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The comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) has given us many incredible views in recent weeks, from Colombia we join these captures!
Images of the comet moving during the early mornings of December 4 to 8 when it was passing through the constellation of Boötes,
images taken from the Orion interstellar Camp in the Tatacoa desert.
Thanks to Jesus Mario Vargas Plaza for the images of day 5 and for all the support to capture this event.
Gear:
Canon 6D astromod with Astronomik MC clear filter
Lens Tamron 70-200 f/2.8
Tracking with Celestron Nexstar Mount
Images ranging fron 20 to 100 frames, 30s exposure ISO 3200 normalized and adjusted for brightness, software used: Pixinsght 1.8, Adobe Photoshop CC 2022
My first RGB Image from the Qhyccd 183M 20mpx Back Illuminated ColdMOS Camera, I will be writing part 2 of the review soon, so here's what I hope is one of many images taken with this awesome camera
Gear:
Imaging Scope: Sky-Watcher Quattro 8" F4 Imaging Newtonian
Imaging Camera: Qhyccd 183M 20mpx ColdMOS Camera at -20C and DSO Gain
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro
Guide Camera: Qhyccd QHY5L-II Mono
Guide Scope: Sky-Watcher 50x90 Finder Scope
Filter Wheel: Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm EFW
Filters: Baader Planetarium 36mm RGB
Coma Corrector: Sky-Watcher Aplanatic Coma Corrector
Image Acquisition: Main Sequence Software SGPro
Image Processing: PixInsight
Image Details:
Target: IC434 - Horsehead Nebula
Constelation: Orion
Red: 19x300S
Green: 19x300S
Blue: 19x300S
Darks: 51x300S
Flats: 101
Bias: 251 converted to SuperBIAS and deducted from Flats
PixInsight Image processing workflow:
1. Calibrated against darks and Bias Subtracted Flats
2. Star Alignment
3. Least noise frame from each colour chosen as Normalization Frame and Dynamic Background Extraction Performed
4. Normalization of all frames
5. Stacking of frames and generation of drizle data (for larger quality image in future)
6. Performed LinearFit using Red stacked image as reference
7. Performed MultiMedianTransformation to reduce background noise
8. Performed SCNR to remove excessive green in image
9. Stretched the image using HistogramTransformation
10. Performed a CurvesTransformation to bring out the star colour
Right now I have not performed any Sharpening of the image, nor have I added the Ha data to this image, I'll post an updated image when I get round to doing that
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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Saint-Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area. Saint-Petersburg is the fourth-most populous city in Europe, the most populous city on the Baltic Sea, and the world's northernmost city of more than 1 million residents.
The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world, the Lakhta Center, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, and was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020.
The name day of Peter I falls on 29 June, when the Orthodox Church observes the memory of apostles Peter and Paul. The consecration of the small wooden church in their names (its construction began at the same time as the citadel) made them the heavenly patrons of the Peter and Paul Fortress, while Saint Peter at the same time became the eponym of the whole city. When in June 1703 Peter the Great renamed the site after Saint Peter, he did not issue a naming act that established an official spelling; even in his own letters he used diverse spellings, such as Санктьпетерсьбурк (Sanktpetersburk), emulating German Sankt Petersburg, and Сантпитербурх (Santpiterburkh), emulating Dutch Sint-Pietersburgh, as Peter was multilingual and a Hollandophile. The name was later normalized and russified to Санкт-Петербург (Saint-Petersburg).
The historic architecture of Saint-Petersburg's city centre, mostly Baroque and Neoclassical buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been largely preserved; although a number of buildings were demolished after the Bolsheviks' seizure of power, during the Siege of Leningrad and in recent years. The oldest of the remaining building is a wooden house built for Peter I in 1703 on the shore of the Neva near Trinity Square. Since 1991 the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast have been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
It is already there.
-
Not placed.
Not arrived.
-
It does not enter the landscape.
-
The landscape adjusts
to accommodate
what was never external.
-
Trees remain.
-
But their persistence
no longer guarantees
their existence.
-
They extend
as if continuity
still mattered.
-
It does not.
-
The structure does not oppose.
-
Opposition requires difference.
