Tuesday, September 21, 2021
FROM THE VAULT
From Bytes, February 21, 2011:
One person...
Yesterday’s item about Tank Man raises an age old question: Can one person make a difference?
Edward Everett Hale (1822 – 1909), American author, historian and clergyman, once wrote:
I am only one,but still I am one.I cannot do everything,but still I can do something;and because I cannot do everything,I will not refuse to do something I can do.
Those words are an encouragement to a person making an attempt but realistically can anything be achieved by a single person?
Buddha said “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
Another simple story also addresses the issue:
Early one evening a man was walking along a beach when he saw a boy picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. The man asked the boy why he was doing this. The boy explained the starfish would die if left to the morning. The man asked the boy, "What difference will your efforts make when there are thousands of starfish on the beach?" The boy stopped and looked at the starfish he was holding and said, "It will make a difference to this one."
Monday, September 20, 2021
POETRY SPOT
Mr Keating in Dead Poets’ Society tells his students:
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
In keeping with that sentiment, today’s Poetry Spot focuses on one aspect of limericks: Why that poetic form is so called.
Caution: there is a risque element, but is that not part of beauty, romance, love?
WS Baring-Gould offers an explanation as to the origin of the poetic limerick name in his wonderful book “The Lure of the Limerick”.
Baring-Gould relies upon Herbert Langford Reed as authority for one explanation:
- The limerick form was originally sung, not recited.
- In a group, each member would take it in turn to sing a limerick verse, which was then followed by a sung challenge from the group (or an audience):
That was a very nice song,
Sing us another one –
Just like the other one –
Sing us another one, do!
- The connection with the town of Limerick is related to the Irish Brigade, an infantry brigade, consisting predominantly of Irish Americans, that served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. When veterans of the Irish Brigade returned to Limerick, they sang their verses at gatherings with a chorus after each verse of:
Won’t you come up, come up,
Won’t you come up, I say,
Won’t you come up, come all the way up,
Come all the way up to Limerick?
- As a flow on, according to Reed, the format became known as a limerick.
- Baring-Gould observes that Reed was so convinced that Limerick was the home of the limerick that he saluted the town by way of a limerick (of course):
All hail to the town of Limerick
Which provides a cognomen, generic,
For a species pf verse
Which, for better or worse,
Is supported by laymen and cleric.
“Cognomen” means an extra personal name given to an ancient Roman citizen, functioning rather like a nickname and typically passed down from father to son.
Not the pinnacle of limerick humour.
- Baring-Gould comments that it has been said that the only English word for which there is no rhyme is the word “oblige”. He comments:
I think we can do better, don’t you dear readers, even if we aren't lads at our primers.“All hail to Reed, nonetheless, for making no effort to avoid finding a rhyme for ‘limerick’.Hail, too, to the anonymous author of:There was a young farmer of LimerickWho started one day to trim a rick.The Fates gave a frown,The rick tumbled down,And killed him – I don’t know a grimmer trick.”And to Elmo Calkins, who wrote:Pray search this wide land with a glimmer stick,For there must be some lad at his primer quick,Who when pressed can supplyA lot better than IAn acceptable rhyme scheme for “limerick”
Following is my contribution, send me yours . . .
There once was a lady from Limerick
Who said “Sex for me needs a trimmer wick,
I much prefer that
To a bologna style fat –
For me it’s best with a slimmer dick.”
As Mr Keating said, "Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
Sunday, September 19, 2021
SYDNEY SUBURBS
Constitution Hill
Location:
Constitution Hill is a suburb of Sydney located on a hill 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta.
I confess that I had never heard of it until now, but I have also found out that the area was originally a locality within the suburb of Wentworthville. Constitution Hill was promoted from a locality to a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales on 19 January 2007.
Name origin:
I have been unable to locate any information on why this suburb has been so named, although it is true that it is elevated, overlooking the city of Parramatta from above with views of the inner Sydney city skyline.
By the way:
There is a Constitution Hill in England, being a road in the City of Westminster in London connecting the western end of The Mall (just in front of Buckingham Palace) with Hyde Park Corner. The origin of the Brit Constitution Hill is uncertain, with one theory being that King Charles II had a habit of taking "constitutional" walks there. Indeed there is an account that Charles' brother, James, Duke of York was returning from a hunt on Hounslow Heath and stopped his coach along Constitution Hill to avoid hitting the king walking across the road. Upon wondering if Charles put himself in danger by walking out in front of a vehicle, the King replied, "No danger whatever, James, for I am sure that no man in England would take my life to make you king." Ouch, burned!
