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Execution of Robespierre - my entry for the "Mad History Contest" at Imperium der Steine. You had to build a MOC with a historical scene which should contain a little twist (limited 48x48 studs). I made a version where Skynet send a terminator in the wrong time and location. Hope you like it
The ceiling of the springthorpe memorial ... glorious light
Available for purchase from www.ballaratheritage.com.au
VHR - springthorpe
Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Springthorpe Memorial within the Boroondara Cemetery (VHR0049)commemorates Annie Springthorpe, and was erected in 1897 by her husband Dr John Springthorpe. It was designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear and includes Bertram Mackennal sculptures. It contains twelve columns of deep green granite from Scotland supporting a Harcourt granite superstructure, and a glass dome roof of lead lighting.
How is it significant?
The Springthorpe Memorial is of historic and architectural significance to the State of Victoria
Why is it significant?
The Springthorpe Memorial is historically important in demonstrating nineteenth century social and cultural attitudes to death, and for reflecting the ideals of the Victorian Garden Cemetery movement which aimed at providing comfort for mourners. The memorial is important in demonstrating uniqueness, no other example being known of such aesthetic composition, architectural design and execution, or scale. It is important in exhibiting good design and aesthetic characteristics and for the richness and unusual integration of features. The Springthorpe Memorial is also important in illustrating the principal characteristics of the work of a number of artists including Desbrowe Annear, Mackennal, the glass manufacturers Auguste Fischer and the bronze work of Marriots.
VHR Statement of Significance
What is significant?
Boroondara Cemetery, established in 1858, is within an unusual triangular reserve bounded by High Street, Park Hill Road and Victoria Park, Kew. The caretaker's lodge and administrative office (1860 designed by Charles Vickers, additions, 1866-1899 by Albert Purchas) form a picturesque two-storey brick structure with a slate roof and clock tower. A rotunda or shelter (1890, Albert Purchas) is located in the centre of the cemetery: this has an octagonal hipped roof with fish scale slates and a decorative brick base with a tessellated floor and timber seating. The cemetery is surrounded by a 2.7 metre high ornamental red brick wall (1895-96, Albert Purchas) with some sections of vertical iron palisades between brick pillars. Albert Purchas was a prominent Melbourne architect who was the Secretary of the Melbourne General Cemetery from 1852 to 1907 and Chairman of the Boroondara Cemetery Board of Trustees from 1867 to 1909. He made a significant contribution to the design of the Boroondara Cemetery
Boroondara Cemetery is an outstanding example of the Victorian Garden Cemetery movement in Victoria, retaining key elements of the style, despite overdevelopment which has obscured some of the paths and driveways. Elements of the style represented at Boroondara include an ornamental boundary fence, a system of curving paths which are kerbed and follow the site's natural contours, defined views, recreational facilities such as the rotunda, a landscaped park like setting, sectarian divisions for burials, impressive monuments, wrought and cast iron grave surrounds and exotic symbolic plantings. In the 1850s cemeteries were located on the periphery of populated areas because of concerns about diseases like cholera. They were designed to be attractive places for mourners and visitors to walk and contemplate. Typically cemeteries were arranged to keep religions separated and this tended to maintain links to places of origin, reflecting a migrant society.
Other developments included cast iron entrance gates, built in 1889 to a design by Albert Purchas; a cemetery shelter or rotunda, built in 1890, which is a replica of one constructed in the Melbourne General Cemetery in the same year; an ornamental brick fence erected in 1896-99(?); the construction and operation of a terminus for a horse tram at the cemetery gates during 1887-1915; and the Springthorpe Memorial built between 1897 and 1907. A brick cremation wall and a memorial rose garden were constructed near the entrance in the mid- twentieth century(c.1955-57) and a mausoleum completed in 2001.The maintenance shed/depot close to High Strett was constructed in 1987. The original entrance was altered in 2000 and the original cast iron gates moved to the eastern entrance of the Mausoleum.
The Springthorpe Memorial (VHR 522) set at the entrance to the burial ground commemorates Annie Springthorpe, and was erected between 1897 and 1907 by her husband Dr John Springthorpe. It was the work of the sculptor Bertram Mackennal, architect Harold Desbrowe Annear, landscape designer and Director of the Melbourne Bortanic Gardens, W.R. Guilfoyle, with considerable input from Dr Springthorpe The memorial is in the form of a small temple in a primitive Doric style. It was designed by Harold Desbrowe Annear and includes Bertram Mackennal sculptures in Carrara marble. Twelve columns of deep green granite from Scotland support a Harcourt granite superstructure. The roof by Brooks Robinson is a coloured glass dome, which sits within the rectangular form and behind the pediments. The sculptural group raised on a dais, consists of the deceased woman lying on a sarcophagus with an attending angel and mourner. The figure of Grief crouches at the foot of the bier and an angel places a wreath over Annie's head, symbolising the triumph of immortal life over death. The body of the deceased was placed in a vault below. The bronze work is by Marriots of Melbourne. Professor Tucker of the University of Melbourne composed appropriate inscriptions in English and archaic Greek lettering.. The floor is a geometric mosaic and the glass dome roof is of Tiffany style lead lighting in hues of reds and pinks in a radiating pattern. The memorial originally stood in a landscape triangular garden of about one acre near the entrance to the cemetery. However, after Dr Springthorpe's death in 1933 it was found that transactions for the land had not been fully completed so most of it was regained by the cemetery. A sundial and seat remain. The building is almost completely intact. The only alteration has been the removal of a glass canopy over the statuary and missing chains between posts. The Argus (26 March 1933) considered the memorial to be the most beautiful work of its kind in Australia. No comparable buildings are known.
The Syme Memorial (1908) is a memorial to David Syme, political economist and publisher of the Melbourne Age newspaper. The Egyptian memorial designed by architect Arthur Peck is one of the most finely designed and executed pieces of monumental design in Melbourne. It has a temple like form with each column having a different capital detail. These support a cornice that curves both inwards and outwards. The tomb also has balustradings set between granite piers which create porch spaces leading to the entrance ways. Two variegated Port Jackson Figs are planted at either end.
The Cussen Memorial (VHR 2036) was constructed in 1912-13 by Sir Leo Cussen in memory of his young son Hubert. Sir Leo Finn Bernard Cussen (1859-1933), judge and member of the Victorian Supreme Court in 1906. was buried here. The family memorial is one of the larger and more impressive memorials in the cemetery and is an interesting example of the 1930s Gothic Revival style architecture. It takes the form of a small chapel with carvings, diamond shaped roof tiles and decorated ridge embellishing the exterior.
By the 1890s, the Boroondara Cemetery was a popular destination for visitors and locals admiring the beauty of the grounds and the splendid monuments. The edge of suburban settlement had reached the cemetery in the previous decade. Its Victorian garden design with sweeping curved drives, hill top views and high maintenance made it attractive. In its Victorian Garden Cemetery design, Boroondara was following an international trend. The picturesque Romanticism of the Pere la Chaise garden cemetery established in Paris in 1804 provided a prototype for great metropolitan cemeteries such as Kensal Green (1883) and Highgate (1839) in London and the Glasgow Necropolis (1831). Boroondara Cemetery was important in establishing this trend in Australia.
