In fact, it is not all yellow lati that I have now, but they get to me faster than I have time to do, and especially upload photos.

Нет, это не все жёлтые лати, которые есть у меня сейчас, но они добираются до меня быстрее, чем я успеваю делать, а главное обрабатывать фотографии. :)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

Although the performance increases of jet-powered aircraft introduced towards the end of World War II over their piston-powered ancestors were breathtaking, there were those at the time who believed that much more was possible. As far back as 1943, the British Ministry of Aircraft Production had issued a specification designated "E.24/43" for a supersonic experimental jet aircraft that would be able to achieve 1,600 KPH (1,000 MPH).

The Levin served only with RAF 29 and 65 Squadron, the latter re-instated in 1970 as a dedicated fighter squadron. When in November 1984 the Tornado squadrons began to form, the Levin was gradually phased out and replaced until April 1987 by the Tornado F.3.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length w/o pitot: 51 ft 5 in (15,70 m), 55 ft 8 in (16.99 m) overall

Wingspan incl. wingtip launch rails: 34 ft 9 in (10.54 m)

Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)

Wing area: 474.5 ft² (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 8937 kg (lb)

Loaded weight: 13,570 kg (29,915)

Max. takeoff weight: 15,210 kg (33,530 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce RB.106-10S afterburning turbojet,

rated at 20,000 lbf (89 kN) dry and 26,000 lbf (116 kN) with afterburning

Performance:

Maximum speed:

- 1,150 km/h (620 kn, 715 mph, Mach 0.94) at sea level

- 2,230 km/h (1.202 kn, 1,386 mph, Mach 2.1;), clean with 2× Red Top AAMs at high altitude

- Mach 2.4 absolute top speed in clean configuration at 50.000 ft.

Range: 1,650 km (890 nmi, 1,025 mi) on internal fuel

Combat radius: 500 km (312 mi); clean, with a pair of wing tip Red Top AAMs

Ferry range: 1,270 mi (1.100 NM/ 2.040 km) with overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 16,760 m (55,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 136.7 m/s (27,000 ft/min)

Wing loading: 76 lb/ft² (370 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.78

Takeoff roll: 950 m (3,120 ft)

Landing roll: 700 m (2,300 ft)

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN cannons with 120 RPG in the upper front fuselage

2× wing tip hardpoints for mounting air-to-air missiles (2 Red Top of Firestreak AAMs)

2× overwing pylon stations for 260 gal ferry tanks

Optional, but rarely used: 2× hardpoints under the front fuselage for mounting air-to-air missiles

(2 Red Top of Firestreak AAMs)

The kit and its assembly:

Another contribution to the Cold War GB at whatifmodelers.com, and the realization of a project I had on the agenda for long. The EE P.6/1 was a real project for a Mach 2+ research aircraft, as described above, but it never went off the drawing board. Its engine, the RB.106, also never saw the light of day, even though its later career as the Canadian Orenda Iroquois for the stillborn CF-105.

Building this aircraft as a model appears simple, because it’s a classic Lightning (actually a F.1 with the un-kinked wing and the small fin), just with a single engine and a rather tubular fuselage. But creating this is not easy at all…

I did not want to replicate the original P.6/1, but rather a service aircraft based on the research aircraft. Therefore I used parts from a Lightning F.6 (a vintage NOVO/Frog kit). For the fuselage I settled for a Su-17, from a MasterCraft kit. The kit’s selling point was its small price tag and the fuselage construction: the VG mechanism is hidden under a separate spine piece, and I wanted to transplant the Lightning’s spine and cockpit frame, so I thought that this would make things easier.

Nope.

Putting the parts from the VERY different kits/aircraft together was a major surgery feat, with several multiple PSR sessions on the fuselage, the air intake section (opened and fitted with both an internal splitter and a bulkhead to the cockpit section), the wings, the stabilizers, the fin… This model deserves the title “kitbash” like no other, because no major sections had ever been intended to be glued together, and in the intended position!

The landing gear was more or less taken OOB, but the main struts had to be elongated by 2mm – somehow the model turned out to be a low-riding tail sitter! The cockpit interior was improvised, too, consisting of a Su-17 cockpit tub, a scratched dashboard and a Martin Baker ejection seat from an Italeri Bae Hawk trainer.

Since most of the fuselage surface consists of various materials (styrene and two kinds of putty), I did not dare to engrave panel lines – after all the PSR work almost any surface detail was gone. I rather went for a graphic solution (see below). Some antennae and air scoops were added, though.

The overwing tanks come OOB from the NOVO kit, as well as the Red Top missiles, which ended up on improvised wing tip launch rails, based on design sketches for Lightning derivatives with this layout.

Colors and markings:

There are several “classic” RAF options, but I settled for a low-viz Eighties livery taken from BAC Lightnings. There’s a surprising variety of styles, and my version is a mix of several real world aircraft.

I settled for Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces (Modelmaster Authentic) with a high waterline, a fuselage completely in Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165 – had to be applied twice because the first tin I used was obviously old and the paint ended up in a tone not unlike PRU Blue!) and Light aircraft Grey underwing surfaces (Humbrol 166). The leading edges under the wings are Dark Sea Grey, too.

The cockpit interior was painted in dark grey (Humbrol 32 with some dry-brushing), while the landing gear is Aluminum (Humbrol 56).

Once the basic painting was done I had to deal with the missing panel lines on the fuselage and those raised lines that were sanded away during the building process. I decided to simulate these with a soft pencil, after the whole kit was buffed with a soft cotton cloth and some grinded graphite. This way, the remaining raised panel lines were emphasized, and from these the rest was drawn up. A ruler and masking tape were used as guidance for straight lines, and this worked better than expected, with good results.

As a next step, the newly created panels were highlighted with dry-brushed lighter tones of the basic paints (FS 36492 and WWII Italian Blue Grey from Modelmaster, and Humbrol 126), more for a dramatic than a weathered effect. The gun ports and the exhaust section were painted with Modelmaster Metallizer (Titanium and Magnesium).

The decals come from several Xtradecal aftermarket sheets, including a dedicated Lightning stencils sheet, another Lightning sheet with various squadron markings and a sheet for RAF Tornado ADVs.

The code number “XS970” was earmarked to a TSR.2, AFAIK, but since it was never used on a service aircraft it would be a good option for the Levin.

The kit received a coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can – jn this case the finish was intended to bear a slight shine.

This was a project with LOTS of effort, but you hardly recognize it – it’s a single engine Lightning, so what? But welding the Lightning and Su-17 parts together for something that comes close to the P.6/1 necessitated LOTS of body work and improvisation, carving it from wood would probably have been the next complicated option. Except for the surprisingly long tail I am very happy with the result, despite the model’s shaggy origins, and the low-viz livery suits the sleek aircraft IMHO very well.

In the 1980's, pairs of class 37's were booked traction on the Clitheroe - Gunnie cement, a fact which goes a long way to explaining why this photographer cannot get enthusiastic about class 66's on a similar working nowadays! 37370 and 37379 wait for the road at Preston, 11th April 1989.

Downtown Los Angeles from the Hollywood Hills

What do you know about the Moon? This set of infographics illustrates the most frequently asked questions and facts about Earth’s natural satellite.

ESA is teaming up with international partners to explore the Moon as a destination for both robotic missions and human explorers.

Orion, the NASA spacecraft, will bring humans farther than they have ever been before relying on the European Service Module to return humans to the Moon and take advantage of the new technology for human space transportation. ESA is providing service modules that will provide propulsion, life support, power, air and water, and control the temperature in the crew module.

Luna-Resurs is a partnership with the Russian agency Roscosmos that will carry European technology to land precisely and safely on the Moon and to drill into the surface to extract and analyse samples of the lunar terrain.

The Agency is looking at how we could extract and process local resources into useful products and services, such as drinkable water or breathable oxygen on the Moon.

