View allAll Photos Tagged 3-In
I know moments like these won't be happening for long, I love the way she falls asleep breastfeeding, she looks so peaceful. She will be 3 in June.
I must say, it was quite difficult holding my camera with one hand behind my head and remote in the other, I couldn't see what I was focusing on! Took me about 20 times to hit the focus on the eyelashes lol :)
**Please no negative comments**
Edited with Creamy Soy Latte
The Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a primate of the Cercopithecidae (Old-world monkeys) family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the Drill. Both the Mandrill and the Drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined that they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus. The Mandrill is the world's largest species of monkey.
The Mandrill is recognized by its olive-colored fur and the colorful face and rump of males, a coloration that grows stronger with sexual maturity; females have duller colours. This coloration becomes more pronounced as the monkey becomes excited and is likely to be an example of sexual selection. The coloration on the rump is thought to enhance visibility in the thick vegetation of the rainforest and aids in group movement.
The Mandrill is recognized by its olive-colored fur and the colorful face and rump of males, a coloration that grows stronger with sexual maturity; females have duller colours. This coloration becomes more pronounced as the monkey becomes excited and is likely to be an example of sexual selection. The coloration on the rump is thought to enhance visibility in the thick vegetation of the rainforest and aids in group movement.
Males average 25–35 kg (55-77 lb), females less than half that weigh (11-14 kg, or 25-30 lb). Unusually large males can weigh 50 kg (110 lb). The average male is 81-90 cm (32-36 in) and the female is 56-66 cm (22-26 in), with the tail adding another 5–8 cm (2–3 in).They can survive up to 31 years in captivity. Females reach sexual maturity at about 3.5 years.
The Mandrill is found in the tropical rainforests and occasionally woodlands of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo. Its distribution is bounded by the Sanaga River to the north and the Ogooué and Ivindo rivers to the east. Recent research suggests that mandrill populations north and south of the Ogooué river are so genetically different as to be separate subspecies.
Mandrills are social animals and live in large groups, primarily including females and young and led by a single dominant male. Most adult males are solitary. It is difficult to accurately estimate group size in the forest, but filming a group crossing a gap between two forest patches or crossing a road is a reliable way of estimating group size. The largest group verifiably observed in this way contained over 1300 individuals, in Lopé National Park, Gabon—the largest aggregation of non-human primates ever recorded.
The Mandrill is an omnivore and acquires its food by foraging (mainly plants, insects and smaller animals) from the ground as it is terrestrial. Although the Mandrill does not normally hunt larger prey, males have been observed to hunt and consume duiker (a small antelope).
Its main natural predators are leopards, pythons and humans. Attacks on subadults by African crowned eagles have also been reported. Mandrills are hunted for food throughout their range, either with guns or using dogs and nets. In Cameroon, habitat loss to agriculture is also a threat.
A large group of mandrills can cause significant damage to crops in a very short time, and where common they are widely perceived as pests.
The gestation (pregnancy) time for the Mandrill is 6–7 months and young are usually born between January and April. However, the mandrill mates throughout the year during the estrous cycle, which occurs once every 33 days. The interbirth interval is typically 13–14 months.
Canadian Researcher William Sommers has found that during courtship, the female will walk after the male. If the male is interested he will stop and turn towards her. He will then mount her and they will copulate.
Mandrill infants are born with their eyes open and with fur. They have a black coat and pink skin for the first two months. They cling to their mother's belly immediately and can support their own weight. Mothers form bonds with their children. These bonds last into adulthood with the daughters, while the bonds with the sons last only until his sexual maturity. These bonds entail the two sitting with each other and grooming each other.
SINGAPORE ZOO
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European starling, or in the British Isles just the starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
The common starling has about a dozen subspecies breeding in open habitats across its native range in temperate Europe and western Asia, and it has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa and Fiji. This bird is resident in southern and western Europe and southwestern Asia, while northeastern populations migrate south and west in winter within the breeding range and also further south to Iberia and North Africa. The common starling builds an untidy nest in a natural or artificial cavity in which four or five glossy, pale blue eggs are laid. These take two weeks to hatch and the young remain in the nest for another three weeks. There are normally one or two breeding attempts each year. This species is omnivorous, taking a wide range of invertebrates, as well as seeds and fruit. It is hunted by various mammals and birds of prey, and is host to a range of external and internal parasites.
Large flocks typical of this species can be beneficial to agriculture by controlling invertebrate pests; however, starlings can also be pests themselves when they feed on fruit and sprouting crops. Common starlings may also be a nuisance through the noise and mess caused by their large urban roosts. Introduced populations in particular have been subjected to a range of controls, including culling, but these have had limited success except in preventing the colonisation of Western Australia.
The species has declined in numbers in parts of northern and western Europe since the 1980s due to fewer grassland invertebrates being available as food for growing chicks. Despite this, its huge global population is not thought to be declining significantly, so the common starling is classified as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Taxonomy and systematics
The common starling was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae in 1758 under its current binomial name. Sturnus and vulgaris are derived from the Latin for "starling" and "common" respectively. The Old English staer, later stare, and the Latin sturnus are both derived from an unknown Indo-European root dating back to the second millennium BC. "Starling" was first recorded in the 11th century, when it referred to the juvenile of the species, but by the 16th century it had already largely supplanted "stare" to refer to birds of all ages. The older name is referenced in William Butler Yeats' poem "The Stare's Nest by My Window". The International Ornithological Congress' preferred English vernacular name is common starling.
The starling family, Sturnidae, is an entirely Old World group apart from introductions elsewhere, with the greatest numbers of species in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Sturnus is polyphyletic and relationships between its members are not fully resolved. The closest relation of the common starling is the spotless starling. The non-migratory spotless starling may be descended from a population of ancestral S. vulgaris that survived in an Iberian refugium during an ice age retreat, and mitochondrial gene studies suggest that it could be considered as a subspecies of the common starling. There is more genetic variation between common starling populations than between the nominate common starling and the spotless starling. Although common starling remains are known from the Middle Pleistocene, part of the problem in resolving relationships in the Sturnidae is the paucity of the fossil record for the family as a whole.
Subspecies
There are several subspecies of the common starling, which vary clinally in size and the colour tone of the adult plumage. The gradual variation over geographic range and extensive intergradation means that acceptance of the various subspecies varies between authorities.
Birds from Fair Isle, St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides are intermediate in size between S. v. zetlandicus and the nominate form, and their subspecies placement varies according to the authority. The dark juveniles typical of these island forms are occasionally found in mainland Scotland and elsewhere, indicating some gene flow from faroensis or zetlandicus, subspecies formerly considered to be isolated.
Several other subspecies have been named, but are generally no longer considered valid. Most are intergrades that occur where the ranges of various subspecies meet. These include: S. v. ruthenus Menzbier, 1891 and S. v. jitkowi Buturlin, 1904, which are intergrades between vulgaris and poltaratskyi from western Russia; S. v. graecus Tschusi, 1905 and S. v. balcanicus Buturlin and Harms, 1909, intergrades between vulgaris and tauricus from the southern Balkans to central Ukraine and throughout Greece to the Bosporus; and S. v. heinrichi Stresemann, 1928, an intergrade between caucasicus and nobilior in northern Iran. S. v. persepolis Ticehurst, 1928 from southern Iran's (Fars Province) is very similar to S. v. vulgaris, and it is not clear whether it is a distinct resident population or simply migrants from southeastern Europe.
Description
The common starling is 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long, with a wingspan of 31–44 cm (12–17 in) and a weight of 58–101 g (2.0–3.6 oz).[15] Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 11.8 to 13.8 cm (4.6 to 5.4 in), the tail is 5.8 to 6.8 cm (2.3 to 2.7 in), the culmen is 2.5 to 3.2 cm (0.98 to 1.26 in) and the tarsus is 2.7 to 3.2 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in).
The plumage is iridescent black, glossed purple or green, and spangled with white, especially in winter. The underparts of adult male common starlings are less spotted than those of adult females at a given time of year. The throat feathers of males are long and loose and are used in display while those of females are smaller and more pointed. The legs are stout and pinkish- or greyish-red. The bill is narrow and conical with a sharp tip; in the winter it is brownish-black but in summer, females have lemon yellow beaks while males have yellow bills with blue-grey bases. Moulting occurs once a year- in late summer after the breeding season has finished; the fresh feathers are prominently tipped white (breast feathers) or buff (wing and back feathers), which gives the bird a speckled appearance. The reduction in the spotting in the breeding season is achieved through the white feather tips largely wearing off. Juveniles are grey-brown and by their first winter resemble adults though often retaining some brown juvenile feathering, especially on the head. They can usually be sexed by the colour of the irises, rich brown in males, mouse-brown or grey in females. Estimating the contrast between an iris and the central always-dark pupil is 97% accurate in determining sex, rising to 98% if the length of the throat feathers is also considered.
The common starling is mid-sized by both starling standards and passerine standards. It is readily distinguished from other mid-sized passerines, such as thrushes, icterids or small corvids, by its relatively short tail, sharp, blade-like bill, round-bellied shape and strong, sizeable (and rufous-coloured) legs. In flight, its strongly pointed wings and dark colouration are distinctive, while on the ground its strange, somewhat waddling gait is also characteristic. The colouring and build usually distinguish this bird from other starlings, although the closely related spotless starling may be physically distinguished by the lack of iridescent spots in adult breeding plumage.
Like most terrestrial starlings the common starling moves by walking or running, rather than hopping. Their flight is quite strong and direct; their triangular-shaped wings beat very rapidly, and periodically the birds glide for a short way without losing much height before resuming powered flight. When in a flock, the birds take off almost simultaneously, wheel and turn in unison, form a compact mass or trail off into a wispy stream, bunch up again and land in a coordinated fashion. Common starling on migration can fly at 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) and cover up to 1,000–1,500 km (620–930 mi).
Several terrestrial starlings, including those in the genus Sturnus, have adaptations of the skull and muscles that help with feeding by probing. This adaptation is most strongly developed in the common starling (along with the spotless and white-cheeked starlings), where the protractor muscles responsible for opening the jaw are enlarged and the skull is narrow, allowing the eye to be moved forward to peer down the length of the bill. This technique involves inserting the bill into the ground and opening it as a way of searching for hidden food items. Common starlings have the physical traits that enable them to use this feeding technique, which has undoubtedly helped the species spread far and wide.
