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Whenever I have a conference in Las Vegas I try to arrange an escape for a day or two in to Death Valley. One of my absolute favorite places to experience and recharge in nature. On this afternoon I managed to get to the Valley with a couple of hours to spare before sunset. There was a fair amount of cloud cover in the area so it looked like a decent chance for some sunset colors. From there I had to choose between Badwater and Mesquite Dunes. I love both these locations and there are pros and cons to each. I don’t feel like I’ve ever quite nailed either location despite numerous attempts. I wasn’t sure even what shape the salt formations at Badwater might be in. It only really works when the formations are far enough along to show those distinct polygon shapes, and I knew it had rained there a couple weeks back so I thought there was some risk that the formations would not be well-formed yet. On the other hand, the dunes are always there, and the way the clouds were shaping up it looked like I might get a better alignment of clouds from the dunes.
I parked well up the east side of the dunes, by the so-called “Devils Cornfield”. It’s a longer walk in to the dunes from there compared to the regular dunes parking lot, but as a result there are far fewer people traipsing around messing up the sand. Once in to the dunes, it’s always a trick to hike around finding a good composition. There is a mesmerizing array of lines and textures in the sand, curving dunes and mountain backdrops. The trick is to find a pleasing alignment and somehow that always proves more challenging to me than I think it ought to be. On this day I was happy to have a bit of extra time and I must have marched a good couple of miles through the dunes, up, down and all around looking for just that right comp. It’s a real slog through the soft sand but the temperature was perfect and I was almost all alone with just the gentle sounds of the wind through the mesquite bushes to keep me company, so I didn’t really feel tired at all despite the hike. I found a few ok locations, each with something not-quite-right and so I kept moving, but as the clouds started to color up, I began to worry that my indecision was about to backfire on me (happens quite frequently I'm sad to say!), and I had to scramble for the nearest decent thing I could find. Fortunately, I had found an area with a nice set of low dunes, swelling almost like ocean waves, and some beautiful wavy sand lines, and I was ecstatic to see some of the sunset color lines kind of mirroring the lines in the sand below.
The fascinating thing about the dunes is they tend to take on whatever tones are in the sky above, from grey or brown in the pre-dawn light to yellow in the late afternoon sun to purple or blue in the blue hour. The incredible scarlet and orange tones in this sunset gave a decidedly pink or taupe hue to the sand. The title is a reference to the many locations around DVNP named with some Hellish or Deviliish reference (Devil’s Golf Course, Devil’s Cornfield, etc.) combined with the warmer colors of the sunset lit dunes. I actually had to turn down the saturation here a bit, the colors were so bright (of course there are plenty of other Lightroom manipulations at play here to make the scene pop, not gonna pretend this is SOOC).
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Here is my photograph of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) aka “The Green Comet” which I captured on January 30, 2023—a soul-crushinginly cold night with temperatures around -25°C—in the Skull Valley desert, Utah, United States. With so many cloudy nights this winter, I thought I would miss this one. But circumstance gave me one good opportunity as long as I was willing to brave the cold. Did you know that touching metal after hours outside at these temperatures enables it to somehow “burn”?
This image was created using 175 separate 30-second exposures (longer and the comet actually streaks relative to the stars due to its movement), combining of the comet image separately from the stars, and then re-combining the two. As a bonus, you can multiple galaxies in the image.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), called the “green comet” in various news coverage, is visible in the night sky right now, although less impressive than 2020’s Comet Neowise.
ZTF will be hard to see under moonlight with heavy light pollution, but easier to see with no moon and binoculars. With little light pollution it is much easier to see. (Apparently it was quite striking to see when my mom checked it out under her crazy-dark Wyoming skies!) This comet’s “near pass”—the closest point in its orbit to the earth—was on February 2nd. While still visible, it is now traveling farther away from earth, growing fainter day-by-day. If it survives its journey, it will return again in around 50,000 years. Something for the kiddos to look forward to!
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), at the time these photos were captured, featured two prominent ‘tails’:
The blue-tinted tail (extending frame right) is the ion tail, which is created by ultraviolet radiation ejecting electrons off particles in the coma (a cloud of gases surrounding the comet’s nucleus). The appearance of the ion tail can change rapidly (e.g. even between short exposures) due to interplay with and fluctuation of the solar wind (a continuous flow of charged particles ejected from the sun).
The warmer, fainter, larger “tail” is the dust tail, formed by solar radiation vaporizing volatile compounds in the comet, which stream out and carry dust with them. This reflects sunlight directly.
How do you end up with the name “Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)”? Breaking it down, “C” represents a non-periodic comet: it takes more than 200 years to orbit the sun. It was discovered in 2022. “E3” represents the time period of discovery, with “E” represents the fifth half-month of the year, and “3” representing the third comet discovered in that half-month. “ZTF” stands for who discovered it! In this case, the Zwicky Transient Facility, which is a wide-field sky astronomical survey running through the Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California. What about 2020’s “NEOWISE”? In that case, it was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
Why are articles calling this “The Green Comet”? Mainly, I expect, because very cool or very terrifying things love to have a name of some sort in media coverage, and “The Green Comet” got to stick. “ZTF” is not so catchy, to be fair. Comets typically present with a clear blue-green glow around the nucleus. It is rather prominent on this comet, relative to other signal, but not a unique characteristic of this comet. So why this color? Sources frequently cite that this color comes from Cyanogen (CN) in the comet, but this is not correct. As best I can determine, the most likely explained by a combination of “Swan Bands” of Carbon (C2) emissions—which is to say, some blending of prominent light emissions is responsible for the color we observe. This was probably discussed in early interviews and got to stick.
Edited in PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop. For full details on post-processing, reference the link at AstroBin or the processing notes in this text document:
The title is in reference to the focus of lens and bird's eye here!
Taken this morning at Hunter Wetlands Centre (Shortland, NSW; Australia) during a shoot with great friend and fellow flickr tog Joe Micallef.
I decided to tote my big lens around today - I need the exercise!! :-))
This Nankeen Night Heron has taken up temporary residence here on its own; but the water levels are critically low - so don't know for how much longer.....
The BG is actually the dam which is fully covered by a thick brown weed - matches well with the birds colorings!!
Hope you like this - worth viewing LARGE on Black!!
Thanks again for any comments, views or favorites!
Have a wonderful day and week folks!
... In a style of yesteryear¹
View in lightbox and then zoom in while on full screen, of course!
It's a European hornet (vespa crabro) feeding on the sap of a trumpet vine; one of its favourite hangouts ;-) It's found mainly in Europe, which is not surprising, but also in North America, so I'm told. Either way, we had him first! ;-)
Isn't he lovely? And he wouldn't hurt a fly! - Well, just a little prick, maybe! ;-)
East-West Relations - At long last the twain have met²
You can see and read all about his very distant cousin, the dreaded Asian hornet, HERE (new tab), if you dare! This one we had last (in 2004) but by no means least!
¹ Yesteryear : Think of the old pictures of Vivien Leigh in the 20s and
30s: All in the past and Gone with the Wind. :-(
² Reference to "The Ballad of East and West" by Rudyard Kipling
referring to the gulf between two cultures; the East (India) and
the West (Britain).
"... and never the twain shall meet"
The gear! (new tab) - Shh!!! Mum's the word!
Take care, my friends, and many thanks for calling,
Colin ... (ツ)
Please scroll down the page a bit, just for the fun of it!
__________________
To view more of my images, of Sheringham Hall & Park please click "here"
I would be most grateful if you would refrain from inserting images, and/or group invites; thank you!
Sheringham Park is a landscape park and gardens near the town of Sheringham, Norfolk, England. The park surrounds Sheringham Hall, lying mostly to its south. The freehold of the hall is owned by the National Trust and is privately leased on a long leasehold. Visitors to this historic building must contact the leaseholder directly for an appointment. The plantations of Sheringham Park are in the care of the National Trust and open to visitors. National Trust members and guests have no rights of access across the park and farmland surrounding Sheringham Hall. Access to these areas is solely at the discretion of George Youngs (Farms) Ltd which farms the Sheringham estate, as laid out in the 1953 agreement between that farming company and the then freeholder. Access to the plantations of Sheringham Park has become an important aspect to locals of Sheringham and visitors alike and reference to this can be found in the Domesday Book, page 56. The park was designed by Humphry Repton (1752–1818) who presented his proposals in July 1812 in the form of one of his Red Books. He described Sheringham as his "favourite and darling child in Norfolk". Abbot and Charlotte Upcher bought the estate in 1811, and successive generations of the Upcher family did much to develop the estate, the hall and the park, as well as building a school. There are fine mature woodlands and a large variety of rhododendrons and azaleas. In the early 20th century, Henry Morris Upcher obtained rhododendron seeds of various types from plantsman Ernest "Chinese" Wilson. Plants from this source which can found at the garden include Rhododendron ambiguum, calophytum and decorum, among others. Many other species of tree and shrub are represented in the garden, including fifteen kinds of magnolia, large specimen pieris. Among the other trees are maples, acers, styrax, eucryphia, pocket handkerchief tree davidia involucrata and a fine example of the snowdrop tree. Several overlook towers provide good views over the plantations, and of the nearby coast and surrounding countryside. A garden temple was constructed in the park in 1975 to the designs of James Fletcher-Watson. The Park is located 2 miles south west of the coastal town of Sheringham, 5 miles west of Cromer and 6 miles east of Holt. The main entrance is at the junction of the A148 Cromer to Holt road and the B1157 road to Upper Sheringham. The Norfolk Coast Path passes through the property. A car park, cafe and visitor centre are near the main entrance. Waymarked paths through the estate link the gardens and visitors centre to the coast, and to the Weybourne station on the North Norfolk Railway, a preserved steam railway. Pedestrian access to the park is from the village of Upper Sheringham, which is adjacent to the park. The visitor centre is located within Wood Farm Barn at the southern end of the park, the barn also houses an exhibition of the history and the wildlife of Sheringham Park. Together with a reception desk and information kiosk. From the reception there are hearing loops available. Wheelchairs and powered mobility vehicles available at no charge although it is necessary to take a small test before use. The refreshment kiosk is also at Wood Farm Barn. The exhibition area explores the life and work of the landscape architect Humphry Repton and also of the Upcher family who owned the park. There are several examples of Humphry Repton's red book of plans for the designs of the park. Part of the exhibition area has an area dedicated to the wildlife and nature of the park with identification games and interactive displays.
Sheringham Hall. The Regency, Grade II listed building is finished in grey, gault, Lincolnshire brick was designed and built by Humphry Repton and his architect son, John Adey Repton. Due to the Norfolk coast's glacial winds, Repton chose a south facing site in the lee of a wooded hillside. In July 1813 the Upcher family laid the foundation stone and the family hoped to move into the house in the summer of 1817, but the owner of the estate Abbot Upcher fell ill and died in 1819 at the age of 35. The hall remained empty for 20 years until Henry Ramey Upcher completed the house in 1839. The hall's lease was offered for sale in 2008 and the lease was further extended at that time.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
"Construcción Vacía", Donostia, Guipúzcoa, España.
Pese a que esta obra del escultor vasco Jorge Oteiza (1908 – 2003) se conoce simplemente como Construcción Vacía, tiene un nombre original mucho más largo: Construcción vacía con cuatro unidades negativo – positivo. Un título muy propio de la corriente artística en la que podríamos enmarcar la obra: el constructivismo. Si bien por sus líneas simples y la economía de medios en su forma, también tiene mucho del miniamilismo.
El caso es que esta enorme escultura que alcanza los 6 metros de altura y que está realizada en acero corten fue adquirida por el Ayuntamiento de San Sebastián en 2002 para ser colocada en el Paseo Nuevo que recorre toda la zona de la Playa de la Concha. Pero la obra es fruto de un trabajo mucho anterior. Concretamente de la propuesta que hizo Oteiza en el año 1957 para la Bienal de Arte de Sao Paulo, Brasil.
Sin embargo, varias décadas después se instaló aquí, en la ciudad donde un año después moriría el escultor guipuzcoano. Y precisamente en el otro extremo del Paseo Nuevo haciendo contraste con la obra El Peine de los Vientos de Eduardo Chillida, ubicada en la otra punta de la bahía de San Sebastián. De alguna forma, era el modo de que la ciudad rinda tributo a los que están considerados como los escultores vascos más prestigiosos del siglo XX. Los cuales por cierto también coincideron mucho tiempo antes trabajando en el emblemáticos Santuario de Arantzazu.
Esta obra plasma algunos de los planteamientos artísticos que convirtieron a Oteiza en uno de los creadores más revolucionarios de su tiempo. Siendo un referente para muchos escultores. Si bien es cierto que no se trata de un artista fácil para el gran público, dado que plantea a veces conceptos demasiados complejos y densos.
Esos conceptos a veces, para la gran mayoría no son muy reconocibles en sus obras. Y para terminar de comprenderlos hay que recurrir a los muchos escritos que nos dejó con sus reflexiones artísticas y filosóficas. Por ejemplo respecto a sus conclusiones sobre este concepto de construcción vacía escribió: «Todos quieren decir algo por ocupación, yo quiero no decir nada, dejar la huella del vacío, de esto que uno no debe decir. Siempre pasa nada solamente una desocupación pasa y algo ha ocupado un sitio vacío».
Ciertamente no es muy fácil de comprender, pero lo que es indudable que las obras que Oteiza hizo en los años 50 han tenido una enorme repercusión en la escultura de vanguardia y actual. Tanto en lo referente a la forma como en cuanto al proceso creativo, ya que lo más destacado de su legado, es que con él se comenzaron a realizar las series escultóricas concebidas no desde la forma, sino partiendo de una idea totalmente abstracta.
Although this work by the Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza (1908 - 2003) is simply known as Empty Construction, it has a much longer original name: Empty construction with four negative - positive units. A title very typical of the artistic current in which we could frame the work: constructivism. Although for its simple lines and the economy of means in its form, it also has a lot of minileness.
The fact is that this huge sculpture that reaches 6 meters high and is made of steel corten was acquired by the City of San Sebastian in 2002 to be placed on the New Promenade that runs through the area of Playa de la Concha. But the work is the result of much earlier work. Specifically of the proposal made by Oteiza in 1957 for the Art Biennial of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
However, several decades later he settled here, in the city where a year later the Guipuzcoan sculptor would die. And precisely at the other end of the Paseo Nuevo, contrasting with the work El Peine de los Vientos by Eduardo Chillida, located on the other side of the San Sebastián Bay. In a way, it was the way that the city paid tribute to those who are considered the most prestigious Basque sculptors of the 20th century. Which by the way also coincided a long time before working in the emblematic Sanctuary of Arantzazu.
This work captures some of the artistic approaches that made Oteiza one of the most revolutionary creators of his time. Being a reference for many sculptors. While it is true that it is not an easy artist for the general public, given that sometimes poses concepts too complex and dense.
These concepts sometimes, for the great majority are not very recognizable in their works. And to finish understanding them we must resort to the many writings that he left us with his artistic and philosophical reflections. For example, regarding his conclusions about this empty construction concept, he wrote: "Everyone wants to say something for occupation, I want to say nothing, to leave the trace of emptiness, of this that one should not say. It always happens nothing but an unemployment happens and something has occupied an empty place ».
It is certainly not very easy to understand, but what is certain is that the works that Oteiza did in the 50s have had a huge impact on avant-garde and current sculpture. Both in terms of the form and the creative process, since the highlight of his legacy, is that he began to make sculptural series conceived not from the form, but starting from a totally abstract idea.
Landing in San Diego is difficult. SAN is listed as one of the worlds 10 most extreme / difficult airports to land at (depending on which list you find).
You have to fly over this hill (Balboa Park), then get the plane down before you run into the next hill (Point Loma).or before you run off the end of the short runway. So the runway is in this sort of valley, and it can be VERY difficult for pilots at times. It is a very difficult approach because of the steep angle required over the hill. There are no jumbo jets regularly flying in here like at other major airports ie LAX, JFK, DFW.
I love flying aircraft, I love aviation, so therefore, I posted this video. It is really amazing and incredible to get this kind of footage of a plane landing in San Diego.
I previously wrote about how exactly I got this video including some of the difficulty involved. But I decided to be more discreet, to edit out that part, to leave you guessing.
You can imagine the 'powers that be' discourage a lot of looky-loo's from hanging around the approach end of runways.
I suppose a fascination with the machines of transportation has long been a human thing. I remember when I was a kid, I would take my younger brothers by bicycle to the local Hicksville train station to see the mighty train engines up close. That was a regular part of our Sunday routine. First stop was church, then afterwards to the train station, last stop was Baskin-Robins for ice cream.
Church and ice cream make sense. But the train station? Why did we go there? I remember so vividly for some reason the elevated platforms of the Hicksville train station. For some reason it was just an interesting place to hang around for a kid.
I'd say it's about fascination with the machines of transportation.
Trains and Planes. Big fancy machines that move people from point A to point B. But fascinating for some reason in how they do it.
So fascinating I suppose, that I even managed to make a career out of the business. And what form of human transport could be more fascinating that a flight in a hot air balloon? Going only where the wind carries you? No steering, just riding with the wind! What a concept.
So to tie it all together, landing a balloon is difficult, extreme, and fascinating. And it all started out because my father made me take my brothers to church, and for entertainment afterwards we would go check out the trains. Go figure. Like this could really all be tied together, but perhaps.
I did not really have a key point to make with all this. It is just a sort essay on my thoughts as to why I got this video of the plane landing. I hope someone reads this and enjoys it. Maybe I'll get my brothers / sister / mom to read this since they come here sometimes, they might appreciate the references to life growing up and the Hicksville train station
Although titled "Blitz" and dedicated in honour of those firefighters who gave their lives in the Defence of the Nation 1939 - 1945. not all the women firefighters listed, (and presumably men as well), actually died during the war or even as a result of firefighting.
Daisy L Adams
Name:ADAMS, DAISY LILY
Age:34
Date of Death:26/06/1944
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S.; of 17 Stanley Road. Daughter of William H. F. Adams. Died at 17 Stanley Road.
Reporting Authority:CROYDON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3149122
This was as a result of a V1 attack which landed at 3.57am and would claim 4 lives.
www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_worst_week.html
The other three victims are:-
Name:HENDERSON, NELLLE MILLER
Age:56
Date of Death:26/06/1944
Additional information:of 25 Stanley Road. Daughter of the late Alexander and Helen Watt; wife of William Cranston Henderson. Injured at 25 Stanley Road; died same day at Mayday Hospital.
Reporting Authority:CROYDON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3149483
Name:SLATER, DONALD LESLIE
Age:13
Date of Death:26/06/1944
Additional information:of 17 Stanley Road. Son of Cyril Leslie and Winifred May Slater. Died at 17 Stanley Road.
Reporting Authority:CROYDON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3149782
Name:SMALL, JAMES IRELAND
Age:52
Date of Death:26/06/1944
Additional information:at 23 Stanley Road.
Reporting Authority:CROYDON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3149783
The first V-1 was launched at London on 13 June 1944, one week after (and prompted by) the successful Allied landing in Europe. At its peak, over a hundred V-1s a day were fired at southeast England, 9,521 in total, decreasing in number as sites were overrun until October 1944, when the last V-1 site in range of Britain was overrun by Allied forces.
Approximately 10,000 were fired at England; 2,419 reached London, killing about 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.[The greatest density of hits were received by Croydon, on the southeast fringe of London.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_(flying_bomb)
Elsie W Baker
Name:BAKER, ELSIE WINIFRED
Age:31
Date of Death:13/02/1945
Additional information:N.F.S. Daughter of George Henry and Louisa Baker, of 19 George Road, Chingford, Essex. Injured 1 February 1945, at York Road; died at Chase Farm Hospital.
Reporting Authority:ENFIELD, URBAN DISTRICT
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3143045
Ellen RSQ Blackford
Name:BLACKFORD, ELLEN RITA ST QUENTIN
Age:26
Date of Death:11/09/1944
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S. Daughter of Ellen Lydia Stirrup, of 36 Albany Place, Dover, Kent; wife of Leonard Blackford, Merchant Navy. Injured September 1944, at Dover; died at Hurstwood Park War Emergency Hospital, Haywards Heath.
Reporting Authority:CUCKFIELD, URBAN DISTRICT
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3152577
Ellen is buried at DOVER (ST. JAMES'S) CEMETERY, Kent
www.doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk/Casualties/CWGC/WWII%2...
Dover suffered a resurgence of long-range shelling in September 1944, as the Germans took a last chance to fire before being forced back out of range. Its probable that Ellen died as a result of one of these incidents.
www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/19/a3358019.shtml
Mary O Cane
Name:CANE, MARY OLIVIA
Age:40
Date of Death:25/09/1940
Additional information:Driver, A.F.S., of 10 Earl's Terrace. Daughter of the late Arthur Beresford Cane, C.B.E., and Lucy Mary Cane, C.B.E., of 66 Elm Park Gardens, West Brompton. Died at 10 Earl's Terrace.
Reporting Authority:KENSINGTON, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3132123
Night Operations - 24th/25th September 1940
At 1930 hours, raids started coming out of Le Havre making for Shoreham and London. These were followed by a sequence of other raids on the same course which were not, however, as numerous as usual. At about the same time, raids from the direction of Holland crossed the North Norfolk coast and for the most part remained in East Anglia except for two which penetrated more deeply Westwards. None of these raids appeared to proceed to the London area.
At about 2230 hours, there was a temporary lull and after 2300 hours owing to returning friendly bombers, it became difficult to distinguish hostile tracks. However, enemy activity in the London area continued and appeared to increase after 0300 hours. The approach was mainly from the South Coast but a few raids flew in from East Anglia.
In the London area, activity further increased after 0400 hours and only at 0538 hours had the last raid recrossed the coast.
Home Security Report
During the night London was again the chief target and was continuously bombed from nightfall onwards. Many fires were started and hits obtained on railways. A certain amount of indiscriminate bombing was observed in Essex and Surrey, but these particular raids do not appear to have caused much damage or casualties.
oLondon Area
Kensington: At 2100 hours IB fell on the Sunbeam-Talbot Motor Works, the offices of which were damaged by fire but production is not likely to be affected. It is reported that Warwick Road is blocked and Earls Court Railway Station closed.
Westminster: Bombs are reported near the West End Central Police Station - fires at Boyle Street and Saville Row. It is also reported that the Hungerford Bridge and Signal Box is on fire, together with St Margaret's, Westminster.
Battersea: Bombs dropped on the SR track at Broughton Street, and the line from Battersea to Clapham Junction is blocked.
Lambeth: Major damage is reported at No 10 Platform Waterloo Station, involving approximately 30 casualties.
Edmonton: IB are reported to have fallen on the West Wings of the North Middlesex and St David's Hospitals.
Ilford: At 2115 hours HE slightly damaged Plessey & Co's. There were no casualties, but effect on production is not yet ascertained.
City: Major damage at 0217 hours on the 25th was reported at Blackfriars Station, 'Times' Office, Queen Victoria Street, and Upper Thames Street.
Further bombings are reported at Hammersmith, Wood Green, Hendon, Tottenham, Wimbledon, Hornsey, Wandsworth, Richmond, Barnes, Southall and Ealing.
www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september24.html
Raids on London on the night of the 25th/26th don’t appear to have started until after midnight.
www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september25.html
There are a few papers from Arthur Beresford Cane (1864 – 1939) in the National Archive.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?...
His cases also seem to pop up in older legal textbooks.
He received his CBE in the 1920 New Years Honours List
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Necrothesp/Honours_Lists/1920_...
Jessie Carter
No trace on CWGC, and no female with the surname Carter who is listed as a either a civilian or in the Army on the CWGC would seem to have been a fireman. May have been a post-war casualty.
Audrey M Fricker
Name:FRICKER, AUDREY MARIE
Age:18
Date of Death:24/01/1945
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S. Daughter of M. E. Fricker, of 132 Glenview, Abbey Wood, Woolwich, and of the late William George Fricker. Died at Post Office, Stockwell Street.
Reporting Authority:GREENWICH, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3128920
There is a picture of the damage suffered by the post office here
postalheritage.org.uk/blog-images/69-Post118-1500.jpg/ima...
catalogue.postalheritage.org.uk/dserve/dserve.exe?dsqServ...
Sarah L L Gane
Name:GANE, SARAH LORNA LILIAN
Age:21
Date of Death:30/11/1940
Additional information:A.F.S.; of 57 Regents Park Road. Daughter of Joseph Tom and Ethel Kitty Gane. Died at 57 Regents Park Road.
Reporting Authority:SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3112221
Name:GANE, JOSEPH TOM
Age:57
Date of Death:30/11/1940
Additional information:of 57 Regents Park Road. Husband of Ethel Kitty Gane. Died at 57 Regents Park Road.
Reporting Authority:SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3112220
Name:GANE, ETHEL KITTY
Age:60
Date of Death:30/11/1940
Additional information:of 57 Regents Park Road. Wife of Joseph Tom Gane. Died at 57 Regents Park Road.
Reporting Authority:SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3112219
Name:GANE, DORA GLADYS MAY
Regiment/Service:Civilian War Dead
Age:27
Date of Death:30/11/1940
Additional information:of 57 Regents Park Road. Daughter of Joseph Tom and Ethel Kitty Gane. Died at 57 Regents Park Road.
Reporting Authority:SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3112218
Southampton suffered badly from large-scale air raids during World War Two. As a large port city on the south coast, it was an important strategic target for the German air force (Luftwaffe). There were fifty seven attacks in all, but nerves were frayed by over 1,500 alarms.
Of the 57 Air Raids, by far the worst were on 23rd and 30th November and 1st December and these attacks are generally referred to as Southamptonton's Blitz.
Southampton ablaze
It was a cold clear night on the 30th November when the drone of German aircraft engines were heard approaching Southampton. Raids were nothing new; people were used to the routine of seeking shelter and trying to lead as normal a life as possible. This one though was different; this raid was to level most of the city centre, kill over a hundred people and damage or destroy thousands of buildings. The approach of the enemy bombers was the start of the worst wartime weekend in Southampton with unprecedented destruction that would change the city forever.
Over 100 aeroplanes had approached high and began to dive down over the city. Just before 6pm the warning siren was sounded and minutes later the flares that bombers would use to light their targets began to land by parachute, making no sound. They lit the town making a mockery of the blackout. A local resident recalls 'Chandelier flares lit up the whole town around, just like daylight'. This allowed bombers to drop their heavy explosives, including two mines of nearly 2000 kg. These were then followed by thousands of incendiary devices, setting fire to buildings and further marking out the city for the bombers. Up to 9,000 incendiaries were dropped causing hundreds of fires.
