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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. 😜
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 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.
Hypatia of Alexandria was born in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Roman Empire, around 355 CE. She was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a mathematician and astronomer associated with the Museum and the scholarly traditions that followed the legacy of the great Hellenistic centers of learning. Unlike most women of her time, Hypatia received a rigorous scientific and philosophical education. Under her father’s guidance she studied mathematics, astronomy, geometry, and philosophy, eventually surpassing many of her contemporaries in reputation and intellectual authority.
She became the head of the Neoplatonic school of Alexandria, where she taught philosophy in the Platonic tradition, along with advanced mathematics and astronomy. Her students included both pagans and Christians, some of whom later occupied high public offices. Hypatia wrote or edited commentaries on key scientific works, including Diophantus’ “Arithmetica” and Ptolemy’s “Almagest,” contributing to the preservation and transmission of classical scientific knowledge. Ancient sources also associate her with the construction or refinement of scientific instruments such as the astrolabe and hydrometer, reinforcing her practical as well as theoretical engagement with science.
Hypatia was not only a scholar but a respected public intellectual. She moved freely in civic life and was known for her integrity, independence, and rhetorical skill. She advised Orestes, the Roman prefect of Alexandria, during a period of intense political and religious tension in the city. Alexandria in the early fifth century was marked by escalating conflict between imperial civil authority and the growing power of the Christian episcopate under Bishop Cyril. As a pagan philosopher of high status, intellectually influential and politically connected, Hypatia became a symbolic figure within this struggle.
According to ancient sources such as Socrates Scholasticus, in March 415 CE a mob of Christian extremists, reportedly led by a church reader named Peter and associated with radical factions linked to the bishop’s circle, intercepted her carriage as she was returning home. She was dragged into the Caesareum, which had been converted into a church, stripped, and brutally killed using ostraka—sharp pottery shards or tiles. Her body was dismembered, and the remains were burned outside the city. The killing was widely recognized even by some Christian historians as a disgraceful act. There is no clear evidence of formal punishment for those directly responsible. Her murder stands as a documented case of politically charged religious violence directed against an independent intellectual woman whose authority crossed boundaries of belief and power.
Hypatia’s death has come to represent the violent suppression of philosophical inquiry and scientific freedom in a period of profound transformation within the Roman world. She embodied intellectual autonomy, female authority in public life, and commitment to rational discourse in a polarized society. Her life and death continue to be studied not as legend, but as a historically grounded episode revealing how knowledge, influence, and gender could become threats in times of ideological consolidation.
I publish this series to remember that freedom, dignity, knowledge, and justice are never abstract ideals but realities defended by real people who often paid with their lives. Behind every right there are names, faces, biographies, and violent ruptures. I publish these works to oppose the normalization of political and religious violence, to speak to younger generations, and to affirm that silence always benefits unchecked power. This is not passive commemoration; it is active memory, a conscious choice, and a form of resistance.
The image used for this work is based on artistic representations of Hypatia found in historical paintings and later visual interpretations, given the absence of authentic contemporary portraits due to the antiquity of the period.
Shahbaz Clement Bhatti was born on 9 September 1968 in Lahore, Pakistan, into a Christian family belonging to one of the country’s religious minorities. He was the son of Paul Bhatti and served within a close-knit Catholic household that valued education, faith, and civic responsibility. He studied at Forman Christian College in Lahore, where he developed a strong interest in political science and social justice. From a young age, he was deeply influenced by his religious convictions and by the lived reality of discrimination faced by minority communities in Pakistan.
In 2002, he founded the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), an organization created to promote equal rights, religious freedom, and political representation for Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and other marginalized communities. Through APMA, Bhatti advocated legislative reform, interfaith dialogue, and constitutional protections for minorities. His activism brought him national attention as one of the few public figures willing to openly challenge discrimination rooted in both social practices and state policy.
In 2008, he was appointed Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs in the Government of Pakistan, becoming the only Christian member of the federal cabinet at the time. In this role, he worked on initiatives to increase minority quotas in public sector employment, improve educational access, and establish national holidays recognizing minority contributions. However, his most controversial and courageous stance concerned Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Bhatti publicly criticized their misuse and called for reform, arguing that they were often weaponized against religious minorities and used to settle personal disputes.
He became a vocal supporter of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death under blasphemy charges, and demanded a presidential pardon for her. This position placed him in direct confrontation with powerful Islamist groups and extremist factions. He received repeated death threats, and despite being offered security measures, he continued his public advocacy. In recorded statements made prior to his death, Bhatti acknowledged the risks he faced but affirmed his commitment to defending the rights of the oppressed.
On 2 March 2011, as he left his mother’s residence in Islamabad and entered his vehicle, gunmen ambushed him and fired multiple shots at close range. He was killed instantly. Leaflets left at the scene claimed responsibility in the name of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, citing his opposition to the blasphemy law as justification for the assassination. His death followed the earlier killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had also supported Asia Bibi. Bhatti was 42 years old and unmarried at the time of his assassination.
Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder was widely condemned internationally and highlighted the severe dangers faced by reformers in environments shaped by religious extremism and political fragility. His legacy remains tied to the struggle for religious freedom, minority protection, and civic equality within Pakistan. He is remembered as a political leader who chose to confront systemic injustice despite knowing the personal cost.
I publish this series to remember that freedom, dignity, and justice are never abstract ideals but realities defended by real people who often paid with their lives. Behind every right there are names, faces, families, and histories interrupted by violence. I publish these works to oppose the normalization of political and religious extremism, to speak to younger generations, and to affirm that silence strengthens unchecked power. This is not passive commemoration; it is active memory and a deliberate act of resistance.
The Wester Veil with more data 7,5h new process
-Equipment-
Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH (414mm focal)
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -5°C
Guiding: ZWO OAG
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM
Mount: Skywatcher EQ5
Filter: Optrolong L-eXtreme
-Acquisition-
Light : 90x300s (7,5h) at Gain:101 Offset:49
Dark,Flat,Offset
Date : Take on 5 night from 06/13/2021 to 07/12/2021
Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5
-Software-
Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight
All Processing in Pixinsight
Use EZ_Processing Suite(by darkarchon) in Pixinsight
ForaxX Color combination thecoldestnights.com/
-Pre Processing-
Image Calibration
Cosmetic Correction
Debayer
Subframe Selector
Star Alignement
Local Normalization
Drizzle x2
Crop the black bands from the stacking
-Processing-
Dynamic Background Extraction
Dynamic Crop
EZ_Decon+Denoise
Split RGB Channels
LinearFit
Combine 70% of green and 30% of blue into 'Oiii'
Rename R to Ha
EZ_SoftStretch Ha and Oiii
Pixelmath: HOO combination with ForaxX expressions
R = Ha
G = ((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Ha + ~((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Oiii
B = Oii
Curve Transformation ( RGB/K, Hue, Saturation,...)
EZ_Star Reduction
Clear skies !
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.
It has a time of tragedy and blue for me signifies the sadness my heart feels over the mass murders in Connecticut of little innocents and the teachers who loved them. In time the grieving for the lost ones will be tempered by the reality of the suffering of those left behind. I think of the little children in the classrooms who survived and how they will have to deal with this trauma for the rest of their lives no matter how much people are trying 'normalize' their lives. I pray for them all every hour of every day ~ may the love we all share travel to their hearts for a lifetime.
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.
Please View In Large
Press L to see in Large & Black
Press F to Fave :)
Vegetable Color Facts:
Orange and Yellow fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.
Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, fiber, lutein, zeaxanthin, calcium, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and Beta-carotene. The nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, normalize digestion time, support retinal health and vision, fight harmful free-radicals, and boost immune system activity.
Eat Fresh Vegetables/Fruits and Stay Healthy!
Content source: Disabled World
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.
1. SI: People have learned to normalize the bad state of streets and communal spaces, leading to a scarcity of caring to fix them.
2. Materials: Digital Camera; Lightroom; Pedestrian crossing, sidewalk, and cone. (68)
3. Idea: This cone has been decommissioned from its prior use and lies on the corner of a sidewalk, mangled. (99)
4. Process: This photo was taken at a pedestrian crossing because it represents a probably former use case. (95)
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.
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
NGC 6979 also know as the Pickering's Tringle is a part of a larger nebula, the Cygnus Loop in the Cygnus constellation.
The Triangle is brightest along the northern side of the loop.
This supernova remnant is located around 2400 light-years.