The cemetery's beauty peaked with the progressive completion of the spectacular Springthorpe Memorial between 1899 and 1907. From about the turn of the century, the trustees encroached on the original design, having repeatedly failed in attempts to gain more land. The wide plantations around road boundaries, grassy verges around clusters of graves in each denomination, and most of the landscaped surround to the Springthorpe memorial are now gone. Some of the original road and path space were resumed for burial purposes. The post war period saw an increased use of the Cemetery by newer migrant groups. The mid- to late- twentieth century monuments were often placed on the grassed edges of the various sections and encroached on the roadways as the cemetery had reached the potential foreseen by its design. These were well tended in comparison with Victorian monuments which have generally been left to fall into a state of neglect.
The Boroondara Cemetery features many plants, mostly conifers and shrubs of funerary symbolism, which line the boundaries, road and pathways, and frame the cemetery monuments or are planted on graves. The major plantings include an impressive row of Bhutan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa), interplanted with Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum), and a few Pittosporum crassifolium, along the High Street and Parkhill Street, where the planting is dominated by Sweet Pittosporum.
Planting within the cemetery includes rows and specimen trees of Bhutan Cypress and Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), including a row with alternate plantings of both species. The planting includes an unusual "squat" form of an Italian Cypress. More of these trees probably lined the cemetery roads and paths. Also dominating the cemetery landscape near the Rotunda is a stand of 3 Canary Island Pines (Pinus canariensis), a Bunya Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) and a Weeping Elm (Ulmus glabra 'Camperdownii')
Amongst the planting are the following notable conifers: a towering Bunya Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii), a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), a rare Golden Funeral Cypress (Chamaecyparis funebris 'Aurea'), two large Funeral Cypress (Chamaecyparis funebris), and the only known Queensland Kauri (Agathis robusta) in a cemetery in Victoria.
The Cemetery records, including historical plans of the cemetery from 1859, are held by the administration and their retention enhances the historical significance of the Cemetery.
How is it significant?
Boroondara Cemetery is of aesthetic, architectural, scientific (botanical) and historical significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The Boroondara Cemetery is of historical and aesthetic significance as an outstanding example of a Victorian garden cemetery.
The Boroondara Cemetery is of historical significance as a record of Victorian life from the 1850s, and the early settlement of Kew. It is also significant for its ability to demonstrate, through the design and location of the cemetery, attitudes towards burial, health concerns and the importance placed on religion, at the time of its establishment.
The Boroondara Cemetery is of architectural significance for the design of the gatehouse or sexton's lodge and cemetery office (built in stages from 1860 to 1899), the ornamental brick perimeter fence and elegant cemetery shelter to the design of prominent Melbourne architects, Charles Vickers (for the original 1860 cottage) and Albert Purchas, cemetery architect and secretary from 1864 to his death in 1907.
The Boroondara Cemetery has considerable aesthetic significance which is principally derived from its tranquil, picturesque setting; its impressive memorials and monuments; its landmark features such as the prominent clocktower of the sexton's lodge and office, the mature exotic plantings, the decorative brick fence and the entrance gates; its defined views; and its curving paths. The Springthorpe Memorial (VHR 522), the Syme Memorial and the Cussen Memorial (VHR 2036), all contained within the Boroondara Cemetery, are of aesthetic and architectural significance for their creative and artistic achievement.
The Boroondara Cemetery is of scientific (botanical) significance for its collection of rare mature exotic plantings. The Golden Funeral Cypress, (chamaecyparis funebris 'aurea') is the only known example in Victoria.
The Boroondara Cemetery is of historical significance for the graves, monuments and epitaphs of a number of individuals whose activities have played a major part in Australia's history. They include the Henty family, artists Louis Buvelot and Charles Nuttall, businessmen John Halfey and publisher David Syme, artist and diarist Georgiana McCrae, actress Nellie Stewart and architect and designer of the Boroondara and Melbourne General Cemeteries, Albert Purchas.
鹿耳門天后宮 - 鼠年迎新春 / 巨大金爐祈求全臺平安
The luerhmen Matsu temple - New Year of the Mouse / Giant golden furnace prays for peace in Taiwan
El templo de Matsu del luerhmen - Año Nuevo del Ratón / Horno dorado gigante reza por la paz en Taiwán
鹿耳門天后宮 - 子年に新春を迎えます / 巨大な金のストーブが完全を求める台湾を祈るのが無事です
Der luerhmen Matsu Tempel - Neues Jahr der Maus / Riesiger goldener Ofen betet für Frieden in Taiwan
Le temple de Matsu de luerhmen - Nouvel an de la souris / Un four d'or géant prie pour la paix à Taiwan
Tainan Taiwan / Tainan Taiwán / 台灣台南
管樂小集 2017/01/08 台南孔子廟 Confucian temple Tainan performances 1080P
{ 津軽海峡・冬景色 Tsugaru Strait · winter scene }
{View large size on fluidr / 觀看大圖}
{My Blog / 管樂小集精彩演出-觸動你的心}
{My Blog / Great Music The splendid performance touches your heart}
{My Blog / 管楽小集すばらしい公演-はあなたの心を心を打ちます}
{Mi blog / La gran música el funcionamiento espléndido toca su corazón}
{Mein Blog / Große Musik die herrliche Leistung berührt Ihr Herz}
{Mon blog / La grande musique l'exécution splendide touche votre coeur}
Melody 曲:JAPAN / Words 詞:Sheesen / Singing : Sheesen
{ 夢旅人 1990 Dream Traveler 1990 }
家住安南鹽溪邊
The family lives in nearby the Annan salt river
隔壁就是聽雨軒
The next door listens to the rain porch
一旦落日照大員
The sunset Shineing to the Taiwan at once
左岸青龍飛九天
The left bank white dragon flying in the sky
Bare Theatre's 2016 production of Henry VI. Clifford slays Richard, Duke of York, to get revenge for his father's death.
Scarborough is a seaside town in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the North Sea coastline. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 and 230 feet (3–70 m) above sea level, from the harbour rising steeply north and west towards limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour and is protected by a rocky headland.
With a population of 61,749, Scarborough is the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire Coast and largest seaside town in North Yorkshire. The town has fishing and service industries, including a growing digital and creative economy, as well as being a tourist destination. Residents of the town are known as Scarborians.
The town is claimed to have been founded around 966 AD as Skarðaborg by Thorgils Skarthi, a Viking raider. There is no archaeological evidence to support this claim, which was made during the 1960s as part of a pageant of Scarborough events. The claim is based on a fragment of an Icelandic Saga. In the 4th century, there was briefly a Roman signal station on Scarborough headland, and there is evidence of earlier settlements, during the Stone Age and Bronze Age. Any settlement between the fifth and ninth centuries would have been burned to the ground by a band of Vikings under Tostig Godwinson (a rival of Thorgils Skarthi), Lord of Falsgrave, or Harald III of Norway. These periodic episodes of destruction and massacre means that very little evidence of settlement during this period remained to be recorded in the Domesday survey of 1085. (The original inland village of Falsgrave was Anglo-Saxon rather than Viking.)
A Roman signal station was built on a cliff-top location overlooking the North Sea. It was one of a chain of signal stations, built to warn of sea-raiders. Coins found at the site show that it was occupied from c. AD 370 until the early fifth century.
In 2021 an excavation at a housing development in Eastfield, Scarborough, revealed a Roman luxury villa, religious sanctuary, or combination of both. The building layout is unique in Britain and extends over an area of about the size of two tennis courts. It included a bathhouse and a cylindrical tower with rooms radiating from it. The buildings were “designed by the highest-quality architects in northern Europe in the era and constructed by the finest craftsmen.” Historic England described the finds as “one of the most important Roman discoveries in the past decade.” There are plans to revise the housing development layout, recover the remains and incorporate them in a public green area. Historic England is to recommend the remains be protected as a scheduled monument.
