4/27/22 Women's Health Luncheon and Donor Event at the Daxton Hotel, Birmingham, MI.

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 MiG-37Sh (Sh = shturmovik) was a heavily modified version of the basic MiG-37 stealth attack and reconnaissance plane. Dissatisfaction with the basic MiG-37 sans suffixe in the air-to-ground role, esp. due to its limited internal weapon load and agility at low level of flight, and the need to replace the ageing Russian MiG-27 and early Su-25 fleet after the millennium led to a further and radical development of the basic airframe, while keeping the proven stealth features.

It is unclear if the type has been used in combat since, e .g. in Afghanistan. It has participated in a number of exercises, though, including "Boundary 2004" which took place on the Edelweiss mountain range in Kyrgyzstan, in August 2004. Once again the "Ferret G" demonstrated its advantages by operating at a high altitude and an air temperature of more than 30 °C. Among other sorties, a single MiG-37Sh provided cover for the landing of troops, taking down two Ka-50 helicopters in mock air combat, and then successfully worked on ground targets using its precision weapons as well as unguided rockets.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 53 ft 6 in (16.34 m)

Wingspan: 43 ft 1 1/2 in (13.18 m)

Height: 10 ft 9 in (3,24m)

Empty weight: 24.250 lbs (11.000 kg)

Loaded weight: 33.730 lbs (15.300 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 39,690 lbs (18.000 kg)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 610 mph (980 km/h)

Range: 1.030 miles (1.650 km)

Service ceiling: 39.400 ft (12.000 m)

Rate of climb: 12.960 ft/min (72 m/s)

Engine: 2 Klimov RD-33MK turbofans w/o afterburner rated at 53.0 kN (11,900 lbs.), fitted with 2D vectored thrust nozzles

Armament:

1× GSh-30-1 30mm cannon with 300 rounds .

Four internal weapon bays (two bays for a single AA-8 "Aphid" or a twin ‘Igla’ light air-to-air missile starter; two bays in tandem fore and aft the main gear wells for various weapons incl. guided missiles and bombs).

Four external hard points (2 under each inner wing); total internal and external weapon ordnance 3.000kg.

Five UV-26 dispensers in the tail section (w. 120 chaff/flare cartridges in each pod)

The kit and its assembly:

I guess that everyone who is into whiffy model is familiar with Italieri’s fantasy MiG-37B kit from 1988, and I already built 3 of them since then.

Nevertheless, with my recent interest in Soviet/Russian air industries I felt an itch to build another (better) one, this time with major modifications. Esp. the stubby wings and the senselessly wide and low MiG-23-style landing gear had always been points that did not truly convince me. And since I had such a kit in 1:72th scale in store, I took action.

Surprisingly, you find a lot of individual conversions of the ‘Ferret E’ kit in the Internt. Many are colourful, but few are IMHO convincing as a complete work, lacking thought about the plane’s concept or mission. So, here’s my take on it, the ‘Snowy Owl’ version. All in all I wanted to present a realistic and optimized ground attack plane, based on the original and pretty interesting MiG-37 design, pushing my personal “Sh” version towards Su-25, MiG-27 and even Su-24 ground attack aircraft.

Most obvious change concerns the wings. These were taken from an F-117 donation kit, a horrible thing (probably the early Revell kit) that a friend gave me. Installing them to the fuselage was tough, since they are much thicker than the original, stubby wing spades!

A new landing gear, borrowed from an F-18, and a new nose section (built from scratch & putty and inspired by the installation on MiG-27 fighter bombers) were further changes. Other modifications include additional weapon bays for short range AAMs under the wing gloves à la F-22, the narrow gun fairing nect to the front wheel well and the auxiliary air intake doors on the upper side.

The engine exhaust area has been modified, since I wanted to get away with the original tabletops that are supposed to be vectored nozzles(?). I added some side panels, made from styrene sheet, as well as a central divider, which now offers space for some warning sensors and chaff dispensers. The vectored nozzles were re-built from the original parts as well as styrrene profiles.

Minor changes were made to several antennae and sensors all around the plane. The cockpit was left more or less OOB – it is pretty detailed, and together with the landing gear one of the original kit’s highlights. I just added a Matchbox pilot figure and some details behind the ejection seat.

The weapons come from the scrap box: the AA-8's belong to the ESCI Ka-34 whif Hokum helicopter, the guided bombs are fantasy weapons built from scratch.

