"Jump in rates doesn't deter homebuyers, as mortgage applications increase 4% - CNBC" t.co/R8UCOYWkff (via Twitter twitter.com/downpaymentaz/status/824225918847696896)

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The J, K and N class was a class of destroyers of the Royal Navy, launched in 1938 in three flotillas or groups and with names beginning with "J", "K" and "N", respectively. Their design was intended as a smaller follow-on from the preceding Tribal class and incorporated one radical new idea that was a departure from all previous Royal Navy destroyer designs: the adoption of a two-boiler room layout. This reduced hull length and allowed for a single funnel, both reducing the profile and increasing the arcs of fire of the light anti-aircraft (AA) weapons. However, this also increased vulnerability, as there were now two adjacent large compartments with the resultant risk of a single well-placed hit flooding both and resulting in a total loss of boiler power. This illustrates somewhat the Admiralty's attitude to the expendable nature of destroyers, but destroyers were lightly armored and fast vessels, anyway, meant to survive by avoiding being hit at all. From this perspective, the odds of a single hit striking just the right spot to disable both boiler rooms simultaneously were considered remote enough to be worth risking in exchange for the benefits given by a two-room layout.

On 18 February 1944, Jubilant was leaving Naples to return to the Anzio area when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-410. A torpedo struck her in the engine room and was followed sixteen minutes later by another torpedo that hit in the boiler room, causing her immediate sinking; 97 of the crew, including the captain, went down with the ship and 86 survived.

General characteristics:

Displacement: 1,690 long tons (1,720 t) (standard)

2,330 long tons (2,370 t) (deep load)

Length: 356 ft 6 in (108.7 m) overall

Beam: 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m)

Draught: 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) (deep)

Draft: 17.5 ft (5.3 m)

Complement: 178

Propulsion:

2× Admiralty 3-drum boilers with geared steam turbines, developing 44,000 shp (33,000 kW)

Performance:

Top speed: 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)

Range: 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)

Armament:

4× QF 6-inch Mark III (150 mm) 40 caliber guns

1× QF 4-inch Mark V (102 mm) AA gun

1× twin 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft machine cannon

2× single 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft machine cannon

1× quintuple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tube

2× throwers and 1× rack astern with 30 depth charges

The kit and its assembly:

Again, this is a modified H.M.S. Kelly from Matchbox, this time even an original boxing. The main motivation was a livery in/with Mountbatten Pink, though. As a side note, “H.M.S. Jubilant” was not built, but it was the name of the last J-class cruiser. It had been ordered in 1937, but the ship was cancelled in December 1937.

Even though I wanted to keep things simple, I found some spare parts that justified modifications. For instance, I had four turrets from my recent USS Fletcher conversion left and decided to integrate them into the British destroyer, posing as single but bigger caliber guns. For a staggered position of the two rear gun stations, I used the short rear cabin that the Matchbox kit offers as optional part and added a console on the rear deck for the Y turret. The X turret was placed on top of the cabin, just like the original gun mount.

The AA ordnance was modified, too. The 4 in GF gun instead of the rear torpedo mount is OOB and an optional part. The original quad (and pretty clumsy) 4x 0.5” AA machine gun amidships was replaced with a twin gun s from an Aoshima 1:700 ship weapon set. This is originally intended for Japanese ships, but it’s whifworld, after all, and many weapon stations look quite similar to their British counterparts.

For a slightly different silhouette I gave the bridge a roof, cut from 1.5 and 0.5 mm styrene sheet, and re-arranged the directors and searchlight station on top of it. I also added a radar antenna array to the upper mast.

As an extra I added some rigging to the mast, made from heated plastic sprue material – simple, but it improves the model’s look considerably.

Painting and markings:

The more exotic part, at least visually. Mountbatten Pink, also called Plymouth Pink, was a naval camouflage color resembling greyish mauve – it was not a bright pinkish tone, rather a pragmatic mix of light grey (whatever was at hand) with red lead underwater primer, which had a yellow-ish touch, much like brick red. The paint was first used by Lord Mountbatten of the British Royal Navy during World War II, hence its name. After noticing a Union-Castle Line ship with a similar camouflage color disappearing from sight, he applied the color to his own ships, believing the paint would render them difficult to see esp. during dawn and dusk, daytimes when ships were highly vulnerable. However, the pink shade was more popular than effective. While the color was met with anecdotal success, it was judged by experts to be just equivalent to neutral greys at best and would make ships with the color more obvious under certain conditions at worst. However, for some time and esp. in the MTO, the color was very popular and widely applied to all kinds of ships.

Most of the time, RN ships were painted overall with this tone. Later, the application became more refined and the superstructures above deck received a lighter shade than the lower hull, lowering the contrast above the horizon. Sometimes, Mountbatten pink was integrated into Admiralty multi-color schemes. One of these rather rare cases was H.M.S. Anchusa. This was a Flower class corvette, which carried a medium blue grey (rumored to be B20) panel amidships, with the rest being uniform medium pink. As a side note: there’s a 1:350 model of this ship available, and it’s funny to see how different modelers interpret the pink shade, ranging from a pale grey with only a slight pinkish hue to a deep, purplish brick red! However, Anchusa became the conceptual basis for my Jubilant livery. Another inspiration was H.M.S. Kenya, a Crown Colony-class cruiser, which carried a more complex/disruptive scheme in two shades of Mountbatton Pink, using two shades of the pink tone on the hull and superstructures for a shortening effect with lighter areas at bow and stern. This livery had earned the ship around 1942 the nickname "The Pink Lady".

The combination of both inspirations became a four-tone scheme with low contrast, with two shades of pink and two of bluish grey. The pink tones were both mixed with Humbrol 70 and 129, with slightly different ratios for the lighter and darker shades. I generally went for lighter tones, due to the model’s small size and the fact that there apparently was no clear definition of the Mountbatten pink tones. The bluish tones were supposed to be contemporary B5 and B6, guesstimated with Humbrol 128 (which appears quite greenish in the surrounding pink context!) and a mix of Humbrol 47 and 96. The latter turned out to look brighter/less grayish than expected, but I left it that way because the mix blended well with the other colors. The scheme looks quite exotic, but could have worked well due to the little contrast between the different colors and the overall dull impression.

The deck was painted with Revell 47, simulating a painted wooden deck with 507b. Horizontal metal surfaces on the upper decks as well as the tops of the turrets were painted with the same color. Lifeboats and rafts became light grey, as if taken over from a former camouflage and for some contrast to the rest of the ship.

The model was painted in separate elements and slightly weathered with a highly thinned black ink wash and some Sienna Brown water color for rust stains here and there. The many, well-visible portholes along the hull and on the superstructures were added with a thin felt tip pen. A similar pen was used to create the boot topping and the muzzles on the guns and torpedo launchers. Finally, the kit segments were sealed with a coat of acrylic matt varnish before final assembly and rigging.

With the experience from the recent build of the same kit, work on this one was surprisingly easy and quick, and I was happy that I had spare parts at hand to change the look of the ship at least a little. The camouflage looks interesting - one can assume that it was manned by unicorns and that glitter steams in clouds out of the funnel. But in the end I find the pink/blue scheme to be quite effective, esp. in low light and also in front of land background. It's not a confusion approach, even though the blue divider seems to separate the ship into two parts, when seen in front of a proper environment, but as a concealment measure the paint mix works IMHO surprisingly well.

+++ 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:

In the first years of the war, the Wehrmacht had only little interest in developing self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, but as the Allies developed air superiority and dedicated attack aircraft threatened the ground troops from above, the need for more mobile and better-armed self-propelled anti-aircraft guns increased. As a stopgap solution the Wehrmacht initially adapted a variety of wheeled, half-track and tracked vehicles to serve as mobile forward air defense positions. Their tasks were to protect armor and infantry units in the field, as well as to protect temporary forward area positions such as mobile headquarters and logistic points.

All Ostwind II tanks were built from recovered ‘Panther’ battle tanks of various versions. The new Panther-based SPAAGs gradually replaced most of the outdated Panzer IV AA variants as well as the Ostwind I. Their production immediately stopped in the course of 1945 when the more sophisticated 'Coelian' family of anti-aircraft tanks with fully enclosed turrets became available. This system was based on Panzer V hulls, too, and it was soon followed by the first E-50 SPAAGs with the new, powerful twin-55 mm gun.

Specifications:

Crew: Six (commander, gunner, 2× loader, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)

Weight: 43.8 tonnes (43.1 long tons; 48.3 short tons)

Length (hull only): 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)

Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)

Height: 3.53 m (11 ft 6 3/4 in)

Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels

Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:

15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.15 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 46 km/h (29 mph)

Operational range: 250 km (160 mi)

Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)

Engine:

Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)

ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse

Armament:

2× 37 mm (1.46 in) FlaK 43 cannon in twin mount with 1.200 rounds

1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 2.500 rounds

The kit and its assembly:

This was a spontaneous build, more or less the recycling of leftover parts from a 1:72 Revell Ostwind tank on a Panzer III chassis that I had actually bought primarily for the chassis (it became a fictional Aufklärungspanzer III). When I looked at the leftover turret, I wondered about a beefed-up/bigger version with two 37 mm guns. Such an 'Ostwind II' was actually on the German drawing boards, but never realized - but what-if modelling can certainly change that. However, such a heavy weapon would have to be mounted on a bigger/heavier chassis, so the natural choice became the Panzer V, the Panther medium battle tank. This way, my ‘Ostwind II’ interpretation was born.

The hull for this fictional AA tank is a Hasegawa ‘Panther Ausf. G’ kit, which stems from 1973 and clearly shows its age, at least from today’s point of view. While everything fits well, the details are rather simple, if not crude (e. g. the gratings on the engine deck or the cupola on the turret). However, only the lower hull and the original wheels were used since I wanted to portray a revamped former standard battle tank.

