View allAll Photos Tagged robbery
One thing lead to another and I ended up in the drive with Rusty the dog, a torch, a pair of oakleys and an orb string. I remember Tim doing a very similar shot to this a while back but using his pinhead mask for the model. Sorry Tim but its desperate times at the minute, thanks for the inspiration!!!
Let's make a run for the border!
If you looked at the previous photo you'll know that there was a train robbery on our way back to town. If you didn't know then you should read the description on the previous shot!
Once the train had been thoroughly robbed the "Bad Guys" jumped off and headed out, probably making a run for Mexico to hide out till things had cooled down for them. More likely, they went back to the saloon in town to spend their hard earned dollars on whiskey, women, and song!
If you've never been to the Grand Canyon the train trip is a great way to see the place. You've got a 2 1/2 hour trip each way on the train and about 3 1/2 hours for exploring at the Canyon, more than enough time to take in the sights. We took the advice of Jim Frazier and booked the Luxury Parlor car which offers plenty of luxurious seating and amenities (for Niccy) and an outside observation platform (for me). The folks working there put on a real nice show and tour that's a great showcase for the canyon.
Where the Jewels Are.
A Prequel to
“An Odyssey Less Taken “ (Tallie)
An Escapade in 3 Acts…
Excerpts:
************
Act 1
The Mustard Seed is planted
***********
A couple is getting ready to leave for an apparently Fancy Dress Affair:
The wife cascades down the stairs swirling her silk dress for to catch her husband’s eye, which she does.
Blimey Bess, did you leave anything in ur Jewelry Casket, he chides with a satisfied smirk.
Casket, Luv? Really? I keep telling you what a morbid term that is, she scolds him , while she smiles radiantly ; fetchingly placing a hand to her husband’s cheek, then straightening the black bow tie of his tux.
Don’t be snide, I know you like it when I dress. Besides it’s not often we get to hob nob with near royalty. Beth said in justification of herself driving to the occasion dressed to the nines.
But Beth, Calling it a casket is an old term, and her husband starts to explain (not for the first time) the origin of the phrase ”jewele casket”
Hush child, Beth simpers, placing a finger to his lips, with a very becoming look in her eyes, save it for the students. She turns away and he slaps her lovingly upon her posterior. She giggles and heads back to the stairs.
The doorbell rings.
Beth stops and turns, looking at the door. Could you get that dear, looks like a postal package. I have to go upstairs to finish my hair, and to bury my casket, you old toad she tosses at him, making no attempt to hide in her voice the with undying affection she has for her husband, the love of her life.
He obediently goes to the door, where a man in uniform can be seen through the window, waiting with a package.
He turns, a lump rising in his throat as he eyeballs his pretty ( to him) wife Bess. The main reason is too catch another look at the pretty party dress swishing along her withdrawing figure ,but he also throws a teasing retort at her retreating back, . besides, casket It what me Mum called it luv…..
Turning away, he goes to open the door.
End Act 1
*******
Act 2
The Trolley Cometh
*******
Up on a hummock a large stone manor sits, dominating the landscape below.
A proper butler opens the Manor’s double doors and a stream of well gowned, ladies pour out. The many jewels they are wearing sparkling like some sort of jewel filled waterfall as they move heading down to where a quite ornate Trolley awaits them.
The whispering rustle of high end satin and the erupting glitter of colourfully flickering tiffany quality jewels, lighting up the dreary early morning as female members of the wedding party descend.
The bride is the last to come out into the early morning, stopping to survey the activity below , ever so a royal highness looking down on her subjects.
It was her idea to have her brides maids be driven out to her parents country estate before the dress rehearsal and have a photo grapher take shots of her party at various locations. Since the Groom and his Groomsmen were not allowed, by custom, to view the gowned bride before the ceremony, they were of course not invited. Nor was anyone else outside herself, the bridal party and the photo grapher. The rehearsal and dinner were to take place later that afternoon, and the bride and her party would be changing at the country estate. Towards that means they had already placed cases aboard the trolley containing their evening clothes and everyday jewelry that they would wear for the evenings festivities..
She preferred to be in control off all aspects of the situation. Needless to say, her wedding planner, waiting at the stone cathedral, had developed a migraine over the whole affair.
After a couple of group shots are arranged in front of the elegant trolley, the party is herded aboard by the tuxedoed trolley driver. He has their schedule to keep. He is helped by his pretty blonde wife, herself dressed shimmering, sparkling, as she expertly moves (herds?) the elegant ladies , escorting them cheerfully to their seats.
And with a lurch of the trolley on the old private road, the entire ultra-wealthy group set off on their pre nuptial adventure.
End Act 2
*******
The connection between acts 1 & 2, for those who haven’t figured it out, will be revealed in act 3.
Please comment if you’re going to stay tuned for the outcome
************
****************
This would be the 3rd and possibly final installment of the trilogy…..If you are interested in reading the storyline complete you may find it enlightening to visit Acts 1 and 2 (respectively) before proceeding any further.
Please consider leaving a comment behind that you have (read) the acts. It would be deeply appreciated.
Act 3(?)
After the Harvest
*******
The inspector arrives in his rather jaunty sports auto. He emerges with his Detective Sargent, approaching a waiting constable.
The constable’s partner, Archie, is inside with the police matron.
What do we have Constable? The inspector asks quizzically.
Apparently we have a husband and wife teem who own and drive a private rental trolley, that then decides to waylay and rob the entire wedding party they were hired to ferry about.
Way out here, in the middle of nowhere, Constable?
Appears they were going to the Brides summer home to be photographed. The trolley turned down the path to this old deserted manor where they were told there was engine trouble.
And they were robbed, by the driver and his wife you say Constable?
Them, and two others waiting.
4 robbers then,
Who called it in Constable?
Received an anonymous tip
And just what were they robbed of, Constable? The inspector asked, almost wearily.