The Heracles mission could take of in 2028 to allow us to gain knowledge on human-robotic interaction while landing a spacecraft on the Moon to collect samples with a rover operated from an orbiting lunar gateway and send the samples back to Earth.

Credits: ESA

As one of the showpiece main rooms of Billilla mansion when male guests came to call, the billiard room is one of the grandest rooms in the house. With an interconnecting door between it and the adjoining dining room, whilst the women retired to the feminine surrounds of the drawing room, the men could retreat to this strictly male preserve with their brandy and cigars and discuss business over a game or two of billiards.

Although part of the original 1878 house and featuring some High Victorian detailing, the billiard room did not escape the 1907 redecoration, and as a result it also features some very fine Art Nouveau detailing.

The Billilla billiards room is also one of the most intact rooms in the whole house, as it still features its original and ornate Victorian carpet and the original walnut Alcock and Company billiard table and scoreboard.

A very masculine oriented room, the walls feature Victorian era dark wood dado panelling about a third of the way up the walls. Above that the walls are simply painted, and even to this day they still feature marks where chalked cues once rested. Original ornate Victorian gasoliers that could be swiveled into position still jut from the walls above the dado panelling. With their original fluted glass shades remaining in place, the gasoliers still have functioning taps to increase or decrease the gas supply.

The room is heated by a large fireplace featuring an insert of beautiful tube lined Art Nouveau peacock feathers, once again quietly underlining the fact that this is a man's room.

The Victorian era carpet of the billiard room is still bright and in remarkably good condition for its age. It is thick and dyed in bright colours in a pattern designed to imitate ornate floor tiles.

The ceiling of the billiard room is decorated with ornate stylised foliate Art Nouveau patterns and mouldings of leaves. Whilst Art Nouveau is often referred to as a feminine style, the ceiling of the billiard room shows how when applied in a particular way it could also be very strong and masculine.

Suspended over the walnut Alcock and Company billiard table the gleaming polished brass foliate style gasolier has subsequently been electrified and features five of its six green glass shades.

One of the few more feminine touches to what is otherwise a very masculine room are the stained glass lunettes over the billiard room's three windows. In keeping with other original windows of the house, they feature a single flower, in this case a red tulip.

Alcock and Company Manufacturers was established in 1853 when Melbourne was still a very new city of less than twenty years old. they still manufacture billiard tables from their Malvern establishment today.

Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.

When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.

The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today.

After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933. She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.

The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings. Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house.

Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were. The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.

Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.

Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.

Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge". It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.

To celebrate the fact that the girls are coming back (on Amazon at least I guess hrehre) I've been wanting to fix some old lines. I'm also getting more space soon, which means that I'll be able to display some more dolls and so I also want to make sure that some of them are looking display ready.

This line is so much better than I even remembered lol. Their faces are SNATCHED. love the eyelashes and their dresses too. The glitters sure do make a mess though. Will definitely have to clean tomorrow. Was worth it tho!

From the "March for Science" in St. Petersburg.

No "alternative facts" here.

What could be more scary than a real dragon?

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the real dragon of the world.

It is the world's largest living reptile, with males averaging about nine feet in length and about three hundred pounds. Although its size, an interesting Komodo dragon fact is that it can run as fast as 13 mph (20 km/h), almost as fast as a dog. It can also swim between the islands it inhabits without any problems.

While they are not fire breathing, they have big sharp teeth, and they have been know to eat a few people who got in their way.

Mainly though, they eat deer, goat and wild boar.

Their home is Indonesia, specifically the island of Komodo and a few nearby islands.

It's also a scary time for Komodo dragons. They are endangered, and were first placed on the most endangered list of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1976. The government of Indonesia set up the Komodo National Park on the island of Komodo. Still, that protection does not extend to the other islands where the Komodo dragon lives.

+++ 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 Sd.Kfz. 141/4 Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, the latter was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun and the Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV. Later, the Panzer V “Panther” took over the role of the standard MBT. Production of the Panzer III as battle tank ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis was used for a range of specialized vehicles.

The last Panzer IIIs fought in the Netherlands, Northern Italy (Gothic line), and in eastern Prussia. Perhaps a handful still operational were spread between desperately weakened companies in March-April 1945, like the Steiner Brigade.

Specifications:

Crew: Four (commander/gunner, loader, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)

Weight: 19.2 tonnes

Length: 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in), hull only

6,04 m (19 ft 10 in) overall

Width: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)

Height: 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) w/o antenna mast

Suspension: Torsion bar

Fuel capacity: 320 liter

Armor:

15 – 50 mm (0.6 – 1.97 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 44 km/h (27 mph)

Off-road speed: 28 km/h (18 mph)

Operational range: 165 km (103 mi) with internal fuel

Power/weight: 15.63 PS (11.24 kW)/tonne

Engine:

Maybach HL120 TRM water-cooled 12-cylinder gasoline engine with 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW),

combined with a Maybach OG 55 11 77 semi-automatic transmission

Armament:

1× 50 mm (1.97 in) KwK 39/1 L/60 with sixty rounds

2× 7.92 mm MG 42 machine guns (coaxial with main gun and in the front hull) with 2.400 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This converted Panzer III was spawned by the idea that, by 1944, this 1936 design could have been re-built for a different use than a battle tank – a task for which this medium tank had become much too light, with an utter lack of development potential. A dedicated recce variant appeared plausible. This idea was further promoted by the fact that I had a surplus VK 1602 turret in the donor bank, left over from a Hasegawa SdKfz. 234/2 “Puma”.

The chassis was taken from a Revell “Panzer III Ostwind” kit and modified in two ways. Firstly, I changed the glacis plate, replacing the old-school vertical front with a sloped alternative, crafted from styrene sheet pieces. A new ball mount for the hull machine gun was added, as well as periscopes for the crew on new hatches, which became possible through the smaller turret.

The turret opening in the hull had not to be adapted to the smaller Puma turret – the latter was only a little bit smaller than the opening, so that some spacers were enough to make it fit snuggly, and a thin “distance ring” between hull and turret was added, too, so that it would not directly sit on the body. Fairings for a stereoscopic rangefinder were added to the turret flanks, scratched from styrene profile material, and I also added a typical Panzer III stowage box to the turret’s rear. It had to be customized to the smaller “Puma” turret, but I think that this visual enlargement of the turret is a good balance to the rest of the hull, and the box changes the vehicle’s silhouette, too. The commando cupola from the Revell kit (which comes, beyond the open “Ostwind” AA turret, with a full, early standard Panzer III turret) was left open, using the hatch from the VK 1602 turret, and I put a figure into the opening – this German commanding officer is actually 1:76, but that’s not obvious. The figure comes IIRC from a Matchbox “Wespe” SPG that I built more than 30 years ago. Since the figure had somehow lost a leg in the meantime, the Panzerspähwagen III became a suitable new workplace for the handicapped, after having been stripped off of an old enamel paint layer and outfitted with a multi-colored new uniform. Other small changes include the scratched antenna mast for the vehicle’s uprated radio equipment (from heated sprue material) and some re-arranged external equipment.

As another, subtle gimmick, I replaced the original main wheels, for a different and somewhat confusing look. A simplified running gear, without rubber on the main wheels, appeared quite plausible for 1944 onwards. The new road wheels came from a Zvezda IS-2 tank. I had a dozen of these left over from another conversion project, just in the right number and their diameter is virtually identical to the Panzer III’s original wheels! Just the spare wheels had to be taken over from the Revell kit. The fiddly OOB segmented plastic tracks were replaced with soft vinyl tracks from a Panzer III/IV CMK aftermarket set. Personally, I find them easier to handle and to paint – due to their anthracite black color and the material’s smoothness. Nice stuff!