Scarborough recovered under King Henry II, who built an Angevin stone castle on the headland and granted the town charters in 1155 and 1163, permitting a market on the sands and establishing rule by burgesses.
Edward II granted Scarborough Castle to his favourite, Piers Gaveston. The castle was subsequently besieged by forces led by the barons Percy, Warenne, Clifford and Pembroke. Gaveston was captured and taken to Oxford and thence to Warwick Castle for execution.
In 1318, the town was burnt by the Scots, under Sir James Douglas following the Capture of Berwick upon Tweed.
In the Middle Ages, Scarborough Fair, permitted in a royal charter of 1253, held a six-week trading festival attracting merchants from all over Europe. It ran from Assumption Day, 15 August, until Michaelmas Day, 29 September. The fair continued to be held for 500 years, from the 13th to the 18th century, and is commemorated in the song Scarborough Fair:
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
—parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...
Scarborough and its castle changed hands seven times between Royalists and Parliamentarians during the English Civil War of the 1640s, enduring two lengthy and violent sieges. Following the civil war, much of the town lay in ruins.
In 1626, Mrs Thomasin Farrer discovered a stream of acidic water running from one of the cliffs to the south of the town. This gave birth to Scarborough Spa, and Dr Robert Wittie's book about the spa waters published in 1660 attracted a flood of visitors to the town. Scarborough Spa became Britain's first seaside resort, though the first rolling bathing machines were not reported on the sands until 1735. It was a popular getaway destination for the wealthy of London, such as the bookseller Andrew Millar and his family. Their son Andrew junior died there in 1750.
The coming of the Scarborough–York railway in 1845 increased the tide of visitors. Scarborough railway station claims a record for the world's longest platform seat. From the 1880s until the First World War, Scarborough was one of the regular destinations for The Bass Excursions, when fifteen trains would take between 8,000 and 9,000 employees of Bass's Burton brewery on an annual trip to the seaside.
During the First World War, the town was bombarded by German warships of the High Seas Fleet, an act which shocked the British (see Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby). Scarborough Pier Lighthouse, built in 1806, was damaged in the attack. A U-boat assault on the town, on 25 September 1916 saw three people killed and a further five injured. Eleven of Scarborough's trawler fleet were sunk at sea in another U-boat attack, on 4 September 1917.
In 1929, the steam drifter Ascendent caught a 560 lb (250 kg) tunny (Atlantic bluefin tuna) and a Scarborough showman awarded the crew 50 shillings so he could exhibit it as a tourist attraction. Big-game tunny fishing off Scarborough effectively started in 1930 when Lorenzo "Lawrie" Mitchell–Henry, landed a tunny caught on rod and line weighing 560 lb (250 kg). A gentlemen's club, the British Tunny Club, was founded in 1933 and set up its headquarters in the town at the place which is now a restaurant with the same name. Scarborough became a resort for high society. A women's world tuna challenge cup was held for many years.
Colonel (and, later, Sir) Edward Peel landed a world-record tunny of 798 lb (362 kg), capturing the record by 40 lb (18.1 kg) from one caught off Nova Scotia by American champion Zane Grey. The British record which still stands is for a fish weighing 851 lb (386 kg) caught off Scarborough in 1933 by Laurie Mitchell-Henry.
On 5 June 1993, Scarborough made international headlines when a landslip caused part of the Holbeck Hall Hotel, along with its gardens, to fall into the sea. Although the slip was shored up with rocks and the land has long since grassed over, evidence of the cliff's collapse remains clearly visible from The Esplanade, near Shuttleworth Gardens.
Scarborough has been affiliated with a number of Royal Navy vessels, including HMS Apollo, HMS Fearless and HMS Duncan.
The town has an Anglican church, St Martin-on-the-Hill, built in 1862–63 as the parish church of South Cliff. It contains works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown. A young Malton architect, John Gibson, designed the Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough's first purpose-built hotel. Notable Georgian structures include the Rotunda Museum, Cliff Bridge and Scarborough Pier Lighthouse. Victorian buildings include the Classical Public Library and Market Hall, the Town Hall, Scarborough Spa, the Art Gallery, the South Cliff Methodist Church, and Scarborough railway station. The architecture of Scarborough generally consists of small, low, orange pantile-roofed buildings in the historic old town, and larger Classical and late Victorian buildings reflecting the time during the 19th century as it expanded away from its historic centre into a coastal spa resort.
A notable landmark in the town is the Grand Hotel on St Nicholas Cliff. Designed by Cuthbert Brodrick of Hull, it was completed in 1867; at the time of its opening, it was the largest hotel and the largest brick structure in Europe. It uses local yellow brickwork with red detailing and is based around a theme of time: four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors the months, 52 chimneys the weeks and the original 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year. A blue plaque outside the hotel marks where the novelist Anne Brontë died in 1849. She was buried in the graveyard of St Mary's Church by the castle.
An amount of 20th century architecture exists within the main shopping district and in the form of surrounding suburbs. Buildings from this century include the Futurist Theatre (1914), Stephen Joseph Theatre, Brunswick Shopping Centre (1990), and GCHQ Scarborough, a satellite station on the outskirts of the town.
-Translated from Russian-
Russia, St Petersburg, 2067
I moved on from Gostiny Station and moved onto Spasskaya, changing lines, and ended up at Mayaskovskaya. Also known as New Russia St.Petersburg Military camp, it was a small area in the subway system, allocated to the army. The gate, was obviously, locked up tight. I crawled through and air vent to reach the base itself. I heard screams and gunfire, I moved forward on the scaffolding to get a better view.
2 guys in Metro Police uniforms were running down the hallway.
BLAM!
One down, the last one is still running, he tries to take cover at the crate and -
BLAM!
Welp, he ain't running no more.
A man in a beret walk outs. from the gate. Along with the policeman's pursuers, all dressed in plain tan Gorka Uniforms.
" General."
"Private. Sit Rep."
" We have hunted down both of the guards, One is dead, the other barely alive. As you can see."
"Why? Killing cops is not good Ivan."
" They found out. They helped the girl escape the lab down at Vladmiskaya."
"Yebat. You Cykа́ cannot even keep a couple of over-payed idiots away from the girl! Find her! I'll take care of the guard."
"On it sir! Dima! Follow me. We search the rest of the line!"
The two solders left, leaving the "general" behind.
"So you still alive huh?"
"Da. But I won't say anything, What you plan to do is wrong!."
"Haha, You will eventually, the only thing you get to decide is how much pain you will feel before you tell me."
The general pulled out a revolver and pointed it at the guard.
"Пошёл на́ хуй!"
"Oh, how'd I wish you didn't say that."
The general raised his gun and fired. I'm not sure why he shot the guard though, the guard seemed to have information he needed. But from what I observed, he didn't really care for the information, not consciously anyways. He killed for well, just for fun. I know this because, on the back of his neck, spots formed. Red spots. He was infected. And he was slowly losing his mind.
I came here for food, but It seems that I might have to detour to Vladmirskaya to see what exactly is going on.
So I'm not sure what to say in the desc, so yea.
And RU Engineer is halfway done, just need the AKS and the pants for him.
And the first part is based on studying the maps of the real St Petersburg subway system.
Russian words in russian is kept russian cuz they are vulgarites.