The turret was a more complicated affair. It had to be completely re-constructed, to accept the enlarged twin gun and to fit onto the Panther hull. The first step was the assembly of the twin gun mount, using parts from the original Ostwind kit and additional parts from a second one. In order to save space and not to make thing uber-complicated I added the second weapon to the right side of the original gun and changed some accessories.

This, together with the distance between the barrels, gave the benchmark for the turret's reconstruction. Since the weapon had not become longer, I decided to keep things as simple as possible and just widen the open turret - I simply took the OOB Ostwind hexagonal turret (which consists of an upper and lower half), cut it up vertically and glued them onto the Panther turret's OOB base, shifting the sides just as far to the outside that the twin gun barrels would fit between them - a distance of ~0.4 inch (1 cm). At the rear the gap was simply closed with styrene sheet, while the front used shield parts from the Revell Ostwind kit that come from a ground mount for the FlaK 43. Two parts from this shield were glued together and inserted into the front gap. While this is certainly not as elegant as e. g. the Wirbelwind turret, I think that this solution was easier to integrate.

Massive PSR was necessary to blend the turret walls with the Panther turret base, and as a late modification the opening for the sight had to be moved, too. To the left of the weapons, I also added a raised protective shield for the commander.

Inside of the turret, details from the Ostwind kit(s), e. g. crew seats and ammunition clips, were recycled, too.

Painting and markings:

Since the Ostwind II would be based on a repaired/modified former Panzer V medium battle tank, I settled upon a relatively simple livery. The kit received a uniform finish in Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028), with a network of greenish-grey thin stripes added on top, to break up the tank's outlines and reminiscent of the British ‘Malta’ scheme, but less elaborate. The model and its parts were initially primed with matt sand brown from the rattle can (more reddish than RAL 7028) and then received an overall treatment with thinned RAL 7028 from Modelmaster, for an uneven, dirty and worn look. The stripes were created with thinned Tamiya XF-65 (Field Grey).

Once dry, the whole surface received a dark brown wash, details were emphasized with dry-brushing in light grey and beige. Decals were puzzled together from various German tank sheets, and the kit finally sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

The black vinyl tracks were also painted/weathered, with a wet-in-wet mix of black, grey, iron and red brown (all acrylics). Once mounted into place, mud and dust were simulated around the running gear and the lower hull with a greyish-brown mix of artist mineral pigments.

A bit of recycling and less exotic than one would expect, but it’s still a whiffy tank model that fits well into the historic gap between the realized Panzer IV AA tanks and the unrealized E-50/75 projects. Quite subtle! Creating the enlarged turret was the biggest challenge, even, even more so because it was/is an open structure and the interior can be readily seen. But the new/bigger gun fits well into it, and it even remained movable!

increased saturation, contrast, and other stuff

How to increase low sperm count and motility naturally

Click this link for a Detailed Elaboration of all 6 Steps...

Designer: Zhang Yuqing (章育青)

1958, September

Increase production every month and have a bumper harvest every year

Yue yue zengchan, nian nian feng shou (月月增产, 年年丰收)

Call nr.: BG E40/20 (IISH collection)

More? See: chineseposters.net

Original Caption: John Dolezal in muddy sheep-pen of his farm near Bee Nebraska. Twice normal rainfall for this year has greatly increased problems of local farmers, May 1973

U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 412-DA-4839

Photographer: O'Rear, Charles, 1941-

Subjects:

Lincoln (Nebraska)

Environmental Protection Agency

Project DOCUMERICA

Persistent URL: research.archives.gov/description/547326

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

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

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

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted

Use Restrictions: Unrestricted

+++ 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:

After the Ukrainian independence in 1991, the Ukrainian Air Force (Повітряні Сили України, Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny) was established on March 17, 1992, in accordance with a Directive of the General Staff Chief of the Armed Forces. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, many aircraft were left on Ukrainian territory, including a wide range of fighters and attack aircraft, helicopters and even strategic bombers, and these became the initial equipment. Ever since, the Ukrainian air force has been downsizing and upgrading its forces, but for many years the main inventory still consisted of Soviet-made aircraft.

Since their introduction, the Ukrainian F-16s have been fulfilling QRA duties and airspace patrol, and the corresponding maintenance infrastructure has been gradually built up, so that F-16 operations became independent from Poland in 2019. With the worsening relationship to Russia, more military hardware of Western origin is expected to enter Ukrainian service. If the tight Ukrainian defense budget allows it, twenty more 2nd hand F-16s are to be delivered in 2021 to replace more Soviet fighter types (primarily the rest of the Ukrainian MiG-29 “Fulcrum” single and two seater fleet), and the procurement of LANTIRN pods to expand the type’s capabilities is under consideration and negotiations, too.

General characteristics:

Length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)

Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)

Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)

Wing area: 300 sq ft (28 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 64A204

Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,573 kg)

Gross weight: 26,500 lb (12,020 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,187 kg)

Internal fuel capacity: 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg)

Powerplant:

1× General Electric F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan

with 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) dry and 28,600 lbf (127 kN) thrust with afterburner

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.05 at altitude in clean configuration

Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at sea level

Combat range: 295 nmi (339 mi, 546 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with 4x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs

Ferry range: 2,277 nmi (2,620 mi, 4,217 km) with drop tanks

Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m) plus

g limits: +9.0 (limited by flight control system)

Rate of climb: +50,000 ft/min (250 m/s)

Wing loading: 88.3 lb/sq ft (431 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 1.095 (1.24 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)

Armament:

1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon with 511 rounds

2× wing-tip air-to-air missile launch rails plus 6× under-wing

and 3× under-fuselage pylon (2 of these for sensors) stations

with a capacity of up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of a wide range of stores

The kit and its assembly:

I am not a big F-16 fan, but in some cases it’s an unavoidable canvas – just like in this case here. This fictional aircraft model (or better: this model of a [yet] fictional F-16 operator) was spawned by two ideas. One was the simple question: what if the Ukraine had after the USSR’s dissolution chosen a stronger attachment to (old) Western forces after the dissolution of the USSSR? And/or: what if the Ukraine had started to procure non-Russian equipment, esp. aircraft? So, what would an Ukrainian F-16 might have looked like, in general but esp. after the Crimea annexation in 2014 when such a scenario had become even more possible?

The other source of inspiration was a picture of an Ukrainian Su-24 with grey digital camouflage, a scheme that was/is also worn by some Su-25s. When I stumbled upon an Authentic Decals sheet for this unique paint scheme that allows to apply the complex and delicate pattern through water-slide transfers, I thought that the relatively “flat” F-16 surface would be an ideal basis to try this stunt?

What sounded like a very simple livery whif on an OOB model turned into a construction nightmare. Originally, this project provided me with a purpose for a dubious Trumpeter F-16 kit that I had bought some years ago – dead cheap, but righteously so. This kit is cruel, the model even has no concrete variant specification and is apparently the re-boxing of a kit from an obscure Chinese company called “Income”. Effectively, the Trumpeter F-16 is a rip-off of Italeri’s quite nice F-16C/D kit – but the Income/Trumpeter clone comes with MUCH deeper engravings esp. on the fuselage that remind a lot of the dreaded Matchbox “trenches”. Everything is rather “soft” and toylike, the clear parts are poor and the (few) decals look like toy stickers (!!!). I’d call it crude, even the instructions are apparently poor scans or photocopies from the Italeri kit, including hints for detail painting with no corresponding reference what colors should be used at all… All that could have been overlooked, but after starting with the kit I could not commit myself to use it any further. It’s rare that I give up because of a kit’s basis!

Next idea to “save” the project’s idea of an Ukrainian F-16 was to dig out a surplus Intech F-16 from the pile, also bought long ago because it was cheap, as conversion fodder. This kit has also been re-released in infinite variations under the Mister-/Mastercraft label. Upon closer inspection this kit turned out to have massive flaws, too, but in different areas from the Trumpeter thing. For instance, the Intech kit’s wings are utterly thick, certainly 1mm thicker than the Trumpeter model’s parts. This does not sound much, but on the really thin F-16 wings and stabilizers this looks really awful! Furthermore, the clear parts had not been fully molded, so I’d have needed a replacement canopy, anyway. Again, I gave up on building…

…until I decided to make the best of this mess and combine the “best” parts from both gimp models, trying to mend the worst flaws to an acceptable level. This led to the glorious kitbashing that this model eventually became! From the Intech kit I took the acceptable fuselage, including cockpit interior, air intake and landing gear, as well as the fin and the weapon pylons. The Trumpeter kit donated its thinner wings and the stabilizers, as well as the much better open exhaust nozzle (there’s an optional closed one, too; the Intech kit only offers an open nozzle, without ANY surface detail at all, it’s just a blank pipe!).

Beyond these basic ingredients, some more donors became necessary: All clear parts from both Intech and Trumpeter kit turned out to be rubbish for various reasons. The decision to build an F-16D two-seater was dictated by the fact that I had a leftover canopy from an Italeri F-16 kit in the donor bank – luckily it fitted well to the Intech kit’s body. Two crewmen from the spares box populate the cockpit and hide the rather basic interior, which was not improved at all. Furthermore, the ordnance came from external sources, too. The characteristic drop tanks with their cut-off tails were also leftover parts from the Italeri F-16, all AAMs come from a Hasegawa weapon set.

Some PSR was necessary to blend the parts from different kits together – thankfully, almost all F-16 kits are constructed in a similar fashion, even though there are small detail differences. In this case, the wings had to be slightly modified to fit onto the Intech fuselage. However, even those parts from the original kit(s) that are supposed to fit, e.g. the fin or the alternative cockpit opening frames for the optional single- and two-seater canopies, do hardly match at all. Horrible.

I rather focused on the model’s exterior, and a personal addition to improve the overall look of the otherwise rather basic/poor model, I added some small blade antennae that were totally missing on either model. Another extra detail are the small static dischargers on the trailing edges, created with thin, heated sprue material. Only small details, but they improve IMHO the model’s look considerably.

