Boeing 737-958ER W

El Al Israel Airlines

Cn.41555

 

A historic day for the UAE as the first EL AL aircraft LY971 a Boeing 737 is about to land at Abu Dhabi for talks to promote the peace agreement and normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

 

www.instagram.com/p/CEjZLfOhecR/?igshid=12wxamta9c8la

Saint-Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area. Saint-Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents.

 

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world, the Lakhta Center, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.

 

The name day of Peter I falls on 29 June, when the Orthodox Church observes the memory of apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the small wooden church in their names (its construction began at the same time as the citadel) made them the heavenly patrons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, while Saint Peter at the same time became the eponym of the whole city. When in June 1703 Peter the Great renamed the site after Saint Peter, he did not issue a naming act that established an official spelling; even in his own letters he used diverse spellings, such as Санктьпетерсьбурк (Sanktpetersburk), emulating German Sankt Petersburg, and Сантпитербурх (Santpiterburkh), emulating Dutch Sint-Pietersburgh, as Peter was multilingual and a Hollandophile. The name was later normalized and russified to Санкт-Петербург (Saint-Petersburg).

 

The historic architecture of Saint-Petersburg's city centre, mostly Baroque and Neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been largely preserved; although a number of buildings were demolished after the Bolsheviks' seizure of power, during the Siege of Leningrad and in recent years. The oldest of the remaining building is a wooden house built for Peter I in 1703 on the shore of the Neva near Trinity Square. Since 1991 the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

SIMPLE = T / file does conform to FITS standard

BITPIX = -32 / number of bits per data pixel

NAXIS = 3 / number of data axes

NAXIS1 = 5025 / length of data axis 1

NAXIS2 = 3272 / length of data axis 2

NAXIS3 = 3 / length of data axis 3

EXTEND = T / FITS dataset may contain extensions

COMMENT FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format is defined in 'Astronomy

COMMENT and Astrophysics', volume 376, page 359; bibcode: 2001A&A...376..359H

MIPS-FHI= 0.348013 / Upper visualization cutoff

MIPS-FLO= 0 / Lower visualization cutoff

BZERO = 0 / offset data range to that of unsigned short

BSCALE = 1 / default scaling factor

DATE = '2023-07-12T14:14:50' / UTC date that FITS file was created

DATE-OBS= '2023-07-09T20:29:44' / YYYY-MM-DDThh🇲🇲ss observation start, UT

INSTRUME= 'Canon EOS 600D' / instrument name

OBSERVER= ' ' / observer name

TELESCOP= ' 6 inches newtonian lxd75 ' / telescope used to acquire this image

ROWORDER= 'BOTTOM-UP' / Order of the rows in image array

XPIXSZ = 4.29 / X pixel size microns

YPIXSZ = 4.29 / Y pixel size microns

XBINNING= 1 / Camera binning mode

YBINNING= 1 / Camera binning mode

FOCALLEN= 762mm / Camera focal length

CCD-TEMP= 0 / CCD temp in C

EXPTIME = 299 / Exposure time [s]

STACKCNT= 35 / Stack frames

LIVETIME= 10465 / Exposure time after deadtime correction

EXPSTART= 2.46014e+06 / Exposure start time (standard Julian date)

EXPEND = 2.46014e+06 / Exposure end time (standard Julian date)

ISOSPEED= 800 / ISO camera setting

HISTORY mean stacking with winsorized sigma clipping rejection (low=3.000 high=3

HISTORY .000), additive+scaling normalized input, normalized output, no image we

HISTORY ighting, equalized RGB

HISTORY Extraction du gradient (Correction : Subtraction)

HISTORY Neutralisation du fond du ciel

HISTORY Étalonnage des couleurs

HISTORY SCNR (type=neutre moyen, qté=1.00, préserve=true)

HISTORY Réduction de la trame (niveau=1.00)

HISTORY Transformation asinh : (stretch= 80.0, bp=0.00000)

HISTORY Transf. histogramme (mid=0.069, lo=0.120, hi=1.000)

HISTORY Transf. histogramme (mid=0.430, lo=0.038, hi=1.000)

HISTORY Débruitage NL-Bayes (mod=1.000, CC activée)

HISTORY Débruitage NL-Bayes (mod=1.000, VST activé))

END

An almost perfect day to be outside in the spring sunshine. The only thing better would be to have no more COVID-19 and have the shelves stocked with toilet paper. I was thinking of resorting to the day of a good corn cobb wipe before I pay price gougers on eBay $85.00usd for four rolls of toilet paper. Sorry for standing on my "throne" and expressing my opinion. LOL!

Now let's get down to what we need to do. The quarantine has already separated everyone, and that means showing love to those we care about the most. The one thing that heals is a hug. WE have the power to kick this virus. This Good Friday, there will be a worldwide fast and prayer. All are invited to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened and life normalized.”

Love to all! Stay Well! Hugs!

 

In God We Trust…buhahaha!

 

The cryptocracy (illuminati) are manipulating the minds of the masses. They use Revelation of the Method to program the group mind—the collective consciousness. Indeed, humanity must be prepared for the New Luciferian Age. They initiate you into group think—mass formation psychosis. It is a rite of passage in which you acceptance their plans for humanity. Welcome to the group! They use open and subliminal messages in order to condition society. They use their esoteric knowledge (the so-called deep secrets of Satan; Revelation 2:24 NIV) to move you toward their goals. They push society into every nook and cranny of immorality and filth. In the end this immorality dehumanizes society, thus breaking it down. They have dehumanized and killed millions of the unborn. In Canada they have been pushing Medically Assisted Suicides for ever expanding reasons, as they continually decrease the legal age and time limits. The value of life continually decreases. That’s why, when speaking about the (soon coming) Tribulation Period, the Bible says: “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.”

 

The transhumanist tiptoe, the luciferian tiptoe—both will come to fruition under the Antichrist. You will be able to become a super human (a god) when transhumanism is normalized and openly accepted. You will be able to openly live out your lusts when luciferianism is normalized and openly practiced. At that time ritualistic orgies, rape, and human sacrifice will be done out in the public square.

 

Revelation 9:21 “Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.”

 

Many people will take the Mark of the Beast (like many took the jab), because they have been demoralized. This ritualistic programming leads the public down a predetermined road, with a predetermined outcome; this not only dehumanizes us, but it also demoralizes us. Demoralized people end up being weak cowards. These people try to stay center of the road, as the road moves farther and farther down the road of depravity. This means: center also moves farther down the road—dragging you along with it. These people try to be virtuously nonjudgmental, yet they are immoral. They won’t stand up and speak for the truth, because they might get called a bad name. They don’t want to sacrifice their comfort or reputation to fight for the truth.

 

James 4:17 “So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin.”

 

All such people have been unknowingly programmed into these symbolic ritual ceremonies. Yes, indeed! Satan, through the esoteric cryptocracy, has planted his seed, and his harvest is soon ripe.

 

Matthew 13:25 “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed WEEDS among the wheat, and went away.”

 

“We can differentiate between types of initiations in two ways: types and functions.”

 

This is one of the reasons for/functions of initiations:

 

“It reveals a world open to the trans-human, a world that, in our philosophical terminology, we should call transcendental.” (Wikipedia: Initiation; read what it says under the subtitle: Psychological)

 

One day you will be initiated (baptized) into transhumanism (the Beast—666).

 

When Jesus Christ returns, He will say, “Collect the WEEDS and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”

 

BTW Covid was an initiation into the Great Reset, and the Great Reset (Build Back Better) is a transitioning into the New World Order—2030: you’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy (Just think: a nuclear war would fast track their Great Reset agenda). Do you see how covid has charged society thus far? The authoritarian tiptoe! Look at what’s currently happening in China. Do you get it? Do you choose to see it, or do you turn a blind eye and willfully fall into the trap of ritualistic cognitive dissonance (evil)?

 

Evil gains more of a foothold as wickedness increases, thus normalizing it.

 

Truth and freedom go hand in hand: if you lose one, you lose the other.

 

Authoritarianism thrives on lies and control.

 

If we trust in God, we will walk in His light.

 

John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

 

In God we trust?

 

The hunger of Moloch, the god of child sacrifice, is never satisfied. Like the Mayan gods, he needs endless victims to devour. But who would sacrifice the children—the future? Planned Parenthood: the ones who also sell baby parts? Would this killing of the unborn be a modern-day sacrifice to Moloch? How about the sexual grooming of children? More woke sacrifices to Moloch? How about the slow normalizing of pedophilia? Is this the next sacrifice to Moloch? How about school books that depict pornographic sex acts between children and adults? Is this a type of sacrifice to Moloch? How about drag queen story hour in libraries? Is that also a sacrifice to Moloch? How about mother’s bringing their babies to watch drag queens dancing in a sexual manner? Could this be a sacrifice to Moloch? How about a drag queen shaking his booty in front of children, as parents give their children money to stuff in the grown man’s thong? Is this a sacrifice to Moloch too? How about allowing men/boys in the ladies/girls change rooms and washrooms? Is this also a sacrifice to Moloch? How about giving teenagers puberty blockers? Is this another sacrifice on the altar of Moloch? How about giving teenagers sex reassignment surgery? Is this yet another sacrifice to Moloch? Those who pervert the minds of children are evil and wicked! Common sense tells us that a child’s brain is not wired for this kind of sexual deviance. But as evil becomes more normalized, common sense goes out the window. The satanic hegelian dialectic continues to go round and round as society slowly goes down the toilet. The Bible is proved right again and again: people are sinners, and they follow the perversions of their evil/woke minds!

 

Life will continue to become less and less sacred until one day “being human” is considered a vile/useless thing. Eventually these hard-hearted people will sacrifice their humanity on the altar of transhumanism. They will count their freedom as nothing, happily embracing their enslavement. They will receive a 666-smartchip implant, and they will bring their children to get one too. In doing this they will reject their Creator, and their humanity, degrading themselves in the most despicable way. During this time, every kind of perversion and satanic ritual will be practiced in public. Transhumans will be controlled/programmed entities (zombies) who will bow down to worship Moloch—the Image of the Beast. The people of the world will sacrifice their future to the Beast. They will be slaves of the Beast. But remember this: the Beast is never satisfied! He will devour all that you have, even your very soul.

 

Mark 8:36 “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nysadWvdTq8

 

"My Dear Lady Rebecca, I would give the Earth to kiss the lips that have kissed the Grand Duc de D'or Baleine!!"

 

"That is a secret piece of knowledge, Lord Hugh - which you must never divulge to a living soul! However, those lips are available to you - and to all men of substance - for a price!!"

 

The D'or Baleine visit has changed everything. We are besieged more than ever with enquiries from elderly rich males about The Salon - and applications from married aristocratic ladies to join The Sodality. That young fogey Lord Trembath had a point when he said that I had "normalized prostitution amongst women of the English Ruling Class."

 

Love and Kisses to All My Friends and Fans!

xxxxx

Lady Rebecca Georgina Arabella Lyndon

Duchess of Basingstoke

  

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...Welcome, agent 5QrZ6-D112Gb.

Please deactivate your vehicle's SEASDReD drive to normalize its net composite mass-net composite space ratio. The hangar will be temporarily unshielded and accessible once the normalizing process is complete.

_________________________________________________________

One more pic, showing the vehicle's open cockpit. (The function isn't very smooth but it looks really cool IRL)

I have more pictures from other angles but unless anyone reeeeally wants me to upload them I won't.

 

It's good to be back. :D

  

I was at a bookstore yesterday, leafing through one photobook after another trying to learn something from the giants. It's a whole different kind of experience, holding a physical print in your hand, to the extent that you can almost touch the grains on the surface.

 

At the same time, I had a very 'normalizing' experience, in that in the film days, any noise you get on your shots was considered part of your work.

 

Now back to this shot. This is another one from the Hong Kong trip in the summer of 2011. Apart from the composition, there's not much to like, technique-wise. I basically let the camera decide how it wanted to capture the scene, which resulted in an extremely high ISO (for a 7D) while the shutter remained open for one quarter of a second.

 

I, however, decided to leave the noise produced in such a process. Now that I have been shooting for almost 2 years, I see a same image taken a while ago in a very different way (hence the title). What I mean is, some of the marvels that technology had allowed us may not always 'enhance' our photographic experience, either as a doer, or as a consumer.