-
Here;
only substitution
without declaration.
-
Lines intersect
where no intention
was formed.
-
Angles stabilize
what has already
lost its reference.
-
You expect intrusion.
-
Nothing intrudes.
-
The real event
is quieter:
-
The environment
forgets
how to exclude.
-
And so;
everything is included
without consent.
-
The object does not dominate.
-
It normalizes.
-
Its presence
is not excessive.
-
It is precise.
-
Too precise
to be questioned
without collapsing
what remains around it.
-
The tree continues.
-
But continuation
is no longer
a sign of life.
-
It is a delay.
-
A residual agreement
between matter
and its former condition.
-
The structure does not grow.
-
It resolves.
-
Each edge
is the end
of a question
that was never asked.
The light appears.
Not emitted.
Concluded.
-
As if illumination
had reached
its final state
and refused
to extend further.
-
The orbit forms.
-
Not around.
-
Through.
-
A trajectory
that does not revolve
but confirms
that rotation
is no longer required.
-
You look for transformation.
-
But transformation
implies sequence.
-
Nothing here
follows.
-
Everything
has already
taken place
in a configuration
that no longer
admits before or after.
-
The structure holds.
-
Not by force.
-
By inevitability.
-
The tree bends slightly.
-
Not physically.
-
Conceptually.
-
As if its definition
had shifted
without altering
its form.
-
This is where it occurs.
-
Not in matter.
-
In recognition.
-
You understand
too late
that nothing
has been added.
-
Only replaced.
-
Not visibly.
-
Functionally.
-
The landscape remains.
-
But it no longer
produces itself.
-
It is maintained
by something
that does not belong to it.
-
And never did.
-
The structure does not stay.
-
It makes staying
irrelevant.
-
The orbit fades.
-
Not because it ends.
-
Because continuation
no longer requires
visibility.
-
You remain.
-
But remaining
is no longer
a position.
-
It is a condition
that has already
moved on
without you.
Press L to view larger and on black!
So the story of my life today summed up quickly... Wake up, get ready, go to work, come home, surf the web, go biking, take a photo, get home, edit, post, write and probably after this go to sleep. Pretty much the gist of my weekends, since I normally work in the afternoons on weekdays I dont really go out for a bike ride since biking around these country side roads at night isn't the safest thing to do, especially since I surprisingly don't have a light on my bike.
Either way another simple photo of myself and my bike today. Seems like I always photography my road bike off road, probably because I think the roads look kind of boring and setting up a photo on the side of the road on my own looks pretty silly to those passing drivers. So can't say to much about this, went out to a field, did a panorama and got a second darker exposure for the sky and just blended the two layers together. Though I have to say I made the sky to dark in post but to late now hahaha I'm not a fan of reediting once its been posted. Hell even my sky tones look to saturated now that I look at it again. Remember folks taking breaks when you edit is important so your eyes can normalize again! What looked alright then might not look good 10min later. Regardless just a bunch of colour work as usual in post.
The title for this photo comes from a line in the song "Doing All Right" by Queen.
Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in late September (northern hemisphere) or late March (southern hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.
The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalized to the original Latin word autumnus.There are rare examples of its use as early as the 14th century, but it became common by the 16th century.
Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season. However as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and fall, as well as autumn, began to replace it as a reference to the season.
Autumn's association with the transition from warm to cold weather, and its related status as the season of the primary harvest, has dominated its themes and popular images. In Western cultures, personifications of autumn are usually pretty, well-fed females adorned with fruits, vegetables and grains and wheat that ripen at this time. Most ancient cultures featured autumnal celebrations of the harvest, often the most important on their calendars. Still extant echoes of these celebrations are found in the mid-autumn Thanksgiving holiday of the United States, and the Jewish Sukkot holiday with its roots as a full moon harvest festival of "tabernacles" (huts wherein the harvest was processed and which later gained religious significance). There are also the many North American Indian festivals tied to harvest of autumnally ripe foods gathered in the wild, the Chinese Mid-Autumn or Moon festival, and many others. The predominant mood of these autumnal celebrations is a gladness for the fruits of the earth mixed with a certain melancholy linked to the imminent arrival of harsh weather.
