Thunder and Lightning from around the World
View allAll Photos Tagged Involvement,
________________________________________________
歩き続ける 彼岸花 咲き続ける
I keep walking
the spider lilies
keep blooming
—Taneda Santoka
________________________________________________
Its Setsubun in Japan, a feast day involving the casting out of demons at various shrines. I took out the Alain head and played with the sliders a bit to create something suitable and slightly odd looking with Oni fangs.
Although its the wrong time of year for the Spider Lily, you cannot deny that it is a beautiful flower when in full bloom, something that cinphul has managed to perfectly capture in her hairstick set. I'm holding the gorgeous Lodestone Heart by !Reliquary! which has an added rim light which catches the eye during the tossing animation.
Both available only at the Midnight Order event.
Visit my Blog here.
________________________________________________
Sponsored by:
cinphul // spider lily [hairstick set] (hud with colour options included)
Available at Midnight Order now till February 20th 2021
Closeups and full set here on cinphul's Flickr
!Reliquary! !R! The Lodestone Heart (With colour hud and animation)
Available at Midnight Order now till February 20th 2021
Closeup on !Reliquary!'s Flickr
Also worn:
LeLUTKA Head.Alain.2.5
bonbon - amaya hair
{aii} + Ibaraki Horns (demon) +
[ r-l-f ]+*N* *Male Kimono RAN
-[TWC]- 6 COMMON Red scar arm
Zibska ~ Selene (Ginkgo leaf - comes with full colour hud)
________________________________________________
Shape my own
Pose: a mod by me of the built in pose with the heart
Bird photography sounds peaceful. You picture me quietly communing with nature, sipping coffee while majestic creatures flutter by, posing politely like they’re in a Disney movie. That’s a lie. The truth involves hauling lawn chairs, tripods, and a camera bag that weighs more than a third grader across the desert before sunrise—all to sit motionless next to a glorified livestock trough filled with water I wouldn’t let my enemies drink.
This cattle tank, which I have gentrified into a “desert oasis” (by tossing in a stick), is now a fine-dining establishment for birds. The stick is important. I found it on the ground, which makes it natural, and I chose one with bark and lichen because birds don’t like muddy feet—and I like a pretty perch.
Birds don’t just fly in, though. First, they land about twenty-five feet away in what I call the staging area, where they scope things out and decide if it’s safe to drink. Just as I know birds come here for water, they know hawks come here for birds. If it seems risky, they vanish into the brush to post angry tweets about predator privilege.
This time, an American Robin decided to play along. He glided down to the branch, dipped his beak into the water, then raised his head to swallow—because robins, like most birds, can’t gulp. They rely on gravity to get the water down. No swallow muscles. No peristalsis. Just tip and pray.
As he tilted his head back, water spilled from his beak. I fired off a burst of photos. In this frame, he’s in perfect profile, water spilling from his bill, with a few droplets stopped in mid-air and a few reached the surface, sending delicate ripples across the pond.
His reflection was beautiful and haunting, like a bird pondering the mysteries of hydration—or maybe just wondering why some guy shoved a branch in his drinking fountain.
In the desert, water is liquid gold. To birds, cattle tanks are survival. To me, they’re proof that lugging heavy gear into the wilderness to photograph a robin mid-sip is a perfectly reasonable way to spend retirement.
Especially if you're trying to avoid housework.
He lifts his head to the sky—a gravity feed,
’Cause evolution said, “Nah—gulping’s not a need.
Self-involvement, social solipsism, individual solipsism, anthropocentrism, narcissism, ego, pride, entitlement, etc, etc .... vanities all for the bonfire. The play on Tom Wolfe is absolutely deliberate.
"Straight" and "Pano-Sabotaged" pieces collaged together, March 2017.
__________________________________________________
Music Link: "My Drug" - Love and Rockets, from their 1999, final album, "Lift".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBPWF3AWid4
__________________________________________________
© Richard S Warner ( Visionheart ) - 2017. All Rights Reserved. This image is not for use in any form without explicit, express, written permission.
My Website: visionheartblog.wordpress.com
The New Merwede River: protection through depolderization
The Netherlands has long been associated with polders, ever since its engineers became renowned for developing techniques to drain wetlands or reclaim land from the sea and make them usable for agriculture and other development. This is well illustrated by the English saying: “God created the world but the Dutch created Holland.” In an unusual project, one of the famous Dutch polders is being handed back to nature. To reduce the risk of flooding on the New Merwede River, water has to flow faster when its level rises. A large-scale ‘depoldering’ project was embarked upon.
Taking place between 2011 and 2015, this project involves creating a floodplain at the ‘Noordwaard’. This is an area covering approximately 4,450 hectares — approximately 6,000 soccer pitches — in the province of Noord Brabant. Part of the Noordwaard will be ‘depolderized’, restructured and transformed into an intertidal area, through which large amounts of river water will flow to the sea.
Work includes the construction of creeks, dikes, mounds, bridges, pumping stations, roads and channels and a range of soil remediation operations. Sustainable solutions are characteristic features of the approach. Cooperation with local residents, businesses and stakeholders has been crucial to the success of this project.