Stripped of everything down to their bloody knickers, the lot of them. Then handcuffed and left.
Language Mate, the inspector chided his constable, looking at his Sargent, taking this all down?
Detective Sargent nods
Now, he said turning back to the Constable, Just why do you suppose they stripped them of their clothes.
The gowns were worth L3000 pounds each, real emeralds, the brides was worth double that, with real diamonds
So they were robbed for their expensive clothes, then eh Sargent, the inspector leered.
No Sir that was not all the lot were after.
The Bride was wearing diamond jewelry worth L100,000 pounds easy, the rest of the girls were wearing matching emeralds sets that the bride paid L32,000 pounds each.
Each, The inspector arched an eyebrow.
Each of the Bridesmaids, inspector, answered the ridden constable.
That’s a great amount of information constable. Just how did you acquire it.
The bride sir, she won’t stop squawking on about it. answered the Constable
Careful how you talk about your betters, constable, the inspector winked at him.
I’m sure the young lady in question has every right to squawk.
So let me get this straight constable, a bridal party was Shanghaied and robbed of their possessions by their trolley driver, his wife and two other associates. Then someone cordially calls the station to let us in on the joke?
Right sir, no joke though
Then why did they leave their trolley here, for evidence against them?
Asked the Inspector, before turning to his Detective Sargent.
Sergeant. send a man down to the drivers abode, the information should be acquired from the registration from the plates they so handily left.
The Constable cleared his throat, actually my partner Archie already called it in Sir.
The inspector raised an eyebrow, Glad to see someone is on the ball.
The police radio crackles, the constable goes to answer it.
He comes back, standing smartly at attention.
Just received a call, they found the husband and wife tied up in their basement.
Apparently two men posing as a postal worker and driver held them up.
The ones who robbed the bride and her party? Constable?
No sir, apparently the two who brought them here were imposters.
The real uns were held them up at gunpoint, made to strip to their underthings and tied up.
Then Two others, man and woman, took the Trolly to the Manor to “pick up” the Bride and her Bridesmaids.
Has a statement been taken? Yes sir, but there is not much.
Thieves were disguised as postal workers. House was ransacked, safe looted, wife jewel case cleaned out, the usual.
After burgling their manor, the occupants were stripped to their skivvies, trussed up and locked in their basement cannery.
Then a call came in on their telephone, the thieves answered it. After they hung up, the husband heard their phone used to call us, and heard the two thieves leave..
Was anything said by the thieves?
They only overheard the one thing, something one of the postage men said.
Thief posing as one, right constable, don’t want to give anyone a bad rep
Yes sir,
it appears that when the thief - wearing the postman’s costume- answered the phone, he repeated a phrase.
And what would that phrase have been, constable?
Mustard Seed,
Mustard seed? Eh.
Sergeant, the inspector turned to his detective sergeant. That begs the question, why Mustard seed?
The Detective Sergeant mulled it over for a minute. Then offered:
Seed, could be seed money, mustards grow from a small seed into something quite large. This robbery was seed money for something bigger, possibly, sir?
Not bad Sargent, will make an inspector of you yet.
The inspector turns back to the constable, who has had just about enough of his superiors questions.
He is relieved to now hear what the inspector has to say.
Constable, stand pat here while my sergeant and I have a chat with our victims inside,
The inspector turned to his Detective Sergeant :
Let’s get this lot sorted out, and then will we’ll head over and see about the driver and his wife…
The two made their way up towards the decaying deserted manor house.
The Constable, watching them disappear inside, mutters under his breath.
That is an awfully big haul just for seed money. I would be happy with what that lot will get for what they stole. I bet the old man is off target on this one. Thieves probably will be out of the country with the loot and have it pawned in the states by the time he gets done with his questions.
The constable was closer to the truth than he realized…..
Originally the gang planning the heist had meant to carry out the caper then head off to parts unknown with the loot and lay low. During planning the stages of the heist, one of their members infiltrated the group to garner information. Remarks were interestingly overheard by chatting bridesmaids about a lavish affair being staged a fortnight away (only one week after the rehearsal dinner).
From the “seed” planted by that helpful bit of overheard gossip, grew the new job the group was now going to carry out very shortly .
Mustard seed become its code name.
End of Act 3
*****************
In addendum
Now we break away from the crime scene to visit an occurrence that took place some two hours prior to the phone call that alerted the police to the unfortunate incident related above.
The scene: Inside a C. Hoare & Co branch, in a posh end of London..
Two ladies, both, opulently dressed in satins and jewels, their thick fur coats have been carefully hung by a smartly dressed lady porter, nearby, had been seated and served. The pair are now alone in a richly furnished private room of the bank. Wine at hand, they are merrily going through a collection of jewelry glistening from an open safe deposit strongbox brought up from the depths of the banks’ vault.
The fashionable, long haired daughter is half-heartedly trying on one of several jewel encrusted Tiaras…… Her stylish, bobbed haired mother is admiring the sparkle of a diamond waterfall style necklace; the pricy jewels’ matching mates, (earrings and bracelets and brooch) are laid out next to her.
The daughter suddenly lest out a squeal of delight as she spy’s a small sparkling ruby and emerald encrusted diamond cocktail ring , which she grabs and slips on her pinky. She admires the raw, rainbow like fireworks as she moves it under the lights.
Mum, can I? it will go ever so nicely with the gown I’m wearing to Polly’s Soiree.
Hey, that was my Great Aunts , her Mother yelps grasping at the ring. Almost looking like Defoe’s Sunday dressed Moll Flanders snatching at the colourful trinket worn by a young miss, awed by the passing parade of royals.
Unlike that distracted young miss, however, the daughter was able to hold the ring high from the reach of Her mother’s fingertips, giggling as she did so.
