Wilbur and Orville were the first to achieve powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Read the story at www.master-builders.com/first-flight-in-lego/

Yep I invented that word because I had no other word to describe the criss-crossed staircase. It 's one of the most unique staircases I have ever seen. And this is right inside the formerly US Postal Service Center in downtown Houston.

BTW, I had idea what I was doing with my camera settings judging from the EXIF data. I must have mistakenly set it to manual exposure mode with the PASM dial.

Explore #328, March 6th, 2025

Bravo au papy qui a créé ce magnifique engin pour amuser ses petits-enfants .....Et ils s´amusent .....

Lewis Howard Latimer, 1848-1928

African American inventor and patent draftsman. He worked with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison and invented a modification to the process for making carbon filaments aimed to reduce breakages. While at Edison, Latimer wrote the first book on electric lighting.

As a son of parents who escaped slavery, he had a long and impressive career.

Much more:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Howard_Latimer

wasn't invented yesterday ;) ))

The gazebo has been on the island for maybe thirty years or more, perhaps longer. But on this island, the largest of the group of islands on the Grand River, there used to be a hotel, the foundation of which is still on the island (to the left of the photo). Back in the late 19th century, the hotel was always busy in the summer. The Pere Marquette Railroad would bring in throngs of tourists. Grand Ledge was quite the place to be back then, and that included a visit to the famous Ledges, located in Fitzgerald Park.

But when Henry Ford invented an affordable automobile, the number of tourists taking the railroad to Grand Ledge dropped considerably. People who could afford to buy a car found other attractions around the state of Michigan to go to.

It would take decades before Grand Ledge could renew its legacy as one of the state's great tourist attractions. This gazebo, while relatively new, was based on the designs of the original one that existed in the town's heyday. During the 4th of July, bands will perform on the gazebo, A small fair-like atmosphere would be around, including what was known during my childhood as an "ox-roast," apparently barbecued ox meat. I'm not sure if that's what was being cooked, or regular beef, but it was part of an old-fashioned form of celebrating the 4th, as well as reliving summers of old.

Barcellona

La pièce de gauche, intitulée Invention # 1 a été créée dans le cadre du "Concert des sept stations musicales des berges" le 25 août 2017 dans les parcs Maurice-Richard et Basile-Routhier autour du nouveau Chalet d’accueil du Parcours Gouin. Elle apparait au début de la vidéo ci-dessous à la deuxième station.

Ce concert fut produit par Ahuntsic en fugue. Direction artistique : Clément Canac Marquis avec l’assistance de Lucie Hamel.

La pièce de droite, Invention # 2 est apparentée à Violette du Mile-End

The left-hand piece, called Invention # 1, was created as part of the "Concert des sept stations musicales des berges" on August 25, 2017 in the Maurice-Richard and Basile-Routhier Parks around the new Chalet d’accueil du Parcours Gouin on the banks of the rivière des Prairies. It appears at the beginning of the video below at the second station.

This concert was produced by Ahuntsic en fugue. Artistic direction: Clément Canac Marquis with the assistance of Lucie Hamel.

The piece on the right, Invention # 2, is related to Violette du Mile-End

Video youtu.be/g4lv3VpPKPo

The Abbey close to Milan, in south the agricultural park was founded in the 1135, legend tells monks invented Grana Padano cheese

Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself.

Both of these gentlemen, pictured at Ballinasloe horse fair, are wearing dealers boots. These originated as a riding boot in Victorian times and are tight-fitting, ankle-high boots, the most notable feature of which is the elastic siding, running from just above the welt to the top of the shoe. The elastic gusset it seems was invented by Sparks-Hall, bootmaker to Queen Victoria. They were much in vogue until the onset of World War 1. They made something of a come-back in the 1960s and (called Chelsea boots) were considered an element of the 1960s mod scene. I can tell you that these are not two aging mods however because for some strange reason, in Ireland at least, cattle dealers, and, from this shot horse dealers too, traditionally wore them. They always had to be tan ones, again why this should be so I have no idea. As often as not they would also wear a tan or brown trousers too. There was a time when they would also wear a brown coat, sometimes even a shop-coat, when going through the fair. It was, I suppose, a type of dealer’s uniform. Obviously the Dealer Boot tradition continues, and, I’m told you can still buy them in certain long established shoe-shops in certain areas if you know where to go. Needless (or is it surprising?) to say they can be bought on-line too!

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” ~ Thomas A. Edison

Created with digital images from Hidden Vintage Studios, Holliewood Studios and Finecrafted Designs at DeviantScrap.com

174/365 Photo Manipulations Project

This stunning bird's name in Finnish is "kapustarinta" which translates into "ladle chest". The name comes from its dark or black chest that reaches to the bird's neck and therefore resembles a big spoon. Sometimes I wonder who on Earth invents these names...but yet it kind of fits this bird!

En micamara.es/las-palmas-de-gran-canaria/ para conocer la ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Navega en micamara.es para viajar disfrutando de: arte, historia, folclore, naturaleza, fauna, flora… de otros lugares del mundo.

This image stopped me in my tracks because everything in it is doing the same thing, just at different scales. Up close, the dune ripples stack into sharp, repeating chevrons. Pull back a little, and the dunes themselves form larger triangular shapes. Pull back even more, and the distant mountains repeat the pattern yet again. It felt like the desert was quietly showing off, saying, “By the way, I do geometry too.”

