Granada, Spain. This is the old Arab area of Albaicin, a little down from the San Nicolas church. I found this outside a restaurant in what is now known as Little Morocco because of the large population of North African immigrants and their small shops, tea houses, and restaurants (complete with belly dancing:-) It's interesting that after being expelled from this town some 500 years ago they are, in a way, back again and enriching the culture and life of Granada! A trip to this area is highly recommended for it is the nearest Europeans can get to Morocco!

Quedlinburg is known to have existed since at least the early 9th century. It was first mentioned as a town in 922 as part of a donation by Heinrich I (Henry the Fowler).

According to legend, Henry had been offered the German crown at Quedlinburg in 919. After his death in 936, his widow Saint Matilda founded a nunnery, where daughters of the higher nobility were educated. The main task of this abbey, was to pray for the memory of Heinrich I and the rulers who came after him.

The Quedlinburg castle complex, founded by Heinrich I and built up by Otto I in 936, was an imperial Pfalz of the Saxon emperors. The Pfalz, including the male convent, was in the valley, while the women's convent was located on the castle hill.

In 973 during a Reichstag (Imperial Convention) Otto the Great introduced his new daughter-in-law Theophanu, a Byzantine princess whose marriage to Otto II brought hope for recognition and continued peace between the rulers of the Eastern and Western empires.

The town became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1426. The abbey frequently disputed the independence of the town, which sought the aid of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. In 1477, Abbess Hedwig, aided by her brothers, broke the resistance of the town and expelled the bishop's forces. Quedlinburg was forced to leave the Hanseatic League and was subsequently protected by the Electorate of Saxony. Both town and abbey converted to Lutheranism in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation.

Ride along the fence cross the sky

Chase the rays, as they fly

Down from above, without a sound

Expelling the darkness from the ground

Feeding the beauty, tempting it high

Where it rides the clouds, and joins the cross in the sky

Eurasian Sparrowhawk / accipiter nisus. Lincolnshire. 05/01/17.

Looking every bit the mean, keen killing machine!

The power of that golden-eyed stare was immense. It felt like it locked on to me and made an immediate connection - even though I was completely hidden from view.

Most definitely a spine tingling, adrenalin charged moment!

This open beak pose would suggest the bird was calling, but in actual fact I think it was attempting to eject something from its throat. This behaviour lasted for about 10 seconds accompanied by some head shaking. I didn't see anything expelled either during or after its efforts though!

Expelled by HMM but always present with a love for photography and MacroMondays. ( In Explore ) ( Sorry HMM ! )

This scene by the bridge over the River Shiel, near Acharacle is where Somerled defeated a Viking force............ a while back.

According to Undiscovered Scotland, Somerled (a.k.a. Sumarlidhi Höld) was born in about 1113 (sources differ) and either in Morvern or in northern Ireland. His father was Gillebride Mac Gille Adomnan, a descendant of a noble Gaelic family who were probably an offshoot of the House of Alpin at the time Kenneth I combined Dalriada with Pictavia. Somerled's mother was of Norse descent.

Somerled's grandfather, Gilledomman of the Isles, had been defeated by the Norse and exiled to Ireland. When he was a child, Somerled's more immediate family was also expelled from their home and sent to Ireland. His father Gillebride raised an army of 500 and returned to Morvern to regain their lands; but was beaten off and killed.

Much of Somerled's youth was spent on the margins of life in his native land. But some time around 1135 he became the leader of a rebellion against the Norse control. He successfully cleared Morvern, Lochaber and the northern part of Argyll from Norse influence and became known as Thane of Argyll: possibly with the formal endorsement of David I of Scotland who would have been grateful to see the Norse tide turned back in at least one part of Scotland.

In 1140, Somerled extended his area of influence by marrying Ragnhild, daughter of Olaf the Red (Olaf I The Red Godredson), the Norse King of Man, whose territory included the Hebrides. They had three sons, Dughall, Ragnald, and Aonghus. Somerled also had one son by a previous marriage: Gillecallum. Shortly afterwards Somerled helped suppress an uprising against Olaf the Red.

In 1143 Olaf the Red was murdered by the sons of his brother Harold but was succeeded as King of Man by his son (and Somerled's brother in law) Ochraidh Godred II the Black Olafson, or Godfrey the Black. Godfrey ruled with a heavy hand, and was deeply unpopular. In 1155 there was an uprising against Godfrey, and this time Somerled backed it.

Somerled's involvement proved decisive. Using a fleet of galleys fitted with rudders, the latest in naval technology, he defeated Godfrey at the Battle of Epiphany (probably off Islay) on 5-6 January 1156 and declared himself Ri Innse Gall or King of the Isles. What Somerled had achieved was to introduce a "third force" into the long-standing conflict between the Kings of Scotland and the Kings of Norway over the ownership of the Hebrides. While the title Ri Innse Gall dated back centuries before Olaf the Red, all its holders up to Godfrey the Black owed allegiance to the King of Norway. In contrast, Somerled's Kingdom of the Isles was not a subservient kingdom to the Kingdom of Norway, it was a separate kingdom, independent of both Norway and Scotland.

The newly powerful Somerled was seen as a serious threat by King Malcolm IV of Scotland, and in 1160 the two met in indecisive battle in Argyll. After an uneasy peace, conflict was resumed in early 1164. Somerled landed an army of 15,000 men from 164 galleys at Greenock. He intended to capture Renfrew, but somewhere near Inchinnan (close to the site of today's Glasgow Airport), Somerled was intercepted by forces under Walter Fitzalan, High Steward of Scotland. Somerled betrayed and killed, allegedly by a nephew in the pay of Malcolm IV. His army returned to their galleys and departed without engaging in a full scale battle. Accounts differ as to whether Somerled was buried on Iona or at Saddell Abbey.

Somerled is credited with breaking the stranglehold of the Norse on western Scotland and the Isles. There is a certain irony in this as he was himself Norse on his mother's side (and possibly in part on his father's side according to DNA studies); and he had married into the family of Olaf the Red. The independent kingdom he had briefly created was not to outlive him, but Somerled had changed things for good.

After his death, Somerled's Kingdom of the Isles was divided amongst his three sons from his marriage to Ragnhild. The descendants of Aonghus went on to form the Clan McRuari or McRory; the descendants of Dughall went on to form the Clan MacDougall; and the descendants of Ragnald's son Donald Mor McRanald would become the Clan Donald, who went on to found the Lordship of the Isles. Widespread DNA studies suggest that as many as 500,000 people living today are descended from Somerled: this is a number only bettered by Genghis Khan who, again according to DNA studies, is estimated to be the ancestor of 16 million people alive today.

During my visit to Joshua Tree NP, I had to find a target for the two hours of darkness, before the moonrise.

I chose the border region between the constellations Perseus, Taurus and Auriga. This area of the Winter Milky Way is often overlooked in landscape astrophotography, because of its proximity to eye-catching Orion. Time to change that! Join me on a little stroll through the area:

As I was lingering in one of Califonia's National Parks, I couldn't resist to put the Cailfornia Nebula center stage. This energized Hydrogen cloud is named so, because its resembles the outline of the US State of California. The nebula is the birth place of many young stars, including Menkib, the 4th magnitude star that makes the cloud glow. It can be seen at the right boundary of the nebula.

The most famous denizens of the area however are the Pleiades (Seven Sisters), probably the best known star cluster in the sky. The Pleiades are dominated by hot blue stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. The reflection nebulae around the brightest stars are an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium through which the stars are currently passing.

The Hyades, another open star cluster, are rising on the right edge of the frame. It consists of several hundred stars, sharing the same age, origin and characteristics. The most famous star in that area of the sky, bright yellow Aldebaran, is however not part of the Hyades and located much closer to us.

On the lower left is another red emission nebula, called the Flaming Star Nebula. This interstellar Hydrogen cloud is ionized by the unralated star AE Aurigae passing through it. Proper motion of AE Aurigae shows that is was expelled from the center of the famous Orion Nebula (not in this image), after a close encounter with another star there.