Now Millicent, her mother lectured, You know we don’t approve of young Lady Pollyanna’s fancy boy, Raul. He would probably manage a way to slip the ring from off your finger.
Oh, MaMa, , answered Millicent, I’ll be ever so careful, and please don’t you harp on poor Raul. He really is quite a dear, and the pearls were simply lost, nothing more. Let me wear the ring, and I’ll wear whatever jewelry you pick out for me the weekend, Sagely bargained Millicent.
Promise? Her mother asks, relenting in to her daughter’s wishes. It’s just that we don’t you making publicity over getting robbed just before your occasion.
Mum, Millicent says soothingly, nothing will happen to me before my Debs Ball, or occasion as you will call it. She bent over and kissed her mother on the forehead, before going back to her admiration of the pretty ring.
But innocently enough, pretty Millicent has no idea of the prophetic canniness her naively made promise to her mother would soon foretell.
To be continued….
Please see:
Album entitled “Tallie”
For the main story of what the mustard seed turned out to grow into…..
*********************************************************************************
The narration above is from a play with its roots Derived from a story based on fact.
Do to the rather extensive connections of the Families involved: an official report was never released to the public.
The case was finally Closed without being resolved to the victims,
Apparently the job was perfectly planned and executed by professionals , probably with inside information from never discovered sources.
**********************************************************************************
Please consider leaving a comment behind that you have (read) the acts. It would be deeply appreciated.
Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives
Taken for Saturday Self Challenge 20/06/2020 - A Memento ( and why ) .
Well this is a cross stitch done and given to me by my daughter , it is shown against a background of Cornish National Tartan .
Back in 1999 I wanted to go and see the total eclipse but in Britain it was only total in parts of Cornwall , some of the North Coast was just out of the line of totality . Could not make my mind up whether or not to go though as it was predicted there would be a huge number of folk wanting to do the same thing and roads would become blocked . Solution - my wife and myself went and stayed beforehand in Barnstaple and early in the morning of the eclipse drove along minor road south to a favourite village of ours high up on Bodmin Moor - Minions ( and it was there a very long time before any strange yellow creatures were heard of ). Minons is the highest village in Cornwall and has ancient history in the form of The Hurlers - a link to my pic -
( flic.kr/p/2b2bbq1 ) , also here are other old historic sites , strange rock formations and of course masses of Cornish Industrial Archaeology in the form of remains of the old Tin and Copper Mines ( right up my street ) - more links --
Well , we got there in good time avoiding those traveling west and had a good choice of where to park , settled down to wait and watched as more and more arrived - the pub was open so went and had a slurp at just after 9 o'clock am !! Pretty soon it was obvious there was going to be a tiny village with more folk in it than ever before ( even when the place was a centre of mass industry !! ) . The local bobby was on duty there and not used to seeing so many cars and when someone in the queue to get into the village asked him what the hold up was - his terse reply was " I tell ee What the problem is -- Too many Damn Cars !! ".
Now bearing in mind we have come here to witness an eclipse - the sky was wall to wall clouds !! Coming up to the time we had Radio Cornwall on the car radio and they were at Marazion near to St. Micheal's Mount far to the west of The Duchy with Patrick Moore there as well and they had rain . With the slight time difference of the eclipse we heard all the cheers on the wireless as it went dark over the west ,but no chance of seeing the event . A minute or two later our turn for the lights to go out , everything went to a Deep Purple as we overlooked Wheal Jenkin Engine House , the birds went scatty AND a small hole appeared in the clouds just at the right time and place to see the total eclipse clearly . All the hippie types on the other side of the village at The Hurlers could be heard banging their drums and singing , the engine house was an odd silhouette and far to our left where we could see toward the North Coast where there was a strange peach coloured light that was not in totality !!
And just as quick it was all over and that was that - deliberately I did not attempt any sort of photography knowing there would be plenty to see on the tele and so I could enjoy the moment all the more .
Reality now sets in , we are surrounded by cars everywhere ,even a bus was now blocking the lane we were in at the entrance . However , I could make out a way through the cars carrying on down the lane and I knew it would lead me to Henwood , an even smaller village but from there I could get out and onto other routes and so in a very short time we went up to Jamaica Inn at Bolventor to have a quick pit stop and have a small glass of ale brewed especially for the occasion ---called " Daylight Robbery ". We then went and found a quiet spot on Bodmin Moor to eat our sandwiches . Again listening to Radio Cornwall phone in we heard about the chap who drove down from the North , only to sleep through the whole event !!We have been back to Minions many times , but the first time afterwards we called in at the Post Office & General Stores and I found out talking to the owner that the traffic there was in such a mess it was over four hours before things calmed down , am I glad we moved when we did !! Oh , the shop at Minions sells splendid pasties and the ice creams are excellent too .
My apologies for such a long winded tale , but it does show how much of a memento this cross stitch really is !!!!
And to conclude an old classic to listen to --
Although the Warrego River district in southwest Queensland was explored briefly by Thomas Mitchell in 1846 and Edmund Kennedy in 1847, the main impetus for pastoral development of the Warrego occurred in the 1860s, following William Landsborough's exploration of the area in 1862 during his search for the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition. In 1862 Landsborough and his second in command, George Bourne, both published journals of their expedition from the Gulf of Carpentaria south to Melbourne, identifying good pastoral land along the Warrego River.
In 1867 a petition was presented to Parliament seeking the establishment of a town reserve at the intersection of two main stock routes beside the Warrego River, and the township of Cunnamulla was surveyed the same year. The name is thought to be an Aboriginal term meaning 'long stretch of water'.