The number of areas with dike protection in the Noordwaard was reduced and a new ‘Green Wave reducing dike’ was built. To spare the local residents from having to look out onto a higher newly-built dike, a 100 meter-wide willow forest was planted on the river side of the dike. Every other year the willows will be pruned back so that the stumps produce shoots which will catch a large part of the wash. By regularly replacing the willows they are expected to be able to absorb up to 80 per cent of the waves’ energy. Farmers and local residents were given the option of staying in the ‘depolderized’ Noordwaard by relocating their houses and some buildings to the tops of mounds to protect them.
The new landscape will be a resting place for birds throughout the year and the combination of the river discharge and the tides will create opportunities for major nature developments that are unique in Western Europe.
Plan de la Besurta, La Ribagorza, Huesca, Aragón, España.
Ruta cuyo itinerario discurre en el entorno de las pistas de esquí nórdico de Llanos del Hospital en el Valle de Benasque. La ruta tiene su inicio en el Plan del Hospital atravesando en su recorrido bellos parajes como el Plan de Estan y el Plan de la Besurta para llegar finalmente hasta el espectacular Plan d´Aiguallut con magnificas vistas al pico Aneto. Se trata de recorrer una parte del conocido como Camino dels Aranesos que originalmente unía el Plan del Hospital con el Valle de Arán.
El recorrido se divide en tres tramos, un primer tramo muy corto y sencillo hasta el Plan de l'Estan, un segundo tramo tambien muy sencillo hasta la Besurta y un tramo final algo más exigente aunque accesible a cualquier senderista acostumbrado a la montaña hasta el Forau d´Aiguallut.
Route whose itinerary runs around the Nordic ski slopes of Llanos del Hospital in the Benasque Valley. The route begins in the Pllan del Hospital, passing through beautiful places such as the Plan de Estan and the Plan de la Besurta to finally reach the spectacular Plan d'Aiguallut with magnificent views of the Aneto peak. It involves walking through a part of what is known as the Camino dels Aranesos, which originally linked the Hospital Plan with the Aran Valley.
The route is divided into three sections, a first very short and easy section to Plan de l'Estan, a second section that is also very simple to Besurta and a final section that is somewhat more demanding although accessible to any hiker accustomed to the mountains until the Forau d'Aiguallut.
"Happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction. ... Happiness is generally linked to experiencing more positive feelings than negative"
Under Cover Of The Trees...
In early May we took our first trip to Hilton Falls in over a year. we clambered our way through the unmarked trails, along the mostly rock and tree covered section towards the fire pit.
Getting to the falls involves a wonderful walk along well groomed trails. This is along the main trail in from the parking area.
Thank you for visiting for marking my photo as a favourite and for the kind comments,
Please do not copy my image or use it on websites, blogs or other media without my express permission.
© NICK MUNROE (MUNROE PHOTOGRAPHY)
You can contact me
by email @
karenick23@yahoo.ca
munroephotographic@gmail.com
munroedesignsphotography@gmail.com
or on Facebook @
www.facebook.com/MunroePhotography/
On Instagram
Europe, France, PACA, Bouches du Rhône, Marseille, La Joliette, Cathédrale de Marseille (slightly cut from B&T).
The Saint-Marie-Majeure (dite La Major) (1893) cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Marseille. Its eclectic style is Byzantine-Roman Revival. The architects were Léon Vaudoyer and Henri-Jacques Espérandieu. The edifice is 142 meters (469 ft) long, and the main cupola is 70 meters (231 ft) high. With a capacity of 3,000 seats, it is one of the largest cathedrals in France.
Its polychromatic façade has alternating bands of ‘Pierre de Cassis’ and green marble.
Espérandieu (a Protestant architect) was also the leading architect of the ND de La Garde (also Byzantine - Roman Revival styled) here.
He was called in to replace Léon Vaudroyer, who died in 1872 after a 20-year involvement with the design and build of the cathedral. In the 19th century cathedral building was a very lengthy process, not as long as that of the ones of the middleages though.
This is number 28 of the Churches album and 15 of Marseille.
Regno Unito, Scozia, Castello di Eilean Donan, Estate 2017
Eilean Donan è una piccola isola tidale nel punto in cui si incontrano tre laghi marini, nelle Highlands occidentali della Scozia. Un pittoresco castello domina l'isola. Dopo il restauro del castello all'inizio del XX secolo, una passerella collega l'isola alla terraferma. Eilean Donan significa semplicemente "isola di Donnán" e prende il nome da Donnán di Eigg, un santo celtico martirizzato nel 617. Il castello fu fondato nel XIII secolo e divenne una fortezza del clan Mackenzie. All'inizio del XVIII secolo, il coinvolgimento dei Mackenzies nelle ribellioni giacobite portò nel 1719 alla distruzione del castello da parte delle navi governative. Il tenente colonnello John Macrae-Gilstrap ha restrutturato le rovine degli edifici presenti nel XX secolo. Il castello è un'icona scozzese e uno dei monumenti più fotografati della Scozia intera. Eilean Donan è comparso in molti film, come in Highlander (1986) dove figurava come la casa del Clan MacLeod.
