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Thursday 7 December 2017

Condor Wing 5: Red glow at sunset (don't be alarmed if you see this in your dream) / The Overthrow of Dr. Slop

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A protester throws a firebomb towards riot police during clashes in Athens today as violence broke out on the ninth anniversary of a fatal police shooting of a teenager. | Photo @YorgosKarahalis: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017

 
Lake Casitas in hell: image via Shelby Grad @ShelbyGrad, 5 December 2017


 The fire that ravaged Ventura County continues to burn today. It reached the Pacific Ocean as officials warned many more homes have been lost.: image via Los Angeles Times @latimes, 6 December 2017



For the second time in two months, wind-driven fires tore through California communities, leaving homes in ruins and sending tens of thousands of people fleeing for their lives. | Photo @jaechongpix: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017


 
 #ThomasFire Homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches North of Ventura as flames march down the hillsides to the 101 freeway which suffered a multi auto accident but remains open: image via Al Seib @AlSeibPhoto, 6 December 2017


Thomas fire reaches the 101 Freeway at Faria Beach. Photo by @WallySkalij: image via L.A. Times Photos @latimesphotos, 6 December 2017


This is a recurring scene in my dreams.



 Wind is the culprit in 2017's horrific wildfire season: image via Los Angeles Times @latimes, 6 December 2017


Los Angeles endured a full day of fire fueled by intense winds. Now officials are bracing for more.: image via Los Angeles Times @latimes, 6 December 2017


The #SkirballFire in Bel Air is forcing mandatory evacuations in an area filled with multimillion-dollar homes: image via Los Angeles Times @latimes, 6 December 2017
 

 #LosAngelesfire forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. (ANSA/AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) #ThomasFire #Ventura #VenturaFire: image via Michele Galvani @GalvaniM, 6 December 2017


 Today was scariest morning commute of my life:  #gettycenter #skirballfire: image via Rick Patrick @70sspacepunk, 8 December 2017


 Incredible amount of smoke being picked up on satellite right now from the wildfires in Southern California. #ThomasFire #RyeFire #CreekFire: image via Drew Tuma @DrewTumaABC7, 5 December 2017

Santa Anas | by ADMurr

Santa Anas [Griffith Park, LA]: photo by Andrew Murr, 6 December 2017



#Rohingya #refugee Nosuba Khatun recounted her story of being shot in the leg while fleeing her village in Myanmar during an attack by soldiers. She fell while running through a rice paddy, was rescued some five hours later by neighbours and taken across the border to Bangladesh.: image via Ed Jones @edwardesjones, 4 December 2017


Last weekend in the #Rohingya #refugee camps of Cox's Bazar: image via Ed Jones @edwardesjones, 4 December 2017



Last weekend in the #Rohingya #refugee camps of Cox's Bazar: image via Ed Jones @edwardesjones, 4 December 2017



Last weekend in the #Rohingya #refugee camps of Cox's Bazar: image via Ed Jones @edwardesjones, 4 December 2017


Last weekend in the #Rohingya #refugee camps of Cox's Bazar: image via Ed Jones @edwardesjones, 4 December 2017



#Bangladesh #RohingyaCrisis Scenes from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar today Photo by @edwardesjones #AFP: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 4 December 2017



#Bangladesh #RohingyaCrisis Scenes from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar today Photo by @edwardesjones #AFP: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 4 December 2017
 
  

#Bangladesh #RohingyaCrisis Scenes from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar today Photo by @edwardesjones #AFP: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 4 December 2017
 
 

#Bangladesh #RohingyaCrisis Scenes from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar today Photo by @edwardesjones #AFP: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 4 December 2017


A surge in homelessness on the US West Coast causes the national count to rise for the first time in seven years. Photo @jaethephotog: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017


A surge in homelessness on the US West Coast causes the national count to rise for the first time in seven years. Photo @jaethephotog: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017 

 

A surge in homelessness on the US West Coast causes the national count to rise for the first time in seven years. Photo @jaethephotog: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017

A surge in homelessness on the US West Coast causes the national count to rise for the first time in seven years. Photo @jaethephotog: image via AP Images @AP_Images, 6 December 2017