By 1871 Cunnamulla had a population of 45. The town grew slowly in the 1870s, gaining momentum toward the end of the decade. A court house reserve was surveyed in 1874, and the 1874 Postal Directory lists a police magistrate who also conducted the court of petty sessions, a police inspector, a post master and a poundkeeper. A branch of the Queensland Government Savings Bank also operated by this date. The Cunnamulla State School was established in 1878, and in 1879 the Paroo Divisional Board, based at Cunnamulla, was proclaimed. The period 1880 to 1900 was one of consolidation for the town, which became the service centre for an expanding pastoral district. Cobb & Co. began to run passenger coaches from Charleville to Cunnamulla in 1881, and gained the mail contract in 1883. By 1881 two banks were operating in the town, the Queensland National Bank established by January 1880, and the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, opened in 1880. The town became a railhead in the late 1890s.
In 1880 an incident occurred that provided the township of Cunnamulla with considerable publicity. On the 16th of January 1880 Joseph Wells, a station hand, robbed the Queensland National Bank at Cunnamulla at gunpoint. The alarm was raised and as Wells was about to leave the bank, storekeeper William Murphy from next door attempted to restrain him and in the scuffle, was shot accidentally in the shoulder. This allowed Wells to escape from the bank, only to find that a crowd of onlookers was gathering outside.
As he tried to leave the scene on horseback, the horse's bridle broke and, in desperation, the robber ran toward the outskirts of the town. Amongst the crowd of onlookers were two men with unloaded guns, who gave chase. Turning on them and threatening to shoot if they didn't retreat, Wells ran into the bush.
The police were alerted and organised an intensive search for the robber, who may have escaped detection but for the persistence of a sheep dog which had followed Wells' scent and sat barking under a tree. On investigating, the local police sergeant discovered that Wells had taken refuge in the branches of the tree, where he was well camouflaged.
Wells was arrested and stood trial in Toowoomba, charged with armed robbery with wounding. He was found guilty and received the maximum penalty, death. Because of the accidental nature of Murphy's wounding and the fact that Wells had not had legal representation during his trial, opponents of capital punishment, including several members of Parliament, appealed to the Full Court on Wells' behalf. Despite these appeals and much debate about capital punishment in the Queensland press, Wells was executed on the 22nd of March 1880. However, the saga had its legacy, with Wells becoming the last man to be executed for armed robbery with wounding in Queensland. One of his supporters, Arthur Rutledge MLA, on becoming Attorney General (November 1883 to June 1888), legislated to have armed robbery removed from the list of capital offences in Queensland.
The tree in which Wells hid has become integrally associated with the robber's story and its outcome, and is a feature of interest to tourists.
The Robbers Tree was severely damaged in a supercell hailstorm in September 2021 reducing it to a butchered trunk.
Source: Queensland Heritage Register & Queensland Country Life.
52 Weeks of Pix 2016
Week 10 of 52
Theme: A Childhood Memory
As a child I spent hours with my old west playset. I still have parts of it today although my fort and Indian camp are long gone.
Shown here is a bank robbery with the sheriff and towns people responding to the crisis.
Leica M2
Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 IV "King of Bokeh"
Fuji Neopan 400
Ilford ID-11 1+0
9 min 20°C
Scan from negative film
Name: Thomas Dodds
Arrested for: not given
Arrested at: North Shields Police Station
Arrested on: 3 October 1914
Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-256-Thomas Dodds
For an image of his accomplice Mark Schidlossky see www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/21412004993/in/dateposted/.
The Shields Daily News for 5 October 1914 reports:
“GOING THROUGH SEAMAN’S POCKETS. ONE MONTH FOR THIEVES AT NO. SHIELDS.
Today at North Shields, Mark Schidlossky, seaman, Russia and Thomas Dodds, labourer, South Shields, were charged with stealing 5s from the person of James McLeod on the New Quay.
McLeod said he was proceeding to his ship, which was lying at Smith’s Dock, when he was accosted by two men, whom he now recognised. They pushed him up against the wall and took everything from his pockets. John Michael Graham, Lawson Street, said he saw the two men holding the prosecutor and going through his pockets.
PC Pallister said the Russian said in answer to the charge “I got no money” and the other man made no reply. The first prisoner had 2s 10d and the other 1s 2d in their possession. The Bench committed the defendants to prison for one month each”.
These images are taken from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 (TWAM ref. DX1388/1). This set is our selection of the best mugshots taken during the First World War. They have been chosen because of the sharpness and general quality of the images. The album doesn’t record the details of each prisoner’s crimes, just their names and dates of arrest.
In order to discover the stories behind the mugshots, staff from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums visited North Shields Local Studies Library where they carefully searched through microfilm copies of the ‘Shields Daily News’ looking for newspaper reports of the court cases. The newspaper reports have been transcribed and added below each mugshot.
Combining these two separate records gives us a fascinating insight into life on the Home Front during the First World War. These images document the lives of people of different ages and backgrounds, both civilians and soldiers. Our purpose here is not to judge them but simply to reflect the realities of their time.
(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk.
Just when she had it all under control..
After a bank and the local ATM, Larry's store is the next victim. It's about time this fellow meets the police.
Check out all adventures in Larry's store.
Model: Gabriel Mares
you can see the setup here if you like.
Check out my website! or follow me on instagram :)
1899, the United States of America
With the heat in Valentine having died down , Bill thinks it’s finally time to hit the bank. Karen, Lenny, Bill and Arthur Morgan rides to Valentine. They arrive there and Karen asks the others how she should do the distraction: Should Karen make the lost girl or the Harlot? Arthur decides the “lost girl” version and the 4 outlaws walks to the bank, which consists of red bricks. Over the door is a big sign “Bank”. Around the bank are some people : one man connect his hourse, another man feed a dog with meat, a farmer chops wood and collect it and a fourth man go to work. Lenny, Bill and Arthur put on their masks and Karen go into the bank with her dark red dress. After her distraction the 3 other Van-der-Linde gang members assault the bank. Can they survive and escape with a lot of money or will they die?
