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The Muses are a sisterhood of Greek Goddesses. Together they inspire humankind to make music, to sing and dance, to write and act, to let their creativity flow.
I consider nature my muse. For my MCP Project 52: muse
En la mitología griega las musas (en griego antiguo μοῦσαι mousai) eran, según los escritores más antiguos, las diosas inspiradoras de la música y, según las nociones posteriores, divinidades que presidían los diferentes tipos de poesía, así como las artes y las ciencias. Yo me inspiro en la naturaleza. Para mi grupo MCP Project 52: musas
Sliders Sunday and 112 pictures in 2012: feminine
AFD Project 52 #7: romance
MCP Project 52: Muse
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Nanci Bussani attends CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Sally Miller and Remi Kajogbola attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
Life is a giant puzzle full of suspense and mystery
Many a question has gone unanswered since time began and throughout history
Thoughts of how life began and how it might end fill the minds of humankind
The ageless question about our existence in life is asked by the seeing the deaf and the blind
Why are we alive what purpose do we serve
To whom do we owe our existence to and why is he not visible
Can He be one of us or is he some higher being
We think and we ponder we start to let our imaginations wander
We lay awake sometimes at night discussing with ourselves our many doubts
Sometimes many sleepless nights go by and our health begins to plunder
There are many religions and beliefs many faiths and many ideas
So many gods there are so many lords and so many ladies
Whom should I choose and whom should I follow
So many are they that following just one is an idea that is sometimes hard to swallow
They all have their definitions of life they have guidelines and they have moral codes
Their leaders and scholars come from many classes in life
While some prefer the beggar's life others prefer a mighty abode
All seem to be so logical all have their own philosophies
They talk about everything from who to worship to how to appreciate a gentle breeze
The more you think the more you are confused and the more you wait or try to avoid it the more you are accused
Wars have come and gone and come again all in the name of faith
All came from good intentions but as wars go their outcomes were the same
A lot of innocent lives were lost and many historical treasures were damaged or stolen again as wars go people never stopped to think about the costs
I dream of a peaceful world one free of violence and of fear
Sadly that is much more of a foolish dream than one which might come true
For in spite of all our differences on one thing we all agree
For all the good in our world there is also a dark side which is seen
For all the angels there are devils that are full of hate that enjoy cruelty and being mean
Yet we still choose to live our lives we still choose to go on
We all have different answers some of which we search for others we stumble upon
Unless you choose a path by which to go by this mystery might remain unsolved
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Elizabeth Shih and Joan Beach attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Denise Bradley Tyson attends CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
Sometimes a single image can change one's understanding of a person, place or thing.
Here, seeing a photo of Joe Knowles standing next to his car, one of the most advanced vehicles of the era, transformed my view of the pioneering reality star who was known in his day as The Nature Man from coast to coast.
Yes, Americans are notorious for living beyond their means, and that may have been the case here. Or perhaps Joe Knowles was just enjoying the rewards of his hard work.
As newspapers of the era liked to point out, Joe Knowles became famous for his ability to abandon the trappings of civilization and survive in the wilderness, but he was equally well adapted to the comforts and luxuries of city living.
Proving a point about humankind's ingenuity under primitive conditions was Knowles' passion, but he was also a hard-working entrepreneur and promoter. This photo suggests that Knowles not only made good money but was able to hang onto it.
As soon as Knowles returned from the forests of the Siskiyous in 1914, he began making personal appearances in Oregon and California to demonstrate his survival skills. In time he added a tame bear to his act. Then he landed a movie deal that took him back to the Siskiyous, There, his encounters with a cougar and perilous rapids put him back in the headlines.
Turning up In New York, Knowles announced the next chapter in his wilderness adventures: he would mentor two intrepid women in his woodcraft! To prove he was serious, Knowles sat for a publicity photo with the two "Eves" that graced the pages of many a publication.
This twist was hardly surprising. By then, several women had already made their own bids for the limelight by publicly professing their intention to emulate The Nature Man on their own. Almost from the outset, the press had evinced a coy preoccupation over how Knowles's female imitators might be attired on Day One. Victorian prudishness had receded far enough by the teens of the 1900s that reporters could write that Knowles planned to enter the forest nude, though not far enough that they could publish photos of Knowles in the altogether. Today, some might call that state of affairs titillating.
The story behind Joe Knowles' announcement that Elaine Hammerstein (a cousin of the hugely famous Oscar Hammerstein II) would be joining him in the Adirondacks for a reprise of his earlier exploits in the woods is surely worthy of a movie. Nothing in Elaine's basic biography even hints that such a feat might have interested her. Nothing more appeared about the project in the New York press after the splash of the announcement. An item in a Western newspaper reported that an early winter had forced the two of them to call off their plans. Joe himself said that Elaine found her grass skirt not up to the challenge of keeping her warm.
When America's entry into the Great War in 1917 muted the public's enthusiasm for Joe Knowles' nature act, he reinvented himself as the West's leading instructor on woodlore at scout gatherings.
It was his first such event that brought him to the North Beach Peninsula for the first time around 1916. By 1917 Joe Knowles had settled in the village of Seaview, where was immediately hailed as a regional celebrity and accomplished artist. In other words, he was the classic local character. Knowles was famous for being famous, making him a celebrity, but unlike many of that ilk, he had solid accomplishments to his name. By then, "Knowles" had entered the American lexicon as a metaphor for nudity or a penchant for roughing it.