“The Snake Nebula” (Barnard 72) is our dark “S”-shaped friend just left of center and is located in the constellation Ophiuchus. Our snake’s neighboring inky splotches each has their own designation in the Barnard catalog (20th century astronomer E. E. Barnard’s catalog of 182 dark markings in the sky) and collectively they form a part of the much larger “Dark Horse Nebula,” which, to the naked eye under dark skies, takes on the appearance of a horse. These interstellar clouds of gas and dust obscure light from stars behind them, thus taking on this backlit appearance, as if resting atop a sea of stars. Relative to our vantage point on Earth, this view is looking toward the core of the Milky Way, hence the incredible density of stars.

 

What is particularly striking to me about these dark nebulae toward the heart of the Milky Way is their striking contrast with the density of stars at the heart of our galaxy—to me it almost looks like an undulating sea of stars—and I wanted to promote that in this image, so I went out of my way maintain and promote the light and glow of stars both resolved and too small to be resolved by my sensor, taking inspiration from the sort of light intensity you might see in a lovely, deep photography of the Milky Way.

 

Details: StellarVue SVX080T-35V with 0.8x reducer, ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro, Rainbow Astro RST-135E. 140x90s for about 3.5 hours of data. Calibrated with darks (optimized), flats, and bias. Edited in PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop. Photographed on July 21, 2023, high in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, United States.

 

Commentary: Accomplishing the above was a bit of a tricky task, and I did a lot of experimentation with this image. Editing is a little tricky in a distinct way as you want to capture the stars in one image and the background stars/glow in another, and it becomes a pretty intricate balancing act of preserving noise (as all those little stars are represented at the scale of noise) and color when re-blending. And the general light levels make it a bit more challenging to re-blend bright stars and promote star color. I’ve improved the process with another image I have captured, and was tempted to re-visit this edit to impart small-scale improvements, but rather than be obsessive, I have just decided to share. This photograph sure is a delight whenever it comes up on my photo frame.

 

Editing: Primarily in PixInsight. Some very mild high cloud interference on a subset of session; integrated best frames for a master and used Normalize Scale Gradients script to mitigate. No Light gradient removal. SPCC for color calibration. For stars image used StarX (correct stars only with no reduction and tiny boost to halos; some spherical aberration on reducer), mild noise reduction with NoiseX (luminance mask), stretched and nudged saturation with GHS, small adjustments to color calibration with GHS and levels, and further refinement to color balance and noise. For “background” image applied color calibration, mild noise reduction (NoiseX, luminance mask), and removed stars with StarX. Stretched with GHS, color adjustments, and cleaned up some odds & ends in Adobe Photoshop. Re-imported to PixInsight, and removed stars from stars image with StarX. Iterated on applying the stars to the background stars/glow image and undoing, adjusting stretch and colors using GHS, curves, levels, and masks, until I found a happy balance (including adjustments to the stars layer as color blending was tricky). Other than a small curves adjustment, stars weren’t reduced, as they are essentially the star (heh) of the image alongside the dark nebula. Exported to Photoshop for final adjustment, cropping.

This statue, called Herons (Volavky) by Jana Moravcová, is one of the few still left in Prague since normalization times in end of 60's and 70's, when communists came up with so called 4th percent rule - visual artists was forced to donate 4 % of their art for beautification of cities they lived in. Most of them prefer to choose themes which have no political association whatsoever so they could not be persecuted for how it look like, which makes it quite timeless today - as far as cities takes care of them.

Jan Palach (Všetaty, 11 August 1948 – Prague, 19 January 1969) was a Czechoslovak student who became one of the most intense and shocking symbols of civil resistance against the Soviet occupation and against the moral surrender of an entire people. His is not a “romantic” story, nor an impulsive act: Palach is a historical figure because, at the very moment when society began to grow accustomed to fear, he chose to break that normality.

Origins, family, and education

Jan was born in Všetaty, a small town north of Prague in Czechoslovakia. He came from a simple, working family: his father was a small shopkeeper (also connected to a pastry business), and Jan grew up with an upbringing rooted in work, a strong sense of duty, and a concrete morality—never displayed for appearance. This is important: Palach did not come from political elites. He was an ordinary young man who studied, observed, and decided.

In the post-war years, Czechoslovakia experienced the progressive hardening of the communist regime into an authoritarian system: social control, censorship, and limits on freedom of thought. Jan Palach therefore grew up in a world where freedom was not guaranteed and where truth was managed from above.

He became a university student and enrolled at Charles University in Prague, one of the most important cultural institutions in Central Europe. Palach was not known for showmanship: he is described as serious, reflective, determined, with a very strong sense of responsibility. His was not the psychology of an “hero,” but the ethics of someone who refuses to accept humiliation as normal.

The Prague Spring and shattered hope

In 1968 Czechoslovakia went through an extraordinary historic moment: the so-called Prague Spring, an attempt at reform and liberalization that sparked hope for a more humane socialism—freer, less repressive. For months the country breathed again: civil society moved, culture revived, and public speech returned to life.

But in August 1968 the invasion came: the troops of the Warsaw Pact, led by the Soviet Union, entered the country to crush the reforms. It was the end of hope and the beginning of “normalization”: repression, propaganda, resignation. Military violence was only the first blow; the second, deeper one was psychological violence: people began to adapt.

And it is precisely here that Jan Palach understood a terrifying truth: power does not win only when it occupies the streets, but when it occupies consciences.

The act: a protest against resignation

On 16 January 1969 Jan Palach carried out the act that would make him an eternal symbol: he poured flammable liquid over himself and set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in central Prague. The place was not accidental: it was the civic, political, and historical heart of the city. It was an act of accusation against the occupation and against the gradual extinction of resistance.

This was not suicide in the ordinary sense. It was a political, moral, tragic sacrifice, meant to awaken society. Palach left messages and demands: among them, the denunciation of censorship and propaganda, and the need for a collective response. He did not call for revenge; he called for conscience.

His choice is terrible because it forces those who witness it to face a question: what is freedom worth? And above all: what is the cost of becoming accustomed to fear?

Death

Palach was taken to hospital with horrific burns. He did not die immediately: he remained alive for three days in terrible conditions and died on 19 January 1969, only twenty years old. In those days he already became a symbol, because his agony was the opposite of propaganda: it was physical truth, flesh, and pain revealing oppression.

Impact and memory

Palach’s funeral turned into a massive demonstration: an entire city was forced to look. The regime tried to minimize him, discredit him, turn him into a case of imbalance. But history did not erase him. Because his act is not “death”: it is accusation.

Jan Palach remains in European memory as a symbol of unarmed resistance and as a martyr of inner freedom. His figure returns over time: when societies begin to awaken again, his name reappears as warning and flame.

It must be said harshly: Palach did not die out of “personal despair.” He died because he understood that the most dangerous occupation is not the one imposed by tanks, but the one imposed on conscience—when a people stops believing that freedom is possible.

Why Jan Palach is a “necessary” figure

Jan Palach shows that there exists a rare kind of courage: the courage of someone who does not fight to win, but to refuse to lie. It is the courage of someone who pays everything to prevent society from getting used to humiliation.

And this is why Palach is not only Czechoslovak history: he is human history. Every time a people bends under fear, Palach returns to remind us that fear, when it becomes habit, is already defeat.

I publish this series of figures to awaken consciences and to remember how many people died defending truth, justice, and the rights of the oppressed. I want to highlight the injustices that still exist and show young people that the only thing we can do is to fight, because evil still rules and continues to target those who try to make a difference. This series is an invitation to remember, reflect, and never accept injustice.

The alarm sounds at 4:30 am shows a hurry I'm preparing camera equipment and I took the usual camera bag I put on closet adjacent to the tripod as I prepared last night before bed.

 

Month of January Sunday morning I went out, not forgetting first heat before leaving the vehicle so that the engine can normalize. Complimentary snacks such as bread, beverages, candy, and certainly I always carry cigarettes. I aim now is to go to the village Temon, Trowulan district, Mojokerto regency, East Java, Indonesia.

 

Why I chose this area because I did not explore with the camera and there are many relics of the Majapahit kingdom such as temples. Arriving at the destination I pulled out a pack of cigarettes for a smoke break while enjoying the beautiful scenery. I setting camera first so if you find the right subject I can directly grab without having to miss a moment.

 

The photo I took was "Archway Bajang Queen" or "Temple Bajang Queen". Bajang gate Queen or also known as the Temple of Queen Bajang is a gate / relic temple in the village of Majapahit Temon, District Trowulan, Mojokerto, East Java, Indonesia. Bajang Ratu in Javanese language means the king or nobleman small (dwarf) and the meaning Bajang is single. Since the time the young king crowned and given the title Queen Bajang which means "Little King".

 

According to local legend believed as a child or a king known as King Jayanegara this fall and cause defects in the gate his body so given the title King of disability or Bajang Queen.

 

The building was probably built in the 14th century was one of the big arch in the heyday of the Majapahit. According to the Archeological Heritage Preservation Board Mojokerto, temple / gate serves as the entrance to the shrine to commemorate the death of King Jayanegara in Negarakertagama called "back to the world of Vishnu" in 1250 Saka (circa 1328 AD).

 

But actually before his death Jayanegara temple was used as a back door of the kingdom. This assumption is supported by the relief "Sri Tanjung" and wings arches symbolizes release and until now in this area has become a cultural Trowulan if required mourn the dead through the back door.

 

* * * Copyright ©

All of which include an image is copyrighted, with all rights reserved please do not use, copy or edit any images without written permission from me Shantyrof (the rightful owner). If you want to use these photos please contact my email address: santirof@yahoo.com

Hey, who was that sexy lady I saw at the supermarket the other day? 💋

Well, whoever she was...she had company. Someone was following along behind her with a camera the whole time. 😘

I've sent Miss Daisy out shopping both on her own and we've also gone together quite a few times...but I've mostly resisted the impulse to follow her and take pictures because it made her nervous. But nervous is no longer allowed....she is a very pretty and appealing lady, and she should learn to not only expect attention....but to enjoy it as well. Who knows....she may even grow to crave it one day. 😜

A leaf-mimicking katydid from Jatun Sacha reserve, Ecuador.

Several factors conspired on my trip to this reserve which led to more capture-releases, stressed animals and ultimately deaths than average. None of the following excuses are acceptable, but they are common, speak to a mindset, and a normalization of casualties ie. habituation. This is especially true in that grey area where research and photography overlap.

 

First was an abundance of arthropod life, much more than I had seen elsewhere, 2) the availability of research facilities and equipment like light traps which increased yields 1000 fold, 3) Wildlife found especially close to the cabins, allowing for assembly-lining of white background shots, therefore holding species for overly long as the queues began to back up, 4) The presence of other biologists which shared their subjects and thus increased the number of subjects (especially rare and interesting ones) still further. Essentially it was an oversupply, and I was too gluttonous too stop and consider. Rather than limiting the number and trying to photograph fewer and with better standards and care, I tried to do too much. This is a common theme, especially in insect, and reptile and amphibian photography, where both huge numbers and casualties (to a certain extent) are normal and treated cavalierly. When operating within this closed system, especially with others that bear the same mindset, it can become a negative cycle of reinforcement. Obviously I'm not proud of this behaviour, but it took retrospect to even see that what I was doing was wrong, and could and should be changed. I hope others can learn to question in the moment, and put aside their own personal wants as a photographer and prioritize the needs of the wildlife they photograph , as I failed to do in this instance.

 

-----------------

EE Legend

-Health injury/stress levels (scale 1-10-->☠️)

👣-Translocation

⏳-time in captivity

📷 - in situ - studio

🎨 - Use of cloning or extensive post processing

 

For those curious about the EE and scale you can refer to my earlier post tinyurl.com/y7vvoxv3

Dinamarca - Copenhague - Ciudad libre de Christiania

 

***

 

ENGLISH

 

www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/culture/alternative-ch...

 

Freetown Christiania, also known as Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist district of about 850 to 1,000 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital city of Copenhagen. It was temporarily closed to residents in April 2011 by the Danish government, but later re-opened.

 

Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. In the years following 2004, measures for normalizing the legal status of the community led to conflicts, police raids and negotiations.