Why To Fight Against Extreme Right and Nationalist Right In Portugal And In the World by Daniel Arrhakis
Why to fight against the movements of Extreme Right or Nationalist Right in Portugal and in the World.
It was the nationalist idealism that led to the Second World War and that divided nations leading to the destruction of many capitals in Europe and the death of more than 55 million people worldwide.
To these were added the millions of displaced persons, the thousands who were used as slaves in the war effort.
In these mortal victims are counted the entire families who were shot in mass graves (which they themselves dug) previously undressed and still with children in their arms!
It is the same Nationalism of an Extreme Right that killed millions by gas just because they were against their ideology, or because they were Jews, homosexuals, communists or gypsies. The same that Mr. Andre Ventura of the far-right Portuguese political party is chasing at the moment just because they are different!
As for the refugees, they come looking for a better life like so many Portuguese who are still in France today, some of whom are threatened in the same way by the French from the National Front of Marine Le Pen who do not want emigrants there! The same Marine Le pen who has a smiling lunch with André Ventura.
The dependent subsidies as André Ventura refers to and persecutes so much are people with poor resources, Portuguese people who, due to their low income, are given a subsidy, which social security does not provide without income verification!
This attempt to persecute the most needy, refugees and minorities is a technique used by the nationalist right such as Marine Le Pen in France, Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Donald Trump in the United States that combine populism with [anti-immigrant] nativism and authoritarianism. They advocate worship / loyalty to leaders and belief-centered supremacy.
In fact, in addition to the trinity God, Fatherland and Family that was so homesick for Salazar, we always have a group where hatred is directed and the masses are incited; in Germany it fell mainly to the Jews and therefore to a religion, using a campaign of demonization that ended its persecution and death by chambers of gas.
The use of social networks made the spread of these ideas explosive because it managed to bring together minorities whose extremist ideals were not well accepted in the wider community.
The spread of false news and the appearance of propaganda agencies of the nationalist ideology and the radical right like Breitbart has aimed to discredit traditional news agencies and try to call into question even the democratic institutions and processes of the countries as happened with the Phenomenon Trump in the United States.
Doubt, the hate speech that is always present even with the normalization of insults is one of the techniques to radicalize people and bring more supporters to the cause.
This radicalization is also done with conspiracy theories widespread by people like Steve Bannon and lies where political concepts, tragedies or political crises and interracial or regional hatreds are mixed.
Let us not be naive Trump and Bolsonaro, Marine Le pen or Matteo Salvini who still recently supported André Ventura are part of a movement that tries at all costs to unite the Extremist and Nationalist Right in the World and in Europe.
With support from major dark European and American economic interests and support from Russian oligarchs, they try to divide Europe and its allies but also to weaken large alliances, especially the Atlantic Alliance.
The isolationist process is always present, hence the fight against international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization or the European Community. Through the process of propaganda of extremist ideas, fear and radicalization, they try to control the peoples and to endure an authoritarian system of worship for the leader, as we have in North Korea! - The radicalization of the Left is as dangerous as the radicalization of the Right.
André Ventura in his doctoral thesis defended minorities until recently and was against the police states to quickly join a nationalist right of Marine Le pen, whose father said that "The Nazi Holocaust was just a detail ..." .
I believe that many people due to the global crisis, the pandemic and the lack of social response by many governments see their future threatened and try to find alternatives. But let's face it, does everything work?
Will we want to agree with the fascism or the "patriotic" nationalist right of Trump or Bolsonaro?
Do we want national socialism like Hitler's Nazi regime? So since when are right-wing nationalism possible in Democracy or as History sadly taught us, we will be able to agree with regimes of inhuman fascism that defend the survival of the strongest and despise the most sacred Values of Humanity!
Text By Daniel Arrhakis
________________________________________________
*** O Porquê de se lutar contra os movimentos de Extrema Direita ou de Direita Nacionalista em Portugal e no Mundo. ***
Foi o idealismo nacionalista que levou à Segunda Guerra Mundial e que dividiu nações levando à destruição de muitas capitais da Europa e à morte de mais de 55 milhões de pessoas por todo o Mundo.
