, that have gone on and on with multiple installments of the films – is that now something that you’re totally prepared to take on?

Yeah. I know Harry Potter went on – it’s still going on – for a really long time. These kids basically grew up in these films. But with ours, we can’t age, so that’s the big difference. We have to get [the films] done. We filmed the second one and we’re about to jump into the third. I’m not sure about the fourth one yet – but I’m assuming that we’re going to get that one done in a timely manner as well. I think we’ll film them, and then how they want to release them is up to their discretion. At least we’ll be able to have this Twilight force behind us for a while, but I think the filming will be done fairly soon. So, we’ll get to have the best of both worlds because we’ll actually be free to film other projects in between. That’s the other thing that I think is huge with Twilight – usually people don’t have the time or are not allowed to contractually do other films, but they’re letting us do other films in between.

 

When you’re not filming, what do you do for fun?

I definitely try to make it home. I actually have my family fly out, and I have a couple of Florida friends fly out sometimes, and then I have a best friend or two in L.A. I just try hanging out and spending time with my friends – I try and live a normal lifestyle.

 

What would be your ideal Saturday night?

Me and my friends are really big on doing game nights. We just grab a couple of games and sometimes we order in or sometimes we just get a bunch of cheese and crackers and stuff like that or cook dinner, and just hang out and play games.

 

www.snmag.com/INTERVIEWS/Celebrity-Interviews/Twilight-Ne...

    

Hi there, my name is Jinsei.

Let me try to describe myself... or at least, what I know about myself: I'd say that I'm a rather complicated person. But after all, aren't we all complicated?

I'm an easygoing person, unless you say or do something that's against my principles. I can't stand prejudices, about emo/goth/other scene's, race, background or whatever. I hate drunks and droggies.

If you want my honest opinion, I'll give it to you, no exceptions. I'm not a backstabber, I always speak my mind.

I don't love going out when you're speaking of discotheques or ordinairy parties. What I prefer are gigs and festivals. Because, even though I'm a girl, I do love mushpits, crowdsurfing en stagediving.

Strangely enough, I am afraid of the dark. So after a concert, there always has to be someone to walk me home. I'm working on this though.

Oh, and I'm the kind of person that still actully BUYS CD's and LP's. That's not being stupid, it's just a matter of respect. All those bands make the effort to provide us with good music, put all there time and energy in it... than it's only fair to give them the money they earn.

 

Relaxing image of asian person with a hot drink in front of a window in a cafe. Shot with F1.8 to create smooth out of focus appearance behind her. Added sepia tone to create the lounge look and feel.

Axel

 

1. Axel is born from Gerard N.’s first marriage. Gerard, a famous German photographer and a good-humoured, pleasure-seeking man, has had an affair with Aiden’s adoptive mother. That’s how the boys meet.

2. Axel is Aiden’s only friend. I think he’s in love with him, but doesn’t dare to come out into the open, ’cause Aiden never gave him hope.

3. He feels attracted by women as well, especially by those who don’t pay him attention. He has been for years a devoted admirer and loyal servant of his cousin Sibylle, a beautiful and spoiled upper-class girl.

4. The name Axel means “father of peace” in both Hebrew and Danish, so it’s his karma to be an easygoing guy. It’s almost impossible to quarrel with him.

5. He’s very absent-minded and keeps losing his keys.

6. His clothes are usually simple and cheap, but he makes an effort to be well-dressed when he goes out with Aiden, so as not to embarrass him in front of others.

7. He’s vegetarian. He would like to become vegan, but can’t help eating cheese and eggs.

8. He makes a lot of plans for the future, but never gets anything done, so that nobody takes him seriously anymore. His current dream is to run an organic farm in Tuscany, offering B&B service in a bucolic setting. Another plan of his is to become a riding instructor one day.

9. He’s known as the horse – and cow – whisperer. XD

10. He’s a big fan of the 60s and 70s, misses John Lennon and the Wolkswagen hippie van. He also collect vinyl long playing records and is fascinated by old electronic instruments such as theremin, mellotron, ondes Martenot, etc.

  

Italiano

 

1. Axel è figlio di Gerard N. e della sua prima moglie. Gerard, famoso fotografo tedesco, uomo gioviale e dedito ai piaceri della vita, ha avuto una relazione con la madre adottiva di Aiden. È così che i due ragazzi si sono conosciuti.

2. Axel è l’unico amico di Aiden. Penso che un po’ ne sia innamorato, ma che non abbia il coraggio di uscire allo scoperto perché Aiden non gli ha mai dato motivo di sperare.