A second by the way in respect of London’s Constitution Hill: Large concrete lamp posts were installed in Constitution Hill in the 1960s. Thanks to the swift intervention of Oz comedian and enthusiastic environmentalist Spike Milligan they were removed within days and the old gas lamps are still there.
Constitution Hill, London
About:
At the 2016 census, there were 3,966 residents in Constitution Hill. 61.0% of residents were born in Australia.
Constitution Hill was one of the places that was involved in the Castle Hill convict rebellion.
The Castle Hill Rebellion of 1804 was Australia’s first uprising. A group of Irish convicts tried to overthrow British rule in New South Wales, and return to Ireland to keep fighting for an Irish republic. The convict rebels were defeated and at least 39 convicts were killed. Despite this, it helped to inspire the Eureka Stockade, another famous Australian uprising that happened 50 years later.
Many convicts in the Castle Hill area had been involved in the 1798 rebellions in Ireland and, from late 1799, were transported as exiles-without-trial to the colony of New South Wales. Phillip Cunningham, a veteran of the 1798 rebellion, and William Johnston, another Irish convict at Castle Hill, planned an uprising in which over 685 Castle Hill convicts intended to join with nearly 1,100 convicts from the Hawkesbury River area, rally at Constitution Hill, and march on Parramatta and then Sydney (Port Jackson) itself. Their goal was to establish Irish rule in the colony and obtain ships for those that wanted to return to Ireland to help revive the failed Irish Rebellion of 1803.
The distraction they had made at Castle Hill, a fire, was supposed to stretch out the government forces by allocating some men to go to Castle Hill. The convicts would then attack Parramatta, the head of the colony at that time, and take over control.
The government officials had suspicion that the convicts were planning an attack on Parramatta and kept most of their forces at Parramatta. Thinking that the convicts were at Toongabbie, they set out west, only to be informed that they were at Constitution Hill. When the government forces arrived at the summit of Constitution Hill they realised that the men had not made it that far yet and were further west at Rouse Hill.
The rebellion culminated in a battle fought between convicts and the colonial forces of Australia, on 5 March 1804 at Rouse Hill. The mostly Irish rebels, having gathered reinforcements, were hunted by the colonial forces until they were caught on a hillock nicknamed Vinegar Hill on 5 March 1804.
While negotiating under truce, two leaders of the uprising were captured. Cunningham was cut down with a cutlass blow. Given the order to engage, more than fifteen minutes of musket fire was directed at the rebel lines, following which the militia, the NSW Corps, charged. The now-leaderless rebels tried to fire back, but then broke and dispersed.
According to official reports, at least fifteen rebels fell during the battle. Major Johnston, in charge of the NSW Corps, prevented further bloodshed by threatening his troops with his pistol to temper their enthusiasm. Several convicts were captured and an unknown number killed in the ensuing pursuit of the rebels, which continued until late in the night, with newly arrived soldiers from Sydney joining in the search. It was reported that gun shots could be heard up to a fortnight later, such was the settling of old scores. On Wednesday, 7 March, Governor King announced that those who surrendered before 10 March would receive leniency and, following that, large parties who lost their way in the night turned themselves in under the amnesty, or made their way back to Castle Hill, where a large party of about 70, led by Samuel Humes, were captured by a detachment of the Loyal Parramatta Association.
After the rebellion Governor King had nine convicts hanged without trial. It is estimated that 39 convicts died in, or as a result of, the uprising, although accurate numbers may never be known.
Seven convicts were sentenced to between 200 and 500 lashes and, with another 23 rebels, were then banished to the Coal River (Newcastle) chain gang.
While the Castle Hill rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful, it did serve as inspiration for another famous uprising. Identifying with the ideals of liberty, justice and freedom espoused by the Irish rebels both in Australia and in Ireland, the participants in the Eureka Stockade in 1854 used the secret password ‘Vinegar Hill’.
Gallery:
Castle Hill Convict Rebellion, 1804, by an unknown artist
Major George Johnston and one of the rebel leaders during the Castle Hill rebellion (detail from the first artwork).