 

Meditation and yoga have always been popular among the Christianites, and for many years Christiania had a theatrical group Solvognen, who, beyond their theatre performances, also staged many happenings in Copenhagen and throughout Sweden. Ludvigsen had always talked of the acceptance of drug-addicts who could no longer cope with regular society, and the spirit of that belief has still not diminished, even though many problems sprouted due to drug traffic and use (mostly of 'hard drugs', however, which are not tolerated in Christiania). These addicts enter and remain in Christiania and are considered just as integral to the Freetown ethics as the entrepreneurs. For this reason many Danes have seen Christiania as a successful social experiment. However, for years the legal status of the region has been in a limbo due to different Danish governments attempting to remove the Christianites. Such attempts at removal have all been unsuccessful so far.

 

Christiania is considered to be the fourth largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen (and it has half a million visitors annually)] and abroad it is a well-known "brand" for the supposedly progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and organizations also use Christiania as a show place for their foreign friends and guests. The purpose is to show something Danish that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

 

Famous for its main drag, known as Pusher Street, where hash and skunk weed were sold openly from permanent stands until 2004, it nevertheless does have rules forbidding 'hard drugs', such as cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy and heroin. The hash commerce is controversial, but since the rules require a consensus they cannot be removed unless everybody agrees. Legalization of cannabis is one of the ideas of many of the citizens in Christiania. The region negotiated an arrangement with the Danish defense ministry (which still owns the land) in 1995. Since 1994, residents have paid taxes and fees for water, electricity, trash disposal, etc.

 

After bitter negotiations that temporarily resulted in the area being sealed off to the public, in June 2011, the residents of Christiania agreed to collectively set up a fund to formally purchase the land at below market prices. The community made its first payment in July 2012, officially becoming legal landowners.

 

***

 

ESPAÑOL

 

www.copenhague.es/que-ver/christiania/

 

La Ciudad libre de Christiania (Danés: Fristaden Christiania) es un barrio parcialmente autogobernado de unos 1000 residentes. Cubre un área de 34 hectáreas en el barrio de Christianshavn (puerto de Christian), en la capital de Dinamarca, Copenhague. Christiania se estableció con un estatus semilegal de comunidad de vecinos que se autoproclama independiente del Estado danés.

 

Christiania está organizada en torno a Pusher Street (La calle del Vendedor de Estupefacientes), calle, a tramos de asfalto, a tramos de adoquines, y a tramos sencillamente de tierra, en la que se encuentran algunos bares, tiendas, souvenires y centros culturales. Al salir de Pusher Street nos encontramos en un camino alrededor de un canal. Este caminito de tierra discurre entre las casas de los "christianitas", muchas de ellas personalizadas. Hay guarderías, puentes, y esculturas en el agua. Christiania es famosa porque en ella se permite el consumo y venta de drogas blandas. Por ello recibe el apelativo de "distrito verde" (green district). No obstante, desde 2004 el gobierno ha radicalizado su postura y se producen más redadas en la zona. Esto no impide que diariamente turistas y gente local transiten la zona para comprar marihuana o hachís, y que en los bares, terrazas y bancos se congregue la gente a fumar.1

 

El barrio de Christiania se ha convertido en interés turístico por el precio de las bebidas y alimentos (casi un 50% más baratos que en otras partes de la ciudad debido a que no hay impuestos), de sus tiendas de ropa, artesanía y recuerdos. En el pasado se podían contratar visitas guiadas por el barrio de Christiania, pero desde hace unos pocos años la comunidad decidió prohibirlas ya que se quejaban de que fueran expuestos o mostrados como si fueran animales en un zoológico. Igualmente puedes entrar al área sin problema por tu cuenta.

 

Al salir por la entrada principal de la ciudad de Christiania se puede leer «You're now entering the EU» (Está usted entrando en la Unión Europea), ya que los habitantes de Christiania no se consideran pertenecientes a la Unión Europea.

 

En septiembre de 1971 la historia de Christiania comienza con el derribo de una valla en un terreno militar abandonado por el ejército danés en 1971, por parte de unos padres que querían terrenos donde sus hijos pudiesen jugar. Luego de ese evento se plantea un debate en la comunidad gracias a un artículo en un periódico subcultural que plantea los diferentes usos que se podían dar al cuartel abandonado.​ El movimiento cultural y político incita a que el sitio debe ser el espacio para realizar las aspiraciones de vida comunal de su movimiento, logrando que un grupo de personas ocupen ilegalmente los terrenos y funden Christiania.​ El gobierno lo toleró, aunque ha intentado expulsarles de allí en numerosas ocasiones. En 1989 se promulgó la Ley de Christiania que transfiere parte de la supervisión del área de la municipalidad de Copenhague al estado danés, y que aceptó conservar el asentamiento supeditado a una futura legalización y normalización. Desde 2004 se dieron una serie de conflictos con el gobierno danés respecto a la propiedad de los terrenos y al mercado de drogas. En 2012 los habitantes de Christiania han reconsiderado su posición de ocupantes ilegales y han comprado gran parte de los terrenos del barrio con el propósito de mantenerlo comunal. La propiedad de estos terrenos no pertenece a personas individuales, sino al colectivo de Christiania, y no pueden venderse de manera individual. En caso de venta de casas o terrenos, las cláusulas estipulan obligaciones específicas entre el colectivo y el gobierno danés.​ Las personas que habitan las zonas que se han comprado pagan un alquiler comunitario que se estipula en función de las dimensiones de la casa. También pagan las facturas del agua y de la electricidad.

 

Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard is an oil-on-wood painting by Italian artist Fra Bartolomeo, datable to 1504–1507. It is held in the Uffizi, in Florence.

In 1504, four years after Fra Bartolomeo had taken his vows, the prior of the Convent of San Marco, where he lived, suggested him to return to painting, which he had not done since taking the Dominican habit. The artist accepted his suggestion and for that purpose he set up a small atelier in the same convent. He received his first commission on 18 November 1504, from Bernardo Del Bianco, for an altarpiece destined for the Badia Fiorentina. Fra Bartolomeo worked in the painting the following years, until the work was completed and delivered in 1507, when the client paid the balance of the payment. The painting was installed in the family chapel in the church, specially created by Benedetto da Rovezzano.

In 1627, with the demolition of the original chapel, the altarpiece was moved to the sacristy. Remained in the church until the Napoleonic suppressions, it went, like all the major works of Florentine churches and convents, to the recently established Galleria dell'Accademia, in 1810. In 1945, with the reorganization of the Florentine state collections, it was finally assigned to the Uffizi.

Today in the Badia there is another masterwork with the same subject, the Apparition of the Virgin to St Bernard by Filippino Lippi.

The first work created by Fra Bartolomeo after the profound mystical crisis that he went through following the death of Girolamo Savonarola, it shows a strong mystical sense. Iconographically the artist refers to the analogous work of Perugino, from which derives the pose of the saint, his white habit and contemplative attitude. More complex, however, is the left half of the painting, where appears the Virgin with Child Jesus, while a group of angels seems to be pushing her forward. On the right side, instead, the presence of two saints, Benedict and Barnabas, balances the group of St. Bernard.

In the background there is a bright landscape with a city, while on the right, on a cliff, is visible the scene of St Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata, to underline the communion between the different forms of monastic religiosity, the Benedictines, the Dominicans and the Franciscans. A small tablet at the bottom in the center of the composition with the Crucifixion is leaning against a book, a devotional motif taken from the example of Beato Angelico in the San Marco Altarpiece.

The complexion is full-bodied and florid, while the composition seems to anticipate the developments of Mannerism. In fact, the movements of the figures seem to have slowed down, making the gestures and the looks more grandiloquent. The pointed physiognomies of the angels' heads instead demonstrate a quotation from the capricious ways of Piero di Cosimo.

The miraculous tale appears normalized in everyday life, emphasized only by the grandeur of the Michelangelo–inspired forms.

Well THAT Year Didn't Go As Planned - Sending good thoughts to everyone on this New Year’s Eve. Here’s to better things in 2021, even if they take a while to normalize.

 

(Original post located at www.pmkelly.com/2020/12/well-that-year-didnt-go-as-planned/)

Reprocess time ! (cloudy here :S )

This data come from a session earlier this year , march 2021

I not 100% satisfied with the way it turned , but still nice

picture :D

 

Feel free to ask a question and all criticism are welcome 👍

 

-Equipment-

Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH (414mm focal)

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -15°C

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher EQ5

Filter: Optrolong L-eXtreme

 

-Acquisition-

Light :50x300s ( 4h ) at Gain:101 Offset:49

Dark-100x300s Flat-30 Bias-100

Date : Take on 3 night 03-04-05 mars 2021

Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5

 

-Software-

Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight , Lightroom

 

-Pre Processing in PixInsight-

Image Calibration

Cosmetic Correction

Debayer

Subframe Selector

Star Alignement

Local Normalization

Drizzle x2

 

Crop the black bands from the stacking

 

-Processing

 

RGB layer

Split RGB channels

Ha=R Oiii= B*0.3+G*0.7

EZ_Soft Stretch

HOO combination with Foraxx formula

R=Ha

G=((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Ha + ~((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Oiii

B=Oiii

Starnet++ for remove stars and build a mask nebula

Color Saturation

Curves Tansformation (K,saturation,hue)

Bring back the stars

 

L layer

Ez_Deconvolution

Ez_Denoise

Ez_Soft Stretch

Local Histogram Equalization with nebula mask

 

LRGB

Final Curve Transformation

EZ_Star Reduction

 

Lightroom

Vibrance, clarity , TSL

Save as JPEG

 

Clear skies !

I continue my quest to normalize fat bodies on the beach.

 

Bathing suit - Accessorize

Sunglasses - Jag

This image is about comparing Photoshop processing (my customary tool) of planetary data to PixInsight processing. This image, processed in PixInsight, is rendered from the same data as the Jupiter image processed in Photoshop and posted on 2022-09-02.

 

My impression of this image is that it is interesting, but not as sharp as the Photoshop-processed image. I will experiment with the order of processing to see if a better result can be optained.

 

After registration and stacking in Autostakkert and de-rotation in WINJUPOS, all follow on processing to this image was in PixInsight instead of Photoshop. In particular, Before any sharpening, I separately de-rotated all images for each color channel, and did a de-rotation of R/G/B Frames.

 

PixInsight processes used:

ChannelExtraction to pull out separate RGB channel images

LinearFit to normalize channel levels

ColorCombination to reassemble into a single RGB image

UnsharpMask for sharpening

CurvesTransformation for RGB, saturation and CIE c* component stretches

Subtle differences in shades of green in this animation reflect vegetation conditions worldwide. High values of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, or NDVI, represent dense green functioning vegetation, and low NDVI values represent sparse green vegetation or vegetation under stress from limiting conditions, such as drought. The still image is a snapshot of the Earth created from a year’s worth of data from April 2012 to April 2013.

 

The information was sent back to Earth from the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership or Suomi NPP satellite, a partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.

 

Credit: NASA/NOAA

 

To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/vegetation.html

 

NASA image use policy.

 

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

 

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Simon Williams is the son of rich industrialist Sanford Williams, owner of Williams Innovations. Simon inherits the munitions factory after his father's death, but the company's profits fall due to its biggest competitor Tony Stark and his company Stark Industries.

 

On the advice of his brother Eric, Simon tries to embezzle funds from his company but is caught and incarcerated.

 

Simon blames Stark for this and accepts the proposition of master villain Baron Heinrich Zemo after the Enchantress pays his bail, as a pawn is required to infiltrate the Avengers.

 

The desperate Simon Williams agrees and is transformed into an ion-powered being with superhuman powers. His powers are tested, and he is shown to have great superhuman strength and durability, even defeating the Executioner.

 

Called Wonder Man by Zemo, he is then sent to meet and join the Avengers, with instructions to betray them at a critical moment so that Zemo's Masters of Evil can destroy the Avengers.

 

Zemo ensures Wonder Man's loyalty by advising him that as a result of the treatment his body now requires periodic doses of a serum to survive—a serum that only Zemo can provide. The Avengers are lured into a trap and captured.

 

The plan fails when Wonder Man decides to save the Avengers and aid them against Zemo, apparently at the cost of his own life. Hank Pym records Wonder Man's brain patterns in the hope that one day he can be revived.

 

Unbeknownst to the Avengers, Wonder Man's body has simply entered a catatonic state as it adjusts to the effects of the treatment. Eric Williams becomes distraught over the apparent death of his sibling and, blaming the Avengers, assumes the identity of the Grim Reaper in an effort to destroy them. The Grim Reaper steals Simon's body at one point, and attacks the Avengers three times before Wonder Man finally returns.