Crop : flic.kr/p/2nxknyr
-Equipment-
Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH (414mm focal)
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -5°C gain 101 offset 49
Guiding: ZWO OAG
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM
Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6
Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
-Acquisition-
Light : 76x300s
Total integration time 6,3h
Dark: 100x300s Flat-50 Bias-100
Date : 3,5,6,7,9 July 2022
Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5
-Software-
Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight
Ez Processing Suite from darkarcon
darkarcon website : darkarchon.internet-box.ch:8443/
-Pre Processing in PixInsight-
Image Calibration
Cosmetic Correction
Debayer
Subframe Selector
Star Alignement
Local Normalization
Image Integration
Drizzle x2
Dynamic crop
-Processing
DBE MasterLRGB
___RGB layer___HOO
Split RGB channels to build Ha and Oiii
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
SCNR
Starnet++ build a mask nebula
Color Saturation
Curves Tansformation
___L layer___
Ez_Deconvolution
Ez_Soft Stretch
Local Histogram Equalization with nebula mask
UnsharpedMask with nebula mask
___LRGB___
Ez_Denoise
Final Curve Transformation
Annotation
Save as JPG
Clear skies !
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
From a eight-pointed star, cut from a quadrilateral with one side 50% narrower than the the opposite side.
The brain will try to normalize this view and move the POV way over and behind my right shoulder-- it's what the brain does. So! Ask me some time about how politics work in the western world.
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.
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.
The drug trade destroys the vitality (moral fiber) of a nation. A great window into the activities of the New World Order cabal is viewed through the panes/pains of the opium wars. Indeed, the opium trade caused widespread addiction in China, wreaking havoc both socially and economically. The secret society Triad cult—the triad of Heaven, Earth, and Man—were recruited into the East India Company’s opium trade. Therefore, the notorious Triads helped the British aristocrats smuggle drugs into China. The Chinese emperor began to crackdown on the opium trade. Yet the British government came in with their military might to defend the opium trade. Oddly enough, the drug trade was backed by the guns of the British. Just think, the British government became the biggest drug dealer in the world. Organized crime: the British built extensive drug trafficking and black market networks. How gangster is that? British Intelligence also became an arm of the drug trade. Shocker: British Intelligence is also in the business of child sex trafficking. These criminal networks are run by wealthy families. This cabal is a network of wealthy families and secret societies. Can anyone one say, Illuminati? Out of the opium wars, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) was founded. “Who founded the Hongkong and Shanghai Corporation? The same circle of merchant banking, trading, and shipping families—centered around the British monarchy—who opened the East India Company’s opium trade as an instrument of British state policy during the previous century.” The earnings of the drug trade begin and end with the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, from loans for buying opium seeds, to money laundering.
The British opium traders profited from the slave trade. They got into the cotton business. They bought slave-produced cotton, made it into cloth with the cheap labour of women and children in England, and then they exported it to India in exchange for opium.
British pharmaceutical companies began to produce morphine before the American Civil War. Both armies had large quantities of morphine. These pharmaceutical companies touted their morphine as a nonaddictive pain killer. They even claimed that it could cure opium addiction.
The opium cabal used the immigration system of America to bring in secret societies from various places, including China (the Triad gangs) and Italy (the Mafia). Many times, behind the scenes, Intelligence will be seen collaborating with the Mafia—to where they both look like the same entity. Al Capone was one of the cabal’s men. In the end, the cabal owned every mobster in America. If a gangster refused to work with the syndicate, they would kill him—the end. Saul Alinsky, who wrote Rules for Radicals, hung out with the Capone gang.
Prohibition in America made crime very profitable, and it was used to bring in large-scale organized crime. “Crime was reorganized from top to bottom into an integrated wholesale and retail distribution chain with well-defined marketing districts, quotas, and uniform pricing.” The same wealthy British families behind the opium drug trade in China, introduced prohibition and organized crime to America. They used the profits from prohibition to purchase gambling casinos, racetracks, and sporting venues. Prohibition was not organic. It’s the same old dialectic: problem, reaction, solution. Large sums of money were funnelled into organizations that produced paid agitators/protesters to stir the pot, like we see today. It worked, and they got their prohibition.
Clearly, World War I had demoralized society. America’s moral compass had shifted. It became more tolerant towards crime, even romanticizing mobsters. Organized crime caused tremendous corruption. The paid-off policemen, politicians, and other officials corrupted American institutions. So the institutions and officials became less trustworthy, which caused further demoralization in America. Moral decay had reached such levels that society was ripe for a climate fostering large-scale drug addiction. The cabal is also behind the push to decriminalize street drugs and to defund the police, which would greatly increase their profits. The legalizing of street drugs will produce more drug addicts (customers). From the Roaring Twenties and the rise of jazz, to rock ‘n’ roll, to rap music, from alcohol, to marijuana, to heroin and cocaine, the decline continues. Such a climate has increasingly fostered promiscuity and deviancy. Such a climate has also produced an increasingly adolescent population. What can be said about the British band, the Beatles, with their love of Eastern religion and LSD, which can be linked to British Intelligence and the Tavistock Institute? How many other rebellious bands/tools/pawns/poor role models could we mention? Too many! Just think: people have been conditioned to accept large amounts of occult symbolism in today’s music. The sheep just don’t care! Sway to the beat of the drums and to the rhythm of the music, open your subconscious to the lyrical incantations, dance repetitively, embrace the symbolism, partake in the sacred pagan drug ritual.
I read a book many years ago about a Canadian military chaplain. During World War I, he could preach deep scriptural messages from the Bible and the men understood them. During World War II, this all changed. He needed to preach simpler messages due to the men’s lack of Christian foundations. We can see this continuing into the 50s. Many went to church in the 50s, but they didn’t really live out Christianity. Their Christian foundations had further eroded. This became apparent in the 60s, when the population started down the bell curve of moral decline. The cultural upheaval of the 60s led to church attendance declining in the 70s and onward. The people lost their roots. The Vietnam War further traumatized and demoralized America. Many Americans lost their sense of national pride. The results have been devastating. Indeed, America is now a divided nation. The young people had never gone through a Great Depression or a Great War. They were softer and less resilient. When compared to the previous generation, they were spoiled. The Vietnam war caused them great despair, and they moved from their previous carefree lives into drugs and hedonism. The antiwar movement was not organic either, and it also became part of the drug culture. The dope cabal also profited off American soldiers in Vietnam.
The illegal drug trade is controlled by a single world network; it is “the best-controlled production and distribution system of any commodity in international trade, illegal or legal.” The worldwide drug trade is worth about 500 billion per year. It is the biggest business in the world. As a whole, offshore banking is under the thumb of the opium cabal. They launder their profits through real estate, hotels, resorts, and restaurants, before transferring them to offshore banking operations. The funds are then shuffled around the world electronically through various bank accounts and corporate fronts, where gold and diamonds are purchased, sold and converted back into a bank balance, eliminating all traces of origin. The London bullion market is basically a subsidiary of the syndicate. They are also behind the international gold and diamond trade. “It is obvious, by now, that an operation of this scope could not exist without the political approval of the British government, nor without the gigantic supporting facilities of the world’s off-shore credit markets, the world’s gold and diamonds trade, and ‘hands-on’ management of the retail distribution, or organized crime aspects of the operation.” The various groups involved are so intermarried, interlocked, and intertwined with one another that they appear to be one single family.
The Far East drug trade is a British-Chinese partnership, and the senior partner is Britain (they control the money). By Britain, I mean wealthy families in Britain. The most prominent of these families is the Rothschild family. Cecil Rhodes was a legman of the Rothschilds; it appears that George Soros may also be a legman of the Rothschilds. The Rothschild family helped to launch Soros’s career. “From the very first days when Soros created his own investment fund in 1969, he owed his success to his relation to the Rothschild family banking network.” Here is a question to provoke thought, how are Rothschild & friends connected to the Federal Reserve—how are they connected to the Bank for International Settlements, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank? (I may write about these things in the future). Oh, wait, we shouldn’t talk about conspiracy theories. There is nothing to see here!
Throughout the years, much of the British aristocracy has publicly professed Christianity. Yet their religion is a mixture of paganism, Theosophy, and Rosicrucianism, which revolves around ancient Egyptian occultism. Evidence points to “broad opium use in ancient Egyptian society.” Expert Andrew J. Koh said, “Our findings combined with prior research indicate that opium use was more than accidental or sporadic in ancient Egyptian cultures and surrounding lands and was, to some degree, a fixture of daily life.” Drug potions were also used for magic rituals in ancient Egypt. Some things never change! The high priests of the cabal are subtly seducing the world into their drug-related mysticism, by which their unsuspecting slaves wonder around in drug-induced delusions, controlled by the religious propaganda of the temple—the media arm of the cult. Build that pyramid, build that ziggurat, build that Tower of Babel! “As long as a population is organized around superstition, magic, hallucinogenic drugs, and animal-like pursuit of immediate sensory gratification (‘if it feels good, do it’), it will remain incapable of acting on behalf of its own interests.”
