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Oh man. The only thing I did to prepare for this was put my remote in a plastic baggy. Afterwards I realized that paint tastes bad, paint burns your eyes, paint is slippery, and paint gets everywhere. I also forgot that my shower drain is clogged. WHOOPS. Anyway. I'm comforted by the fact that since I want to be an advertising photographer one day, this is probably nothing compared to the craziness I'll be doing in the future.
Fact. My face matches the walls of my bedroom.
Lego workmen repairing a faulty hard drive
PERMISSION TO USE: Please check the licence for this photo on Flickr. If the photo is marked with the Creative Commons licence, you are welcome to use this photo free of charge for any purpose including commercial. I am not concerned with how attribution is provided - a link to my flickr page or my name is fine. If used in a context where attribution is impractical, that's fine too. I enjoy seeing where my photos have been used so please send me links, screenshots or photos where possible. If the photo is not marked with the Creative Commons licence, only my friends and family are permitted to use it.
Faulty coolant level sensor by the looks of it. Wasn’t gonna chance it so came round for a top up before heading to Clydebank.
One of the light fixtures in my basement was giving far less light than the others. I bought a new tube, climbed up the ladder to change it, and found this when I took out the old one. No, I did NOT install a new tube.
Our Daily Challenge: INTENSE
This is the tiny spot where I work from Yes I am sitting crosslegged on the floor while working, Why? because some of my spinal wiring is faulty that is the only positionI can sit for a longer time without causing painful harm to my self...
But then again back problems are less of an issue these days, since I have slimed down during the covid Plague also I have trained my upper body so I have stronger arms so I can suspend my self better while moving...
...on the pic you can see several mostly 3d projects and the abstract ever changing surfaces close to where I work where I scrape off excess paint, this abstract artworks are ever changing and hard to sell :)
...the plastic trays I have around my working spot are ordered things I might use, I have one for papers and cardboards, one for inspiration, one with letters and alphabets and one for acrylics colors and so on...
the small boxes on the shelf is different sorted pieces of lego, there are also some of my drawing pads, that I used to have with me in the real world, often when visiting café...
I was always drawing and writing while I was at my cafés, I lived most of my life on cafés... the other half on pubs and clubs, my home was often just where I drank coffee and slept...
it is really a plague with this cramped space, especially now at summer time, since me and mum are almost totally isolated since the Covid plague, I am seldom out and if I leave home it is to post things I have sold online at the post office or buying groceries...
So my fungal infection have blossomed again, since I am a very sweaty person, actually I contracted it in Vienna, we had a very hot apartment and I worked at home most of the day...
cleaning mostly and painting, later on she found out that the extreme heating was her fault :) she always said I used too much electricity, but really it was her that heated our home on the highest level, that was how our tasks was divided, she did the technical stuff and I did all basic stuff like cleaning....
...my former wife is a Swede with an ethnically mixed background on her fathers side.. so when I got my fist whole body fungal infection she called our Doc and told her, my Husband has Mushrooms...
...in Swedish the word for fungus and Mushroom is the same Svamp, then again in local dialect (skånska) it is Puggehatt!
...if I was the doctor, I would have replied: oh That is great, why don´t you make a nice Austrian Stew out of them! but she understood what my wife ment and probably wasn´t in a mood for humor!
Peace, noise and fungus!
/ MushroomBrain the Fungal spore
The Oldie interviewed the legendary bluesman in 1970, in this dingy Toronto hotel room, armed with a cheap Polaroid camera that proved faulty, (chemical soup time). This was the only rescue-able shot, and its fatal flaws actually give it a kind of funky grit (that's my story and I'm sticking to it...).
Mr. Burnett ended up playing a bunch of songs for me before I left, and told some tales of Mick & Keith that no lawyer would ever let me repeat...
I know this is weird, but might be good for exactly the same reason! Use it, have fun and I would be curious to see what you managed to do with it.
Entropy, as expressed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics, is an all pervasive natural force, similar in importance to gravity or electro- magnetism. Its attributes involve the flow of what we call "time". It shows why time travel is impossible and why water only runs downhill. Entropy permeates all aspects of human existence. Entropy explains why it is easy to lose money and difficult to make money. Entropy is the force behind Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, must go wrong. Is time-travel impossible? Why does water only run downhill? Why is it easy to lose money but difficult to acquire it? The answer to these and many other puzzling questions rests in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, in Entropy. The so-called Second Law relates closely to the term Entropy. An understanding of this fundamental law of nature and its ramification provides great insights in the way the world really works. Entropy, as expressed by the Second Law, is the ultimate Natural Law because it determines the flow of what we call "time". Thus, entropy deals with the very existence of the universe. The term entropy describes phenomena that have the most profound effect on all events in human existence, including our ability to achieve happiness by aligning ourselves with Objective Reality.
The Second Law holds a unique position in science because it has never evolved from a theory such as the Theory of Relativity or the Theory of Quantum Mechanics. The Second Law is empirical. There is no fully satisfactory theoretical proof for the Second Law, although there are some connections to Quantum Mechanics, Probability and Relativity. Once a Unified Field Theory, the Theory of Everything, is developed, it will and must account for Entropy. Many scientists, who claimed that this Law is paradoxical in nature, have tried to attack it. However, in all instances the alleged paradoxes were due to faulty reasoning. The Second Law has prevailed and has established itself as the most fundamental of all Natural Laws.
The profound nature of the Second Law manifests itself in every aspect of human existence. It covers questions pertaining to the obscure beginnings of the universe to the way we pour milk in our coffee. I remember my high school teacher posing the question: You have a cup of very hot coffee that you would like to drink as soon as possible, let us say, within 5 minutes. Should you first add the desired quantity of cold milk to the coffee and then let the coffee sit for 5 minutes? Alternatively, do you let the coffee sit for 5 minutes and then add the same quantity of milk?
The answer is not intuitive but it is simple, if we are familiar with the Second Law: The rate of heat exchange between the hot coffee and the ambient air depends on their temperature differential. The higher the temperature differential, the faster will be the rate of exchange. Within the 5-minute waiting period, heat transfers to the air at a higher rate if we do not add the cold milk initially to the coffee. If we add the milk at the beginning, instead of at the end of the 5 minutes, the energy transfer will slow down and the coffee will be markedly hotter at the end of 5 minutes.
This revelation does not appear to be a momentous event. It was only intended to indicate the pervasiveness of the Second Law, especially in view of the fact that most people are seemingly ignorant of it. The point is, the Second Law is not intuitive. We have to acquire the relevant knowledge by a rational thought process in order to take advantage of it. The cup of coffee is not important but the principle behind the cup permeates all of our existence: In order to optimize the effectiveness of our actions it is helpful to understand the implications of Entropy.
Entropy describes the degradation of energy to perform work. What is energy? On the high school level, we simply defined energy as the capacity to do work. However, the real question is, What factor, precisely, is doing this work? Why does energy have the capacity to perform work? The HOWs in life are easy, the WHYs are the tough ones.
Energy is the raw material of the universe. At the time of the Big Bang, about 13.7 billion years ago, there was nothing but raw energy. There was no mass with a physical attribute. It was only much later in the nascent universe that this primal energy transformed itself into physical mass, stars, nebula and black holes. Stars, and particularly supernovas, are the factories of the elements, such as iron, from which human beings are formed.
As we know from Einstein's famous formula E = m c^2, mass and energy are freely convertible into each other. The Hydrogen Bomb demonstrates this conversion in a spectacular fashion. Most of the energy it generates is due to the conversion of matter into energy. Such conversion of matter into energy, and vice-versa, is also a less spectacular event in everyday phenomena although it is usually so minuscule as to escape our attention: When we exercise vigorously, we convert chemical energy into radiated heat energy. All this radiated energy that leaves our body has mass, just as light has energy and weight, although it will not register on our bathroom scale.
In cognizance of these basic facts, we can stipulate that energy is the basic raw material that makes up the universe and all that is contained within it, including human beings. The essence of the universe is the unity of energy, time and space.
Energy is essentially a heat phenomenon. Heat and work are mechanisms by which systems exchange energy with one another. The mechanical equivalent of heat is called a Joule. 4.2 joules are the equivalent of one calorie, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.
In order for energy to perform work, a difference must exist between energy at a high potential and energy at a more randomized, diluted, potential. The term entropy is a measure of the degree to which energy has lost the capacity to perform useful work. Entropy signifies the dilution, the randomization of energy. We may look at water in two lakes, connected by a canal. Unless the lakes are at a different level, unless they are at a different energy potential, there is plenty of water, but all this water has no potential energy and cannot perform any useful work because it cannot change levels. This ability or inability to perform useful work is an analogy to and is at the heart of the term entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Let us back up a little: This whole subject of Thermodynamics sounds like a very complicated affair. Indeed, it is both very simple and extremely complex. There are three Laws of Thermodynamics, but we need to concern ourselves only with the first two laws because they are closely interwoven and can actually be expressed in one sentence: The total energy content of the universe is constant and the total entropy, the non-usable energy, is constantly increasing. There you have it: The combination of the first and second law of thermodynamics.