Quartermaster Laycock slicing Phillip Cunningham with a sword during the convict rebellion at Castle Hill.
Lt. Col. George Johnston, 1810
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Bonus item:
A contemporary account:
“At half past eleven o’clock on Sunday night, March, 1804, an, express was received by His Excellency, from Captain ABBOTT, Commanding Officer at Parramatta, with the intelligence that the Prisoners at Public Labour at Castle Hill, and the Settlers’ men, were in a state of Insurrection, and had committed many daring outrages.”In these words the Sydney Gazette of March n, 1804, opened its account of the stirring events known as the Battle of Vinegar Hill. It was the most powerful of the convict rebellions. Its leaders were mainly Irish and their followers numbered several hundreds.On the 4th of March, 1804, when returning home through Parramatta, I saw several men standing about in little gangs, and, recollecting what had been told me, I suspected something was going on, but said nothing. I met Timothy Holster, taskmaster of the Government men. He and I seldom met but we drank together, and on this occasion we called for a decanter of rum. He was an Englishman, and when we were drinking he said to me, “Mr. Holt, take my advice, and do not be out late tonight, as I should be sorry to hear of anything against you.”I asked what he meant, and he told me that the Irishmen were to break out that night, and that the Government were in possession of their plans. I immediately proceeded to Mr. Cox with my wife and child, and told him what I had heard. He asked me my opinion of the business. I answered that I knew nothing more than what I had heard and told him; but that I should be ready to defend his house and keep off any assailants. He gave Sergeant King, who was his clerk, orders to prepare some cartridges, and we were all upon the alert. … In the morning Mr. Cox rode over to inquire the cause of the proceedings of the night. He returned, and gave the following account: About 900 men had assembled on Castle Hill, and chosen one Cunningham, as their leader. Captain George Johnston went towards them and demanded what they wanted. They replied, “Death or liberty.” A soldier named Laycock, who stood six feet six inches, a quartermaster in the corps, came up, and with one blow killed Cunningham on the spot. On this the whole mob took to their heels, and many were shot.Ten of the leaders were hung, and three more hung the same evening at Parramatta. A party of 40 soldiers and some of the loyal settlers arrested some of the unfortunate wretches who tried to escape by flight, and brought them back before a court-martial.It was arranged that lots should be drawn from a hat, and that every third man whose name was drawn should be hanged. The arrival of the Governor put an end to this extraordinary proceedings.JOSEPH HOLT, Memoirs.
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A further bonus item:
Life in Sydney back then, with a reference to Constitution Hill . . .
Letter from an old settler, Joseph Smith:
MacDonald’s River, County of Hunter, 3rd Oct. 1845I arrived in the colony fifty-five years since; it was Governor Phillip’s time, and I was fourteen years old; there were only eight houses in the colony then. I was seven years in bondage, then started working for a living wherever I could get it. There was plenty of hardship then: I have often taken grass, pounded it and made soup from a native dog. I would eat anything then. For seventeen-weeks I only had 5 ounces of flour a day. We never got a full ration except when the ship was in harbour. The motto was ‘Kill them, or work them, their provision will be in store.’ Many a time I have been yoked like a bullock with 20 or 30 others to drag along timber. About 800 died in six weeks at a place called Toongabbie, or Constitution Hill.I knew a man so weak, he was thrown into the grave, when he said, ‘Don’t cover me up, I’m not dead; for God’s sake don’t cover me up!’ The overseer answered, ‘Damn your eyes, you’ll die tonight, and we shall have the trouble to come back again.’ The man recovered, his name is James Glasshouse, and he is now alive at Richmond.S. Sidney. The Three Colonies of Australia. Published London, 1853.
Saturday, September 18, 2021
MY THIRD TOP 10 + 2, continued
Continuing the third list of my personal Top 10 + 2 films, based on the Otto Watchability and Repeated Watching Index © . . .
The list so far:
1. Breakfast Club
2. The Enemy Below
3. The Searchers
4. The Quiet Man
5. Forrest Gump
6. Midnight Sting
7. Once Upon a Time in the West
8. Shawshank Redemption
(Steve, you won’t like these new ones either).
Warning: spoilers ahead.
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9. Kill Bill (2003):
It seems somewhat unfair that a continuing series of films should be pitted against a single eg Star Wars, Lord of the Rings. The films in those continuing parts should be assessed individually but I am breaking that protocol by treating Kill Bill 1 and 2 as one extra long movie.