In Iberia, the western Mediterranean and northwest Africa, the common starling may be confused with the closely related spotless starling, the plumage of which, as its name implies, has a more uniform colour. At close range it can be seen that the latter has longer throat feathers, a fact particularly noticeable when it sings.
Vocalization
The common starling is a noisy bird. Its song consists of a wide variety of both melodic and mechanical-sounding noises as part of a ritual succession of sounds. The male is the main songster and engages in bouts of song lasting for a minute or more. Each of these typically includes four varieties of song type, which follow each other in a regular order without pause. The bout starts with a series of pure-tone whistles and these are followed by the main part of the song, a number of variable sequences that often incorporate snatches of song mimicked from other species of bird and various naturally occurring or man-made noises. The structure and simplicity of the sound mimicked is of greater importance than the frequency with which it occurs. In some instances, a wild starling has been observed to mimic a sound it has heard only once. Each sound clip is repeated several times before the bird moves on to the next. After this variable section comes a number of types of repeated clicks followed by a final burst of high-frequency song, again formed of several types. Each bird has its own repertoire with more proficient birds having a range of up to 35 variable song types and as many as 14 types of clicks.
Males sing constantly as the breeding period approaches and perform less often once pairs have bonded. In the presence of a female, a male sometimes flies to his nest and sings from the entrance, apparently attempting to entice the female in. Older birds tend to have a wider repertoire than younger ones. Those males that engage in longer bouts of singing and that have wider repertoires attract mates earlier and have greater reproductive success than others. Females appear to prefer mates with more complex songs, perhaps because this indicates greater experience or longevity. Having a complex song is also useful in defending a territory and deterring less experienced males from encroaching.
Singing also occurs outside the breeding season, taking place throughout the year apart from the moulting period. The songsters are more commonly male although females also sing on occasion. The function of such out-of-season song is poorly understood. Eleven other types of call have been described including a flock call, threat call, attack call, snarl call and copulation call.[29] The alarm call is a harsh scream, and while foraging together common starlings squabble incessantly. They chatter while roosting and bathing, making a great deal of noise that can cause irritation to people living nearby. When a flock of common starlings is flying together, the synchronised movements of the birds' wings make a distinctive whooshing sound that can be heard hundreds of metres (yards) away.
Behaviour and ecology
The common starling is a highly gregarious species, especially in autumn and winter. Although flock size is highly variable, huge, noisy flocks - murmurations - may form near roosts. These dense concentrations of birds are thought to be a defence against attacks by birds of prey such as peregrine falcons or Eurasian sparrowhawks. Flocks form a tight sphere-like formation in flight, frequently expanding and contracting and changing shape, seemingly without any sort of leader. Each common starling changes its course and speed as a result of the movement of its closest neighbours.
Very large roosts, exceptionally up to 1.5 million birds, can form in city centres, woodlands or reedbeds, causing problems with their droppings. These may accumulate up to 30 cm (12 in) deep, killing trees by their concentration of chemicals. In smaller amounts, the droppings act as a fertiliser, and therefore woodland managers may try to move roosts from one area of a wood to another to benefit from the soil enhancement and avoid large toxic deposits.
Huge flocks of more than a million common starlings may be observed just before sunset in spring in southwestern Jutland, Denmark over the seaward marshlands of Tønder and Esbjerg municipalities between Tønder and Ribe. They gather in March until northern Scandinavian birds leave for their breeding ranges by mid-April. Their swarm behaviour creates complex shapes silhouetted against the sky, a phenomenon known locally as sort sol ("black sun"). Flocks of anything from five to fifty thousand common starlings form in areas of the UK just before sundown during mid-winter. These flocks are commonly called murmurations.
Feeding
The common starling is largely insectivorous and feeds on both pest and other arthropods. The food range includes spiders, crane flies, moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damsel flies, grasshoppers, earwigs, lacewings, caddisflies, flies, beetles, sawflies, bees, wasps and ants. Prey are consumed in both adult and larvae stages of development, and common starlings will also feed on earthworms, snails, small amphibians and lizards. While the consumption of invertebrates is necessary for successful breeding, common starlings are omnivorous and can also eat grains, seeds, fruits, nectar and food waste if the opportunity arises. The Sturnidae differ from most birds in that they cannot easily metabolise foods containing high levels of sucrose, although they can cope with other fruits such as grapes and cherries. The isolated Azores subspecies of the common starling eats the eggs of the endangered roseate tern. Measures are being introduced to reduce common starling populations by culling before the terns return to their breeding colonies in spring.
There are several methods by which common starlings obtain their food but for the most part, they forage close to the ground, taking insects from the surface or just underneath. Generally, common starlings prefer foraging amongst short-cropped grasses and are often found among grazing animals or perched on their backs, where they will also feed on the mammal's external parasites. Large flocks may engage in a practice known as "roller-feeding", where the birds at the back of the flock continually fly to the front where the feeding opportunities are best. The larger the flock, the nearer individuals are to one another while foraging. Flocks often feed in one place for some time, and return to previous successfully foraged sites.
There are three types of foraging behaviour observed in the common starling. "Probing" involves the bird plunging its beak into the ground randomly and repetitively until an insect has been found, and is often accompanied by bill gaping where the bird opens its beak in the soil to enlarge a hole. This behaviour, first described by Konrad Lorenz and given the German term zirkeln, is also used to create and widen holes in plastic garbage bags. It takes time for young common starlings to perfect this technique, and because of this the diet of young birds will often contain fewer insects. "Hawking" is the capture of flying insects directly from the air, and "lunging" is the less common technique of striking forward to catch a moving invertebrate on the ground. Earthworms are caught by pulling from soil. Common starlings that have periods without access to food, or have a reduction in the hours of light available for feeding, compensate by increasing their body mass by the deposition of fat.
Nesting
Unpaired males find a suitable cavity and begin to build nests in order to attract single females, often decorating the nest with ornaments such as flowers and fresh green material, which the female later disassembles upon accepting him as a mate. The amount of green material is not important, as long as some is present, but the presence of herbs in the decorative material appears to be significant in attracting a mate. The scent of plants such as yarrow acts as an olfactory attractant to females.
The males sing throughout much of the construction and even more so when a female approaches his nest. Following copulation, the male and female continue to build the nest. Nests may be in any type of hole, common locations include inside hollowed trees, buildings, tree stumps and man-made nest-boxes. S. v. zetlandicus typically breeds in crevices and holes in cliffs, a habitat only rarely used by the nominate form. Nests are typically made out of straw, dry grass and twigs with an inner lining made up of feathers, wool and soft leaves. Construction usually takes four or five days and may continue through incubation.
Common starlings are both monogamous and polygamous; although broods are generally brought up by one male and one female, occasionally the pair may have an extra helper. Pairs may be part of a colony, in which case several other nests may occupy the same or nearby trees. Males may mate with a second female while the first is still on the nest. The reproductive success of the bird is poorer in the second nest than it is in the primary nest and is better when the male remains monogamous.
Breeding
Breeding takes place during the spring and summer. Following copulation, the female lays eggs on a daily basis over a period of several days. If an egg is lost during this time, she will lay another to replace it. There are normally four or five eggs that are ovoid in shape and pale blue or occasionally white, and they commonly have a glossy appearance. The colour of the eggs seems to have evolved through the relatively good visibility of blue at low light levels. The egg size is 26.5–34.5 mm (1.04–1.36 in) in length and 20.0–22.5 mm (0.79–0.89 in) in maximum diameter.
Incubation lasts thirteen days, although the last egg laid may take 24 hours longer than the first to hatch. Both parents share the responsibility of brooding the eggs, but the female spends more time incubating them than does the male, and is the only parent to do so at night when the male returns to the communal roost. The young are born blind and naked. They develop light fluffy down within seven days of hatching and can see within nine days. Once the chicks are able to regulate their body temperature, about six days after hatching, the adults largely cease removing droppings from the nest. Prior to that, the fouling would wet both the chicks' plumage and the nest material, thereby reducing their effectiveness as insulation and increasing the risk of chilling the hatchlings. Nestlings remain in the nest for three weeks, where they are fed continuously by both parents. Fledglings continue to be fed by their parents for another one or two weeks. A pair can raise up to three broods per year, frequently reusing and relining the same nest, although two broods is typical, or just one north of 48°N. Within two months, most juveniles will have moulted and gained their first basic plumage. They acquire their adult plumage the following year. As with other passerines, the nest is kept clean and the chicks' faecal sacs are removed by the adults.
Intraspecific brood parasites are common in common starling nests. Female "floaters" (unpaired females during the breeding season) present in colonies often lay eggs in another pair's nest. Fledglings have also been reported to invade their own or neighbouring nests and evict a new brood.[29] Common starling nests have a 48% to 79% rate of successful fledging, although only 20% of nestlings survive to breeding age; the adult survival rate is closer to 60%. The average life span is about 2–3 years, with a longevity record of 22 yr 11 m.
Predators and parasites
A majority of starling predators are avian. The typical response of starling groups is to take flight, with a common sight being undulating flocks of starling flying high in quick and agile patterns. Their abilities in flight are seldom matched by birds of prey. Adult common starlings are hunted by hawks such as the northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), and falcons including the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo) and common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Slower raptors like black and red kites (Milvus migrans & milvus), eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and Australasian harrier (Circus approximans) tend to take the more easily caught fledglings or juveniles. While perched in groups by night, they can be vulnerable to owls, including the little owl (Athene noctua), long-eared owl (Asio otus), short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), barn owl (Tyto alba), tawny owl (Strix aluco) and Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo).
More than twenty species of hawk, owl and falcon are known to occasionally predate feral starlings in North America, though the most regular predators of adults are likely to be urban-living peregrine falcons or merlins (Falco columbarius). Common mynas (Acridotheres tristis) sometimes evict eggs, nestlings and adult common starlings from their nests, and the lesser honeyguide (Indicator minor), a brood parasite, uses the common starling as a host. Starlings are more commonly the culprits rather than victims of nest eviction however, especially towards other starlings and woodpeckers. Nests can be raided by mammals capable of climbing to them, such as stoats (Mustela erminea), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and squirrels (Sciurus spp.), and cats may catch the unwary.
Common starlings are hosts to a wide range of parasites. A survey of three hundred common starlings from six US states found that all had at least one type of parasite; 99% had external fleas, mites or ticks, and 95% carried internal parasites, mostly various types of worm. Blood-sucking species leave their host when it dies, but other external parasites stay on the corpse. A bird with a deformed bill was heavily infested with Mallophaga lice, presumably due to its inability to remove vermin.