The fire caused the most damage. There was no water to fight the blazes, reservoirs were low and water mains were cracked. The fire raged completely out of control at the bottom end of the High Street, at one point 647 fires were burning at the same time across Southampton. One man recalled the firestorm for the Southampton Oral History Team, 'It sweeps everything in front of it, it'll draw you into it if you're not careful... ...It was so hot that if you stood with your boots you could hear them sizzling with the heat from the pavements'. Despite over 2000 extra firefighters being drafted to the city, it was still burning brightly enough to light the way for the second attack a day later. German pilots reported that the glare of Southampton burning could be seen from the North of France.
www.plimsoll.org/Southampton/Southamptonatwar/southampton...
The Kelly’s Street Directory for Southampton for 1940-41, lists a Joseph Tom Gane at this address.
www.plimsoll.org/images/1940%20Streets%20Morland%20Road%2...
In the same directory for 1946, the odd numbered houses side of the Road goes from 51 to 61. I assume the 4 houses in-between were nothing more than a bomb-site.
Yvonne MD Green
Name:GREEN, YVONNE MARIE DUNBAR
Age:30
Date of Death:17/04/1941
Additional information:Driver, A.F.S. Daughter of Forbes Sutherland and Jeanne Tachereau Sutherland, of Montreal, Canada; wife of Lieut. Leonard G. Green, Canadian Army, of 34 Old Church Street. Died at Petyt Place.
Reporting Authority:CHELSEA, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3126946
There are numerous references to damage to the Church and the nearby church rooms in Petyt Place during “1941”, while the nearby Royal Hospital on Kings Road was definitely bombed on the 16th April 1941.
www.athomeinnchelsea.com/cheynewalk.htm
London does not appear to have been a target for a raid on the night of the 15th/16th April 1941, but was on the night of the 16th/17th, looking at the RAF claims and losses records.
Minnie L Hallett
Name:HALLETT, MINNLE LILLIAN
Age:53
Date of Death:21/07/1944
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S.; W.V.S.; of 56 Morden Hall Road, Morden. Wife of Frederick Clarence Hallett. Injured at 56 Morden Hall Road; died same day at Nelson Hospital, Merton.
Reporting Authority:MERTON AND MORDEN, URBAN DISTRICT
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3150860
The first V-1 was launched at London on 13 June 1944, one week after (and prompted by) the successful Allied landing in Europe. At its peak, over a hundred V-1s a day were fired at southeast England, 9,521 in total, decreasing in number as sites were overrun until October 1944, when the last V-1 site in range of Britain was overrun by Allied forces.
Approximately 10,000 were fired at England; 2,419 reached London, killing about 6,184 people and injuring 17,981.[11] The greatest density of hits were received by Croydon, on the southeast fringe of London.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_(flying_bomb)
Meg M A S Hargrove
Name:HARGROVE, MEG MABEL AGNES STRICKLAND
Age:33
Date of Death:08/03/1941
Additional information:A.F.S. W.V.S. Daughter of Lt. Col. Bryan Cole Bartley, C.B.E., and Mrs. Bartley, of Monterey, P.O. Sandown, Johannesburg, S. Africa; wife of Frank Hargrove, of Kiama, Little Marlow Road, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Injured at Cafe de Paris, Coventry Street; died same day at Charing Cross Hospital.
Reporting Authority:WESTMINSTER CITY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3123160
The Times of Monday 10 March 1941 carried the news of the bombing of the Cafe de Paris that had occurred on the previous Saturday night. But you had to dig deep to find the story, and indeed to be able to relate it to the incident itself. Wartime reporting maintained a balance between news and maintaining morale, so at first glance the story (see right) seems a little confusing.
Described as 'the bright moonlight of Saturday night', the story seems almost romantic in its style, and referring to one of the biggest raids of The Blitz as 'a noisy night' seems to understate things a little. However, some deaths are referred to in the second paragraph.
It is then that the Cafe de Paris story is introduced, although masked as 'dancers and diners in a restaurant'. The only clue to the location in London is given in the song title, Oh Johnny, which many must have recognised as a favourite played by Ken Snakehips Johnson and The West Indian Orchestra. The band had a residency there, so if you knew the tune was associated with them, you could probably work out which club had been hit. The description of the aftermath, 'dust and fumes, which blackened faces and frocks' is obviously much changed from the reality of what was left, as evidenced by eye-witnesses after the war.
The idea that 'there were many wonderful escapes' again introduces an almost romantic notion of what it was like there. Needless to say, everyone pulls together and does their best to get the injured to hospital.
The final paragraph of the part that refers to the Cafe de Paris continues with the 'spririt of The Blitz'. A night club had been blown up, with over 30 dead and 80 injured, and yet 'people living nearby made tea, and passers-by contributed handkerchiefs'. The cabaret girls mentioned in the report were in their dressing room at the time, waiting to come on for their part of the show, and so were shielded from the main blast of the bomb.
The report then goes on to describe other incidents that occured the same night. By 6pm on the evening of Sunday 9 March, the London Civil Defence Regional Report showed that 159 people had been killed and 338 seriously injured in 238 incidents on the Saturday night. One of the other bombings that went unmentioned in Monday's Times was at Buckingham Palace, where the North Lodge was demolished, resulting in two fatalities.
www.swingtime.co.uk/Reviews/kenjohns/kentimes.html
www.nickelinthemachine.com/2009/09/the-cafe-de-paris-the-...
In 1939 the Café was allowed to stay open even though theatres and cinemas were closed by order. People gossiped their way through the blackout and the Café was advertised as a safe haven by Martin Poulson, the maitre d', who argued that the four solid storeys of masonry above were ample protection. This tragically proved to be untrue on March 8th 1941 when two 50K landmines came through the Rialto roof straight onto the Café dance floor. Eighty people were killed, including Ken 'Snakehips' Johnston who was performing onstage at the time and Poulson whose words had come back to haunt him. Had the bomb been dropped an hour later, the casualties would have been even higher.
www.cafedeparis.com/club/history
Fleur Lombard
Fleur Lombard QGM (1974 – 4 February 1996) was the first female firefighter to die on duty in peacetime Britain
Fleur Lombard was one of only eight women among Avon's 700 firefighters. On graduating in 1994, Lombard received the Silver Axe Award, for most outstanding recruit on her training school. On 4 February 1996, when she was 21 years old, she was fighting a supermarket fire in Staple Hill, near Bristol, when she and her partner, Robert Seaman, were caught in a flashover. She was killed as a direct result of the intense heat and her body was found just a few yards from the exit. Lombard was the first woman to die in peacetime service in Britain.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur_Lombard
www.independent.co.uk/news/jail-for-killer-of-fleur-lomba...
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/73464.stm
Dorien L Pullen
Name:PULLEN, DORRIEN AISNE
Age:29
Date of Death:25/04/1944
Additional information:N.F.S.; of 30 Armadale Road. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. C. H. Thair, of 62 Grove Road; wife of L.A.C. Harold James Pullen, R.A.F. Died at 30 Armadale Road.
Reporting Authority:CHICHESTER, MUNICIPAL BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3152523
During World War II there were 3 bombing raids on Chichester. Bombs were dropped on Basin Road in 1941, on Chapel Street and St Martins Street in 1943 and on Arndale and Green Roads in 1944.
www.localhistories.org/chichester.html
In the same raid Rosina Cox and her son Derek, aged 4, died at 34 Armadale Road, Ada Field, (aged 25) died at 41 Armadale Road, Elsie Gee (aged 28) would die at 32 Armadale Road and there is a Geoffrey Hearn recorded as dieing on the 26th.
Helen Sussman
Name:SUSSMAN, HELEN
Age:25
Date of Death:19/06/1944
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S.; of 12 Clydesdale Road. Daughter of Morris and Eva Sussman. Died at 12 Clydesdale Road.
Reporting Authority:KENSINGTON, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3132450
Name:SUSSMAN, EVA
Age:48
Date of Death:19/06/1944
Additional information:of 12 Clydesdale Road. Daughter of the late James Harry and Gertrude Soloway, of 13 Chepstow Road, Bayswater; wife of Morris Sussman. Died at 12 Clydesdale Road.
Reporting Authority:KENSINGTON, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3132449
Name:SUSSMAN, MORRIS
Age:60
Date of Death:19/06/1944
Additional information:of 12 Clydesdale Road. Husband of Eva Sussman. Died at 12 Clydesdale Road.
Reporting Authority:KENSINGTON, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3132451
June 19.The first V1 to hit Notting Hill killed 20 people along Westbourne Park Road and in Clydesdale Road and Mews,
www.historytalk.org/Notting%20Hill%20History%20Timeline/t...
Dolcie I A Taylor
Name:TAYLOR, DOLCIE ENID AMY
Age:33
Date of Death:23/11/1940
Additional information:A.F.S. Telephonist; of Bursay, West End Road, West End. Daughter of J. H. Carter, and of Amy Dawkins Carter. Died at Bursay, West End Road.
Reporting Authority:WINCHESTER, RURAL DISTRICT
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3113022
Name:CARTER, AMY DAWKINS
Age:69
Date of Death:23/11/1940
Additional information:of Bursay, West End Road, West End. Wife of J. H. Carter. Died at Bursay, West End Road.
Reporting Authority:WINCHESTER, RURAL DISTRICT
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3113000
Name:CARTER, WINIFRED EMMA DAWKINS
Age:38
Date of Death:23/11/1940
Additional information:of Bursay, West End Road, West End. Daughter of J. H. Carter, and of Amy Dawkins Carter. Died at Bursay, West End Road.
Reporting Authority:WINCHESTER, RURAL DISTRICT
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3113002
Other casualties at West End on this day include David Stephens, aged 2, of 12, Shales Flats, and Jane Ware, aged 77, of Westwood, West End Road.
See Sarah Gane above for details of the Southampton Blitz. Southampton suffered particularly heavy raids on the 23rd and 30th November 1940. The village of West End, to the NE of Southampton may well have suffered as a result.
Evelyn Torr
Name:TORR, EVELYN
Age:43
Date of Death:12/08/1943
Additional information:Firewoman, N.F.S.; of 24 Craigmore Avenue, Stoke. Daughter of Mary Torr, and of James Torr. Died at 24 Craigmore Avenue.
Reporting Authority:PLYMOUTH, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3103029
Name:TORR, JAMES
Age:70
Date of Death:12/08/1943
Additional information:of 24 Craigmore Avenue, Stoke. Husband of Mary Torr. Died at 24 Craigmore Avenue.
Reporting Authority:PLYMOUTH, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3103030
Nothing seems to be reported in the mains records – RAF command, or local history sites. Other casualties include
Leonard Davey aged 46.
Firewatcher; of 17 Melville Road, Stoke. Son of Henry and Emma Davey, of 16 Hanover Road, Laira. Injured at Union Street; died same day at Prince of Wales Hospital, Greenbank.
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3102309
Arthur Dent aged 42
Fireman, N.F.S. Son of Arthur Richard and Minnie Louisa Dent, of 18 Selborne Avenue, Manor Park, London. Died at 104 Hotspur Terrace, North Road.
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3102339
Beryl Dibley (aged 14) and Patricia Dibley (aged 3) who died at 100 North Road
Thomas Donovan who died at 21 Portland Villas
Elsie Hancock, (aged 43) died at Welbeck Avenue
Kate Hancock , (aged 73) died at 31 Welbeck Avenue
Frederick Harris, (aged 49), died at 37 Glenmore Avenue, Stoke
Marjorie Harris, (aged 38), died at 31 Welbeck Avenue
Cyril Joy, (aged 44) and his wife Sarah (aged 37) who died at 17 Melville Road
William Joy, (aged 46) who died at 104 Hotspur Terrace
George Kellond, (age 69) who died at 102 Hotspur Terrace
Charlotte Langdon, (aged 77) who died at James Street
Edith Ley, (aged 55) who died at 8 Ryder Road
Gladys Maxwell, (aged 29) and her sons Roger, (aged 3) and Paul, (aged 18 months) who died at 1, Victoria Lane
Blanche Morrell who was injured at 25 Craigmore Avenue, Stoke on the 12th and subsequently died of her injuries on the 14th
Sidney Murrin (aged 65), died at Millbay Station
Jean Sanders, (aged 12) died at 35 Welbeck Avenue
Beatrice Sayer, (aged 57) and her brother Thomas, (aged 64), died at 28 James Street
Elizabeth Shute, (aged 73) injured at 35 Welbeck Avenue on the 12th and succumced to their effects on the 24th.
George Thomas (aged 41)
Fireman, N.F.S. Son of Harriet Grace Thomas, of 7 Fairfield Road, Ongar, Essex, and of the late Edmund Haviland Thomas. Died at 104 North Road.
www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3103016
George Tucker, (aged 57) who died at 38 Glenmore Avenue, Stoke
Ernest Watts, (aged 34) who died at 104 Hotspur Road
Louisa Williams, (aged 64) who died at 26 Craigmore Avenue
A photograph of two Plymouth firewomen can be seen here
www.devonheritage.org/Places/Plymouth/Plymouth5JtoL.htm
Dorothy S Watson
Name:WATSON, DOROTHY SMITH
Age:39
Date of Death:30/06/1944
Additional information:N.F.S. Daughter of Elizabeth Catherine Watson, of 385 Brompton Road, Bexley Heath, Kent, and of the late Frederick Watson. Injured at Connaught House, Aldwych; died same day at Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street.
Reporting Authority:HOLBORN, METROPOLITAN BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3131109
The V-1 fell in the middle of the street between Bush House and Adastral House, the home of the Air Ministry, at 2:07 p.m., making a direct hit on one of the city’s main loci of power, the site of the Aldwych holy well, directly on the London ley line.
Brilliant blue skies turned to grey fog and darkness.
The device exploded some 40 yards east of the junction of Aldwych and Kingsway, about 40 feet from the Air Ministry offices opposite the east wing of Bush House.
The Air Ministry’s 10-foot-tall blast walls, made of 18-inch-thick brick, disintegrated immediately, deflecting the force of the explosion up and down the street. Hundreds of panes of glass shattered, blowing razor-sharp splinters through the air. The Air Ministry women watching at the windows were sucked out of Adastral House by the vacuum and dashed to death on the street below. Men and women queuing outside the Post Office were torn to pieces. Shrapnel peppered the facades of Bush House and the Air Ministry like bullets.
When the counting was done, about fifty people were killed, 400 seriously wounded, another 200 lightly injured.
secretfire.wordpress.com/the-aldwych-v-1-blast-june-30-1944/
www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__10_path__0p2p.aspx
www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/32/a7019732.shtml
Joan E B Wilson
Name:WILSON, JOAN EMMA BESSIE
Age:24
Date of Death:08/03/1941
Additional information:Women's Auxiliary Fire Service; Daughter of Mrs. M. Wilson, of 8 Northcourt Avenue, Reading, Berkshire. Died at Cafe de Paris, Coventry Street.
Reporting Authority:WESTMINSTER CITY
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3123851
See Meg Hargrove above for more details on this incident.
Not on the memorial, but on one of the site listed above Alice Jessica Gifford, aged 21 is recorded as a Firewoman in the NFS.
www.devonheritage.org/Places/Plymouth/Plymouth5GtoI.htm
However CWGC database lists her as a civilian.
Name:GIFFORD, ALICE JESSICA
Date of Death:03/07/1944
Additional information:at Plymouth.
Reporting Authority:PLYMOUTH, COUNTY BOROUGH
CWGC www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3102436
Dilmun is associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, the Cradle of Civilization.
Dilmun (sometimes transliterated Telmun) is associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Because of its location along the sea trade routes linking Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley Civilization, Dilmun developed in the Bronze Age, from ca. 3000 BC, into one of the greatest entrepots of trade of the ancient world.
There is both literary and archaeological evidence for the trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley (probably correctly identified with the land called Meluhha in Akkadian). Impressions of clay seals from the Indus Valley city of Harappa were evidently used to seal bundles of merchandise, as clay seal impressions with cord or sack marks on the reverse side testify.
A number of these Indus Valley seals have turned up at Ur and other Mesopotamian sites. "Persian Gulf" types of circular stamped rather than rolled seals, known from Dilmun, that appear at Lothal in Gujarat, India, and Faylahkah, as well as in Mesopotamia, are convincing corroboration of the long-distance sea trade. What the commerce consisted of is less sure: timber and precious woods, ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, and luxury goods such as carnelian and glazed stone beads, pearls from the Persian Gulf, shell and bone inlays, were among the goods sent to Mesopotamia in exchange for silver, tin, woolen textiles, olive oil and grains. Copper ingots, certainly, bitumen, which occurred naturally in Mesopotamia, may have been exchanged for cotton textiles and domestic fowl, major products of the Indus region that are not native to Mesopotamia - all these have been instanced.
Mesopotamian trade documents, lists of goods, and official inscriptions mentioning Meluhha supplement Harappan seals and archaeological finds. Literary references to Meluhhan trade date from the Akkadian, the Third Dynasty of Ur, and Isin - Larsa Periods (ca. 2350 - 1800 BC), but the trade probably started in the Early Dynastic Period (ca. 2600 BC). Some Meluhhan vessels may have sailed directly to Mesopotamian ports, but by the Isin - Larsa Period, Dilmun monopolized the trade. By the subsequent Old Babylonian period, trade between the two cultures evidently had ceased entirely.
The Bahrain National Museum assesses that its "Golden Age" lasted ca. 2200 - 1600 BC. Its decline dates from the time the Indus Valley civilization suddenly and mysteriously collapsed, in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. This would of course have stripped Dilmun of its importance as a trading center between Mesopotamia and India. The decay of the great sea trade with the east may have affected the power shift northwards observed in Mesopotamia itself.
Evidence about Neolithic human cultures in Dilmun comes from flint tools and weapons. From later periods, cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, pottery and even correspondence between rulers throw light on Dilmun. Written records mentioning the archipelago exist in Sumerian, Akkadian, Persian, Greek, and Latin sources.
Dilmun, sometimes described as "the place where the sun rises" and "the Land of the Living" is the scene of a Sumerian creation myth and the place where the deified Sumerian hero of the flood, Ziusudra (Utnapishtim), was taken by the gods to live for ever.
There is mention of Dilmun as a vassal of Assyria in the 8th century BC and by about 600 BC, it had been fully incorporated into the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Dilmun then falls into deep eclipse marked by the decline of the copper trade, so long controlled by Dilmun, and the switch to a less important role in the new trade of frankincense and spices. The discovery of an impressive palace at the Ras al Qalah site in Bahrain is promising to increase knowledge of this late period.
Otherwise, there is virtually no information until the passage of Nearchus, the admiral in charge of Alexander the Great's fleet on the return from the Indus Valley. Nearchus kept to the Iranian coast of the Gulf, however, and cannot have stopped at Dilmun. Nearchus established a colony on the island of Falaika off the coast of Kuwait in the late 4th century BC, and explored the Gulf perhaps least as far south as Dilmun/Bahrain.
From the time of Nearchus until the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD Dilmun/Bahrain was known by its Greek name of Tylos. The political history for this period is little known, but Tylos was at one point part of the Seleucid Empire, and of Characene and perhaps part of the Parthian Empire. Shapur II annexed it, together with eastern Arabia, into the Persian Sassanian empire in the 4th century.
Unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian tablets and cylinders, the Dilmun legacy has been discovered on circular seals. The primitive forms of images carved on the seal indicate they were used as charms or talisman. Carved on wood, soapstone shells or metal, these images clearly define a complex society. Temples in the center of the agrarian village, towns, city-states, religious, and economic cultural life. All facets of the emergence of an evolutionary society are reflected in the inscriptions about the seals.
Impressions found on pottery and property is a probable usage of the seals. Burying them with the dead was probably to avoid misuse. Tiny fragments found impressed, suggest identifying property. Clearly there was an intrinsic value; each seal tells a story, has an identity.
Seals depict Enki, God of wisdom and sweet water. Gilgamesh as a massive and heroic figure, the 'Bull of heaven' hat. Ladies of the mountains 'Inanas' servants wearing her triangle signs depicting space for her power. 'Nana' is the moon god who was also named 'sin'. Symbol was the bull of heaven head. Inana, goddess of immortality.
From the dreams of Gilgamesh, to the philosophy of life. Seals depicting a harmonious life with nature and god are painted here in the colors and form I hope you enjoy. The colors naturally excite and stimulate, often sexually. Indisputably the ancient myths of immortality and resurrection influenced Dilmun beliefs and are abundantly supported in the seal designs, represented by gods of the sun and moon.
The Mesopotamian texts described Tilmun as situated at the 'mouth' of two bodies of water. The Sinai peninsula, shaped as an inverted triangle indeed begins where the Red Sea separates into two arms - the gulf of Suez on the west, and the Gulf of Elat (Gulf of Aqaba) on the east.
The texts spoke of mountainous Tilmun. The Sinai peninsula is indeed made up of a high mountainous southern part, a mountainous central plateau, and a northern plain (surrounded by mountains), which levels off via sandy hills to the Mediterranean coastline. Sargon of Akkad claimed that he reached as 'washed his weapons' in the Mediterranean; 'the sea lands' - the lands along the Mediterranean coast - 'three times I encircled; Tilmun my hand captured'. Sargon II, king of Assyria in the eighth century BC, asserted that he had conquered the area stretching 'from Bit-Yahkin on the shore of the salt Sea as far as the border of Tilmun'. The name 'Salt Sea' has survived to this day as a Hebrew name for the Dead Sea - another confirmation that Tilmun lay in proximity to the Dead Sea.
The cradle of civilization is sometimes referenced by the name Dilmun, or Tilmun. Here, it was said, the god Ea and his wife were placed to institute 'a sinless age of complete happiness'.
Here too animals lived in peace and harmony, man had no rival and the god Enlil `in one tongue gave praise'. It is also described as a pure, clean and `bright' `abode of the immortals' where death, disease and sorrow are unknown and some mortals have been given `life like a god', words reminiscent of the Airyana Vaejah, the realm of the immortals in Iranian myth and legend, and the Eden of Hebraic tradition
Although Dilmun is equated by most scholars with the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, there is evidence to suggest that a much earlier mythical Dilmun was located in a mountainous region beyond the plains of Sumer.
But where exactly was it located Mesopotamian inscriptions do not say; however, the Zoroastrian Bundahishn text and the Christian records of Arbela in Iraqi Kurdistan both refer to a location named Dilamƒn as having existed around the head waters of the Tigris, south-west of Lake Van - the very area in which the biblical Eden is said to have been located.
Furthermore, Ea (the Akkadian Enki) was said to have presided over the concourse of Mesopotamia's two greatest rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates - which are shown in depictions as flowing from each of his shoulders.
This would have undoubtedly have meant that the head-waters, or sources, of these rivers would have been looked upon as sacred to Ea by the cultures of Mesopotamia's Fertile Crescent.
- Zecharia Sitchin The Stairway to Heaven
Dilmun was allegedly a magical land, the birthplace of the gods and the place where the arts of civilization where said first to have been transmitted to men. It was the subject of many legends told by the Sumerians, the people of southern Iraq; it was famed as a land where death and disease were unknown and men and animals lived at peace together.
It was the home of the Sumerian king who was the origin of the myth of Noah, the immortal survivor of the Great Flood, a story retold in the Qu'ran and the Bible.
The first great hero of world literature, Gilgamesh the king of Uruk, journeyed to Dilmun in search of the secret of eternal youth.
He found it deep in the waters of the Persian Gulf, off Bahrain, but lost it when the flower which restored the youth of those who sought it, was stolen by a snake, lurking in a pool as Gilgamesh returned to his kingdom; this is the reason why the snake sloughs his skin.
Symbolism - All is Myth and Metaphor in our reality
* water: flow of consciousness - creation
* restore to youth: move out of the physical body and return to higher frequency forms of sound, light, and color
* snake: DNA - the human bio-genetic experiment in time and emotion
* kingdom - Leo - Lion - King - Omega - closure
Dilmun was also the center of the most important trade routes of the third and second millennia BC. The most important commodity was copper for which Dilmun was famous and the dates for which Bahrain was always celebrated, from ancient times until the present day.
Because Dilmun was so sacred a land, there were many temples built there, the impressive remains of which can be seen today. The largest and most splendid temple surviving in Western Asia is at Barbar on Bahrain's northern shore.
The most famous of all Bahrain's rich archaeological heritage are the 200,000 grave mounds which are a feature of the landscape in the northern half of the island and which, by their size and quality of construction, show how prosperous Bahrain must have been in ancient times.
Dilmun continued to be the most important center of trade in the Gulf region throughout its history.
After the Sumerians, the Babylonians, Assyrians, even the Greeks, settled on the islands, because of their strategic importance in the movement of merchandise, north and south, east and west, by sea and by the land routes to which the seas gave access.
The records of their diplomatic relations with the kings of Dilmun, some of whose names are known from the records, testify to the importance of the islands throughout antiquity.
All left evidence of their presence, preserved today in the Bahrain National Museum and in the immense archaeological sites in which Bahrain is particularly rich.
Bahrain is an open-air treasure house of the past, a unique heritage from the earliest times when men first began to keep records of their hopes, fears and achievements.
It is the contemporary of ancient Egypt with Sumer and the peoples who succeeded them, of the great cities of the Indus Valley.
Source: www.crystalinks.com/dilmun.html
Aftermath
Name: Peter Renshaw
Location: Kinglake West.
Date: 2009MAR26
Description:
First time in the back paddock. The plants you see in the foreground are what is left of a 1acre paddock of exotic Camellias and Rhododendrons. They are bending in the direction of the fire path.
The text below is a talk I gave on how we (brother, sister, myself and mates) organised and executed plans to get immediate power & water at my Dads house. Authorities simply didn't react fast enough.
==================
Final draft for talk at Trampoline
update latest news
Now published at seldomlogical.com/gsd.html.
A quick intro to the fire is here www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157615800278371/. Be aware this is a draft & I'll be posting later a linked & more polished version at seldomlogical and my wp site. For the purposes of the talk on the day I subtitled the talk Kick-starting Volunteers to not only make the title shorter but to put the talk in a bigger context. The ideas here can be applied to situations like Black Saturday but could just as easily be applied to Volunteers, even Startups. They all face the same types of problems.
Hello, my name is Peter. My talk is called "Getting stuff
done with nothing". Before I begin I'll tell you something
about myself. My first computer was a ZX-80. I don't get
out much and I haven't been to a meeting for a long time.
I'm one of those Gen-X slackers, I went to school for 20
or so years and I've worked mostly in Startups and
software. So you could say I'm a bit of an expert on the
topic. Well at least one.
Getting stuff done with nothing
Why is it that some individuals adapt to change faster than
others? How is it that people with no authority, few
resources can make such a difference? The ideas I want to
explore has its roots in the slow decline of volunteering,
the unfolding financial crisis and the 7th February 2009.
A day we now know as Black Saturday.
How do you avoid sabotaging yourself trying to help?
How do you get stuff done, with nothing?