His stature led him to secure numerous commissions, including a series of murals in 1924 for the newest theater in Astoria, Oregon, which was just then rebuilding its downtown after a devastating fire. That year he also painted portraits of the chief justices of the Supreme Courts of Oregon and Washington. The former was received with great fanfare in the press and in real life.
It's at that juncture that we catch up with Joe Knowles standing next to his flashy new car in Portland. This was as much a publicity shot for Knowles as it was for the auto dealership.
© Alan Davey 2024 All rights reserved.
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About the Rickenbacker Vertical Eight Superfine
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By
David Conwill
Updated
August 27, 2024
in Classics, Hemmings Classic Car, Magazine
Too Much, Too Soon – 1925 Rickenbacker Vertical Eight Superfine
The creative genius of car enthusiasts and the cold calculations of businessmen are the age-old yin and yang of the automobile industry. Think of the car enthusiast as an artist, driven to create the purest expression of his or her vision in steel, glass, and rubber–regardless of expense. The businessmen are there to make sure that the unfettered vision doesn’t bankrupt the company. Both the artist and his or her fans may decry the artificial limitation on mechanical genius, but the graveyard of the car business is littered with nameplates that went too far, too fast, and were unable to sustain themselves.
By the time he was approached to append his appellation to the eponymous company in 1921, Eddie Rickenbacker’s car-enthusiast credentials were already well-established: He first rose to prominence as a race-car driver in the 1911-’17 era, having appeared in every Indianapolis 500 race before World War I, and as a driver for the factory teams of Peugeot and Maxwell.
During the war, he was the United States’ “Ace of Aces,” having shot down a confirmed 26 enemy aircraft at the controls of his Nieuport and SPAD biplanes. He was promoted to the rank of major at the end of his service, but throughout his life preferred the rank he felt he had earned, that of captain. By 1918, “Captain Eddie” was already a household name in America.
Rickenbacker wasn’t merely a good driver and pilot. Before his skill at the wheel was recognized, Rickenbacker had seen to his education via a correspondence course in engineering. An early internal-combustion enthusiast, he had also worked for the Columbia Buggy Company selling its Firestone-Columbus automobiles.
Further, Rickenbacker was already associated with General Motors founder Billy Durant, thanks to a marketing arrangement wherein Rickenbacker promoted GM’s Sheridan division. In 1922, he would actually marry Durant’s ex-daughter-in-law. So when Barney Everitt, William Metzger, and Walter Flanders– three men with enormous experience in the auto industry– joined with Rickenbacker, they were getting far more than just a famous name.
Everitt, Metzger, and Flanders are best remembered for the E-M-F Company, which was eventually folded into Studebaker– though that was far from their only accomplishment. They were, respectively, a body man, a salesman, and a production man. All three had good reputations as auto executives, though their companies usually did not survive long after their personal leadership had departed. Rickenbacker was, sadly, not to be an exception.
Captain Eddie himself had initially wished to stay in aviation after the war. Unfortunately, the postwar recession, combined with a glut of surplus aircraft, meant that the fledgling aircraft industry was struggling. Instead, he reverted to his prewar enthusiasm for the automobile. In the 1920s, the line between automotive technology and aviation was far thinner than today, and the disciplines cross-pollinated liberally.
What Rickenbacker wanted in his own new car was to bring the high-performance technology of military aircraft and racing cars to the street. He was not alone in this, with the Chevrolet brothers (who had previously sold their family name to Durant) making similar plans at the same time to turn their Frontenac racing team into a producer of road cars. Rickenbacker got further, however, and while Frontenac was forced to produce speed parts for the Ford Model T, Rickenbacker really did produce what the company termed “a car worthy of its name.”
The biggest technical triumph of the original Rickenbacker Six was its “tandem flywheel.” Captain Eddie had been impressed by the smoothness of the liquid-cooled inline engines of his German opponents in the skies over France. When he was able to inspect the inner workings of crashed or captured airplanes, he discovered that their crankshafts had flywheels at both ends, greatly reducing the vibration transmitted outside of the engine.
What most people remember about Rickenbacker, however, was its pioneering use of four-wheel brakes in the medium-price field. Even the prototype chassis, displayed at the 1922 New York Auto Show, had front-wheel brakes present, a major departure for the time. In June of 1923, both Duesenberg and Rickenbacker announced that four-wheel braking would now be standard. For Duesenberg, a race-bred, high-performance, luxury car, this was not much of a surprise. For a less-expensive car like Rickenbacker, it was remarkable in the extreme.
Other companies soon followed suit, though Studebaker actually launched a smear campaign attempting to paint front brakes as unsafe, and Rickenbacker felt the pressure to continue to update its product line. For 1925, the year of our feature car, the original 58-horsepower, 218-cu.in. straight-six was upgraded to a 236-cu.in. engine with seven main bearings, producing 68 horsepower. The six-cylinder engine was also joined by an L-head, 80-horsepower, 268-cu.in. straight-eight with nine main bearings. The six retained the traditional 117-inch wheelbase, but the eight received a lengthened 121.5-inch wheelbase. The lines were otherwise quite similar.
This “Vertical Eight Superfine,” as the new-for-1925 eight was called, was an excellent car–smooth and powerful. The details are outstanding for a car at its price point, right down to the “hat-in-the-ring” logo, borrowed from the United States Army Air Service’s 94th Pursuit Squadron, Rickenbacker’s own unit, cast into the rear axle housing where only someone crawling underneath the car could see it. In bringing luxury-car features to the mid-price field, it was arguably five years ahead of the competition.