The image also contains a network of diffuse dark clouds. This is the Taurus Dark Nebula Complex, a sooty network of tendrils that span more than 30° of sky. It is not very well known, as it is only possible to photograph it from a dark sky location. The Taurus Molecular Cloud is the nearest star-forming region to Earth.

EXIF

Canon EOS Ra

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L ll @ 50mm

iOptron SkyTracker Pro

Sky

Stack of 20 x 90s @ ISO1600

Foreground:

Focus stack of 6 x 25s @ ISO800 during twilight.

www.astrobin.com/9qfadp/

astro.carballada.com/sh2-224-in-natural-colors/

Finally a really first light of this new Takahashi Epsilon-160ED

I am so excited!!! This scope is good!!! really fast at f/3.3 with 530mm.

Usually I take bigger integration time (around 70 hours), at this speed I spend 'only' 28hours, half of the regular time to obtain these nice results.

Also, this scope fits really well with the modern CMOS camera with such small pixels.

Description from waid-observatory.com :

Sh2-224 is a very faint supernova remnant located approximately 14,700 lightyears distant in the constellation Auriga. This unusual celestial object is also designated VRO 42.05.01 and has been the object of considerable research using both ground based and space based telescopes including the ROSAT and the Dominion Radio Astronomy Observatory. The nebula created by the supernova explosion is composed of two visual parts. It is postulated the supernova explosion created a bubble like structure. (Visible in the 'lower right' of the image.) As the shockwave from the explosion progressed into a very low density region of the interstellar medium, a "wing" component was expelled. (Visible in the 'upper left' right of the image.)

Supernova explosions are the end stage of the natural life cycle of very large stars. Such events are responsible for the distribution of heavy elements into the interstellar medium where they are incorporated in the birth of new star systems. Without this phenomenon, planets, such as the Earth along with life as we know it, would not be possible.

Acquisition details

Dates:

Dec. 31, 2021 · Jan. 3, 2022 · Jan. 4, 2022 · Jan. 5, 2022 · Jan. 7, 2022

Frames:

Baader Planetarium Green 36mm CMOS-optimized: 110x60" (1h 50') (gain: 0.00) -15C bin 1x1

Baader Planetarium Ha 36mm 6.5nm CMOS-optimized: 70x600" (11h 40') (gain: 1600.00) -15C bin 1x1

Baader Planetarium Oiii 36mm 6.5nm CMOS-optimized: 70x600" (11h 40') (gain: 1600.00) -15C bin 1x1

Baader Planetarium Red 36mm CMOS-optimized: 110x60" (1h 50') (gain: 0.00) -15C bin 1x1

Baader Planetariun Blue 36mm CMOS-optimized: 110x60" (1h 50') (gain: 0.00) -15C bin 1x1

Integration:

28h 50'

Avg. Moon age:

7.60 days

Avg. Moon phase:

10.12%

RA center: 05h26m31s.14

DEC center: +42°56′14″.9

Pixel scale: 2.371 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -90.161 degrees

Field radius: 1.238 degrees

WCS transformation: thin plate spline

More info:Open

Resolution: 2096x3123

Locations: AAS Montsec, Àger, Lleida, Spain

Data source: Own remote observatory

Remote source: Non-commercial independent facility

🔴 El Albaicín (o Albayzín) es el barrio más antiguo de Granada. Es un mundo aparte, hay historiadores que dicen que el nombre Albaicín solamente significa 'barrio en cuesta'. Sí lo visitas, comprobarás que es verdad.

Antes de que se construyera la Alhambra, el Albaicín ya era corte musulmana. El máximo momento de esplendor del Albaicín tuvo lugar durante la dinastía nazarí, cuando tenía una población de más de 40.000 habitantes y treinta mezquitas.

Tras la Conquista por los Reyes Católicos, el Albaicín se asignó a los musulmanes como lugar de residencia. Cuando los reyes expulsaron a todos los que practicaban la religión musulmana todas las mezquitas fueron demolidas. El barrio de mezquitas se convirtió en el barrio de las iglesias, y a principios del siglo XVII los moriscos (musulmanes que continuaron habitando en la península ibérica después de la Reconquista) abandonaron definitivamente sus casas en el Albaicín. Los cristianos ricos que vivían en la medina aprovecharon la oportunidad y vinieron a construir en ellas sus suntuosos cármenes.

🔵 The Albaicín (or Albayzín) is the oldest neighbourhood of Granada. It is a world apart, there are historians who say that the name Albaicín only means 'neighbourhood on a slope'. If you visit it, you will see that this is true.

Before the Alhambra was built, the Albaicín was already a Muslim court. The peak of the Albaicín's splendour was during the Nasrid dynasty, when it had a population of more than 40,000 inhabitants and thirty mosques.

After the Conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the Albaicín was assigned to the Muslims as a place of residence. When the kings expelled all those who practised the Muslim religion, all the mosques were demolished. The mosque quarter became the church quarter, and at the beginning of the 17th century the Moors (Muslims who continued to inhabit the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquest) abandoned their homes in the Albaicín. The wealthy Christians who lived in the Medina area took advantage of the opportunity and came to build their sumptuous kármenes there.

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‎ سديم الهلال هو عباره عن غيوم فضائية تتألف من غاز الهايدروجين المحفز بواسطة نوع من النجوم يدعى Wolf-Rayet. هذا النوع من النجوم له عواصف شمسية قوية لها القدرة على تحفيز غاز الهايدروجين وجعله يضيئ باللون الاحمر. تكون مثل هذة النجوم في نهاية حياتها حيث تقوم بالتخلي عن غلافها الغازي الخارجي و الذي يظهر في الصورة على شكل هلال. وتقع هذة النجمه في وسط سديم الهلال.

This beautiful nebula is resemble crescent Moon. Its mainly composed oh Hydrogen gas. The powerful stellar wind that produced from Wolf-Rayet star is responsible for expanding & energizing Hydrogen gas to glow in red. Actually, this star is in its final stage of life, which expel its outer layer of gases which appears as crescent in this nebula. This star is located in the central region. Lights Ha 35 x 300, O iii 48 x 300, total exposure of 7 hours. Gear setup: Ioptron GEM45, Celestron Edge HD8 @f/7, ZWO EFW 2”, Antila Ha 3nm, Antila O III 3nm, ZWO 2600MM @ 0. Captured by APT, Sharpcap pro, PHD2. Stacked in APP & processed in PS and Pixinsight.

© All Rights Reserved - Erik Symes Photography

Oddly melancholy, I thinks it the approaching new year and the cold. It seems to make you reflect and regret, which is nonsensical since there is so much that is good in the present. So, this should help expel it from my system.

Never Say Never ~ by That Dog: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KOwhof0NrQ

MAWA approaches the Rte.2 bridge in Carmel, expelling carbon along the way.

Tétouan is famed for its fine craftsmanship and musical delicacy and has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017. Its cultural heritage is the product of the interaction between different cultural influences throughout centuries. It is mainly characterized by its Andalusian style and way of living but both Berber, Jewish and Colonial Spanish influences are present too.

The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those expelled from Al-Andalus by the Spanish Reconquista, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses and riads the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in Hispano-Moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The city has seven gates which were closed at night up until early 20th century. Many Sufi Zawiyas are scattered inside the walled old city.

Male Ruddy Ducks have a fascinating courtship/territorial display which begins with cocking the tail vertically, puffing up the neck feathers and raising tufts on top of the head to look like tiny horns. The head is then lowered and the vivid blue bill slapped rapidly and repeatedly against the chest, expelling waves of bubbles as seen in the above photo. The display ends with a slight raising of the wings and the emission of a low belch-like grunt.

Ruddy Ducks are diving, bottom-feeding ducks, which explains the rusty mud stains on this one's face.

The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was built in the thirteenth century by Sultan Alhamar, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, after being expelled from the North of Andalusia.

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La Alcazaba es la parte más antigua de la Alhambra. Fue construída en el siglo XIII por el Sultan Alhamar, fundador de la dinastía nazarí, después de ser expulsado del Norte de Andalucía.