Black Saturday
It was 46 degrees that day. I'd thought about going to Dads
about 70 kilometers from where I live. But with a total
fire ban and hot conditions I chose the pool instead
staying close to home. It wasn't till I got home about six
o'clock that evening that I got a call from a distressed
sister saying Dad was fighting off fires at his property at
Kinglake West and his phone was going flat. Later I got
another call at around 8 o'clock to say the house had
survived but he was still fighting. [0]
I was 70 kilometers away, it was getting dark so I drove to
the nearest place I could see the range, snapped a few
shots and uploaded them to Flickr. My brother and sister
who lived closer shot up to Whittlesea trying to get into
the fire-zone to help. Foolish maybe, but it was to have
positive implications later. [1] I knew that if Dad
survived the first two hours with house intact - as long
as he kept his wits about him, he would survive. So I
started planing, writing and collecting any information
I could to see if I could help out further down the line.
49 days later
It's now forty nine days since the fire and work is
still going on. A casual comment by a CFA volunteer on my
Flickr account [2] suggesting that for the next major fire
a similar site might do exactly what I was doing -
collecting information and acting as a clearing house.
This was going to be initial idea for my talk. "How to
apply technology and apply it to solve the communications
and logistic problems" I encountered with the fires. Maybe
it could be applied to other relief efforts. What about
the recession? Could it help people who loose their jobs
to re-train? Get new skills?
But thinking about it more, it turned out to be the wrong
question to ask. I don't think technology is the problem.
[3] I think the real problem is much more fundamental. I
think it's people and how they tackle obstacles. I don't
want to get bogged down in theory. What I want concentrate
on something practical. How to apply some quick hacks that
anyone can master in times of need.
Personal qualities not technology
To get things done you have to overcome hurdles. Some
are personal and internal. Others are external and totally
out of your control. When I started thinking about what
personal qualities might be important, I was struck by the
fact you might need to experiment and apply various
combinations to achieve a result. So I have tried to narrow
the list, to what I think are the 10 qualities that make a
difference.
1) Controlling emotion
Emotions effect the way we make decisions. Emotions come in
many forms as we react to stress. Each person reacts
slightly differently. Limiting your emotional reaction, lets
you move forward to make decisions. It's a trait that only
you can control. Some sort of control is an advantage over
none. No control over you emotions can let fear control
you. Fear is by far the most damaging emotion I can think
of. Fear paralyses you into in-action. In-action is not
only counter productive but it's also the fastest way to
sabotage yourself. Fear is also contagious. If you are
fearful, it has a nasty habit of rubbing-off onto others.
I don't know the solution to avoiding or controlling fear
but I do know you should be aware it exists. You should try
to negate it's side effects. The better control you have
over fear, the more effective you can be. [4]
2) Listening
How well you listen greatly effects any outcome to try to
achieve. Not listening is one of the quickest ways to fail
when you encounter external hurdles. Not listening you miss
details. Details that could mean the difference between
knowing what is required or taking a risk and guessing. A
requirement achieved is a form of measurable success.
Guessing simply wastes time. If in doubt ask someone "on
the ground". They know things you don't. Listen now and
you save time and effort later.
3) Mindset
If you have a rigid mindset. If you cannot adapt quickly
enough. You risk not only failing to achieve the things you
set out to do. You will be susceptible to blunder. A
blunder is when the action you take, results in a worse
situation than when you start. Blunders have many causes.
But the most likely culprit is a fixed or rigid mindset.
Mindset is the combined effect of "how you react
emotionally to current events" and "the decisions you make
as a result". So ask yourself. "Are you undermining
yourself because you have a rigid mindset?"
4) Empathy & imagination
Can you walk in the shoes of another person? Can you
identify their problems and solve them? Empathy and
imagination are an effective antidote to blunders, rigid
mindsets and cognitive traps in thinking. [5] Don't just
try and blunder your way through a solution. First put
yourself into situation you are trying to improve and
use your mind to to project, how you might make the
current situation into a better or best situation. [6]
5) Communication not Info-mania
An info-maniac is someone who misuses information. If you
hold onto information, shun or avoid the source or nature
of information. You are self sabotaging yourself. You need
to collect enough of the right type of relevant
information. Don't worry about the having too much
information. You will be surprised what people might be
looking for or find. [7] Working as a team has its own
challenges. When communicating to more than one person
make sure they have the right mindset and ensure they are
communicating together to get the job done.
6) Thrift and resources
Up till now, the focus has primarily been on the how.
Little thought has been given to cost. If you have few
resources and need them quickly it is up to you to work out
how important they are. Weigh the costs of buying verses
loaning. Don't buy if you can help it. The time honoured
"Beg, borrow and ask" works, well some of the time. A simple
solution is to hack what you already have and see if it can
fit the purpose. A roll of fencing wire and duct tape may
work wonders but not miracles.
This is where you have to get creative. A good resource can
be friends or people you know. It may even be complete
strangers. In some cases you will have to pay cash. Before
you do check with people on the ground if they really need
this item. If you pay cash it might be better to accept a
higher price for a receipt instead of trying to negotiate
a discount. This avoids disputes. Pay a bit more to avoid
potential conflict. [8]
7) Speed
We are often told to do things "fast". But saying and
doing are two different things. Where do you start? Well
start at the basics. The basics of life are 'food', 'water'
and shelter. So for a given situation concentrate first on
the basics. Be able to say with certainty you have
reliability. Day in, day out. Every day. Speed is also
about getting real results without wasting unnecessary time
and resources. Any lack of the above qualities will hinder
your efforts. So I think the measure of speed is about
delivering the basics. Then using a combination of
listening, empathy and imagination you can move your way
forward.
But speed alone isn't good enough.
It's a constant. What you really want is acceleration.
What forces can you use to increase the accelerate the rate
you do things? Well the answer to this and a potential
road-block is probably a combination of and Info-mania.
Collect enough information on problem at hand and you get a
data glut and as long as the relevance of the information
is high someone can probably find the right information.
The trick is then to get the right people to take notice.
We got "feet on the ground" to Dad in less than 48 hours.
Delivering a delivering a generator and essentials. Yet I
was shocked that it took another 48 hours for support teams to
touch base in Flowerdale a mere 26 kilometers further
north. [9] This changed quickly when Pete William started
writing the "helpflowerdale" blog. Things sped up when the
information flow sped up. [10]
8) Search for simplicity
KISS or Keep it Simple Stupid. Easy to say, much harder to
do in practice. The advantage of simplicity is it helps
keeps you focused on what is achievable. Focusing on simple
outcomes is also cost and time effective. Complex things
consume resources. How do you find simple solutions in
real-life complexity?
I have no real answers. But I did get a few valuable
insights trying to work out how to solve the problem of
water. After the fires, I knew delivering the basics was
going to be a big problem. And the most important basic is
water. But how do you source, deliver and maintain a clean
water supply 70 kilometers away?
How did I simplify the problem? Well first I had the right
mindset. I knew in the middle of summer in remote areas
that damaged water tanks, no pumps and when the power is
down there will be no reliable water. I also knew speed was
of the essence. The simplicity hack I applied was knowing
that water being a basic was required quickly. I confirmed
by ringing up people on the ground that water storage was a
problem. Then spread the news around this is what was
required. It just so happened that other people where
already thinking along the same lines pre-warned because of
the information I spread, "empathised" and offered help.
The actual situation itself is complicated and I couldn't
tackle this problem myself but I got a call from a good
friend who is an expert in logistics and just happened to
have a water solution in the form of a Shutz. By chance I
also got access to various forms of transport.
Is this a case of good luck or searching for a simpler way?
I'm not sure. I do know that by knowing this was a priority
and using resources I secured the water containers and got
them delivered. [11], [12]
9) Follow through, re-evaluate
What you start you finish. Don't leave loose threads. Then
quickly re-evaluate. Do you really need to continue?
Communicate together. Is someone else doing this? Check
with someone on the ground again. Then continue. If you
promise to do something, do it. No one else is going to do
it. It is up to you.
Are you going to let your mates down?
10) Motivation, "the mongrel factor"
The final personal quality is how much of the "mongrel
factor" you have. No, it has nothing to do with "Blue
Heelers" (the TV show) [13] but the mongrel breed of dog.
How hard do you "snap" and "snarl" [14] to extract that
last 5 percent effort required to complete a task? The
difference between those who give up and those who succeed
can partially be explained to how hard they are willing to
push themselves. [15]
The future of Volunteers
I don't think technology alone can solve the types of
problems. You need intelligent application of technology.
Instead we should look at how we as individuals respond
using technology to amplify results. I also saw a complete
change in community attitudes to 'volunteering'. Before the
fire, volunteering was a dirty word. After the fire people
felt guilty not helping.
The fires may be over. But your chance to make a difference
begins now. Black Saturday might be the fractal training
run for the current recession. Lots of people, young people
especially are now going find themselves without the
opportunities to work and no path to improve themselves.
What are YOU! going to do? Are you! (point to individual)
going to let your mates down?
Reference
[0] Bootload, flickr, "You can read a summary and view
pictures of the fires first hours here",
[Accessed Thursday, 26th March, 2009]
flickr.com/photos/bootload/3260244634
[1] We (my brother, sister, her bloke, myself and a good
mate) undertook two distinct operations. Operation Genny:
objective to deliver power in the form of a generator.
Operation Shutz: objective to deliver clean water supply
tanks up to 3000 litres with 1 tank capable of being put on
a ute. We completed both. We had feet on the ground within
48 hours of the fire occurring for the generator. The water
supply following some 2 weeks later.
None of this would have been possible if emotional sister
and determined brother used speed to the fire zone within
couple of hours. The reward, a pass to move through the
police road blocks. Had it not been for this quick
thinking. Nothing we planned would have come to fruition.
[2] miniopterus, Flickr, "I should have said, good job
tracking the events. I imagine that next time we have fires,
we might see something similar to your Flickr diary.",
flickr.com/photos/bootload/3298613958
[Accessed Thursday, 26th March, 2009]
[3] To technologists who forge and yield hammers every
problem can appear to be a nail. In this case I don't think
a technology solution is applicable as tackling how people
deal with decision making. You need intelligent application
of technology. Instead we should look at how we as
individuals respond using technology to amplify results.
[4] Fear is there for a reason. Men may perceive women to
be inferior when it comes to emotion. But like the second
law of thermodynamics, all that built up emotion is going
to leak out some time in the future. So in the long run,
I think women have an edge over men dealing with emotion.
But in the short term it is men who edge women out with
self control. There is a downside here. Apply too much
control and you might emotionally overheat and become
brittle when you cool down leaving yourself open to
cracking. Hard objects become brittle and crack under
stress.
[6] google, "enter 'from: kinglake west to: Flowerdale
VIC, Australia' and view the maps tab. This reveals the
distance from Kinglake West."
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[5] Zachary Shore, "Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad
Decisions, Blunder Intro, P5."
www.zacharyshore.com/static/content/blunder_intro.pdf
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[6] CVS2BVS: Current View of Situation to Best View of
Situation is a quick hack to make you think of moving
forward. What is you current view? What is your best
view? How do you get there? You have to ask the question
before you can find a solution.
[7] ITConversations, Tech Nation, Zachary Shore, "Why
Smart People Make Bad Decisions: Professor, Naval
Postgraduate School"
itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4007.html
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[8] Sourcing the Shutz (ruggised 1000 Lt, portable water
container) I negotiated a price by quoting a friends name
in cash. Then I get a phone call asking for more money. A
quick call back to my referring mate sorted this out. But
had I got a receipt I could have avoided this. In the end
it worked out. But the risk was there. You can read more
about sourcing the Shutz here:
www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178152108/
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[9] google, "To find the distance from Kinglake West to
Flowerdale enter 'from: Kinglake West to: Flowerdale VIC,
Australia' into google and click the maps tab.
[10] Pete Williams, blogspot, "Flowerdale - Survivor
Spirit", "A cry for help from the forgotten people of
Flowerdale"
"... The final straw for my sister in law came at 6.00am
today (12/02/09) when those left fought to save one of the
remaining houses that caught on fire overnight. They fought
with no water, no fire trucks and no support from the Army
that was in the area. They lost the fight. ..."
helpflowerdalenow.blogspot.com/2009/02/cry-for-help-from-...
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[11] bootload, flickr, "flickr set: 'Shutz IBC 1000L' where
I order and collect the Shutz water tank"
www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178152108/
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[12] bootload, "flickr set: 'Eltham to Kinglake West'
where we deliver the tanks"
www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157614178001242/
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[13] IMDb, "Blue Heelers, The Mongrel Factor"
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[14] Australian Sports Commission, "Participating in Sport:
Predicting sports suitability", "... Coaches who observe
such testing sessions are assessing the ‘mongrel factor’
which athletes show a doggedness to continue when the test
becomes hard?"
www.ausport.gov.au/participating/got_talent/overview/pred...
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
[15] Simon Britton, "Mongrel Nation",
culturenow.com/site/item.cfm?item=24814
[Accessed Friday, 27th March, 2009]
To Andy, James, Kev, Mum and Trace. They know how to get
things done with nothing. Thanks Trace, Colin for reading
the article.
Jama Masjid, Delhi
The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, (the 'World-reflecting Mosque'), commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, and completed in the year 1628 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street of Old Delhi, the Chawri Bazar Road.
The later name, Jama Masjid, is a reference to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done at a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāmi' masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.
The foundation of the historic Jama Masjid was laid on a hillock in Shahjahanabad by fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shahjahan, on Friday, October 19,1650 AD, (10th Shawwal 1060 AH). The mosque was the result of the efforts of over 5,000 workers, over a period of seven years.[1] The cost incurred on the construction in those times was 10 lakh (1 million) Rupees, and it was the same Emperor who also built the Taj Mahal, at Agra and the Red Fort, which stands opposite the Jama Masjid, which was finally ready in 1656 AD (1066 AH), complete with three great gates, four towers and two 40 m-high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. About 25,000 people can pray here at a time. The mosque has a vast paved rectangular courtyard, which is nearly 75 m by 66 m. The whole of the western chamber is a big hall standing on 260 pillars all carved from Hindu and Jain traditions. The central courtyard is accessible from the East. The Eastern side entrance leads to another enclosure containing the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed Shah.
The mosque is about 22561 feet (8058m) long and 258258 inch feet (549 m) wide, and its roof is covered with eight domes with repated stripes of purple and white marble, with its lowermost parts covered with loasd. Two lofty minarets, 130 feet (41 m) high, and containing 130 steps, longitudinally striped with white marble and red sandstone, flank the domes on either side. The minarets are divided by three projecting galleries and are surmounted by open twelve-sided domed pavilions. On the back of the mosque, there are four small minarets crowned like those in the front.
Under the domes of the mosque, is a hall with seven arched entrances facing the west and the walls of the mosque, up to the height of the waist, are covered with marble. Beyond this is a prayer hall, which is about 61 meters X 27.5 meters, with eleven arched entrances, of which the centre arch is wide and lofty, and in the form of a massive gateway, with slim minarets in each corner, with the usual octagonal pavilion surmounting it. Over these arched entrances there are tablets of white marble, four feet (1.2 m) long and 2.5 feet (760 mm) wide, inlaid with inscriptions in black marble. These inscriptions give the history of the building of the mosque, and glorify the reign and virtues of Shah Jahan. The slab over the centre arch contains simply the words "The Guide!"
I had no idea what to do for today's SP....well, actually I didn't have much time for creativity... This morning I woke up to a car that wouldn't run... At first it looked like I need to replace the alternator...at $350+... I am also dealing with transmission problems. So the place that was looking into the alternator problem took the van over to the transmission place. At this time I do not know what the situation is with the transmission... but I do know that the alternator is alright... whew! But, let me tell you about my van... it is a 98 Dodge Caravan. I have had it since my son was 2 months old...he will be 8 next week... nearly 8 years I have had this van. In that 8 years this van has taken myself and my kids on a round trip vacation from Tennessee to Utah... and then it moved myself and my kids back to Utah in March of 2005 (wow, it is so hard to believe that it has almost been three years since I moved back to Utah). I don't recall exactly how many miles the van had on it when I bought it... something like 60,000... It now has 210,000+ miles on it. It has been a good van. A pretty reliable form of transportation. Many people ask me why I, a mother of only 2, drive a van. Well at the time I purchased it I actually had 4 kids in my family... I had 2 stepsons... we needed the space. Before I purchased my van, my oldest stepson would ask me what my dream car was...my answer was "a minivan". Seriously, it was my dream car... From the time I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter I wanted a minivan. So, yeah, my van has served its purpose and has served me well. In recent years I have put at least $2,000 dollars in it and I have said that if the transmission goes it will be time to say good bye. So today, without knowing the state of the transmission, I did go ahead and test drive some cars. I drove an Explorer (my current dream car) and a Fusion. I love both. I love the feeling of driving an SUV... the feeling of sitting higher... I do not care for the feeling of driving a car... that is until I drove the Fusion. My friend Greg just recently bought a Fusion, and I have thought it was nice to ride in...but wow! What a treat to drive one.... I love it. I do not feel like I am driving a car. The better gas mileage is a major plus...as is the fact that I can buy a newer (2007) Fusion with 5 year warranty for the same price that I can buy an older (2004) Explorer. Anyhow, I was able to drive the Fusion home for the next 2 days and get a real feel for it. Tomorrow I should hear about the transmission. If things are somewhat alright (meaning I can still drive it for a while longer before it completely goes out) I have the decision of whether to go ahead and get rid of the van or drive it to its death.... hmmm, a new car sounds so nice!
The title of this SP, "someone to look up to" is in reference to my mother. She has always been such a help to me... a major help in the past few years. When I called her and told her I was leaving my ex, she flew out to help me move...and let me tell you, if you need someone to help you move (especially in a hurry), it's my mom... she figured out ways to pack every square inch of that van... she stuffed clothing in empty spaces EVERYWHERE!!! She is there when I need her. I am very independent but it is nice to know that I can receive help from her when I need it. And today, she was able to come help me after school with getting around and going to the car dealership to look at cars. So this is to mom.... I love you. You are the greatest, you have gone through a lot in life and have never given up! I appreciate everything you are and everything you do. When I grow up, I want to be like you!
My mom is the smartest woman in the world in my eyes LOVE's to you MOM!!!
Millie squinted as the sun's rays shot into her eyes. Tying off the man's hands, she whirled her horse about, reaching to pull the .44-40 Winchester from it's scabbard. Looking back, she watched the lawman look at her from the corner of his eye, as he began pleading for his life.
"Millie, you aint a bad sort. We've known each other a long time girl. Listen Millie, she's crazy! Aint there something we can do here. I could help you two girls! I could! Millie...Millie please! Talk to her dammit!"
Taking a draw from her cigarrette she pulled the lever back to chamber a bullet then looked back over at the Sheriff through her squinted eyes.
"Aint a damned thing I can do Sheriff. Besides, if what she says is true, then you're a horse thief. More than that, you pulled your gun on my friend and for that alone, I just as soon blow your head off as to take the time to hang your sorry ass."
She trotted her horse a few more feet away and spun the gelding around, still puffing on her cigarette.
"Naw Sheriff, I aint gonna do a damned thing, but sit here and watch you hang."
The man pulled at the rope that bound his wrist and when he did the burro he was sitting on took a step forward and snorted. The Sheriff's eyes widened with terror as he looked over at Ella.
"Ella! Don't do this! I was just foolin' about. I didn't mean it!"
Ella stared coldly at the man as she pulled the nickel plated Colt from it's holster and aimed it at the Arizona sky. Turning to look over at Millie, she said nothing, and gave the gunslinger a nod. Millie responded with a nod of her own. It was high time this affair was over. There was no turning back now and although Millie had once shared a bed with the handsome law man, he'd done what he'd done and nothing could change that. Besides, once Ella Dunn had her mind set on a thing there weren't much a body could do.
Sheriff Roscoe Prescott looked blankly watching the sun glare off the Colt's silver barrel, his face suddenly white with fear and the absolution that he was about to die. Desperately he tried once more to beg for his life.
"Please don't Ella! For God's sake Ella, I'll do whatever you want. I got kids Ella! Ella!"
The Colt's blast startled not only the donkey that held the sheriff inches from death but Millie's horse. Steadying the bay, she watched as the burro bucked it's way free. Roscoe didn't die immediately as his neck wasn't broken, and watching him kick and gag, the old worn rope cutting into his neck, she felt a little sorry for the man. Up until then they'd had little to no trouble out of Sheriff Prescott and were able to come and go and do as they pleased. He'd made a big mistake, a mistake he paid for with his life. But Millie couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was they who'd made the bigger mistake today as she watched the last ounce of life escape the man's body.
Gazing over at Ella she uncocked her rifle, sliding it back to where it belonged and pcked up on her reins.
"Well it's done Ella. Hope it was worth it."
Ella cast a hard glaring eye over at her friend as she reached for her hat and mounted the big stud.
"He took my horse Millie. What was I supposed to do?"
Millie looked across the open plains thinking for a moment, still squinting as the dust and sun burned her eyes. Turning her gaze back to Ella she grinned and shrugged.
"I suppose just what you did. That's all you could do. Now lets get to the saloon and get something to drink. I'm thirsty you highfalutin bitch!"
This made Ella laugh as it was just Millie's way and it was in reference of her coming from wealth.
They were killers but they were also pals and the day's events hadn't changed that.
Before they left Roscoe there hanging from the old tree, Ella nudged her horse toward him. Within inches of the body she pulled a piece of wood with a string attached to it she'd made with her knife. Millie watched as Ella hung the sign around the man's neck then gave her one last knowing smile as they both rode off.
As the dust cleared an old Mexican man eased his way from behind some rocks and watched the two bandits disappear into the horizon. Roscoe Prescott's lifeless body swung in the wind that rolled across the open grassland. The old man turned to look up, squinting and holding his hand up over his eyes. He tried to read the sign around the dead man's neck, but he couldn't make it out.
Vultures had already begain to circle above the man's corpse as the sun sunk behind the distant hills. So not being able to read the sign anyway, the old man took his burro's lead, shaking his head as he walked away into a large dust bowl that rolled across the desert floor.
A few months later, when poor Roscoe's body had decayed and nothing much else remained other than bones and the sheriff's sun bleached clothes, John Horton Slaughter rode up on the corpse.
"Well, lets just see what you did my friend." he said as he reached for the wooden sign hanging around the skeleton's neck. Wiping some of the dust off, he tilted his head a bit and read it aloud. "Hung for horse thievery"
Slaughter let go of the sign and looked at Roscoe Prescott's skull which had been pecked hundreds of times by vultures and crows. He gazed up at the sun, taking his wide brimmed hat off to wipe his brow then pulled the Stetson back in place.
"Well friend, if that's true I guess you got what you deserved."
With that, John Slaughter rode back to his herd and his men, continuing his drive to Charleston, where stood one of Ella Dunn and Millie Keller's safe houses.
We had a lot of fun doing this one. This was Harper Blackwood's creation and her story. This part of the story is written from my character Millie Keller's perspective. That said, I'd like to thank both she and Don Marcus for posing with me. You can view both thier versions of the same scene. Harper's vision and Don's vision
The XR-10 is a utility helicopter in service across Ayascara's armed forces. The helicopter uses two intermeshing, counterrotating rotors, powered by twin nacelle-mounted engines and connected via external driveshafts. First introduced by Kettle Autogyro Corporation in 1947, the helicopter was not an immediate success. Kettle was already struggling when it built the first XR-10 prototype, and many naysayers predicted the complex control systems for the interlocking blades would fail. However, despite two nasty crashes and a painfully long development cycle, Kettle somehow kept scraping together enough funds to keep the program going. With traditional autogyros rapidly becoming obsolete, the board knew they needed a revolutionary success to stay in business. Kettle was days away from bankruptcy when AAAF finally declared them the winner of the contract, by default, since no other manufacturers had submitted entries.
In this photo, a helicopter pilot has gotten lost and landed on the salt flats to ask for directions from four local militiamen. Also, John Travolta is here, since we watched Grease last night and I got too into building this and forgot to sleep. The reference photos for this came from Noa, and the cockpit came from a tablescrap Errin threw together last week, but this was essentially a one-night build.
This is the Southern Air Temple from Avatar The Last Airbender, and The Legend of Korra. Reference Picture
It is about 26 studs deep at it's thickest, and about 114 studs tall.
It was a long process building and refining this model, so special thanks to those tagged and many others who looked at my wips and gave helpful suggestions.
If you're interested, I do have some extra shots of the build linked bellow:
I also built the Northern Air Temple last year, if you haven't seen that already, you can check it out Here
The common candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha ovata) is called that way because the female has a longitudal pink stripe on a white and oval abdomen.
This one is a male, shot here on the white wallpaper in my bedroom where I found it and just looking at him, it is a bit hard to understand the name.
In Swedish, this is an äggspindel - an egg spider - named for that white and oval abdomen. The scientific name "ovata" literally means "oval", but the connection to "ovulate" and "ovary" points to the egg association there as well.
Shots of the spider after I had let it out here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52402577568/
and here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52412449862/
I also snapped a shot of it next to my finger as a size reference here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52610458011/
A shot of a female showing part of that candy-stripe here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/39083449845/
Iowa Interstate 6988, aka the "Iowa Bolt" in reference to it's new paint job, thunders through "Rattlesnake Hollow" in Hopewell, Illinois. This was the second of five excursions out of Chillicothe on IAIS's Peoria Branch on the first day of the 2019 steam excursions. 6988 is one of two Chinese-built QJ-class 2-10-2 steam locomotive that Iowa Interstate acquired in 2006. Although it's dry here at this time, the clouds are already moving in and in a few hours, long-duration rains would turn the gentle creek here into a raging torrent. This day began a series of heavy rains that would eventually cause a washout along the Peoria line later in the month, in addition to the already wet Spring that would force most Midwest farmers to delay their planting season until the end of June.
We were in the Arctic Circle for six nights, but by the third night we had pretty much resigned ourselves to returning home without any photos of the Northern Lights. The forecast was bleak, and even on the one night that we caught some breaks in the clouds, the aurora activity was pretty low. I know some people in my group were disappointed, and that was true for me as well. I mean, the landscape in the Lofoten Islands is amazingly beautiful, but the Northern Lights would have been the photo/life experience icing on the cake.
Well, on the last night, with a 5:30am departure time looming and some visible breaks in the clouds, three of us (half of the group) set out at 10pm to find and shoot the lights. We tried a few spots we had shot during daytime, but the lights were faint and the compositions were unsatisfying. Eventually we found a spot that would allow us to take advantage of some great natural features AND water reflections. As the night wore on the sky continued to clear, and pretty soon we were enjoying the most incredible spectacle of nature I've ever seen, and we were doing it with an amazing mountain backdrop overlooking the calm waters of a fjord. Bright, intense green rivers of light flowed across the sky, occasionally punctuated by coronal auroras, where the light appeared to shower down from one spot in the sky. At other times we saw the lights take the shape of curtains, even undulating the way real curtains do in a gentle breeze. And sometimes the lights were so intense and fast-moving that we had to quickly adjust our camera settings to compensate.