 

Wonder Man remains in suspended animation for years, and it is during this period that Ultron, the evil robot creation of Hank Pym, steals the brain patterns recorded by the Avengers for use as a template for the synthezoid Vision.

 

It is later revealed that Vision is built from the original Human Torch, an android created by Professor Phineas Horton.

 

During this vulnerable time, Wonder Man is used as a pawn on three occasions. Wonder Man is briefly revived by Kang the Conqueror to battle the Avengers as part of his Legion of the Unliving, and later "resurrected" as a zombie by Black Talon and the Grim Reaper to attack the Avengers once more.

 

On the final occasion, the Living Laser hypnotizes a now-awake but still very weak Wonder Man, in an unsuccessful attack on the Avengers.

 

After this encounter, Wonder Man was restored to true life and chooses to remain with the Avengers, aiding them against Attuma and Doctor Doom.

 

He also fought the Vision, and helped the Avengers battle Graviton. He soon after defeats the Grim Reaper, who was intent on destroying the Vision as he was "artificial" and a "mockery" of his brother; Wonder Man at this point is revealed to have become a being of ionic energy.

 

Wonder Man eventually joins the Avengers in a full-time capacity and becomes close friends with his teammate, the Beast. For several months after his resurrection, Wonder Man suffers from slight claustrophobia and a fear of dying in battle, as he did once before. Wonder Man finally overcomes his fear of death during the final battle with Korvac.

 

Wonder Man invaded his former plant which had been taken over by the Maggia, and fought Madame Masque and the Dreadnought.

 

Developing an interest in acting, Wonder Man stars in minor roles before moving to Hollywood, where fellow Avenger Hercules uses his contacts to establish Wonder Man's career. Wonder Man also works for a time as a stuntman, an ideal vocation since he is invulnerable to virtually all conventional weapons.

 

Wonder Man helps form the West Coast Avengers, and his new-found confidence begins to become arrogance. He develops a serious rivalry with Iron Man, but sees the error of his ways after a brutal battle with the Abomination.

 

He also foils Doctor Doom's plot to control the world. His acting career rises, and he is cast as the villain in the fourth film in the successful Arkon franchise.

 

Wonder Man eventually accepts the Vision as his "brother", but there is a setback when the Vision is dismantled and rebuilt as an emotionless machine by a global conglomerate.

 

The Scarlet Witch—the Vision's wife—asks Wonder Man to provide his brainwaves once again in order to rebuild the foundational personality matrix of the original Vision, but Wonder Man refuses, having feelings for her himself.

 

The Wasp further deduces that the Vision's original relationship to the Scarlet Witch may even have been predicated by Wonder Man's initial donation for the original personality matrix; at this, Wonder Man confirms that several of his hesitations about making the attempt arise from these doubts and the subconscious desire he's felt toward the Scarlet Witch since her separation from her husband. He is then ensorcelled by the Enchantress, and battles the Avengers.

 

Wonder Man battles old foes Goliath and the Enchantress, before meeting his would-be sidekick "Spider" and battling Gamma-Burn, resulting in wrecking his jet-pack.

 

Wonder Man then battles the assassin Splice for the first time. Wonder Man takes part in the Kree/Shi'ar War, and had his powers altered when he and the Vision failed to prevent the Shi'ar Nega-Bomb from detonating.

 

He battled Angkor, and then journeyed to Hades where he battled Mephisto, Blackheart, the Enchantress, and the Grim Reaper; he then learned that he was immortal.

 

When Avengers West Coast (renamed) disbands after a dispute, Wonder Man becomes a founding member of its successor group Force Works, but is disintegrated in an explosion during their first mission against the alien Kree.

 

Many months later, the Scarlet Witch accidentally resurrects Wonder Man in ionic form; while in this form he appears when she is in need.

 

Several months later, the Scarlet Witch is able to fully revive Wonder Man and he now exists in an independent, more human form. It is also discovered later that the Grim Reaper - dead at the time - is also revived.

 

Wonder Man becomes romantically involved with the Scarlet Witch, but ends their affair during the Kang Dynasty saga, due to her residual feelings for the Vision.

 

Wonder Man is blackmailed into working for S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Civil War storyline. Due to charges of misappropriation of funds in his non-profit organization, Wonder Man is pressured to work for the pro-registration side in the ensuing Civil War drama.

 

In addition to capturing renegade vigilantes and criminals, Wonder Man is instrumental in creating televised messages to educate the public and yet-unregistered superhumans about the specifics of the Registration Act. Wonder Man became a member of the Mighty Avengers.

 

Wonder Man began a romantic relationship with fellow Mighty Avenger Ms. Marvel warning her not to use her position as leader of the Avengers to keep him out of potentially dangerous situations just because of their relationship.

 

Following the events of the Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn created a new team of Avengers, effectively retiring Wonder Man during the Dark Reign storyline.

 

Wonder Man later appears on television, lamenting his tenure as an Avenger, claiming it was all a waste of time, and that using violence to uphold justice has caused nothing but heartache and death. He ends his speech by sadly admitting that having Osborn in charge is exactly what the country deserves.

 

After this, Wonder Man is imprisoned as a member of the new Lethal Legion. This group opposes the tyrannical efforts of Osborn; Wonder Man joins to try to keep them from hurting innocents.

 

Wonder Man has been seen alongside his old West Coast Avengers teammates, Ronin, Mockingbird, Tigra and War Machine in battle with a new version of Ultimo.

 

During the Heroic Age sequence, Simon is approached by Steve Rogers to join the new team of Avengers. Simon refuses stating that the Avengers have caused more problems than they have solved and implies as Rogers leaves that he will make sure his old allies realize the mistake they are making.

 

Simon also mentioned as having been in jail until Steve bailed him out. After learning that Rogers had disregarded his advice, Wonder Man attacks the new team causing some damage to their base before inexplicably disappearing.

 

Thor and Iron Man later contact him to try and reason with him, but Simon refuses to listen to their arguments, stating that the dead heroes that have resulted from the Avengers working together should be a clear sign that the concept is doomed, departing as Thor and Iron Man try to argue that all heroes are aware of the risks when they begin. Significantly, Iron Man notes that Simon is 'leaking' ionic energy, suggesting that his current mental condition may relate to his powers rather than being simply a matter of choice.

 

Wonder Man put together the Revengers, a team of super-powered people to stop the Avengers because he believes they do more harm than good, blaming the Avengers for Ultron's existence, the damage caused by the Scarlet Witch and the Hulk, the Civil War, and Osborn's Dark Avengers. His team subsequently defeats the New Avengers in a quick attack on the mansion before he moves on to attack Avengers Tower, stating that he will destroy the tower unless the Avengers immediately disband.

 

Although Iron Man manages to trap him in a prison specifically designed to contain his ionic energy with the Revengers being quickly defeated by the combined Avengers teams, Wonder Man has still successfully managed to spread doubt among the population about the merits of the Avengers as a concept particularly since Captain Rogers has yet to officially rebuff any of his arguments, asking Beast to remember his words simultaneously reflecting that he may be able to see the Avengers from the outside as he has not been 'real' since his resurrection before he apparently disappears from his prison.

 

Wonder Man later reappears to Captain America (Steve Rogers), telling him that he feels sorry for his past actions and that he is trying to redeem himself. Before he can accept help from the Avengers, he is attacked by the Red Hulk. He managed to take him down and looks at Avengers Tower, claiming that he will "earn his way back". He later plays a pivotal role in rescuing the Wasp from the Microverse. After this, Wonder Man is shown celebrating Jan's return alongside the rest of the Avengers at Stark Tower.

 

At Wasp's urging, Simon later joins the Avengers Unity Squad. During conversations with Jan and Sunfire, he makes it clear has no intentions of fighting, and only wants to help use his PR skills to win over skeptical citizens. He and the Scarlet Witch rekindle their relationship. During the final confrontation with the Celestial Executioner, he allows Rogue to absorb him to give her the power to oppose the Celestial, but his essence remains in Rogue after Wanda expels the other absorbed powers from her, leaving Rogue with Simon's powers and once again unable to touch others.

 

During the AXIS events, Wonder Man's consciousness was still in Rogue at the time when the X-Men and the Avengers were inverted by an inversion spell. Rogue used Wonder Man's powers when helping the X-Men.

 

At the time when the Avengers Unity Squad traveled to Counter-Earth to find Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Rogue was captured by High Evolutionary's right-hand man Master Scientist who removed Wonder Man's consciousness from Rogue.

 

After Rogue was unable to see or hear Wonder Man, he was still in Rogue's mind. When Rogue kissed Deadpool, Wonder Man was freed from Rogue's body as the result of Deadpool's healing factor acting like a circuit breaker that enabled Wonder Man to escape from Rogue's body.

 

During the "Secret Empire" events, Wonder Man appears as a member of the Underground which is a resistance movement against Hydra ever since they took over the United States.

 

During the "Empyre" storyline, Wonder Man, Quicksilver, and Mockingbird deal with the Kree and the Skrull's fight with the Cotati near Navojoa. When Quicksilver is hit by special spheres fired by the Cotati magicians, Mockingbird and Wonder Man come to his aid and help the Kree and the Skrull turn the tide against the Cotati.

 

Powers and abilities

 

Simon Williams gained his superhuman powers due to chemical and radiation treatments with "ionic" energy by Baron Zemo, giving him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. While Zemo's initial aim is to use ionic energy treatments to make Wonder Man at least "the equal of any Avenger," his treatments surpassed his expectations and endowed Wonder Man with strength comparable to that of Thor.

 

Captain America once describes Wonder Man as having "Sentry-level" strength, though that is anecdotal rather than scientific. Zemo's treatments also grant Wonder Man virtual invulnerability, immortality, enhanced physicality likened to greater stamina, agility, speed, and instantaneous reflexes. Zemo also outfits Wonder Man with a rocket pack in his belt to achieve flight.

 

When the Scarlet Witch resurrected him Wonder Man was able to transform into a state of pure ionic energy at will and back again. Following his resurrection and metamorphosis, Wonder Man eventually relearned he is capable of true flight and energy projection. Due to his self-regenerating ionic energy, Simon has the ability to go without air, food, or water. His eyes also glow a bright red and he usually wears sunglasses to conceal the effect but Simon can normalize their appearance as well.

 

Before his "death" at the hands of the Kree, Wonder Man discovered new abilities. In his beginning years, Williams sometimes wore an ionic energy powered apparatus which allowed him simulated flight. Over the course of his career he would gain true flight without need of a thrust system.

 

Other abilities begotten from manipulating his own ion energies include emitting force or flame beams from his hands and eyes. Alternating his physical shape in undiscovered ways either changing his size (enabling him to grow taller than his adversary Goliath), morphing his hand into a sickle or transforming into a more demonic semblance.

 

Withholding the energy in hand to increase the impact force of his physical blows. He could potentially even give superpowers to non-powered individuals by imparting his ionic force onto them and can just as easily reabsorb it back into himself as this somewhat weakens his superhuman abilities.

 

Since his resurrection, he has rarely used most of these powers but can still shift between human and energy states at will.

 

Later, his ionic form has begun to "leak" energy, allowing Iron Man to track him by following his unique energy signature, the other heroes speculating that his condition is responsible for his currently unstable attitude and anger at the Avengers.

 

In later appearances he appears to have increased in strength and power, having also learned to teleport at will. He has done so several times in recent appearances; once being when he was detained by the Avengers after staging an attack on the mansion, and again while battling and easily winning against the Red Hulk.

 

Wonder Man has some limited effect on Electromagnetic phenomena as was explained to him by Hank and Nadia Pym, to that end he can absorb various forms of energy be it radiological, ionic, even anti-material in nature.