Unfortunately, just as the company seemed to be finding its footing, Flanders–a crack production specialist who had helped Ford Motor Company on its way to the moving assembly line– was killed in a car accident. At the same time, dealers began fleeing the fold, possibly due to Studebaker’s hatchet job (though it wouldn’t stop newcomer Chrysler from adopting four-wheel hydraulic brakes that year) or possibly due to word of the kind of executive infighting that had brought down other efforts by the founders of E-M-F.
It was in this environment that Captain Eddie left the automotive firm bearing his name in 1926. Soon after, he would buy the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which he would own until 1945, and embark on a career as an aviation executive that would keep his name in the public eye until his death in 1973.
Rickenbacker, the company, kept trying, promoting its Super Sport boat-tailed coupe as the fastest four-passenger automobile for sale (faster models from the likes of Duesenberg seated only two) and introducing dual-carburetor engines for 1927. But it was not enough, and the firm did not survive to sell 1928 models.
It is said that after the company folded, Captain Eddie personally repaid all debts he had guaranteed for the company, despite a bankruptcy discharge, burnishing his reputation as an ethical businessman. Everitt went on to help found the Verville Aircraft Company in the same Detroit factory building that had housed Rickenbacker. Metzger also got into aviation, helping form Stinson Aircraft in 1926.
As an interesting aside, the tooling for both the six-cylinder and eight-cylinder 1927 Rickenbackers was sold to a Danish businessman in Germany named Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen who had planned to produce the engines for sale to European automakers. When no orders were forthcoming, Rasmussen instead shopped his designs to Audi, in which he was the majority shareholder. This resulted in the Rickenbacker 6-70 becoming the Audi Type-T “Dresden” and the eight-cylinder Rickenbackers becoming the Audi Type-SS “Zwickau.” Both were produced until 1932.
That makes the four-passenger coupe on these pages a rarity to begin with. In fact, it is believed by the Rickenbacker Club of America to be the only surviving 1925 eight-cylinder coupe. It should come as no surprise, then, that for the past 48 years it has been a part of the Automobile Gallery of the Heritage Museums & Gardens, in Sandwich, Massachusetts. The Automobile Gallery has as its nucleus the collection of pharmaceutical heir J.K. Lilly III, and the Rickenbacker was acquired by Lilly in 1966.
We spoke with Director of Collections and Exhibits Jennifer Madden, and she told us that Lilly acquired the car from a Dearborn, Michigan, collector named J. Walter Heater. We don’t know if there is a connection, but Heater was an executive with a Detroit firm called Fleet Supply Corp. (“parts and supplies for trucks, trailers, and cars”). The address for Fleet Supply, 2896 Central Avenue, was less than a mile from the still-extant former Rickenbacker factory at 4815 Cabot Street–could that have sparked Heater’s interest in finding a Rickenbacker?
Heater found the car in 1960 in what the Detroit Free Press described as “an abandoned garage on Ferry Park Avenue near the Lodge Freeway.” The previous owner, a man named Gauss, was a retired Army engineer. According to a letter in the car’s file at the Heritage Museums, Gauss had sold his home and actually lived in the car in his garage for 15 years!
Heater restored the Rickenbacker, completing the job in 1962. The coupe was immediately recognized as Grand Champion at the Henry Ford Museum’s Old Car Festival in the division for cars built between 1917 and 1925. While it was in his care, it was reunited with Captain Eddie for a television show apparently called On the Street.
Sometime around 1966, Heater and Lilly happened to encounter one another, and Heater told Lilly about his Rickenbacker. The two men corresponded that summer regarding the car, and eventually it was settled that Lilly would purchase it for $5,000 (a little more than $37,500 adjusted for inflation).
Heater even offered to drive the Rickenbacker from Dearborn to Boston for Lilly to take delivery. In a letter, he noted “it runs very well at 55-60 mph, which means two days on the road from here.” Eventually, it was settled that Heater would meet a representative of Lilly’s in Syracuse, New York, about half way between the two men. Heater apparently took the Greyhound home.
It’s not recorded why the Rickenbacker caught Lilly’s fancy. Perhaps it was just the excellent restoration that the car still wears today–having been museum-kept since 1969 and undriven since sometime in the 1970s, although the museum intends to get it driving again soon. It is worth noting that the Lilly family’s roots are not in Boston, or Cape Cod, but rather in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Rickenbacker name and the speedway are icons. It’s not impossible that Lilly, who was six when this car was built, recalled the excitement associated with Captain Eddie and his airplane-inspired car way back when.
Though it survived only a brief six model years, and only an estimated two dozen examples remain, the Rickenbacker is well remembered today, thanks to its technical sophistication and its association with one of America’s greatest aviation heroes. If you are lucky enough to see or experience one, linger awhile and soak in the details, quality construction, mechanical elegance, and handsome styling. You will be glad you did.
www.hemmings.com/stories/too-much-too-soon-1925-rickenbac...
The term stalactite comes from the Greek word stalaktos, which means “dripping”, because these other-worldly formations are produced by “drips” from the ceilings of limestone caves. Water reacts with chemical elements in the ground and rock, and seeps slowly through the roof of the cave, depositing calcium carbonate, which hardens and builds up over time to form a stalactite.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Fred Najjar, Jed York, Kristi Yamaguchi, Wright Lassiter, Remi Kajogbola and Lloyd Dean attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all that I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot conceal.