A estes juntaram-se os milhões de deslocados, os milhares que foram utilizados como escravos no esforço de guerra.
Nessas vitimas mortais contam-se as famílias inteiras que foram fuziladas em valas comuns (que elas próprias escavavam) previamente despidas e ainda com crianças ao colo !
É o mesmo Nacionalismo de uma Extrema Direita que matou milhões pelo gas só porque eram contra a sua ideologia, ou porque eram judeus, homossexuais, comunistas ou ciganos. Os mesmos que o Sr. Andre Ventura do partido de direita radical CHEGA persegue neste momento só porque são diferentes !
Quanto aos refugiados vêm procurar uma melhor vida como tantos portugueses que estão ainda hoje em França, alguns dos quais ameaçados da mesma forma pelos franceses da Frente Nacional de Marine Le Pen que não querem lá emigrantes ! A mesma Marine Le pen que almoça sorridente com André Ventura.
Os subsidio dependentes como André Ventura refere e tanto persegue são pessoas com fracos recursos, Portugueses que devido aos fracos rendimentos lhes é atribuído um subsidio, aliás que a segurança social não atribui sem verificação de rendimentos !
Esta tentativa de perseguir os mais necessitados, os refugiados e as minorias é uma técnica usada pela direita nacionalista como Marine Le Pen na França, Viktor Orbán na Hungria e Donald Trump nos Estados Unidos que combinam populismo com nativismo [anti-imigrante] e autoritarismo. Defendem o culto/lealdade aos líderes e uma supremacia centrada na crença.
Aliás que para além do trinómio Deus, Pátria e Família que era tão saudoso do Salazar temos sempre um grupo para onde se dirige o ódio e se incitam as massas; na Alemanha calhou principalmente aos Judeus e portanto a uma religião, usando uma campanha de demonização que acabou com a sua perseguição e morte mas camaras de gas.
A utilização das redes sociais tornou explosiva a disseminação destas ideias pois conseguiu juntar minorias cujos ideais extremistas não eram bem aceites na comunidade em geral.
A disseminação das falsas noticias e do aparecimento de agencias de propaganda da ideologia nacionalista e da direita radical como Breitbart tem tido como objetivo a descredibilização das agencias noticiosas tradicionais e tentar colocar em causa até as instituições e os processos democráticos dos países como aconteceu com o Fenómeno Trump nos Estados Unidos.
A duvida, o discurso do ódio que está sempre presente até com a normalização dos insultos é uma das técnicas para radicalizar as pessoas e trazer mais apoiantes à causa.
Esta radicalização é também feita com teorias da conspiração muito difundidas por pessoas como Steve Bannon e mentiras onde se misturam conceitos politicos, tragédias ou se tira partido das crises politicas e dos ódios inter-raciais ou regionais.
Não sejamos ingénuos Trump e Bolsonaro, Marine Le pen ou Matteo Salvini que ainda recentemente apoiou André Ventura fazem parte de um movimento que tenta a todos o custo fazer uma união da Direita Extremista e Nacionalista no Mundo e na Europa. Com apoios de grandes interesse económicos europeus e americanos e do apoio de Oligarcas Russos tentam dividir a Europa e os seus aliados mas também enfraquecer as grandes alianças em especial a Aliança Atlântica.
O processo isolacionista está sempre presente, daí o combate ás organizações internacionais como as Nações Unidas, a Organização Mundial de Saúde ou a Comunidade Europeia. Pelo processo da propaganda das ideias extremistas, do medo e da radicalização tenta-se assim controlar os povos e fazer perdurar um sistema autoritário de culto ao líder, como temos aliás na Coreia do Norte ! - A radicalização da Esquerda é tão perigosa como a radicalização da Direita.
André Ventura na sua tese de doutoramento defendia até há bem pouco tempo as minorias e era contra os estados policiais para rapidamente se associar a uma direita nacionalista de Marine Le pen, cujo pai dizia que " O Holocausto Nazi era apenas um pormenor ... " .
Eu acredito que muitos em virtude da crise mundial, da pandemia e da falta da resposta social de muitos governos vejam o seu futuro ameaçado e tentem encontrar alternativas. Mas sejamos sinceros, será que tudo serve ?