Eilean Donan is a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet, in the western Highlands of Scotland. A picturesque castle dominates the island. Since the castle's restoration in the early 20th century, a footbridge has connected the island to the mainland. Eilean Donan means simply "island of Donnán" and it is named after Donnán of Eigg, a Celtic saint martyred in 617. The castle was founded in the thirteenth century, and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie . In the early eighteenth century, the Mackenzies' involvement in the Jacobite rebellions led in 1719 to the castle's destruction by government ships. Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap's twentieth-century reconstruction of the ruins produced the present buildings. The castle is regularly described as one of the most photographed monuments in Scotland, and is a recognised Scottish icon. Eilean Donan has made several appearances in films. It featured prominently in Highlander (1986) as the home of Clan MacLeod.
Une nouvelle installation de l’artiste britannique Linder Sterling dans le jardin de Chatsworth House s’inspire de l’un des épisodes les plus intrigants de l’histoire du domaine, vieille de 500 ans: l’emprisonnement de Mary, reine d’Écosse.
La «Bower of Bliss» de Sterling est une réponse du Queen Mary's Bower, une structure surélevée située dans un jardin de 100 hectares, qui aurait été construite dans les années 1570 pour permettre à Mary d'exercer son activité alors qu'elle était retenue en captivité pour son implication présumée dans des crimes d'assassinat. sa cousine Elizabeth I.
Mary fut forcée d’abdiquer en 1567 après avoir été impliquée dans le meurtre de son mari. Elle fut ensuite emprisonnée en Angleterre par Elizabeth I à partir de 1568 et exécutée en 1587.
L’installation de Sterling est l’un des points forts de la nouvelle exposition de sculptures intitulée «Chatsworth Outdoors: motifs de sculptures», qui s’ouvre dans le jardin du domaine de Derbyshire le 14 septembre. 2018.
Parmi les 35 œuvres présentées, on trouve une figurine masculine en fonte dressée par Antony Gormley intitulée «Learning to be I» et «Into the Wind», une sculpture en bronze de la tête d’un cheval réalisée par Nic Fiddian-Green.
Traduit de :
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-art/captive-queen-inspi...
_____________________________________
A new installation by British artist Linder Sterling in the garden of Chatsworth House draws on one of the most intriguing episodes in the estate’s 500-year-old history: the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Sterling’s “Bower of Bliss” is a response the Queen Mary’s Bower, a raised structure in the 105-acre garden which some believe was built in the 1570s as a space for Mary to exercise while she was held captive for her alleged involvement in plots assassinate her cousin Elizabeth I.
Mary was forced to abdicate in 1567 after she was implicated in her husband’s murder and was then imprisoned in England by Elizabeth I from 1568 and executed in 1587.
Sterling’s installation is one of the highlights of a new sculpture exhibition called “Chatsworth Outdoors: Grounds for Sculpture”, which opens in the garden of the Derbyshire estate on Sept. 14. 2018.
Among the 35 works on show is a standing male cast iron figure by Antony Gormley called “Learning to be I”, and “Into the Wind”, a bronze sculpture of a horse’s head by Nic Fiddian-Green.
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-art/captive-queen-inspi...
# painting
#acuarela
#aquarelle
#art
#arte
#artist
#newmexicoartist #drawing
#dibujo #
#painting
#paint
#pen
#penandink
#sketch
#sketchbook
#watercolor_involve #watercolorpaintingsforbeginners
. . . involves preparing three square meals a day, even though I'd rather be behind my camera. As I was preparing BLT sandwiches for lunch today - the Macro Mondays theme "My Daily Routine" popped into my head, so I stopped everything to take a few shots.
HMM everyone.
(Aegotheles cristatus)
Monarto woodlands - Murray River - South Australia
Austrália
I remember exchanging a few emails with John about some interesting species we could possibly photograph. However, time passed, and as our departure for Australia drew closer, I contacted some professional guides to fill a free day we had in Melbourne. All of them suggested night spotlighting to observe the Powerful Owl and this particular species. Since owling wasn’t part of our plans due to the exhaustion from traveling, I convinced myself that I wouldn’t see this species.
However, the day after meeting John and Leoni in person, they took us to this woodland area to show us an incredible technique that they use when want to photograph passerines. It involves attracting them to a water puddle. Unfortunately, it had rained the night before, and while we waited by the puddle, hoping some bird would feel an irresistible thirst, John started wandering through the woods. I didn’t understand why and didn’t ask. After some time, he rejoined us by the puddle, and after a while, he suddenly exclaimed with great enthusiasm: “Oh, there it is!”
It took me a moment to realize what he was pointing at, but following John’s direction, I finally noticed the bird, right in front of us, on the other side of the puddle, just looking at us with its eyes half-closed.
At first, I thought it was a nightjar, but John quickly corrected me, it was something much better.
My very first photo of this species, genus, family (Aegothelidae), and order (Aegotheliformes).