 

Simon is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, having received Avengers training in unarmed combat from Captain America. He has an advanced degree in electrical engineering, is an experienced stuntman, and a talented actor. He is also exceptionally wealthy, being the owner of his own private weapons company as well as a successful movie star.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

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

 

Secret Identity: Simon Williams

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First appearance: The Avengers #9 (October 1964)

 

Created by:

Stan Lee

Jack Kirby

Don Heck

88x300s

WO71-II, Optolong L-Extreme, ASI071MC, AVX

 

HOO normalization script applied and colors tweaked for the same data as www.flickr.com/photos/34175043@N00/53095460849

My first RGB Image from the Qhyccd 183M 20mpx Back Illuminated ColdMOS Camera, I will be writing part 2 of the review soon, so here's what I hope is one of many images taken with this awesome camera

 

Gear:

Imaging Scope: Sky-Watcher Quattro 8" F4 Imaging Newtonian

Imaging Camera: Qhyccd 183M 20mpx ColdMOS Camera at -20C and DSO Gain

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro

Guide Camera: Qhyccd QHY5L-II Mono

Guide Scope: Sky-Watcher 50x90 Finder Scope

Filter Wheel: Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm EFW

Filters: Baader Planetarium 36mm RGB

Coma Corrector: Sky-Watcher Aplanatic Coma Corrector

Image Acquisition: Main Sequence Software SGPro

Image Processing: PixInsight

 

Image Details:

Target: IC434 - Horsehead Nebula

Constelation: Orion

Red: 19x300S

Green: 19x300S

Blue: 19x300S

Darks: 51x300S

Flats: 101

Bias: 251 converted to SuperBIAS and deducted from Flats

 

PixInsight Image processing workflow:

1. Calibrated against darks and Bias Subtracted Flats

2. Star Alignment

3. Least noise frame from each colour chosen as Normalization Frame and Dynamic Background Extraction Performed

4. Normalization of all frames

5. Stacking of frames and generation of drizle data (for larger quality image in future)

6. Performed LinearFit using Red stacked image as reference

7. Performed MultiMedianTransformation to reduce background noise

8. Performed SCNR to remove excessive green in image

9. Stretched the image using HistogramTransformation

10. Performed a CurvesTransformation to bring out the star colour

 

Right now I have not performed any Sharpening of the image, nor have I added the Ha data to this image, I'll post an updated image when I get round to doing that

Why To Fight Against Extreme Right and Nationalist Right In Portugal And In the World by Daniel Arrhakis

 

Why to fight against the movements of Extreme Right or Nationalist Right in Portugal and in the World.

 

It was the nationalist idealism that led to the Second World War and that divided nations leading to the destruction of many capitals in Europe and the death of more than 55 million people worldwide.

To these were added the millions of displaced persons, the thousands who were used as slaves in the war effort.

In these mortal victims are counted the entire families who were shot in mass graves (which they themselves dug) previously undressed and still with children in their arms!

It is the same Nationalism of an Extreme Right that killed millions by gas just because they were against their ideology, or because they were Jews, homosexuals, communists or gypsies. The same that Mr. Andre Ventura of the far-right Portuguese political party is chasing at the moment just because they are different!

 

As for the refugees, they come looking for a better life like so many Portuguese who are still in France today, some of whom are threatened in the same way by the French from the National Front of Marine Le Pen who do not want emigrants there! The same Marine Le pen who has a smiling lunch with André Ventura.

The dependent subsidies as André Ventura refers to and persecutes so much are people with poor resources, Portuguese people who, due to their low income, are given a subsidy, which social security does not provide without income verification!

This attempt to persecute the most needy, refugees and minorities is a technique used by the nationalist right such as Marine Le Pen in France, Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Donald Trump in the United States that combine populism with [anti-immigrant] nativism and authoritarianism. They advocate worship / loyalty to leaders and belief-centered supremacy.

In fact, in addition to the trinity God, Fatherland and Family that was so homesick for Salazar, we always have a group where hatred is directed and the masses are incited; in Germany it fell mainly to the Jews and therefore to a religion, using a campaign of demonization that ended its persecution and death by chambers of gas.

 

The use of social networks made the spread of these ideas explosive because it managed to bring together minorities whose extremist ideals were not well accepted in the wider community.

The spread of false news and the appearance of propaganda agencies of the nationalist ideology and the radical right like Breitbart has aimed to discredit traditional news agencies and try to call into question even the democratic institutions and processes of the countries as happened with the Phenomenon Trump in the United States.

Doubt, the hate speech that is always present even with the normalization of insults is one of the techniques to radicalize people and bring more supporters to the cause.

This radicalization is also done with conspiracy theories widespread by people like Steve Bannon and lies where political concepts, tragedies or political crises and interracial or regional hatreds are mixed.

 

Let us not be naive Trump and Bolsonaro, Marine Le pen or Matteo Salvini who still recently supported André Ventura are part of a movement that tries at all costs to unite the Extremist and Nationalist Right in the World and in Europe.

With support from major dark European and American economic interests and support from Russian oligarchs, they try to divide Europe and its allies but also to weaken large alliances, especially the Atlantic Alliance.

The isolationist process is always present, hence the fight against international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization or the European Community. Through the process of propaganda of extremist ideas, fear and radicalization, they try to control the peoples and to endure an authoritarian system of worship for the leader, as we have in North Korea! - The radicalization of the Left is as dangerous as the radicalization of the Right.

 

André Ventura in his doctoral thesis defended minorities until recently and was against the police states to quickly join a nationalist right of Marine Le pen, whose father said that "The Nazi Holocaust was just a detail ..." .

 

I believe that many people due to the global crisis, the pandemic and the lack of social response by many governments see their future threatened and try to find alternatives. But let's face it, does everything work?

Will we want to agree with the fascism or the "patriotic" nationalist right of Trump or Bolsonaro?

Do we want national socialism like Hitler's Nazi regime? So since when are right-wing nationalism possible in Democracy or as History sadly taught us, we will be able to agree with regimes of inhuman fascism that defend the survival of the strongest and despise the most sacred Values ​​of Humanity!

 

Text By Daniel Arrhakis

  

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*** O Porquê de se lutar contra os movimentos de Extrema Direita ou de Direita Nacionalista em Portugal e no Mundo. ***

 

Foi o idealismo nacionalista que levou à Segunda Guerra Mundial e que dividiu nações levando à destruição de muitas capitais da Europa e à morte de mais de 55 milhões de pessoas por todo o Mundo.

A estes juntaram-se os milhões de deslocados, os milhares que foram utilizados como escravos no esforço de guerra.

Nessas vitimas mortais contam-se as famílias inteiras que foram fuziladas em valas comuns (que elas próprias escavavam) previamente despidas e ainda com crianças ao colo !

É o mesmo Nacionalismo de uma Extrema Direita que matou milhões pelo gas só porque eram contra a sua ideologia, ou porque eram judeus, homossexuais, comunistas ou ciganos. Os mesmos que o Sr. Andre Ventura do partido de direita radical CHEGA persegue neste momento só porque são diferentes !

Quanto aos refugiados vêm procurar uma melhor vida como tantos portugueses que estão ainda hoje em França, alguns dos quais ameaçados da mesma forma pelos franceses da Frente Nacional de Marine Le Pen que não querem lá emigrantes ! A mesma Marine Le pen que almoça sorridente com André Ventura.

Os subsidio dependentes como André Ventura refere e tanto persegue são pessoas com fracos recursos, Portugueses que devido aos fracos rendimentos lhes é atribuído um subsidio, aliás que a segurança social não atribui sem verificação de rendimentos !

Esta tentativa de perseguir os mais necessitados, os refugiados e as minorias é uma técnica usada pela direita nacionalista como Marine Le Pen na França, Viktor Orbán na Hungria e Donald Trump nos Estados Unidos que combinam populismo com nativismo [anti-imigrante] e autoritarismo. Defendem o culto/lealdade aos líderes e uma supremacia centrada na crença.

Aliás que para além do trinómio Deus, Pátria e Família que era tão saudoso do Salazar temos sempre um grupo para onde se dirige o ódio e se incitam as massas; na Alemanha calhou principalmente aos Judeus e portanto a uma religião, usando uma campanha de demonização que acabou com a sua perseguição e morte mas camaras de gas.

A utilização das redes sociais tornou explosiva a disseminação destas ideias pois conseguiu juntar minorias cujos ideais extremistas não eram bem aceites na comunidade em geral.

A disseminação das falsas noticias e do aparecimento de agencias de propaganda da ideologia nacionalista e da direita radical como Breitbart tem tido como objetivo a descredibilização das agencias noticiosas tradicionais e tentar colocar em causa até as instituições e os processos democráticos dos países como aconteceu com o Fenómeno Trump nos Estados Unidos.

A duvida, o discurso do ódio que está sempre presente até com a normalização dos insultos é uma das técnicas para radicalizar as pessoas e trazer mais apoiantes à causa.

Esta radicalização é também feita com teorias da conspiração muito difundidas por pessoas como Steve Bannon e mentiras onde se misturam conceitos politicos, tragédias ou se tira partido das crises politicas e dos ódios inter-raciais ou regionais.

 

Não sejamos ingénuos Trump e Bolsonaro, Marine Le pen ou Matteo Salvini que ainda recentemente apoiou André Ventura fazem parte de um movimento que tenta a todos o custo fazer uma união da Direita Extremista e Nacionalista no Mundo e na Europa. Com apoios de grandes interesse económicos europeus e americanos e do apoio de Oligarcas Russos tentam dividir a Europa e os seus aliados mas também enfraquecer as grandes alianças em especial a Aliança Atlântica.

O processo isolacionista está sempre presente, daí o combate ás organizações internacionais como as Nações Unidas, a Organização Mundial de Saúde ou a Comunidade Europeia. Pelo processo da propaganda das ideias extremistas, do medo e da radicalização tenta-se assim controlar os povos e fazer perdurar um sistema autoritário de culto ao líder, como temos aliás na Coreia do Norte ! - A radicalização da Esquerda é tão perigosa como a radicalização da Direita.

 

André Ventura na sua tese de doutoramento defendia até há bem pouco tempo as minorias e era contra os estados policiais para rapidamente se associar a uma direita nacionalista de Marine Le pen, cujo pai dizia que " O Holocausto Nazi era apenas um pormenor ... " .

 

Eu acredito que muitos em virtude da crise mundial, da pandemia e da falta da resposta social de muitos governos vejam o seu futuro ameaçado e tentem encontrar alternativas. Mas sejamos sinceros, será que tudo serve ?

Quereremos pactuar com o fascismo ou a direita nacionalista "patriótica" de Trump ou Bolsonaro ?

Queremos um nacional socialismo como o Regime Nazi de Hitler ? Então desde quando é que os nacionalismos de direita são possíveis em Democracia ou como a História tristemente nos ensinou, poderemos pactuar com regimes de um fascismo desumano que defende a sobrevivência dos mais fortes e despreza os mais sagrados Valores da Humanidade !

 

Texto De Daniel Arrhakis

Everything here belongs to theNew York Times!!!

Article By Peter Baker

Aug. 13, 2020

Updated 11:46 a.m. ET

 

+

President Trump announced on Thursday that Israel will establish “full normalization of relations” with the United Arab Emirates and forgo for now plans to annex occupied West Bank territory in order to focus on improving its ties with the rest of the Arab world.

 

In a surprise statement issued by the White House, Mr. Trump said that Israel and the U.A.E. will sign a string of bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, security, technology, energy and other areas while moving to allow direct flights between their countries and set up reciprocal embassies in each other’s nation.

 

“As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” according to a statement released by the White House and described as a joint declaration of Israel, the U.A.E. and the United States.

 

Mr. Trump summoned reporters to the Oval Office and said that he had spoken with leaders of the two countries. “Things are happening that I can’t talk about” but they are amazing, he told the reporters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel reposted a tweet from Mr. Trump announcing the agreement and added, in Hebrew: “A historic day.”

 

In a statement of his own, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compared the agreement to the peace treaties Israel forged decades ago with Egypt and Jordan. “Today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the Emirates holds similar potential and the promise for a better day for the entire region,” he said.

The fruit, which looks like a plum, with a greenish tart pulp and a recognizable aroma - this is blackthorn. What is it good for and can it be dangerous to your health?

 

If we have never seen a blackthorn or tried its fruit, we are familiar with the plant from childhood. In "Uncle Remus Tales" by Joel Harris, Brother Rabbit shows us an example of reverse psychology and asks Brother Fox not to throw him into a blackthorn bush. He falls for the bait of the big-eared manipulator and throws him. That's what Rabbit needs - he hides among the sharp thorns and laughs mockingly. But today we will talk not about fairy tales or manipulators, but about the blackthorn itself. After all, it certainly deserves it.

