Saturday, January 26, 2019
Sydney Suburbs, continued
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Camperdown:
Last week I posted a look at Camperdown, which included the story of James Sullivan, a stablehand who died in 1924 whilst trying to save horses in a stable fire. I wondered whether that story would be of interest to readers and whether there was too much of it. What I found fascinating was that Sullivan was too lowly and of the wrong political persuasion for the times to not only be properly honoured, they even muddied and distorted the memory of him. At least one reader not only read the post but researched it further and emailed me. Thanks Kara. Here is Kara’s email . . .
Hi Otto
The story of Camperdown Hero 'J' Sullivan almost immediately piqued my curiosity simply because of all the conflicting reports in the Sydney Morning Herald. He was certainly J Sullivan but was it Jack or James? If the former then he was probably actually John. He was at least consistently said to be 59/60 years old. On 24 July, the day following the fire, his address was given as 29 Pyrmont Bridge Road but by 26 July he had become James, late of Briggs Street. I expected clarification and more accurate detail in the (scholarly) article linked at the end: 'Remembering and forgetting James Sullivan' by Peter Harney, but I didn't find it. I shouldn't have been disappointed as I was forewarned both by the title (and point) of the article and your drawing attention to its final paragraph which includes: "His time and place seem to hold no relevance and have been forgotten. We do not remember James Sullivan because we hardly know who he was."
That last sentence makes me ask why not? So who was our hero? Well, backed up by various birth, death and marriage records and a copy of the results of the inquest held on 5 August 1924, and further information in later issues of the Sydney Morning Herald (most significantly on 20 Aug, the report that in recognition of the bravery or Mr James Sullivan a gold medal was presented by the RSPCA to his sister Mrs George LALOR) I was pleased to find the following which I thought I would share with you.
In 1864 James Sullivan was born in Nelligan, New South Wales the third child and second son of Jeremiah Sullivan (farmer) and Grace nee Ferry. His parents’ marriage was registered in Sydney in 1860. Their first born, a girl, died soon after birth. James had one older brother (Daniel) and three younger sisters (Margaret, Ellen, and Isabella). All the births were registered in Broulee (about 35 kilometres from Nelligan). On 10 Sep 1904 Isabella, the youngest sister, married George Lalor at St Stephen's (Anglican) Church, Newtown.
I am pleased that at least I now know a little more about the man who is named on an old concrete trough even though he has no marker on his own grave.
Thanks as usual for all your interesting Bytes not to mention the Funny Fridays!
Kind Regards
Kara
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Campsie:
Location:
Campsie is thirteen kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River.
Name origin:
Campsie is generally thought to have been named after Campsie in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1851, John Redman's first grant in the area, "John Farm" was bought by the Scott Brothers, who renamed it "Campsie Farm". When the land boom came in the 1880s, the farm was purchased and subdivided by the Anglo-Australian Investment, Finance and Land Company Ltd., under the name "Campsie Park Estate". It is believed to be named after the district of Campsie in Scotland, where there is also a range of hills known as the Campsie Fells. Some doubt has been cast as to this being a correct explanation, click on:
Comments:
In 1770, the land along the Cooks River was explored by officers from HMS Endeavour.
In the early days of European settlement, the land in this area was mostly used for farming.
The railway was completed in 1895, encouraging suburban development and leading to the area becoming heavily populated.
Gallery:
Campsie Motor Car and Carriage Works, Hill Street, Campsie. ca 1916.
Welcoming home WW1 soldiers, Campsie ca 1919.
Rowing on the Cooks River, Hurlstone Park. ca 1895.
Campsie Railway Station, ca 1908
Beamish Street, Campsie, date unknown
R Treleaven Furniture Removalist, Campsie. 1921
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Funny Friday
The last Funny Friday of January and a cocktail of humour today . . . as always, enjoy.
Caution though: risque content included.