It was there whole time, but sometimes, it just go down inside of the hole.
Thank you very, very much, jfmfennell and Leoni, for a great day and for being such wonderful and kind people.
#AbFav_RED_ACCENT_ ⛳️
#AbFav_PHOTOSTORY
A series of images with only small red accents, involving people.
Wishing you all a colourful day, and thank you as always for your time, Magda (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Those who involve themselves in theological questions seek wisdom only as we relinquish any pretense of innocence. Wisdom has always already outgrown innocence. The biblical prototype—the divine Sophia—precedes all creation, after all (Prov. 8: 22–23). She has seen it all. This mystery does not warrant ignorance of our history and our institutions, of our hugely varying effects on the planetary contexts of theology. Often what is called “mystery” (as in “Don’t ask questions, it is a holy mystery”) is mere mystification, used to camouflage the power drives of those who don’t want to be questioned.
-On the Mystery, DISCERNING DIVINITY IN PROCESS, Catherine Keller
Cat bonds involve a profound sense of trust, harmony and a silent language that only they understand. Bonded cats tend to share their territory without conflict or aggression finding comfort in each other’s presence, when they feel safe occupying the same spaces.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
My happiness always involves Ruffy. And nothing is better than that. Well… maybe Ruffy x 6 is better. ;-) Create your own happiness and Happy Smile on Saturday! Hope this makes you smile. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been working on this pic for about a week and before it gets overdone, I'd better post it. You wouldn't believe how different it looks each day!!
If you don't recognize her, that's my Ruffy. I created this for the Smile on Saturday group, selfie with half a face theme. I know it's not Saturday.. Maybe you'll smile before Saturday. ;-)
I'm still trying to get Ruffy's blood sugar #'s under control. Today I'm testing her blood every 2 hours, doing her 2nd blood glucose curve. Have been giving her insulin shots 2x daily, but for the 1st time, today her sugar # was low! It's usually really high! So no insulin today. Scary stuff!! Have to keep calling the vet & they tell me what to do. OK.. back to create your own happiness...
Traditional storytelling involves a narrator transmitting a fixed story to an audience of one or more, employing various verbal tones, physical gestures, and facial expressions to evoke reactions and participation from the audience. This process is anchored in the reality that the story's basic structure never changes.
- - - It was a dark and stormy night - - -
Due to problems with the leased slug set that is normally assigned to the SAPPI job, Pan Am ran the 77 on instead, along with the normal mill switcher, GP15-1 406. SAPPI-3 is seen at Fairfield crossing US Route 201, about to enter the Waterville yard at CPF111 with about thirty cars in tow. Unfortunately, this was the final day it was assigned to the job, but with continuing issues involving the slug set, it hasn't been too uncommon for Pan Am's remaining GP9s to find their way onto the job, which used to be on of their strongholds years ago.
The much photographed spiral stairs at Citizen M Hotel. Not as many from the top as it involves dangling your camera out into the void.
I prefer the view from the bottom up but I seem to be too incompetent to get an exposure that I'm happy with.
This shot was almost so completely dark as to be ruined, but after the exposure was lifted quite a few stops while processing, an interesting image with quite pleasing colours was revealed.
The hotel was first proposed in 1906, as Oakland's business community sought to capitalize on the flow of commerce from San Francisco to Oakland following the 1906 earthquake. Many of the initial stockholders were important bankers. The hotel was initially called the Banker's Hotel due to involvement of the banking community. A banking panic in 1907 forced several major sponsors to drop out, delaying construction of the project.
Construction started in August 1910, and was completed in December 1912 at a cost of over $3,000,000. The architects were Walter Bliss (who also designed the furniture, tapestries, hangings and rugs) and William Faville, who designed the building in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The grand opening of the Hotel Oakland on December 23, 1912 was celebrated by a dinner and ball with 1,150 invited guests, including Mayor Davie and much of the East Bay's social, financial and industrial elite.
During the 1930s, the hotel was forced into bankruptcy several times as the result of the depression and management difficulties. In 1943, the War Department took possession of the hotel for use as a U.S. Army hospital known as Oakland Area Station Hospital. All furnishings were auctioned off, including irreplaceable chandeliers of which only photographs remain. Following World War II, the Veterans Administration operated a hospital in the building until August of 1963.
Following the VA's use of the facility, several unsuccessful attempts were made to reopen the hotel for public use. For the next 15 years it stood vacant. Finally, in 1978 a Boston-based developer obtained possession and remodeled it into a housing project for the elderly. It remains in this use today."
The idea of a Mass Effect Tumbler originally came from some digital art I found online. Here is the link to the artist (Syarawi Deviant art): www.deviantart.com/syarawi/art/Mass-Effect-2-Tumbler-1560...
Details about the build:
- It can fit four mini figs inside. Its tight so the interior is not the prettiest.
-It does roll if the two wedge plates connected to the wheels are removed.
"The tumbler" vehicle, mass effect logo, and LEGO logo is the copyright of their respective license owner, this is only a representation and concept that involves a mix and match.
