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CONFUSED by the orb!? Read the statement of intent below.
Statement of intent: This mini-series' purpose: to show morally questionable situations wherein the antagonist is questioning its actions. The orb is a visual representation of the antagonist's contemplation or enlightenment.
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I haven't uploaded anything in a whole long time, which is a shame, especially considering the amount of views I gained following my feature on Strobist.
Being featured on Strobist was awesome, and I can't tell you how grateful I was for David's support and everybody on the blog's. I really feel like the 200 or so days that I did my 365 for were responsible for some incredible changes in me as a photographer... and in my values, too!
I went through a little bit of a rough patch recently, just feeling a little burnt out, but I plan to post more frequently now. I've got a lot of awesome ideas, shoots to edit through, and set-ups for you all to learn from!
As well, I'm planning on kickstarting my business soon(working on business cards, a website, and a blog)!
Thank you for your support, everyone! I've come far, I feel, and I plan on going farther.
Merry Christmas. :)
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As for this shoot: It was sooo stressful. We went in to a little family-managed graveyard that borders my neighborhood, and beyond being scared we'd get the cops called on us by our nosey neighbors, we had a difficult time getting over the fence (my dad and I) especially with all the gear, but I feel the results are good!
This mini-series' purpose: to show morally questionable situations wherein the antagonist is questioning its actions. The orb is a visual representation of the antagonist's contemplation or enlightenment. I've got a couple more in mind! I hope you like it! Tell me what you think.
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And now, the tech-y stuff...
Strobist info:
Key: LP160 inside the silk lantern w/ 1/4 CTO (suspended by fishing line)
Fill: LP160 in Softliter II wayyy far back on-axis
Yoko Ono interview - full transcript
Yoko Ono interviewed by Simon Harper for http://www.clashmusic.com
Artist, singer, wife, mother, loved, loathed, legend, survivor - Yoko Ono is many things to many people, but the little person behind the big name is buried beneath a mountain of myths and misunderstandings. Clash flew to New York to meet the real Yoko Ono.
For obvious reasons, it’s quite disconcerting walking into the Dakota building. The imposing nineteenth century apartment block, which overlooks Central Park, was home to John Lennon and Yoko Ono throughout the Seventies, and, as you pass through the gates of the main entrance, you realise you’re walking in the last footsteps Lennon ever took. That Yoko still lives here, still passes the place where her husband was murdered twenty-nine years ago, demonstrates the strong-will, bravery and resilience of a woman that has endured years of antipathy purely for marrying the man she loved.
These thoughts are hurtling through my head, overwhelming the nerves that were earlier festering in there and stretching down to the pit of my stomach, as I crossed the cobbled entry and into the lobby. I’m here to talk about Yoko’s new album, ‘Between The Sky And My Head’, and to focus on the pioneering spirit of the vivacious seventy-six-year-old, but the inescapable weight of her past looms large, and dominates my mind as I’m led through the winding corridors and, eventually, into her apartment - the former home of John Lennon.
Yoko Ono does not appear from a ball of flames, nor a puff of smoke. Instead, she humbly emerges from a doorway, dressed casually in a black tracksuit (and of course her ever-present shades), and walks meekly up to shake my hand. She commands your attention with only her presence.
‘Between The Sky And My Head’ is the first Yoko Ono album to be co-produced with her son, Sean (and the first release on his own Chimera Music label). It betrays her age by embracing the modern strains of garage rock, electro, dance and ambient classical, and, ironically, will be released in the wake of The Beatles’ latest explosion.
Sitting down at her kitchen table, I sneak a look around the room we are in - walls are decorated with Japanese prints, photos of John and Yoko, and a Lennon calendar; he still permeates her life, clearly. She asks for the air conditioning to be turned off - meanwhile I’m suffering, still recovering from the forty degree heat outside - and then the conversation begins to flow. With every answer comes a shy chuckle, she peers over her glasses and stares straight into my eyes. With just a look, I know if my line of questioning has strayed too far, and I change tack. We start, naturally, at the beginning...
You apparently became heavily involved with art and music while at college...
No, no, not really... Did I tell you this or did you read somewhere that...
I read that you’d...
About the fact that I went to school, pre-school; you don’t call it nursery, it’s called Jiyugakuen. Jiyugakuen is like a freedom garden - when you translate it it’s garden of freedom - it was a school in Japan. I’d say it was maybe still there. In the 1930s my mother put me in there. It’s a school where you get very early music education: perfect pitch, harmony, everything.
They start you young.
Yeah. It was very interesting thing that happened then - I didn’t think it was anything at the time, but one of the homeworks was to listen to all the sounds and the noise of the day and transcribe it into music notes. Isn’t that amazing?
It’s very kind of New Age now, isn’t it?
New Age, yes. And in music you start to sort of develop a kind of ear that’s very different. For instance, they would just ask you to listen to the sound of the clock going ‘ding, ding, ding, ding’, and they’d say, ‘Well, how many times did it ring?’ And you have it in your head, so you have to repeat in your head, that sort of thing. It was a very, very interesting education I got.
You wrote a piece for Clash a couple of years ago - we asked you to do a New Year’s message, and you wrote about growing up in Japan after the bomb. We just marked the anniversary for Hiroshima bombing...
Oh, I remember it; I remember very clearly. It’s a very interesting thing: my father travelled a lot and he came to New York, and we came to New York and we lived in Scarsdale or somewhere like that, briefly, and then just before the war started there was incredible tension between the United States and Japan, and we were all warned that we should go back to Japan. So, we all went back to Japan, and then sure enough there was a war; it started. It was a very, very difficult time really.
Do you think that your generation that remember the bomb grew up with a different perspective on life?
Yes, and I’m very lucky that I had that experience because otherwise I would have been one of those kids, those prep school kids that are like, ‘Ha ha everything’s okay’, but no, it wasn’t okay at all. We were evacuated to some farm land, and the farmers were not very nice to us; they felt like, ‘This is our time, you city people’. So, we didn’t get very much food, for instance. I mean, that was a surprise; I’d never had an experience like that - of course, very few people have that kind of experience.
How do you mark the anniversary now? I know you Twittered a message on Hiroshima day. Do you think about it when the day comes round, or is it a day you try not to think about it?
Well, each time there was a message where they wanted to play my music or something, whatever it was... You can’t ignore it, but also I think it’s very good to bring it out and ask people to remember it, because it might just sort of discourage some people to again create a war like that. I don’t know, it seems like we’re just screaming in the wind or something.
Did the musical training of your youth teach you to write more instinctive, or is it more intellectualized?