Painting and markings:

As a late WWII vehicle I decided to apply a non-standard/fictional paint scheme, something different from the popular “Hinterhalt” scheme, and I settled upon a pattern similar to an E-100 tank I had built a while ago. The scheme consists of an overall coat of grey-green (RLM02, a universal and omnipresent tone) with disrupting, large spots of dark grey (RAL 7021, Schwarzgrau), which were strategically placed over corners and edges of the hull, so that the outlines break up. I adapted the concept onto my modified Panzer III, but somehow this looked goofy – probably due to the much smaller size and classic tank silhouette of the vehicle: the whole affair was way too reminiscent of the Allied late-war “Mickey Mouse” scheme in olive drab and black!

In order to provide a more outstanding look and lighten everything up a little, I added small grey-green mottles to the dark grey areas. After that, however, the still uniform grey-green areas stood out, so that I eventually applied mottles in RAL 7028 (Dunkelgelb) to these areas, too. The contrast is rather low, but I think that the overall look is in the end more balanced with them, and the mottles overall help to break up the outlines even further – and the paint scheme looks more “different” now. The wheels and the running gear sections of the hull were – as a standard order of the time – left without the mottles, because the swirling patterns would be rather obvious when the vehicle was moving.

The basic tones are Revell 45, Humbrol 67 and ModelMaster 1584, later treated with a dark, red-brown overall washing with acrylic paint, dry-painting with a greyish beige all over (Revell 89, nice weathering tone for fresh, clayish mud) and some watercolor in ochre and umbra for dust and mud residues. Tactical markings are minimal and come from the Revell Ostwind kit and a Hasegawa Panther. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and some mineral pigments were dusted onto the model’s lower areas.

An interesting result, and the fictional Panzerkampfwagen III looks IMHO disturbingly plausible, as it combines well-known elements and comes with subtle updates/modifications. And somehow the vehicle (unintentionally) reminds me a lot of the comparable M24 Chaffee. And isn’t there a certain look of a mini KV-1, due to the turret’s shape and proportions?

What do you know about the Moon? This set of infographics illustrates the most frequently asked questions and facts about Earth’s natural satellite.

ESA is teaming up with international partners to explore the Moon as a destination for both robotic missions and human explorers.

Orion, the NASA spacecraft, will bring humans farther than they have ever been before relying on the European Service Module to return humans to the Moon and take advantage of the new technology for human space transportation. ESA is providing service modules that will provide propulsion, life support, power, air and water, and control the temperature in the crew module.

Luna-Resurs is a partnership with the Russian agency Roscosmos that will carry European technology to land precisely and safely on the Moon and to drill into the surface to extract and analyse samples of the lunar terrain.

The Agency is looking at how we could extract and process local resources into useful products and services, such as drinkable water or breathable oxygen on the Moon.

The Heracles mission could take of in 2028 to allow us to gain knowledge on human-robotic interaction while landing a spacecraft on the Moon to collect samples with a rover operated from an orbiting lunar gateway and send the samples back to Earth.

Credits: ESA

F.A.C.T.S. 2013

Ghent, Belgien

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

www.flickr.com/photos/mchenryarts/

www.facebook.com/McHenryArts

Pernah dengar yang namanya kaum miskin urban? Kalau kamu sempat membaca tulisan Gayatri Jayaraman, kontributor BuzzFeed di India mungkin bisa memahami istilah itu. Kaum miskin urban kerap ditujukan kepada mereka para generasi muda yang rela menahan lapar, menghabiskan seluruh pendapatannya demi sebuah eksistensi belaka dengan nongkrong di tempat-tempat ngehits dan bisa diposting di Instagram.

Gayatri menulis cerita kaum miskin urban berdasarkan observasinya di India, tapi jangan salah. Fenomena anak-anak muda kere yang penting eksis itu faktanya ada di berbagai kota besar di Indonesia. Kamu tentu akan biasa melihat segerombolan anak-anak lulusan sarjana (atau masih sekolah/kuliah) yang nongkrong di cafe-cafe mahal. Disebut mahal karena untuk sekali makan dan minum di sana bisa habis hingga dua ratus ribu rupiah.

Yap, itulah mereka generasi milenial yang ingin dianggap kekinian. Gadget yang mahal seperti iPhone, MacBook, GoPro atau kamera Mirrorless keluaran terbaru adalah hal wajib bagi mereka. Namun kaum miskin urban ini punya beragam hal yang bisa bikin kamu miris melihatnya. Miris, tapi itulah yang terjadi dewasa ini. Tak cuma Gayatri, Mardiyah Chamim seorang jurnalis Tempo juga punya cerita soal kaum urban miskin penting eksis ini.

Kembali lagi, memang sih tak ada yang keliru dengan impian jadi kaya dan hidup serba kecukupan. Namun Gayatri berpendapat bahwa tak ada yang mengajarkan bagaimana mendapat uang besar dan karir cemerlang dengan cara cepat. Butuh perjuangan panjang dan pengorbanan. Tinggal kamu wahai anak muda memilih, mau tampak mewah demi eksistensi atau meredam semuanya demi kehidupan lebih tenang hingga ujung waktu nanti.

Source: plus.kapanlagi.com/fakta-miris-kaum-miskin-urban-anak-muda-kere-yang-penting-eksis-07daec.html

dahtaukah.com/mengenal-kaum-miskin-urban/

What do you know about the Moon? This set of infographics illustrates the most frequently asked questions and facts about Earth’s natural satellite.

ESA is teaming up with international partners to explore the Moon as a destination for both robotic missions and human explorers.

Orion, the NASA spacecraft, will bring humans farther than they have ever been before relying on the European Service Module to return humans to the Moon and take advantage of the new technology for human space transportation. ESA is providing service modules that will provide propulsion, life support, power, air and water, and control the temperature in the crew module.

Luna-Resurs is a partnership with the Russian agency Roscosmos that will carry European technology to land precisely and safely on the Moon and to drill into the surface to extract and analyse samples of the lunar terrain.

The Agency is looking at how we could extract and process local resources into useful products and services, such as drinkable water or breathable oxygen on the Moon.

The Heracles mission could take of in 2028 to allow us to gain knowledge on human-robotic interaction while landing a spacecraft on the Moon to collect samples with a rover operated from an orbiting lunar gateway and send the samples back to Earth.

Credits: ESA

Six in fact, because the EF class locomotives have a Tri-Bo wheel arrangement.

A double-headed Wellington to Auckland Westfield freight train is about to cross Rukuhia Road about 10 kilometers from Hamilton, where electric traction will be exchanged for a diesel to conclude the journey to Auckland.

As I watched them chant "Lock Her Up!" I wondered -- for what purpose have they come together? What are they doing? Is there some kind of platform?

And then I began to wonder is this all they have to offer the country? A tribal Lord of the Flies-type chant calling for the spearing of a former first lady and Secretary of State? A Bush-style dynasty to feed the insatiable ego of Donald Trump and, by extension, really fu%k up the world? Is that what these people want for themselves, their families and neighbors? Do they even know what they're asking for? What quality of leader would incite an assembled crowd into this kind of collective madness?

But then ...

1. This is the kind of behavior that has led to assassinations.

2. This is the kind of behavior that follows Donald Trump. These are his people.

So one may wonder ...

HOW DO YOU

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

WHEN YOU

IGNORE AND

LIE ABOUT ...

The economy

Jobs

Affordable health care

Gender fairness and respect

Effective Public Education

Affordable college

Diplomacy -- in general

Homeland security

Science

Orphaned refugees

Peace and justice

Racial inequality

Economic inequality

Social inequality

National and local infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc)

Warming

direction ... conviction? ... leadership?

ideas? ... solutions? ... facts?

competence ... ?

WHAT IS THEIR PLATFORM?