Painting/Finish

A tough task from a creative point of view. I neither wanted the stereo-typical all-black stealth look, nor a Russian tactical paint scheme (even though the latter would have been appropriate for the aircraft's role).

A Flanker scheme or even the garish Su-34 ‘Greenbottle Fly’ look also did not seem appropriate, as well as the Su-24-inspired light grey/white livery which is suggested in the OOB kit.

Since I wanted something murky and mysterious, still with a kind of prototype look, I finally settled on two simple grey tones: a uniform medium grey for the upper sides (Testors 2059, 'Dark Sea Grey') and for a twist, a dark grey for the undersides (Testors 1592, RAL 7021 'Schwarzgrau').

I find that such simple designs make a whif plane much more realistic than flamboyant colours or weird paint schemes – leave this to “real” planes in whiff guises. Another factor for this all-grey livery is that I wanted to use the (many) light grey OOB stencil decals, making them stand subtly out against the darker shades below. Lighter shades of grey and ochre were used for antennae, di-electric covers and the wings' leading edges.

The cockpit was painted in typical Russian Blue-Green, air intakes, air brakes and the landing gear with its wells were, after consulting pictures of modern Russian fighters, painted in Barley Grey (Humbrol 167).

The wheels received dark green disks (Humbrol 149), the bomb/missile bays were - as a contrast - painted in a chromate primer color (a mix of Humbrol 81 and 225, Olive Yellow and Mid-Stone), a detail I found on photographs of Tu-95 and Tu160 interiors. Looks weird, but: why not?

Unfortunately, the final matte varnish ended in a minor disaster: I used a water-based, acryllic matt varnish (for a VERY matt finish), but it reacted with both some decals and the enamel paint, not certain why? Probably not enough stirring, and the Begemot decals seem to be very sensitive to humidity and setting solution.

Originally, the machine sported neat low-viz Russian insignia (just red outlines for the stars, featured e .g. on Suchoi’s T-50/PAK FA prototype) from a Begemot decal sheet (called “Demo Flankers” – it is massive, featuring decals for almost 20 prototypes with all markings and the respective paint schemes in a booklet!). They looked great, but crincled under the matt varnish and had to be scraped off, together with some other Begemot decals.

Hence, the final finish of the kit is not the best, I tried to save as much as possible. Since I did not want to invest into another aftermarket decal sheet, I used the light and dark red, opaque Red Stars without outlines from the original Italeri decal sheet. With the light and dark grey as backgorund the result is O.K., but I had another outcome envisaged. :(

All in all, though, a small but catchy project. Not as good as planned, but an attempt to make more of the wacky Italeri MiG-37 than just another black piece of charcoal.

www.redbubble.com/people/tomtrager/t-shirts/7728484-arres...

Man with a Stop Sign at the construction site near the West Side Rail Yards at the Highline Park.

Olympus E-M5 with a Lumix 12-35mm f2.8 Lens

So I have been working on this for a week. I have now figure out how to add the rig, make the animation, add the mesh modifier upload the mesh, and script it to work. There is a crazy limitation on distance, and I developed a hack to get more distance on the animations. I'm sure I know someone thinking, "how is he getting the distance so far"

Source: City of Stockholm

Grand Cenote. Tulum, Mexico. Oct/2016

A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings.

The term derives from a word used by the low-land Yucatec Maya — ts'onot — to refer to any location with accessible groundwater.[1][2] Cenotes are common geological forms in low latitude regions, particularly on islands, coastlines, and platforms with young post-Paleozoic limestones that have little soil development.

Cenotes are surface connections to subterranean water bodies.[3] While the best-known cenotes are large open water pools measuring tens of meters in diameter, such as those at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, the greatest number of cenotes are smaller sheltered sites and do not necessarily have any surface exposed water. The term cenote has also been used to describe similar karst features in other countries such as Cuba and Australia, in addition to the more generic term of sinkholes.

Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water filtering slowly through the ground, and therefore contains very little suspended particulate matter. The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow. In many cases, cenotes are areas where sections of cave roof have collapsed revealing an underlying cave system, and the water flow rates may be much faster: up to 10 kilometers (6 mi) per day. Cenotes around the world attract cave divers who have documented extensive flooded cave systems through them, some of which have been explored for lengths of 100 km (62 mi) or more.

