Demise of Mr Big Head
QUESTION Is the giant bust of Ferdinand Marcos attached to a mountain in Benguet province, Philippines, still there? IN 1980, the Ibaloi community of T aloy Sur, a village near Baguio City , Benguet, 140 miles north of Manila, was displaced by the construction of Marcos Park.
Funded by the Ministry of T ourism, it featured a golf course, a 99ft high concrete bust of P resident Ferdinand Marcos and, ironically, a Ministry of T ourism interpretation of an Ibaloi village.
The bust was completed in 1983 on a cliff overlooking the park. Three years later, he was ousted and went into exile in hawaii, accused of human rights violations and of embezzling millions.
The Ibaloi planned to dynamite the bust but were prevented from doing so by the incoming government, which wanted to maintain it ‘so we never forget how this one man ruined a nation’.
In 2002, its eyes, ears and nose were blown off in an attack by members of the Communist Party who claimed its presence was ‘a mockery of justice and a betrayal of the will of the people’. Despite legal challenges most Ibaloi never got their land back. The Pinewoods Golf and Country estate is still operating.
J. T. Lister, Bristol.
QUESTION Was there supposed to be a picture of Hitler on The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album cover? FURTHER to the earlier answer , despite ringo saying he left it up to the others to choose who went on the LP sleeve, he did say he would like humphrey Bogart on it.
The actor Leo Gorcey from the Dead end Kids, who was in three films with Bogart, was approached to be in the picture, but his agent wanted $400, which the band refused as none of the other living artists or their estates asked for a fee.
The Dead end Kids were represented by huntz hall, Leo Gorcey’s co - star in the Kids and Bowery Boys films.
Three celebrities were obscured on the cover: Bette Davis and Timothy Carey, an American actor, were not visible behind George harrison, and Albert einstein was hidden behind John. Danny D’Arcy, Reading.
QUESTION In Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett, I came across the terms: tilt-boat, can of flip and salmagundi. What do they mean? RODERICK RANDOM, published in 1748, was the first novel of the comic novelist Tobias Smollett, relating the tale of a roughish but appealing hero who lives by his wits in a corrupt society.
It is partially based on Smollett ’s experience as a surgeon in the Navy , especially during the Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741.
The origin of tilt-boat lies in events nearly 400 years earlier . In 1377, richard II commanded the sheriffs of Kent and essex to erect beacons on each side of the Thames to be lit on the approach of the enemy.
one of these was at Gravesend, but it resulted in the town being plundered and burnt by the French. T o help the town recover from this loss, richard decreed that inhabitants of Gravesend and Milton should have the sole privilege of carrying passengers to and from London, on condition that they provided the boats.
This service, confirmed by later sovereigns, became known as the Long Ferry to distinguish it from the Cross Ferry between Gravesend and Tilbury. For many centuries thereafter the Thames between London and Gravesend was used as the main highway for those travelling to and from the Continent.
until the middle of the 16th century, the ferry used open boats, but then boats with a protective awning or ‘ tilt ’ were introduced. ‘Tilt’ is derived from the old english teld, an awning or tent.
Travel was still somewhat primitive, however, as passengers had to provide their own straw to lie on and the waterman was required only to land them within two miles of their destination. If tide and wind were favourable, however, the journey to London could be made in three hours.
Flip was a drink enjoyed by sailors. The word was first used in 1695 to describe a mixture of beer , rum and sugar , heated with a red-hot iron. The iron caused the drink to froth and this frothing or ‘flipping’ gave rise to the name. It was the only hot drink available until cocoa was introduced in about 1800.
Salmagundi, sometimes abbreviated as salmi, is a salad dish, originating in the early 17th century in england. The French salmagondis means a hodgepodge and a salmagundi could contain just about anything, including cooked meats, seafood, vegetables, fruit, leaves, nuts and flowers and dressed with oil, vinegar and spices.
The Good huswives Treasure 1588–1660 includes the recipe: ‘ Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar , beaten together.’
Peter Horne, Maidstone, Kent.
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