~ Lord George Byron, "Childe Harold," Canto IV, Verse 178
The Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind, a gorgeous series of underground temples in northern Italy.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.ht...
Our gymnasts visit the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg. Pre-human fossils, millions of years old, have been found in these caves. (Am I loosing my brains? There are people in my head!)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Theresa Shargill, Kristi Yamaguchi and Dr. Narinder attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
The Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind, a gorgeous series of underground temples in northern Italy.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.ht...
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Wanda Cole Freeman attends CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
photo by Bob Ziegler
Instead of war, we declare peace. Peace is not only end, but a means to an end. Peaceful ends necessitate peaceful means.
Humankind has engaged in war and other acts of violence for centuries, if not millenia. Thus far, neither war nor violence has brought any lasting or true peace to our lives. War isn't working; it has not resulted in peace. War is not the answer.
Do the ends justify the means? I believe that they, the ends, do not justify the means.
Rather, the means inform the ends. The means create the ends. If we want a peaceful end, then we must utilize peaceful means. The means are the ends.
So if we want peace, then we must live peacefully. Peace is, indeed, the way.
Too often war is pursued with the idea of peace as end product. The problem is that war is coercive and violent. War is often times the end product of policies or mindsets that are exploitative and domineering. Throughout human history, war has not brought a truly peaceful condition to society.
So, peace must be understand as not only an end, but also the means to an end. Peace is the way! Declare it! Ask yourself how you can live peacefully - please, for the sake of the health and prosperity of the planet and future generations. Can you do that?
Some questions that we all deserve to ask of ourselves are:
"Do I have peace in my life?"
"Is my lifestyle peaceful?"
"Do my actions promote or inhibit a peaceful society?"
John Woolman, an American Quaker who lived from 1720 to 1772 asked that we may examine our material possessions to determine if they contain nourishment for the seeds of war.
War has not brought peace to our lives. Indeed, violence has not brought peace to our lives.
Peaceful means; practicing peace in daily life; understanding peace not only as and end, but as a means to an end: therein lies hope and possibility.
Living peacefully also feels good. It really does. Being open and honest, looking each other in the eye, making eye contact with strangers, exchanging friendly and warm greetings, demonstrating and exuding positive regards for others, friends, foes, neighbors and strangers - each alike: the path to peace awaits.
We, members of humanity, are connected. All of us are inextricably interconnected. We are connected with each other. And we are connected with the bio-sphere - that thin and relatively fragile layer where life on Earth persists.
We have the power to make, and we have the power to break.
Reverend James Lawson said that violence has not brought peace to our lives. History proves him correct.
But perhaps, now, in the 21st century, there is the possibility to learn from our mistakes and make real substantive changes. Perhaps in the pursuit of truly peaceful and nonviolent means (economic and political) we can find the very real possibility of a genuine outbreak of peace.
Dear friends and neighbors, acquaintances and strangers, have hope. Have hope in the development of peaceful and nonviolent daily modes of operation. Have hope in the creation of social structures, customs and institutions that are based in the wisdom of kindness, moral reciprocity (the Golden Rule), truth, compassion, and nonviolence.
We can reject meanness. For example, we can decide to refuse to say things about other people that we would not say to directly them face to face. We have the power to make real substantive changes in our own lives. And we have the power to change the world. We can create a way of life that respects life. We can heal ourselves. We can heal the world. We can.
It's Peace. I declare it.
With love,
Berd
Good luck finding the field of focus in the cluttered flower photo. Think of it as my metaphorical commentary on so-called Climate Change theory, which truth isn’t so clear as political proponents of the science would have everyone believe.
The hubris of humankind is to put ourselves at the center of everything—and that’s as much taking blame as claiming credit. Much is clear that the planet undergoes a warming trend. Focus on carbon emissions identifies sole cause and people to blame. But the picture is more complex, or so I say, like the one here presented for your viewing.
Hubris and Humility
I am not one of these so-called Climate Change Deniers. I don’t doubt that we burn too many fossil fuels and that changes are necessary. I worry that too much emphasis is placed on the one cause—kind of like putting all eggs into one basket, as the cliché goes.
Recent urgency to solve the problem puts forth solutions, such as wind farms, that may lead to other, unexpected catastrophic environmental outcomes. Human hubris—no arrogance—is certainty that we understand the full scope of Earth’s ecological and environmental systems when we most certainly cannot.
The starting point should be humility—admitting that we do not understand the complexity of our planet’s ecosystems and acknowledging that all the science supporting, or even questioning, so-called Climate Change is fundamentally flawed. Until we loudly accept how little we understand and how much we don’t know, any identification of causes, and the solutions, risks failing. That’s if we’re lucky. If unlucky, we might create bigger problems than the one sought to be resolved.
Disagree, Please
Right now, in the United States (if nowhere else), alarmist politicians and progressives say we have nine years to save the planet from irrevocable climate disaster. Political expediency is to create urgency and compelled common consensus. Dissension is impermissible, and disagreeing individuals or institutions are given labels like deniers—and that’s when they’re not less politely called stupid.
But we need sound science minds that disagree about the causes or what humans might do in response to them, and when. Their ideas, their voices, contribute to the Scientific Method. Debate is essential to addressing a simple, but profoundly significant hypothesis: Human production of carbon emissions is the fundamental cause of global warming. That’s but one hypothesis of many to be further researched and continually debated in the quest to understand the extent of the so-called Climate Crisis.