For Cambodians, water blessings are a sacred, spiritual experience; it is a traditional practice that dates back to ancient times and is performed in most of the pagodas across Cambodia. This kind of blessing involves vessels of blessed water being poured over your head while the monks chant. This ritual is believed to bring good luck and happiness.
With a few obvious exceptions, all of my images involve automobiles, and reflections. None are AI or Photoshopped., etc. They are what the camera has seen....
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. Built on the former site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium; the venue is composed of the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach Arena and the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.
Long Beach Arena was the first building to be completed in the complex. Capacities are as follows: 11,200 for hockey, 13,609 for basketball and either 4,550, 9,200 or 13,500 for concerts, depending on the seating arrangement.
The arena has hosted various entertainment and professional and college sporting events, most notably the volleyball events of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
For trade shows, the arena features 46,000 square feet (4300 m2) of space, with an additional 19,000 square feet (1800 m2) of space in the lobby and 29,000 square feet (2700 m2) in the concourse. Hanging from the arena's 77 foot (23 m) high ceiling is a center-hung scoreboard with four White Way "Mega Color" Animation Screens. There is an 11 by 15 foot SACO Smartvision LED Wall located on the south end of the arena.
The arena was the site of the first NHL game involving a 1967 expansion team, as the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers, both expansion teams, played on October 14, 1967, the Kings won 4–2. The Kings played in Long Beach for the first half of their expansion season while The Forum was being completed.
In the 1970s, the arena hosted several games of the Los Angeles Sharks, of the WHA and regular appearances of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds roller derby team. The Grateful Dead played the arena on December 15th, 1972; the first of 13 concerts there through 1988.
In 1980–81 the arena was also home to the California Surf of the North American Soccer League for one season of indoor soccer.
The arena was home to the former Long Beach Ice Dogs team, which played professional ice hockey in the IHL, WCHL and ECHL. The Ice Dogs ceased operations of the team in 2007.
The Eagles performed during a benefit concert for California Senator Alan Cranston on July 31, 1980, on what has been described as "Long Night at Wrong Beach".Tempers boiled over as Glenn Frey and Don Felder spent the entire show telling each other about the beating each planned to administer backstage. "Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal," Frey recalls Felder telling him near the end of the band's set.Felder recalls Frey making a similar threat to him during "Best of My Love"."We're out there singing ‘Best of My Love', but inside both of us are thinking, 'As soon as this is over, I'm gonna kill him,' " recalled Frey. The animosity purportedly developed as a result of Felder's response of "You're welcome – I guess" to Senator Cranston as he was thanking the band for doing the benefit for his reelection. A live recording of their song "Life in the Fast Lane" from this show was included on their live album, entitled Eagles Live. This marked their final live performance, as The Eagles, for 14 years, until April 25, 1994.
Iron Maiden performed four consecutive shows during their World Slavery Tour on March 14–17, 1985. The show on the 15th was recorded and released as a double live-album, entitled Live After Death.
The arena was also one of the sites of the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Rounds of 64 and 32. The teams, which played at the arena, included Maryland, Pepperdine & UNLV. Maryland's Len Bias played his final collegiate game at the arena on March 14, 1986, in a loss to UNLV in the Round of 32. The arena was also the site of the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1989 to 1993. It was the home court for Long Beach State's men's basketball team for several seasons in the 1970s and 1980s.
Run–D.M.C. performed during their Raising Hell Tour on August 17, 1986, with Whodini, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys and The Timex Social Club as their opening act. The show made news worldwide when gang fights broke out between the Long Beach-based Insane Crips and the Los Angeles based Rollin 60's Crips within the audience, with 42 reported injuries during the incident.
From 2009 to 2016, the FIRST Robotics Competition Los Angeles Regional was held at the Long Beach Arena.
On July 1 and 2, 2017, the arena hosted New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Special in USA shows, which marked the company's first independently promoted shows in the United States.
The arena will host handball during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
This photo art involves no AI
When adding some colour to this plain white ball light, I was struck by how a combination of them might be made to look like the planet Jupiter. That couldn't be done, but you can mentally piece them together from this arrangement to see what I mean.
The title comes from a very historic period in Australian rock and blues music in the late 60s and early 70s. At the time pubs were full of live music and provided new bands with an ideal launching point for their careers. Alas, no more. Pity the younger generation of musicians.
One of the legends of Australia blues rock was Lobby Loyde and his band the Coloured Balls.
Lobby Loyde and the Coloured Balls - Working Man's Boogie (1972) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPInO0ybDhs
Lobby Loyde was born John Barrie Lyde in Longreach, Queensland in 1941. His music style was heavy rhythm and blues and his influence on other Australian guitarists at the time was immense. He was also one to popularise the "Sharpie Movement". Sharps were one of the youth gangs that predominated in Melbourne (and to a lesser extent in Sydney). They were known for their hair styles and slick dressing with large boots. Unfortunately they were also known for their violent subculture (although to be fair it followed a strict code that wasn't the case when the more nihilistic, and to a large degree racist, Skinheads emerged).