St.Petersburg Subway System:
dancing-bear-tours.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/St-Pete...
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The Castle was once the tallest building in Rome.
The tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, also called Hadrian's mole, was erected on the right bank of the Tiber, between 134 and 139 AD. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his death in Baiae in 138, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217. The urns containing these ashes were probably placed in what is now known as the Treasury room deep within the building. Hadrian also built the Pons Aelius facing straight onto the mausoleum – it still provides a scenic approach from the center of Rome and the left bank of the Tiber, and is renowned for the Baroque additions of statues of angels holding aloft elements of the Passion of Christ.
Much of the tomb contents and decorations have been lost since the building's conversion to a military fortress in 401 and its subsequent inclusion in the Aurelian Walls by Flavius Augustus Honorius. The urns and ashes were scattered by Visigoth looters during Alaric's sacking of Rome in 410, and the original decorative bronze and stone statuary were thrown down upon the attacking Goths when they besieged Rome in 537, as recounted by Procopius. An unusual survivor, however, is the capstone of a funerary urn (probably that of Hadrian), which made its way to Saint Peter's Basilica, covered the tomb of Otto II and later was incorporated into a massive Renaissance baptistery. The use of spolia from the tomb in the post-Roman period was noted in the 16th century — Giorgio Vasari writes:
...in order to build churches for the use of the Christians, not only were the most honoured temples of the idols [pagan Roman gods] destroyed, but in order to ennoble and decorate Saint Peter's with more ornaments than it then possessed, they took away the stone columns from the tomb of Hadrian, now the castle of Sant'Angelo, as well as many other things which we now see in ruins.
Legend holds that the Archangel Michael appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague of 590, thus lending the castle its present name. A less charitable yet more apt elaboration of the legend, given the militant disposition of this archangel, was heard by the 15th-century traveler who saw an angel statue on the castle roof. He recounts that during a prolonged season of the plague, Pope Gregory I heard that the populace, even Christians, had begun revering a pagan idol at the church of Santa Agata in Suburra. A vision urged the pope to lead a procession to the church. Upon arriving, the idol miraculously fell apart with a clap of thunder. Returning to St Peter's by the Aelian Bridge, the pope had another vision of an angel atop the castle, wiping the blood from his sword on his mantle, and then sheathing it. While the pope interpreted this as a sign that God was appeased, this did not prevent Gregory from destroying more sites of pagan worship in Rome.
The popes converted the structure into a castle, beginning in the 14th century; Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to St Peter's Basilica by a covered fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo. The fortress was the refuge of Pope Clement VII from the siege of Charles V's Landsknechte during the Sack of Rome (1527), in which Benvenuto Cellini describes strolling the ramparts and shooting enemy soldiers.
Leo X built a chapel with a Madonna by Raffaello da Montelupo. In 1536 Montelupo also created a marble statue of Saint Michael holding his sword after the 590 plague (as described above) to surmount the Castel.[6] Later Paul III built a rich apartment, to ensure that in any future siege the pope had an appropriate place to stay.
Montelupo's statue was replaced by a bronze statue of the same subject, executed by the Flemish sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt, in 1753. Verschaffelt's is still in place and Montelupo's can be seen in an open court in the interior of the Castle.
The Papal state also used Sant'Angelo as a prison; Giordano Bruno, for example, was imprisoned there for six years. Another prisoner was the sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini. Executions were performed in the small inner courtyard. As a prison, it was also the setting for the third act of Giacomo Puccini's 1900 opera Tosca; the eponymous heroine leaps to her death from the Castel's ramparts.
View over over the southern branch St Mark's Square in Venice and across the San Giorgio Maggiore from the commanding heights of the balcony at pediment level in the Cathedral-Basilica.
The two large granite columns carry symbols of the two patron saints of Venice. The first is Saint Theodore, who was the patron of the city before St Mark, holding a spear and with a crocodile to represent the dragon which he was said to have slain. This is made up of parts of antique statues and is a copy (the original is kept in the Doge's Palace). The pieces were almost certainly stolen during the Venetian-led sack of Constantinople in 1204.
The second (eastern) column has a creature representing a winged lion — the Lion of Venice — which is the symbol of St Mark (see Revelation 4:7). The columns are now thought to have been erected about 1268, when the water was closer and they would have been on the edge of the lagoon, framing the entry to the city from the sea. Gambling was permitted in the space between the columns and this right was said to have been granted as a reward to the man who first raised the columns.
Public executions also took place between the columns.
So this is a follow up to the Anakin Skywalker - What If I posted a while back. It's based in the same universe and operating under the same galaxy changing event.
Obi-Wan Kenobi - With the public execution of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine at the hands of the CIS commander General Grievous, the Jedi council made it their highest priority to capture the villainous commander and bring to justice before the Senate. To accomplish this, they assigned the Open Circle Armada commanded by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to lead the spearhead into the heartland of Separatist space with one objective. Capture Grievous.
Having faced the droid general on multiple occasions and failing to best him in combat, Obi-Wan would often feel guilt for Palpatine's death, believing that had he not failed in the past the Clone War would have come to an end long ago. But with the help of his former apprentice, Obi-Wan was able to look beyond his past failures to the future. Both he and Anakin would bring Grievous to justice in the name of the former chancellor.
The spearhead campaign would take both Jedi to the edges of the Outer-Rim, culminating in a skirmish on the sinkhole world of Utapau where Grievous would gravely wound Obi-Wan by stabbing the blade of a lightsaber through his stomach. As his former apprentice fought the droid general one on one, Obi-Wan was able to use the force to briefly numb his pain.
As he delved deep into the force to grant him the power he needs for one last strike, Obi-Wan heard a familiar voice calling to him.
"I am proud of you, Obi-Wan."
At first Obi-Wan was taken aback. Hearing the voice of his deceased master distracted him for a moment, but calling on the force allowed him to lunge forward with his lightsaber. Before Grievous could react, Obi-Wan decapitated the Separatist commander. Neutralising the threat.
Collapsing from blood loss, the Jedi master was rushed to the nearest medical bay onboard a Republic cruiser. Despite a near brush with death, Obi-Wan survived and told Anakin about how he'd heard the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn speak to him. It was at that point that Anakin confessed something he'd hidden from his master since the beginning of the Clone War. Following the first battle of Geonosis, he had married Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo.
Whilst he was taken aback by this revelation, deep down Obi-Wan had always suspected that his feelings for Senator Amidala were more than he cared to admit. Though hesitant, Obi-Wan voiced his support for his former padawan, and promised to keep his secret. In a jokey remark, Obi-Wan then asked if Anakin knew who the father of Padme's future child would be, much to the Jedi Knight's horror.
With the elimination of General Grievous, it was believed the Clone Wars would come to an end with the capture of Count Dooku, the recently ascended Sith Lord. Though keen to finally bring peace to the galaxy, Obi-Wan and Anakin were ordered back to Coruscant for a much needed reprieve from the conflict. As they left Utapau, Grievous' final trap would reveal itself. Every sinkhole on the surface of Utapau had been layered with explosives designed to detonate two days after activation. The explosions would destroy every city on Utapau and destroy a sizeable portion of the occupying force.
The devastation would leave the surface of Utapau inhospitable. Realising the horrors that the Separatists were capable of, the Republic vowed never to end the war until their enemy was wiped from existence.
As both Anakin and Obi-Wan returned to Coruscant, Padme went into labour resulting in an unexpected surprise.
Anakin became the father of twins.