“Aleister Crowley initiated Aldous Huxley into the use of mescaline [a psychedelic] in Berlin in the 1930s” “Aleister Crowley was the tutor of Aldous Huxley, the prophet of mind control, who later introduced the LSD cult into the United States during the 1950s.” Both Aleister Crowley and Aldous Huxley were linked to British Intelligence. Huxley wrote a book called The Doors of Perception, in which he talked about his psychedelic experiences with hallucinogenic drugs.
The syndicate, with its global networks, created an International Assassination Bureau. This globalist cabal was behind the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. The Kennedy’s are tied to the British aristocracy through marriage. Meaning, they are in the family. Therefore, when JFK was in office, his mob-family expected him to help further the family business. JFK, however, started to go astray. JFK forced the resignations of the three highest ranking CIA officials, one of which was CIA director Allen Dulles, who was the cabal’s man in charge. (Dulles was a cousin of the Rockefeller family). Kennedy began to deal with Moscow on friendlier terms. In 1963, Kennedy started to deal with Castro in a more flexible way. “In the days before Kennedy’s assassination he told the French journalist Jean Daniel in a White House meeting, to send a message to Castro that he was willing to lift the economic embargo against Cuba so long as the Cuban government stopped supporting leftist revolutionary movements throughout Latin America. Around this time he had also made a speech to the Inter-American Press Association where he suggested that normalization of relations with Cuba was possible.” The powers that be did not like these things. JFK was double-crossing the syndicate, so they whacked him. The cabal also terminated Robert Kennedy. They obviously saw him as a liability.
New Orleans District Attorney James Garrison launched an investigation, which led him to a corporation called Permindex. Garrison’s chief suspect in the Kennedy assassination was Col. Clay Shaw. “Shaw was the financial backer and controller of Lee Harvey Oswald during his lengthy stays in New Orleans, Garrison had established, and the District Attorney also had evidence that Shaw had been the safehouse channel out of the country (into Italy) for several unidentified persons believed to have been the real ‘triggers’ in the Kennedy assassination.” Shaw’s associates, who were going to testify, mysteriously died before they could give their testimonies. James Earl Ray, the ‘patsy’ in the Martin Luther King assassination, also frequently visited Shaw. Garrison was able to pin another half a dozen mysterious deaths to Permindex. Of course, the powers that be shut down the investigation and swept it under the rug.
After an assassination attempt on French President General Charles de Gaulle, French intelligence discovered that Permindex was involved in the plot. Permindex was linked to several other assassinations in Europe. British Intelligence was linked to Permindex. “The Permindex Assassination Bureau was responsible for carrying out the most important political assassinations of the century.” Permindex was connected to a network of money laundering archipelagos. Permindex was specifically sent laundered money for the purposes of terrorism and assassinations. High profile assassinations would cost upwards of 10 million dollars. Permindex was one facet of the cabal’s system.
The death of Abraham Lincoln can be “traced to British-controlled and British-funded networks by American military intelligence.” Indeed, the British aristocracy also had Abraham Lincoln assassinated. Lincoln’s greenback was debt-free money, which “sent shock waves throughout the global banking system.” The cabal, being a cartel of bankers, did not like it! The American government eventually passed the Resumption Act of 1875, a law that would “restore the gold standard by requiring the Treasury to redeem paper currency (greenbacks) for gold.” Backing up currency with gold is not a bad thing. The problem is this: the cabal of bankers were into gold speculation. Meaning this: the system was built off gold speculation. The system was a scam! It’s no different today, with all the financial market speculation. Indeed, the same group is running the show today. The cabal is also behind our financial crashes, including the Great Depression—don’t forget the Great Wars! Do you think America is in war after war for no reason? The United States military industrial complex is an arm of the cabal. Moving on! House Banking Committee Chairman Louis McFadden said this about the Great Depression: “It [the Depression] was not accidental. It was a carefully contrived occurrence worked out as one works out a mathematical equation. The international bankers sought to bring about a condition of despair here so that they might emerge as the rulers of us all.” Louis McFadden also stated: “When the Federal Reserve Act was passed, the people of these United States did not perceive that a world banking system was being set up here. A super-state controlled by international bankers and industrialists acting together to enslave the world for their own pleasure. Every effort has been made by the Fed to conceal its powers but the truth is—the Fed has usurped the government.” America may have defeated the British in its revolution, yet America is run by British interests! Donald Trump himself is beholden to the Rothschild family. During his first administration, he appointed one of their men as Secretary of Commerce. Although the cabal is run by nerds, they are the original mobsters. If they help you, they expect a favour in return. When they come a calling, you’d better return the favour! If you don’t, they’ll kill you. This group of crooks are also involved in large-scale election tampering.
On account of the opium wars, China became the most established country in the drug trade. Besides China, numerous countries grow crops for the drug trade. Yet the British oligarchs at the top are involved with them all. According to End Time Bible Prophecy, there are three major players: The kings of the East (China and allies), the king of the North (Russia and allies), and then the Antichrist and his kingdom (Western Europe). There is a king of the South, but he is weak and not worth discussing. The Chinese Communist Party has made many blunders, thus China will eventually crash and burn. The CCP is backing itself into a corner, and it will need to do something drastic to retain power. They will have to go to war. When all else fails, go to war! The globalist banker cabal will eventually choose a leader, the Antichrist, to do their bidding. Two things are needed to take over the world: money and military might. First: the Antichrist will bring in a financial system, which the whole world will embrace. Second: the Antichrist will be a man of war. Ultimately, the three parties mentioned above will fight for world supremacy at the Battle of Armageddon. Of course, Jesus Christ will return to defeat them. Yay, team Jesus! In my next write-up, I would like to bring Russia into the equation. I hope to discuss the cabal and Russia.
America is where the drug trade makes its largest profits. However, money is not the only motive behind the drug trade in the US. From a Chinese standpoint, they want to utterly demoralize America. Their end goal is the destruction of America. The British elitists have various viewpoints. Some are still angry about the American Revolution. Therefore, they want to weaken America and take it back. Others are mad that Europe, through the Roman Empire, lost its empire. They want Europe to band together and retake its former empire. (The Antichrist’s kingdom is sometimes labelled by people as the revived Roman Empire). Of course, their end goal is to control the whole world. In order to usher in their New World Order, they need Americans to willingly give up their rights and freedoms. Obviously, by now, they know this will not happen. Therefore, they must destroy America. Although America has been a mighty superpower, no reference is made to it in End Time Bible Prophecy. Thus, America will be destroyed. It will be taken out of the picture. The cabal is old school, and their pecking order seems to be straight out of the Middle Ages. Interestingly, the Bible talks about ‘ten kings’ who will give their power and authority to the Beast—the Antichrist. Indeed, you would be wise to pay attention to these things. Repent and turn to Jesus Christ!
"Our Billy wasn't born a criminal, Clarice. He was made one through years of systematic abuse." - Dr. H. L.
Adventure Time continues to be one of my absolute favorite programs, and the recent episode "Evergreen" only added to the complexity and tragedy behind the Ice King.
I've often mentioned my thoughts on the Ice King's role symbolizing mental illness or senility in a loved one, and while that is still clearly one aspect of his character, "Evergreen" presents us with another facet of his fractured psyche: that of an abused child who has internalized the abusive behavior of their parent figure in an attempt to normalize it.
Simon is ultimately tormented by not only his own shattered memories (Betty) but the projection of a distant and powerful abuser (Urgence) and the underlying hurt, anger, and frustration of the one who was abused (Gunther) as well.
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).
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.
Merry Christmas, and Happy Star Wars release day too!
This shot is a super-closeup of this dude who was hanging out on a boat. The bloom comes from changing settings and going back to game, if you catch the pic while the light is still normalizing down you can get a pretty cool glow look!
PC Gamer gallery + setting release
Crysis Warhead
cl_hud 0 (hide hud)
r_drawnearfov 2 (hide weapon)
cl_fov (change FOV)
ReShade preset: here
The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalized to the original Latin word autumnus.[2] There are rare examples of its use as early as the 14th century, but it became common by the 16th century.
-wikipedia-
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 modernization of the Adventurers: Dino Island set 5920 "Island Racer", my very first Lego car set. Adventurers has long been one of my favorite themes for its period setting, and Sam Sinister’s "Island Racer" is one of my favorite sets in the theme. In this design homage, the form has been normalized to be closer to real-world styling of the era, with the inclusion of details such as bumpers, front cycle fenders, and a hood ornament.
More photos available in the build album. Many thanks to the Lego Car Blog for their post about this build!
©2020 Chris Elliott, All Rights Reserved.