Source: Wikipedia

Um cenote é uma cavidade natural (algar) ou dolina resultado do impacto de um grande meteoro há 65.5 milhões de anos, evento que extinguiu os dinossauros da terra, fenômeno que deu origem às águas subterrâneas. Especialmente associado com a Península de Iucatã do México, os cenotes eram usados em alguns rituais de sacrifício da civilização Maia. O termo deriva de uma palavra utilizada pelos maias iucatecas das terras baixas, "Ts'onot" refere-se a qualquer local com águas subterrâneas acessíveis. Cenotes são formações geológicas comuns em regiões de baixas latitudes, particularmente em ilhas, regiões costeiras e plataformas com recentes formações calcárias pós-paleozóicas que têm pouco desenvolvimento do solo.

Cenotes são conexões entre a superfície e áreas alagadas subterrâneas.Enquanto os cenotes mais conhecidos são grandes piscinas medindo cerca de 10 metros de diâmetro, como as existentes em Chichén Itzá, o maior número de cenotes são pequenos locais abrigados e não necessariamente tem qualquer água de superfície exposta. O termo cenote também é empregado para descrever formações parecidas conhecidas como carste presentes em outros países como Cuba ou Austrália.

As águas dos cenotes geralmente são límpidas, porque esta provem de filtragem de água de chuva lentamente através do solo e, portanto, contém poucas partículas suspensas. A taxa de fluxo das água subterrânea dentro de um cenote podem ser muito lentas. Em diversos casos, cenotes são áreas onde se(c)ções do teto das cavernas cederam, revelando um sistema de cavernas subjacente e as taxas de fluxo podem ser muito mais rápidas, cerca de 10 km (6,21 mi) por dia. Cenotes ao redor do mundo atraem exploradores de cavernas, que documentaram extensos sistemas de cavernas inundadas através deles, alguns dos quais com cerca de 100 km (62,1 mi) de extensão ou mais.

Fonte: Wikipedia

Reactor-Space station

For more information or additional images, please contact 202-586-5251.

from Seel Street

Jason doing a wallride at a new development in Traralgon, Victoria.

4/27/22 Women's Health Luncheon and Donor Event at the Daxton Hotel, Birmingham, MI.

I had a successful molding run yesterday, and as a result there are now two different versions of the BrightScreen: the original microprism style on the left and a new one with a diagonal split image spot inside a microprism collar, shown on the right. This was I think the fourth molding run since the spring of 2018, and we seem to learn something on each run. We're actually getting pretty good at this now......

Makes for a long day, though, as the molding shop is a bit of a drive from home. I left the house at 7:30 yesterday morning and got back home at 9:30 last night. But I have enough screens on hand now that I won't have to do it again for a while.

The last weekend of August took place the yearly World Statues Festival in the city centre of Arnhem (Netherlands) with more then 250 participants and over 300.000 visitors.

The 5th anniversary of World Statues is on the 29th and 30th of August 2009.

Here the act "Edukans".

The Dutch organisation "Edukans Foundation" supports underprivileged children in developing countries to go to school, without distinguishing between ethnicity, creed or political conviction. Edukans supports small-scale educational projects by reliable private local organisations, in situations where local authorities fail to deliver.

Edukans chooses for projects which improve the accessibility, the flexibility and the relevance of education in general for underprivileged children.

Atalil Abera, 35, chair of women's development group . She works closely with community conversation groups to prevent child marriage. Dangla Woreda, Badani Kebele, Awi Zone, Amhara Region. ©UNICEF Ethiopia/2015/Mersha

For some reason I always had a bit of an affinity towards these cars, largely due to the fact that they seemed to be smiling with those light clusters. But much like the Maestro, it had purpose, it was innovative, and it was a car that refused to die!

The Austin Montego first started development life way back in 1977 under project code LC10 (Leyland Cars 10), as an intended replacement for the Morris Marina and the Princess. However, like many of the company's promising projects, such as the Maestro and the Metro, it was shelved for years on account of the fact that British Leyland ran out of money! After a corporate bailout by the British Government, the company chose instead to prolong the development of these cars and instead simply give the existing Marina and Princess a facelift, resulting in the Morris Ital and Austin Ambassador, both cars notable for being unimpressively bland masterpieces.

However, this delay did give British Leyland a chance to tie up with Honda, and in 1980 launched the Triumph Acclaim as both the first Japanese/British hybrid car, but also British Leyland's first consistently reliable product! The result was that both the simultaneously developed Austin Maestro and Montego could take some leaves out of Honda's book and therefore improve the reliability. Styling came from David Bache, who had previously had a hand in penning the Rover P4, the Rover SD1 and the Range Rover, and Roy Axe, who would later go on to style the Rover 800 and the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph. The lengthy development time of the car however clearly showed as the first sketches of the car were done back in 1975. Apparently when Roy Axe, who took over as Director of Design in 1982, saw the first prototype with the original design, he was so horrified that he suggested they scrap the whole thing and start over!