Painting and markings:

Until today, I never dared to apply decal camouflage to a model, but I expected that the flat/smooth F-16 surface would make this stunt relatively easy. This application method would also make painting the model easy, since only a single, uniform color had to be laid down from above and below.

To my surprise, the painting instructions of the Authentic Decals sheet for a number of Ukrainian Su-25 (which all carry the same standardized pixel camouflage) indicated RAL tones – a little surprising, but: why not? Since no other authentic color references were available, I cross-checked the paint suggestions with real life pictures of Su-24s and -25s in this striking paint scheme, and the indicated tones appear very plausible.

The problem: not every RAL tone is available as a model paint, so I had to make guesstimates. This eventually led to Modelmaster 2133 (Fulcrum Grey) as a light grey overall basis (suggested: RAL 7030 Achatgrau/Agate Grey, a tone with a brownish hue) from above and Humbrol 47 (Sea Blue Gloss) for a pale blue underside. The recommendation for the belly is RAL 7001 (Silbergrau/Silver Grey, very close to FS 36375), and this appears plausible, too, even though real-life pictures suggest a more bluish tone. But for a more dramatic look and some color contrast to the upper side’s all-grey I deliberately settled upon the Humbrol color, and this looks IMHO good.

The other suggested grey tones that make up the pixel patterns are RAL 7040 (Fenstergrau/Window Grey), RAL 7037 (Staubgrau/Dust Grey) and RAL 7043 (Verkehrsgrau B/Traffic Grey).

The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (FS 36231, Humbrol 140), the air intake and the landing gear in white (Humbrol 22). The exhaust nozzle was painted externally with individual Metallizer mixes (with blue and gold added), while the inside was painted with Burnt Steel Metallizer towards the afterburner section while the ceramic nozzle petals were painted in a pale, almost white grey with darker lines, applied wet-in-wet. This looks pretty good – but does not withstand a closer inspection, just like the rest of this Franken-bashed F-16 thing.

Applying the digital camouflage pattern went better than expected. The decals turned out to be very thin and delicate, though, with almost no excessive clear film outside of the printed areas, so that application had to be executed swiftly and with lots of water to slide them into place. Nothing for modelers who are faint at heart! Because the single pixel clouds partly follow the Su-25 outlines, the decals had partly to be tailored to the rather different F-16 shape, and due to the different proportions I also had to improvise with the material at hand – fortunately the Su-25 sheet offered enough material to cover the F-16! Some small areas lacked decal material and had to be filled through painting, though, with replacement model paints for the aforementioned darker RAL greys, namely Humbrol 246 (RLM 75) and a 2:1 mix of Humbrol 125 and 67. The lightest grey on the prints turned out to be very close to the Fulcrum Grey, so there’s unfortunately very little contrast, and this only became clear after the decals had already dried. However, I left it that way, because lightening the Fulcrum Grey up further would have been a quite messy affair, ending in a rather dirty look that I wanted to avoid, and it had called for an almost white tone.

Another challenge became the weathering process, since I normally apply a black ink wash and some post-panel shading to the finished and painted model before I add the decals to a model. Fearing that the ink might creep under the decals’ clear sections, I left that step out completely. The delicate static dischargers were another complicating factor. So, I decided to finish the upper camouflage with the light grey base and the decals cammo first. This made trimming down excess decal material easier. After that had been roughly finished, the dischargers were added and the underside was painted blue. On top of that came the “normal” decals with national markings, codes and stencils. The latter were mostly taken from a vintage Microscale F-16 sheet, the tactical code came from a Begemot Ka-27 sheet. Since the bort number on the air intake was not well visible frame every angle, I added a white 77 to the fin, too. Thereafter I added some panel lines with the help of thinned black ink and a soft pencil. This way the model appears pretty clean, and I think that’s fine since many recent Ukrainian aircraft I know from pictures look well-tended. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish overall.

A simple F-16 in alternative markings – that’s what this model was supposed to be. I did not expect that the building phase would become such a challenge, and I’d sincerely recommend to any modeler who wants to build a “serious” F-16 in 1:72 to stay away from the Trumpeter and the Intech/Mister-/Mastercraft kits. They might be cheap, but that does not outweigh their flaws and building troubles.

Beyond these technical issues, I like the look of this “Ukrainized” Viper, the digital camouflage looks very special and works well on the aircraft. The light grey base could have been lighter, though. In fact, the F-16 now looks like an exaggerated U.S. Aggressor on first sight, but with the Ukrainian markings the whole thing looks pretty different and conclusive - a “what if” in the best sense. 😉

As a means to increase access to food, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department funded a Save The Children project that distributed assorted vegetable seeds including maize, tomato and mustard seeds to families as well as irrigation equipment.

As a result, Eluby’s family started growing crops in their nursery, in a nearby vegetable garden, and in an allocated space at a small scale irrigation scheme that sits adjacent to their home.

© Luzayo Nyirongo/Save The Children

BC is increasing the home owner grant threshold to $1.6 million, helping keep property taxes affordable for families and ensuring most home owners will continue to receive the full grant this year.

Learn more:

news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017FIN0002-000039

Alkalinity is commonly used to indicate a water body’s capacity to buffer against acidity; that is, the ability to resist, or dampen, changes in pH. Thus, alkaline compounds in water, such as bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides, lower the acidity of the water and increase the pH. Alkalinity (as CaCO3) was analysed for all sampling stations available at the continental level. Concentrations remained reasonably steady between the two decades for Africa, Asia, South America and Australasia, but significant increases were noted for European and North American rivers, which may indicate a shift towards reduced acidic impacts at the continental scale. Overall, during the last 30 years , alkalinity has decreased in North America and Europe, but has significantly increased in Asia. Examination of the outflow stations in 82 monitored river basins indicate a decrease in bicarbonate concentrations between the two decades , in the northern latitudes, including North America, Europe and Asia. For the period 1976-1990, European rivers displayed the highest concentrations of calcium at a continental level, with concentrations varying between 2 mg and 50 mg per litre for major rivers. Comparing the two decades, observations of surface water showed an increase in calcium concentrations in the Laurentian shield region of North America, and in the rivers of the north central European region.

For any form of publication, please include the link to this page:

www.grida.no/resources/5607

This photo has been graciously provided to be used in the GRID-Arendal resources library by: Philippe Rekacewicz, February 2006

The benefits of floating are inseparable from the benefits of meditation. Floating can increase empathy through using guided meditation techniques proven to elicit that response.

Cultivating compassion can have a profound impact on how we deal with others. Forgiveness and compassion are...

floatcarlsbad.com/floating-increases-empath/

Unedited mobile phone cam shot of Me, Myself&I, reflected in a puddle in Amsterdam. No editing, no magic tricks, no Photoshop :)

I've discovered a way to take wicked reflection shots of myself a while ago, and I am still fascinated, excited and worried about the possibilities that this new technique offers me when it comes to boring the bejesus out of you with an ever increasing amount of photos of this wicked Reflectah standing around in front of puddles somewhere in the best city in the world...living la vida loca baby ;-D

Don't forget to watch that wicked puddle movie that I've posted on my YouTube page today!

More wicked reflections

www.amstersam.com

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

Due to increasing tensions in Europe which led to World War 2, AVRO Aircraft started developing combat aircraft, and as a subsidiary of Hawker, they had access to the Hurricane plans. At the time that the Hurricane was developed, RAF Fighter Command consisted of just 13 squadrons, each equipped with either the Hawker Fury, Hawker Demon, or the Bristol Bulldog – all of them biplanes with fixed-pitch wooden propellers and non-retractable undercarriages. After the Hurricane's first flight, Avro started working on a more refined and lighter aircraft, resulting in a similar if not higher top speed and improved maneuverability.

Several machines were retained as trainers, messenger aircraft or instructional airframes. 20 late production Mk. IIs were sold to the Irish Air Corps, and a further 50 aircraft were sent to Canada as advanced fighter trainers, where they served until the end of the hostilities in 1945.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 8.57 m (28 ft 1 in)

Wingspan: 10.85 m (35 ft 7 in)

Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)

Wing area: 17.00 m² (183 ft²)

Empty weight: 1,690 kg (3,726 lb)

Gross weight: 2,200 kg (4,850 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Merlin III liquid-cooled V-12, rated at 1,310 hp (977 kW) at 9,000 ft (2,700 m)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 371 mph (597 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,096 m)

Range: 320 miles (515 km)

Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,970 m)

Rate of climb: 2,780 ft/min (14.1 m/s)

Wing loading: 29.8 lb/ft² (121.9 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)

Armament:

8× 0.303” (7,7mm) Browning machine guns with 350 RPG in the outer wings

The kit and its assembly:

Another entry to the Battle of Britain Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and this time a collaboration. This fictional machine – or better: the model – is based on a 2D profile conceived by fellow forum member nighthunter: an Avia B.135, outfitted with a Merlin engine, a ventral radiator in the style of a Hawker Hurricane, and carrying RAF markings.

Since I had a spare B.35 sans engine left over from the recent Fokker D.XXIII conversion, I used the opportunity to take the virtual design to the hardware stage!

The basis is a vintage KP Models kit of the early B.35 fighter with a fixed landing gear. It’s a sleek and pretty aircraft, but the kit’s quality is rather so-so. Details are good, you get a mix of engraved and raised surface details, but fit is mediocre and there is lots of flash. But, with some effort, things can be mended.

Many donation parts for the Swallow, including the engine, propeller, landing gear and radiator, come from an AZ Models Spitfire Mk. I/II/V, from a recently bought Joy Pack which comes with three of these kits without decals.

New landing gear wells had to be drilled into the massive lower wing halves. Since the original Swallow profile did not indicate the landing gear design, I went for an inward-retracting solution, using parts from an early Spitfire. Due to the oil cooler in one of the wing roots, though, the stance ended up a little wide… The Merlin fitted very well onto the B.35 fuselage, and, inside of the cockpit, I added a tank behind the seat in order to fill the OOB void there.