This is my 7th MOC for our Red Dead Redemption 2 collab with Tuxedo Greedo. The bank is my biggest creation and I had to order a lot of parts that I can build it. From the beginning of our collab I wanted to build a bank rober because it was one of my favourite story missions in the videogame. I chose the first one ( yes there are more bank robberies) because Valentine is my favourite town in the game. I had a lot of fun building it and I try to catch the reference as best as possible. To reach that goal I spend a lot of time in front of the bank in the game to observe NPCs and I took many pictures of the bank. I hope you like the MOC and I would be pleased to get feedback.
Greetings Kevin
When I come a knock'n, you'll need a night light!
♫♪♪ Bad Company by Bad Company
Our Daily Challenge: Night Light
Site of the 1923 train robbery by the three D'Autremont brothers.
Widelux F8 swing lens
Kodak Gold 200 35mm
19-07-2012
Madrid
MARCA ESPAÑA SERIE
BRAND SPAIN SERIES
Please, do not use this photo without permission
Por Favor no usar esta fotografía sin permiso
The largest bank robbery in American history (in inflation-adjusted dollars), happened at this Main Street Northampton, Massachusetts location in January 1876. In a carefully planned heist, seven robbers from Brooklyn managed to steal over $1.6 million in cash, bonds and other securities (about $26 million in today's dollars) from the Northampton National Bank.
If only Northampton's most famous crime fighters had been born a century earlier! Northamptonite Kevin Eastman, creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, actually owned this former bank building at one time.
A bank Robbery is taking place in Cowboy Town, Blackgang Chine. The chap with his hands up used to stand behind a counter with security caging, but now it seems a table will suffice. He has some new shiny trousers though!
“Armed carjackings, assaults, robbery, shootings and serious sexual offences, including rape, are common in Papua” says the Foreign Office travel advice to travelers!
The papua tourism office has a hard work convincing more people like me to come to PNG!
Once a year takes place in Mount Hagen the biggest tribal meeting, called a singsing.
The “Men bilong pait” (the Warriors) ,the” pipels” (the women), and the “pikinini” (the children) are all here. Hundreds of papus are preparing themselves for the Singsing. It’s in open air, but you feel like being backstage in the latest fashion show in Milano or Paris as men paint their faces in red,yellow,white,black, women take grass to make skirts or kilts and cover their bodies with clay, mud, or even pigs fat!
Old wise men are building the giant headdresses made of eagle, parrot and bird of paradise feathers. Each feather is packed in newspaper, to protect them from insects. It will take hours…
Some warriors wear also marsupial jaws as necklaces! “If you do not have jaws, you can put dogs teeth, it works too” they tell me!
Bones, shells, pigs tusks, or twigs are put in the noses. I meet a Highlands warrior who has gave up the traditional shell that he used to put in his nose, and now uses an electrical meter!
Papu like to put a modern touch in their jewels or decorations, as we like to put some tribal stuff in our so called designed houses!
Now it’s time for parade. All the tribes are marching. It’s a mix of sounds and sights, not a love parade, rather a war parade!
The Mount Hagen festival was launched by the Australian colonial governor in 1964, to promote peace in the country.So…The warriors simulate fights! But the stone axes, the arrows, the shields, the spears, the bludgeons are real! There won’t be any violence during the festival, but everyday, tribal fights still take place, with guns instead of axes, and people die…
You can hear war songs, drums, and the tribes start to march in circle, in column, or in line .
The tribes keep on dancing until sundown, and have to listen to an endless speech from a local political while the few tourists go back to their hotels, stoned by the loudspeakers noise!
© Eric Lafforgue
Symmetry
A plot in Motion
As excerpted from
“An Odyssey Less Taken “@
Tallie looked into the mirror as the bound Olivia stirred, a self-satisfied smirk lighting up her pretty face. It was time to administer the syringe containing the liquid that would render Olivia unconscious until late the next morning, giving them plenty of time. Olivia would wake thinking she had been the victim of a robbery. She should have no clue that the real reason was a simple piece of paper she had had tucked away inside her gold purse.
A couple of hours earlier:
Tallie had jogged into the upscale inn’s main lobby wearing a black running suite with her long,hair tucked up under a neoprene running cap. Playing the part of a guest who had gone out for exercise, she was also wearing thin gloves, wide wraparound sunglasses, small backpack and listening to music on her I Phone. She took up station in a corner of the inns’ huge lobby, like she was resting, while listening to her music. Ten minutes later, Olivia, whom Tallie had been shadowing, came in. Olivia had been easy to follow. An eye catching figure clad in a gold silk dress and pearls. She was carrying a shiny gold purse, and holding a bag containing a deep purple satin gown. Olivia had headed straight to the elevator, tapped her floor button and disappeared inside.
Tallie spent an uncomfortably anxious 10 minutes deciding what to do. Olivia had not gone to the front desk to take her jewels from the safe. Although her jewelry was not a main part of the plan, Tallie had loftier goals in mind, they did present a rather profitable bonus. Tallie decided to proceed, not wanting to blow the whole operation for a few pretty baubles. She had just risen when the elevator tinged. The doors opened, and Olivia exited into the lobby, still clad in the gold silk, and headed to the desk. There, she had the manager retrieve a black case. Showtime Tallie thought, relieved now that she had waited, watching as Olivia once again left in the elevator. Ten minutes after that, it was time to put the plan in motion. Using her I Phone, Tallie rang Olivia’s room pretending to be a hotel employee. “Someone had found something of yours in the lobby; a manager is on her way up with it.” She hung up not giving Olivia any chance for response.