 

So, blackthorn is a bush or a small tree with thorny branches, it blooms beautifully and is often used for decorative purposes. In autumn, it is covered with round fruits with a black-blue waxy coating on the skin and green pulp, in which the stone sits tightly. The taste is tart, sourish, and in order for the taste to “open up”, it is better to leave the fruits on the branches until frost. Blackthorn grows in Asia Minor, Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and Western Siberia.

 

Raw blackthorn is rarely eaten. But it is quite suitable for jams, compotes, liqueurs and pastilles. It can also be added to pie filling and used in sauces.

 

Blackthorn contains a lot of vitamins B, C, E, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus and calcium. The fruits also contain organic acids, tannins, fiber (including pectin), flavonoids, catechins and antioxidants.

 

First of all, blackthorn is famous for its benefits for the gastrointestinal tract - it stimulates digestion, improves intestinal peristalsis, fights constipation and helps reduce gas formation.

 

Also, due to the high content of vitamin C, blackthorn is useful for the immune system. In addition to supporting the body's defenses, vitamin C helps to better absorb iron, strengthen blood vessels and stimulate collagen production. B vitamins are necessary for many processes in the body, but they play the greatest role in the functioning of the nervous system. Potassium and magnesium contained in blackthorn have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, working to prevent atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes. Potassium also helps to remove excess fluid, relieve swelling and reduce blood pressure.

 

It has been proven that eating blackthorn helps to reduce cholesterol in the blood, normalize the functioning of the kidneys and liver, and blackthorn fruits also have an antibacterial effect. In folk medicine, not only the fruits are used, but also the leaves and even flowers of blackthorn. All benefits and no harm? Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

 

Blackthorn is contraindicated for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. If you have a stomach or duodenal ulcer, gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or just a tendency to diarrhea, you shouldn't eat it. And a healthy person shouldn't get carried away either - due to the abundance of fiber, it will be very easy to get diarrhea.

 

Blackthorn fruits contain a lot of acids that can damage tooth enamel. Because of the acids, people with inflammatory gum diseases should not eat blackthorn either. In addition, blackthorn can cause allergic reactions. And also, when eating fresh blackthorn, do not try to eat the seeds - they contain the poisonous glycoside amygdalin. It can cause severe poisoning.

 

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Терн: чем полезен и кому нельзя.

 

Плоды, внешне напоминающие сливу, с зеленоватой терпкой мякотью и узнаваемым ароматом - это терн. Чем он полезен и может ли быть опасен для здоровья?

 

Если мы никогда не видели терновник и не пробовали плодов, с растением мы заочно знакомы с детства. В «Сказках дядюшки Римуса» Джоэля Харриса Братец Кролик показывает нам пример обратной психологии и просит Братца Лиса не бросать его в терновый куст. Тот попадается на удочку ушастого манипулятора и бросает. Кролику того и надо — прячется среди острых колючек и издевательски хохочет. Но речь сегодня пойдет не о сказках и не о манипуляторах, а о самом терне. Ведь он этого, бесспорно, достоин.

 

Итак, терн представляет собой кустарник или небольшое дерево с колючими ветками, цветет красиво и часто используется в декоративных целях. Осенью покрывается округлыми плодами с черно-синим восковым налетом на кожуре и зеленой мякотью, в которой плотно сидит косточка. Вкус терпкий, кисловатый, а чтобы вкус «раскрылся» плоды лучше оставить на ветках до заморозков. Растет терновник в Малой Азии, Западной Европе, Средиземноморье, европейской части России, на Кавказе и в Западной Сибири.

 

Сырым терн едят редко. А вот на варенья, компоты, настойки и пастилу он вполне годится. Также его можно добавлять в начинку для пирогов и использовать в соусах.

 

В терне много витаминов группы В, С, Е, калия, магния, натрия, фосфора и кальция. Также плоды содержат органические кислоты, дубильные вещества, клетчатку (в том числе пектин), флавоноиды, кахетины и антиоксиданты.

 

В первую очередь терн славится своей пользой для желудочно-кишечного тракта — он стимулирует пищеварение, улучшает перистальтику кишечника, борется с запорами и помогает снизить газообразование.

 

Также за счет высокого содержания витамина С терн полезен для иммунитета. Кроме поддержки защитных свойств организма, витамин С помогает лучшему усвоению железа, укреплению сосудов и стимуляции выработки коллагена. Витамины группы В необходимы для многих процессов в организме, но наибольшую роль они играют в работе нервной системы. Содержащиеся в терне калий и магний благотворно влияют на работу сердечно-сосудистой системы, работая на профилактику атеросклероза, инфарктов и инсультов. Калий также способствует выводу лишней жидкости, снятию отеков и снижению давления.

 

Доказано, что употребление терна помогает уменьшению холестерина в крови, нормализации работы почек и печени, а еще плоды терна обладают антибактериальным действием. В народной медицине используют не только плоды, но и листья и даже цветки терна. Сплошная польза и ноль вреда? К сожалению, все не так просто.

 

Терн противопоказан людям, страдающим заболеваниями ЖКТ. При язве желудка или двенадцатиперстной кишки, гастрите, панкреатите, колите, синдроме раздраженного кишечника и просто склонности к диарее есть его не стоит. Да и здоровому человеку не стоит увлекаться — из-за обилия клетчатки получить понос будет очень просто.

 

В плодах терна много кислот, которые могут повредить зубную эмаль. Из-за кислот не стоит есть терн и людям с воспалительными заболеваниями десен. Кроме того, терн может вызывать аллергические реакции. А еще, поедая свежий терн, не покушайтесь на косточки — в них содержится ядовитый гликозид амигдалин. Он способен вызвать тяжелое отравление.

Even though I'm not so sure how 33% of a bus stop shatters perfectly, it did make for a pretty cool pre-7am-photo-op.

 

Also?This is basically how my brain has felt over the past 72 hours...which is probably evidenced by how much I've been cooking and needed to keep moving/busy. Life, I'm ready for you to normalize.

Press L to view larger and on black!

 

So the story of my life today summed up quickly... Wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, surf the web, go biking, take a photo, get home, edit, post, write and probably after this go to sleep. Pretty much the gist of my weekends, since I normally work in the afternoons on weekdays I dont really go out for a bike ride since biking around these country side roads at night isn't the safest thing to do, especially since I surprisingly don't have a light on my bike.

 

Either way another simple photo of myself and my bike today. Seems like I always photography my road bike off road, probably because I think the roads look kind of boring and setting up a photo on the side of the road on my own looks pretty silly to those passing drivers. So can't say to much about this, went out to a field, did a panorama and got a second darker exposure for the sky and just blended the two layers together. Though I have to say I made the sky to dark in post but to late now hahaha I'm not a fan of reediting once its been posted. Hell even my sky tones look to saturated now that I look at it again. Remember folks taking breaks when you edit is important so your eyes can normalize again! What looked alright then might not look good 10min later. Regardless just a bunch of colour work as usual in post.

 

The title for this photo comes from a line in the song "Doing All Right" by Queen.

 

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Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in late September (northern hemisphere) or late March (southern hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalized to the original Latin word autumnus.There are rare examples of its use as early as the 14th century, but it became common by the 16th century.

 

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season. However as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and fall, as well as autumn, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

  

Autumn's association with the transition from warm to cold weather, and its related status as the season of the primary harvest, has dominated its themes and popular images. In Western cultures, personifications of autumn are usually pretty, well-fed females adorned with fruits, vegetables and grains and wheat that ripen at this time. Most ancient cultures featured autumnal celebrations of the harvest, often the most important on their calendars. Still extant echoes of these celebrations are found in the mid-autumn Thanksgiving holiday of the United States, and the Jewish Sukkot holiday with its roots as a full moon harvest festival of "tabernacles" (huts wherein the harvest was processed and which later gained religious significance). There are also the many North American Indian festivals tied to harvest of autumnally ripe foods gathered in the wild, the Chinese Mid-Autumn or Moon festival, and many others. The predominant mood of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the earth mixed with a certain melancholy linked to the imminent arrival of harsh weather.

Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), a display of the effects produced by firework devices.

 

Fireworks take many forms to produce the four primary effects: noise, light, smoke, and floating materials (confetti for example). They may be designed to burn with colored flames and sparks including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and silver. Displays are common throughout the world and are the focal point of many cultural and religious celebrations.

Fireworks are generally classified as to where they perform, either as a ground or aerial firework. In the latter case they may provide their own propulsion (skyrocket) or be shot into the air by a mortar (aerial shell).

Modern colored fireworks were invented in Europe in the 1830s. Modern skyrocket fireworks have been made since the early 20th century.

 

Saint-Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area. Saint-Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents.

 

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world, the Lakhta Center, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.

 

The name day of Peter I falls on 29 June, when the Orthodox Church observes the memory of apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the small wooden church in their names (its construction began at the same time as the citadel) made them the heavenly patrons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, while Saint Peter at the same time became the eponym of the whole city. When in June 1703 Peter the Great renamed the site after Saint Peter, he did not issue a naming act that established an official spelling; even in his own letters he used diverse spellings, such as Санктьпетерсьбурк (Sanktpetersburk), emulating German Sankt Petersburg, and Сантпитербурх (Santpiterburkh), emulating Dutch Sint-Pietersburgh, as Peter was multilingual and a Hollandophile. The name was later normalized and russified to Санкт-Петербург (Saint-Petersburg).

Click on the shot to see it over black background !!!

 

The 9-shot cycle of the impressionistic approach captures actually came to an end and a new cycle begins that includes a series of shots devoted to one of the most picturesque cities of Central Macedonia ... Edessa !!!

 

In those recently captured series of shots, I actually tried to use all pieces of knowledge I have accumulated throughout my three years' experience, experimentation and personal reading on photography to produce the maximum possible result I can practically achieve, as far as both synthesis and photoshooting adjustments are concerned ... You will be the judges to that effort of mine ... The only thing that I can say is that I enjoyed it a lot !!!! It was a vist to one of the most beautiful cities of my country, under extremely "photographic" weather conditions (as you will soon find out) and I was trying to "squeeze" into my camera more and more of this amazingly beautiful landscape. This first shot seen above is a rather conventional one ... More beautiful, wild and less "formal" will follow, believe me ...

 

EXIF: NIKON D90 with Nikon Nikkor 18 - 55 lens, Shutter Speed priority (I was after the long exposure effect of the waterfall), f 22 (f value was chosen by D90 not so much in order to define the clarity of DOF but to normalize the exposure of the shot), ISO 200, focal length 18 mm, manual exposure selection, manually adjusted white balance, use of ND HOYA X2 filter, HDR made by only one original RAW shot with shutter speed 1/4 s, managing to accurately convey the scene's heavy cloudy atmospere's lighting conditions to the viewer, flash didn't go off, no tripod ....

I returned to a regular still photo for this shot. I tried a couple of shots with my smartphone, but it has the auto-white balance feature on it, so it "normalizes" the image too much. The yellowish patinas really help in evoking the period this was supposed to be, which was the late 19th century. There was an overhead light in the dining room, and that was closer to the normal tungsten color temperature. But with the candles on hand, it "saved" the image from looking to mundane.

Lunar Eclipse on May 16, 2022 from Italy

Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello

  

The early hours of May 16, 2022, was not an easy eclipse. The Moon was well below the threshold of good resolution due to an annoying haze and the progressive absorption effect operated by the atmosphere, well perceptible during the advancement of the phenomenon.

Having taken standard shots, normalized automatically, the brightness is indicative of these factors with the addition of the light of the incipient dawn.

The first shot is with the Moon still completely out of the shadows. Then there are some shots during the penumbral phase, in which there is a progressive shading of the advancing side. With the beginning of the partial phase, all the shots are equally spaced until the last one, when the Moon was no longer visible even by extending the exposure.

Please note that the images were taken from Italy (coordinates in the localization TAG).

All shots were taken with Tair-3S (unit 2) + 2x Panagor telephoto lens on Kodak EOS 4000D (body2) at 200 ISO - 1/400s. Tracking was guaranteed by an EQ5. Other data in the EXIFs.

  

To use this image please first read here: www.flickr.com/people/133259498@N05/

Pt & En

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Chego ao TOP 4 de 2018. A posição dessa foto explica-se pela pura emoção do momento.

Primeiro chego à bela praia de Buzios, RJ, no qual essa foto foi tirada, e me deparo com um bando de pequenas aves na zona banhada pelas brandas ondas.

Sem saber o que são, me aproximo cuidadosamente.

Uma surpresa, um bando de Batuíras!

