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Camel rock, Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia
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Countless Monarchs are currently gliding into the Gulf Coast as they wing their way to Mexico and parts of California for Winter...it's something I look forward to all year!!! I had to fight the wind for shots today, but what a beautiful thrill they are!
It was glorious to see them in large numbers, as the population has been in disturbing decline over the past few years...
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
After countless images of JJ Abrams filled the internet once he was confirmed to be the director of the once thought to be a myth Star Wars : Episode VII, I suddenly thought of a pretty fitting face that I could paint his glasses onto…so I threw this together in a matter of minutes for no particular reason :P
There are countless lenses from the past few decades that perform as well or better than their modern counterparts, and only cost a fraction as much. What's the problem? No auto-focus! That's why we've created the PRONTO Auto-Focus Lens Adapter for Sony cameras. Using your camera's Phase Detection auto-focus system, the PRONTO can auto-focus practically any manual lens you attach to it. The PRONTO is designed to mount Leica M lenses, but by attaching a second adapter you can mount Nikon, M42, Pentax K lenses, and many more!
There are countless opportunities to photograph beautiful coastal scenery and seascapes along the Great Ocean Road. There are some obvious places and others that might just surprise you. Apollo Bay was one such location whether the rocky shore provided many wonderful angles and perspectives, especially combined with the best sunrise of the trip.
Causing countless childhood memories of these on the 11 (Parkhall-Robroyston) to come flooding back, Sean Reilly's recently restored Greater Glasgow Alexander-bodied Volvo B10M-50/Citybus G545 RDS (AH101; ex-31311) swings onto Brook St (fr. Broad St) bound for Buchanan Bus Station whilst partaking in the 2018 GVVT Open Weekend Shuttles.
While the livery choice may be a point of contention for some, seeing/hearing one of these handsome, screaming beasts after so long is infinitely refreshing; any concerns about the livery choice go flying right out the window as a consequence.
Photo Date: 14th October 2018
I have spent countless hours in various woodlands this year, trying my best to develop a vision and a way in which to better interpret the beauty and complexity I see before me. I have taken a lot of terrible pictures. This is as close as I have got to a satisfying image, and gives me faith that the more time I spend wandering, looking and interpreting the better I will become
I know there are already countless comparison shots, but there aren't very many Modulex->System MOC duplications. I realized I could actually come pretty close, so why not?
The colors aren't perfect, of course; mx olive green is somewhere between Lego's olive green and sand green, and there's no good match for mx brown. Modulex colors are just more muted in general. The castle would probably have been better in old light gray, but I couldn't find my 1x1 tiles in that color.
As an aside, does anyone have a Scala doll (preferably male) with long sleeves that I can borrow/trade for?
{Marie Laveau}
There are countless stories about the power of Marie Laveau as a voodoo queen, sorceress, healer, and psychic, but none of these are documented historically. Voodoo, brought to New Orleans by African slaves and immigrants from Santo Domingo and Haiti, has been practiced since the 1700s. Even today some people have voodoo altars in their homes and participate in voodoo rituals.
In time the name of Marie Laveau became distorted. Mothers threatened their children that she would put a curse on those who didn't behave. She was thought of as an evil witch, capable of causing unimaginable trouble. But there are also reports of her as a nurse. Others mention that small children went to her home every Saturday morning for the brown sugar sticks she would hand out.
{Legba}
As "Master of Crossroads" Legba is the god of every parting of the way--a favorite haunt of evil spirits and propitious to magic devices; and it is at crossroads that he receives the homage of sorcerers and presides over their incantations and spells. Because of his politeness and caring nature he is greeted as Papa Legba. He is a much loved loa.
The interpreter to the gods he can deliver the messages of the gods in human language and interpret their will. He is the god of destiny, honored first at every ceremony, receiving first offerings. He is represented by a wooden or iron phallus mounted in a little mound of earth in front of every house. Legba is also known to hold the "key of the spiritual world".
Photographer: Giselle Chauveau
Special Thanks To Kaleidos Hope for the awesome serpent ♥
A sight that could once be seen countless times a day, an F59PH leading a Metrolink train is now one of the rarest things in Southern California railroading. With all of Metrolink's F59 fleet being retired (and most having holes cut in their prime movers to render them inoperable), the days of the old workhorses being the primary power for the commuter trains are over. However, on rare occasions when the new standard power is in short supply due to servicing, two survivors, F59PHRs 856 and 868, get to turn their wheels again over the rails they once dominated. Here, 856 leads its train out of Claremont, something it has done countless times in its nearly 30-year life. But this time is different, as before long it will be pulled from service and stored again, uncertain when or if there will be a next time.
Near the Belle Reve penitentiary main gates, a wide yard stretches out from wall to wall. Primarily dirt, this is where countless inmates, under scrupulous supervision, take their exercise, smoke freely, or get into knife fights. The ones alowed out of their cells, anyways. Today however, the yard is ablaze. The sparse grass smokes and sputters, and inmates run freely, crashing through windows and knifing whom they please.
Overhead, the sky darkens, and the sun begins to disappear, almost symbolically. Far off in the distance, a roll of thunder is head, and the startling flash of lightning can be seen by the few who care to notice.
In two minutes, no one else will die.
Doctor Harleen Quinzel, and J. Daniel Murphy stand over the inert, electrified body of Roger Hayden, The Psycho-Pirate. He twitches slightly.
Murph: Doc, I gotta ask, you carry some kinda power-dampener with ya?
Harley, smiles, and hands him The Medusa Mask: No, Mister Murphy, I’ve just been workin real hard with my therapist. Huh, seems like it’s startin’ to rain.
At that moment, a wall nearby shatters into dust and debris. Bodily, two men are thrown through the newly-established door, and land in a heap. Emotionally numb all day, to Deadshot, this was nothing. To Captain Boomerang, this was one of his more graceful landings.
Following close behind, in a whirl of crackling energy and whipping flames, come the instigators of this devastating afternoon: Satanus and Blaze.
Murph: Backup to the yard, BACKUP TO THE YARD.
Harley: Yeah, I . . . Don’t think I can talk those two down.
Blaze moves towards Boomerang with the speed of a snake. She floats over him and smiles.
Blaze: Make peace with your flimsy god, little man.
Boomerang: David Schummy, who art in Australia, hallowed by thy name . . .