From then, it had gone like clockwork. Tallie, with delight, watched the shocked look on Olivia’s face when she opened the door expecting a female hotel manager, but instead came face to face with a Taser wielding double of herself, Tallie! Firing the Taser, the shocked girl slumped into Tallies’ welcome arms. Kicking the door shut, Tallie pulled Olivia into the bathroom, where she was then bound and gagged. To make it look like a robbery, Tallie stripped Olivia of her pearl necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings. Then she quickly looted the apartment of any other small, but valuable items. Placing these items, along with the small backpack, into a leather clutch. Tallie then went to the dresser top and opened the black case sitting there. She whistled to herself as she savored the shiny contents. Looking them over, she made a selection, then poured the remaining jewelry into the clutch, glittering explosive fire as they went. She placed the selected diamond jewelry on the bathroom sink. Tallie found Olivia’s gold purse and opened it and pulled the ticket out. Studying, with eager eyes, the prize they had worked so hard to obtain. The small ticket was the key to the whole plot, worth potentially millions.
Carrying the purse to the bathroom, Tallie started to get ready. De bagging Olivia’s purple gown, she slipped it on. It poured over her curvy figure perfectly, as they had known it would. Tallie had switched her calfskin gloves for a pair of Olivia’s satin ones. It was as she had been putting on Olivia’s glittering diamonds that the tied up girl started to stir. Walking over to the groggy eyed girl, Tallie pretended to fumble with the ropes knots, and administered the hypo containing the knockout drops. After checking the heavily sedated Olivia’s Pulse, Tallie finished putting on the unlucky girls jewels.
Tallie admired herself in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself. She had dyed her midnight black hair blonde to match Olivia‘s and had put in blue tinted contacts. The clingy gown fitted snugly in all the right places, tightly outlining her perky breasts and nicely rounded butt. Very nice, thought Tallie beaming. After putting on Olivia’s stiletto heels, Tallie pronounced herself ready. Picking up the purse, she patted it for luck, and went into the bedroom. Tallie called the front desk, asking to have a limo called to pick her up out front, then she also ordered a wakeup call with breakfast for eleven o’clock the next morning. Hanging up the phone, Tallie still had 12 minutes left to kill. She spent it retracing her steps around the entire apartment making sure nothing had been overlooked, and then double checked that Olivia was going to stay out of the picture. When her time was up, Tallie snatched the clutch up from the satin covers of the bed, heavy now with Olivia’s valuables and her running suit and backpack. Tallie left the apartment, closing the door after hanging a do not disturb sign on the lever. Tallie entered the empty elevator , pushed the down button, and focused on the task at hand.
Finally, after seemingly endless months of careful plotting, preparation, rehearsals and dry runs. It was time. The whole scheme had been planned to the minutest detail, it had to be. The main prize was the tens of millions of dollars’ worth of jewels worn by the female guests attending the annual formal Casino Night by the Bay Ball. The annual black tie ball was a Republican Political Fundraiser by special invitation only and Olivia, who had been carefully selected and shadowed for weeks now, had been one of the lucky ticket holders. As a final coup de grâce , Tallie would attend the ball wearing Olivia’s luxurious gown and her brilliantly expensive diamonds, fitting right in with the other attendees. Security would be checking ID’s at the door. But Tallie now resembled Olivia almost to a T. She would fool those rent a cops easily as they checked her against Olivia‘s driver’s license for identification, bending over and showing a little bosom for added distraction. Tallie couldn’t wait to mingle and rub elbows with the galas ultra-rich patrons. She would mark her time by mingling and endearing herself to as many of the male guests as possible in the short time allotted to her. She would use her rich welsh brogue to the fullest to win over the posh male Yanks. All the while admiring the shiny gowns and scoping out the shimmering jewels that would be adorning her fellow female guests. Those jewels would include the Dahlkemper pearls, the Caboyt diamonds with the brilliant sapphires that placed the “Hope Diamond” to shame, and, of course, the famous matching waterfall diamond sets the Dempsey Twins would be wearing (Not to mention their Mother’s emeralds and rubies) . The sets, which had been presented as gifts at the twins ultra- fancy coning out ball, were insured for over 1 million dollars by the girls parents.
Then at the appointed hour, Tallie would slip away to a seldom used back stage door, conveniently hidden neath a stairwell. Security would not have this door covered. It was there that Tallies’ husband and his troupe of fellow masked thieves would be waiting to make their entrance. If all went to plan and it would, she was sure of that, they would proceed to hold up and rob all the guests. Relieving the lot of their fat designer purses, thick leather wallets, gold Rolexes, and of course, their jewels, Lots and lots of shimmering, pricy jewelry. Not to mention the piles of loose cash lying on the gambling tables begging to be collected. Tallie’s heart beat faster at the enticing visions.
After the last guest had been relieved of their valuables, Tallie’s next part of the plot would come. This was where Tallie’s experience as an actress would pay off. The thieves would grab an innocent hostage (Tallie) by knifepoint Then, while threatening the life of the frightened squirming hostage, order the rest of the guests to strip off their clothing. If Tallie had played her part well, mingling and playing the doe eyed innocent who reminded those she met as someone who they would love to protect, her fellow guests would not want to see her harmed and be obedient to the robbers threats, not wishing any harm to come to her. The guests would be threatened to not to try anything for the next hour, or they would eliminate their hostage. The gang would then leave with their loot, as well as their hapless hostage. Then they would make, what in Tallie’s opinion, was a rather brilliantly orchestrated get away.
This was not the first time out for Tallie and her husband’s team, but it promised to be their last. The gang had been operating in Europe and Latin America, seeking out small, but lucrative, gatherings of the privileged and ultra-wealthy. They had gotten quite adept, fine tuning a formula that successfully paid attention to even the minutest detail.
Tallie loved playing the part of the inside victim. Getting as close as possible to the female guests (usually by flirting with husbands and boyfriends) to get a close appraisal of their jewels. Then, after letting her husband and crew loose, observing the well-dressed guests being herded to line up along the wall with raised hands. Usually creating a colorful array of swishing lace, satin, silk , velvety gowns and dresses, all flowing along forlorn figures. It was a thrill to watch their facial and body expressions and reactions. Especially of the women and girls present, as they were forced to hand over their flashy gemstones, their Shiny gold and silver, opulent pearls and other assorted fine jewelry were handed over reluctantly from about their persons.