Very interesting, but what does it mean? It means that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can be transformed into mass, chemical energy, heat energy, latent energy and work, but it cannot be created and it cannot disappear. Energy is also in a constant, inevitable and irreversible process of becoming increasingly randomized. Salt crystals may be dissolved in a beaker of water without losing its identity as salt. The salt became more randomized when it dissolved in the water. The Law of Entropy decrees that it cannot reconvert itself to the less randomized, crystalline version. The salt cannot reconstitute itself as crystals, unless we introduce external energy to evaporate the water.
The amount of energy in the universe was established at the time of the Big Bang. At that point, energy was extremely concentrated and ordered. Since then, the universe has expanded vastly and energy has become more diluted and randomized. It is inherent in the nature of the universe that this process must and will continue. If it were to stop, the universe would cease to exist.
This increasing randomization of energy, entropy, is part of the structure of the universe. The energy dilemma does not involve the amount of energy that is available; it involves the form in which the energy is available. The universe is involved in a constant process of converting one form of energy into another form and in doing so, it inevitably must convert part of the original energy into more randomized, less usable, heat energy. Potential energy is organized energy whereas heat represents randomized, disorganized energy. Heat energy is irretrievable energy. Although the energy contained in heat is not destroyed, it has become unavailable for producing work. All forms of energy are degraded incessantly and irreversibly to an inferior, lower-quality, more-randomized form of energy: Heat.
By the same principle, the solar energy that pours out of the furnace of the sun travels on and on until it eventually becomes scattered throughout the universe: It becomes so randomized that it becomes unusable for the performance of work. Therefore, we must stipulate that entropy, as a measure of the randomness of energy in the universe, is always increasing.
The question arises, what will happen when all the usable energy in the universe is converted into randomized heat energy and is no longer capable of performing such work as expanding the universe. We refer to this condition as the Heat Death of the Universe: Once all the energy in the universe is converted to and randomized as heat, then the universe will be in a state of energy equilibrium, everything will be of the same temperature and entropy will remain constant. This is where science gets more complicated and involves the microwave background radiation consisting of photons near, but not quite at, absolute Zero. Scientists have recently detected this microwave background radiation and have thus confirmed the connectivity between Thermodynamics and Quantum Mechanics.
Before we go on to some practical manifestations of entropy, we need to be aware of a very important characteristic of entropy: The Laws of Thermodynamics pertain only to a system that we refer to as a closed system: An entity that does not exchange energy, information or mass with anything outside the system. The universe in its totality is a closed system because no new energy is injected into it. Therefore, all laws of Thermodynamics apply to the universe. Earth is not a closed system because our sun constantly injects it with new energy. This infusion of energy into the non-closed system of the earth makes it possible to comply with the Second Law while achieving an increase in the complexity of life forms, as necessitated by the process of evolution.
The laws of thermodynamics are among the very few laws of nature that describe phenomena that are an integral part of the origin of the universe, of the Big Bang. The other laws in this category are gravity, relativity, nuclear binding forces and electromagnetism. Human beings need not concern themselves with the effects of relativity or quantum mechanics. However, the phenomena of thermodynamics constantly and profoundly affect all human beings.
If there are any laws that have truly universal applicability and that also affect ordinary human affairs, they are the Laws of Thermodynamics. The following statement contains the essence of Entropy: In any transformation of energy from one form to another, useful energy is lost irreversibly. The German physicist Clausius first used the term Entropy in 1865 to describe the nature of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Even great physicists of that period, like James Maxwell, had trouble with a concept involving only negatives and dealing with the idea of measuring a state of disorder. Today we can condense the statement of Entropy by stating: Entropy in a closed system can never decrease. There are no exceptions to this statement.
The Second Law decrees that water can only flow downhill. Objects do not run uphill by themselves. If we wish to have water run uphill, we must supply outside energy to pump it up the hill.
A clock gradually runs down because the latent energy in its spring is used to run the clock and part of this energy is converted to irretrievable heat. Because the heat cannot be reconstituted into usable energy, this energy is lost irretrievably and the clock cannot rewind itself.
Even in the most complex energy transformations, there is a forward direction to the process because only an outside energy source can reverse a heat-process within a closed system. The burning of gasoline in a car creates mechanical energy and heat. However, no process in the universe will allow the exhaust gases to re-combine with the heat energy and reconstitute the original gasoline: The heat energy of the burning gasoline has achieved a higher and irreversible state of randomization: The entropy of the system, and the universe, is irreversibly increased, as required by the Second Law.
The close relationship of entropy to the statistical laws of probability becomes clear when we hold a stack of five coins in a hand and throw them on a flat surface. Instead of retaining their previous order and proximity, they scatter and increase their randomness. The fall of the coins generated and dissipated the tiniest little bit of heat and the lack of this heat prevented the coins from reforming in the same stack as before. Entropy always drives all transformation of energy in such a way as to increase irreversible randomness.
Ice must have a tendency to melt because H2O molecules in ice crystals are more orderly than in the form of water. Ice crystals tend to become randomized by changing from orderly ice crystals to a more disorderly state as a liquid.
Water must evaporate: A gaseous structure is more randomized than a liquid state.
Time can only flow in one direction: The arrow of time can only move from the dead past to the non-existing future. The Second Law is closely interwoven with the laws of probability. Therefore, the laws of entropy are statistical laws. If we apply statistical laws applicable to entropy to future events, they provide meaningful results; if we apply them to past events, they are meaningless. Therefore, time can flow only from the dead past toward the future, which does not yet exist. Time travel will always remain impossible: It is inherently impossible to move from one state of non-existence to other states of non-existence. The Second Law decrees that the universe would have to cease to exist in order to allow for time-travel.
The laws of thermodynamics are the descriptors of the universe and do not permit perpetual motion machines. We would only waste our time and money if we were to attempt building a machine that not only can run forever, but that could even produce excess energy while doing so.
Heat flows from a hot object to a cold object, never the other way around. When we drop a hot peace of metal in a container of cold water, the metal cools and the water heats up until their temperatures have equalized. During this process the entropy, the randomness of the system consisting of the water and the metal, increases and no further useful work can be performed because there is no longer a temperature differential between the water and the metal: The system has become randomized.
This manifestation of the Second Law can be stated quite simply: Heat energy will not flow from a cooler to a warmer body. It would be foolish to try to warm our hands on a block of ice although there is considerable heat in the ice. If we compare the heat of ice with the heat of liquid hydrogen, ice would appear to be very hot, indeed. It would be easy to build a machine that runs on the heat differential between the cold block of ice and the much colder liquid hydrogen. However, since the heat in the ice is at a much lower level than the heat in our body, heat cannot flow from the ice to our hands. We cannot warm our hands by immersing them in ice. We have always known this fact. Now we know why we cannot warm our hand by touching a block of ice.
Bridges and buildings will inevitably collapse, unless entropy is counteracted by the addition of new energy, such as money, energy, power or labor, to the system. If we do not paint the bridge, it will eventually, but inevitably, collapse.
Money is not energy but it represents energy. Therefore, money becomes randomized automatically, in compliance with the Second Law. As we only know too well, money has a distinct tendency to dissipate, to randomize. On the other hand, the creation of wealth requires an infusion of energy from a source outside the system, such as a competent strategy or the contribution of additional capital or labor.
We know empirically, that things do not organize themselves into artifacts that are more complex unless new energy is inserted from outside the system. This fact is obvious because a broken window will not repair itself. Without competent management, without the energy to organize and structure transactions, a business will fail, a victim of entropy.
Without new software, without the infusion of new energy from outside the computer system, a computer will never acquire new capabilities, but its hard-drive will fill up with defects and clutter due to the degeneration of the data it holds. A well known fact.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is closely interwoven with the future of the universe and with all life on earth. Sometimes people say that the existence of life on earth violates or contradicts the Second Law. However, this is not the case; we know of nothing in the universe that violates the Second Law.
The definition of life revolves around three prerequisites: The organism must be able to replicate itself, the organism must be capable of energy conversion and the organism must be subject to evolution. The essence of evolution is an increase in complexity, as is obvious when we consider the evolution of living organisms over eons of time.
An increase in complexity entails an increase in the orderliness of the organizational character of the organism: Life represents a decrease of entropy, a decrease of randomness. Such a decrease in randomization can only come about as a result of an infusion of energy from the outside of the closed system, from the outside of the organism. Therefore, the ability to utilize energy by converting it to a usable form, is the essence of all things that we call alive or living. In the case of life on earth, the outside energy is derived from the sun. No sunlight, no life on earth.
This is the chain of life on earth: No energy, no evolution. -- No evolution, no life -- No energy, no life
The discussion of energy is significant, because nothing happens in the universe without energy. The whole universe is a cauldron of energy conversions. As far as human beings are concerned, we need to remember that the standard of living of a person or a nation is determined primarily by the availability of usable energy sources, such as oil or nuclear energy. Without sources of energy to turn our wheels and to compensate for entropy, humanity would revert to the primeval existence of hunters and gatherers.
Many people have trouble understanding the principle of entropy because it is a concept of negatives, because it is a measure of the disorder, of the randomness of a closed system. Every biochemical function requires a decrease in entropy, which can only be achieved by the infusion of energy into a life-sustaining system.