However, their combined design talent truly shows through with the Montego as in essence these are very handsome cars, with a long smooth body, a pleasing frontal alignment and design, and internally very capable and comfortable. Some novel features included were the colour coordinated bumpers that matched the rest of the car, and the wiper spindles hiding under the bonnet when parked.

Although many consider the Maestro just to be a hatchback version of the Montego, there were many features the Montego had that made it an all around better car. These included a new S-Series engine in place of the A-Series engine that dated back to the 1950's, and a more practical and robust dashboard. Variations of the car included the stylish and luxury Vanden Plas, which was styled internally by the world renowned coachbuilder with lavish wood veneer and seating (thankfully not given a chrome nose, that would have been insane!), the sporty MG Montego which featured a higher performance O-Series Turob Engine and a revolutionary synthesised computer voice that announced problems and warnings, and finally the Estate versions which were by far the most popular and received almost unanimous acclaim for their spacious interior.

The Montego was launched on April 25th 1984, being available at first as a 4-door saloon to replace the standard Morris Ital, but the Ital in estate form continued on until August, bringing an end to the 11 year old Morris Marina family. In October the Estate version was launched at the British International Motor Show. Initially things were looking up for the Montego, as mentioned the Estate version was lauded for its practicality, the MG Montego became the fastest MG ever built with 115hp to rocket it up to a top speed of 126mph at a rate of 0-60 in 7.1 seconds, and the Vanden Plas was a modest success for the business executive, as well as finding a home in the company car market.

Promotion for the car also helped to seal the deal with a fantastically choreographed advert where professional stunt driver Russ Swift, pretty much danced around a crowded car park in a Montego, doing reverse 180's in gaps only a few feet wide, and driving the car on two wheels through a gap only a ruler's length apart! Jeremy Clarkson would attempt to do the same thing 14 years later on one of his DVD's in another Montego, again with the help of Russ Swift, which went well the first time, but not so well the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh time. Eventually the Montego was smashed in half by a large truck in a fiery explosion.

Sadly though, the honeymoon like with all good British Leyland cars was short lived, and soon afterwards the various faults and build quality problems became once again apparent. Although many of the features fitted to these cars such as the synthesised voice, the computer engine management and the redesigned dashboard were endearing, the main fault that these cars had were in the electrics, which would frequently go wrong. Some examples I've heard from early Montego owners have included the car failing to start, pressing the indicator switch only to blow the horn, or the synthesised talking lady never, ever, ever shutting up! Because of these problems the cars built up a very quick and poor reputation, added to by the poor construction of the actual car, with the colour coded bumpers being particularly problematic as they'd crack in cold weather.

But British Leyland didn't give up on the Montego, and in the background designers continued to tinker with the idea of further additions and changes to the car. Throughout the period following its introduction, British Leyland began to be broken up by the Thatcher Government, with Jaguar being made independent, the various parts manufacturers such as UNIPART being sold off, Leyland Trucks and Buses being sold to Volvo and DAF, and eventually the whole outfit being reduced to just MG and Rover. The Montego has been credited with being the last car to carry the Austin name, the badge being dropped in 1988 with future cars simply being dubbed the Montego. This coincided with a facelift in 1989 and the re-engineering of the car to be fitted with a Perkins Diesel. In 1989 a new seven-seater estate model was created called the Montego Countryman, built to combat the rising trend of People-Carriers such as the Renault Espace, but still being able to perform as well as a regular car. This, much like the original estate, proved immensely popular, especially in France for some reason, which went on to be one of the Montego's major markets.

In the early 90's the Montego did start getting back some reputation, winning the CAR Magazine's 'Giant Test' (all technical names I'm sure) when competing against the likes of the Citroen BX and the Audi 80. In fact the Rover Montego Turbo became a favourite with the RAF, and was used to whisk Officers across airfields as a personal transport. The Montego may have failed to outdo the Volkswagen Passat, but as for the British mob such as the Ford Sierra and the Vauxhall Cavalier, it was able competition. In fact when I was young in the 90's a lot of kids I'd see dropped off to school would be in then new Montego's because by this point the reliability issues had been ironed out following Rover Group's return to private ownership under British Aerospace.