The hen flea (Ceratophyllus gallinae) is the most common flea in their nests. The small, pale house-sparrow flea C. fringillae, is also occasionally found there and probably arises from the habit of its main host of taking over the nests of other species. This flea does not occur in the US, even on house sparrows. Lice include Menacanthus eurystemus, Brueelia nebulosa and Stumidoecus sturni. Other arthropod parasites include Ixodes ticks and mites such as Analgopsis passerinus, Boydaia stumi, Dermanyssus gallinae, Ornithonyssus bursa, O. sylviarum, Proctophyllodes species, Pteronyssoides truncatus and Trouessartia rosteri. The hen mite D. gallinae is itself preyed upon by the predatory mite Androlaelaps casalis. The presence of this control on numbers of the parasitic species may explain why birds are prepared to reuse old nests.
Flying insects that parasitise common starlings include the louse-fly Omithomya nigricornis and the saprophagous fly Camus hemapterus. The latter species breaks off the feathers of its host and lives on the fats produced by growing plumage. Larvae of the moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella are nest scavengers, which feed on animal material such as faeces or dead nestlings. Protozoan blood parasites of the genus Haemoproteus have been found in common starlings, but a better known pest is the brilliant scarlet nematode Syngamus trachea. This worm moves from the lungs to the trachea and may cause its host to suffocate. In Britain, the rook and the common starling are the most infested wild birds. Other recorded internal parasites include the spiny-headed worm Prosthorhynchus transverses.
Common starlings may contract avian tuberculosis, avian malaria and retrovirus-induced lymphomas. Captive starlings often accumulate excess iron in the liver, a condition that can be prevented by adding black tea-leaves to the food.
Distribution and habitat
The global population of common starlings was estimated to be 310 million individuals in 2004, occupying a total area of 8,870,000 km2 (3,420,000 sq mi). Widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the bird is native to Eurasia and is found throughout Europe, northern Africa (from Morocco to Egypt), India (mainly in the north but regularly extending further south and extending into the Maldives) Nepal, the Middle East including Syria, Iran, and Iraq and north-western China.
Common starlings in the south and west of Europe and south of latitude 40°N are mainly resident, although other populations migrate from regions where the winter is harsh, the ground frozen and food scarce. Large numbers of birds from northern Europe, Russia and Ukraine migrate south westwards or south eastwards. In the autumn, when immigrants are arriving from eastern Europe, many of Britain's common starlings are setting off for Iberia and North Africa. Other groups of birds are in passage across the country and the pathways of these different streams of bird may cross. Of the 15,000 birds ringed as nestlings in Merseyside, England, individuals have been recovered at various times of year as far afield as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and the Low Countries. Small numbers of common starling have sporadically been observed in Japan and Hong Kong but it is unclear from where these birds originated. In North America, northern populations have developed a migration pattern, vacating much of Canada in winter. Birds in the east of the country move southwards, and those from further west winter in the southwest of the US.
Common starlings prefer urban or suburban areas where artificial structures and trees provide adequate nesting and roosting sites. Reedbeds are also favoured for roosting and the birds commonly feed in grassy areas such as farmland, grazing pastures, playing fields, golf courses and airfields where short grass makes foraging easy. They occasionally inhabit open forests and woodlands and are sometimes found in shrubby areas such as Australian heathland. Common starlings rarely inhabit dense, wet forests (i.e. rainforests or wet sclerophyll forests) but are found in coastal areas, where they nest and roost on cliffs and forage amongst seaweed. Their ability to adapt to a large variety of habitats has allowed them to disperse and establish themselves in diverse locations around the world resulting in a habitat range from coastal wetlands to alpine forests, from sea cliffs to mountain ranges 1,900 m (6,200 ft) above sea level.
Introduced populations
The common starling has been introduced to and has successfully established itself in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, North America, Fiji and several Caribbean islands. As a result, it has also been able to migrate to Thailand, Southeast Asia and New Guinea.
South America
Five individuals conveyed on a ship from England alighted near Lago de Maracaibo in Venezuela in November 1949, but subsequently vanished. In 1987, a small population of common starlings was observed nesting in gardens in the city of Buenos Aires. Since then, despite some initial attempts at eradication, the bird has been expanding its breeding range at an average rate of 7.5 km (4.7 mi) per year, keeping within 30 km (19 mi) of the Atlantic coast. In Argentina, the species makes use of a variety of natural and man-made nesting sites, particularly woodpecker holes.
Australia
The common starling was introduced to Australia to consume insect pests of farm crops. Early settlers looked forward to their arrival, believing that common starlings were also important for the pollination of flax, a major agricultural product. Nest-boxes for the newly released birds were placed on farms and near crops. The common starling was introduced to Melbourne in 1857 and Sydney two decades later. By the 1880s, established populations were present in the southeast of the country thanks to the work of acclimatisation committees. By the 1920s, common starlings were widespread throughout Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, but by then they were considered to be pests. Although common starlings were first sighted in Albany, Western Australia in 1917, they have been largely prevented from spreading to the state. The wide and arid Nullarbor Plain provides a natural barrier and control measures have been adopted that have killed 55,000 birds over three decades. The common starling has also colonised Kangaroo Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and Tasmania.
New Zealand
The early settlers in New Zealand cleared the bush and found their newly planted crops were invaded by hordes of caterpillars and other insects deprived of their previous food sources. Native birds were not habituated to living in close proximity to man so the common starling was introduced from Europe along with the House Sparrow to control the pests. It was first brought over in 1862 by the Nelson Acclimatisation Society and other introductions followed. The birds soon became established and are now found all over the country including the subtropical Kermadec Islands to the north and the equally distant Macquarie Island far to the south.
North America
After two failed attempts, about 60 common starlings were released in 1890 into New York's Central Park by Eugene Schieffelin. He was president of the American Acclimatization Society, which reportedly tried to introduce every bird species mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare into North America, although this has been disputed. About the same date, the Portland Song Bird Club released 35 pairs of common starlings in Portland, Oregon. These birds became established but disappeared around 1902. Common starlings reappeared in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1940s and these birds were probably descendants of the 1890 Central Park introduction. The original 60 birds have since swelled in number to 150 million, occupying an area extending from southern Canada and Alaska to Central America.
Polynesia
The common starling appears to have arrived in Fiji in 1925 on Ono-i-lau and Vatoa islands. It may have colonised from New Zealand via Raoul in the Kermadec Islands where it is abundant, that group being roughly equidistant between New Zealand and Fiji. Its spread in Fiji has been limited, and there are doubts about the population's viability. Tonga was colonised at about the same date and the birds there have been slowly spreading north through the group.
South Africa
In South Africa, the common starling was introduced in 1897 by Cecil Rhodes. It spread slowly, and by 1954, had reached Clanwilliam and Port Elizabeth. It is now common in the southern Cape region, thinning out northwards to the Johannesburg area. It is present in the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and the Free State provinces of South Africa and lowland Lesotho, with occasional sightings in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and around the town of Oranjemund in Namibia. In Southern Africa populations appear to be resident and the bird is strongly associated with man and anthropogenic habitats. It favours irrigated land and is absent from regions where the ground is baked so dry that it cannot probe for insects. It may compete with native birds for crevice nesting sites but the indigenous species are probably more disadvantaged by destruction of their natural habitat than they are by inter-specific competition. It breeds from September to December and outside the breeding season may congregate in large flocks, often roosting in reedbeds. It is the most common bird species in urban and agricultural areas.
West Indies
The inhabitants of Saint Kitts petitioned the Colonial Secretary for a ″ ... government grant of starlings to exterminate ... ″ an outbreak of grasshoppers with was causing enormous damage to their crops in 1901. The common starling was introduced to Jamaica in 1903, and the Bahamas and Cuba were colonised naturally from the US. This bird is fairly common but local in Jamaica, Grand Bahama and Bimini, and is rare in the rest of the Bahamas, eastern Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and St. Croix.
Status
The global population of the common starling is estimated to be more than 310 million individuals and its numbers are not thought to be declining significantly, so the bird is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of least concern. It had shown a marked increase in numbers throughout Europe from the 19th century to around the 1950s and 60s. In about 1830, S. v. vulgaris expanded its range in the British Isles, spreading into Ireland and areas of Scotland where it had formerly been absent, although S. v. zetlandicus was already present in Shetland and the Outer Hebrides. The common starling has bred in northern Sweden from 1850 and in Iceland from 1935. The breeding range spread through southern France to northeastern Spain, and there were other range expansions particularly in Italy, Austria and Finland. It started breeding in Iberia in 1960, while the spotless starling's range had been expanding northward since the 1950s. The low rate of advance, about 4.7 km (2.9 mi) per year for both species, is due to the suboptimal mountain and woodland terrain. Expansion has since slowed even further due to direct competition between the two similar species where they overlap in southwestern France and northwestern Spain.
Major declines in populations have been observed from 1980 onward in Sweden, Finland, northern Russia (Karelia) and the Baltic States, and smaller declines in much of the rest of northern and central Europe. The bird has been adversely affected in these areas by intensive agriculture, and in several countries it has been red-listed due to population declines of more than 50%. Numbers dwindled in the United Kingdom by more than 80% between 1966 and 2004; although populations in some areas such as Northern Ireland were stable or even increased, those in other areas, mainly England, declined even more sharply. The overall decline seems to be due to the low survival rate of young birds, which may be caused by changes in agricultural practices. The intensive farming methods used in northern Europe mean there is less pasture and meadow habitat available, and the supply of grassland invertebrates needed for the nestlings to thrive is correspondingly reduced.
Relationship with humans
Benefits and problems
Since common starlings eat insect pests such as wireworms, they are considered beneficial in northern Eurasia, and this was one of the reasons given for introducing the birds elsewhere. Around 25 million nest boxes were erected for this species in the former Soviet Union, and common starlings were found to be effective in controlling the grass grub Costelytra zelandica in New Zealand. The original Australian introduction was facilitated by the provision of nest boxes to help this mainly insectivorous bird to breed successfully, and even in the US, where this is a pest species, the Department of Agriculture acknowledges that vast numbers of insects are consumed by common starlings.
Common starlings introduced to areas such as Australia or North America, where other members of the genus are absent, may affect native species through competition for nest holes. In North America, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, purple martins and other swallows may be affected. In Australia, competitors for nesting sites include the crimson and eastern rosellas. For its role in the decline of local native species and the damages to agriculture, the common starling has been included in the IUCN List of the world's 100 worst invasive species.