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Re-colour using PixInsight NB Normalization process. Colours are obviously not 'real' but interesting experiment :)
Photography isn’t always about epic landscapes, posed portraits, or even poles. Sometimes it’s just a good memory. Normalize making memories.
Leica MP
Kodak Portra 160
iTelescope T68 11 x 90 sec, both sets, images processed exactly the same and at same time to normalize all the other components of this image.
Subtle vegetation changes are visible in this year-long visualization. Large-scale patterns vary with seasons, but the local variations in green are also sensitive precipitation, drought and fire. 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 visualization was 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 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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Place: Nangan, Matsu Islands
The Matsu islands are a minor archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea and administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Matsu islands together form the county of Lienchiang, but most of Liangjiang County (same name, different spelling) is under control of the People's Republic of China. Linear distance from mainland China is less than 20 km.
Mainlanders from Fujian and Zhejiang started migrating to the islands during the Yuan Dynasty. The popular net fishing industry had established the base for development of Fuao settlement and industrial development of the region over several hundred years.
During the early Qing Dynasty, pirates gathered here and the residents left temporarily. In contrast with Taiwan and Penghu, the Matsu Islands were not ceded to the Japanese Empire via the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Neither were they occupied by Japanese troops during World War II because they were not important militarily. Due to its strategic location for the only route for spice road, the British established the Dongyong Lighthouse in Dongyin Island in 1912 to facilitate ships navigation.
In 1911, the Qing Dynasty was toppled after the Xinhai Revolution on 10 October 1911 and the Republic of China (ROC) was established on 1 January 1912. Matsu Islands was subsequently governed under the administration of Fukien Province of the ROC. On 1 August 1927, the Nanchang Uprising broke out between the ruling Nationalist Party of China (KMT) and Communist Party of China (CPC) which marked the beginning of Chinese Civil War. After years of war, the CPC finally managed to take over mainland China from KMT and established the People's Republic of China (PRC) on 1 October 1949 which also covers the Lianjiang County of Fujian. The KMT subsequently retreated from mainland China to Taiwan in end of 1949.
After their retreat, the KMT retained the offshore part from the original Lianjiang County located on Matsu Islands, and also all of Kinmen County. In July 1958 the PRC began massing forces opposite the two islands and began bombarding them on 23 August, triggering the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. On 4 September 1958, the PRC announced the extension of its territorial waters by 20 kilometres (12 mi) to include the two islands. However, after talks were held between the USA and PRC in Warsaw, Poland later that month, a ceasefire was agreed and the status quo reaffirmed.
The phrase "Quemoy and Matsu" became part of American political language in the 1960 U.S. presidential election. During the debates, both candidates, Vice-President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy, pledged to use American forces if necessary to protect Taiwan from invasion by the PRC, which the United States did not recognize as a legitimate government. But the two candidates had different opinions about whether to use American forces to protect Taiwan's forward positions, Quemoy and Matsu, also. In fact, Senator Kennedy stated that these islands - as little as 9 kilometres (5.5 mi) off the coast of China and as much as 170 kilometres (106 mi) from Taiwan - were strategically indefensible and were not essential to the defense of Taiwan. On the contrary, Vice-President Nixon maintained that since Quemoy and Matsu were in the "area of freedom," they should not be surrendered to the Communists as a matter of "principle."
Self governance of the county resumed in 1992 after the normalization of the political warfare with the mainland and the abolishment of Battle Field Administration on 7 November 1992. Afterwards, the local constructions progressed tremendously. In 1999, the islands were designated under Matsu National Scenic Area Administration. In January 2001, direct cargo and passenger shipping started between Matsu and Fujian Province of the PRC. Since 1 January 2015, tourists from mainland China could directly apply the Exit and Entry Permit upon arrival in Matsu Islands. This privilege also applies to Penghu and Kinmen as means to boost tourism in the outlying islands of Taiwan.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsu_Islands
In 2013 I had the opportunity to visit the largest of the Matsu islands, Nangan, as a friend of mine is a teacher at a primary school on the island.
CAPTURE INFO
-------------------
Scope Centering:
- RA: '0 54 16.931'"
- Dec: '+56 44 22.56'"
Date Captured:
October 31, Home (Bortle 7)
GUIDING NOTES:
Average, averaging ~0.7 RMS
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: 5 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
- (73) 180 second subs
- Normalize Scale Gradient Script to nomalize background
NON LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)
1. Dynamic Background Extraction
2. Background Neutralization
3. Color Calibration
3. Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform
4. Another Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform
LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)
1. Easy Soft Stretch script
2. SCNR on the G channel
3. Removed the stars with Starnet
4. Created Range mask to hide the nebula
5. Used HistogramTransformation to darken the star halos.
6. Ran HDRMultiscaleLinearTransform to enhance nebula
7. Ran a slight "S" curve using CurvesTransformation to darken background and enhance nebula
8. LocalHistogramEqualization @ 25 for contrast on nebula
9. LocalHistogramEqualization @ 25 to further contrast nebula
10. MultiscaleLinearTransform to sharpen detail in the nebula
11. Added back the stars with 15% reduction using PixelMath
12. Created Star Mask and inverted to protect the stars
13. Increased saturation of the stars using Curves
14. Inverting the star mask back to protect stars and increased blue in the nebula using curves
15. Made image ready for the web using ICCProfileTransformation
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 (unit#2) 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/
When I see birds exhibiting so-called "anting" behavior, or sprawled out spreading their wings at odd angles in the hot sun, it never fails to make my heart skip a beat, thinking the bird is about to expire. The purpose of this behavior is to maintain feather health.
This Western Bluebird flew down to the ground and did a "face plant" with outspread wings. Stayed in that position for several seconds (seemed like an eternity), and flew off, happy as a Lark.
Took awhile for my pulse to normalize, though!
Shanghai is the largest city by population in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.
Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast.
Hello eveyone! I recently got back from my trip to China. It is a beautiful country to explore, with a very different culture. It was very interesting, nonetheless. I'm still trying to get over the jet lag, having to sleep in the daytime and unable to sleep at night. It looks like it will take me a while to normalize my body clock.
This was a challenging shot, because I did not have my tripod with me. The light was absolutely beautiful. For this 4 sec exposure, I had to rely on placing the camera on top of a pillar and hold my breath, as steady as I could possibly be. I guess I am still old school, pushing the ISO down to 100. If I had pushed it up to the 400-640 ISO range, maybe I could have had a steadier shot.....oh well this is what I have to share with you. Enjoy!
Hope you're enjoying this Holy Week, in a spiritual way.
As always, thanks for stopping by and looking, I appreciate your comments and visits.
Tell us their stories...
I can’t say too much about these two yet because I’m still trying to discover who they really are and what their lives are about.
Bit by bit I will peace together their intricate past, to match with their confused present, to face their equally unknown but complicated future.
But here’s an introduction to put you in the picture...
Boaz is probably 13 years old -- he doesn’t really know and we’re still looking for his birth certificate, has only been on the streets for the last 8 months. He landed there with a slightly older brother, Ben Hur, when they ran away from home together. Ben Hur has since disappeared, trafficked by professionals to the coast to serve as a sex slave for wealthy women after he was tempted into a posh car by his future “madame” or female pimp and taken to the port of Santos.
Ben Hur was tall, blond and dashing according to previous neighbours; an ideal candidate to serve such a demanding market and probably a match for academy award winner, Charlton Heston, who won his only oscar for the role in 1959. Boaz decided not to leave in that car and that decision was certainly a decisive one in his own life. Street kids are prone to disappear in many different ways, this being one of them.
Leonardo is 17 years old. We know because he still has his ID-card. He’s been on the streets for a couple of years and serves as street “father” to Boaz, who prefers to be called Bruno for some reason. Street fathers are usually older, more experienced street kids who gang together with younger kids to easier support themselves without having to get involved in criminal acts. They create a kind of dependency which is pretty hard to break out of as long as they are on the streets. As their lives gradually “normalize” during rehabilitation, so does this kind of unhealthy relationship.
Leonardo landed on the streets after leaving FEBEM (the government reform school for young law-breakers, better known as the state sponsored school of crime). He ended up being locked away because of an armed robbery together with his cousin that went wrong. His then 15-year old cousin got hit in the spine by two shots from the police and now suffers from paraplegia, seated in a wheel chair roaming the streets of São Paulo.
Leonardo has a great natural talent that will probably help him find a new future in his already turmoiled life. Click on this link and wait for the download, then listen to this talented young musician, who both plays the guitar and sings.
I wonder why they didn’t discover that in FEBEM?