Unruly Sophomoric Hatred is their platform — and why not, it aligns with the flaming unsteadiness of their chosen candidate. What is assembled in Cleveland right now is the bottom of the American barrel. These are the people who have been messing up our country for years from their stinky smoke-filled double-wide trailers and envious, spiteful, superstitious church halls and bowling alleys sitting inside jerrymandered districts drawn up for their qualities of low curiosity and high combustibility. They are pissed off and shallow; they're drawn to flags and symbols and collective scapegoating. They'd been marginalized their whole lives until Republican red pens drew them into a sense of empowerment -- and it seemed they finally grew a voice, or so they thought, but instead they had bitten into an empty promise, pinning their hopes on evaporating shape shifters who hold nothing but money as sacred. Courted by the wolf they have given away their options, living by words and quoting tenets that were never intended for them. They had never been invited to the table and are not welcomed there. Right now they are in the middle of this and have just crowned their most perfect leader -- a man who would name his son Baron -- a deranged, unsteady, thin-skinned narcissist whose talents are found mainly in his barking, overtanning and self-congratulatory puffery.

I hope to share here David Brooks' recent thinking on Trump's behavior. I beg my liberal friends to grant dispensation for my sharing a Republican's column, but Brooks is the old-style Republican, the real Republican -- not some twisted freak's acolyte. Please read this and re-post it or pass it on. — Peter.

________________________________________________

www.nytimes.com/2016/07/19/opinion/trump-is-getting-even-...

TRUMP IS GETTING EVEN TRUMPIER!

By David Brooks

July 19, 2016

The New York Times

Does anybody else have the sense that Donald Trump is slipping off the rails? His speeches have always had a rambling, free association quality, but a couple of the recent ones have, as the Republican political consultant Mike Murphy put it, passed from the category of rant to the category of full on “drunk wedding toast.”

Trump’s verbal style has always been distinct. He doesn’t really speak in sentences or paragraphs. His speeches are punctuated by five- or six-word jabs that are sort of strung together by connections that can only be understood through chaos theory: “They want the wall … I dominated with the evangelicals … I won in a landslide … We can’t be the stupid people anymore.”

Occasionally Trump will attempt a sentence longer than eight words, but no matter what subject he starts the sentence with, by the end he has been pulled over to the subject of himself. Here’s an example from the Mike Pence announcement speech: “So one of the primary reasons I chose Mike was I looked at Indiana, and I won Indiana big.” There’s sort of a gravitational narcissistic pull that takes command whenever he attempts to utter a compound thought.

Trump has also always been a little engine fueled by wounded pride. For example, writing in BuzzFeed, McKay Coppins recalls the fusillade of abuse he received from Trump after writing an unflattering profile (he called Mar-a-Lago a “nice, if slightly dated, hotel”).

Trump was so inflamed he tweeted retaliation at Coppins several times a day and at odd hours, calling him a “dishonest slob” and “true garbage with no credibility.” The attacks went on impressively for over two years, which must rank Coppins in the top 100,000 on the list of people Donald Trump resents.

Over the past few weeks these longstanding Trump patterns have gone into hyperdrive. This is a unique moment in American political history in which the mental stability of one of the major party nominees is the dominating subject of conversation.

Everybody is telling Trump to ratchet it down and be more sober, but at a rally near Cincinnati this month and in his Pence announcement speech on Saturday, Trump launched his verbal rocket ship straight through the stratosphere, and it landed somewhere on the dark side of Planet Debbie.

Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, The Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.

The Pence announcement was truly the strangest vice-presidential unveiling in recent political history. Ricocheting around the verbal wilds for more than twice as long as the man he was introducing, Trump even refused to remain onstage and gaze on admiringly as Pence flattered him. It was like watching a guy lose interest in a wedding when the bride appears.

The structure of his mental perambulations also seems to have changed. Formerly, as I said, his speeches had a random, free-form quality. But on Saturday his remarks had a distinct through line, anchored by the talking points his campaign had written down on pieces of paper. But Trump could not keep his attention focused on this through line — since the subject was someone else — so every 30 seconds or so he would shoot off on a resentment-filled bragging loop.

If you had to do a rough diagram of the Trump remarks it would be something like this: Pence … I was right about Iraq … Pence … Hillary Clinton is a crooked liar … I was right about “Brexit” … Pence … Hillary Clintons ads are filled with lies … We’re going to bring back the coal industry … Christians love me … Pence … I talk to statisticians … Pence is good looking … My hotel in Washington is really coming along fantastically … Pence.

Donald Trump is in his moment of greatest triumph, but he seems more resentful and embattled than ever. Most political conventions are happy coronations, but this one may come to feel like the Alamo of aggrieved counterattacks.

It’s hard to know exactly what is going on in that brain, but science lends a clue. Psychologists wonder if narcissists are defined by extremely high self-esteem or by extremely low self-esteem that they are trying to mask. The current consensus seems to be that they are marked by unstable self-esteem. Their self-confidence can be both high and fragile, so they perceive ego threat all around.

Maybe as Trump has gotten more successful his estimation of what sort of adoration he deserves has increased while the outside criticism has gotten more pronounced. This combination is bound to leave his ego threat sensors permanently inflamed. So even if Candidate Trump is told to make a normal political point, Inner Boy Trump will hijack the microphone for another bout of resentful boasting.

Suddenly the global climate favors a Trump candidacy. Some forms of disorder — like a financial crisis — send voters for the calm supple thinker. But other forms of disorder — blood in the streets — send them scurrying for the brutal strongman.

If the string of horrific events continues, Trump could win the presidency. And he could win it even though he has less and less control over himself.

"ROOOAARRR!! I'm da KING! Thank ya, thank ya very much!"

"African lions live in groups called ‘prides’."

"Dat's right. We ALL about the pride."

"Young male lions get kicked out of the pride by older males when they reach sexual maturity, at about 2 years old."

"Don't like kiddo competition hangin round."

"When a male lion takes over a pride, it can kill all the lion cubs to bring the pride’s females into heat again."

"Hey, a playa's gotta play."

"A male lions mane is a symbol of their fighting ability and health to both potential mates, and rivals."

"Awww, YEAH. Check me out, ladies."

"Lionesses can turn on and kill older previously dominant males in a pride."

"Wait, what?"

"Lions have a roar that can carry up to 8km (5 miles)."

"ROOOAARRR!! Yeah, yeah, you KNOW it!"

"Lions run up to speeds of 80 Kph (50 Mph)."

"Looks and speed! You can't outrun this!"

"They have an amazing jump, and have been recorded springing as far as 36 feet."

"Yer boy can JUMP!"

"Lions can live twice as long in captivity."

"Yeah... okay... but don't be lockin me up! I'd rather wear out than rust out, baby!"

"The lion diet is primarily meat."

"Meatatarian! Right here! Serve it up!"

"Lionesses do the majority of the hunting."

"Hey, so I support liberated women! And the food they bring home."

"Lions are pretty good at chilling out."

"I sleep about 20 hours a day. Don't hate the playa, hate the game."

"They have amazing vision. The eyes of the lion are six times more sensitive to light than the eyes of a human. This means their night vision is far better than that of some of their prey."

"Dat's right. I'm looking at you, sweet thing. Even at night."

"Lions mate early in their lives."

"Ain't nobody got time ta be waitin' round."

"Lions walk in an unusual manner. Their heels do not touch the ground when a lion walks. This is because they have big toes and pads on the bottom of their feet, which allow them to move quietly."

"I call it my strut."

"Lions are symbolic in various cultures. The lion generally stands for strength and courage and as such, are usually symbols commonly used in association with royalty. It is probably because of this that the phrase “King of the Jungle” came into being."

"Awww, YEAH! Nothin left to say, but ROOOAARRR!!"

═════════════════════════════════════

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

+++ 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 Ki-38 fighter was designed by the Tachikawa Aircraft Company Limited (立川飛行機株式会社, Tachikawa Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) near Tokyo, an aircraft manufacturer in the Empire of Japan, specializing primarily in aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The Ki-38 prototype was produced in response to a December 1937 specification for a successor to the popular fixed-gear Nakajima Ki-27 Nate. The specification called for a top speed of 500 km/h (310 mph), a climb rate of 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in five minutes and a range of 800 km (500 mi). Maneuverability was to be at least as good as that of Ki-27.