Common starlings can eat and damage fruit in orchards such as grapes, peaches, olives, currants and tomatoes or dig up newly sown grain and sprouting crops. They may also eat animal feed and distribute seeds through their droppings. In eastern Australia, weeds like bridal creeper, blackberry and boneseed are thought to have been spread by common starlings. Agricultural damage in the US is estimated as costing about US$800 million annually. This bird is not considered to be as damaging to agriculture in South Africa as it is in the United States.
The large size of flocks can also cause problems. Common starlings may be sucked into aircraft jet engines, one of the worst instances of this being an incident in Boston in 1960, when sixty-two people died after a turboprop airliner flew into a flock and plummeted into the sea at Winthrop Harbor.
Starlings' droppings can contain the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, the cause of histoplasmosis in humans. At roosting sites this fungus can thrive in accumulated droppings. There are a number of other infectious diseases that can potentially be transmitted by common starlings to humans, although the potential for the birds to spread infections may have been exaggerated.
Control
Because of the damage they do, there have been attempts to control the numbers of both native and introduced populations of common starlings. Within the natural breeding range, this may be affected by legislation. For example, in Spain, this is a species hunted commercially as a food item, and has a closed season, whereas in France, it is classed as a pest, and the season in which it may be killed covers the greater part of the year. In Great Britain, Starlings are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it "illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take a starling, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents". The Wildlife Order in Northern Ireland allows, with a general licence, "an authorised person to control starlings to prevent serious damage to agriculture or preserve public health and safety". This species is migratory, so birds involved in control measures may have come from a wide area and breeding populations may not be greatly affected. In Europe, the varying legislation and mobile populations mean that control attempts may have limited long-term results. Non-lethal techniques such as scaring with visual or auditory devices have only a temporary effect in any case.
Huge urban roosts in cities can create problems due to the noise and mess made and the smell of the droppings. In 1949, so many birds landed on the clock hands of London's Big Ben that it stopped, leading to unsuccessful attempts to disrupt the roosts with netting, repellent chemical on the ledges and broadcasts of common starling alarm calls. An entire episode of The Goon Show in 1954 was a parody of the futile efforts to disrupt the large common starling roosts in central London.
Where it is introduced, the common starling is unprotected by legislation, and extensive control plans may be initiated. Common starlings can be prevented from using nest boxes by ensuring that the access holes are smaller than the 1.5 in (38 mm) diameter they need, and the removal of perches discourages them from visiting bird feeders.
Western Australia banned the import of common starlings in 1895. New flocks arriving from the east are routinely shot, while the less cautious juveniles are trapped and netted. New methods are being developed, such as tagging one bird and tracking it back to establish where other members of the flock roost. Another technique is to analyse the DNA of Australian common starling populations to track where the migration from eastern to western Australia is occurring so that better preventive strategies can be used. By 2009, only 300 common starlings were left in Western Australia, and the state committed a further A$400,000 in that year to continue the eradication programme.
In the United States, common starlings are exempt from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the taking or killing of migratory birds. No permit is required to remove nests and eggs or kill juveniles or adults. Research was undertaken in 1966 to identify a suitable avicide that would both kill common starlings and would readily be eaten by them. It also needed to be of low toxicity to mammals and not likely to cause the death of pets that ate dead birds. The chemical that best fitted these criteria was DRC-1339, now marketed as Starlicide. In 2008, the United States government poisoned, shot or trapped 1.7 million birds, the largest number of any nuisance species to be destroyed. In 2005, the population in the United States was estimated at 140 million birds, around 45% of the global total of 310 million.
In science and culture
Common starlings may be kept as pets or as laboratory animals. Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz wrote of them in his book King Solomon's Ring as "the poor man's dog" and "something to love", because nestlings are easily obtained from the wild and after careful hand rearing they are straightforward to look after. They adapt well to captivity, and thrive on a diet of standard bird feed and mealworms. Several birds may be kept in the same cage, and their inquisitiveness makes them easy to train or study. The only disadvantages are their messy and indiscriminate defecation habits and the need to take precautions against diseases that may be transmitted to humans. As a laboratory bird, the common starling is second in numbers only to the domestic pigeon.
The common starling's gift for mimicry has long been recognised. In the medieval Welsh Mabinogion, Branwen tamed a common starling, "taught it words", and sent it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brothers, Bran and Manawydan, who then sailed from Wales to Ireland to rescue her. Pliny the Elder claimed that these birds could be taught to speak whole sentences in Latin and Greek, and in Henry IV, William Shakespeare had Hotspur declare "The king forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer. But I will find him when he is asleep, and in his ear I'll holler 'Mortimer!' Nay I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but Mortimer, and give it to him to keep his anger still in motion."
Mozart had a pet common starling which could sing part of his Piano Concerto in G Major (KV. 453). He had bought it from a shop after hearing it sing a phrase from a work he wrote six weeks previously, which had not yet been performed in public. He became very attached to the bird and arranged an elaborate funeral for it when it died three years later. It has been suggested that his A Musical Joke (K. 522) might be written in the comical, inconsequential style of a starling's vocalisation.[35] Other people who have owned common starlings report how adept they are at picking up phrases and expressions. The words have no meaning for the starling, so they often mix them up or use them on what to humans are inappropriate occasions in their songs. Their ability at mimicry is so great that strangers have looked in vain for the human they think they have just heard speak.
Common starlings are trapped for food in some Mediterranean countries. The meat is tough and of low quality, so it is casseroled or made into pâté. One recipe said it should be stewed "until tender, however long that may be". Even when correctly prepared, it may still be seen as an acquired taste.
The introduction of European starlings to the United States in 1890 by New York pharmaceutical manufacturer Eugene Schieffelin was featured in the plotline of the Netflix original series, Ozark in season 1, episode 7, "Nest Box."
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org/]
I want to present my most recent Lego technic creation – naked motorcycle.
The bike features:
- 3 in line cylinder engine;
- 2 speed gearbox;
- front and rear suspension
* Just to note that the gearbox design was not created by me, it was made by Khandesign.
Taken with iPhone
I walk out onto my back porch to find this.
3 in comments all similar but each one just get's cuter and cuter
i have on blueberry sylvia shorts with erratic crop top and maitreya low sneakers
Visit this location at $60 Linden Rentals 10 Scenes & Security $60 Lindens a week #3 in Second Life
Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is an extremely rare mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities or dissociated personality states that alternately control a person's behavior, and is accompanied by memory impairment for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness. These symptoms are not accounted for by substance abuse, seizures, other medical conditions, nor by imaginative play in children. Diagnosis is often difficult as there is considerable comorbidity with other mental disorders. Malingering should be considered if there is possible financial or forensic gain, as well as factitious disorder if help-seeking behavior is prominent.
DID is one of the most controversial psychiatric disorders with no clear consensus regarding its diagnosis or treatment. Research on treatment effectiveness still focuses mainly on clinical approaches and case studies. Dissociative symptoms range from common lapses in attention, becoming distracted by something else, and daydreaming, to pathological dissociative disorders.[6] No systematic, empirically-supported definition of "dissociation" exists.
Although neither epidemiological surveys nor longitudinal studies have been done, it is thought DID rarely resolves spontaneously. Symptoms are said to vary over time.In general, the prognosis is poor, especially for those with co-morbid disorders. There are few systematic data on the prevalence of DID. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation states that the prevalence is between 1 and 3% in the general population, and between 1 and 5% in inpatient groups in Europe and North America.[5] DID is diagnosed more frequently in North America than in the rest of the world, and is diagnosed three to nine times more often in females than in males. The prevalence of DID increased greatly in the latter half of the 20th century, along with the number of identities (often referred to as "alters") claimed by patients (increasing from an average of two or three to approximately.DID is also controversial within the legal system[3] where it has been used as a rarely-successful form of the insanity defense.The 1990s showed a parallel increase in the number of court cases involving the diagnosis.
Dissociative disorders including DID have been attributed to disruptions in memory caused by trauma and other forms of stress, but research on this hypothesis has been characterized by poor methodology. So far, scientific studies, usually focusing on memory, have been few and the results have been inconclusive. An alternative hypothesis for the etiology of DID is as a product of techniques employed by some therapists, especially those using hypnosis, and disagreement between the two positions is characterized by intense debate.DID became a popular diagnosis in the 1970s, 80s and 90s but it is unclear if the actual incidence of the disorder increased, if it was more recognized by clinicians, or if sociocultural factors caused an increase in iatrogenic presentations. The unusual number of diagnoses after 1980, clustered around a small number of clinicians and the suggestibility characteristic of those with DID, support the hypothesis that DID is therapist-induced.[15] The unusual clustering of diagnoses has also been explained as due to a lack of awareness and training among clinicians to recognize cases of DID
Signs and symptoms]
According to the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), DID includes "the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states" that alternate control of the individual's behavior, accompanied by the inability to recall personal information beyond what is expected through normal forgetfulness. In each individual, the clinical presentation varies and the level of functioning can change from severely impaired to adequate. The symptoms of dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue and depersonalization disorder are subsumed under the DID diagnosis and are not diagnosed separately. Individuals with DID may experience distress from both the symptoms of DID (intrusive thoughts or emotions) as well as the consequences of the accompanying symptoms (dissociation rendering them unable to remember specific information). The majority of patients with DID report childhood sexual and/or physical abuse, though the accuracy of these reports is controversial. Identities may be unaware of each other and compartmentalize knowledge and memories, resulting in chaotic personal lives.Individuals with DID may be reluctant to discuss symptoms due to associations with abuse, shame and fear. DID patients may also frequently and intensely experience time disturbances.
The number of alters varies widely, with most patients identifying fewer than ten, though as many as 4,500 have been reported. The average number of alters has increased over the past few decades, from two or three to now an average of approximately 16. However it is unclear whether this is due to an actual increase in alters, or simply that the psychiatric community has become more accepting of a high number of alters.The primary identity, which often has the patient's given name, tends to be "passive, dependent, guilty and depressed" with other personalities or "alters" being more active, aggressive or hostile, and often containing more complete memories. Most identities are of ordinary people, though fictional, mythical, celebrity and animal alters have also been reported.