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© All rights reserved.

A breach of copyright has legal consequences

Yes, it will!

There are birds, including the Willet, that expel pellets made up of the indigestible parts of their food.

In coastal areas, Willets eat crabs and small fish, amongst other things, so their regurgitated pellets are likely to contain bits of shell and bone.

Taken at North Beach, Fort De Soto, Florida.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving any comments or faves, they are very much appreciated.

Tétouan is famed for its fine craftsmanship and musical delicacy and has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017. Its cultural heritage is the product of the interaction between different cultural influences throughout centuries. It is mainly characterized by its Andalusian style and way of living but both Berber, Jewish and Colonial Spanish influences are present too.

The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those expelled from Al-Andalus by the Spanish Reconquista, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses and riads the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in Hispano-Moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The city has seven gates which were closed at night up until early 20th century. Many Sufi Zawiyas are scattered inside the walled old city.

Coral bleaching is an effect of our seas heating up. As temperatures rise, corals expel the algae living inside them, leaving them completely white. Though this does not actually kill the corals, it weakens them and many of the corals never recover.

This build was my entry to LEGO IDEAS contest 'HELP DECORATE THE LEGO HOUSE!' and managed to secure one of the winning spots :) So come autumn it should be on exhibit in LEGO House, as long as it survives the transport there that is ;)

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Taken on 13th May this year 2018 in my garden.

Nothing unusual about a hoverfly doing what their name suggests but what interested me here in this shot was the globule of liquid which I assume is bodily waste being expelled ?

Sadly my eyesight isn't that good that I saw this happening at the time more's the pity ..... I have enough trouble seeing the fly itself nowadays !! :0)

These images are related so I'm posting two today. This is the Catedral de San Cristobal in the Plaza de la Catedral, and has been declared a national monument. Construction began in 1748 by the Jesuits who were expelled, and then later completed in 1777 by the Franciscans. Outside is the Baroque facade, and the interior shot shows the view towards the alter and the high ceilings. I was not allowed beyond the foyer since I was wearing shorts. Havana, Cuba, March 2019

Best viewed large by pressing "L". All rights reserved

Molon Labe, the blunt remark said to the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. meant more than just "come and take them [weapons]". It also meant in a larger sense that the Persians could try and take the "earth and water" they demanded from the Greeks themselves. "Earth and Water" was the Persian expression for demanding submission or else. The Greeks refused such demands and while they suffered defeats such as Thermopylae or the looting and burning of Athens, they would still come out on top. They would defeat the Persians at Salamis, Plataea (seen here), and would then go on to defeat the Persians in Anatolia. They effectively expelled the Persians out of their European territories in Macedonia and Thrace as well. The Greek world would go on a different path than the Persian Empire and this would effectively separate the East and West. Logic and reason, distinctively Greek ideas would've been forgotten. The cost of submission would've been much higher than the cost of freedom.

Just a small build I made during my break. I mainly wanted to show off my spartan army I managed to build overtime along with their helots in the back. Yes some of their slaves did fight in combat roles. I'm on an ancient history wave right now so expect more builds to come.

In the process of expelling a pellet.

The Benedictine monastery was built on the site of the original fort in the early 14th century. After the 2nd World War, the German community of Broumov was expelled in 1945. In 1950, after ban of all men orders by the communists the monastery served as an internment camp for monks.

I had the opportunity to capture one of the kingfisher regurgitating a pellet. A pellet, is the mass of undigested parts of a bird's food. In the case of the kingfisher mainly fishbones and fish scales. You can clearly see on the picture the white pellet that the bird is expelling.

Kingfisher blog post

Brihuega is a municipality and Spanish town in the province of Guadalajara, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. In 2023 it had a population of 2,734 inhabitants.

HISTORY: Its origin is in a Celtiberian village called Brioca, from which it derived its current name.

King Al-Mamún of the Taifa of Toledo appreciated this area for its rich hunting grounds, to the point that he accommodated his friend Alfonso, King of León, in his palace in Brihuega, when in 1072 he was defeated in the battle of Golpejera by his brother Sancho II of Castile and expelled from his kingdom.

The town was a strategically important place in the campaigns to take Toledo by the Christians, which came to fruition in 1085.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a significant migration of Briocenses to the Mexican city of Puebla.

The city and its surroundings were the scene of bloody battles during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1715) and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). (Source: Wikipedia)

AYUNTAMIENTO DE BRIHUEGA, 2024

Brihuega es un municipio y localidad española de la provincia de Guadalajara, en la comunidad autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha. En 2023 tenía una población de 2734 habitantes.

HISTORIA: Su origen se encuentra en un poblado celtibérico llamado Brioca, de donde derivó a su actual nombre.

El rey Al-Mamún de la taifa de Toledo apreciaba esta zona por sus ricos cazaderos, al punto que alojó en su palacete de Brihuega a su amigo Alfonso, rey de León, cuando en 1072 este fue derrotado en la batalla de Golpejera por su hermano Sancho II de Castilla y expulsado de su reino.

La localidad fue una plaza estratégicamente relevante de cara a las campañas para la toma de Toledo por los cristianos, que cristalizaron en 1085.

Durante los siglos XVI y XVII se habría producido una significativa migración de briocenses a la ciudad mexicana de Puebla.

La ciudad y su área fueron escenario de sangrientas batallas de la Guerra de Sucesión Española (1701-1715) y la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939). (Fuente: Wikipedia)

Not a lot of data on this, (about 12 hours) but here is the Shrimp Nebula, or Sh-188.

Sharpless-188 is a planetary nebula 850 light-years away. Planetary nebulae are formed when a star dies of “old age” and expels ionized shells of gas. The object itself is pretty young compared to most similar objects and is only 22,500 years old.

Planetary nebulae are usually symmetrical in shape, but that isn’t the case of Sh2-188. The Shrimp Nebula is believed to travel through space at an incredible rate (about 300,000 miles per hour) and to be going through layers of the interstellar medium. This impacts the shape of the nebula and makes it asymmetrical.

Character Creation

The Shade (Richard Swift) is a comic book character developed in the 1940s for National Comics, first appearing in the pages of Flash Comics in a story titled "The Man Who Commanded the Night", scripted by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Hal Sharp.

Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash.

He eventually became a mentor for Jack Knight, the son of the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight, a hero the Shade had also fought.

Though portrayed in Silver Age comics as a thief with a cane that could manipulate shadows, the character was reinvented in 1994 as a morally ambiguous Victorian-era immortal who gained the ability to manipulate shadows and immortality from an unexplained mystical event.

In 2009, the Shade was ranked as IGN's 89th-greatest villain of all time.

The Shade appeared as a major character from the season 1 finale onwards in Stargirl, played by Jonathan Cake

Publication history

The Shade first appeared in Flash Comics #33 (September 1942), and was created by Gardner Fox and Harold Sharp.

Shade received a solo series in late 2011, written by Robinson and drawn by Cully Hamner, Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, and others. It deals with Shade and his descendants, flashing back to various points in his life as he travels the globe trying to find who is behind a plot to kill him.

Fictional Character History

Origin

Born and raised in London, England in the early 1800s, Richard Swift was a wealthy importer. In the course of his business he came into contact with Simon Culp, who hired Swift to import a lion for him. The pair became friends while awaiting the arrival of the lion. It was soon revealed that Culp was merely using Swift in an effort to enact an arcane ritual; he captured Swift and attempted to use him as a sacrifice to the goddess Scathach. However, for reasons unknown, Swift was gifted with the powers that Culp had intended only for himself. The resultant mystical occurrence resulted in the deaths of over a hundred people. Bereft of all memories of who he had been, Swift departed his old life and was reborn as the Shade. Immediately after the events that gave him his powers, the disoriented Shade was taken in by Piers Ludlow, who attempted to take advantage of Shade's state by framing him for murder. Shade lashed out instinctively with his powers, making an enemy of the Ludlow family when he killed almost the entire family. Following this he embarked on a career of questionable legality, exploring the world and occasionally taking work as an assassin.