But by 1992 the car was very much looking its age and was in desperate need of a replacement. In 1993 the Rover 600 was launched which pretty much ended the Montego for mass-production then and there, but special orders for the car continued until 1995. The machines continued to be a favourite among Company Car firms, and a lot of the developments made in the Montego lived on in later Rover cars, primarily the 600 and the 75, which inherited its rear suspension which was often held in high regard. But the curtain did eventually fall for the official Montego production in 1995 as new owners BMW desired nothing more than to be out with the old and in with the new, with facelifts all around including a new Rover 25 to replace the 200, a new Rover 45 to replace the 400, and a new Rover 75 to replace the 800, and the original Range Rover was revamped into the absolutely magnificent Range Rover P38 in 1995. The Maestro too was axed and the Metro followed not long afterwards in 1999, with the classic Mini being killed off in 2000, only to be brought back to life the same year under BMW management after the breakup of Rover that year.

But like the Maestro, the Montego simply wouldn't die, but unlike the Maestro, attempts to revive the car under bootlegged brands weren't as prosperous. In India, the company Sipani Automobiles, notable for attempting to recreate British cars such as the Reliant Kitten but instead consistently turning out garbage, attempted to built a few, but folded soon afterwards. In Trinidad & Tobago, a small firm attempted to sell their own copycat versions of the Montego, which were notable for their exceptional poor quality. But most famously was the attempt to recreate the car in China with the Lubao CA 6410, which yoked the nose of a Montego onto the back of a Maestro using a Maestro platform. Today that car is technically still in production as the Jiefang CA 6440 UA Van, but owes more to the Maestro than the Montego.

Today the Montego is a very rare car to find. Of the 571,000 cars built, only 296 remain, making it Britain's 8th most scrapped car. Contributing to this, areas of the bodywork that were to be covered by plastic trim (such as the front and rear bumpers) were left unpainted and thus unprotected. In addition, pre-1989 models cannot run on unleaded petrol without the cylinder head being converted or needing fuel additives.

However, as mentioned, the Montego estate was a huge hit in France, and chances are you'll find a fair number ambling about the countryside there. Malta too was another popular locale for the Montego, as well as many other British Leyland cars, including Marina's, Allegros and even Princesses!

My opinion on the Montego? Like most British Leyland cars it had prospects and purpose, but lacked the desire to build good, honest cars. It was comfortable, it was handsome, it performed as well as a family saloon car should, it was spacious and very well equipped, and like many British Leyland cars, such as the Princess with its Hydragas suspension, it was innovative. If these cars had been built better and had some of the teething problems ironed out with the electrical systems, then British Leyland could have easily gone on to make the family car of the 1980's. But like all pathfinders in the world of technology, they will suffer the full brunt of the problems they are most likely to experience.

People rarely remember the originals, only the one's that perfected it...

Kristina is an 18 years old ballet dancer in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the ballet hall of the Sarajevo Music School closed due to COVID-19, she had to practice in the confines of her little room for 5 months.

Now Kristina has received some good news. The school building, which is protected as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been given a face-lift, as part of UNDP’s effort in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden to contribute to environmental protection and economic development of the country. When she returned, she was pleasantly surprised:. The building where she has been going for the past seven years is no longer drab and dilapidated. She now gets to do all the spins her heart desires!

Read more: bit.ly/2F46FYo

Photos: I.Kapetanovvić, S.Omerbašić, D.Ruvić/ UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina

Candidates of the Infantry Officer Development Period 1.1 course (Dismounted Infantry Platoon Commander) conduct hasty attacks, ambushes, raids and patrols while being assessed as dismounted platoon commanders in offensive operations, as part of an intense 12 day exercise at the Infantry School Combat Training Center, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown NB, July 12, 2019.

Photo: LS Zach Barr, Canadian Army Trials and Evaluations (CATEU) Gagetown

GX11-2019-0031-009

Des candidats à la période de perfectionnement 1.1 du cours d’officier d’infanterie (commandant de peloton d’infanterie débarquée) mènent des attaques improvisées, des embuscades, des raids et des patrouilles pendant leur évaluation à titre de commandants de peloton débarqué lors d’opérations offensives, dans le cadre d’un exercice intense de douze jours au Centre d’instruction au combat de l’École d’infanterie, à la Base des Forces canadiennes Gagetown au N. B., le 12 juillet 2019.