Developmental trauma]
People diagnosed with DID often report that they have experienced severe physical and sexual abuse, especially during early to mid-childhood, (although the accuracy of these reports has been disputed and others report an early loss, serious medical illness or other traumatic event. They also report more historical psychological trauma than those diagnosed with any other mental illness.[not in citation given]Severe sexual, physical, or psychological trauma in childhood has been proposed as an explanation for its development; awareness, memories and emotions of harmful actions or events caused by the trauma are removed from consciousness, and alternate personalities or subpersonalities form with differing memories, emotions and behavior. DID is attributed to extremes of stress or disorders of attachment. What may be expressed as post-traumatic stress disorder in adults may become DID when occurring in children, possibly due to their greater use of imagination as a form of coping. Possibly due to developmental changes and a more coherent sense of self past the age of six, the experience of extreme trauma may result in different, though also complex, dissociative symptoms and identity disturbances. A specific relationship between childhood abuse, disorganized attachment, and lack of social support are thought to be a necessary component of DID. Other suggested explanations include insufficient childhood nurturing combined with the innate ability of children in general to dissociate memories or experiences from consciousness.
Delinking early trauma from the etiology of dissociation has been explicitly rejected by those supporting the early trauma model. However, a 2012 review article supports the hypothesis that current or recent trauma may affect an individual's assessment of the more distant past, changing the experience of the past and resulting in dissociative states. Giesbrecht et al. have suggested there is no actual empirical evidence linking early trauma to dissociation, and instead suggest that problems with neuropsychological functioning, such as increased distractibility in response to certain emotions and contexts, account for dissociative features. A middle position hypothesizes that trauma, in some situations, alters neuronal mechanisms related to memory. Evidence is increasing that dissociative disorders are related both to a trauma history and to "specific neural mechanisms". It has also been suggested that there may be a genuine but more modest link between trauma and DID, with early trauma causing increased fantasy-proneness, which may in turn render individuals more vulnerable to socio-cognitive influences surrounding the development of DID.
dédoublement de personnalité
Il est important de différencier deux termes : le dédoublement de la personnalité et la personnalité multiple.
En effet, la définition donnée est celle de la , qui fait qu'une personne possède deux (voire plus) personnalités complètement différentes, chacune ayant une vie sociale et professionelle distinctes, parfois un nom propre à chacune d'entre elles et étant parfaitement adaptées à leur(s) milieu(x). Ce n'est pas vraiment un trouble, mais une surconstruction personnelle donnant naissance à plusieurs personnalités au lieu d'une seule.
Le dédoublement de personnalité, en revanche, est un trouble de la personnalité provoqué par le subconscient, qui impose occasionnellement à la personnalité "normale" un comportement incohérent, parfois violent, incontrôlé. Il arrive que la personnalité première ne se rende plus compte de ce qu'elle fait (elle est "déconnectée") ce qui donne l'impression d'une autre personnalité, inadaptée socialement , sentimentalement et intellectuelement.
Ce sujet prète à polémique, car certains se contentent du terme troubles dissociatifs de l'identité (Dissociative Identity Disorder) pour englober les deux cas. La différence est de taille : avec cette notion, il n'y aurait pas plusieurs personnalités égales, mais une majeure à laquelle on doit redonner pleine maîtrise de son corps. Comme expliqué plus haut, ce serait dans un cas de dédoublement que l'on peut envisager cette façon de voir les personnalités, et non dans un cas de multiples personnalités. En effet, comment décider qu'une personnalité a plus de droit qu'une autre sur un corps, lorsqu'il n'y en a pas d'originelle ?
Je pense que le sens donné est le sens courant, non ? On peut rajouter des précisions ou mises en garde sur le sens technique du point de vue médical. Lmaltier 18 décembre 2007 à 17:05 (UTC)
En fait, les deux sont liées pour la plupart des gens, c'est pour cela qu'il faut les différencier : on a tendance à croire que les personnes ayant des personnalités multiples sont dangeureuses, peuvent avoir des accès de violence incontrolée dirigés par une personnalité instable. Ce n'est souvent pas le cas (même si c'est possible, comme pour n'importe quelle personnalité dite "normale"). Ce n'est donc pas sur un plan médical qu'il est important de les différencier, mais sur un plan humain : les personnalité multiples sont des personnalités tout ce qu'il y a de plus banales, mais sont persécutées à cause de la mauvaise image que l'on a d'elles, dûe aux dédoublement de personnalités qui, eux, sont des cas de dissociation de personnalités potentiellement dangereux car instables. S Vidal 20 décembre 2007 à 13:20 (UTC)
Peut-être, mais on étudie le mot, pas la maladie (faut voir Wikipédia pour ça). On peut mettre en garde sur les différents sens utilisés, mais c'est tout. Lmaltier 20 décembre 2007 à 17:21 (UTC)
mais justement, le problème est là ! on utilise un même mot pour deux choses différentes... si la définition du mot est faussée, l'étude de ce mot n'a pas lieu d'être, pas sans précisions...
PRECISION:
Il n'y a pas de différence entre ces deux troubles, ils n'en forment en vérité qu'un seul. Le trouble de la personnalité multiple était le nom donné auparavent à cet état, et maintenant il s'appelle Trouble dissociatif de l'identité. Dans les deux cas (puisque ça n'est en fait qu'une maladie) des traumas subits de façon répétitifs ont poussé la personnalité de l'enfant à se dissocier, pour pouvoir supporter les chocs traumatiques, le manque d'attention, etc. Les personnalités apparaissent à différents moments, et peuvent même restées complètement cachées jusqu'assez tard dans la vie d'un individu, avant les premières vraies crises, souvent dues à un stress ou un choc émotionnel important. Elles ont différent degrés de constructions émotionnelles, intellectuelles et sociales, ce qui peut penser à une structure de multiples personnalités toutes égales. Il n'en est en fait rien. même quand on parle de personnalité hote qui doit rester alors que les autres doivent disparaitre, ce n'est pas encore tout à fait juste. Toutes les peronnalités doivent, petit à petit à petit et au long d'une thérapie qui apprendra au patient multiple à se construire et trouver le moyen d'affronter autrement ses traumas passés et à venir, fusionner et ne redevenir qu'une seule et même entité, plus stable, et capable de vivre pleinement sa vie.
dédoublement de la personnalité[modifier]
Ma soeur jumelle souffre de ce trouble depuis l'âge de 16 ans mais ne le reconnait que depuis peu,depuis sa première grosse crise. Elle peut changer de comportement d'une minute à l'autre,laissant place à une femme extravertie et sans limites..alcool,hommes,jeux.. Souvent il lui arrive de se réveiller sans souvenirs de la veille et découvre que son compte en banque a fondu p.ex. Elle devient également plus brusque,plus mauvaise.quand l'alcool s'en mêle elle n'a plus de limites et se bagarre violement(en général avec des hommes)et fini parfois à l'hôpital après avoir brutalisé le personnel infirmier.La plupart du temps perd connaissance. Mais reste persuadée que rien de tout ça ne s'est produit.. Qu'y a-t-il à faire pour atténuer cette maladie?Existe-t-il un moyens de guérison?
Ma plus grande question,pouvons-nous faire confiance aux personnes atteintes de ce trouble?
Il existe un moyen. Il faut emmener la personne a l'hopital, et les medecins vous donnerons un planing a respecter. (ex: ce coucher a une heure exacte et ne pas manger n'importe quoi). mais attention il faut emmener la personne au plus vite a l'hopital car elle peut passer a l'acte.
The BR Sealink sister ships Hengist and Horsa were long associated with the Folkestone-Boulogne route across the channel.
Here we see Horsa approaching Folkestone in 1975, when 3 years old. The Sealink design evolution from previous ferries is clear.
It's a great pity Folkestone is no longer used as a Cross-Channel port, it might alleviate some of the pressures on Dover.
Horsa was sold to Greek owners in 1992 and operated until 2012/3. In 2014 ship was arrested - financial difficulties and non-payment of crew for 6 months.
IMO 7205075
Built 1972 Arsenal de Brest, France
5,109 grt
Believed to be scrapped.
Scanned Instamatic Slide
1975
I Only See You <3
In a crowded place
I see just your face
and it looks so familiar
I can't get to you
though I"m trying to
there are just to many barriers
But I only see you
in all that I do
to the rest I am blind
... en concert chez Woodstock Guitares Ensisheim... le 18 Mai 2019.
Il a joué et partagé la scène avec Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Etta James et Bettye La Vette, pour ne citer que ceux-là.
Né à New York et élevé dans le Massachussets à Sommerville, Chris Bergson revient à Manhattan en 1995. Il joue alors pour les chanteurs de jazz Annie Ross, Dena DeRose, Sasha Dobson et Norah Jones Et sort son premier album Blues For Some Friends of Mine en 1997 et Wait for Spring en 2000, tous deux chez Juniper Records.
En 2002 Chris Bergson est désigné Ambassadeur de Jazz des Etats Unis par le John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts et réalise une tournée en Afrique avec son trio. Evoluant jusqu'à embrasser le blues au plus près, tout en y ajoutant des influences pop, il réitère avec Blues (2003), Another Day (2005) et sa percée artistique largement applaudie Fall Changes (2007).
En 2008, il est récompensé par MOJO pour l'Album #1 de Blues, qui le définit désormais en tant que compositeur convainquant doué d'une vision urbaine aiguisée. Enregistré au Studio Levon Helm à Woodstock, Fall Changes mène Bergson à être personnellement invité pour se produire sur scène au Midnight Rambles du fameux batteur, première scène d'une longue série vers d'autres festivals aux États-Unis et par la suite d'une tournée en Europe.
Chris Bergson a été intronisé au Hall of Fame du Blues new yorkais au club de B.B. King en février 2015.
Récompensé par le magazine MOJO pour les prix de l'Album #1 de Blues en 2008 (Fall Changes)
l'Album #2 de Blues en 2011 (Imitate the Sun)
l'Album #3 de Blues en 2014 (Live at Jazz Standard), le chanteur / guitariste Chris Bergson s'est imposé comme "l'un des compositeurs de blues moderne les plus créatif" (All music Guide), créant son propre alliage de blues, roots et soul.
He played and shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Etta James and Bettye La Vette, to name a few.
Born in New York and raised in Massachussets in Sommerville, Chris Bergson returned to Manhattan in 1995. He played for jazz singers Annie Ross, Dena DeRose, Sasha Dobson and Norah Jones and released his first album Blues For Some Friends of Mine in 1997 and Wait for Spring in 2000, both on Juniper Records.
In 2002 Chris Bergson was appointed Ambassador of Jazz of the United States by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and toured Africa with his trio. Evolving to embrace the blues as closely as possible, while adding pop influences, he repeated with Blues (2003), Another Day (2005) and his widely acclaimed artistic breakthrough Fall Changes (2007).