Golden Age

In his original Golden Age appearances, the Shade was portrayed as a villainous character. Primarily a thief, he utilized a cane that allowed him to manipulate shadows. He retained this characterization throughout the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages.

Modern Age

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Shade remained a villain for a few more years. Following Zero Hour his character was significantly rewritten. He was re-imagined as an immortal of Victorian extraction, and given a more morally ambiguous, anti-heroic bent. Much of his previous villainy was retconned as the influence of Culp. This version of the character no longer needed the magical cane to manipulate shadows, this trait became inherent.

Rebirth

Following the universal reboot, the powers of the Darklands, previously only semi-sentient, became fully sentient and autonomous. Shade himself became significantly less competent.

Flash of Two Worlds

Working with the Fiddler and the Thinker, Shade takes part in shifting Keystone City out of phase, trapping the inhabitants and causing the rest of the world to forget the city ever existed. They use this power to loot the city with impunity. They are confronted by both Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, and the heroes eventually defeat the Shade and his companions.

Starman

Shade first comes into contact with Starman when he abducts the hero's father, Ted Knight, at the behest of Mist. He soon turns against Mist and sides with Starman, later forming close ties with the O'Dare family, particularly Matt O'Dare. During their association Shade frequently engages in heroic behaviour to assist Jack and Matt. At one point he agrees to selflessly sell his soul to save those trapped in a cursed poster. Around this time he makes an enemy of Neron by refusing to accept the demon's deal to increase his own power. During the events of the Godwave his powers are completely unaffected by the event that depowered most powered individuals. Slowly but surely Culp is able to take control of Shade's body, culminating in an attempt to destroy Opal City, carried out with the sole intention of destroying the city that Shade loves. Joining Culp's efforts are Neron, one of the last remaining Ludlows, and Mist's daughter. Shade is able to expel Culp, but in so doing loses his powers. Despite this, he is able to use a shadow demon to engage in a battle of wills with Culp, which he ultimately wins. Stripping Culp of his powers and adding them to his own, Shade is victorious.

Infinite Crisis

Still in Opal City and acting as the city's heroic, if cynical, protector, Shade spends the Crisis defending the city and its inhabitants.

Cry For Justice

Shade tells Jay Garrick of Prometheus' plan to distract the heroes from his master plan, and travels with the hero to the Watchtower. There, they encounter Prometheus, who is attempting to flee the ship. As he is not a hero, Prometheus has no file on how to defeat Shade, and is confounded by how to deal with him. Donna Troy takes the opportunity to attack Prometheus and beats him nearly to death. Shade prevents her from killing the villain. He later aids Green Arrow in travelling to Prometheus' lair, where Green Arrow kills the villain.

Blackest Night

Now in a relationship with Hope O'Dare, Shade is attacked by Black Lantern David Knight. Due to his immortality, Shade is not killed when Knight rips his heart from his chest, and is able to resist the Black Lantern ring that attempts to attach itself to him. He traps Knight in the Darklands when Knight threatens to kill Jack and O'Dare. Using his own heart he traps Knight and banishes him permanently. He is found soon afterwards by Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, who ask for transportation to the Ghost Zone. He agrees to help, and they locate the rotting body of Prometheus in the Ghost Zone.

Brightest Day

Shade is sought by Jay Garrick, Doctor Mid-Nite, Sebastian Faust, and Wildcat, all of whom seek his assistance in locating Obsidian. He is found in his home in a comatose state, apparently placed there by the Starheart-possessed Obsidian, who wanted to stop Shade from revealing "secrets". Soon afterwards Shade is captured by Eclipso, who brainwashes him. At the behest of Saint Walker he is sought and rescued by Starman and Atom, who manage to free him of the brainwashing. He turns on his erstwhile captor, helping the heroes defeat Eclipso.

The Shade

Attacked at his home in Opal City, Shade sets off on a world-spanning quest to discover the origin of the assassination attempt. At the same time he explores his past, and encounters numerous figures that have been important in his long life, as well as exploring the extent of his own powers. It eventually becomes clear that the assassination was ordered by a member of his own family, Dudley, Lord Caldecott, acting in concert with an ancient cult. The cult accidentally unleashes ancient godlike beings on London, whom Shade is able to defeat by trapping them in a pocket dimension and transporting them back to their home dimension.

The Speed of Darkness

As Shade grows increasingly worried that he will return to his life of crime and jeopardize his relationship with Hope, his shadow powers take it upon themselves to begin committing crimes on his behalf. When this is discovered by Hope, who believes that Shade has relapsed, the shadows kidnap and brainwash her, and entrap Shade in the Darklands. He is able to push some shadow into Central City, where it attracts the attention of Kid Flash and the Flash, who come to his aid. They help him rescue Hope and regain control of the Darklands.

Powers and Abilities

Shade is the strongest known channeller of the shadow powers of the Darklands, a dimension of sentient darkness that he can channel to a variety of effects. He can also use this dimension to teleport himself and others, with no known limits to the distance he can travel; it can also be used to travel through time. He is functionally immortal and practically indestructible. He is intelligent and resourceful.

Abilities

Immortality

Darkness Manipulation

Time Manipulation

Teleportation

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

Secret Identity: Richard Swift

Publisher: DC

First appearance: Flash Comics #33 (September 1942)

Created by: Gardner Fox (Writer)

Harold Wilson Sharp (Artist)

First appearance cover:

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/49370020116/

Antananarivo (Tananarive, en francés) es la capital de Madagascar, así como de la provincia homónima. Cuenta con una población de 1.275.207 habitantes (2018), lo que la convierte en la ciudad más poblada del país. La ciudad se encuentra ubicada en el centro de la isla, a unos 145 km de la costa oriental, que es la más cercana. En la actualidad la ciudad es una capital moderna, además del principal centro administrativo, económico, demográfico y judicial de Madagascar.

El nombre, de manera literal, significa "En la Ciudad de los Mil" en malgache, compuesto formado por el prefijo locativo A-, tanana que significa "ciudad" o "aldea" y arivo, "mil", (aunque la forma correcta sería Atnànan'ny Arivolahy) a causa de la cantidad de soldados que formaron su primer guarnición.

En efecto, según la tradición oral, el rey de Imerina, Andrianjaka (siglo XVII), pidió a mil guerreros que tomaran y protegieran el dominio real de la colina de Analamanga. El cerro y la ciudad conservaron el nombre de Analamanga hasta el reinado de Andriamasinavalona, quien les dio el nombre actual en honor a esos mil guerreros.

Sin embargo, no todos los investigadores aceptan esta leyenda; es posible que el nombre original fuese Antaninarivo, "en la tierra del pueblo", y Andriamasinavalona la denominase Atnànan'ny Arivolahy, de donde vino la forma híbrida Antananarivo por etimología popular.

Por aféresis propia del malgache, en francés se la llamó Tananarive con omisión del locativo, y en ocasiones simplemente Tana.

La ciudad dispone de comunicaciones por carretera con otras ciudades del país, vías ferroviarias y cuenta con el Aeropuerto Internacional Ivato que, con más de 1 500 000 de pasajeros anuales, es el aeropuerto más importante del país y proporciona a la ciudad vuelos nacionales con distintas regiones de Madagascar, además de trayectos internacionales hacia París, Johannesburgo, Nairobi y otras importantes ciudades africanas.

El clima es templado por su altitud. Enero es el mes más cálido en la ciudad, con un promedio de 22 grados Celsius; el mes más frío es julio, con un promedio de 15 grados Celsius. La media anual de temperatura es de 19 grados Celsius. Las heladas son raras en la ciudad; son más comunes en elevaciones más altas. Los meses con menos precipitaciones son julio y agosto con menos de 10 milímetros, mientras que en los meses de diciembre y enero llueve más con 290 milímetros. El promedio anual de precipitaciones es de 1358 milímetros.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antananarivo

Antananarivo (French: Tananarive), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of Analamanga region. The city sits at 1,280 m (4,199 ft) above sea level in the center of the island, the highest national capital by elevation among the island countries. It has been the country's largest population center since at least the 18th century. The presidency, National Assembly, Senate and Supreme Court are located there, as are 21 diplomatic missions and the headquarters of many national and international businesses and NGOs. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any city on the island. Several national and local sports teams, including the championship-winning national rugby team, the Makis are based here.