Many people erroneously believe that everything that we use up can be recycled and reused if we only develop the appropriate technology. However, the Second Law makes it inherently impossible to achieve complete reconstitution or recycling. In order to recycle a used product, we must insert additional energy in the collecting, transportation and reprocessing of used materials and this energy expenditure contributes to the overall entropy, the randomness, of the environment. Thus, discards can be recycled only by the expenditure of additional energy and at the expense of increasing the entropy of the universe as a whole. On a light note: Every time someone lights a cigarette, he increases the entropy of the universe and contributes to the energy death of the universe.
Why is this discussion of entropy and the Second Law so important to us, to ordinary human beings? After all, most of us are more concerned with living a happy life, than the heat death of the universe. The problem is that the Second Law has a tendency to interfere with our happiness because it has a pervasive, pernicious effect on our lives. It is imperative that we are aware of the impairments caused by entropy in order to counteract them effectively.
If we encounter a problem in life, it is most important to be fully cognizant of the precise nature and cause of the problem. In trying to resolve the problem, it would be counter-productive to invoke the help of imagined superior beings, instead of dealing with the problem in a realistic, purposeful manner. Unless we understand the nature of entropy, we cannot resolve the deleterious effects that make it difficult to achieve desired results. Therefore, a profound knowledge of the Second Law is extremely important to our quest for happiness.
"Murphy's Law" is well known. After allowing for many humorous embellishments and variations on the basic theme, Mr. Murphy’s proposition states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." A corollary version claims: "Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse".
We laugh about this aspect of life because we have all experienced the effect of Mr. Murphy's Law on many occasions. Rather than recognize Murphy's Law as a humorous version of a basic law of nature, we usually look upon it as a quirk of nature. Nothing could be further from the truth: When we look at the Second Law of Thermodynamics, we realize that Mr. Murphy's law is an inescapable consequence of the principle of Entropy.
Unless we constantly insert new energy into a house by maintaining it, painting it, repairing it, the structure will eventually but inevitably be leveled to the ground. Its molecules will move from a lower level of randomization, from structure, to a higher level of randomization, towards unstructured debris.
Entropy is the reason why paint peels, why hot coffee turns cold. Furthermore, entropy is the reason why investments have a preordained inclination to go sour -- unless we enhance success by inserting into the investment system additional energy in the form of strategy, work, calculated risk or other forms of energy. Entropy ensures that sugar, which becomes more randomized when it is dissolved in water, will not reconstitute itself in the crystalline form -- unless we apply heat energy from outside the system and evaporate the water.
Wherever we look, whatever we do, we must be acutely aware of the immutable laws of thermodynamics, especially the easily overlooked Second Law: Entropy. This fundamental law of physics ranks with other fundamental manifestations of the universe such as gravity, time and electromagnetism.
Anything that can go wrong not only will go wrong, it must go wrong, as decreed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics
British postcard.
American actor and martial arts artist Brandon Lee (1965-1993) was more than the son of his famous father. His last film The Crow (1994), will be forever remembered in years to come for his acting talent. During the shooting of the film, Brandon died by an accidental gunshot wound from a faulty prop revolver. In 2000, he returned to the screen in a little Swedish film.
Brandon Bruce Lee was born in Oakland, California, the USA in 1965 to Martial Arts idol and film star Bruce Lee and Linda Lee Cadwell, an American of Swedish heritage. He was born on Chinese New Year's eve, the last day of the dragon. Brandon had a sister, Shannon Lee. Brandon was born with blond hair. As he aged, his hair color changed to brown. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts from his father. In 1970-1971, the family moved to Hong Kong, and at the age of 8, Brandon was fluent in Cantonese. After Bruce Lee's untimely death in 1973, Brandon, his mother, and his sister moved to Los Angeles. He attended Boston's Art-Oriented Emerson College in Massachusetts and studied Martial Arts and drama, like his father. In 1983, he was expelled from school because of misbehaviour but received his diploma at Miraleste High School. Having chosen an acting career, Lee took his work seriously. He studied at the Strasberg Academy, with Eric Morris in New York and in Los Angeles, and in Lynette Katselas' class in Los Angeles. His first professional job as an actor came at age twenty when casting director Lynn Stalmaster asked him to read for a CBS television film, Kung Fu: The Movie (Richard Lang, 1986) with David Carradine. It was a spin-off of the 1970s television series Kung Fu (1972-1975). Lee's first role in a feature film was Long zai jiang hu/Legacy of Rage (Ronny Yu, 1986), Lee's first and only Hong Kong film and spoken in Cantonese. Dee Reid at IMDb: "Brandon Lee is in fine form here (despite never hearing his natural speaking voice), though the film itself - written and directed by Hong Kong action veteran Ronny Yu (who would later gain fame in the West with the American horror films Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason, and the martial arts epic Fearless with Jet Li) - is somewhat of a mixed bag; it's more or less a standard action film, with lots of stuff about gangsters, drugs, and John Woo-style gun-play. " Shortly after, on television, Lee played a lead in the pilot Kung Fu: The Next Generation (Tony Wharmby, 1987), and guest-starred in an episode of the television series Ohara (1988) with Pat Morita. He also starred in the B-film Laser Mission (BJ Davis, 1989) with Ernest Borgnine. In Hollywood, Brandon Lee co-starred with Dolph Lundgren in the buddy cop action film Showdown in Little Tokyo (Mark L. Lester, 1991). They play two L.A. cops with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza while trying to protect a beautiful woman (Tia Carrere). Next, he was in Rapid Fire (Dwight H. Little, 1992) with Powers Boothe. Lee also did the fight choreography. While some critics liked the film, most felt the script was too simple, however, almost all described Lee to be charismatic, in a slick Hollywood action film. Dee Reid at IMDb: "it was a showcase for his fighting talents. Rapid Fire is decent, certainly not perfect, but very fun to watch nonetheless." Lee turned down the offer to play his father in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (Rob Cohen, 1993). The role was later given to Jason Scott Lee.
In 1992, Brandon Lee landed his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in Alex Proyas' The Crow (1994), based on the comic book of the same name, which would be his final and best film. He died while filming at the age of 28, of what is to be believed, a brain hemorrhage on the set. The film crew shot a scene in which it was decided to use a gun without consent from the weapons coordinator, who had been sent home early that night. Michael Massee, the actor portraying Funboy, was required to fire a .44 magnum revolver loaded with blanks at Lee. The revolver had been inspected days earlier for a previously filmed scene in which it was not fired but needed to be seen loaded. Dummy rounds are used for this, which have a bullet, a spent primer, but no powder. One of the dummy rounds had a bullet, a live primer, and no powder. When test-fired, the primer propelled the bullet into the barrel, where it stopped. The gun was then rechecked, but no anomalies were found because the primer was now spent and the barrel was not inspected. Then, when filming the fateful scene days later, the same gun was used with blanks. Blanks are fully charged rounds with no bullets, but there was a bullet in the barrel. The blank round propelled it into Lee's abdomen just as if he had been shot with a live .44 magnum round. Michael Massee spent a year, devastated by what happened, deciding whether or not to return to acting. The crew only noticed when Lee was slow getting up. The doctors worked desperately for five hours, but it was no use. The bullet had lodged itself in Mr. Lee's lower spine. He was pronounced dead at 1:04 P.M. the next day. He was supposed to marry Eliza Hutton on 17 April 1993. His body was flown to Seattle to be buried beside his father in Lake View Cemetery. With the blessing of Lee's family and very few scenes to shoot, the film was completed by re-writing the script, using early CGI technology and stunt doubles. Wikipedia: "Released a year after, the film is known to present Lee's dramatic abilities, in which he had less of a chance to show in his previous films. It was a commercial success and now considered a cult classic. Upon release, the film received great critical acclaim and made $50 million at the box office and was also a success overseas. Many saw parallels between Lee and his father comparing their careers as action film leading men who passed young, prior to the release of their breakthrough film, with the difference that his father demonstrated high martial arts skills, while Lee showed a strong dramatic performance." In 2000, a new film with Lee was released, the Swedish production Sex, lögner & videovåld/Sex, Lies and Video Violence (Richard Holm, 2000). In 1992 Brandon Lee came to Sweden to promote Rapid Fire (1992). His host, director Richard Holm, asked Lee to make a cameo appearance in this film, and he gladly agreed. The film was shot over an extended period between 1990 to 1993, but for different reasons delayed over and over again in post-production. Finally released in 2000, seven years after Lee's death, the film was dedicated to him, in the last line in the end credits.
Sources: Caryn Liles (IMDb), Dee Reid (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
CIA and EUSOF operatives raid a cartel traphouse in Mazatlan, Mexico.
“We were told our informant in a large Sinaloa cartel had leaked information about a big time meetup of high ranking cartel officials and sicarios. All we found were a couple lowlifes in fancy clothes and some drug money. Someone else has their hand in the pot…”
The faulty ramp has been removed. The cassette ramp fitted to the bus was an upgrade on the original fold out unit but is rather complex and we do not feel a powered one is worth the trouble. A manual ramp will be getting installed in this hole shortly.