Another internal change I made is the installation of my trademark propeller adapter: a styrene tube inside of the fuselage that holds a long metal axis with the propeller, so that it can spin freely.

Painting and markings:

Very conservative, but IMHO a good match for this fictional fighter: Standard RAF colors in Dark Green/Dark Earth (both enamels from the Modelmaster Authentic line), nothing fancy, and I had the profile as benchmark for what I wanted to achieve. Since the plane is placed historically in August 1940, Sky was about to be introduced, but only gradually and sometimes with “different” tones. Therefore, I painted the underside with Humbrol 23, Duck Egg Blue, and also added roundels under the wings.

The code letters should have been Medium Sea Grey, but the profile showed white letters – so I stuck with that, and AFAIK there had been exceptions to the rule. The code letters came from an Xtradecal RAF white letter sheet. Roundels and fin flash come from various sources, including a Matchbox Brewster Buffalo and a Trumpeter P-40C. The serial number was improvised, too.

As personal markings I painted a green shamrock under the cockpit on port side, while a list of air combat scores came under the starboard cockpit side (in style with the original profile). A green ring on the spinner was added, too, inspired by the real world No. 1 Squadron’s JX-B, flown by Arthur Clowes. His machine carried a bee nose art and a yellow spinner ring: for every victory, the bee would receive a new stripe, and he achieved eight during his career.

Some light weathering and panel shading was done, as well as some light soot stains around the exhausts and the gun ports on the wings. Finally, everything sealed under a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Revell), which unfortunately turned white in some seams! :-/

The Avro Swallow looked already promising in nighthunter's profile, almost like a missing link between the sturdy Hurricane and the more glorious Spitfire.

A quick build, but a conversion that has to be kept in mind, because the result looks so convincing! Seeing the completed aircraft, I am amazed how good this thing looks overall, with its elegant, oval wings and the sleek fuselage lines. Nice one! :D

A number of legislative changes are announced to increase awareness about outdoor recreation and fire safety. For example, fines for campfire violations will increase dramatically, as will fines for those who interfere with efforts to fight wildfires.

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016FLNR0027-000358

Following increased funding from Wokingham Borough Council, Woodley circular routes 19a and 19c were reintroduced on Monday 3rd September after a year's absence, replacing route 12. At the same time Reading Buses also brought back the 19b, replacing a short-lived extension of rote 22 to Lower Earley.

The routes are now known collectively as "little oranges" to mirror the main 13 and 14 routes between Reading and Woodley. 25-seat ADL Enviro200s 131-133 have been repainted from white into two-tone orange and 132 is seen at Reading Station on a route 19b journey during the evening peak of Friday 19th October. The trio have been joined by longer Enviro200 654, which was repainted in preference to 134 as certain journeys require extra capacity at school start and finish times.

These are soft and squedgy, when soaked in water they increase in size. To me they are still a load of balls.

Mixed-use is a style of urban development, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses into one space, where those functions are to some degree physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections.[1][2][3] Mixed-use development may be applied to a single building, a block or neighborhood, or in zoning policy across an entire city or other political unit. These projects may be completed by a private developer, (quasi-) governmental agency, or a combination thereof. A mixed-use development may be new construction, reuse of an existing building or brownfield site, or a combination. Traditionally, human settlements have developed in mixed-use patterns. However, with industrialization as well as the invention of the skyscraper, governmental zoning regulations were introduced to separate different functions, such as manufacturing, from residential areas. Public health concerns and the protection of property values stood as the motivation behind this separation.[4] The practice of zoning for single-family residential use was instigated to safeguard communities from negative externalities; including air, noise, and light pollution; associated with heavier industrial practices.[4] In the United States, the heyday of separate-use zoning was after World War II, but since the 1990s, mixed-use zoning has once again become desirable as it works to combat urban sprawl and increase economic vitality.[4][5]

In most of Europe, government policy has encouraged the continuation of the city center's role as a main location for business, retail, restaurant, and entertainment activity, unlike in the United States where zoning actively discouraged such mixed use for many decades. As a result, much of Europe's central cities are mixed use "by default" and the term "mixed-use" is much more relevant regarding new areas of the city, when an effort is made to mix residential and commercial activities – such as in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands – rather than separate them.[6][7]

Expanded use of mixed-use zoning and mixed-use developments may be found in a variety of contexts, such as the following (multiple such contexts might apply to one particular project or situation):[8]

as part of smart growth planning strategies

in traditional urban neighborhoods, as part of urban renewal and/or infill, i.e. upgrading the buildings and public spaces and amenities of the neighborhood to provide more and/or better housing and a better quality of life - examples include Barracks Row in Washington, D.C. and East Liberty, Pittsburgh

in traditional suburbs, adding one or more mixed-use developments to provide a new or more prominent "downtown" for the community - examples include new projects in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, an inner suburb of Washington, D.C., and the Excelsior & Grand complex in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, an inner suburb of Minneapolis

greenfield developments, i.e. new construction on previously undeveloped land, particularly at the edge of metropolitan areas and in their exurbs, often as part of creating a relatively denser center for the community – an edge city, or part of one, zoned for mixed use, in the 2010s often labeled "urban villages". Examples include Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia and Halcyon in Forsyth County, Georgia, at the edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area

the repurposing of shopping malls and intensification of development around them, particularly as many shopping malls' retail sales, and ability to rent space to retailers, decrease as part of the 2010s retail apocalypse

Any of the above contexts may also include parallel contexts such as:

Transit-oriented development - for example in Los Angeles and San Diego where the cities made across-the-board zoning law changes permitting denser development within a certain distance of certain types of transit stations, with the primary aim of increasing the amount and affordability of housing[9]

Older cities such as Chicago and San Francisco have historic preservation policies that sometimes offer more flexibility for older buildings to be used for purposes other than what they were originally zoned for, with the aim of preserving historic architecture[10]

Benefits[edit]

Economic

Mixed-use developments are home to significant employment and housing opportunities.[11] Many of these projects are already located in established downtown districts, meaning that development of public transit systems is incentivized in these regions.[12] By taking undervalued and underutilized land, often former heavy industrial, developers can repurpose it to increase land and property values.[11] These projects also increase housing variety, density, and oftentimes affordability through their focus on multifamily, rather than single-family housing compounds.[13]

Social

This development pattern is centered around the idea of “live, work, play,” transforming buildings and neighborhoods into multi-use entities. Efficiency, productivity, and quality of life are also increased with regards to workplaces holding a plethora of amenities.[12] Examples include gyms, restaurants, bars, and shopping. Mixed-use neighborhoods promote community and socialization through their bringing together of employees, visitors, and residents.[12] A distinctive character and sense-of-place is created by transforming single use districts that may run for eight hours a day (Ex. Commercial office spaces running 9am - 5pm) into communities that can run eighteen hours a day through the addition of cafes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.[13] Safety of neighborhoods is in turn increased as people stay out on the streets for longer hours.

Environmental

Mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings have a strong ability to adapt to changing social and economic environments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, New York retail businesses located on long, commercially-oriented blocks suffered severely as they were no longer attracting an audience of passersby. By combining multiple functions into one building or development, mixed-use districts can build resiliency through their ability to attract and maintain visitors. Pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure is also fostered in these districts due to their increased density and reduced distances between housing, workplaces, retail businesses, and other amenities and destinations.[4] Mixed-use projects promote health and wellness, as these developments often provide better access (whether it be by foot, bicycle, or transit) to farmer's markets and grocery stores.[13]

Drawbacks[edit]

Equity

Due to the neoliberalist nature of large scale real estate developments, mega-mixed-use projects often fall short on meeting equity and affordability goals. High-end residential, upscale retail, and Class A office spaces appealing to high-profile tenants are often prioritized due to their speculative potential.[11] These projects are made to be attractive to businesses and individuals with significant capital.

Financing

Mixed-use buildings can be risky given that there are multiple tenants residing in one development.[12] Mega-mixed-use projects, like Hudson Yards, are also extremely expensive. This development has cost the City of New York over 2.2 billion dollars.[14] Critics argue that taxpayer dollars could better serve the general public if spent elsewhere.[14] Additionally, mixed-use developments, as a catalyst for economic growth, may not serve their intended purpose if they simply shift economic activity, rather than create it. A study done by JLL found that “90 percent of Hudson Yards’ new office tenants relocated from Midtown."[14]

Aesthetics

Mixed-use projects may be seen as disjointed from the surrounding environment. Preserving local character, histories, and charm conflicts with building designs that represent economic growth and modernity.[11] Mixed-use projects are often at the center of this conflict.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-use_development

Jökulsárlón (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjœːkʏlsˌaurˌloun̥] ( listen); literally "glacial river lagoon") is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 248 metres (814 ft), as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. The size of the lake has increased fourfold since the 1970s. It is considered as one of the natural wonders of Iceland.

The lake can be seen from Route 1 between Höfn and Skaftafell. It appears as "a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs".

Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: A View to a Kill, Die Another Day, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Batman Begins, as well as the "reality TV" series Amazing Race. In 1991 Iceland issued a postage stamp, with a face value of 26 kronur, depicting Jökulsárlón.

#2: Vacation is Liberation - don't get me wrong, hard work is great. A healthy relationship with work can yield financial gain, increased personal value and general satisfaction. However, I think it is easy to develop an unhealthy relationship with work at this day in age. Technology has created a world where we are connected to our work at all times. There is no longer a clear separation between life and work, and I think that is dangerous. People are becoming addicted to being busy, feeling restless when they aren't tending to some random task. Well today I am advocating the importance of doing absolutely NOTHING sometimes. I'd say it is equally as important as working. Tune out, recharge, and reflect. Balance is the key word here. Beware of burning out and forgetting about life beyond the laptop. Vacate and Liberate!