Hoje A Noite Não Tem Luar
Ela passou do meu lado
Oi, amor - eu lhe falei
Você está tão sozinha
Ela então sorriu pra mim
Foi assim que a conheci
Naquele dia junto ao mar
As ondas vinham beijar a praia
O sol brilhava de tanta emoção
Um rosto lindo como o verão
E um beijo aconteceu
Nos encontramos à noite
Passeamos por aí
E num lugar escondido
Outro beijo lhe pedi
Lua de prata no céu
O brilho das estrelas no chão
Tenho certeza que não sonhava
A noite linda continuava
E a voz tão doce que me falava
O mundo pertence a nós
E hoje a noite não tem luar
E eu estou sem ela
Já não sei onde procurar
Não sei onde ela está
Hoje a noite não tem luar
E eu estou sem ela
Já não sei onde procurar
Onde está meu amor?
Original Music & Lyrics: Legião Urbana
Memorial a José Martí
José Martí ( 1853 - 1895 ) - the Cuban National Hero -
- the Soul of the Cuban Revolution -
✺ "Every Human being has within him an Ideal Man, just as every piece of marble contains in a rough state a statue as beautiful as the one that Praxiteles the Greek made of the God Apollo."
✺ "Our own Greece” is preferable to the Greece that is not ours; we need it more. Statesmen who arise from the nation must replace statesmen who are alien to it. "
✺ "To Change Masters is not to be Free."
✺ "Mountains Culminate in Peaks, and Nations in Men ; It is the Duty of Man to raise up Man.Everything that divides Men is a Sin against Humanity. "
✺ "The Soul, equal and Eternal, emanates from bodies of different shapes and colors. Whoever foments and spreads antagonism and hate between the Races, sins against Humanity."
✺ " I come from all places and to all places I go,because happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent exercise of reason and knowledge of the harmony of the universe; all is beautiful and unceasing, all is music and reason, and all, like diamond, is carbon first, then Light .... "
✺ "Being Cultured is the only way to be Free."
✺ "In a time of crisis, the Peoples of the World must rush to get to know each other."
✺ " I am a Sincere man from the Land where Palm trees grow,and I want, before I die ,to cast these verses from my soul ... "
I wish to leave the world
By its natural door;
In my tomb of green leaves
They are to carry me to die.
Do not put me in the dark
To die like a traitor;
I am good, and like a good thing
I will die with my face to the Sun ... José Martí
Exploring Vedado,Havana's "Forbidden" Neighbourhood,the city's financial district,just a few miles west of Old Havana.Thick swaths of forest were converted into a closed military defense zone by Spanish colonizers,hence the name “Vedado” which means “forbidden” in Spanish.Memorial a José Martí takes the central stage in the Revolution Square in Vedado.
( It is the largest monument to a writer in the world,the second one is the Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott standing in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.)
The Pyramidal Tower,built with a five-pointed star shape representing the Vertices of Freedom,has José Martí 's 18 metres,white marble sculpture on a pedestal at its base.
The National hero is seated in a thinking pose with a lookout over Havana.The huge Monument encased in grey Cuban marble quarried from the Isle of Pines ( Isle of Youth ),is 142 metres tall and 78,50 in diameter, and has a stairway of 579 steps.It is the tallest structure in all of Havana and was placed in here in 1958.It also houses a museum where you view portraits and relics from Martí’s life and you read about 80 quotes from his writings engraved in gold and spread out into five halls.
- Cubans Duly Honoured their National Leader -
José Martí - aka the Cuban Apostle - is considered one of the great turn-of-the-century Latin American poets and intellectuals.
He was a writer,poet,essayist,professor,a really remarkable figure in Latin American literature,and an important revolutionary philosopher and political theorist.His passionate belief in Democracy and Justice made him a hero for all Cubans.
After his death, one of his poems from the book, "Versos Sencillos" (Simple Verses) was adapted to the song "Guantanamera",which has become the patriotic song of Cuba.
PS : While it is the sovereign right of the Cuban people to cherish Jose Marti as their own son of the soil,it can be said honestly and accurately without the slightest disagreement from the unselfish Cuban people that Marti belongs not only to Cuba but to all of the Americas,to all Nations.
☼ இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—...இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ— 🌻🌻🌻 இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—...இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ— 🌻🌻🌻☼
- Update 25 March 2019 -
✺ " In a time of Crisis, the Peoples of the World must rush to get to know each other." Jose Marti
While Greece celebrated the Day of Independence on the 25th of March,I was glad to see on Twitter that Clarence House & BBC announced Prince Charles' three-day historic trip to Cuba.
The Prince of Wales,heir to the British throne,and his wife,Duchess of Cornwall,landed in Cuba on 25 March 2019.
The UK supported the trip to the communist-run island in hopes of boosting commercial and cultural ties with Cuba.The trip was seen as an attempt to help form closer ties between the UK and Cuba and strengthen British-Cuban relations as part of a broader normalization of the island's relations with the West.
Trade between the two countries has fallen off sharply in recent years,but nonetheless,around 200,000 British holidaymakers come to the island each year.Now,the UK sees opportunities in Cuba's booming tourism sector as well as energy.
As this year marks the 500th anniversary of the city of Havana,their Royal Highnesses attended a wreath-laying ceremony for Cuba's National hero,José Martí.
Prince Charles stood in silent contemplation as a large wreath of Roses was laid at José Martí Memorial in Revolution Square.
And then,came the Celebration of Literature with a new bronze sculpture of the English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare.
To Be or not to Be ...
The Royal couple toured Old Havana's historic centre on foot where they viewed a plaque to commemorate the Royal visit,and HRH the Prince of Wales along with local historian Dr. Eusebio Leal unveiled the statue of the Bard.
( Dr. Eusebio Leal is director of the restoration programme of Old Havana and its historical centre,UNESCO World Heritage.
He is also the President of the Commission of Monuments in the City of Havana and a specialist in Archeological Sciences.)
✺ " In a time of Crisis, the Peoples of the World must rush to get to know each other." Jose Marti
One final shot to wrap up this streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) series.
This alley wall graffiti poses a valid question, "how do we end the drug crisis"?
A more pertinent question, “how did we get here”?
Vancouver, B.C. is consistently ranked at the top of the list for the world’s most liveable cities - but not for many in the DTES.
The city has a dirty little secret that it has been trying to suppress for decades. The historic four-block area near East Hastings and Main Street — the DTES — known as one of the “poorest postal codes” in Canada, has a combination of drug use, HIV, homelessness, prostitution, mental illness, and crime all making up this poor off neighbourhood.
To be successful as a drug lord you need a steady, reliable, cheap supply of product, a location where you can operate relatively free from prosecution and away you go. The prime location ingredients Vancouver offers is the DTES.
Over the decades continuing city administrations have built a community of “customers with no cash” by loading the DTES with blocks of not for profit social housing. Along with the myriad of Single Room Occupancy hotels (SRO's) the area is prime territory for the drug trade.
Social housing should be spread throughout the city to provide a society of different financial means for common support - IMO.
Administrations over the years have been loath to attempt social housing in the rich city enclaves due to onerous push back. It was and still is more expedient to keep adding more social housing in the DTES where there is minimal opposition.
***** Today there are at least 6 City of Vancouver development permit applications on file for more social housing in the DTES.
The process is welcomed by the myriad of DTES support service groups who like their clientele close at hand and the clientele are fine with it as services are nearby.
DTES government and service support groups along with poverty pimp lawyers who have a hissy fit if anyone tries to change the dial, while also making money off the situation, has resulted in the perfect condition for drug dealers to flourish.
Social housing residents, many older, Asian and often mentally challenged are living in a hell hole neighbourhood with little individual voice.
In recent years, the area is seeing an east creeping gentrification. This is causing the DTES street population to be squeezed into a smaller footprint resulting in more confrontation and the appearance of a worsening situation even though overall the numbers of street people remains fairly constant.
The amount of taxpayer dollars spent in the area is staggering with little to show for the investment.
Vancouver has always had a drug problem. The opioids of choice — and the increasingly staggering death toll — have changed over the years.
In 2017 Fentanyl killed so many Canadians it caused the average life expectancy in B.C. to drop for the first time in decades. But for crime kingpins, it became a source of such astonishing wealth it disrupted the Vancouver-area real estate market.
SOME BACKGROUND:
Excerpt from the Province Newspaper by reporter Randy Shore 18 March, 2017.
When members of the Royal Commission to Investigate Chinese and Japanese Immigration came to Vancouver in 1901, they got an eyeful.
“There were whole rooms of Chinese lying stretched out on beds with the opium apparatus laid out before them — all unmindful that their attitudes and surrounding conditions are being taken note of to assist in keeping the remainder of their countrymen entirely out of Canada,” reported the Vancouver World newspaper.
The fringes of Vancouver’s Chinatown have always been the centre of Canada’s opiate trade. Ever more potent and easily smuggled versions emerged through the decades, culminating in the scourge of synthetic opiates — fentanyl and carfentanil — thousands of times more powerful and many times more deadly than opium.