There isn't a time I can remember when Aladdin was not a part of my life. I have no memory of seeing Aladdin in theaters with my family, because I was so young. But, I do remember all the merchandise that was released with the film...namely the dolls! Every time the Aladdin cartoon series aired on television, my sister and I dropped whatever we were doing to watch it. We were truly bummed out when the show was canceled. One of the reasons we loved getting cable television when I was nine, was the fact that we got the Toon Disney Channel...which ran episodes of the Aladdin cartoon. My parents bought us Aladdin on vhs tape, but we eventually had to replace it around 2004. Somehow, we managed to ruin that vhs tape as well, but fortunately, we found the same '04 edition on dvd at the flea market during the summer of 2014. That dvd turned out to be faulty after a few uses, so we once again had to track down another! I guess my sister and I watch Aladdin so much, that we have a habit of ruining the tapes! We also always loved the sequels, Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves. I still vividly recall the day I first saw Aladdin and the King of Thieves on vhs. It was around my birthday, when I spotted the display at CVS while shopping with my mom. She said I could pick the tape or Palace Wedding Jasmine as part of my birthday gift. Even though I desperately coveted the Jasmine doll, I chose the vhs, so Colleen and I could share it. For years and years, I always regretted not choosing the Jasmine doll. But realistically, Jasmine would have been destroyed within a year, like most of our childhood Aladdin dolls. Upon reflection, my childhood would have felt a little empty without Aladdin and the King of Thieves being in it!
Besides the movies, my sister and I collectively had hoards of Aladdin merchandise when we were young. We had the Sega video game, which we played every Saturday morning religiously. I owned a purple Aladdin lunchbox which I took to school with me, and Colleen had a green pencil case. We somehow managed to hang onto both the lunch box and the pencil case over the years. Then there were our Aladdin paper dolls--Aladdin was mine, Jasmine was Colleen's. We both always got into heated fights over who played with Jasmine. Jasmine's head had to be taped together more times than I can count, because we both played with her so much. Aladdin also saw play...but he was nude most of the time. I somehow lost both his outfits. Not to mention, while at the hair salon one day, I let another little girl play with Aladdin...and she chose to draw on the back of him! I also had a palace figurine set that came with Aladdin, the Sultan, and Jasmine. Our dog, Haley, ate Jasmine's head one day while I was walking down the hallway. Years later, I still resented Hayley for destroying my beautiful Jasmine figurine. I bought the Aladdin Polly Pockets too--poor Jasmine lost both her hands, but I still have the set. Colleen and I even had Aladdin clothes. Our childhood wardrobes consisted of swimsuits, shirts, and even underwear that were adorned with Aladdin cartoons. Basically, whatever merchandise was marketed for Aladdin, chances are, my sister and I wanted it.
It's no surprise given my long history of obsessing in the movie Aladdin, that I have accumulated a ridiculous number of Aladdin dolls over the years. The dolls, of all the merchandise, were always my favorite, and usually the thing I whined the most about not having. It seemed as though Colleen and I never had luck with our Aladdin dolls when we were kids. My sister's black, rambunctious (and might I say disgustingly smelly) dog, Hayley, devoured several of our dolls in the course of a few years. Hayley consumed Colleen's brand new Water Surprise Jasmine doll within the first week of her arriving home from the store. To be honest, my younger self couldn't be trusted any more with the Aladdin dolls than Hayley. It was a habit of mine to steal Colleen's coveted Aladdin dolls when she was at school. Sometimes I would take only Jasmine's necklace to use on my Sun Jewel Kira, other times, I would steal just Aladdin's lamp. One day, I worked up the nerve to borrow the Aladdin doll. Even though I was very young, I still vividly remember sneaking into Colleen's closet, digging through her laundry basket of Barbie dolls, and snagging Aladdin. Mom warned me not to play with Colleen's stuff, but that certainly did not stop me. Apparently, according to Colleen, I broke Aladdin's head that day...which she was NOT happy about. I conveniently blocked out my memory of decapitating Aladdin! Mom and Dad unintentionally rewarded me that day, as I got to keep the broken Aladdin, since they bought Colleen a replacement Water Jewel Magic Aladdin. Colleen felt ripped off, because her old Aladdin doll came with more clothing and accessories than her new doll.
I used to beg Colleen everyday to borrow her beautiful Jasmine doll. One day, she foolishly let me have my way, by giving me the privilege of carrying Jasmine around the grocery store. I lost Jasmine, who was wearing her purple dress, that day while we were shopping. Colleen was furious with me, and for years and years, she hung the entire incident over my head. I was certainly not any more trustworthy with my own Aladdin dolls. I don't know where my beloved childhood Musical Princess Jasmine went. She was either lost like Colleen's Jasmine doll, our she was one of Hayley's meals. I made my Perfume Jasmine and "Classics" Jasmine doll bald not long after I bought them. Poor "Classics" Jasmine was my birthday gift when I turned four years old. I still recall picking her out at Toys 'R' Us, along with the So Much to Do! Kitchen playset. Water Jewel Magic Jasmine and Aladdin, as well as Colleen's Perfume Jasmine were the only dolls who survived our early childhood unscathed. Well, Water Jewel Magic Jasmine didn't completely escape carnage....her head fell off on multiple occasions and Dad had to super glue her back together. Regardless, she was the surviving Jasmine doll that I always played with until I bought my Sparkling Jasmine in 2002.
Although our luck with Aladdin dolls was not the best in our early years, the acquisition of my Sparkling Jasmine in 2002 shifted things. She was the first Jasmine to be in stores since the My Favorite Fairytale lady (who I had missed out on getting). I was so unbelievably ecstatic the day Mom, Dad, Colleen, and I were at Target and I saw the most stunning Jasmine doll ever. Sparkling Jasmine's purple ensemble was unique, and I loved her less bug eyed facial screening. To me, she most resembled the character I loved, and I was so grateful that I was able to afford her. The last Jasmine doll I had been so taken with was the Holiday Princess lady. But due to her "fanciness" I declined from asking Mom or Dad if I could get her. Although she wasn't outrageously priced in retrospect, she was at least double the price of my less than $15 Sparkling gal. Jasmine became a fast favorite, of course it helped that her only competition was our sad, repaired Water Jewel Magic Jasmine. Coincidentally, I had been playing with Water Jewel Magic Jas right around this time, casting her as a poor farm girl who ran away from home. Obviously, Water Jewel Magic Jasmine was dethroned when Sparkling arrived. Sparkling Jasmine was my most prized possession for several years. She was the apple of my eye, and her beauty could not be matched. I bought her numerous Barbie fashion packs that would go splendidly with her purple makeup. Wherever I went, Jasmine was sure to tag along. Kid Kore Katie, Colleen's favorite doll, who was sold with a poodle, soon became Jasmine's traveling companion. We took the dolls to the pool, the beach, in the woods, to the movie theaters, to restaurants....everywhere and anywhere we traveled! Along the way, other Aladdin dolls joined the cast. During a beach themed doll scene, Colleen gave our childhood Water Jewel Magic Aladdin a new identity. He became Leroy, the hard working, nerdy, reliable guy. Leroy and Jasmine fell in love, and the rest is history! We would crank up my Britney Spears albums and have Jasmine sing to Leroy. Sometimes he would duet with her when male singers guest starred on the songs. They would take flying unicorn rides on my Starlight Unicorn (who did not actually feature wings), named Ocean. Jasmine's furry/hoofed friends were always nearby--Ocean and Muffin my Puppy Ruff dog I got when I was two/three. The family soon became the "Arabache" clan. Jasmine's family showcased her adopted sister Katie, and her two sisters/sometimes daughters Reggie and Myra. Leroy's side consisted of his wheelchair bound sister, Becky, and his featherbrained brother Bradley. Winning London Mary-Kate and Ashley and Pet Pals Skipper, aka Robin, were also part of the family, but changed sides. There were also usually Kelly and Krissy dolls added once we decided to have Jasmine and Leroy start their own family (one was Stroll 'N Play Krissy, aka Natasha, the other usual was 1995 Bathtime Fun Kelly, aka Stephanie). Once I got Xpress It! Yasmin, she too was a staple in our games, sometimes featured as Leroy's sister, other times as Jasmine's. Bradley was our decapitated "Classics" Aladdin from childhood. Reggie and Myra were our two Perfume Princess Jasmine minis. Ironically, I had always been jealous of Colleen's much neater Perfume Jasmine, even though I already had my own. Myra, who was my original doll, had an earring chewed off by a guinea pig and virtually no hair. Colleen gave me her Jasmine doll, who I renamed as Reggie--she was the smarter, more "mature" twin who was also the head troublemaker. Myra was the sweet, incontinent one who always asked for "Mommy" or "Daddy," and who was notorious for toting a massive stuffed Pooh Bear with her. Despite the scruffiness of some of our oldest Aladdin dolls, they were incorporated into the newer games. It was also around this time that we found "replacements" for a few of them. Colleen bought another, much fresher Water Jewel Magic Aladdin, who we named Lennon, at an outdoor flea market. He subbed in for Leroy on occasion, since his arms weren't faded and his hair paint was intact. We also scored a very mint looked "Classics" Aladdin for $5 at the town flea market (which is notoriously over priced). She decided to make him the father of Leroy and Bradley, and he was dubbed "Frank." We always envisioned Leroy and Bradley having an overbearing mother, but nobody was permanently cast in the role. As adults, we feel that Bratz Portia would have been the perfect leading lady! For several years our doll family remained more or less unchanged until our favorites began to deteriorate. I bought Princess Party Jasmine as a temporary substitute when Sparkling Jasmine balded and began to fade from too many pool excursions. But she just wasn't the same, which is why I eagerly bought a secondhand Sparkling Jasmine in 2004 or 2005. She was purchased a little bit too late though, because by that point we had phased out of the Arabache clan and were playing with a new doll family. These days, the members of the Arabache household still make appearances in photos and Youtube skits. We always cast the original dolls, despite having minter counterparts. But my skills as a doll restorer have helped our poor childhood friends look substantially better, so they aren't the raggedy faces we used to play with anyways! The "Leroy and Jasmine" era will forever be Colleen's and my favorite time in our doll playing history. Of course, it was all that more special since we incorporated several beloved Aladdin dolls!