On the Otto Watchability and Repeat Index © (meaning eminently watchable, that it can be watched again and again), this has a high rating. I know this because I have watched it again and again.
Kill Bill is director Quentin Tarentino’s homage to grindhouse cinema, (theatres showing mainly low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films), including martial arts films, samurai cinema, blaxploitation, and spaghetti Westerns.
Although filmed as one movie and planned as a single release, Bill Bill 1 and 2 had a total runtime of over four hours so was divided in two. KB 1 grossed over $181 million on a $30 million budget; KB 2 grossed $152 million.
How can you not like a film (Steve?) that opens with a title card " 'Revenge is a dish best served cold’ - Old Klingon proverb”, and has such memorable characters as Bill, Elle Driver, O-Ren-Ishii, Gogo, Hattori Hanzo and Pai Mei. And who expected that, after all the preceding slaughter-fest, the climax of the film would be a complete reversal using instead Pai Mei’s Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
BTW:
Recently Quentin Tarentino was still laying hints that there might be a Kill Bill 3 at a future date. Set 20 years in the future, it would recast Uma Thurman as The Bride and her real life daughter Maya Hawke as her screen daughter, battling the daughter of Vivica A. Fox’s character, Vernita Green, who seeks to avenge her mother’s death. He has also intimated that revenge might further be sought by Elle Driver, Gogo’s sister and Sofie Fatale (O-Ren-Ishii’s lawyer, second in command and friend in Kill Bill 1). Whether it will happen remains to be seen.
Source:
One final note: my experience is that those who like Tarentino films would be willing to watch every one back to back; those who don’t like hem couldn’t be forced to watch, even if their lives depended on it.
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10. A Night at the Opera (1935)
It’s hard to believe that it has taken the third Top 10 + 2 before reaching a Marx Brothers movie. It is even harder to believe that the one chosen is now 86 years old, made 7 years after the release of Jolson’s talkie The Jazz Singer. The poster at the time proclaimed “The Funniest Picture in 10 Years!” The 10 can now be changed to 86.
Some highlights of this film:
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The banter between Groucho as Otis B Drfiftwood and Marx Brothers perennial actress Margaret Dumont. Sample:
As Otis and Mrs. Claypool are boarding the ocean liner, she asks him, "Do you have everything, Otis?"; he replies, "Well, I haven't had any complaints yet."
The exchange was banned in a number of Sates in the US as being too suggestive.
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The famous crowded stateroom scene:
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The aviators segment
The contract discussion between Groucho and Chico as Fiorello (“You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Claus!”)
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A witty script, sample:
Otis B. Driftwood: [to carriage driver] “Hey you. I told you to slow that nag down. On account of you I almost heard the opera.”
Herbert Gottlieb: Mrs. Claypool, you're as charming as you are beautiful.
Mrs. Claypool: I'm afraid you've used that speech before, Mr. Gottlieb.
Otis B. Driftwood: Now, listen here Gottlieb, making love to Mrs. Claypool is my racket. What you're after is $200,000. And you better make is sound plausible; because, incredible as it may seem, Mrs. Claypool isn't as big a sap as she looks. How's that for love making?
Mrs. Claypool: I think the Europeans do it better?
Otis B. Driftwood: Okay, Gottlieb, it's your turn. You take a whack at it - and keep it clean.
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Chico at the piano:
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Harpo on the harp:
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By the way:
In exasperation after several attempts to have Groucho Marx read one of his lines in the manner director Sam Wood had requested, Wood exclaimed, "I guess you just can't make an actor out of clay." Groucho Marx instantly responded, "Nor a director out of Wood."
By the way #2:
Producer Irving Thalberg would often call people in for meetings, and then keep them waiting in his office for hours while he attended other meetings on the MGM lot. One day, during pre-production for this picture, Thalberg kept The Marx Brothers waiting for several hours in his secretary's office while he was in his own office making phone calls. When Thalberg's secretary went home for the day, the brothers decided they'd had enough. They pushed the office file cabinets against Thalberg's door, trapping the producer in his office. Afterwards, Thalberg kept his appointments with the Marx Brothers, but would often interrupt his meetings with them and step out to attend other meetings--again keeping the brothers waiting for hours. One day Thalberg came back from another meeting to find Groucho Marx, Chico Marx and Harpo Marx sitting in his office completely naked, and roasting potatoes on sticks in his office fireplace. Thalberg sat down with them, had a potato and never missed or interrupted another meeting with the Marx Brothers.