Instinctively. I think that I’m trying to stick to spontaneity of my inspiration, and it’s an emotional accumulation or outburst; I think that’s more real. I was just saying in another interview, with this record especially, I felt there’s a hodge-podge element that I love. The thing is, when you put a classical music record out, in your head, just like when I was four-years-old, there’s so many different noises going in and out - you’re experiencing what is in the street or what is inside the house, and then at one point maybe you have jingles coming out - but you ignore that, you sanitise it, and you make sure that there’s just classical music only on the CD. Even just that is so boring for me, so with this, you notice with this record that I made, there’s so many different styles just jumping out; the first is the screamer, and then right after that there’s the dance stuff, and then you think it’s gonna be dance music but then there’s pop music or something. In other words, I was not scared to not streamline it, in terms of the forms of music.
As testament to your diversity, back in the ’60s you played with the jazz legend Ornette Coleman - and you just did the Meltdown Festival in London with him.
I was so amazed; it was exciting, because both of us survived in a way (laughs). There’s so many people that we knew that are not here anymore; it was interesting.
Is he a good friend to work with?
He was always a very gentle person, I think that’s how he survived maybe. I’m sure there’s some anger in him, of course - the racism and all that and how they were treated. And also jazz is not a very popular field, compared to rock and pop and all that, so he must have gone through all that and some pain as well, but instead of that, he’s always sort of gentle; it’s amazing.
Your reputation and acceptance from the general public and Beatles fans has become gradually more prevalent over the years. You’re finally being embraced...
Yes, I’m much more accepted now, thank God I’m sure, but when you go on the Internet, some people are still extremely upset with me! (Laughs)
How do you cope with that level of cruelty?
Isn’t it amazing? It’s a bit scary, so that’s why I’m always very careful; in that sense I’m not displaying my courage. (Laughs)
Having to continue your career after John’s death was a very brave move in the first place, and the fact that you’re still here with a new album is very admirable.
I was so surprised and interested in that film called The Pianist, where the pianist is that Jewish guy who’s always being banged around, but he’s always [mimes playing the piano] - in his head he’s always playing the piano. That’s how I survived. Many composers, like my first husband [composer Toshi Ichiyanagi]; we would be in a restaurant and he would be sitting there like, ‘da da dun da’ [mimes playing piano on table], and I’d be doing that too. We are not communicating, we are living in our heads; that was the reason I survived, I think - it was the music that made me survive.
Your previous album, ‘Yes I’m A Witch’, endeared you greatly with the indie scene - you gave your songs to some excellent artists to remix: Cat Power, Antony Hegarty...
Aren’t they incredible?
And it was a great album. Was it a good album to make? Did you have fun hearing what they did to your music?
I really respect Antony. Antony is an incredible artist, the way he sings and everything is fantastic!
It’s out of this world isn’t it?
You see, I think about sounds as an independent art from composition. In the ‘Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band’ [1970 album] , when we did [opening track] ‘Why’, I was interested in breaking the sound barrier with it. Breaking the sound barrier for the music world, like ‘Boom!’ And we did it.
Making an impact!
We did it! But of course instead of what we thought we did, I had a huge, huge trash can, saying ‘Yoko Ono’s record’, and everybody’s standing like this (throwing the record in), in Japan. John was like, ‘In Japan? It’s your own country!”
Were you aware of the artists who worked on ‘Yes I’m A Witch’ before you made the record? Did you trust them with your songs?
Well, it all just happened, like, ‘Well, what do you think about this one?’ I was not aware of them, but I immediately became aware of him [Antony] especially.
So, this album is co-produced with Sean.
Yeah, isn’t that great?
What’s your working relationship like?
I was very nervous - well, at first I was not nervous... When Sean said, ‘We should do an album - your album...’ Now I say, ‘Don’t say “your album”: it’s a Chimera [Sean’s label] album, okay? Don’t say “your album” like it’s something you want to push outside.” And he said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ So I said, [sheepishly] ‘Okay...’ I had no concern about it. I thought it was great; we’d have the chance to be together. I don’t know how you feel about your parents - there’s a point where you just want to ignore your parents, and just call when you need money! (Laughs) ‘Hello, do you have any cash?’ The thing is, I thought, it’s not just that I’m gonna get a call - I’m gonna be with him. That was my concern; that was the reason why I wanted to do it initially. And then a few people said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? Because mother and son can be very difficult.’ Maybe, but I didn’t really think that. There was something instinctive about it; I didn’t think it was gonna be bad, and it wasn’t bad - in fact, we sort of like discovered each other - well, maybe Sean would say that he didn’t discover me... (Laughs) I discovered the fact that he knew so much of my music; that was a real surprise. And so, as a music director, first of all he got the best studio for me, that was the best thing - it’s not known to be the best maybe, but he said, ‘It’s good and it has this funky sound; this will be the best.’ It just makes you comfortable being in there, too. It’s not a state-of-art kind of place. And then he collected all those musicians.
He chose a combination of Japanese and American musicians...
Well, the Japanese ones, it’s a very strange thing. Sean wanted me to come to Tokyo to join him in this concert he was doing. He said, ‘Why don’t you come to this concert? I’d like you to be a part of it.’ And I said, ‘You mean I’m gonna go all the way to Japan just for this one concert? That sounds crazy!’ But then I thought, ‘Okay, it’s my son, it’s my son.’ So, I went there. I started to sing, and there was a point that - this was a song that was like a constructed song and they probably knew it - but in the end I was just going for the spontaneity kind of thing, spontaneously going to vocal modulation - I’m not using the word ‘scream’ because you’re going to use that anyway! And it just went up and up, and I thought, ‘They can’t follow this - they won’t know when I stop it.’ And I just went, [raises hand] ‘Uh’, and they just stopped. I thought, ‘Oh my God, who are these people?’ I just looked back and it was the Japanese trio [Yuka Honda and members of Cornelius’ band], and I thought, ‘Hmmm, okay!’ So, when Sean said we should make a record, I said, ‘Okay, well get those two or three.’ So that was the main character, the main sort of people.
Did he tend to boss you around in the studio?
No, he didn’t. Well, alright, so he tried probably! (Laughs)
Your stature and your fame means that you could probably work with anybody, so why did you choose these Japanese and Americans, and what did you hope they would do together?
I’m probably arrogant to the point of unbearable! (Laughs) The idea of Plastic Ono Band was that anybody can be the band. Before I met John - the name Plastic Ono Band was named by him, so we didn’t have the name at the time - I was asked to go to a university or something in the United States, pre-John Lennon, so I go, and they of course want me to perform as well. So I just said, ‘You, you and you, why don’t you just come and play?’ In other words, I didn’t check their credentials, because I thought I can just do it and it will be beautiful. And so, with this group too - the three Japanese musicians were very good - then Sean invited all these other people; they were all very good. I think in terms of the spirit of things, not credentials.
The art is in the spontaneity.
Yeah.
You were, and still are, a great symbol and crusader of women’s rights.
Yes!