As the war progressed, however, the fighter suffered from the same weaknesses as its slower, fixed-gear Ki-27 "Nate" predecessor and the more advanced naval A6M Zero: light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing fuel tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of four light machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armored Allied aircraft. Both issues were more or less mended with improved versions, but the Ki-38 could never keep up with the enemy fighters’ development and potential. And as newer Allied aircraft were introduced, the Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most aircraft were flown by inexperienced pilots.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 8.96 m (29 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 10.54 m (34 ft 7 in)

Height: 3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 17.32 m² (186.4 sq ft)

Empty weight: 2,158 kg (4,758 lb)

Gross weight: 2,693 kg (5,937 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 2,800 kg (6,173 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine with 1,050hp (755 kW),

driving a 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 509 km/h (316 mph, 275 kn)

Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn)

Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)

Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 3 minutes 24 seconds

Wing loading: 155.4 kg/m2 (31.8 lb/sq ft)

Power/mass: 0.182 hp/lb (0.299 kW/kg)

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Ho-5 cannon with 150 rpg

2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 89 machine guns with 500 rpg

2× underwing hardpoints for single 30 kg (66 lb) or 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs

1× ventral hardpoint for a 200 l (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

I always thought that the French Bloch MB 150 had some early WWII Japanese look to it, and with this idea I recently procured a relatively cheap Heller kit for this conversion project that would yield the purely fictional Tachikawa Ki-38 for the IJA – even though the Ki-38 existed as a Kawasaki project and eventually became the Ki-45, so that the 38 as kitai number was never actively used.

The Heller MB 150 is a vintage kit, and it is not a good one. You get raised panel lines, poor details (the engine is a joke) and mediocre fit. If you want a good MB 150 in 1:72, look IMHO elsewhere.

For the Ki-38 I wanted to retain most of the hull, the first basic change was the integration of a cowling from a Japanese Mitsubishi Ha-102 two-row radial (left over from an Airfix Ki-46 “Dinah”), which also received a new three-blade propeller with a different spinner on a metal axis inside. The engine also received some more interior details, even though the spinner blocks most sight.

The next, more radical move was to replace the MB 150’s spinal cockpit fairing with a bubble canopy and a lowered back – I found a very old and glue-tinted canopy from a Matchbox A6M in the spares box, and it turned out to be very suitable for the Ki-38. However, cleaning the clear piece was quite challenging, because all raised struts had to be sanded away to get rid of the old glue and paint residues, and re-polishing it back to a more or less translucent state took several turns with ever finer sandpaper, polishing paste and soft polishing mops on a mini drill. The spine was re-created with 2C-putty and the canopy was blended into it and into the fuselage with several PSR turns.

Inside, I used a different pilot figure (which would later be hard to see, though), added a fuel tank behind the seat with some supporting struts and inserted a piece of styrene sheet to separate the landing gear well from the cockpit – OOB it’s simply open.

The landing gear was basically taken OOB, I just replaced the original tail skid with a wheel and modified the wheels with hub covers, because the old kit wants you to push them onto long axis’ with knobs at their tips so that they remain turnable. Meh!

The fairings under the guns in the wings (barrels scratched from the MB 150’s OOB parts) are conformal underwing fuel tanks from a late Seafire (Special Hobby kit).

Painting and markings:

The initial plan was a simple green/grey IJA livery, but the model looked SO much like an A6M that I rather decided to give it a more elaborate paint scheme. I eventually found an interesting camouflage on a Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” attack plane, even though without indications concerning its unit, time frame or theater of operations (even though I assume that it was used in the China-Burma-India theater): an overall light grey base, onto which opaque green contrast fields/stripes had been added, and the remaining light grey upper areas were overpainted with thin sinuous lines of the same green. This was adapted onto the Ki-38 with a basis in Humbrol 167 (RAF Barley Grey) and FS 34102 (Humbrol 117) for the green cammo. I also wanted to weather the model considerably, as a measure to hide some hardware flaws, so that a partial “primer coat” with Aluminum (Revell 99) was added to several areas, to shine through later. The yellow ID markings on the wings’ leading edges were painted with Humbrol 69. The propeller blades were painted with Humbrol 180, the spinner in a slightly lighter mix of 180 and 160.

Interior surfaces were painted with a dull yellowish green, a mix of Revell 16 and 42, just the inside of the landing gear covers became grey as the outside, in a fashion very similar to early Ki-43s.

The decals came form various sources, including a Hasegawa Ki-61 sheet for the unit markings and some stencils and hinomaru in suitable sizes from a generic roundel sheet.

Some dry-brushing with light grey was done to emphasize edges and details, and some soot stains were added with graphite to the exhausts and the guns. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, some more dry-brushing with aluminum was done, esp. around the cockpit, and position lights were added with translucent paint.

An unexpected result – I was not prepared that the modified MB 150 looks THAT much like a Mitsubishi A6M or the Ki-43! There’s even an Fw 190-ish feel to it, from certain angles. O.K., the canopy actually comes from a Zero and the cowling looks very similar, too. But the overall similarity is baffling, just the tail is the most distinguishing feature! However, due to the poor basis and the almost blind canopy donor, the model is far from stellar or presentable – but some in-flight shots look pretty convincing, and even the camouflage appears to be quite effective over wooded terrain.

© Emily Reid Campbell

"Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come from God. He is the one who has given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant, which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written letters bring death, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the administering of death, in the written letters engraved on stones, was accompanied by such a brightness that the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses, though it was a brightness that faded, then how much greater will be the brightness that surrounds the administering of the Spirit! For if there was any splendour in administering condemnation, there must be very much greater splendour in administering justification. In fact, compared with this greater splendour, the thing that used to have such splendour now seems to have none; and if what was so temporary had any splendour, there must be much more in what is going to last for ever."

– 2 Cor 3:4-11, which is today's 1st reading at Mass.

My sermon for today can be read here

Mosaic from St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Aggie Ring loves a good "selfie!"

I could tell that Aggie Ring was impressed. After several moments of silence he spoke out and said, “If my Eyes of Texas aren’t deceiving me, that’s the biggest damn lightbulb I’ve ever seen! I guess it’s true… Everything IS bigger in Jersey!”

The Aggie Ring woke me up early this morning. In fact it was even before 11:30 a.m. so I knew he wanted to do something. I asked the Aggie Ring, “What do you want to do Aggie Ring?” The Aggie Ring replied, “I want to go see the lightbulb!” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about so I said, “What lightbulb?” The Aggie Ring said with emphasis, “Let there be LIGHT!” Then it hit me. Aggie Ring wanted to drive him up the Parkway to the site of Thomas A. Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory so he could see the Art Deco Edison Memorial Tower and “Big Ass Lightbulb!”

Other than the time he told me that he thought Elvis took our change in a tollbooth on the New Jersey State Turnpike, Aggie Ring has great ideas. It’s only about a 20 to 25 minute drive up the Parkway from our house so Aggie Ring and I set off to see the Edison Memorial Tower. The last time we’d been there it had been in horrible shape and they were beginning work on restoring it. That was a bit over a year ago so I assumed that Aggie Ring figured out that they would be finished with the conservation work on the historical site.

When we drove down the little side street where the tower is located the Aggie Ring was overwhelmed with awe at the restored site. Aggie Ring was truly “speechless!” It’s just as beautiful as the day it was built. They did an incredible job on the restoration. After a few moments sitting in the car just looking out the window Aggie Ring broke his silence and asked me, “Did you bring a cigar? Edison loved his cigars and I think he’d have wanted you to smoke a cigar while you’re looking the place over.” Unfortunately I had left my cigars at home so the Edison “smoke out” will have to happen on a future date.

The laboratory building is no longer at this site but it’s still impressive to think of not only the electric lightbulb, but all of the other great inventions that Mr. Edison invented here. Aggie Ring said, “Imagine. He did all this stuff without the help of an Aggie Ring!”