Opium was a source of revenue for governments of the day. A federal duty imposed on importers fetched hundreds of thousands of dollars between 1874 and 1899. In B.C. ports, and cities charged hundreds of dollars to purveyors in the form of business licences.
Between 1923 and 1932, more than 700 Chinese men were deported for drug-related violations.
Under constant pressure from the police, opium users began to inject their hit, as the technique created no smoke or aroma and used smaller equipment, which could be easily hidden. In the 1920s and 1930s, white users tended to be young criminals, “racetrack hands, and circus and show people” who smoked opium or sniffed heroin.
By the mid-1930s, heroin was one of the most common drugs in circulation and white users were increasingly taking the drug intravenously, especially as prices rose due to scarcity brought about by vigorous law enforcement.
The outbreak of the Second World War put opiate addicts into a state of crisis, as opiate drugs were required in great quantities for the war wounded. The street price of a hit — whether heroin, morphine or codeine — shot up and crime along with it.
In the post-war period, right through to the mid-’60s, Vancouver was ground zero for Canada’s intravenous drug scene, made up mainly of petty criminals, troubled youths fed by drug lords.
Before the ’40s were over, highly refined white heroin had appeared and it was coming from overseas to satisfy a hungry market in Vancouver, home to half of the country’s drug users.
Heroin use remained a constant undercurrent in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside during the ’70s and ’80s, even as alcohol was the neighbourhood’s real drug of choice.
But a flood of a new and even more potent “China White” heroin arriving into the city reignited public outrage in the early ’90s. A spate of 331 overdose deaths in 1993 spurred B.C. coroner Vince Cain to call for the decriminalization of heroin and addicts be prescribed the drug to legally maintain their habit.
It would be nearly 15 years before the Study to Assess Long-term Opioid Maintenance Effectiveness (SALOME) began in Vancouver, just about the time a new threat emerged.
Up to 80 times as powerful as heroin, fentanyl hit the streets and reduced the risk for traffickers as it was so concentrated, transportation was easier.
The carnage wrought by fentanyl has been without precedent.
Heroin seized in drug busts is routinely cut with fentanyl and in recent months the presence of carfentanil.
SUMMARY:
Where will this go next, who knows ?
The richest of societies should be especially judged by how they treat their least fortunate, and Vancouver has its challenge set out for the foreseeable future.
UPDATE 23 May 2020 - VANCOUVER SUN
John Mackie:
The Downtown Eastside is a war zone disaster — stop ghettoizing it.
John Mackie, Vancouver Sun 23 May 2020
Twenty years ago local musician Kuba Oms was recording at the Miller Block, a now defunct Hastings Street recording studio near Save-On-Meats.
He jaywalked and was stopped by a cop, who handed him a ticket.
“I said ‘Are you kidding me?’” Oms recounts. “You know there’s a guy shooting up over there, and a crack dealer over there. And the cop said ‘That’s a health issue.’”
That story pretty much sums up the city’s attitude toward the Downtown Eastside over the past few decades.
In some ways the cop was right — it is a Vancouver health issue. But letting people openly do drugs in public and turn Hastings and the wider Downtown Eastside into a ghetto is political correctness gone mad.
Drive down Hastings Street between Abbott and Gore and you’ll see dozens, even hundreds of people hanging out on the street, in various states of sobriety. They are definitely not social distancing. It’s a miracle that COVID-19 hasn’t swept the entire area.
The height of this madness was the recent occupation of Oppenheimer Park. Vancouver has real issues of homelessness, but to some degree Oppenheimer was about a fringe group of politicos manipulating the homeless.
Many police resources were diverted to the park and there was a crime wave in nearby Chinatown — one business closed because they were being robbed a dozen times a day.
The province recently made hotel rooms available for the homeless people occupying Oppenheimer Park, so things have calmed down somewhat. But the big question is what happens in a few months? Is government going to find permanent homes for them?
Odds are if they do, it will be in highrises in the Downtown Eastside. For decades that’s where the city and province have been concentrating social housing, especially for the mentally ill and drug addicted.
Their argument is these residents feel comfortable there. But the reality is the more poverty is concentrated, the worse the area seems to become.
Maybe it’s time for the city of Vancouver to give its head a shake and realize that its much-ballyhooed Downtown Eastside Plan is actually part of the problem, not the solution.
Part of the plan decrees you can’t build condos on Hastings between Carrall Street in Gastown and Heatley Avenue in Strathcona, or in historic Japantown around Oppenheimer Park.
Development in those areas has to be rental only, with at least 60 per cent social housing. This pretty much ensures that no market housing is built in the poorest area of the city.
When the plan was unveiled in 2014, Vancouver’s former head planner Brian Jackson said the aim was to ensure that low-income people in the Downtown Eastside weren’t displaced.
“The plan is attempting to achieve balance,” he explained then.
In fact, the plan does the exact opposite. There is no balance in the Downtown Eastside: It’s been turned into a ghetto. A friend who’s worked there for two decades calls it a war zone.
The city desperately need some market housing, co-ops and development on Hastings and around Oppenheimer. The anti-poverty activists will scream blue murder that it’s gentrification, but it’s actually normalization. You don’t have to displace anybody, you just have add a different mix to make it safer.
I live in Strathcona, where about 6,500 people live in social housing and about 3,500 in market homes. It’s a close-knit neighbourhood that has the balance Brian Jackson was taking about — it’s diverse and features a variety of incomes.
Japantown and the Downtown Eastside could be a real neighbourhood again if the city retained its stock of handsome historic buildings but allowed some development of its many non-descript structures.
It could be like Strathcona, even the West End. But I fear it could get even worse, if the planners and politicians continue to concentrate all the Lower Mainland’s poverty and social ills in one small area.
jmackie@postmedia.com
John Mackie is a veteran Postmedia reporter who has written several stories about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Plan.
UPDATE: 12 JUNE, 2020
When the encampment in Oppenheimer park was cleared out, another one to replace it sorung up on Port of Vancouver lands.
FROM THE VANCOUVER SUN:
A judge on Wednesday granted an injunction to shut down an encampment of largely homeless people near CRAB Park on Vancouver’s waterfront.
11 June, 2020 Vancouver Sun reporter Keith Fraser
The order of B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson came following an injunction application filed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the federal agency that operates the parking lot where the camp was set up in May. The camp has grown to upwards of 130 to 150 people living in dozens of tents and other structures.
A judge on Wednesday granted an injunction to shut down an encampment of largely homeless people near CRAB Park on Vancouver’s waterfront.
The order of B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson came following an injunction application filed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the federal agency that operates the parking lot where the camp was set up in May. The camp has grown to upwards of 130 to 150 people living in dozens of tents and other structures.
The judge gave the encampment three days in which to cease occupation of the parking lot, removing all tents, shelters, personal items, rubbish and other things on the site.
He said the injunction was good for 15 days, meaning that the port will have to come back to court in 15 days if everyone in the encampment is not gone and police haven’t dealt with it.
The port had sought an enforcement order giving police the power to arrest and remove anyone remaining on the site but the judge, noting that the police had agreed to carry out the injunction without an enforcement order frequently granted in such injunction cases, declined to make that order.
During two days of submissions in court, the port argued that the same COVID-19 concerns that had closed down a tent city at nearby Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside following an order issued by the B.C. government also applied to the homeless at CRAB Park.
Lawyers for the port also cited complaints from nearby residents about lack of social distancing within the encampment, near continuous burning of an open-flame bonfire and smoke entering apartments, trash within the encampment and an increase in garbage and needles in the area.
People were seen urinating and defecating in the bushes and ocean and loud music and noise was heard, according to the port, which also argued that there was housing available to accommodate the homeless.
Lawyers for the homeless questioned whether there was in fact alternative accommodation available and argued that their clients felt safer being in the tents at CRAB Park than on the streets.
They claimed that the liberty rights of their clients would be violated if they were made to close down the encampment.
But the judge sided with the port, concluding that there would be irreparable harm to the port should the encampment remain in place and the balance of convenience favoured the injunction being granted.
Outside court, Doug Ehret, a homeless man who has been staying at the site, said he was “greatly disappointed” in the judge’s decision.
“He has a home to go to tonight. I don’t. He’ll sit in a million-dollar home in a sauna. I’ll sit beside a fire, but you know what — I’ll be better off because I have people who love me and actually give a crap.”
Michael Costley, a Gastown resident who has had concerns about the site, said as excited as he is about the ruling seemingly going in their favour, he’s hopeful the campers will respect the decision just as residents in the area have respected the campers’ right to protest.
“Our fear as a local resident is that they’re just going to move over into CRAB Park. That’s what I would do if I was them, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t.”