Blog | Facebook | Behance

A crowd of people was gathered outside the university’s Image Centre building which houses its photography department and gallery. After locking my bicycle I approached this man to ask what the event was. He explained it was the launch of this year’s MYTORONTO program. MYTORONTO is an annual event at which disposable cameras are provided to Toronto’s homeless population who are invited to photograph the city from their perspective. The resulting photos are selected for exhibit and also form an annual calendar which is for sale with half the proceeds going to the photographers. You can learn about the program (and purchase your calendar) here: mytorontocalendar.com/. Meet Robert who was looking forward to the free lunch, the comradery, and the provision of the cameras.

Robert was chatting with Mukhtar who is a street outreach worker for Ve’ahavta, the Jewish nonprofit that organizes this program. Ve’ahavta (www.veahavta.org) describes itself as “A Jewish humanitarian response to poverty.” Robert and Mukhtar knew each other and Robert spoke with respect and affection for Mukhtar, indicating that Mukhtar has shown himself to be an important part of Robert’s support network.

I was aware of MYTORONTO and had, in fact, photographed a past participant last year – even though I didn’t know his connection with the program at the time. There was an air of excitement on the street as participants lined up, waiting for the doors to open for the lunch and the launch of this year’s program. When I invited including Robert in my Human Family project he was happy to volunteer and he clearly had a story to tell.

As I was looking around for a suitable spot to photograph him, Robert sat down on the steps in the shade of the Image Arts building and I decided to photograph him right there as the organizers finished setting up for the event. Robert told me he is 67 and was born in Vancouver. He said he has lived on the streets (and beneath the streets) for most of his life but, with the assistance of social agencies, has now secured satisfactory group living accommodations and is off the street. Robert was clearly proud of his history of independence and participates in MYTORONTO as a way of bringing attention to the needs of the homeless in Toronto. He explained that his father was in the military “so I’ve lived all over the county.” He himself spent some time in the armed forces.

Robert mentioned having lived “underground” for a period of time and by that he meant in the subway tunnels. He showed me a pair of reflective goggles he said he had used to protect his eyes from the grit stirred up in the subway tunnels. He told of a police raid which had expelled tunnel-dwellers and said he had also lived in “tent city” which was a community of homeless people who had set up camp beneath a downtown expressway. He said he had been arrested when police forced the tent-city people to leave and he wound up serving six months in jail. He was eventually released when it was decided that no crime had been committed. Robert said that people have to be strong and stand up for themselves – especially when living on the streets.

When I asked what advice he would give his younger self, he said "Nothing. No advice." Robert’s message to the project was “Live life. Be happy wherever you are.”

Throughout or conversation Mukhtar was nearby, showing his support and filling in some gaps in Robert’s story. When Robert emphasized that Mukhtar “has his back” I suggested including Mukhtar in a photo (you will see it below).

Thank you Robert for what you are doing to increase public awareness of the needs of those who are living on the fringes of the city. It takes toughness to live that life and I could tell that you have plenty of it. And thank you Mukhtar (and Ve’ahavta) for the important work you are doing to support Toronto’s homeless people. Unfortunately, it seems there will always be those who live without but at least there are also those who care.

MYTORONTO impressed me as sharing some of the same values as our Human Family project: Using photography to spread good will and break down barriers between people.

This is my 835th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.

You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The J, K and N class was a class of destroyers of the Royal Navy, launched in 1938 in three flotillas or groups and with names beginning with "J", "K" and "N", respectively. Their design was intended as a smaller follow-on from the preceding Tribal class and incorporated one radical new idea that was a departure from all previous Royal Navy destroyer designs: the adoption of a two-boiler room layout. This reduced hull length and allowed for a single funnel, both reducing the profile and increasing the arcs of fire of the light anti-aircraft (AA) weapons. However, this also increased vulnerability, as there were now two adjacent large compartments with the resultant risk of a single well-placed hit flooding both and resulting in a total loss of boiler power. This illustrates somewhat the Admiralty's attitude to the expendable nature of destroyers, but destroyers were lightly armored and fast vessels, anyway, meant to survive by avoiding being hit at all. From this perspective, the odds of a single hit striking just the right spot to disable both boiler rooms simultaneously were considered remote enough to be worth risking in exchange for the benefits given by a two-room layout.

On 8 August 1944, she was severely damaged in an accident with the floating drydock at Trincomalee, Ceylon. The drydock was being raised with Karachi in it by pumping water from ballast tanks. The tanks were emptied in the wrong sequence for Karachi's weight distribution, which was exacerbated by her full munitions load. As a result, the drydock was over-stressed at its ends, broke its back and sank. Karachi crashed to the drydock’s floor and had its hull dented and breached, even though not fatally. However, both screw shafts were damaged and one of Karachi's screws was jammed as well as her rudder. Luckily, Karachi had remained in steam and was able to avoid worse damage or sinking, but the ship was so damaged that Karachi was deemed unsuitable for further service or repairs and had to be decommissioned in October 1944. She was stripped off of any useable equipment and remained moored at Trincomalee for the rest of the war, but was wrecked on site in late 1945.

General characteristics:

Displacement: 1,690 long tons (1,720 t) (standard)

2,330 long tons (2,370 t) (deep load)

Length: 356 ft 6 in (108.7 m) overall

Beam: 35 ft 9 in (10.9 m)

Draught: 12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) (deep)

Draft: 17.5 ft (5.3 m)

Complement: 218

Propulsion:

2× Admiralty 3-drum boilers with geared steam turbines, developing 44,000 shp (33,000 kW)

Performance:

Top speed: 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)

Range: 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)

Armament:

3× turrets with a pair of 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk XII guns each

1× triple 1½-inch “pom pom” anti-aircraft machine cannon

1× quadruple 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft machine cannon

2× 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft machine cannon

2× quintuple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

1× rack astern with 20 depth charges

The kit and its assembly:

Another small ship build, and this time I did not change much about the model itself because I wanted quick results. The basis is Matchbox’s HMS Kelly destroyer, re-boxed by Revell, and it was basically built OOB.

The kit offers optional parts for a standard ship around 1941, with the normal rear cabin and the 4in AA gun that temporarily replaced the rear torpedo unit. And there is an alternative, longer cabin for HMS Kelly, since this specific ship was a destroyer flotilla leader under Lord Mountbatten with a bigger staff crew than the standard K-class destroyers.

Since this would be a what-if ship, anyway, I decided to use the latter option, together with both torpedo units and some other differing details. I also used the optional mince clearing equipment on the now shortened stern deck – it’s quite cramped now. Personal additions are some replaced AA guns and I added a small superstructure and a second, short mast behind the torpedo launcher section.

I also tried to add some rigging with heated plastic sprue, since anything else IMHO appeared too clumsy for the small 1:700 scale. While it’s not perfect, I think that this already improves the model’s look a lot. I just do not dare to experiment with PE railings, which would certainly help even more.

Painting and markings:

The model’s paint scheme was made up, using various Royal Navy ships of the time for inspiration, including in specific HMS Echo and HMS Abercrombie. Despite the more or less official Admiralty Disruptive schemes, there were many experiments and improvisations, e. g. through the unavailability of suitable paints in quantities, and maintenance also created some variations from the standard.

I wanted a rather greenish scheme, and I devised a pattern that concentrated dark colors towards the stern. This not only visually shortens the ship, it also creates the impression of a smaller/further away ship, and the dark rear end helped navigation in tight formations at sea in poor visibility, so that a following ship could better keep up.

The intended paints are 507c (Pale Grey), MS4a (Grey, a.k.a. Home Fleet Grey), MS3 (Slate Green) and G45 (Light Olive), plus a few white highlights like the mast and funnel tops, a fake bow wave on the flanks (the stern wave is grey) and areas around the bridge.

The deck was painted in 507a (Dark Grey, a.k.a. Battleship Grey), only with the bow area left in a greyish, weathered wood shade. However, since I did not have trustworthy color references at hand I had to improvise, and I chose Humbrol 196 (Light Grey, RAL 7035), 129 (Light Gull Grey, FS 36440) and 86 (Light Olive, a dull interpretation of RAL 6003) plus a mix of Revell 360, 86 and 129 for the MS3. The decks and other horizontal surfaces became Humbrol 27 (Sea Grey), the bow 167 (Hemp). Just some areas above the bridge were painted with Humbrol 9, simulating Corticene coating.

The model received a light black ink wash, with the hope that the tiny portholes (around 100...!) would become more visible, but that did not work. So, I decided to paint them out manually with a fine black felt tip pen... A tedious task, but I think that it improves the model’s look. A similar, wider pen was also used for the very narrow black waterline - camouflaged ships were supposed to be left without this marking, as it would compromise the blurring effects above the waterline, but I wanted at least a minor demarcation line. Further weathering was done with sepia ink on the wooden deck area and simple red brown water color for the rust all over the hull.

The pennant numbers were created with single 3mm letters in black and white from TL Modellbau, and finally the kit was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can, before the rigging was added.

Well, I will probably never become a friend of small scale ships, but the many camouflage schemes and concepts open a wide field of experimentation and whiffing. Experiments with Mountbatton Pink and an Alexandria-type-camouflaged ship are serious candidates. I also see a learn curve, because this one went together much more easily than the recent HMS Flexible, a comparable Matchbox kit.

Furthermore, the paint scheme turned - in the beauty pics - out to be quite effective, despite being made up from real-world references. Especially in the side profile view the "shortening effect" and the almost submarine-esque silhouette against a hazy/bright background is quite apparent and effective and creates an illusion of a fast ship further away than it actually would be.

Increased receptors increases addiction risk. You can raise your own pain tolerance, study suggests t.co/WCemkvP49e via @TIMEHealth

A complete analyze of Brits’ utilization of and attitudes to electronic media, executed annually by telecoms watchdog Ofcom, suggests there is expanding concern among the world-wide-web and app people about the privacy of their personal knowledge.

The latest study, posted now and based on re...