It was a special night for sure. If you've never seen the Northern Lights it may be difficult to understand how magical and majestic they can be. I've tried to convey it with this photo, although seeing them in person should be on everyone's bucket list. No matter what, a photo will never convey the full experience. I thought the Northern Lights I saw this past summer in Michigan were impressive, but I had NO IDEA how absolutely amazing a full-on wintertime northern latitude aurora event could be. As far as our departure schedule was concerned, we were collectively starting to get nervous about making the 45-min drive back to our cabin AND have enough time to finish packing our bags for the trip home. But every time we decided we were packing up, Mother Nature would send another salvo of lights across the sky, almost as if she was trying to keep us from leaving. At 4am we finally packed up and quickly sped back to meet the rest of the group back at the cabin for the ride to the ferry back to the mainland. We made it and I even had time to down a cup of coffee before leaving for the ferry.
I think this may be the longest photo description I've ever posted, but it was an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if that doesn't deserve a few hundred words, what does?
-Lorenzo
p.s. For reference, here's what the aurora looked like from much farther south this past summer: www.flickr.com/photos/22461382@N00/9769137855
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Thank you for stopping by. In case you got here as a result of a search for HDR and/or Nikon D800 photos:
> All my HDR photos can be found here.
> All my D800 photos are right here.
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There are a few things going on this image which may not be immediately apparent to the viewer, but having been so intimately involved in the process of creating this photograph, I have some insight on to share. If you are a regular follower of my feed, you'll likely know I do a lot of long exposure work. As in, super long. Typically I work with at least a 9 stop ND filter but often combine it with a second or go to a standalone 15 stop ND. Over the years, and thousands of photos, I have learned that film responds in some unusual ways when such strong ND filters get combined. Color film is not terribly IR sensitive, so the fact that my filters don't have IR-blocking coatings on them seems less like the issue. My working theory is that these filters pass more UV light than visible light and color film does have sensitivity that dips into the UV end of the spectrum. So in a sense I am getting some degree of UV over-exposure. The non-technical way of describing this is that my super long exposure color photography can get some funky colors to it. At first I worked to correct this back to "normal", with "normal" of course merely being the subjective benchmark I applied based on how my eyes and brain saw the world. Over time though I became less interested in normal. Part of that is because I don't need the photos to show me normal. I can see that with my own eyes. Rather, I enjoy seeing the alternative perspectives. What does the world look like if one can see a bit farther into UV, for example. The second thing going on is I am using a new color film put out by Silberra. I have not shot much of this film, so its behaviors and qualities is still unexplored ground for me. And I do like my unexplored ground. And lastly, I am always a bit fascinated at our own brain's ability to adapt to changing color temperatures and filter them back to what we call normal. This image was made late into sunset, and while the clouds were getting painted with some nice light, the beach itself had descended into a deep blue dusk. I couldn't see this blue of course because of the aforementioned workings of my brain. In fact, the beach looked more like it does in this photo, with a neutral sandy color, but reference photos made on my phone with the white balance set to daylight showed me the blue.
That is the backdrop for this photo. Once scanned I started doing some light processing to it, mostly cleaning up dust marks or the occasional film scratch. I balanced the exposure across the scene a bit but largely didn't touch the color too much other than some global corrections. And this image is the result. The colors that came out are a bit surreal. It is a subtle surrealism for sure, no crazy juxtapositions going on here, but one I enjoy.
Hasselblad 500C
Silberra Color 50
El Colegio de San Gregorio de Valladolid es la sede principal del Museo Nacional de Escultura. Es uno de los mejores ejemplos de la arquitectura del periodo de los Reyes Católicos. En particular, su patio y su portada son célebres por su refinada ornamentación, las elegantes proporciones y una ostensible simbología del poder.
Igualmente interesante es su historia como institución docente. Destinado a colegio de Teología para frailes dominicos, adquirió una notable autoridad doctrinal y actuó como un semillero espiritual y político de la España renacentista y barroca.
La Universidad de Valladolid fue fundada en el siglo XIII durante el reinado de Alfonso X el Sabio; como en otros países se potenció la aparición de centros colegiales, de modo que tardíamente se creó el Colegio de San Gregorio, que actuaron en paralelo o complementariamente con relación a la vida universitaria. En Valladolid se creó además el Colegio de Santa Cruz también a finales del siglo XV
La creación del Colegio, bajo la advocación del doctor de la Iglesia San Gregorio, fue obra del dominico Alonso de Burgos, obispo de la diócesis de Palencia y confesor de los Reyes Católicos. Alonso de Burgos condicionó su fundación a la obtención de la comunidad dominica de San Pablo de los terrenos para la construcción de su propia capilla funeraria, que serviría igualmente para el alumnado del Colegio. Tal petición se vio satisfecha en 1487: consigue el espacio necesario, lo cual fue confirmado por el Papa Inocencio VIII.
Las obras se iniciaron en 1488 aunque se había comenzado ya la construcción de la capilla funeraria, cuya puerta de entrada se percibe en el crucero sur de la Iglesia conventual de San Pablo.
La fachada fue concebida como un telón o estandarte (arquitectura suspendida). Su compartimentación se organiza con elementos vegetales que evocan los arcos triunfales construidos con madera y enramada, reforzándose su carácter civil y urbano. Dada su significación simbólica, la explicación de los diferentes motivos y elementos que la integran ofrece una gran dificultad, tanto individualmente como en su totalidad y en la relación entre los diferentes elementos.
En el tímpano principal y sobre el dintel decorado con flor de lis aparece la dedicatoria y la ofrenda del Colegio por parte del fraile dominico Alonso de Burgos a san Gregorio Magno en presencia de San Pablo y Santo Domingo.
Destacan las figuras de hombres silvestres cubiertos, o no, de pelo, y con garrotes y escudos; o bien aluden a la costumbre cortesana de disfrazar escuderos con ocasión de fiestas, o bien representan la imagen mítica del «hombre natural», tal como se discutió por esas fechas y entran en diálogo visual con esculturas de caballeros, vestidos con armaduras y portando lanzas y escudos, encarnando la Virtud.
La parte central superior está ocupada por un pilón hexagonal, rebosante de agua, que puede evocar la especulación intelectual como Fuente de la Vida. En torno al pilón, se arremolinan parejas de niños y de él arranca el tronco de un granado, en posible alusión a la Fuente de la Vida y al Árbol de la Ciencia, aparte de la celebración de la reciente conquista del Reino de Granada. Todo el relieve central de la fachada se constituye con esta representación simbólica de un microcosmos, a imagen del Paraíso, lugar hacia donde deberían dirigirse los hombres mediante el conocimiento de las Artes y la Teología.
La presencia del escudo de los Reyes Católicos, sostenido por leones y por el águila de San Juan podría tener una significación política o podría ser una alusión a la dedicación del edificio a la Monarquía, a la que Alonso de Burgos nombró heredera y patrona del Colegio.
El patio del Colegio es de planta cuadrada y representa una de las joyas de estilo hispanoflamenco. Sus dos pisos se levantan sobre pilares helicoidales decorados sus capiteles con medias bolas y lises separados ambos por el tema de la cadena.
En las arquerías del piso superior se encuentra toda la decoración mediante calados pretiles de tracería gótica y cortinas pétreas que al abrirse originan arcos geminados de guirnaldas y follaje, entre los que juguetean niños, concebido con una talla muy plana próxima al estilo renacentista. Un friso de yugos y flechas y las gárgolas es lo único que se conserva de su antiguo coronamiento.
El acceso al piso superior se realiza a través de una sola escalera con pretiles góticos a los que se suceden los paramentos almohadillados de su caja decorada también con el timbre heráldico del fundador y con un artesonado mudéjar, en cuyo friso se pueden observar las iniciales de los Reyes Católicos y que cierra todo su ámbito.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Gregorio
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Nacional_de_Escultura
The Colegio de San Gregorio is an Isabelline style building located in the city of Valladolid, in Castile and León, Spain, it was formerly a college and now is housing the Museo Nacional de Escultura museum. This building is one of the best examples of the architectural style known as Isabelline, which is the characteristic architectural style of the Crown of Castile region during the Catholic Monarchs' reign (late-15th century to early-16th century).
Among other sections highlights its courtyard and its facade for its refined decoration, elegant proportions and the number of symbologies. It was founded as a teaching institution. Aimed at College of Theology for Dominican friars, it has acquired a doctrinal authority and acted as a spiritual and political hotbed in the Central region of Spain's Renaissance and Baroque periods.
The University of Valladolid was founded in the 13th-century during the Alfonso X of Castile the Wise's reign; as in other countries, the emergence of college centers was potentiated, then belatedly was created the Colegio de San Gregorio, who performed in parallel or complementarily in relation to university life. In Valladolid the Colegio Mayor Santa Cruz was also created also in late 15th-century.
The creation of the College, under the title of the Doctor of the Church Saint Gregory the Great, was work of Dominican Alonso de Burgos, the Catholic Monarchs's confessor and Bishop of the dioceses of Córdoba, Cuenca and Palencia. The foundation of the college was confirmed by with Papal Bull of Pope Innocent VIII in 1487, and accepted as Royal patronage by Queen Isabella the Catholic in 1500, after the founder's death.
It attached to the Convento de San Pablo, which Friar Alonso had been its prior, its foundation was subject to the assignment of the Capilla del Crucifijo (Crucifix's chapel), attached to the Epistle's arm of the Dominican church, to become his own funeral chapel, which later acquired dual function to also serve as a chapel for college.
Work began in 1488 in a process from the inside to outside, being the main facade the last in lift. The Royal shields in the corners of the Large courtyard still do not present the Granada's symbol suggests that this part would be completed before 1492. The building is assumed to completed in 1496.
The facade, plain facing and topped with a crest, stands out above all for its spectacular main facade, which by its stylistic features it sets regarding the workshop of Gil de Siloé, a Flemish origin artist, who was at that time in Burgos dealing with the royal sepulchers of the Miraflores Charterhouse and is known to have been commissioned to make the defunct altarpiece of the chapel, very in connection with which the sculptor had made in the Conception's chapel or of Bishop Acuña in the Cathedral of Burgos and has obvious similarities to the upper of the main facade of San Gregorio.
Perhaps evoking the triumphal arches of the architectures at that time were developing in Central Europe, or perhaps the Islamic Madrasas, architects of this building applying an individually decorated of the Castilian late-Gothic (Isabelline), it has a complex symbolic significance in that mix contemporary figures, saints, allegories, wild men, abundant symbolic of power, etc.
It has two bodies framed by two buttresses. The lower hosts a vain lintel decorated with fleur-de-lys, the founder's symbol repeated often enough, covered with three-centered arch in turn covered by another ogee trefoil.
It draw attention to the "savage men" of the jambs and buttresses, a total of sixteen. Theories about the significance of these figures, present in many buildings of 15th-century, are varied and should be put in relation to the context in which these appear. One of its functions would be simple heraldry sculptures. It is also said that, dressed with shield and mace, were the guardians of the building, beastmen guaranteeing security. Or these could allude to the custom of disguising the squires and lackeys in Court (nobility) festivities in which it presented the "savage" as inferior, in relation, for example, the chivalric romances, which mentions hair covered wild men, degraded men, estranged from the civilized world, not Christianized, and could here be in visual confrontation with the knights who also appear on the main facade, with armor, spears and shields, that would be interpreted as allegories of Virtue. On the contrary, these could also be a positive allusion, the mythical image of man in nature, unpolluted, symbol of purity that evokes the time in a perfect and happy world, with prototype to John the Baptist.
Those on the lower part, flanking the main facade, are completely covered with long hair, carrying weapons and the shields are decorated with demonic figures except in one, which has a Knight order of Calatrava's cross, the same motifs of the soldiers's shields of the second floor, the same iconography already seen for over a century.
However, in the top of the main facade are completely different, with the same attributes but without hair on the body and even two hairless, with a more human aspect, and there are authors who consider the oldest representation in Castile of an American Native, reflecting the effect of the Americas's arrival in the European imagination.
The tympanum, on a lintel, seems to represent the offering of the college by Friar Alonso de Burgos to Saint Gregory the Great in the presence of Saints Dominic and Paul, patrons of the neighboring Dominican convent, a somewhat disconcerting scene, unbalanced, with disproportion between the figures and Saint Paul with a cruciferous nimbus, an exclusive attribute of Christ. It seems to be earlier work than the rest, or even reused from other site.
The upper body is divided into three sections, with the center occupied by a hexagonal pylon which starts a pomegranate tree, referring to the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada's conquest in 1492, swirling around putti playing and jumping. It could be a Fountain of Eternal Youth's representation, hence the children, of the Tree of Knowledge, in relation to the building dedicated to the study, an allegory of the Paradise, the place to which men aspire to reach through the knowledge, an allegory of the Golden Age, in relation to the historical moment that was occurring to the Spanish monarchy.
The pomegranate tree is topped by a big shield of the Catholic Monarchs with the St. John's eagle held by two attitude lions and below the Catholic Monarchs's symbols also appear: the beam and arrows. And the use of the royal heraldry with propaganda purposes in this period reached prominence hitherto unknown, present not only in buildings directly promoted by the Catholic Monarchs but also in many that of their closest collaborators, in that way showing participation and acceptance in the political project undertaken by Isabella I and Ferdinand II in relation to the establishment of a modern state with which to control and organize all their territories under their unique power.
Upper body's side sections have the founder's heraldic decoration and two kings of arms placed at height of the central shield.
Distributed among the distributed arboured throughout the main facade are seen multiple scenes related to the defects to be overcome with the study, in relation to the search for truth and rejection of heresy, the triumph of intelligence over force or the strength to overcome temptation.
(Large courtyard) The Patio Grande was the access to the most important stays of the set. It considered a Hispanic-Flemish (Isabelline) gem, is set in relation to Juan Guas for its similarities to Palacio del Infantado in Guadalajara, although have also located abundant motifs that Bartolomé Solórzano, an active artist at that time in the area, used in the Cathedral of Palencia, seat of the Friar Alonso's bishopric.
It is square with two floors, the lower with slender pillars, perhaps a Solomonic reference in relation to a building as a "temple of wisdom", with capitals of average balls and fleur-de-lis sustaining segmental arches, and the upper with one of the most decorative Isabelline galleries, with parapets openwork with Gothic tracery and geminare arches riddled with garlands and foliage among those appears children playing and where already shown Renassaince influence, of midpoint and a form that goes be more flat.
Then follows a frieze of yokes and arrows on highlighting the imaginative gargoyles.
It has abundant emblems of the Catholic Monarchs and the kingdoms of Navarre and Granada, incorporated into the Crown of Castile during the erection of the building.
The only staircase that connects both floors is rectangular of two sections, Isabelline base, decorated walls with padding of Renaissance influence with the founder's heraldry; an impressive Mudéjar roof on a frieze with the Catholic Monarchs's initials; and neo-Gothic parapets with same trace that the base, added in works in the 1860s to replace the wooden fence that had.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colegio_de_San_Gregorio
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Nacional_de_Escultura,_Vallad...
As with Wiltshire in the UK, Kilmartin Glen in Scotland, and Almendres in Portugal, the small fishing village of Carnac in Brittany's sheltered Bay of Quiberon is a worldwide reference for when people and place gathered in an uncomfortably empty term - 'Prehistory': here active and present between 7000 and 6000 years ago.
There are a number of questions that are carried along the procession of greater Carnac and Morbihan sites like banners of demands:
What were the alignments for, and why were they put here in this specific geography - over 3000 standing stones in around a square kilometre.
Why so many giant cairns (long barrows), and what was their function in their history and culture? The local examples of Saint Michel (125m x 50 x 10m), Gavrinis (pictured in this section) 50m diameter and 7m high, and 'du Ruyk' (across the water from Gavrinis) and 100m x 60 x 15m. And on the second claw to the entrance into the Morbihan bay the 50m diameter Cairn Petit Mont.
Why are there so many long dolmens (allée couverte) and what was their relation to the giant cairns?
Why such similarity, and why the great variety between specific examples?
And, what were the pertroglyphs of Gavrinis representing and communicating? - pictured in this post.
Whilst this short section of posts looks at the smallest glimpse of the greater 'Carnac' area, I will try to answer the questions from the point of view of my research, so issues of 'Transport Dragons' and 'havans' will shock the new and nod the weary. Rushing to 'hold all' explanations that employ causal vague concept simplicities like 'religion', 'burial', 'shaman', and 'violence' will be avoided, even if the infuence of each word does have a measure. All of these markers split page after page of texts on prehistory and the reader is welcome to compare and contrast.
Whilst I have been lucky enough to spend time visiting sites in the UK and other regions of France, most of my research work circles me around the Pyrenees mountains, and most of my ideas come from these regular field trips. Many of my memories of Carnac are from repeat summer weeks as a child in Kerlescan pulling on school plimsoles and playing between the alignment stones with other children from adresses like 'here' and 'there'. These years certainly made me greatly relaxed around megaliths, even if todays dedicated research came from another source.
The reader will judge for themselves, and I hope that the beauty of the original and manicured Neolithic works will stand alone from my modest photography.
AJ
I had a sensation of time lapse as this massive cloud formation lumbered overhead in the wake of a strong thunderstorm. It wasn't so much the speed of motion, but the feeling of inexorability. Sort of like standing on the banks of a rain swollen river, realizing that nothing is going to stop the water from going where it is going. The best time lapse videos always include something stationary to provide a point of reference. As I stood here, I realized I was the stationary object, at least for a few moments. There was an eerie quality to the whole experience. That feeling overcomes me sometimes when I realize that I am witnessing something that seems much larger than me, and particularly when I'm in some desolate location totally alone. It's exciting but simultaneously scary. The inevitable metaphor here was the passage of time, and it's becoming an ever increasing concern for me. Days pass into weeks, then months and it's all becoming a blur. Like when warp drive kicks in during a space film and the individual points of light emitted by stars become streaks. August was a prime example; it seems to me the shortest month. Due in part because its the last full month of summer and I realize that warm weather and the long daylight are slipping away. Another birthday looms around the corner, and they've become decidedly less celebratory and more worrisome. The moment of darkness (both in thought and reality) was broken as the clouds began to part to allow a glint of the setting sun. The contrast was exquisite.
Most spiders don't enjoy the indoor climate here very much. It is generally way to dry for them and even though they might be drawn to the warmer temperatures, the low humitidy will kill them (with some exceptions).
The common candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha ovata) like this male are definitely better off outside so when I found him on a wall inside I swiftly relocated him to the garden - and took a couple of shots of course!
The "candy stripe" part of the name is a reference to the female which is a paler colour with a pinkish-red stripe along the abdomen.
Part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/52402577568/
If you've listened to any music in the last fifty years, anyway.
There may be other reasons to visit ... a meal or stay at the stately La Posada Hotel comes to mind... but Winslow was certainly put on the map by the reference in the Eagles' song "Take It Easy" in 1972.
Here's the corner, complete with the reflection of the girl "in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me". There is a red Ford actually parked on the street, but the "reflection" is really a mural. It's called "Standin' On the Corner Park" and it opened in 1999; a 2004 fire destroyed most of this building, but the front of it was saved. Earlier photos showed four windows on the second floor (instead of the two seen here, although edges for the other two are faintly visible) and an eagle in the now-missing one on the far left. Not sure if that was destroyed in the fire or not, but it's clearly no longer here.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standin%27_on_the_Corner_Park
Just out of view on the right is a statue of Glenn Frey, the co-writer of "Take It Easy" and the lead vocalist in the Eagles' song. It was erected a few months after his death in 2016.
EDIT: Regarding the "missing" windows... A Google revealed that this entire scene is a mural, not just the first floor. Still don't know why windows 1 & 3 were painted over. By looking at older photos, I learned that this happened recently - sometime between October, 2016, and February, 2017. ???
Here is another recent shot of a Short-eared Owl on the Peak District moors. The heavy eye make-up reminds me of Siouxsie Sioux (of Siouxsie and the Banshees) but I suspect that reference is a bit old and niche now www.flickr.com/photos/truusbobjantoo/49361281442/in/photo... Maybe Daryl Hannah's character "Pris" in the film Blade Runner but that is also old and niche. Back to the owl, this shows the heavy tail barring characteristic of Short-eared Owl, which is less boldly barred in the similar Long-eared. It also shows the dark wing tip which is much paler with a few bars in Long-eared. The only shot I have which shows the tail and wing tip in Long-eared Owl for comparison was taken ten years ago: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/19019371992/in/photolist
(photograph)
You might recognize that picture... perhaps because you've seen it here :)
That's the reason why I posted so many pictures of Venus some time ago : they found some of my pictures of their last show in Paris and asked if they could use them for their last album.
Eventually they chose two of them for the front and the back artwork, the original shots were in color but we both prefered something monochromatic so I put on flickr different versions : black&white, black&red (which I called the "red room effect" in reference to the name of their revious album) and black&red with more processing for "artistic" effects. Marc, the band's singer, chose the versions he prefered (the red room ones) and then their graphist integrated the 4/3 photos (yeah these were shot with the good ol powershot A95) in a 12x12cm cd cover
It's so cool It's hard to realize : Venus has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, got some very important memories associated with their music, it clearly influenced my music, to such an extent we're covering one of their songs with my band (and we 're not a cover band at all, I only feel confortable singing someone else's song, if I recognize myself in it, if every word bears the same strengh, the same truth for me)
So you might imagine how I feel, actually you'll have to, cause I can't explain it myself :)
11-march-2019: photo taken from Devin Peak (1027m a.s.l, Western Snežnik Area) towards mount Vremščica (1026m a.s.l.) and its plateau that's border Coastal/Internal Karst Region therefore also watershed with Black Sea catchment, the one closest to Trieste and (Italian) Adriatic: 20km as the crow flies!
In the background, instead, there are the Dolomites, Friuli/Veneto, Italy
CLIMATIC ALARM: these spring short cold breaks, with white hail thunderstorms and (a bit of) snow even at low mountain altitude (5-600m a.s.l.), cannot, IN ANY WAY, compensate for a very mild winter and an early spring with averages temperature of 5-6 °C above the historical average reference.
This situation, with very few exceptions, is by now an acquired trend, with the first big evidences in 1988 (of a thermal increase started in the 1950s), progressively worsening until the early 2000s, in order to accelerate in a really worrying way in the last 5 years.
The Julian Alps and Pre-Alps and the area of Snežnik (Karst-Dinaric watershed) are among the wettest and snowiest in Europe, and for this reason the change in climate is particularly felt here!!
In some areas of the Karst region (but not only), especially those with an alpine climate, a progressive change of vegetation is already underway (poorer soils due to less water/less snow and hotter years mean weakening and death of alpine essences, such as Spruce, above all, but also Silver Fir and Beech) in virtue of climatic conditions that are no longer alpine, coming to fall in a band of more extreme, drier and milder climate, the one that once distinguished the Coastal Karst Region, which, in its turn, tends now to become more Mediterranean.
We'll see...
Most spiders don't enjoy the indoor climate here very much. It is generally way to dry for them and even though they might be drawn to the warmer temperatures, the low humitidy will kill them (with some exceptions).
The common candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha ovata) like this male are definitely better off outside so when I found him on a wall inside I swiftly relocated him to the garden - and tooka couple of shots of course!
The "candy stripe" part of the name is a reference to the female which is a paler colour with a pinkish-red stripe along the abdomen.
This view shows the south side of the 200 block of E. Washington St. in downtown Bloomington, two blocks west of the Old Courthouse Square. The two buildings on our immediate left were designed by architect A. T. Simmons. Simmons designed the Lafayette Apartments posted earlier in this series, but is probably best known for his more than 71 Carnegie libraries in Illinois and a dozen other states, along with numerous courthouses, schools, churches and other public buildings. Simmons also designed most of the houses in the Cedar Crest Historic District of Normal, Illinois, the other half of the twin municipalities of Bloomington and Normal.
The building with the Paxtons name over its entrance was the first of the two buildings to be constructed. Known as the C. U. Williams & Son Building, the four-story building was constructed as an automobile showroom, garage and lodge hall. Called “the largest in any city of Bloomington’s size,” this impressive steel-frame and brick edifice was testament to the coming automobile age. Of particular note are the large second-story showroom windows designed to display twice as many cars from the street.
According to the McLean County Museum of History, and his son Walter sold the latest models from early automakers, including E-M-F, Chalmers, Moon, Stearns, Studebaker, Willys-Overland and Woods (the latter known for its electric cars). "The manufacturers that we are representing are all old and well-established houses - there cars are long past the experimental stage," was a C. U. Williams & Son promise.
About four years after opening his automobile showroom, Williams commissioned A. T. Simmons to design the Castle Theatre next door. Upon its completion, Williams used the upper floors above the theater for garage space. Both buildings had freight elevators large enough to accommodate the cars of the day.
In later years an office equipment company by the name of Paxtons occupied the C. U. Williams & Son Building. It is now the home of the legal offices of Wylder Corwin Kelly LLP, trial lawyers specializing in medical malpractice.
The Castle Theatre opened January 24, 1916 as a 1,100-seat movie theatre. It was Bloomington's first real movie palace, and remained a popular Bloomington movie theater until 1988. The Castle Theatre reopened in 2003 after a much-needed restoration as a “brew and view” style first-run movie house but was closed again in January 2007. A church, which has used the theater for Sunday morning services since 2005, continued to meet at the Castle Theatre until late-2010. New owners took over and it is now used as a concert venue.
Both the C. U. Williams & Son Building and the Castle Theatre are contributing architectural properties in the Bloomington Central Business District listed in 1985 on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The district includes roughly twelve square blocks of the city and encompasses 140 buildings, 118 of which are contributing buildings to the district's historic character.
Bloomington is the seat of McLean County. It is adjacent to Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington is home to State Farm Insurance, Country Financial and Beer Nuts. Illinois Wesleyan University is located here, while the neighboring city of Normal is home to Illinois State University and Heartland Community College. Bloomington is 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis. The estimated population of Bloomington in 2019 was 77,330, with a metro population of 191,067.
Large on white looks is worth a look - view the entire Lightning set
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tonight it was Mother Nature steeling the show completely. It just couldn't be missed or overlooked. Oh boy, I've got a great series out of this thunderfest! I knew it was coming and I waited for these moment whole day long. Pure excitement and pure visual violence as storm gathered overhead, sideways and in front or me. No shelter in these open fields but the car, which is quite typical in this part of the Netherlands. Multiple exposure times were made, varying from 10 to 100 seconds, and most of them are filled with big fat lightening bolts.