In 2008, he was rewarded by MOJO for Blues Album #1, which now defines him as a convincing composer with a sharp urban vision. Recorded at Studio Levon Helm in Woodstock, Fall Changes leads Bergson to be personally invited to perform on stage at the Midnight Rambles of the famous drummer, the first scene in a long series to other festivals in the United StatesUnited and then a tour in Europe.
Chris Bergson was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame at the B.B. King Club in February 2015.
Awarded by MOJO magazine for the awards of Blues Album #1 in 2008 (Fall Changes) Blues Album #2 in 2011 (Imitate the Sun) Blues Album #3 in 2014 (Live at Jazz Standard), singer/ guitarist Chris Bergson won as "one of the most creative modern blues composers" (All Music Guide), creating his own blend of blues, roots and soul.
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D-WASCO Eanos, 37 80 5377 152-3 in der Zuckerfabrik Frauenfeld.
Revisionsdatum: (6 REV 601 12.11.20)
Eigenmasse: 22900kg
Laderaum: 82.5m3
Bremssohlen: LL IB116*
ex. Nummer: 33 56 5377 439-8?
Since I was a kid I've always thought of backlit leaves as stained-glass windows in the Temple, or Cathedral, of Gaia, Mother Earth. It imparted a sense of sacredness to nature and I hope that never leaves me.
Nature can give really spectacular abstracts for those who would see.
#3 in a series of 3.
View Large on Black.
INGREDIENTS:
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (4 oz)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
Hot cooked rice or rice pilaf, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
1. In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving fat in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble and set aside.
2. In same skillet, cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Remove skillet from heat; set aside. In medium bowl, mix spinach, egg, thyme and cheese. Stir in onion mixture and bacon.
3. In thick side of each chicken breast, cut 3-inch-long pocket to within 1/4 inch of opposite side of breast. Spoon about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into pocket in each chicken breast. Sprinkle pepper over chicken.
4. In same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until light brown on all sides. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 10 to 20 minutes longer, turning if necessary, until chicken is no longer pink in center (170°F). Serve immediately with rice.
The Museum of Flight, Seattle.
Manufacturer: Boeing
First flight: July 27, 1928
Introduction: September 20, 1928 with Boeing Air Transport
Retired: 1934
Primary user: Boeing Air Transport
Number built: 16
Model 80A - improved aerodynamics and Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines (10 built)
Unit cost: $75,000 (Model 80A
Crew: Three
Capacity: 18 passengers
Payload: 898 lb cargo (408 kg)
Length: 56 ft 6 in (17.22 m)
Wingspan: 80 ft 0 in (24.39 m)
Height: 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
Wing area: 1,220 sq ft (113.4 m²)
Airfoil: Boeing N-22
Empty weight: 10,582 lb (4,810 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 17,500 lb (7,940 kg)
Powerplant: 3 × Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet air-cooled radials, 525 hp (392 kW) each
Maximum speed: 138 mph (120 knots, 222 km/h)
Cruise speed: 125 mph (109 knots, 201 km/h)
Stall speed: 55 mph [16] (48 knots, 89 km/h)
Range: 460 mi (400 nmi, 741 km)
Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4,270 m)
Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_80
"Pioneer Pullman of the Air"
Until the mid-1920s, American commercial airplanes were built for mail, not people.
Boeing's Model 80, along with the Ford and Fokker tri-Motors, were a new breed of passenger aircraft.
The 80 first flew in August 1928 and was working along Boeing Air Transport's route two weeks later.
The 12-passenger Model 80 and the more-powerful 18-passenger 80A (re-designated 80A-1s when the tail surfaces were modified in 1930) stayed in service until 1933, when replaced by the all-metal Boeing Model 247.
The Museum's Model 80A-1, equipped with three Pratt & Whitney 525-horsepower "Hornet" engines, was retired from service with United in 1934.
In 1941, it became a cargo aircraft with a construction firm in Alaska. To carry large equipment, including a massive 11,000-pound (4,950 kg) boiler, a cargo door was cut into the plane's side. After the war, the 80 was stored and then discarded.
It was recovered from a dump in 1960 and eventually brought to Seattle for restoration. It is the only surviving example of the Boeing Model 80 series.
Stewardesses
In 1930, Miss Ellen Church, a student pilot and registered nurse, convinced Boeing management to hire female cabin attendants for their Model 80 flights.
Until then, it had been the co-pilot's duty to pass out box lunches, serve coffee, and tend to the passenger's needs.
Church reasoned that the sight of women working aboard the Boeing 80s would alleviate the passenger's fear of air travel. She and seven others, all nurses, became America's first stewardesses. Serving on a trial basis, they were very popular and became a permanent part of American commercial aviation.
The Luxury
A passenger flying in Boeing's earlier Model 40 was in for an uncomfortable trip. The 40 was designed for mail -- people were secondary, packed like sardines into the cold and noisy fuselage.
The advent of the Model 80 brought some comfort to travel.
The 80A had room for 18, a heated cabin, and leather seats. There was individual reading lights and the lavatory featured hot and cold running water.
Although the 80 had a luxurious interior, flying was tough by today's standards: the cabin wasn't pressurized, engine noise made conversation difficult, and despite heaters, the cabin was sometimes very cold.
" A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving "
My other flickr accounts
One -
www.flickr.com/photos/31673212@N00
Two -
www.flickr.com/photos/24924664@N07
Three -
www.flickr.com/photos/26221240@N03
Four -
www.flickr.com/photos/44080325@N03
Five -
www.flickr.com/photos/normand5
Six -
www.flickr.com/photos/normand6
Seven -
c/n 19434
Built 1944 with the US military serial 42-100971.
Wearing a classic KLM colour scheme, she is operated by DDA Classic Airlines (The Dutch Dakota Association) from Schipol Airport, Amsterdam.
Seen on the grass flightline during the Imperial War Museum’s 2012 Autumn Airshow.
Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK
8th September 2012
The following wartime history of PH-PBA (42-100971) is from Joe Baugher’s incredible and indespensible website "http://www.joebaugher.com" :-
“To USAAF Jan 11, 1944. Eighth Air Force 20Feb44. 44th Troop Carrier Squadron [6E*B; Nose #42], 316th Troop Carrier Group, Ninth Air Force, Cottesmore (Station 489).
Transported paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment to a drop zone near Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France on Mission ‘Boston’ 6Jun44.
Transported paratroopers of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division to a drop zone near Overasselt, SW of Nijmegen, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 17Sep44.
Towed a Waco CG-4A glider transporting men and materials for the 82nd Airborne Division to a landing zone near Groesbeek, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 18Sep44.
Towed a Waco CG-4A glider transporting men and materials for the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division to a landing zone near Grave, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 23Sep44.
The aircraft participated in a resupply mission to the Keent airstrip near Grave, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 23Sep44.
TDY to Wethersfield (Station 170) 21Mar45.
Transported British 13th Parachute Battalion, 5th Parachute Brigade paratroopers to a drop zone at the southern edge of the Diersfordt, three mile northwest of Wesel, Germany on Operation ‘Varsity’ 24Mar45.”
And the following info on the postwar career of PH-PBA is from the DDA Classic Airlines website:-
“In 1946 H.R.H. Prince Bernhard buys the aircraft from General Eisenhower. The aircraft with the military markings 42-100971 is registered in the Dutch aviation register as PH-PBA on January 6th. PH-PBA stands for ‘PH-‘ being the code for the Netherlands, PBA is short for Prince Bernhard Alpha. She became the first Dutch government airplane.
The Prince passed his type rating qualification November 13th the year after. Up until the introduction of the Fokker F27 in 1961 the DC-3 served as the government plane. There after the Dutch CAA used the DC-3 for calibration flights to control landing and navigation systems.
PH-PBA was not retired before 1975. The CAA donated the aircraft to the Aviodrome museum at Schiphol Airport. The first years she maintained her Government colours and was located at the entrance outside the museum. In 1982 she was briefly considered as the first aircraft for the Dutch Dakota Association, which was founded on March 10 that year. However, the association went for another DC-3.
On request of Aviodrome KLM paint sprayed the DC-3 in the 1950 KLM colour scheme with a fake registration and put the plain on display inside the museum.
For long H.R.H. Prince Bernhard kept a strong wish to restore the airplane to flying conditions. After a year of preparation in 1994 and a presentation at the Soestdijk Palace restoration works began.
With help of the Royal Dutch Air Force the airframe was transported to the UK for a complete maintenance with the aim to make the machine flying again.
The work continued well into 1998 when the aircraft was presented to the Prince for inspection at Schiphol Airport in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander and Mr Pieter van Vollenhove.
In November 1998 the Dutch Dakota Association was granted the right to operate and maintain PH-PBA.
Until mid 2016 KLM is the most important sponsor of the Dutch Dakota Association by adopting the DC-3 PH-PBA. Every year the PBA made promotional flights for KLM in almost all European countries, which resulted in great media exposure and good advertising for KLM, the oldest airline in the world still operating.
In 2006 the PBA was repainted in a half KLM half Air France livery. She got her latest colours in the winter of 2010-11 when she was baptized 'Princess Amalia' after the oldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and successor to the Dutch throne.
In June 2014, this aircraft joined the Normandy sightseeing flights on the remembrance of D-Day, 70 years ago. This was a special request from the organization of 'Daks over Normandy'. During these days, the PH-PBA also flew over the original dropzone 'O'.
Every year from April till October the PH-PBA still flies with passengers from around the world. This 'Grand Old Lady' is an important ambassador for the Dutch Historical Aviation.”
Seen on the grass flightline during the Imperial War Museum’s 2012 Autumn Airshow.
Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK
8th September 2012
Travel to Boa Vista (Cap Vert) - January 2023 - Day 3
Various pics of the day 3 in Boa Vista with no particular subject
Diverses photos prisent a Boa Vista (jour : 3) sans sujet reel.
Author : @Kiri Karma
Japan Expo 2022 - Day 3
Various pics of the day 3 in Japan Expo 2022
Diverses photos prisent a la japan Expo (jour : 3)
( Edition 2022 - 21 eme impact )
According to long-passed down legends at the University of Sydney, “by the time the jacaranda in the Main Quadrangle flowers, it’s too late to start studying for exams”. Generations of undergraduates have feared the Jacaranda's lilac flowers of doom!