It was not only my love for the film, but also my "not so great" childhood experiences, that drove me to collecting so many Aladdin dolls. It was surprisingly unintentional that I first began buying so many Aladdin dolls. My original focus when beginning to collect dolls again in 2011 (I took a few years off from dolls when I was a teenager) was on Hercules dolls and the Hunchback of Notre Dame dolls, as well as a few random Disney dolls. I remember I wanted Water Surprise Jasmine and Holiday Jasmine first. Not long after, I couldn't resist buying a brand new Water Jewel Magic Jasmine, since I have a long history with our childhood doll. Then, one day, I won Rajah Friendship Jasmine on eBay somehow. I was fueled with anger after losing a bid on Fashion Secrets Megara. I took all that frustration and turned it towards bidding on Jasmine. I couldn't believe I won her!!! She was the first bid on eBay I ever won that was opposed. The day she arrived, I opened her up right away, and I couldn't help but desire more Aladdin dolls. So, I used Margo Rana's "Disney Dolls Guide", as a map for which Jasmine and Aladdin dolls I wanted. One of my main targets from the get go was Palace Wedding Jasmine--a doll I coveted from the moment I saw her at CVS as a child. She was the most expensive individual doll in my collection, but worth every penny. I was able to make another childhood dream come true that first year, when I found a perfect set of Magic Carpet Aladdin and Jasmine dolls online. I had pined for them each time we were at my friend's house, and I saw her sister's dolls set up in her bedroom! Within my first year of collecting, I had nearly all the dolls in the Aladdin section of her book. It's become an addiction of mine to buy Aladdin dolls as an adult. I've taken long breaks from purchasing anymore of them, but it just takes one doll to send me into a frenzy. That's actually how my third Aladdin shelf happened. I simply wanted to buy Glitter Princess Jasmine and Sparkle Princess Jasmine on eBay. Then I found Genie of the Lamp, Gem Princess Jasmine, Enchanted Tales Aladdin, and several more dolls over the course of the next two months. I couldn't cram another doll on my other two Aladdin shelves, so I evicted all my Cindy dolls from the top shelf. My Aladdin expansion made me very happy, as I not only had a fabulous new display to look at, but I also was able to put just about all my duplicated Aladdin dolls on display!
My Aladdin dolls all have a history, whether I made memories with them as a child or an adult, I cherish each and every one. They've been a staple in my dolly world since I was too young to remember. I am so grateful that a few of our oldest dolls are still standing, like Bradley, Leroy, and our original Water Jewel Magic Jasmine. All have required an extensive amount of work--from new bodies, to partial reroots, to paint touch ups. My Sparkling Jasmine needed some of the most lengthy restoration as she was so heavily played with. Despite being able to fix up these dolls, Colleen and I still always have trouble turning away Aladdin duplicates. Colleen was over the moon to find a boxed Water Jewel Magic Aladdin, renamed Luxor, in 2018 at the flea market. I was secretly glad that a third Sparkling Jasmine joined the family in 2013 in the "60 Doll Bin." She most captures the spirit of my forlorn childhood doll (but when she was brand new, not trashed). I'm without a doubt torn whenever I see an Aladdin/Jasmine doll I don't "need" floating around a secondhand venue. Of all the Disney movies dolls were produced for, I have the most Aladdin dolls hands down. The majority are the 90s-early 2000s era produced by Mattel, as they are the cream of the crop in my opinion, due to nostalgia! But I also have expanded my collection to include Disney Store dolls and later Mattel releases, even those with gaudy molded clothes. Aladdin dolls have left a mark on every era of my dolly history. They were the coolest Disney dolls to have in our household, and also the ones most likely to be lost or destroyed, during our early years. When I was eleven to thirteen, Aladdin dolls were key cast members of the most sentimental time in our doll playing history. It wouldn't have been the same if we had another Disney couple or a random Barbie and Ken instead of Leroy and Jasmine. And of course, it was the Aladdin section in Margo Rana's book that drove me bonkers and fueled my inner doll addict when I first dabbled back into collecting as a nineteen year old. Although there aren't many Aladdin dolls I don't have, I still find that my family is constantly expanding, and I never tire of adding more! My Aladdin dolls always have the best display spaces reserved for them, in the same way that I always hold a special place for them in my heart that no other dolls can ever touch!
...it certainly doen´s happen every day, not every week or even month... but every once in a while Irena the ace pilot known as the "pink nymph" manage to find a robot with faulty programming that replies her nasty advances...
No, robot in it´s right mind would be interested in one of the organics...
...when such a rare event happens, the entire HQ stops what ever their are doing and all start to clap their hands...
...Mostly because they will not be harassed by Irena for a while...
- (Irena) Hey Metallic chunky hunk, what do you say about some whoopie doopy in the locker room...
- (giant robot) -(starts to flash all his facial lamps in a blushed but willing way)
- ...oh You looks to handsome, those strong arms, those sexy riveted big cold mechanic adorable hands, I bet they are strong? I bet they are both strong and able to much more gentle touching...
- (all lamps flash redish and intense!)
- just one thing, I just want to tell you that you are the first ever, so be gentle to me... gentle but don´t spare me any steam. you big Mecha-boy...
A few days back, the Jubilee Line was suspended due to a faulty train at Bermondsey. Perfect time to use my tilt shift lens.
Problem traced to a faulty main crankshaft oil seal. Currently being replaced.
This project is now essentially finished. During first road trials some minor problems were encountered, involving over heating and some oil seals which may need changed.
Engine Start has now taken place and engine running will be filmed and posted on here shortly.
The first road run should take place in few weeks.
Advanced Re-assembly
CHASSIS No. 34501349G. Type 345: 2A 109" 6Cyl: Car No. 1349. G suffix introduced April 1969.
Date of Build: 18 June 1969
Despatched Henlys Limited, London 23 June 1969
Bulkhead refit following galvanising and painting.
Installation of pedal boxes servo steering box etc.
Completed drive train including overdrive linkage and all selectors.
Fairey Overdrive fitted to back of transfer box.
Advanced chassis and drive train re-assembly
Rebuilt 6 Cyl. IOE Engine and original LT76 overhauled Gearbox now fitted to Rolling Chassis.
The bulkhead of the 6Cyl is different to accommodate the engine and the transmission tunnel is further back into the cab.
The original bulkhead is currently being repaired, prior to galvanising powder coating and final finish.
Original panels are in 90% good condition and following repairs as required will go to paint shop in early 2019 prior to vehicle reassembly.
It is expected that project will complete during 2021.
Rover 6 Cyl. IOE Engine No. 76503445A.
110 HP Weslake unit.
Advanced Engine Reassembly, pre fitting to FOO4H Rolling chassis.
Machine Shop schedule:
Regrind crankshaft (6 big end journal) Rebore cylinder block (6 cyl)
Surface grind block
Weld repair to cylinder head (TBC) Recut 12 valves/ Reface 12 seats Ultrasonic clean and wash all parts
Balance Crank and flywheel
Assemble exhaust valves, Cam and followers into cylinder
block. Set clearances Surface grind cylinder head
New parts fitted:
Piston assembly +20
Main bearings +20 (small crank 2 1/4" dia.)
Big end bearings +10
Thrust washer
Exhaust valve (OE No. Rover 512140)
NOS timing chain and tensioner etc.
The infamous San Andreas fault passes next to the San Pedro Valley/Linda Mar district of the City of Pacifica, California and out to sea.