Fiona York, who identified herself as an advocate for the encampment, said there would be a meeting on Wednesday night to decide what their next steps are.
“It’s going to be up to the residents. Everybody is well aware about what’s been happening, how they feel about it.”
kfraser@postmedia.com
twitter.com/keithrfraser
UPDATE: 13 JULY, 2020
Vancouver can’t catch up to its housing crisis
ADRIENNE TANNER
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED 13 JULY 2020
It is obvious now the cheers that erupted when Vancouver’s longest running tent city was dismantled were wildly premature. Fearing a COVID-19 outbreak would take hold in the overcrowded inner-city camp, the provincial government in April acquired emergency housing in hotels for homeless people living there and cleared the site.
Many camp residents embraced the offer of a clean room. Some refused and relocated outdoors. The camp shifted, first to some empty Port of Vancouver land, and when a court order quickly shut it down, finally landed in Strathcona Park. With each move, it grew.
Today there are about 150 tents Strathcona Park, roughly double the number there were in Oppenheimer Park. How many inhabitants are truly homeless is anyone’s guess. Some of the tents were erected by activists with homes. Others belong to people living in single room occupancy hotels, the worst of which are noisy, bug-infested and so hot that some residents prefer to spend summer outside.
There is already an air of permanence to the camp; the city has installed porta-potties, fresh drinking water and handwashing stations. Park rangers drop by a few times daily. The area is reasonably clean, but these are early days.
Strathcona residents are largely sympathetic to homeless people, but are understandably unhappy about losing a large chunk of park space. They fear the same violence and social disorder that cropped up at Oppenheimer is inevitable; there has already been a small fire and there appears to be a bike chop shop on site. There are cries for the city to sanction a permanent tent city location – elsewhere, of course.
So how exactly did the province’s efforts to shut down a tent city and house homeless people backfire so badly? The city and provincial officials have been out-manoeuvered and out-organized by anti-poverty activists who seized a COVID-19 opportunity when they saw it.
The pandemic raised fears the Oppenheimer tent city would turn into a reservoir of disease that could overwhelm the health system. The activists know that’s why the government cleared the camp and purchased hotels for social housing. They understand this is the moment to highlight society’s failure to solve homelessness, even if their end goals seem to differ. Some are calling for permanent housing – others prefer the idea of a permanent, free-wheeling tent city.
The sorry truth is, even with the addition of 600 units of temporary modular housing and, more recently, the purchase of three downtown hotels, there are still more homeless people than homes. Successions of governments at all levels have allowed this crisis to grow. They’ve failed to build enough social housing. Failed to provide adequate mental health services. Failed to fund enough drug rehabilitation programs for those who want to quit and provide a safe drug supply for those who can’t.
So, now here we are with the largest homeless camp the city has ever seen and another stressed-out neighbourhood. Legally, the new tent city may prove more difficult to dismantle – it’s a large park and the tents are well spaced so the pandemic may not wash as a valid reason. And unless housing is available for everyone who is homeless, it is unlikely the courts would grant an injunction.
Solving problems associated with homelessness is a huge challenge. We can start with housing, but that alone is not nearly enough. Many of the people living in the hotels and park are drug users. Many are mentally ill. Some are both. It takes money – and lots of it – to provide decent housing and supports for this segment of society.
But to cave to demands for a permanent tent city is an American-style admission of defeat. The park board seems resigned to tent cities in parks and is considering a bylaw seeking to control locations. City council has resisted sanctioning a permanent spot, instead offering up land for new social housing. The province has stepped up with money for temporary modular housing and purchases of hotels.
It will be tough to keep neighbourhoods onside if more parks are rendered unusable for recreation. There is only one palatable solution; the provincial government must stay the course and keep adding decent, affordable housing. It won’t be cheap or easy. Catchup never is.
UPDATE: 17 July 2020 - BC Coroners Service:
This report summarizes all unintentional illicit drug toxicity deaths in British Columbia (accidental and undetermined) that occurred between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2020, inclusive. It includes confirmed and suspected illicit toxicity deaths (inclusion criteria below).
Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths in BC January 1, 2010 – June 30, 2020
• In June 2020, there were 175 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths. This represent a 130% increase over the number of deaths seen in June 2019 (76) and a 2% increase over the number of deaths in May 2020 (171).
• The June 2020 total represents the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths ever recorded in a month in B.C to date.
• The number of deaths in each health authority is at or near the highest monthly total ever recorded.
• The number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in June 2020 equates to about 5.8 deaths per day. The number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2020 equates to 4 deaths per day for the year.
• In 2020, 68% of those dying were aged 19 to 49. In 2019 and 2018, 67% were in this age range. Males accounted for 80% of deaths in 2020 to date, slightly higher than in 2019 (76%) and consistent with 2018 (80%).
• The townships experiencing the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2020 are Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria.
• Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority have had the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths (228 and 205 deaths, respectively) in 2020, making up 59% of all such deaths during this period.
No deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention (2) sites.
UPDATE: 07 August 2020:
Ian Mulgrew: Vancouver Sun 07 August, 2020
Drug decriminalization a half-baked proposal
Opinion: ‘We have to find a different paradigm here,’ says Dr. Richard Mathias of the University of B.C. faculty of medicine. ‘The paradigm we have is killing Canadians’.
Four years after the authorities declared opioid deaths a public health emergency in B.C., the crisis rolls along like a Monty Python plague skit: Bring out your dead!
While there are daily briefings about COVID-19, which has killed fewer than 200 people in B.C., overdoses that have killed more than 700 so far this year receive little more than a monthly mortality update.
The number of drug deaths in each health authority is at or near the highest on record, without a cure, vaccine or solution in sight.
Instead of truly confronting the crisis, governments seem to be continually finding reasons to stall and shy away from discussing what is needed.
There is little evidence our political leaders want to talk about the issue beyond wringing their hands and mouthing anodyne concern.
The B.C. government won’t even provide the costs associated with the more than 30,000 people weaned off illegal drugs and now on Big Pharma substitutes.
“As this matter is before the courts (because users have launched a class-action lawsuit) it is not appropriate for us to share any information that is not publicly available at this time,” said Tracey Robertson, senior public affairs officer.
“This includes the costing associated with Methadone, Methadose and Metadol-D treatment. That said, we are able to provide you with the number of patients on Methadone (15,459), Methadose (12,026), and Metadol-D (3,589), as of April 2020.”
Believe it or not, it was 15 years ago that B.C.’s public health officers demanded the government decriminalize drug offences.
In a strident, progressive paper, they said it was time to address the harmful effects of the criminal prohibition against substances such as heroin and (at the time) marijuana.
They emphasized that anti-drug laws were based on racism and cultural biases, not evidence of harm, and the prohibition was causing far more damage to health and to society.
Titled “A Public Health Approach To Drug Control in Canada”, that 38-page paper recommended reform of federal and provincial laws and international agreements that deal with illegal drugs, development of national public health strategies to manage all psychoactive drugs, including alcohol and prescription drugs, improved monitoring, and more education.
Governments ignored it, and the echoes that followed over the years.
By 2019, even before her fame, Dr. Bonnie Henry was still trying to get that 2005 message heard.
In May, federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu was asked to introduce a nationwide exemption for drug possession so no one would have to fear arrest and jail, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, even the nation’s chiefs of police — who fought drug reform to protect their budgets — have joined the bandwagon, saying we should decriminalize drug possession.
The chiefs say it would improve the health and safety outcomes for drug users while reducing property crime, repeat offences and the demand for drugs in communities.
Really? After all these years of filling our jails with drug users while gangs prospered and proliferated, the cops have finally figured that out?
Heck, even Premier John Horgan, who recently sounded like he didn’t have a clue about addiction, is apparently all for decriminalization.
It’s about time.
Banning opiates, cocaine and other substances has proven to be as stupid as trying to ban alcohol.
Our drug laws are an abject failure. Still, decriminalization is not the answer to the opioid crisis any more than it was for marijuana.
It’s a halfway house of pain. Which is why we need a discussion.
Decriminalization allows the user to consume without risk of arrest, but does nothing to address the illegal black market, with its tainted products, violence and indiscriminate sales to kids.
Criminal drug laws protect traffickers from taxation, regulation and quality control. They maintain artificially high prices for drugs that cost pennies, and they produce an underground economy where disputes get settled not in court, but with guns.
There are better ways to control drug use.
It’s time to adopt a new legal regime to regulate drugs — their potency, retail sales, warning labels, age limits and other restrictions such as prescriptions.
Decriminalization won’t do that. Legalization will.
We need an integrated strategy of prevention, research, education and social programs to address poverty and the homelessness that has far too many people sleeping in parks.