As his closest friend, the young Jedi asked Obi-Wan to be godfather to his children. Obi-Wan graciously accepted.
Though he was happy for his former padawan having the family he'd always wanted, deep down Obi-Wan felt more isolated than ever. Having lost the love of his life the Duchess Satine of Mandalore to the hands of Darth Maul, just under a year ago he couldn't help but feel heartbroken every time he saw Anakin's new family.
To distract himself, Obi-Wan would take on a new apprentice by the name of Jaylam Duos. Despite his reluctance in the past to take on a new apprentice, having wanted to not teach a pupil during a time of war, Obi-Wan decided that his declining physical condition meant it was unlikely he'd make past the war thus his choice to take on his new apprentice now.
As both master and apprentice began to move into the unknown regions of space, they'd encounter Count Dooku's newest agents. Sith acolytes, all vying for the position as Dooku's apprentice. Though Kenobi and Duos were able to defend themselves against the acolytes, the Jedi Master lost the closest friend he had during the Clone War. Clone Commander Cody was killed saving Duos' life from one of Dooku's acolytes.
In a moment of rage, Obi-Wan was able to disarm all four of Dooku's acolytes by severing their hands, only to allow them to leave. A perplexed Duos would be met by one of the first lessons Kenobi was taught by his own master.
'Revenge is not the Jedi way.'
In honour of their fallen comrade, Duos would take the former clone commander's blaster pistol and continue to use it in conjuncture with his lightsaber much to Kenobi's dismay. He considered blasters to be a crude and inelegant weapon compared to a lightsaber.
As time would progress and the recently deceased Commander Cody was replaced by Clone Captain Sendro, Kenobi's former apprentice would achieve the rank of Master before being named Grand Master of the Jedi Order as Master Yoda passed the reigns to young Skywalker. Though the transfer of power was questioned by some council members, Kenobi would openly endorse his former Padawan, claiming there was no-one more suited for the role than the Chosen One himself.
Under Skywalker's leadership, the Jedi would undertake an intensive search throughout the galaxy to locate the final piece of the puzzle needed to end the Clone War. Reigning Sith Lord, Count Dooku known by this point as the nefarious Darth Tyranus. After two weeks scouring the galaxy, Kenobi and Duos would come face to face with the Sith Lord.
The duel between the three of them would culminate in the Sith Lord besting Kenobi in lightsaber combat, but not before the Jedi Master could sever one of Dooku's hands. Even in his weakened state, the old man was able to easily best Duos in lightsaber combat and would use his blade to decapitate the young boy. Distraught, Obi-Wan declared how horrifically Dooku disgraced Qui-Gon Jinn's legacy.
In a moment of what appeared to be regret, the Sith Lord chose to leave the duel without taking Kenobi's life. This would prove to be the Count's undoing, as Kenobi was able to place a tracker on the Sith Lord's cape allowing Republic intelligence to track the Count back to his last refuge.
A moon sized battle station known as the 'Death Star'. Reunited with Skywalker, both Master and former apprentice would lead the Republic fleet into battle against the Separatists one last time, with the fate of the galaxy in their hands....
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July 7, 1865: Adjusting the ropes before hanging the conspirators,
fltr Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold and Georg Atzerodt.
A detail from one of the photographs of the execution by Alexander Gardner.
www.robswebstek.com/2012/07/adjusting-ropes-execution-of-...
Thomas de Keyser (Amsterdam, 1596 - Amsterdam, 1667) - Portrait of a Lady (1632) oil on oak panel 79,1 x 52,4 cm - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Sebbene non ci siano informazioni certe sull'identità del soggetto, il suo abbigliamento e l'ambiente circostante suggeriscono chiaramente la sua alta posizione sociale. De Keyser, uno dei ritrattisti più importanti di Amsterdam, combina una grande cura nell'esecuzione dei dettagli pittorici con la percezione psicologica della donna. L'influenza di Frans Hals è evidente qui, così come quella della ritrattistica di corte di Anversa. Il pezzo compagno, Ritratto di un uomo, è ora al Louvre.
Although there is no certain information about the identity of the subject, her clothing and surroundings clearly suggest her high social position. De Keyser, one of Amsterdam's most important portrait painters, combines great care in the execution of pictorial details with psychological perception of the woman. The influence of Frans Hals is evident here, as well as that of Antwerp court portraiture. The companion piece, Portrait of a Man, is now in the Louvre.
There's not always a volcano available to bury your traitors in, but then you've still got the old-fashioned way of course. Tomax and Xamot lead a Crimson Guard firing squad in the execution of a renegade Viper. Only a miracle can save the man now...
Daniel Mytens the Elder - Hendrik van Steenwick the Younger - Charles I of England (1626-27) - Van Dyck Exhibition Court Painter - Turin, Royal Museums - Palatine Hall of the Sabauda Gallery
Per l'esecuzione della maestosa e profonda prospettiva Mytens si avvalse della collaborazione di Henrik van Steenwick.
Daniel Mytens, pittore di corte del re, era l'artista più importante e più richiesto dalla nobiltà inglese. L'arrivo di Antoon van Dyck, nel 1632 e il successo della sua arte determinarono il declino del pittore olandese e lo indussero a far ritorno in patria nel 1634.
For the execution of the majestic and profound perspective Mytens took advantage of the collaboration of Henrik van Steenwick.
Daniel Mytens, court painter of the king, was the most important and most requested artist by the English nobility. The arrival of Antoon van Dyck in 1632 and the success of his art determined the decline of the Dutch painter and led him to return home in 1634.
Photo Copyright 2012, dynamo.photography.
All rights reserved, no use without license
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Hong kong)
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.
Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]
Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.
Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Imperial China
2.3 British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
2.4 Japanese occupation: 1941–45
2.5 Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
2.6 Handover and Special Administrative Region status
3 Governance
3.1 Structure of government
3.2 Electoral and political reforms
3.3 Legal system and judiciary
3.4 Foreign relations
3.5 Human rights
3.6 Regions and districts
3.7 Military
4 Geography and climate
5 Economy
5.1 Financial centre
5.2 International trading
5.3 Tourism and expatriation
5.4 Policy
5.5 Infrastructure
6 Demographics
6.1 Languages
6.2 Religion
6.3 Personal income
6.4 Education
6.5 Health
7 Culture
7.1 Sports
7.2 Architecture
7.3 Cityscape
7.4 Symbols
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
10.1 Citations
10.2 Sources
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]
The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]
Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]
Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]
The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.
Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".
History
Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China
Prehistory
Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong
Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]
Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]
Imperial China
Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China
In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]
After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]
From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.
From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.
European discovery
The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.
Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]
British Crown Colony: 1842–1941
A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London
Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)
In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]
The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]
Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.
In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]
Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.
File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media
Hong Kong filmed in 1937
In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).
Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]
In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.
Japanese occupation: 1941–45
Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]
As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]
Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97
Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong
Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997
Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.
Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.
Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.
A sky view of Hong Kong Island
An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986
To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]
In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]
The Hong Kong question
In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.
The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.
It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.
Handover and Special Administrative Region status
Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong
Transfer of sovereignty
Golden Bauhinia Square
On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.
Structure of government
Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]
Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.
Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]
The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]
In 1997, seating of the Legislative Council (also public services and election franchises) of Hong Kong modelled on the British system: Urban Council (Hong Kong and Kowloon) and District Council (New Territories and Outlying Islands). In 1999, this system has been reformed into 18 directly elected District Offices across 5 Legislative Council constituencies: Hong Kong Island (East/West), Kowloon and New Territories (East/West); the remaining outlying islands are divided across the aforementioned regions.