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A variation on an oldie:
Three couples went in to see the minister to see how to become members of his church. The minister said that they would have to go without sex for two weeks and then come back and tell him how it went.
The first couple was retired, the second couple was middle-aged and the final couple was newlywed.
Two weeks went by and the couples returned to the minister. The retired couple said it was no problem at all. The middle-aged couple said it was tough for the first week, but after that, it was no problem. The newlyweds said it was fine until she dropped the can of paint.
"Can of PAINT!" exclaimed the minister.
"Yeah," said the newlywed man. "She dropped the can and when she bent over to pick it up I had to have her right there and then. Lust took over."
The minister just shook his head and said that they were not welcome in the church.
"That's okay," said the man. "We're not welcome in Home Depot again either."
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Q: There are 500 bricks on a plane. One falls off. How many are left?
A: 499
Q: What are the three steps to putting an elephant in the fridge?
A: Open door, put elephant in, close door.
Q: What are the 4 steps to putting a giraffe in the fridge?
A: Open door, take elephant out, put giraffe in, close door.
Q: The Lion King is having a birthday party. All the animals attend but one. Which animal is it, and why?
A: Giraffe. He's stuck in a fridge.
Q: Sally wants to cross an alligator infested river. There's no bridge and the only way she can get across is by swimming. She swims across and makes it to the other side safely. Why?
A: The alligators are all at a birthday party.
Q: Sally dies anyways. Why?
A: She got hit in the head by a flying brick.
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I have an EpiPen. My friend gave it to me when he was dying, it seemed very important to him that I have it.
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The Pope calls a meeting of all the cardinals. When they have all assembled at the Vatican, he takes them into the meeting hall and states, "I have some really fantastic news and some very terrible news." Of course, all the cardinals want to hear the good news first, so the Pope tells them, "Jesus Christ has returned to the world. The time of judgement is at hand, and our faith in his existence is justified." After the commotion dies down a bit, one of the cardinals speaks up, asking what the terrible news is. The Pope replies, "He was calling from Salt Lake City."
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Gallery:
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Limerick of the Week:
On the chest of a barmaid at Yale,
Were tattooed the prices of ale.
And on her behind,
For the sake of the blind,
Was the same information in braille.
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Corn Corner:
Just bought some 007 Viagra...
Apparently it makes you Roger more!
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Never trust atoms, they make up everything.
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I couldn't work out how to fasten my seatbelt. Then it clicked.
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I've accidentally swallowed some Scrabble tiles.
My next crap could spell disaster.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Bytes Bits
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Snippets from all over . . .
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Moqui Marbles
(From Amusing Planet)
Spread across the U.S. states of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, and Utah is a geological formation known as Navajo Sandstone. Within south-central and southeastern Utah the sandstone and iron have combined with weathering to produce what are known as concretions, more commonly known as Moqui Marbles.
These iron oxide concretions exhibit a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Their shape ranges from spheres to discs; buttons; spiked balls; cylindrical hollow pipe-like forms; and other odd shapes. Although many of these concretions are fused together like soap bubbles, many more also occur as isolated concretions, which range in diameter from the size of peas to baseballs. The surface of these spherical concretions can range from being very rough to quite smooth.
The word “moqui” comes from the Hopi Tribe, and it means “the dead” in the Hopi language. The Hopi Tribe itself was known as the Moqui Indians, named so by the early Spaniards, until their name was officially changed to Hopi in the early 1900s. According to one Hopi legend, Hopi ancestors’ spirits return to Earth at night and play marble games with these iron balls, and in the mornings the spirits leave the marbles behind to reassure their relatives that they are happy and content.
Interior of a Moqui Marble
Martian Blueberrues:
Moqui Marbles have a Martian geological equivalent, known as Martian Blueberries or, for those with less imagination, Martian spherules.
In 2004, NASA’s Mars Rover found Martian concretions, believed to have formed in a similar manner as Moqui Marbles, providing evidence that Mars once had a wet surface. There is also evidence that certain bacteria and microorganisms can help iron to form concretions, a fact bearing on the search for evidence of past life on Mars.