3. È attratto anche dalle donne, soprattutto da quelle che non lo considerano. Per anni è stato il cavalier servente della cugina Sibylle, una ragazza bellissima e viziata, molto “quartieri alti”.

4. Il nome Axel significa “padre della pace” in ebraico e danese, e quindi era destino che fosse un tipo accomodante. È quasi impossibile litigare con lui.

5. È molto distratto e perde le chiavi di casa di continuo.

6. Il suo abbigliamento in genere è semplice e poco costoso, ma si sforza di vestirsi elegante quando esce con Aiden, per non metterlo in imbarazzo.

7. È vegetariano. Vorrebbe addirittura diventare vegano, ma non riesce a rinunciare al formaggio e alle uova.

8. Fa un sacco di progetti per il futuro, ma non combina mai niente, al punto che nessuno lo prende più sul serio. Il suo sogno più recente è gestire una fattoria biologica in Toscana, offrendo un servizio di bed & breakfast in uno scenario bucolico. Progetta anche di diventare istruttore di equitazione, prima o poi.

9. È soprannominato “l’uomo che sussurra ai cavalli” (e alle mucche). XD

10. È un nostalgico degli anni ’60 e ’70, rimpiange John Lennon e il pulmino degli hippie, il mitico Wolkswagen T1. Inoltre, colleziona dischi in vinile ed è affascinato dai vecchi strumenti elettronici, come theremin, mellotron, onde Martenot ecc.

Jeg mødte Sandis ved Roskilde Skatepark, nær Dyreskuepladsen, hvor Roskilde Festival bliver afholdt hver år. Tænkte at jeg havde fiskeøjet med, og kunne lige så godt komme over min nervøsitet ang. at få fat i disse fremmede mennesker, til projektet. Sandis er fra Letland og en rigtig flink gut. Han virkede ikke så frisk på det til at starte med, da det er et helt nyt skateboard, han var igang med at køre til, men efter lidt snak, synes han måske det kunne være meget sjovt.

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I met Sandis by Roskilde Skatepark, near "Dyreskuepladsen", where the anual Roskilde Festival is held. I thought to my self; i brought the fisheye, and i might as well get over my 'anxiety' of approaching people for this 100 Strangers project.

 

Sandis is from the Latvia Republic, and is an easygoing guy, but a bit quiet also. Maybe he has the same "stranger-danger" as me. He didn't seem to be up for it at first, because it was a brand new board he rode, so i said okay, put my camera away, and after talking for a cupple of minutes, he changed his mind, and thought it could be good fun.

------------------------------------------

This picture is #1 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

   

.... to visit Mezzojuso gives a little bit the feeling of being abroad (while being in Sicily ...) a lively particular feeling;

living together with horses, donkeys, mules, in this country seems to be part of everyday life, an ancient dimension survived the passage of time .........

  

.... visitare Mezzojuso dona la sensazione stranissima e vivacissima di trovarsi un po' all'estero, pur stando in Sicilia; il convivere insieme a cavalli, asini, muli, in questo paese sembra far parte della vita quotidiana, una dimensione antica sopravvissuta allo scorrere del tempo ...........

  

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

   

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Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

-----------------------------------------

  

Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

The Thing from Another World 1951

Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!

—Ned “Scotty” Scott

 

www.popscreen.com/v/7aMWr/The-Thing-from-Another-World Full Feature

www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer

This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.

Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.

Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013

There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.

There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.

The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...

The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.

Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:

As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.

This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)

As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.

All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):

The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."

Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)

Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)

In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing

and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.

Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.

Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.

Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.

Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.

Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.

A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.

"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”

Acting Credits

Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey

Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington

Dewey Martin - Crew Chief

Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott

Eduard Franz - Dr Stern

Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson

William Self - Colonel Barnes

Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman

John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman

James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes

Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz

William Neff - Olson

Allan Ray - Officer

Lee Tung Foo - Cook

Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose

George Fenneman - Dr. Redding

Tom Steele - Stuntman

James Arness - The Thing

Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking

 

The Thing from Another World 1951

Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!

—Ned “Scotty” Scott

 

www.popscreen.com/v/7aMWr/The-Thing-from-Another-World Full Feature

www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer

This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.

Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.

Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013

There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.

There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.

The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...

The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.

Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:

As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.

This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)

As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.

All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):

The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."

Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)

Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)

In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing

and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.

Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.

Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.

Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.

Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.

Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.

A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.