All in all, a film well worth watching, especially by both opera lovers and opera haters.
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Friday, September 17, 2021
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
Death is the only certainty in life
"There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.
The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."
- W. Somerset Maugham
FUNNY FRIDAY
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Remember how at Christmas and New Year's Eve last year we wished each other well and expressed the hope that the worst was behind us, that 2021 would be a good year. How wrong were we. It makes you wonder what 2022 holds in store.
I can't tell you about 2022 but I can tell you about today, and that is that it contains another Funny Friday. I can also tell that you will have a few giggles and laughs, as well as some groans and rolled eyes. Okay, not much of a prediction, that's the same as every Friday in Bytes.
Enjoy, readers.
Caution: some risque content ahead.
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SOME HUMOUR:
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My wife recently discovered I was cheating after she found all those letters I'd been hiding.
She got really mad and said she's never going to play Scrabble with me again.
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A man is driving home one night and almost falls asleep while driving...
"God dammit," he thought, "I'll never be able to stay awake on the road, and I don't have money for a motel. I'm not gonna risk it, I'll just pull over to the side of the road and take a little nap."
He parks his car just outside of a park, and kicks his seat back. "I don't need much, maybe just an hour at least." He closes his eyes, and lies motionless waiting for sweet dreams to come.
The man is this close to falling asleep, but before he can, he hears the most annoying sound in the world. He wakes up to see where it is coming from, and he sees someone knocking against his window! He rolls the window down to see who it is, and he sees a man jogging in place.
"What do you want?" he asks.
"Do you know what time it is?" the jogger asks.
"No I don't know what time it is," the man says, and the jogger jogs away. He rolls up his window and tries to fall asleep again. He lays his head back thinking about how annoying that was. You'd think that if someone knocked on your window it would be about something important. He closes his eyes again, and waits for more dreaming.
He's just about to do it until... he hears more knocking on his car window! "Gosh darn it!" he thought, what does that guy want this time? He tries to ignore it, trying to signal to the person he is not interested, but the man is very persistent. He relents and rolls down his window and he sees another man jogging in place.
"What do you want?" he asks.
"Do you know what time it is?" the jogger asks.
"No, I don't, now leave me alone!" says the man, and the jogger jogs away. He rolls back up his window. "Is this going to be happening to me all night?" he thought.
Frustrated, he opens up his glove box and pulls out a piece of paper. He grabs the biggest Sharpie he could find and writes down, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!" and he grabs some scotch tape, and puts it on the driver side window.
"There!" he thought. "Now everyone can leave me alone!" He's confident that the sign is going to work and he won't have to deal with anymore persistent knocking on his car window.
He lays back and tries to sleep again. This time he is about to do it. And just when he thought the sign was about to work, would you believe it? He hears more knocking on his window! Frustrated, he roles down the window to see another jogger.
"What do you want? Didn't you read the sign?" The man asks.
And the jogger says "Of course I can. I just wanted to let you know, its 9:15 PM."
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So I asked my friend, "what does STFU mean?"
"Shut the fuck up," he responded.
He didn't have to be so harsh, he could've just told me to go away.
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The King of the magical land Wakanda invited the President of the United States and the Queen of Britain to visit.
When they arrived, the Royal Guide of Wakanda brought them to the Palace.
"I should warn you, the beauty and luxury you will see is unparalleled." he said.
They both snorted haughtily. Surely this third-world country couldn't compete with their own riches.
But when they entered, they were shocked. A giant room ran as far as the eye could see. The floor was carpeted with thick, beautiful rugs. Pillars of marble rose to a roof far, far above them. Chandeliers shimmering with crystal hung from the ceiling. Sitting on plush velvet thrones were thousands of exotic dogs of every breed. Servants rushed to and fro, bearing gold platters laden with delicacies. In one corner, a 40 piece orchestra stood, playing the most amazing music.
The President recovered first. "Alright, this place is pretty big. But the White House must be nearly double the size."
The Queen sniffed. "Oh, if you care about size then fine. But one does prefer the decor at Buckingham Palace."