Antananarivo was historically the capital of the Merina people, who continue to form the majority of the city's 1,275,207 (2018 Census) inhabitants. The surrounding urban areas have a total metropolitan population approaching three million. All eighteen Malagasy ethnic groups, as well as residents of Chinese, Indian, European and other origins, are represented in the city. It was founded circa 1610, when the Merina King Andrianjaka (1612–1630) expelled the Vazimba inhabitants of the village of Analamanga. Declaring it the site of his capital, Andrianjaka built a rova (fortified royal dwelling) that expanded to become the royal palaces of the Kingdom of Imerina. The city retained the name Analamanga until the reign of King Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710), who renamed it Antananarivo ("City of the Thousand") in honor of Andrianjaka's soldiers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antananarivo

Expelled by the increasing tide the way was to start finishing the photos that morning with a selfie in a very strange light created by the rising sun and the haze. Three Sisters Beach, Tongapuruto, New Zealand

M27 discovered or rather catalogued for the first time in the 18th century by the astronomer Charles Messier, also known by the names “Dumbbell Nebula”, “Diablo Nebula”, is a fantastic planetary nebula with very bright emission, visible in the direction of the constellation of Vulpecula, about 1200 light years from the Earth and with a size of about 2.5 light years. Its formation is due to the death of a star similar to our Sun, which exhausted its energy in its nucleus and expelled its outer layers into space, with its visible glow generated by the excitation of atoms illuminated by ultraviolet light.

For the composition of the final image, I used the HDR technique of Pixinsight, with the sum of 10” lights and 300” lights, in order to be able to average the exposure dedicated to the nucleus and stars and make them not excessively saturated.

Telescopio: Celestron EdgeHD 11”

Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Pro

Montatura: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

Filtro: Antlia ALP-T Dual Band 5nm 2”

Accessori: HyperStar 11 v4 (HS4-C11). Date: 06-07-08 Agosto 2024

Fotogrammi: 264×10,″(44′) 199×300,″(16h 35′)

Integrazione: 18h 19′.

I hope you like it!!

astrob.in/fzmdx7/B/

Don't use this image on any media without my permission.

© All rights reserved.

Please NO multigroup invites! Por favor NO invitaciones a multigrupos!

CANON EOS 400D EXIF 1/800 f/10 75-300 mm ISO 400 + HDR

Se sabe que las gaviotas viven hasta 40 años en cautiverio y hasta 36 en libertad.

La defensa del territorio, la formación de parejas, las interacciones entre progenitores y polluelos y otras actividades implican un comportamiento al servicio de la comunicación que se manifiesta en posturas, movimientos y llamadas, algunas de las cuales son de notable complejidad con su forma y función.

Por ejemplo, durante el cortejo, las gaviotas ejecutan exhibiciones de amenaza, pero lo hacen en secuencias que en apariencia modifican su significado. El reconocimiento entre individuos por estos medios ha sido demostrado de forma experimental. Los vínculos de pareja pueden ser duraderos.

Las gaviotas pueden prosperar a expensas de otras especies. Por ejemplo, se conocen casos en que las gaviotas de mayor tamaño han expulsado de sus territorios de nidificación a gaviotas más pequeñas, en parte a través de la depredación de huevos y polluelos.

Las actividades carroñeras de las gaviotas pueden afectar también a la ecología de los entornos urbanos. Los aeropuertos (y los vertederos que suelen haber en sus inmediaciones) las atraen en gran número, y representan un peligro para los aviones; se trata de un problema aún sin resolver.

En algunos lugares se recolectan huevos de gaviota como alimento.

Gulls are known to live to 40 years in captivity and released to 36.

Territorial defense, training partners, interactions between parents and chicks and other activities involving the behavior of communication which is manifested in posture, movements and calls, some of which are of considerable complexity in their shape and function .

For example, during courtship, gulls exhibits run threat, but at sequences that appear to alter its meaning. The recognition of these individuals has been demonstrated experimentally. The pair of links can be long lasting.

Seagulls can thrive at the expense of other species. For example, cases are known in the larger gulls are expelled from their territories of gulls nesting in smaller, partly through the predation of eggs and chicks.

The activities of scavengers gulls may also affect the ecology of urban environments. Airports (and landfills typically have in their vicinity) attract the large numbers and represent a hazard to aircraft, the problem is still unresolved.

In some places gull eggs are harvested as food.

Riders on Camargue horses:

The bulls are surrounded very tightly and thus led in the streets of the city to the transport truck. We can guess their presence by the surveillance of two riders and by a few hoofs forked in the middle of the legs of horses. Some riders ride without the stirrup feet.

Abrivado is a Provençal name which means momentum, haste. It consisted of driving bulls from their pastures to the arenas.

Bandido is also a Provençal tradition which means expelling. Originally, tradition dictated that a gang of young people would launch out following the horsemen with the intention of making a bull escape. To do so, they grabbed its tail or clung to the horns to tire it and finally strike it down.

According to Wikipedia, Nowadays, each of these terms designates a Provencal and Languedoc bullfighting tradition of simulating these transfers of bulls by releasing them into the closed streets of a town or village.

-------------------------------------------------

Cavaliers sur chevaux camarguais:

Les taureaux sont encerclés très serrés et menés ainsi dans les rues de la ville jusqu'au camion de transport. On devine leur présence par la surveillance de deux cavaliers et par quelques sabots fourchus au millieu des pattes des chevaux. Certains cavaliers chevauchent sans les pieds aux étriers.

L'abrivado est un nom provençal qui signifie élan, hâte. Elle consistait à la conduite des taureaux depuis leurs pâturages jusqu'aux arènes.

La bandido est aussi une tradition provençale qui veut dire expulser. A l'origine, la tradition voulait qu'une bande de jeune gens se lançait à la suite des cavaliers avec l'intention de faire échapper un taureau. Pour se faire, ils lui saisisaient la queue ou s'accrochaient aux cornes pour le fatiguer et enfin le terrasser.

Selon Wikipedia, De nos jours, chacun de ces termes désigne une tradition taurine provençale et languedocienne consistant à simuler ces transferts de taureaux en les lâchant dans les rues fermées d’une ville ou d’un village.

4567

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_the_Acadians

The Expulsion of the Acadians, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and the Deportation of the Acadians (French: Le Grand Dérangement or Déportation des Acadiens), was the forced removal by the British of the Acadian people from the present-day Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, and the present-day U.S. state of Maine — parts of an area historically known as Acadia, causing the death of thousands of people. The Expulsion (1755–1764) occurred during the French and Indian War (the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War) and was part of the British military campaign against New France. The British first deported Acadians to the Thirteen Colonies, and after 1758, transported additional Acadians to Britain and France. In all, of the 14,100 Acadians in the region, approximately 11,500 were deported. A census of 1764 indicates that 2,600 Acadians remained in the colony having eluded capture.

In 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the British captured Port Royal, the capital of Acadia, in a siege. The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, which concluded the larger conflict, ceded the colony to Great Britain while allowing the Acadians to keep their lands. However, the Acadians were reluctant to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britain. Over the following decades, some participated in French military operations against the British and maintained supply lines to the French fortresses of Louisbourg and Fort Beauséjour. As a result, the British sought to eliminate any future military threat posed by the Acadians and to permanently cut the supply lines they provided to Louisbourg by removing them from the area.

Without making distinctions between the Acadians who had been neutral and those who had resisted the occupation of Acadia, the British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council ordered them to be expelled. In the first wave of the expulsion, Acadians were deported to other British North American colonies. During the second wave, they were deported to Britain and France, and from there a significant number migrated to Spanish Louisiana, where "Acadians" eventually became "Cajuns". Acadians fled initially to Francophone colonies such as Canada, the uncolonized northern part of Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (now Prince Edward Island), and Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island). During the second wave of the expulsion, these Acadians were either imprisoned or deported.

