All posts tagged: Towers

Tunnels, treehouses and tensegrity towers: landmarks in protest architecture, from UCLA to Hong Kong | Architecture

Tunnels, treehouses and tensegrity towers: landmarks in protest architecture, from UCLA to Hong Kong | Architecture

Published by skeptic

In his 1868 street-fighting manual, Instructions for an Armed Uprising, the French revolutionary Auguste Blanqui sets out meticulous instructions for how to build a good barricade. Such defences, he wrote, must no longer be thrown together in “a confused and disorderly fashion”, but should be robustly composed of two sturdy rampart walls made of paving stones and plaster. All the aspiring revolutionary needed was a good supply of cobblestones and “a cart filled with sacks of plaster, plus wheelbarrows, handcarts, levers, picks, shovels, mattocks, hammers, cold chisels, trowels, buckets and troughs”. Blanqui advised that all of these things could be “requisitioned from the respective merchants”, whose addresses were handily listed in an accompanying directory. The students at UCLA, who were peacefully occupying their campus in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza, might have wished for such supplies when they were attacked by a violent mob of vigilantes last week. Terrifying footage showed masked thugs beating their makeshift encampment with sticks and metal poles, dragging away steel fencing and plywood panels, and tearing apart their tents …

John Cleese, 84, reflects on ‘literal-minded’ people at Fawlty Towers play

John Cleese, 84, reflects on ‘literal-minded’ people at Fawlty Towers play

Published by skeptic

John Cleese, 84, has spoken on the consequences of oversensitivity at an exclusive performance of his new Fawlty Towers play. It’s 10:30 am, and I’m one row from the front of the Apollo Theatre on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. To my right, in a royal box shared with a couple of inconspicuous-looking cameramen, sits John Cleese.  The comedy giant is here for the media launch of his new Fawlty Towers play, and will soon be answering questions from host Johnny Vaughn. Before that, though, the cast of the production have the nerve-wracking challenge of performing two scenes from the show, in front of the very man who first brought Basil Fawlty to life almost 50 years ago.   © picture allianceJohn Cleese with the cast of Fawlty Towers the Play Fawlty Towers preview review  If nerves are bubbling under the surface, they don’t show. Adam-Jackson Smith makes a brilliant Basil, all repressed stress and hopping frustration. Anna-Jane Casey effortlessly masks her native northern accent with Sybil Fawlty’s trademark brand of put-on-posh. Hemi Yeroham gets the biggest …

John Cleese says he’s ‘too tired to be unpleasant’ as Fawlty Towers: The Play prepares to open | Ents & Arts News

John Cleese says he’s ‘too tired to be unpleasant’ as Fawlty Towers: The Play prepares to open | Ents & Arts News

Published by Sam

Comic actor John Cleese has said he is “too tired to be unpleasant” nowadays – having accepted that those at the top “have no idea” what they are doing. The Monty Python star made the comments as he spoke to Sky News ahead of Fawlty Towers, his hit sitcom, opening as a play in London’s West End. Fans will not get to see the comic legend himself on stage, with Cleese admitting he was happy to hand over the role of his iconic creation – frustrated hotelier Basil Fawlty – to actor Adam Jackson-Smith. Cleese joked how, at 84, summoning up the rage does not come as quickly as it once did. “I used to be able to but as I’ve got older, well it looks like I’ve mellowed, but actually I’m too tired to be unpleasant so people have the impression that I’m getting nicer,” he said. While the first episode aired in September 1975, Fawlty Towers remains arguably the greatest British sitcom ever and has been shown in more than 60 countries, making …

John Cleese cut N-word from Fawlty Towers revival because people ‘don’t understand irony’ | Stage

John Cleese cut N-word from Fawlty Towers revival because people ‘don’t understand irony’ | Stage

Published by skeptic

John Cleese said that he decided to cut the N-word from a scene in his West End Fawlty Towers revival because in contemporary Britain there are too many “literal-minded people” who “don’t understand irony”. Cleese was speaking at the media launch for the West End theatrical adaptation of the classic comedy, which follows a repressed hotelier trying to control his chaotic staff. The TV show finished in 1979 after two series that are widely regarded to contain some of the best-ever British sitcom writing. The new two-hour version features scenes from three episodes of the series: The Hotel Inspector, Communication Problems, and The Germans, which originally featured a scene in which a character used racial slurs, including the N-word, while discussing a cricket match. “Whenever you’re doing comedy you’re up against the literal-minded, and the literal-minded don’t understand irony and if you take them seriously you get rid of a lot of comedy,” Cleese said, explaining the reason for altering the script. “They don’t understand metaphor, irony or comedy exaggeration … they’re not playing with …

Emma Heming Willis towers over step-daughter Tallulah – see their Bruce Willis tribute

Emma Heming Willis towers over step-daughter Tallulah – see their Bruce Willis tribute

