Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 27

6 April 2022 - ELEPHANT ROCK - ICELAND

 

ELEPHANT ROCK

 - ICELAND -

G'day folks,

On an island south of Iceland, a large volcanic rock formation resembles an elephant. 

Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) is a small archipelago just off the southern coast of Iceland. The largest of these volcanic islands is called Heimaey, which features various quirky rock formations.

The most outstanding rock formation on this island can be found along the western coast and is shaped like an elephant head, with its curious appearance resembling a pachyderm with the trunk being positioned under the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Known as Elephant Rock, it was formed by one of the many volcanic eruptions of Mount Eldfell, the main volcano on the island. The last eruption occured in 1973, when half of the town of Heimaey was destroyed, but the rock is believed to be much older. The volcanic basalt is wrinkled in a way that resembles elephant skin. The appearance of the rock has also been compared to Cthulhu, the mythical sea creature featured in H.P. Lovecraft’s works.

Elephant Rock is located on the lower part of a rocky area of the island with steep cliffs and can only be reached by a one-hour boat tour. While on the island, visitors can find many other incredible volcanic formations and a diverse bird population, including the largest puffin colony in the world.

Clancy's comment: Nature has a wonderful way of entertaining us.

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3 April 2022 - CANDY CANE MOUNTAINS

 

CANDY CANE

 MOUNTAINS

G'day folks,

Swirling layers of white and red rock earned these mountains their festive nickname. 

On the highway between Baku and Quba in Azerbaijan, a series of red-and-white striped peaks emerge suddenly from the surrounding landscape. Part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, the Candy Cane Mountains earned their nickname thanks to their striking resemblance to the classic Christmas treat.

 

The color of these rocks is a product of the area’s unique geology. The Candy Cane Mountains are made of shale, a type of sedimentary rock made up of many thin layers stacked on top of each other. Long ago, before the rock was formed, changes in the environment led to differing mineral composition as the layers of sediment were deposited.

As the shale came in contact with water, layers that contained iron oxidized and turned red, while layers without iron remained shades of white and gray. Over time, tectonic movement and erosion have exposed these sedimentary layers into a visual representation of geologic history. The Candy Cane Mountains also contain many belemnites, fossils of an extinct order of squid-like creatures from the Cretaceous period.

Clancy's comment: Ah ... the wonders of nature, eh?

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20 February 2022 - HITLER'S DIARIES FAIL TEST

 

HITLER'S DIARIES 

FAIL TEST

G'day folks,

"Hitler's Diaries Discovered!" screamed the front page of the German magazine Stern in April 1983. More conservatively, the Sunday Times in London – which had agreed to pay Stern £600,000 to share in the glory of this stunning story – offered its readers a "world exclusive" on "The Secrets of Hitler's War."

German journalist Gerd Heinemann had told Stern that 62 volumes of diaries written by the Führer between 1932 and 1945 had been recovered from a plane crash in East Germany at the end of the war. The magazine paid out £2.5 million for them.

But it turned out they were fake – created by Konrad Kajau, a notorious Stuttgart forger and antiques dealer calling himself Herr Fischer.

Before paying out, Stern had employed experts to compare handwriting in the "diaries" with other examples of Hitler's writing. They concluded, to Stern's initial great satisfaction, that all were written by the same person. They were right, but it later turned out that the "genuine" Hitler handwriting they looked at had also been forged by Kajau!

In London, Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times had turned for assurance to historian Hugh Trevor-Roper who enjoyed huge academic prestige after publication in 1947 of his book, "The Last Days of Hitler".

He told bosses at the newspaper he was satisfied that the "diaries" were genuine.

Trevor-Roper later became skeptical, however, and expressed his doubts when Stern admitted it did not know the identity of the East German source supplying the volumes.

With suspicion mounting, and amid fears of possibly facing charges of illegally circulating Nazi propaganda, Stern submitted three of the volumes to West German police for examination.

Forensic analysis quickly revealed that they were fakes, the paper and ink used for the "diaries" not being available until well after the war. They had actually been produced between 1981–83 by Kujau, who had previously forged and sold paintings which he also claimed were the work of Hitler.

Heidemann, making the most of his opportunities, had been creaming off money from Stern by inflating the sums that he claimed had been demanded by Kujau. So, after the forgery was revealed, he was convicted of fraud and, like Kujau, was sentenced to 42 months in prison.

As a result of the "Hitler Diaries" fiasco, two top editors at Stern were fired. And the reputation of Hugh Trevor-Roper, who became Lord Dacre and died in 2003, never fully recovered.