Martian Blueberries
Martian Blueberries
Mars Rover tracks and Blueberries
Source:
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The Devil Takes Selfies
(From Amusing Planet)
Mock up of Devil statue, Segovia, Italy
Residents of the Spanish city of Segovia are up in arms over a Devil sculpture because it looks too friendly.
Segovia has a famous Roman aqueduct which, according to legend, was built by the Devil at the request of a servant girl. Local artist Jose Antonio Abella was working on a sculpture that commemorated this particular piece of lore. It was Satan taking a selfie. However, about 5,400 people (roughly a tenth of the city’s population) have signed a petition calling for the cancellation of the statue (mock-up pictured above). As a result, a judge has placed the artwork on hold until the matter is resolved.
Their problem is that the Devil looks too jovial and good-natured. It exalts evil and offends Catholics. They believe that Satan should be depicted as looking repulsive and fearsome and that the statue, as is, would turn Segovia into a hot spot of Satanism.
The city’s heritage councillor, Claudia de Santos, promised the project will continue despite the “unfair, dispiriting” push against it. Abella also admitted to being shocked at the response and says that his sociable Satan has a far more innocuous purpose: It’s for tourists to take selfies with.
Sculptor José Antonio Abella Mardones poses with a plaster model of his sculpture.
Source:
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Criminal mocked for ridiculous name
(From news.com)
Quoted verbatim:
Fugitive File: Cletorious Aretha Fry, age 34, is wanted for violating the terms and conditions of her supervised probation. She removed her ankle bracelet and her whereabouts are unknown. Her last known address is 163 Chancellor St. Apartment 5, Charlottesville, VA.
A woman who is on the run from police has gained a lot of attention after police posted her mugshot online but its not her crimes that have people talking, it’s her name. The Virginia Department of Corrections in the US uploaded a photo of the fugitive to their Facebook page and people immediately started mocking her unusual name.
“Cletorious Aretha Fry, age 34, is wanted for violating the terms and conditions of her supervised probation,” the post read. “She removed her ankle bracelet and her whereabouts are unknown.”
Social media users seemed to think her name sounded very similar to a part of the female anatomy, resulting in hundreds of hilarious comments.
Here are some of the best comments:
“VIRGINIA is looking for its CLETORIOUS? Not today internet. Not today,” one person wrote.
“Her husband’s been looking for her for years,” another said.
One added: “She was sentenced to five years hard labia.”
Source:
(scroll down after opening the link)
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Once a Year, Over 27,000 Elvis Fans Flood This Small Australian Town
(From Smithsonian.com)
Quoted verbatim:
Many places lay their claim to Elvis Presley: Tupelo, Memphis, Hawaii...and Parkes, a small town in the southeast corner of Australia. Although The King never set foot Down Under, for the past 26 years, close to 27,000 tourists — over double the town’s population — flood the locale for the Parkes Elvis Festival. Held the second weekend of January to coincide with Elvis’ birthday, the 5-day festival celebrates all things Elvis from the music to the jumpsuits.
The idea for the festival came about — as many great things do — at an Elvis-themed dinner party. Elvis aficionados Bob and Anne Steel, two of the guests, decided to host the first festival at their Gracelands restaurant. The hot summer months are slow for tourism in Parkes, so they thought holding a festival in January would be good for the town’s economy. "(January is) a pretty slack time,” Bob told the BBC. “I went to a hoteliers' meeting, and they were all having their grizzle about quiet times. I said, well, Elvis's birthday is in January, and we could have a birthday party."
Only a few hundred people attended the first one-night festival in 1993, but the festival has steadily grown each year and now draws Elvis fans from across the globe and is endorsed by Presley’s estate.