Infrared makes this kind of structure impossible to ignore. In IR, dry sand reflects light strongly, while shadows drop hard and fast into near-black. That contrast turns gentle curves into crisp edges and makes the repeating triangles feel almost architectural. The foreground ripples act like a visual metronome, ticking your eye forward until it crashes into the darker midground dune, then lifts again toward the pale, jagged mountains beyond.

From a science perspective, this repetition isn’t accidental. Wind sculpts ripples based on grain size and airflow, dunes organize themselves according to prevailing wind direction, and mountain ranges fracture and erode along structural weaknesses in the rock. Different processes, wildly different timescales, same visual language. Nature loves efficiency, and apparently it also loves triangles.

What really got me, standing there, was how playful it felt. This wasn’t a grand, epic, sky-on-fire moment. It was a quiet realization that if you pay attention long enough, the landscape starts rhyming with itself. I remember grinning and pointing it out to the workshop group like a kid who’d just discovered a secret passage. Moments like this are why I love infrared. It doesn’t invent drama, it just turns the volume up on patterns that were already there, waiting to be noticed.

Photo © copyright by Matt Payne.

___________________________________________________________________________

[...] The sensory world of manifolds is the area of analysis by the intellect; we can also say that the mind has invented the world of sense. If we think we understand the world, it just means to understand that we, as far as it relates to our intellectual thinking. But the intellect is not up to that life as we live it internally, we always feel something in us that which the mind is unable to pay the full peace and the other looks for its fulfillment.

Die Sinnenwelt der Mannigfaltigkeiten ist der Bereich der Analysen durch den Verstand; wir können auch sagen, der Verstand hat die Sinnenwelt erdacht. Wenn wir glauben, die Welt zu verstehen, heißt es nur, dass wir verstehen, soweit es unser verstandesmäßiges Denken betrifft. Aber der Verstand reicht nicht bis zu jenem Leben, wie wir es innerlich leben, wir fühlen immer etwas in uns, dem der Verstand nicht den vollen Frieden zu schenken vermag und das anderweitig seine Erfüllung sucht.

Deshalb ist unser Leben so reich an Widersprüchen und Konflikten. Doch die meisten von uns nehmen das nicht zur Kenntnis und nur wenn ihnen diese Tatsache irgendwie bewusst wird, beginnen sie sich mit dieser Situation ernsthaft auseinanderzusetzten.

Wenn wir auf diese Weise anfangen, nach der Wahrheit zu suchen, gelangen wir schließlich zur geistigen Welt oder richtiger: die geistige Welt bricht in die Welt der Sinne und des Verstandes ein.

Sobald dies geschieht, ändert sich die ganze Ordnung der Dinge; das Logische ist nicht mehr logisch, die Rationalität verliert ihre Bedeutung, denn nun ist das Reale das Nicht-Reale und das Wahre das Nicht-Wahre. Genauer gesagt, das Wasser fließt nicht mehr im Fluss, die Blumen sind nicht mehr rot und die Weiden sind nicht mehr grün.

Es ist das überraschendste Ereignis, das im menschlichen Bewusstsein stattfinden kann. Dieser Einbruch der geistigen Welt in die Welt der Sinne und des Verstandes führt zum Umsturz jeder Erfahrungsform, die dort vorgeherrscht hat.

|| Source: D.T.Suzuki "Wesen und Sinn des Buddhismus" Hua-Yen-Philosophie || Wikipedia: D. T. Suzuki || Tranlated by Mr. Google ||

MY FRIENDS, ONE MORE IMAGE OF MY ODYSSEY SERIE............. WISH YOU A FANTASTIC WEEK!....LOVE

here the LINK to all the SET.....(thanks Iris!)

www.flickr.com/photos/16956998@N03/sets/72157621648733787/

8.

Book XII - XXII en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey

He finds his way to the hut of one of his own former slaves, the swineherd Eumaeus. Odysseus disguises himself as a wandering beggar in order to learn how things stand in his household.

After dinner, he tells the farm laborers a fictitious tale of himself: he had led a party of Cretans to fight alongside other Greeks in the Trojan War, and had then spent seven years at the court of the king of Egypt; finally he had been shipwrecked in Thesprotia and crossed from there to Ithaca.

Meanwhile, Telemachus sails home from Sparta, evading an ambush set by the suitors. He disembarks on the coast of Ithaca and makes for Eumaeus’s hut.

Father and son meet; Odysseus identifies himself to Telemachus and they determine that the suitors must be killed. Telemachus gets home first.

Accompanied by Eumaeus, Odysseus now returns to his own house, still pretending to be a beggar. He experiences the suitors’ rowdy behavior and plans their death.

He meets Penelope and tests her intentions with an invented story of his birth in Crete, where, he says, he once met Odysseus. Closely questioned, he adds that he had recently been in Thesprotia and had learned something there of Odysseus’s recent wanderings.

Odysseus’s identity is discovered by the housekeeper, Eurycleia, as she is washing his feet and discovers an old scar Odysseus received during a boar hunt; he swears her to secrecy.

Wilbur Day was born in New York City. As a scientist, inventor, and engineer, he was employed by Carl Kaxton who invented a hydraulic ram device.

Wilbur stole Kaxton's designs and used them to engineer a pair of extremely long, telescopic metal legs, which allowed him to tower high over the ground. He incorporated these hydraulic stilts into an armored battlesuit, which he created for use in robberies as the professional criminal Stilt-Man.