Then would come the part that really aroused Tallie. The thieves would reach her and tell her to “fork over the jewels miss,” and depending on her mood, would do so, either acting defiant and forcing them to take them off her, or frightened(especially if the thief was her husband) , and timidly handing them over. She would be squirming inside with a deep, delicious delight as she took off , or had the thief wrench off, each precious piece. It was a reaction she did not fully understand, but just knew and accepted it as a scintillating feeling. Tallie, shivered, licking her lips at past memories of being a robbery “victim”.
The band had no qualms about was fair game, boldly invading Weddings, Receptions, Fancy dress dances and even the upscale prom or mansion party. All had been meticulously planned, all had been very lucrative. Their last raid had been carried out on a coming out party for an English Earl/ Minister and his titled wife’s only daughter. It had occurred at the minister’s isolated country manor located deep in the moors. Where, in addition to the jewels worn by the guests that ill-fated Saturday evening, the manor’s many bedroom safes yielded a dazzling array of cases of unworn jewelry brought by the guests for the four day weekend.
Tallie fondly remembered that raid. She had gained access to the family by going as the guest of a rather vain bachelor she had “happened to make an acquaintance with,” in London. The dinner gatherings and nightly parties that had led up to the night of the debutante’s ball had been all over the top, as only very old money can pull off. Tallie had almost suffered a system overload by observing the bounty of rich offerings at her fingertips. Beckoning jewels so very close, and as of yet, so very far. The Saturday evening ball could not have come soon enough. But come it did, and the minister’s daughter did not disappoint, nor did her mother or any other of their female guests. The young debutante had made her grand entrance in a long slinky blood red gown and matching gloves. Among the child’s perfect jewels was included an authentic family heirloom tiara, dripping with pristine diamonds, holding up the wavy curls of her silky fawn hair.
Tallies mouth had watered as she kept stealing looks, keeping her eyes glued to the precocious miss all evening. She inwardly was squirming with anticipation, up until the delightful moment when the begowned debutante limply removed and handed over the tiara, along with the rest of her gleaming diamonds and pearls to one of the gang of masked robbers who had had the “audacity “ to crash the party..
Now, Tallie was traditionally allowed to keep one piece of jewelry from the loot taken from each job as part of her take if she so desired. She always enjoyed picking out pieces she would like to have as she mingled with her fellow guests before her husband’s gang charged in. In the coming out party it had been the sad puppy faced debutante‘s cascading diamond earrings that Tallie had claimed for her own from the minute she first saw them dangling from the pretty girl’s delicate ears. Tallie had subsequently worn and been “robbed” of those earrings several times on jobs since then.
After the Manor house’s guests had been relieved of their valuables, the gang had made its getaway, seemingly vanishing into the moors misty air. The mechanics of that escape would form the basis of their getaway attempt after this evening’s robbery of the wealthy guests attending the “By the Bay Ball” Actually the symmetry of the two events did not stop there. The profit realized by the take from the Earl’s family and guests had given the gang the seed money for the enormous expense in planning tonight’s complex raid. And tonight’s successful raid on the ball, appropriately enough, its diamond jubilee, would be splashed over all of the countries newspapers, like the Manor raid had been. And like after the Manor raid, Tallie and her husband would be reading those papers in the safty of their isolated island retreat.
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As Tallie dwelt on that remembrance, the elevator completed its long, uninterrupted journey by tinging its 1st floor arrival. Showtime! Tallie thought with wry amusement as she stepped into the now crowded lobby. Tonight would be more of the same tingling robbery experiences, only ten times better and since it may very well be her last time , Tallie was going to savor every delicious minute.
Tallie left the elevator and moved quickly towards the sitting area she had occupied when watching for Olivia to come in. In one of the chairs sat a young man wearing wraparound sunglasses reading a blue covered novel. She swished by him, allowing her satin clad leg to brush along his. She watched with enticement as he straightened, uncomfortably, in his chair, his reaction to her teasing pleasing her immensely . Going around him, she placed her clutch on the chair behind him before turning and primping herself in front of one of the long mirrored walls that lined the sitting area. Seeing that no one as of yet was looking her way, she smiled to herself and swished her way back into the main lobby, leaving behind her clutch. She again passed the young man, who, even with the sunglasses, bore a striking resemblance to a young Sidney Poitier! No signal passed between them. The blue novel meant everything was going as planned, a red novel would have meant danger. The clutch on the chair behind him signaled the young man she had teased, Jessie by name , that everything was a go on Tallies end. After she left, Jessie would retrieve the clutch and rejoin Tallies husband and the rest of his gang.
With the prearranged signals exchanged, Tallie happily made her way to the fancy Glass doors where a uniformed Doorman was opening for arriving and departing guests. She could feel more than one pair of jealous eyes following her as she weaved her way through the crowd, her long gown swishing deliciously along her pretty figure. The pretty blond in the purple satin and shimmering diamonds was soon lost to sight, as she exited the doors to the misty street below. Those watching her were totally oblivious that the pretty blonde passing them was setting into motion the complex wheels of a rather ingenious scheme. Meanwhile in a ballroom some miles away a large group of extremely well dressed and decked out guests attending a certain excessively extravagant Ball , were innocently mingling, jewels sparkled with a frenzied riot of colours! These heavily gem encrusted guests were also totally oblivious as to what fate had in store for them in a few hours.
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As the standoff continues, the hostage negotiator tried to make contact with the bank robbers in an attempt to end the incident peacefully.
After the bank robbers failed to answer the phone inside the bank several times, the hostage negotiator supported by Special Tactics Constables deployed from an armoured vehicle to make one final attempt to contact the hostage takers.