Now that you’re in your seventies, do you think you’re leading the way to defy the expectations of septuagenarians?
(Laughs) Well, I’m not that conscious of it. If I am conscious of it, whether I’m conscious or not, if I can’t make it I can’t make it. But it happens to be, you know, I’m not feeling old; I’m feeling very excited about life every day.
That’s good, and it’s reflected in the vitality of the music.
Well, after I finished that one, it was like, ‘We have to do a second one, Sean!’ And he was saying, ‘Yeah, yeah, we have to’, because I got some ideas, of course; when you’re making music you get more inspired.
Talking of improvisation, I read that most of the lyrics on the album are improvised. Do you think that it makes them less ripe for studying, or that since they came from your subconscious, they are much more of a window into your true thoughts?
Oh, definitely. For instance, some critics have criticised John for his lyrics being too personal, that his songs are personal. So? That’s why it’s good! (Laughs)
What else are you gonna write about?
You know what I mean? It’s crazy to think that if we create a fictional situation it is more legitimate. We don’t think that; I don’t think that. I’m giving my guts; I’m giving myself.
Are you aware of the lyrics when you’re making them, or afterwards, when you listen to what you sang, do you go, ‘Wow, where did that come from?’ Do you know where the lyrics are coming from when you sing them?
I don’t know, and even when I listen to it after I don’t know. I don’t think about it that way. It’s very interesting, one of the CDs - we call it CD now, but LP - somebody in this building, actually, said, ‘You know, on your album, your voice sounds very much like the Spanish when they dance...’
Flamenco?
Yeah. I said, ‘Oh, really?’ And, you see, I never connect those things, but then I thought maybe I was a Spaniard one day a long time ago, who knows?
There are a number of references to water throughout the album - is that of any significance to you?
Water’s very important. I created a song called ‘We Are All Water’, remember, a long, long time ago, and the reason is because we are 90% water.
We’re tidal.
We are water - we better be very careful. Oh, this is another thing that I just learned - it’s a new thing I learnt, and I really think it would be good if you can just put it in... You know, we know, and we keep saying as hippies or yuppies or zippies (laughs), that what we do or what we think affects the whole world - you, me, anybody. So then now, two scientists discovered that - they were checking how the waves are made in the ocean - just anything that gets into the water, whether it’s a tiny acorn or a little boy splashing, affects the whole ocean. Isn’t that amazing? But you know what that means? It’s not just on land, but it’s in the ocean - both ways we’re all together; we’re just one.
It’s the same on land as well.
Yeah, of course. The land one, we always said whatever we think or whatever we say affects everybody.
My favourite songs of the album are perhaps the most poignant ones, ‘Memory Of Footsteps’ and ‘I’m Going Away Smiling’.
Oh, really? Oh, that’s so sweet of you.
What do those ones mean to you? Are they poignant to you as well?
Yeah. ‘I’m Going Away Smiling’ made me cry, of course.
It made me cry as well!
(Laughs) At Meltdown I just couldn’t sing it. I just thought, ‘Okay, I better sing it with the lyrics in front’. It was a disaster in that sense - it wasn’t a disaster, but it’s just very difficult. Like, ‘Walking On Thin Ice’ is a very difficult song for me to sing because there are so many memories. It’s that kind of thing. That’s one that’s very difficult for me to sing. The other one, ‘Memory oO Footsteps’, yeah, that one too, but not as much as ‘I’m Going Away Smiling’. After I wrote ‘I’m Going Away Smiling’ and recorded it, I thought I better put the end bit in, you know, [the final line] “I’m alive!”
Yeah, it’s a defiant spirit right at the end. I didn’t know whether it was a happy statement or that you were surprised to be alive.
It was not a surprise. There’s a certain anger in that: ‘You think I’m dead, right? I’m alive!’ The reason is because we’re at the time when... it’s a very difficult time - all of us are scared shitless in a way - and of course the economic shock and some people thinking there’s a Doomsday coming or something, so it’s really good to sort of hammer things and say, ‘I’m alive!’ (Laughs)
People must presume that a lot of your songs about John. Is he still your main inspiration behind your music?
I never thought about that one.
I saw the Lennon exhibition at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Annex in New York... I’m so glad. It was the last time I was in New York. I was here for a day, and I thought, ‘What do I want to do? I’m here for a day what should I go and do?’
I’m so glad. Isn’t it great?
Yeah, it was fantastic! What were your plans for that exhibition? It takes you on a journey doesn’t it?
Well, it’s the New York City (years), and to focus on that period, which was a very important period: he was in love in New York City, and that’s where he was killed. So it’s a very, very important point in his life, I thought.
I found it very moving. It’s only a small space, but when you start you see the performances and the lyrics, and John is alive and well, and then it comes to the end, and it’s almost like in the space of this room you’ve been on that journey. You got criticism for including John’s bloody glasses and the clothes he was killed in.
I know. I thought I would get criticism. The point is, you can’t help it; if you want to do something good creatively, there’s always gonna be somebody saying there’s something wrong. That was a creative effort. I mean, the point is to put that in there. I knew that some people would be very upset, but I thought it was very important to do that, and you were sharing my extreme, extreme sadness that I felt at the time.
How much of your time is dealt with business affairs of The Beatles and does that detract from your own creativity or your own art?
I don’t know. It seems like a suitcase that you can fill more than you think, you know? (Laughs) It’s that kind of thing.
When you make decisions on John’s behalf, for what John would do, are those made personally by you or do you have people to give you advice?
Depends. Most of the time I get like twenty requests a week and then I have to sort it out; ‘This is a good one.’
Just to touch briefly on the new Beatles things that are coming out, the re-masters and the Rock Band, in terms of the Rock Band, what did you think when you were approached by that, did it excite you?
Yeah, it did excite me. John was like that and I am like that too, but we always just jump on a new media, and this is great. I even went to Boston when they were making it: fifty people, all young generation computer experts - they have to be young to understand it! (Laughs) They’re all there making the images, you know? It was very exciting.
It looks fantastic. It looks like it’s all gonna kick off in September
Isn’t that great?
It’s a good date, because John was a fan of the number nine.
Yeah, it’s great. I love it.
It’s 09/09/09.
Well, it’s a very strong thing, 090909, yeah.
And in terms of the re-masters, have you heard the new music, the re-mastered albums? They sound fantastic.
Which one?
They’ve re-mastered all the albums.
Isn’t that great?
I got to hear them in Abbey Road, and it was incredible.
You went to Abbey Road?
Yeah. You’re an active Twitter user, what do you make of the new kind of social network thing?
Listen, I’m into everything, right? (Laughs) It’s really great. I don’t answer [messages from] everybody, but some people are very into that step into future. For me it’s a very good education.
You’re very dedicated to humanitarian causes - what role do you think Twitter and getting your message out there can play?