Photo : Mat 1 Zach Barr, Unité de l’Armée canadienne d’essais et d’évaluation (UACEE)

GX11-2019-0031-009

Ruin and rebuild, what a strange loop in the course of human development

Camera: Nikon FM2

Film: Fuji Acros100

Dev: Caffenol-CL 60 min stand

PRO IDEA EGYPT

www.proideaegypt.com/pro-idea-egypt-15/

My neighbor lived here as a renter since 1992. The property was sold, to be replaced by townhouses.

He had done amazing work inside and had a lovely little garden behind. There is a second little house back there as well.

Post demolition that cedar tree remains. Whether it will stay is unknown.

This photograph is a view of the bottom of the metro shaft at Argyle St. in Gateshead.

It was taken at some time in 1975.

The photograph is taken from a collection of black and white contact prints documenting the development of the whole of the Metro System in Tyne and Wear.

The images are taken from the Mott, Hay and Anderson Collection, consulting civil engineers responsible for the Tyneside Metro light rail system and the Tyne pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular tunnels.

Most of the photographs were taken by Amber Film Associates and Lambton Visual Aids, 5 and 9 The Side, Newcastle.

Reference no. DT.MHA/22/1/A32/8

This image inspired ‘Interchange’, an experimental film and album of music by Warm Digits. More information can be found here www.twmuseums.org.uk/halfmemory/warm-digits-

interchange

(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk

Hasselblad 500C/M　+　Planar T* CF80mmF2.8

Self development

This nine-screen composite video (a winner in the 2017 FASEB BioArt competition) captures the first 24 hours of life for nine different animal species (from left to right, starting at the top row):

Zebrafish (Danio rerio), a popular model organism for studying development

Sea urchin (Lytechinus variegatus), a spiky marine relative of the starfish

Black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans), I think it’s safe to say this one needs no explanation!

Tardigrade (Hypsibius dujardini), an eight-legged micro-animal that lives in water, mosses, and lichens

Sea squirt (Ciona intestinalis), an immobile, filter-feeding organism that lives on the ocean floor

Comb jelly (Ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi), an ancient, water-dwelling invertebrate that looks like a tiny, transparent jellyfish

Parchment tube worm (Chaetopterus variopedatus), a spiny marine worm

Roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans), a soil-dwelling worm, the first multicellular organism to have its genome sequenced, and a popular model for studying development

Slipper snail (Crepidula fornicate), a medium-sized sea snail

Credit: Credit: Tessa Montague, Harvard University, and Zuzka Vavrušová, University of California, San Francisco

NIH support from: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Parder was a successor of the Tiger I & II tanks, combining the latter's thick armor with the armor sloping used on the Panther medium tank (which was, in fact, inspired by Soviet designs, most of all by the T-34). While several Entwicklungspanzer designs were under development, the Parder was a short-term attempt to overcome the Tiger II's main shortcoming: its weight of almost seventy metric tons (it was protected by up to 180 mm/7.1" of front armor!), the resulting lack of mobility and an overburdened drivetrain originally intended for a lighter vehicle. Leaking seals and gaskets also took their toll on reliability.

The Parder was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army (Schwere Heerespanzerabteilung – abbreviated s.H.Pz.Abt) where it replaced the Tiger I & II.

Specifications:

Crew Four (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Weight 54 tonnes (60 short tons)

Length 7.02 metres (23 ft in) (hull only)

10.64 metres (34 ft 10 1/3 in) with gun forward

Width 3.88 metres (12 ft 9 in)

4.14 metres (13 ft 6 3/4 in) with optional Thoma shields

Height 2.84 metres (9 ft 4 in) w/o AA machine gun

Suspension torsion-bar

Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)

Fuel capacity: 820 l (180 imp gal; 220 US gal)

Armor:

30–120 mm (1.2 – 4.7 in)

Performance:

Speed

- Maximum, road: 41.5 km/h (25.8 mph)

- Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph)

- Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)

Operational range: 240 km (150 mi)

Power/weight: 12,96 PS/tonne (11,5 hp/ton)

Engine:

V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 gasoline with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

Transmission:

Maybach OLVAR EG 40 12 16 B (8 forward and 4 reverse)

Armament:

1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 with 80 rounds

1× co-axial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 3.000 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

Something different… a whif tank! This was spawned from curiosity and the “wish” to build a German vehicle that would fit right into the E-25… E-100 range of experimental tanks.

It was to become a battle tank, and while browsing options and donation kits, I settled upon a replacement for the formidable but heavy and cumbersome Tiger B, also known as Tiger II, Königstiger or (wrongfully translated) King Tiger.