"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”

Acting Credits

Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey

Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington

Dewey Martin - Crew Chief

Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott

Eduard Franz - Dr Stern

Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson

William Self - Colonel Barnes

Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman

John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman

James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes

Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz

William Neff - Olson

Allan Ray - Officer

Lee Tung Foo - Cook

Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose

George Fenneman - Dr. Redding

Tom Steele - Stuntman

James Arness - The Thing

Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking

 

   

.... to visit Mezzojuso gives a little bit the feeling of being abroad (while being in Sicily ...) a lively particular feeling; here a portrait of one of its friendly inhabitant ........

  

.... visitare Mezzojuso dona la sensazione stranissima e vivacissima di trovarsi un po' all'estero, pur stando in Sicilia; qui un ritratto di una sua gentilissima abitante .........

  

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Mezzojuso was built by the Albanians, Arbëreshëc, mostly military people established near an uninhabited house, during the migration of Albanians in Italy; on1501 they came from Albania and they had brought with them their language, customs and the Orthodox rite. From 2 to 4 August 1862 Mezzojuso welcomes Garibaldi: this is to reconnect this long and short at the same time my report, to some passages of this feast: the characteristic carnival of Mezzojuso. The "Master of Field" is the name of this carnival representation and it take the name from the principal character: this is a love story, albeit in key easygoing, which contains the re-enactment of the assault the Count of Modica made to the Castle to capture the White Queen of Navarra. The representation begins with the arrival of the royal procession, made up of the King, the Queen, by the dignitaries of the Court, from the Dame, the Secretary, by guards and by the Moors, and the "Master of Home" soul procession . Performed a dance in the square, the group go up on a stage (which is the castle); after inside the "castle" begins a dance party; therefore appear masks tied to tradition, u Rimitu, the Wizards, the gardener; comes the Master of Field, wearing a red wax mask with a hooked nose and prominent lower lip, a white shirt full of colored ribbons, pants and red coat, he squirms and shake, with his left arm to the side and in the right arm he brings a short wooden sword. Appear numerous characters, the Drummer, the Ambassador, Garibaldi and his Boys, the Captain of Artillery, the Baron and Baroness on two donkeys, followed by their men on horses and mules loaded with firewood, trunks, various paraphernalia for manufacturing cheese, so the gardener, with laurel wreaths, then the Cavalry, formed by a dozen knights who throw sweets over the spectators.The "Foforio" kidnap the wealthy and releases them after paying a small ransom (in return will be able to eat and drink at will). There are Magicians who go in search of "Treasure" and they finally found it: a bedpan full of macaroni and sausage, shouting "forio forio maccarrunario" eat them with their hands. The war rages, with Garibaldi and his Boys clashes against the Saracens (with imaginative alienation of historical periods); The Master of Field goes up on the scale that leads to the castle, meets with the King that hurts him on the head, and he falls backward (from a good height ...) to be taken from the boys that in the meantime they were prepared under the stairs; But the Master of Field is not dead and he healed his wounds, he with army of Garibaldi climb stealthily for "fake scale" and, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, they surrounding the Court and bind the King: the Field of Master removes the mask, finally embracing the Queen, managing to crown their secret dream of love, and so ends the great feast of Mezzojuso, with the procession that will march in the streets the country and ... the king in chains....

 