Well, I’m glad that I can get new messages out there, because if I wrote a book or something nobody’s going to read it! (Laughs) What I mean is it’s always good to go with the new media, where they’re all there, so you can really talk to them. I think Twitter’s very good. How did Twitter become Twitter?
As in the name? I don’t know...
It’s a nice name, Twitter. (Laughs)
It’s almost as flippant as the act of Twittering itself. So, you’ve been advocating for peace for most of your life - do you think the world has become more aware of the plight?
Yes, yes, yes! When John and I were doing it, it was sort of like Salvation Army kind of people standing on street corners, handing out pamphlets or something, and nobody wanted to know. We did the Bed-In [in Amsterdam and Montreal] - we thought it was pretty good, but at the time they didn’t think it was pretty good! (Laughs) But I think the humour of it, I thought surely they get the humour of it? We’re in bed! (Laughs)
Yeah, ‘Come on, keep up!’
Yeah, but they didn’t; so funny.
With everyone that reads your Twitter updates or any message you put out, if you could inspire them to do something, what would you hope that they did?
Well, I think that together we’re getting wiser and wiser, and if I can contribute to that in some way I’m very happy, because becoming wiser is almost synonymous to getting this world into a peaceful place.
We’ll get there eventually.
Yeah, we’re getting there.
Do you see this album as a competition to the latest releases by young bands, or are you competing on a level with your contemporaries?
I never thought about those things. When you make an album, you make an album that you think is good and great - most artists are narcissists, and they have to be if they want to survive! (Laughs) So, you make an album as best as you can, and what are you gonna do, check who’s gonna listen to it? I never know what’s going on in that sense. You keep saying ‘young people’, but I never ask their age, first of all; they might be fourteen or they might be fifty, I don’t know! (Laughs)
You said earlier about the patchwork quality of the songs.
Yeah, I love that.
Were you worried that it wasn’t gonna fit, that people might think it doesn’t work together?
I couldn’t care less. Maybe that’s why I was slow in being appreciated, because I don’t care about those things. But the first song, ‘Waiting For The D-train’, some people were saying, ‘Don’t put ‘Waiting For The D Train’ first, because they’re all gonna think that the whole thing is gonna be a screamer.’ I said, ‘This is selectivity, we select the people.’ If they don’t want to hear about this album after that, then go to another album.
I don’t think it matters nowadays anyway - people don’t listen to albums anymore, they listen to songs. If you get a good song, people will download the song or buy the song. Sean has obviously come into his own as an artist...
Did you know that? The point is, it seems that before, before I recognised it or started to understand or appreciate it, it seems like everybody knows that. He’s a very good, talented musician.
Yeah, obviously he’s forged his own career.
I don’t know, he could get crushed by the history of it all. (Laughs)
It’s commendable that he isn’t!
Yeah, he just survived, you know?
When you see him working in music, who do you see more of in him, is it you or his dad?
His dad, definitely, because I was making [music] with John and I remember that experience, so I have to - it’s bad, maybe - but I just compare it; I can’t help it.
Yoko Ono interviewed by Simon Harper for ClashMusic.com
This is Ania in Poznan, questioning why concrete should be the foil for the youth and very old in photographs, can't we all contrast with it?
The concrete in question is part of the base for a huge war memorial in Poznan, built by the communist authorities in that inhuman stylised way that they used to pretend concern that never touched them.
Ania was born in communist Poland and had to grow up with the propoganda, so another contrast of this picture is the ugly balanced by a mind that survived the propoganda.
Interestingly enough, the ever-lasting flame has gone out, but the ever-lasting youth has taken overt the monument as skateboard park.
Among School Children
I
I walk through the long schoolroom questioning;
A kind old nun in a white hood replies;
The children learn to cipher and to sing,
To study reading-books and histories,
To cut and sew, be neat in everything
In the best modern way - the children's eyes
In momentary wonder stare upon
A sixty-year-old smiling public man.
II
I dream of a Ledaean body, bent
Above a sinking fire. a tale that she
Told of a harsh reproof, or trivial event
That changed some childish day to tragedy -
Told, and it seemed that our two natures blent
Into a sphere from youthful sympathy,
Or else, to alter Plato's parable,
Into the yolk and white of the one shell.
III
And thinking of that fit of grief or rage
I look upon one child or t'other there
And wonder if she stood so at that age -
For even daughters of the swan can share
Something of every paddler's heritage -
And had that colour upon cheek or hair,
And thereupon my heart is driven wild:
She stands before me as a living child.
IV
Her present image floats into the mind -
Did Quattrocento finger fashion it
Hollow of cheek as though it drank the wind
And took a mess of shadows for its meat?
And I though never of Ledaean kind
Had pretty plumage once - enough of that,
Better to smile on all that smile, and show
There is a comfortable kind of old scarecrow.
V
What youthful mother, a shape upon her lap
Honey of generation had betrayed,
And that must sleep, shriek, struggle to escape
As recollection or the drug decide,
Would think her Son, did she but see that shape
With sixty or more winters on its head,
A compensation for the pang of his birth,
Or the uncertainty of his setting forth?
VI
Plato thought nature but a spume that plays
Upon a ghostly paradigm of things;
Solider Aristotle played the taws
Upon the bottom of a king of kings;
World-famous golden-thighed Pythagoras
Fingered upon a fiddle-stick or strings
What a star sang and careless Muses heard:
Old clothes upon old sticks to scare a bird.
VII
Both nuns and mothers worship images,
But those the candles light are not as those
That animate a mother's reveries,
But keep a marble or a bronze repose.
And yet they too break hearts - O Presences
That passion, piety or affection knows,
And that all heavenly glory symbolise -
O self-born mockers of man's enterprise;
VIII
Labour is blossoming or dancing where
The body is not bruised to pleasure soul.
Nor beauty born out of its own despair,
Nor blear-eyed wisdom out of midnight oil.
O chestnut-tree, great-rooted blossomer,
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?
This fully grown female cat wandered into our home last evening looking for something to eat. After she was fed, she returned again today. She perhaps thinks that I am the person who looks the most harmless, because she keeps following me around. Therefore taking a photo of her was difficult.. She was also wary when she saw there were so many cats at our house.
With a model database of more than 100 dogs and cats I offer commercial and editorial pet photography on a commissioned basis. And with a pet picture database of more than 1000 images, I might already have what you are looking for. All pictures here can be licensed.