Lobby Loyde later joined Angry Anderson and Rose Tattoo, but eventually moved into producing music. He died of lung cancer in 2007.
With a few obvious exceptions, all of my images involve automobiles, and reflections. None are AI or Photoshopped., etc. They are what the camera has seen....
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
#acuarela
#aquarelle
#art
#arte
#artist
#newmexicoartist #drawing
#dibujo #
#painting
#paint
#pen
#penandink
#sketch
#sketchbook
#watercolor_involve #watercolorpainting #artificialintelligenceart #artificial-intelligence
Kookaburras (pronounced /ˈkʊkəbʌrə/)[3] are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28 and 47 cm (11 and 19 in) in length and weigh around 300 g (11 oz). The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies.
They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they belong to the larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water.[4]
Hey everyone! Here's a bonsai tree I made last week for Brickset's contest. The tree came together fairly quickly, and is quite sturdy (at least as far as trees go). Overall I'm happy with how it turned out.
So I guess between this and my Castle Tower Vase I made my own version of Lego's botanical collection. :D Let me know what you guys think of it!
It was also pretty fun trying something new as my background (which involves less clean up time!).Big thanks to my dad for letting me use his camera for this shot!
All glory to my Savior Jesus Christ!
Carter
I finally got a shot of a dragonfly that doesn't involve it become the meal of some feathery critter. Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa).
This picture is for the group Happy Caturday and this week the theme is "Container".
Our daily play session involves the "squirrel" on a string (laying upside down in front of the kitty house) and the cat house. I throw the squirrel into the house and Noah runs in after it. He then rolls around in there and literally bounces the house off of the floor. Sometimes the house flips over and all I see are two paws reaching out from underneath it trying to grab the string that the squirrel is attached to. He has a lot of energy that we try to burn off. Elijah usually lays in the distance just watching his crazy brother. :))
(Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd)
These silos near the waterfront of San Francisco Bay are no longer used for storing cement. Previously owned by Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company, they received cement from near Santa Cruz and shipped it out from Alameda via train on the Southern Pacific Railroad, or by truck or ship. Now owned by a construction company, the property is underutilized due to an environmental cleanup issue involving an underground tank, per an online article. The cement company ceased operations in this location in 1966.
“Wearing it, cursed by it, serving it, raging at it. Not always in that order.
Want it? Come, try and take it. Please."
A Delirious, Rambling Aberrant;
Born of a freak accident involving Vezok and the Spear of Fusion, Vezon was bound to the Mask of Life as its guardian.
Patiently awaiting his moment; A mutant spider, future visions and the two relics accountable for one's confused existence make for interesting company.
____________________________
I wanted to complement Vezon's chaotic origins through body horror and actual portions of Vezok (mine and Johann's specifically).
I reckoned it would be cooler if the mask fused into his chest (perhaps to further how toxic their relationship was), and I thought it might be neat if the spear could transform based on whether it was set to Fusion or Fission.
Another addition to my Inika/Piraka series, built to emulate Johann's Cursed Wasteland style as his Secret Santa, while coinciding with the 2006 Collab.
My first SS attempts amounted to nothing, so around mid-December I decided to repurpose an existing Vezon WIP, emulating Johann's grim-dark, inhumanly proportioned creatures.
It's hilarious coincidence that he chose Vezok and committed to the half-split so strongly, without any input from me!
Props to Yanni, Brick Brickolson and Buttloaf for their collective work on these fantastic 'box-art' edits.
More photos are available on my:
______ ISLAND OF DOOM ______
[ Velika, Kazi, Piruk, Garan, Dalu, Balta ]
[ Reidak, Hakann, Vezok, Vezon, Zaktan, Avak, Thok ]
[ Jaller, Hahli, Nuparu, Hewkii, Kongu, Matoro ]
[ Axonn, Brutaka, Botar, Kardas, Irnakk, Umbra ]
[ Good Guy, Piraka & Catapult, Piraka Outpost ]
____________________________
[ Hakann, the Explosive ] [ old version ]
[ Vezon, the Disaster (Spear) ] [ (Scythe) ]
[ Toa Kongu, the Wrangler ] [ old version ]
____________________________
(...) Before anyone could stop him, the newcomer snatched up the spear. He was about to use it on Vezok when he stopped.
“No, no, bad idea. That will just make another of him… of me… or else something worse."
Reidak slammed into the new arrival and pinned him against the wall.
“What are you? Some new trick of Makuta’s? What happened to Vezok?”
“This happened.” said the being calmly, hefting the spear.
Thok approached and looked at weapon. Carved into the side of the shaft were the words 'Spear of Fusion'.
“Hakann, you imbecile,” he snapped. “You used it in reverse. Instead of fusing Vezok with something else, you split him into two beings! This thing is a vezon.”
“A vezon?” repeated the newly created being. “Oh, yes, the Matoran word for ‘double.’ Yes, that does make sense. I will go by that name, then.
Of course, first I will have to eliminate all of you so no one else knows I am only half a being. You don’t mind, do you?”
RX56DNF Mercedes Sprinter Ambulance 102 at Horley Ambulance Station
You can support your local ambulance service by becoming a member. Signing up is easy, and it’s free!