Anyone suggesting that the science is settled should check his or her ego at the door, so to speak. Your arrogance, and that of anyone supporting you, poses far greater threat to our species’ survival, and that of our home, than the burning of even one gallon of gasoline. Research and debate should continue, not be silenced. Of course, solutions should be pursued, meanwhile, and certainly cutting carbon emissions is a fantastic start. Waving the threat of imminent doom can only lead to rash responses. Research should continue alongside actionable public policies.
Research should look into other human causes, such as the heat producers that are cities. What about the planet’s natural responses—like increased plant growth resulting from increased carbon dioxide levels? Plants absorb more heat than reflect sunlight, right?
Disastrous Distraction
Meanwhile, Climate Change obsession distracts, if not sidelines, examination of other potential problems facing humanity long before the consequences of rising greenhouse gases. Among them: Availability of drinkable water, which already is in short supply some places where humans live. Increasingly inevitable future water wars would be absolutely attributable to human beings and likely lead to far more Earth ecosystem disruption and destruction than rising greenhouse gases.
Where is the urgency and where are the public policies for conserving water? Surely that’s more easily enacted than massively reducing carbon emissions in short order.
I wonder how many of the people crying “nine years to Climate Doom” also drink bottled water? Consider the amount of energy required to produce plastic bottles (you know, from oil), so there’s problem one. Problem two: The plastic in the bottles is petroleum-based. Another: How much water is used to produce one liter bottle of water? Low estimate, from industry: 1.39 liters. University California Davis researchers: 8.23 liters.
Know-it-Alls
So, please, as you celebrate Earth Day and bang the drum for reducing carbon emissions, open your mind. There are many other immediately urgent environmental problems. Don’t fixate on the one, nor be a know-it-all about the science.
Nobody knows enough, and the fool isn’t the person disagreeing with your so-called facts but you: arrogance refusing to debate or to encourage continued Climate Change studies. If you believe the point-of-no-return quickly approaches, isn’t that all the more reason to learn more?
Ce vendredi 14 avril 2017, tous les médias étaient réunis à Saint-Malo pour la mise à l’eau du navire Energy Observer. Une journée forcément particulière pour l’initiateur de ce projet, le Malouin Victorien Erussard, d’autant plus qu’au même moment naissait son fils !
“On met le bateau à l’eau et mon fils naît en même temps… C’est formidable !”
Victorien Erussard ne cache pas son émotion et sa joie, perché sur le cockpit de son catamaran futuriste Energy Observer, qui vient d’être mis à l’eau ce vendredi 14 avril, vers 13 h 15. Alors que quelques minutes plus tôt, il était encore auprès de sa femme, qui venait de mettre au monde son fils, Georges.
Une joie partagée par toute son équipe, notamment Jérôme Delafosse, le chef d’expédition d’Energy Observer. Le bateau débutera en effet bientôt un périple de six années autour du monde, pour sensibiliser le public sur l’utilisation des énergies renouvelables. La première étape est prévue à Paris en juillet prochain.
Energy Observer est un navire autonome en énergie et sans émission de gaz à effet de serre, propulsé grâce à diverses énergies renouvelables : 130 m2 de panneaux photovoltaïques, deux éoliennes à axe vertical, une aile de traction et toute une chaîne de production d’hydrogène via la transformation d’eau de mer, assurent la propulsion électrique du bateau.
On peut dire que la Bretagne est d’ailleurs pionnière en la matière. Puisque le 9 avril dernier, c’est de Lorient qu’est parti un autre bateau, Raceforwater, un projet suisse qui a les mêmes objectifs.
Le capitaine d'Energy Observer a vécu deux moments inoubliables, ce vendredi 14 avril 2017. La mise à l'eau du bateau, sans souci, dans le bassin Duguay-Trouin, à Saint-Malo. Et la naissance de son deuxième fils, Georges, qui a vu le jour à 12h50!
Si la mise à l'eau a été retardée d'une petite demi-heure, c'est parce que tout le monde espérait la venue de Victorien Erussard, le capitaine d'Energy Observer.
Ce dernier attendait un autre événement de taille, la naissance de son deuxième fils. Le petit Georges a pointé le bout de son nez à 12h50, soit 20 minutes avant la mise à l'eau du bateau!
Ça y est ! Le bateau Energy Observer est à l’eau. Il y avait foule ce matin pour suivre l’événement, esplanade Saint-Vincent, à Saint-Malo. Temps gris mais pas de pluie. Les manœuvres se sont faites en douceur et sans anicroche. Energy Observer est paré pour l’aventure !
Encore une étape pour le projet Energy Observer. Le bateau a été mis à l'eau, hier midi, sous les yeux de la foule. Une matinée riche en émotions et ponctuée d'une jolie surprise.
11 h. L'effervescence commence à se faire sentir. Le clou du spectacle ne se produira pas avant deux heures, mais les passants commencent à prendre place derrière les barrières entourant le bateau et l'esplanade.
Energy Observer a déjà été déposé sur la plateforme d'un poids lourd. C'est un grand jour pour ce bateau unique au monde. Une semaine après sa sortie de chantier, il va retrouver son élément.
Sa mise à l'eau intrigue et fascine les spectateurs. Jean-Marie, 65 ans, habite la région parisienne, mais il vient régulièrement à Saint-Malo, où il a un bateau. Intéressé par les « choses de la mer », il est venu suivre l'événement avec des amis. « Je n'ai jamais vu de mise à l'eau d'un bateau comme ça. Il est vraiment magnifique. »
12 h. Il a bougé ! Le catamaran a quitté son promontoire de l'esplanade Saint-Vincent, où il était exposé depuis une semaine, pour se positionner près du bassin Duguay-Trouin. Une grue l'y attend déjà.