Satanus laughs none, he tires of this escapade, of these insignificant people. Of this man in the silver mask who shot him in the leg. Deadshot just sits. He too is tired, uninterested. What happens happens, he thinks as Satanus grabs a fistful of Deadshot’s uniform and lifts him off the ground.
Satanus: Are you prepared to die, shootist?
Deadshot catches a glimpse of himself, a reflection in Satanus’s helmet. There is a bullet-hole in his own forehead.
Deadshot: I’ve been dead all day.
It’s at that moment, the thunder sneaks up on clouded toes and cracks itself impossibly loud overhead. A bolt of lightning, cold, white and hard, strikes the ground a mere feet from where Satanus and Blaze are about to make their kills. What passes for their hearts each skip a beat, as they realize who is nigh.
Satanus: The Marvel!
Blaze: The Mortal!
When the sparks subside, the boisterous, awe-inspiring form of Captain Marvel raises from his kneel.
Captain Marvel: AH there you two are! Y’know, you’re out way past bedtime!
He flies forward, quick as Mercury, and socks Satanus in the jaw.
Cap: Your dad’s getting worried! He’s just up there at the Rock of Eternity –
He throws Satanus into Blaze and grabs them both by the capes,
Cap: -- wondering where his kids are!
He holds each sibling in each hand, then whacks their heads together, instantly knocking them out cold.
Cap, to Murph: Good afternoon, sir, are you in charge of this lovely, if not slightly tarnished prison?
Murph: Er uh, I guess so? The boss is out, so I guess I’ll do.
Answer, over the loudspeakers: Hold it right there, captain mustache, when the Boss is away, it’s me who has the say. Welcome to Belle Reve, Mr. Marvel.
Cap, to the air: Uh, thanks! Tell me, is there anything else I can do here?
Harley has been staring at Captain Marvel since he landed. She’s gone up against Superman, against Wonder Woman, and yet still somehow, The towering, red-suited man manages to have both the former’s easygoing nature, and the latter’s mystic splendor. And some serious muscles to boot.
Harley, despite herself: Y-yes! Yes in fact, there’s a riot. Real bad! Like Natural Born Killers bad! W-we need ya to stick around and help re-capture all these bad guys!
Captain Marvel: Well that sounds like just the job for me!
Captain Marvel lifts off a little ways into the air, and lands hard down in front of Boomerang and Deadshot.
Cap: I believe I’ve heard tell of you two from my esteemed colleagues, Batman and the Flash! Time to return to your cells now, natural born killers!
Boomerang: Now ‘old on minute!
Deadshot says nothing, he merely stares at Captain Marvels’ forehead.
Harley: Wait hold on, they work here!
Captain Marvel: Ah! You’re in clever disguise as bad guys! *he whispers* I won’t blow your cover, don’t worry. *he turns to Harley* Show me the way, Ms. . . . ?
Harley, shaking his hand gently, her hand sweaty and delicate in his, warm and firm: H-Harleen! Harleen Quinzel!
Cap: Harleen Quin- . . . Harley Quinn? *he is slightly aghast* Aren’t you a villain as well?
Harley: Wha- me? No, no no, I’m a doctor now! My baddie days are over’n done, cross my heart an’ hope to die!
Cap thinks for a minute, then extends his smallest finger: Pinky swear?
Harley: Ahahaha, *she locks pinkies* Yeah, pinky swear.
Cap: Splendid! Now let’s see what we can do about cleaning this place up.
Captain Marvel, with Harley Quinn, Digger Harkness, Floyd Lawton, J Daniel Murphy, and a host of relieved guards, begin to slowly put everything back together. It won’t be instant, they recognize, but eventually, order (and the power) would be fully restored. The World’s Mightiest Mortal, in a matter of an hour, manages to secure every prisoner left. Bit Wladon is found conversing quietly with Angelo Bend, and returns to his cell just as peacefully. Harley assists the prison doctors in tending to the wounded, when she can, she sneaks glances at the muscular man in red. The guards begin to tidy, and secure the perimeter while Murph takes stock of what they’ll need to rebuild. Floyd and Digger, slowly, remove the dead and take them to the incinerator room.
Digger: Wouldn’t you hate to be the bloke that tells some rotters’ family that he went and kicked it?
To Floyd, the bodies never looked any different.
In the monitor room, Black Orchid lays stretched out on the table near the back of the room, cleared of its empty bottles, thick books and unloaded handguns. Next to her stands Michael Patten, the bottom part of his mask pulled up, exposing his few-day beard.
Answer: Y’did good, Flower Pot, I’m proud of you. Get a couple-days rest and pretty soon that songbird voice of yours will be good-as-new.
She smiles, and caresses his face. He smiles back, holds her hand a minute, then pulls his mask back down and turns around.
Answer: That goes to all you carnival freaks as well, I may not actually be in charge, but The Wall’s gone so I’m going to damn well going to act like it! That was a fucken mess, but we pulled through!
Cap: Language please, Mister!
Answer: Language? Language?! What are you, a twelve-year-old boy?! And why did you just suddenly pale like a milk-soaked sheet? I’ll say what I damn well goddamn please in my Monitor room! I’ll-
Orchid grasps his arm lightly.
Answer: I. . . sorry, it’s been a stressful day. As long as you’re here boy-scout-man, I’ll try and keep it on the inside.
Cap: Thank you, sir!
Digger: With luck, ole ‘Manda won’t even notice we ‘ad a riot.
Floyd, thinking about all the holes in the walls: I wouldn’t be too sure about that.
Cap: Well, if there’s nothing else I can help with today, I may as well be on my way!
Harley: Wait!
All eyes turn to her, excepts Answers, sucked into the blank blue void of screens.
Harley: I, er, uh, We should all go to dinner! You! Me! Gun-guy and stick guy! Punctuation Man and-and Flower girl!
Digger: Stick-guy?
Answer: Oh no, not me! Do you know what the underpaid workers of even the finest establishments do to the food? Cause I do. Orchid and I grow all our own food, thank you.
Cap: It’s a very kind offer, but don’t you folks have jobs to do?
Digger: I’d say we just did em!
Harley: Yeah! Plus Waller’s away and uh, when the cat’s away the convi-er, trained professionals will play! Besides, the government can afford to pay us in Italian food every once inna while.