Quereremos pactuar com o fascismo ou a direita nacionalista "patriótica" de Trump ou Bolsonaro ?
Queremos um nacional socialismo como o Regime Nazi de Hitler ? Então desde quando é que os nacionalismos de direita são possíveis em Democracia ou como a História tristemente nos ensinou, poderemos pactuar com regimes de um fascismo desumano que defende a sobrevivência dos mais fortes e despreza os mais sagrados Valores da Humanidade !
Texto De Daniel Arrhakis
Everything here belongs to theNew York Times!!!
Article By Peter Baker
Aug. 13, 2020
Updated 11:46 a.m. ET
+
President Trump announced on Thursday that Israel will establish “full normalization of relations” with the United Arab Emirates and forgo for now plans to annex occupied West Bank territory in order to focus on improving its ties with the rest of the Arab world.
In a surprise statement issued by the White House, Mr. Trump said that Israel and the U.A.E. will sign a string of bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, security, technology, energy and other areas while moving to allow direct flights between their countries and set up reciprocal embassies in each other’s nation.
“As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world,” according to a statement released by the White House and described as a joint declaration of Israel, the U.A.E. and the United States.
Mr. Trump summoned reporters to the Oval Office and said that he had spoken with leaders of the two countries. “Things are happening that I can’t talk about” but they are amazing, he told the reporters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel reposted a tweet from Mr. Trump announcing the agreement and added, in Hebrew: “A historic day.”
In a statement of his own, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo compared the agreement to the peace treaties Israel forged decades ago with Egypt and Jordan. “Today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the Emirates holds similar potential and the promise for a better day for the entire region,” he said.
Pt & En
.
Chego ao TOP 4 de 2018. A posição dessa foto explica-se pela pura emoção do momento.
Primeiro chego à bela praia de Buzios, RJ, no qual essa foto foi tirada, e me deparo com um bando de pequenas aves na zona banhada pelas brandas ondas.
Sem saber o que são, me aproximo cuidadosamente.
Uma surpresa, um bando de Batuíras!
Me deito sobre as pedras e mariscos cortantes, aproximo minha lente do chão, centímetros à separam das ondas.
Ali fico, deixo que as aves se acostumem com minha presença. Quando seu comportamento se normaliza me aproximo, me arrastando pelo substrato que cheira a mariscos frescos e mar, cada onda me cobre de algas e areia, que sensação, que prazer, as Batuíras me dão um show.
Nessa situação, nessa proximidade, fotografar uma dessas aves comendo enquanto uma abelha cruza sua visão é perto do ápice da recompensa de ser fotografo. Após o presente que essas aves me deram, saio do mar, coberto de alga, cheirando como um molusco, de alma completamente lavada e com o peito quente de emoção!
.
I reach the TOP 4 of 2018. The position of this photo is explained by the pure thrill of the moment.
At first I arrive at this lovelyl beach in Buzios, RJ, in which i took this shot, and I come across a bunch of small birds in the zone bathed by the soft waves.
Without knowing what they are, I approach them carefully.
A surprise, a bunch of Semipalmated Plover!
I lie on the cutting stones and clams, draw my lens close to the floor, inches away from the waves.
There i stay, leting the birds become accustomed to my presence. When their behavior normalizes, I crawl along the substrate that smells of fresh seafood and sea, each wave covers me in seaweed and sand, what a sensation, what a thrill, the Plovers give me a show.
In this situation, this close, photographing one of these birds eating while a bee crosses its view is near the apex of the pleasure of being a photographer. After the present that these birds gave me, I leave the sea, covered in seaweed, smelling like a mollusk, with a soul completely clean and with a chest full of emotion!
Even though I'm not so sure how 33% of a bus stop shatters perfectly, it did make for a pretty cool pre-7am-photo-op.
Also?This is basically how my brain has felt over the past 72 hours...which is probably evidenced by how much I've been cooking and needed to keep moving/busy. Life, I'm ready for you to normalize.
Click on the shot to see it over black background !!!