The Royal Guide of Wakanda turned around impatiently.
"Do hurry. Surely you didn't travel all this way just to see our kennels?"
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A Jewish woman buys a new apartment
She calls her friend once she is moved in and is gushing about what a nice place she has and invites her to come see it.
Of course she agrees so she starts giving the friend directions on how to get there.
"Once you park, head straight through the courtyard and you'll see a buzzer for the apartments. Use your right elbow to hit 3B and I'll buzz you in. When you get inside walk over to the elevator and use your knee to push the UP button. Then use your left elbow to hit 3. I'm the apartment at the end of the hall. Kick the door two times and I'll come open it for you."
The friend is understandably confused by these detailed instructions. "But can't I just use my hands for the buzzer and elevator and to knock on the door?" the friend asks.
She pauses for a minute, then finally says "Oh, so you're not bringing anything?"
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Also from the vault . . .
A truck driver would amuse himself by running over lawyers. Whenever he saw a lawyer walking down the side of the road, identified by the pin striped suit and brief case, he would swerve to hit him, enjoy the loud, satisfying "THUMP", and then swerve back onto the road.
One day, as the truck driver was driving along he saw a priest hitchhiking. He thought he would do a good turn and pulled the truck over.
He asked the priest, "Where are you going, Father?"
"I'm going to the church 5 miles down the road," replied the priest.
"No problem, Father! I'll give you a lift. Climb in the truck." The happy priest climbed into the passenger seat and the truck driver continued down the road.
as
Suddenly the truck driver saw a lawyer walking down the road and instinctively he swerved to hit him. But then he remembered there was a priest in the truck with him, so at the last minute he swerved back away, narrowly missing the lawyer. However even though he was certain he missed the lawyer, he still heard a loud "THUD". Not understanding where the noise came from he glanced in his mirrors and when he didn't see anything, he turned to the priest and said, "I'm sorry Father. I almost hit that lawyer."
"That's okay, my son", replied the priest. "I got him with the door!"
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LIMERICK OF THE WEEK:
US President Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1914) was a limerick afficionado, not only of quoting but also of writing them. The following limerick has been credited to him, perhaps because he was fond of reciting it, but it was actually written by Anthony Euwer, artist, lecturer and poet, and published in his "Limeratomy" in 1917. Euwer was at Princeton when Wilson was president there, and perhaps they were friends.
As a beauty I'm not a great star,
Others are handsomer by far;
But my face, I don't mind it,
Because I'm behind it –
It's the folks in the front that I jar.
There is more support that the Pres did write this one . . .
I sat next to the Duchess at tea;
It was just as I feared it would be:
Her rumblings abdominal
Were truly phenomenal,
And everyone thought it was me !
A variation with "thought" instead of feared and "abominable" instead of phenomenal is reported as a misattribution in Paul F. Boller, Jr., and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions (1989), p. 132
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GALLERY:
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RELIGION SPOT:
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CORN CORNER:
What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos?
The ones in the casinos are serious.
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100 years ago everyone owned horses
And only the rich owned cars
Now everyone has a car and only the rich own horses
The stables have turned.
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I read somewhere we only use 10% of our brains
I wonder what the other half is used for ??
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A man went to the doctor and said: "Doc, I broke my arm in 12 places."
The doctor replied: "Well, stop going to those places then."
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Thursday, September 16, 2021
2021 DRONE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE YEAR, CONTINUED
Continuing the 2021 drone photographs of the year awards, winners pasted last week. Here are the runners up and commended in the Wildlife category, with the photographers' captions.
Note: the title is misleading in that the competition is open to aerial photography and videos taken from fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, and parachutes.
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Category: Wildlife
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Back to Adventure
Green turtle heading back to water after laying down eggs in her peaceful nest at Oman coastline between Ras Al Jinz and Rashad turtle reserve.
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Fast Food
This photo was taken in Zambia. Two male lion brothers killed a buffalo, and after eating for a day they left the remains to the others.
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Hippopotamus group from above
Hippopotamus group from above creating an amazing pattern. All hippos are adults except one baby who is in the center.
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Fairy Circles
Zebra herd in the Namib Rand Nature Reserve in Namibia. The thin grasses here have a rare speckled pattern known as "fairy circles", a phenomena that is poorly understood. Grasses seem to grow higher on the inner rim of the circles due to less competition for water on the inside of the ring.