An Elvis and Priscilla lookalike at the 2019 Parkes Elvis Festival
Source:
The Jar of Life
Byter Vince C sent me a video with a sound lesson for life and priorities. Okay, it may be glurge but I admit that I am a sucker for that kind of stuff. The link for the video follows and the wording of the video follows after that. Enjoy . . .
“Golf Balls, Pebbles and Beer: An Analogy for Life”
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. ‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.
Take care of the golf balls first— the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked. The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.’
Monday, January 21, 2019
Art copies, Part 2
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Part 2 of selected photos from a website where people post pics of recreated classical art works. These pics and some of the reader comments are from a selection on Bored Panda at:
https://www.boredpanda.com/art-take-a-photo-of-the-rembrandt-type/
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Some reader comments:
What a similarity. I like it!
I think the left picture she needs to look just slightly more surprised, then it would be freakishly accurate.
Twins eons apart!
Eyes make the difference! Feel of longing vs tired subtle sorrow!
Oh, wow
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She’s beautiful.
I like this, even though it's not as literal a copy as some of the others - it's good in its own right.
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Does anyone else see a skull image on the right? Other than that, adorable pic!
Aw, so sweet!
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Wish my cat would stay still enough to take pics like this
Cat got it better :)
Cute, but inaccurate! Ha ha love this
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This I like
Bath time just got serious.
I love that statue - where is the original at?
I think it's Piazza della Signoria. =)
I actually read that as PIZZA Della Signoria. Must be hungry.
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For a minute I couldn't figure out which one was the painting!
Me too. Both look like a perfect painting.
The one on the left is looking at the viewer. The one on the right isn't. Otherwise, very similar.
I like the original better.
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Brilliant job with the lighting
Great! I had to look twice to see the original
No, really. Stick your unwashed finger in my open wound.
Guy front center: Looks like the same guy!
Yes Thomas it is really me!
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This seems to be a popular painting to recreate
Yes, it's cool to see the different interpretations.
Yes in both paintings they forget to put the hand in front of the chin
I prefer this one.
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"Show me where I said I give a fuck about what is said."
This made me laugh out loud and not exaggerating. I LOLed at my desk. Thank you.
Wow!
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They are both so pretty.
The scarf is really gorgeous in both pictures!
Anna Karenina...?
It doesn't really look like a recreation. Just another cold person.
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Someone gone to a lot of effort to recreate that dress - lovely
I didn't know that recreating paintings was such a big thing, much less that someone would go to so much effort to make the dress. And, one presumes, more outfits for their studio. Interesting gimmick/theme for the studio, though.
So precious!
Kudos for the effort!
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Why God shouldn't be a woman?! She goat appropriate.
The best one yet
I laughed out loud.
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I think it's Ghengis Khan
It's definitely his son. The pagoda like face hair reveals it
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Why is the cat inside out?
Relax guys... that's not a cat!!!
Hairless breed!
Sphynx cat is a perfect stand-in for an ermine! They're so cute in their own way.
What they couldn't find a ferret ?
The idea is that since ermines are white, they are a symbol of purity. Ironic, because she was the mistress of some cardinal.
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The painting on the left is actually amazing. Who did this?
A Basket of Ribbons, 1869 Guillaume Charles Brun
Thanks for the info! This painting is breathtaking. A masterpiece of combination of color and light, the expression of the face and body language and the accuracy of the threadbare fabric of the skirt.....
This recreation misses with that important face lighting.
The model on the right is about ten years too old.
Well not everyone can pull off that "homeless child on the streets selling ribbons for sustenance" look perfectly.
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Expressions are off, but very well done.
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Are we seriously censoring this???
My thoughts exactly, are we really that precious these days?
Must hide the small, drawn tackle! Laughable that it is considered necessary.
"Psst, the guy has a wiener - don't tell anybody!"
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Both very pretty!
Those deep eyes, so lovely.
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Interesting pose
Title: the long chin and the devils claws
Thinking about how to dodge a party they've planned for the next year.
The recreated one looks suitable for album art of a musician.
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