First 1000 businesses who contacts honestechs.com will receive a business mobile app and the development fee will be waived. Contact us today.

‪#‎electronics‬ ‪#‎technology‬ ‪#‎tech‬ ‪#‎electronic‬ ‪#‎device‬ ‪#‎gadget‬ ‪#‎gadgets‬ ‪#‎instatech‬ ‪#‎instagood‬ ‪#‎geek‬ ‪#‎techie‬ ‪#‎nerd‬ ‪#‎techy‬ ‪#‎photooftheday‬ ‪#‎computers‬ ‪#‎laptops‬ ‪#‎hack‬ ‪#‎screen‬

honestechs.com/2016/04/21/united-kingdom-report-finds-inc...

Digital ID: 482056

Source: Photographs of General Motors and Chrysler car and truck models, 1902 - 1938. / 1902-1938. Cadillac - Chrysler - De Soto - Dodge - La Salle - Plymouth. Photographs - Specifications. (more info)

Repository: The New York Public Library. Science, Industry and Business Library. General Collection Division.

See more information about this image and others at NYPL Digital Gallery.

Persistent URL: digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?482056

Rights Info: No known copyright restrictions; may be subject to third party rights (for more information, click here)

Launched in late September of 1976, the 1977 Caprice Classic was drastically downsized, which reduced its weight and exterior dimensions, while increasing headroom, rear-seat legroom and trunk space compared to 1976 models. GM called its downsizing program Project 77 and invested $600 million to develop the most changed full-size Chevrolet to date. The weight reductions from the 1976 models were 611 lb (277 kg) for coupes, 637 lb (289 kg) for sedans and 871 lb (395 kg) for wagons. The 1977 Caprice coupe and sedan were over 10 inches (250 mm) shorter while the wagon was 14 inches (360 mm) shorter. Wheelbases were reduced to 116 inches (2,900 mm) from 121.5 inches (3,090 mm) for coupes and sedans and 125 inches (3,200 mm) for wagons. Width was reduced by 4 inches (100 mm) for sedans and coupes; the wagon's width remained virtually unchanged. Heights were increased by 2.5 inches (64 mm) and trunk capacities were increased to 20.9 cubic feet (0.59 m3) for sedans and 19.8 cubic feet (0.56 m3) for coupes.

Although by modern standards, the 1977 downsized Chevrolet cars are quite large, the new Chevrolet had exterior dimensions closer to the intermediates of its day. The 1977 Caprice shared the same 116-inch (2,900 mm) wheelbase of the intermediate-sized Chevrolet Chevelle;

Station wagon models received a new three-way tailgate for 1977; the clamshell tailgate was gone. The three-seat models featured a rear-facing third seat for two occupants making these cars eight-passenger models. The cargo capacity was reduced to 87 cubic feet (2,500 L), and although the station wagon could still carry a 4 ft × 8 ft (1.2 m × 2.4 m) sheet of plywood, this could now only be done with the tailgate down. The station wagons use the coil spring suspension in the rear, as for the sedans and coupes.

ift.tt/1W2BUPf marcimoberg

AI Generated Image

Leisure carrier, SunExpress has been expanding in recent years and have become an increasing common fixture into the UK since commencing flights to the nation back in 2022, operating a number of flights to Turkish leisure destinations not typically operated by Türkiye's own flag-carrier. Despite this, SunExpress is 50/50% owned each between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa Group.

SunExpress has had a presence in Manchester since the start of the S21 schedule, initially with a twice weekly flights to and from their main operating base at Antalya which later increased to 4-times weekly. Since then, SunExpress's presence at Manchester has significantly expanded as well as their overall UK presence capitalising on the Turkish leisure market.

Since the S25 schedule at Manchester, SunExpress operates thrice daily to and from Antalya, İzmir sees thrice weekly operations, and twice daily flight to and from Dalaman which is summer seasonal only. For the current W25 schedule, Antalya's and İzmir's frequencies remain the same whilst Dalaman is suspended until the following summer schedule.

Next year, SunExpress will continue their further expansion into Manchester; the leisure carrier will introduce another route this time from Bodrum due to commence from 4th May 2026 which will operate twice weekly. Not only this, SunExpress also plans to launch their first direct flights into East Midlands for the start of the S26 schedule, further showcasing SunExpress's expansion plans.

Currently, SunExpress operates 80 Boeing 737s, which includes 58 Boeing 737-800s and 22 Boeing 737 MAX 8s. SunExpress have 53 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 17 Boeing 737 MAX 10s on-order.

Sierra Papa Juliet is one of 58 Boeing 737-800s operated by SunExpress, delivered new to Turkish low-cost carrier, Pegasus on lease from Deucalion Aviation as TC-ADP on 24th January 2011 before being withdrawn from service on 31st December 2021, later leased to SunExpress as TC-SPJ on 3rd July 2022 and she is powered by 2 CFM International CFM56-7B26 engines.

Boeing 737-82R(WL) TC-SPJ on short finals into Runway 23R at Manchester (MAN) on XQ834 from İzmir-Adnan Menderes (ADB).

Its days numbered as a fully functioning railway station, Wolverhampton's Low Level railway station was at this time seeing increased traffic due to the electrification work that was in progress on the West Coast Main Line. This resulted in services being diverted away from Wolverhampton's High Level Station and through Low Level. When the Stour Valley Line reopened, the services through Low Level were quickly reduced. The last London to Birkenhead express ran in March 1967, and in 1968 Shrewsbury services switched to High Level. By 1970, the only services left running from Low Level were local trains to Birmingham Snow Hill via Wednesbury Central. This service ceased when the line closed to passengers in 1972, also seeing the closure of Birmingham's Snow Hill Station.

In 1970, Low Level station was converted to a Parcels Concentration Department. Much of the track work was lifted, and the north signal box demolished. It opened to parcels traffic on 6th April 1970, handling up to 8,000 parcels every day. However, when British Rail's policy on parcel handling altered in the late 1970s, the station was no longer needed and finally closed in June 1981.

Redevelopment of the Low Level station site began in 2006, retaining the main station building (a listed building) while the remainder of the station, including the former main southbound platform was demolished to make way for a retail, hotel, and residential development. The station building itself was destined to become a casino, but thankfully, this fell through Today, the station building has been transformed into a banqueting hall and wedding venue.

Photo - 16th March 1968

My ever increasing fleet of Gresley A4 models in their latest state. From left to right is 60024 Kingfisher. Originally 60022 Mallard but the real engine was never allocated to Scotland so doesn’t fit in with my layout whereas 60024 was allocated to Haymarket & Dalry Road (both Edinburgh) or Ferryhill (Aberdeen). A static model at the moment awaiting refurbishment. Nameplates, smokebox door & cabside numbers fitted.. 60009 Union of South Africa (the real engine was allocated to Haymarket (Edinburgh) throughout her working life & survived into preservation (shedded at Markinch for a while & would wake me up early on a Sunday morning running through Inverkeithing Station chime whistle on full blast - no consideration for those with young toddlers and trying for a long lie!😊) but due for retiral next year on expiry of her boiler certificate.) now with chime whistle fitted and basic decoder. Fully operational but awaiting TTS sound decoder fitting when funds allow.. 60025 Falcon with nameplates and etched brass headboard refitted though still identified with "Heart of Midlothian" as it hauls the train of this name. Various attachments added for realism & TTS sound decoder fitted to give authenticism. The real engine was never allocated to a shed in Scotland (Kings Cross or Grantham) but I have photographs of her in Waverley Station, Edinburgh at the head of non-stop London to Edinburgh expresses since she had a corridor tender which allowed crew changes on the move.

The Green Revolution brought us drastic increases in food productivity. Yet critics of industrial farming argue that it destroys biodiversity as well as harming environmental and human health. So can sustainable farming methods actually produce the yields necessary for our growing populations? Doesn’t agribusiness have a crucial role to play too, as it makes substantial efforts to improve productivity while tackling sustainability?

Moderator:

Astrid S. Tuminez, Regional Director, Legal and Corporate Affairs (Southeast Asia), Microsoft and Adjunct Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

Speakers:

Anne Roulin, Global R&D Sustainability Manager, Nestlé

Silvia Taurozzi, Global Advisor and former Senior Vice President & Senior Platform Head Proteins & Other Tropicals of Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC); Member of the Jury of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards

Sir Peter Fahy chats to shoppers.

Shoppers in Oldham town centre will be seeing an increased police presence over the forthcoming months as police launch their winter operation to keep locals safe.

As the dark nights draw in, it is important that the public take measures to keep themselves and their valuables safe so that they can enjoy the winter festivities.

The operation runs from 26 October until the end of December, where officers in both uniform and plain clothes will be patrolling car parks, shops and other busy areas. They will also be tackling shoplifters who take advantage of these busy periods.

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy spent time in Oldham last week. He went on patrol with officers in plain-clothes to see the work they are doing in the run-up to Christmas.

He also spoke to shoppers about keeping safe during the winter months.

Special Constables will also be providing a high police presence in the town centre and will be on hand to provide advice on personal safety.

Sergeant Trevor Harrison from GMPs Oldham Division said: “We forecast a higher footfall in the town centre during this period, as local people spend more time and money here in the lead up to Christmas. We are working with Oldham Council to try to combat this sort of criminal activity to ensure that the town is a safe and pleasant place to be.

“Unfortunately the influx of shoppers attracts criminals, which means that crimes such as pick pocketing tens to increase. Officers will also be challenging beggars in the area and will be on hand to tackle on street drinking in order to reduce antisocial behaviour.

Sara Hewitt, Town Centre Manager at Oldham Council added: “The Town Centre Business Partnership is working with the Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team to create a safe and enjoyable Town Centre for visitors. We have a packed programme of free events plus free parking offers for visitors this Christmas.

“The Partnership is also pro-actively tackling crime that affects businesses. A Shop Watch scheme has been launched to sit alongside the successful Pub Watch scheme. Businesses are sharing intelligence on known and suspected offenders and are agreeing to collectively ban problem individuals from their premises.”