He battled Daredevil, and was seemingly shrunk into nothingness when he was accidentally hit by an experimental molecular condenser ray.

His able to return from the limbo-like "microverse" and he attempted to help Leap-Frog escape from custody. Stilt-Man was defeated by Daredevil again, but was helped to escape by the Masked Marauder.

Stilt-Man teamed with the Masked Marauder in an attempt to trap Daredevil; however, he battled Spider-Man and was defeated by Daredevil.

His escape from Daredevil aided by Electro was later recounted. Stilt-Man teamed with Electro, Matador, Leap-Frog, and Gladiator to form the original Emissaries of Evil and battle Daredevil.

Stilt-Man was later hired by mobsters to kill district attorney candidate Foggy Nelson, and battled Daredevil once again.

He disguised himself as Stunt-Master, and attacked Daredevil on a Hollywood movie set.

In San Francisco, he kidnapped his former employer Carl Kaxton and his daughter, to force him to recreate his molecular condenser. However, Stilt-Man battled and was defeated by Daredevil and the Black Widow.

Besides Stilt-Man's long, unsuccessful career against Daredevil, he encountered other superheroes in the meantime. He was hired by Los Angeles mobsters to kill the Falcon, and in the process stole various weapons and devices from the Trapster.

He robbed a Los Angeles bank, and battled Black Goliath. He teleported Black Goliath and his companions to an alien planet using the Z-ray weapon.

Stilt-Man attacked Black Goliath at Champions headquarters in search of an alien power source. He battled the Champions, and his Z-ray weapon was destroyed by Darkstar, but he managed to escape from the Champions.

He was later freed from prison by Blastaar and F.A.U.S.T., and given a special new battlesuit constructed of secondary adamantium with additional weaponry. He stole some radioactive isotopes, and battled Thor, but lost the fight and was stripped of his suit by the victorious Thunder God, who confiscated it.

Stilt-Man was hired to kidnap assistant District Attorney Maxine Lavender. He was waylaid in his civilian identity by Turk Barrett, a small-time crook and an even greater loser than Day, who cold-cocked Day, stole his armor, and took on the Stilt-Man identity.

Turk contacted the Kingpin and offered to become his new assassin, only to be refused, being told "It does not matter what armor or weapons you may have acquired, Turk. You are an idiot. I do not employ idiots." Enraged by Turk's audacity, Day contacted Daredevil and informed him of a weakness in the armor.

Thanks to Day's information, Daredevil easily disabled the auto-gyroscopes necessary for the armor to keep its balance and brought Turk down.

Day later modified the armor to prevent Daredevil from using this newfound knowledge against him. Stilt-Man sought to regain his reputation by defeating Spider-Man. He turned an automated Cordco factory against Spider-Man, but when Spider-Man saved his life, Stilt-Man returned the favor by not taking the opportunity to kill him.

Stilt-Man continued to make sporadic appearances wherein he has continued his criminal career and fought several superheroes, but without much success.

One of his most prominent appearances during this time was during the Iron Man "Armor Wars", where he was one of the many armored super-villains whose armors had been secretly upgraded with technology stolen from Tony Stark; Iron Man quickly defeated the villain in their confrontation by throwing one of his own hydraulic legs at him to knock him out.

Stilt-Man later attempted to kill District Attorney Blake Tower for sending him to prison, but was captured by She-Hulk.

Stilt-Man was among the villains assembled by Doctor Doom to attack the Fantastic Four in Washington, D.C. during the Acts of Vengeance. Even though he had several other villains with him, he failed miserably.

He was also among the villains who attempted to attack the Avengers at the site of their reconstructed mansion, but was foiled by the construction workers.

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

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

Secret Identity: Wilbur Day

Publisher: Marvel

First appearance: Daredevil #8 (June 1965)

Created by:

Wally Wood (writer/artist)

How many reasons to make war

They invent men from all over the earth:

A black gold, a god, a revenge,

The whole cake or just a slice.

To these men looking for glory

I would always say the same story.

There is no cake for coveted

What is worth more than one life.

my workshop on my Facebook just like ;-) Clic Here

my 500px Clic Here

Origins

Although there are no historical records that deal directly with the founding of Venice,[10] tradition and the available evidence have led several historians to agree that the original population of Venice consisted of refugees from Roman cities near Venice such as Padua, Aquileia, Treviso, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) and from the undefended countryside, who were fleeing successive waves of Germanic and Hun invasions.[11] Some late Roman sources reveal the existence of fishermen on the islands in the original marshy lagoons. They were referred to as incolae lacunae ("lagoon dwellers"). The traditional founding is identified with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo at the islet of Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore"), which is said to have been at the stroke of noon on 25 March 421.[12][13]

The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula was that of the Lombards in 568, leaving the Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in the current Veneto, including Venice. The Roman/Byzantine territory was organized as the Exarchate of Ravenna, administered from that ancient port and overseen by a viceroy (the Exarch) appointed by the Emperor in Constantinople, but Ravenna and Venice were connected only by sea routes and with the Venetians' isolated position came increasing autonomy. New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The tribuni maiores, the earliest central standing governing committee of the islands in the Lagoon, dated from c. 568.[14]