The Aggie Ring and I walked around the tower and took some photos of the “Big Ass Lightbulb” and the historical plaques at its base. The Aggie Ring and I are planning on going back some evening when the lightbulb is illuminated. Aggie Ring said, “It would be cool if you could get a photo during a thunderstorm when there’s lightning behind the tower.” I told Aggie Ring, “You’re crazy! I’m not standing out in a field during a lightning storm with an Aggie Ring on my finger! Maybe if we can get a VMI grad to come with us. Their rings are so damn big a lightning bolt would hit one of them before us!”

Aggie Ring said, “It’s a good thing Edison invented the lightbulb or there’d be a lot of Waggies drinking their tequila shots by candlelight!” I told the Aggie Ring, “True… Those Waggies love their tequila the invention of the lightbulb makes it a lot easier for them to pour the tequila and do body shots!”

Aggie Ring asked me to provide some info on the Edison “Big Ass Lightbulb” Memorial Tower for your educational enlightenment (“Get it?” Aggie Ring said):

Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Menlo Park Museum, New Jersey

"Let there be light." Thomas Alva Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory and Memorial Tower. Those of us on the Jersey Shore call it the "Big Ass Lightbulb!”

The Edison Tower, located on the site of the original laboratory at Menlo Park, New Jersey, to which Thomas Alva Edison moved in 1876, was erected in 1937 as a monument to the great inventor. The Tower is the gift of William Slocum Barstow to the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation Incorporated in behalf of the Edison Pioneers. It was dedicated on February 11, 1838, the ninety-first anniversary of the inventor's birth.

Rising 131 ft. 4 in. above the ground, the tower looms as the highest discernible object for many miles. Surmounting the 117 ft. 8 in. concrete-slab structure is a 13 ft. 8 in. replica of the original incandescent lamp which, when illuminated, can be seen for a distance of several miles. It once served as an airplane beacon. The Tower is designed for pressure of wind at a velocity of 120 miles per hour. In its construction, which consumed slightly less than eight months, approximately 1200 barrels of Edison Portland cement and 50 tons of reinforced steel were used.

The large bulb on top of the Tower was cast by the Corning Glass Works. The replica bulb contains 153 separate pieces of amber tinted Pyrex glass, 2 in. thick, set upon a steel frame. The bulb is 5 ft. in diameter at the neck and 9 ft. 2 in. in diameter at the greatest width and weighs, without the steel frame on which it is placed, in excess of three tons. Before the restoration, inside this Pyrex glass bulb were four 1000 watt bulbs, four 200 watt bulbs, and four 100 watt bulbs. A duplicate of each was arranged as automatically to cut in should its companion bulb fail.

The Edison Tower has been completely restored and when complete, the bulb is now illuminated with modern Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. Mr. Edison would be pleased with this, I’m sure.

While we don’t have any records of exactly what was said when Mr. Edison perfected his invention, I suspect one of his workers shouted out something like this: “Holy Mother of Baby Jesus on a Donkey!” “Mr. Edison, You’ve done it!!! You’ve perfected the Electric Light!!! You truly are King of Kings!!!!”

The tower is located on a mysterious plot of land and exactly at midnight on the night of a full moon, it would be a perfect site for the ritual sacrifice of virgins. Too bad we don’t have any of those in New Jersey! :-)

*********************

Aggie Ring says, “The Road Goes On Forever, and the Party Never Ends!”

go ahead and show it off, all of you.

i want to see your worst + best faces.

FACTS:

1. I haven't given Peyton - Facts since last summer.

2. Facebook + Flickr take up about 3/4 of my life lately.

3. Indoor Track ended for me about a week ago; I didn't make States. But Outdoor starts in 6 days, and so far, I've been running + exercising everyday; I will make States in Oudoor.

4. Stero Love + What the Hell are my favorite songs right now.

5. The Beatles + Ben Kweller are my favorite artists right now.

6. I need a way to sell my camera; anyone want to buy it?

7. I need money; anyone want to buy my art + photos?

8. I suck at School.

9. I miss summer so much; you have no idea.

10. I HAVE 60+ HOURS OF DRIVING. Which means, in a month, I will finally get my license.

I've been tagged in what seems to be quite a charming game, that's doing the rounds, of getting to know more about one another here on Flickr.

Asked to share 16 random facts you may not know about me, here they are:

1. I grew up on a farm in South Africa where I still cherish my most fondest of memories. We had the whole barn filled with hay and everything, plus 2 dams that resided on either side of the house.

2. I won a Willards Cheese Curls painting competition when I was 12 years old and earned the nickname 'Chip' for years to follow.

3. It later became Hunter. Which is my second name. (It was going to be my first name, with Lee as my second but for some reason a cousin of mine shared Lee and so my folks thought they'd be original and chose Craig as my first name instead. I knew 10 Craigs by the time I left high school.)

4. I procrastinate.

5. I pay a lot of attention to the geometry of everything. I have, many times, walked into a room where every step I take avoids intersecting with any imaginary adjacent or parallel line that's created by the nearby objects and furniture on the floor. This especially includes floors with tiled carpeting. (don't ask)

6. I have good aim. In the all-boys high school I attended, every kid wanted to be on the shooting team, but they made tryouts for only one additional placing every 3 or so years. I made it. There were nearly 400 of us who competed for it at the time. Subsequently, it's helped in other ways though: playing pool, darts, 1st-person shooter games and winning teddy-bears at fairs. In my other life, I was a sniper. ;)

7. I have a script for the most awesome movie ever. (But it's impeded by fact no. 4)

8. I've had 3 near-death experiences. One involved a car stopping on the edge of a cliff (driver was asleep at the wheel), the second involved myself falling off a cliff (I landed on the only tree sticking out of the rock-face) and the third involved a taxi bus hitting me while crossing the road. (If you know anything about South African minibus taxis, you'll know that this one's a miracle on its own.)

9. I also have two scars. One behind my left ear at a very young age from a kid who threw a lead pipe at me in a playground and one above my left eye-brow from an attempted surfing accident. Incidentally, two of my front teeth are also false. They were severed when in junior school by a kid who tripped me while running in gym.

10. Surprisingly, I've never broken a bone in my body.

11. I was obsessed with magic as a kid. I believed my parents couldn't afford to get the magic set I wanted, so I used to collect my own tricks, as well as invent new ones. Today I can't remember a single one of them. Not even a decent card trick.

12. Lasagna and trifle are the only meals I'll still go so far as having thirds of.

13. I was once visited by a ghost. It happened about 10 years ago and tormented me for three to four nights. It tried to visit me once a few years later but I know how to drive it away now.

14. I secretly dig chick flicks.

15. I have a major fear of snakes. My first encounter was at the age of 4 when a mole-snake slid over the back of my legs in long grass while playing hide and seek. Since then I fear of finding one in my shoes.

16. I want to be known for creating at least one truly amazing thing but I fear I'm running out of time.

General Mythrog looked down the length of the crossbow impatiently. He had been laying in this position, on this extremely uncomfortable branch, for hours, keeping the crossbow trained on the small patch of Cheese-Blossom flowers, colonizing a branch on the opposite tree. Cheese-Blossom was an endangered species of flower, named after it’s dark-yellow color……and the fact that it tastes like moldy cheese. It’s petals, are poisonous to all but a few creatures.