Cap: Well alright! As long as I’m not imposing!
Harley squees slightly and wraps her arms around one of his own, strong and impossibly muscular, and begins to lead him out of the room.
Answer, to Floyd and Digger, still looking at his monitors: Well, you’d better go with em. That boy’s a beefcake, and she’s gonna need a chaperone. There’s nothing in this world more depressing and chastity-keeping than your ugly mugs.
We see countless sunrises, yet we are always startled by its beauty.At first there appears to be a tiny ball at the horizon. It slowly comes out of the shadow of clouds, increasing in size. You just look at it. The waves of seas kiss the land and rocks gently and you want to be kissed too.The vast expanse of sea in front of you filled with unknown depths and the land beneath you assuring you are safe, the cool breeze of air filled with pleasant notes and the sky with all the warmth of a mother
Countless centuries of weathering have sculpted the pink granite rocks of Anse Source d'Argent Beach on La Digue Island, Seychelles, into shapes resembling modern art.
So many trees to enjoy
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After countless reschedule because of clashing busy schedule.. We finally made time =D Introducing, Miss Trang Cao.
More to come =]
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Beggars, invalids, cripples and Hindu sadus are part of the throng that surround the temple.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
A scene repeated countless times around the world and around Australia and Queensland as old rural railways closed, this is the former railway station, goods shed and yard at Moura, Queensland.
It was originally on the Dawson Valley line which eventually led back to Rockhampton and saw the initial stages of the coal export rush until after years of becoming a backwater again following opening of the direct line to Gladstone in 1968, the Dawson Valley branch closed in part in 1987. But the direct line gave it access from the other direction and some extended life for cattle and grain until 1993.
The whole Dawson/Callide system of branch lines was closed in an odd piecemeal way with bits left open here and there for specific traffics that all eventually disappeared. Even the Moura Short Line now only serves coal mines, the extensive grain silos in Moura are now in the hands of trucks.
* What's a Garratt? Here is the link to QR's Garratts
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Beyer-Garratt_class
Moura, Queensland
Wiki article in full.
The Dawson Valley Branch Railway was a railway line in Central Queensland, Australia. It opened in a series of sections between 1898 and 1927, and featured a rack railway section, one of only 3 such systems in Australia.
Gold was discovered in the Mount Morgan region of Central Queensland in 1882. The Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company was authorised by government in 1890 to build a railway link to Rockhampton but it did not proceed.
Revised plans were approved by parliament in December 1896 for a government built line. The 1890 proposal had involved a conventional line with 1 in 50 (2%) grades and a tunnel at the crest of the Razorback Range. Its cost and the risk of the mine having a short life deterred both the government and the company. By adopting a rack railway section the cost of building the line was 52% of the 1890 proposal.
The branch line commenced at Kabra about 15 kilometres west of Rockhampton on the Central West line and headed south towards Mount Morgan. The first stage opened on 15 June 1898 and reached Moonmera at the foot of a steep climb to Mount Morgan. A siding was located en route at Boongary.
The next stage to Moongan was a 2315-metre Abt rack system to negotiate grades as steep as 1 in 16.5 (6%). The rack system consisted of 2 parallel toothed vertical bars fixed between the rails which connected with specially built locomotives. The rack locomotive pushed from the rear of the train during ascent to prevent runaways if a coupling broke, and the front during descent, as the rack provided part of the braking force. Kirkhall, Baree and Walterhall (which was the junction for the branch to the mine itself) were sidings above the rack section. The line to Mount Morgan railway station opened on 26 November 1898.
After opening, three mixed trains ran daily to and from Rockhampton. Two trains ran each way on Sundays thus enabling visitors to conveniently travel the short distance between Mount Morgan and Rockhampton. Despite the high cost of operating the rack section, the line proved very profitable due to the volume of traffic created by, and for the mine. 'Suburban' services ran from Moongan – Mt Morgan and return to cater for mine workers.
Southwest extension
The discovery of coal in the Dawson Valley in 1900 generated interest in extending the line from Mount Morgan. Parliament approved a southwest extension in late 1909 to take the line as far as Baralaba. It opened in three stages. Terminating at Wowan, the first stage opened on 16 October 1912 and en route sidings appeared at Talban, Kenbula, Ulogie, Muranu, Walmul, Konara, Gelobera, Wura, Dululu and Littles Crossing. The second stage took the line via Buneru, Cooneel and Muruguran to Rannes and opened on 2 February 1915. The third stage opened on 30 July 1917 and terminated at Baralaba after passing through Kokotungo and Kalewa.
The transport of coal to Mount Morgan and for the Railways Department was a major contributor to the extended service.
The proposed Dawson Valley Irrigation Scheme was to open up agricultural land for close settlement along the Dawson River and was expected to create 5 irrigation zones with 5000 farms and a total population of 50,000 on its farms and towns. The first of these irrigation zone towns was to be Theodore. This prompted approval of a 95 kilometres (59 mi) extension further south from Baralaba along the Dawson Valley in 1922. It was completed in two stages – via Harcourt, Mungi, Moura and Gibihi terminating at Nipan on 21 June 1926, and then via Willawa terminating at Theodore (previously called Castle Creek) on 7 May 1927. In its original conception, the line was to be subsequently extended from Theodore to Delusion Creek to support the Isla irrigation zone. However, the Nathan Dam, the centrepiece of the Dawson Valley Irrigation Scheme, was never built, and the extension to Delusion Creek was never required.
The service to Theodore was laborious. A mixed train arrived at 4.30am twice a week and departed at 7.30am. The journey to Mount Morgan took almost 8 hours. A weekly rail motor service introduced in 1952 reduced the journey to Rockhampton to some 6 ½ hours.
Bypassing the rack
The rack railway section near Mount Morgan was closed in 1952 after a conventional line was built to bypass it, with grades of 1 in 50 (2%). This occurred because the rack locomotives were due for replacement and the rack section was becoming a bottleneck in the haulage of coal from Callide Coalfields.
In 1961 a new coal mine (now known as the Dawson mine) was opened south-east of the town of Moura. Initially coal was loaded at a siding at Kianga, 15 km south of Moura. In 1963 a 12 km line was built from Moura to the new mine. At that time the most powerful steam locomotive owned by QR known as the Beyer-Garratt could haul a 750-ton coal load.