For licensing and commission requests: info{at}elkevogelsang.com -
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© Elke Vogelsang
20190627_Cetus_QuestioningLookFromABeaglePuppy
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
amazing, altruistic, bombastic, brave, curious, calculating, conniving, creative, celebration, determined, energetic,enthusiastic, expressive, endearing, fashion conscious, fun-loving, futuristic, gesticulating, hardworking, happy, honest, harrowing, Innocent, innovative, inventive, inquisitive, jovial, Karishmatic, laughing, linguists, musical, nature lovers, naughty, nimble-footed, omnipresent, outgoing, quiet, quick, questioning, risk taking, social, spirited, spontaneous, tireless, tantrum, ubiquitous, vibrant, vulnerable, vivacious, wonderment, ......
They make the world a wonderful and worthwhile place to live in. We are responsible to leave a better place for the generations to come...
Police were questioning a suspect in the Wednesday night shooting of a 13-year-old boy in the city's Hermosa neighborhood.
The teen suffered three bullet wounds, one to the face, as he stood in the 2000 block of North Pulaski Road, near the intersection of Armitage Avenue and Pulaski Road about 10 p.m., police spokesman Ron Gaines said.
The boy was with friends on the street when a car drove by and someone in it began firing at them, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez.
Officers in a Grand-Central District police patrol car were in the area at the time and heard the shots, Perez said. The officers were able to get to the scene in time to see the suspect's vehicle flee the scene, and police gave chase, Perez said.
The officers stopped the vehicle and then chased one person on foot before arresting him and finding a gun believed to have been used in the shooting, Perez said.
Police took three people into custody, at least one in a vehicle, following the shooting and found a weapon that may have been used in the shooting, police said initially. But by this morning, only one suspect was being questioned, Perez said.
The victim, who was responsive and talking to officers, was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, Gaines said. He suffered a gunshot wound to his face and also to his left arm and chest. He was in stable condition this morning, Perez said.
amazing, altruistic, bombastic, brave, curious, calculating, conniving, creative, celebration, determined, energetic,enthusiastic, expressive, endearing, fashion conscious, fun-loving, futuristic, gesticulating, hardworking, happy, honest, harrowing, Innocent, innovative, inventive, inquisitive, jovial, Karishmatic, laughing, linguists, musical, nature lovers, naughty, nimble-footed, omnipresent, outgoing, quiet, quick, questioning, risk taking, social, spirited, spontaneous, tireless, tantrum, ubiquitous, vibrant, vulnerable, vivacious, wonderment, ......
They make the world a wonderful and worthwhile place to live in. We are responsible to leave a better place for the generations to come...
amazing, altruistic, bombastic, brave, curious, calculating, conniving, creative, celebration, determined, energetic,enthusiastic, expressive, endearing, fashion conscious, fun-loving, futuristic, gesticulating, hardworking, happy, honest, harrowing, Innocent, innovative, inventive, inquisitive, jovial, Karishmatic, laughing, linguists, musical, nature lovers, naughty, nimble-footed, omnipresent, outgoing, quiet, quick, questioning, risk taking, social, spirited, spontaneous, tireless, tantrum, ubiquitous, vibrant, vulnerable, vivacious, wonderment, ......
They make the world a wonderful and worthwhile place to live in. We are responsible to leave a better place for the generations to come...
*Copyright © 2012 Lélia Valduga, all rights reserved.
Better than knowing the answers is to ask! The world moves through the unconformity, the questions and doubts!
Detectives probing the kidnaps of two men in Salford last month are questioning five suspects after dawn raids this morning saw properties targeted across the city and Manchester as part of the investigation.
Earlier today (Thursday 7 April) officers from our Tactical Aid Unit (TAU), alongside local officers, hit six addresses in Blackley, Gorton and Salford.
The action comes after we received a report on the evening of Thursday 24 March regarding a man being assaulted and dragged into a car by a group of three men on Clarendon Park.
Thankfully after enquiries by specialist investigators, the victim - a man in his 20s - was found safe and well with some physical injuries but none that required hospital treatment.
Subsequent enquiries have led detectives from our Swinton CID to believe that a second man - also aged in his 20s - was also targeted by the group but was able to flee from the offenders vehicle.
We think that the incidents have been targeted attacks emanating from a possible drugs dispute involving organised criminals and we're keen to ensure that any potential suspects are identified and brought to custody for questioning.
Five men aged between 20 and 30 are currently in two custody sites across Greater Manchester and await questioning on suspicion of kidnap.
Anyone with concerns or information about suspicious activity in their area should contact us online via LiveChat, if able, or by calling 101 knowing that information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Your questioning eyes are sad. They seek to know my meaning
as the moon would fathom the sea.
I have bared my life before your eyes from end to end, with
nothing hidden or held back. That is why you know me not.
If it were only a gem, I could break it into a hundred pieces
and string them into a chain to put on your neck.
If it were only a flower, round and small and sweet, I could pluck it
from its stem and set it in your hair.
But it is a heart, my beloved. Where are its shores and its bottom?
You know not the limits of this kingdom, still you are its queen.
- Rabindranath Tagore ( Nobel Laureate Indian Poet. 1861-1940)
-
amazing, altruistic, bombastic, brave, curious, calculating, conniving, creative, celebration, determined, energetic,enthusiastic, expressive, endearing, fashion conscious, fun-loving, futuristic, gesticulating, hardworking, happy, honest, harrowing, Innocent, innovative, inventive, inquisitive, jovial, Karishmatic, laughing, linguists, musical, nature lovers, naughty, nimble-footed, omnipresent, outgoing, quiet, quick, questioning, risk taking, social, spirited, spontaneous, tireless, tantrum, ubiquitous, vibrant, vulnerable, vivacious, wonderment, ......
They make the world a wonderful and worthwhile place to live in. We are responsible to leave a better place for the generations to come...
Beware of Colour - This is an urban experiment. it is a questioning of what the city is, what it has been, and what it will be. it is a re-framing of buildings that have been forgotten. they re-appear before us through pink. it is a re-invention of space. a celebration of the unapologetic. it’s a new story that needs to be written. a love letter from our creatives to our land owners, our chief executives, our politicians. we look at buildings that have been left behind by time and we caress their walls with our paint brushes. we tickle them in hopes that they will tickle her. she who walks to work in the morning her heels clinking and clanking. we play with them in hopes that they will play with him. he who sits around in the afternoon after waiting long hours in the unemployment line. we whisper out their windows in hopes that they will whisper in their ears. whisper to them: messages of hope instead of fear. we know well that safety thrives in bright pink and danger dwells in muddy browns and faded greys. hot pink laughs. dark brown frowns. hot pink dances. grey merely moves. together, we dress fear in pink in hopes that she will smile a little and join us in reinventing much.
Here's a couple of pieces that probably had some people, more specifically my wife, questioning my sanity. In my defense, it was cheap and I was in Winnipeg, so I needed a little something extra to keep me powering through the week.
Nendoroid Anna and Elsa from Frozen.