We have to start discussing that aid package and dealing with addiction as seriously as we have attacked the coronavirus.
Legalization is not a panacea. It does not end drug use or violence.
But it will stop people with a medical issue being turned into criminals, and help us reduce the overdose deaths, the black market and the violence.
The 2005 anti-drug strategy called for a national dialogue, and Dr. Richard Mathias, of the University of B.C. faculty of medicine, emphasized: “We have to find a different paradigm here. The paradigm we have is killing Canadians.”
It didn’t happen.
Today, more than ever are dying. That 15 years have passed isn’t a joke, it’s an indictment.
imulgrew@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ianmulgrew
Eugène Ionesco's The Rhinoceros - An Analogy of the Persecution of Minorities and Immigrants by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
The Rhinoceros, by Eugène Ionesco - The Analogy of the Persecution of Minorities and Immigrants by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
Rhinoceros is one of Eugène Ionesco's most celebrated plays, written in 1959.
The action takes place in a small French town where, suddenly, the inhabitants begin to transform into rhinoceroses. What initially causes shock soon becomes an accepted phenomenon. One by one, Bérenger's friends and colleagues succumb to the transformation, until he becomes the last human being, refusing to capitulate.
The play shows how the masses can abandon critical thinking to follow a collective current—what we would call herd psychology today. At the same time, it is a praise of individual resistance, celebrating the decision to preserve humanity and uniqueness even in total isolation. Ionesco uses dark humor and absurd situations to expose the anguish of human existence.
As the play progresses, language disintegrates, reflecting the citizens' loss of logic and reason. The metamorphosis thus functions as a powerful metaphor for blind adherence to mass ideologies and the consequent hatred and exclusion directed at those who do not follow the dominant trend.
The analogy between Rhinoceros and contemporary persecutions of minorities and immigrants is direct and disturbing. Ionesco's play shows how intolerance takes hold, becomes banal, and finally normalized.
1. The Normalization of Hate Speech
In the play, citizens are initially shocked by the presence of the rhinoceroses, but quickly become accustomed to it.
Today: xenophobic and racist ideas, previously confined to extremist fringes, have become part of the political and media debate. The initial shock disappears, and prejudice becomes acceptable.
2. The Dehumanization of the "Other"
For persecution to occur, it is necessary to strip the target of its humanity. In the play, humans literally transform into wild, gray, and violent beasts.
Today: immigrants and minorities are frequently described through dehumanizing metaphors, such as "invasion," "vacancies," "swarms," or "cultural threat." This language corrodes empathy and facilitates violence and exclusion.
3. Herd Psychology and Fear
Ionesco's characters transform themselves through conformity, opportunism, or fear of isolation.
Today: economic fear and social anxiety are channeled into scapegoats, such as immigrants. Many join exclusionary movements not out of rational conviction, but out of a desire to belong to a strong group that promises protection.
4. The Capitulation of Intellectuals
In the play, the character Botard, an academic and logician, tries to find rational and scientific justifications for the metamorphosis of citizens.
Today: Public figures, commentators, and academics sometimes resort to distorted data or conspiracy theories, such as the "Great Replacement," to give an appearance of intellectual legitimacy to discrimination.
5. The Isolation of Those Who Resist
In the end, Bérenger is completely alone for refusing to become a rhinoceros. He even doubts himself, wondering if the majority is wrong.
Today: Defending human rights, refugees, or minorities in highly polarized contexts requires moral courage. Those who do so are often labeled "traitors," "naive," or socially isolated by the dominant currents.
If social media can now be seen as one of the main drivers of contemporary "rhinoceritis," part of the press has also contributed to this phenomenon by legitimizing, in the name of a supposed openness of thought, discourses that transform minorities into new monsters. Thus, contemporary versions of the same logic of exclusion that Ionesco denounced are multiplying.
While this period may seem challenging for artists, it is proving, conversely, lucrative for certain commentators and opinion outlets that normalize intolerance.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
O Rinoceronte, de Eugène Ionesco - A Analogia Da Perseguição De Minorias E Imigrantes por Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
Rinoceronte é uma das peças mais célebres de Eugène Ionesco, escrita em 1959.
A ação decorre numa pequena cidade francesa onde, de forma súbita, os habitantes começam a transformar-se em rinocerontes. O que inicialmente provoca choque depressa se torna um fenómeno aceite. Um a um, os amigos e colegas de Bérenger cedem à transformação, até que ele se torna o último ser humano, recusando-se a capitular.
A peça mostra como as massas podem abdicar do pensamento crítico para seguir uma corrente coletiva — aquilo a que hoje chamaríamos psicologia de manada. Ao mesmo tempo, é um elogio da resistência individual, ao celebrar a decisão de preservar a humanidade e a singularidade mesmo em total isolamento. Ionesco recorre ao humor negro e a situações absurdas para expor a angústia da existência humana.
À medida que a peça avança, a linguagem desintegra-se, refletindo a perda de lógica e de razão dos cidadãos. A metamorfose funciona, assim, como uma poderosa metáfora da adesão cega às ideologias de massa e do consequente ódio e exclusão dirigidos a quem não segue a tendência dominante.
A analogia entre Rinoceronte e as perseguições contemporâneas a minorias e imigrantes é direta e perturbadora. A peça de Ionesco mostra como a intolerância se instala, se banaliza e, por fim, se normaliza.
1. A normalização do discurso de ódio
Na peça, os cidadãos começam por se chocar com a presença dos rinocerontes, mas rapidamente se habituam a ela.
Hoje: ideias xenófobas e racistas, antes confinadas às franjas extremistas, passaram a integrar o debate político e mediático. O choque inicial desaparece e o preconceito torna-se aceitável.
2. A desumanização do “outro”
Para que uma perseguição aconteça, é necessário retirar humanidade ao alvo. Na peça, os humanos transformam-se literalmente em bestas selvagens, cinzentas e violentas.
Hoje: imigrantes e minorias são frequentemente descritos por meio de metáforas desumanizadoras, como “invasão”, “vagas”, “enxames” ou “ameaça cultural”. Essa linguagem corrói a empatia e facilita a violência e a exclusão.
3. A psicologia de manada e o medo
As personagens de Ionesco transformam-se por conformismo, oportunismo ou medo de ficarem isoladas.
Hoje: o medo económico e a ansiedade social são canalizados para bodes expiatórios, como os imigrantes. Muitos aderem a movimentos de exclusão não por convicção racional, mas pelo desejo de pertencer a um grupo forte que promete proteção.
4. A capitulação dos intelectuais
Na peça, a personagem Botard, um académico e lógico, tenta encontrar justificações racionais e científicas para a metamorfose dos cidadãos.
Hoje: figuras públicas, comentadores e académicos recorrem, por vezes, a dados distorcidos ou a teorias da conspiração, como a da “Grande Substituição”, para dar aparência de legitimidade intelectual à discriminação.
5. O isolamento de quem resiste
No final, Bérenger fica completamente sozinho por se recusar a tornar-se um rinoceronte. Chega mesmo a duvidar de si próprio, perguntando-se se a maioria não terá razão.
Hoje: defender os direitos humanos, os refugiados ou as minorias em contextos altamente polarizados exige coragem moral. Quem o faz é frequentemente rotulado de “traidor”, “ingénuo” ou socialmente isolado pelas correntes dominantes.
Se as redes sociais podem hoje ser vistas como um dos principais motores da “rinocerite” contemporânea, também parte da imprensa tem contribuído para esse fenómeno ao legitimar, em nome de uma suposta abertura de pensamento, discursos que transformam minorias em novos monstros. Multiplicam-se, assim, versões contemporâneas da mesma lógica de exclusão que Ionesco denunciou.
Se esta época parece desafiadora para os artistas, mostra-se, em contrapartida, lucrativa para certos comentadores e órgãos de opinião que normalizam a intolerância.
Date Captured:
November 3, 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
- (109) 180 second subs
- Normalize Scale Gradient Script to nomalize background of images
NON LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)
1. Dynamic Background Extraction (2 times)
2. Color Calibration
3. Background Neutralization
4. Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform
5. Another Linear Noise Reduction using MultiscaleLinearTransform
6. Photometric Color Calibration
LINEAR PROCESSING (PixInsight)
1. Easy Soft Stretch script
2. Dynamic Crop
2. SCNR on the G channel
3. Created a Star Mask to protect the stars from processing
4. Created Range mask to hide the nebula
5. Ran HDRMultiscaleLinearTransform to enhance nebula's darker regions
6. Ran a slightest of "S" curve, 4 times, using CurvesTransformation to darken background and enhance nebula
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. Increased saturation of the image ever slightly using Color Saturation
12. Made image ready for the web using ICCProfileTransformation