Partial closure
Sections from Kabra to Mount Morgan and Wowan (69 km) and from Baralaba to Moura (47 km) were closed from 1 August 1987 and the lines were taken up, except for a short section at Mt Morgan. The Goolara-Theodore section (5 km) closed in 1993, and the Wowan-Rannes (25 km) and Kooemba-Baralaba (12 km) sections closed in 1995. Goolara is the site of a grain terminal, and the Goolara-Moura section is now effectively part of the Moura railway line.
Since 1968 Moura coal has been hauled to Gladstone via the Moura Short Line. When it opened, triple header diesel hauled trains took 4000 ton coal loads direct to Gladstone.
After countless hours spent standing in the cold with camera in hand watching Snowy Owls since mid-December, I finally encountered a cooperative bird (my 5th of the year) for some good in-flight shots
Have taken countless shots of these but have not been happy with any until this one. They are almost done blooming, so luckily I got one I am somewhat satisfied with.
After rebuilding countless locos from 6 wide to 7, I decided that the black Flying Scotsman wasn’t working for me.
I wanted it to become more bold and to really stand out amongst the fleet. I originally was going to build it in blue, but previously thought the the colour would limit the parts choice. Having recently scrolled through brick link and my own collection, I decided to go for it!
Still a WIP, but it’s already looking better to me :) Still debating if I want to use brick built lining or not...
Being countless time to the Marina Bay , i got to say that it is so convenient for me to go there after work to take some snapshot.
My photo is running low for me to test my newly acquired set of technique of photo manuiplation using CS5.
I planned to go to chinatown for chinese new year shoot , then changed to going Circle line open house and ended up at the MBS area.
Decided that this will be the final photo as my post processing knowledge is limited to merge more photos to the left and right of it to form a Panoramic..... >.< ||| The sky colour/water are too different to be blend together.....
.:Taken from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:.
About Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands (traditional Chinese: 濱海灣金沙; simplified Chinese: 滨海湾金沙) is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion, including cost of the prime land.[1][2]
With the casino complete, the resort features a 2,561-room hotel, a 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2) convention-exhibition centre, the 800,000-square-foot (74,000 m2) The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, an iconic ArtScience museum, two large theatres, seven "celebrity chef" restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink, and the world's largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m.[3][4] The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects. The local architect of record was Aedas Singapore, and engineering was provided by Arup and Parsons Brinkerhoff (MEP). The main contractor was Ssangyong Engineering and Construction.[5]
Originally set to open in 2009, Las Vegas Sands faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labour shortages from the onset. The severe global financial crisis also pressured the company to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort.[6] Although Marina Bay Sands has been compared on scale and development costs to MGM's CityCenter, the latter is a mixed-use development, with condominium properties (comprising three of the seven main structures) being sold off.[7][8]
The resort was officially opened with a two-day celebration on 23 June 2010 at 3.18 pm, after a partial opening (which included the casino) on 27 April 2010.[9] The SkyPark opened a day later on 24 June 2010. The theatres were completed in time for the first performance by Riverdance on 30 November 2010. The floating pavilions are still being built and are expected to be fully completed by 2011. The indoor skating rink, which uses artificial ice, opened to a performance by Michelle Kwan on 18 December 2010. The ArtScience Museum opened to the public and the debut of a 13-minute light, laser and water spectacle called Wonder Full on 19 February 2011 marked the full completion of the entire Integrated Resort.
The grand opening of Marina Bay Sands was held on 17 February 2011. It also marked the opening of the seven celebrity chef restaurants. The highly-anticipated Broadway musical The Lion King debuted on 3 March 2011.[10] The last portion of the Marina Bay Sands, the floating pavilions, were finally opened to the public when the two tenants (Louis Vuitton and Pangaea Club) opened on 18 September 2011 and 22 September 2011 respectively.
About Garden by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay consists of three distinctive waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, spanning a total of 101 hectares. They are set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, encircling the Marina Reservoir like a green necklace. The Gardens will complement the array of attractions around Marina Bay.
Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government that further transforms Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’, in which the city is woven into a green and floral tapestry. This aims to raise the quality of life in Singapore with a more holistic and all-encompassing programme that enhances greenery and flora in the city. First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay will become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.
An international competition for the design of the master plan was held in January 2006 to elicit the best designs for the Gardens. This attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries, from which two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively.
The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South is currently being constructed and is slated to be completed by June 2012. Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is scheduled to open to the public in late 2011 or early 2012. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.
you can visit my website at www.on9cloud.com .
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After countless failed attempts I finally got one that settled for a few seconds! Street photography is definitely easier…
From what I know, my family tree traces entirely to Estonia, back to the fog of countless invasions and occupations of my homeland. So it was with some curiosity that I explored my lineage back a few thousand generations and 60,000 years to Africa, and a long period in Iran. My recent ancestors were likely reindeer herders in Siberia, breeding Samoyed white fluffy dogs.
I submitted my DNA anonymously to IBM for a research project, and from the mutations in my Y-chromosome alone, they identified me as haplotype N LLY22G, which pegs the Uralic language of my family and the locale of northern Scandinavia / Eastern Europe. With only my DNA, they identified my family origin on the map above to within a few miles, and traced it back to the veritable “Adam” in Africa, from whom we are all descendants.
And, unaware of any of this, it is odd that, so far in my life, I have adopted two animals from shelters, both Samoyed dogs.
Here is a portion of my Genographic Project report, a fascinating peek into genetic archaeology:
Your Y-chromosome results identify you as a member of haplogroup N.
The genetic markers that define your ancestral history reach back roughly 60,000 years to the first common marker of all non-African men, M168, and follow your lineage to present day, ending with LLY22(G), the defining marker of haplogroup N.
If you look at the map highlighting your ancestors' route, you will see that members of haplogroup N carry the following Y-chromosome markers:
M168 > M89 > M9 > LLY22(G)
Today, your ancestors are found in northern parts of Scandinavia particularly northern Finland as well as Siberia east of the Altai Mountains, and in northeastern Europe. Many Russians are members of haplogroup N, as are the reindeer-herding Saami people of northern Scandinavia and Russia.
What's a haplogroup, and why do geneticists concentrate on the Y-chromosome in their search for markers? For that matter, what's a marker?