However, the excitement changed into the urge for precaution because this stuff should be taken seriously. More so because I heard on the radio that a woman got struck and killed by lightning of today. For this reason I want to dedicate this one to her and her family.
Also I guess I saw some shorter form of a ball lightning this evening, but I'm not sure because I have no reference, unfortunately. I guess that would be the ultimate goal to capture such a scarce event. The only reference of a ball lightning - or fireballs if you like - I know came from a a student back in 1987. However, I've heard and seen several stories along with some evidence of fireballs entering houses, schools and churches and craters in gardens caused by this yet unknown event.
Anyway, if you ever decide to go outside shooting lightning, here's an informative site about 1.21 Gigawatts!": The Real Facts About Lightning
More about lightning on this Wikipedia page.
Explore #8 on 2009-08-20 Thank you so much.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I saw on-line a reference to something called, "The Biggest Week In American Birding" which runs from
May 7 to May 16. This got me thinking that perhaps I should do a little birding of my own here in northern Canada. This is one of a number of bird related photographs which I have taken this week in and around Whitehorse in southern Yukon. I don't have the worlds longest lens, that's for sure; but a little practice, and the careful application of stealth seems to go a long way.
This is a Wilson's Warbler, which has been visiting my yard over the past few days..
Photo taken with the Canon EOS R and EF400mm f/5.6 mounted to a suitably heavy tripod with a ballhead. The finished image was processed from raw using DxO PhotoLab 4.2.
This is out of character, normally I wouldn't even be adding a description, but this seemed worthy of one.
This was one of those happy accidents that occur every once in a while and shake me out of a rut. I often get way too obsessive over rules and patterns, I can't help it, that's the normal way my brain functions. Fortunately, the wires get crossed sometimes and it shuts down long enough for something more interesting to take over. That's what happened tonight. I shut off a layer I was working on and voila--this happened. I added a little shadow and some photo corners to finish it off, but I really just like what's going on.
There's something about the self-reference here that really appeals to me.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." - Shakespeare's Henry V St. Crispin's Day speech.
When I got my Henry V figure from KTown I immediately thought of Shakespeares St. Crispins Day speech from his play Henry V. It is probably the most inspiring speech that never happened, which is why for 400 years it has been referenced over and over again. I also covered the Battle of Agincourt in a previous post so I'm not going to type a long description about it. I will not likely do a revamp of it either since I have other plans related to the 100 years war. If you know, you know. Agincourt wasn't the only battle Henry fought in so he might make another appearance in a future post. Until then, hope you guys enjoy!
My entry to the Summer Joust 2021 "Atmosphere" Category.
Previously in Chapter 5 Madness
⚜️"Yes you do!" Tabitha Kinkade exclaimed as she walked around the large oak desk.
"You're mistaken Ms Tabitha." Lexington retorted.
With that he returned to one of Sir William Kinkade's journals and continued his reading.
⚜️The mammoth library offered a vast array of books and scrolls that might aid them in their quest to learn more about the mysterious insignia. Over the years Tabitha's parents, Sir William and Lady Samantha, had collected every known book about the beast they hunted. Werewolves, Vampires, and Demons all. The Belraak Castle Library boasted the most extensive collection of books on the occult, witchcraft, necromancy, demonology, and satanism. Even books on the paranormal and ghost resided on these shelves. Also every religion known to man was represented in the library's collection. But perhaps the most important documents here were the scrolls that contained the Kinkade's extensive research through the centuries.
"Whether you realize it or not you are doing it Lex dear. I promise."
"My Lady I would never jeopardize a hunt by allowing myself to engage in such an improper eccentricity as, humming. And before a fight no less!"
⚜️As their banter echoed, a refined old gentleman made his way into the expansive library. He was slender and wore a dark pressed suite. His name was Augustus Joubert and over the years, while in service to the Kinkade family, his youth had faded away. Quietly approaching the pair, he mumbled softly to himself and shook his head.
"Lexington I never said....Ahh, here he is. Augustus! Augustus, can you help me please? Lex and I are having a disagreement, but I believe you can clear this up. Now firstly..."
The old man shook his head and raised his hand as she spoke. "Please Ms. Tabitha! I know better than to get pulled into squabbles between you and Master Lexington."
Tabitha gasped, covering her chest with her hand. Augustus! I can't believe you'd leave me alone with my own defenses in this matter. After all, I am correct. And I'm quite sure you'd be in accordance with me on this little dispute."
Barely looking up from the journals, Lexington responded. "You don't have to trouble yourself, Augustus; she's just trying to pull you into her web."
Looking at them both, Augustus sighed and graciously bowed his head. For he was well aware of the Kinkade tenacity. "Well yes, I suppose I could try to help Ms. Tabitha? "
Tabitha clapped joyously, intent on her never wavering teasing of Lexington. "Very good! Well, it's not really a matter up for debate, Augusutus. It's really just a matter of what's factual and what's not. That said, does he or does he not begin to hum when he's feeling anxious about something?"
As Augustus fumbled with a sutable response Tabitha leaned over to whisper, but not so low that Lexington could not hear. "You see, the great werewolf hunter hums before our fights."
Lexington suddenly stood up, banging the book on the desk, shouting, "I do not!"
Tabitha gasped again, then snickered a bit as she patted poor Augustus on the shoulder. "Don't worry, he's a kitten. I assure you."
Augustus looked up at Tabitha as she grinned at him, then he looked over at Lexington and slowly began to pick his words.
"Well....Master Lexington, while I realize you've become a great hunter, I have known you since the first day you arrived at Belraak Castle with Sir William. And in that time, it's become well known that indeed, you may very well hum, just a bit, when you're anxious or anticipating something."
At this point, Lexington sat back down and held the book in front of his face, much like a little boy might who didn't want to listen any more.
Desiring to soften the blow, poor Augustus continued to speak slowly. "But it's not a sign of weakness Master Lexington. In fact, we've all come to think of it as a sort of trait of yours that's well, it's just your way, sir."
At this point, Augustus was sure he heard Lexington begin to hum. He covered his face in dismay and said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ms. Tabitha, but you asked and.. Oh Master Lex, can you forgive a tired old man?!"
Suddenly, Lex looked up from the book, smiling at Tabitha and began to laugh. Tabitha burst out as well, both running to Augustus.
Augustus jumped back startled, then realizing they were teasing him all along, began to chuckle as they both gave the old man a hug and apologized. Lexington spoke first, "Apologies Mister Joubert. However, this little raillery was all Ms. Tabitha's doing, I can assure you. "
Tabitha looked at Lexington in shock, smiling when she poked him in the arm which caused them all to laugh again.
Tabitha gave the old man another hug and gleamed. "Oh Augustus, you are precious! I apologize for pulling you into that, my dear friend. Forgive me please. "
Augustus smiled as he always did, then pinched her cheek tenderly, "No need, Ms. Tabitha. I'm quite accustomed to your lively teasing by now. "
⚜️These were the times Tabitha loved the most with her family. And they were all family at the castle. Each had their own duties, but Tabitha's parents had long ago taught her to be respectful of the staff at the castle. For many who resided at Belraack had been there since before Tabitha was born and, as such, had had a hand in raising her. Augustus had been like a grandfather to her, and she relied heavily on his sound judgement and advice as well as his knowledge.
As they all began to catch their breath and the lauging turned into loving smiles, the old butler turned, picking up the platter he'd brought down to the library.
"Will that be all, my lady, or shall I expect more deviousness from you two children?"
Picking up one of the tea cups, Tabitha took a sip, folding her hand around its warmth and giggled. "No no, I think we've played enough dear Augustus, but I hoped you'd join us. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you to take a look at this drawing we've been studying over and tell me if anything comes to you. "
"Certainly, Ms. Tabitha, I'd be happy to help if I can."
Easing his way around the desk, Augustus peered down at the drawing Lexington had made the previous evening. He squinted a bit more as he leaned down to get a better look. "I seem to have left my reading glasses in the kitchen."
Lexington handed Augustus a large magnifying glass as he explained. "We realize it's a wheel of some sort, and of course, a traingle or pyramid in the middle. We just can't find a reference to anything that would help us track down its origins. "
Looking back up at them both, a worrisome expression came across Augustus' dark face. "Where did you get this?"
Tabitha became more concerned, noticing the old man's change in demeanor and shared more details about the previous evening's encounters. When she mentioned the brands on the werewolves' corpses, Augustus bit his lip in thought. Shaking his head as he rubbed the indented bridge of his nose, he once more hovered the magnifying glass over the insignia to take another look. Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight again and walked back around in front of the desk. Both Tabitha and Lexington watched him curiously as he began.
"The wheel has nine spokes, as you both have no doubt ascertained." They represent The Nine, the nine unknown men. The pyramid isn't as old, but it represents the Enlightened Ones. Your mother and father both fought not only lycans, but also vampires and demons associated with these societies. They're both very powerful and cunning in their own right. The distressing thing here is that I've never seen them together like this. This is a first. "
Tabitha and Lexington looked at each other, then pulled out various books and scrolls they hoped might help them gain more knowledge about each of these organizations.
Taking a seat, Augustus watched as both of them scurried about the library. "Your parents would have kept a record of their encounters with these cults, Ms. Tabitha. Have you looked in your father's chest? It's on the other side of the room with his armor and weapons. The display"
"Oh, that's it, of course! Why didn't I think of that?! Thank you, Augustus!"
Tabitha ran across the room and began to rummage through the old travel chest. She pulled three dusty journals from its innards, then walked briskly back across the long rug that ran down the length of the library exclaiming. "I have them!"
⚜️Augustus stayed a while longer to answer as many of their questions as he could, but as the night wore on it was obvious the old gentleman was very tired. Smiling at him, Tabitha leaned up, catching his weary gaze.
"Augusutus, you should get some sleep. We'll tidy up here. You've been more than helpful. Thank you."
She helped him up to his feet and before he walked away the old man smiled and turned to look back. "I was glad to be of service Ms. Tabitha. Do be careful my dear, and you as well, Master Lexington."
He turned away again and slowly walked out of the immense library. By the time he'd reached the double doors that led to the castle's main hall, the duo could faintly see his siloette. When the door closed, a loud thud echoed down the long room, and Lexington looked up at Tabitha. "You said nothing to him about the werewolf speaking to us, my lady."
Still peering toward the end of the great chamber where Augustus's form had faded into darkness, Tabitha nodded, considering the question. "I thought not to Lex. He seemed so troubled by what we'd discovered that I didn't want to worry him more. "
Lexington nodded in response and turned a page in the book he was holding.
⚜️They'd learned a great deal with Augustus' help. They'd discovered that The Nine were a secret society appointed by King Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty in India. They'd also learned that the other society or cult known as the Enlightened had begun in Germany in the latter part of the 18th century. What they didn't know was how either group was tied to the werewolves they'd destroyed the night before. And how was it that they were both represented in a single tattoo?
"What now, my lady? What's our next course of action? "
Walking away from the desk, she folded her arms under her breast and thought. When she turned, she stared at him, still in thought before answering. "Tomorrow you'll go to town and send a telegraph to Cardinal Antonio in Rome. The Catholic church has some influence in India. We'll ask if he has a safe contact in Calcutta."
"Do I say more, Ms. Tabitha? About the brands or about the male lycan who spoke to us? "
Tabitha sat down across from the desk, resting her chin against her hand. She pondered it for a moment before answering. "I thought about that. And no, not yet. I trust the Cardinal, but it's a long way from here to Rome. And besides, I don't trust the whole church, Lex. Do you?"
"No, Ms. I do not. "
Standing, Tabitha walked to the desk and reached down to sip her tea. "Oh no! It's cold. "
"I can warm it for you, Ms. Tabitha." Lexington offered
"No, dear Askil, I wouldn't ask you to do that."
Tabitha giggled a bit, knowing full well he would rather be called Lexington than by his Berber name. She continued, ignoring him as he sat back down, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Besides, it's very late and we have a lot of research to do, and a good deal of planning. This will be a long voyage."
"Yes, My Lady,"
Tabitha drifted off a moment, in thought again. Augustus had looked very old and worn this evening. Somehow she hadn't noticed it until now.
Dismissing the unpleasantness of the image, she smiled and turned briskly as she spoke, "I'll tell Augustus in the morning so he and Lottie can alert the staff. "Don't stay up too late, Askil...I mean Lexington!."
With that, she snickered and turned.
"One last dig before bedtime my lady?"
"One last dig Askil."
🐺🐺🐺🐺
Continued in Chapter 7 Ad Mortem
⭐Of course I would like to thank my friend Marcus Strong
Thank you so much Marcus! Hugs!. 💓
⭐I'd also like to thank my friend Mr. Croco aka Westley aka Mr. W. You're awesome babes! 💓
🌳Taken at Coven Of Crows
Also a special thank you to Sena who owns Coven of Crows and allows us to take photos on her sim without asking us for a thing. She's very special and so is her sim.
Also you can check out some of the awesome captures others have done at Coven of Crows in the groups Flickr, Coven of Crows SL🐈
Title.
Between the puddle and the sun.
( iPhone 13 Pro shot )
March 13th. 2025. Sanmu City. Chiba Prefecture. Japan. … 1 / 1
(Today's photo. It is unpublished.)
Images.
Slow Pulp - Idaho (Live on KEXP at Home)
youtu.be/PmU9vtEXBF4?si=0dVQw_Mt-LShSJp9
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“A.I. - About Apple’s Identity”
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54271473379/in/dateposted...
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### Will Apple Listen to Mark Zuckerberg’s Criticism?
I Don’t Think So—At Least Not for Someone Enchanted by the Apple Vision Pro.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, recently appeared on a well-known podcast, where he criticized Apple for failing to release an innovative product since the iPhone and for experiencing a decline in sales.
Appearing on a podcast originating from Apple and then proceeding to criticize the company might seem like a lighthearted joke, but I believe he was serious.
Why? Because he now wields a weapon—the AR glasses.
With the support of various institutions and a team of highly skilled professionals, he has likely achieved some notable milestones. Yet, as someone who has been a devoted Apple user since the PowerBook 540c, I still do not sense any real craftsmanship or identity in what he creates.
This sentiment extends to other IT giants that currently dominate the world—Meta, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, and Google.
Just by listing their names, readers of this text are likely already picturing their respective CEOs.
In the past, I wrote that Steve Jobs was not an artist.
What he excelled at was weaving together scattered ideas from across the world, expanding upon them, and linking them to the future.
The true creator was Jonathan Ive.
A minority of people may share this perspective with me.
However, when I see these IT moguls quickly shifting their corporate stances the moment the possibility of Trump returning to power emerges, I feel compelled to speak my mind.
The AR glasses, the cars—everything they create lacks a fundamental concept.
Call it ideology or, in lighter terms, identity.
It is true that Tim Cook and Apple’s current team have become more prone to letting slip details about upcoming products before their official release.
I have always loved music.
Artists shut themselves in a studio, cutting off the outside world, pouring their anger, hatred, joy, and sorrow into each note with intense focus.
It’s as if they are entrusting something to their music.
And when they finally release their album, they explain the emotions and thoughts behind its creation.
(Prince, whom I admire, rarely spoke about his work, so understanding his art required engaging with the final product itself.)
Until an album is complete and released, artists say nothing.
It was those artists who moved me to my core.
The faint glow of Apple’s innovation still remains within me.
Not even last year’s widely criticized "failure"—the Apple Vision Pro—could extinguish it.
In fact, it shines even brighter than the iPhone.
Because beyond its cutting-edge electronic components, I can sense a concept, an ideology.
Unfortunately, I will never feel the same from Meta’s AR glasses or Tesla’s cars.
I have written at length, but here is the key article:
**Tim Cook Donates Over $1.5 Million to Trump’s Inauguration Ceremony**
🔗 [Gigazine Article](gigazine.net/news/20250104-apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-m...)
At first glance, this might make it seem like Tim Cook, like other tech CEOs, has sold his soul. But that is not the case.
While Cook personally donated to Trump, Apple itself did not follow the same path as other companies.
Apple refused to bow to Trump.
If asked what Apple’s ideology truly is, I would answer this:
**Apple is a group of individuals who believe in themselves.**
Steve Jobs, watching from heaven, is probably chuckling at this overly serious text I wrote.
A company that does not pander to Trump—
That is Apple. :)
### January 15
After reading a heartwarming article.
**Mitsushiro Nakagawa**
---
**Postscript:**
Corrections made:
Before: "Appearing on Apple's podcast"
After: "Appearing on a podcast originating from Apple"
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:
Photo Music and iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/photo-music/pl.u-Eg8qefpy8Xz
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消えた境界線から生まれたもの ～ 去ってゆく川村記念美術館を振り返って ～
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54020588671/in/dateposted...
What Emerged from the Vanishing Boundaries~ Reflecting on the Departing Kawamura Memorial Museum ~
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54020588671/in/dateposted...
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8mm film of our honeymoon resurrected after decades.
youtu.be/zH-dG7bMeL4?si=yLF5_f1m-LhAVdPp
We found the 8mm film of our honeymoon for the first time in decades, and burned it onto a DVD.
On June 6, 1993, we got married, and headed straight to Nassau, Bahamas, via New York.
Our destination was the pink sand beach where the late Princess Diana went on her honeymoon.
If you're heading to the Bahamas, this might be a good reference.
The hotel we stayed at was the Ramada Hotel, which no longer exists.
My wife is showing us the hotel room.
But now you can see the beautiful scenery in real time.
When I played the DVD that arrived, it showed footage of our arrival in the Bahamas.
Please take a look if you'd like.
This time, we asked Fujifilm to make the DVD.
I'll post the link below.
Digitize videos and photos and convert them to DVDs | Fujifilm
fujifilmmall.jp/conversion/?_gl=1*1smvac9*_gcl_au*NTA1NDU....
#Bahamas #Nassau #PinkSandBeach #Honeymoon #1993
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Important Notices.
I have relaxed the following conditions.
I will distribute my T-shirt to the world for free.
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50656401427/in/dateposted-p...
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50613367691/in/dateposted-p...
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Exhibition in 2025
Theme
The Nightfly
Images
Donald Fagen … I.G.Y.
youtu.be/Ueivjr3f8xg?si=xmqGPQjyIKoTs4Q5
Live.
youtu.be/Di0_KYtmVKI?si=CLFpU2n0gXahqLPB
Mitsushiro - Nakagawa
Organizer
Design Festa
Location
Tokyo Big Sight
Date
Autumn 2025.
exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com
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Notice regarding "Lot No.402_”.
From now on I will host "Lot No.402_".
The work of Leonardo da Vinci who was sleeping.
That is the number when it was put up for auction.
No sign was written on the work.
So this work couldn't conclude that it was his work.
However # as a result of various appraisals # it was exposed to the sun.
A work that no one notices. A work that speaks quietly without a title.
I will continue to strive to provide it to many people in various ways.
October 24 2020 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot No. 402 _.Copyright©︎2025 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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Profile.
In November 2014 # we caught the attention of the party selected to undertake the publicity for a mobile phone that changed the face of the world with just a single model # and will conclude a confidentiality agreement with them.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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Here’s a translated version with a style suitable for a news site introduction:
---
### **Interview and Novel: My Work**
I published a book in the past.
At that time, I uploaded my interview as a PDF online, both in Japanese and English.
Now, I am making it available for free.
More details can be found on Amazon.
**Writing a Novel.**
**Photography Techniques.**
**The Sense of Distance Between the Creator and the Work.**
These all share a common theme.
I put into words the things I felt and left them behind as a record.
I hope my text reaches many readers.
Thank you.
**Mitsushiro**
🔗 **[Access the Files Here](drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...)**
### **Contents**
📄 **1. Interview (English Version)**
📖 **2. Novel: *Unforgettable* (English Version)**
📄 **3. Interview (Japanese Version)**
📖 **4. Novel: *Unforgettable* (Japanese Version)**
*(This novel is dedicated to future artists.)*
*(456 pages in Japanese manuscript format.)*
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
---
### **Synopsis**
Kei Kitami, a student preparing for university entrance exams, meets Kaori Kamimura, an event companion six years his senior, through social media.
Kaori has come to Tokyo with a dream—to befriend famous artists.
To achieve this, she needs the influence of Ryo Osawa, a well-known radio producer.
During a live radio broadcast, Osawa speaks directly to Kaori:
*"I have a wife and child. But still, I want to see you."*
Meanwhile, Rika Sanjo, Kei’s classmate who secretly harbors feelings for him, is closely watching Kaori’s every move...
---
Main story
There are two reasons why a person faces the sea.
One to enjoy a slice of shine in the sea like children bubbling over in the beach.
The other to brush the dust of memory like an old man who misses old days staring at the shine
quietly.
Those lead to only one meaning though they do not seem to overlap. It’s a rebirth.
I face myself to change tomorrow a vague day into something certain.
That is the meaning of a rebirth.
I had a very sweet girlfriend when I was 18.
After she left I knew the meaning of gentleness for the first time and also a true pain of loss. After
she left # how many times did I depend too much on her # doubt her # envy her and keep on telling lies
until I realized it is love?
I wonder whether a nobody like me could have given something to her who was struggling in the
daily life in those days. Giving something is arrogant conceit. It is nothing but self-satisfaction.
I had been thinking about such a thing.
However I guess what she saw in me was because I had nothing. That‘s why she tried to see
something in me. Perhaps she found a slight possibility in me # a guy filled with ambiguous unstable
tomorrow. But I wasted days depending too much on her gentleness.
Now I finally can convey how I felt in those days when we met.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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iBooks. Electronic Publishing. It is free now.
0.about the iBooks.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
1.unforgettable '(ENG.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216576828?ls=1&...
2.unforgettable '(JNP.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216584262?ls=1&...
3. Streamlined trajectory.(For Japanese only.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/%E6%B5%81%E7%B7%9A%E5%BD%A2%E3%8... =11
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My Novel : Unforgettable'
(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
Kei Kitami, a student preparing for university entrance exams, meets Kaori Kamimura, an event companion six years his senior, through social media.
Kaori has come to Tokyo with a dream—to befriend famous artists.
To achieve this, she needs the influence of Ryo Osawa, a well-known radio producer.
During a live radio broadcast, Osawa speaks directly to Kaori:
*"I have a wife and child. But still, I want to see you."*
Meanwhile, Rika Sanjo, Kei’s classmate who secretly harbors feelings for him, is closely watching Kaori’s every move...
Mitsushiro Nakagawa
All Translated by Yumi Ikeda .
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon Live in Dublin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
Main story
There are two reasons why a person faces the sea.
One to enjoy a slice of shine in the sea like children bubbling over in the beach.
The other to brush the dust of memory like an old man who misses old days staring at the shine
quietly.
Those lead to only one meaning though they do not seem to overlap. It’s a rebirth.
I face myself to change tomorrow a vague day into something certain.
That is the meaning of a rebirth.
I had a very sweet girlfriend when I was 18.
After she left I knew the meaning of gentleness for the first time and also a true pain of loss. After
she left # how many times did I depend too much on her # doubt her # envy her and keep on telling lies
until I realized it is love?
I wonder whether a nobody like me could have given something to her who was struggling in the
daily life in those days. Giving something is arrogant conceit. It is nothing but self-satisfaction.
I had been thinking about such a thing.
However I guess what she saw in me was because I had nothing. That‘s why she tried to see
something in me. Perhaps she found a slight possibility in me # a guy filled with ambiguous unstable
tomorrow. But I wasted days depending too much on her gentleness.
Now I finally can convey how I felt in those days when we met.
1/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24577016535/in/dateposted...
2/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24209330259/in/dateposted...
3/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/23975215274/in/dateposted...
4/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24515964952/in/dateposted...
5/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24276473749/in/dateposted...
6/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24548895082/in/dateposted...
7/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24594603711/in/dateposted...
8/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24588215562/in/dateposted...
9/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24100804163/in/dateposted...
Fin.
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
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Title of my book : unforgettable'
Author : Mitsushiro Nakagawa
Out Now.
ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
in Amazon.
Unforgettable’ amzn.asia/d/eG1wNc5
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The schedule of the next novel.
Still would stand all time. (Unforgettable '2)
(It will not go away forever)
Please give me some more time. That is Japanese.
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My Works.
1 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48072442376/in/dateposted...
2 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48078949821/in/dateposted...
3 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48085863356/in/dateposted...
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Do you want to hear my voice?
:)
1
About the composition of the picture posted to Flicker. First type.
2
About the composition of the picture posted to Flicker. Second type.
3
About when I started Fotolog. Architect 's point of view.
4
Why did not you have a camera so far?
5
What is the coolest thing? The photo is as it is.
6
About the current YouTube bar. I also want to tell # I want to leave.
7
About Japanese photographers. Japanese YouTube bar is Pistols.
8
The composition of the photograph is sensibility. Meet the designers in Milan. Two questions.
9
What is a good composition? What is a bad composition?
10
What is the time to point the camera? It is slow if you are looking into the viewfinder or display.
11
Family photos. I can not take pictures with others. The inside of the subject.
12
About YouTube 's photographer. Camera technology etc. Sensibility is polished by reading books.
13
About the Japanese newspaper. A picture of a good newspaper is Reuters. If you continue to look at useless photographs # it will be useless.
14
About Japanese photographers. About the exhibition.
Summary. I wrote a novel etc. What I want to tell the most.
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I talked about how to make a work.
About work production 1/2
About work production 2/2
1 Photo exhibition up to that point. Did you want to go?
2 Well # what is an exhibition that you want to visit even if you go there?
3 Challenge to exhibit one work every month before opening a solo exhibition at the Harajuku Design Festa.
4 works are materials and silhouettes. Similar to fashion.
5 Who is your favorite artist? What is it? Make it clear.
6 Creating a collage is exactly the same as taking photos. As I wrote in the interview # it is the same as writing a novel.
7 I want to show it to someone # but I do not make a piece to show it. Aim for the work you want to decorate your own room as in the photo.
8 What is copycat? Nowadays # it is suspected to be beaten. There is something called Mimesis?
kotobank.jp/word/Mimesis-139464
9 What is Individuality? What is originality?
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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Explanation of composition. 2
1.Composition explanation 2 ... 1/4
2.Composition explanation 2 ... 2/4
3.Composition Explanation 2 ... 3/4
4.Composition Explanation 2 ... 4/4
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My shutter feeling.
Today's photo.
It is a photo taken from Eurostar.
This video is an explanation.
I went to Milan in 2005.
At that time # I went from Milan to Venice.
We took Eurostar into the transportation.
This photo was not taken from a very fast Eurostar.
When I changed the track # I took a picture at the moment I slowed down.
Is there a Japanese beside you?
Please have my video translated.
:)
In the Eurostar to Venice . 2005. shot ... 1 / 2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/49127115021/in/dateposted...