@RealDonaldTrump signs a proclamation on his intention to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem with @VP looking on. #Israel #middleEastPeace: image via Doug Mills @dougmillsnyt, 6 December 2017


 President Donald Trump announces that the U.S. government will formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Photo: @somogettynews: image via Getty Images News @GettyImagesNews, 6 December 2017


#Israel Trump says Jerusalem move is 'long overdue'  Photo #AFP @gharabli_ahmed: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 6 December 2017
 

"Jordan, Palestinians request emergency Arab League meeting on Jerusalem" #AFP Photo @TomCoex: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 6 December 2017



"Jordan, Palestinians request emergency Arab League meeting on Jerusalem" #AFP Photo @TomCoex: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 6 December 2017


JERUSALEM - Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital Photo @TomCOEX: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 6 December 2017



JERUSALEM - Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital Photo @musaalshaer: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 6 December 2017

Tristram Shandy: The Overthrow of Dr. Slop

File:The overthrow of dr. slop.jpg

The Overthrow of Dr. Slop: engraving by Henry Bunbury in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, published by J. Bretherton, London, 1773. Obadiah mounted on coach-horse at full gallop attempting to pull up his horse. On the ground is Dr. Slop's pony. Behind the pony is Dr. Slop lying on his back; a spotted dog prances over him. The doctor lies under a sign-post terminating in a hand pointing To Shandy Hall. (British Cartoon Collection, Library of Congress)
 
IMAGINE to yourself a little squat, uncourtly figure of a Doctor Slop, of about four feet and a half perpendicular height, with a breadth of back, and a sesquipedality of belly, which might have done honour to a serjeant in the horse-guards.

Such were the out-lines of Dr. Slop's figure, which-----if you have read Hogarth's analysis of beauty, and if you have not, I wish you would;---you must know, may as certainly be caricatured, and conveyed to the mind by three strokes as three hundred.

Imagine such a one,---for such, I say, were the outlines of Dr. Slop's figure, coming slowly along, foot by foot, waddling thro' the dirt upon the vertebrae of a little diminutive pony, of a pretty colour-----but of strength,-----alack!-----scarce able to have made an amble of it, under such a fardel, had the roads been in an ambling condition.-----They were not.------Imagine to yourself, Obadiah mounted upon a strong monster of a coach-horse, pricked into a full gallop, and making all practicable speed the adverse way.

Pray, Sir, let me interest you a moment in this description.

Had Dr. Slop beheld Obadiah a mile off, posting in a narrow lane directly towards him, at that monstrous rate,------splashing and plunging like a devil thro' thick and thin, as he approached, would not such a phaenomenon, with such a vortex of mud and water moving along with it, round its axis,-----have been a subject of juster apprehension to Dr. Slop in his situation, than the worst of Whiston's comets?---To say nothing of the NUCLEUS; that is, of Obadiah and the coach-horse.--------In my idea, the vortex alone of 'em was enough to have involved and carried, if not the doctor, at least the doctor's pony, quite away with it. What then do you think must the terror and hydrophobia of Dr. Slop have been, when you read (which you are just going to do) that he was advancing thus warily along towards Shandy-Hall, and had approached to within sixty yards of it, and within five yards of a sudden turn, made by an acute angle of the garden-wall,-----and in the dirtiest part of a dirty lane,-------when Obadiah and his coach-horse turned the corner, rapid, furious,-----pop,---full upon him!---Nothing, I think, in nature, can be supposed more terrible than such a rencounter,-----so imprompt! so ill prepared to stand the shock of it as Dr. Slop was.

What could Dr. Slop do?---he crossed himself +-----Pugh!-----but the doctor, Sir, was a Papist.---No matter; he had better have kept hold of the pummel.---He had so;---nay, as it happened, he had better have done nothing at all; for in crossing himself he let go his whip,-----and in attempting to save his whip betwixt his knee and his saddle's skirt, as it slipped, he lost his stirrup,---in losing which he lost his seat;-----and in the multitude of all these losses (which, by the bye, shews what little advantage there is in crossing) the unfortunate doctor lost his presence of mind. So that without waiting for Obadiah's onset, he left his pony to its destiny, tumbling off it diagonally, something in the stile and manner of a pack of wool, and without any other consequence from the fall, save that of being left (as it would have been) with the broadest part of him sunk about twelve inches deep in the mire.