Me deito sobre as pedras e mariscos cortantes, aproximo minha lente do chão, centímetros à separam das ondas.

Ali fico, deixo que as aves se acostumem com minha presença. Quando seu comportamento se normaliza me aproximo, me arrastando pelo substrato que cheira a mariscos frescos e mar, cada onda me cobre de algas e areia, que sensação, que prazer, as Batuíras me dão um show.

Nessa situação, nessa proximidade, fotografar uma dessas aves comendo enquanto uma abelha cruza sua visão é perto do ápice da recompensa de ser fotografo. Após o presente que essas aves me deram, saio do mar, coberto de alga, cheirando como um molusco, de alma completamente lavada e com o peito quente de emoção!

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I reach the TOP 4 of 2018. The position of this photo is explained by the pure thrill of the moment.

At first I arrive at this lovelyl beach in Buzios, RJ, in which i took this shot, and I come across a bunch of small birds in the zone bathed by the soft waves.

Without knowing what they are, I approach them carefully.

A surprise, a bunch of Semipalmated Plover!

I lie on the cutting stones and clams, draw my lens close to the floor, inches away from the waves.

There i stay, leting the birds become accustomed to my presence. When their behavior normalizes, I crawl along the substrate that smells of fresh seafood and sea, each wave covers me in seaweed and sand, what a sensation, what a thrill, the Plovers give me a show.

In this situation, this close, photographing one of these birds eating while a bee crosses its view is near the apex of the pleasure of being a photographer. After the present that these birds gave me, I leave the sea, covered in seaweed, smelling like a mollusk, with a soul completely clean and with a chest full of emotion!

 

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY TO ALL WOMEN!!

#normalizebreastfeeding

 

marrit & inti.

sicilia.19

 

kiev.88

analog.

 

cocorosie . madonna

 

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INSTAGRAM

The image shows the region around the stars RZ CAS and SU CAS in the constellation Cassiopeia. I intended to highlight the dark nebulae and filaments in that area and reveal as much as possible of the reflexion nebulae VdB 7 and VdB 9. There are also some dark nebulae in the frame (i.e. LDN 1355, 1357, 1358, see anntotated version D). Together they form a dark nebula composition that is sometimes calle "The Helping Hand" which is of course upside down in my image. The other bright star in the field SU CAS is a Cepheid star.

 

Shooting into this region was proposed by a friend whose focus was more on the variable star RZ CAS. RZ CAS is an eclipsing star with a period of 1.2 days. Image revision C is a fast-foreward gif-animation of the brightness variation I could capture in my Lum light frames.

 

I loaded the normalized frames into MuniWin and let it calculate the brightness variation curve of RZ CAS for that eclipse (see revision D). So this project was also my first attempt of a photometric astro work. The calculated curve has two gaps. The first one was caused by the meridian flip procedure that fell into the time of the eclipse. The second gap was caused by clouds. In the literature I found a maximum variation of 1.5 mag while mine is much less. This may be caused by the fact that in RZ CAS is quite saturated in my 60 s exposures which might have compromised the measurements.

Feskekôrka (Swedish: Fiskkyrkan (normalized), English: Fish church) is an indoor fish market in Gothenburg, Sweden, which got its name from the building's resemblance to a Gothic church. It opened 1 November 1874 and was drawn by the city architect Victor von Gegerfelt. Feskekôrka is an institution in Gothenburg as well as a tourist magnet, housing one of the city's oldest trades, fishing.

Info taken from Wikipedia.

It’s unsettling to see such a young boy in a cigarette ad and it wasn't accidental. It was a deliberate postwar advertising strategy to re-domesticate cigarettes, shifting it from a symbol of wartime masculinity to a staple of peaceful American family life. The mother and child in the ad were meant to imply that Dad’s smoking was part of the family’s shared happiness, as natural and wholesome as a birthday cake. They were props in a scene of domestic approval. It’s a striking example of how aggressively tobacco companies sought to normalize smoking through family imagery.

 

The mother and child are handing Dad a box of something we now know is profoundly harmful. That tension is part of what makes these old ads so powerful today. They’re windows into a world where cigarettes were woven into the fabric of domestic life, not yet shadowed by the medical consensus that would emerge in the 1950s and 60s.

 

Stanford Research into the “Impact of Tobacco Advertising” notes that children were used to “reinforce the respectability of smoking as part of normal family life” and to project “purity, vibrancy, and life” onto the product. The ad is unusually brazen even for the 1940s in its use of a very young child. A child this young is rare but it fits the larger strategy: soften the product by surrounding it with love and innocence and reclaim prewar market share.

 

Cigarettes were still widely accepted, but the industry was already aware of early medical rumblings. Using a cherubic child softened the product’s edges — a way of saying, “This is safe, normal, part of everyday life.” And the “We know your ABC’s” line works better with a child who is just learning letters. The boy’s age reinforces the pun.

 

The 2016 May 9 transit of the Sun by Mercury started before dawn in Texas and to cloudy skies in Austin. I drove about 80 miles to Lomita, where I expected the skies to clear in time for most of the transit. I was able to use the wireless live view on my iPad to the Sony a6300 to give visitors to park view of the transit while photographing it. I had to dodge clouds at times and the wind occasionally made a kazoo out of my mylar solar filter. Questar 3.5" with a Sony a6300 at prime focus. Images composited in Photoshop. Reworked to normalized exposures of transit images.

I have been suffering from insomnia lately;

 

I just hope I can normalize my sleep cycle soon.

 

Happy sunday to all!

Constellation: Auriga

Distance: ~ 1500 lys

Magnitude: 9.2

Stars: ~100,000

 

CAPTURE INFO

-------------------

Scope Centering:

Right Ascension 5h 16m 28s

Declination +34° 21’ 22”

 

Date Captured:

November 10, Home (Bortle 7)

 

EQUIPMENT

Optics: William Optics 61ii doublet refractor @ 368mm FL

William Optics adjustable field flattener

 

Camera: ZWO 533mc Pro (OSC) @ gain 390

 

Filters:

- 2" Optolong L-Enhance using filter drawer

 

Mount:

- iOptron GEM 28

 

Guiding:

- ZWO 120mm mini (red filter)

- William Optics 32mm f/3.75 UniGuide Guidescope

- ZWO ASI Air Pro

- Used previous calibration

- Dither: 2 pixels, every 2 frames

 

Acquisition:

- ZWO ASI Air Pro (Plan Mode)

 

IMAGE CALIBRATION (PixInsight)

 

Weighted Batch Preprocessing

- Lights, Darks, Flat Darks, Bias

- Cosmetic Correction

- Stats

- (61) 180 second subs

- Normalize Scale Gradient Script to nomalize background of images

 

NON LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)

1. Dynamic Crop

2. Dynamic Background Extraction (2 times)

3. Color Calibration

4. Background Neutralization

5. Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform

6. Another Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform

7. Photometric Color Calibration

 

LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)

1. EZ Soft Stretch script

2. EZ Star Reduction script (Adam Block)

3. SCNR on the G channel (Maximum Neutral)

4. Created a Star Mask to protect the stars from processing

5. Ran HDRMultiscaleLinearTransform to enhance nebula's darker regions

6. Ran a slight "S" curve on RGB, using CurvesTransformation to darken background and enhance nebula

7. Slight enhancement to the Saturatation using CurvesTransformation

7. LocalHistogramEqualization @ 25 for contrast on nebula

8. LocalHistogramEqualization @ 25 to further contrast nebula

9. MultiscaleLinearTransform to sharpen detail in the nebula

10. Increased saturation of the blue channel ever sl slightly using Curves

11. Exported to TIF and ran Topaz Denoise AI to slightly improve the noise.

12. Made image ready for the web using ICCProfileTransformation

 

A Mirror Image (in a plane mirror) is a reflected duplication of an object that appears almost identical, but is reversed in the direction perpendicular to the mirror surface. As an optical effect it results from reflection off from substances such as a mirror or water. It is also a concept in geometry and can be used as a conceptualization process for 3-D structures. Two-dimensional mirror images can be seen in the reflections of mirrors or other reflecting surfaces, or on a printed surface seen inside-out.

 

If we first look at an object that is effectively two-dimensional (such as the writing on a card) and then turn the card to face a mirror, the object turns through an angle of 180° and we see a left-right reversal in the mirror. In this example, it is the change in orientation rather than the mirror itself that causes the observed reversal. Another example is when we stand with our backs to the mirror and face an object that's in front of the mirror. Then we compare the object with its reflection by turning ourselves 180°, towards the mirror. Again we perceive a left-right reversal due to a change in our orientation. So, in these examples the mirror does not actually cause the observed reversals.

 

Saint-Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area. Saint-Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents.

 

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world, the Lakhta Center, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.

 

The name day of Peter I falls on 29 June, when the Orthodox Church observes the memory of apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the small wooden church in their names (its construction began at the same time as the citadel) made them the heavenly patrons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, while Saint Peter at the same time became the eponym of the whole city. When in June 1703 Peter the Great renamed the site after Saint Peter, he did not issue a naming act that established an official spelling; even in his own letters he used diverse spellings, such as Санктьпетерсьбурк (Sanktpetersburk), emulating German Sankt Petersburg, and Сантпитербурх (Santpiterburkh), emulating Dutch Sint-Pietersburgh, as Peter was multilingual and a Hollandophile. The name was later normalized and russified to Санкт-Петербург (Saint-Petersburg).

 

The historic architecture of Saint-Petersburg's city centre, mostly Baroque and Neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been largely preserved; although a number of buildings were demolished after the Bolsheviks' seizure of power, during the Siege of Leningrad and in recent years. The oldest of the remaining building is a wooden house built for Peter I in 1703 on the shore of the Neva near Trinity Square. Since 1991 the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

This well sums up my thoughts on the concept of "give Trump a chance", or "let's start fresh."

 

The election is over. People aren't protesting the election. It wasn't stolen, it wasn't rigged. People are protesting the fact that a racist, sexist, unintelligent, confessed serial sexual predator with extreme anger issues and no impulse control now represents our country. People are protesting because, simply, that is offensive. That should never be normalized.

 

I'll give Trump the same chances and opportunity that Obama was given. When people openly questioned his citizenship, when people believed he was a secret Muslim, when people sabotaged every policy he attempted, when people blocked his hundreds of appointees, when people for a YEAR blocked his Supreme Court nominee, when people lynched him in effigy as Halloween decoration, when people affixed bumper stickers that said "Not MY President" against a confederate flag.

 

I'm perfectly willing to give Trump a chance, the same chance Obama was given.

 

Starting in about eight years.

The main bead - "Two Eyes" Agate Pure dZi bead.

 

Two eyes in Tibet denote the masculine and feminine principles in the world and the harmony between them. This is also the concept of Yin Yang in Feng Shui.

Many call it the "bead of LOVE". It is believed that the bead attracts love and partners, builds relationships. This is only partly true. First of all, the bead harmonizes the internal balance of male and female, then the surrounding space reacts accordingly. Thanks to inner harmony, existing relationships are normalized and what was previously empty is filled. Updates in life will not keep you waiting if you wear a 2-eyed Pure bead all the time.

Pure palladium print. Pretrattamento (pretreatment) con Fumed Silica -

A sinistra senza, a destra con pretrattamento (Left without, right with pretreatment)

DMax in Green 1.20 vs 1.54

 

Entrambe le stampe sono state realizzate dallo stesso negativo, con la stessa chimica (Pd 1ml + Fe(III)Ox 1 ml + Na2 0,3 ml; sviluppo potassio Ossalato 50°C, tre bagni chiarificatori: EDTAII - Sodio Solfito - EDTA IV), sulla stessa carta (Arches Platine 300 g/mq) con la stessa esposizione (20 min), nelle stesse condizioni di HR (37%) e di temperatura.

La scansione è stata effettuata in 16bit, salvata in RAW e sviluppata in Camera Raw™ con gli stessi parametri di correzione nella visione intera e “normalizzata” nell’analisi dei dettagli.

La stampa pretrattata con la Fumed Silica ha più densità, scala tonale più ampia con dettagli nelle ombre miglior risoluzione delle luci.

Anche l’acutanza è migliore (vedi i dettagli) e la texture delle fibre è meno evidente, a favore di una morbidezza maggiore dell’immagine.