Each of us carries DNA that is a combination of genes passed from both our mother and father, giving us traits that range from eye color and height to athleticism and disease susceptibility. One exception is the Y-chromosome, which is passed directly from father to son, unchanged, from generation to generation.
Unchanged, that is unless a mutation—a random, naturally occurring, usually harmless change—occurs. The mutation, known as a marker, acts as a beacon; it can be mapped through generations because it will be passed down from the man in whom it occurred to his sons, their sons, and every male in his family for thousands of years.
Your Ancestral Journey: What We Know Now
M168: Your Earliest Ancestor
Time of Emergence: Roughly 50,000 years ago
Place of Origin: Africa
Climate: Temporary retreat of Ice Age; Africa moves from drought to warmer temperatures and moister conditions
Estimated Number of Homo sapiens: Approximately 10,000
Tools and Skills: Stone tools; earliest evidence of art and advanced conceptual skills
The man who gave rise to the first genetic marker in your lineage probably lived in northeast Africa in the region of the Rift Valley. Scientists put the most likely date for when he lived at around 50,000 years ago. His descendants became the only lineage to survive outside of Africa, making him the common ancestor of every non-African man living today.
But why would man have first ventured out of the familiar African hunting grounds and into unexplored lands? It is likely that a fluctuation in climate may have provided the impetus for your ancestors' exodus out of Africa.
The African ice age was characterized by drought rather than by cold. It was around 50,000 years ago that the ice sheets of northern Europe began to melt, introducing a period of warmer temperatures and moister climate in Africa. Parts of the inhospitable Sahara briefly became habitable. As the drought-ridden desert changed to a savanna, the animals hunted by your ancestors expanded their range and began moving through the newly emerging green corridor of grasslands.
M89: Moving Through the Middle East
Time of Emergence: 45,000 years ago
Place: Middle East
Climate: Semi-arid grass plains
Estimated Number of Homo sapiens: Tens of thousands
Tools and Skills: Stone, ivory, wood tools
The next male ancestor in your ancestral lineage is the man who gave rise to M89, a marker found in 90 to 95 percent of all non-Africans. This man was born around 45,000 years ago in northern Africa or the Middle East.
The first people to leave Africa likely followed a coastal route that eventually ended in Australia. Your ancestors followed the expanding grasslands and plentiful game to the Middle East and beyond, and were part of the second great wave of migration out of Africa.
Beginning about 40,000 years ago, the climate shifted once again and became colder and more arid. Drought hit Africa and the grasslands reverted to desert, and for the next 20,000 years, the Saharan Gateway was effectively closed. With the desert impassable, your ancestors had two options: remain in the Middle East, or move on. Retreat back to the home continent was not an option.
While many of the descendants of M89 remained in the Middle East, others continued to follow the great herds of buffalo, antelope, woolly mammoths, and other game through what is now modern-day Iran to the vast steppes of Central Asia.
These semi-arid grass-covered plains formed an ancient "superhighway" stretching from eastern France to Korea. Your ancestors, having migrated north out of Africa into the Middle East, then traveled both east and west along this Central Asian superhighway. A smaller group continued moving north from the Middle East to Anatolia and the Balkans, trading familiar grasslands for forests and high country.
M9: The Eurasian Clan Spreads Wide and Far
Time of Emergence: 40,000 years ago
Place: Iran or southern Central Asia
Estimated Number of Homo sapiens: Tens of thousands
Tools and Skills: Upper Paleolithic
Your next ancestor, a man born around 40,000 years ago in Iran or southern Central Asia, gave rise to a genetic marker known as M9, which marked a new lineage diverging from the M89 Middle Eastern Clan. His descendants, of which you are one, spent the next 30,000 years populating much of the planet.
This large lineage, known as the Eurasian Clan, dispersed gradually over thousands of years. Seasoned hunters followed the herds ever eastward, along the vast super highway of Eurasian steppe. Eventually their path was blocked by the massive mountain ranges of south Central Asia—the Hindu Kush, the Tian Shan, and the Himalayas.
The three mountain ranges meet in a region known as the "Pamir Knot," located in present-day Tajikistan. Here the tribes of hunters split into two groups. Some moved north into Central Asia, others moved south into what is now Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent.
LLY22G: Siberian Marker
Time of Emergence: Within the last 10,000 years
Place of Origin: Siberia
Climate: Present Day
Estimated Number of Homo sapiens: Tens of millions
Tools/Skills: Some hunter-fishers, some farmers
Language: Chiefly found in Uralic-speaking populations
One of the men in a group of Eurasian Clan peoples who traveled north through the Pamir Knot region gave rise to the LLY22G marker, which defines your lineage, haplogroup N.
Today his descendants effectively trace a migration of Uralic-speaking peoples during the last several thousand years. This lineage has dispersed throughout the generations, and is now found in southern parts of Scandinavia as well as northeastern Eurasia. The Saami, an indigenous people of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia, traditionally supported themselves with hunting and fishing, their movement dictated by the reindeer herds.
This is where your genetic trail, as we know it today, ends. However, be sure to revisit these pages. As additional data are collected and analyzed, more will be learned about your place in the history of the men and women who first populated the Earth. We will be updating these stories throughout the life of the Genographic Project.
Update: you can get your own test here
There are countless Pictographs (painting on rock) and Petroglyphs (pecking on rock) in Canyon de Chelly.
The history of the peoples in the canyon goes back thousands of years and the images remain to this day high up on the Canyon walls.
The stories behind some of the pictographs are fascinating.
The photo above shows a beautiful canvas of people on horses.
It helps to set the time frame because horses came with the Spanish.
I cannot tell the story behind this pictograph as it is a story that should be told only by a Navajo in the Canyon!
The countless 'why' questions of childhood have tried the patience of adults throughout the ages. But asking 'why' is one of the most important strategies children have to learn about the world around them.
Thank you all for viewing and commenting on my photo and inspiring me! Thanks a lot for the faves!
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
I've had countless requests for instructions for my various models over the years.
Now the wait is over! Here they are - instructions and inventory for my recent '89 Batmobile: rebrickable.com/users/riskjockey/
Many hours were spent creating them, going back and forth with the physical model to ensure stability; making sure each of the 128 steps was crystal clear; tweaking the inventory of 508 pieces so that there are as few rare-parts as possible. The result is a high-quality 99 page .pdf that will enable you to build and display your very own minifig-scale '89 Batmobile.