Mythrog was just about to change his position again, when there was a quiet flapping sound, and the Leafed Peacock landed on the branch, and began to eat the cheese-blossom. Like the cheese-blossom, it was endangered, but for a different reason. It was extremely healthy and delicious to predators such as the Swamp Wyvern, and when cooked properly, to humans and trolls. It lived only in the Sinking Basin. Finally, Mythrog thought, aiming the crossbow. As he looked down it’s length, he smirked. There where many in Roawia, who would try to capture it, rather than kill it, so they could increase its numbers. Mythrog shook his head. I’d rather kill and eat it after all the work it took to get here. And it had taken a lot of work. After hearing from one of his scouts, that a Leafed Peacock was in the area, Mythrog and his to closest companions, Carnox and Endrol, immediately began the hunt. After two fruitless weeks, they had stumbled

across the trail of a Moss-Squirrel, another creature that eats Cheese-Blossom, and they followed the tracks. The night before the tracks had led to the tree with the patch of Cheese-Blossom, Endrol shot the Moss-Squirrel, and they ate well that night. The next morning, they broke camp, and, after finding proper hiding spots, Carnox and Endrol hid, and Mythrog threw a rock into the patch of Cheese-Blossom. The patch of flowers was actually connected by thin roots, and when one flower was disrupted they all would release a noxious smell. Though it chased away most predators, it attracted the Leafed Peacock.

After throwing the rock, Mythrog climbed up a fallen tree trunk, found a strong branch, and hid. Now, after hours of waiting, the Leafed Peacock had finally arrived. Mythrog leveled his crossbow on the birds head and…….. was just about to pull the trigger when, “BRRRAFFFFFEEEEEeee” the call of a extremely annoying horn sounded. The Leafed Peacock froze, turned and flapped away. Mythrog stared at the spot where it had been in growing anger.

“Mythrog? General Mythrog, where are you?” Called out a loud and obnoxious voice. Mythrog turned and looked down to see who had called out. He spotted a Queen’s scout running through the trees. The scout stopped beneath the tree that Mythrog was hiding in, and was about to continue running, when Endrol stepped out from his hiding spot, with a arrow nocked to his bowstring, and pointed it between the scout’s eyes. Carnox stepped out from the bush he had hid behind.

“State your name and business.” he growled in a dangerously low voice.

“My name is Loudre, and I am here because Her Majesty, the great Queen Galainir, would like to make a alliance with General Mythrog.”

Mythrog glanced around, to make sure that it was not a assassination attempt, jumped out of his hiding spot, and slid down the fallen log.

“You will address me as High General Mythrog, and how dare you come walking out here blasting on that horn, scaring away my prey! ”

“Uh sorry,” Loudre quickly regained his composure, “what prey? I didn’t see anything.”

“Just because you didn’t see anything doesn’t mean that there wasn’t something there.” Mythrog said coldly.

Loudre cleared his throat. “Could you please have your troll remove his arrow from between my eyes?”

Mythrog nodded, reluctantly, to Endrol who lowered his bow, but kept the arrow nocked.

“How did you find us?” He asked.

“I ran into a fortune-teller who is a supporter of the Queen, and she told me that you were out here hunting some kind of rare creature. Did you get it?”

“What did you think you scared away?!” Mythrog replied shocked at Loudre’s stupidity.

“Uhh sorry, the great Queen Galai—” Loudre begin again,

“I heard. Tell me more about this so-called alliance the queen wishes to make.”

“Well, the great Queen Galainir has sent a small squad, led by Sir Flork. You are to meet with them at the ruins of Fort Stinking Tree three days from now to discuss the alliance. Oh and you can’t bring more than two men with you.” said Loudre.

“It’s Sinking Tree, you moron. Give us a moment to talk about it.” He watched Loudre take several steps back, than turned around to his companions. “Well do you think we should go?”

“It could be a trap” Carnox advised.

“I know, I don’t trust Galainir, but I want to hear what her men have to say, and we can always set up a ambush.” Mythrog replied.

“Its your choice Mythrog.” Endrol said.

Mythrog thought for a moment, “here’s what were going to do. Carnox and I are going to the nearest outpost. Endrol, you are going to go find that fortune-teller, kill that traitor, take any money you find, but nothing else, burn her hut to the ground, make sure her dead body is in it, and put a troll flag in the ashes. I want anyone who finds it to know who did it. After that, meet me, and Carnox at the outpost, than the three of us, and loud-mouth here, will go to Fort Sinking Tree. A small squad of Blood Legion will go with us, on the lie that their going somewhere else. Their going to take a short-cut, and get there before the queen’s soldiers do, and hide. That way we have back-up. Do not be surprised if I decide to kill the soldiers, and declare war with Galainir.”

“I’d rather it that way. It sounds like a plan.” Carnox replied.

Endrol nodded, “I agree with Carnox.”

Mythrog nodded, and called Loudre back over.

“I agree with your terms. Carnox and I will go to Fort Sinking Tree, and discuss an alliance with Sir Flork. Hopefully we will part as friends.” he lied.

Loudre smiled “Tha….” he never got to finish his sentence, as Mythrog lunged forward, and grabbed a fist-full of the scout’s armer-studded shirt, lifting him off his feet, one handed.

“But if this is an ambush you will not live long enough to see it fail.”

He dropped Loudre on the ground, and stepped back. Loudre jumped to his feet and was about to say something, when Endrol suddenly stepped between and held up his hand.

“Its back.” He whispered.

Mythrog did not need to ask to know what ‘it’ was. He slowly turned around and looked up at the patch of Cheese-Blossom. His assumption proved correct, as the Leafed Peacock had come back to the Cheese-Blossom.

He slowly raised his crossbow, and realized that he could not take the shot from his current position. The angle was all wrong, and he wanted a head shot so’s not to damage the meat and feathers, the former because he wanted it, the latter because he could fetch a good price for them. He waved Endrol over and silently whispered, “I can’t get the shot with my crossbow, you’re going to have to take it with your bow.” Endrol nodded, and silently stepped away, pulled back his bowstring, and was about to fire, when Loudre loudly called out from behind them,

“where is it? I can’t see anything, COME OUT WHAT-EVER-YOU-ARE!”

The Leafed Peacock froze and silently flapped away, and this time, Mythrog knew it was not coming back. A shocked silence descended, as all three trolls stared at the spot were it had been, longingly. Then, as one, they turned and glared at Loudre, who was completely oblivious. “Wow I feel like a great bird-watcher, seeing such a beautiful creat….” he never got to finish, as Mythrog drove his fist into the unsuspecting gut, hard enough to send him flying several feet.

“HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ME OUT OF MY PREY…..TWICE!!!!” he bellowed, loud enough to scare away every bird for hundreds of yards.

Mythrog took several deep breaths, hauled the still wheezing Loudre to his feet, and growled, “Come on, we have a meeting to keep.”

In the Bay

Facts for all the Family.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

After the country's independence from the United Kingdom, after its departure from the European Union in 2017, the young Republic of Scotland Air Corps (locally known as Poblachd na h-Alba Adhair an Airm) started a major procurement program to take over most basic duties the Royal Air Force formerly had taken over in Northern Britain. This procurement was preceded by a White Paper published by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2013, which had stated that an independent Scotland would have an air force equipped with up to 16 air defense aircraft, six tactical transports, utility rotorcraft and maritime patrol aircraft, and be capable of “contributing excellent conventional capabilities” to NATO. According to the document, “Key elements of air forces in place at independence, equipped initially from a negotiated share of current UK assets, will secure core tasks, principally the ability to police Scotland’s airspace, within NATO.” An in-country air command and control capability would be established within five years of a decision in favor of independence, it continues, with staff also to be “embedded within NATO structures”.

However, the small fleet of only six helicopters was far from being enough to cover the Scottish coast and the many islands up north, so that the government prolonged the contract with Bristow Helicopters in late 2019 for two more years, and the procurement of further Leumadair HR.1 helicopters was decided in early 2020. Twelve more helicopters were ordered en suite and were expected to arrive in late 2021.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 pilots and 2 crew

Length: 12,06 m (39 ft 2 1/2 in)

Height: 4 m (13 ft 1 in)

Main rotor diameter: 12,10 m (39 ft 7 1/2 in)

Main rotor area: 38.54 m² (414.8 sq ft)

Empty weight: 3,128 kg (6,896 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 4,300 kg (9,480 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Turbomeca Arriel 2C2-CG turboshaft engines, 636 kW (853 hp) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 330 km/h (210 mph, 180 kn)

Cruise speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn)

Range: 658 km (409 mi, 355 nmi)

Service ceiling: 5,486 m (17,999 ft)

Armament:

None installed, but provisions for a 7.62 mm M240 machine gun or a Barrett M107 0.50 in (12.7

mm) caliber precision rifle in each side door

The kit and its assembly:

Another chapter in my fictional alternative reality in which Scotland became an independent Republic and separated from the UK in 2017. Beyond basic aircraft for the RoScAC’s aerial defense duties I felt that maritime rescue would be another vital task for the nascent air force – and the situation that Great Britain had outsourced the SAR job to a private company called for a new solution for the independent Scotland. This led to the consideration of a relatively cheap maritime helicopter, and my choice fell on the SA365 ‘Daupin’, which has been adapted to such duties in various variants.