Hong Kong's Civil Service, created by the British colonial government, is a politically neutral body that implements government policies and provides public services. Senior civil servants are appointed based on meritocracy. The territory's police, firefighting and customs forces, as well as clerical officers across various government departments, make up the civil service.[101][102]
47306 "The Sapper" waits to leave Rawtenstall with a train to Bury during the Stay of Execution gala
老街物語 - 鹽酸仔 / 百年桑樹結紅果 - 包公門前可乘涼
The story of the Ancient streets - Mulberry fruit / Century mulberry tree red berries - In front of Mr. Bao can shade
古い街の物語 - 桑の果実 / 百年桑の樹はサンザシの実を結びます - 包拯のゴール前は涼むことができます
La historia de las calles antiguas - Fruta de la mora / Century bayas rojas del árbol de la morera - Delante del Sr. Bao puede sombrear
Die Geschichte der alten Straßen - Mulberry Obst / Century Maulbeerbaum roten Beeren - Vor Herr Bao kann Schatten
L'histoire des rues anciennes - Mulberry fruits / siècle mûrier baies rouges - En face de M. Bao peut ombre
Anping Tainan Taiwan / Anping Tainan Taiwán / 台灣台南安平
管樂小集 2016/02/20 台南孔子廟 Confucian temple Tainan performances
{ Watercolor of Brazil 巴西水彩畫 ブラジルの水彩画 }
{View large size on fluidr / 觀看大圖}
Carl zeiss planar 50mm 1:1.4 HFT West Germany
{My Blog / 管樂小集精彩演出-觸動你的心}
{My Blog / Great Music The splendid performance touches your heart}
{My Blog / 管楽小集すばらしい公演-はあなたの心を心を打ちます}
{Mi blog / La gran música el funcionamiento espléndido toca su corazón}
{Mein Blog / Große Musik die herrliche Leistung berührt Ihr Herz}
{Mon blog / La grande musique l'exécution splendide touche votre coeur}
Melody 曲:JAPAN / Words 詞:Sheesen / Singing : Sheesen
{ 夢旅人 1990 Dream Traveler 1990 }
家住安南鹽溪邊
The family lives in nearby the Annan salt river
隔壁就是聽雨軒
The next door listens to the rain porch
一旦落日照大員
The sunset Shineing to the Taiwan at once
左岸青龍飛九天
The left bank white dragon flying in the sky
"Man in front of the firing squad"
The execution was a reprisal for the resistance attack on a member of the then P.I.D. (Political Intelligence Service), the Dutch extension of the Sicherheitsdienst. The fifteen victims had been arrested by the occupying forces because they were suspected of resistance activities. They were locked up in the House of Detention on the Weteringenschans in Amsterdam. On March 7, 1945 (two months before the liberation) the prisoners were randomly assigned to be transported by truck to the Dreef in Haarlem. On the house side of the Dreef, about a hundred civilians were herded together by the occupying forces, while the fifteen prisoners were placed next to each other on the other side. The firing squad was then set up, led by Lieutenant Stover.
I've got plans, see. Got some different things I want to try out, take the photos to some different places.
But it takes time, and the ideas have arrived well in advance to their execution.
So I'm finding myself talking about photos from a time I'm not really engaged with, kinds of photos I'm not much interested in taking.
I dig this photo, but I look at it and see what I don't want to do more of. Rachel glows here, just a stunning lady. And the shot, hopefully, draws you in to appreciate that.
But it's also static, gives you no sense of place or time. It lacks a context I'm hoping to develop in the work that's to come.
Funny thing is, I'm not sure I'll be posting the new work...well, anywhere. Which is a strange thing in and of itself. Might have to shoot even more, just to have things to show all the folks on the internet.
Interesting times...
CSX E803 screams through the town of Walkerton with BNSF 9669, a SD70MAC still sporting its OG BN Executive Scheme, on a coal empty from the LSRC in Wixom.
The sad sight of the former Blakeley's Commercial Recycling scrapyard in Platt Bridge, Wigan. The company went under in c.2018, leaving around ten buses and a large number of lorry trailers open to the elements and subject to vandalism, with almost no windows left intact on site and severe fire damage to several of the carcasses. Somebody is making slow progress in scrapping them - Google Maps appears to show that several Dennis Darts and at least one Olympian have disappeared since the 2019 survey - but for now it seems most of these are here to stay. Sadly I imagine all are beyond rescue and will eventually be scrapped, although I have the faintest glimmer of hope for a couple of vehicles which appear to be in reasonable external condition given their history so far. I've certainly seen vehicles saved from worse condition, with a lot of time, funding, and love.
Edit as of September 2023: apparently within a couple of months of me making my visit, Blakeley's Commercial Recycling was completely cleared. All of the vehicles listed here, as well as the vast number of lorry trailers stored on-site, are presumed to have been scrapped. Looks like I timed this visit just right after all.
I'll now attempt to list the vehicles present in order from the north-west corner of the site - that is, from left to right, farthest to nearest in this photograph - but obviously I'll never know for certain whether I got them all.
Registration: R422 WPX (1998)
Livery: First Kernow 'Barbie' (42522)
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F
First 42522 was with the company for its entire life before withdrawal came in April 2016. By May the vehicle was in this position at Blakeley's, and has not moved since. It is in poor external condition with a lot of broken windows et cetera, but appears to be materially complete. It is visible on the far left of this photo.
Registration: T301 JLD (1999)
Livery: First Glasgow 'Barbie' (41301)
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Bodywork: Marshall C39 Capital B22D
Again new to First at the turn of the century, this Dart had the significantly rarer Capital bodywork, and was withdrawn in May 2014, moving to Blakeley's at some point that year. Sadly, at some point around January 2019, the vehicle was the victim of an arson attack and was almost completely destroyed. Its wreck is mostly occluded from this photo, but can just be made out behind the red Merc.
Registration: PLZ 5590 (1993, original registration L733 LWA)
Livery: Darwen Coach Services unbranded maroon
Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D
Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F
This little minibus was new to Stagecoach East Midlands thirty years ago, but passed on to Darwen Coach Services around 2007 and was painted in a plain maroon colour. I wasn't able to ascertain a withdrawal date but by 2016 the minibus was stored in the scrapyard, where it remained until it too was destroyed by arson around early-2019. Now, the only part which remains in near-original condition is the front bumper - which unusually still carries the registration plate.
Registration: R330 HYG (1998)
Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40179)
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F
Another career First bus, 40179 was withdrawn in late-2013 and after some time as a spares donor was moved to Platt Bridge in late-2014. Like several vehicles here, it too was destroyed in the arson attack, being reduced to a mostly-empty shell with only the rear bulkhead and engine having survived. It is just about visible in the centre of this photo if you have an eagle eye through the burnt and twisted framework.
Registration: N649 VSS (1996)
Livery: ex-Stagecoach 'Beachball' unbranded (40649)
Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D
Bodywork: Alexander Sprint B25F
The second 709 present was new to Stagecoach Manchester before transfer to more rural duties in Cumbria. The vehicle was also transferred to Darwen Coach Services, this time in 2009, and was withdrawn around the same time as her older sister, although this one never received a repaint out of Stagecoach colours and even kept the fleet number. Surviving the arson attack, the vehicle is nevertheless in very poor condition and has been heavily stripped for parts.