To become a member of SECAmb, just fill in a membership form, become a part of the organisation and get as involved as you like
Click Here to see their short DVD and let their staff show you what their work involves and tell you how you can get involved.
Salvation involves a change in the relationship between God and a person. Salvation includes God’s adoption of believers into his family, his acceptance of them as righteous and his forgiveness of their sins. It also includes personal renewal and transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Eph 2:19–22.
Bird banding involves fitting bands with unique numbers onto the legs of wild birds. Once banded, the lives of individual birds can be tracked through time.
There are plenty of things I could tell you about this image but what I am going to relate tonight is only going to involve the mistake I made.
One of the risks to habits is that you can come to rely on them overly much. A case in point would be that by an unofficial rule I generally keep my Hasselblad backs loaded with 400 ISO film, one back for color and the other for b&w. When I do load a different speed film in one of my backs I try to make a note because I am so used to 400 speed film in them that I have mis-exposed film before because of mistaken assumption.
Before this latest trip up to the Olympic Peninsula I had been working a lot and photographing only a little. As such by the time I got up there my black and white back was halfway through a roll of film I could not remember loading and so I could not remember which film was in it. Normally no note would mean 400 speed but something in my brain was tickling away that this was not true, that I had loaded something out of the ordinary in terms of film speed in this back.
So what are my options at this point with about six frames left to expose? Well I could trust my habits and expose at 400. I could attempt to second guess motives and backtrack through memory to deduce which film I might have loaded. I could meter somewhere in between. This latter is what I did. I figured the only other speed I would have loaded would have been 100 ISO film. So if I metered at 200 then I would only be wrong by a stop. If it was 100, I would be a stop under and considering that I normally overexpose by habit anyway, all would be ok. If it was 400, then I would be a stop over (or two with my usual overexposure). and film so readily forgives overexposure. Seriously, you can get away with three or four stops over and still produce reasonable images. Additionally I was going to be a bit less choosy with those six frames and try to blow through them quickly so I could confirm the film and if necessary backtrack to re-expose any images.
Thus I set off. Unfortunately it was sunny and clear and conducive to heavy ND shooting so "blowing through" half a roll takes on a slightly different meaning when shooting through 18 stops of neutral density. It took a few hours but I managed, wound the roll and unloaded it... to find a roll of Rollei RPX 25. Umm yeah. So metering for 200, maybe overexposing by design by a stop I was still going to be two stops under. That was a bit disappointing. Usually I defer to the decisions that past-Zeb makes. He often seems to think of things that present-Zeb appreciates. But this time I was wondering what in the heck that past me was thinking by loading a roll of 25 speed film in a camera that usually uses 400 speed and not putting a note on it to warn present-Zeb how to expose it properly. Sheesh.
So I had a bit of a sinking feeling in my stomach, figuring not even the forgiveness of film was going to save me this time. Luckily I was still on the same beach and did backtrack to re-expose the images I felt most strongly about. I debated having the roll pushed when I got back but then the first half had theoretically been exposed accurately and I couldn't really remember what was on it, so I didn't want to push process that stuff, so I just let it go, morbidly curious to see how thin the negs would be. Imagine my surprise when the stuff that came back turned out to be fairly usable... at least some of it. This image for example was metered somewhere around 100 to 200 ISO, which means I probably overexposed it to begin with due to the deep shadows in the frame. But that is ok, I wanted the cliffs to be black anyway.
So what to take from all this? I guess mostly that we all make mistakes. In fact you ought to find opportunities to make mistakes. They keep us sharp, they are opportunities to learn, they sometimes show us things we may not have discovered on our own, they remind us that we are fallible in our decision-making. And I tell you about this one in particular so that you know that I am not above making such silly errors. I tend to curate out most of the images I don't consider worth the time to post or your time to see. I edit down to the good stuff, which really means the stuff that I like for one reason and another. And I think with practice and by limiting how much I post I tend to only share the stuff that is noteworthy for good reasons. But that can easily lead to the mistaken perception that maybe I don't make the same mistakes you make. That I don't screw up my calculations or forget something simple and obvious. Well trust me, I do. And sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. On this case I got lucky, no thanks to my past self.
Hasselblad 500C
Rollei RPX 25
A conversion is the starting point of every spiritual journey. It involves a break with the life lived up to that point; it is a prerequisite for entering the kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1: 15). It presupposes also, and above all, that one decides to set out on a new path: “Sell all that you have… and come, follow me” (Lk 18: 22). 2 Without this second aspect the break would lack the focus that a fixed horizon provides and would ultimately be deprived of meaning.
Because of this second aspect a conversion is not something that is done once and for all. It entails a development, even a painful one, that is not without uncertainties, doubts, and temptations to turn back on the road that has been traveled. The experience of the Jewish people after departure from Egypt is still prototypical here. Fidelity to the word of God implies a permanent conversion. This is a central theme in the teaching of the prophets.