The traditional first doge of Venice, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, was actually Exarch Paul, and his successor, Marcello Tegalliano, Paul's magister militum (General; literally, "Master of Soldiers.") In 726 the soldiers and citizens of the Exarchate rose in a rebellion over the iconoclastic controversy at the urging of Pope Gregory II. The Exarch was murdered and many officials put to flight in the chaos. At about this time, the people of the lagoon elected their own leader for the first time, although the relationship of this ascent to the uprisings is not clear. Ursus would become the first of 117 "doges" (doge is the Venetian dialect development of the Latin dux ("leader"); the corresponding word in English is duke, in standard Italian duce.) Whatever his original views, Ursus supported Emperor Leo's successful military expedition to recover Ravenna, sending both men and ships. In recognition, Venice was "granted numerous privileges and concessions" and Ursus, who had personally taken the field, was confirmed by Leo as dux[15] and given the added title of hypatus (Greek for "Consul".)[16]

In 751, the Lombard King Aistulf conquered most of the Exarchate of Ravenna, leaving Venice a lonely and increasingly autonomous Byzantine outpost. During this period, the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke/dux", later "doge"), was situated in Malamocco. Settlement on the islands in the lagoon probably increased in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of other Byzantine territories as refugees sought asylum in the lagoon city. In 775/776, the episcopal seat of Olivolo (Helipolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco (811–827), the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the highly protected Rialto, the current location of Venice. The monastery of St. Zachary and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defense (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto, were subsequently built here. Winged lions, which may be seen throughout Venice, are a symbol for St. Mark.

Charlemagne sought to subdue the city to his own rule. He ordered the Pope to expel the Venetians from the Pentapolis along the Adriatic coast,[17] and Charlemagne's own son Pepin of Italy, king of the Lombards under the authority of his father, embarked on a siege of Venice itself. This, however, proved a costly failure. The siege lasted six months, with Pepin's army ravaged by the diseases of the local swamps and eventually forced to withdraw. A few months later, Pepin himself died, apparently as a result of a disease contracted there. In the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast.

In 828, the new city's prestige was raised by the acquisition of the claimed relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned, it led to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.[18]

Expansion

Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile and Basilica in the background

These Horses of Saint Mark are a replica of the Triumphal Quadriga captured in Constantinople in 1204 and carried to Venice as a trophy.

From the 9th to the 12th century, Venice developed into a city state (an Italian thalassocracy or Repubblica Marinara, the other three being Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi). Its strategic position at the head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. With the elimination of pirates along the Dalmatian coast, the city became a flourishing trade center between Western Europe and the rest of the world (especially the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world).

The Republic of Venice seized a number of places on the eastern shores of the Adriatic before 1200, mostly for commercial reasons, because pirates based there were a menace to trade. The Doge already carried the titles of Duke of Dalmatia and Duke of Istria. Later mainland possessions, which extended across Lake Garda as far west as the Adda River, were known as the "Terraferma", and were acquired partly as a buffer against belligerent neighbours, partly to guarantee Alpine trade routes, and partly to ensure the supply of mainland wheat, on which the city depended. In building its maritime commercial empire, the Republic dominated the trade in salt,[19] acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, and became a major power-broker in the Near East. By the standards of the time, Venice's stewardship of its mainland territories was relatively enlightened and the citizens of such towns as Bergamo, Brescia and Verona rallied to the defence of Venetian sovereignty when it was threatened by invaders.

Venice remained closely associated with Constantinople, being twice granted trading privileges in the Eastern Roman Empire, through the so-called Golden Bulls or 'chrysobulls' in return for aiding the Eastern Empire to resist Norman and Turkish incursions. In the first chrysobull, Venice acknowledged its homage to the Empire but not in the second, reflecting the decline of Byzantium and the rise of Venice's power.[20][21]

Venice became an imperial power following the Fourth Crusade, which, having veered off course, culminated in 1204 by capturing and sacking Constantinople and establishing the Latin Empire. As a result of this conquest, considerable Byzantine plunder was brought back to Venice. This plunder included the gilt bronze horses from the Hippodrome of Constantinople, which were originally placed above the entrance to St Mark's cathedral in Venice, although the originals have been replaced with replicas and are now stored within the basilica. Following the fall of Constantinople, the former Roman Empire was partitioned among the Latin crusaders and the Venetians. Venice subsequently carved out a sphere of influence in the Mediterranean known as the Duchy of the Archipelago, and captured Crete.[22]

The seizure of Constantinople would ultimately prove as decisive a factor in ending the Byzantine Empire as the loss of the Anatolian themes after Manzikert. Although the Byzantines recovered control of the ravaged city a half century later, the Byzantine Empire was terminally weakened, and existed as a ghost of its old self until Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror took the city in 1453.

View of San Giorgio Maggiore Island from St. Mark's Campanile

Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice always traded extensively with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world. By the late 13th century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. The city was governed by the Great Council, which was made up of members of the noble families of Venice. The Great Council appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. Since this group was too large for efficient administration, a Council of Ten (also called the Ducal Council or the Signoria), controlled much of the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected "Doge", or duke, the ceremonial head of the city, who normally held the title until his death.

The Venetian governmental structure was similar in some ways to the republican system of ancient Rome, with an elected chief executive (the Doge), a senate-like assembly of nobles, and a mass of citizens with limited political power, who originally had the power to grant or withhold their approval of each newly elected Doge. Church and various private properties were tied to military service, although there was no knight tenure within the city itself. The Cavalieri di San Marco was the only order of chivalry ever instituted in Venice, and no citizen could accept or join a foreign order without the government's consent. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period, and politics and the military were kept separate, except when on occasion the Doge personally headed the military. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means (hence, the city's early production of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere, and later its reliance on foreign mercenaries when the ruling class was preoccupied with commerce).