This jacaranda tree was planted in the south-west wing of the Main Quadrangle as part of work prompted by the Royal Visit of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) in 1927. Students pulled out the first few trees Professor E.G. Waterhouse planted as a prank, until he planted one that was too large to be pulled out. Rooted in history, the tree has now grown to over a staggering 18 metres wide and is much beloved by students of the university and Sydneysiders alike.
Founded in 1850, the University of Sydney is Australia's first university and is regarded as one of its most prestigious, ranked as the 27th most reputable university in the world. In 2013, it was ranked 37th and in the top 0.3% in the QS World University Rankings. Seven Nobel or Crafoord laureates have been affiliated with the university as graduates and faculty. The University is colloquially known as one of Australia's "Sandstones", a status similar to that of the "Ivy League" in the United States and the "Russell Group" in the United Kingdom.
The university's Coat of Arms, granted by the College of Arms are an amalgamation of the arms of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and their important figures, heraldry and other references to the two ancient universities are sprawled throughout the university in its architecture and character. Its motto, "Sidere mens eadem mutato" translated literally gives "Though the stars change, the mind is the same", but has been more liberally translated to give, "Sydney University is really just Oxford or Cambridge laterally displaced approximately 12,000 miles".
The 2013 QS World University Rankings placed Sydney in the top 20 in the world in 11 subjects; more than a third of the 30 measured. The University of Sydney was ranked 8th in the world for Education, 9th in Accounting and Finance and 10th in Law. Additionally, Sydney was placed 12th in English Language and Literature, History and Archaeology, Linguistics and Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering, the highest in Australia of those subjects. Psychology at Sydney was ranked 14th, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, and Communication and Media were ranked 16th, and the Sydney Medical School was ranked 17th.
Its main campus has been ranked in the top 10 of the world's most beautiful universities by the British Daily Telegraph, The Huffington Post and Disney Pixar, among others such as Oxford and Cambridge and is spread across the inner-city suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington.
The Main Quadrangle's Great Tower houses the largest and oldest of Australia's two carillons, a performance may be viewed here: youtu.be/6xLslgpOVho
Situated in Far Hills in Somerset County of New Jersey, this hidden gem, nestled amongst hills and brooks, is like the proverbial Garden of Eden. Incorporating the natural landscape and creating a truly enchanting garden around it makes this place a MUST VISIT for anyone with a sense of appreciation for nature in a quiet way. Nothing pretentious, but so much can be seen and learned from each outing. The bucolic setting will put your heart and soul at ease, and quickly remove the stress of everyday life—at least, while you are there.
The vast collection of trees and plants is incredible, and the landscape architecture is attended to with such deep passion and care. Wildlife, such as birds, insects—wide variety of butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies--amphibians and reptiles can be seen regularly during the warmer seasons, and the pure air of life emanates throughout. The frogs and snapping turtles, in particular, are quite amazing, the latter often lurking under a layer of vegetation just beyond the surface of the water. Accordingly, the brooks and ponds are rich with activity and you don’t need to enjoy photography to appreciate the many wonders found in this bucolic landscape.
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR ALBUM FOR “LEONARD J. BUCK GARDEN.” YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT JUST HOW WONDERFUL A GARDEN THIS IS . . .
INGREDIENTS:
Cupcakes:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 tablespoon almond extract
Frosting:
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 teaspoons almond extract
Garnish:
Jordan almonds, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 18 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites and adding 1 tablespoon almond extract. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
2. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. In medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Add whipping cream and 2 teaspoons almond extract; beat on high speed until well blended. Fit a #46 tip in a decorating bag and fill with frosting. Use tip, with smooth side facing down, to generously pipe frosting in circular motion.
Seen from the Blachniks' bedroom
To all who visit and view, and – especially – express support and satisfaction: you are much appreciated!
Ohlebach: Fußgängerbrücke, Blick vom Schlaafzimmer
______________________________________________
Album Description – Babenhausen, Germany – 03DEC2017:
For my first layover in December I wanted to take the train from Mainz to Babenhausen to visit the Blachnik family & see the Christmas Market, December 2-3 in 2017: Cheryl made it possible, swapping her trip on the 2nd for mine on the 3rd! The plane left Charlotte with 6 open seats, and Joe got on board!
This was the first "great, big, historic Christmas Market" for Babenhausen, and I was really excited: what I wanted most to experience was the castle courtyard, normally not open to the public but for this historic weekend, would house 1 of the 2 live nativity scenes in Babenhausen, featuring a new-born donkey foal as a heartwarming companion to the Holy Family.
And I was eager to hear the Catholic Church Choir singing their concert for the first Sunday in Advent in the Old Town Square at 4 p.m., and also the Babenhausen brass ensemble at 6 p.m.
These 3 highlights along with the Advent Bazaar were what I had selected as my top 4 picks: Joe & I gave up our nap upon arrival in Mainz, heading instead straight to the train station:
Gertrud now wanted us to take her to the Christmas Market, in snowfall not feasible for 94-year-old Heinz in a wheelchair (he still wanted to go). Gertrud: "Not me. I've been 100 times," yet later in the week: "Hundreds of lights! It'll be so beautiful!" It'll be cold & wet outside! Gertrud: "Just dress appropriately."
Due to a delay at the FRA airport, we were later than expected coming into Mainz and due to trains running not so frequently that day, missed the 8:49 train we had hoped to catch and the next train at 10:01, but caught the 10:49 train arriving 11:58, and the Christmas Market would open at noon, as it's Sunday.
Joe: "Hi, Gertrud, how are you?" Here we were, to take her to the Christmas Market: "I'm excited!" She served Heinz a huge nice dinner – for him alone – then she, Joe, & I set out into icy-needle snowflakes, Gertrud in Sunday attire: dressy shoes, gloves, & coat, "no goofy cap!" Gertrud, yours looks like mine!
So she did put it on, after all. But she didn't head to the castle, adjacent to their residence. She turned her walker away from it, toward the main street. She told us she was treating us to lunch and went into a restaurant. She had made reservations!
We entered festive, jam-packed surroundings & dined 2 hours, resuming our trek after a delicious meal, to Old Town Square flanked by half-timbered houses and St. Nikolaus Church.
Next to the church is the fellowship hall with its Advent bazaar. Gertrud told Joe & me to take the stairs – too many for her to negotiate – up to shop the bazaar, & enjoyed cake downstairs visiting with friends from her 89 years living in Babenhausen.
Then Gertrud wanted to go straight home. Even so, clad for a fine lunch in the restaurant, on the way she lost feeling in her fingers from the frozen precipitation: "I'll say 10 'Our Father's' if I make it back..." [I don't know if she said all ten, but for the first time in my life, I did!] At 3:30 we were telling Heinz about our Christmas Market visit, & Joe asked about sitting down, in seconds sound asleep in Heinz's easy chair. I scrapped plans to see the castle courtyard + the choral & brass concerts. Joe got a Mainz weather update: ice on snow, thus we said good-bye before 4:30, crunching through snow to catch the 4:59 train.
It was sundown and snow fell the whole day, from Frankfurt to Mainz to Babenhausen and back: cold, but oh so picturesque!
It felt late (pitch dark), but in Mainz the Christmas Market was going full swing. We had planned on the 7:59 train to arrive in Mainz about quarter past 9 (21:12), and then I realized we had come 3 hours earlier; we hopped off the bus at the Cathedral.
Joe said, "I'm hungry," & bought a Bratwurst. At the hotel I asked his favorite part of the day. "I liked the Wurst the best."
Our best of 213 photos on this beautiful day are a 2-album set:
• Babenhausen, Germany – 03DEC2017
• Mainz, Germany – 03DEC2017
Hope you enjoy the 25% of 145 Babenhausen photos we took!
I've been going through the Kwizz archives, there are still loads of images to go through but it's not often I find one him where he's just chilling, he's such a typical BC pup, he just never usually stops.
Please press L to see it on black, it looks so much better :-)
I'm a little bit addicted to negative space, hence the slightly wide angle, well that and I only had my 50mm at the time, I didn't want to get too close in the fear that he'd suspend his little rest stop.
+3 in comments, the first one is the uncropped version, can't decide which version I prefer.
Do you like the Photoshop action I used during editing? I'm undecided about that too......
One other thing, I've set up a Facebook
page for my photography and would really appreciate it if you added me :-)
No. 3 in David Coster's Citilink fleet was 741 DYE, seen here at the Sandtoft Gathering. It is an AEC/Park Royal Routemaster which was new in 1963 as London Transport RM1741. After withdrawal by LT, it passed to the fledgling Stagecoach company in Perth in 1985 and later moved to Magic Bus in Glasgow before acquisition by Coster.
After Coster's business closed, it passed to East Yorkshire as fleet no. 809.
The universal wheel trim has snapped in half which i couldn’t care less about but the Toyota’s look good they are all complete
Marine Research Vessel (MRV) Alba-Na-Mara is a small fisheries research vessel, operated by Marine Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Name:Alba-Na-Mara
Namesake: Scotland of the sea
Builder:Macduff Shipyards
Launched:2008
Homeport:Fraserburgh
Identification:IMO number: 9378668
MMSI number: 235059857
callsign: 2AIE4
Class and type:Trawler
Displacement:163 GT
Length:27 m (88 ft 7 in)
Beam:8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)[1]
Draught:4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Installed power:Mitsubishi S6R MPTKFx2 630 hp @ 1600rpm
Propulsion:Twin propeller
Speed:9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) (max 16kn)
Endurance:14 days
Complement:8 crew + 5 scientists
Alba-Na-Mara was commissioned in 2008. She replaced FRV Clupea which had been in operation with FRS for 40 years.
Alba-Na-Mara is equipped with a sophisticated range of deck machinery and electronics.
She is capable of carrying out fisheries research, single, twin, pelagic/demersal/trawling and scallop dredging, hydrographic sampling, surveying and camera work up to 150 miles offshore.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Reno Air Races, officially known as the National Championship Air Races, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. Air racing is billed as "the world's fastest motor sport" and Reno is one of the few remaining venues. The event includes races in 6 classes and demonstrations by airshow pilots.
The probably most spectacular race class is the "Unlimited". With the exception of very few “scratch-built” aircraft, the Unlimited Class has generally been populated by stock or modified WWII fighters with the P-51 Mustangs, F-8F Bearcats and Hawker Sea Fury being flown most often, flying in speeds exceeding 500 mph.