La famille Leblond ne perd pas une miette du spectacle. Arrivés le matin même à Saint-Malo pour leurs vacances, les quatre membres de la famille ont été accueillis par Energy Observer.
« On l'a découvert à ce moment-là. Nous n'en avions pas du tout entendu parler. On n'a pas l'habitude de voir un moment exceptionnel comme celui-ci. On sait qu'il y a pas mal de risques, que les ouvriers n'ont pas le droit à l'erreur dans leurs manipulations. C'est passionnant à regarder. »
12 h 30. Le public ne lâche pas des yeux les opérations. Energy Observer est en train d'être sanglé afin d'être soulevé dans les airs. Ce moment magique et crucial va être retardé d'une demi-heure pendant lesquelles Jérôme Delafosse, futur chef d'expédition de l'aventure Energy Observer, et l'équipe retracent l'histoire et la vocation expérimentale du projet.
Curieux : Victorien Erussard, le président du projet et capitaine, n'est pas là... Un bruit circule parmi les proches du projet. On en saura davantage plus tard.
13 h. C'est parti. Le bateau se soulève dans les airs, comme en lévitation. À une dizaine de mètres du sol, il opère une rotation pour se placer dans le bon angle, pour la mise à l'eau. Observé sous toutes les coutures, Energy Observer révèle son élégance. Appareils photo et smartphones capturent ce moment émouvant.
Autre moment émouvant, Jérôme Delafosse explique au micro pourquoi Victorien est en retard à cet événement pourtant crucial pour lui. Il est, depuis quelques minutes, le papa d'un petit garçon, né à 12 h 50. Un très joli clin d'oeil du destin.
13 h 15. Alors que le bateau se rapproche du plan d'eau, le jeune papa vient tout juste d'arriver de l'hôpital. C'est une double naissance qu'il vient de vivre. Son petit Georges est né vingt minutes avant la mise à l'eau du projet sur lequel il travaille depuis trois ans. « C'est une synchronisation absolument incroyable », lâche-t-il, applaudi par la foule qui partage son bonheur.
13 h 17. Le compte à rebours est lancé et va durer bien plus longtemps que les cinq secondes prévues. Le temps suspend son vol, alors que le bateau n'est plus qu'à quelques centimètres de l'eau.
Zéro ! Ça y est, Energy Observer flotte sur cette eau de mer d'où il puisera son énergie. Victorien Erussard et Jérôme Delafosse grimpent sur le bateau. Bras en l'air, ils savourent ce moment unique dans une vie.
Dans la foule, Louis aussi est ému. Ce biologiste de 24 ans salue l'initiative des deux hommes en faveur de la planète. « Mettre en avant ce genre de projet, trouver des partenaires qui vous accompagnent et réussir à attirer autant de monde pour ce genre d'événements, je trouve ça très encourageant », reconnaît le Vannetais. Energy Observer transportera le message dans le monde entier.
C’est un grand jour pour la soixantaine de personnes qui travaille depuis deux ans sur le bateau Energy Observer. Le catamaran de légende, reconditionné avec un condensé de technologies, va être le premier à faire le tour du monde, propulsé grâce à des énergies renouvelables et de l’hydrogène fabriqué à partir de l’eau de mer. Ce vendredi 14 avril, le bateau va être mis à l’eau officiellement à 12 h 30. Le public est invité à suivre cette première aventure. Energy Observer est exposé depuis une semaine sur l’esplanade Saint-Vincent à Saint-Malo.
Il était exactement 13 h 20, hier, lorsque le catamaran Energy Observer, un bateau propre à propulsion hydrogène, a touché l'eau du bassin Duguay-Trouin sous un tonnerre d'applaudissements.
Ils étaient nombreux à ne pas vouloir manquer l'événement. Hier, en fin de matinée, plusieurs milliers de personnes s'étaient massées sur l'esplanade Saint-Vincent, autour du catamaran Energy Observer. Malgré l'attente de la foule, « le bateau du futur » de 25 tonnes a d'abord joué les filles de l'air avant de toucher l'eau du bassin Duguay-Trouin. Il était 13 h 20. Un tonnerre d'applaudissements a aussitôt résonné de la place et de « l'Étoile du Roy » où avaient pris place les personnalités.
Double bonheur
Le plus heureux d'entre eux était certainement Victorien Erussard, le skipper malouin qui a failli rater la mise à l'eau de son catamaran qu'il attendait depuis quatre ans et demi. Il s'en est fallu d'une petite demi-heure. La raison : à 12 h 50, son deuxième fils, Georges, voyait le jour à la maternité voisine ! Nicolas Hulot, le parrain, est lui arrivé bien après que le catamaran à propulsion à hydrogène ait rejoint son élément. Il était resté bloqué dans son train. Ce qui ne l'a pas empêché de saluer les vertus de ce bateau propre. « C'est une illustration de ce que pourrait être la transition écologique. J'aurais rêvé d'avoir un tel bateau quand j'ai fait Ushuaia. »
Claude Renoult, le maire de Saint-Malo, était également présent avec, près de lui, Stéphane Fiévet, conseiller artistique à la Ville de Paris. En effet, durant son tour de France, le bateau malouin fera escale dans la capitale durant la première quinzaine de juillet. Ce n'est qu'ensuite qu'il entamera un tour du monde qui devrait durer 6 ans.