Along with the British achieving their military goals of defeating Louisbourg and weakening the Miꞌkmaq and Acadian militias, the result of the Expulsion was the devastation of both a primarily civilian population and the economy of the region. Thousands of Acadians died in the expulsions, mainly from diseases and drowning when ships were lost. On July 11, 1764, the British government passed an order-in-council to permit Acadians to return to British territories in small isolated groups, provided that they take an unqualified oath of allegiance. Today the Acadians live primarily in eastern New Brunswick and in some regions of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Northern Maine. American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow memorialized the expulsion in the popular 1847 poem, Evangeline, about the plight of a fictional character, which spread awareness of the expulsion.

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This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.

Location: Pannonhalma, Hungary

[www.markborbely.com] [Instagram] [Facebook] [DeviantArt]

History:

The town, known as Győrszentmárton until 1965, is dominated by its most famous landmarks: the thousand-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey and the Benedictine Secondary School, which are situated above the village, on Szent Marton Hill. The hill itself is still known by this ancient name and the name 'Pannonhalma' was introduced as part of the Hungarian language reforms in the nineteenth century. The association with Saint Martin ('Szent Márton' in Hungarian) derives from a belief that Martin of Tours was born here, though others believe he was born in nearby Szombathely.

There is a small statue in the town at the crossroads under the abbey which shows the saint as a Roman soldier, cutting his cloak according to the legend associated with him. The wall behind this is part of the original fortifications which were built in 1569 as a result of incursions into Western Hungary by the Ottoman Turks. The area remained a moving frontier between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Empire for the following 140 years and the town suffered considerable damage during this time.

From at least the nineteenth century, Szent Marton had a significant Jewish community. They played an important role in the commerce of village, as it was then, until the latter years of World War II. In 1944, the remaining Jewish families were rounded up and sent to extermination camps. A small synagogue, built in the late 1800s, remains on the main street, though it is no longer in use. The building is in the process of being restored and a monument has been constructed on the street in front of it. Some dozens of Jews were protected in the abbey when it was taken under control of the International Red Cross in October 1944, along with 3,000 other refugees, many of them children, thanks to the efforts of a Swiss national, Eduard Benedek Brunschweiler. The IRC was expelled from Pannonhalma by the Red Army in April 1945.

In 1996, parts of the town were included in UNESCO's demarcation of the Abbey as a World Heritage Site. Four years later, the village of Pannonhalma was officially granted 'town' status.

RSD039 departing off IAD runway 19C was 1 of 2 il-96-300s sent by Russia to bring home the expelled Russian Diplomats out of Washington, DC March 31, 2018.

My daughter told me that she wanted to go to Tokyo Tower. So, we did.

Elika got injured twice by the same boy at school and needed to go to hospital. It took two to three weeks to recover. The physical pain is recovering but the psychological pain still remains. She suffers insomnia and could not go to sleep. She has a nightmare that the boy slashed her throat...etc. The school has not done anything yet. The boy's parents still keep silence.

Elika and I went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and talked their lawyer on Jan 7. I talked to them again and they said that they will visit the school on Jan 17 and will investigate the school violence, stealing, harassment, bullying, and intimidation. I hope this will resolve the problem. Meanwhile, Elika needs to stay home and cannot get education she supposed to get. The public school system in Japan is terrible. In my opinion, the boy should be suspended or expelled.

Thank you for your support and friendship. Lika

Quedlinburg is known to have existed since at least the early 9th century. It was first mentioned as a town in 922 as part of a donation by Heinrich I (Henry the Fowler).

According to legend, Henry had been offered the German crown at Quedlinburg in 919. After his death in 936, his widow Saint Matilda founded a nunnery, where daughters of the higher nobility were educated. The main task of this abbey, was to pray for the memory of Heinrich I and the rulers who came after him.

The Quedlinburg castle complex, founded by Heinrich I and built up by Otto I in 936, was an imperial Pfalz of the Saxon emperors. The Pfalz, including the male convent, was in the valley, while the women's convent was located on the castle hill.

In 973 during a Reichstag (Imperial Convention) Otto the Great introduced his new daughter-in-law Theophanu, a Byzantine princess whose marriage to Otto II brought hope for recognition and continued peace between the rulers of the Eastern and Western empires.

The town became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1426. The abbey frequently disputed the independence of the town, which sought the aid of the Bishopric of Halberstadt. In 1477, Abbess Hedwig, aided by her brothers, broke the resistance of the town and expelled the bishop's forces. Quedlinburg was forced to leave the Hanseatic League and was subsequently protected by the Electorate of Saxony. Both town and abbey converted to Lutheranism in 1539 during the Protestant Reformation.

St. Wiperti was founded in the 9th century, King Henry I had this first church here demolished and a hall church built.

In 1146 the monastery was taken over by the Premonstratensians. The first new canons came from the Cappenberg in Westphalia, but by 1224 at the latest, St. Wiperti belonged to the Our Lady Monastery in Magdeburg. By 1266 the monastery had grown so much that the buildings had to be expanded beyond the previously walled area. The towers were also built shortly before or at least renewed.

During the feud of Count Albrecht II von Regenstein with the city of Quedlinburg in 1336, large parts of the monastery, including the towers and the cloister, were destroyed. The monastery did not recover from this blow for a long time, and in 1371 the taxes to the Pope were therefore waived.

In the course of the 15th century, it came under the influence of the monastery reform movement, which led to economic consolidation and subsequently helped the monastery to a second phase of prosperity. In the turmoil of the Peasants' War, the monastery was devastated again in 1525. Although it was supposed to be rebuilt at the instigation of Duke George of Brunswick, this did not happen. When the last provost married in 1547, the monastery was dissolved.

Since the Reformation, the monastery church has served as a parish church. After many offers and auctions, the mutilated domaine in 1831 (former monastery). The church was used as a barn, and the crypt as a dairy cellar. In 1936, the SS undertook some structural modifications on behalf of Himmler in order to convert the crypt into a National Socialist sanctuary. After the restoration, carried out from 1955 to 1959 it is used by the Catholic community.

The crypt has remained largely in its original condition over the centuries.

There is a fantastic phenomenon (when the sun is shining) here in mid-August when a ray of sunshine falls through a small round window from around 18.15 and illuminates the altar for about 15 minutes. Saint Wigbert's day of death is August 13th. Since there was no uniform time in the Middle Ages and local "solar time" has to be assumed, 18.16 CET/MEZ corresponds to 18.00 local time, i.e. the beginning of Vespers.

November 12, 2016

Strange that the likes of a fancy-shelled clam needs so many eyes. Very Mysterious!

This is a closeup of a few of the 50 or so eyes that these bay scallops "Argopecten irradians" posses. These creatures don't dig into the sand like other clams. They use camouflage around rock and sea grass beds. They are able to open and close their shells forcefully, expelling water to "get away" from predators.

EXPLORED: November 14, 2016

31 | 32 | D1 -- ? --

A Macro Mondays photo HMM!

Ellis Landing Beach

Brewster, Massachusetts

Cape Cod - USA

Photo by brucetopher

© Bruce Christopher 2016

All Rights Reserved

...always learning - critiques welcome.

No use without permission.

Please email for usage info.

Tétouan is famed for its fine craftsmanship and musical delicacy and has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017. Its cultural heritage is the product of the interaction between different cultural influences throughout centuries. It is mainly characterized by its Andalusian style and way of living but both Berber, Jewish and Colonial Spanish influences are present too.

The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those expelled from Al-Andalus by the Spanish Reconquista, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses and riads the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in Hispano-Moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The city has seven gates which were closed at night up until early 20th century. Many Sufi Zawiyas are scattered inside the walled old city.