One of the many P-51 custom racers was the "Gulf Mirage". It was a former military aircraft (ex s/n 44-73350), formerly operated by the Swiss Air Force and bought for around $3,500, that had undergone several successive modifications during its career in order to reduce the aircraft's drag and make it more and more competitive.
"Gulf Mirage" started its racing career in 1968 as an almost original P-51D which had been stripped off of any military equipment, under the ownership of Daniel Haskin, owner of Aeropart Service Inc. and WWII and Korea War pilot veteran. The aircraft's original name was "Mirage", with the civil registration N613C. The debut with the racing number 83 saw only a mediocre result, and, for the next season, the yellow and purple Mustang underwent its first major modifications.
These were carried out by Aero Trans Corp. DBA in Ocala, Florida, and included clipped wings and ailerons (the wing span was reduced by a total of ~5'), and the Mustang's characteristic tunnel radiator was replaced by two recessed radiators, which now occupied the former machine gun compartments in the wings. In this guide, the aircraft took part in the 1969 National Air Races, but severe cooling problems and numerous leaks in the almost untested radiator system prevented an active participation in the Unlimited Class races.
1970, "Mirage" was back, now tested and most technical bugs sorted out, and was able to achieve a respectable 4th place. In 1971, the modified Mustang was back, but during the main race a piston jammed and the aircraft could hardly be controlled - ending in a rugged belly landing after the landing gear had collapsed upon touchdown, which also caused a crack in the motor block.
However, the airframe was mostly intact, and Daniel Haskin started to search for sponsors for a rebuild and upgrade of "Mirage", as well as a new pilot. Through his industrial connections, he was able to win Grady Davis, vice president of Gulf Oil, who was an avid motorsport enthusiast and had founded the Gulf Oil Racing Team in 1966, for his project. In the course of 1972, "Mirage" underwent, thanks to financial and technical support, its second radical modification: the ruined Merlin engine was replaced by a bigger Rolls Royce Griffon (salvaged from an ex RAF Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk 19 reconnaissance aircraft) and its respective engine mounts, now driving a five blade propeller. The wing radiators were slightly enlarged in order to match the Griffon's increased power, and the aircraft was rebuilt with an eye to weight reduction. In the end, 600 pounds (270 kg) were removed from the airframe. The Mustang's original bubble canopy was replaced by a much smaller, streamlined fairing, and, after initial flight tests, the fin was slightly extended in order to counter the new propeller's torque and improve directional stability.
Outwardly, the new sponsorship resulted in a new name - the aircraft was now called "Gulf-Mirage" - a new, very different livery in the typical Gulf Racing colors: light blue with bright orange trim. With Peter Holm, a new pilot was found, too.
1973 saw the first start of the refurbished aircraft with the new starting number 63, but "Gulf-Mirage" did not finish its first race due to oil pressure problems, and any further flights were cancelled. In 1974 the pale blue Mustang was back - and this time everything worked fine and "Gulf-Mirage" was able to score a 3rd place in the Unlimited Class Gold Race. In 1975 the aircraft raced at the California National Air Races and finished in 2nd place - with a speed of 422 miles per hour (679 km/h).
After racing for several years with limited success, the aircraft was sold in 1983 to Wiley Sanders of Sanders Truck Lines, and it lost its characteristic blue and orange livery. After frequent participations in various air races, the aircraft was sold again in late 1989 and moved to the United Kingdom, not to return to the United States again until 1995. Since then, the aircraft has not made any public appearance yet.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 6½ in (9.93 m)
Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.10 m; tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade.)
Wing area: 197.6 sq ft (18.42 m²)
Empty weight: 7,030 lb (3,194) kg
Loaded weight: 8,750 lb (3,972 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 11,450 lb (5,200 kg)
Powerplant:
1× modified Rolls Royce Griffon 65 supercharged V12,
with a race output of ~3,000 hp (2,160 kW) at low altitude
Performance:
Maximum speed: 473 mph (763 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
Mach limit 0.82
The kit and its assembly:
This is another group build submission, this time the topic was “Racing and Competition” – and what’s more obvious than a (fictional) Reno Racer? The Mustang is a classic choice for the Unlimited Class, with many warbirds and some exotic, dedicated constructions with high-volume piston engines. I wanted something plausible, though, that perfectly blends into the class’ pedigree, so I took inspiration from different real P-51 racers and modified my build with whatever I considered plausible.
The basic kit is Academy’s P-51D, which I like because of its good fit, surface structure and nice details like the good cockpit and landing gear, as well as the option to build the model with lowered flaps. Just the tail wheel is IMHO a little short and needs an extension at its base for a proper stance of the model.
However, in order to turn the Mustang into a mutated Reno Racer and high speed aircraft, I gave it the following modifications – everything gathered from real-world Mustang modifications throughout the years:
Clipped wings, a traditional way to reduce drag and improve low altitude handling. I cut away about 1cm from each wing – and there have been more radical modifications in real life, even including the transplantation of swept wings from a Learjet! The original wing tips were retained, though, and slightly extended so that they would match with the slightly deeper, shortened wing.
The ventral radiator was cut away and faired over; instead, two smaller radiators were integrated into the wings where the machine gun bays had been, scratched from styrene sheet material. This was inspired by Anson Johnson’s Mustang N13Y, as flown in 1949.
The spacious bubble canopy was replaced by a much smaller hood. At first, I wanted to use a Spitfire or Typhoon bubble canopy, but, after some dry fitting tests, these were still too big for a radical racer. Eventually I came up with a weird combo: the cockpit glazing from an 1:100 Tamiya Il-28 bomber (which, unfortunately, turned out to be quite thick), extended rearwards with the rear section of an 1:72 Academy Fw 190 cockpit canopy/fairing. Both had to be tailored to match each other, as well as the Mustang’s different fuselage shape, and the cockpit opening itself in the fuselage had to be drastically made smaller, with the help of styrene sheet and lots of PSR.
The engine was upgraded from a V-1710/Merlin to a Griffon engine; this was pretty easy, thanks to the transplantation of conformal rocker cam fairings from a Special Hobby Spitfire kit: they almost match the cowling shape perfectly!
In order to create a more Griffon-esque look (using the Griffon-powered RB-51 “Red Baron” Mustang as benchmark), I made the original carburetor air intake under the propeller disappear and modified the lower cowling. A new carburetor intake was scratched from a piece of a small drop tank and placed further back, just in front of the landing gear wells. Looks very Spitfire-like now!
Additionally, a different propeller with more blade area was incorporated, a one-piece five-blade propeller from a Frog Spitfire Mk. XIV. The new piece was mounted onto a metal axis and a styrene tube adapter was inserted into the Mustang’s nose. Since the new propeller’s spinner came with a slight increase in diameter (overall maybe just 1mm, but it would be recognizable), the cowling was adjusted accordingly, realized through some PSR work.
As a visual counterbalance to the bigger nose section, the fin tip was slightly extended (maybe by 2mm) through the integration of a piece from a Special Hobby He 100.
Finally, the OOB pitot under the wing was replaced by a more delicate alternative made from thin wire, and no other antennae were fitted, for a sleek and clean look.
In the end, a lot of changes - but the overall effect is IMHO still subtle, and the whole thing looks quite plausible. And there had been more radical conversions in real life!
Painting and markings:
This started as a tough challenge, since I wanted a simple livery, yet something well-known from the Seventies. One option was a black “JPS Special” livery, but I eventually came across a very nice “Gulf Racing” sponsor markings set from A.C.B.-Shop, a German car model specialist. The team’s light blue and orange cars are still iconic and popular today, and why should Gulf Oil not even have sponsored a Reno Racer…?
Painting started with an overall coat of pastel blue from the rattle can – a generic tone from Duplicolor, which comes close to RAL 5024, but it’s less saturated. Initially I thought that the blue tone was just too pale, but things became more convincing once I added orange bands (Humbrol 18, it comes very close to the decals’ tone) to the wings and the fuselage, as well as to the nose section and the spinner. The latter received a chrome silver tip, created with Humbrol’s Polished Aluminum metallizer, which was also used on the blades’ front side. Their back side became black. Black was also used for a narrow anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen.
The cockpit interior became dark grey while the landing gear wells and covers were painted in zinc chromate yellow (Humbrol 81) – an ugly but deliberate contrast to the colorful exterior. The struts were painted in aluminum (Humbrol 56). As another color highlight, the wheel discs were painted in bright red – seen on a WWII Mustang, probably a personal addition of the pilot?
Once dry, the kit received a light black ink wash, in order to emphasize the engraved panel lines. Then orange sections received black rims, created with generic 2mm decal stripe material from TL Modellbau. The lowered flaps were a bit problematic, but the curved trim under the nose posed serious problems because the straight decal stripes had to be bent into curves. Thanks to some Gunze decal softener, this eventually worked – not perfect, but O.K. for what I wanted to achieve.
Next came the major sponsor markings and the race numbers. The Gulf logos came from the aforementioned decal set while the number was puzzled together with white decal circles from a Hasegawa Ki-61 (actually foundations for hinomaru with white borders!) and single numerals, which actually belong to contemporary Russian Air Force aircraft, from a Begemot sheet with generic tactical codes in various sizes.
In the scrap box I also found some sponsor decals (from a Heller 1:43 Lancia Delta), and some stencils were taken from an Academy P-47D sheet.
Finally, after some finishing touches, the kit was sealed with semi-gloss acrylic varnish from Italeri.
Well, the “Gulf-Mirage” looks simple and plausible, but in the end a lot of modifications were integrated that shift the Reno Racer away from the standard warbird. I am actually quite pleased with the outcome, because neither the technical modifications, nor the fictional/adapted Gulf Racing livery look out of place. The combo works well!
Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, 1.3 - 1.5 m. / 4 ft 3 in - 4 ft 11 in. COMMON. Not an antelope but the sole surviving member of Family Antilocapridae that resembles Old World antelope species. The Pronghorn has reached a similar ecological niche though parallel evolution. Handheld Canon + 500mm USM IS I + 1.4x. Photographed in 2005.
Kiowa Reservation, Kiowa National Grasslands, Harding County, New Mexico, United States.
©bryanjsmith.
I always thought my horn time was 3 in the afternoon but there comes a second phase a couple of hours later; an erotic epilogue! What time of day are most of the world horny?
Should we have a national randy day where we must all collectively pause to have 2 minutes silence to think about all those who 'went down'?
1 of 3 in a meta series on the theme of self-destruction. I often find that the problem with self-destructive activities, is that they are usually a lot of fun to do.
check out more from this series at: http://www.johnnytangphoto.com/