Francesco Guardi, The Grand Canal, 1760 (Art Institute of Chicago)

The chief executive was the Doge, who theoretically held his elective office for life. In practice, several Doges were forced by pressure from their oligarchical peers to resign the office and retire into monastic seclusion when they were felt to have been discredited by perceived political failure.

Although the people of Venice generally remained orthodox Roman Catholics, the state of Venice was notable for its freedom from religious fanaticism and it enacted not a single execution for religious heresy during the Counter-Reformation. This apparent lack of zeal contributed to Venice's frequent conflicts with the Papacy. In this context, the writings of the Anglican Divine, William Bedell, are particularly illuminating. Venice was threatened with the interdict on a number of occasions and twice suffered its imposition. The second, most famous, occasion was in 1606, by order of Pope Paul V.

Venetian ambassadors sent home still-extant secret reports of the politics and rumours of European courts, providing fascinating information to modern historians.

The newly invented German printing press spread rapidly throughout Europe in the 15th century, and Venice was quick to adopt it. By 1482, Venice was the printing capital of the world, and the leading printer was Aldus Manutius, who invented the concept of paperback books that could be carried in a saddlebag. His Aldine Editions included translations of nearly all the known Greek manuscripts of the era.[23]

Decline

The Grand Canal in Venice

Venice's long decline started in the 15th century, when it first made an unsuccessful attempt to hold Thessalonica against the Ottomans (1423–1430). It also sent ships to help defend Constantinople against the besieging Turks (1453). After Constantinople fell to Sultan Mehmet II he declared war on Venice. The war lasted thirty years and cost Venice much of its eastern Mediterranean possessions. Next, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. Then Portugal found a sea route to India, destroying Venice's land route monopoly. France, England and the Dutch Republic followed them. Venice's oared galleys were at a disadvantage when it came to traversing the great oceans, and therefore Venice was left behind in the race for colonies.

The Black Death devastated Venice in 1348 and once again between 1575 and 1577.[24] In three years the plague killed some 50,000 people.[25] In 1630, the plague killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.[26] Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade during the later part of the Renaissance as Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in the trade with the East, striking at the very foundation of Venice's great wealth, while France and Spain fought for hegemony over Italy in the Italian Wars, marginalising its political influence. However, the Venetian empire was a major exporter of agricultural products and, until the mid-18th century, a significant manufacturing center.

Modern age[edit source | editbeta]

A map of the sestiere of San Marco

The Republic lost independence when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice on 12 May 1797 during the First Coalition. The French conqueror brought to an end the most fascinating century of its history: during the 18th century, Venice became perhaps the most elegant and refined city in Europe, greatly influencing art, architecture and literature. Napoleon was seen as something of a liberator by the city's Jewish population, although it can be argued they had lived with fewer restrictions in Venice. He removed the gates of the Ghetto and ended the restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city.

Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio on 12 October 1797. The Austrians took control of the city on 18 January 1798. It was taken from Austria by the Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 and became part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In 1848–1849, a revolt briefly reestablished the Venetian Republic under Daniele Manin. In 1866, following the Third Italian War of Independence, Venice, along with the rest of the Veneto, became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.

During the Second World War, the historic city was largely free from attack, the only aggressive effort of note being Operation Bowler, a successful Royal Air Force precision strike on the German naval operations there in March 1945. The targets were destroyed with virtually no architectural damage done the city itself.[27] However the industrial areas in Mestre and Marghera and the railway lines to Padua, Trieste and Trento were repeatedly bombed.[28] On 29 April 1945, New Zealand troops under Freyberg reached Venice and relieved the city and the mainland, which were already in partisan hands.[29]

Subsidence[edit source | editbeta]

Further information: Acqua alta

Acqua alta or high water in Venice.

Venice and surroundings in false colour, from Terra. The picture is oriented with North at the top.

Foundations

The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.

Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface.

Most of these piles were made from trunks of alder trees,[30] a wood noted for its water resistance.[31] The alder came from the westernmost part of today's Slovenia (resulting in the barren land of the Kras region), in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit) and south of Montenegro.[citation needed] Leonid Grigoriev has stated that Russian larch was imported to build some of Venice's foundations.[32] Larch is also used in the production of Venice turpentine.[33]

History[edit source | editbeta]

The city is often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring. Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment.

In 1604, to defray the cost of flood relief, Venice introduced what could be considered the first example of a 'stamp tax'. When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608, Venice introduced paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions, which was to be used for 'letters to officials'. At first, this was to be a temporary tax, but it remained in effect until the fall of the Republic in 1797. Shortly after the introduction of the tax, Spain produced similar paper for general taxation purposes, and the practice spread to other countries.

During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realised that extraction of water from the aquifer was the cause. The sinking has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses, the former staircases used to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable.

Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking,[34][35] but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of hollow floatable gates; the idea is to fix a series of 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air, causing them to float and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2014.[36]

Geography

Sestieri of Venice:

Cannaregio

Castello

Dorsoduro

San Marco

San Polo

Santa Croce

The historical city is divided into six areas or "sestiere" (while the whole comune (municipality) is divided into 6 boroughs of which one is composed of all 6 sestiere). These are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). Each sestiere was administered by a procurator and his staff. Nowadays each sestiere is a statistic and historical area without any degree of autonomy.