But Kujau, brazen and opportunistic, never looked back. After his release from prison, not wishing to waste his skills, he opened a gallery selling his “genuine forgeries” of paintings by Hitler, Rembrandt, Dali, Monet, Van Gogh, and other masters. The works sold at high prices and became so popular that other forgers moved in and began to produce counterfeit reproductions of his counterfeits!

Clancy's comment: I guess it had to happen, eh?

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10 April 2022 - VENILALE TUNNELS - EAST TIMOR

 

VENILALE TUNNELS

 - EAST TIMOR -

G'day folks,

These underground shelters dug by the Japanese during World War II later helped East Timor achieve its independence.  

Venilale is a sleepy town in inland East Timor known for its cool weather, comparatively speaking. In its colonial past, this town was a prime destination for Portuguese settlers wishing to escape the heat. 

At the outskirts of Venilale are a set of tunnels that are steeped in World War II history, from when the eastern part of Timor was controlled by Portugal, and the western part by the Dutch. In 1942, Australia deployed troops on the island as a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was designed as a precautionary move, not really expecting Japan to launch a full-on attack on Timor. But East Timor was particularly vulnerable, as the Portuguese were counting on their declaration of neutrality as a deterrent against Japan. (In hindsight, this was an obvious miscalculation.)

When Japan attacked, it did so with an unexpected intensity and number of troops. Those Australian and Dutch troops that managed to survive were forced to retreat to the harsh and mountainous interior of East Timor to join another renegade Australian contingent. Timorese people either joined the fighters or supported them by other means, and from here, guerrilla warfare was waged against the Japanese occupation.

 

During the six months that it took Japan to gain control of the island, Japanese forces had to venture farther and farther inland, and Venilale became a Japanese stronghold. It was at this time that a set of tunnels was dug out to be used as shelters. 

The story may have ended here, but it didn’t. Fast-forward events to 1974, when the Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente (commonly referred to as FRETILIN) was founded. East Timor was still Portuguese territory, and FRETILIN was a pro-independence movement whose members were freedom fighters that adopted the guerrilla warfare approach to gain independence for East Timor. In 1975, soon after East Timor gained independence from the Portuguese, Indonesian forces invaded it, and in their struggle against the Indonesian forces, FRETILIN fighters also used the Venilale tunnels as hideouts. The tunnels that were once a reminder of a long and bloody occupation became instrumental to the achievement of the country’s independence.   

On a side note, Timor-Leste and East Timor are synonymous, but Timor-Leste is the name used by Timorese people. Timor means East in Tetum, the local language, and Leste means East in Portuguese. Basically, whether you use the local or the English forms, the name is still “East-East.”

Clancy's comment: The people of East Timor have been brave people. 

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9 April 2022 - SECRET SEA TUNNEL - CROATIA

 

SECRET SEA TUNNEL 

- CROATIA -

G'day folks,

This unique structure allowed boats to bypass underwater mine barriers in the channel to enter the harbor. 

The channel is a natural phenomenon and was named after Saint Anthony the Abbot. It is the only natural water route to Šibenik. 

From the sea or the opposite shore you can see two holes in the coast, which locals call “Hitler’s eyes.” These are the entry into an underground water bypass built by the Germans in the 20th century. This construction allowed military boats and torpedo boats to access or to leave the city of Šibenik by water and to bypass underwater-located mine barriers during war times. 

 

Information that it was used by submarines could not be true as the radius allows only smaller vehicles to pass. Today an iron curtain prevents boats from entering. 

Luckily, the site is accessible by foot on a path crossing a small bay and a natural cave. If you walk through the tunnel have a look at the handrail, which is actually a former train rail.

Clancy's comment: What an extraordinary construction.

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5 April 2022 - THE SANDWICH BOARDWALK

 

THE SANDWICH

 BOARDWALK

G'day folks,

Hundreds of personalized inscribed planks make up this historic boardwalk. 

The Sandwich Boardwalk, otherwise known as the “Plank Walk,” is composed of hundreds of inscribed planks.

Stretching over 1,300 feet across a marsh and creek, this boardwalk located in the oldest town on Cape Cod and was originally constructed in 1875 by Gustavus Howland. It was destroyed by Hurricane Bob in 1991 and was reconstructed using donations from community members whose names are inscribed on the individual planks. It was again partially destroyed in 2013 following a serious blizzard.

 

The boardwalk ends at the dunes that cradle Town Neck Beach. At high tide, beach-goers jump from the boardwalk or kayak into the marsh’s maze of waterways. At low tide, locals often wade into the marsh to dig up clams and mussels with nets. 