These are statues honoring the Jizo Bosatsu. Jizo is his Japanese name and a Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) is a person who has attained enlightenment, but who postpones Buddhahood (Nirvana) in order to help others to attain enlightenment and transcend the “wheel of life”.

In modern Japan, especially Jizō is venerated as the guardian of children, specifically of unborn, aborted, miscarried, and stillborn babies. According to Japanese folk belief, red is the color for expelling demons and illness.

Daishō-in, Itsukushima (Miyajima), Japan.

Location: Pannonhalma, Hungary

[www.markborbely.com] [Instagram] [Facebook] [DeviantArt]

History:

The town, known as Győrszentmárton until 1965, is dominated by its most famous landmarks: the thousand-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey and the Benedictine Secondary School, which are situated above the village, on Szent Marton Hill. The hill itself is still known by this ancient name and the name 'Pannonhalma' was introduced as part of the Hungarian language reforms in the nineteenth century. The association with Saint Martin ('Szent Márton' in Hungarian) derives from a belief that Martin of Tours was born here, though others believe he was born in nearby Szombathely.

There is a small statue in the town at the crossroads under the abbey which shows the saint as a Roman soldier, cutting his cloak according to the legend associated with him. The wall behind this is part of the original fortifications which were built in 1569 as a result of incursions into Western Hungary by the Ottoman Turks. The area remained a moving frontier between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Empire for the following 140 years and the town suffered considerable damage during this time.

From at least the nineteenth century, Szent Marton had a significant Jewish community. They played an important role in the commerce of village, as it was then, until the latter years of World War II. In 1944, the remaining Jewish families were rounded up and sent to extermination camps. A small synagogue, built in the late 1800s, remains on the main street, though it is no longer in use. The building is in the process of being restored and a monument has been constructed on the street in front of it. Some dozens of Jews were protected in the abbey when it was taken under control of the International Red Cross in October 1944, along with 3,000 other refugees, many of them children, thanks to the efforts of a Swiss national, Eduard Benedek Brunschweiler. The IRC was expelled from Pannonhalma by the Red Army in April 1945.

In 1996, parts of the town were included in UNESCO's demarcation of the Abbey as a World Heritage Site. Four years later, the village of Pannonhalma was officially granted 'town' status.

Some of the walls date back to 1190 when Anglo- Norman knight John de Courcy had it built for the Augustines. The O'Neills then refurbished the church for the Franciscan order before the priory became a Presbyterian church in the 1600's. The Presbyterians were then expelled and the Church of Ireland moved in. They built the tower in 1809 before moving to new premises.

Tétouan is famed for its fine craftsmanship and musical delicacy and has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the area of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017. Its cultural heritage is the product of the interaction between different cultural influences throughout centuries. It is mainly characterized by its Andalusian style and way of living but both Berber, Jewish and Colonial Spanish influences are present too.

The streets are fairly wide and straight, and many of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, descendants of those expelled from Al-Andalus by the Spanish Reconquista, possess marble fountains and have groves planted with orange trees. Within the houses and riads the ceilings are often exquisitely carved and painted in Hispano-Moresque designs, such as are found in the Alhambra of Granada, and the tile-work for which Tetuan is known may be seen on floors, pillars and dados. The city has seven gates which were closed at night up until early 20th century. Many Sufi Zawiyas are scattered inside the walled old city.

Double click or tap to zoom in on the ant attached to it's cheek.

The echidna is covered in fur and spines and has a distinctive snout and a specialized tongue. which it uses to catch its insect prey at great speed.

Female echidnas lay one egg a year and the mating period is the only time the otherwise solitary animals meet one another; the male has no further contact with the female or his offspring after mating. A newborn echidna is the size of a grape but grows rapidly on its mother's milk, which is very rich in nutrients. Baby echidnas eventually grow too large and spiky to stay in the pouch and, around seven weeks after hatching, are expelled from the pouch into the mother's burrow. At around six months of age, they leave the burrow and have no more contact with their mothers.

I took this picture after a night show at Vizille Castle. It was the only picture I took, because the security came expel me to close the castle garden! I was the last person there!

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IN EXPLORE

The Berca Mud Volcanoes are a geological and botanical reservation located in the Berca commune in the Buzău County in Romania. Its most spectacular feature is the mud volcanoes, small volcano-shaped structures typically a few meters high caused by the eruption of mud and natural gases.

The geological phenomenon

Main article: Mud volcano

As the gasses erupt from 3000 meters-deep towards the surface, through the underground layers of clay and water, they push up underground salty water and mud, so that they overflow through the mouths of the volcanoes, while the gas emerges as bubbles. The mud dries off at the surface, creating a relatively solid conical structure, resembling a real volcano. The mud expelled by them is cold, as it comes from inside the Earth's continental crust layers, and not from the mantle.

The reservation is unique in Romania. Elsewhere in Europe, similar phenomena can be observed in Italy (northern Apennines and Sicily), Ukraine (in the Kerch Peninsula), as well as Azerbaijan.

Flora

The mud volcanoes create a strange lunar landscape, due to the absence of vegetation around the cones. Vegetation is scarce because the soil is very salty, an environmental condition in which few plants can survive. However, this kind of environment is good for some rare species of plants, such as Nitraria schoberi and Obione verrucifera.

The phenomenon can be observed on two separate locations near the Berca commune, dubbed the Little Mud Volcanoes and The Big Mud Volcanoes.

www.facebook.com/pages/Vulcanii-noroioşi/135741573123052...

Campo alrededor de Antananarivo cercano al aeropuerto internacional de Ivato

Countryside around Antananarivo close to Ivato International Airport

Antananarivo (Tananarive, en francés) es la capital de Madagascar, así como de la provincia homónima. Cuenta con una población de 1.275.207 habitantes (2018), lo que la convierte en la ciudad más poblada del país. La ciudad se encuentra ubicada en el centro de la isla, a unos 145 km de la costa oriental, que es la más cercana. En la actualidad la ciudad es una capital moderna, además del principal centro administrativo, económico, demográfico y judicial de Madagascar.

El nombre, de manera literal, significa "En la Ciudad de los Mil" en malgache, compuesto formado por el prefijo locativo A-, tanana que significa "ciudad" o "aldea" y arivo, "mil", (aunque la forma correcta sería Atnànan'ny Arivolahy) a causa de la cantidad de soldados que formaron su primer guarnición.

En efecto, según la tradición oral, el rey de Imerina, Andrianjaka (siglo XVII), pidió a mil guerreros que tomaran y protegieran el dominio real de la colina de Analamanga. El cerro y la ciudad conservaron el nombre de Analamanga hasta el reinado de Andriamasinavalona, quien les dio el nombre actual en honor a esos mil guerreros.

Sin embargo, no todos los investigadores aceptan esta leyenda; es posible que el nombre original fuese Antaninarivo, "en la tierra del pueblo", y Andriamasinavalona la denominase Atnànan'ny Arivolahy, de donde vino la forma híbrida Antananarivo por etimología popular.

Por aféresis propia del malgache, en francés se la llamó Tananarive con omisión del locativo, y en ocasiones simplemente Tana.

La ciudad dispone de comunicaciones por carretera con otras ciudades del país, vías ferroviarias y cuenta con el Aeropuerto Internacional Ivato que, con más de 1 500 000 de pasajeros anuales, es el aeropuerto más importante del país y proporciona a la ciudad vuelos nacionales con distintas regiones de Madagascar, además de trayectos internacionales hacia París, Johannesburgo, Nairobi y otras importantes ciudades africanas.

El clima es templado por su altitud. Enero es el mes más cálido en la ciudad, con un promedio de 22 grados Celsius; el mes más frío es julio, con un promedio de 15 grados Celsius. La media anual de temperatura es de 19 grados Celsius. Las heladas son raras en la ciudad; son más comunes en elevaciones más altas. Los meses con menos precipitaciones son julio y agosto con menos de 10 milímetros, mientras que en los meses de diciembre y enero llueve más con 290 milímetros. El promedio anual de precipitaciones es de 1358 milímetros.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antananarivo

Antananarivo (French: Tananarive), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of Analamanga region. The city sits at 1,280 m (4,199 ft) above sea level in the center of the island, the highest national capital by elevation among the island countries. It has been the country's largest population center since at least the 18th century. The presidency, National Assembly, Senate and Supreme Court are located there, as are 21 diplomatic missions and the headquarters of many national and international businesses and NGOs. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any city on the island. Several national and local sports teams, including the championship-winning national rugby team, the Makis are based here.