The 9-shot cycle of the impressionistic approach captures actually came to an end and a new cycle begins that includes a series of shots devoted to one of the most picturesque cities of Central Macedonia ... Edessa !!!
In those recently captured series of shots, I actually tried to use all pieces of knowledge I have accumulated throughout my three years' experience, experimentation and personal reading on photography to produce the maximum possible result I can practically achieve, as far as both synthesis and photoshooting adjustments are concerned ... You will be the judges to that effort of mine ... The only thing that I can say is that I enjoyed it a lot !!!! It was a vist to one of the most beautiful cities of my country, under extremely "photographic" weather conditions (as you will soon find out) and I was trying to "squeeze" into my camera more and more of this amazingly beautiful landscape. This first shot seen above is a rather conventional one ... More beautiful, wild and less "formal" will follow, believe me ...
EXIF: NIKON D90 with Nikon Nikkor 18 - 55 lens, Shutter Speed priority (I was after the long exposure effect of the waterfall), f 22 (f value was chosen by D90 not so much in order to define the clarity of DOF but to normalize the exposure of the shot), ISO 200, focal length 18 mm, manual exposure selection, manually adjusted white balance, use of ND HOYA X2 filter, HDR made by only one original RAW shot with shutter speed 1/4 s, managing to accurately convey the scene's heavy cloudy atmospere's lighting conditions to the viewer, flash didn't go off, no tripod ....
At this point, I think Mr S actually started posing. Eventually, he settle in and we just enjoyed each other's company sitting quietly beside each other, me in my Rollator, and he on the ground. Shots of that coming soon....
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata), the male, I believe, of a pair that were visiting Teal Pond, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC.
For portraits sittings, we hyoomins often check for the proverbial broccoli stuck in our teeth. Mr Snipe should perhaps have checked for a single dandelion seed. OR not! Perhaps it's his idea of a final touch when all dressed up! If you care to, you'll see the seed stuck with him pretty much throughout the entire shoot!
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. 😜
This image is about comparing Photoshop processing (my customary tool) of planetary data to PixInsight processing. This image, processed in PixInsight, is rendered from the same data as the Jupiter image processed in Photoshop and posted on 2022-09-02.
My impression of this image is that it is interesting, but not as sharp as the Photoshop-processed image. I will experiment with the order of processing to see if a better result can be optained.
After registration and stacking in Autostakkert and de-rotation in WINJUPOS, all follow on processing to this image was in PixInsight instead of Photoshop. In particular, Before any sharpening, I separately de-rotated all images for each color channel, and did a de-rotation of R/G/B Frames.
PixInsight processes used:
ChannelExtraction to pull out separate RGB channel images
LinearFit to normalize channel levels
ColorCombination to reassemble into a single RGB image
UnsharpMask for sharpening
CurvesTransformation for RGB, saturation and CIE c* component stretches
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 !
Feskekôrka (Swedish: Fiskkyrkan (normalized), English: Fish church) is an indoor fish market in Gothenburg, Sweden, which got its name from the building's resemblance to a Gothic church. It opened 1 November 1874 and was drawn by the city architect Victor von Gegerfelt. Feskekôrka is an institution in Gothenburg as well as a tourist magnet, housing one of the city's oldest trades, fishing.
Info taken from Wikipedia.
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.
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.
I have been suffering from insomnia lately;
I just hope I can normalize my sleep cycle soon.
Happy sunday to all!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Subtle differences in shades of green in this animation reflect vegetation conditions worldwide. High values of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, or NDVI, represent dense green functioning vegetation, and low NDVI values represent sparse green vegetation or vegetation under stress from limiting conditions, such as drought. The still image is a snapshot of the Earth created from a year’s worth of data from April 2012 to April 2013.
The information was sent back to Earth from the Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership or Suomi NPP satellite, a partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
Credit: NASA/NOAA
To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/vegetation.html
NASA 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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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).
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.
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 !
January 3 3/365
Happy Thursday everyone! Running behind on my visits...trying to take the tree down and normalize here...ha ha...will be by later to visit!! Thanks so much for stopping by!
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.