This photo was taken by a Kowa/SIX medium format film camera and KOWA 1:3.5/55mm lens with a Tiffen 67mm 15 Orange filter using Rollei Retro 80S film, the negative scanned by a Epson Perfection V600 and digitalized by Photoshop
"Hyundai Cars Are Recalled Over Faulty Brake Switch" by CHRISTOPHER JENSEN via NYT t.co/yY7uGPQeVJ (via Twitter twitter.com/felipemassone/status/668102599833440256)
PERIYAR E.V.RAMASAMY and WOMEN RIGHTS
With regards to marriage, Periyar has stated that it is one of the worst customs in India. He claimed that the marriage principle, briefly, involves the enslavement of a woman by her husband and nothing else. This enslavement is concealed under the cover of marriage rites to deceive the women concerned by giving the wedding the false name of a divine function.[7]
There have been numerous papers in South India reporting how husbands have killed their wives, suspecting immoral behavior. The husband's suspicion of his wife's character has often led to murders. Those who believe in the divine dispensation, according to Periyar, do not have the knowledge to ask themselves why marriages conducted according to religious rites and the approval of God end in this fashion.[7]
Periyar further states that the very idea that the only proper thing for women to do is to be slaves of domesticity, bear children and bring them up, is a faulty one. As long as these restrictions are imposed on women, we can be sure that women have to be subservient to men and depend on men for help. If women have to live on terms of equality with men, they must have the liberty, like men, to have the kind of education they like and also to do unhampered, any work suitable to their knowledge, ability and taste.[8]
Furthermore, Periyar objected to terms like "giving of a maid" and "given in marriage". They are, "Sanskrit terms" and treat woman as a thing. He advocated the substitution of the word for marriage taken from the Tirukkual "Valkai thunai" or "life partner".[9]
Expenses[edit]
With marriage comes the expenses. Periyar stated that in our country, and particularly in Hindu society, a marriage is a function causing a lot of difficulties and waste to all people concerned. But those who conduct the marriage function and those who are getting married do not appear to notice the attendant difficulties because they think that social life necessitates wasteful expense and many difficulties and therefore they must necessarily face those inconveniences and hardships.[10]
Wedding feast, jewels, expensive clothes, procession, pandal, dance, music—money is spent on all these to satisfy the vanity of the organizers. Whatever may be the amount of money spent on the wedding and however pompous each of the items may be, the mirth and jollity associated with these are over in two or three days. In a week's time the prestige and honor connected with these are forgotten.[10] But the wedding expenses leave many families crushed; for many poor families these expenses leave an enormous burden and the debts remain uncleared for a number of years.[11]
However, if the money intended for the wedding expense is not borrowed and belongs to either of the marriage parties, then that amount could be used by her to bring up her children and to educate them. Such a procedure would be highly beneficial to her.[12]
Arranged marriages[edit]
In South Asia we mostly hear of arranged marriages as part of custom, heritage, and religions. Periyar thought that the Aryan wedding methods were barbarous because of the Aryan religion and art: Vedas, Sastras, Puranas, and Epics belong to the barbaric age. He further stated that is the reason why their wedding methods involve the parents giving the girl, prostituting the girl children and some stranger carrying the girl away by force or stealth.[13]
Arranged marriages in general were meant to enable the couple to live together throughout life and derive happiness, satisfaction and a good reputation, even years after the sexual urge and sexual pleasure are forgotten.[14]
But, with the selfish manipulation of this pact, Periyar claimed that women find 'pleasure' in slavish marriage because they have been brought up by their parents without education, independence and self-respect and because they have been made to believe that marriage means subordination to males. The inclusion of such slavish women in the group of 'chaste' women is another lure to them, leading them to find pleasure in such marriages.
Because a man is also married before he has understood the nature of life, its problems and its pleasures, he is satisfied with the slavish nature of the wife and the sexual pleasure she gives. If he finds any incompatibility, he adapts himself to his partner and the circumstances and puts up with his lot.[14]
Love marriages[edit]
Love marriages, claims Periyar, on the other hand will suit only those who have no ideals in life. Such a wedding gives primacy to sexual union along and it is doubtful if it indicates an agreement between the couple for good life. Sexual compatibility alone does not ensure happy married life; the couple should be able to live together cheerfully. Suitability for life or living together can be determined only if the man and woman get used to the company of each other, and are satisfied with each other. Only then, they can enter into an agreement to live together.[13]
Periyar further states that love marriages can give pleasure only as long as there is lust and the ability to satisfy that lust. If there is no compatibility between the partners in other respects, such marriages end only in the enslavement of women. The lies of such women resemble the lives of bullocks which are tied to a cart, beaten up and made to labor endlessly until they die.[14]
Therefore, there is a proverb stating, "A deeply loving girl is unfit for family life; a suitable life partner is unfit for love." Periyar believed that the agreement between partners to live together will constitute a better marriage than a love marriage.[14]
Self-respect marriages[edit]
In a leading article of Viduthalai, Periyar states that a self-respect wedding is based on rationalism. Rationalism is based on the individual's courage. Some may have the courage to conduct it during the time which almanacs indicate as the time of the planet Rahu and that, particularly in the evening. Some others may have just enough daring to avoid the Brahmin priest and his mother tongue - the Sanskrit language.[15] Some may feel nervous about not keeping the traditional lamp burning in broad daylight. Some others may have the rotten thought that conducting a wedding without 'mangala sutra' is disgraceful.
Still, the self-respect weddings conducted during the past thirty years have some basic limits. They are: Brahmins and their mantras should be utterly avoided; meaningless rituals, piling mud pots, one on another, having the traditional lamp during day time, ritual smoke - all these should be avoided. Rationalism does not approve of these. Periyar then asks why can't the government pass an Act that legalizes weddings which avoid the above-mentioned superstitious practices. If all these details cannot be accommodated in the Act, the latter can legalize weddings which don't have Brahmin priests, the Sanskrit language and the so called holy fire.[16]
Thus, marriages styled as Self-Respect marriages carried a threefold significance: a) replacing the Purohit, b) inter-caste equality, c) man-woman equality. Periyar claimed to have performed Self-Respect marriages unofficially since 1925 and officially since 1928.[17] Self-Respect marriages were legalized in 1967 by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Government.[18]
Widow-remarriage[edit]
On the remarriage of widows, Periyar states that among the atrocities perpetrated by the Hindu male population against women, here we have to consider the treatment meted out to widows alone. If a girl loses her husband, even before knowing anything of worldly pleasures, she is compelled to close her eyes to everything in the world and die broken-hearted. Even in Periyar's community at the time, there were widowed girls below the age of 13 years. Periyar stated how it is a touching sight to see the parents of those widowed children treating them like untouchables.[19]
He goes on to say that whatever may be the reason for the present state of the Hindu society, my firm belief that the low position given permanently to widows may prove to be the reason for the utter ruin of the Hindu religion and the Hindu society.[20]
If we try to find the reason for such conduct, we will have to conclude that they instinctively feel that women are slaves, subservient to men and that they must be kept under control. That is why these people treat women like animals. They seem to feel that giving freedom to women is equivalent to committing a very serious crime. The result of this attitude is that there is no independence or freedom to one half of the human race. This wicked enslavement of half of the human race is due to the fact that men are physically a little stronger than women. This principle applies to all spheres of life and the weaker are enslaved by the stronger.
If slavery has to be abolished in society, the male arrogance and wickedness which lead to the enslavement of women must be abolished first. Only when this is achieved, the tender sprouts of freedom and equality will register growth.[21]
One of the reasons why Periayr hated Hinduism and the orthodoxy practiced in the name of Hinduism was the practice of child marriage. Many of the girl children who were married before they were ten or twelve years old became widows before they knew the meaning of the word. According to the 1921 All India Census the details of the child widows reported living in the country that time were as follows:[22]
1 year baby widows - 497
1 to 2 year child widows - 494
2 to 3 year child widows - 1,257
3 to 4 year child widows - 2,837
4 to 5 year child widows - 6,707
Total number of widows - 11,342
5 to 10 year young widows - 85,037
10 to 15 year young widows - 232,147
15 to 20 year young widows - 396,172
20 to 25 year young widows - 742,820
25 to 30 year young widows - 1,163,720
Total number of widows - 2,631,238[22][23]
Periyar was deeply disturbed when he realized that among the widows in India, 11,892 were little children below 5 years and that young widows below 15 years numbering 232,147 were denied the pleasures of life.[24]
With regards to the re-marriage of widows, Periyar stated that it is the practice of our people to refer to such a wedding as "a widow's marriage". Such an expression is used only with reference to women and in connection with men. Just as this lady is marrying another husband after the death of the first husband, many men marry again after the death of the first wife. But the second marriage of a man is not referred to as "a widower's marriage", though that is the proper thing to do.
Periyar himself was a widower. After becoming one, he took a second wife. He claimed that in the ancient days, both men and women in the country had this practice. There were numerous instances in sastras and puranas of women getting married again after the death of their first husband. Periyar further stated that this is not an unusual practice in the rest of the world though it might appear strange for us at the present time. Christian and Muslim women marry again after the death of the first husband. 90 percent of women in Muslim countries get married again soon after the death of the first husband. This may be unusual in certain sections of Indian societies. But it is a common practice in certain other sections of our society which are called very backward communities.[25]
Further, inter-caste marriages and remarriage of widows are on the increase in India. Brahmins oppose these because they are afraid that they cannot exploit the people any more in the name of sastras. For the same reason they oppose the Sharada Act which is necessary for social well-being.[26]
Child marriage[edit]
In all the meetings of the non-Brahmins and the Self-Respectors, Periyar condemned child marriages and emphasized the need for educating all girl children and giving right to young widows to get married again.
Periyar has been very much against child marriage and stated that it reflects the cruelty to which innocent girls were subjected by their well-meaning parents. Periyar asked that if these parents can be considered civilized in any sense of the term. There was no other leader other than Periyar who reacted against this practice of child marriage.[24]
Those who supported child marriage were strongly against Periyar's condemnation of this act. Take for example, the Sharada Act. Those who opposed this Act say that it was against the Sastras to conduct the marriage of a girl after she has attained puberty. They further say that those who conduct such marriages are committing a sin and therefore will go to hell.[27]
Chastity[edit]
Periyar claimed that "household duties" have risen out of the foolishness of people and were not natural duties.[28] He went on to say that it was our selfish greed which has multiplied our household work. Nobody need worry that without household work, the women will lose their "chastity". On chastity, Periyar went on to say that it is something that belongs to women and is not a pledge to men. Whatever, chastity is, it was something that belonged to individuals.