 

Both prints have been made from the same negative, with the same chemistry (Pd 1ml + Fe(III)Ox 1 ml + Na2 0,3 ml; development potassium Oxalate 50°C, three Clearing bath: EDTAII - NaSulphite - EDTA IV), on the same paper (Arches Platine 300 g/mq) with the same exposure (20 min), in the same condition of RH (37%) and temperature (16°C).

Scanning has been made in 16bit, saved as RAW data and developed in Camera Raw™ with the same parameters in the whole picture, while has been “normalized” when showing the details.

The print pretreated with fumed silica has more density, wider tonal scale in the shadows and better resolution in the highlights.

Also, sharpness is improved (see detail) and the texture of the paper is less perceptible, allowing a greater smoothness of the image

Dinamarca - Copenhague - Ciudad libre de Christiania

 

***

 

ENGLISH

 

www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/culture/alternative-ch...

 

Freetown Christiania, also known as Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist district of about 850 to 1,000 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital city of Copenhagen. It was temporarily closed to residents in April 2011 by the Danish government, but later re-opened.

 

Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. In the years following 2004, measures for normalizing the legal status of the community led to conflicts, police raids and negotiations.

 

Meditation and yoga have always been popular among the Christianites, and for many years Christiania had a theatrical group Solvognen, who, beyond their theatre performances, also staged many happenings in Copenhagen and throughout Sweden. Ludvigsen had always talked of the acceptance of drug-addicts who could no longer cope with regular society, and the spirit of that belief has still not diminished, even though many problems sprouted due to drug traffic and use (mostly of 'hard drugs', however, which are not tolerated in Christiania). These addicts enter and remain in Christiania and are considered just as integral to the Freetown ethics as the entrepreneurs. For this reason many Danes have seen Christiania as a successful social experiment. However, for years the legal status of the region has been in a limbo due to different Danish governments attempting to remove the Christianites. Such attempts at removal have all been unsuccessful so far.

 

Christiania is considered to be the fourth largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen (and it has half a million visitors annually)] and abroad it is a well-known "brand" for the supposedly progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and organizations also use Christiania as a show place for their foreign friends and guests. The purpose is to show something Danish that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

 

Famous for its main drag, known as Pusher Street, where hash and skunk weed were sold openly from permanent stands until 2004, it nevertheless does have rules forbidding 'hard drugs', such as cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy and heroin. The hash commerce is controversial, but since the rules require a consensus they cannot be removed unless everybody agrees. Legalization of cannabis is one of the ideas of many of the citizens in Christiania. The region negotiated an arrangement with the Danish defense ministry (which still owns the land) in 1995. Since 1994, residents have paid taxes and fees for water, electricity, trash disposal, etc.

 

After bitter negotiations that temporarily resulted in the area being sealed off to the public, in June 2011, the residents of Christiania agreed to collectively set up a fund to formally purchase the land at below market prices. The community made its first payment in July 2012, officially becoming legal landowners.

 

***

 

ESPAÑOL

 

www.copenhague.es/que-ver/christiania/

 

La Ciudad libre de Christiania (Danés: Fristaden Christiania) es un barrio parcialmente autogobernado de unos 1000 residentes. Cubre un área de 34 hectáreas en el barrio de Christianshavn (puerto de Christian), en la capital de Dinamarca, Copenhague. Christiania se estableció con un estatus semilegal de comunidad de vecinos que se autoproclama independiente del Estado danés.

 

Christiania está organizada en torno a Pusher Street (La calle del Vendedor de Estupefacientes), calle, a tramos de asfalto, a tramos de adoquines, y a tramos sencillamente de tierra, en la que se encuentran algunos bares, tiendas, souvenires y centros culturales. Al salir de Pusher Street nos encontramos en un camino alrededor de un canal. Este caminito de tierra discurre entre las casas de los "christianitas", muchas de ellas personalizadas. Hay guarderías, puentes, y esculturas en el agua. Christiania es famosa porque en ella se permite el consumo y venta de drogas blandas. Por ello recibe el apelativo de "distrito verde" (green district). No obstante, desde 2004 el gobierno ha radicalizado su postura y se producen más redadas en la zona. Esto no impide que diariamente turistas y gente local transiten la zona para comprar marihuana o hachís, y que en los bares, terrazas y bancos se congregue la gente a fumar.1

 

El barrio de Christiania se ha convertido en interés turístico por el precio de las bebidas y alimentos (casi un 50% más baratos que en otras partes de la ciudad debido a que no hay impuestos), de sus tiendas de ropa, artesanía y recuerdos. En el pasado se podían contratar visitas guiadas por el barrio de Christiania, pero desde hace unos pocos años la comunidad decidió prohibirlas ya que se quejaban de que fueran expuestos o mostrados como si fueran animales en un zoológico. Igualmente puedes entrar al área sin problema por tu cuenta.

 

Al salir por la entrada principal de la ciudad de Christiania se puede leer «You're now entering the EU» (Está usted entrando en la Unión Europea), ya que los habitantes de Christiania no se consideran pertenecientes a la Unión Europea.

 

En septiembre de 1971 la historia de Christiania comienza con el derribo de una valla en un terreno militar abandonado por el ejército danés en 1971, por parte de unos padres que querían terrenos donde sus hijos pudiesen jugar. Luego de ese evento se plantea un debate en la comunidad gracias a un artículo en un periódico subcultural que plantea los diferentes usos que se podían dar al cuartel abandonado.​ El movimiento cultural y político incita a que el sitio debe ser el espacio para realizar las aspiraciones de vida comunal de su movimiento, logrando que un grupo de personas ocupen ilegalmente los terrenos y funden Christiania.​ El gobierno lo toleró, aunque ha intentado expulsarles de allí en numerosas ocasiones. En 1989 se promulgó la Ley de Christiania que transfiere parte de la supervisión del área de la municipalidad de Copenhague al estado danés, y que aceptó conservar el asentamiento supeditado a una futura legalización y normalización. Desde 2004 se dieron una serie de conflictos con el gobierno danés respecto a la propiedad de los terrenos y al mercado de drogas. En 2012 los habitantes de Christiania han reconsiderado su posición de ocupantes ilegales y han comprado gran parte de los terrenos del barrio con el propósito de mantenerlo comunal. La propiedad de estos terrenos no pertenece a personas individuales, sino al colectivo de Christiania, y no pueden venderse de manera individual. En caso de venta de casas o terrenos, las cláusulas estipulan obligaciones específicas entre el colectivo y el gobierno danés.​ Las personas que habitan las zonas que se han comprado pagan un alquiler comunitario que se estipula en función de las dimensiones de la casa. También pagan las facturas del agua y de la electricidad.

 

Dinamarca - Copenhague - Ciudad libre de Christiania

 

***

 

ENGLISH

 

www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/culture/alternative-ch...

 

Freetown Christiania, also known as Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist district of about 850 to 1,000 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital city of Copenhagen. It was temporarily closed to residents in April 2011 by the Danish government, but later re-opened.

 

Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. In the years following 2004, measures for normalizing the legal status of the community led to conflicts, police raids and negotiations.

 

Meditation and yoga have always been popular among the Christianites, and for many years Christiania had a theatrical group Solvognen, who, beyond their theatre performances, also staged many happenings in Copenhagen and throughout Sweden. Ludvigsen had always talked of the acceptance of drug-addicts who could no longer cope with regular society, and the spirit of that belief has still not diminished, even though many problems sprouted due to drug traffic and use (mostly of 'hard drugs', however, which are not tolerated in Christiania). These addicts enter and remain in Christiania and are considered just as integral to the Freetown ethics as the entrepreneurs. For this reason many Danes have seen Christiania as a successful social experiment. However, for years the legal status of the region has been in a limbo due to different Danish governments attempting to remove the Christianites. Such attempts at removal have all been unsuccessful so far.

 

Christiania is considered to be the fourth largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen (and it has half a million visitors annually)] and abroad it is a well-known "brand" for the supposedly progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and organizations also use Christiania as a show place for their foreign friends and guests. The purpose is to show something Danish that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

 

Famous for its main drag, known as Pusher Street, where hash and skunk weed were sold openly from permanent stands until 2004, it nevertheless does have rules forbidding 'hard drugs', such as cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy and heroin. The hash commerce is controversial, but since the rules require a consensus they cannot be removed unless everybody agrees. Legalization of cannabis is one of the ideas of many of the citizens in Christiania. The region negotiated an arrangement with the Danish defense ministry (which still owns the land) in 1995. Since 1994, residents have paid taxes and fees for water, electricity, trash disposal, etc.

 

After bitter negotiations that temporarily resulted in the area being sealed off to the public, in June 2011, the residents of Christiania agreed to collectively set up a fund to formally purchase the land at below market prices. The community made its first payment in July 2012, officially becoming legal landowners.

 

***

 

ESPAÑOL

 

www.copenhague.es/que-ver/christiania/

 

La Ciudad libre de Christiania (Danés: Fristaden Christiania) es un barrio parcialmente autogobernado de unos 1000 residentes. Cubre un área de 34 hectáreas en el barrio de Christianshavn (puerto de Christian), en la capital de Dinamarca, Copenhague. Christiania se estableció con un estatus semilegal de comunidad de vecinos que se autoproclama independiente del Estado danés.

 

Christiania está organizada en torno a Pusher Street (La calle del Vendedor de Estupefacientes), calle, a tramos de asfalto, a tramos de adoquines, y a tramos sencillamente de tierra, en la que se encuentran algunos bares, tiendas, souvenires y centros culturales. Al salir de Pusher Street nos encontramos en un camino alrededor de un canal. Este caminito de tierra discurre entre las casas de los "christianitas", muchas de ellas personalizadas. Hay guarderías, puentes, y esculturas en el agua. Christiania es famosa porque en ella se permite el consumo y venta de drogas blandas. Por ello recibe el apelativo de "distrito verde" (green district). No obstante, desde 2004 el gobierno ha radicalizado su postura y se producen más redadas en la zona. Esto no impide que diariamente turistas y gente local transiten la zona para comprar marihuana o hachís, y que en los bares, terrazas y bancos se congregue la gente a fumar.1

 

El barrio de Christiania se ha convertido en interés turístico por el precio de las bebidas y alimentos (casi un 50% más baratos que en otras partes de la ciudad debido a que no hay impuestos), de sus tiendas de ropa, artesanía y recuerdos. En el pasado se podían contratar visitas guiadas por el barrio de Christiania, pero desde hace unos pocos años la comunidad decidió prohibirlas ya que se quejaban de que fueran expuestos o mostrados como si fueran animales en un zoológico. Igualmente puedes entrar al área sin problema por tu cuenta.

 

Al salir por la entrada principal de la ciudad de Christiania se puede leer «You're now entering the EU» (Está usted entrando en la Unión Europea), ya que los habitantes de Christiania no se consideran pertenecientes a la Unión Europea.

 

En septiembre de 1971 la historia de Christiania comienza con el derribo de una valla en un terreno militar abandonado por el ejército danés en 1971, por parte de unos padres que querían terrenos donde sus hijos pudiesen jugar. Luego de ese evento se plantea un debate en la comunidad gracias a un artículo en un periódico subcultural que plantea los diferentes usos que se podían dar al cuartel abandonado.​ El movimiento cultural y político incita a que el sitio debe ser el espacio para realizar las aspiraciones de vida comunal de su movimiento, logrando que un grupo de personas ocupen ilegalmente los terrenos y funden Christiania.​ El gobierno lo toleró, aunque ha intentado expulsarles de allí en numerosas ocasiones. En 1989 se promulgó la Ley de Christiania que transfiere parte de la supervisión del área de la municipalidad de Copenhague al estado danés, y que aceptó conservar el asentamiento supeditado a una futura legalización y normalización. Desde 2004 se dieron una serie de conflictos con el gobierno danés respecto a la propiedad de los terrenos y al mercado de drogas. En 2012 los habitantes de Christiania han reconsiderado su posición de ocupantes ilegales y han comprado gran parte de los terrenos del barrio con el propósito de mantenerlo comunal. La propiedad de estos terrenos no pertenece a personas individuales, sino al colectivo de Christiania, y no pueden venderse de manera individual. En caso de venta de casas o terrenos, las cláusulas estipulan obligaciones específicas entre el colectivo y el gobierno danés.​ Las personas que habitan las zonas que se han comprado pagan un alquiler comunitario que se estipula en función de las dimensiones de la casa. También pagan las facturas del agua y de la electricidad.