These districts consist of parishes – initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about 1170.

Other islands of the Venetian Lagoon do not form part of any of the sestieri, having historically enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy.

Each sestiere has its own house numbering system. Each house has a unique number in the district, from one to several thousand, generally numbered from one corner of the area to another, but not usually in a readily understandable manner.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Venice has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with cool winters and very warm summers. The 24-hour average in January is 2.5 °C (36.5 °F), and for July this figure is 22.7 °C (72.9 °F). Precipitation is spread relatively evenly throughout the year, and averages 801 millimetres (31.5 in).

MR. HUBBLE ENJOYING A PIPE...the man who invented the telescope that will take our views back to what some call the "big bang."

SOMEDAY, the telescope that enables us to view millions of light years back in time will help us to see what happened in Rome 2000 years ago. It will be as simple as dialing up the circa listed on the panel. There are pixels out there of every event that happened--it is just a matter of finding the wave-lenght. That is not to say we will be able to join General Grant and Robert E. Lee at the surrender, no. Nor will we be able to scoot the brief case that had Hitler's bomb inside into the area where it should have been, but we will be able to view this incident and all incidents as though we were there. Does it not make sense that such an apparatus or gadget will exist. Who would have guessed that we could send info at the speed of light? Folks, we are getting really smart. Some say we have come as far as we can. I beg to disagree. There is so much left for us to invent and learn. Of course, we will never, in my opinion, understand the entire workings of the universe.

By Robert L. Huffstutter

Hola a todos, os dejo a esta pequeña cazada "al vuelo", a mano y con casi ningún control de luz y mucho menos de fondo. No creo sea una de mis mejores fotos ni por asomo pero he ido detrás de esta mariposa más de una temporada viéndolas volar y intentando descubrir algún momento de "debilidad fotogràfica", no lo encontré pero al menos conseguí algo parecido a lo que veís. El fondo es "inventado", o mejor dicho añadido parcialmente (a partir de una foto con una lente de proyección pentacon 80 2.8 adaptada a cámara) en capas de PS. El procesado no lo controlo demasiado pero aún así me atreví con ello. Dejo constancia del cambio, yo me quedo más tranquilo y si se es honesto lo de procesar más o menos me parece bien. En fin, no me enrrollo más. Saludos y gracias por pasar.

A trapeze artist in full flow in Kensington, London UK.

The trapeze was invented in 1859 by a French performer named Jules Leotard. The word trapeze comes from the Latin word trapezium, a geometrical four-sided figure that is mimicked by the shape made by the ceiling, ropes, and bar in a trapeze.

It is suitable for any age, any body type, and any level of fitness. You do not need to be “flexible” or “strong” to start.

©Kingsley Davis

Please do not use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission.

AVENT - jOUR VINGT -

Regardez !

Cela ne s'invente pas ( )

Un jour, au temps de Jésus, les anges ont paru, puis raconté une extraordinaire histoire de NAISSANCE, dans une crèche, d'un petit Enfant qui est Dieu !

Les berges éberlués à qui l'annonce était faite, se sont mis en route, pour voir, entendre dans leur coeur ce bonheur devant le Nouveau-Né !

C'était bien vrai ! Joie. Coeur changé.

Et puis ils ont raconté la Belle Histoire.

D'autres l'ont raconté à leur tour.

Puis les rois sont venus des trois grands continents.

Trois mages importants qui ont été si contents d'apprendre cela, un saveur, enfant-Dieu nouvellement né, pour sauver toute la terre et les hommes, qu'ils ont offert de cadeaux précieux, se sont mis à genoux, ont contemplé Jésus de la crèche.

Quelle histoire ! Même pour des grands rois ! Ils avaient trouvé un roi bien plus grands qu'eux !

Des siècle plus tard, l'histoire coure toujours.

Et on le raconte aux enfants.

Une par jour !

Jusqu'à Noël, depuis le premier décembre !

Extraordinaire non !

Faites de même.

Une histoire par jour en plus du calendrier.

C'est magique et merveilleux, et il faut toujours aller à la crèche, offrir notre propre histoire de coeur amoureux au petit Dieu.

BEL AVENT en histoires à tous mes amis FLICKR.

The Tatra streamlined cars are one of the most extravagant cars I know. These futuristic vehicles were its time far ahead.

The T87 was based on the T77 which was first presented in 1934.

In the early 1930s the concept of fast and economical built streamlined cars became very popular. Not only in the US but mainly in Germany and Middle-European countries avant-garde ideas were put into practice.

The Tatra T77 was developed by designer and engineer Paul Jaray (Hungary, 1889-1974) and Hans Ledwinka (Austria, 1878-1967, also designer and engineer). Cooperator was engineer Erich Übelacker (Czech, 1899-1977).

Jaray was an early pioneer in streamlined airplanes and car bodies. Ledwinka invented the so called backbone chassis: a frameless central tubular chassis with swing axles and with independent suspension. He had a preference for rear-mounted air-cooled engines, which were applied in all streamlined Tatras. The revolutionary ideas of these automotive inventors resulted in one of the greatest cars ever, at least to my opinion.

The T87 underwent a restyle by František Kardaus in 1948. It received a new dashboard, the central third headlamp was removed and the other two lamps were integrated into the front fenders, like the 1946-52 T600 Tatraplan already had.