Shoppers can use the following tips to help avoid becoming a victim of crime this winter:

• Don’t carry larger amounts of cash than necessary

• Be aware of who is around you especially when in a crowd

• Ensure that handbags are fastened at all times and are worn across the body rather than over the shoulder

• Keep wallets in an inside zipped or buttoned pocket where possible

• Spread your valuables around, don’t keep them all in one place

• Wheelchair users should keep their possessions beside you rather than in the back

• Don’t leave valuables on display in your vehicle

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.

www.gmp.police.uk

If you have information on suspected criminals in your area call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

For non-emergency calls or to report a crime call police on 101, or for more information visit gmp.police.uk

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity that will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

Use 999 only in emergencies where there is a threat to life or property or a crime in progress.

Echinacea /ˌɛkɪˈneɪʃiə/ is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are found only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming in summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (ekhinos), meaning "sea urchin", due to the spiny central disk. These flowering plants and their parts have different uses. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. Two of the species, E. tennesseensis and E. laevigata, are listed in the United States as endangered species.

Echinacea purpurea is used in traditional medicine.Although commonly sold as a dietary supplement, there is insufficient scientific evidence that Echinacea products are effective or safe for improving health or treating any disease.

DESCRIPTION

Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline (stem) leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1–4 rings of cells) but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves; often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate.

The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads at the ends of long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The phyllaries are produced in a 2–4 series. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic. The paleae (chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The ray florets number 8–21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The flower heads have typically 200–300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. pallida. The three or four-angled fruits (cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pappi are persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. x = 11.

Like all members of the sunflower family, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with rose-colored (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head – "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. The common name "cone flower" comes from the characteristic center "cone" at the center of the flower head. The generic name Echinacea is rooted in the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning hedgehog, in reference to the spiky appearance and feel of the flower heads.

TAXONOMY

The genus Echinacea was first formally described by Linnaeus in 1753, but as one of five species of Rudbeckia, Rudbeckia purpurea. Conrad Moench subsequently reclassified it in 1794 as the separate but related genus, Echinacea, with the single species Echinacea purpurea, so that the botanical authority is given as (L.) Moench. Historically, there has been much confusion over the taxonomic treatment of the genus, largely due to the ease with which the taxa hybridize with introgression.

DNA analysis has been applied to determine the number of Echinacea species, allowing clear distinctions among species based on chemical differences in root metabolites. The research concluded that of the 40 genetically diverse populations of Echinacea studied, there were nine to ten distinct species. A common taxonomic treatment includes nine species, of which two, E. angustifolia DC and E. paradoxa (Norton) Britton, are further divided into two varietals. Treatments that include ten species, differ by the addition of E. serotina (Nutt.) DC. An alternative classification with four species and eight subspecies has been proposed.

SPECIES

World Flora Online gives ten accepted species:

Echinacea angustifolia – Narrow-leaf coneflower

Echinacea atrorubens – Topeka purple coneflower

Echinacea laevigata – Smooth coneflower, smooth purple coneflower

Echinacea pallida – Pale purple coneflower

Echinacea paradoxa – Yellow coneflower, Bush's purple coneflower

Echinacea purpurea – Purple coneflower, eastern purple coneflower

Echinacea sanguinea – Sanguine purple coneflower

Echinacea serotina – Narrow-leaved purple coneflower

Echinacea simulata – Wavyleaf purple coneflower

Echinacea tennesseensis – Tennessee coneflower

RESEARCH

Echinacea products vary widely in composition. They contain different species (E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida), different plant segments (roots, flowers, extracts), different preparations (extracts and expressed juice), and different chemical compositions which complicate understanding of a potential effect.

Well-controlled clinical trials are limited and low in quality, with little scientific evidence that Echinacea supplement products are useful for treating any disease. Although there are multiple scientific reviews and meta-analyses published on the supposed immunological effects of Echinacea, there is significant variability of products used among studies, leading to low-quality or no evidence for efficacy and safety. Consequently, regulatory authorities, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration, have not approved Echinacea products as safe and effective for any health or therapeutic purpose.

COMMON COLD

While one 2014 systematic review found that Echinacea products are not effective to treat or prevent the common cold, a 2016 meta-analysis found tentative evidence that use of Echinacea extracts reduced the risk of repeated respiratory infections. A 2015 monograph by the European Medicines Agency stated that oral consumption of "expressed juice" or dried expressed juice of Echinacea could prevent or reduce symptoms of a common cold at its onset. As of 2020, the benefit, if any, appears to be small and thus of little utility.

CANCER

According to Cancer Research UK, "There is no scientific evidence to show that echinacea can help treat, prevent or cure cancer in any way. Some therapists have claimed that echinacea can help relieve side effects from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but this has not been proven either."

SIDE EFFECTS

When taken by mouth, Echinacea does not usually cause side effects, but may have undesirable interactions with various drugs prescribed for diseases, such as heart disease, bleeding, and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or psoriasis. Although there are no specific case reports of drug interactions with Echinacea, safety about taking Echinacea supplements is not well-understood, with possibilities that it may cause side effects, such as nausea, stomach upset or diarrhea, and that it may have adverse reactions with other medications. One of the most extensive and systematic studies to review the safety of Echinacea products concluded that overall, "adverse events are rare, mild and reversible," with the most common symptoms being "gastrointestinal and skin-related." Such side effects include nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, itch, and rash. Echinacea has also been linked to allergic reactions, including asthma, shortness of breath, and one case of anaphylaxis. Muscle and joint pain has been associated with Echinacea, but it may have been caused by cold or flu symptoms for which the Echinacea products were administered. There are isolated case reports of rare and idiosyncratic reactions including thrombocytopenic purpura, leucopenia, hepatitis, kidney failure, and atrial fibrillation, although it is not clear that these were due to Echinacea itself. Up to 58 drugs or supplements may interact with Echinacea.

As a matter of manufacturing safety, one investigation by an independent-consumer testing laboratory found that five of eleven selected retail Echinacea products failed quality testing. Four of the failing products contained levels of phenols below the potency level stated on the labels. One failing product was contaminated with lead.

CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS OLD

The European Herbal Medicinal Products Committee (HMPC) and the UK Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee (HMAC) recommended against the use of Echinacea-containing products in children under the age of 12. Manufacturers re-labelled all oral Echinacea products that had product licenses for children with a warning that they should not be given to children under 12 as a precautionary measure.

PREGNANCY

Although research has not found increased risk of birth defects associated with use of Echinacea during the first trimester, it is recommended that pregnant women should avoid Echinacea products until stronger safety supporting evidence becomes available.

LACTATION

It is recommended that women breastfeeding should use caution with Echinacea products due to insufficient safety information available.

GENERAL PRECAUTION

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends precaution about using dietary supplements because some products may not be risk free under certain circumstances or may interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

As with any herbal preparation, individual doses of Echinacea may vary significantly in chemical composition. Inconsistent process control in manufactured echinacea products may involve poor inter- and intra-batch homogeneity, species or plant part differences, variable extraction methods, and contamination or adulteration with other products, leading to potential for substantial product variability.

OTHER USES

Some species of Echinacea, notably E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Many cultivars exist, and many of them are asexually propagated to keep them true to type.

Echinacea extracts inhibited growth of three species of trypanosomatids: Leishmania donovani, Leishmania major, and Trypanosoma brucei.

HISTORY

Echinacea angustifolia was widely used by the North American indigenous peoples as folk medicine. According to Wallace Sampson, its modern use for the common cold began when a Swiss herbal supplement maker was told that Echinacea was used for cold prevention by Native American tribes who lived in the area of South Dakota. Some Plains tribes did use echinacea for cold symptoms. The Kiowa used it for coughs and sore throats, the Cheyenne for sore throats, the Pawnee for headaches, and many tribes including the Lakota used it as a pain medication.

WIKIPEDIA

Some background:

The G.91Y was an increased-performance version of the Fiat G.91 funded by the Italian government. Based on the G.91T two-seat trainer variant, the single Bristol Orpheus turbojet engine of this aircraft was replaced by two afterburning General Electric J85 turbojets which increased thrust by 60% over the single-engined variant. Structural modifications to reduce airframe weight increased performance further and an additional fuel tank occupying the space of the G.91T's rear seat provided extra range. Combat manoeuvrability was improved with the addition of automatic leading edge slats.

Those 'Gruppi' (Italian equivalent of British 'squadrons', usually equipped with 18 aircraft) lasted until the early '90s, as the only ones equipped with the 'Yankee', using them as attack/recce machines, both over ground and sea, until the AMX replaced them. All in all, Italy operated 65 Fiat G.91Ys until 1994.

General characteristics:

Crew: one

Length: 11.67 m (38 ft 3.5 in)

Wingspan: 9.01 m (29 ft 6.5 in)

Height: 4.43 m (14 ft 6.3 in)

Wing area: 18.13 m² (195.149 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,900 kg (8,598 lb)

Loaded weight: 7,800 kg (17,196 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 8,700 kg (19,180 lb)

Powerplant:

2 × General Electric J85-GE-13A turbojets, 18.15 kN (4,080 lbf) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1,110 km/h (600 kn, 690 mph. (Mach 0.95 at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Range: 3,400 km (ferry range with droptanks) (2,110 mls)

Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 86.36 m/s (17,000 ft/min)

Wing loading: 480 kg/m² (98.3 lb/ft² (maximum)

Thrust/weight: 0.47 at maximum loading

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons

4× under-wing pylon stations with a capacity of 1,814 kg (4,000 lb)

The kit and its assembly:

A real world model, and IMHO one of the nicest special paint schemes I've come across because it's so simple. For its 70th anniversary in 1987, the Italian Air Force's 13° Gruppo turned one of its 32° Stormo G.91Y fighter bombers (as far as I could tell it's 32-13, confirmed by a small code number on the frontal landing gear cover) into a fill-fledged shark, taking the squadron's markings (a classic shark mouth on the aircraft's nose) literally to full scale.