As a starting point there’s the Matchbox SA365 kit from 1983, which is a typical offer from the company: a solid kit, with mixed weak spots and nice details (e. g. the cockpit with a decent dashboard and steering columns/pedals for the crew). Revell has re-boxed this kit in 2002 as an USCG HH-65A ‘Dolphin’, but it’s technically only a painting option and the kit lacks any optional parts to actually build this type of helicopter in an authentic fashion - there are some subtle differences, and creating a convincing HH-65 from it would take a LOT of effort. Actually, it's a real scam from Revell to market the Matchbox Dauphin as a HH-65!

However, it was my starting basis, and for a modernized/navalized/military version of the SA365 I made some changes. For instance, I gave the helicopter a fixed landing gear, with main wheels stub wings taken from a Pavla resin upgrade/conversion set for a Lynx HAS.2, which also comes with better wheels than the Matchbox kit. The Dauphin’s landing gear wells were filled with 2C putty and in the same process took the stub wings. The front landing gear well was filled with putty, too, and a adapter to hold the front twin wheel strut was embedded. Lots of lead were hidden under the cockpit floor to ensure that this model would not becaome a tail sitter.

A thimble radome was integrated into the nose with some PSR – I opted for this layout because the fixed landing gear would block 360° radar coverage under the fuselage, and there’s not too much ground clearance or space above then cabin for a radome. Putting it on top of the rotor would have been the only other option, but I found this rather awkward. As a side benefit, the new nose changes the helicopter’s silhouette well and adds to a purposeful look.

The rotor blades were replaced with resin BERP blades, taken from another Pavla Lynx conversion set (for the Hobby Boss kit). Because their attachment points were very different from the Matchbox Dauphin rotor’s construction, I had to improvise a little. A rather subtle change, but the result looks very plausible and works well. Other external extras are two inflatable floating devices along the lower fuselage from a Mistercraft ASW AB 212 (UH-1) kit, the winch at port side was scratched with a piece from the aforementioned BK 117 and styrene bits. Some blade antennae were added and a sensor turret was scratched and placed in front of the front wheels. Additional air scoops for the gearbox were added, too. Inside, I added two (Matchbox) pilot figures to the cockpit, plus a third seat for a medic/observer, a storage/equipment box and a stretcher from a Revell BK 117 rescue helicopter kit. This kit also donated some small details like the rear-view mirror for the pilot and the wire-cutters - not a typical detail for a helicopter operating over the open sea, but you never know...

The only other adition is a technical one: I integrated a vertical styrene pipe behind the cabin as a display holder adapter for the traditional hoto shooting's in-flight scenes.

Painting and markings:

It took some time to settle upon a design. I wanted something bright – initially I thought about Scottish colors (white and blue), but that was not garish enough, even with some dayglo additions. The typical all-yellow RAF SAR livery was also ruled out. In the end I decided to apply a more or less uniform livery in a very bright red: Humbrol 238, which is, probably due to trademark issues, marketed as “Arrow Red (= Red Arrows)” and effectively an almost fluorescent pinkish orange-red! Only the black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen, the radome and the white interior of the fenestron tail rotor were painted, too, the rest was created with white decal stripes and evolved gradually. Things started with a white 2mm cheatline, then came the horizontal stripes on the tail, and taking this "theme" further I added something similar to the flanks as a high contrast base for the national markings. These were improvised, too, with a 6mm blue disc and single 1.5 mm bars to create a Scottish flag. The stancils were taken from the OOB decal sheet. The interior became medium grey, the crew received bright orange jumpsuits and white "bone domes".

No black ink washing or post-panel-shading was done, since the Dauphin has almost no surface details to emphasize, and I wanted a new and clean look. Besides, with wll the white trim, there was already a lot going on on the hull, so that I kept things "as they were". Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of semi-gloss acrylic varnish for a light shine, except for the rotor blades and the anti-glare panel, which became matt.

Quite a tricky project. While the Matchbox Dauphin is not a complex kit you need patience and have to stick to the assembly order to put the hull together. PSR is needed, esp. around the engine section and for the underside. On the other side, despite being a simple model, you get a nice Dauphin from the kit - but NOT a HH-65, sorry. My fictional conversion is certainly not better, but the bright result with its modifications looks good and quite convincing, though.

As someone who enjoys the challenge of making pictures in the tiniest amount of light possible, even I have to admit this is pushing it. But I've found a way to embrace the grain, despite the fact that the sun had pretty much completely set by the time this picture was taken (after 5:00pm on Christmas Day). I think I should start trying to take pictures in daylight, you know, like normal photographers do. I've heard good things about sunlight and lens flares, and apparently there is a thing known as the Golden Hour that I have yet to experience.

This time I used a real tripod, but I still forced Robert to trudge out into the woods with me to pull the trigger because I forgot to bring my remote along. The tyranny continues. :)

This isn't half bad on black. Press "L" on your keyboard or click the photo to view large.

Giraffe Facts

A new born giraffe measures about 6 feet.

A giraffe is one of the animals who is born with a horn.

The scientific name of the giraffe is "Camelopardalis."

Each giraffe has a unique coat pattern, something like our fingerprints :)

The tongue of an adult giraffe measures 27".

Giraffes are vegetarians and live on the leaves of the baobab tree.

Every step a giraffe takes is 15 feet in length.

The giraffe is able to grasp objects such as leaves with the help of its tongue.

Giraffes sleep for no more than 5 to 30 minutes in 24 hours.

Giraffes have elastic blood vessels in their necks, this makes it possible for them to drink water from a stream, without fainting.

Neck wrestling matches are often held to show authority in their herds.

A giraffe is the one of the largest, strongest and peaceful animals on Earth.

The average life span of a giraffe is 20 to 25 years.

A large male giraffe can eat up to 100 pounds of food in a single day.

A giraffes age can be calculated from its spots, as the darker the spots, the older the giraffe.

A lion can die if kicked by a giraffe.

A giraffe's heart is 24 pounds in weight and 2 feet in length.

Giraffes are social animals, that live in open herds.

A giraffe seldom lies down, it can sleep as well as give birth standing up!

Giraffes can survive for long periods without consuming water.

Giraffes are blessed with excellent eyesight. This helps them keep an eye on each other from a distance.

I understand that skulls and skeletons are a little passé but there is something really rather enjoyable about painting them. Its probably to do with the fact that they are so easily recognisable yet still rather alien to us at the same time. As you can tell by the pose of this skeleton he was in life a bit of a dick always thinking he's better than everyone else. Just look how even now he stares off into the middle distance like he's pondering something incredibly important - which he isn't. What a self important fool...

That said, this particular skull has been imbued with special powers . And I don't mean anything like the crystal skulls in the latest Indians Jones movie either. This bugger's special ability is to change the colour tone of his skull whilst your painting him. Which can be quite annoying let me tell you. One minute your using azure blue the next process red, what a shit indeed. Anyway i solved the problem surrounding him - you just make the colours up as you go along. Job done.

Cheers

id-iom

Title: Skele-tone

Materials: Paint pen, acrylic, ink, pastel, spray paint and charcoal

Size: A2

Please email if interested

he didn't seem to care what the nutrition facts on the side of the container said either ;-)