Ledwinka had with Tatra a great influence in modernizing car design. The T87 is a real automotive icon.

Above this all seeing such an old original T87 with original 1950s Dutch plates is beyond expectation.

This Tatra was delivered new to the Romanian ambassador in the Netherlands in 1948. It was in service till the mid 1960s. It was still in use in Den Haag when Mr. Ad Palmen bought this Tatra around 1975.

Seen at the viewing days of the Palmen Barnfind Collection Auction initiated by Gallery Aaldering, Brummen and provided by Classic Car Auctions, location Dordrecht.

More info: www.gallery-aaldering.com/nl/the-palmen-barnfind-collecti...

More photo's: www.classiccar-auctions.com/nl/lot-details/18236/Main%20c...

2968 cc air-cooled V8 rear-engine.

Ca. 1480 kg.

Production T87: 1937-1950 (although there was no production in 1943-44).

Original first reg. number: June 30, 1948.

New old type Dutch reg. number: June 21, 1954 (not valid anymore, June 2023).

For sale since May 24, 2023.

Dordrecht, Einsteinstraat, May 29, 2023.

© 2023 Sander Toonen Halfweg | All Rights Reserved

It is the Distinguished Company at the Bijou Planks!

Today we see Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.

Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876.

Bell considered his invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.

Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics. Although Bell was not one of the 33 founders of the National Geographic Society, he had a strong influence on the magazine while serving as the second president from January 7, 1898, until 1903.

Alexander Graham Bell, a distinguished individual!

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

Aqui ninguém me vê!

Depois que inventaram a internet, as câmeras digitais e o Flickr nunca mais, nós bípedes emplumadas, tivemos sossego tem sempre uns paparazzi inoportunos atrás de nós! É chato ser famosa e bonita.

Bom sábado as amigas e amigos.

En el monumento a Colón en Madrid Inaugurado el 12-10-1892. Aún no se había "inventado" la Falange.

Hay canciones, fotografías, que son como algunos amores. Te encuentras con ellas por primera vez, y te sientes atraído. Pero las dejas aparcadas, en una lista de reproducción, en un archivo. Hasta que, al cabo de un tiempo, vuelves a encontrarte con ellas y, entonces… caes irremediablemente rendido a sus pies, y ya no puedes dejar de oírlas, de mirarlas:

Non smetto de aspettarti: youtu.be/o2L9v5ywjKA, Fabio Concato.

Ya sé que los gustos son como los culos, que todos tenemos uno. Pero son músicas, palabras, para escuchar, para leer en la intimidad, que a mí me relajan de la vorágine de esta vida. Todo lo más lejos del fast food en el que estamos instalados. Con que consiga transmitir una décima parte de lo que yo siento, ya me daría con un canto ;)...

.

Espinas del corazón

Te echo de menos.

Te fuiste una mañana de principios de verano

y se me secó el alma y te lloré un río y se instaló este invierno perpetuo en el paisaje interior

Eras el faro de mi vida, el puerto de mi barco, el origen y el final de mis días

¿Pero sabes qué pasa después de todos estos años

después de llorarte un río y de secárseme el alma?

que lo que más echo de menos son esas cosas más tontas de nuestra cotidianeidad

esos silencios que lo decían todo

esas palabras inventadas que solo tú y yo conocíamos el significado

esos rituales que repetíamos día tras día

y que ahora, cuando menos te lo esperas

me recuerdan cruelmente que tú ya no estás

Te echo de menos

echo de menos tu risa

echo de menos tu voz en mis oídos

echo de menos tus manos

y no sabes cuánto

Todas las cosas que no nos dijimos

todos los te quiero que me escuecen dentro de mi pecho

todos los perdona que se me han quedado atragantados en mi garganta

tus poemas románticos que me recitabas

que a ti tanto te gustaban y de los que yo me reía

como ese «yo tenía una espina clavada en el corazón

un día alguien me la quitó… y ahora ya no siento el corazón».

Te echo de menos

Después de haberte llorado un río, de habérseme secado el alma

ahora son esas pequeñas cosas, cotidianas, intrascendentes

las que más duelen

Al final tú tenías razón… como siempre

Esa espina que tengo clavada en el corazón

esa pequeña espina, que tengo en el corazón alojada

que nadie me la quite

porque tengo miedo a que, de hacerlo, deje de sentir el corazón.

.

Não gosto muito de saber

As verdades do mundo.

Prefiro inventar

Minhas próprias verdades.

Por vezes raras

Vejo jornais.

Ontem vi uma mãe

Chorar o filho morto a tiros,

Por animais que professam

Pertencer à espécie humana.

Ao descer do prédio,

Deparei-me com uma mãe beija-flor.

Ela construiu seu ninho

Em cima da minha garagem.

Quando me viu, colocou-se entre mim e o ninho,

Batia as asas, ameaçava atacar-me,

E retornava à proteção de seus ovos.

Cheguei a pensar comigo:

– Será que essa mãe viu o jornal da tarde?

Olhei bem para aquele ser minúsculo,

Dócil, frágil,

Que tentava afugentar-me a todo custo,

E disse:

Fica em paz,

Minha forma ainda é humana,

Mas meu coração, passarinho! ❤

Nara Rúbia Ribeiro

Easy open end invention in Dayton Ohio.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Inventing New Vices.