The Energy Observer catamaran is poised to set sail around the world powered by renewable energy. It will spend six years on its historic journey on the high seas.
The craft will be powered by the sun and wind, backed up with a fuel cell system that converts sea water into hydrogen.
A team of around 50 sailors, engineers and architects are preparing the two hulled boat in St.Malo in France.
The ambitious project comes in the wake of the Solar Impulse plane which completed its flight around the world using just solar energy.
“Energy Observer is a technological challenge. We are a kind of Solar Impulse of the sea, made in France and the idea is to aim for energy sustainability of the vessel; to use nature, renewable energies and make a world tour completely autonomously,” explained Victorien Erussard, Energy Observer founder and captain.
The 30 metre long catamaran started life as a successful multi-hull ocean racer which itself had been recycled.
Solar panels, wind turbines and the hydrogen fuel cell system are being installed during the refurbishment which has taken more than three years.
The boat remains the same size but on completion will be twice as heavy.
When Energy Observer sets sail the crew will include a multimedia cameraman to document the journey. The expedition leader hopes it will record what can be done to reduce global emissions.
“Everybody will be able to see this boat, to know it better and then to follow it on social networks and live the adventure from the inside because we will offer very innovative content, like the virtual reality; so you would be able to follow Energy Observer almost daily,” enthused Jerome Delafosse, expedition leader.
It’s hoped Energy Observer will be ready to set sail in April.
The five million euro craft will depart from Saint Malo in Brittany and make the first of its 101 stops across 50 countries in Paris as part of its six-year global circumnavigation.
Forsee Power, a specialist in lithium-ion battery solutions, is proud to announce at the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo that the company will be providing the battery system that will be integrated aboard the Energy Observer – the first ever self-sufficient electric catamaran: Energy Observer
The Forsee Power battery system will be coupled with an energy system developed by the CEA Liten research institute. The system can store the energy produced by the solar panels on the boat, and will be combined with electricity generated by a fuel cell used to propel the vessel forward and supply the auxiliary systems.
The battery system will be made of the Flex EP7 modules, as well as the BMS and Master-BMS battery management systems.
Available on the market for the past four years, Forsee Power technology is extremely safe, reliable, and durable, and has proven experience in marine applications.
The project is sponsored by Florence Lambert and Nicolas Hulot, and supported by the Nicolas Hulot Foundation for Nature and Humankind.
The CEA will be attending the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo with a new model of the Energy Observer.
Sunset above the Tiananmen Square. The sky turned into a diffuse soft salmon-pink. A beautiful sight, but the realisation that a lot of this beauty comes from the excessive air polution above Beijing takes away a lot of the fun.
The Damanhur, Temples Of Humankind, a gorgeous series of underground temples in northern Italy.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.ht...
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 10 - Mark Kroll, Susan Kroll, Kathleen McIntosh and Michael Covarrubias attend Humankindness Gala 2018 on May 10th 2018 at San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Atmosphere at CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Jane Weldon attends CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Desmond Hollingsworth, Paul Ackins, Heather Nelson, Michael Vero, Kim Griffin-Hunter and Allison Gorman attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Atmosphere at CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
“The fact that a cloud from a minor volcanic eruption in Iceland—a small disturbance in the complex mechanism of life on the Earth—can bring to a standstill the aerial traffic over an entire continent is a reminder of how, with all its power to transform nature, humankind remains just another species on the planet Earth.” ―Slavoj Žižek
°To celebrate animal life in all its forms
°To celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom
°To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives
°To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives
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©Marzia Franchini 2011
All rights of this image are reserved and may not be used in ANY way without my written permission.
Thank you!
The Sterkfontein Caves attracted miners because of the extensive deposits of calcium carbonate in the form of stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone. Calcium carbonate is a chemical combination of calcium, carbon and oxygen. When burned, it yields lime – what the miners were really after.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Atmosphere at CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Dr. Narinder and Remi Kajogbola attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Remi Kajogbola, Wright Lassiter and Lloyd Dean attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
Since the creation of humankind, war has been an inevitable part of our history. Through times, weapons and equipments become more and more sophisticated, but something has never changed: the raging bloodlust of men, seeking for the sweet taste of victory and revenge. Nothing can represent such idea as well as a mecha named Arthur. It has appeared in almost every battles that had occured since 1893 - the rising year of mecha technologies. While Arthur mostly just killed everyone insight, it peculiarly withholds its fury during wars with Britain's involvement. Subsequently, it usually takes side with the UK, eagerly and willingly battle for the nation. As such, many considered it, or rather who piloted it, to be an English. The robot earned its name due to its weapon: the long broadsword, and its bias for Britain coincide with the legendary hero King Arthur.
Note:
Finally getting back to mechas! My 6-month absence can be justified with the enrollment announcement from my top dream school: CNN. I spent 6 months to study hard for probably the most important exam in our country and finally got in my favorite school. So personally, this mech is built as a celebration to this event!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Kristi Yamaguchi and Nancy Bussani attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Phoebe Yang and Lu Lu attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 18 - Wright Lassiter, Kristi Yamaguchi and Jed York attend CommonSpirit's Humankindness Gala 2023 on May 18th 2023 at San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo - Natalie Shrik for Drew Altizer Photography)
Subject: A walking work of art, Gregory Da Silva is more than an odd spectacle...