While the boardwalk is aesthetically pleasing to the overall landscape, it also serves a practical purpose. It helps control beach erosion by allowing visitors to explore the area without trampling fragile beach grass and sand dunes that help maintain the local ecosystem. 

Clancy's comment: There ya go, folks.

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2 April 2022 - THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER OF BULBS

 

THE BEAUTIFUL 

RIVER OF BULBS

 

G'day folks,

Here, 35,000 grape hyacinths flow like water down a garden hill. 

The wind blowing through 35,000 bright purplish-blue grape hyacinths creates the illusion of a true river on the grounds of Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts. 

Like any river, the Bulb River is bordered by “eddies,” in this case made up of 1,500 bright yellow daffodils to compliment the lovely purple-blue flow. They are arranged at intervals on both sides of the river, which flows down a gentle hill and winds around the trees and bushes that populate the grounds.

 

The Bulb River was the brainchild of Les Lutz, Director of Horticulture and Facilities Management at Heritage. The bulbs typically reach full bloom in early May, around Mother’s Day (on which day, mothers get in free). In addition to being stunning to look at, the river of grape hyacinths also smells wonderful. Nothing says spring is here like fragrant, blooming flowers imitating a flowing stream.

Aside from the brilliant floral river, the most impressive collection on the 100 acres of gardens is probably the Dexter rhododendrons. Thousands of rhododendrons, cultivated by the land’s former owner and well-known rhododendron hybridizer Charles Owen Dexter, dot the land. They typically bloom in late-May/early-June. 

 

Clancy's comment: Magnificent!

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1 April 2022 - TOUR ISABELLE DOUBLE ARCH - FRANCE

 

TOUR ISABELLE 

DOUBLE ARCH

 - FRANCE -

 

G'day folks, 

This stunning natural double arch, the largest in the Alps, went undiscovered until 2005. 

French mountaineer Pascal Sombardier knew his high-altitude neck of the Alps well. Or so he thought. In 2005, when he was out on a hike in the Grand Manti section of the Chartreuse mountain range, researching locales for a book on unique destinations in the area, he was stunned when he spotted what looked like a giant double arch.

Sombardier took some photographs and shared them with the mountaineering community to learn more about this formation. Nobody had ever recorded it before, and through his discovery the world came to know of the existence of the natural wonder, dubbed the Tour Percée double arch. 

 

Spanning 105 feet, the huge natural arch, also called Tour Percée, is the largest in the Alps, but it remained largely hidden because of its geography. There were no paths leading up to the base of the arch, and the structure itself lies within a bowl, making it invisible from below. While viewing it from the air, people often spotted the tower but the arch itself was out of sight.

Even though it’s been over a decade since it was first spotted, it is still largely off the grid and extremely difficult to access. Of course, Sombardier included the arch and the story behind its discovery in his book, with one of his photos of the arch splashed across the book cover. 

Clancy's comment: The entire area looks magnificent. The wonders of nature, eh?

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31 March 2022 - CARNIVOROUS PLANT GARDEN - NORTH CAROLINA

 

CARNIVOROUS PLANT GARDEN - NORTH CAROLINA -
G'day folks,Welcome to a garden dedicated to native carnivorous plants and the site of a huge flytrap heist. 

Horticulturalist and Wilmington native Stanley Rehder made his life’s work the cultivation of flesh-eating plants. When he passed away in 2012 at the age of 90, the city carved out a small green space dedicated to its beloved “Flytrap Man.” 

The Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden occupies three-quarters of an acre behind Alderman Elementary School. Found in one of the world’s few microclimates permitting year-round outdoor growth of such plants, its beds are home to pitcher plants, sundews, Venus flytraps, and other insectivorous species. Visitors are invited to survey the lands anytime during daylight hours, and plant hikes are offered for free each Saturday morning. Interested parties are advised to wear closed toed shoes. After all, these plants have teeth. 

 

In May 2013, the garden found its way into local news when more than 1,000 venus flytraps valued at $20,000 were stolen out of the garden. Officials saw the act as just one in a massive series of flytrap thefts throughout the area, all feeding a massive carnivorous plant black market in the United States. Though the perpetrators of the crime at Rehder Park remain on the loose, the event played a key role in passing a new state law that makes the unlawful taking of a Venus flytrap a felony.

Clancy's comment: I found many of these in the Australian bush when I was a kid. Amazing plants.

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28 March 2022 - OLD BLACK AND WHITES TURNED INTO COLOUR

 

OLD BLACK AND WHITES

 TURNED INTO COLOUR

 

G'day folks,

Welcome to some examples of how old black and white photographs have been coloured. Most of these are famous photographs.

 

Clancy's comment: Extraordinary technology, eh?

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