In society, it was believed that if people lose their chastity, they will get divine punishment. Others are not going to get that punishment. Referring to the doctrines of institutionalized orthodox religions, he went on to say that men need not to worry themselves that women are committing a sin by not doing household work. Thus, let men realize that women are not slaves and that men are not their masters or guardians. Women should be allowed to develop the competence to protect themselves and their chastity and men need not be their watchdogs. He also believed that it was derogatory for men to play such a role.[citation needed]
It was said by the orthodox[who?] that women will develop diseases if they lose their chastity. The disease that a woman gets affects the husbands also. If we[who?] educate the women, they will develop the capability to keep themselves and their husbands pure. Thus, Periyar stated in the Kudi Arasu for the society to think deeply about taking a decision and do the right thing for their sisters and girl children.[29]
Periyar kindled the thoughts of everybody by also ridiculing the use of the word chastity only with reference to women. (Periyar-Father of Tamil 32) He stated that character is essential for both men and women and that speaking of chastity only with reference to women degraded not merely women but men also. He extended this thought and said that in any sphere of activity, civilized society cannot think of one law for men and another for women. He also said that the way most men treated their women was far worse than the way the upper class people treated the lower class, the way in which rich men treated the poor and the way in which a master treated his slave.[30]
Education[edit]
On education, Periyar stated that some foolish parents believe that if girls get educated, they will correspond with their secret lovers. That it is a very foolish and mischievous notion. No parent need be anxious about it. If a girl writes a letter, it will only be to a male. We can even now caution men not to read any love letter addressed to them by a woman and, even if they read it, not to reply to it. If men do not listen to this advice, they, as well as the girls who write them must be punished. It will be a hopelessly bad thing, if parents keep their girl children uneducated for this reason.[29]
At a speeched delivered by Periyar at the Prize Distribution function in the Municipal School for Girls at Karungal Palayam, Erode, he stated that girl children should be taught active and energetic exercises like running, high jump, long jump,and wrestling so that they may acquire the strength and courage of men. Their time and energy should not be wasted in light pastimes like Kummi (groups going in a circle, clapping their hands rhythmically) and in Kolatam (striking with sticks rhythmically).
In ancient Tamil literature, poets have stressed the value of education for women. In a famous verse, a poet by the name of Naladiar stated that, "What gives beauty to a woman is not the hair style or the patter of her dress or the saffron on her face but only education".[31] In a verse of Eladhi it states, "Beauty does not lie in the style of wailing or in the charm of a blush but only in the combination of numbers and letters (education).[32]
In a 1960 issue of Viduthalai Periyar stated that "There should be a drastic revolution in the desires and ideals of Indian women. They should equip themselves to do all types of work that men are doing. They should have good domestic life without allowing nature's obstacles in their own lives. Therefore, there should be a welcome change in the minds of our women. The administrators also most pay special attention to the advancement of women".[33]
Armed forces[edit]
Periyar advocated for women to be given weapons to protect themselves in reply to a question put in the Central Legislature. He stated that we have no hope that the state governments will do anything in this sphere because most of the state ministers hold the orthodox belief that women are slavish creatures.[34] Though here and there we[who?] find women also as ministers, they are old-fashioned traditionalists who will say, "We don't want any kind of freedom. We are perfectly happy with slavery".[33]
In Periyar's time he explained that ""Indian" women had no self-determination in any sphere of life like education property and marriage. They thought that modern civilization meant dressing themselves like British and American women and adorning themselves. Even our educated women do not entertain any thought that they must enter the police and army departments and learn to pilot airplanes like the women of Russia and Turkey. Just as modern education has made men cowards an book-worms, it has made our women decoratie [sic] dolls and weaklings".[33]
In a leading article written by Periyar in Viduthalai in 1946, he claimed that unless there is a drastic, fundamental and revolutionary change in our[who?] administrative machinery, it is impossible to make our women independent beings.[33]
Periyar goes on to explain that in our country also, there are thousands of women with the courage, competence and desire to work in the police department. Just as girls going to school was considered wonderful and cycle-riding by girls was considered funny, a few years ago, women on police duty may appear to be wonderful or strange for a few years. Then, in course of time, this will be considered natural.[33]
We[who?] need methods that will effect an astounding revolution in the world of women. Until we acquire those methods, we will be moving forward like a tortoise and writing and talking about Drowpath and Sita.[35]
Periyar, in a 1932 article of Kudi Arasu, explained that "women should develop physical strength like men. They must take exercise and get training in the use of weapons. They must acquire the ability to protect themselves when any sex-mad person tries to molest them. They should get the necessary training to join the armey [sic] when need arises and fight the enemy. This is the view of all civilized people. Women also wholeheartedly support this view. When the general view in the world is like this, who can accept the statement of some people that there is no use in giving higher education to women?"[33]
Birth control[edit]
"Others advocate birth-control, with a view of preserving the health of women and conserving family property; but we advocate it for the liberation of women."[36]
In the Kudi Arasu of 1932, Periyar explained the basic differences between the reasons given to us for contraception and the reasons given by others for this. We say that contraception is necessary for women to gain freedom. Others advocate contraception taking into consideration many problems like the health of women, the health and energy of the children, the poverty of the country and the maintenance of the family property. Many Westerners also support contraception for the same reasons. Our view is not based on these considerations. We recommend that women should stop delivering children altogether because conception stands in the way of women enjoying personal freedom. Further, begetting a number of children prevents men also from being free and independent. This truth will be clear if we listen to talk of men and women when their freedom is hampered.[33]
He went on to say how birth control does not aim at preventing the birth of children altogether, but aims only at limiting births. A man and his wife may have two children, or at the most, three children. This birth control policy is against bringing forth an unlimited number of children.[37]
While Periyar and the Self-Respect movement were advocating for birth control, Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachariar) very strongly opposed it. Others who opposed birth control was Thiru Adhithanar, the publisher of an extremely popular newspaper, Dina Thandhi at the time. In response to Rajaji's stand against birth control, Periyar explained that he was against this since he was of the Vedic Brahmin community that staunchly engrossed in the Manu Dharma. Thus, limiting births of overpopulation would limit diseases and death from many and therefore leave Brahmin priests without a job of doing ceremonies for the sick and funerals. In a 1959 article of Viduthalai he exclaimed that "If people like Rajaji discover new islands, make the forests habitable, do propaganda for the birth of more and more children and have farms for the upbringing of children, we may be in a position to understand them."[38]
During the late 1950s, 80 percent of the men and 90 percent of the women in Tamil Nadu were illiterate. Siriyar argued in a 1959 article in Viduthalai that "in this situation, if birth control is not practiced and people are allowed to have any number of children, the result will be the multiplication of castes among the "Sudras", like washermen, barbers, pot-makers, kuravas or gypsies, hunters, fishermen, famers [sic], toddy tappers, padayachies, pillars, cobblers, pariahs, and a thousand others and a limitless increase in population. The increase in population will force the 'Sudras' to preserve themselves from starvation by standing with folded hands before lazy fellows and calling them 'swami', 'master' and 'landlord'. What good result can we expect if birth control is not adopted?"[39]
Previously in a 1933 article of the Kudi Arasu, Periyar, in his words, explained that "even a High Court Judge in India does not know the amount of trouble that a mother takes to bring up a child. If a husband is kind to his wife and shows concern for her health and happiness, he must adopt the contraceptive method. Otherwise, he must be one who could manage to see that in delivery and in the brining [sic] up of children, she does not have much trouble. Therefore, the proper thing to do now is to drastically cut the expenses mentioned above and spend money on the proper upbringing of children with the help of nurses."[40]
Property rights and divorce[edit]
With regards to property rights for women, Periyar stated that there was no difference between men and women. He went on to say that like men, women should have the right to own property and enjoy its benefits. With regards to divorce or separations, he advocated that a woman can lie away from her husband if he is an undesirable person and if he has nay virulent disease. When a woman has to live apart from her husband in these circumstances, she is entitled to maintenance allowance and a claim on the husband's property. Even if a widow gets remarried, she must be given the right to claim a share of the first husband's property.[41]
On February 4, 1946, the Central Legislature passed an Act giving the right the Hindu married woman to get from her husband in certain circumstances a separate place to live in and a maintenance allowance. Periyar explained how that it was a useless Act. since it seems that the members of the Hindu Mahasabha and Sanadahnis agitated against the grant of even this right.[42]
Dowry[edit]
On the Dowry system practiced widely throughout the Indian sub-continent not only by Hindus but Christians too, Periyar calls it a "serious disease that was spreading fast amongst Tamilians". He went on to state that the disease was also found in its virulent form among the Andhras and the Brahmins of Tamil Nadu. Periyar also argued that if a man with property worth one lakh has three daughters, he has to become a beggar by the time these daughters are married. In the name of dowry, the parents of the young men who marry the three daughters, squeeze the man's property out of him.[43]
In the 1959 issue of Viduthalai, Periyar stated that, "according to a new legislation, women have the right to a share of the parents' property. Therefore every girl will definitely get her legitimate share from the parents' wealth - if the parents are wealth. It is inhuamane [sic] on the part of the parents of a boy to dump on him a girl whom he does not like and to plan to such as much as they can from the property of the girl's father. There is basically no difference between selling education and love for money and selling one's chastity for money. 'Prostitute' is a germ of contempt for a woman; a boy should not be reduced by his avaricous [sic] parents to get the name, 'a prostituted boy' or 'a boy that has been sold'. A father-in-law who has means, however miserly he may be by nature, will not be indifferent when his daughter suffers out of poverty. Therefore, it is very shameful on the part of the bridegroom's parents to demand from the bride's father that at the time of the marriage he should gie jewels worth so many thousands along with so many thousand rupees as dowry and that he should provide the bridegroom with a house and a care. The fact that another party makes such demands at the time of his daughter's marriage does not justify any parent's demands at the time of his son's wedding. All people must realize that both demanding and giving dowry are wrong and they must boldly declare this when occasion arises."[44]
Periyar calls the dowry an evil and exploitative practice depriving tens of thousands of talented and beautiful young women with sound character remaining spinsters without any chance of getting married.[45]
Devadasis[edit]
Among the atrocities the Tamil society committed against women was the practice of keeping some women attached to temples as Devadasis. Dr. Muthulakshmi proposed the resolution at the Madras Legislature that the Devadasi system should be abolished. The Government wanted comments on that from all important people. Periyar in his statement pointed out that the Devadasi system was a disgrace to Hindu religion. The fact that, in the name of a temple or a god, some women are kept as common property is an insult to all the women in the society. He also remarked that the prevalence of this system encouraged immorality among men and thus set the pattern for unprincipled life in many families. This was stoutly opposed in the Assembly by Satyamurthi Iyer, an orthodox Congress member, under the pretext of safeguarding the Hindu traditions. It should be said to the credit of Dr. Muthulakshmi and the leaders like Periyar that the proposal of the Doctor was accepted and a law was enacted against the Devadasi system.[30]
Periyar's example of the degradation of women in the Devadasi system is explained that "if a man's physical passion is aroused when his wife is not with him, he immediately goes to a prostitute. Rough stones are planted where cows and bufaloes [sic] graze to facilitate the animals to rub against the stones when they feel like it.[46] Likewise, Devadasis served in temples and in all villages rough stones planted on the borders and they say that these two (employing devadasis and the planting rough stones) are aamong [sic] the 32 dharmas mentioned in the sastras. When we consider why his kindness to the suffering and also the 32 dharmas are all bogus".[46]
Resolutions passed[edit]
As the Self-Respect conference held in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu in 1929, the following were among the many resolutions passed with regards for women's rights:
Women should be given equal right along with men for the family property.