Now, I'm not as big of a Disney Nerd, as it were, as I used to be. I've always enjoyed their designs (though IMHO Aladdin beats them all), and I did enjoy the once or twice I saw Frozen. The story was cute, and the designs were quite nice. Didn't quite get into Carpool Karaoke mode that many others did when the song came on the radio, and with my children being quite young, I didn't have to endure tone dea.... I mean.. charming, renditions of the songs by my daughters.
Whist in Winnipeg, a local seller had these up for $25 a pop, albeit with slight damage to the Olaf that came with Anna. Figured it was a good opportunity to get them both at once, so one rainy morning before work I met up with the seller and got the deal one.
On a side note, the Medicom Anna and Elsa are OUTSTANDING, and I would love to get my hands on those without having to pay black market organ prices.
If you haven't watched Frozen.. somehow.. then you're probably still somewhat familiar with the characters. Anna is the plucky younger sister of the Royal family, while Elsa is quite literally an Ice Queen, and lives a life like Bruce Wayne from Act One of The Dark Knight Rises.
As I've probably said before, the Nendoroid "style" lends itself to certain characters. At worst, you get a chibi version of a normal proportioned character, like with those Cosbaby release that Hot Toys puts out, but sometimes that Nendoroid magic just makes this release of the character that much more magical.
In this case, it leans more towards the magical side, though not as magically delicious as, say Kirby. The simplifed art style and cute proportions do make animated characters like Anna and Elsa somewhat more appealing that normal, but I feel that, especially in the case of Elsa, there significant loss of detailing on the outfits is to the detriment of the overall character itself.
Again, your standard Nendoroid rules regarding articulation, QC, included accessory types and so on apply here. Of the two, I'd have to give the slight advantage to Elsa with her raised eyebrow expression and much cooler ice based accessories.
Olaf.. well, he's kind of there. Nice addition, but ultimately doesn't really add a whole lot to the set IMHO because if you bought one, you probably bought both to display together.
GSC included a set of arms that allows you to link the two figures together in that pose I keep picturing Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in.
This also brings me to the weakest part of the set, as it were.. that horrible snowflake base that Elsa comes with. It's honestly like a take out container lid with a snowflake moulded in.
Obviously while not an essential part of the Nendoroid experience (I don't think I actually own any of those, to be honest), a good solid set of figures that you shouldn't hesitate on if you find them for a good price.
looking "questioning" at his father engaged in a kind of self flaggelation in honour of Fatimah's death
The City Temple is a Nonconformist church on Holborn Viaduct in London. It is the only English Free Church still worshipping in its own building every Sunday in the City of London. The current Minister is Rev Dr Rodney Woods. The church is part of the Thames North Synod of the United Reformed Church and is a member of the Evangelical Alliance.
The City Temple is most famous as the preaching place of the 20th century liberal theologian Leslie Weatherhead. Other notable preachers have included R.J. Campbell, Joseph Fort Newton, Thomas Goodwin and Joseph Parker.
The first church building on the present site was built in 1874. The congregation was founded much earlier; the traditional date is 1640 but some evidence suggests it was founded as early as the 1560s by the Puritans. Destroyed by bombing during the Second World War, it was rebuilt and reopened in 1958.
Early History
The City Temple is widely believed to have been founded by Thomas Goodwin. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but it is believed to have been around 1640. It is the oldest Nonconformist church in the City of London. Its first meeting-house was located in Anchor Lane. The second minister of the Church was Thomas Harrison, who succeeded Goodwin in 1650, at which time the Church moved to a meeting-house in Lime Street. Harrison's ministry only lasted until 1655. A successor was not appointed until 1658, when Rev. Thomas Mallory was called to pastor the Church. Mallory led the Church during the difficult period that followed the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. The Church moved several times but after a number of moves it found a more permanent home in the Poultry, Cheapside in 1819.
Following the resignation of Dr James Spence from the pastorate in 1867, the office-bearers of the Poultry Chapel approached Joseph Parker, then pastor at Cavendish Street Chapel, Manchester, with a view to calling him to the pastorate. The first call, in March 1868, he declined. But the call was renewed in June 1869, and this time he accepted. At the same time the Church was looking to relocate from its site in Poultry. The site was sold for 50,000GBP. The Church was then faced with the question of a new site. Parker insisted that the new site would have to be within the City of London, and ultimately the present site on Holborn Viaduct was secured. The Poultry Chapel was closed on 16 June 1872, leaving the congregation temporarily homeless. Until the new church was ready, the congregation met in the great hall of Cannon Street Hotel in the morning, in Exeter Hall in the evening, and in the Presbyterian Church, London Wall, for mid-day services on Thursdays.
The Memorial Stone of the new building, to be called the City Temple, was laid by Dr Thomas Binney on 19 May 1873. The Corporation of the City of London presented a spectacular marble pulpit to the Church.The building was dedicated on 19 May 1874. The building, from its location and size, began to assume the character of a Nonconformist cathedral, and became the most important Congregational pulpit in Britain. Much of this was due to Joseph Parker.
As age began to tell on Parker, Rev. Reginald John Campbell, a Congregational minister in Brighton, was called in 1902 to act as his assistant in the work. Shortly after his agreeing to this arrangement, Dr Parker died suddenly. Parker had made it quite clear that it was his wish for Campbell to be his successor, and so Campbell was called.
While Parker was theologically conservative, publishing an anonymous reply to John Robert Seeley's Ecce Homo under the truculent title Ecce Deus, Campbell was emphatically not. A socialist politically, his theology proved as radical as his politics. Campbell's pastorate began in May 1903 and ended in October 1915. Questions began to be raised about the way that Campbell introduced Biblical criticism into his preaching, questioning the traditional ascription of books, and the origins of the text. As his sermons were published, this brought them to the notice of readers throughout the nation, and beyond.
The theology held by Campbell and a number of his friends came to be known as 'The New Theology'. Campbell decided to answer his critics by issuing a volume entitled simply The New Theology, which laid out his position. Looking back on it, he felt that he had gone too far. "It was much too hastily written, was crude and uncompromising in statement, polemical in spirit, and gave a totally wrong impression of the sermons delivered week by week in the City Temple Pulpit". Campbell himself came to a crisis of faith when several New Theologians began to question the doctrine of the deity, and even the historicity, of Christ.
In October 1915 Campbell preached his last sermon at the City Temple and resigned from the Congregational church; a few days later he was received into the Church of England by Bishop Gore. In October 1916 he was ordained as an Anglican priest.[26] On rejoining the Church of England, and at the request of some old Congregational friends, with whom he remained on good terms, he wrote an account of the development of his thought in A Spiritual Pilgrimage (1916).