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Miles Davis sheet 1955-1976.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/
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instagram.
www.instagram.com/mitsushiro_nakagawa/
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Pinterest.
www.pinterest.jp/MitsushiroNakagawa/
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YouPic
youpic.com/photographer/mitsushironakagawa/
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twitter.
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facebook.
www.facebook.com/mitsushiro.nakagawa
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threads.
www.threads.net/@mitsushiro_nakagawa
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Blue sky.
bsky.app/profile/mitsushironakagawa.bsky.social
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Amazon.
www.amazon.co.jp/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHSKI3YMYPYE5UE...
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My statistics (as of December 15, 2024)
How many views have you had on Flickr and Youpic
Flickr 24,260,172 Views
Youpic 7,957,826 Views
x.com/mitsushiro/status/1868185157909582014
My statistics (as of August 1, 2024)
How many views have I had on Flickr and Youpic
Flickr 23,192,383 Views
Youpic 7,574,603 Views
My statistics. (As of February 7, 2024)
What is the number of accesses to Flickr and YouPic
Flickr 21,694,434 Views
Youpic 7,003,230 Views
What is the number of accesses to Flickr and YouPic?
(As of November 13, 2023)
Flickr 20,852,872 View
Youpic 6,671,486 View
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Japanese is the following.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
Title of my book unforgettable' Mitsushiro Nakagawa Out Now. ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot No. 204 _ . Copyright©︎2024 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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Title.
水たまりと太陽の間に。
( iPhone 13 Pro shot )
３月１３日。２０２５。山武市。千葉県。日本。 … 1 / 1
(今日の写真。それは未発表です。）
Images.
Slow Pulp - Idaho (Live on KEXP at Home)
youtu.be/PmU9vtEXBF4?si=0dVQw_Mt-LShSJp9
::写真の音楽とiTunesプレイリストをリンク::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/photo-music/pl.u-Eg8qefpy8Xz
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重要なお知らせ。
僕は以下の条件を緩和します。
僕はTシャツを無料で世界中へ配布します。
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50656401427/in/dateposted-p...
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50613367691/in/dateposted-p...
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２０２5年の展示
テーマ
The Nightfly
Images
Donald Fagen … I.G.Y.
youtu.be/Ueivjr3f8xg?si=xmqGPQjyIKoTs4Q5
Live.
youtu.be/Di0_KYtmVKI?si=CLFpU2n0gXahqLPB
Mitsushiro - Nakagawa
主催
デザインフェスタ
場所
東京ビッグサイト
日程
2025年 秋。
exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com
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タイトル
“” A.I. アップルのアイデンティティについて””
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54271473379/in/dateposted...
マークザッカーバーグ氏の批判に、アップルは耳を傾けるだろうか。
僕にはそう思えない。アップルヴィジョンプロに夢を見せられた僕には。
メタのマークザッカーバーグ氏は、有名なポッドキャストに出演し、アップルはアイフォン以来革新的な製品を発売せず、売り上げも落ちていると批判したようだ。
アップル発祥のポッドキャストに現れ、アップルを批判すると言うのは軽いジョークに思えるが、真剣に訴えたんだろうと僕は思う。
なぜなら、今の彼はARグラスという武器を手にしているからだ。
おそらく、さまざまな関係機関や優秀なスタッフが彼を支え、それなりの目標を達成したんだろうが、パワーブック５４０cから使い続けてきた僕のような古いアップルファンからしてみれば、まだ物作りのアイデンティを彼からはまったく感じない。
これは他の、現在世界を制覇しているIT企業らも含む。
メタ、アマゾン、テスラ。マイクロソフト。グーグル。
社名が並ぶだけで、このテキストを読まれている方は名前と顔をすでに浮かべているはずだ。
僕は以前、スティーブ・ジョブズはアーティストではないと書いた。
彼は、現世界に散らばったイメージを紡ぎ合わせ、それを膨らます。そして未来へリンクさせる。それが得意だっただけだ。
実際に創作していたのはジョナサンアイブだ。少数ながらも僕のような意見を持っている方もいるだろう。
しかし、先述したIT関連の面々が、トランプ氏に再び権力が戻るとなった途端に会社の方針を覆す様子を見ていると、僕は一言、どうしても意見したいのだ。
彼らが作ったARグラスや車などには、肝心な観念が欠けている。思想という重い言葉や、軽めのアイデンティティと言い換えてもいい。
確かに、ティムクック氏やアップルの現在のスタッフらは、発売前の商品に関して口を滑らせることが多くなった。
僕は、以前から書いているように音楽が大好きだ。
外界を断ち、アーティストらがスタジオにこもって、怒りや憎しみ、喜びや悲しみを一心不乱になって一音に吹き込む。何かを託すと言ってもいい。
そして、完成したアルバムを発表し、どんな思いを込めて制作したのかを語る。（僕が好きなプリンスはほとんど語らなかったので、完成された作品を理解する必要があった）
アルバムが完成し、発表するまで、彼らはひとことも語らない。
僕の胸を震わせたのは、そんなアーティストらだった。
僕の中に淡く灯っているアップルの革新性は、いまでも消えていない。
それは昨年、大失敗だと批判されたアップルヴィジョンプロでさえも消すことはできない。むしろ、アイフォン以上の強烈な光を放っている。
ただの斬新な電化製品ではなく、細かな電気部品の向こうに観念や思想を感じるからだ。
残念ながら、メタのARグラスやテスラの車に、僕がその観念や思想を感じることは今後もないだろう。
長々と書いてきたが、結論は以下の記事だ。
1.5億円超をAppleのティム・クックCEOがトランプの大統領就任式に寄付
gigazine.net/news/20250104-apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-m...
一読すると、ティムクック氏も他のIT会社同様、魂を売ったのかと思われるがそうではない。
ティムクック氏は個人的にトランプ氏へ献金をするが、アップル社だけは他社と同じようには献金していない。
アップルは、トランプ氏になびかなかったのだ。
アップル社の観念や思想とは、具体的に何かと訊かれたら、僕はこう答える。
アップルとは、自分自身を信じる人間が集まっているグループだ。
たぶん、天国のスティーブ・ジョブズは、僕がクソ真面目に書いたテキストを、鼻で笑っていることだろう。
トランプ氏に媚びない会社。
それがAppleさ。:)
１月１５日
嬉しい記事を読んだ後で。
Mitsushiro Nakagawa.
追記。
修正しました。
修正前 アップルのポッドキャストに現れ、
修正後 アップル発祥のポッドキャストに現れ、
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新婚旅行の8mmフィルムを数十年ぶりに復活😃
youtu.be/zH-dG7bMeL4?si=yLF5_f1m-LhAVdPp
新婚旅行の8mmフィルムが数十年ぶりに出てきて、DVDに焼きました。
１９９３年６月６日、僕らは結婚し、そのままニューヨークを経由して、バハマのナッソーへ向かいました。
目的地は、亡くなられたダイアナ妃が新婚旅行へ向かったピンクサンドビーチです。
もしもこれからバハマへ向かうならば、参考に見てもよいかもしれません。
泊まったホテルは、今はもうないラマダホテル。
妻がホテルの部屋を紹介しています。
でも、今はリアルタイムで美しい景色が見られますね。
届いたDVDを再生したら、バハマに到着したところからの映像でした。
もしもよかったら見てください。
今回、DVD化を依頼した場所は、富士フィルムさんです。
下にリンクを貼っておきます。
ビデオや写真をデータ化しDVDに変換 | 富士フイルム
fujifilmmall.jp/conversion/?_gl=1*1smvac9*_gcl_au*NTA1NDU....
#バハマ #ナッソー #ピンクサンドビーチ #新婚旅行 #1993
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” Lot No.402_ ” に関するお知らせ。
今後、僕は、” Lot No.402_ ”を主催します。
このロットナンバーは、眠っていたレオナルドダヴィンチの作品がオークションにかけらた際に付されたものです。
作品にはサインなどがいっさい記されていなかったため、彼の作品だと断定できませんでした。
しかし、様々な鑑定の結果、陽の光を浴びました。
誰にも気づかれない作品。肩書がなくとも静かに語りかける作品。
僕はこれから様々な形で、多くの皆様に提供できるよう努めてゆきます。
2020年10月24日 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Copyright©︎2021 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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プロフィール
2014年11月、たった1機種で世界を塗り替えた携帯電話の広告を請け負った選考者の目に留まり、秘密保持同意書を結ぶ。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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インタビューと小説。
僕の本について。
僕は、昔に本を出版しました。
その際に、僕のインタビューをPDFでネット上へアップロードしていました。
その日本語と英語。
僕は、無料でを公開します。
詳細は、アマゾンのサイトへ解説しました。
小説の書き方。
写真の撮影方法。
作品への距離感。
これらはすべて共通項があります。
僕は、僕が感じたことを文章にして、残しました。
僕のテキストが多くの人に読んでもらえることを望みます。
ありがとう。
Mitsushiro.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
１ インタビュー 英語版
２ 小説。unforgettable’ 英語版。
３ インタビュー 日本語版
４ 小説。unforgettable’ 日本語版。(この小説は未来のアーティストへ捧げます)
(四百字詰め原稿用紙４５６枚)
あらすじ
大学を目指している北見ケイは、SNS上で、6歳年上のイベントコンパニオン、上村香織に出会う。
上京してきた香織の夢は、有名なアーティストの友達になるためだ。
そのためにはラジオ局のプロデューサー、大沢亮の存在が必要だった。
大沢は、ラジオの生放送中、香織へ語りかける。
「僕には妻子がある。しかし、僕は君に会いたいと思っている」
ケイの同級生で、彼を想っている三條里香は、香織の動向を探っていた。。。。。
本編
人が海へ向かう理由には、二つある。
ひとつは、波打ち際ではしゃぐ子供のように、今の瞬間の海の輝きを楽しむこと。
もうひとつは、その輝きを静かに見据えて、過ぎ去った日々を懐かしむ老人のように記憶の埃を払うこと。
二つは重なり合わないようではあるけれども、たったひとつの意味しか生まない。
再生だ。
明日っていう、曖昧な日を確実なものへと変えてゆくために、自分の存在に向き合う。
それが再生の意味だ。
十八歳だった僕には大切な人がいた。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
５ 流線形の軌跡。 日本語のみ。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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iBooks.電子出版。（現在は無料）
0.about the iBooks.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
1.unforgettable’ ( ENG.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216576828?ls=1&...
2.unforgettable’ ( JNP.ver.)(この小説は未来のアーティストへ捧げます)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216584262?ls=1&...
3.流線形の軌跡。
itunes.apple.com/us/book/%E6%B5%81%E7%B7%9A%E5%BD%A2%E3%8...
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僕の小説。英語版
My Novel Unforgettable' (This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
Mitsushiro Nakagawa
All Translated by Yumi Ikeda .
1/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24577016535/in/dateposted...
2/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24209330259/in/dateposted...
3/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/23975215274/in/dateposted...
4/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24515964952/in/dateposted...
5/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24276473749/in/dateposted...
6/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24548895082/in/dateposted...
7/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24594603711/in/dateposted...
8/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24588215562/in/dateposted...
9/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24100804163/in/dateposted...
Fin.
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon Live in Dublin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
_________________________________
_________________________________
Title of my book : unforgettable'
Author : Mitsushiro Nakagawa
Out Now.
ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
in Amazon.
Unforgettable’ amzn.asia/d/eG1wNc5
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
僕の作品。
1 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48072442376/in/dateposted...
2 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48078949821/in/dateposted...
3 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48085863356/in/dateposted...
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あなたは僕の声を聞きたいですか？
:)
1
フリッカーへ投稿した写真の構図について。１種類目。
2
フリッカーへ投稿した写真の構図について。２種類目。
3
Fotologを始めた時について。 建築家の視点。
4
なぜ、今までカメラを手にしなかったのか？
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何が一番かっこいいのか？ 写真はありのままに。
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現在のユーチューバーについて。僕も伝え、残したい。
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日本人の写真家について。日本のユーチューバーはピストルズ。
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写真の構図は、感性。ミラノのデザイナーに会って。二つの質問。
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良い構図とは？ 悪い構図とは？
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カメラを向ける時とは？ ファインダーやディスプレイを覗いていては遅い。
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家族写真。他人では撮れない。被写体の内面。
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ユーチューブの写真家について。カメラの技術等。感性は、本を読むことで磨く。
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日本の新聞について。良い新聞の写真はロイター。ダメな写真を見続けるとダメになる。
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日本の写真家について。その展示について。
まとめ。僕が書いた小説など。僕が最も伝えたいこと。
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作品制作について 1/2
作品制作について 2/2
１ それまでの写真展。自分は行きたいと思ったか？
２ じゃ、自分が足を運んででも行きたい展示とは何か？
３ 原宿デザインフェスタで個展を開くまでに、毎月ひとつの作品を展示することにチャレンジ。
４ 作品とは、素材とシルエット。ファッションと似ている。
５ 自分が好きなアーティストは誰か？ どんなものなのか？ そこをはっきりさせる。
６ コラージュの作成も写真の撮り方と全く同じ。インタビューに書いたように小説の書き方とも同じ。
７ 誰かに見せたい、見せるがために作品は作らない。写真と同じように自分の部屋に飾りたい作品を目指す。
８ パクリとは何か？ 昨今、叩かれるパクリ疑惑。ミメーシスとは？
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ミメーシス
https://kotobank.jp/word/ミメーシス-139464
９ 個性とはなにか？ オリジナリティってなに？
おまけ 眞子さまについて
という流れです。
お時間がある方は是非聴いてください。
:)
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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構図の解説２
1.構図の解説２ ... 1/4
2.構図の解説２ ... 2/4
3.構図の解説２ ... 3/4
4.構図の解説２ ... 4/4
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僕のシャッター感覚
In the Eurostar to Venice . 2005. shot ... 1 / 2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/49127115021/in/dateposted...
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Miles Davis sheet 1955-1976.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/
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YouTube.
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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instagram.
www.instagram.com/mitsushiro_nakagawa/
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Pinterest.
www.pinterest.jp/MitsushiroNakagawa/
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YouPic
youpic.com/photographer/mitsushironakagawa/
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fotolog
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twitter.
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facebook.
www.facebook.com/mitsushiro.nakagawa
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threads.
www.threads.net/@mitsushiro_nakagawa
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Blue sky.
bsky.app/profile/mitsushironakagawa.bsky.social
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Amazon.
www.amazon.co.jp/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHSKI3YMYPYE5UE...
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僕の統計。（2024年12月15日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 24,260,172 View
Youpic 7,957,826 View
x.com/mitsushiro/status/1868185157909582014
僕の統計。（2024年8月1日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 23,192,383 View
Youpic 7,574,603 View
僕の統計。（2024年2月7日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 21,694,434 View
Youpic 7,003,230 View
僕の統計。（2023年11月13日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 20,852,872 View
Youpic 6,671,486 View
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Japanese is the following.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
Title of my book unforgettable' Mitsushiro Nakagawa Out Now. ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot no.204_ . Copyright©︎2020 Lot no.204_ All rights reserved.
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” Lot No.402_ ” に関するお知らせ。
今後、僕は、” Lot No.402_ ”を主催します。
このロットナンバーは、眠っていたレオナルドダヴィンチの作品がオークションにかけらた際に付されたものです。
作品にはサインなどがいっさい記されていなかったため、彼の作品だと断定できませんでした。
しかし、様々な鑑定の結果、陽の光を浴びました。
誰にも気づかれない作品。肩書がなくとも静かに語りかける作品。
僕はこれから様々な形で、多くの皆様に提供できるよう努めてゆきます。
2020年10月24日 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Copyright©︎2024 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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Another striking woman! This time the dominant warm colour is yellow and the artist’s self portrait is a direct reference to one I’ve already shown you, George Lambert’s “Self-portrait with gladioli” (1922). Mind you Wendy Sharpe is still just peering out at us from the right. It’s a world of competitive gazes in here. So who is this stunning person before us? She’s Yvette Coppersmith, Melbourne portrait artist. With this work, “Self-portrait, after George Lambert”, she became the tenth woman to win the Archibald. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/artboards/archie-100/recasting-...
Two other works of note in the room behind us. Music lovers will recognise pianist David Helfgott, whose story was told to the world in the Oscar winning film, “Shine” (1996). Cherry Hood entered this portrait in 2009.
“Hood’s portrayal, while suggesting her subject’s fragile mental state, is also a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit. Hood recalled: ‘His extraordinary music merges with his powerful magical persona to give his audience a most moving and lingering gift’.” www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/artboards/archie-100/what-lies-...
The triptych in the corner is Brett Whiteley’s starkly honest self portrait, “Art, life and the other thing”. It won the Archibald Prize in 1978, even though many people prefer the blue tones of his 1976 winner, “Self-portrait in the studio”. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1976/
But not for me. This one is so excruciatingly honest and so full of meaning that it wins me over every time. In fact you’ll note I used a part of this triptych in relation to Ben Quilty’s war painting the other day.
I’m sure I don’t need to explain who Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) was. At his prime Australia’s most famous contemporary artist. Even the band Dire Straits used part of his masterpiece, “Alchemy”, on the cover of their double album of the same name. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/348.1998.a-r/
The “other thing” in Whiteley’s title was simply the succubus mistress of his life: Heroin. In the end, as prophesied in this work, heroin was what did him in. After a long struggle of trying to break the cycle of drug addiction, Whiteley was found dead in a dingy motel room with a bag full of syringes. If ever we needed a memento mori for modern life, this painting is it.
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/artboards/archie-100/what-lies-...
Like the nebula that remains after a star goes supernova, we are witnessing something more down-to-earth: a mini Gerbera Daisy. Fluorescing under UV light, this flower is transformed from a cute ornamental flower into something out of this world. A shot of the flower, as it normally looks, can be seen here: donkom.ca/bts/PDKP8850.jpg
While many flowers fluoresce, Gerbera Daisies are tricky. They usually fluoresce very dimly prior to their pollen emerging. Running to the store and buying some of these flowers would result in an immediate disappointment. Play the long game – cut the stems very short and place them in water that has a packet of “plant food” added. As the flowers mature, the light show will begin.
This type of photography does not require anything special in terms of camera equipment. No special filters, lenses or modifications to the camera. You simply need a good quality UV flashlight (I like the “Convoy S2”, can be purchased here: www.midnightminerals.com/product-page/WTC-CONVOY-S2-1750MA ) and a room with little or no ambient light. The UV light hits the atoms on the flower which get excited from the high-energy light, resulting in the electrons very briefly rising to a higher orbit. They almost instantaneously decay back to their original orbits, giving off a lower-energy wavelength of light in the process. By this process, UV light is transformed in to visible light, a phenomenon called “UltraViolet Induced Visible Fluorescence”, or UVIVF. In simple terms, you do not need anything special beyond a UV light because you are effectively capturing visible light in the end.
Because the flowers can be quite large, a macro lens isn’t always a requirement. This was taken with the Lumix S1R and the 24-105 F/4 lens. I focus stacked this image from 20 frames. That was likely overkill, but it’s easy to shoot more frames than you need when using an automated focusing rail. A NOVOFLEX Castel-Micro was used here. I will often handhold the camera for focus stacking, but when it comes to UVIVF images, the shutter speed is often too slow to do this. The exposure was ISO 100, F/4, and 0.4sec. It’s helpful to shoot at your base ISO setting if possible to allow for the greatest dynamic range to be captured. Images such as this often have very deep shadows and extremely bright highlights and it can take a bit of “pixel massaging” in Photoshop to get everything to find a balance.
In the end, I used three LED flashlights to get my shutter speed as fast as 0.4sec. You’ll want to place them as close as possible to the subject while not physically blocking the camera. Referencing the “inverse square law”, even a small shift to being closer to the subject at this scale can mean a significant increase in exposure. Here’s a behind-the-scenes view of the setup: donkom.ca/bts/IMG_0441.jpg - if I put the flashlights any closer, the spread of light would have been too narrow to cover the entire surface of the flower. Get your lights as close as possible without breaking the image. :)
For these ultraviolet photography tips and more, check out my upcoming book! It is off the press and being bound right now, and I expect to be shipping them out very very soon. The eBook is available for immediate download. As soon as the book starts shipping, the current discounts expire and the prices go up to full retail value.
eBook: skycrystals.ca/product/pre-order-ebook-edition-macro-phot...
Hardcover: skycrystals.ca/product/pre-order-macro-photography-the-un...
Visitors can be seen walking along the Almannagjá Gorge in Þingvellir National Park in southwest Iceland. The cliff walls towering over them consist of stacks of numerous, successive basalt flows. Each layer in the stack is an individual lava lobe.
The entire Þingvellir region is located in a rift valley created by the drifting apart of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The tectonic plates are drifting in opposite directions at the rate of 7 mm (0.276 in) annually. Almannagjá lies along the North American plate on the west side of the valley. It measures 7.7 km long and 64 m wide at its maximum. The gorge’s cliffs lie along a fault with a maximum throw of 30-40 m. Geologists believe the Þingvellir faults (fissures) to be the surface expressions of deeply rooted normal faults. Basalt cooled from lava flows that erupted out of near by fissures about 2,000 years ago. On the right side of the photo, the volcanic mountain, Ármannsfell, is visible on the horizon.
This unique geology became the backdrop for some of Iceland's most important political and cultural events. Iceland’s settlement by The Norse began with the arrival of Ingólfur Arnarson in 874. Historians refer to the next 56 years, as ‘The Settlement Period’. Driven away from a newly united Norway under King Harald Fairhair, settlers from many different clans settled all around the island’s shores. Though the new arrivals shared an ancestral home, religion and language, difference sprang up because each clan had its own leaders and customs. Violence broke out from time to time between these clans both over their beliefs and for the limited resources their new island had to offer. In order to address these issues the people decided to hold a general assembly with members from each clan.
A man called Grímur Geitskör was given the tasks of gathering representatives from each clan and finding a suitable meeting location. As Geitskör was searching for a location, a man who owned a sheltered piece of land accessible from all corners of the country was convicted of murder, and his property turned public. This sheltered place was in the rift valley at Þingvellir. People from all over Iceland could reach the assembly place with no more than seventeen days of traveling. In 930 AD, over thirty ruling chiefs met for the first time at Þingvellir to discuss law on the island and to create a Viking commonwealth. This meeting and all the ones that followed took place with the cliffs of Almannagjá as a back drop.
Þingvellir translated literally means "Assembly Plains”. The Parliament, called The Alþing, met at Þingvellir from 930 to 1798 AD. Many important historic and cultural events occurred here while Parliment was in session which makes it one of the most imporant places in Icelandic History. In 1799 the Alþing stopped meeting due to Danish colonialism. The Alþing started meeting again sporadically in 1848 in Reykjavik. It was 1907 before the Alþing started meeting regularly also in Reykjavik. In 1928, just before the 1000 anniversary of the foundation of Alþingi in 1930, the parliament made Þingvellir a National Park. When Iceland declared it independence from Denmark in 1944, the ceremony was held at Þingvellir. Today, hundreds of thousands visit Þingvellir National Park every year and most of those visitors walk the Almannagjá.
References:
icelandroadguide.com/items/hakid/
guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/jorunnsg/ingvellir-...
notendur.hi.is/oi/geology_of_thingvellir.htm
www.thingvellir.is/en/history-nature/history/
icelandmag.is/article/9-essential-things-know-about-thing...
No one had ever heard of Innsmouth years ago. It was an ordinary seedy town, where everyone tries to leave at the first opportunity.
Perpetually cloudy weather, a meager catch of fish, divine services on Sundays, which were attended by old people smelling of fish. Innsmouth was slowly dying.
But one day one man changed everything.
He traded with distant islands and had brought gold, fish and other gods from there.
In the churches, completely different services began to be held, praising Dagon. Protestant and Methodist priests left the city, accusing the inhabitants of blasphemy and heresy.
And unimaginable creatures, ungodly shoggoths, have settled in the depressions and caves. The deep ones bring gold and fish to Innsmouth, and in return the inhabitants fatten these under town creatures.
Heh this was the biggest moc I ever done. And the most exhausting.
It is 119 pins long and over 50 wide.
I've been nurturing the idea of Innsmouth for over a year, inspired by the fishing village from Bloodborne DLC The Old Hunters. Here is also a white creature washed up on the beach, a reference to the Mother Kos.The concept has changed several times for this year. There was an unsuccessful version in the form of a fishing house. I started building this final version of Innsmouth in February and now, after almost five months, it is ready.
That's it, in the next couple of years I definitely won't aim at works of this size.
Also you can follow me in Instagram and see a lot of wip photos.
While my Support for Ukraine series will continue, there has been a number of other projects happening behind the scenes. One of them has been an ultraviolet fluorescing series of flowers, including this white iris – which completely transforms when the UV light hits it.
To see how it looks in “normal” light, here’s that version for comparison: donkom.ca/bts/PDKP3488.jpg . All this transformation requires is a dark room and an ultraviolet flashlight. I use a few of them to increase the intensity of the fluorescence and to create a more “even” glow, just like you would shape the light of a normal photograph. The Convoy S2 Ultraviolet light is the tool of choice, specifically the ones fitted with ZWB2 filters. A good, clean UV light is needed to ensure that there is no spill-off into the visible spectrum and the subject is truly the effective light source.
This image has placed on the shortlist of CUPOTY – Close-up Photographer of the Year: www.cupoty.com/plants-shortlist-04 - among a few others of mine. This year, I have a total of seven images that passed this first hurdle. It was shot as a two-image focus stack, using my favourite “step away from the subject and crop in” technique. This requires the use of the “high resolution” mode found on a growing number of cameras, mostly from Panasonic, OM Systems, Sony, and some Fuji medium-format cameras. The concept is simple: the farther away you are from your subject, the greater the depth of field. If I have an excessive number of pixels, I am much more comfortable with cropping. The Lumix S1R I shot this with has a 47MP sensor but can generate 187MP images in the high-res mode. I can throw 75% of that away and be back to 47MP. If I filled the frame with this iris, I’d probably need 10+ images stacked to get everything in sharp focus.
Of course, this requires the lens you’re using to be able to handle the additional resolving of details. It must also be understood that no lens is immune to diffraction from small apertures, so we need to “thread the needle” here. Don’t shoot with apertures smaller than F/11 using this technique. The lens of choice here is a favourite of mine, the new Laowa 90mm F/2.8 2x macro lens. Purely mechanical / manual focus, but it is extremely sharp and versatile. I have been using it for much of this year for my images.
If you’ve read this far, you’ll probably expect that I’m about to switch gears and talk about Ukraine. The war in Eastern Europe continues, with a few key developments that I believe many people might not be aware of. The first one has to do with global food supply: after attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet, Russia backed out of a grain deal that would allow for the free movement of civilian transport ships from Odessa through the Bosphorus Strait to reach the global market. Putin said he wouldn’t allow it. No one listened.