Adminisztratív szabályok fordítása holttestek zsebek regény válogatás sokoldalú visszautasítás elért stílus megértése költészet dokumentált művek,

постоянные взносы гипотеза театральная перемена игра сардоническая остроумие творческие позы неуважение этикет напыщенный юмор инверсии слов,

ordres tortueux fausses imputations lecture agréable conceptions audacieuses drames délibérés tempête stress conversations profondes développements d'idées,

إدخال أخطاء المواد المنقحة على غرار سنوات الثوم يتنفس دراسات لاحقة تسخر من ظلال اللحظات المأساوية بتعليمات مختلفة,

crimes incomuns líderes cegos aforismos épicos partes filosóficas sentidos predominantes modernos depenar paixões removidas exaltação visões,

強引なトーン多彩な印象わかりやすい意見暗いパッセージ繰り返し画像勇気のステップ劇的なナンセンス明白ななぞなぞジョーカー学者笑う喜び.

Steve.D.Hammond.

¿Nunca lo has soñado? ¿Nunca has deseado tener alas? ¿Tener una escoba mágica? ¿Poder volar? ¿Tener esa sensación de libertad? ¿De despreocupación?

Sí, el principal sueño desde todos los tiempos para el ser humano ha sido querer volar. Poder ser un pájaro. Cruzar el cielo, ascender, llegar a las nubes, y atravesarlas. Ha sido soñar, imaginar, inventar y conseguir.

Pero somos el arma preferida de los Dioses, ellos juegan con nosotros como quieren y les apetece. No les importa que nos enfrentemos entre nosotros, que nos dañemos, que nos torturemos, que nos asesinemos. ¿Qué más da? Somos objetos, objetos que desean ser magníficos, que desean ser poderosos, que desean ver aquel lugar que habitan desde el cielo, y no desde el suelo.

A ver si no lo implementamos en metro por la mañana..

.Sark

Se echa de menos salir a hacer fotos, así que tengo que tirar de archivo y rescatar algo del 2014...

Mientras dábamos una vuelta por la zona de Louvre después de cenar, me llamó la atención (como para no hacerlo) la iluminación de las pirámides, y con lo que tenía al alcance de la mano conseguí hacer esta foto. De aquel día a hoy debo decir que hubo bastantes progresos, pero aun así, la foto me gusta bastante.

Il pudore inventò il vestito per maggiormente godere la nudità.

(Carlo Dossi)

ph. Silvia Sestili

Model. Federico D' Andrea

2015

Profumi di Sicilia.

The finale...

Ѧƕᴕɚᶓ - ϔ - Ϣҙӄѧɕ the thinker sat beneath a shade fungus in the nest valley and contemplated the Brood Queen as she continued her ceaseless task of perpetuating the species. Every few moments her ovipositor flung forward and threw, along a precise arc, a glistening pink ootheca into a seething pit of slime, split egg casings and writhing larvae.

A breeze picked up, just strong enough to push one of the flying oothecae a little off course and it landed at the raised edge of the larvae pit. It teetered, as if deciding which way to fall, then toppled away from the safety of the pit and further into the valley, bouncing as it rolled. It came to rest, hard, abrubtly against a rock and split neatly in half (the panicking larva blindly lolloping in the drying dust), and the two halves continued to roll away. And they rolled...

And rolled, and rolled. "Hmm," thought Ѧƕᴕɚᶓ - ϔ - Ϣҙӄѧɕ. She stood a while, smoothed back an antenna, and then began to run down, laughing and whooping, in the direction the egg casings had gone.

Built for FebRovery 2014.

Une fois inventé l'usage, dessiné la carte, foré le pays, le mazut a jailli.

Un mur s'est dressé, tous l'ont escaladé, de la falaise on est tombé.

Le monstre va t-il nous digérer ou tout le plastique régurgiter?

On n'a pas tout compris, c'est le dedans qui tient le dehors, on peut pas tout contrôler, il est temps de décider d'un geste et d'abandonner la peur, sinon qui sommes nous ?

Voila trois spectacles qui m'ont nourrit, qui ont ce pouvoir de changer notre vie.

barodevel.com/

gazing ball in Hereford Inlet Lighthouse gardens.

Here's some history about these garden decorations.

The gazing ball is said to have been invented in Venice, Italy, in the 13th century. Skilled glass blowers crafted beautiful spheres in many sizes and colors. An Italian priest and chemist, known as Antonio Neri , referred to gazing balls in 1612 as "spheres of light." Francis Bacon, in the 16th century, remarked that a "proper garden would have colored balls for the sun to play upon." The gazing ball became popular in the 19th century because King Ludwig II of Bavaria had the balls placed throughout the gardens at his castle Herrenchiemsee, a replica of the castle at Versailles. Many homes in Europe and the United States had gazing balls in the Victorian era.

Gazing balls have had many names through the centuries: spirit balls, witch balls, friendship balls, butler balls and spirit catchers. People thought gazing balls brought good luck and prosperity to a home and abundant growth to plants and flowers. Homeowners put them near the front door of the house to keep evil spirits and witches away. Victorians gave them to each other as gifts of true friendship, thus the name friendship ball.

Prints | Facebook | Twitter | G+ | Blog | Music | © Ben Heine

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...I'd have to invent you.

Quick sketch on paper, unfinished. Dedicated to Marta...

PS: Some cool & affordable gift ideas (6/12) for Christmas!

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For more information about my works: info@benheine.com

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