Later years
Campbell's successor was theologically almost as radical as he had been. Though Joseph Fort Newton had been educated at Louisville's Southern Baptist Seminary, he was a theological liberal. Newton had been asked to the City Temple at first as a stop-gap after Campbell's resignation. What was controversial about Newton was not his theology, or even the fact that he was of a Baptist background but the fact that he was an American. As he remarked, it seemed that the view of many was that "It was perfectly right for an English preacher to go to an American Church, but absurd for an American preacher to go to an English Church". While the congregation decided to call Newton, the deacons opposed him, an action that finally led to the deacons being abolished and Newton going to London.
Newton found the burden of the City Temple too much for one man, and he asked for an assistant. Surprisingly the assistant finally called was a woman, Miss A. Maude Royden. She was an Anglican, but was prohibited from preaching by the Church of England. In the free atmosphere on the City Temple, however, she was welcomed by the Church, if not by the press.
Newton ministered at the City Temple through the First World War, returning to America in 1919. He was succeeded by F. W. Norwood, an Australian Baptist.
When Norwood left the City Temple in 1935, there was some uncertainty over where the next pastor should come from. Some argued that, since the Congregational Church had not had a Congregationalist pastor since 1915, when Campbell left, they should call a minister from within their own denomination. In the event, the man called was a Methodist minister, then stationed in Leeds, Rev. Leslie Weatherhead. He served there from 1936 until his retirement in 1960.
During The Blitz, the City Temple was "gutted by fire from incendiary bombs dropped from enemy aeroplanes". Weatherhead was able to continue his ministry thanks to the nearby St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church. After the war, Weatherhead raised the funds to rebuild the City Temple, largely from John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. The re-built City Temple was opened in the presence of the Queen Mother in 1958. In 1960, Weatherhead retired.
Martinez, CA
Resolution No. 2014/185
In the matter of:
Declaring June 2014, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQQ) Pride Month in ContraCosta County
Whereas, the month of June was chosen for LGBTQQ Pride Month to commemorate a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay and lesbian community against unjust police raids that took place in New York City at the end of June 1969, known as the Stonewall Riots; and
Whereas, the Rainbow Flag, also known as “the freedom flag,” was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a Bay Area artist, to symbolize the diversity, solidarity, healing, harmony, inclusion, and struggle of the LGBTQQ
community; and
Whereas, the flying of the Rainbow Flag is encouraged to show support of the LGBTQQ Community; and
Whereas, more same-sex families are identifying themselves to the US Census now than ever before, placing Contra Costa County 15th in the state’s 58 counties with the most same-sex couples per capita,
according to the 2010 Census; and
Whereas, committed LGBTQQ couples do not have the same rights and benefits that their straight, married friends and allies are legally guaranteed; and
Whereas, Contra Costa County Health Services started the Pride Initiative in 2009 to create greater inclusion and sensitivity to LGBTQQ patients, clients, and staff; and
Whereas, research shows youth who are perceived to be LGBTQQ are at greater risk of being targeted, harassed, and bullied in school, and experience risk of suicide at a rate that is 2 to 3 time higher than their
straight peers; and
Whereas, in the late 1980's, when AIDS was almost exclusively a disease of gay men, Contra Costa passed an AIDS Anti -Discrimination Ordinance banning discrimination in the workplace and housing for people
with AIDS. Introduced as a public health measure to encourage high-risk individuals to get tested, the ordinance carried the underlying message of broader tolerance; and
Whereas, Contra Costa County has played an important role in the LGBTQQ community’s struggle for fair and equal rights including the 1978 Milk-Briggs (Harvey Milk and John Briggs) debate on Proposition 6 at Walnut Creek’s Northgate High School, which, if passed, would have made it mandatory for California school districts to fire gay teachers and any employees who supported gay rights; and
Whereas, transgender and gender nonconforming youth now have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state, with support from California Assembly Bill 1266; and
Whereas, in Contra Costa County, LGBTQQ community residents, employees, businesses, and organizations have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions and add to the rich diversity
of this County; and
Whereas, Contra Costa County’s LGBTQQ service partners include the Rainbow Community Center, RYSE Center, Center for Human Development, Gender Spectrum, El Cerrito High School James Morehouse Project, Danville / San Ramon Valley Chapter of PFLAG Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Gay-Straight Alliances, and
Whereas, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors supports and promotes inclusion, non-discrimination, and equality among all County residents;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County declares the month of June 2014 as LGBTQQ Pride Month and encourages a safe and accepting environment for all members of the community.
Ashley Xu, Grade 10, Age 16, Stamford, CT, Gold Key, Gold Medal (The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers), Scholastic & Art Writing Awards (2017)
Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Advisory and Concerns Commission, and other dignitaries held the LGBTQ Pride Flag-Raising ceremony as part of Newark Gay Pride Week on Thursday, July 14, 2016, at 5 p.m. in the City Hall First Floor Rotunda.
The rainbow flag, a universal symbol of LGBTQ pride, will fly outside City Hall for the duration of the 11th annual Newark Pride Week. Mayor Baraka has made a firm commitment to supporting the needs and equality of the LGBTQ community. The City of Newark created its first-ever LGBTQ Commission seven years ago. This year marks the 11th anniversary of Newark Gay Pride.
This year’s events celebrate the last 11 years of accomplishments in Newark’s LGBTQ Community as well as in the global LGBTQ Community. The event will also honor the 49 victims of the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, which targeted that City’s LGBTQ community.
This official City of Newark photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the Mayor of Newark, the City of Newark, or Newark City Hall.
Any use or reprinting of official City of Newark photos must use the following credit language and style: Newark Press Information Office.
Four men were arrested this morning (Thursday 23 March 2023), after officers swooped in on a suspected cannabis farm on Arthur Street in Swinton.
The drugs warrant was carried out by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Salford Neighbourhood Team after evidence came to light that the property was being used for the cultivation of cannabis.
Initial searches of the building uncovered 3 rooms full of suspected cannabis plants.
The plants were seized and four men were detained under section 23 of the misuse of drugs act. They were subsequently arrested on suspicion of involvement in the production and supply of cannabis and remain in police custody for questioning.
Sergeant Peter MacFarlane said: "Locating a cannabis farm is a great result for the team who are gathering intelligence and working hard to crackdown on drug-related crime across Salford.
"Farms of this nature are also incredibly dangerous to other occupants in the area. The building itself is still being made safe due to the amount of wiring around the plants. Criminals running these types of enterprises have no regard for public safety and in these conditions, an electrical fault from bad wiring could easily start a fire and endanger lives.
"The arrests and seizures therefore go someway towards disrupting the supply of illegal drugs and the criminality that comes with it, and will also make our communities safer.
"This operation was intelligence led and a huge part of our intelligence comes from members of the public sharing information with us. If you have suspicions about a crime taking place please report it so we can take positive action and bring those responsible to justice."