Registration: T160 BBF (1999)
Livery: First Potteries 'Barbie' (40007)
Chassis: Optare M850
Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F
The first of two Solos stored at the back of the scrapyard, this vehicle was withdrawn in mid-2014 and heavily cannibalised for spares before being moved to the scrapyard by the end of that year. By early-2016 it had moved into its current position and has not been touched since, except by vandals and the occasional urban explorer. It appears to be mostly in the condition in which it arrived at the scrapyard with many components missing and has since suffered minor vandalism such as broken windows; its rear is just about visible through the burnt-out wrecks in the rear of this photo.
Registration: W313 DWX (2000)
Livery: First Midland Red 'Barbie' (50282)
Chassis: Optare M850
Bodywork: Optare Solo B27F
The second Solo has seen several operators; new to First Bradford and then transferring to First West Yorkshire, First Wyvern, and then finally First Midland Red before withdrawal came in mid-2014. By late-2014 the Solo was at Blakeley's, and has been in the same position alongside its sister since at least early-2016, seven years ago. It is also in largely the same condition.
Registration: L630 VCV (1994)
Livery: Darwen Coach Services white
Chassis: Mercedes-Benz 709D
Bodywork: Plaxton Beaver B25F
The third and final Merc on site, but with slightly better bodywork and in slightly better condition. The vehicle was new to Western National but by 2006 was in service with Darwen Coach Services, from whom it was withdrawn by 2018, probably around the same time as the other two present. It is by far the most intact of the three, but that is not to say that it is in good nick, and it is clearly rotten with many smaller components damaged or missing.
Registration: T579 JNG (1999)
Livery: First Eastern Counties 'Barbie' (65579)
Chassis: Scania L94UB
Bodywork: Wright Axcess Floline B43F
After spending over fifteen years with First Eastern Counties, this Scania was transferred to First Kernow for its final few months, being transferred in c.March 2015 and withdrawn by the end of that year. The vehicle was also moved to this position in the scrapyard by April 2016, and has not moved since, visible on the right of this photo. Another bus which seems to be fairly materially complete, but nevertheless missing a lot of glass and a few bodyside panels.
Registration: W825 PFB (2000)
Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie', Ugobus branding (48225)
Chassis: Volvo B6BLE
Bodywork: Wright Crusader II B36F
Another southern bus to end up dying this far north, this vehicle spent its entire career in and around Plymouth until the axe came in March 2016. Dropped off at Platts Bridge the following month, it too has not moved since, and has now been heavily vandalised and stripped. It is juuuust about visible behind the Scania in this photograph.
Registration: S725 AFB (1998)
Livery: First Devon & Cornwall 'Barbie' (42725)
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Bodywork: Plaxton Pointer II B37F
The fourth Dart on site, this vehicle was new to First Bristol and was finally withdrawn from First Devon and Cornwall in c.2016. Little is known about the vehicle since then, as it was next recorded in the scrapyard in 2022, already in very poor condition with a lot of missing windows, body panels, and displaying damage to the bumpers. Even the eagle-eyed will do very well to see it through the tangled mess of wreckage in this photograph; I certainly can't.
Registration: G301 UYK (1990)
Livery: Pilkingtonbus cream and red
Chassis: Leyland Olympian
Bodywork: Leyland H47/31F
Woo, on to the deckers! The first featured here is the oldest bus on-site, built 33 years ago at the time of writing. This vehicle was new to London United but later transferred to East Yorkshire Motor Services, where during 2007 it entered immortality as an EFE die-cast model, code 29614. Transferred first to Coachmasters around 2009 and painted a luminous yellow, the bus was with Pilkington by the end of that year, with final withdrawal coming in early-2016, as a non-disability-compliant vehicle. It was in position in the scrapyard by May and has again not really moved since, but nevertheless appears to be in tolerable condition, even in spite of its geriatric age. Its red top deck can clearly be seen in the photograph.
Registration: N430 FKK (originally Irish 96-DD-277, 1996)
Livery: Ebley Coaches red and cream
Chassis: Volvo Olympian
Bodywork: Alexander RH H47/27D
The final bus visible in the scrapyard is a Volvo Olympian, new to Dublin Bus in 1996 and exported in 2007. The vehicle for almost its entire British existence wore the bright pink-and-purple colour scheme of Uno, despite later transferring to Southern Transit in 2010 and then North Somerset Coaches in 2015. North Somerset appears to have focused on vehicle preservation since 2013, so whether this vehicle constituted preserved for a short while is up in the air, but before too long it was with Ebley Coaches and painted in their maroon and cream livery, which it still carries to this day. It was sadly not with them long, certainly under a year, before fate took control - by May 2016 the bus had appeared in Blakeley's scrapyard, withdrawn not due to her age but due to a massive gash in the roof, clearly due to collision with some kind of obstacle, perhaps a bridge, a building, or even a particularly obstinate tree. The 'Dubliner' has seemingly not moved since June 2016, its interior still exposed to nature thanks to the roof damage and it has apparently been stripped of a few parts.
安平樹屋 - 鹽水溪堤防 / 五指巨手 - 大空雲飛
Anping tree house - Salt water river dike / Five big finger - Sky cloud flying
Casa del árbol de Anping - Dique de río de agua salada / Cinco dedos grandes - Cielo nube vuelo
安平の樹の家 - 塩水の谷川の堤防 / 5本の指の巨手 - 大の空いている雲は飛びます
Anping Baum Haus - Salzwasser Flussdamm / Fünf große Finger - Sky Wolke fliegen
Anping tree house - Dique de la rivière de l'eau salée / Cinq grands doigts - Sky cloud flying
Anping Tainan Taiwan / Anping Tainan Taiwán / 台灣台南安平
管樂小集 2017/06/25 台南孔子廟 Confucian temple Tainan performances 1080P
{ 酒矸倘賣嘸 Recycle bottles リサイクルボトル }
{View large size on fluidr / 觀看大圖}
{My Blog / 管樂小集精彩演出-觸動你的心}
{My Blog / Great Music The splendid performance touches your heart}
{My Blog / 管楽小集すばらしい公演-はあなたの心を心を打ちます}
{Mi blog / La gran música el funcionamiento espléndido toca su corazón}
{Mein Blog / Große Musik die herrliche Leistung berührt Ihr Herz}
{Mon blog / La grande musique l'exécution splendide touche votre coeur}
Melody 曲:JAPAN / Words 詞:Sheesen / Singing : Sheesen
{ 夢旅人 1990 Dream Traveler 1990 }
家住安南鹽溪邊
The family lives in nearby the Annan salt river
隔壁就是聽雨軒
The next door listens to the rain porch
一旦落日照大員
The sunset Shineing to the Taiwan at once
左岸青龍飛九天
The left bank white dragon flying in the sky
Not actually Execution Dock but close to. Located on the river behind the Prospect of Whitby pub, Wapping Wall.
Taken at Gestapo Headquarters in Berlin, The Topography of Terror.
These are index cards from the RSHA investigation card files kept by the police.
The trial concerning the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA)
Initially, members of the RSHA were tried by Allied courts in Germany after 1945. In the Nuremburg Major Ward Criminals Trial in 1945/46 and in the Einsatzgruppen (the special mobile unit) trial in 1947/48, 15 death sentences were passed as well as 2 life sentences and 5 several years imprisonment. Many of those sentenced were pardoned in the fifties. Until the early sixties, hardly any investigations into the members of the RSHA were carried out.