I very much hope you enjoy building this model as much as I did designing it. And please let me know which of my mocs you would like to see instructions for next.
After countless attempts to combine 1.2 hrs of this data to no avail I decided to just edit a single frame that I took about a month ago at brass town bald. The light pollution on this side of the mountain was pretty bad but the comet was very bright and processed well. Stacking comet images on the other hand is very difficult. i was pretty happy with this single exposure.
After countless hours of work, I’ve made some good progress on Concorde. First off, I started by working my way aft and reached the trailing edge of the delta wing. I really wanted to get this thing on its landing gear. Said landing gear was a colossal pain in the a**. The main gear wouldn’t fit with the doors shut and the nose gear didn’t have enough room for the door mechanism. In the end, I was able to design a way to save space for the main undercarriage and the nose gear took some time to eventually figure out. I’ve stayed true to my original math for the delta wing so hopefully I’m able to complete that without too much of a hassle. All in all, great progress and expect more soon!
I spent countless hours as a child trackside with my dad. I used to love watching westbound freights coming down the hill into Pittsfield with brakes smoking and orders getting hooped up in front of the yard office. Fred McGinnis Pittsfield MA.
Commentary.
Lomond, Long, Fyne and countless other stretches of loch and sea-loch twist like a writhing serpent, unerringly, for the full length of Argyll.
At twenty, thirty and forty miles from the Atlantic swell,
harbours like Lochgilphead, Tayvallich, Crinan, Inveraray, and here at Arrochar nestle on calm shorelines between the intervening hills.
Before 05:30 on an inviting summer’s day the village lights still smear the waters as the dawn light grows.
Lingering clouds are yet to fully dissipate over the peaks as the warmth rises.
For now, the day is unwritten,
but for this peaceful scene.
We, and countless thousands of Calgarians, headed to the mountains for the first day of our long weekend, our Victoria Day Weekend. The parking areas at trailheads were overrun, and so many just parked on the roadside. There were more people on our route than usual, but it was challenging enough that it didn't attract throngs. We thought there would be snow about, and luckily the snow at the top was strong and stable.
" In this vast world, you encounter countless souls who effortlessly lift your spirits and make your heart dance with joy. Among them, a select few have that magical touch, bringing forth not just happiness, but a profound sense of fulfillment and inspiration that fills your being to the brim... 💕"
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Near the docks of Gotham, where the filthy grey water erodes away the remains of victims of long-drowned crimes, The Stacked Deck sulks between warehouses. An age-old refuge for the criminal element of Gotham, or those just looking for some life-ending excitement. Here, countless back alley brawls have been conducted, and countless windows have had to be replaced.
The air inside is smoky and stale, and smells of old blood and older booze. A mustachioed man sits in the corner. The local toughs call him Matches, and know him as a reliable informant and bruiser with a fixation on wearing sunglasses at all times. He’s been there for at least five hours, nursing Arnold Palmers, ever since he heard about the woman in the corner booth.
That Woman is Harley Quinn, and she is drunk.
Harley, singing sadly: Nn-nobody knoowwss . . . d’truffles I been through, nobody knows m’starros . . . C’mon, Bar-guy, sing along!
Bartender: I er uh, I dunno the words, Ms. Quinn.
Harley: Sure ya do! S’easy! Snowbunnies know . . . da turtles I been shoe . . . nobody noose da maestro…
Bartender: I uh, I don’t know if those are the right words. If you want, I can uh, hit the jukebox for you?
Harley: No-can-dooey, this is a karaoke bar, ain’t it? Can’t have any pre-recordings steppin’ on my lines! Now gimmie another!
Bartender: Uh, sure thing, Ms. Quinn.
Matches knows the man is scared, but the woman in the corner booth doesn’t seem violent tonight. She’s had a long history of convicted crimes, petty and grand, and an equally long history of violent acts, often committed in the name of the one who strikes fear into even the most stalwart of the nations’ heroes. Tonight, she’s just a broken woman.
The door swings open quietly, and in comes another Woman. At first glance, with her Prada business suit and pearl necklace, she absolutely doesn’t belong. At second glance, the look in her eyes and the bend of her scowl proves that she absolutely does. Matches meets her gaze. They know each other, but don’t acknowledge it. He stands up, places his money on the counter, says good night to the bartender, and heads out the door as the woman moves briskly towards the corner booth.
Matches: I hope you know what you’re doing.
Waller: Always, rich kid.
Harley: AMANDA! Oh my gawsh, I can’t believe y’came all this way to see me!
Waller: Harley, it’s been some time. May I sit down?
Harley: Are you kiddin’? You’re Amanda Freakin’ Waller! Y’can do whatever y’want!
Waller, sitting: I know this is probably a bad time, but I want to talk, Harley.
Harley: Sounds like yer doin’a pretty good job. Yer lips are movin’ anyways and noise is comin’ out. That’s a good start. Problem is every third word y’say is ‘blah’. Heeheeheee. Eheheheh. AHAHAHA
Waller: What’s so funny?
Harley: I jus’ realized. If ya shorten Bar-man, y’get B-Man! Y’know like . . . *she points two fingers up behind her head, miming bat-ears.* HEY B-MAN, WHERE’S MY DRINK
Bartender: Coming Ms. Quinn!
Waller, eyeing the glasses, cards, makeup, cocktail umbrellas, spilled bowls of peanuts and pretzels, and cherry stems strewn about the table: How many of those have you had, Harley?
Harley: Uh . . I wanna s-say six. They’re named after me! They’re called a ‘Harley Hammer”! Innit that sweet?
Waller: Harley . . . Why are you here?
Harley, knocking back another Hammer: Why’re YOU here, Amanda?
Waller, smirking: I asked you first.
Harley: Aw alright, you got me there. Can’t a girl just have a night out?
Waller: Harley . . . Harleen. Come on, I know you That All your crimes recently have essentially amounted to smash-and-grabs. That you and Miss Isley haven’t been talking. From where I’m standing, this looks like you drinking away a breakup.
Harley: Now holdonaminnit! First of all, you’re sittin down! Next of all, Pammy and I ain’t been together in a long time. Some things uh, just don' work out ya know? As for th'crime, I’ve just been feeling . . . uninspired lately. That’s all . . . That’s it. HEY B-MAN, why’s it so quiet in here? Crank up the tunes! Play that funky music!