The ships continued to enter Odessa, fill with grain, and leave. Putin had a choice here: fire on civilian vessels carrying the food security pf dozens of nations and make enemies of them all – and their allies, or do nothing. Russia has not “re-joined” the grain deal. I feel this is important, because it illustrates just how weak Russia actually is – desperate threats where they cannot afford the consequences of following through.
I feel bad for the mobilized Russian soldiers, in one small way: they have no hope. They go to war to be slaughtered in Ukraine, or they go to jail in some of the worse conditions you could imagine. I wouldn’t be surprised if the conscription tactics involve some level of coercion or blackmail against their family. The past week has seen some of the highest number of Russian casualties per day, nearly reaching quadruple digits in 24 hours.
Russia has lost over 76,000 troops since the beginning of the full-blown conflict that started on February 24th. That averages roughly 300 per day, but almost every day in the past week has been more than double this number. The Russians are trying to assault the city of Bakhmut and repeatedly fail, with heavy losses nearly every day. I have heard stories of the Ukrainian defenders achieving impossible goals to keep that small city, and the region accounts for a significant number of Russian deaths. It’s now the conscripted men who find themselves staring into the meat grinder.
This has caused significant dissent among the untrained and unequipped forces of the Russian military. Riots break out around commander barracks. Sabotage of military assets is commonplace by men who do not wish to be sent to their deaths. The Ukrainian forces are increasingly being able to get these morale-depleted soldiers to surrender, even using drones to drop leaflets describing how they can surrender safely.
Russia has been claiming that Ukraine is developing a “dirty bomb” to escalate the conflict. For reference, a dirty bomb is a bomb that uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material, usually some form of nuclear waste. Ukraine denies this, and the international atomic energy regulators have investigated and agree that no such threat exists. This is an example of Russian propaganda, allowing them to deploy their own dirty bomb and blame Ukraine. Possibly related, Russia is pulling all of its expensive military assets and higher-ranking officers out of the city of Kherson. Could Russia be planning something terrible?
Just like the grain deal, Russia can threaten all they want – but making good on the threats will result in consequences so devastating that they cannot survive. Every day, Russia loses more equipment, soldiers, and morale. Ukraine is not without its casualties, but Russia has yet to take a single HIMARS system off the battlefield. More countries begin to support Ukraine, including Israel and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian government has just voted to send whatever military aid possible to Ukraine, albeit not a lot; Bulgaria is one of the weakest NATO countries.
The battle for the existence of a free and democratic Ukraine continues. Russia continues to kidnap Ukrainian children, and commit some of the worst war crimes imaginable. Some of the latest attacks have been aimed at destroying the civilian electricity infrastructure, so that the Ukrainian people freeze as winter approaches. Kyiv and other districts have instituted rolling blackouts as a result, while repairs are underway. The madness must stop, but I fear it will only stop once the madman pulling the strings can no longer lift his hand.
Oh, you’ve read this far? Thank you. I mean that.
Okay, I think if I do anymore Mr. Flibble paintings, he's going to have me arrested for stalking!!
He is so much fun to paint though!
I chose this one as a sort of measuring stick to see how far I've come since I started painting in 2010. The reference photo found here was one of the first that I did for JKPP. That one was done in Sketchbook Pro, long before I had a clue how to use the apps, and especially before I had any grasp of how to use layers.
This was done in Procreate, fingerpainted entirely from, erm, scratch!
Piero's war
You sleep buried in a wheat field
it's not the rose, it's not the tulip
watching on you from the shadow of ditches
but it's a thousand red poppies (...)
Faber
La guerra di Piero - Fabrizio De André
La guerra di Piero
Dormi sepolto in un campo di grano
Non è la rosa, non è il tulipano
Che ti fan veglia dall'ombra dei fossi
Ma sono mille papaveri rossi (...)
Faber
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click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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“A story exists only if someone tells it.”
TITIAN TERZANI
... this aphorism to introduce this photographic story, which begins in Germany close to the Second World War, to end tragically in Sicily: the main protagonist of this "photographic" story is of German origin, his name is Carl Ludwig Hermann Long (known as Luz Long), but this story could not exist without another great protagonist, American, his name is Jesse Owens. Let's start in order, Luz Long is a brilliant law student at the University of Leipzig, he represents the incarnation of the Aryan man, he is tall, blond, has an athletic physique, his great passion is the long jump, he is a natural talent, this allows him to enter in a short time among the best long jumpers of the time (so much so that he won third place at the 1934 European Championships); Long will be one of the favorites in the long jump at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, whose historical context is that of Nazi Germany which would soon unleash the Second World War, including the racial hatred that resulted in the extermination camps with the Holocaust. Luz Long is remembered both for his great sportsmanship gesture towards his direct American opponent Jesse Owens, who, thanks to Long's unexpected help, will win the long jump competition, thus winning the gold medal (one of the four gold medals he won), while Long finished second by winning the silver medal, but Long is also remembered for his sincere friendship with Jesse, free from hatred and racial prejudice. The Berlin Olympics represent an extraordinary propaganda to the ideals of the Third Reich, it is a very important historical moment to show the superiority of the Aryan race to the whole world; the sports facilities were built with the utmost care by the architect of the Nazi regime Albert Speer (with architectural references from Ancient Greece), the sporting event was about to turn into an ideological tool of the regime, the documentary film " Olympia" of 1938 was also shot for this purpose directed by Leni Riefenstahl (author of films and documentaries that exalted the Nazi regime), where many innovative cinematographic techniques were used for the time, with unusual and original shots, such as shots from below, extreme close-ups, to the platforms in the Olympic stadium to photograph the crowd. Hitler wanted to demonstrate the supremacy of the Aryan race with the Olympics, the Aryan athlete had to correspond to a statuesque stereotyped figure, tall, blond, athletic, fair complexion, blue eyes, Luz Long was the ideal incarnation of him. Forty-nine countries participated in the Olympics, a number never reached before; German-Jewish athletes were expelled from all sports; even African Americans were discriminated against in their country, but they were allowed to compete, even if in smaller numbers, one of them was called James Cleveland Owens, but everyone knew him as Jesse (due to an error of interpretation by the his professor); it was his athletic abilities that allowed him to achieve several records, an important moment was the meeting with Larry Snyder, a good coach, and so thanks to his victories he had the opportunity to compete in the Berlin Olympics: he will be the protagonist of the Olympic Games, a 23-year-old boy originally from Alabama, who in a few days will win 4 gold medals, the 100m race, the 200m race, the 4x100m relay race and the long jump race in which there will be the story that will be worth all the gold medals in the world with Luz Long). Let's get to the point, on the morning of August 4, 1936 Luz qualifies for the long jump final, for Owens the qualification takes place in conjunction with the races of 200 mt. plans, Ownes is engaged in both races, the simultaneity of the two events, and a different regulation between the European and the US one entails him two null jumps, the first jump he thought was a test to test the terrain (as per the US regulation) , instead it was a valid jump for the competition, the second jump sees him very demoralized and makes the worst jump of his life. the elimination is now one step away, but Long interprets with great depth of mind the psychic state of prostration of his direct opponent, he sees him transformed into a face, dejected, Luz approaches him in a friendly way and suggests him to disconnect 20-30 cm before the serve line (and shows him the exact point by placing a handkerchief right next to the platform, at the height of the ideal take-off point, even if not all those who report the event in their chronicles remember the detail of the handkerchief), but also exhorts him by telling him that a champion like him shouldn't be afraid to take off first for the jump: for Owens the third jump if it had been void would have meant his elimination from the competition (and the certain victory of Luz), but, thanks to the suggestion of a technical nature (and perhaps the laying of the handkerchief...), but also affective-psychological ( !) by Luz, Owens following the advice of his direct rival, makes a formidable jump, which allows him to qualify. Long is the first to congratulate Jesse, both on the occasion of qualifying and after him with his final victory, which will result in his fourth gold medal. A deep, true friendship is born between Long and Jesse, in the videos available of the time it is really exciting to witness their handshakes and their embraces in those first moments, under the stern gaze of the Führer, a friendship that will consolidate in the following days, making a habit of dating in the olympic village. After the 1936 Olympics, in 1939 he became a lawyer, in 1941 he married, shortly after his son Kai was born, in 1942 he was called up as an officer of the Luftwaffe and sent to the front line, in April 1943 he was assigned to the Herman armored division Göring and the following month he was sent to Sicily immediately after the Allied landing on the island (Operation Husky): Long dies at the age of thirty, he is in Niscemi with the armored division, and is thus involved in the fighting for the defense of the Biscari-Santo Pietro airport; the causes of death are not certain, the most plausible is that of an aggravation due to wounds sustained in combat against the Anglo-Americans, he was found by a fellow soldier on the side of a road, from here he was transported to the nearby field hospital, where he died on July 14, 1943. He was first buried in a temporary cemetery, then his body was exhumed and then transferred in 1961 to the German military cemetery of Motta Sant'Anastasia while it was still under construction, now it is there that Luz Long rests: crypt 2 “Caltanissetta”, plate E, his name engraved on the slate slab preceded by the rank “Obergefreiter-dR" (Appointed of the Reserve), followed by the dates of birth 27 IV 13 and of death 14 VII 43; it is what remains of Luz Long, one of the 4,561 German soldiers who died in Sicily during the Second World War and are buried here. In his last letter to his friend Owens, Luz magining its end near, he asks him to go to her son and tell him who had been his father; his friend Jesse did as requested and even went to his son's wedding. And Owens….? … Jesse returned to his homeland did not have the respect he deserved after winning 4 gold medals (!), Those were the times when black people were considered "second class" (!); indeed, although with a nod the fuhrer saluted him (as Owens himself declared), the behavior of the American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt was unspeakable, he did not even deign to welcome the Olympic winner to the White House as tradition required (! ). Back in the United States, Jesse had to adapt to doing the most varied jobs, including being a boy at a gas station. To make a living he raced against horses, dogs and motorcycles, as a freak show; many years would pass before his value was recognized; he said «all the medals I have won could be melted down, but the 24-carat friendship that was born on the platform in Berlin could never be reproduced».
Postscript:
Long did not share the Nazi objectives and ideology, he was in complete antithesis with them, endowed with great sensitivity and profound nobility of mind, he was very far from the fanatical and cruel creed of Hitler's Germany, as demonstrated by the words he wrote in 1932 in a letter sent to his grandmother: “all the nations of the world have their heroes, the Semites as well as the Aryans. Each of them should abandon the arrogance of feeling like a superior race."
On his tombstone (as well as on others), under which his remains rest closed in a box, next to his name, today there are some small stones, they are small symbols, which recall the Jewish custom of leaving, instead of flowers, a pebble on the graves of the deceased, to demonstrate that his story has not been forgotten, it is a message of peace and brotherhood of which Luz was a promoter in life, his thoughts also reach us through his burial place, because, as stated on the plaque placed at the entrance to the German military cemetery of Motta Sant'Anastasia "the graves of the fallen are the great preachers of peace" (Albert Schweitzer, Nobel Peace Prize).
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“La storia esiste solo se qualcuno la racconta.”
TIZIANO TERZANI
… l'aforisma per introdurre questo racconto fotografico, che inizia in Germania a ridosso della seconda guerra mondiale, per poi terminare in maniera tragica in Sicilia: il protagonista principale di questa storia “fotografica” è di origine tedesca, si chiama Carl Ludwig Hermann Long, detto Luz (meglio conosciuto come Luz Long), però questa storia non potrebbe esistere senza un altro grande protagonista, lui è statunitense, si chiama Jesse Owens. Iniziamo con ordine, Luz Long è un brillante studente di legge all'Università di Lipsia, rappresenta l’incarnazione dell’uomo ariano, è alto, biondo, ha un fisico atletico, la sua grande passione è il salto in lungo, è un talento naturale, ciò gli consente in breve tempo di far parte dei migliori saltatori in lungo dell’epoca (tanto da conquistare il terzo posto agli Europei del 1934); Long sarà uno dei favoriti nel salto in lungo alle Olimpiadi di Berlino nel 1936, il contesto storico è quello della Germania nazista che da lì a poco scatenerà la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, incluso quell’odio raziale che porterà ai campi di sterminio con l’Olocausto. Luz Long viene ricordato per un suo grande gesto di sportività verso il suo diretto avversario statunitense Jesse Owens: egli grazie all’inaspettato aiuto di Long, riuscirà a vincere la gara del salto in lungo, conquistando la quarta medaglia d'oro ! mentre Long arriverà secondo (con la medaglia d'argento), Long però viene ricordato anche per la sua sincera amicizia verso Jesse, scevra da odi e pregiudizi raziali, una vera rarità visto il contesto storico della Germania nazista. Le Olimpiadi di Berlino rappresentano una straordinaria propaganda agli ideali del Terzo Reich, è un momento importantissimo per mostrare al mondo intero la superiorità della razza ariana; le strutture sportive vengono realizzate con la massima cura dall’architetto del regime nazista Albert Speer (con riferimenti architettonici dell’Antica Grecia), la manifestazione sportiva diviene uno strumento ideologico del regime, a tale scopo viene girato il film-documentario “Olympia” del 1938, diretto da Leni Riefenstahl (che oltre ad essere attrice, regista, fotografa, diventa autrice di film e documentari che esaltano il regime nazista), nel docu-film delle olimpiadi vengono impiegate molte tecniche cinematografiche innovative per l'epoca, con inquadrature insolite ed originali, come le riprese dal basso, con primi piani estremi, l'utilizzo di binari nello stadio olimpico per riprendere la folla. Hitler vuole dimostrare attraverso le Olimpiadi la supremazia della razza ariana, l’atleta ariano deve corrispondere ad una figura stereotipata statuaria, deve essere alto, biondo, atletico, carnagione chiara, occhi azzurri, Luz Long rappresenta la sua incarnazione ideale. Alle Olimpiadi partecipano quarantanove Paesi, un numero mai raggiunto prima; gli atleti ebreo-tedeschi vengono espulsi da tutte le discipline sportive; anche gli afroamericani, sono discriminati nel loro paese, negli USA, però ad essi viene concesso di gareggiare, anche se in numero minore rispetto ai bianchi, uno di loro si chiama James Cleveland Owens, ma tutti lo conoscono come Jesse (per un’errore d’interpretazione da parte del suo professore, per tutti sarà sempre Jesse); sono le sue capacità atletiche a consentirgli di realizzare diversi record, un momento importante è l’incontro con Larry Snyder, un bravo capace allenatore; a Jesse grazie alle sue vittorie si presenta l’opportunità di gareggiare alle Olimpiadi di Berlino: sarà lui il protagonista ed il favorito dei giochi olimpici, un ragazzo di 23 anni originario dell’Alabama, che in pochi giorni si aggiudicherà ben 4 medaglie d’oro, la corsa dei 100, dei 200, la corsa a staffetta dei 4x100 e quella del salto in lungo nella quale ci sarà la nota vicenda con Luz Long che varrà tutte le medaglie d’oro del mondo, come dichiarerà Jesse molti anni dopo !). Veniamo al dunque, la mattina del 4 agosto 1936 Luz si qualifica per la finale del salto in lungo, per Owens la qualificazione si svolge in concomitanza con la gare dei 200 mt. piani, Ownes è impegnato in entrambe le gare, la contemporaneità dei due eventi, ma anche un diverso regolamento sportivo tra quello Europeo e quello Statunitense gli comportano due salti nulli, il primo salto egli pensa fosse di prova per saggiare il terreno (come da regolamento Statunitense), invece quello che effettua è un salto valido per la gara, col secondo salto le cose vanno ancora peggio, lui è profondamente demoralizzato e finisce col compiere il peggiore salto della sua vita, l’eliminazione è oramai ad un passo, però Long interpreta con grande profondità d’animo lo stato psichico di prostrazione del suo diretto avversario, lo vede trasformato in volto, abbattuto, Luz gli si avvicina con fare amichevole e gli suggerisce di staccare 20-30 cm prima della linea di battuta, gli mostra il punto esatto dove staccare poggiando un fazzoletto proprio di fianco alla pedana, all’altezza dell’ideale punto di stacco (non tutti coloro che parlano della gara riportano nelle loro cronache il particolare del fazzoletto), Luz incoraggia Jesse dicendogli che un atleta come lui non deve certo temere di staccare prima per il salto, qualche centimetro perso per lui che è un campione non è certo un problema !; per Owens il terzo salto è l'ultima possibilità di qualificarsi, se non dovesse farcela di sicuro la vittoria sarebbe di Luz ! ... però proprio in virtù del suggerimento tecnico-affettivo-psicologico (e forse anche grazie alla presenza del fazzoletto...) operato da Luz, Owens compie un formidabile salto che gli consente di qualificarsi. Long è il primo a congratularsi con Jesse, sia in occasione della sua qualificazione, sia dopo, quando ci sarà la sua vittoria finale. Tra Long e Jesse nasce una profonda, vera, grande amicizia, nei video disponibili dell’epoca è emozionante assistere alle loro strette di mano, ai loro abbracci durante la competizione, questo sotto lo sguardo severo e contrariato del Führer, amicizia tra i due che si consoliderà ancor più nei giorni successivi, frequentandosi nel villaggio olimpico. Dopo le Olimpiadi del 1936, nel 1939 Luz diventa avvocato, nel 1941 si sposa, poco dopo nasce suo figlio Kai, nel 1942 è richiamato alle armi come ufficiale della Luftwaffe e spedito in prima linea, nell’aprile del 1943 viene assegnato alla divisione corazzata Herman Göring, il mese successivo è inviato in Sicilia subito dopo lo sbarco degli Alleati sull’isola con l'Operazione Husky: siamo oramai all'epilogo, Long si trova a Niscemi con la divisione corazzata, viene coinvolto nei combattimenti per la difesa dell'aeroporto di Biscari-Santo Pietro, viene ferito, e poco dopo morirà, all'età di trent'anni. Le cause della morte non sono certe, la più plausibile è quella di un suo aggravamento dovuto alle ferite riportate nel combattimento contro gli Anglo-Americani, viene trovato ferito da un suo commilitone sul ciglio di una strada, da qui viene trasportato nel vicino ospedale da campo, dove morirà il 14 luglio 1943. Dapprima viene sepolto in un cimitero provvisorio, poi la sua salma viene riesumata e quindi trasferita nel 1961 nel cimitero militare germanico di Motta Sant'Anastasia mentre è ancora in costruzione, adesso è li che Luz Long riposa: cripta 2 “Caltanissetta”, piastra E, il suo nome inciso sulla lastra di ardesia preceduto dal grado “Obergefreiter-dR" (Appuntato della Riserva), seguito dalle date di nascita 27 IV 13 e di morte 14 VII 43; è quanto resta di Luz Long, uno dei 4.561 soldati tedeschi morti in Sicilia durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale e qui sepolti. Nell'ultima lettera all'amico Owens, Luz immaginando che il suo destino a presto si sarebbe compiuto, gli chiede di andare, a guerra finita, da suo figlio e dirgli chi è stato suo padre; l'amico Jesse farà quanto richiesto, anzi, andrà persino alle nozze di suo figlio.
Ed Owens che fine ha fatto….? … Jesse rientrato in patria non riceve dal suo Paese il rispetto che merita dopo aver vinto ben 4 medaglie d'oro (!), sono i tempi in cui le persone di colore vengono considerate dai bianchi di “serie B” (!); addirittura, sebbene con un solo cenno, il Führer saluterà Owens dopo le sue vittorie (lo dichiara lo stesso Owens), mentre il presidente americano Franklin Delano Roosvelt mostra un comportamento inqualificabile, non si degna di accoglierlo alla Casa Bianca, lui che è il vincitore olimpico, come invece prevede la tradizione (!). Tornato negli Stati Uniti, Jesse deve adattarsi a fare i lavori più umili e disparati, fa anche il garzone in una pompa di benzina. Per guadagnarsi da vivere gareggia contro cavalli, cani e motociclette, come fenomeno da baraccone; passeranno molti anni prima che gli venga riconosciuto il suo reale valore; egli ebbe a dire parlando di Luz Long «si potrebbero fondere tutte le medaglie che ho vinto, ma non si potrebbe mai riprodurre l’ amicizia a 24 carati che nacque sulla pedana di Berlino».
Post Scriptum:
Long non condivideva gli obiettivi e l'ideologia nazisti, lui era in completa antitesi con esse, essendo dotato di grande sensibilità e profonda nobiltà d’animo, lui era lontanissimo dal credo fanatico e crudele della Germania di Hitler, lo dimostrano le parole che egli scrisse nel 1932 in una lettera inviata a sua nonna: “tutte le nazioni del mondo hanno i propri eroi, i semiti così come gli ariani. Ognuna di loro dovrebbe abbandonare l’arroganza di sentirsi una razza superiore".
Sulla sua lapide (così come su altre), al di sotto della quale riposano i suoi resti chiusi dentro una cassetta, accanto al suo nome è posta oggi qualche piccola pietra, sono dei piccoli simboli, che ricordano l’usanza ebraica di lasciare, al posto dei fiori, un ciottolo sulle tombe dei defunti, per dimostrare che la sua storia non è stata dimenticata, è un messaggio di pace e di fratellanza del quale Luz è stato promotore in vita, il suo pensiero ci giunge anche attraverso il suo luogo di sepoltura, perché, come riporta la targa posta all’entrata del cimitero militare germanico di Motta Sant’Anastasia “i sepolcri dei caduti sono i grandi predicatori della pace” (Albert Schweitzer, premio Nobel per la pace).
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Jesse Owens e Luz Long, un'amicizia più forte della guerra
La Grande Storia CampioniJESSE OWENS LUZ LONG mp4
Greatest Olympic Moment Gone with the Winds
Luz Long a Motta Sant'Anastasia (CT), TG1, cimitero dei tedeschi, Jesse Owens e Adolf Hitler
Jesse Owens e Luz Long, quando Berlino '36 diventò fratellanza
FEDERICO BUFFA RACCONTA JESSE OWENS BERLINO 1936
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Race Movie CLIP - Sportsmanship (2016) - Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis Movie HD
Race extrait 2 beers with Luz Long
Race Movie 2016 100m Sprint 1936 Berlin Olympics
Race - Il colore della vittoria - Trailer italiano ufficiale [HD]
Race Movie CLIP - I See It Coach (2016) - Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis Movie HD
| RACE || MOVIE FIRST SCENE BETWEEN JESSE OWENS AND HIS COACH
Race Movie CLIP - Do You Want to Win? (2016) - Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis Movie HD
A Motivational Video - Race hollywood movie scene | Motivational Video for students | Dreams
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i have been thinking about trying for an lrps this year and to that end went to one of their advisory days on sunday. i was advised to try some different styles of photography as my panel - which is basically the last 10 or so photos on my stream - did not show enough variation. point taken but the trouble is, i'm pretty happy doing what i do, think that my style is developing apace and don't really want to start doing portraiture (as was suggested on the day) or anything else radically different stylistically, simply in order to pass an exam. my favourite photographers here on flickr are working within the same narrow, self-imposed frame of reference - albeit 90% are in b/w and square format - and that consistency is one of the main reasons i love their work, especially when viewing their streams as a whole - their thematic unity is what i am striving for in my work too.
or maybe i'm just stuck in a rut without realizing?!
so to anyone out there who has a distinction from the rps: is it worth it? has it helped you progress professionally or otherwise in your photography? cos it's a long drive to bath....
and so in the spirit of obstinacy here's some more rocks and a pole sticking out of a milky sea framed by an overly dramatic sky!
It is that time of year again! With the current summer schedule slowly drawing to a close, many airlines are now beginning to prepare themselves for the quieter winter schedule as well as beginning to make changes to the next summer schedule.
Other than British Airways, Virgin Atlantic continues to provide a significant presence out of London Heathrow and whilst their long-haul network is nowhere near as dominant as their direct competitor, the airline still benefits from a major transatlantic joint-venture with Delta Air Lines that also includes Air France and KLM.
From the reliable AeroRoutes as well as Virgin Atlantic's flight reservation system, here are the changes to Virgin Atlantic's winter schedule due to commence from 26th October 2025 unless otherwise stated:
-Antigua-V.C. Bird: VS133/134 recommences for the winter schedule, initially operating thrice weekly before increasing to 4-times weekly from 12th January 2026 using a mixture of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900s.
-Boston-Logan: Increased from daily to 10-times weekly up until 4th January 2026; VS11/12 becomes thrice weekly utilising Boeing 787-9s, with VS157/158 operating daily utilising Airbus A330-900s.
-Bridgetown-Grantley Adams: Increases to 8-weekly flights; VS131/132 operates daily utilising Airbus A330-300s, whilst once a week VS229/230 utilises Airbus A330-900s.
-Bridgetown-Grantley Adams & Antigua-V.C. Bird: VS185/186 operates twice weekly from 27th October 2025 to 24th November 2025 utilising Airbus A330-900s.
-Bridgetown-Grantley Adams & Grenada-Maurice Bishop: From 1st December 2025 sees VS187/188 operating thrice weekly utilising Airbus A330-900s.
-Bridgetown-Grantley Adams & St. Vincent-Argyle: From 31st December 2025, VS197/198 increases from twice weekly to thrice weekly utilising Airbus A330-900s.
-Cancún: Commencing from 19th October 2025, VS93/94 operates thrice weekly utilising Boeing 787-9s.
-Delhi-Indira Ghandi: Continues to operate twice daily; VS300/301 utilises Low-J Airbus A350-1000s, whilst VS302/303 sees a mixture of Low-J and High-J Airbus A350-1000s.
-Dubai-International: Winter reinstatement with VS400/401 utilising Low-J Airbus A350-1000s (High-J Airbus A350-1000s from 22nd March 2026) instead of Boeing 787-9s.
-Lagos-Murtala Muhammed: Continues to operate daily; VS411/412 utilises Low-J Airbus A350-1000s instead of High-J Airbus A350-1000s.
-Las Vegas-Harry Reid: Continues to operate daily with VS155/156 utilising Boeing 787-9s. During CES, from 3rd January 2026 to 8th January 2026 sees an additional thrice weekly flight introduced with VS151/152 utilising Boeing 787-9s.
-Los Angeles: Reduced from thrice to twice daily; VS7/8 utilises Boeing 787-9s except from 15th January 2026 until 1st March 2026 utilises High-J Airbus A350-1000s, whilst VS23/24 utilises Boeing 787-9s instead of High-J Airbus A350-1000s.
-Malé-Velana: Commencing from 24th October 2025 initially operating 4-times weekly going up to daily from 9th November 2025 sees VS384/385 operating daily utilising Boeing 787-9s.
-Miami: Continues to operate twice daily; VS5/6 utilises Airbus A330-300s, whilst VS117/118 utilises Airbus A330-900s instead of a mixture of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900s.