Obadiah pull'd off his cap twice to Dr. Slop;------once as he was falling,---and then again when he saw him seated.---Ill-timed complaisance;-----had not the fellow better have stopped his horse, and got off and help'd him?-----Sir, he did all that his situation would allow;---but the Momentum of the coach-horse was so great, that Obadiah could not do it all at once;-----he rode in a circle three times round Dr. Slop, before he could fully accomplish it any how;---and at the last, when he did stop his beast, 'twas done with such an explosion of mud, that Obadiah had better have been a league off. In short, never was a Dr. Slop so beluted, and so transubstantiated, since that affair came into fashion.

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768): from The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman: Volume II (1760), Chapter IX


 #Israel Global concern mounts over Trump's Jerusalem plan Photo @TomCOEX: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 6 December 2017
 

Turkey warns of 'catastrophe' if US recognises Jerusalem as Israel capital #AFP Photo @TomCOEX: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 4 December 2017

 
A section of the 405 freeway is left deserted after the #SkirballFire in Los Angeles prompts a shutdown during morning rush hour Photo: @MarioTama: image via Getty Images News @GettyImagesNews, 6 December 2017
Formstone decay | by ADMurr

Formstone decay [Baltimore]: photo by Andrew Murr, 5 December 2017

Evening Candy | by Robert Ogilvie

Evening Candy [San Francisco, CA]: photo by Robert Ogilvie,  6 December 2017

Untitled | by Beerbrain/Ronny Perry

Untitled [TN]: photo by Beerbrain/Ronny Perry, 24 November 2017

for sale runs great. mojave desert, ca. 2017. | by eyetwist

for sale runs great. mojave desert, ca. 2017. 1968 ford thunderbird looking for a new owner, far out on the eastern avenues of the antelope valley. [Lancaster, CA]: photo by eyetwist, 24 October 2017

untitled | by amanda aura

untitled | pomainen, finland: photo by amanda aura, 6 December 2017

untitled | by amanda aura

untitled | pomainen, finland: photo by amanda aura, 6 December 2017

untitled | by amanda aura

untitled | pomainen, finland: photo by amanda aura, 6 December 2017

En cours | by hélène chantemerle

En cours: photo by Hélène Chantemerle, 5 December 2017

En cours | by hélène chantemerle

En cours: photo by Hélène Chantemerle, 5 December 2017

En cours | by hélène chantemerle

En cours: photo by Hélène Chantemerle, 5 December 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017



#Yemen A Huthi rebel fighter is seen with a rocket propelled grenade in front of the residence of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa. #AFP Photo Mohammed Huwais: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 4 December 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017
 

#Kenya Security officers prepare for President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta's swearing-in ceremony in #Nairobi. By Dai Kurokawa: image via Photojournalism @photojournalink, 5 December 2017 

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -
 
Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017

Los Angeles, CA | by Mike Murphy -

Los Angeles, CA.: photo by Mike Murphy, 31 October 2017



Water is hosed onto canvas screens set up around the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal on December 18, 1984, as part of measures taken to avoid further leakage of fumes that had earlier taken a huge toll of deaths and injuries.: photo by Peter Kemp/AP, 18 December 1984 

Antena | by Rutsi

Antenna [Linares]: photo by Rutsi, 30 October 2017

Antena | by Rutsi

Antenna [Linares]: photo by Rutsi, 30 October 2017

4 comments:

Mose23 said...

Beluted is a beautiful word.

So Donald's done it and another fire is lit.

It was fearful hearing Bibi on the radio today. He sounded lovestruck.

TC said...

Ah, the wonder! A man who appreciates the joy of beluting!