You can make a report by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also report via the LiveChat function on GMP's website: www.gmp.police.uk
Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
GMP recently rolled out a new Neighbourhood Policing model which means there will be more officers on the streets taking action against the crimes that matter to you the most.
Detectives probing the kidnaps of two men in Salford last month are questioning five suspects after dawn raids this morning saw properties targeted across the city and Manchester as part of the investigation.
Earlier today (Thursday 7 April) officers from our Tactical Aid Unit (TAU), alongside local officers, hit six addresses in Blackley, Gorton and Salford.
The action comes after we received a report on the evening of Thursday 24 March regarding a man being assaulted and dragged into a car by a group of three men on Clarendon Park.
Thankfully after enquiries by specialist investigators, the victim - a man in his 20s - was found safe and well with some physical injuries but none that required hospital treatment.
Subsequent enquiries have led detectives from our Swinton CID to believe that a second man - also aged in his 20s - was also targeted by the group but was able to flee from the offenders vehicle.
We think that the incidents have been targeted attacks emanating from a possible drugs dispute involving organised criminals and we're keen to ensure that any potential suspects are identified and brought to custody for questioning.
Five men aged between 20 and 30 are currently in two custody sites across Greater Manchester and await questioning on suspicion of kidnap.
Anyone with concerns or information about suspicious activity in their area should contact us online via LiveChat, if able, or by calling 101 knowing that information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
State Representative
Kathy Edmonston questioning LSU President Tom Galligan as he testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, LA. Wednesday, March 10, 2021.
The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).
youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer
Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.
Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.
Synopsis
When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.
The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.
The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.
Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.
Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.
Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.
The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.
Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's
classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.
The Movie Club Annals … Review
The Lost World 1960
Introduction
There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.
Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.
Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:
"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972
Review
A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.
The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.
Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl
She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.
By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.
Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.
Vitina, as Sarit
Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.
Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.
And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.
For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with
unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.
The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.
In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.
Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:
Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.
Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.
Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.
Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.
Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.
With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.
Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger
And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.
I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.
Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.
To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.
In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.
1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.
And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.
The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.
But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.
While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.
The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.
Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.
Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.
Carl R.
Lomo's Latest Stick Grenade - Spinner 360
Wow, be sure to be prepared for questioning in airports if you bring this with you. The latest and coolest camera from Lomo looks just like a stick grenade, just look at the profile and you can imagine what it looks like in an X-ray scan.
Hold the handle with one hand, pull the ring with the other and release, you get your 360 shots at a price far cheaper than a Horizon. Of course after 5 or 6 spins, your 36 frames run out, definitely a grenade to burn films. You also have a choice to spin the camera with your other hand in a constant fashion instead of using the built-in spring.
The cool thing about this is that there is no shutter in this thing, the ~66 degree lens (with a shooting distance from 1m to infinity) behind the slit is directly exposing film without any shutter leafs in front. So you shoot not by a click but by a spin.
Simple as a Holga, there is just the sunny vs. cloudy setting to adjust for the amount of light entering the camera. The same switch is used for film rewind. At the bottom of the handle is a tripod mount.
It is a bit heavy comparing to a typical Lomo camera mainly because of the weight of the metal hood. In addition to reducing light entering from the lens, the hood is made of metal to compensate the centripetal force generated by the body when it spins. Unscrew the hood and spin the camera, you will see what I mean.
There is a cute lever on top of the camera with a Spinner Dolphin, well now you know why is it named Spinner 360. A hotshoe exists but there is no contact points for your typical flash. It makes sense because a typical flash will only fire when there is a shutter release and there is no shutter on Spinner 360. I am guessing that this is for you to mount your bike headlight on it so you can lighten up your photos in low light conditions.
I've passed along the sample to our new colleague to try so I haven't gotten any experience developing the film. Oh BTW, the film compartment expose the entire film so you will get the cool sprocket holes effect by default. We could only reserve about 20pcs in city'super/LOG-ON for our Travel Photo Cafe 2010! I hope the next batch of new stock will arrive soon.
More on Scription blog: scription.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/lomos-latest-stick-gre...
Yuval Noah Harari, Professor, Department of History, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and Oliver Cann, Head of Media Content, World Economic Forum speaking during the Session "Questioning Our Human Future" at the Annual Meeting 2018 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 24, 2018.
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger
I am grateful for curiousity and wonder - in kittens and in people.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
~ Albert Einstein
A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.
~ Rachel Carson
If your heart is straight with God, then every creature will be to you a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine. No creature is so little or so mean as not to show forth and represent the goodness of God.
~ Thomas A’Kempis
“The final mystery is oneself.”
~ Oscar Wilde
Gratitude Series - photo #67
Watch Viva's kittens continue to grow and develop in Looking for Love: Part 12
amazing, altruistic, bombastic, brave, curious, calculating, conniving, creative, celebration, determined, energetic,enthusiastic, expressive, endearing, fashion conscious, fun-loving, futuristic, gesticulating, hardworking, happy, honest, harrowing, Innocent, innovative, inventive, inquisitive, jovial, Karishmatic, laughing, linguists, musical, nature lovers, naughty, nimble-footed, omnipresent, outgoing, quiet, quick, questioning, risk taking, social, spirited, spontaneous, tireless, tantrum, ubiquitous, vibrant, vulnerable, vivacious, wonderment, ......
They make the world a wonderful and worthwhile place to live in. We are responsible to leave a better place for the generations to come...
Police Questioning Scott Huber
Picture taken by Michael Kappel
Check out the high resolution photo on my photography website
It is moments like these that interest me, in which one starts to stumble visually and starts questioning life. The Barista. #AnecdotesOfSociety #lnk #vscopeople #rsa_people #vscogrid #vscophile #highsnobiety #kinfolk #vsco_hub #streetdreamsmag #instafocus #instagood #bw_society #thecreatorclass #visualcreators @lensculture #hboutthere #exklusive_shot #illgrammers #postthepeople #peopleinframe #peoplescreatives #vscogood_ #vscofolk #mkexplore #thegreatercollective #freedomthinkers #theamericancollective #nytimes #vscocam @dazedmagazine
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mr_suisse_le_fou: @opsoclo_films for sure, let me know when you're in LA
opsoclo_films: Hopefully sooooon... lol @mr_swiss_swag I will. Thx
mr_suisse_le_fou: @opsoclo_films I wish I can meet you at that coffee shop, the baristas here are not as cute lmao
opsoclo_films: @mr_swiss_swag haha. I don't talk to the baristas here. But You can. I just don't because sooner or latter when I make frens here... then the things I needed to get done get postponed. Lol.
opsoclo_films: @mr_swiss_swag they are polite.
mr_suisse_le_fou: Yeah I know how that goes, very wise logic, and I bet they are polite... Well @opsoclo_films nice chat, Imma let you finish your things ;)
opsoclo_films: You have good day mate. @mr_swiss_swag
sim_j: This look!