Jan Palach (Všetaty, 11 August 1948 – Prague, 19 January 1969) was a Czechoslovak student who became one of the most intense and shocking symbols of civil resistance against the Soviet occupation and against the moral surrender of an entire people. His is not a “romantic” story, nor an impulsive act: Palach is a historical figure because, at the very moment when society began to grow accustomed to fear, he chose to break that normality.
Origins, family, and education
Jan was born in Všetaty, a small town north of Prague in Czechoslovakia. He came from a simple, working family: his father was a small shopkeeper (also connected to a pastry business), and Jan grew up with an upbringing rooted in work, a strong sense of duty, and a concrete morality—never displayed for appearance. This is important: Palach did not come from political elites. He was an ordinary young man who studied, observed, and decided.
In the post-war years, Czechoslovakia experienced the progressive hardening of the communist regime into an authoritarian system: social control, censorship, and limits on freedom of thought. Jan Palach therefore grew up in a world where freedom was not guaranteed and where truth was managed from above.
He became a university student and enrolled at Charles University in Prague, one of the most important cultural institutions in Central Europe. Palach was not known for showmanship: he is described as serious, reflective, determined, with a very strong sense of responsibility. His was not the psychology of an “hero,” but the ethics of someone who refuses to accept humiliation as normal.
The Prague Spring and shattered hope
In 1968 Czechoslovakia went through an extraordinary historic moment: the so-called Prague Spring, an attempt at reform and liberalization that sparked hope for a more humane socialism—freer, less repressive. For months the country breathed again: civil society moved, culture revived, and public speech returned to life.
But in August 1968 the invasion came: the troops of the Warsaw Pact, led by the Soviet Union, entered the country to crush the reforms. It was the end of hope and the beginning of “normalization”: repression, propaganda, resignation. Military violence was only the first blow; the second, deeper one was psychological violence: people began to adapt.
And it is precisely here that Jan Palach understood a terrifying truth: power does not win only when it occupies the streets, but when it occupies consciences.
The act: a protest against resignation
On 16 January 1969 Jan Palach carried out the act that would make him an eternal symbol: he poured flammable liquid over himself and set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in central Prague. The place was not accidental: it was the civic, political, and historical heart of the city. It was an act of accusation against the occupation and against the gradual extinction of resistance.
This was not suicide in the ordinary sense. It was a political, moral, tragic sacrifice, meant to awaken society. Palach left messages and demands: among them, the denunciation of censorship and propaganda, and the need for a collective response. He did not call for revenge; he called for conscience.
His choice is terrible because it forces those who witness it to face a question: what is freedom worth? And above all: what is the cost of becoming accustomed to fear?
Death
Palach was taken to hospital with horrific burns. He did not die immediately: he remained alive for three days in terrible conditions and died on 19 January 1969, only twenty years old. In those days he already became a symbol, because his agony was the opposite of propaganda: it was physical truth, flesh, and pain revealing oppression.
Impact and memory
Palach’s funeral turned into a massive demonstration: an entire city was forced to look. The regime tried to minimize him, discredit him, turn him into a case of imbalance. But history did not erase him. Because his act is not “death”: it is accusation.
Jan Palach remains in European memory as a symbol of unarmed resistance and as a martyr of inner freedom. His figure returns over time: when societies begin to awaken again, his name reappears as warning and flame.
It must be said harshly: Palach did not die out of “personal despair.” He died because he understood that the most dangerous occupation is not the one imposed by tanks, but the one imposed on conscience—when a people stops believing that freedom is possible.
Why Jan Palach is a “necessary” figure
Jan Palach shows that there exists a rare kind of courage: the courage of someone who does not fight to win, but to refuse to lie. It is the courage of someone who pays everything to prevent society from getting used to humiliation.
And this is why Palach is not only Czechoslovak history: he is human history. Every time a people bends under fear, Palach returns to remind us that fear, when it becomes habit, is already defeat.
I publish this series of figures to awaken consciences and to remember how many people died defending truth, justice, and the rights of the oppressed. I want to highlight the injustices that still exist and show young people that the only thing we can do is to fight, because evil still rules and continues to target those who try to make a difference. This series is an invitation to remember, reflect, and never accept injustice.
The 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.
"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.
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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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-
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