Anyway, creating a tank that would look (late war) German and still be whiffy was trickier than expected, and finally easier than expected, too. My solution would be a kit bashing: using many Tiger B parts (including the stylish Porsche tower and the running gear) and combining it with a hull that would offer better armor angles and look less “boxy”.

I effectively bashed two kits: one is the excellent 1:72 early Tiger B from Dragon, the other is Roden’s Soviet IS-3 tank – also very nice, even though the styrene is somewhat brittle.

My biggest fear was the running gear – combining the IS-3 hull with the Tiger B’s totally different legs scared me a lot – until I found that the parts from both kits (the Tiger B’s lower hull with all the suspension and the IS-3’s upper hull) could be combined rather easily combined. Just some cuts and improvised intersections, and the “new” tank hull was done!

As a side effect, the huge turret moved forward, and this considerably changes the silhouette. The IS-3’s opening had only to be widened slightly in order to accept the Porsche turret. Things matched up pretty well, also concerning size and proportions.

Otherwise, not much was changed. All wheels and tracks come from the Trumpeter Tiger B, the turret was also borrowed wholesale. I just changed some details (e. g. moving the spare track elements to the hull front), added some handles and also a heavy AA machine gun on the commander’s cupola, which is OOB, too.

Too simple? Well, for me it was not enough. For a more personal edge to the kit I decided to add Thoma skirts! Not the massive 5mm plates you frequently see on late Panzer IV tanks and its derivatives, rather the mesh type – lighter, less material-consuming, and a very special detail.

These were scratched. There are PE sets available, but that was too expensive and I was not certain if such items would fit in shape and size? So I made a cardboard template for the flanks and built a pair of skirts from styrene strips and a fine PET mesh that I had salvaged from a wallet long time ago.

The stuff is hard to glue onto something, so the styrene frame had to carry the mesh parts – and it works! The attachments to the hull were also scratched from styrene.

The Thoma shields add more width to the flat tank, but I think that they set the kit even more apart than just the borrowed IS-3 hull?

Painting and markings:

Hmmm, not totally happy with the finish. This was supposed to become a simple Hinterhalt (Ambush) paint scheme in Dark Yellow, Olive Green and Red Brown, but I did so much weathering that not much from the scheme can be recognized…

Painting was straightforward, though – I used Humbrol 94 and 173 as well as Modelmaster’s RAL 6003 as basic colors. The scheme’s benchmark is the official Tiger B scheme.

The basic colors received mottles in green on the yellow and yellow on the green and brown, and then the thing was thoroughly weathered with a black ink wash, dry-brushing, some aquarelle paint to simulate dust, and finally some pigments that simulate mud.

The tracks are made from soft vinyl, and also received a paint treatment in order to get rid of that shiny vinyl look: at first, with a mix of black and silver, which was immediately wiped off again, and later with a second, similar turn with silver and dark brown.

The mud was added just before the whole running gear was mounted as one of the final assembly stages, and final retouches were made with acrylic umbra paint.

Alas, I think I overdid it – much of the formidable and very attractive paint scheme was lost, even though the yucky, brownish finish now also works fine and looks like rough duty?

So, an experiment with good and bad results. Certainly not the last whif tank (at least one more on the agenda), and after so many aircraft a new kind of challenge. ^^

Microscopy of induced stem cells. Neuron precursors typically form a "rosette" structure that is seen here. Learn more: go.usa.gov/c7pmA.

Credit: K. Francis, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health

"There's always money in the banana stand."

Not Balboa Island, Orange County. Rather, Marina Del Rey which is about 50 miles north of Balboa. The patio of this landmark snack shack used for the filming of Arrested Development (top) is in the Fisherman's Village that is located about 10 minutes South of LAX, for you travelers.

1 April 2015 -Grace Perez- Navarro, Deputy Director, OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, during

2015 Global Forum on Development, Post-2015 Financing for Sustainable Development

Opening session

OECD Headquarters, Paris, France

Photo: OECD/ Andrew Wheeler

sometimes at the end of a roll of film I will take a few cat pics :) this roll was interesting. I went to do a stand development and forgot about it and went to bed. what was meant to be a 2 hr development turned into a 10 + hour. Most of the pics survived, some had some weird artifacts

The picture shows the rampage of mining and industrial activities on nature, in the name of development.

Properly known as the Tank Infantry, Mark I, Matilda I (A11) - quite the mouthful! It was a British infantry tank of WWII but is not to be confused with the later model Tank Infantry Mk II (A12), also known as the "Matilda II".