There should be no objection to employing women to any job for which they are qualified.[47]
Schools, particularly schools, should try to employ only women teachers.
At the conference held in Erode in 1930, the same resolutions were passed again reminding the delegates and others that the interest of women was still uppermost in Periyar's mind. M.R. Jayakar who presided oer the Erode conference was greatly impressed by the progressive views of Periyar and other members. He was particularly happy that the movement included not merely non-Brahmin Hindus but Christians and Muslims too. He pointed out that the Self-Respect movement was more progressive than Congress. Furthermore, at the Virudhnagar conference the women members held a separate conference and passed some resolutions demanding that women should have the right to select their life partners without any consideration of religion or community and that weddings should not involve wasteful expenditure and elaborate ceremonies.[47]
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Due to a faulty air conditioner in NR31, the Great Southern this week didn't run in its usual lineup. It was replaced with NR44 and an additional NR74, in the Ghan Livery was added at Sydney, creating a quite colourful lash up. It was seen here in Tamrookum, on the journey back to Adelaide with 2BT8.
2023/01/23
Italian postcard by World Collection, no. p.c. 418. Photo: Olympia. Brandon Lee in Rapid Fire (Dwight H. Little, 1992).
American actor and martial arts artist Brandon Lee (1965-1993) was more than the son of his famous father. His last film The Crow (1994), will be forever remembered in years to come for his acting talent. During the shooting of the film, Brandon died by an accidental gunshot wound from a faulty prop revolver. In 2000, he returned to the screen in a little Swedish film.
Brandon Bruce Lee was born in Oakland, California, the USA in 1965 to Martial Arts idol and film star Bruce Lee and Linda Lee Cadwell, an American of Swedish heritage. He was born on Chinese New Year's eve, the last day of the dragon. Brandon had a sister, Shannon Lee. Brandon was born with blond hair. As he aged, his hair color changed to brown. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts from his father. In 1970-1971, the family moved to Hong Kong, and at the age of 8, Brandon was fluent in Cantonese. After Bruce Lee's untimely death in 1973, Brandon, his mother, and his sister moved to Los Angeles. He attended Boston's Art-Oriented Emerson College in Massachusetts and studied Martial Arts and drama, like his father. In 1983, he was expelled from school because of misbehaviour but received his diploma at Miraleste High School. Having chosen an acting career, Lee took his work seriously. He studied at the Strasberg Academy, with Eric Morris in New York and in Los Angeles, and in Lynette Katselas' class in Los Angeles. His first professional job as an actor came at age twenty when casting director Lynn Stalmaster asked him to read for a CBS television film, Kung Fu: The Movie (Richard Lang, 1986) with David Carradine. It was a spin-off of the 1970s television series Kung Fu (1972-1975). Lee's first role in a feature film was Long zai jiang hu/Legacy of Rage (Ronny Yu, 1986), Lee's first and only Hong Kong film and spoken in Cantonese. Dee Reid at IMDb: "Brandon Lee is in fine form here (despite never hearing his natural speaking voice), though the film itself - written and directed by Hong Kong action veteran Ronny Yu (who would later gain fame in the West with the American horror films Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason, and the martial arts epic Fearless with Jet Li) - is somewhat of a mixed bag; it's more or less a standard action film, with lots of stuff about gangsters, drugs, and John Woo-style gun-play. " Shortly after, on television, Lee played a lead in the pilot Kung Fu: The Next Generation (Tony Wharmby, 1987), and guest-starred in an episode of the television series Ohara (1988) with Pat Morita. He also starred in the B-film Laser Mission (BJ Davis, 1989) with Ernest Borgnine. In Hollywood, Brandon Lee co-starred with Dolph Lundgren in the buddy cop action film Showdown in Little Tokyo (Mark L. Lester, 1991). They play two L.A. cops with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza while trying to protect a beautiful woman (Tia Carrere). Next, he was in Rapid Fire (Dwight H. Little, 1992) with Powers Boothe. Lee also did the fight choreography. While some critics liked the film, most felt the script was too simple, however, almost all described Lee to be charismatic, in a slick Hollywood action film. Dee Reid at IMDb: "it was a showcase for his fighting talents. Rapid Fire is decent, certainly not perfect, but very fun to watch nonetheless." Lee turned down the offer to play his father in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (Rob Cohen, 1993). The role was later given to Jason Scott Lee.
In 1992, Brandon Lee landed his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in Alex Proyas' The Crow (1994), based on the comic book of the same name, which would be his final and best film. He died while filming at the age of 28, of what is to be believed, a brain hemorrhage on the set. The film crew shot a scene in which it was decided to use a gun without consent from the weapons coordinator, who had been sent home early that night. Michael Massee, the actor portraying Funboy, was required to fire a .44 magnum revolver loaded with blanks at Lee. The revolver had been inspected days earlier for a previously filmed scene in which it was not fired but needed to be seen loaded. Dummy rounds are used for this, which have a bullet, a spent primer, but no powder. One of the dummy rounds had a bullet, a live primer, and no powder. When test-fired, the primer propelled the bullet into the barrel, where it stopped. The gun was then rechecked, but no anomalies were found because the primer was now spent and the barrel was not inspected. Then, when filming the fateful scene days later, the same gun was used with blanks. Blanks are fully charged rounds with no bullets, but there was a bullet in the barrel. The blank round propelled it into Lee's abdomen just as if he had been shot with a live .44 magnum round. Michael Massee spent a year, devastated by what happened, deciding whether or not to return to acting. The crew only noticed when Lee was slow getting up. The doctors worked desperately for five hours, but it was no use. The bullet had lodged itself in Mr. Lee's lower spine. He was pronounced dead at 1:04 P.M. the next day. He was supposed to marry Eliza Hutton on 17 April 1993. His body was flown to Seattle to be buried beside his father in Lake View Cemetery. With the blessing of Lee's family and very few scenes to shoot, the film was completed by re-writing the script, using early CGI technology and stunt doubles. Wikipedia: "Released a year after, the film is known to present Lee's dramatic abilities, in which he had less of a chance to show in his previous films. It was a commercial success and now considered a cult classic. Upon release, the film received great critical acclaim and made $50 million at the box office and was also a success overseas. Many saw parallels between Lee and his father comparing their careers as action film leading men who passed young, prior to the release of their breakthrough film, with the difference that his father demonstrated high martial arts skills, while Lee showed a strong dramatic performance." In 2000, a new film with Lee was released, the Swedish production Sex, lögner & videovåld/Sex, Lies and Video Violence (Richard Holm, 2000). In 1992 Brandon Lee came to Sweden to promote Rapid Fire (1992). His host, director Richard Holm, asked Lee to make a cameo appearance in this film, and he gladly agreed. The film was shot over an extended period between 1990 to 1993, but for different reasons delayed over and over again in post-production. Finally released in 2000, seven years after Lee's death, the film was dedicated to him, in the last line in the end credits.
Sources: Caryn Liles (IMDb), Dee Reid (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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