But instead of adding lots of glitter and colors, the scheme remained very simple - a black shark on a white background, with minimal markings and stencils. I've already built this aircraft many years ago when I saw it in a print magazine in 1988 or so (remember - there was no internet at that time!), but I had the plan to re-create it on the basis of more and better photo footage.

Said and done, I dug a Matchbox G.91Y out of the pile and started. The kit is pretty simple, and in this case the fit of the fuselage halves was questionable, calling for massive PSR along the seams. In some areas the kit is really primitive, so I made some minor cosmetic mods:

The cockpit "tub" with an integrated seat is a clumsy joke and was replaced by a cockpit floor with side consoles from a Revell G.91. The seat comes from a Matchbox Gnat trainer and was pimped with ejection handles made from thin wire.

The kit's landing gear is rather simple, too, but I took it OOB since noone would later look into the wells.

The jet exhausts were drilled open (OOB these are just blank covers, only 0.5 mm deep!) and inside some afterburners were simulated.

The molded guns were cut away, to be later replaced with free-standing hollow steel needles. In order to add some more exterior detail I also scratched the thin protector frames around the nozzles with thin wire.

Finally, the drop tanks were replaced by F-86 alternatives with end plate fins, which were typically carried by Italian G.91s, including the anniversary G.91Y (as confirmed by photo footage).

Painting and markings:

I must admit that the paint scheme is, to a certain degree, the result of a guessing game, because any shots I found are profiles views, even in flight! Some details, like the black fins on the wings and the stabilizers could be deduced from the material at hand, but I have no idea how the wings' undersides look like. I think that they remained all-white, just like the aircraft's belly - at least that's what the information I have suggest.

And even though the two-tone paint scheme is rather simple it's still challenging - esp. because I do not use an airbrush. As a consequence, I had to improvise with the means at hand, which meant a basic coat of acrylic white (actually an off-white Volkswagen car color called "Grauweiss") from the rattle can with the shark added on top of that with matt black (in this case from Modelmaster). This is not the smartest way to create the scheme, but I wanted to avoid tedious multi-layers of uneven, brushed white. Horror... :-(

Anyway, the white basic layer ended up thicker than I expected (the paint turned out to be a bit pastous due to age), but the black shark would cover many problem zones, anyway. Painting was done free-handedly, the only masking was used on the canopy during the white base spraying.

The finish was not perfect, but I did not want a "uniform" aircraft, anyway, since most of the aircraft's pictures show it in a used state and not as a pristine museum piece. After a black ink wash (in order to emphasize surface details) the final blemisches were covered under some post-shading and dry-brushing with various shades of black, very dark grey and white that would add some more structure to the hull.

The few markings of this aircraft were taken from the OOB sheet. Since I was not able to find pictures that show it from above or below. I guesstimated the warning stencils on the wings.

The drop tanks became all-white and the "70 anni" slogan on the outer flanks was created with single, black 3mm letters from TL Modellbau.

Finally the kit was sealed with rather matt varnish, a mix of matt and semi-gloss Italeri acyrlic varnish in a 4:1 ratio. Apparently, 32-13 had been painted in a rather dull finish, despite carrying an anniversary scheme.

Well, I am not 100% happy with the result, I had hoped for a better, sharper finish. But it's an improvement when compared to my first attempt to build this machine 30 years ago, and I still find this simple anniversary to be very stylish and elegant, since it goes so well with the G.91Y's lines.

recipes to increase usage of morinaga products

Increase brightness to see more detail

With the increasing efficiency of Soviet air defenses, the USAF's Strategic Air Command began looking at high-speed, supersonic bombers capable of dashing into Soviet airspace, dropping nuclear bombs, and dashing back out. The then-current fleet of B-47 and B-52 bombers were subsonic and were thought to be unable to survive the Soviet air defense network.

The XB-70 Valkyrie was North American's successful proposal for the new supersonic bomber, and it was a technological marvel. Six engines and an advanced wing design propelled the Valkyrie to speeds over Mach 3, allowing it to easily evade any Soviet fighter interceptor. The development of surface-to-air missiles by the Soviet Union capable of hitting high-altitude aircraft, increasing costs, and the development of far cheaper and reliable ICBMs by the US ended the XB-70's story before it could even begin. Though considerable political pressure was brought to bear to save the program, the USAF canceled the Valkyrie in 1961. Two prototypes were allowed to be finished for research purposes.

As a research aircraft, the XB-70 contributed much to the knowledge of supersonic aircraft and future bombers. It could cruise comfortably at Mach 2, and reached Mach 3 on several occasions. The second prototype was lost in a fatal collision with a F-104 Starfighter during a photo shoot in 1966. The remaining Valkyrie continued on its flight test program until it ended in 1969; its final flight was to retirement at the National Museum of the USAF in 1970.

Though not the first time I've seen the mighty Valkyrie (Dad got this picture in 1977: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16076429805/in/photoli...), it's even more impressive as an adult than it was when I was a kid. The XB-70 dominates everything in the NMUSAF's Experimental Gallery, just like the B-52 and B-36 do in their respective sections. It was really something of an aircraft. This is 62-0001, the first Valkyrie prototype, resplendent in overall white.

which is a snooty arrogance considering I love her a lot more than I love the sun.

The gradual increase of "pavement" cafes, this is Stevenson square, Manchester and it's been reduced to one person wide.

by volchitza_

I wish I had a better shot than this. She looks so naturally, on her own and so at home that I can't resist sharing this image.

APPROXIMATE RELEASE DATE: 2020-

PERSONAL FUN FACT: I didn't think this outfit would be extra wonderful quality based on the stock photos. The increased price of $48 wasn't reflected in what this ensemble came with. While I'd like to say that it blew my mind in person and was worth the original price tag, honestly I have no idea why it was priced this way. Luckily, I got my outfit for free by redeeming points via the American Girl rewards program. This dress is definitely the most impressive piece from this set. It's quite heavy, and the fringe and sequin detailing is lovely. The fringe is a bit sparse, so if any fell off it would be a problem. I like that there is a bow on the waist. It would have been even cuter if the headband had a matching bow. The wrap is constructed from a decently thick faux fur that fortunately doesn't shed. Everything else is similar to other things in Melody's existing wardrobe. I will say, I appreciate how all her outfits always come with shoes. It's refreshing compared to older characters, like Felicity, who hardly have any footwear in their collections. What I like the most about this ensemble is that it reminds me of Princess Tiana. I have a flapper inspired Disney Store dress for Tiana that looks similar to this one. I'm assuming this is supposed to be a costume for Melody based on the "Dress-Up" portion of its name and the fact that it isn't 60s inspired.

I increased the white balance just a tad bit since this picture was already bright. I made sure to clarify the Starbucks logo more. I brought down the highlights a little and added some contrast.

Myspace | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr Blog

my friends hit me up in need of new promos for their press kit send offs. so we met up and drove off to one of the most rural areas we could find right next to a haunted bridge if i may add, and we shot a natural light set and when i realized how much light was left i set up a strobe and shot the rest. then we ate taco bell and talked about the movie serbian tale and human centipede.

Strobist

-ab1600 into boomed bd socked left

5d mrk ii

35mm f1.4 usm L

__________________________________

ALL IMAGES ©OPYWRITTEN BY Evan Dell Photography NONE ARE TO BE USED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

How exactly to Increase Skills for Sixth-Graders t.co/l5UcnVTBrZ #acn (via Twitter twitter.com/AgenciaCN/status/801928367905865730)

Police guarding the entrance to the Israeli embassy stand behind fortified crowd barriers.

"Protest for Palestine" at Israeli embassy as violence increases in East Jerusalem: London 17/10/2015

Following weeks of escalating violence in Israel since the provocative invasion by armed Israeli jews and soldiers into the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem - a tactic used several times in the past by the right-wing Likud party around election time guaranteed to inflame tensions and spark violence - which has since resulted in many violent, tragic deaths and tit-for-tat revenge attacks, a large crowd of London-based pro-Palestinian campaigners protested outside the Israeli embassy calling for the Israeli government to stop their provocation

All photos © Pete Riches

Do not reproduce, alter, re-transmit or blog my images without my written permission. I remain at all times the copyright owner of this image.

Media buyers and publications can access this story on Demotix. Standard industry rates apply.

Hi-Res, un-watermarked versions of these files are available on application solely at my discretion

If you want to use any image found in my Flickr Photostream, please Email me directly.

about.me/peteriches

Title: "The Corn Parade"

Artist: Orr C. Fisher

Year: 1941

It is an oil on canvas. I really love this one.

Thanks to LL increasing the prims count on the sims I was able to go nuts in winterizing some of the parts at Victoria's Secret.

Feel free to visit and have a look at the Christmas Trees around the sim.

Enjoy a walk in the snow or skate at one of the 2 ponds or just snuggle up in front of the fireplace with your special someone while it is snowing outside

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Altered%20Magick/157/137/22

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announces the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $59 million across the country to increase independent meat and poultry processing capacity, expand market opportunities for farmers and create jobs in rural areas.

He announced the new investments while touring a processing facility in Harrisonburg that will be expanded with the funding. Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh visited with local producers and members of the community to discuss the importance of these investments to the region’s economy.

USDA is providing the $59 million in grants to five independent processors under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The funding will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs more options and business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store.

In Virginia, Shenandoah Valley Organic LLC is receiving a $3.6 million grant to expand its organic chicken processing facility in Harrisonburg. The company will use the funding to buy new de-boning equipment, increase its wastewater treatment capacity and create more space for both employees and equipment. The expansion will create more than 300 jobs and allow the company to better serve local farmers and consumers by nearly doubling its processing capacity to 630,000 birds per week. (USDA photo by Tom Witham)