Will the bank robbers surrender?
To be continued...
15th August 1733, Epping High Road, Essex, England. The Essex Gang hold up a stage coach on its way to the City of London. Dick Turpin, the famous Highwayman, leads the Essex gang on another robbery.
Dick (Richard) Turpin was the son of a farmer, born in 1706, and trained as a butcher before taking to a life of crime. The Essex gang invaded isolated farm houses and stole valuables from the female occupants. For a time the gang hid out in a cave in Epping Forest, where they watched the nearby road robbing nearly everybody who passed by.
In one robbery Dick Turpin stole the horse from a man name called Major and give his jaded mount to Major. Major didn’t take the loss lying down and after a number of events Turpin decided that he couldn’t stay in the London and Essex area any longer without getting caught and went to live in Yorkshire and took on the name John Palmer.
After a string of events in the area justice finally caught up with Dick Turpin and he was tried, found guilty, punishable by death. He was hung in Knavesmire, York’s equivalent of London’s Tyburn on 7th April 1739.
As the hostage negotiator failed to make contact with the bank robbers, the incident commander decided to deploy the Special Tactics Unit to resolve the incident.
The Special Tactics Unit move into position and deploy tear gas into the bank. As the team made entry, the two bank robbers surrender and the team arrested them peacefully. All hostages are rescued and unharmed.
Yes, I'm a child. But I love photographing toys. If you look closely, I photoshopped Spider webs on Doc's arms.
A gang of black-capped squirrel monkeys trying to steal food from a capybara. Very interesting behaviour, not only because the monkeys tried to steal it from the capybara`s cheek pouches but also because the much lager rodent didn`t do a thing to prevent it as this was going on for over 5 minutes.
Now there are 3
Explored 10-04-2012, thnx for all your visits, faves and comments :)
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, 25 miles (40 km) north of Miami. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2019 census, the city has an estimated population of 182,437. Fort Lauderdale is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,198,782 people in 2018.
The city is a popular tourist destination, with an average year-round temperature of 75.5 °F (24.2 °C) and 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Greater Fort Lauderdale which takes in all of Broward County hosted 12 million visitors in 2012, including 2.8 million international visitors. The city and county in 2012 collected $43.9 million from the 5% hotel tax it charges, after hotels in the area recorded an occupancy rate for the year of 72.7 percent and an average daily rate of $114.48. The district has 561 hotels and motels comprising nearly 35,000 rooms. Forty six cruise ships sailed from Port Everglades in 2012. Greater Fort Lauderdale has over 4,000 restaurants, 63 golf courses, 12 shopping malls, 16 museums, 132 nightclubs, 278 parkland campsites, and 100 marinas housing 45,000 resident yachts.
Fort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale (1782–1838), younger brother of Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. William Lauderdale was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict. Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed; the first was at the fork of the New River, the second at Tarpon Bend on the New River between the Colee Hammock and Rio Vista neighborhoods, and the third near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.
The area in which the city of Fort Lauderdale would later be founded was inhabited for more than two thousand years by the Tequesta Indians. Contact with Spanish explorers in the 16th century proved disastrous for the Tequesta, as the Europeans unwittingly brought with them diseases, such as smallpox, to which the native populations possessed no resistance. For the Tequesta, disease, coupled with continuing conflict with their Calusa neighbors, contributed greatly to their decline over the next two centuries. By 1763, there were only a few Tequesta left in Florida, and most of them were evacuated to Cuba when the Spanish ceded Florida to the British in 1763, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the Seven Years' War. Although control of the area changed between Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Confederate States of America, it remained largely undeveloped until the 20th century.
The Fort Lauderdale area was known as the "New River Settlement" before the 20th century. In the 1830s there were approximately 70 settlers living along the New River. William Cooley, the local Justice of the Peace, was a farmer and wrecker, who traded with the Seminole Indians. On January 6, 1836, while Cooley was leading an attempt to salvage a wrecked ship, a band of Seminoles attacked his farm, killing his wife and children, and the children's tutor. The other farms in the settlement were not attacked, but all the white residents in the area abandoned the settlement, fleeing first to the Cape Florida Lighthouse on Key Biscayne, and then to Key West.
The first United States stockade named Fort Lauderdale was built in 1838, and subsequently was a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. The fort was abandoned in 1842, after the end of the war, and the area remained virtually unpopulated until the 1890s. It was not until Frank Stranahan arrived in the area in 1893 to operate a ferry across the New River, and the Florida East Coast Railroad's completion of a route through the area in 1896, that any organized development began. The city was incorporated in 1911, and in 1915 was designated the county seat of newly formed Broward County.
Fort Lauderdale's first major development began in the 1920s, during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. The 1926 Miami Hurricane and the Great Depression of the 1930s caused a great deal of economic dislocation. In July 1935, an African-American man named Rubin Stacy was accused of robbing a white woman at knife point. He was arrested and being transported to a Miami jail when police were run off the road by a mob. A group of 100 white men proceeded to hang Stacy from a tree near the scene of his alleged robbery. His body was riddled with some twenty bullets. The murder was subsequently used by the press in Nazi Germany to discredit US critiques of its own persecution of Jews, Communists, and Catholics.
When World War II began, Fort Lauderdale became a major US base, with a Naval Air Station to train pilots, radar operators, and fire control, operators. A Coast Guard base at Port Everglades was also established.
On July 4, 1961, African Americans started a series of protests, wade-ins, at beaches that were off-limits to them, to protest "the failure of the county to build a road to the Negro beach". On July 11, 1962, a verdict by Ted Cabot went against the city's policy of racial segregation of public beaches.
Today, Fort Lauderdale is a major yachting center, one of the nation's largest tourist destinations, and the center of a metropolitan division with 1.8 million people.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale,_Florida
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