On the other hand, the path of conversion is not one marked only by stumbling blocks; there is a growth in maturity. Throughout the gospels we are repeatedly told that after some word or deed of Jesus “his disciples believed in him.” The point of this statement is not that up to that point they had no faith, but rather that their faith deepened with the passage of time. To believe in God is more than simply to profess God's existence; it is to enter into communion with God and—the two being inseparable—with our fellow human beings as well. And all this adds up to a process.
-In the Company of the Poor Conversations between Dr. Paul Farmer and Father Gustavo Gutiérrez Edited by Michael Griffin and Jennie Weiss Block
The passage of time is most likely an illusion even though our senses tell us that time flows.
Consciousness may involve thermodynamic or quantum processes that lend the impression of living moment by moment. According to a certain physicist, time is not real and what we regard as the time is no more than changes that lead to the illusion of time.
8s exposure, liked this angle with the water falling on the moss covered rocks like white silk and the warm light streaming in from the right.
In a rather strange move, Nikon just released a rebranded 1st Gen Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 lens in Z mount at $1,199.95, the lens diagrams for the mirrorless Z and E mount versions are identical with identical MTF and minimum focus distance.
Like some Matrix “black cat” deja vu, Olympus (after being spun off from the Olympus Parent Co) did the same thing previously with the remounted 100-400mm f5-6.3 IS which was derived from Sigma’s older DSLR version of the same lens rather than the newer mirrorless 100-400mm DN version while asking for a price way in excess of the original Sigma DSLR lens!
The newer Sony E mount Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2 is currently available for $899 and the superseded version (now rebranded Z version) was released back in 2018 at $800. This makes the rebranded Z mount version 50% (+$400!) more expensive than the 2018 E mount version! Heck, the rebranded Z version is even ⅓ more expensive than the newest 2021 Tamron G2 version! Adding insult to injury, the remounted Z lens won’t get Tamron’s much longer 5 years warranty.
More choice is great but it’s not good to fleece one’s loyal customers so blatantly. The issue is not about who actually made the lens but rather Nikon charging 50% more for a lens that has already been replaced by a newer G2 version which is way, way too much just for native AF compatibility!!
As expected, the usual Nikon Z-ealot fanbois shills are out in full force with hyperbolic rationalization and attempts to warp space-time by suggesting that the Z mount version has some magical secret Nikon sauce for better performance, steering discussions well away from the ridiculous 50% premium for a superseded model! Ludicrous mental gymnastics such as outright denial that it’s the same lens, hallucinating possible addition of Nikon lens coatings or AF motors or that Leica does the same with rebranding Sigma lenses hence this is kosher…..
Nikon Z-ealots were already trying to spin that the Z 24-120mm f4 S is optically superior just because the VR mechanism was omitted! Tamron typically leaves out VR in their mirrorless lenses, perhaps the new Z 24-120mm f4.0 S was also designed by Tamron since this was also announced at the same time as the rebranded Z 28-75mm f2.8!?
Really odd behaviour that we seldom see in folks using other brands, perhaps Z-ealot shills live in the Matrix and hence lost all capacity to discern reality from fiction!
When the equivalent Z lens is markedly larger than other brands’ versions, Z-ealots will tell you that Nikon optimized performance over size! Nikon’s largest Z mount diameter supposedly allows for more efficient lens designs but yet they end up with larger, heavier and more expensive lenses, why?
The likely reason is all about financials. Nikon’s market share has been shrinking for years, their mirrorless market share is even smaller and continues to shrink in a shrinking market. In order to generate enough revenue to offset their higher fixed costs (esp R&D) over diminishing unit sales, they have to charge ever higher margins. As such even if the bigger mount diameter hypothetically does allow for more efficient lens designs, whatever design benefits derived must 1st go towards bolstering the Nikon imaging division’s bottomline hence their Z mount lenses ended up bigger, heavier and more expensive at the expense of the consumer! The Z system does not offer value to the consumer; www.flickr.com/photos/86145600@N07/51134617306/in/datepos...
Nikon has always been behind in releasing and updating lenses as well. This is also a direct consequence of a smaller market share even during the DSLR era. Canon will have version III lenses out when Nikon in many cases never even manage to update to version II.
In the UWA category, Canon had EF 16-35mm f2.8L III while Nikon was stuck with their 1st version at f4 from 2010! Fixed aperture standard zoom Canon EF 24-105mm f4 got version II updates vs Nikon’s single generation AF-S 24-120mm f4. Same for Prime lenses, Canon EF 35mm f1.4II while Nikon never went beyond AF-S 35mm f1.4G from 2010. Canon’s superb variable aperture EF 100-400mm II while Nikon never got beyond their disappointing 1st version 80-400mm zoom from 1996. Even with supertele exotics, Canon EF 400mm f2.8, 500mm f4 and 600mm f4 all reached 3rd generation updates while Nikon only managed 2 generations. Now in the mirrorless age, Nikon’s market share is even smaller, very small in fact. No wonder the Nikon shills have been so frantically spewing misinformation in the gear forums!
The Z 800mm f6.3 PF VR announcement is however much more exciting! This is the area where Nikon appears to have real competitive advantage over others.