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As it’s Pulp Fiction’s 30th anniversary, stars of the famous film gathered to celebrate in a joyous reunion, including Uma Thurman, John Travolta, and Samuel L. Jackson.  While Bruce Willis couldn’t be there in person, the 69-year-old was well-represented as his daughter Tallulah and wife Emma took to the red carpet.  © Kayla OaddamsEmma towered over her step daughter The duo took to the red carpet, with step mom Emma towering over the 30-year-old. The 45-year-old mom of two was clearly wearing heels, while it didn’t look like Tallulah was. There’s certainly a height gap between the two, as former model Emma is 5 foot 8, while Tallulah is 5 foot 3. Emma and Tallulah were sure to pay tribute to Bruce, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, and the iconic film. Emma opted for a sleek suit, similar to what Vincent Vega wore. Meanwhile, Tallulah wore a hat with her father’s name on it, to make sure he was remembered at the event. © Gilbert FloresEmma and Tallulah put on a united …

Santa Monica luxury towers, HOA fees and a theft indictment

Santa Monica luxury towers, HOA fees and a theft indictment

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“You — you asked me to open a company, and I said ‘yes?”’ … I have no clue what you’re talking about, Omar.” The man on the phone with Omar Spahi in March 2020 was in a panic. His best friend, Omar, had called to warn that he might start receiving phone calls from lawyers about a construction company named Progressive. Apparently, the company was in the man’s name. But he had never heard of it. “You guys were doing construction and just, like, overcharging or something?” the man asked Omar, according to a transcript of the call contained in court records related to a civil lawsuit. “Yeah, pretty much, was my understanding,” Omar replied. “This is all, like, what my dad is telling me.” The 25-minute conversation was a decade in the making — and had multimillion-dollar implications. For years, residents of the massive Ocean Towers luxury co-op complex in Santa Monica had worried that Omar’s father, John, was abusing the power he held as a member of the buildings’ homeowners association board. Several …

Phone batteries could last 50% longer if more 5G towers are built

Phone batteries could last 50% longer if more 5G towers are built

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Building more phone masts could reduce energy use across the network Jan Hrezik/Shutterstock Increasing the density of 5G masts could slash a mobile network’s overall energy use by two-thirds and greatly extend the battery life of all phones, researchers have found. Mobile phone signals are broadcast from towers in all directions, so much of the energy is wasted due to absorption, reflection and scattering. Agrim Gupta and his colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, say that cutting the distance of wireless transmissions is key as it would mean each cell… Source link

Ashlee Simpson’s son Bronx, 15, towers over her in glitzy photos from mother-in-law Diana Ross’ 80th birthday bash

Ashlee Simpson’s son Bronx, 15, towers over her in glitzy photos from mother-in-law Diana Ross’ 80th birthday bash

Published by Sam

It was a weekend full of celebrations for Ashlee Simpson Ross and her extended family, as they came together to honor the one and only Diana Ross. As the legendary “I’m Coming Out” singer marked her 80th trip around the sun, her family fêted her with an epic all out bash, and her daughter-in-law shared a round of photos from the glitzy event. Plus, among the sweet pics was one featuring the “Pieces of Me” singer’s son Bronx, 15, who looks so grown up and tall next to his mom. THROWBACK: Ashlee Simpson makes Broadway debut Over the weekend, Ashlee, 39, took to Instagram to share a recap of the special family celebrations, starting off with a photo posing with her hubby Evan Ross.  The party appears to have had an all-white theme, and Evan wore a fashion-forward white suit with a cropped jacket while Ashlee dazzled in a beaded and sequined gown with a feather trim at the hem and sleeves. The following snap captures Bronx towering over his mom, looking dapper as ever …

London’s skyscraper boom: Scores of towering new high rises set to be built across capital

London’s skyscraper boom: Scores of towering new high rises set to be built across capital

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THE CASE FOR Earle Arney, founder of London-based architects AFK: Buildings that taper into the sky aren’t new. Throughout history, they have created a strong sense of identity. But London and other cities around the world are changing fast — and the days of single-use tall towers will be a thing of the past. We should start to imagine tall buildings as “vertical villages” supporting a rich mix of uses. These villages need to be punctuated with “village commons” that provide spaces for interaction to promote well-being, as well as being centres of innovation and community. To unlock their potential, we need to uproot the belief that all tall buildings have to be a single-use type. They are the key to making London more accessible and solving some environmental challenges. By accommodating more people in cities, tall buildings help us protect the Green Belt — and are an incredible way of breathing new life into the city. THE CASE AGAINST Barbara Weiss, architect and co-founder of the Skyline campaign: As far as London’s skyline goes, …

You May Be Able to See Twisted Towers of Fire During Eclipse

You May Be Able to See Twisted Towers of Fire During Eclipse

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This may be quite a show. Captain Plasma Amateur and professional astronomers alike are roiling with excitement for the total solar eclipse that’ll fall over North America on April 8. An extra reason to try and catch the rare solar event, according to an excellent new piece in Space.com: because our star is currently near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, during the “totality” of the eclipse — the moment when the Sun is completely covered, plunging the world below into a strange darkness — it’s likely that you’ll be able to see gigantic towers of explosive plasma leaping off its surface. “If we get lucky, a [coronal mass ejection] will present itself as a twisted, spiral-like structure, high in the atmosphere in the Sun,” National Solar Observatory solar physicist Ryan French told Space.com. Sun Police It’s not a sure thing that there’ll be a giant coronal mass ejection or flare during the brief window of totality, French told Space.com. Whether they’ll be small or epic eruptions that float away from the Sun’s surface, though, remains …