-Montego Bay-Sangster: Initially reduced to thrice weekly, VS165/166 increases to daily from 5th January 2026 utilising Boeing 787-9s.
-Mumbai-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: Continues to operate twice daily; VS354/355 utilises Low-J Airbus A350-1000s instead of Boeing 787-9s, whilst VS358/359 utilises Boeing 787-9s instead of a mixture of High-J Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s.
-New York-John F. Kennedy: 5 daily flights throughout much of the season except from 26th October 2025 to 22nd November 2025 drops to 31-weekly flights. VS3/4 utilises Airbus A330-900s, VS9/10 and VS45/46 utilises High-J Airbus A350-1000s, and VS25/26 utilises Boeing 787-9s. VS153/154 drops to thrice weekly during this period utilising Airbus A330-900s.
-Orlando-International: Initially operates 9-times weekly until 26th November 2025 increasing to 10-times weekly; VS91/92 operates daily utilising High-J Airbus A350-1000s, whilst twice-to-thrice weekly VS135/136 utilises Airbus A330-300s.
-San Francisco: Drops from twice daily to daily, VS19/20 utilises Boeing 787-9s, whilst VS41/42 cancelled.
-Seattle-Tacoma: Drops from daily to 4-times weekly, VS105/106 utilises Boeing 787-9s instead of Airbus A330-900s.
-St. Lucia-Hewanorra: Service resumption cancelled.
-Tampa: VS129/130 continues to operate daily utilising Airbus A330-900s instead of a mixture of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900s.
-Toronto-Pearson: Drops from daily to 4-times weekly, VS147/148 utilising Airbus A330-900s instead of a mixture of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900s.
-Washington-Dulles: Initially operating daily, VS21/22 drops to 6-times weekly from 12th January 2025 with a mixture of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900s utilised.
Other than the usual frequency decreases that takes place during the winter season, the carrier expects to reinstate much of their Caribbean and South Asian leisure network during this season. In the coming years, expect the use of Airbus A330-300s to further dwindle as more Airbus A330-900s enter service.
Currently, Virgin Atlantic operates 12 Airbus A350s, all of which are Airbus A350-1000s.
Victor Echo Lima Juliet is one of 12 Airbus A350-1000s operated by Virgin Atlantic, delivered new to the carrier on 24th May 2024 and she is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. Her name is a reference to the Elton John 1974 single, Bennie and the Jets.
Airbus A350-1041 G-VELJ 'Bennie Jet' on short finals into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on VS303 from Delhi-Indira Ghandi (DEL).
Here's a pair of beetles who, though they are sharing a nice and tasty thistle really don't share much in appearanace.
The long and narrow one on top which looks a bit angry is a male Anastrangalia sanguinolenta flower longhorn beetle and the small and round one is a Cychramus luteus, a member of the sap beetles, Nitidulidae.
The scientific name "sanguiolenta" means full of blood and ais a reference to the red elytra of the female.
About 10 minutes after my last upload, I saw this at Trinidad Beach, just north of Eureka, California! High tide. Still raining. No HDR.
Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!
See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/351518133...
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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @ 29
1/4-second exposure @F11
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
ISO 100
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Keen water shoes
See my last upload for the trials and tribulations of getting to this spot at this time.
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/3497030979
So, as the sunset continued, the colors continued to look totally unreal to my eye. I can't say I've really seen the sky like this. Usually when I get home and process the images, I can remember what it looked like and make sure the picture looks that way, but here I knew that I would not remember. So after each shot, I'd look at the viewfinder and then at the sky, to compare the two. The viewfinder looked very similar to the scene before me. Often, it looks much more flat and color-less. So when I got home, I had to look at the viewfinder in order to process this series. I really had no reference to go by!
It was getting a bit darker, so I bumped the ISO up to 100 to keep the 1/4-second exposure time that I like when I want to shoot a breaking wave moving at this speed. I've found that anywhere from 1/8-3/8-second exposures show waves at their best. Not always though. Slow moving water can look good at 1/2-second or longer if it is all moving in the same direction.
So, I noticed how much I liked the occasional wave strike on the rock, so I moved over to have the rock be right in front of the background island for extra contrast. Then I took several shots as the waves would strike until finally I got one with the sand in a good reflective state.
After this, I put on my very dark 10-stop Hoya ndx-400 circular filter for some long-exposure action while the sky was still full of color. No more waiting for things to get dark before going for a long-exposure now!
The map shows exactly where this is.
See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
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Anticlines and Sinclines, sedimentary rocks showing signs of massive folding and uplifting during an ancient and very turbulent time in the building of the earths crust, at Hartland point in north Devon.
Hartland Point to Hartland Quay
Nearest town: Hartland
OS grid reference: SS 230277 – SS 222247
Status: AONB, SSSI, SAC.
Management: Private landowners
Lying within North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this stretch of coastline is one of the most dramatic in the British Isles. Breathtaking coastal scenery and wonderful cliff top walks are all to be found.
Here in the cliffs and foreshore you can view spectacular evidence of geological events which took place over 300 million years ago. The rocks are sandstones and mudstones that were laid down around 320 million years ago in what was then a brackish sea. Of particular interest are the striking patterns that can be seen in the faces of the cliffs. These tell a dramatic story of ancient forces that have helped to shape the Earth as we see it today.
About 300 million years ago, during a period of tectonic plate collision, tremendous pressure was exerted on the rocks of South West England. So powerful were these forces that the rocks were actually compressed like a concertina, producing a range of spectacular folds and faults that are visible today. These can be clearly seen in the cliffs to the north of Hartland Quay and a walk along the cliff top towards Hartland Point provides good views (if the tide is out) of the complex patterns of sandstone ribs produced on the foreshore by the folding.
2. GEOLOGICAL DETAIL
The extensive outcrop of Carboniferous strata across central Devon used to be known as the Culm, a term that is still used today in ‘the Culm grasslands’. The name derives
from the sooty coal that was mined in a few adits near Bideford in the nineteenth century. Consequently the name ‘Culm Measures’ was formerly applied to the sandstone and shale sequence in which it was found, being roughly equivalent to the Coal Measures found in South Wales. Carboniferous strata were deposited between about 360 to 300 million years ago, following on over the older underlying Devonian rocks. In South Wales, the Midlands and Northern England and Scotland, and across Europe, the Carboniferous strata was characterised by the occurrence of large coal deposits of economic importance. Coal Measures were found in the upper parts, with the Millstone Grit and Carboniferous Limestone beneath. However, the coal seams that were the foundation of Britain’s wealth in the nineteenth century were absent from Devon, so the county therefore failed to benefit from the mineral wealth.
In Devon, despite careful searching in the early days, no economic coal was found, because the sediments had been laid down in a sea instead of in tree-choked coal swamps. Here the succession is dominated by marine shales and sandstones, in several formations that are quite similar to each other. Moreover, spectacular folding of the strata can be seen on the west coast and at places inland. Limestone is present in northeast Devon, and sparingly in other parts. Basaltic lavas and layers of volcanic ash are common within the shales, and other igneous rocks, mainly dolerite, are also found.
A large part of central Devon is underlain by Carboniferous strata, predominantly hard grey sandstone layers with grey shale in between, which are intensely folded along
east–west trends. The outcrop, up to about 45km wide, extends eastward from the Atlantic coast in a broad band as far as Exeter and Tiverton, where it disappears
beneath Permian red beds. On the west coast, the cliffs show a spectacular series of folds trending east–west, mainly upright and including some V-shaped and zig-zag
folds, the result of the Variscan earth movements that began in the Devonian and lasted until the Permian.
In Carboniferous times, coals were formed in swamps in South Wales, with massive deltaic sandstones and shales interbedded with the coal seams. But the sandstone and
shales of the Devon area look very different – in the early days of geology, this caused much uncertainty and dispute as to their relative age. Ultimately it was realised that
rivers flowing from the Welsh mountains formed deltas and delta swamps on its southern continental margin. The sea into which they flowed lay where Devon now is,
with fine sediment carried down by the rivers settling on the sea floor as shales. Sand from the deltas periodically swept down to deposit layers up to 1m thick over a wide
area – these sandstones are often termed greywackes. These rapid flows of intermixed sediment and water are called turbidity currents because they were carried in turbid
water. Evidence of the violence of the flow can be seen on the undersides of the sandstone layers as ripples, vortices and grooves caused by the ripping-up of the muddy sea bed as the overlying sand was deposited; and as the sand hardened to rock, these features were preserved as casts.
For more than 100 million years there was a vast process of mountain building over South West England – during the Devonian and Carboniferous periods (about 400 to
300 million years ago) and into the early Permian period. Caused by the collision of moving plates of the Earth’s crust – known as ‘plate tectonics’ or ‘continental drift’ –
deep troughs (or basins) formed below the narrowing sea and received vast volumes of sediments from the erosion of the nearby continents – from land to the north (Wales and
North America) and to the south. The sand and mud sediments became deeply buried and turned into rocks, which were then folded and contorted and thrust up into
mountains by the dynamic collision of the continental plates. This continued for over 100 million years, during which many kilometres thickness of rocks were formed (slates,
mudstones, sandstones, etc). Great reefs of limestones formed along shallow sea ridges and there were also large volcanoes producing volcanic rocks (basalts, tuffs) and
sills of dolerite. Later, molten granitic magmas were created deep beneath the mountains to form the granites of Dartmoor and Cornwall. This long period of earth movements and mountain building is known as the ‘Variscan Orogeny’. It created a range of high mountains across modern South West England (similar to the modern Alps, Atlas and Rockies), extending from eastern Europe to North America. The older Carboniferous strata, transitional from the underlying Devonian, include chert beds, which are flinty deep-sea deposits, interbedded with dark shale. Thin beds of limestone are also present, and the sequence is known as the Meldon Chert Formation at Meldon Quarry, near Okehampton, with shale, quartzite and volcanics. These extend in a curving outcrop around the north margin of the Dartmoor Granite, apparently shouldered aside by the granite as it intruded the surrounding rocks. In north Devon the equivalent sequence is the Codden Hill Chert, which overlies the Pilton Shale which
also is transitional from the Devonian. Limestones at Westleigh and Bampton, in the northeast of the county, also belong to the early Carboniferous and are about the same
age as the famous shallow-water Carboniferous Limestone of Wales, the Mendips and central England, though in Devon the limestones were deposited in deeper water.
Above these basal sequences, alternating beds of sandstone and shale characterise most of the Carboniferous sediment thickness in Devon. It is possible to divide these
into three major formations, named after localities on the west coast but widespread across the county. These are, in ascending order, the Crackington, Bideford and Bude
formations, although there is some overlap between the last two. The Crackington shows abundant evidence of deep-water deposition, with extensive turbidity marks on
the undersides of sandstone beds, but the other two formations show evidence of being deposited in shallower seas or lakes, the Bude Formation in particular showing massive sandstone beds with some slumped sediment that might have been caused by earthquake shocks affecting loose sediment. The presence of ripple marks suggests an intertidal or lacustrine environment, and there are also many arthropod trails, made by primitive lobster-like or crab-like creatures.
Away from the main outcrop in north and central Devon, Carboniferous rocks are also found to the east and west of Dartmoor in what are often referred to as the Southern
Successions. Pebbles of igneous rocks and volcanic ash occur in the lower parts of these successions, indicating a source to the south, and coarser to conglomeratic beds higher up are called the Ugbrooke Sandstone which contains pebbles with Lower Carboniferous fossils – indicating that some tectonic activity was occurring to the south at the time, eroding recently-deposited sediments.
There was a complex history of igneous activity in south Devon, with lava flows and thick accumulations of volcanic ash, together with dykes and sills, notably in the Teign Valley. Thick ash deposits together with dolerite dykes are found at Meldon Quarry, where they are utilised for railway ballast and various grades of aggregate and roadstone. This area was also affected by the Dartmoor Granite, that heated the adjacent rocks as it cooled in the late Carboniferous/early Permian.
The ever wonderful folks at The Pixar Times asked me to contribute to their long running Pixart feature.
I couldn't pick just ONE movie to pull from, so like a kid on Halloween I went all out and am pleased to report no cavities as a result.
There's something from every short or and film up until spring 2011, so stay a while have a gander!
SUPER FUN UPDATE!
A super limited run of this is available at my new and sparkly shop! store.kolbisneat.com/
Oh and here's an answer sheet if you're looking for all of the references:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Wharfe
The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".
The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale. The river source is at Beckermonds, Langstrothdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and flows through Kettlewell, Grassington, Bolton Abbey, Addingham, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Wetherby and Tadcaster. It then flows into the River Ouse near Cawood. The section of the river from its source to around Addingham is known as Upper Wharfedale and has a very different character to the river downstream.
The river is approximately 97 km long before it joins the River Ouse. It is a public navigation from the weir at Tadcaster to its junction with the River Ouse near Cawood and tidal from Ulleskelf.
Course
The river source is the confluence of Oughtershaw Beck and Green Field Beck in Langstrothdale near Beckermonds. It flows east and south east taking the flows from many small streams, whose sources are the shake holes from Yockenthwaite Moor on the north bank and Horse Head Moor on the south bank. After Hubberholme, the river flows south past Buckden and Starbotton and then south east past Kettlewell before flowing south again. Near Conistone are the gentle waterfalls of Scar Lash. Near Grassington, the river turns south east over Linton Falls. South of Appletreewick, the river flows south west for a short distance until it reaches Gill Beck and returns southward. To the north of Bolton Bridge, the river narrows and goes over waterfalls in an area known as The Strid. The river winds south and south east towards Ilkley where it heads east through Otley and Collingham. It briefly flows north to Wetherby before turning south and then south east past Ulleskelf to the confluence with the River Ouse.
Water levels
Monitoring Station[1]
Station Elevation
Low water level
High water level
Record high level
Kettlewell 212 m (696 ft) 0.17 m (0.56 ft) 2 m (6.6 ft) 2.54 m (8.3 ft)
Grassington 171 m (561 ft) 0 m (0 ft) 1.5 m (4.9 ft) 2.79 m (9.2 ft)
Ilkley 78 m (256 ft) 0.09 m (0.30 ft) 2.9 m (9.5 ft) 3.88 m (12.7 ft)
Otley 56 m (184 ft) 0.36 m (1.2 ft) 1.5 m (4.9 ft) 2.46 m (8.1 ft)
Pool Bridge 46 m (151 ft) 0.09 m (0.30 ft) 2.9 m (9.5 ft) 3.77 m (12.4 ft)
Arthington 46 m (151 ft) 0.32 m (1.0 ft) 3.3 m (11 ft) 4.14 m (13.6 ft)
Collingham 25 m (82 ft) 0.35 m (1.1 ft) 1.59 m (5.2 ft) 4.7 m (15 ft)
Wetherby 25 m (82 ft) 0.4 m (1.3 ft) 1.8 m (5.9 ft) 3.10 m (10.2 ft)
Tadcaster 11 m (36 ft) 0.18 m (0.59 ft) 2.9 m (9.5 ft) 3.79 m (12.4 ft)
Cock Beck Sluices 6 m (20 ft) 3.44 m (11.3 ft) 7.3 m (24 ft) 9.26 m (30.4 ft)
Fleet Pumping Station 6 m (20 ft) 2 m (6.6 ft) 6.5 m (21 ft) 7.35 m (24.1 ft)
Low and High Water Levels are an average figure.
Natural history
Fauna
There are over 230 species of bird observed along the river valley including Eagle-Owl, Red Grouse, Stonechat, Whinchat, Golden Plover, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Wood Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Tawny Owl, Sparrowhawk, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and, in wetter places, Snipe and Woodcock, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, and Twite.[2]
The Wharfe has populations of Signal Crayfish and the few White-clawed Crayfish remaining are at great risk.[2]
There are populations of Rabbit, Red Fox, Grey Squirrel, Otter, Water Voles and deer.[2][3][4]
Flora
Ferns found here include Wall Rue, Maidenhair Spleenwort, Brittle Bladder-fern, Hart's-tongue and Hard Shield-fern. In Upper Wharfedale the scars and screes support a range of plants including the Alpine Cinquefoil and Hoary Whitlowgrass. Also to be found are Lesser Meadow-rue, Goldenrod, Scabious and Bloody Crane's-bill with, to a lesser extent, Mountain Melick, Limestone Fern, Wood Crane's-bill and Melancholy Thistle, Green Spleenwort, Wall Lettuce and Hairy Stonecrop.[2]
Lower down the valley, species including Alpine Cinquefoil, Lily-of-the-valley, Mountain Melick and Herb Paris, blue sesleria, Common Valerian and Wild Angelica. The limestone outcrops have uncommon species including Rock Whitebeam and Solomon's Seal as well as Bird's-eye Primrose, Butterwort, Rockrose, Dropwort and Limestone Bedstraw.
The limestone pavements of the area are a habitat for several species usually confined to woodlands, such as Dog's Mercury, Wood Anemone and Ramsons. Rarer species to be found in the grikes include Baneberry and Downy Currant. Ferns in the moist grikes include Rigid Buckler-fern. Also to be found are Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage, Reed Canary-grass and Stone Bramble.
Some of the inaccessible cliffs are home to ledge dwelling flora including mosses and liverworts, such as Red Leskea, Sharp Rock-bristle and the very rare Zygodon gracilis. The ledges also support Woodrush, Polypody and Water Avens, Purple Saxifrage, Yellow Saxifrage, Hoary Whitlowgrass and Roseroot.
Blue Moor-grass can also be found, with Sheep's-fescue and herbs such as Thyme, Salad Burnet and Common Rock-rose. There is Wild Thyme, Common Milkwort, Fairy Flax, Bird's-foot Trefoil, Autumn Gentian, Harebell, Eyebright.
Species of tree and shrub include Ash, Downy Birch, Hazel, Hawthorn, Yew and Rowan. In the woods shrubs such as Wild Privet and Spindle can be found. More rare is Dark Red Helleborine.[2][5]
Geology
Upper Wharfedale is an area from the Lower Carboniferous era and lies north-west of Burnsall. Its main features are the Great Scar Limestone which forms a base to the overlying Yoredale Beds, a 300-metre deep strata of hard limestones, sandstones and shale. These have been slightly tilted, toward the east. To the south-east of the area are the Millstone Grit laid down in the Upper Carboniferous era, and is covered by heather moorland, hard crags and tors.[6][7]
Weathering of the Yoredale Beds has produced a stepped profile to the valley sides, consisting of a shelf of limestone, sometimes grassy but often displaying such karst features as limestone pavement, gorges and sinkholes. During the last ice age, the local ice cap at the head of the Dales fed glaciers to produce the classic U-shaped profiles seen today.[8]
Where the river valley changes course into Lower Wharfedale, the change of underlying rock can be seen in the darker stone in the field walls. The Millstone Grit outcrops at the Cow and Calf Rocks near Ilkley form a rolling dissected plateau. Due to the impermeable nature of the rock, blanket bogs and mires form, and drier areas have wet and dry heaths and acid grasslands.[9]
Coarse sandstones in the area are known as Addingham Edge and Bramhope Grits. The Otley Shell Beds become exposed at Otley Chevin. At Great Dib Wood the Otley Shell Bed is sandwiched between two Namurian sandstones.
Glacial lakes once filled Lower Wharfedale and deposited sand and gravel. These were quarried and now form the basis of the Otley Wetland Reserve, and Ben Rhydding and Knotford Nook gravel pits.[10]
Waterfalls
Linton Fall (Grid Reference: SE001633) are located just south of Grassington and can be accessed from the village down Sedber Lane. There is a footbridge straddling the falls for viewing.
The Strid (Grid Reference: SE064565) is a series of waterfalls and rapids associated with a deep underwater channel caused by the dramatic narrowing of the River Wharfe from approximately 30 ft (9 m) wide just to the north of the start of the Strid, to the width of a long stride less than 100 yd (91 m) later.[11] It is especially dangerous as both banks are undercut,[12][13] and it has been the scene of a number of fatalities including those of a honeymoon couple.[14] The Strid walk is very popular and is accessed from the car park at Bolton Abbey.[15]
History
Wharfe is a Celtic river name meaning the winding river.[16][17]
Iron Age fields and hut circles can still be seen in outline on the hills above Grassington and Kettlewell.[7] The Romans built a road through Wharfedale that went over Stake Moss into neighboring Wensleydale. The local tribe of Brigantes were subdued by the Romans in AD 74. The Romans mined lead in the hills on Greenhow Hill overlooking Appletreewick until AD 410.[7] After AD 620 the Celtic settlers were joined by Angles and increased the amount of forest clearing to establish fields for crops and animals. These were overrun by Danes initially before they too settled to farming near Burnsall and Thorpe. Vikings then settled the area in the 10th century, lending their language to some of the names of hamlets and landscape features of Upper Wharfedale, especially near the head of the valley.[7] During Anglo-Saxon times, large estates were established and the River Wharfe and its valley came under the protection of Earl Edwin of Bolton-in-Craven. After the Norman invasion, the lands were given to Robert Romilly.[7]
In medieval times low intensity methods were used to produce both crops and livestock but the great monasteries of Fountains, Rievaulx and Bolton Priory had large sheep flocks and sold their wool on the European market. In 1155, Alice de Romilly donated land for the establishment of Bolton Priory and land at Kilnsey to Fountains Abbey. The monasteries helped develop vast sheep farms and the founding of drove roads, which can still be seen and walked today. The success of the monasteries was also responsible for the growth of the market towns of Grassington and Kettlewell.[7]
When the monasteries were dissolved in 1539, and wool prices fell, many tenant farmers took to cattle and sheep rearing. However, at the end of the 17th century there was still small-scale arable production. By the early nineteenth century there was a demand for food from the growing industrial towns and farmers and many farms began to produce milk from the lower lands and use the higher fells for sheep.[18]
The river has had appearances in films. In 1992, the town of Grassington was used as a filming location for Wuthering Heights.[19] The 2003 film, Calendar Girls, was filmed at several locations in the river valley including Buckden, Burnsall, Kettlewell and Kilnsey.[20]
Economy
During the 1990s there had been an increase in the number of second home ownership, particularly in the Upper Wharfedale area. This had been partly due to subsidised Council Tax rates for a second property. The 1991 census had shown 13% of homes were classified as second properties, which had risen to 18% by late 1998.[21] The 2001 census showed that this figure had dropped to 15%[22] and further still to just 7% by 2011.[23]
The Upper Wharfedale area has been traditionally associated with farming, but there has been a change in the numbers and types of employment. Whilst there were declines in the number of people in this industry, farming accounted directly for 9.16%[24] of employment in 2001 but this had increased to 11.27% by 2011.[25]
Lead mining was once the main industry in Wharfedale. From the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth it employed hundreds of men and boys, exploiting the veins in the limestone at Greenhow, Hebden, Grassington, Linton and Conistone, Appletreewick and elsewhere. The heaps of mining waste remain, contaminated with lead, and on which little will grow. The few plants that will are known as 'lead plants' such as spring sandwort and alpine penny-cress.[26][27]
Tourism is big part of the rural economy in Wharfedale and there are many short, mid and long distance walks, with clear waymarkers. There are also other outdoor activities such as rock climbing, most notably at Kilnsey Crag, and canoeing. Other activities include cycling, mountain biking, horse riding and caving.[28] The following Long Distance Walks pass near or over the river:[29]
Dales Way (follows the river valley from Beckermonds to Ilkley)
Lady Anne's Way (enters the river valley near Hubberholme and leaves to the west of Bolton Abbey)
Inn Way to the Yorkshire Dales (part of walk from Grassington to Buckden)
The Way of the Roses (part of the cycle route from Appletreewick to Thorpe)
Lists
All lists are from the source of the river:-[30]
Tributaries
Deepdale Gill
Hagg Gill
Bowther Gill
Strans Gill
Kirk Gill
Cow Close Gill
Buckden Beck
Step Gill
Cam Gill Beck
Falcon Beard Beck
Hush Gutter
Kettlewell Beck
Black Geld
River Skirfane
How Beck
White Beck
Davy Keld
Dib Beck
Robin Hood's Beck
Captain Beck
Brow Well
Isingdale Beck
Howling Beck
Hebden Beck
Sandbed Beck
Barden Beck
The Old Gutter
Hall Wells Dike
Foul Sike
Fir Beck
Bumby Dike
Gill Beck
Hollin Beck
Posforth Gill
Cowpert Gill
Stead Dike
Pickles Beck
Raven's Gill Beck
Kex Beck
Lathehouse Beck
Wine Beck
West Hall Beck
Dean Beck
Mill Stream
West Beck
Mill Dam Beck
Boot's Beck
River Washburn
Weeton Beck
Stank Beck
Collingham Beck
Hay Dike
Cock Beck
Owl Sike
Pailbank Drain
The Fleet
Settlements
Beckermonds
Deepdale
Yockenthwaite
Hubberholme
Buckden
Starbotton
Kettlewell
Kilnsey
Conistone
Threshfield
Grassington
Linton
Hebden
Burnsall
Appletreewick
Bolton Abbey
Beamsley
Addingham
Nesfield
Ilkley
Burley in Wharfedale
Otley
Pool
Castley
Netherby
Chapel Hill
Collingham
Linton
Wetherby
Boston Spa
Thorp Arch
Newton Kyme
Tadcaster
Kirkby Wharfe
Ulleskelf
Ozendyke
Ryther
Crossings
New House Farm footbridge
Deepdale Bridge
Yockenthwaite Bridge
Hubberholme Bridge
Buckden Bridge
Starbotton footbridge
B6160 Kettlewell New Bridge
Conistone Bridge
B6265 Grassington Bridge
Tin Bridge (footbridge), Linton Falls
Linton stepping stones
Suspension Bridge (footbridge), Hebden
Burnsall Bridge
Drebley stepping stones
Barden Bridge
Barden Aqueduct and footbridge
Wooden Bridge (at Cavendish Pavilion)
Friars' Steps (stepping stones)
Waterfall Bridge (footbridge)
Bolton Bridge
A59 Bridge
Suspension Bridge (footbridge), Addingham
Old Bridge, Ilkley (footbridge)
New Bridge, Ilkley (New Brook Street)
Ilkley Susupension Bridge (footbridge)
Denton Bridge
Greenholme stepping stones
B6451 Otley Bridge
Footbridge
A658 Pool Bridge
Railway Bridge (Leeds-Harrogate railway line)
A61 Harewood Bridge
Woodhall Bridge (footbridge)
Linton Bridge, Collingham
Footbridge
A661 Wetherby Bridge
A58 bridge, Wetherby
A1(M) bridge, Wetherby
Thorp Arch Bridge, Boston Spa
Wharfe Bridge (dismantled railway)
Viaduct Walk, Tadcaster (footbridge)
A659 Tadcaster Bridge
A64 bridge (Tadcaster By-pass)
Railway Bridge (Dearne Valley Line)
East Coast Main Line Railway Bridge