Bartender: Uh, on it Miss Quin! Anything you wanna hear in particular?
Harley: JUST HIT A BUTTON!
Waller: Har-
Harley: Nu-uh, nope. I went, it’s your turn. Whatcha doin’ here, Amanda?
Waller takes a deep breath. She’s been preparing for this moment: Harleen, I want you back on the Squad.
Harley: You what?
Waller: Hear me out. This isn’t the same operation as before. I don’t want you as a convict, Quinn, I want to help you get back on track. I want Doctor Harleen Quinzel.
Harley: Y’want . . . y-y’want . . . *she bursts into tears* Amanda, I haven’t even heard that full name in so long I-I can’t even remember th’last time I heard it . . . Is that even me anymore? I don’t even know! *continues sobbing* I . . . I’b gotten to a point where I don’t feel like me. . . Y’ever get that way? Y’ever feel like whoever you were, whoever y’were p-proud of’s dead, and a-all that’s l-left is whatever you are now? *the sobbing intensifies. Waller thinks about this for a moment. Harley continues through tears* This isn’t a trap is it? Y’lure me in, treat me nice, then ship me out into a war z-zone and blow my head off . . .
Waller: No, Harley, none of that. No bombs, no field missions. Just you, and your new patients. I can even get you help for your . . . condition. Belle Reve has changed Harley. It’s no longer just a penitentiary, it’s a rehabilitation center. People like you can help, or get help.
Harley: Re-bih-ila-tashunn . . .
Waller: You don’t have to answer right away. Think on It for a few days, I want you to come to this decision on your own. . . Harley?
Harley, really blitzed now: Soree Wallee, I think iss m’beddy-by times . . . *She passes out*
Waller: Damn. *she turns to the Bartender* How much does she owe?
The Bartender: Please, just get her out of here.
-------------------------------------
The taxi pulls up onto Finger Street. The streets are surprisingly empty, but that’s probably due to the hour being 3AM. Gotham streets are rarely empty, but when they are, it’s as though the entire ocean is calm. There is a soundlessness that’s almost haunting in how unnatural it is. The taxi cuts through the silence, and pulls up in front of the countless, run-down, intimidating buildings that inhabit this imposing town.
The cab driver keeps a steady face. He’s seen it all. He’s seen things you wouldn’t believe. Warehouses on fire while insectoid pyromaniacs fly overhead. He’s seen the entire city cut off from the rest of civilization. Hush once sliced the face off a victim in the backseat. Nothing fazes him now.
Especially not the Clown Girl in the back seat.
Waller: Thank you, keep the change.
Cabby: Thank you, ma’am *drives off*
Waller shoulders Harley, and carries her bodily up the steps towards her building. She goes to fish for Harley’s keys and quickly realizes she hasn’t got any pockets.
Waller, softly: Harley? Harley. Where are your keys?
Harley, barely audible: Th’in my’shoo . . .
Waller reaches down, steadily grabs Harley’s leg, and removes her shoe. Sure enough, there’s a key in the bottom. Waller inserts the key, and pops the door open.
Waller: Jesus Christ.
The apartment building is a shell, inside is an expansive space, built like a warehouse and filled with memorabilia. A museum of crime. Giant Jack-in-the-boxes, huge, defaced clown dolls and robotic dinosaurs. Hyena statues, A stack of Playing cards the size of billboards, a gigantic set of disembodied teeth, and endless mountains of indistinguishable boxes.
Harley: Izee back?
Waller, dragging Harley towards what she presumes is her bed: No.
She lays Harley down, pulls off her other shoe, and uses some nearby wipes to take off her hopelessly smeared makeup. Harley is already fast asleep, dead to the world. Waller writes her a note, and leaves behind a business card out of habit. Amanda Waller takes one last look around the hideout, drapes a blanket over Quinn, and leaves.
Harleen Quinzel sleeps the sleep of the dreamless.
----------------------------------------
This image has little to do with the text. Hoorah!
Arkania was full of precious minerals that led to the arrival of the greedy CIS who wreaked havoc on the small population. We were sent to there to break up the fight - a simple skirmish was what we thought. Instead, we had been here through three moon rotations. Totally underestimating the level that the Separatists would take to fuel their operations, they were overwhelming our positions and churning the planet into a workforce. Those damn clankers, they didn’t feel cold, or pain, or hunger. Stupid useless droids. Just like the citizens, they did nothing for us either. No appreciation for us liberating their lands, they gave us little contact. Whenever they saw us, they would scramble away, the braver ones would turn and glare. A handful of the slaves we set free from the mineral mines had faces of gratitude, though we thought there was nothing to be thankful of on this wormhole of a planet. The rest...same story. Could they see that we were a step forward in the solution? Or did they think we were just part of their never ending conflict?
And then, there were the Jedi who did what they could to help us with our struggles. They had the final say, they were the highest authority, or so we thought. As the war dragged on, we felt like we were just a tool in their regime. The order was falling, and we were falling with them. Our duty as soldiers were to serve them, for the republic and its pride.
However, times were changing quickly. We also weren’t expecting the winter season to arrive so soon, and our men were unequipped for the weather. The temperature dropped to freezing conditions, and what vegetation on the planet had shriveled, all life that remained appeared dormant, the last few stragglers of moss clung on to rocks and rubble. Grabbing on to the last bits of light, and hope.
The final days of the war were coming to an end as the droid army was weakening. We had managed to grab a hold of our positions. Our last offensive was made trekking through the mountains into mining territory, to free the citizens, and the local population. General Tros Zeks and his padawan named Dorrent, hacked down countless droids clearing the way. Darkness was soon approaching, and we had to find shelter.
Our men looked up at the looming tower. It was an old building, formally a mining tower point. The Jedi general’s red eyes scanned the distance. He ordered us to secure the area. We took control of the lookout tower with little resistance. A couple of droids lay rusted on the ground and in the building. Wind blew snow up in blankets and rattled glass panels.
Taking out the droids was easy and I walked through the doorways to reach the rooftop view with Dorrent. The views were stunning as blue hour was slowly fading into a charcoal gray sky, snow curling in spirals settling lightly on our armor.