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Polar Bear Hunting
Polar bear hunting seal from an iceberg in Svalbard during the summer while the sea ice is gone all the way north to 83°N.
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Giving Back to the Ocean
An adult male sperm whale died stranded in the shallow waters of BahÃa de la Paz, Baja California Sur, on November 2020. The local marine mammals conservation team could not determine the death cause, but its skeleton was later retrieved to do more research and became part of the Museo de la Ballena osteological collection in La Paz.
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Seagulls
The Yamuna Ghat in Delhi is the site of a majestic gathering of thousands of seagulls flocking to feed. One day early in the morning we visited Yamuna Ghat with my drone to capture this beauty of seagulls from above.
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Sleeping Beauty
Working closely with the bears and getting them used to our behaviour meant that by day 5 we were well underway to documenting some truly unique behaviour. By this point we have gotten to know in detail the personalities of 27 different bears, and they in return welcomed us into their lives and let us film around the clock. Utilizing drones, remote cameras, and custom made gear in order to capture the most intimate footage.
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Emus of the Salt Lake
Emus running in shallow water on Lake Gairdner, a salt lake in central Australia. The birds were foraging though they were many km from the shore of a 7000 sq km lake. There were no plants and the water too saline to drink. The normal diet of emus is seeds and fruit, but also insects. Strong winds had blown many insects over the lake and, exhausted, they fell into the water. This is probably what the emus were feeding on.
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Fast Track
Whether the Zebra is black with white strips or if it is white with black strips it definitely stands out in the wild. I was on a photoshoot for some other species and that is when I spotted this beauty running in haste.
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Lake Rudolf Sprinkle
During the rainy season, the beautiful flamingos adorn the Rift Valley with their long-legs, long-neck, black beak, and pink feathery coats. It is indeed feasting to our eyes. I was fortunate enough to spend some quality time observing them and clicking as many pictures as I could because to me every frame out there was unique. In this picture, you can see a flock of flamingos flying over a pattern, which is very similar to the pattern they are flying.
(Does anyone understand the above caption comment?? - Otto)
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Baby Flamingos
Baby flamingos said hello to life. Salt lake is a good home for them. Their mother is feeding nearby. They will grow and migrate. The minerals in the salt lake are their food source. The weather is very hot this year but they are used to it. It is necessary to go to the salt lake very early in order to photograph flamingos. As the weather warms, they go to deeper waters.
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Hideout
Some nocturnal animals, like this pair of Golden Jackal, have taken shelter in the wheat field because their home has been destroyed. Golden jackals are locally common in Bangladesh despite intensive cultivation and high human densities. It's quite difficult to find jackal in day time so I had to use my drone to capture this image without making them feel intimidated.
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A Still Point in Time
At a still point in time, a flock of greater flamingo wades through the obsidian brine pans south of Walvis Bay with the dainty grace of ballerinas. This image was taken hand held from the fixed wing aircraft. Flamingo are incredibly noise and vibration sensitive and normally take to flight when disturbed. Our aircraft is so quiet these flamingo were unaware of us photographing them from above.
Comment:
If you look at the top right corner, you will see one flamingo with wings outstretched, the only one that looks different. It reminds me of Brian in Life of Brian telling the gathered crowd "You're all individuals." They all repeat in one voice "We're all individuals", except for one plaintive voice which says "I'm not."
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Point of No Return
A 13-metre whale entered, disoriented, in the estuary of river Vouga in Aveiro, and got stuck in a sand bank. The efforts of the fishermen and of the authorities to keep it alive were not enough and ended up dying. The reason that led the whale to make such a journey is still unknown, but the lack of food due to intensive fishing and the noise of the boats may have contributed to this outcome.
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Shark Seeking the Salmon
Capturing this was delight, as the light was beautiful, and the shark was in a great position, while in the hunt for the many hundreds of salmon.
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Statues
A flock of Greater Flamingos enjoys the food-rich salterns of Vankali Bird Sanctuary in Sri Lanka. They travel thousands of miles every year to reach Sri Lanka, which is their ideal residence during winters.
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Sheep in Congress
In the north of Israel, I documented during summer and winter a herd of 1500 sheep which became more than 1900 heads. I followed them when they moved from one location to another mainly for searching for fresh grass but also for preparing to give birth and cut their wool.
More to come.
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