Antananarivo was historically the capital of the Merina people, who continue to form the majority of the city's 1,275,207 (2018 Census) inhabitants. The surrounding urban areas have a total metropolitan population approaching three million. All eighteen Malagasy ethnic groups, as well as residents of Chinese, Indian, European and other origins, are represented in the city. It was founded circa 1610, when the Merina King Andrianjaka (1612–1630) expelled the Vazimba inhabitants of the village of Analamanga. Declaring it the site of his capital, Andrianjaka built a rova (fortified royal dwelling) that expanded to become the royal palaces of the Kingdom of Imerina. The city retained the name Analamanga until the reign of King Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710), who renamed it Antananarivo ("City of the Thousand") in honor of Andrianjaka's soldiers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antananarivo

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es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templo_de_Zeus_Ol%C3%ADmpico_(Atenas)

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Templo de Zeus Olímpico - Atenas - Grecia

El templo de Zeus Olímpico, también conocido como el Olimpeion (griego Ναός του Ολυμπίου Δός, o Naos tou Olimpiou Dios), es un templo de Atenas. Aunque comenzado en el siglo VI a. C., no fue terminado hasta el reinado del emperador Adriano, en el siglo II. En las épocas helenística y romana era el templo más grande de Grecia.

El templo se ubica a unos 500 metros al sureste de la Acrópolis de Atenas y a unos 700 m al sur de la Plaza Sintagma (centro de Atenas).

Sus cimientos fueron colocados en el sitio de un primer templo por el tirano Pisístrato en 515 a. C., pero el trabajo fue abandonado cuando su hijo, Hipias, fue derrocado en 510 a. C.​Durante los años de la democracia ateniense, el templo fue dejado incompleto, porque se pensó que atentaba contra la hybris construir a tal escala. Aristóteles, en la Política, citó el templo como un ejemplo de cómo las tiranías atraían al pueblo a grandes obras de estado y lo dejaban sin tiempo, energía o medios para rebelarse.

El trabajo fue reanudado en 174 a. C., durante la dominación macedonia de Grecia, bajo el patrocinio del rey helenístico Antíoco IV Epífanes, que contrató al arquitecto romano Cosucio para diseñar el templo más grande del mundo conocido. Cuando Antíoco murió en 164 a. C. el trabajo estaba retrasado otra vez.

En 86 a. C., después de que las ciudades griegas cayeran bajo dominio romano, el general Sila llevó dos columnas del templo inacabado a Roma, para adornar el templo de Júpiter Capitolino en la Colina Capitolina. Estas columnas influyeron en el desarrollo del estilo corintio en Roma.

En el siglo II, el templo fue retomado por el emperador Adriano, un gran admirador de la cultura griega, quien finalmente lo llevó a su conclusión en 129 (algunas fuentes dicen que en 131).

El templo fue construido en mármol del monte Pentélico. Medía 96 metros de largo en sus lados mayores y 40 metros a lo ancho de sus caras oriental y occidental. Contaba de 104 columnas corintias, cada una de 17 metros de alto, de 2,6 metros de diámetro y un peso aproximado de 364 toneladas; de las cuales 48 estaban colocadas en filas triples bajo los frontones y 56 en filas dobles en los lados. Solo 16 de estas columnas sobreviven hoy, 13 de ellas, en el lado este, en pie. De las tres restantes, en el lado oeste, una se derrumbó en 1852 y está todavía tendida donde cayó.3

Adriano dedicó el templo a Zeus. También erigió una enorme estatua de marfil de Zeus en la cella del templo. Los frontones estaban adornados con muchas estatuas, pero también en todo el templo había estatuas y bustos de hombres famosos. Los atenienses, para mostrar su gratitud a Adriano, erigieron una estatua de él detrás del templo. Desafortunadamente, ninguna de las esculturas que adornaban el templo, o de su interior, ha sobrevivido. No se sabe exactamente cuándo fue destruido el templo, pero se especula que, como otros grandes edificios en Atenas, probablemente fue destruido por un terremoto durante los años bizantinos y sus ruinas se utilizaron para construir otros edificios.

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Temple of Olympian Zeus - Athens - Greece

The Temple of Olympian Zeus (Greek: Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός, Naós tou Olympíou Diós), also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus, is a former colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital Athens. It was dedicated to "Olympian" Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, who envisaged building the greatest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, some 638 years after the project had begun. During the Roman period the temple, which included 104 colossal columns, was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world.

The temple's glory was short-lived, as it fell into disuse after being pillaged during a barbarian invasion in 267 AD, just about a century after its completion. It was probably never repaired and was reduced to ruins thereafter. In the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was extensively quarried for building materials to supply building projects elsewhere in the city. Despite that, a substantial part of the temple remains today, notably sixteen of the original gigantic columns, and it continues to be part of a very important archaeological site of Greece.

The temple is located approximately 500 m (0.31 mi) south-east of the Acropolis, and about 700 m (0.43 mi) south of the center of Athens, Syntagma Square. Its foundations were laid on the site of an ancient outdoor sanctuary dedicated to Zeus. An earlier temple had stood there, constructed by the tyrant Peisistratus around 550 BC. The building was demolished after the death of Peisistratos and the construction of a colossal new Temple of Olympian Zeus was begun around 520 BC by his sons, Hippias and Hipparchos. They sought to surpass two famous contemporary temples, the Heraion of Samos and the second Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Designed by the architects Antistates, Callaeschrus, Antimachides and Phormos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was intended to be built of local limestone in the Doric style on a colossal platform measuring 41 m (134 ft 6 in) by 108 m (354 ft 4 in). It was to be flanked by a double colonnade of eight columns across the front and back and twenty-one on the flanks, surrounding the cella.

Corinthian columns detail

The work was abandoned when the tyranny was overthrown and Hippias was expelled in 510 BC. Only the platform and some elements of the columns had been completed by that point, and the temple remained in that state for 336 years. The temple was left unfinished during the years of Athenian democracy, apparently, because the Greeks thought it was hubris to build on such a scale. In his treatise Politics, Aristotle cited the temple as an example of how tyrannies engaged the populace in great works for the state (like a white elephant) and left them no time, energy or means to rebel.[1]

It was not until 174 BC that the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who presented himself as the earthly embodiment of Zeus, revived the project and placed the Roman architect Decimus Cossutius in charge. The design was changed to have three rows of eight columns across the front and back of the temple and a double row of twenty on the flanks, for a total of 104 columns. The columns would stand 17 m (55 ft 9 in) high and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. The building material was changed to the expensive but high-quality Pentelic marble and the order was changed from Doric to Corinthian, marking the first time that this order had been used on the exterior of a major temple. However, the project ground to a halt again in 164 BC with the death of Antiochus. The temple was still only half-finished by that stage.

Serious damage was inflicted on the partly built temple by Lucius Cornelius Sulla's sack of Athens in 86 BC. While looting the city, Sulla seized some of the incomplete columns and transported them back to Rome, where they were re-used in the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. A half-hearted attempt was made to complete the temple during Augustus' reign as the first Roman emperor, but it was not until the accession of Hadrian in the 2nd century AD that the project was finally completed around 638 years after it had begun.

To be taught lies is a terrible notion. Day by day we are. For profit, and for shear pleasure. When the lies become to much, we begin to lose ourselves. Everything is expelled. And once it is, we have nothing left to go by.

I actually love this. I am not a fan of working in water, and I doubt I will again unless a model is involved. My teeth are also a lovely shade of green.

Cheers.

Seen initially as a bulge in its throat, this bird soon expelled what I think is a Castor bean....