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Mezzojuso fu costruito dagli albanesi, gli arbëreshë, principalmente militari stabilitisi nelle vicinanze di un casale disabitato, durante la migrazione degli albanesi in Italia; essi provenivano dall'Albania e avevano portato con se lingua, usi e il rito ortodosso, nel 1501 stabilizzarono la loro posizione nella zona. Dal 2 al 4 agosto 1862 Mezzojuso accoglie Garibaldi: questo per ricollegare questo breve incipt su alcuni passaggi di questo report, lungo e breve al tempo stesso, sul caratteristico carnevale di Mezzojuso, unico nel suo genere. Il "Mastro di Campo", questo il nome della rappresentazione carnascialesca, è il personaggio dal quale prende il nome questa storia d'amore, seppur in chiave scanzonata, che racchiude in sè la rievocazione dell'assalto che il Conte di Modica fece al Castello per conquistare la regina Bianca di Navarra. La rappresentazione inizia con l'arrivo del corteo reale, composto dal Re, dalla Regina, dai Dignitari di Corte, dalle Dame, dal Segretario, dall’Artificiere, da alcune guardie e dai Mori, mentre Il "Mastru ri Casa" anima il corteo. Eseguita una danza nella piazza, il gruppo sale su un palco che ne rappresenta il castello, e subito dopo sul "castello" ha inizio una festa danzante; appaiono quindi le maschere legate alla tradizione, u Rimitu, i Maghi, le Giardiniere; arriva il Mastro di Campo a cavallo, che indossa una maschera di cera rossa con il naso adunco ed il labbro inferiore prominente, una camicia bianca piena di nastri colorati, pantaloni e mantello rosso: egli si dimena, si agita, con la testa ben alta, il braccio sinistro al fianco e nel destro una piccola spada di legno. Compaiono numerosi personaggi, il Tammurinaru, l’Ambasciatore, Garibaldi con i Garibaldini, il Capitano d’Artiglieria, il Barone e la Baronessa su due asini, seguiti dai loro uomini sopra cavalli e muli carichi di legna, bauli, armamentari vari per la produzione del formaggio, quindi le Giardiniere, con le corone di alloro, infine la Cavalleria, formata da una decina di cavalieri che lanciano sopra gli spettatori confetti a più non posso, mentre nella piazza l'artiglieria spara "colpi di cannone". Il Foforio sequestra i più abbienti e li rilascia dietro il pagamento di un piccolo riscatto (in cambio potranno mangiare e bere a volontà). Ci sono i Maghi che vanno in cerca della "truvatura", scavano ed ecco finalmente la trovano: un cantaru pieno di maccheroni e salsiccia che, al grido di “forio forio maccarrunario”, mangiano con le mani. La guerra impazza, Garibaldi coi Garibaldini si scontra contro i Saraceni (con fantasiosa alienazione dei periodi storici); il Mastro di Campo sale sulla scala che conduce al castello, si scontra con il Re e rimane ferito in fronte, ed ecco che braccia allargate cade all'indietro (da una buona altezza...) per essere preso dai figuranti che nel frattempo si erano preparati sotto la scala; però Il Mastro di Campo non è morto e, guarito dalle ferite, si riporta in piazza con il suo esercito di Garibaldini, quindi salgono furtivamente per la "scala fausa"(un'ingrsso posteriore e nascosto)e, approfittando dell’attimo di confusione, circondano la Corte e incatenano il Re: il Mastro di Campo, tolta la maschera, finalmente abbraccia la Regina, riuscendo a coronare il loro segreto sogno d'amore, e termina così la grande festa di Mezzojuso, col corteo che sfilerà per le strade del paese ed...il re in catene.

 

This morning my youngest had a little league baseball game in the park at the bottom of our hill. After the game, I walked home, very steeply uphill by myself, because I was going slow, taking pictures. It started raining when I tried capturing these irises in front of the neighbors' house, across the street from us. I've always loved the yellow. It's a pretty backdrop for flowers. It glows on snow days. There was a big old bumblebee that got in a lotta my pictures. He wasn't going to let any rain stop him. This is probably the only frame that doesn't have raindrops or a big old blurry bee. I didn't notice that darn bee, I'm not sure how. Does that prove I'm just a slave to autofocus? He coulda stung me on my face. I like bumblebees, though. The bigger, the buzzier, the better. I'm not afraid of them like wasps or hornets. They're mostly easygoing things that don't get all cranky at you.

 

Fuji X-T2

XF35mmF1.4 R

Sti..Stii..Still shivering from tonight’s shoot. It’s cold outside!

 

I originally had one amazing idea that I was rushing to shoot before the sun went down, but I’m not happy with the pictures I took in the half hour I had to shoot it, so I’ll re-do it another day. After the sun went down, I went to Balzac’s to grab a coffee. I sat around for a while, and sketched out more ideas for other days, but still couldn’t come up with anything for tonight. I left out the backdoor, intending to location scout when I ran in to Ian and Katelyn, just heading in for a coffee of their own. I spontaneously asked them if they wanted to do a quick shoot, and they were all for it!

 

While at Balzac’s earlier I was thinking about projecting shadows on to walls with flash and long exposures, and so we went with this idea at Stratford’s most photogenic and romantic (not really) old building, “The Cooper Site”.

 

I set my camera on my tripod, and shot at a 3.2 second exposure with a 10 second timer. I lit Ian and Katelyn with my Canon 580 EX Speedlite and a pinkish/purple gel by pressing the ‘Pilot’ button manually when I heard the shutter open. I was in the shot originally, so I Photoshopped myself out, and then corrected the verticals of the building.

 

Thanks again to Ian and Katelyn for being so easygoing and photogenic!

 

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