Suddenly I felt a dizzying sensation spread across my head. I grimaced and took a knee on the cold icy platform, backing up closer to the doorway on the vent. Dorrent didn’t seem to notice, he was busy studying the view. I put my hand on my helmet in hopes of relieving the throbbing sensation. My head rang with strange vibrations, and I heard voices. Suddenly, a weight seemed to be taken off. I blinked twice and looked down. My hologram had opened up and a familiar voice was speaking. I looked down as blood suddenly rushed back into my head. It was the Chancellor himself.
Personal excerpt - Commander Brenno 167th Legion
The countless hours I have lost submersed in the depths of my mind whilst spinning and flicking this rubiks cube into place is amazing. However I had never once stopped to admire how much a real feat of engineering they are and with some additional contrast in lighting quite interesting to photograph.
Hit 'L' to view on large.
Also known as House of the wheelchairs. Not sure on the history but it had some nice details left. Looked like an old age retirement home or a hospice of some sort.
Another month, another tour. The Benzine tour no doubt on the name. On tour with Camerashy, Wiffsmiff23 and FlashandBlur. Countless hours driving, some iconic places visited and efficient Police and Security encountered and hid from. Not to mention lots of places sealed, trashed or locked down.
My blog:
timster1973.wordpress.com
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One day when I choppered over the main continent, I got to see more glaciers than I had in my entire life combined. They were everywhere. Most of them terminated on this hard black rock here which made for quite a stark contrast. Also, the glaciers here are not melting, so most of them just end with white ice terminating on black rock. Each one of them seems to have a nice perfect shape too, a wide tongue of shining white.
-Trey Ratcliff
Click here to read the rest of this entry at the Stuck in Customs blog.
There are countless people taking photos who never see their subject because they don't stop to look at it.
The subject of this photo is a lens filter. When used with B&W film, it would darken the blues and make the clouds pop for dramatic skies.
Pretty Ballerina Models! Fine Art Ballet Photography at Griffith Observatory and Levitated Mass! LACMA Collections! Nikon D810 Ballet Photos of Pretty Ballerina Dancing in Pointe Shoes at the LACMA Lights! Elliot McGucken Fine Art Ballet Photography!
Dancing for Dynamic Dimensions Theory dx4/dt=ic: The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c!
New ballet & landscape instagrams!
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Nikon D810 Epic Fine Art Ballerina Goddess Dancing Ballet! Dr. Elliot McGucken Fine Art Ballet!
Marrying epic landscape, nature, and urban photography to ballet!
Nikon D810 with the Nikon MB-D12 Multi Battery Power Pack / Grip for D800 and D810 Digital Cameras allows one to shoot at a high to catch the action FPS! Ballerina Dance Goddess Photos! Pretty, Tall Ballet Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! Captured with the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II from Nikon, and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Nikon! Love them both!
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A pretty goddess straight out of Homer's Iliad & Odyssey!
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The 45EPIC landscapes and goddesses are straight out of Homer's Iliad & Odyssey!
I'm currently updating a translation with the Greek names for the gods and goddesses--will publish soon! :)
"RAGE--Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another. " --Homer's Iliad capturing the rage of the 45EPIC landscapes and seascapes! :)
Ludwig van Beethoven: "Music/poetry/art should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman." Pretty blue eyes!
After years of planning and countless hours of simulations, mission teams at ESA’s control centre in Germany are ready to take flight on the long and complex journey to Mercury.
Years of planning and preparation have lead to this moment, and teams at ESOC have been working closely with teams across the Agency, as well as the many colleagues at scientific institutions, in European industry, and of course our mission partners at the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA).
BepiColombo — Europe’s first-ever mission to the innermost planet of our Solar System — will take seven years, travel nine billion km, and will use nine planetary flybys to reach its volatile destination, and it could not be in more experienced hands.
After completing months of simulations, culminating in the the final ‘dress-rehearsal’ on Wednesday, mission teams came together for the pre-launch briefing to confirm the status of all ground systems, ground stations and team readiness.
All systems are GO for launch at ESOC — Europe’s gateway to space.
Credits: ESA
Countless candles burn in the pre-dawn darkness around Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Beggars, invalids, cripples and Hindu sadus are part of the throng that surround the temple.
For the story, visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/light-a-candle-boudha...
Exquisite vases on the wall parapets, aerial arches with baroque reliefs and countless statues of ancient Greek gods that adorn the courtyard territory consisting of several descending terraces became an additional decoration of the palace. The sculptures were an exact replica of the ancient sculptures of the Berlin Museum, with the only difference being that ours were gypsum, imitating marble. The park designer introduced his “zest” into the design of the territory. The trick was that the “female” figures were located from the southern part of the palace, where the bedchamber of Maria Feodorovna was located. Statues of male gods "dispersed" from the north side of the palace, respectively, from the side of the emperor's chambers.
Unfortunately, out of almost 30 figures, only six have survived to our times. Surprisingly, they are all paired: two satyrs, two chimeras and two sphinxes. The rest were irretrievably lost, dashing times of wars and revolutions did not spare them.
Вся придворцовая часть парка, занимающая около 1,5 десятин, была украшена скульптурами. Они были установлены вокруг дворца, на подпорных стенах, в нише второго этажа и на открытом в то время балконе. Всего было установлено 29 скульптур и 6 декоративных ваз. Согласно архивным документам, скульптуры изготовлялись из искусственного камня и отливались из гипса. Статуи из искусственного камня (их было 12) были выписаны через петербургскую фирму "Кос и Дюр" из Метлаха и обошлись в среднем по 250-300 рублей. Гипсовые скульптуры также были отлиты за границей и представляли собой копии статуй из Императорского Берлинского музея изящных искусств. Некоторые гипсовые скульптуры были окрашены масляными красками под цвет мрамора. Статуи изображали античных богов, философов, аллегории различных искусств и наук.
К сожалению, большая часть скульптур, украшавших дворец, не сохранилась. Некоторые из них были сделаны из недолговечного материала и уже к 1909 году были сильно повреждены, что вызвало необходимость снять их.
Некоторые из скульптур были утрачены уже в советское время.
Уцелело лишь 6 скульптур: два сатира, два дракона (иногда их называют химерами), два сфинкса. Последние, очевидно, были сделаны здесь, на месте, по моделям, привезенным из Петербурга и выполненным скульптором А.Г. Бауманом, работавшим над оформлением Массандровского дворца.