It was only in 1963 that the chief public prosecutor in Berlin began to carry out investigations against former members of the RSHA. The police and chief prosecutor collected personal data, around 7,000 employees of the RSHA. From 1964 onwards enquiries into the activities of 300 to 400 high and superior level employees of Civil Service began. The accusations concerned the crimes committed by the Einsatzgruppen, the involvement in the deportations and in mass executions, as well as the activities of the Berlin Gestapo Regional Office.
Okay! None of you asked for it but here it is! My thoughts on SHAZAM The Movie :)
Holy freaking cow! They did it! DC actually made my boy Billy B his own movie and it wasn’t absolute trash! :D
YEAH!
I absolutely loved it! If this is the road DC is going down, I’m all in! Bring on Hoppy The Marvel Bunny! Give me Uncle Marvel! I want it all! :P
Wow! They committed to the corny-ness of Captain Marvel but it wasn’t cheesy! They poked fun at how ridiculous it all was and put a lantern on the cheesiness and the dumb costume and the magic and the goofy nature of it all and it was perfect! :P
Plus I’ve got to give them credit for is that WB stuck to their guns and put this in the DCEU. Billy Batson and Jared Leto Joker are in the same universe and that’s just bonkers to me! :P
And I gotta say, Asher Angel’s “SHAZAM” has to be one of the best so far! He belts that magic word like there’s no tomorrow and I freaking loved it!
Also can we talk about Jack Dylan Grazer’s facial acting for a second? That kid is so expressive and he played Freddy so well! I gotta wonder though how he managed to get all of his fan gear though. Like does Aquaman have a PR guy in Philly that screen prints t-shirt’s for him? Do toy companies in the DCEU make replicas of throwing stars from all the other murderous vigilantes in the world?
Also can someone explain to me how Batman and Superman (two majorly controversial political figures in BvS) are now your average kids toy? Batman branded people like cattle and burned people alive! Superman destroyed a city and then got stabbed by cave troll! I find that they’re now a kids play thing much harder to believe than the magic doofus in red tights and a cape :P
Okay sorry, back on topic!
In a similar complaint I had with Aquaman, I feel like the pacing for the movie could have been a little better though. It wasn’t as bad as Aquaman clearly, but they could have cut some of the contrived Sivana origin stuff maybe, but I don’t know. Those scenes still had a purpose in the end so yeah it's a toss up.
I’ve read the New 52 book cover to cover on multiple occasions so where some of the story fluffing came in to play it felt jarring. It was inevitable to fill in the gaps and simplify the narrative but it still bugged me a little though.
Also, I really had a hard time buying the baby Billy scenes and his Mom. I get why they were there, but like, did they need to be? Like a few lines of dialogue would have also been fine, but I guess that final scene with his Mom was one of those pivotal points in the story too so I get it. It’s just that plot thread with his Mom may have been the weakest of the bunch but it was a necessary one. But naming her CC Batson was nice touch! :)
The rock of eternity set was incredible! From the Sins along the wall, to the big dumb lighting bolt poster! It wasn’t a kitschy/artsy version of the batcave or a spaceship fortress of solitude. It was the real deal! :D
And they freaking did Mister mind!!!! Oh my gosh!
Again, I need to reiterate that Will Smith’s Deadshot and Mister Mind now exist in the same universe what the actual heck! :P
Oh and I enjoyed the workaround when The Wizard referred to Black Adam and his people as just “The First Champion”. It worked and got the point across in a nice tidy way without saying “Hey remember like five years ago when we said we’d maybe kinda sorta cast Dwayne as The Reverse Shazam someday never?! ...uh yeah we’re not talking about that right now... he’s too busy hanging out with Jason and some other bald muscle-y fellas or like being a zoo keeper for a wolf with wings or something… yeah… we don’t know either...”
Can I say though, they made some bold choices with Dr Sivana! The dude is a super genius, so of course he’d find a way back to The Rock of Eternity! It was another neat work around from the source material for him to go head to head with The Wizard like that. Also this squeaky-clean glam and broody Sivana gave me the vibe that he belonged in a band and was “too cool for you” all the time.
I mean if we were to go comic book accurate Sivana, I still think either Wallace Shawn or Danny Devito would could have played him perfectly tbh, but over all, Mark Strong made an interesting new version out of him that I don’t really mind (though I still like his Sinestro WAAAAAY better!)
Another thing I really enjoyed about the movie was how the humor didn’t feel forced. It came up in good moments and didn’t kill the drama with quips, or wasn’t over saturated by lovey adored and never irritating topical 80s references.
“Stupid adult hands!” Loved it! :P
I also liked how they managed to squeeze in classic Batson phrases in an almost cynical way! Like bratty Billy would totally say Gee Whiz and Golly Mister ironically! It made so much sense and worked really well in execution!
Like yeah man... this movie just felt nice. Like it felt like what all these movies are trying to feel like. It was fun and emotional but dumb and also it new it was dumb but it still played with the genre in a fresh way. Here’s hoping we can get an appearance from Bulletman or some other Fawcett characters in the sequel :P
I know this ‘review’ was bit all over the shop but these are just the things I was thinking and I wanted to share them with you all! Plus, I’m just proud that one of my favorite superheroes got the best movie he could have gotten and that’s pretty great :)
ALSO HIS NAME IS CAPTAIN MARVEL AND I’LL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME! I MEAN IT’S THE CAPTAIN MARVEL FAMILY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! THEN THERE’S CAPTAIN MARVEL JR AND MARY MARVEL AND UNCLE MARVEL! I MEAN UNCLE SHAZAM SOUNDS JUST AS DUMB BUT LIKE COME ON! THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I HATE THE NEW 52 SO DARN MUCH! I MEAN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD BECK NAMED THE WIZARD SHAZAM! HE CALLS UPON HIM FOR THE POWERS OF HIS MAGIC! LIKE HOW WOULD BILLY EVEN INTRODUCE HIMSELF TO ANYONE EVER LIKE I MEAN COME ON DID ANYONE THINK THIS THROUGH?! BILLY BATSON IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE CAPTAIN MARVEL AND YOUR WRONG IF YOU TRY TO CORRECT PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET LIKE ME… oh wait
Okay I’m done. Review’s over! Go home!
SHAZAM! :D
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You should check out my Patreon if you want to see even more Brickheadz! I've shared a bunch of photos on how I built Tawky Tawny's head and torso, some photos of all my Marvel Family BHz, plus a photo of my entire BHz collection on display (like no joke, every single one of them)!
Besides that, there's other behind the scenes posts shared every single week, like stuff that's not Brickheadz if they aren't your jam :)
So check it out ya mooks!
Also tell me what you thought of SHAZAM the movie! Let me know if it was any good or not and that I'm not just being biased! :P
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Patreon: andrewcookston
Instagram: a.cookston.photography
Twitter: @acookston_photo
Line. Lock. Switch set. Ruby light string. One orb illuminates emerald green. And a second. High green on main 1. Repeat. Main 2. Iron steeds tiptoe in the background, carload after sooty carload, pellet by pellet, dollar by carbon clad dollar drops into the coffers of another aluminum drop bottom. Power grid. Infrastructure. Vital link. Two rail giants collide head to head. Buckets in. Buckets out. Rinse, repeat. Like a puppeteer, softly nugging, coaxing, tensing strings; a three way meet is executed with the streamlined precision and abject concentration of a chamber orchestra falling in line under the guiding hands of a seasoned conductor. Powder. River. Basin. Black Gold. Lifeline.