Obadiah pull'd off his cap twice to Dr. Slop;------once as he was falling,---and then again when he saw him seated.---Ill-timed complaisance;-----had not the fellow better have stopped his horse, and got off and help'd him?-----Sir, he did all that his situation would allow;---but the Momentum of the coach-horse was so great, that Obadiah could not do it all at once;-----he rode in a circle three times round Dr. Slop, before he could fully accomplish it any how;---and at the last, when he did stop his beast, 'twas done with such an explosion of mud, that Obadiah had better have been a league off. In short, never was a Dr. Slop so beluted, and so transubstantiated, since that affair came into fashion.

Now, belute in this usage might be construed as the act of rendering to the state of 1.) a stringed instrument having a body shaped like a pear sliced lengthwise and a neck with a fretted fingerboard that is usually bent just below the tuning pegs.

Or again of 2.) a substance, such as dried clay or cement, used to pack and seal pipe joints and other connections or coat a porous surface in order to make it tight.

In either sense, the term enters the written and recorded annals of the language by way of this specific usage by an author so inventive, original, bold and challenging... that no one reads him any more!

Of course.

Madame B relates that upon inspecting the post she supposed Dr. Slop, in his beluted state, to be a representation of Herr Drumpf the Bloated and Exploded.

Why is it women are so much quicker at capturing the truth of matters having to do with the bloating and exploding of the overstuffed.

Do Zionists explode from over-happiness?

TC said...

Dunc, I expect that what follows will not be news to you. Still, fortunately for you, you are not everyone. Hereabouts everyone is concerned with...

No.

"Regional reactions," meanwhile, to Donnie's creative "peace initiative" -- only just begun.

Via Martin Chulov:

"Ali Nassereddine, a chef from the Shia suburb of Dahiyeh in south Beirut, claimed Trump’s announcement had likely been coordinated with the Saudis and other allies, including the UAE. Echoing sentiments also widely expressed in Syria and Turkey, he said: 'The decision was not only based on Israelis and Americans, the Arabs had a hand in it. The question should be directed to the Palestinians and [Palestinian leader] Mahmoud Abbas and all the resistance: do you now realise that negotiations will not get you anywhere?'

"In Iraq, powerful militia and political leaders vehemently condemned the move. Muqtadr al-Sadr, a Shia leader and chief protagonist in the country’s civil war, said: 'I am ready to be the first soldier, not even leader, if all factions involved decided to confront Israel. No peace with the evil, arrogant and colonial governments. I ask of the Palestinians not to accept this decision in any way, and to revitalise the revolution.'

"Other militia groups in Iraq also issued an effective call to arms, as did al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula...

"Khalid al-Zubidi, a commentator for the Jordanian newspaper Ad Dustour, said: 'Despite the turmoil the Arab world has faced the last years with governments turning on each other or on themselves, there are still some situations that we cannot negotiate. Jerusalem is one of them for Arabs.'

"Writing in the Saudi-aligned Asharq al-Awsat, Samir Atallah said: 'Previous American presidents never touched on the subject of Jerusalem because they knew it goes beyond the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It involves Muslims worldwide. Unfortunately Trump doesn’t have a historical or political background. If his intention is to solve the Palestinian conflict he chose the wrong door. Jerusalem is not a political symbol but will forever be a religious one.”

"Khalid Zuberi, a banker in Cairo, said: 'This shows [Trump] has bad faith towards us. He is a fool and he did this to be provocative. We all know he wants to please those who elected him, like the US Christian Zionists. But he must understand from his friends in the region that this will cause chaos. It will be difficult to be an American businessman or tourist here now. More than that though, the region is condemned to decades of chaos because of this.'"

This is a war in which the forces of the alleged West were sent scurrying into panic and confusion, upon the first shot... what is it now, almost a generation ago?

But will the generations continue on, and beget and beget and beget, beluting and beluted, as in the Hebrew boke?

In any case, once again, Duncan, you are to be thanked for raising up this blog almost to the brink of an intelligent creation.

We hope you & K are well and that the Little Wooden Boy will fling a sprig or two of poesy our way, before we are quite burned down.

TC said...

But never forget one thing.

We've got the biggest, brightest red plastic pinecones in history.