The development, of the design by Carden at Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, began in 1935. It resulted in a small two-man vehicle with a low hull and a small cast turret in which its only weapon, a .303-calibre or .50-calibre Vickers machine-gun, was mounted. Designed for quick delivery, the A11 used many stock parts from other vehicles: a Ford V8 engine, a Fordson gearbox, a steering mechanism similar to the one used in Vickers light tanks, and suspension adapted from the Mk IV Dragon artillery tractor that was itself based on the Vickers 6-Ton Tank Model E. The overriding objective was economy: development spending was limited to £15,000 and individual tanks cost about £5,000.

The 65mm thick armour was intended to enable the tank to operate in the fire-swept zone between opposing armies. Clearly those responsible for the Matilda I’s specification thought that any future war would resemble WWI! Although the hull and turret were well protected against contemporary anti-tank weapons, the tracks and running gear were completely exposed. In addition, the lack of a gun with any anti-tank ability severely limited its utility on the battlefield; its slow 8 mph speed also meant it couldn't get away from enemy tanks! Besides operating the machine gun, the commander had to direct the driver and operate the wireless. There being no room in the turret for the wireless, it was placed in the hull and the commander had to duck down inside to operate it - clearly ergonomics was a science yet to arrive...

The first order of 60 tanks was placed in April 1937, and the tank remained in production until August 1940 and a total of 140 were manufactured. The first production vehicles were delivered in February 1939. The first vehicles were issued to the 4th, 7th and 8th Battalions of the Royal Tank Corps. The Matilda I (55) and Matilda II tanks fought together in France as part of the 1st Army Tank Brigade of the BEF in the Battle of France. 4 RTR participated in the famous but abortive attack against Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division near Arras on 21 May 1940. After initial British successes, the Germans found that the 88mm Flak 18 gun could pierce the Matilda I’s armour, firing in the anti-tank role.

When the BEF returned to the UK, nearly all their armour was left behind. Matilda Mk Is in the UK were withdrawn from operational service and used for training. Recent evidence suggests that among the large number captured in France, some were employed by the Germans as internal security vehicles, probably in Poland. Three are preserved at the Bovington Tank Museum. One is in running condition, one is on display (and shown above) and the third is a severely damaged wreck that was used as a gunnery range target.

Processed in Lightroom and Photoshop, this is a much-improved version of an image I posted many years ago.

Santa Ana, CA

Original Caption: Development of Artificial Reefs at Marco Island.

U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 412-DA-11378

Photographer: Schulke, Flip, 1930-2008

Subjects:

Marco Island (Collier county, Florida, United States) island

Environmental Protection Agency

Project DOCUMERICA

Persistent URL: arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=553837

Repository: Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001.

For information about ordering reproductions of photographs held by the Still Picture Unit, visit: www.archives.gov/research/order/still-pictures.html

Reproductions may be ordered via an independent vendor. NARA maintains a list of vendors at www.archives.gov/research/order/vendors-photos-maps-dc.html

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

Best viewed large :0)

Construction

Meeting of the Education 4.0 Alliance

Asheesh Advani, President and Chief Executive Officer, JA Worldwide, USA; Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director, World Economic Forum

Copyright: World Economic Forum/Jeffery Jones

Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, New York, USA 19 - 23 September

Brig. Gen. Sean Gainey, Deputy Commanding General for the United States Army Cadet Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky presents Army ROTC Scholarship checks to DECA students.

The U.S. Army is an annual sponsor of DECA’s International Career Development Conference. The nonprofit student organization hosted this year’s event April 23-26 in Nashville, Tennessee.

For more information about the DECA International Career Development Conference, visit: www.deca.org/high-school-programs/high-school-educational...

personal development concept on blackboard

My new GYM and RP system with auto attaching HUD system, bento MMA fighting , scoring, database system, holds 1000 players, create you MMA Gym today! My gym is open for the public and host weekly fights, 20L training points and lots of fun work out equipment, my gym membership is free, Free to fight, free to earn training points. To own this system is not free 2500L$ gets you life time support and a really nice RP server system.

visit the Gym

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Olympus/150/40/22

at working demo to my system

#Secondlife

4/27/22 Women's Health Luncheon and Donor Event at the Daxton Hotel, Birmingham, MI.

andyarthur.org/photos/thacherpark/developmen1.html

April 13, 2019 - WASHINGTON DC - 2019 World Bank/ IMF Spring Meetings.Development Committee Meeting. Photo: World Bank

Photo ID : 041319_DEV COM Overhead Photo_PRESTON