To Invite Gregory da silva,The Famous Egg man, to your Events or Festivals, please Contact : Cellphone: 0737507923
Email: eggman@galmail.co.za
A walking work of art, Gregory Da Silva is more than an odd spectacle - he is a symbol of Africa's many diverse cultures...
A Symbol of African Unity
In the first heady years of the African Union, the world's eyes are increasingly turned to the continent from which humankind first appeared. Beneath the seemingly impenetrable mask of violence portrayed in popular media, lies a living and thriving cultural climate which Des Warde finds well depicted by West African street artist Gregory Da Silva.
The outfit always turns heads, and each day it boasts a new feature, a new symbol of an African culture or practice.
His headdress weighs up to twenty five kilograms, his body is armoured with artifacts and his face painted with tribal patterns and an undying smile. Each day, Gregory Da Silva presents the city centre with a new display of his symbolic art.
Gregory's voice is lively and he repeatedly offers phrases and words in French. Born in Benin, West Africa, 1979, he was trained in computer science at university, but went on to found a theatre group in Benin called 'Voice of Spirit' or 'Voix de l'Esprit' which performed politically motivated as well as comic and poetic theatre at the Benin National Library.
After receiving an invitation to perform at the MASA - Market for African Performing Arts - Festival in the Ivory Coast in 2003, where he represented his country, Benin, for a week before flying to South Africa. He sold his creations at the V&A Waterfront and began to grace the streets of Cape Town with his unique form of art. It was so unique it initially led the bemused Cape Town police to put him in the back of their car and call their superiors for advice! Naturally they were advised them to let him go and Gregory now enjoys a good relationship with the city authorities...
My attention is soon turned to his artifact-laden tunic which Gregory says is about "all African tradition, all African culture[s]" and he goes on to explain some of the more prominent objects displayed.
"Everything must be life,
everything must shine, and be positive"
First, he points out the clusters of sea shells hanging around his neck, saying that in Africa these shells were "old money" and once used as currency. He explains the eggs on his head dress as being symbolic of life and says "everything must be life, everything must shine, [and] be positive". Next his hands grab the arcane black bottle near his waist to explain that in his culture, the Sangoma people would place "good spirits" in a bottle, with which they would "heal sick people [they] passed while walking on the roads".
The broken shards of mirror found on his chest bear similar spiritual significance, and are often worn by Voodoo people in Africa and are said to be a kind of window into the spiritual world, and a "way to talk to [their] ancestor[s]".
Gregory says his main inspiration or motivation is to "make people laugh" and "make people happy" and to represent different African cultures. He says he always thinks "how we can put all of Africa together to make [it] one", adding that "not one country can be forgotten".
When he is travelling in Africa, be it in Senegal, Cameroon, Mali or the Congo, the local people invariably look at him and say "ahh, that is our culture" as they see something of their own represented. "All Africa is in my clothes" he says, drawing attention again to his peerless suit.
When not walking St. Georges Mall or Green Market Square, Gregory features at the Grahamstown festival, the Hermanus Whale Festival, has been hired to receive guests at hotels and airports, and has also appeared on SABC 2 and E-TV News.
He is very popular with tourists, especially those from Italy, England, America and Germany, who frequently ask why he does not come over and do his thing in their own country. But he says his focus is on Africa. Pictures of him certainly do get back to their countries though, as Gregory says everyday "hundreds" of pictures are taken of himself, usually posing with the tourists.
Asked about his dreams and ambitions, Gregory (or the "Egg Man" or "Ei man" as he is also known) says that this year he is planning on starting an art school, which is part of his 'Project For Africa' for this year. He wants to impart creative knowledge to South African youth, giving them the power to create beautiful things and also to support themselves, all part of his ultimate venerable ambition to "[bring] Africa together to make one".
Indeed, and good luck to him.
Egg On His Face But He's Happy
Gregory da silva, A Symbol of African Unity
Who is that Guy with all the Eggs on his head that you see at all the bestest Festivals in South Africa ? His name is gregory da Silva - An Artist Comedian, Storyteller, dancer from Benin West Africa. Gregory da Silva ( Egg Man ) was born in Benin West Africa, Voodoo Country. He speaks French and English and is staying in Cape Town South Africa. Gregory da silva has appeared at many Festivals in Africa and is presently staying in Cape Town South Africa. Gregory has appeared at many Festivals in Africa :
The Masa Festival 2003 ( market for African Performing Arts) in Ivory coast West Africa,
The grahamstown Festival South African National Art Festival,
The Hermanus Whales festival,
The Darling festival, The Gariep Kimberley Festival, Innibos Film Festival Nelspruit Mpumanlanga,
Moorresberg farm Shows,
The Biltong Castle Larger Festival in Somerset East South africa,
The Stellenbosch Street Festival,
The Simonstown Penguin Festival South Africa. He performs every day in Market square Cape Town and adds an air of rio - style festivity wherever he performs. Many Tourrists from Germany, England, America, Italy, France, Belguim call Gregory : The Egg man, or Chicken Man. Very famous in Africa.
AFRICAN EXTRAVAGANZA : The National Arts Festival had its usual colourful start in Grahamstown South Africa. Here Gregory da Silva from Benin, West Africa, wears headgear adorned with African artifacts. Gregory da Silva has becomes an Institution at the National Art festival Grahamstown. Picture by ALAN EASON
A festival favourite for many years, the ubiquitous "Eggman" was back at the 2006 National Arts Festival, making an appearance at the Village Green (CuePix/daylin paul)